《Labyrinth of Light: Stormbringer》


 Prologue

    ¡°So, if they put me in this special medical VR dive capsule, I can play Endaria?¡± My excited voice chirped, sounding tinny over the implant¡¯s vocoder as I drifted in the treatment pod, my eyes red and itchy behind the goggles I was wearing. My body gave another painful spasm and I gritted my teeth.


    Father¡¯s massive hulking form peered down through the viewing port at me, his face twisted in worry and pain as he nodded. ¡°Yes pumpkin¡­ it may give you a bit more time or it may help us fight the progression of the disease.¡± He said, although I could see the doubt in his features. He didn¡¯t believe what he was preaching. It really didn¡¯t matter. I had heard of Endaria, and figured playing a game, and not constantly feeling my failing, dying body around me would be an improvement.


    I saw a nurse come and tap my father on his shoulder and he glared at her. ¡°It¡¯s time for me to leave, they need to run your repair routines.¡± He said and my eyes widened in fear. No, this wouldn¡¯t be fun. I felt the deadening of pain, and loss of feeling go through my body, even as it twitched and spasmed. I couldn¡¯t feel what was going on now as my neural net coordinated groups of nano machines that fought the creeping degradation in my organs. Something twisted and I felt my stomach lurch, bile on my tongue and I coughed in my respirator. The familiar coppery-iron taste of blood filled my mouth and my weak heartbeat tried to speed up but was slowed down by my pacer. Dizziness made my vision waver and my ears thunder as I shuddered and tears leaked out of my eyes. Was this the end? I didn¡¯t want this to be the last regen, when my body would finally be beyond the point of redemption.


    My vision proceeded to spin and pulse, and I felt the lost control of my bladder and bowls, my body fighting to stay alive with every ounce of self. I knew I was slowly losing. Every day it was like this as I fought for each breath, not knowing if it would be my last. I mentally sent commands to my implant to distract myself from the horror and went back to watching live feeds from Endaria, something I had been doing for a couple of months now ever since the game¡¯s release. It was fascinating and like no other game I had seen played.


    In this stream an armored soldier was standing in formation with his friends, a leader calling out commands as a muddy stretch of grassland could be seen through the slit of a helm. Shields came down and pikes fell into position as a horde of creatures rushed towards their small band. I could hear the man¡¯s quickening breathing as he murmured a prayer to some god and one eye blurred as sweat trickled down into it. You could literally see the waves of heat in a haze around him and I realized how hot it must feel to be packed together and in that heavy armor.


    The creatures slammed into the warriors, impaling themselves onto pikes, the man screaming rather inventive curses as he thrust his forward and then out of an enemy, his pike skidding off of armor with a shuddering screech until it slammed into the neck of a creature behind. His formation advanced as commands sounded and he pulled his pike back as another pike behind him slammed into the throat of the enemy his pike skidded off, it¡¯s point glowing as it broke through some warding before plunging into the creature. It screamed and fell as the pikes advanced.


    There was a distant roar and I heard a few exclamations of surprise as something the size of a small house advanced on the formation. A gigantic club raised up high as it brought it down towards the streamer who cursed and sputtered, but gritted his teeth with resignation. He locked his shields tight with his fellows and the call to brace rang out. The streamer was knocked flat as the club hit with a wet sounding crunch and screech of metal as the club broke the man¡¯s arm and skidded off the shield. He was left lying there as the formation closed around him and he was pulled back towards the rear, then lifted up onto a stretcher.


    I shifted to another stream, from the same group and saw the formation holding the creature off with pikes from a distance. A chant was going up as the group fought in unison, acting in well drilled discipline.


    There was a mighty roar from the other side of the formation, and a snarling griffin dived out of the sky and a lance slammed into one of the attacking monster¡¯s eyes. It snapped the massive head back as the flyer riding the griffin left his lance behind, shaking out his arm as he passed, a stream of curses fading away as the creature flapped its massive feathered wings and gained altitude for another pass.


    There was no need, though as the ground shook. The creature slammed down and lay there as the formation swarmed forward with drilled commands being called out, its pikes plunging in and out as it made sure the monstrous abomination was dead. I gasped and felt woozy as I realized my own heart had tried to increase its pulse as I followed the action.


    ¡°Now now! Stop getting all excited with that feed watching!¡± The nurse had stepped in, and pulled up my implant¡¯s display to see what had gotten me worked up. She cut the feed and glared at me through the window shaking her finger. I tried to reconnect but she had blocked me. Snarling at her I whined and begged for her to let me watch the rest but she just shook her head.


    ¡°No more of that, I¡¯ll unblock your net access when you wake up. Before I could protest the unfairness of my few actual waking hours cut short for the second time this week, I felt the heaviness of sleep overtake me.


    When I awoke, I was lying in a hospital pod, out of my treatment tank. Doctors were standing around looking grim as I felt myself being lifted again, my groggy mind trying to cope with wakefulness as my head ponded with dull thumps of pain. ¡°She¡¯s awake.¡± One of them stated pointing to me as my heavy eyelids flickered and I tried to breathe but felt the machines doing it for me.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Daria¡­ can you hear me?¡± I heard one of them crouch down peer closely at me. I blinked my eyes three times and then shifted to my implant connection and logged into the local net.


    ¡°Yes I¡¯m awake! Don¡¯t put me to sleep again please!¡± I pleaded and he nodded. ¡°Very good¡­ and I¡¯m sorry but we will have to put you back under for your trip to the Gentech HQ. We can¡¯t take the chance that you will overtax yourself on the way there, since we won¡¯t have enough support to keep you alive if that happens in the skimmer.¡± I screamed at him mentally and he winced and cut the connection, glaring at me with a hint of anger on his face. ¡°Young lady!¡± None of that! He waved a finger above me and I felt the heaviness overtake me again as I stuck my tongue out at him. Tears leaked from my eyes and I hoped It would all be over soon one way or another. I was tired of being a prisoner of my own mind, drifting through life with precious few waking hours.


