《Sylvaria Online Book 1: Split》 Chapter 1: Friday Night Chapter 1 Friday Night -Aaron- ¡°What time is he supposed to be here?¡± She asked. I could detect the unmistakable annoyance in her voice that let me know my wife was not happy. ¡°Idunnobabe. He probably stopped at Denny¡¯s on his way down like he always does.¡± My dad had enough free time at the end of the week and I knew he was bored when he asked to come see the kids for the weekend. ¡°Is John not going to eat dinner with us then?¡± She asked, slightly annoyed. My wife, Lisa, was not one for having her schedule interrupted. ¡°Honestly babe it¡¯s not that big of a deal. We can just eat and he¡¯ll show when he shows.¡± I replied without much confidence. I sat down on the couch with my open beer just in time for Oliver to meet my lap with a screaming, ¡°Aaaaaaaaaah!!¡±. Oliver is one of four children. Four as in the number of times our sanity had been tested. We never really gave any thought to the number of children we wanted to raise; we threw caution to the wind and figured we¡¯d know when to stop; turns out we were insane. Don¡¯t get me wrong, we adore all four of them, but simply never expected to live in the same home as 4 shaken cats with unlimited energy. Andrew came to us sixteen years ago, always bold with his questioning and never yielding facts. Andrew was smarter than your average sixteen year old as having to look after his brothers and sisters helped him mature. James, six, came ten years later. What they say about second sons is true, always fearless and the first source of our insanity. Ann was quick to follow, just as she is with James everywhere since. Now five, she is your typical only daughter; always watching and waiting for one of her brothers to be in the wrong. Oliver, two, was our last. He came to us 3 years after Ann and forever cemented the endless cycle of circus music in our home. I sighed and helped him to the seat, feeling exasperated as I moved my beer as not to spill it. As I sipped the beer, I couldn¡¯t help but let my mind wander to my upstairs computer. Every knee uncomfortably placed on my leg, grabby hand somewhere on my arm and headbutt brought me back to reality momentarily. It was nearing dinnertime and all I wanted to do was get the kids to bed and find relief in the peace and quiet of Sylvaria. Gaming had always been a passionate pastime for Lisa and I. Lately, it was becoming more of an addiction for me, and I was doing my best to stave off the ever-growing anticipation of logging in, but with little success. There was something satisfying in letting go and delving into a fantasy world, not worrying about the daily hassles of life. ¡°Can you help me finish up please?¡± My wife called from the kitchen. We have always been a team; from the moment we met our passions became one. Never having gamed, Lisa quickly soaked up the fantasy of online gaming and never looked back. Our passion for teaming up and conquering anything together only grew the more we played and spread to everything we did outside of gaming. ¡°Sure babe. Let¡¯s get these monsters fed and in bed.¡± I sighed, picking up the little whirlwind of crazy from the pile of toys on the couch. I sat Oliver down in his high chair and helped Lisa finish preparing dinner, completing whatever food preperation she pointed out. Enchiladas, beans and rice were on the agenda for tonight. ¡°Kids come eat!¡± I yelled. ***** The doorbell rang just as we finished loading the dishwasher and I glanced at my wife while starting to hand wash the rest of the dishes. Make no mistake, there¡¯s always more that can fill a dishwasher with a family of six. ¡°Not it.¡± I said quickly. Lisa threw two fingers up in my direction. ¡°Dick.¡± She hissed as Andrew and James rushed to the door. ¡°Geeeeetyour asses away from that door! What if some nut job was ready to grab you the moment you opened that door?!¡± She yelled. ¡°Kyaaaaa!¡± James screamed, kicking and punching the air. ¡°Like that¡¯ll work, ding-dong.¡± Lisa admonished. She swung the door open and my father greeted us with his normal enthusiasm, rain pouring from off the overhang above the front door. ¡°Greetings family of mine! Doth the children of this dwelling cause your hair to stand straight up?! They shall be whipped for their impudence! Where thouest be the spawn of my loins?¡± I could feel my wife¡¯s eyes rolling. ¡°In here dad!¡± I called from the kitchen. ¡°Paaapaaaa!¡± The kids called in unison. ¡°Hey grandchildren!¡± He exclaimed as he put his arms around what I can only describe as a mosh pit of tiny arms and legs. ¡°Can weplaaaay?¡± James yelled. ¡°No! Papa I want you to play with me.¡± Ann pouted innocently. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaah!¡± Oliver proclaimed. ¡°Hi Papa John.¡± Andrew said calmly from the side. ¡°Andy! What¡¯s up boyo!¡± My dad asked. ¡°Nothing. I''ve just been studying for my math test. Feel like helping later?¡± ¡°Sure, kiddo. Let me get my stuff inside and talk with your dad for a bit first.¡± he said, untangling himself from the ball of wild animals. ¡°Hey dad. How was the drive?¡± I asked. ¡°It was ok. A lot of rain¡± He replied. ¡°Did you stop at Denny¡¯s?¡± I asked as I gave my wife a knowing look. ¡°Of course.¡± He grinned. I smiled. ¡°How¡¯s work, boyo?¡± He asked while sitting at the kitchen table. ¡°Good, dad. Nothing new, really.¡± I explained as I tried to change subjects. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to show you this game I¡¯ve been trying to get Lisa into.¡± He sighed, ¡°Son, you know my hands aren¡¯t what they used to be. I just can¡¯t get into games longer than 20 minutes anymore. Arthritis kicks in and I¡¯m doing more yelling at my dead body than actual playing. Reading¡¯s my game nowadays.¡± ¡°I know, I know.¡± I relented. ¡°You never could match me anyways. I¡¯d be dragging your ass through dungeons with you at my heels carrying whatever loot I couldn¡¯t carry.¡± ¡°Punk-ass.¡± My dad said as he rolled his eyes. He picked up Oliver as Andrew sat down next to him. ¡°What are we doing this weekend?¡± He asked. I shrugged, ¡°A little of this and a little of that. We don¡¯t really have any plans.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m down to just wing it.¡± He said, obviously relieved. ¡°Where¡¯s my Ann?¡± He called expectantly. ¡°RiiiightheeeeerePapa John!¡± Ann screamed as she shuffled around the corner. ¡°Oliver, want to take a bath?¡± Lisa asked from the baby gate by the stairs. ¡°Yaaaaas!¡± Oliver screamed as he kicked his way off my dad¡¯s lap. ¡°Shall we head upstairs and get these kids ready for bed?¡± I asked my dad. ¡°Sure thing.¡± He replied as he lifted James one-armed over his shoulder. James and Ann pushed each other up the stairs much to my admonishment. Andrew waited patiently at the top of the stairs; gate open. Andrew was always watching, absorbing material for his next series of questions about, "Why this?" and "Why that?" It was one of the qualities he developed that allowed me to relax with him as our oldest child. There was never any doubt he was our third pair of eyes.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. I ushered Ann and Oliver to their rooms and loudly announced, ¡°Bed time kids!¡± This was more a challenge in their eyes. I knew we would spend the next half hour with a bargaining child for another glass of water or last-minute snack. I would inevitably win out and the kids would head into their bedrooms. Princess Ann had her own room, largest of them all. Oliver and James shared a room across the hall from ours, as it was easier to keep an eye on the wild pair. Andrew, being the oldest and most trusted, had a room downstairs which often became the guest bedroom. The last kid in bed, I turned to my wife. ¡°Lisa I¡¯m gonna hang out with my dad a bit if that¡¯s ok.¡± ¡°I know. Don¡¯t be too late, please.¡± She replied knowingly. ¡°Whipooosh!¡± John exclaimed while making a whipping gesture. ¡°She¡¯s going to push your dumbass down the stairs if she catches you doing that.¡± I mocked. ¡°She can try!¡± He challenged. We sat down on the couch in the loft outside of the master bedroom. ¡°So, what¡¯s going on with you, dad?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing much, boyo. Just had some free time while Mila is off with her book club members for the weekend.¡± Mila is my dad¡¯s wife. You could describe her as the rock of the relationship. My dad has always been aloft in his desire to do whatever came to mind. ¡°How was the weather on your way down?¡± I asked. ¡°Wet¡± He replied solemnly. ¡°Not sure I should have driven down with this weather, but I beat the worst of it in the mountains.¡± I leaned back onto the sofa and sighed. ¡°Things around here are nuts, dad. Never any time to do much other than keep these rug rats fed and clothed.¡± ¡°You chose to have four! Yougottapay if you¡¯regonnaplay!¡± My dad proclaimed innocently. I glanced at dad. ¡°When did you know you were past the crazy and into the normal?¡± I asked. He laughed. ¡°There¡¯s never a moment, Aaron. One day you just wake up and they¡¯re all feeding themselves, washing because they don¡¯t want to smell in front of their crushes at school and you¡¯re too busy keeping them alive to pause. Blink and they are off on their own and you¡¯re left wondering why it¡¯s so quiet.¡± ¡°Well, it can¡¯t come soon enough.¡± I said. ¡°You say that and, in the end, you¡¯re going miss these moments.¡± He said. I laughed. ¡°Lisa and I are too busy begging for peace and quiet to miss anything at the moment. Jeez, I¡¯d settle for quiet.¡± After some time hanging out my father announced that he would be ¡°retiring to read¡±. I sat down at my desk and turned on the computer; a small hum filled the room letting me know the small machine had come to life. One hour was what I¡¯d give myself tonight before climbing into bed with Lisa and watching a movie. No doubt we¡¯d both ask each other about which movie for twenty minutes before settling on something. I could hear laughter from the tv in our bedroom announcing that Lisa had delved into her show. This was our normal routine of decompression from a long work week. It was Friday night and I was determined to get as far as I could by mindlessly gathering materials in Sylvaria, zoning out and clicking madly. There was a certain calm that possessed me whenever I stared out at the computer screen, focusing on nothing but a rock here or a plant there. With so much noise throughout the house I longed for this alone time. Lightning flashed in the window just behind my monitor and I glanced behind me to the empty doorway wondering if I¡¯d hear one of the children announcing that lightning had, in fact, appeared. Quiet was the only response to my questioning glace around the dark hall. I turned back to my monitor and double-clicked the icon for Sylvaria, but nothing happened. I sighed and waited, feeling the anticipation of finally being able to play. ¡°Too many people home on a Friday night, sucking up all of the bandwidth.¡± I mumbled. I waited another 30 seconds and double clicked again, anticipation turning to frustration. After a few minutes of waiting, Sylvaria finally appeared on the screen in big bold letters. I half smiled and leaned back in my computer chair, staring at the character selection screen. I clicked on the login button for my level 50 Paladin of Thestria named Lightangel. Corniness knew no bounds in my online portfolio, as I was a Paladin of Thestria and loved delving into the roleplaying aspect of the game. I had quickly raced through the game to level 50 through menial tasks in order to focus on what most people loathed: Gathering and Crafting. Crafting and gathering were my bread and butter, allowing me to feel small amounts of accomplishment everytime I logged in. I could zone out for hours on end, gathering materials in an effort to stockpile a massive amount of materials. Something about having the largest stockpile of digital items excited me, bringing a sense of anticipation to make me log in the next day just to look at them. Most would call it an obsession of the most mundane part of the game, but I called it winning. The other players could have their monsters and dungeons, but I required only an endless amount of materials in which to craft. Players would message from time to time complaining that I was monopolizing the market for one material or another. I would grin and double down as nothing would keep me from manipulating the market. Nothing except Lisa, that is. Lisa hated crafting and If it wasn¡¯t rare and found in some part of a dungeon that no one had seen before, she wasn¡¯t interested. She only showed interest in rarities no one else had or could obtain. A collectionist was how I described her to every one of our online friends. She often pulled me away from the joy of clicking at the same flower or chopping at the same stump to accompany her on some search for a thingamabob mentioned on some wikiwhatsit. This hour, however, was my time and I would be able to click madly away at every wandering butterfly, grab every mundane crystal, chop every half-chopped stump, chip away at whatever shiny rock I found and grab whatever colorful flower that whispered, ¡°Seeeeell meeee Lightangel! I¡¯m speciaaaaal.¡± As I logged in to the game, I was greeted with flashing icons announcing I had mail and market sales to review. I clicked on the market sales first. People could wait as my eyes flicked to the gold that flashed into my account as the day¡¯s sales were announced one by one. Having reviewed the previous day¡¯s sale of goods, I glanced at the mailbox, readying myself for a barrage of complaints. Clicking the mailbox peppered me with messages of hate and disdain over price gouging and market hoarding. Some messages were from normal players asking for a deal and I quickly pushed past these messages until I found what I was looking for: Brokers. Brokers contacted me regularly to supply their companies with large amounts of materials their members were too lazy to gather themselves; this was how I would make my fortune. I had gathered a network of brokers that would accept my outrageous prices for bulk goods because the prices on the market were higher. I grinned inwardly because this was, of course, my doing as well. I would buy up all of the low-priced stock on the market and relist all of it at much higher prices, then sell bulk goods to my brokers for a much larger than normal fee to save them from being gouged. Realistically, a thief would''ve been a better choice for me than a Paladin. Marcus was one of my favorite brokers as he asked no questions and accepted the prices for what they were ¨C ridiculous. I clicked on Marcus¡¯s message requesting large numbers of blue mountain flowers and began typing. ¡°Good sir! Your humble flower-picker has the number you¡¯ve rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr -." My screen filled with r¡¯s, forcing my chat box to scroll uncommanded. I sighed and smacked the backspace button repeatedly, frustrated that my game time was being interrupted by something so ridiculous. After a few seconds of waiting a little more than impatiently, I moved the cursor to discover that it too had frozen. I leaned back and placed my hands over my face, sighing as the frustration quickly turned into anger. Lightning flashed outside my window again and the lights dimmed, causing my screen to dim with it. I glanced at my computer tower wondering if I should unplug it and the rest of our electronics to save it from potential damage from a power surge. Things were getting nasty outside and I grunted as I made myself comfortable, not willing to give up so easily. I clicked madly on the mouse, expecting even a lttle blue wheel to appear, telling me the computer was at least trying to think. Continuing to click at a computer that didn''t even have the decency to make noises at this point was going to get me nowhere. I pressed Ctrl + Alt + Del to bring up my task manager, and nothing happened. I held the ctrl button on the keyboard and moved my hand towards the F4 key to shut down the game, but before I had the chance, a noise appeared by the doorway. ¡°Daaaaaa¡± Oliver called, green dinosaur stuffed animal in his arms. ¡°Oliver.¡± I sighed. ¡°Afraid of the lightning?¡± ¡°Mmmmm¡± He agreed pointing at my window. ¡°I know buddy, but you¡¯ll be alright. Nothing to be afraid of little guy.¡± I comforted. Oliver''s blank stare told me he wasn¡¯t buying it. He quickly shuffled his way to my chair, bobbing his head up and down in the process with a series of ¡°Mmmmm¡± sounds. Lightning flashed outside again and Oliver screeched as he pointed at the window in triumph. ¡°Yes, yes. Lightning little guy. I know, I see it.¡± I chided. Redoubling my focus, I turned my computer chair around with Oliver now on my lap. The computer tower hummed suddenly, louder than normal causing me to frown. Oliver began smacking the front of the computer tower to let me know there was, in fact, a computer tower present. ¡°Ollie, come on!¡± I admonished. He giggled as I felt the side of the tower, feeling a heat emanating from it. ¡°Hmm that is running hot.¡± I worried. This night was not going how I expected, and I knew my gaming hour was quickly drawing to a close. Sighing, I moved back to the keyboard and placed my fingers over the ctrl and F4 keys once more, moving Oliver''s hands each time he tried to press a button. ¡°Daaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!¡± Oliver yelled as both chubby little hands smashed every key they could find. ¡°Ollie! Why?!¡± I exclaimed. My computer jittered noisely as it tried to process all of the new commands while still processing the game it should have easily been able to run. Lightning flashed again and the lights dimmed once more, taking the computer''s processing power with it. The computer fans slowed noticeably and the monitor restarted. ¡°Gah! I can¡¯t win tonight.¡± I relented. I reached over to the computer tower and held the off button, giving in to the foreboding feeling that my night had been ruined; nothing happened. I cocked my head slightly in confusion as Oliver smacked both hands on the desk. ¡°Hmm I think it¡¯s safe to call it quits before my computer decides to give up the ghost." I said, leaning back in my chair. I slid Oliver off my lap and leaned down below the desk, reaching for the power button on the surge protector. ¡°Not protecting much surge, oh surge protector.¡± I grumbled as I clicked the power button off. I sat up and paused, mouth open in slight shock. The computer monitor remained brightly lit. I slowly sat back in my chair and glanced at the computer tower, knowing I had both monitor and computer plugged into the same power strip. Both fans hummed normally and the blue LED blinked normally. Confused, I climbed under the desk and grabbed the power cord from the surge protector, yanking it from the wall socket. I climbed back out from under the desk and paused once more with one hand on my knee. The monitor still showed the background of Sylvaria and my chat screen full of r¡¯s. ¡°The funnyfugglesticksis this shit?¡± I asked. ¡°Dooooohoohooo¡± Oliver said as he pointed and placed one chubby hand over his open mouth. ¡°Lisa!¡± I called ¡°Come check this out!¡± Chapter 2: Leaving So Soon Chapter 2 Leaving So Soon -Aaron- ¡°Lisa!¡± I called again. I could hear footsteps as she made her way down the hall to me. ¡°What, babe? You¡¯re going to wake the kids up!¡± She said, exasperated. ¡°I know I know, but you¡¯re going to want to see this! Look!¡± I said as I held up the cord to the surge protector. ¡°Thaaaats...nice...?¡± She replied dubiously. ¡°No! No, I mean look at it! I pulled the power cord from the wall and the computer is still going strong. There¡¯s no backup battery on this bad boy, so this thing should have shut down by now.¡± I explained. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m confused. Why would you pull the plug in the first place and are you sure you¡¯re not just being stupid and plugged the computer into the other socket? What are those?¡± She asked, pointing to the wall socket adjacent to the desk. I glanced at the other electrical socket, ¡°Wha-?¡± I asked confused. I leaned over and pulled the plug from the second socket. ¡°No, no. That¡¯s the lamp, babe. Look!¡± I held up both cords in the air, well aware of how idiotic I looked. ¡°Why is it still on?¡± She asked. Oliver was more than happy to double check under the desk for any other plugs that remained in their sockets. ¡°Ollie, C¡¯mon man! My poor computer has been through enough tonight.¡± I said as I reached down to pick him up. As I lifted Oliver a sound drew both of our attention. Whump fzzzt whump! ¡°The hell is it making that noise for?¡± Lisa asked nervously. ¡°Fu-¡± I glanced at Oliver. ¡°Fuggin nuts, right?¡± I asked, making sure Oliver wasn¡¯t paying attention; I wasn¡¯t prepared for another reaction to my potty mouth. ¡°Should we grab the kids and go downstairs?¡± Lisa asked, moving towards Ann¡¯s room. ¡°Dad, get up here, quick!¡± I shouted downstairs to my father who was reading on the couch. ¡°What¡¯s up, boyo-¡± Whump whump whump fzzzzzzzzzzzt! The computer tower began to pulsate with light while the monitor rippled; the chat window still in the background full of r¡¯s. Lightning illuminated the window behind the monitor once again followed by more noises from the computer tower. Whump whump whump whump fzzzzzzzzzzzzzt. ¡°Andrew! Grab a pot and fill it with water!¡± Lisa yelled down. ¡°The hell is it doing? Unplug it already, boy! The power surges are frying that thing!¡± My dad said, raising his voice. I pointed to the cords on the ground, unplugged as I quickly back away. ¡°Uhh. Huh.¡± Was all my dad managed to get out before the computer tower finally gave out. Psssssshhhh whump whump psssssshhh. The monitor finally shut off and the tower lights blinked out. ¡°Jeez that was rough. I said, handing Oliver off to Lisa. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it until it¡¯s cooled off, son.¡± Dad cautioned. ¡°That was weird. Shouldn¡¯t it have shut off a lot sooner than that?¡± My wife asked. ¡°Yeah, babe. Maybe the power surge overloaded the CPU enough to keep it powered on.¡± I said, trying to find an explainable solution. ¡°No, that doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± My dad informed us. ¡°If the CPU was overloaded it would¡¯ve just blown. The surge protector should¡¯ve gone out way before then, anyway.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand it. Either way, computer is toast.¡± I said sullenly, shoulders drooping. ¡°Let¡¯s get the kids back to bed, babe. We can worry about it in the morning.¡± My wife said, placing a hand on my arm. ¡°Yeah, what a way to end a Friday night.¡± I said, reaching out to place my hand on the front of the computer tower. As my fingers made contact with the tower, I felt a pulling sensation from the heels of my feet. I leaned backwards instictively, as if my insides were being drawn out towards to computer. I had enough time to glance at my wife, mouth agape. ¡°Ba-¡± I was cut off as the world went dark. ***** -John- The computer tower came to life, lighting a bright blue. The tower fans buzzed with a speed that was far faster than normal as a loud humming vibrated through the air. ¡°Aaron?!