by Cate Ryan
Finally, she could hear it. Gentle waves lapping against something. Water was up ahead. She almost turned to tell Mack then remembered she couldn’t.
“Almost there.” She called behind her. She could barely hear his tap, tap over the water.
She pressed on.
Finally, she could see the boat. It was tiny. An oarsman waited in it. Hermes, she realized. Despite being deep in the Underworld he was dressed in a crisp white ensemble, complete with his signature winged boots and hat.
She climbed in. Suddenly Mack was sitting opposite her. They began to move across the water. It was dark but seemed to ripple. There was something down there. Now she was over the water she could feel it. Souls. Calling out to her.
She tried to remind herself it was just deleted code. Characters that should no longer exist. Some of them sent there by her own actions.
She waited. The boat seemed to move so slowly. They weren’t getting any closer to the shore. Taysia didn’t dare look back to see how far they’d come.
She checked her latest ability.
[Kaleidoscope – 30 Mana
Damage 100 (split between all enemies in range)
Cooldown 40 seconds
Description
A kaleidoscope of colors bursts forth from your hands. All your enemies within range will suffer the effects. In addition to damage your enemies will be blinded by the colors giving you a chance to get out of dodge.]
It seemed like hours before they finally appeared in the sunshine. She realized that the putrid smell of the underworld had finally disappeared. Mostly.
She gulped fresh air, letting the salty aroma of the ocean fill her throat and nostrils. She could still detect the faintest smell of the Underworld lingering on their clothes and skin. She shared a smile with Mack who seemed to share her sentiment. She let the sun warm her skin as they headed towards Athens.
The strange little man rowing the boat hadn’t spoken a word since they’d left and Taysia didn’t dare speak either, for fear that she would end up back in Hades’ cavern.
She knew her first step would be to find Racquel and Isaac, Rolling Wave HQ seemed like the best course of action.
After that they needed to figure out why the others were trapped in the Underworld. Taysia would bet her life that it had something to do with the artifact. Which meant they needed to get that artifact back.
And fast.
Sighing heavily as they approached the shore, Taysia was hit suddenly by the enormity of what she, and the others would need to accomplish. She was so glad to be back on the mainland without the threat of her impending death hanging over her quite so close. Of course, if the developer she’d seen could be believed, her body was dead. Only her mind that lived on inside Pantheon. Was it even her mind anymore? She knew things she’d never known outside the game. It didn’t feel like hers.
They traipsed through Hellas meeting plenty of wildlife intent on killing them.
“Another one.” Taysia called to Mack. He moved quickly. Axe straight to the rib cage for the bear that ambled out of the woods. She flung a fireball at it and it dropped to the ground. She approached quickly looting the body.
[Bear has been defeated. 25 XP awarded]
[595 XP until next level]
[2 Bear Meat has been added to your inventory]
It brought her grand total for bear meat up to 50. She sighed. It had all gotten a bit routine.
Even the next notification didn’t fill her with much joy.
[Congratulations – You have reached Level 13
595 XP until next level]
“There can’t be that many bears left in this forest?” She heard another rumble behind the trees.
Only this time it was a manticore. Level 25. She grinned. The very same beast that had thwarted her on the first day.
“Leave this one to me.” Mack stepped back. She flung a fireball at it. Followed by a bolt of energy and another fireball. The manticore’s health dropped to just a slither. She threw another bolt of energy and it dropped to the ground.
[Manticore has been defeated. 100 XP awarded]
[495 XP until next level]
She approached happily touching its talon.
[Manticore Talon has been added to your inventory]
[Manticore Meat has been added to your inventory]
According to Taysia’s map, Rolling Wave Headquarters would appear in their line of sight soon. She hoped Racquel and Isaac would be there waiting.
“Oh, thank god.” Racquel rushed to her feet swinging the gate back to allow them in.
“Isaac!” she bellowed so loudly that Taysia thought the whole place was going to come down around them.
He came running with a few level 1 characters in tow.
“Oh, thank god,” he repeated what Racquel had said.
“These guys spawned and told us you had gotten stuck in the underworld.”
Taysia hated that she hadn’t been able to save everyone’s characters but at least the people in front of her got to come back with a new character. Others might not return to the game. Others may have chosen a new faction at character creation.
“We’re here. It’s so good to see you.”
She slipped into a seat at one of the tables. She wouldn’t be able to remain upright much longer, her body begged for rest.
“We managed to get out, but Hades couldn’t send the others. Something is holding them there. I think it’s the artifact.”
“Yeah. I think we need to break in. get it back. There’s something we don’t know about it, I’m sure.” Isaac didn’t look thrilled about the idea, but he’d resigned himself to it.
Racquel nodded her agreement.
“We need to get into proper training mode though.”
“I agree.” Taysia thought back to her fights in the Underworld, she’d been so powerless at her low-level. Everything she’d come up against could have killed her in one hit. How did anyone survive down there?
“So, we’ll start first thing tomorrow. You sit and I’ll get you some food. Then we’ll get you both a good night’s rest. I’ll do some preparations. But tomorrow we train. All of us.” He looked to the brand-new level 1’s many of whom appeared eager to help. A few shook their heads.
