Olympus

by Cate Ryan

  She nodded.

  “What was your sister’s name?”

  He looked to Racquel, then to Isaac and back to Taysia. “Her name is Racquel,” it came out in a whisper.

  “I see.” She glanced to Isaac who had understood.

  “And she plays the game too?”

  “Yeah. Not that often. But she thought I’d like it.”

  “Right.”

  “This is all terribly interesting but, I’d really like some peace and quiet.” Racquel reached for the plate and pulled off a chunk of bread not looking up to the boy.

  “Racquel,” Isaac warned. He crossed the cell to the boy, his voice just above a whisper, “I’m sorry. Head to the Holy City.” He looked to Racquel who was paying him no attention “There are others who are stuck.”

  Taysia clapped a hand to her mouth in surprise, Isaac realized too, a second too late what he had said. The boy looked between them. For a second Taysia was sure Isaac was going to be deleted, but he wasn’t.

  She turned back to the boy.

  “Well, given the situation.” Taysia gestured from the boy to Racquel. “Do you think maybe you could help us out here?”

  The boy shook his head. He looked terrified, then he looked to Racquel and nodded.

  “You need to be quick. Or they’ll realize it was me.”

  They nodded. The boy, his tag identified him as Diego, worked to open their chains pausing a little longer than necessary on Racquel.

  She looked to him. They shared similar red hair, ‘Thank you’ she told him.

  Finally, they were all free.

  The tunnel was still dark which worked to their advantage.

  The boy ran immediately, disappearing up the stairs. The four of them looked between each other.

  “We need to get out quick. Anyone remember the way we came down here?” Everyone shook their head except for Mack.

  “You lead the way big guy.” Mack smiled and happily led them through tunnels, up stairs and thankfully, around the room they’d first met Isaac’s brother in. They were almost to the ground level when four guards rounded the corner on them. None seemed to be expecting a fight.

  But, as soon as the realization hit them that these four weren’t stone Soldiers the fight began.

  Taysia’s quest updated.

  [New Quest – Defeat 4 Stone Soldiers Guards

  Reward – 50 XP]

  [0/4 Stone Soldiers Guards]

  [New Quest – Escape the Stone Soldiers Base

  Reward – 150 XP]

  Taysia groaned. Seemed the system wanted them to fight these guys.

  She sent off a bolt of energy. Quieter than a fireball. It dropped one guard by 5%.

  It had a short cooldown, so she sent off another. Racquel joined her. Isaac leaped forward and began to hit at one of the guards. Mack took the final one.

  The tunnel was narrow. Dark and cold. But it seemed to be relatively infrequently traveled.

  Taysia felt a sword swipe her arm. One of the guards had leaped forward deciding she was the weakest link. She wasn’t any good at the hand to hand stuff. She leaped back. Immediately muttered the word, “Block” and the shield jumped into her hand.

  [-26 HP (Knight - Greatsword)]

  Her health bar had dropped 10%. Sometimes she forgot that she was still low level in this game.

  She threw caution to the wind and generated a fireball. She threw it straight at the knight. It singed her a little too given the close quarters, but it was worth it to see his health bar drop by 25%.

  [-25 HP (Self - Fireball)]

  Thanks for the sass game system. She turned to the others briefly to see they were doing relatively well. Racquel’s knight was almost dead. Mack’s was still at 70% but he hadn’t been damaged. Isaac’s knight was almost at 0% but he’d lost a little health.

  She turned back to her own problems and threw a bolt of energy followed by another fireball.

  [-25 HP (Self - Fireball)]

  The knight’s health dropped again. He was now barely at half health.

  She smiled to herself. She could do this.

  Just then he lunged towards her. Sword in front of him. She felt it puncture her chest. She felt him pull the metal back out and the blood gushed from the wound.