¡± I had time enough to yell before jumping back, one hand on the stairwell to keep from falling. Aaron¡¯s body was pulled forward, looking as if it began to warp. Lisa¡¯s hand followed quickly, warping with Aaron¡¯s distorted shape. Lisa moved to release Oliver from her right arm as she was dragged towards the computer as well, but it was too late. Oliver cried out, ¡°Eeeeeh!¡± With a worried look towards his mother as he, too began to distort, warping towards the computer tower. ¡°Kids-no!¡± I cried with a panic-stricken face, releasing my hold on the rail to attempt to grab Oliver. The computer tower filled the room with a bright blue pulsating glow, dying down only once Aaron, Lisa and Oliver had disappeared. The blue light quickly faded, leaving only the dull humming noise of the fans. Movement to the right caught my attention as James appeared in his doorway, one hand rubbing his eye and the other covering his ear. ¡°Dad?¡± James called. ¡°You¡¯re too loud, dad.¡± James looked up to see John¡¯s panicked expression. Thinking quickly, my mind snapped back into focus, ¡°James, listen. Grab Ann and head downstairs to Andrew¡¯s room.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Wha-why? What¡¯s happe-¡± James started. ¡°Now James! No questions. Move!¡± I rushed. James quickly headed off in the direction of Ann¡¯s room. ¡°Andrew! James and Ann are coming down to you now. Keep them in your room and keep the door closed. I will come to get you in a few moments. Do not let them out for any reason!¡± ¡°Okay. Where¡¯s mom and dad?¡± Andrew called from the foot of the stairs. ¡°I don¡¯t know! I¡¯m hoping to figure that out. Do only what I ask you to do. Questions later!¡± I replied. James grunted from the doorway, pulling on Ann¡¯s hand and trying to get her to budge. Ann was obviously not happy about being woken up and was resisting any attempt from her slightly older brother to remove her from her room. ¡°Ann! Wake up! Follow your brother downstairs and be careful!¡± I yelled. Anne¡¯s eye flew open as she followed my unusually strict orders. ¡°Where the hell did you kids go?¡± I demanded towards the computer. I tentatively peered into the office and saw that nothing was out of the ordinary, save the faint glowing blue light and plugs laying on the ground unplugged from their respective sockets. There was no evidence of my son, his wife or my grandson that were standing there only a moment ago. My foot kicked something soft and I glanced down to see a green dinosaur resting only a foot into the office. I reached down to picked it up as an idea popped into my head. I stood up slowly and the green dinosaur lightly towards the desk. The dinosaur bounced off of the lip of the desk and flounced quietly to the floor, lifeless. ¡°Hmm.¡± I murmered to myself. I lowered myself to the floor, popping joints as I went. ¡°Humph¡± I breathed as my stomach hit the floor. I crawled cautiously towards the desk where the stuffed animal lay, stopping as I completed each movement. I listened carefully, waiting for any change in the computer; Nothing happened. I continued my slow crawl towards the tower, moving as slowly as I could. Five feet from the stuffed animal I swore. The computer lit up, bringing a bright blue hue to the room as the fans came to life. I paused, breathing heavily. My body was frozen, tense due to the sudden change in the room. I tentatively reached out slowly with my right arm, but there was no change in sound from the computer. I brought my left knee up towards my left arm slowly, beginning the world¡¯s slowest army crawl. As I pushed with my right foot, the fans hummed a little louder. Two feet, I thought. I moved my right knee up to my right side and slowly, breathlessly, pushed a bit further. My hand met the fur of the dinosaur and I hissed excitedly. ¡°Yesss!¡± The fans began vibrating louder and I paused, panting. Sweat began to bead on my forehead as I stared helplessly at the front lip of the computer hanging off the desk. I kicked my legs out behind me and dug the toes of my feed into the carpet, hoping for purchase. As I pulled my legs I pushed up with my hands, dinosaur gripped tightly. I began to move slowly backwards. The further away I pushed myself from the desk the more confidence returned to my movements. Once at the doorway, I carefully stood up, using the doorframe for assistance. I shifted the dinosaur to my left hand and cocked my arm back for an underhand throw. I paused, glancing at the heap of toys strewn throughout the hall towards James''s room. ¡°I¡¯m an idiot.¡± I mumbled. I took aim and tossed the stuffed animal a little harder and to the right. The green dinosaur bounced into the front of the computer angrily. I paused, confident the fluffy critter had enough momentum to disturb the tower, but nothing happened. ¡°Makes sense. Nothing else from the office is gone. The desk, monitor and speakers haven¡¯t moved.¡± I said to myself, starting to feel a bit insane. Backing away from the doorway, I called down, ¡°Andrew! Grab my phone and bring it up to me. No one else come up!¡± I waited patiently as a pair of feet shuffled downstairs. ¡°I left it on the couch, son. Hurry please!¡± I called again. ¡°I¡¯ve got it!¡± Andrew yelled up the stairs. ¡°Can I talk to my mom, please?¡± ¡°Andrew they¡¯re not here. I¡¯m trying to figure this all out.¡± I yelled as calmingly as I could. Andrew appeared at the foot of the stairs and began to make his way up, trying to peer around the staircase curiously. I grabbed the phone from his hand and lifted it to my face, waiting patiently for the phone to respond. The phone lit up and I swiped to the home page, clicking on the phone icon. I tapped 9-1-1 and paused, realization hitting me. ¡°No one¡¯s going to belie-¡± I was cut off by a loud buzzing coming from the office once again. I glanced to Andrew and saw Ann and James next to him. ¡°Kids I need you to listen very carefully. We need to leave for a bit. Andrew, I want you to take James and start packing some clothes; and no toys, James! Hold your questions for later. Ann you¡¯re with me, sweetheart. Let¡¯s get some clothes from your room.¡± I said. Ann brought a hand up to her chin, fidgeting quickly as she started walking towards me. Andrew took James''s hand and started down the steps. Once in Ann¡¯s room I picked every dress and blouse I could find from her hangars. ¡°Ann grab some pants and throw them on the bed.¡± I said hurriedly. I grabbed Ann¡¯s bag from the top of her closet and began stuffing random articles of clothing inside. ¡°Papa John I¡¯ve got as much as I can fit into my bag!¡± Andrew called from the top of the steps. ¡°Papa, something¡¯s happening!¡± Andrew screamed, panicked. ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± I yelled. Working as fast as I could, I zipped Ann¡¯s bag and hefted it over my shoulder. Not stopping, I turned and lifted Ann with a single arm and hurried out of the room. I froze, seeing the top of the stair well where the boys were only a moment ago, empty. My heart beat rose into my eardrums and I could hear nothing but the ringing inside my own head. ¡°A-andrew..?¡± I called tentatively. Quiet filled the house except the ever-growing hum of the computer tower just down the hallway. ¡°James!¡± I yelled. ¡°Answer me!¡± My eyes moved to the floor and halted at a lone toy truck laying on its side just above the top step ¨C back wheel spinning slowly. I slowly set Ann down and dropped to my knees. ¡°Boys!¡± I yelled at the top of my lungs. Ann began crying, holding my right arm. ¡°Papaaa!¡± She cried ¡°I want my daddy!¡± We both jolted from our grief as a loud grinding noise filled the hall, sending goosebumps down my spine. ¡°Ann we¡¯ve got to run!¡± I said, panicking. I stood up quickly, not bothering to wipe my eyes. Ann accepted my embrace as I left her bag and fumbled for the stairs. A warm electric sensation grabbed hold of the right side of my body. I had been electrocuted before, but this sensation made me feel as if the electricity now had claws. Grunting, I fell, right knee slamming into the floor. I held tightly to Ann, kicking my left foot out as I tried hooking it to the top of the stairs. ¡°Papa I¡¯m scared.¡± Ann whimpered as she arched her back, head reaching towards the hallway as if an unseen hand was pulling her by her hair. ¡°Baby, I¡¯ve got you.¡± I comforted, terrified. My back arched as the right side of my body locked up, paralyzed. I kicked madly with what strength I had in my left leg, hoping for purchase. My left arm instinctively reached out to the railing of the stairwell, fingers twitching as they tried to reach. With a loud yell I pulled with every fiber of my being, whispering prayers. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!¡± I screamed as I felt my left leg and body slip down the first step. ¡°Hold on to me Ann!¡± I demanded. I felt no response from her tiny body and I felt the panic now rising along with my determination. I began to feel a pulling sensation throughout my entire body as I glanced at Ann, horrified. Ann¡¯s eyes were closed and her body limp, save for the arched back reaching towards the hallway. ¡°Dammit!!¡± I screamed, feeling myself beginning to lift back up the top step. ¡°No!¡± Realization quickly set in as I knew I would not be able to overpower this unseen force. The electricity was moving throughout my body, locking up my left side as well. The violent pulling was relentless, making me feel like I was fighting against a moving vehicle. Buzzing and crackling filled the hallway and stairwell, illuminating both with bright blue sparks. I felt the tears lifting slowly from my cheeks, as if in testament to my failed strength; Glistening as they wobbled with an unseen force. I let out a sobbing plea as my fingers began to pull away from the hand rail. ¡°P-please! Not her!¡± I begged. I screamed and kicked with what little strength I had left, hefting my fingers back onto the rail. As if chiding me, the pull became stronger through Ann and I felt her begin to slip from my arm. ¡°You can¡¯t! You won¡¯t have her!¡± I spit as I yelled, angrily. It was useless. Ann was steadily being pulled from my arm and no amount of strength was going to overcome this paralysis spreading throughout my body. I bit my lower lip and stared at Ann¡¯s body as she continued arching backwards, threatening to fold around my arm. Sobbing, I buried my head into her chest and let go of the rail, wrapping my left arm around her. My body was quickly dragged across the floor like a ragdoll. My left leg flailed like a broken limb, searching for any anything to hook onto. As I rounded the corner into the office, my foot caught hold of the doorway. I kicked my other leg in an attemp to hook my other foot onto the doorjam as well, but it was no use. ¡°Yoooou bastaaaaard!¡± I screamed as I felt the wood of the doorjamb giving way. Time slowed as the wood splintered with a loud crack, sending broken pieces flying past me. The buzzing quieted almost in unison with the pulsating blue light that still filled the room. My body lifted with Ann¡¯s from the floor, turning slowly towards the computer tower. I shuddered as if staring into a living breathing being. Ann and I floated together long enough for me to feel as if the computer were mocking me, triumphantly. I gritted my teeth and with every ounce of strength I had left, lifted my left arm. I raised my middle finger towards the tower and whispered, ¡°Fucker!¡± as we propelled forward. Chapter 3: Arrival Chapter 3 Arrival -Aaron- My eyes opened, head throbbing as if I¡¯d landed on it. I sat up, looking around and taking in my surroundings. Trees filled my vision and the smell of pine invaded my senses. I sensed movement behind me and turned my upper body to find Lisa stirring. ¡°Lisa! Are you ok? Where are we?¡± I asked ¡°Ugh. Yeah babe, I¡¯m fine. I dunno.¡± She said, holding her head in one hand. ***Welcome to the Sylvaria!*** A message appeared in the middle of my vision with grand music. Startled, I swiped my hand in front of me in an attempt to clear my sight. The message blurred slightly, but quickly snapped back into focus as my hand completed the arc in front of my face. ¡°Sylvaria?!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Are we in my game? ¡°Your game? How is that even possible? The last thing I remember is you touching the computer and ¨C oh. I remember loud buzzing, blurring and feeling woozy. Is..." She looked around fervently "this a game? Your game?¡± ¡°It seems like it. How do you fe-ouch!¡± I yelled, rubbing my arm. ¡°Sorry! Just wanted to see if this was real.¡± ¡°Then pinch yourself¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± She huffed. Lisa snapped her head to her left. ¡°Did you hear that? That sounds like Oliver laughing.¡± ¡°I heard it... Oliver?!¡± I called ¡°That¡¯s right! I tried to put him down when you started going all digital ghost on me. Ollie! Come to mommy!¡± Lisa got up quickly and rushed through the forest underbrush. I followed, not wanting to be seperated. We forced our way through to a small clearing surrounded by pine trees, looking in every direction. Oliver sat in the grass madly moving his hands back and forth in mid-air, concentration apparent on his face. ¡°Oliver! What are you doing, bud?¡± I called. He ignored us and continued giggling as he swiped his hands left and right. Lisa arrived next to Oliver and reached down to pick him up, pausing midway. ¡°Babe, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing. Another one of those messages. I¡¯m supposed to pick a class? How do I get rid of these messages?¡± She said while swiping in front of her face. ¡°Oh it went away!¡± ¡°How¡¯d you get rid of it?¡± I asked, now looking at a similar screen. ¡°Swipe you hand up and away.¡± ¡°Whew. Nice to know there¡¯s a way to get rid of those. You¡¯re unusually calm given the situation.¡± ¡°What can we do? Of course I¡¯m worried, but this isn¡¯t the time to panic about all of this. All we can do is move forward and figure this out together. I hope your dad is alright with the kids.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine. I can¡¯t believe Oliver is here with us. It goes without saying, but we need to find someplace safe while we figure this out. The last thing I want is something happening to this little guy.¡± ¡°Oooo maaaaa! Hooot!¡± Oliver exclaimed. ¡°Aaron, what the hell?¡± Lisa asked. Oliver held both arms out and moved both hands up and down. A 2 foot branch ignited just a few feet from where he sat. Worried, Lisa swooped Oliver into her arms, away from the burning wood. ¡°Oh no.¡± I sighed, running my hand down my face. ¡°What? What just happened, Aaron?¡± ¡°Look at his hands, Lisa.¡± Lisa turned her gaze to Oliver¡¯s still outstretched hands, eyes widening. Oliver¡¯s hands glowed a dull orange and yellow, distorded with waves of heat. ¡°Oh. My. God.¡± She breathed. ¡°How is he doing this?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t exactly know, babe. Maybe he chose his class.¡± ¡°How did he choose his class? He¡¯s two, Arron! He has trouble eating without help!¡± ¡°How do you bring your class screen back up?¡± I asked while swiping the air in front of me madly. ¡°There¡¯s got to be something on this invisible screen he did that allows him to do this.¡± ¡°What mad God would allow a baby to choose a damned class?!¡± Lisa demanded.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Ah! I found it! Swipe up with two fingers.¡± I ran my eyes down the class selection, keeping Oliver in my peripheral view. ¡°Warrior, Berserker, Paladin, Wiza- Ah! Wizard!¡± I shouted. ¡°He chose Wizard! That or he fat fingered some other random class that can conjure flames? I only ever played a Paladin, so I''m not sure.¡± The branch in front of Lisa broke apart as the flames slowly receded. Oliver leaned back into Lisa, looking drained. ¡°Babe he doesn¡¯t look good.¡± Lisa said, beginning to panic. ¡°He¡¯s a brand new wizard, Lisa. I don¡¯t imagine he can cast like that for very long. It¡¯s got to be mana fatigue.¡± ¡°Is he going to do this every time he casts a spell? How the hell are we supposed to raise a baby who can cast fire?!¡± A few moments went by as the gravity of the situation set in on us both. ¡°With skills to counter or keep him safe!¡± I said abruptly. ¡°We need to be smart about our class choices. Our priority here is to keep Oliver out of harm while trying to figure a way out of this situation. ¡°Obviously." Lisa rolled her eyes. "Ok. What kind of issues is he going to have as a wizard? Is him passing out from mana fatigue dangerous? I can¡¯t imagine passing out every time you did something is healthy.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not healthy. If he casts a spell large enough he could completely drain his mana. We don¡¯t know if this is real or just a game yet. We have to assume everything we do here is real. He could really hurt himself in a number of ways as a Wizard. Our biggest problem is countering anything he can cast. Our second problem is keeping him conscious if he overcasts. What to do¡­¡± I said, browsing the list of classes and their descriptions.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t other casters have crowd control abilities? Can¡¯t we silence him?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Babe, that¡¯s brilliant! Enchanters can silence others. They also have the ability to feed other classes mana over time!¡± ¡°Ok, so that¡¯s the first and second problem figured out. What are some of the other issues we are going to run into?¡± ¡°Well.¡± I scratched the shadow of a beard on my chin. ¡°We have to be able to fight. There are bound to be all sorts of creatures and evil people nearby. If thisis real, we need to be able to defend ourselves. We can¡¯t just put every dangerous creature to sleep or silence every caster we come across. One of us is going to have to fight up close and distract.¡± ¡°You should choose Paladin, Aaron. You know the class and the skills.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re right. I would be able to heal a little at first. I will also be able to do a bit of damage and tank.¡± I clicked on the Paladin button and hit accept. *Ding!* Welcome to Sylvaria: Aaron, Paladin lvl 1 An icon flashed slowly in the bottom right of my vision. Focusing on the icon halted the flashing and brought the bag into the center of my focus. ¡°An inventory.¡± I murmured. I found a rusty iron sword and wooden shield inside. Sifting around mentally I found a simple pot, bedroll and flint. Focusing on the rusty iron sword brought a window up. Rusty Iron Sword Rarity: Common Dmg: 4 I allowed my mind to wander from the inventory and it closed. A new icon flashed slowly on the left side of my vision. The book icon opened to show me empty pages and I realized this was my spell book. ¡°That¡¯s pretty cool.¡± I said. ¡°What¡¯s that, hun?¡± Lisa asked, distracted. I explained my findings to her, doing my best not to distract while she read over her class spells. ¡°Well, at least we know we don¡¯t have to worry about carrying things around. A sword and shield should be fairly heavy. If you¡¯re not feeling their weight, that must mean whatever is in your inventory doesn¡¯t transfer weight.¡± ¡°Possibly. We¡¯ll have to experiment later. Did you get your class sorted?¡± I asked. ¡°I did. I focused on the spell icon you were talking about and found a few spells: Weaken, Strengthen, Doze and a few illusion spells.¡± ¡°Those illusion spells may come in handy. Shame there¡¯s nothing in there for silencing or mana, yet. I saw the lvl 1 in my title. If this is anything like the actual game, we are going to have to level up in order to access higher level spells. We will have to move quickly, judging by Ollie¡¯s first attempt at spell casting.¡± ¡°How close to the game do you think this is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It feels like I¡¯m in a forest in the real world. I can smell the pine, feel the soft breeze; hell I can even feel my clothes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a fight before. I¡¯m nervous about having to level up. I¡¯m hoping we don¡¯t feel any pain from creatures or weapons.¡± ¡°There¡¯s one way to find out.¡± I said, focusing on my inventory once more. I mentally equipped the rusty iron sword and immediately felt the weight of the sword in my right hand, confirming Lisa''s theory of weight transfer. Sitting down, I placed the edge of the blade lightly against my forearm and drew back, wincing as a slight sting registered and blood appeared. ¡°Well, pain is a real factor here, babe. It¡¯s a good thing I will be the one taking the hits. This changes things, though. We need to do our best to keep ourselves out of trouble. Our only goal right now is to level up as safely as we can in order to cast silence on Oliver. We can reassess the situation after doing so.¡± ¡°Agreed. I¡¯m not happy about you not being able to heal, yet. Any idea when you¡¯re going to start getting spells? Not having access to a heal is going to slow us way down and puts us in more danger.¡± ¡°No, babe. I wish I could remember, but it¡¯s been a long time since I was this level in Sylvaria. My guess is around level 5.¡± ¡°We also need to work out how to keep Oliver out of harm. As much as I hate to admit it, we¡¯re going to have to fight solo and trade off watching Oliver.¡± Lisa said, glancing at Oliver as he slept in her lap. My stomach rumbled as I made my way to sit next to Lisa. The realization that this was no longer simply a game dawned on me. We would need to find food, water, shelter and ways to stay safe. On top of it all, we needed to find out why we are here. A slight panic began to rise as I realized we may even be trapped. I shook off the feeling, knowing it wouldn¡¯t help us survive at this point. ¡°I hope the kids are ok. I wish there was a way to let them and my dad know we are ok.¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any way to contact anyone here, let alone outside of the game. I don¡¯t see any chat windows like we normally would in the games we play. We don¡¯t even know whether we¡¯re considered players.¡± ¡°Sweetheart, I think this is as real as it gets. I don¡¯t know why or even how we came here, but we need to face the fact that we are here. I wish everything was laid out for us in order to go home, but we don¡¯t even know if we can return home. We need to focus on one thing at a time.¡± I said. ¡°Right.¡± Lisa said, wiping a tear from her eye. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a bit to find some weak creatures. With luck, I can bring us back some food and we can figure out how to cook it. If all goes well I can gain a level or two and move closer to that first healing spell. I have a feeling we¡¯re going to need it.¡± ¡°Ok babe. I don¡¯t like this, but we don¡¯t really have a choice. Please be safe. I¡¯m going to figure out some way to make a camp with this stuff in my inventory.