“Sorry man. I just don’t have that kind of time right now. I just wanted to log back in and grab a few quick levels then call it a day.” Isaac nodded understanding. For most of them this was just a game.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Racquel spoke in a whisper, “Just don’t tell anyone I said that.” She was gone as quick as she’d come.
Taysia grinned. Racquel liked her after all. Of course, that was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment but nice to know all the same.
Chapter 15
“So, you’re telling me that the Stone Soldiers headquarters isn’t even in Greece. It’s in Rome?”
Taysia was confused. She was pretty sure she’d selected the Greek region and she was pretty sure that all the factions had a headquarters in each region.
“You really need to brush up on your mythology,” Racquel chimed in from the kitchen. She was busy preparing the food. So far the place hadn’t burned down.
“What do you mean?”
Racquel appeared at that moment with a steaming pot of something that vaguely resembled a stew as well as a huge stack of pita bread and salads.
“Well,” she wiped her dirty hands on her apron, which looked pretty silly slung over the top of her armor, “You know that Greece and Italy are right next to each other on the map right?”
Racquel explained as if she was a five-year-old.
“Racquel, get to the point.”
“Well, the Greeks and Romans kind of shared a mythology way back when. A lot of their gods share similarities to the point where it’s usually referred to as the Greco-Roman pantheon.”
Racquel gave a few examples of similar gods. Zeus, Athena, Poseidon.
“Right. So, they just happen to be in Rome?”
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“Yes.” Isaac confirmed.
“Seems to suit their whole bit. Fighters and such. I think they kind of fancy themselves as Gladiators.”
“Okay. So back to the point. We train up tomorrow then head out to the Stone Soldiers HQ. We sneak in. We get the artifact. And that’s the plan?”
“Yes.”
Isaac nodded.
“I don’t like it.” Mack tucked into the food with gusto but looked up from his plate long enough to make the declaration.
“I mean. Last time we faced just one Stone Soldier me and Taysia ended up in the underworld fighting a Hydraxius. I don’t wanna do that again.”
Taysia pointed to Mack. “He does have a point. Plan seems a bit weak.”
Isaac sighed. “It’s what we have right now. We’ll work on it once we’ve seen what we’re up against. I don’t know what type of defenses they’ll have. I know Romans liked to build pretty fortified places, but these are just players. But. I think it might have some of that old Roman charm.”
Taysia nodded.
“How much further?” Mack complained. They’d barely left Headquarters, forking away from the road to Athens.
“Long way yet.” Isaac nodded to the sign at the crossroads which claimed they had a twenty-mile walk to Rome.
“Stone Soldiers are just outside Rome,” Racquel explained.
Mack sighed and kicked a stone of the cobbled road. The group sunk into a comfortable silence after that.
The footsteps of someone approaching from the opposite direction had them all on edge. Isaac heard them first, then Racquel. They slowed to a dawdle. Isaac was still gesturing them into the bushes when the figure came into view.
Taysia paused. The face walking towards her, the body. A familiar pang that tugged at her heart before leaving a solid mass lodged in her chest. Patrick. That’s who it was.
Her heart fluttered in her chest. She hadn’t known if she’d see him again. She checked his gamer tag, it read:
[Patrick (65)
Dhvaras Knight, Stone Soldiers]
She’d never bothered to ask what fellowship he’d chosen. She supposed that now she knew.
“Patrick?” His face looked only slightly different, made to be a little shorter and squatter in line with the Dhvaras, his facial hair just a little thicker. She remembered seeing Dhvaras when she made her character, born of a union between Dweorg and Human, generally regarded by most as demonic.
He stopped. “Do I know you?”
Suddenly Isaac, Mack and Racquel stood next to her.
“You don’t remember?”
Isaac seemed to realize what was happening and chimed in, “Oh, well, I suppose he wouldn’t. Last time we saw each other there was a lot of fighting going on.”
Taysia searched his face for any sign of recognition. He looked at her again. For a moment she thought he remembered then she saw him smile “Yeah. Guess not. You’re not going to start that again?” She caught him glance at their levels realize he was outnumbered and begin to look a little uncomfortable.
“Nah, not this time. But I think it would be best for all of us if you tell us the best way to get into your headquarters. And then you should leave and never mention to anyone that you saw us. If you do, I’ll make sure that you regret it.”
Taysia shifted from one foot to the other. She wasn’t comfortable threatening her boyfriend. Well, ex-boyfriend she supposed since he had no memories of her.
“Ugh, well. I mean. I guess the best way.” he scratched his forehead just as he always did when he got nervous and knew he’d been caught in a lie, or was about to lie.
“Best way would just be to sneak round to the back and go in through the back entrance. It’s never guarded.”
Isaac seemed oblivious to this little lie.
“Thanks man, I really appreciate it. Now you be on your way. And I better not find out you lied to me.”
Patrick continued on in the opposite direction. When Taysia looked back he’d disappeared into the forest.