  [-54 HP (Knight - Greatsword)]

  [Damage Effect – Bleed. This wound will deal damage to you ongoing, until healed]

  She groaned. That was not what she needed. Her health dropped to 75%. She noticed her stamina drop too. Thankfully she still had mana. She couldn’t leap away like she’d done before but she could certainly throw another bolt of energy at the knight. She threw them as often as she could. Pleased to see his health bar begin to drop rapidly. Isaac cried in triumph as his own enemy dropped to the ground. Racquel had already turned to help Mack.

  Isaac was next to her in an instant. Her health was down to 70%. His was lower. But he had more of it she reasoned.

  He leaped around the knight dodging every blow and landing hit after hit against the knight’s vulnerable places. Neck. Groin. Taysia watched in awe. She wished she’d gone for monk it was much more similar to what she was used to. But this wizard thing was fun. She just wished she could take a few more hits and get up close without getting killed.

  She watched as the knight crumpled. Isaac winked at her. She nodded back, but he was already flitting away to check on Mack and Racquel. Taysia bent to loot the knight, followed by the other dead ones. Their loot transferred to her even as their bodies faded away.

  [Stone Soldier Patch has been added to your inventory]

  [Plate Armor has been added to your inventory]

  [Long Sword has been added to your inventory]

  [Stone Soldier Patch has been added to your inventory]

  The messages scrolled through a few moments longer as the final guard fell to the ground.

  “I know the plan was to get out of here.” Isaac paused, his eyes glanced out to the main courtyard which was now level with them, high walls surrounded it with large open archways and windows at regular intervals. It gave a perfect view to the center. Taysia followed his gaze. “We need to get that artifact. That was why we came here. And it still needs to happen.”

  Taysia and Racquel shared a smile. The artifacts were right there. Five of them sat in a haphazard circle in the courtyard’s center. Here, there were plenty of guards.

  It wouldn’t be easy.

  “We need to wait for our health to regenerate a bit.” Isaac nodded.

  “Not too long though.” She thought back to what he’d accidentally let slip in the cell. Had the developer’s been monitoring it? He should have been automatically deleted. She didn’t dare mention it, in case she got deleted herself. He caught her gaze. She looked away. Was he worried it was still coming? Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  They snuck into a nearby room which was thankfully empty.

  Sitting on the floor of what appeared to be an armory, they waited.

  Taysia checked the items she’d picked up from the Stone Soldiers while they waited.

  [Stone Soldier Patch – Decorative

  Value 1 gold

  Rarity Common

  Properties None

  Description

  An item issued to every new member of the Stone Soldiers Fellowship. This item is purely decorative. We are as strong and enduring as the earth we stand on.]

  It was just like the patch Taysia had received from Rolling Wave, ending with a quote that summed up the Stone Soldiers perfectly. But said very little about the reality of being a Stone Soldier.

  [Plate Armor – Armor

  Value 500 gold

  Rarity Common

  Properties 15% Reduction to all damage types

  50% decreased chance to stealth

  Description

  Not much can get through this full coverage armor but there’s a big downside. You’ll look ridiculous and you’ll be hopeless at stealth.]

  Taysia made a note to sell that one as so
on as she could. Or drop it back in the Rolling Wave Armory.

  [Long Sword – Weapon

  Value 100 gold

  Rarity Common

  Properties Base damage 30

  Must be wielded with both hands

  Description

  This formidable weapon is not for the faint of heart. It’s heavy, it’s big and it does quite a lot of damage. If you’re a caster, I’d go find a short sword, or even better. A dagger.]

  “Here.” Taysia passed the long sword to Mack.

  “Thanks.” She didn’t know if it would work for him, but it was something he could try.

  Each of their health bars had taken a beating, but none more so than Taysia. She waited, glancing between it and Isaac every few seconds to make sure he was still there.

  She was lost in thought when Racquel dropped to the floor in front of her, kneeled in the dirt.

  “Can I talk to you?” It came out in barely a whisper.

  Taysia patted the floor next to her.

  Racquel began, “There’s something I was meaning to tell you when we met. But then I chickened out.” She searched Taysia’s eyes begging her to understand. “I really had no idea.”