¡± She said as she got up and kissed me softly. "You could always convince Ollie to start the campfire." I jested and headed towards the trees. Chapter 4: Satans Army Chapter 4 Satan¡¯s Army -Aaron- I waded through the brush and trees outlining the clearing. Pausing, I opened my inventory and mentally equipped my Rusty Iron Sword and Wooden Shield. I paused for a moment, in awe at how real everything seemed. The smell of the pine, the crunch of my shoes on the underbrush and the rustling of the leaves were exactly as they should be. I swiveled my head left and right as I continued on, looking for anything I could use to increase my level. I did my best to be attentive to any sounds, but all that stood out was the crunching of my shoes with no creatures in half an hour of searching. Must be making too much noise. I thought to myself. My lack of experience hunting in the real world did not bode well for my success. I spotted a squirrel running up a tree and stopped in my tracks. I focused intently on the squirrel, hoping to see any sign or message that would announce a level or difficulty; none appeared. I did notice that this was no normal squirrel. Tufts of rough looking hair sprouted from each large ear and furred skin connected its limbs to the rest of its body. Its eyes were beady little black dots, but I could tell that intelligence sat just behind them. One inch claws dug into the tree from both little paws and feet, leaving large cuts in the tree where it had previously climbed. If I had to guess, I¡¯d call it a gruffy-looking flying squirrel. I moved in closer, sighing and hoping not to spook the squirrel. The squirrel paused midway up the tree, well out of my reach. I looked around for anything to throw and found a small cluster of rocks, varying in size. I moved slowly to the rocks and sheathed my sword before bending down to pick one up. The squirrel remained still with arms and legs in an x formation on the tree. I hefted the rock in my hand, assessing the weight. As I took aim at the squirrel, I became acutely aware that other squirrels had appeared in the canopies of the nearby trees. All were watching me intently, as if daring me to do something stupid. I couldn''t help feel nervous as I tossed the rock up and down in my hand. The squirrel¡¯s tail began to twitch back and forth as it began to chirp and moan. Movement caught my eye and I glanced back up to the canopies where the other squirrels were. They continued to watch, and much to my nervousness, began to chitter and communicate. My eyes squinted as I began to wonder about their level of intelligence. ¡°Are you all talking about me?¡± I inquired. They continued to ignore me, chattering excitedly. The sun was beginning to set and I was getting largely impatient. I cocked my arm back and threw as hard as I could, aiming for the little rodent¡¯s body. The rock struck the tree just a foot away from my target. The forest quieted once more as every little head turned towards me. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I said intelligently. An enormous screech like sound came from my target squirrel. The horde of verman began to leap from their trees toward me, gliding through the air. I made eye contact with my squirrel and could swear I saw it grin. Screeching, my furry enemy leapt from its perch. I pulled my sword from its sheath and turned to run. ¡°What the hell have I done?!¡± I screamed as I pumped my legs as hard as I could. I heard the screeching grow closer as I ran. ¡°eeeeeeEEEEEEEEE!¡± My target screeched as it drew nearer. I felt several sharp points of pain on my shoulder as it made contact. Panicking, I jabbed my sword over my shoulder. The little shit let its front paws go and leaned back, avoiding the blow. Moving quickly, I slammed my sword into the ground and reached behind me. Blood began to seep through my shirt as Satan¡¯s loofah chittered excitedly. My hand met fur and I grabbed with all of my might. The pain intensified as I pulled my arm back and bent forward, trying to detach the squirrel. Screeching filled the forest and it was not lost on me that the rest of his tiny family was closing in on us. I felt relief as the bastard lost its perch allowing me to loosen its grasp on my back. I brought the squirrel around to my front, squeezing with all of my might. The squeeze toy''s eyes bulged as I tightened my grip. Not going down without a fight, It bared its fangs and bit into my hand. Pain erupted from my hand and I yelled, shaking my hand furiously. I brought my shield-arm back and began punching the squirrel in my right hand. ¡°You! Little! Fucking! Prick!¡± I yelled each word as my fist landed. Finally, the squirrel went limp and I could feel a sense of accomplishment seep into me while feeling a surreal sense of absurdity for the brutality I had to enact on a squirrel. The screeching grew much louder and I knew I had no time to run. I dropped the dead furball and quickly pulled my sword from the ground. Turning, I flung my sword arm out wide, metal whistling through the air. Schlick! My sword made contact with a second squirrel mid-air. I aimed as well as I could and timed my swings with each squirrel as they glided closer. As multiple squirrels began to close in, I began to use my shield as well, batting every second one away. I felt a surge of excitement as new feelings of accomplishment flowed through me with each kill. A message popped up at the top of my view: Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 2 Paladin A small amount of strength flew into me making me feel as if I had slightly more potential than I had previously. I continued to time my swings and bashes with each oncoming squirrel, but soon realized their numbers were only increasing. To add to my horror, they began gliding closer in larger groups. I swung and bashed as hard as I could, piling small furry evil little bodies around me. Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 3 Paladin More and more of the feeling of accomplishment flowed through me, but sharp pain quickly brought me to my senses as more of the squirrels made it past my sword and shield, scratching my face and shoulders. Deep gashes appeared everywhere the wild animals touched, leaving trails of fresh blood trickling down my wounds. Panic began to climb in my chest and I started backing up, one foot at a time. The horde of squirrels were now arcing wide; one flanking for every two that I struck down. I began to back pedal as quickly as possible, heels catching on limbs and rock. Soon, my back struck the trunk of a nearby pine tree where devil-squirrels attached themselves, just feet above my head as I thinned out the gliders to my front. ¡°Thaaaat¡¯s even worse!¡± I managed to yell, my arm burning with the effort of repeatedly swinging the sword. Thinking quickly, I twirled my body around the tree and flung the shield onto my back, managing to tighten the leather strap as I sprinted. The gashes throughout my upper body began to sting as cool, crisp air flowed around me. Chancing a glance behind me brought fear into every fiber of my being. Hundreds of fanged, furry nut-hoarders climbed every tree visible. The trees seemed to move with hoards of the bloodthirsty squirrels as they leapt from canopy to canopy and trunk to trunk. ¡°This was sooo stuuuuupid!¡± I yelled out loud as I moved my legs as fast as I could. A much larger, muscular squirrel plummeted past my face and attached to the tree in front of me with a loud thunk. Without stopping, I grasped my sword with both hands and swung; a complete miss. Chattering in a laughing manner, the large squirrel jumped and opened its mouth, fangs bared. I dropped the sword and reached out with both hands, attempting to grasp it. My fingers wrapped around its body, barely enough to completely wrap around it. It veered its head back and with a sharp screech, bit down hard. I could sense the impending doom closing in as I pulled my right hand away and slammed the squirrel into the tree trunk with every ounce of strength in my left arm. Pain shot up my left forearm as it tried to claw its way out of my grasp, its strength weakening with each trip into the trunk. With the squirrel barely clinging to my left forearm, I reached down quickly and grasped the hilt of my sword. I slapped the flat of the blade on my bicep and straightened my left arm, angling my hand to expose the creepy-critter''s arms and head. I swiped the blade forward, cutting through the squirrel¡¯s shoulders and clean through its body. A large amount of accomplishment erupted into my body and I dropped the squirrel, continuing my escape. Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 4 PaladinThis text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Damn!¡± I said breathlessly. Must¡¯ve been the lead Satan¡¯s henchman! I thought. If the demon-spawn cared that I had just "offed" their leader, they didn¡¯t show it. Multitudes now bounced from tree to tree in an attempt to cut me off. The sun was almost completely gone now, with only the smallest amount of light showing through the tree tops. I continued to bat and swing through hoards of squirrels as I ran straight, killing as many as I could. Up ahead, a line of shrubs guarded the way. I leapt pitifully, falling through the middle of the line of shrubs, clawing my way through as squirrels bit at my heels and calves. Kicking, I made my way to the other side of the shrubbery. A moonlit clearing rested before me, filled with balls of light floating aimlessly. I used my arms to pull the rest of my body through to the clearing, now out of strenght and breath. As I stood, I noticed the forest had quieted. Panting, I looked behind me to see squirrels flying into the surrounding trees and shrubbery. They grasped at me but made no effort to continue following. Perplexed, I looked behind me again. Nothing but floating balls of light filled the clearing. I turned back to the squirrels and made a weak challenging motion. The squirrels did not seem impressed, simply hugging their trees and chattering quietly as if hiding a secret. I plopped down onto the grass, exhausted. As I tried to gain control of my breathing, I noticed the squirrels started to leave by the 10¡¯s. After a few minutes, only a few squirrels remained, glaring just beyond the clearing. ¡°Take¡­that¡­.dickheads¡­¡± I panted. I allowed the sense of relief to envelope me as I leaned back into the grass. This place is a lot more dangerous than I remember. I don¡¯t ever remember coming across those damned squirrels when I played the game. As my breathing slowed and my mind began to clear, I focused on the slowly blinking spell book. I had gained 3 levels during the fight with the critters and knew I was due a spell or two. Blind, Sense the Dead and Stand Your Ground now filled the first page; The first two spells were self explanatory. A vague familiarity came to me as I looked at the three spells. When playing on my level 50 paladin, I had a set group of spells that I used. It had been a very long time since I had even bothered to look these spells up. A new icon flashed slowly on the bottom of my vision. I focused on it and the very familiar status sheet came into my view. I had three new stat points to distribute among a list of all of my stats: Strength: 8 Dexterity: 6 Intelligence: 5 Wisdom: 9 Charisma: 8 Constitution: 9 Knowing wisdom and constitution were my primary and secondary focus, I pumped 2 points into Constitution and 1 into wisdom. Wisdom affected my mana pool; the amount of mana I had available to me at any time. Constitution directly related to my health and toughness. A new feeling flowed through me, refreshing me as it moved through my body. It was as if a hidden pool of energy had been lay behind a curtain, waiting to be released. This must be my mana pool,I thought intuitively. I felt a stoutness envelope my body as if I was built to take hits. I noticed another section of my status page: Abilities. Sense was the only ability currently on the page. I focused on sense and a window appeared explaining the ability: Inherent ability to sense the toughness of a being. That¡¯s new. I thought. This must be my ability to sense a creature¡¯s level. In my days playing Sylvaria Online, the levels of each creature or humanoid were always displayed just below the name. Now that I wasin Sylvaria, it was not lost on me that the levels were largely absent; This created a unique problem. How was I to tell whether or not I could hold my own in a fight? This new ability would at least allow me to asses each situation in order to prolong my life. I stood up slowly and took the clearing in. Medium and small orbs of light floated carelessly around the large clearing, leaving me with a calm sense of ease. Why the hell did those damned furry nut-jobs stop? I highly doubt it was because they feared my endless endurance,I thought. I stared intently at one of the floating balls of light and a sense of caution filled me. This must be the sense ability. A thought occurred to me: What if I could harness the light from these floating light bulbs, allowing us to see at night time or in dark areas? My level had only increased to four and I knew I couldn¡¯t return to Lisa without a healing spell. Come to think of it, I could sorely use a heal right about now. I thought as throbbing and stinging pain filled my arms and face. The pain had subsided gradually, but nowhere near the realm of what I would call comfortable. My life was in real danger for the first time since entering Sylvaria and I knew things were only going to get worse. I knew the only way to survive was to continue to gain strength. The squirrels were cautious enough of these balls of light to leave me alone after pissing them off. They¡¯re obviously passive, as they haven¡¯t attacked me yet. They emit light, so I know they¡¯re going to electrocute me or blind me, maybe. None of the creatures I had encountered were familiar to me, which was strange. I had played Sylvaria for almost a year, leveling up largely by filling the role of tank for group after group of players. The only real way for a Paladin in a game to level up was to tank dungeons for groups as we could never really put enough damage out to solo fight. After I hit level 50, I only grouped up with others to delve into dangerous dungeons to find materials I otherwise couldn¡¯t find on my own. I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around it, but these creatures seemed so much different in person than behind a computer screen that I had a hard time identifying them. You would think that after all of the hours spent playing a game I would be able to tell a squirrel from an asshole, but real life is much different.I thought. There were no floating words telling me what a creature was called or what level it was; everything simply felt more real. I tentatively moved towards one of the floating balls of light, carefully sensing any change in its direction. As I came closer to the ball of light I focused on it once more; A sense of caution was still prevalent. I reached out slowly towards the ball of light and began to feel my fingers tingle. ¡°A Will-O-Wisp¡± I breathed. I knew Will-O-Wisps to be dangerous, electric/light type creatures when I played. These floating orbs of light didn¡¯t even come close to what my computer monitor displayed. They were absolutely beautiful, calm and brilliant sources of light; floating endlessly. I brought my hand back to my side and sighed, wondering if I should attack one. So beautiful and dangerous. I don¡¯t have anything else to fight and we need that healing spell. I brought my hand to the hilt of my Rust Iron Sword and slowly drew it. I sensed a more cautious attitude from the Wisp in front of me as my blade came free of the scabbard. I really hope they don¡¯t swarm me like those furry assholes. I brought my sword above my head, bringing my left arm to grasp the sword hilt as well. I poised myself, ready to strike, tensing as I expected the worst. I let my eyes wander around the clearing one last time, energy welling inside me; I was ready to run this time. I brought the sword down in a smooth arc, slicing it through the center of light. A paralyzing amount of energy burst through me, causing me to gasp. My sword froze, pointing down my left leg towards the ground. My focus became blurry as the paralyzing sensation intensified. The ball of light bounced through the air with the force of my hit, leaving a trail of blue light in its path. I saw the wisp flicker, registering the hit. The ball of blue light turned a deep red color, stopped midair, then hurled itself towards me with incredible speed. A buzzing and ringing sensation filled my ears as the momentary paralysis wore off. I turned my attention towards the zooming Wisp. My sword arced back through the air as I aimed a perfectly-timed swing causing the Wisp to fly back the way it came, light now flickering. My body froze again, the pain more intense this time, followed by the buzzing and ringing as the paralysis returned. This must be why those damned squirrels avoided this area. These things electrocute and paralyze. If they hit any one of these, they would¡¯ve dropped like flies. I recovered and returned my attention to the Wisp. The wisp was hovering just a few inches above the ground, light just as bright as it was only seconds ago. I approached the unmoving light source cautiously and knelt down in front of it. I focused my attention on the Wisp once more and felt calm. Focusing on the wisp brought up its inventory window. Lightstone of the Wisp Rarity: Uncommon Description: A great source of light! The once heart of a Will-O-Wisp will never dim. This light source will float near you for as long as you desire. Bingo! This will come in handy. It wasn¡¯t nearly as hard to kill as I thought. The paralysis is dangerous, though. If I¡¯m not careful I can imagine these things keeping me paralyzed while shocking me to death. I mentally moved the lightstone into my inventory and stood up. Confident that I wouldn¡¯t be swarmed, I moved to the next Wisp. Continuing my strategy, I moved through several wisps in the same fashion as the first, feeling the familiar sense of accomplishment move through me with each kill. This feeling must be experience. With each successful kill I feel closer to my next goal. I continued my trend of paralysis-baseball until a familiar sense appeared. Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 5 Paladin Finally! I glanced down to the flashing windows and put my new skill point into Constitution once more. I felt my stoutness grow, feeling as if I could almost withstand one of the wisp¡¯s paralysis. Strength: 8 Dexterity: 6 Intelligence: 5 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 8 Constitution:12 My skill book began to blink slowly in my vision and I sat down in anticipation. Focusing on the book brought up a new spell: Minor Healing. Finally! Let¡¯s try this bad boy out. I closed my skill book and cleared my mind. I considered how to cast, not seeing any spell icons in my view. Hmmm. How do I cast spells? I tuned my mind towards my skill book and thought about the minor healing spell. My hands began to glow with a blue light not unlike the wisps. I touched my arms and nothing happened. Sighing, I lowered my hands back into my lap and refocused healing onto myself. My hands glowed once more and I began to feel a soothing sensation envelope my stinging body. Aches and pains I had gathered throughout the previous battle receded slightly before my hands stopped glowing. I had to repeat this process several times in order for all of my pain to fully subside. I finished healing myself and felt a sense of calm return. ¡°It¡¯s about time to get back, if I can even remember the way. This is going to take a while.¡± I breathed aloud. ¡°-ron! Aaaaaaarrooooooooon!!¡± I heard faintly in the distance from the direction I came. ¡°Lisa! Is that you?¡± I yelled. No response. ¡°Aaaaaaaarroooooooooon!! Heeeeeeelp!¡± The voice called once more. Chapter 5: Little Green Bastards Chapter 5 Little Green Bastards -Aaron- I looked in the direction I heard Lisa¡¯s voice come from, my heart stopping. ¡°Lisa! I¡¯m coming!¡± I ran like never before, jumping head-long through the brush the way I entered. I heard nothing but the blood pumping in my ears as my feet carried me back through the forest, trees passing by in a blur. I immediately noticed movement throughout as I reentered the forest. The same rodents I had ditched not an hour prior were perched like sentinels, waiting. Furry squirrels met my charge, and I was ready for them. I swung wildly through the air as I ran, not bothering to take aim. Squirrel after squirrel raced towards me, making a wooshing noise as some overshot past me. ¡°Aaaaaron! Coooome baaaack!¡± I heard Lisa yell, sounding closer. I continued to pump my legs as fast as I could, throwing my shield in front of my face as I leaned forward. I didn¡¯t mind the squirrels that latched on to me, allowing them to flutter in the wind as I raced. I stopped swinging my tired arm and simply held the sword out in front of me, resting against the side of the shield. I got lucky with a few impaled squirrels, but the majority simply bounced off my shield or overshot me entirely. ¡°Lisa don¡¯t come this way! There are hundreds of squirrels! I¡¯m almost to you!¡± I said, feeling a gnawing pain on my right shoulder as one of the forgotten furballs sunk his teeth in. I did not hear a reply which made my heart race with terror, even as I was sprinting with all of my strength. I made out the clearing to my right in the moonlight and turned towards it. Bursting through the tree line, I continued to run, taking in my surroundings as squirrels continued to follow hot on my heels. They did not stop chasing me this time as they had in the Will-O-Wisp clearing. The only benefit to being in the clearing was that I no longer had furballs flying at me as they were forced to chase me from behind. I immediately noticed Lisa with the a wooden stave held out towards a trio of little green creatures. ¡°Lisa! What the hell are those?! I can¡¯t stop! Fur-devils are on my tail!¡± ¡°They¡¯re Goblins, Aaron!¡± Lisa called behind her. ¡°Get the fuck away from them!¡± I yelled at the goblins. ¡°Faaaair game!¡± The lead goblin hissed. ¡°Die quickly!¡± Another demanded. The three goblins were trying to surround Lisa, who had Oliver grasping her left leg. The goblin who spoke had a particularly nasty pair of short swords in both hands, bow resting across his back. The other two goblins had bows in their hands, arrows knocked. The three little mutants were literally drooling as they advanced on Lisa. Both bow-wielding goblins sloppily turned their bows towards me and drew them back, loosing their arrows quickly. I raised my shield and braced for the impact. A dull thud resounded on my shield as the first arrow flew into it. My arm rattled with the pain of the impact as the shield splintered, arrow head now protruding from the back on the shield, inches from my face. The second arrow missed my shield and grazed the squirrel on my right shoulder, causing it to hiss and fall to the side. I continued my rush toward the immediate threat of the closest goblin holding a bow. The other bow-wielding goblin was already knocking another arrow as I reached the first. The goblin in front of me had dropped his bow and drawn a black, jagged piece of metal I could only barely call a dagger. I dove into it, shield first, causing a loud grunt as we both hit the floor. My sword arm flung wide, the sword creating a sharp whistle in the air. Metal met flesh as the sword easily lopped off the goblin¡¯s left arm. A shrill screech filled the air as it held its shoulder stump, now bleeding profusely. Knowing an arrow was due to fly any moment, I raised my shield. A second thump, followed by excruciating pain in my left arm, resounded as my shield split in half. Both halves of the wood flew apart, leaving the rim of the shield to slam into my face. A crude arrow jammed into my left forearm, causing me to stumble in shock. Screeching filled the air as the horde of flying squirrels filled the air, leaping from the surrounding trees into the clearing. The goblin archer¡¯s eyes widened as he hissed. ¡°Sssstupid humans! Who hunts fur-gliders?!