Chapter 16
Skirting the edge of the Stone Soldiers Headquarters proved to be more difficult than Patrick had led on, given that the structure was circular and looked almost like the Colosseum. Blessedly they saw nobody on the path. It seemed, based on the sounds rising from the walled base that sounded full of revelry. Still. She assumed it was following the attack on the Rolling Wave base, but perhaps it was always like this.
They did a very slow loop of the whole base. A perfect stone circle to match the Stone Soldiers. It seemed impenetrable. Except that Taysia knew there had to be a way.
The walls stood tall but not so tall that they couldn’t be climbed, particularly by a group of four rather determined people who weren’t expected.
The trick was speed. The longer they spent on the edge of the building, the more vulnerable they would become. They needed to get up and inside as quick as possible.
That could pose a problem for Taysia. The others had significantly higher stamina than her. Both Isaac and Racquel were trained in rope climbing. Although Mack wasn’t, his stamina improved with every level. Far more than her own had since she’d been playing.
It was like being back in gym class all over again. Always the one holding back the team.
At least she didn’t have asthma in this world. That was probably the best part of virtual reality. She longed for her character from Shizuku Tani. That character could have scaled the stone without a rope.
“So, what do you think?”
Isaac contemplated it for a moment before answering. “We need to get some ropes first. And grappling hooks. Shouldn’t be too hard. The materials for those are easy to find. We should do it at night. Probably tomorrow night. We could try heading into Rome tomorrow, but I suspect we’ll be best staying out of sight. We’re not too popular in these parts.”
“Good idea. We’ll make camp out here.” Racquel went quiet for a few moments. “I made you guys a tent.”
[Cloth Tent has been added to your inventory]
“We’ll take watches too. Two hours each.”
Taysia agreed, glad to be surrounded by what amounted to friends in her new world.
They retreated away from the structure as stealthily as possible. They saw no sense setting up camp so close to the enemy.
Nobody spotted them as they shifted into the dark shadows and away from the structure.
Their camp was very basic. Their food situation proved little better. Dinner consisted of scrounged olives and grapes along with a selection of seemingly random meats. Everything from bear to goat.
Taysia’s sleep was broken at best. When Racquel woke her for a watch at 3 am, she wanted to swat the woman away and roll back over. Except that the hard ground didn’t exactly offer an inviting mattress and she would have preferred a thick quilt to snuggle into rather than the thin blanket. Plus, Mack snored like a freight train.
She sighed and dragged herself into the cool night air settling onto a log Isaac had pulled up during his watch.
Taysia shivered, her breath coming out in puffs of white that hovered in front of her mouth for a second before dissipating. Tiny bugs darted around her face and she wished more than ever for her comfy bed and dinner with her family back at home. Or back in her real game. She wanted to talk to Patrick, their conversation played over and over in her mind. The guy she’d met on the path resembled the man she’d dated and fallen in love with only in appearance, and even then, only if she squinted. The man on the path had been cold, calculating. Every bit the Stone Soldier his tag identified him as. She supposed she could understand why he’d picked the faction and he couldn’t have known she’d start playing the game and choose a different one. Well, he didn’t even know she’d existed anymore.
Did he know something had disappeared from his life? She’d heard that you could spot an absence by the emptiness left behind. Removing something always leaves a hole behind, so you might not know what you’re missing but there’s an awareness that something wa
s there once and isn’t anymore. Like noticing there’s something different about your friend before realizing they’ve cut three inches off their hair. Or finally gotten rid of the ugly trench coat they used to wear everywhere.
Except, in that scenario, Taysia became the ugly trench coat. And her boyfriend had forgotten her.
She shivered, but not because of the cold. What else could those developers do if they could just erase her from everyone’s life?
It was unthinkable. She couldn’t let them keep doing it. But how could she, one person (who was arguably not even a person) stop something happening so far away? Would anyone believe her? What if they shut the game down? She’d be dead. But at least nobody else would get stuck. Her sister would have known what to do but she couldn’t ask her.
The next best thing would be asking Isaac.
She paused suddenly, her breathing almost stopped. Was that something in the distance? Should she hide? Wake up the others? It could just be a rabbit or a goat wandering around in the darkness? What if it wasn’t?
She heard the sound again. It sounded unmistakably humanoid. Whoever it was, and it sounded like a lot of people, they hadn’t gotten close yet.
She crept around the campsite. First to Racquel and Isaac in the closer tent. A little pang in her chest at the sight of them sharing a tent. She shelved it for later. She covered Isaac’s mouth with one hand then poked him awake with the other. He struggled for a moment then recognized Taysia, she pressed her finger to her lips to shoosh him. He nodded. She pushed back and moved onto Racquel. Mack was last.
By the time they crept back to the log the noises sounded much closer. Taysia guessed the group to be larger than the one they had seen on the road the other day. She hoped it wasn’t Stone Soldiers. Then again, she hoped it wasn’t something worse too. Though she didn’t yet know what could be worse.
She shivered. Turned to Isaac who shrugged, then to Racquel who had her attention fixed on the scene in the distance. She began creeping closer. Closer to the nearby road. Closer to danger. Taysia made to follow her but Isaac held her back. They couldn’t just go running into the unknown here. They were too close to Stone Soldiers HQ for it to be a coincidence.