  She trailed off, looking to her hands, her pink and white gloves hid most of the fingers, but she picked at a thread in on the index finger.

  “I know who you are. I knew before I even saw you. I was looking for you actually,” all of this came out so quickly that Taysia could barely keep up, “I watched your stream and I used to play Shizuku but I wasn’t very good. I loved your stream. I loved you.” Taysia barely caught the last bit. The woman was still focused on her gloves.

  “I did something I shouldn’t have. You know how I said I’m really good at hacking?”

  Taysia nodded, realizing where the explanation was heading. “Well, I was the one who locked out your account. I just wanted you to log out long enough to try this game. I’m way higher level here. Obviously.” She chanced a look up at Taysia gestured for her to continue. “I was the one who suggested you try out this game. Someone else said you should join Rolling Wave, but I agreed with it, hoping you’d come to Greece. I would’ve gone wherever you were though.”

  Racquel sunk on to her heels. “I just wanted to meet you. I had no idea about well… you know.” She gestured vaguely to Isaac. “I really didn’t. I just wanted to meet you.”

  Taysia didn’t know whether to be angry or not. It was flattering that someone had hacked her account because they’d wanted to meet her so bad. But, now she was stuck. Forever. Her body was dead.

  Patrick had always warned her about stuff like this happening. Stalkers. He’d always told her that one day someone would sneak into her house while she was streaming or something. But that had never happened.

  Of course, he had been right as it turned out.

  “Can you forgive me? I wouldn’t expect you to. I mean, I’ve ruined your life. But I really didn’t know what would happen.”

  Taysia looked to Racquel’s pleading eyes and up to Isaac, Mack. The dirty floor they were sitting on.

  “I know it’s not your fault Racquel. You did a stupid thing. And I’m sorry. Sorry that you feel guilty.”

  Racquel offered a sad smile. “Once we’re done here you should log out.” It was Isaac, apparently he’d heard more than he’d let on. “Log out and never come back. You can warn everyone about what’s happening here. They can’t delete you like they can us.”

  “I think I can get in and out without them tracking me. You forget I know how to hack.” Isaac shook his head.

  “You don’t understand, do you.” Taysia looked to Racquel. Then to Isaac. She had to tell her. “That kid back there. Diego. He was your brother. They erased him from your life.”

  Racquel looked at Taysia not understanding. The kid who’d helped them escape couldn’t be her brother. She didn’t have a brother. Even the name sounded wrong. Diego.

  She thought about it longer. Her gut reaction was to tell Taysia she was wrong. But slowly, as she thought about it. She realized that there was something missing from her life. Whether she’d known it before or not.

  “You’re sure?” Taysia hadn’t expected that response. Outrage, shock, tears, any of that, but not this calmness that sat in front of her.

  “Yes.” Isaac stared at her willing her to see the truth in his statement.

  “I wish I could remember.” Taysia’s heart slammed against her chest, her mind on all the people who didn’t remember her. She wished that Patrick could remember. She wished her sister could remember her. But she also hoped no one ever had to tell her sister that she’d forgotten her best friend.

  “Do you see why you can’t come back?”

  Racquel nodded, now the tears began to fall. “I’m so angry. I wish I knew who they were so I could rip their damn throats out and make them understand how much I hurt.”

  Isaac pressed her, “So you’ll do it?”

  “You better believe it. Let’s get these Stone Soldiers dealt with so I can get started. I’ll scream it from every rooftop.”

  Taysia grinned. “I like the enthusiasm. You need to be subtle though. I know it’s hard, but they can’t know what you’re doing. They could be watching right now, but I hope they’re not. So just… Be quiet about it.”

  Racquel nodded. “Your health is up. We should move.”

  Taysia took a deep breath. It was now or never. She preferred never but now would work too.

  Mack and Isaac rose to their feet. Mack already had his axe out. Isaac flexed his knuckles. They were ready.

  She searched her inventory for anything that would help her. She found the venom from earlier.