¡± The goblin with two swords hissed. Lisa didn¡¯t miss a beat, rushing the distracted goblin, stave raised high with Oliver in her left arm. She swung madly as the goblin recovered his attention and readied his swords. Wood met crude metal as Lisa batted at the little goblin¡¯s swords. She threw a backhanded swing with her stave, catching both of the goblin¡¯s raises swords, causing him to back-pedal. Fanged squirrels latched onto the remaining goblin archer and began clawing and biting. The goblin¡¯s shrieks were ear piercing as it dropped its bow and grabbed at the squirrels madly. I rushed to help Lisa, grabbing my dropped sword from the ground. I tripped over the forgotten one-armed goblin causing his whimpers to turn into a mad stream of curses. ¡°Filthy crotch-grabber! Aaah!¡± He screamed, rolling on the ground now covered in blood. I recovered quickly, not pausing to finish the injured goblin archer. I raced towards the lead goblin, swinging at the few squirrels arcing towards me. The second goblin archer had long since fell silent, laying in the bloodied grass as the squirrels who clawed it to death crawled towards the fight. ¡°Lisa, run towards the trees!¡± I yelled as I made it to the last goblin. She finished her swing and turned to run as my sword arm flew out, catching the goblin in back of the head. He fell to the ground without a sound or top half of his head. I didn¡¯t stop to gloat as I raced behind Lisa, Oliver bouncing in her left arm. I mentally unequipped my sword as we made it through the tree line, noticing there was no shield left to unequip.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°What the hell are those?!¡± Lisa called behind her as she ran, stave disappearing from her hand. ¡°Fur-gliders apparently! I pissed them off earlier. Just keep running!¡± Oliver had the good sense to look afraid, tears streaming from his closed eyes. I noticed his screams for the first time since arriving. My son was grappled to his mother, face now buried into her arm. I could hear the squirrels screeching close behind us as we dodged brush, tree trunks, and fallen branches. Ringing now filled my ears as the pain in my left arm radiated up my left shoulder. Without thinking, I grasped the arrow protruding from my left arm and pulled with all of my strength. The arrow tore away from the bone in my forearm, bringing flesh with it. I yelled angrily as the edge of my focus turned black. I faltered hard, legs kicking out in large strides trying to regain the ground beneath me. I had the sense to focus my remaining concentration to my minor healing spell. My hand glowed a dull green as I imagined the bone in my arm mending. The pain in my arm only slightly lessened. ¡°Are you going to be ok?¡± Lisa yelled over her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, babe.¡± I managed to get out of my mouth through a clenched jaw. My focus came back slightly, allowing me a second attempt at healing my arm as we ran. Both of my hands were enveloped with the dull green light this time. I imagine the veins and muscle in my forearm mending and felt the skin stitch together slowly. Without pausing, I focused a third time and felt the pain greatly reduce as the skin finished closing. A sudden exhaustion swept over me and I couldn¡¯t determine if it was due to mana fatigue or physical fatigue. ¡°Up ahead, Aaron.¡± Lisa said much calmer now that Oliver was content to silently watching instead of screaming. We hadn¡¯t heard screeches for a few minutes and I allowed myself to feel hope once more as Lisa veered to her left. I noticed the target of Lisa¡¯s attention was the mouth of a small cave. Beams of wood were propped up against the side of the cave, supporting a large vertical beam of wood at the top. We slowed down as we approached the cave, taking care of our surroundings. I held my healed left arm out towards Lisa in a motion of caution. We both listened intently, hearing only the faint sounds of the surrounding forest. ¡°Let¡¯s not wait for them to catch up. We can hide a few feet inside this cave until we know things have calmed down.¡± Lisa said, motioning towards the mouth of the cave. ¡°I¡¯ll go first, Lisa.¡± I stepped cautiously towards the mouth of the cave, listening for any sign of danger. My eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness as I cross the threshold of the cave. The mouth of the cave was narrow and continued on for as far as my adjusting eyes could make out. To my left, mounted on the wall in a sconce, sat a stump of wood with cloth wrapped around the end. I motioned for Lisa to follow as I sat down and rested my back against the wall of the cave. ¡°My God what just happened?¡± Lisa breathed as she sat down with Oliver in her lap. ¡°I was finishing up my fight with some Will-O-Wisps and heard your voice in the distance. I panicked and rushed back to you. Those flying squirrels were my fault from earlier. I barely made it through my first fight with those rodents; they¡¯re vicious. I never thought we¡¯d have to deal with anything as dangerous as goblins so soon and I don¡¯t recall them looking so hideous. Nothing I¡¯ve encountered so far is even remotely close to what I remember in the game; everything seems so much more intense.¡± ¡°Tell me about it. They were so excited to find us and I thought we were done for. They seemed to want to take us alive before you showed up. Poor Oliver started crying the moment they closed in.¡± ¡°Poor little guy. Come sit with daddy.¡± I said, arms out towards Oliver. Oliver¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t wander and for the first time since entering the cave, I noticed he was staring off into the distance. His little hand reached up and paused in mid-air. ¡°What¡¯s he doing? Is he messing around with his menu?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Did you level up at all, Lisa? I didn¡¯t see you kill anything. I know he definitely didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it I did get a level up announcement at the top of the view twice during that fight. I didn¡¯t pay it any attention when it happened, given everything that was going on.¡± ¡°That¡¯s strange. Maybe it has something to do with us being together and considered a party?¡± ¡°Maybe. It¡¯s good news, at least. I don¡¯t think we will make it if we don¡¯t find some weapons or armor soon.¡± ¡°It looked like you did just fine with that cookware, babe.¡± I chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s easy for you the say. You manage to kill two of them.¡± ¡°Not without getting my ass shot, though.¡± She winced as she swiped through her invisible spell book. ¡°I need to get used to having spells. I could¡¯ve used this Doze spell on the archers while you took out the lead goblin. It never even occurred to me to use spells.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be helped, babe. Neither of us have ever done this and that was your first fight. You also had Oliver to consider.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. This isn¡¯t going to get any easier is it?¡± ¡°No, babe, it¡¯s not. What spells did you get?¡± ¡°Uuh, Entangle, Lesser Shield, Silence, choke and -.¡± She paused. ¡°Summon Water Elemental?¡± ¡°Ooooo!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Summon Water Elemental and Silence! That solves our water problem and our Oliver McFire Hands problem! We can definitely use that shield spell, too.¡± ¡°Yep! I threw my points into intelligence as well. I wonder if Oliver is randomly pushing button again.¡± She said as our gaze returned to Oliver. Oliver¡¯s attention was turned towards the mouth of the cave. I froze as I finished my sentence. At the mouth of the cave sat one of the tiny, furry rodents I spent hours running from throughout the night. It rested on its hind legs, head cocked to one side. ¡°Shit.¡± I whispered, terrified. ¡°We can¡¯t let it warn the horde.¡± I said as I placed my palms on the ground, ready to spring up. Before I could move, the fur-glider leapt onto the cave wall and scurried towards Lisa. Lisa¡¯s hand glowed a soft purple and she closed her eyes as the fur-glider reached the wall just above her head. The fur glider slowed to a crawl, eyes half closed. Too afraid to move or speak for fear of alerting anymore nearby critters, I intuitively realized she was lulling the creature to sleep with her doze spell. The clawed-critter seemed to lose focus as it swayed back and forth on the wall. Oliver¡¯s gaze had followed the squirrel, curiously. Lisa opened her eyes slowly as the purple hue around her hand faded, leaving a sense of calm in the cave. The fur-glider stopped swaying and slowly let go of the cave wall, falling into Lisa and Oliver¡¯s lap. My breath caught in my throat as my eyes widened. ¡°Get.. that¡­ away from him..¡± I hissed. Oliver slowly, curiously brought his little hands to the squirrel, patting it softly. ¡°Baaa!¡± He said excitedly ¡°Ollie! Don¡¯t touch it, dude!¡± Lisa hissed. ¡°Baaaaaah!¡± Oliver repeated, earnestly as he drew the palm of his hand over the body of the fur-glider. Lisa¡¯s hands slowly reached towards the squirrel and paused as it opened its eyes slowly. The cave grew quiet, buzzing returning to my ears as I readied to pounce towards Oliver. Oliver¡¯s mouth opened in a cheeky smile aimed at the squirrel. ¡°Aaaahbaaah!¡± He exclaimed as he continued to softly pet the squirrel. Time slowed as our eyes rested on the furry critter intently, both of us ready to take action. The squirrel stared at Oliver, unmoving. Lisa¡¯s hand began to glow a soft purple once more as she hovered it close to Oliver. Before she could finish her concentration however, the fur-glider lifted its head into Oliver¡¯s hand and began rubbing its furred body through his fingers as it circled in his lap. ¡°The fuck is it doing?¡± I breathed, horrified. ¡°I- I think it likes him, babe? What should I do? I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll startle it and hurt Oliver.¡± ¡°Just be ready to grab it and throw it at me.¡± Our breath caught in our throats once more as Oliver cackled delightedly and scooped up the fur-glider into his tiny arms, hugging it. The squirrel responded to Oliver¡¯s innocent coddling with a squeak, closing its eyes and rubbing its head against his chest repeatedly. ¡°Sweet Fur-baby Jesus, he¡¯s not keeping that.¡± I said through gritted teeth. Chapter 6: Secrets of Magic Chapter 6 Secrets of Magic -Lisa- My hand froze above Oliver, purple hue fading slowly as I let go of the Doze spell. I watched as the fur-glider nestled close to him, showing obvious affection. Each time Oliver held out his little hand, the fur-glider would chatter quietly and adjust itself so that it was touching as much of Oliver as possible. Tension faded from my chest and arms as it became more and more obvious that the small creature was becoming attached to Ollie. ¡°Is it reacting because of the way you lulled it to sleep, babe?¡± Aaron asked. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure. What I do know is that if it meant Oliver harm we¡¯d know by now. We can¡¯t just chuck it out Aaron, so don¡¯t bother arguing about it. If you scare it now it could still call out to its buddies nearby.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± He sighed. ¡°But you can¡¯t expect me to be ok with one of those things near our son.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t expect anything, anymore. I simply want us to watch it cautiously; If it seems like this fur-glider is getting aggressive we will deal with it. Worst case scenario, I put it to sleep and you kill it.¡± ¡°Agreed. I¡¯ll keep an eye on them.¡± The fur-glider crawled up Oliver¡¯s arm and wrapped itself around his little neck like a scarf, content. I shifted Oliver in my lap to get a better view of his face, still expecting the fur-glider to begin choking him. I mentally pulled up my inventory and scrounged through it, keeping most of my focus on the developing friendship between Oliver and the fur-glider. My eyes moved to the stave and I frowned, dissatisfied. I had never been in a real fight before and my first experience was not comforting. I had hoped that some sort of instinct associated with the game would overtake me and I would inherently know how to use my equipment, but it did not. I needed to become stronger through training and experience and it terrified me. Spells, on the other hand, were a different matter entirely. I felt a sense of ownership over my magic and I couldn¡¯t explain it. The use of the magic in my spell book did come to me inherently. ¡°I thought our experience with magic would be a lot more like mashing a button and waiting for a cool down, like it was when we played games together. It¡¯s not though, is it? I could feel the magic and my ability to control it without thinking.¡± I said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aaron look up from Oliver and the fur-glider in my lap. ¡°It sort of is like button mashing to me. I think of the spell I have in my book and of the application I want, nothing more.¡± ¡°Not me, babe. I could feel the magic reacting to what I wanted the moment I thought about it. I didn¡¯t think of a specific spell; hell, I even forgot what the spell was called until you mentioned it. It¡¯s almost as if the spell book is useless in a way.¡± I sat, thinking of any possible way to demonstrate my point to Aaron. I focused on Aaron¡¯s chest and willed it to strengthen, using magic as a guide. His chest tightened with corded muscle, growing slightly. I expanded my focus to the rest of his body and diverted my flow of magic along with my focus. His body quickly became more refined with each muscle as it pulled taut, growing with a pulsating magic and providing a surge of raw strength. My body began to glow a deep red hue, magic circulating through me like the current of a river. I felt as if I could go further, increasing the current of magic flowing through me and into Aaron, yet an overwhelming feeling of caution stopped me. I knew I could push my limits, but was keenly aware that if I pushed too much I could become lost in the current of mana flowing around me. I could sense a dam within my body, holding the magic back and releasing it in quantities that would not harm me. Aaron¡¯s eyebrows raised as he sat up straighter, shoulders pulling back with newfound muscle forcing his posture straight. ¡°What in the name of Schwarzenegger is this?!¡± Aaron exclaimed. I allowed the magic to slow to a halt within Aaron, releasing the spell and opening my eyes to view the effects. Aaron sat straight as an arrow, corded muscle bulging. His shirt and pants were pulled to their limits, showing hints of veins and raw power beneath the now thin fabric. Rock-hard flesh protruded from his shirt, giving him the appearance of a man who had treated weightlifting like breathing his entire life. ¡°I feel like I could crush a rock with my bare hands!¡± Aaron looked around in the area where he sat for a rock large enough to grab. Dissatisfied, he looked up to the crude sconce attach to the wall. He jumped up excitedly, grabbing the sconce with one hand and the unlit torch with his other. With a slight yank, he pull it from the wall, leaving a trail of dirt and bits of rock falling from the holes where the sconce was once mounted. He dropped the wooden torch to the ground and grabbed the mount with both hands, grunting with effort. The metal gave way slightly, bending inward with the force of his strength. Satisfied, he lifted the bent metal for mine and Oliver¡¯s viewing pleasure. I clapped my hands slowly. ¡°Congratulations, you bent a torch holder.¡± I sighed. ¡°I feel ¨C ¡° Aaron was cut off as he winced. Aaron¡¯s muscles visibly reduced at a rapid rate, leaving the now stretched cotton of his shirt hanging loosely over his frame. Aaron sat down slowly, breathing as if he had just ran a marathon. ¡°I take it the spell doesn¡¯t last long. That had to be your strengthen spell.¡± Aaron said, panting. ¡°It was, though I didn¡¯t bother looking at my spell book to see if I had the spell.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I had to actively think about my minor healing spell in my spell book and how I wanted to heal myself before it worked.¡± Aaron said, breathlessly. ¡°Did you now? I felt as if I could make you stronger, so I did. It was as simple as that.¡± ¡°Is it that easy for you because you¡¯re an enchanter? Casting magic should be the same for both of us.¡± ¡°Who knows? I felt like it was an option for me, so I made the magic do what I wanted. Didn¡¯t you feel like you needed to be healed, so you just healed yourself?¡± ¡°No, not at all. I mean, I definitely felt like I needed to be healed, but I thought about the minor healing in my book over and over until I was done healing.¡± ¡°Maybe there are other ways of activating your magic? I didn¡¯t think of it as magic like when you and I were playing games together until you mentioned how different it was for you to cast a spell.¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth trying. Give me a minute.¡± Aaron said, still recovering from the loss of strength. He closed his eyes and I waited, silently watching as his breathing slowed. Aaron placed both hands on the ground, getting up slowly. Eyes still closed, he balled both of his hands into fists and tensed his muscles. I felt a stir around me as the flow of mana shifted, becoming stagnant, then flowing towards Aaron as he began glowing with a light green hue. I closed my eyes, sensing the mana swirling around me flowing towards him, absorbing quickly into his body as he became tense, like a wall made of solid stone. I sensed his form becoming unmovable and unyielding. Aaron opened his eyes slowly, opening his hands and breathing steadily with determination.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°This has to be the ¡®Stand Your Ground¡¯ spell.¡± He said, amazed. ¡°You were right! I felt like I had the inherent ability to become unmovable and I could sense the mana in and around me ready to respond. I focused on my ability to become a wall of force and the mana reacted. You are amazing!¡± ¡°Everything about this feels natural, babe. I feel like I have the potential to do so much more.¡± Lisa stated. We paused as Oliver looked up at me, stomach growling noticeably. ¡°We haven¡¯t eaten since we got here. We need to eat something and soon or Oliver is going to have a melt-down¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re right. If I had the opportunity to grab some of those squirrels, I would¡¯ve done so. I will head out and look for something for us to cook. It¡¯s been a long while since we found this cave.¡± I nodded slowly, eyes drifting back to Oliver and the fur-glider wrapped gently around his neck, snoozing. Aaron turned toward the entrance and began walking, pausing after a few steps. ¡°Yell at me if something approaches the entrance. I¡¯m only going to check the immediate area outside of the cave.¡± ¡°Go ahead, babe. I¡¯m getting the hang of this. Be careful out there.¡± ¡°I will, hun.¡± ¡°Oh, and Aaron? Lisa added. ¡°Leave the squirrels alone.¡± Aaron laughed nervously as he exited the cave. I sighed and turned my attention back to Oliver. ¡°Hey bubba, are you thirsty?¡± I asked ¡°Yaaaaaah!¡± Oliver replied, excitedly. I closed my eyes and extended my focus around me, sensing the mana around me instead of inside of me. Mana flowed throughout the cave, extending beyond my senses and out into the open air in front of the entrance. ** You have gained a new ability: Mana Sense! ** I ignored the message and continued focusing on the surrounding mana. I imagined every detail of what I thought a water elemental should look like, focusing first on how I thought it should appear. Mana swelled within and around me, surging a few feet in front of us. I manipulated moisture from the air as water began to form a foot above the ground, pooling into a loose blob of liquid. I forced the mana upwards slowly, imagining a fluid body with arms, a torso and a face with soft features. Mana continuously flowed around us causing a trepid formation of water at first, then rapidly condensing into a flowing form of water with large arms and torso. I could feel the face of the water elemental forming in my imagination as I forced more mana into the floating blob of water, forming the head. I opened my eyes slowly, gasping softly as I gazed upon a fluid form of water floating just off the ground with grace. I looked my elemental up and down, appreciating the soft features I imagined only moments ago. I silently willed the elemental to advance, and it moved slowly towards the three of us. I felt the elemental adapting to my will and I commanded it to raise its hand carefully, trickling a small stream of water towards me and Oliver. The fur-glider opened its eyes and chattered softly, cocking its head to the side. ¡°Drink up, sweetheart.¡± I said. Oliver reached out with both hands and an open mouth towards the slow stream of water. He giggled loudly as water splashed onto his face and outreached arms, stopping only to gulp down what he could. The fur-glider unraveled itself from Oliver¡¯s neck and climbed down his outstretched arm, craning its neck towards the droplets of water racing down his arm. I smiled as I cupped my hands and willed the elemental¡¯s water into them. It tasted like fresh rainwater pooled into a clean basin. We lapped up the water quietly, happily rejuvenated. I smiled as the smell of untainted water filled my nostrils, reminding me of a rainy day. I gulped my fill of water, pausing as the smell slowly turned to the faint smell of body odor and grime. Frowning, I stopped drinking and opened my eyes, looking up from the stream of water flowing towards my mouth. A trio of goblins approached the mouth of the cave noisily; two carrying a small boar tied upside down to a short, thick branch. The third goblin strode confidently in front of the other two, hands resting on the hilts of his daggers. My mind raced, recalling the recent encounter with the last trio of goblin scouts. I dropped my hands and balled my fists in frustration, realizing that we were taking refuge in their cave as they steadily approached the entrance. ¡°Haaah! The other grunts will bring only mice! Sha¡¯rok will bless us when this hog feeds whole clan!¡± The goblin holding one end of the boar up announced. ¡°Fool! Gnac won¡¯t let those troll dung win!¡± The other boar-holding goblin said, smacking his chest with a fist. Fear and panic filled me as my heart skipped a beat and my limbs grew cold. ¡°Quiet yourselves! Drop the pig and I¡¯ll stick you!¡± The lead goblin shouted. I quickly placed my hands under Oliver¡¯s armpits, lifting him out of my lap and placing him next to me. Fear drove me to my feet as my mind raced, thinking of everything that would happen to him. The fur-glider began to chatter rapidly and raced up and down Oliver¡¯s still outstretched arm. ¡°What is that wretched stench?!¡± One of the goblins holding the boar squawked, taking one hand away from the stick and pinching his nose. ¡°It smells like human fiiiilth!¡± The other stated, matter-of-factly. The lead goblin stopped in his track and held a smell clenched fist in the air as we made eye contact. ¡°It is human filth! Ooooh, look! It thinks it¡¯s a water mage.¡± ¡°Aar-¡° My voice caught in my throat as the lead goblin unsheathed both daggers. I sensed danger emanating from all three goblins, bringing about a choking timidness within me. ¡°Ohohooo! Look, boys! There¡¯s a tiny one with it! Small humans taste best!¡± The goblin holding the right side of the boar called. ¡°Looks like even the other troll shite will feast tonight!¡± The lead goblin grinned, licking the flat of his dagger and approaching. Anger welled within me, like a boiling furnace. The timid feelings I felt before washed away in a heat of anger. The mention of Oliver unleashed a flurry of pent-up frustration and my body responded with a torrent of magic. ¡°I¡¯ll choke you with your own intestines, you filth!¡± I yelled. My water elemental turned from Oliver to face the goblins, opening its face in a scream of anger that sounded like the roaring of a waterfall. A deafening roar filled the air, amplified by the acoustics of the cave and causing all three goblins to wince. Mana swirled around me, forcing the lead goblin to fall on his backside. The two goblin scouts holding the boar dropped their stick ends and grabbed the bows resting on their backs, reaching for arrows. I raised my right fist, shaking with anger as I felt a stream of magic flow outward, grasping onto one of the goblin archers. The goblin fumbled with the string of his bow as his strength was sapped, leaving him visibly weak. My other hand spread outwards towards the other archer as another wave of mana shoved its way down his open mouth and down his throat, constricting the air. The goblin sputtered, taking one hand from his bow and clawing at his throat as the muscles around his trachea constricted dangerously. The lead goblin jumped to his feet and rushed forward, hissing. It leapt with surprising agility and bared down with both daggers pointed towards me. The water elemental responded by flowing forward towards the goblin. I sidestepped as the goblin landed inside of the water elemental and the duo was forced past me. I moved towards the weakened goblin, still fumbling with his bow. My staff appeared in my hand as I willed it from my inventory and continued my advance. ¡°He gets nowhere near Oliver.¡± I said over my shoulder to the water Elemental. The water elemental replied by turning itself into a twisting vortex of swirling water, cutting off any free movement from the goblin and causing it to turn in rapid circles. My left hand curled upwards and an unseen hand left fingermarks around the choking goblin¡¯s throat. The other goblin scout gave up fumbling with its bowstring and gave a weak snarl as it slid a jagged dagger from its sheath, stumbling towards me. I raised the staff over my left shoulder as the goblin neared and swung as hard as I could, catching it square on the jaw. The goblin twirled in a full circle before landing on the ground with its arms splayed. I lifted my staff in the air and slammed it down on the goblin¡¯s skull, crushing it. Blood splattered the dirt as the goblin twitched violently I turned my gaze towards the choking archer and twisted my hand. The goblin¡¯s eyes widened as it dropped to its knees, grabbing its throat. I raised my staff once more, striking it in the neck with a cracking force. A sudden drain filled me as the choking spell dissipated from the lifeless corpse. Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 4 Enchanter ¡°Shit¡­¡± I said breathlessly as I fell forward. I heard a splashing sound and became aware of the water elemental falling apart behind me. My hands reached out to meet the ground as I crumpled. The goblin previously caught in the water elemental¡¯s embrace coughed violently as it recovered. ¡°I¡¯ll spit you over a firepit myself!¡± It screamed. I felt the available magic within me dwindling. A thick murky fog gripped my mind and I couldn¡¯t think clearly. I reached out, willing mana to flow back through me, begging the unforeseen force back into me. You have learned a new spell: Mana Flow My face met soft, wet dirt as I finished slumping to the floor. Mana trickled back into me at an alarmingly slow rate. I began to panic once more as I heard foot steps approaching from behind. A small, strong foot planted on my back, forcing the air from my lungs. The goblin snarled as it raised its dagger, plunging it into the middle of my back. An icy cold pain shot through my upper body and I gasped and coughed as the shock of it tore through my body. The goblin ripped its dagger from my back and stabbed down once more. My vision blurred with tears and slowly began to fade as my body went numb. I could hear screaming behind us as Oliver yelled, ¡°Maaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± I grunted softly, not comprehending the smell of burnt, putrid flesh. A small body slumped forward, lifeless on top of me as my mind began to go blank. Chapter 7: Walls and Giants Chapter 7 Walls and Giants -Andrew- My eyes flew open as a startling boom reverberated through the air, causing dirt and debris to pelt my face with stinging force. Sulfur and ash filled my nostrils as the sudden force of air brought an unbearable heat with it. I brought my arms up, covering my face which did nothing for the ringing in my ears or the rattling in my bones. My chest tightened and panic began to rise in my throat, causing a swelling of tears in my already stinging eyes. I lowered my hand to the ground, feeling cold rough stone beneath my fingers. My mind raced in confusion as I tried to sort out all of the new sensations and fear I had never felt before. Confused and panicked, I pushed myself on to my backside and used my hand against the cobblestone walkway to scoot myself against a nearby wall. I heard screams as a roar nearby ripped through the surrounding noise. My heart froze and my blood turned to ice, causing me to breathe in small ragged breaths. My vision darkened suddenly around the edges of my sight and my breath came in ragged, short gasps. ¡°He-help!¡± I gasped, tears now freely streaming down my cheeks. ¡°Someone, please!¡± More screams of agony and terror were my only reply. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my blurry vision. Slowly lowering my forearm just below my eyesight allowed me to take in my surroundings for the first time; the view was more terrifying than I imagined. My mouth opened slowly, until it revealed my inward petrified shock. In my life I had only been truly scared once; when Tommy at school chased me through the locker room, threatening to kick my ass. I remembered hiding on top of the toilet behind the second stall in the boys¡¯ bathroom, frozen in fear as I did my best to stifle my rapid breathing. I distinctly recalled the tingling in my body, the tightening in my chest, and my hand over my mouth muffling my breath as Tommy entered the bathroom and kicked each closed door. While Tommy scared me more than anything in the world, I always understood that I was never in any real danger. Tommy would only hit me until I begged him to stop, laughing with his friends until one of the teachers came to help me. This new fear made Tommy seem incredibly small and I began to wish I was in the locker room dealing with the bully. I understood now that my fear back then was that of ignorance, with no understanding of real danger as my eyes drank in the scenes of death and fire around me. I was in-between two large buildings made of stone and brick, with half of the building I was now leaning against torn away. Large broken bricks and wood lay strewn around me, making me feel insignificant. I chanced more of a look at my surroundings, which did nothing for the fear still gripping my chest. Wooden boxes were piled up in pyramid shapes against both building walls, some toppled over and smashed. The stone path leading further down between the walls ended abruptly in a tall stone half-wall that I knew I was incapable of climbing. My eyes flew back to the opening of the alley where more screams and blood-curdling laughter could be heard. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye to my left, drawing my attention. A sneaker and left leg with the hint of an arm wrapped around it caused a sudden flurry of hope and anxiety to flow from my constricting chest. ¡°James! James is that you?¡± I whispered, hoarsely. No response came, but I could see the leg shaking as deep rough sounding voices drew closer to the alleyway. I felt a sudden burst of energy as the fear of being seen pushed me to scurry towards the towering boxes on my hands and knees. I moved past the outlying box where the leg was barely visible and slammed my back into the wall behind it, panting with terror as laughter carried down the dark alley. A fresh stream of tears fell from my eyes as I saw my brother for the first time. His knees were drawn to his chest where his face was buried, arms wrapped tightly around them both. He shook with fear and I could make out his back rising and falling with each wracking sob in the darkness. I reached out tentatively just touching his right thigh, causing him to yelp and look up in surprise. His brown eyes were snaked with redness and puffy. As our eyes met and a sense of relief washed over me, releasing some of my tension. I brought my hand up to his cheek and placed my forehead against his. ¡°Where¡¯s mommy and daddy? James asked through shuddering breaths. ¡°I don¡¯t know James. We were on top of the stairs waiting for papa John and something happened. We were both dragged down the hallway and I must¡¯ve fallen asleep, because I woke up and all of this is happening.¡± I said, gesturing towards the noise. ¡°I can¡¯t see well, Andy. There¡¯s stuff that won¡¯t go away in my eyes.¡± For the first time, I noticed an almost transparent writing at the top of my vision: ***Welcome to Sylvaria*** I stared at the words, causing them to brighten and focus. My mind raced as I instantly thought about the new game dad had been trying out. ¡°I can see it too, James. It says: Welcome to Sylvaria.¡± ¡°What is Sylvahrah and how do I make it go away?¡± I didn¡¯t respond as my attention was drawn back to the words. ***Choose Your Class*** ¡°It¡¯s saying we have to choose a class? I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± I said, talking quietly to distract my brother.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. More words appeared in the middle of my vision with a list: Warrior Paladin Cleric Wizard Rogue Ranger Having played plenty of games before, I immediately recognized the classes listed, however the list went on and I wasn¡¯t sure what to do with the information appearing. I stared at warrior and the list grew, showing more words under Warrior: Warrior ¨C With skills focusing on raw strength and tenacity, a warrior can unleash his or her potential in combat against all enemies. As a warrior, you will be on the frontlines of battle trading blows with the fiercest foes. ¡°James this is like a game, I think. I''m pretty sure we have to do what it wants to make the words go away.¡± ¡°No it¡¯s not, Andy. This isn¡¯t a game.¡± James said as he rested his chin on his knees, rocking back and forth slowly. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not a game, but it is like the one dad plays. I''ve played games with classes like this before.¡± I continued to read down the list, studying each description. I wasn''t sure which to choose, being that this was definitely not a normal game. ¡°Warriors fight up close and we don¡¯t want to be close to anything. If this is a game are we in any real danger?¡± I asked more to myself than James. With my attention on the words in front of me, my mind calmed slightly and the noises faded. I opened the description of Cleric by staring at it for a moment, causing a new flurry of words to appear. Cleric ¨C The ever watchful and attentive cleric has a great understanding of physical ailments and wounds. Clerics can use their magic to bring even those closest to death back from the brink. As a cleric, you will be responsible for keeping friends and allies alive through healing. Clerics are the lifeblood of all parties. I understood what I was reading, but had a hard time applying it to our reality. Relief filled me knowing that cleric was an option, given that they could keep people alive by healing injuries. Knowing James couldn¡¯t read, I continued down the list to find something suitable for him. Dread began to fill me with each passing word as I thought of my brother in the path of danger. Beginning to get the hang of how the list worked, I brought my attention to Rogue. Rogue ¨C Stealth is synonymous with Rogue. Rogues use the environment to their advantage by hiding in the most obscure ways. Shadows are their allies and surprise, their weapons. As a rogue you will learn to become one with deception and misdirection. Frustration welled within me as I couldn''t decide what the best option for James would be. I re-read the list several times trying to make the best decision to keep James safe. ¡°Rogues are good at hiding.¡± I mumbled. ¡°I want to hide.¡± James replied from his raised knees. ¡°I want to hide, too. I also don''t want us to get hurt while looking for mom and dad. I think you should pick Rogue, James.¡± I said. I spent the next 15 minutes quietly explaining how to navigate the list to James. ¡°Stare at the word that starts with an r.¡± I instructed. ¡°I see two big Rs, Andy.¡± ¡°Stare at the first one. There¡¯s an o after the big r.¡± ¡°Arr, Oooh¡­¡± James sounded out. ¡°R-o-, then g.¡± ¡°James, there are more words now.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± I said as I brought my attention back to my own list. The list grew again when I stared at Cleric, showing me the same words as before. ¡°I want to be a Cleric.¡± I whispered, feeling a sense of belonging to the words. *Ding!* Welcome to Sylvaria: Andrew, Cleric lvl. 1 I jumped as a loud ding rang in my ears and gasped in surprise as new a new sense grew that I couldn¡¯t explain. Two new flashing symbols appeared at the bottom of my vision, but I ignored them. ¡°Focus on the word and say that you want to be a Rogue.¡± I whispered. ¡°I want to be a Rowg - Aaah!¡± James said, releasing his arms and jumping with a fright. ¡°Was there a loud noise in your ears?¡± ¡°Yes, it scared me. The words went away and there are pictures blinking now.¡± ¡°Just ignore them.¡± I replied. A loud crash from the back wall of the alley brought mine and James¡¯s attention away from each other. I felt James¡¯s hand on my arm, gripping tightly as we both stared at the towering half-wall. Another loud crash, followed by dirt and small bits of rock falling resounded from the wall once more. ¡°Andy I want to go home!¡± James said nervously tugging on my arm. ¡°Shhh!¡± I said, fear rising. A loud roar filled the air and the half-wall blew apart in a spray of rock and dirt hurdling in our direction. We both cried out as James dove into me and my arms wrapped around him, squeezing as if we¡¯d be torn apart from each other. I braced with every ounce of strength I had in my body, expecting to be knocked away with the force of debris as loud thunks and grating noises continued all around us. Large steady thumps that made me think of a walking mountain moving closer and closer. A new smell invaded my nose and made me gag with disgust as I coughed. Up until now, the worst thing I had ever smelled was Oliver¡¯s poop after eating Macaroni and Cheese. This smell made me think of hundreds of Macaroni and Cheese filled diapers stuffed into a closet. A gruff sniffing noise brought my eyes open and my breath caught in my throat as a large creature stopped just short of a person lying on the ground, covered in bent and battered metal armor only a little ways away. The creature was almost as tall as the half-wall that had just burst apart. Gray, rough looking skin covered in black boils caught my eyes as they continued to travel up to a large open mouth with a row of sharp teeth, pulled into a snarl. ¡°Andy! Andy!!¡± James cried, tightening his arms around me.¡± Dread roiled inside of me as the large creature moved its eyes to us, breathing through its mouth and causing the hot and terrible smell to fill my nostrils. The metal-covered man on the ground grunted as he lifted his head in our direction, making eye contact with me. I saw fear in his eyes and it brought a newfound sense of fear within myself. ¡°Run!¡¯ He managed to get out in a gruff voice as the large creature opened its mouth to yell. James and I looked on in horror as the gray, smelly giant let out an ear-splitting roar. I covered James¡¯s eyes with my hand as It raised its meaty fist high in the air and brought it down on top of the metal man. A sickening crunch filled my ears as the giant continued to pummel the ground where the metal-man lay only a moment ago. Bile rose in my throat, burning its way up as I coughed. Raw panic gripped me and I tried to stand, fumbling with James as each thump of the ground rocked us both. ¡°G-get up! Get up and run, James!¡± I screamed, pushing him towards the entrance of the alley as I struggled to move. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± James cried as he tripped over himself. I had no doubt that we would both die if we did not run, now. I stumbled forward, finally finding strength in my legs as I palmed James in the back with both of my hands. Giving up pushing, I leapt in front of him, grabbing his arm with my hand in a death grip. I pulled him as hard as I could, causing us to both lean forward as we ran for the alleyway opening. A roar of triumph cut through my sudden courage, cutting it short. Terrified, I pushed my legs harder than I ever had while pulling James with me. Chapter 8: Through the Burning City Chapter 8 Through the Burning City -Andrew- We ran from the alleyway as fast as our small legs could carry us, fear giving us both a burst of energy. We slowed to a jog as we approached the first intersection, legs already cramping from our sudden sprint. My breath was ragged, not from exertion but from fear, creating wisps of fog in the cool night air. Cold was the furthest thing from my mind as my blood pumped rapidly in response to the adrenaline. I turned towards the corner of the store at the end of the street, dragging James to the wall and peeking my head around to get a good look of the other side of the building. Destruction filled my view, smoke and flames lighting half the street, but no one seemed to be in the area. The now familiar sharp smell of smoke and sulfur continued to assault my nostrils. I turned my head back up the street and saw more of the same death; bodies laying lifeless all throughout. Shapes and figures of all sizes rested everywhere like dropped toys. I turned to James, filled with determination. ¡°I know mom and dad always say I¡¯m not your parent, but you have to do what I tell you now James.¡± James, wide-eyed and terrified did not respond. I could tell he was staring at the bodies strewn across the stone and gravel street. Taking his lack of response as agreement and wanting to get him away from the scary view, I reached down and grabbed hold of his arm once more. ¡°We¡¯re going to run across the street to the corner of that other building as fast as we can. When we get to the other side don¡¯t look back; just keep following me.¡± Again, James continued to stare up the street in front of us, not acknowledging anything I had to say. I tightened my lips and took one last look up the street before sprinting as fast as I could, James in tow until we reached the corner of the building across from us. We continued, following any clear path that lay before us without stopping. Large beams of broken wood and piles of cracked and broken stone and brick blocked our path so often that we had to zig zag down every street, changing directions. We were careful to avoid and road where sounds of fighting drifted. Other than the cries, screams, and sounds of fighting nearby there were no signs of other fleeing people. Finally, as if waking from a deep sleep, James pulled on my arm causing me to hold fast. ¡°Andy I¡¯m tired. I don¡¯t want to run anymore.¡± James complained. ¡°I know, but if we stop running someone will find us.¡± I replied, looking around the empty shops nearby. I knew we couldn¡¯t keep this up for long, as I was not the best athlete. I paused at the next intersection, eyeing a large dark building with its front door open. I grabbed James¡¯s arm once more and sprinted towards the open door as fast as I could. Shouts of alarm drew my attention towards the street we ran from. Looking over my shoulder I spotted large dark shapes fighting and yelling. A large ball of fire erupted from the group of figures and illuminated the entire street. Small green creatures with evil looking weapons surrounded men covered in metal, firing an endless stream of arrows into them. More of those large ugly giants were smashing their way through the crowd of green creatures to get to the group armored men. I didn¡¯t have to keep watching to know the armored men stood no chance of winning. We reached the open door as I pulled James through, continuing to run past the broken glass and overturned racks. Long empty planks of wood lined the walls of the room, holding up all sorts of random items that I couldn¡¯t make out as I looked for a place for us to hide. From the entrance of the room, all the way to the back, stood racks upon racks of what looked like dresses and long shirts. On some of the shelves against the wall were more folded pieces of cloth I couldn¡¯t make out. We ran through the room until we came to a counter in the far back that attached to the wall and opened up on the other side. I moved James around the end of the counter and sat down, bringing him with me. ¡°We¡¯re ok.