  Giant Spider Venom – Potion

  Value 350 gold

  Rarity Rare

  Properties Increase Mana Regeneration by 200% for 1 minute

  Description

  This venom can be used to give you a powerful boost to your mana production. But watch out. Once the effect ends, you’ll be in a world of hurt.]

  It would boost her mana. That was helpful.

  She swallowed the vial of disgusting liquid, it was black and bubbled like cola, except that it tasted more like tar.

  She nodded and followed the others out of their makeshift camp.

  The way into the center was through the windows. Isaac first, then Mack. They tried to move quietly, to go in without being seen. It didn’t work that way.

  Taysia hunkered behind the open arch. There she could throw spells without being easily targeted. Racquel took up a similar stance. A single fireball from each of them landed in the courtyard’s center. Both narrowly missed the artifacts. The health bars of the guards dropped significantly. Taysia threw a bolt of energy at the closest. Racquel threw something that looked like ice damage across to the one’s further away. As it reached them the beam solidified and expanded, freezing them in place. Mack and Isaac were in the thick of it. Slashing axes and smashing fists.

  Her quest log updated.

  [New Quest – Defeat Stone Soldiers and retrieve 5 artifacts for Rolling Wave Fellowship

  Reward – 200 XP]

  [0/5 Artifacts]

  She groaned. Great. That wasn’t going to be impossible or anything. The whole place swarmed with guards from all over the game.

  With a sigh she sent another fireball in before glancing over her shoulder to check for sneaky enemies. She found none. But it became a routine. Throw fireball, check behind, throw bolt of energy, throw fireball, check behind. She repeated it so many times that she lost track. They’d killed so many enemies that she’d lost count. But it seemed as if they kept filtering in.

  Suddenly she caught sight of a familiar face. Strikingly similar to Isaac’s and heading straight for him.

  “Isaac!” she yelled. He looked up from his fight with one of the guards long enough to be hit by a short sword in the ribs. Long enough to notice his brother who was advancing quickly a huge sword in hand.

  Racquel had noticed too and s
ent a fireball in his direction followed quickly by another of the Frost Beams she’d conjured earlier. Thankfully she’d repeated it a few times and several of the guards were fighting amongst themselves leaving the four of them to work their magic in the courtyard.

  Noah had other ideas.

  “Hello again. I see you managed to get out. But never mind. I’ll make sure it doesn’t stay that way for long. I had plans for you… brother” the word rolled awkwardly off his tongue.

  “Yes, that’s right, I heard you talking. I know you think I’m your brother. I’m here to tell you, I have no brother. But, I will take great pleasure in killing you anyway.”

  Isaac whimpered, even from across the courtyard Taysia could see how much pain he was in. The guard he’d been fighting dropped to the ground. Isaac focused his full attention on his brother. Taysia couldn’t take it anymore. She leaped over the barrier and ran in. “Block,” she whispered just as she reached him. She felt the attack land against her shield before it dissipated into nothing. Before she could conjure another, the sword sliced across her shoulder.

  She whimpered in pain watching her health bar drop by 15% from that one hit. Isaac pushed her out of the way leaving her sprawled on the ground.

  “Tay, you gotta keep safe. Get out the way.” Racquel was yelling, gesturing for her to come back. Suddenly a fireball landed a few feet to her left engulfing a guard in flame. He’d been headed straight for her. She leaped to her feet. “Block.” the shield appeared in her hand. Using it with more agility than she would have expected she managed to block a few attacks before it broke and throw a few of her own fireballs as she tried to make it to the artifacts.

  She’d caught sight of them when she rolled away from Isaac. And realized she had a chance to grab them before they got broken or someone else did.

  She leaped around the haphazard circle trying to remain under people’s radar, Isaac was still battling the Stone Soldier leader, his brother.

  Racquel was helping Taysia throwing spells left and right whenever anyone got too close.

  She reached for the circular metal item. It was on the dais in front of her. She half expected someone to grab her before she managed to, but it never happened, instead a little message popped up.

  [Rolling Wave Artifact - Hellas has been added to your inventory]