¡± I said, breathlessly as I patted James¡¯s arm. James nodded and I took a moment to look around the room, ready to duck back beneath the counter if anything scary walked past the front door. I looked closely as the racks in front of the counter at what looked like expensive bath robes. Other racks of clothes held weird looking clothes of all colors, all the way to the front of the store. A thick stagnant musty smell cut through the now faint smell of smoke, reminding me of the Goodwill stores we would sometimes visit near our house. Near the counter, along the wall, rested rows of long pieces of wood with shiny stones resting at the tips of some. A grouping of strange looking hats sat in a pile nearby, some looking worn and others looking new and pointed. A bright series of lights illuminated the store, giving me a view of down the street from the corner window. The armored men continued to fight, joined by some figures wearing robes and waving large and small wands in the air. Figures stood on some of the buildings, shooting arrows down into the horde of monsters, causing angry screams of agony. Lightning racing across the road caught my eye, sending sparks as each of the dozens of individual zig zagging shards of light jumped from stone to stone until they all met at one of the robed figures holding his staff of wood high in the air. Large flashes of light snaked across the sky and arced down to the figure¡¯s raised wooden staff followed by explosions in the groups of ugly creatures all around him. The building shook with the force of the shockwave, causing dust to shake loose from the shelves above us and more racks of clothing to fall over. The smaller creatures began to run in all directions, as my mouth opened in surprise at the strange power the robed figure displayed. A large collective cheer rose up in the distance as the group of people began to attack the gray giants that did not flee. Groups of strange creatures ran by the store entrance and continued past, still too dark to make out. I quickly ducked back behind the counter and looked to James who had begun staring off into space again. I called out to him, more nervous by the lack of questions and complaints. ¡°James are you ok?¡± I whispered James sat quietly staring at the shelves behind the counter. I leaned in front of James and saw fresh tears making their way through the newly settled dust and caked grime on his face. I was scared and I knew James understood even less of what was going on than I did. My mind raced for ways to hep him and an idea sprang into my head.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°James listen, do you know those games dad and mom always play? Do you remember some of the ones I used to play?¡± James replied with a soft nod of his head. ¡°I really think this is just one of the online games they play. I''ve played alot of similar games, though this one feels real.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a game!¡± James said, raising his voice slightly. ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t feel like a game.¡± I said, calmingly. ¡°But I really think mom and dad are letting us all play this one to teach us a lesson.¡± ¡°Like when mom tells us to go ahead and touch the stove because we won¡¯t do it again?¡± ¡°Yes! Yes, just like that! Maybe mom and dad finally let us play because you guys always sneak out of your rooms to watch them at night. I hear dad complaining about it all the time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this game. I don¡¯t want to play anymore. How do we stop?¡± James asked, pleadingly. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to quit, but I do know we can be brave and show them we aren¡¯t as scared as they think we¡¯d be. You don¡¯t want them to say they told us so do you?¡± ¡°No.¡± James said, sniffling as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. ¡°Maybe this is their way of seeing if we are old enough to play with them from now on.¡± James didn¡¯t respond, but looked at me for the first time since leaving the alleyway. His eyebrows furrowed and a look of determination set across his face. ¡°How do you know it¡¯s a game?¡± My mind raced, thinking of possible believable solutions other than our class choice. My attention moved to the slowly flashing bag icon on the bottom of my vision. A bag appeared showing a bulbous piece of wood, a pot, sleeping bag and a dull gray rock. I stared at the piece of wood, confused as to what to do next. Wooden Cudgel Rarity: Common Dmg: 3 Discription: A simple blunt weapon I reached in front of my eyes, attempting to grab the weapon and my fingers met nothing but air. Frustrated, I thought about how to take the wooden stick from the invisible bag and I felt a heavy weight appear suddenly in my right hand. I thought about being able to see what was in my hand and the inventory disappeared, revealing the wooden cudgel now gripped in my right hand. James¡¯s eyes widened and mouth opened in awe. I spent the next few minutes explaining the process to him. ¡°I have tiny swords!¡± James announced excitedly, holding up dual six-inch knives in his meaty fists. ¡°This is a game! How do we win?!¡± ¡°We win by staying alive and finding mom and dad. We only get one life and have to be careful not to lose, or they won¡¯t let us play with them anymore.¡± I proclaimed, as awestruck as James seemed. ¡°Ok. I¡¯m not scared, Andy.¡± James said, a little more sure of himself than before. Slightly relieved, I poked my head above the countertop to get a view of the street once more, noticing James¡¯s head appearing next to mine. I smiled lightly for the first time, feeling like I was able to do something really important as a big brother and thinking mom and dad would be proud. Loud steady noises drew our attention to the empty frame where the glass of the window used to be at the front of the store. A row of armored men and women passed by the empty window, followed by another row, then another. Clothes swayed on the racks left standing from the vibration caused by the steady thumping of armored feet down the stone road. ¡°Look, James!¡± I whispered, excitedly. ¡°I think they are wearing armor. See? This isn¡¯t so bad; they look like good guys.¡± ¡°Woooow!¡± James replied slightly more excited than I expected, causing me to worry if I made a mistake by telling him this was a game. I stared at the last row of armored people passing by the window and felt a stirring of emotion; similar to seeing a police officer breaking up a fight. You have gained a new ability: Sense I gasped, startled at the sight of a new message appearing in my eyesight. Understanding dawned across my face as I began to realize this was like a game, of sorts. While I didn¡¯t entirely understand what was going on, I felt slightly calmer knowing I wasn¡¯t completely lost. Another loud cry of cheers rose up as the rows of armored soldiers drew nearer to the group from earlier, drawing my attention back to the street. Sounds of fighting resumed and I watched as the large group of soldiers push the ugly looking creatures back steadily. A fierce sense of dread overcame me, much stronger than when the gray giant found us, which I didn¡¯t think possible. A large spidery black shadow moved silently in front of the window just outside of the shop. More movement caught my eye as the shadowed figure turned back and pointed towards the fight. A roar of angry sounds shook my ear drums as dozens of different shaped shadows ran towards the fighting; the same direction the soldiers went moments ago. A whirlwind of fire raced towards the shadows, lighting the entire street. My heart leapt into my throat as I saw the large spidery shape illuminated for the first time. A large black spider sat just outside of the store, 8 hairy legs bent in different directions as if to leap toward the fighting. My eyes were drawn up the legs of the spider to the bulbous body, where the torso of a woman connected to it. The woman¡¯s skin was as black as night, covered in even darker armor. In one hand rested a fanged corded piece of leather that looked like a whip; in the other a horrifying jagged dark red sword. The spider lady pointed her sword toward the fighting, cracking the whip in her other hand just out of my line of sight. A loud harsh scream erupted as another gray giant staggered past the spider lady, toward the fighting. Dozens of smaller creatures raced past, screaming at the top of their lungs, weapons drawn. I reached out, grabbing James¡¯s shoulder as I ducked quickly, pulling him with me. James stared at me with an innocent curiosity and a strange lack of fear as I placed a shaking finger to my lips, signaling him to not speak. After several long moments of what seemed like an eternity, the overwhelming sense of dread lifted. I chanced a peak over the counter and saw the outside of the shop clear once more. Sighing, I signaled to James that it was safe to look again. Cries of agony and anger radiated through the empty streets, supplying me with a steady feeling of fear. I began to lose hope as I could no longer make out any of the shapes of the soldiers that were there only a moment ago. Movement just outside caught my eye again as two smaller shapes paused just beyond the broken window. A sense of danger creeped through my chest as the smell of two-day old food wafted in through the front of the empty, overpowering the stagnant musty smell. ¡°I am tired. All whips and orders!¡± One of the shapes said. ¡°There no whips if you listen!¡± The other replied. ¡°Ssshhh! Not loud!¡± ¡°Ssshhh you!¡± ¡°No more! Curse the Chieftain and his masters! Pekx does as Pekx wants and Pekx wants food!¡± The shadowed figure turned and leapt through the empty window frame, causing me to duck down for fear of being seen. I looked to my left and every muscle in my body tensed, chest tightening in fear as the place where James was supposed to be was now empty. Not daring even a whisper, I moved my head quickly, looking for any sign of my brother. ¡°Fool! Yer nose broken! There no food here!¡± The shape outside the window called. ¡°Who fool?! Yeeer nose broken! Pekx smells food. ¡°Yer food when Drider finds you hiding! Okig go with others to kill ugly humans! Okig not coward!¡± The small dark shape hissed. ¡°You die first to weakest baby human!¡± The small creature in the shop hissed back. Footsteps drew closer as racks were loudly pushed out of the way, soft clinks and thunks as racks covered in clothing hit the floor. The creature stopped just beyond the counter and time seemed to slow as all the only sounds were now my own heartbeat racing in my ears. ¡°I smeeeeell yooou!¡± A raspy voice said just above my head. Chapter 9: Death by Weakest Baby Human Chapter 9 Death by Weakest Baby Human -Andrew- I screamed, swinging my hand holding the wooden cudgel upwards as I dove forward. Wood met flesh causing the creature to reel back, clutching at his face with both clawed hands. My back slammed against the counter opposite of where I was previously hiding, sending paralyzing pain throughout my torso. Tears began to well in my eyes as a result and I blinked them frantically away. ¡°Aaargh! I¡¯ll eat you alive for that!¡± The creature screamed. I brought the cudgel in front of me, grasping with both hands and pointing it towards the creature. Green, dirt-caked fingers moved down its face and a pair of dull red eyes met mine. A wicked smile crept onto the creature¡¯s face revealing a set of black and yellow crooked teeth. I began to tremble, only able to watch as a boil-covered hand moved down its leather-clad body towards the hilt of a jagged and evil looking dagger. The creature¡¯s other hand gripped the edge of the counter, legs poised to launch it towards me. It slid the dagger from its sheath, a look of pure joy plastered to its face as it let the jagged blade rest against its forearm. ¡°Yeeesss! Pekx loves his food scared.¡± He said, bringing his blade arm in front of his face, leaving only his pale red eyes uncovered. The sense of danger reached deep into my chest with an unseen hand, gripping my heart and sending cold waves of fear through my arms and down to my legs. The cudgel began to twitch in all directions; my hands shaking as I fought to remain in control. The ugly green creature laughed as it pushed its legs upwards, sending it flying to cover the short distance between us in a moment. A bright wall of white-domed magic appeared for a moment, causing it to slam into thin air. You have learned a new spell: Minor Shield It hissed as its back slammed into the counter in front of me causing various objects to clatter from the shelf to the floor. I blinked my eyes rapidly, attempting to clear the message so I could see the creature again. As it leapt towards me again, it brought its dagger forward, slamming it a foot in front of me as the bright domed shield snapped into focus once again. He growled, holding the dagger pressed against the light, now shimmering with effort. An exhaustion rapidly spread throughout my body and I continued to think about nothing but keeping the foul-smelling creature as far away from me as possible. He leaned into the shield, snarling as he brought his other hand to the hilt to reinforce his efforts. The white dome began to dim with strain, creating a fizzling sound as It flickered. Each flicker of the shield brought a wave of renewed panic as I expected it to disappear any moment. The tired feeling spread through the rest of my body, numbness beginning to set in as my vision blurred. The shield cracked and flew apart, sounding like shattered glass. The monster cried out with glee, using the sudden disappearance of the shield and forward momentum to his advantage. He quickly flicked the dagger point straight towards me as he fell; his black and yellow teeth growing much larger as he came closer. I made a feeble attempt to move my cudgel in his path, but it was slammed against our chests as we came together. Ice entered my stomach and spread through my limbs like lightning, radiating from my stomach. I looked down in shock, seeing only the hilt of the dagger that disappeared into my stomach. Tears fell freely, blurring the ugly green face that inched closer to mine. ¡°Sssstuck like a pig!¡± he hissed, licking his lips. Strength faded from my arms and I mentally let go of the wooden cudgel, causing it to disappear. I grasped pitifully at the green arm holding the buried dagger in my stomach, my mouth moving open and closed as I tried to understand what had happened. My body began to turn numb as a wetness plastered my t-shit to my body. A sharp pain in my stomach brought my focus back sharply, beckoning me to look down once more. My eyes widened as the dagger was ripped away and drew back for another plunge. Time seemed to move at a snail¡¯s pace as the creature cackled, plunging his arm towards me, again. I looked into the face of the ugly green monster as a feeling of calm took over me, pushing the pain aside. Red eyes met mine, widening in shock. I watched, confused, as his mouth turned from a snarl to a gaping hole. Expecting another sharp pain, my eyes wandered over to the creature¡¯s frozen arm, hovering in mid-air. I looked back up to his face and my mouth hung open in shock with his. A small blade protruding from his throat caused him to gurgle as blood trickled down his lips. The blade disappeared quickly and he reeled back, clutching his throat. A small head bobbed up from his left shoulder carrying a smiling face with it. ¡°I win!¡± James announced. Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 2 Cleric ¡°Wha-¡° I stammered weakly. ¡°I got him, Andy! We¡¯re wi-oh!¡± The small green creature fell backwards, taking James with it. James struggled for a moment before finally wriggling out from underneath the now still body. He paused, seeing my stomach covered in blood. ¡°Andy, did he get you? Are you going to lose?¡± ¡°He got me.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯m scared James; I don¡¯t want to di-lose.¡± My chest tightened as panic announced its arrival, sending waves of pain through my body. My thoughts became sluggish and my head drooped, stopping as my chin rested on my chest. ¡°What do we do, Andy?¡± James asked. I didn¡¯t have the strength to respond, thinking only of sleep as the rest of my body began to numb. My mind wandered as the stiflingly calm feeling spread. I struggled to think, wondering how to activate my healing abilities. ¡°Heal.¡± I said weakly A small green light enveloped my hands and spread through my arms, stopping just short of the pain in my stomach. My hands returned to normal and I couldn¡¯t tell if I felt any better or just more tired.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Heal.¡± I said, again. The small green light returned, growing further and taking away some of the numbness with it. As the green light faded again, I grew frustrated. I could feel the pain in my back disappearing slowly but I didn¡¯t care about any of my other pains, only my stomach. I moved my hand from my wound, letting it drop to the floor as blood continued to pool. I focused on my stomach, trying to push all of my other aches and pains aside. ¡°Heeeeal.¡± I said, hoarsely. You have gained a new spell: Heal Wounds The green light was stronger this time, illuminating the floor and shelves below the counter as it spread rapidly towards my stomach. I felt the pain lessen with each passing second as I held my attention on my wound. Skin began to grow back together, carrying relief with it. I thought about how much I didn¡¯t want the healing to stop until I felt better. The light grew brighter, acting as a lantern in the dark room. Pain washed away from my body, replaced with an exhaustion I had never felt. As the skin finished closing, my hands returned to normal, taking the light with it. A wave of exhaustion spread over me causing my vision to darken as I gave into sleep. ***** I opened my eyes slowly, darkness still enveloping the room. Movement caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I glanced to my right to see James sitting against the wall, mumbling to himself. ¡°Hide...¡± He whispered I gasped as the darkness of the room crawled towards James, only stopping once he was covered. ¡°aaaaaand seek.¡± I heard from darkness where James sat only a moment ago. James reappeared, concentration plastered to his face. ¡°Hide¡­¡± He said to himself. ¡°Aaaand seek.¡± James faded from my view and returned a moment later. I grasped my stomach where pain once emanated, panicking at what I would find. Relief flooded through me at finding nothing but pink flesh where the knife wound once was. ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± James called from the shadows. The area he sat became visible once more as he leaned forward to crawl toward me. ¡°You¡¯ve been sleeping foreeeeever!¡± He said excitedly. ¡°Hi James.¡± I said, relishing in my relief. ¡°Hi Andy! I¡¯ve been practicing my hide and seek. Wanna see?¡± ¡°I watched you, James. That was...unexpected.¡± ¡°I used my hide and seek to kill that monster. Pretty cool, huh? You were about to lose!¡± Tears returned to my eyes as I remembered just how close I came to dying. ¡°Thank you James. You are better at this game than me.¡± I said, leaning my head against the counter behind me to relieve my aching neck. ¡°I got this really cool knife from him!¡± He said, holding up the cruel looking blade. ¡°That¡¯s awesome.¡± I said, still lost in the feeling of relief. ¡°I was hungry, so I found us food in the store over there.¡± James pointed. ¡°You did what?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok, Andy! I was hiding the whole time.¡± He said as he handed me a piece of bread. I reached out and took the bread, my eyes widening in horror at the thought of James going anywhere near the fighting. ¡°James you can¡¯t just leave!¡± ¡°Why? I can hide and I was hungry. ¡®Sides, I know it¡¯s a game now and I¡¯m not scared.¡± I shook my head, still unsure if lying to him was the right choice. On the one hand, he saved my life. On the other, he was clearly going to get us into trouble. ¡°If we aren¡¯t together for too long, we lose. Didn¡¯t I tell you that?¡± ¡°Nooo¡­¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m telling you now. You can¡¯t just leave by yourself. We have to stay together or mom and dad are going to be mad at us.¡± ¡°Ok. Don¡¯t tell mom.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. Just don¡¯t leave me again.¡± I took a bite of the bread James had given me, thinking of what to do next. James continued his disappearing act, leaving me to my bread. The sounds of fighting had moved further away from us while I was asleep and it brought a bit of comfort. I paused mid-bite as I noticed the dead green creature in front of me. Choking back a disgusted cough, I scooted away as quickly as I could. James, noticing my sudden movement, reappeared and followed my gaze to the corpse. ¡°It¡¯s ok, Andy. I got him already!¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s gross.¡± James moved towards the green pile of unmoving flesh and picked up one of its arms, waving it limply in the air. ¡°Hiiiii Andy! I¡¯m not scary anymore.¡± James said with a mocking tone. ¡°Stop it, James! That¡¯s nasty.¡± I said, holding back a gag. ¡°He¡¯s got cool stuff, though! Look!¡± James said, reaching for the creature¡¯s neck. James grabbed its head and lifted, removing something around its neck. He turned to me and raised his hand, holding a necklace of fanged teeth that swayed back and forth. I held back another gag as I continued to scoot further away from the looting maniac. James put the teeth in his pocket and grabbed the belt of the creature, fumbling to unfasten it. Finally loosening the clasp, he removed the belt, taking the sheath and pouch attached to it. James stood up, fitting the belt around his waist, leaving far too much strap hanging for his small frame. Once finished with his new belt, he reached into his pocket and retrieved the necklace of fangs, putting them around his own neck. ¡°Look at me, Andy! I¡¯m a mooonsteeeer!¡± James said, putting his hands on his hips proudly. ¡°James, that¡¯s disgusting!¡± I admonished. I shook my head, noticing the blinking book at the bottom of my vision as James moved back to the dead creature. Moving my eyes towards the book opened it: Minor Shield Minor Healing Heal Wounds Stun Smite I read each spell slowly, stopping at Smite. Before I could puzzle out what the words meant, an explanation appeared: Smite: Call upon your divine powers to strike down an enemy. I pondered how to use the spell, recalling my experience with healing my injury. I recalled the shield that appeared between me and the monster and how I had only wanted it to stay away from me. I thought of the healing I used and how I had voiced my desire for the spell to work. I looked at my hands, causing the spell book to disappear from my view. I thought of the minor healing spell, but before I could say the words, my hands began to glow with a green light. Surprised, I lost focus and the green light faded, releasing the spell. I thought of wanting to heal again, and the green light returned to my hands, bringing a smile to my face. As I finished my experimenting, I began to wonder how James knew how to use his hide ability. I knew he could barely make out letters, let alone read. I also knew that I could activate a spell by thinking about what I wanted to do. Giving up trying to guess, I looked up to ask James. ¡°James. How did you know you could hide?¡± I asked. James stopped his pilfering of the dead green creature and looked at me over his shoulder, shrugging. ¡°I dunno. I got scared when I heard those monsters talking and wanted to hide. I didn¡¯t know I was hiding until the ugly one didn¡¯t say anything to me. I¡¯ve practiced while you were sleeping. I¡¯m really good at hiding now.¡± I nodded slowly, thinking about my own spells and abilities. I was comforted knowing I could heal us if we got hurt, but I wasn¡¯t sure how I was going to fight if we got into trouble. I remembered how the monster was able to hurt me so easily. Determination set in and I returned my attention to James. ¡°James can you come here, please? I want to try something.¡± James stood up and walked to me, crouching once he reached me. I pushed him out of the way gently, nodding my head towards the creature¡¯s body. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to fight, James and all I have is this stick. I want to see if I can do anything else.¡± ¡°I can kill all of the monsters, Andy!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want us to have to fight James, but I don¡¯t want to be weak if something happens. There has to be something I can do.¡± I turned to the body with determination, narrowing my eyes as I raised my hand. I didn''t know how much damage the smite spell would have, but I gave it a try. ¡°Smite.¡± I said through gritted teeth. A flash of light brightened the room, blinding us both. A crackling boom shook the counters as a bright white light raced from my outstretched hand towards the body, smashing it into the ground. The creature¡¯s body bounced a couple of feet away from where it had been, smoke snaking from its limbs. The smell protruding from the now charred body was somehow worse. Startled, James and I looked at each other with wide, terrified eyes. ¡°That¡¯s.. so¡­ cool!¡± James shouted. ¡°Shhhh!!!¡± I hushed, holding both hands up to calm him. Chapter 10: Creepy Crawler Chapter 10 Creepy Crawler -Andrew- Screeching filled the air as I grabbed James and pulled him down beneath the counter. I brought my head just above the lip of the countertop to get a view of the window, allowing me to see shadows moving in the distance; although I couldn¡¯t make out the direction they were headed. I glanced at James only to see him unsheathing his new dagger, treating it as new toy. Shaking my head, I brought my attention back to the front of the store. My stomach dropped, seeing a dozen shadows moving quickly towards us; terrifying shapes growing with each passing breath. A harsh cackle met my ears, bringing me to my senses. ¡°James, we have to run!¡± I whispered harshly. ¡°Mmhm.¡± James said, distracted by his dagger. I glanced to the side door behind the counter, hoping it led somewhere safer. I let go of the counter top, crouching as I moved towards the door. A crashing sound brought my attention back to the storefront as we reached the end of the countertop. A pair of green creatures, similar to the one James had killed stood in the doorway, eyeing the room maliciously. ¡°Boomses come from here.¡± One said The other simply pushed him aside, making his way around the store, eyes moving in every direction. I turned my attention back to the door, pushing frantically from the bottom. I winced each time the door budged, causing a muffled grating sound to fill the store. ¡°Found you, little one!¡± The closest creature said, grinning. ¡°Aaaand hide!¡± James announced, disappearing. I scrambled to my feet, thinking of my wooden cudgel and causing it to appear in my hands. I swung my arms in front of me, holding the cudgel up with a firm grasp. Movement on the countertop caught my eye, as a jar of feathered-looking pens scattered from the force of unseen feet. The creature nearest the counter brought my attention back to it as it drew a nasty looking dagger, not unlike the one James now had. Without hesitating, I reached out towards the creature, opening my hand while focusing on my new spell. ¡°Smite!¡± I said through gritted teeth. A bright white light shot out from my hand, arcing towards the creature in the form of a hammer. The creature flew back several feet, white light slamming it into the racks of clothing behind it. The room returned to its previous dark state, leaving me and the other monster temporarily blind from the sudden flash of light. ¡°Piiisss off! Aaargh!¡± The creature said, crashing into racks near the door. ¡°Aaaand seeeeeek!¡± James yelled. I blinked my eyes furiously, bringing the room back into focus. The creature flailed around the front of the store fervently, doing its best to dislodge the knife now stuck in its back. It pulled its own dagger from its sheath and swung towards James who had been dodging the creature¡¯s flailing limbs. My insides froze as my hand reached out towards James, willing a shield around him. A white dome flashed into existence as the creature¡¯s dagger struck, bouncing its hand back the way it came. James didn¡¯t waste a moment, as the green-skinned monster was forcibly turned around from the rebound of its own swing. He leapt forward, grasping the hilt of the dagger protruding from the creature¡¯s back and yanked it loose. The monster howled in pain as it stumbled forward, James stabbing it wherever he could reach. As the creature¡¯s legs finally gave way to the ground, James buried his dagger in its back one last time. I felt a rush of excitement and accomplishment flow through me, causing goosebumps. James reacted similarly as he stood up. He turned to me, now grasping the hilts of 2 daggers and smiling childishly. Shouts from behind James brought us both back to reality as they closed in on the front of the storefront. ¡°James let¡¯s go!¡± I yelled, shouldering the door open. James ran towards me, narrowly missing an arrow as it flew past and into the shop. He continued through the door I¡¯d opened, leaping into the alleyway. I followed, throwing the door closed behind me as I ran in the opposite direction of the shouts. We continued down the alleyway, not bothering to look back at the mayhem behind us. I gave a quick glance in both directions as we reached the street behind the store, continuing without much of a pause. Movement and fighting down both sides of the street caught my attention, bringing a sense of enormous danger with it. I pushed forward into the next alley, fear driving my legs and terror forcing me to look ahead. We passed street after street as we ran, only changing directions once alleyways ended in stone walls. Sounds of battle could be heard down every street from either direction, forcing us to continue our travel behind buildings and through abandoned shops and houses. The buildings grew larger as we ran and streets became wider, making everything feel farther away. Houses turned into mansions with gated yards and shops turned into grand stone storefronts, filled with expensive-looking goods. I could make out massive outlines of buildings not far away; sounds of fighting in the same directions. James nudged me as we turned the next corner leading towards one of the massive structures in the distance. ¡°Something is following us!¡± James panted, loud enough for me to hear. ¡°Is it more of those green monsters?¡± ¡°No. It looks like a giant spider.¡± My eyes widened, heart skipping even as it raced from the strain of our run. I pointed to the grand building that drew closer with each passing street. ¡°There have to be people in there!¡± I yelled. I glanced behind me as we ran, finding nothing but a large empty street, illuminated by small pools of light cast from lanterns hanging on metal posts. Sounds of battle drew nearer with every step as we approached a large domed building with statues of robed figures guarding the entrance. I pointed to the right of the building, away from the entrance where a large group of creatures and men were fighting. James fell in behind me as I ran to the right, heading towards the alleyway between the last row of buildings in front of the large domed structure.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. As we entered the alleyway, James pulled ahead of me, growing obviously more confident in his ability to defend himself. I tried to make out our way ahead from behind James, but the alley was much darker than the lantern-lit streets of the city. As my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, I began to notice thin ropes connecting the buildings in a network, growing more intricate the further we ran. James noticed the ropes as well and I followed his gaze as it went upwards, tracing the ropes as they wound up to the top of the buildings. Fear began to set in as I slowly realized we were looking at an endless amount of webbing, not ropes. A sense of cautious fear seized my attention as rough, angry voices carried down the alley in front of us. Several shapes grew in size as we approached the middle of the alleyway, causing us to slow to a snail-like pace in an abundance of caution. ¡°Ssstupid Drider!¡± One said. ¡°What¡¯s it doing?!¡± The one in the middle asked, angrily. The three shapes struggled, caught in a large group of webs in which they couldn¡¯t escape. Their struggling violently shook the network of webs, causing the webbing above us to sway back and forth with each movement. I silently reached out to James, grabbing his shoulder to retreat the way we came. My breath caught in my throat as a large spider-like figure appeared above us, its bulbous body with spindly legs moving easily down the webbing towards the three figures; Its upper humanoid body swaying naturally with each movement. As the drider reached the center of the alley, it dropped on all eight of its spider legs as its upper body turned towards the three figures caught in its web. ¡°This is why I hate Goblins; Always ruining things and too stupid to realize when they¡¯re dead. You are getting in the way of me and my prey.¡± The drider said with disgust. The drider took the heads off of all three goblins in one smooth motion, sheathing its blade before I could blink. Blood-covered webbing split apart, allowing the goblins¡¯ bodies to fall to the ground, taking a fair share of webbing with them. The drider tapped the floor with its two front legs, studying the ruined network of webs in front of it. I moved my hand to cover James¡¯s mouth, shaking my head in hopes that James wouldn¡¯t make any noise. Backing away slowly, an overwhelming sense of danger gripped me, causing my body to shake involuntarily. ¡°Speaking of prey, I¡¯m due for feeding and you two will suffice.¡± The drider called over its shoulder. I froze, fear causing my skin to tingle with goosebumps. I removed my hand from James¡¯s mouth and halted my retreat, not knowing what to say to James. My mind raced for options, knowing we had no hope of winning against this spider-being. Going back the way we came would put us in equal amounts of danger and the path forward held at least some promise of safety within the large-domed building. ¡°Run!¡± I yelled. ¡°Hide¡­¡± James whispered. Time slowed as I willed my wooden cudgel into existence, grasping it firmly with my right hand. I raised my left hand, focusing on my smite spell, willing magic to hit the drider¡¯s lower half. I felt the magic welling up in my chest, my hand glowing the longer I held the spell. The drider responded with ferocious swiftness, turning its bulbous body towards me as its own hands began to glow a bright pulsing red. It raised both hands towards me as I released my smite spell, focusing on throwing every ounce of magic I could conjure towards the spider-like being. Red sparks shot out of the drider¡¯s hands releasing an endless stream of red bullet-like magic that flew straight towards me; some arcing wide. The white hammer of my smite spell was much larger than I had previously cast and it flipped, head over handle towards the drider, sending red bullets into the buildings on both sides. Large chunks of brick and mortar sent clouds of debris as they flew from the wall; red bullets screaming as they deflected in every direction. I focused my magic on creating a shield around myself, in doing so, dropping my concentration from the smite spell. The white hammer exploded in a shower of sparks as red magic bullets continued their trajectory, screaming like mad fireworks. My shield snapped into existence as the magic bullets announced their arrival, causing loud booms reverberating all around the shield. My heart thumped uncontrollably as I brought both of my arms into an x in front of my body, pushing towards the drider. ¡°You dare cast your weak magic at me?!¡± The drider screamed. My shield began to shimmer, cracks forming like spiderwebs all around it under the force of the endless magic bullets. It was everything I could do to keep the shield from shattering as I pushed forward towards the drider. Spiderweb cracks receded from the shield as I renewed my efforts into holding it together, then grew once more as the red magic bullets doubled. Exhaustion crept up within me with every bullet that smashed into my shield, sapping me of strength. I dropped to one knee and braced myself with my cudgel-wielding hand against the cobblestones, ready for my shield to break at any moment. ¡°You think to hide from me? I am one with darkness!¡± The drider yelled. Magic bullets stopped abruptly as I raised my head, allowing my shield to drop. The drider reared up on its back four legs, its front four stabbing into the cobblestones with loud crunches. It moved its hands around its body, firing single shots of red magic bullets as it moved around haphazardly; Its bulky body doing it no favors for mobility. The drider screamed furiously as the end of one of its supporting legs crumpled, blue and purple blood flowing freely from the fresh wound. As it teetered backwards, I noticed the same blood flowing from dozens of small wounds along its underbelly, dripping onto the cobblestone of the alley. My heart stopped as James¡¯s frame slowly appeared, shadows receding from his small body. He was a whirlwind of sloppy limbs stabbing in every direction, causing damage wherever he could reach. The drider, having now lost two limbs, compensated by placing its remaining back limbs along the wall and moving its front limbs down, bringing its body low to the ground and wall at an angle. The drider, now having access to James with its upper body, unsheathed both of its blades. I reacted quickly, reaching out with magic and placing a small shield around my brother. The shield snapped around him as one of the drider¡¯s blades swung outward, the force behind the blade causing it to become lodged in the shield. The difference in our strength and magic became more and more apparent with each swing as my shield could not fully deflect the blows. The drider cut through the shield like a wheel of cheese with little effort, draining my magic with each swing. ¡°James! We¡¯re going to lose if we keep fighting! Cut through those spiderwebs!¡± James halted his attacks and jumped backwards, laughing with delight. ¡°I love this game!¡± He called. He faded away once more, webs swaying as he worked his way through them with his blades. With James gone, the drider returned its attention towards me, snarling in anger. I stood up and began running towards the spider webs, using James¡¯s freshly cut path through the webs as a marker. ¡°Not only do you have the audacity to fight me, but you run?! Filthy weak creatures!¡± The drider screamed. ¡°Stun!¡± I yelled. A red bolt shot from my hand and collided with the drider¡¯s upper body, winding around it like lightning. The drider spasmed; what was left of its spidery legs twitched and curled inwards towards its body causing it to fall onto its upper half. I ran past it, not bothering to wait around to find out how long my stun spell would last. Each step brought me closer to the end of the alleyway, spiderwebs swaying as I zigzagged through the openings James had cut. I paid careful attention to each of the large strands as I wormed my way through the cut webs, careful not to let any touch me. The webs began to move harshly which made dodging the curtain-like openings much more difficult. Movement caught my eye as I ducked under a rough swaying curtain of webs, causing my heart to leap into my throat. The drider clawed its way easily through the webs, its damaged limbs drawn up, dripping blood. I rounded the corner of the alley, bursting into a sprint as the grand domed building snapped into view. ¡°James ruuuuun!¡± I yelled. Chapter 11: Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire Chapter 11 Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire -Andrew- My feet carried me towards the side of the great domed building, my head turning every few moments to get a view of the horror following not far behind us. Great spikes of ice the size of our bodies flew past us, sending ripples of cold air as they sped by us. I turned my head to see how close the drider had come as a chunk of ice crashed into the ground where we had been only a moment ago. Shivers ran down my arms and spine at each attempt the drider made to slow us down. The drider sped after us with its six remaining limbs, looking as if it had crawled straight from a horror film, arms outstretched with ice magic swirling around its fingers. ¡°Don¡¯t stop, James! Look for a side entrance!¡± I said breathlessly. ¡°I know I know! I think we could¡¯ve taken it, Andy.¡± James said easily. Having witnessed the ease at which is dispatched my magic, I knew better. We continued our race as the giant building grew in size, the closer we came, looking for any sign of a side entrance. We turned, following the side of the building that seemed to go on for forever. A loud crash brought my head swiveling around behind me to see the large drider crawling along the wall, dirt clouds billowing from where it had crashed into the side of the building. A sheet of ice hit the ground next to me and quickly out-paced us, spreading in front and around us. I stumbled as my feet hit the thin sheet of ice, slipping in every direction as I tried to regain traction. James stopped trying to run and seemed to be enjoying the ride as he stood motionless, sliding forward with his previous momentum alone. ¡°I loooove this game!¡± He yelled; arms raised above his head. ¡°James! There¡¯s a door to your left!¡± I pointed towards an intricate wooden door, small pillars hugging the sides with a hint of an overhang. James hit the un-iced cobblestone first, stumbling as he tried to regain his balance. Prepared, I jumped sloppily, tripping over my own feet. I crashed to the floor, striking my chin on the stone pathway and sending waves of nausea through me from the impact. I rolled over and came to my feet quickly, chancing a look at the approaching drider. The half spider was almost upon us, switching back to magic bullets which crashed angrily all around us. James was the first to recover, leaping towards the closed door and smiling with excitement. Red bullets smashed into the ground around James as the drider narrowed his focus, striking the small overhang just above the door. I dove for the door as James pushed it open, large chunks of stone falling all around us. The door flung open as we crashed into it, slamming into the wall with a loud bang. I recovered quickly, pulling James further into the room and glancing at the door behind us seeing piles of large stone had filled the doorway blocking the path between the us and the drider. Loud booming noises resounded just outside the collapsed doorway, shaking the intricate wooden frame. I swung my head around, looking for anyone to help us or for a place to hide. I began to visibly shake as fear crept its way through my body as I took in the horror around is. A large open room supported by enormous statues lining the walls stood before us; bodies littering the marble floor. In the center of the room stood several men in extravagant looking robes, holding various objects in their hands. All around them lay bloodied men clad in armor, crude arrows protruding from their bodies. The robed men in the center of the building held their hands out as numerous spells flew into a horde of green creatures, causing wave after wave to be decimated under their fierce power. I grabbed James, heading to one of the large statues holding up the ceiling on the other side of the doorway. We put the statue between us and the side entrance, keeping to the shadows as to not draw any attention from the ongoing battle. Terror gripped my heart as I knew we were trapped; stuck in this grand domed building with no escape. We watched as dozens of goblins were blown apart from the endless wave of spells, hoping the robes men would win out as a multitude of colors flashed from the center of the room. A loud crashing sound brought our attention to the side door we had just escaped. Peeking our heads above the base of the statue gave us a view of the side entrance, completely blown apart; clouds of dust rising from what was once a doorway. The drider climbed its way through the rubble, glancing in every direction. A loud roar brought all of our attention to the center of the room where great walls of fire were erected in front of the main entrance. ¡°The Drow send their weak underlings and their cursed to act as cannon fodder! Despicable!¡± One of the men in a white robe yelled in the direction of the drider. ¡°While I am cursed, I am not in the same rank as this cannon fodder, fool.¡± The drider hissed. ¡°Interesting that I should find you here after tracking my prey. I won¡¯t be cursed much longer once I have the Goddesses¡¯ artifact in my possession. Do not deny it, wizard; I can feel her power very near.¡± ¡°Lloth is a wretched Goddess. You blindly follow her even after having been cursed for nothing more than standing out. What test did you fail, my dear? Or did Lloth simply deform your body because she was jealous of your beauty? Her reasons for corrupting your kind are endless, I assure you.¡± ¡°You dare speak about things you know nothing of? You?! A filthy human and a male, no less!¡± The wizard, not bothering to converse with the drider any longer, raised his staff. Waves of heat crashed over us as the staff began to emit large white flames, coalescing above the robed men. He lowered his staff towards the drider, releasing the endless stream of flames in its direction. The drider braced itself, raising both arms as a cold aura enveloped the air around it, causing icicles to form in the surrounding air. Just before the stream of flames met the drider, a large cone of ice snapped into place in front of it pointing towards the wizard. Fire met ice, causing large plumes of steam to hiss in all directions as the fire flowed around the cone in front of the drider.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The force of the inharmonious elements caused the building to rumble, shaking the ground and statues alike. Continuous streams of white fire blasted the drider¡¯s ice cone-like shield, deflecting the heat outward and behind it. I watched in amazement as the wall behind the drider began to glow orange and red from the heat of the blast, causing the stone to look as if it were melting. The drider held fast, using the cone of ice to deflect most of the fire¡¯s force away from it. Six spidery legs gripped the marble with such force that cracks began to web in every direction. The drider began to move its legs forward, one at a time as it forced the ice cone¡¯s tip through the stream of fire. The wizard¡¯s face darkened as he leaned forward, placing his second hand on the staff and emitting an even larger blast of fire from it. Worry crept into my chest as the Wizards arms began to droop, his mouth open as he panted for air. The drider stopped its advance, forcing its spider legs to dig into the marble as it braced itself against the wave of heat. The doorway behind it had completely melted, rubble now flying into the open side street. I began to realize that the wizard would not hold out much longer as the stream of fire began to diminish slowly, allowing the melting cone of ice to grow in size once more. I looked to the center of the room to see one of the three remaining mages collapse from exhaustion while the other two took up the strain of holding the fire walls in place against the onslaught of goblins at the front entrance. My limbs began to tingle in anticipation as I knew we did not have long before the wizard tired, allowing the drider kill them all. I knew I had to do something to help, but the enormous amount of magic being thrown around made my strength pale in comparison. I stared at the back of the drider¡¯s bulbous body as it easily held its ground against the wizard¡¯s fire. A thought crept into my head, bringing terror along with it. I slowly stood up, letting go of James¡¯s hand as I steeled all of the courage I had in me. My appearance from behind the statue caught the attention of the wizard, who¡¯s eyes widened in horror. I raised my arms, willing my stun magic to build up in my hands. The force of the growing magic was quickly becoming too much for me to bare causing my arms to shake with effort. Small red lightning-like magic danced around my arms and hands, begging to be freed. I glanced to the wizard who quickly understood that I wanted to help, even if only a miniscule amount. ¡°Stuuuuun!¡± I yelled, releasing the pent-up magic towards the drider¡¯s back. The drider¡¯s head swung around menacingly, eyes wide in shock. ¡°YOU!!¡± The drider managed to scream as the red lightning-like stun magic flew into its back. The drider immediately spasmed, losing control of its magic as its legs curled inward. Flames quickly overtook the cone of ice, smashing into the drider¡¯s body with such force that it caused the drider to fly through the now open wall behind it in a matter of seconds. Relief flooded through me as the roaring flames died down, causing the only source of noise to come from the front entrance. A cold aura welled up around me and my fear rose once more, but was quickly subdued by seeing the ice magic coming from the wizard. ¡°Ice wall.¡± He said, wearily. Ice crept up the side of the wall where the side door once stood, freezing over the empty space in a thick block of ice. I returned my attention to the wizard as he placed a finger to his mouth, motioning for me to hide once more. I ducked back beneath the statue as the wizard regained his composure, turning his attention back to the entrance where the mages were quickly losing their focus. I looked to James to see his head peeking just above the base of the statue, eyes focused on the robed men in the center. A loud continuous stream of noises brought my attention back to the front entrance as large red magic bullets screamed their arrival through the fire wall. Red bullets flew sporadically at first, arcing in every direction once through the fire wall; crashing into walls and statues alike. Several red bullets struck one of the robed men holding the fire wall and he collapsed, lessening the wall of flames as he did so. The white-robed wizard stood his ground, clearly still tired from his previous fight with the drider. As more magic bullets reigned down upon the robed men, the wizard activated a white domed shield, allowing them some respite from the bombardment of red magic. As the shield snapped into place, the second robed man finally gave into exhaustion, falling to his knees as he swayed back and forth. Flames died down to a smolder in the entrance allowing the horde of goblins and other large gray creatures to finally gain admittance into the building. The crowd of ugly creatures quickly surrounded the two robed men, testing the shield with weapons and arrows as they enveloped the room. Shouts rose up every time the shield flared as the endless number of weapons and arrows smashed into it, causing cracks along the surface. ¡°Cease!¡± A firm female voice called out across the room, echoing despite the large number of bodies currently inhabiting the space. The noise died down almost immediately as a path was cleared from the entrance; goblins and large gray giants pushing to clear the way. At the entrance to the giant room entered a beautiful woman covered in intricate silver armor that shined as if covered in oil. Dark skin protruded from her arms, neck, and face where the armor did not cover her. White hair that wasn¡¯t neatly tied in the back flowed gracefully. A black cape billowed smoothly behind her, the end of which floated just above the ground. Her entourage included four equally beautiful women who stood behind and to the side of her, glaring with disgust at the mixed army around them. ¡°You were a fool to steal our artifact, old man.¡± The mysterious woman said calmly. ¡°Steal? Why, I took this as the spoils of war; fair and square!¡± The wizard chuckled tiredly. ¡°If your mistress had not had this in her possession when she fell in battle, I would not have it now!¡± ¡°My mistress? She is no one¡¯s mistress. She was weak enough for a group of a wizard and his mages to destroy her and her company. Her name has already been forgotten.¡± ¡°Your people are ruthless, I¡¯ll give you that. I never expected you to stoop so low as to use other races to fight your wars for you. Aren¡¯t you a proud people, never relying on anything but your own strength?¡± ¡°You¡¯re stalling for time old man, but it will not save you. I do not deign to explain our reasons for using this trash to the likes of you. The artifact, where is it?¡± ¡°Looks like you can see right through me.¡± The wizard chuckled, patting his robe pocket. ¡°She¡¯s right here, little drow. Come and take it, if you dare.¡± The drow smirked, raising her hand as black magic swirled around it. The room¡¯s light seemed to draw towards the drow, dimming considerably as the black magic slowly turned into a black fire in the palm of her hand. As the black fire grew, the horde of goblins and gray giants pushed further from the group of drow, forcing fights to break out as they pushed and shoved each other. I held my breath in anticipation, eyes glued to the dark-skinned woman''s hand. The drow woman paid them no attention, turning a smiling face towards the wizard and now unconscious mage. Chapter 12: A Wizards Final Spell Chapter 12 A Wizard¡¯s Final Spell -Andrew- Fear ran through me as the dark-skinned woman raised her hand, full of black fire. While I didn¡¯t fully comprehend the dark flame the drow woman held in her hand, I understood the sense of immense danger coming from her. Using my sense ability, I surveyed the other drow, but was unable to distinguish the difference in danger they posed from any of them. I braced myself seeing her confident smile as she flung the dark flame from her hand towards the wizard. The room brightened considerably despite the color of the flame as it smashed into the wizard¡¯s shield causing it to hum loudly as the dark fire stuck to it. A wave of heat rolled from the shield as it flashed from the strain of repelling the dark fire. The wizard closed his eyes, smashing his staff into the floor with a powerful strike; his shield growing brighter, pulsating outward as he poured more power into it. ¡°James, I think you should hide just in case.¡± ¡°Hide,¡± James whispered next to me. I nodded my head to the empty space where I knew James crouched, satisfied that he would be ok no matter the outcome. Thoughts of how to escape began to run through my head as it became more apparent there was no way for me to assist. My eyes scoured the large circular area looking for any other exit; lingering on two large doors, spaced equally apart, leading into the area directly behind the great circular hall. It was not lost on me that hordes of goblins and gray giants blocked our path to either door. Seeing no other path out of the great hall, I looked behind me to the large block of ice now covering the old side entrance, knowing no part of me had the ability to break through this thick and un-melting barrier erected by the wizard. I turned my attention back to the wizard, white light still pulsating as the fire crept its way around the shield, threatening to cover every inch. Goblins and gray giants alike had long since moved away from the wizard as the black fire emitted waves of unbearable heat, threatening to burn everything in the room. The horde of goblins continued to ebb away from the black fire and anticipation built inside of me, leaving me with no doubt that we would be found once their attention was removed from the wizard. Without warning, black fire flew in every direction, causing screams and shouts to erupt from the horde as the globs of fire landed all around. Eventually, the shield around the wizard became visible once more, leaving no doubt that he managed to deflect the black fire. As the wizard came into view again, a sense of hope welled up within me. Large cracks were visible in the wizard¡¯s shield, but as the he tapped his staff on the floor, they began to diminish; leaving him pale and panting. My mind raced for any option to help the wizard, but I knew deep down there was little to be done since James and I would struggle against any one of these creatures, let alone an entire horde. I watched in amazement as the wizard raised his staff, sweat dripping down his brow, yet bright white lightning raced up his staff, sending shimmering waves of light throughout the room. I squinted, raising my arm to block the radiant blinding light, as it began to leave dots across my vision. A resounding thunderclap sent a shockwave throughout the room as the lightning continued to build at the tip of the wizard¡¯s staff, sending all creatures to the floor. Even the drow lost their footing in the presence of such might with only the lead drow seemingly unfazed by this forceful reverberation. I recovered from the explosive force of the lightning and turned my attention towards the lead drow, anticipation building as I began to sense hope at the wizard¡¯s victory. The drow, seeming to take the wizard more seriously, frowned as she closed her eyes in concentration. A dark black and green sheen of magic sprouted from her feet, quickly reaching towards her upper body. Mere seconds, that felt like an eternity, passed as the entourage of drow recovered and followed the leader¡¯s que, forming magic shields. Their eyes remained closed as the wizard¡¯s face set into one of determination, gripping the staff with both hands while slowly raising it into the air. As his arms extended fully, he gave a loud shout, quickly pointing the staff towards the group of female drow at the entrance. Coruscating white light arced in every direction, starting from the tip of the staff that now glowed with a blinding white light. Reticulating tendrils of lightning slammed into everything nearby, causing me to duck as rogue strands of lightning smashed into the statue in front of me. A blinding light filled the room as more thunderclaps resounded with the impact of the lightning, which seemed to begin focusing solely on the five drow women. The drow braced against the impact of the lightning, arms raised in front of their faces as the fingers of lightning licked at their defensive shields. Small booms resonated throughout the grand hall as more and more snaking strands of lightning impacted each drow. Sensing impending danger from the effects of the massive spells being thrown back and forth, I began to imagine the most protective version of my shield I could imagine. While not taking my attention from the drow even as they were being pummeled by the unforgiving onslaught of magic from the wizard, I slowly began to let the magic well within myself. Lightning began to focus on one of the drow as her magic shield began to fail, opening pockets in her defense. The lightning was relentless and unforgiving, finding each hole in the drow guard¡¯s defensive shield; cooking her alive. The magic continued to build inside of me, but I refused to let go as I feared I was nowhere near strong enough to stop even the weakest of stray strands of lightning. A tingling sensation came over my body from the build-up of magic as I watched a second drow fall to her knees, smoke rising from her now unprotected skin. I began to feel a sense of optimism, seeing the wizard beginning to take the drow down one by one. This misplaced hope faded as quickly as it appeared as the wizard¡¯s lightning spell ceased suddenly, causing him to drop to his knees; only being held up by his hands that barely maintained a grasp on his staff. He panted heavily, staring at the floor, appearing as if he lacked the energy to do anything else. Doom crept into my chest as I watched the remaining 3 drow prepare their counterattack. The wizards shield blinked slowly, eventually fading into nothingness. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve used the last of your magic in a futile attempt to extend your life, wizard.¡± The lead drow said, smiling. Saying nothing, the wizard continued to stare at the ground, panting as he struggled to regain his composure. The lead drow summoned another fist-full of black fire, letting it build as her guards put their arms behind their back, ignoring their fallen comrades. The feeling of magic swelling within me became almost too much to bear as I stared wide-eyed anticipating the final attack. As I felt the growing strength with each passing moment, I watched, horrified as her dark magic flame grew even larger than last time. As the magic within me peaked, I became nervous; knowing I would cause unwanted attention by releasing all of my magic, even if just for a shield. ¡°Once I have taken back Lloth¡¯s gift, I will end this poor excuse for a city before sunrise. Know that you struggled in vein. I do so love you humans and your struggling attempt to resist our might.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The drow lowered her hand towards the wizard as she finished her taunt, releasing an epic torrent of black fire in his direction. There was no doubt that I would be found once the wizard¡¯s life ended. With the pain of my pent-up magic being more than I could bear, I released every ounce in hopes that I could somehow help the wizard and extend the last moments of both of our lives. You Have Learned A New Spell: Major Shielding I ignored the new indication, simply relishing in the relief and newfound exhaustion as all of the built-up magic left my body, forming an iridescent dome around the wizard. The shield snapped into place, continuing to draw from every part of my body, causing me to focus as darkness crept in around all sides of my vision. An endless wave of dark fire spread around the new shield, immediately causing cracks to appear. Surprised, the wizard turned his head in my direction; a look of determination on his face as we made eye contact. The three drow women immediately turned their heads towards me, anger apparent on their beautiful faces. My heart sunk as more of the various creatures in the room followed their gaze; their eyes now resting on me. One of the gray giants nearest me turned his body in my direction slowly, with an expression as if it were the last to learn of something important. The giant roared defiantly, having noticed that there was another human present for it to smash. Pounding footsteps grew closer, sending vibrating waves as it neared my position. ¡°Seek!¡± James yelled, surprising every creature nearby. James¡¯s stealth spell dropped as he landed on the giant¡¯s foot, stabbing as fast as his small arms would allow. A roar burst from the giant¡¯s mouth as he bent forward, grasping at the small elusive boy. Horrified, my attention split between James and the wizard as we both viewed the unexpected turn of events. The wizard stood as the cracks around my shield spread rapidly; giving off a fading light with every new crack. He dropped his staff, raising both arms above his head as he closed his eyes. Waves of force spread through the entire hall, emanating from the wizards up-raised hands; immediately shattering my shield and blasting the dark fire away. A globe of fire spread heat throughout the ranks of goblins and gray giants alike, sending waves of heat unlike anything I had ever felt. I raised my arm to block some of the scalding heat from my face as the globe grew in size, raising the intensity of the heat with each passing second. Spent of all magic, I collapsed to the floor, holding myself up with the smallest amount of strength left in my body. My attention moved back to the gray giant as James continued to run around its legs, dodging every grabbing attempt. The goblins nearby did nothing to help the giant; fearing only for their safety as the giant used both hands to swing in wide arcs around itself. ¡°Fools! Don¡¯t just stand there! The wizard is using his soul spell!¡± The lead drow screamed, as all of the drow flung various magic at the wizard desperately. The entire horde of goblins and giants who previously shied away from the wizard¡¯s power began to rush forward, in small groups at first. I watched as the giant orb diverted all of the drow¡¯s magic towards it, rendering it useless. As I struggled to keep my eyes open, I winced as the first group of goblins to reach the wizard were incinerated, not having the chance to touch him. The wizard seemed relaxed, void of all emotion as he closed his eyes and continued to pour whatever strange magic he had left into the now enormous orb of fire; now looking eerily similar to a star. While my eyes did not want to leave the wizard and all of his glory, I forced myself to look back towards the giant and held my breath. James, ever fearless, was now using his daggers as picks to climb up the massive creature¡¯s back. My eyes, threatening to pop out of their sockets, bulged in horror as James swung each time the giant reached behind his back; narrowly missing the massive arms. Knowing my magic was completely used up, I could only watch in horror as James reached the neck of the massive creature. ¡°I..am..the..best!¡± James yelled, stabbing the massive giant¡¯s neck to the beat of each word. I stared, dumbfounded as the giant let out a desperate roar; quickly turning into a gurgle as it choked on its own blood. The giant leaned forward slowly, dropping its arms as it fell forward; creating a dull thud as it smashed into the floor. I stuttered like an idiot, unable to comprehend whether I should yell at James or praise him. I settled for resting my head on the cold marble floor silently, dumbfounded and out of energy. Darkness crept into the middle of my vision as James ran towards me, smiling like an idiot. ***** Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 3 Cleric Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 4 Cleric Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 5 Cleric Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 6 Cleric Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 7 Cleric Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 8 Cleric Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 9 Cleric Congratulations! You have leveled up! Level 10 Cleric I awoke to messages flooding my vision, scrolling one after another. A light breeze touched my cheek, chilling my face and causing me to shiver. I blinked my eyes rapidly in an attempt to clear the groggy feeling. I rubbed my temples as I sat up, sighing deeply as I tried to remember what had happened. My mouth dropped in shock as the room came into view. The roof, having previously been at least four stories high was now completely gone, allowing the cold night air to move freely around what was left of the room. Half of the walls were melted along with the statues down to half of their original size with a large contorted half-domed shape now forming their upper bodies. The once well-polished marble floor now had a sizeable crater that stopped just short of each melted statue. In the center of the crater lay the wizard; chest rising and falling erratically slow. ¡°Uuugh Andie you were so heavy! I dragged you behind this big statue after you fell asleep.¡± James complained. Still somewhat groggy, I looked back to where I had previously lain, only several feet away, but clearly in the blast radius. We now resided just behind a half-melted statue, just out of reach of the end of the crater. I looked back to James, apprehension quickly setting on my face. ¡°James you only dragged me like three feet.¡± ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t lose because of me!¡± Thankful, I let the conversation die; giving a firm squeeze to James¡¯s arm in thanks. I stood up, turning my attention back to the wizard in the middle of the room. A small hope bubbled inside of me as I made my way to the edge of the crater; hopeful I would be able to heal the wizard. I looked around the room carefully, checking to see if anything else had survived. Satisfied that we were alone, I made my way down carefully while watching James slide down the crater with ease. As we reached the wizard, I felt my magic within me; still greatly diminished, but nowhere near as depleted as it was. My mind cleared as I thought of healing the wizard which brought a green hue to my hands. The wizard¡¯s voice startled me as I placed my hands on his chest. ¡°Son.... you won¡¯t be able to heal this one.¡± He weezed. ¡°You don¡¯t know that!¡± I said, stubbornly. ¡°The spell I used drained my life force. There is no coming back from that, child. We call it a Soul Spell. Listen, as I don¡¯t have much time left. In the pocket of my robe is a necklace.¡± The wizard coughed, blood spewing down his chin and neck. ¡°I do not know what it does or why it is so special to the drow, but they covet it. The sun will be rising soon, causing the drow to retreat for the day. You are my last hope of keeping this from them. Get this to the king. Tell him..¡± The wizard¡¯s eyes closed slowly for the last time. ¡°Tell him that the pawn is the strongest piece.¡± Tears fell freely from my eyes, blurring my vision for the hundredth time that day. I had seen plenty of death since arriving with my brother, but the death of this wizard made my chest ache in sorrow. While he was a stranger, I sensed the man¡¯s death was a great loss. ¡°What do we do now, Andie?¡± James asked quietly, sensing the profound loss. ¡°We wait for the sun to come up, then do as the wizard asked.¡± I said as I pulled the strange red gem from the wizard¡¯s robe.