    I came back to consciousness as my body shuddered in pain. ¡°Keep her stable! She¡¯s awake!¡± I heard someone yell and I felt the wash of stifling heat and humidity over my body as I was being lifted onto a hospital gurney. I turned my head and saw the ramp of a skimmer briefly before I was pushed out of it and across a landing pad through opening glass doors. The fresh coolness of air conditioning made me shiver, as I realized my body was covered in sweat. ¡°Get a blanket around her!¡± A doctor ordered as he watched my condition, looking into his implant display for a second. I felt a blanket being wrapped around me as we boarded a freight elevator. They were rushing forward, fear on their faces as I looked around groggily. My body spasmed again and my head spun as my failing heart tried to pump faster. It was paced again, and I shivered as weakness threatened to make me pass out.


    ¡°We need to get her into the VR Dive suit!¡± I heard a woman chide the people gathered around me as I was pushed into a room covered in medical equipment. ¡°We can¡¯t disconnect her from the life support!¡± I heard a doctor say and the woman just shook her head. ¡°We have a special nano weave suit that can cover her without the need for you to remove your equipment.¡± She replied as she pushed a thick package forward and studied me for a few moments as she keyed something into a device on the package.


    The package beeped and opened up, and she shook the suit onto me. My hospital gown was pulled off my body. The VR dive suit enveloped me and I felt a spreading warmth as the sweat of my body was absorbed by the fabric. There were a few uncomfortable pricks as my plumbing connections were removed, the suit adapting to take over those functions and I winced and tried to shift around on the gurney, but the straps held me secure in place.


    ¡°Before we take her to the capsules, let her talk with the testers. One of them wants to see her.¡± The woman said, as she adjusted her lab coat and pointed to several people filing out of a conference room towards capsules. Several were on hospital gurneys like I was, and I saw a man with a military style haircut study me after he finished speaking and nodded to the attendants to wheel me forward. ¡°What¡¯s your name kiddo? He said and I smiled at him and initiated my implant link, unable to speak with my life support mask on. Blinking for a few moments he nodded. ¡°Heya, my name is Matthew Vandarkin, just wanted to say it will all be alright. You will be fine now.¡± He said and my mental smile caused his rough features to grin in response.


    ¡°Wanted to say a few things before they put you inside that may help. First disable your interface, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been telling people to do. It will set you back a bit, not having access to the help functions or the skill trees, but if you let yourself learn using intuitive side of the game, you will be much better off in the long run. Second¡­ don¡¯t treat Endaria like a game. It¡¯s not a game, it¡¯s going to be your life for a long time as you are healed. Do not treat the NPCs as computer code. They don¡¯t like that, and it¡¯s a stupid, shortsighted thing to do. Always treat them like real people, that includes being polite when possible.¡± He said and I frowned as I took all of that in. ¡°Ok... I¡¯ll do that. Thank you for the advice. Can I contact you in game for more help?¡± I asked him and he shook his head.


    ¡°Endaria doesn¡¯t have a friends list. The only way to send messages is at special places in-game, usually at banks and the like, er unless you use devices that can work like com units do here on Earth. You will be fine, as long as you try hard, and push the limits of the game. Don¡¯t settle for being in the background, forge your own destiny. The more involved and powerful you get, the faster you will heal. From what I can see, you need all the help you can get.¡± He said and smiled at me as he gestured forward. ¡°Good luck!¡± He called as he ran for his open capsule, and I saw a look of happiness on his face as he climbed in, gave a mock salute to one of the technicians who rolled his eyes at him and shut the capsule.


    ¡°We have to remove the life support. Don¡¯t worry the capsule will take over, she will be ok.¡± I heard the woman arguing with my entourage.


    ¡°She will die!¡± I heard the man say. ¡°Her lungs can¡¯t handle breathing on their own for long! We have to use a special mixture to keep them stable.¡± I heard and I was pushed forward. She lifted me, as I saw men in security uniforms holding back my doctors. My mask was pulled away, as the tubes were extracted. I gagged and sputtered, my lungs feeling like they were filling with fluid as they struggled, and it hurt to breathe, every breath like fire in my lungs.


    Then I was inside the capsule and the lid was being shut, leaving me in darkness as I felt dizzy, struggling to breathe and stay conscious. Each breath was more difficult than the last. The capsule hummed to life around me and I felt my body begin to buzz as the world faded alongside a tingle deep with my skull. I found myself staring into a void. In front of me was a mirror. When the tingle ended and a prompt entered my field of vision, I smiled.


    <Welcome to Endaria Daria Rayburn! Please proceed with character creation!>

 Chapter 1: A bad day in Endaria

    I was not having a good day¡­ a clue to this was that I was now lying face down at the bottom of a ravine in a spreading pool of blood.  This had happened only moments after I had chosen the Underground World option proceeding character creation.  The waves of agony radiating off my leg was a fair indicator it completely shattered, and it was a serious compound fracture.  I knew the strange, savage monster that had chased me to my unexpected fall was still up there.  It was easy to verify this because it¡¯s stench would occasionally waft downwards as it pounded around, roaring in a confused daze after I had unintentionally given it the slip when I had tumbled down here running blindly for my life.


    Luckily, I had picked a medical kit as one of my three spawn items.  I tried to feel for it in the dark, but it was difficult.  Finally, I found it and rolled towards the light of a glowing crystal along the wall of the ravine so I could see the damage.  Already, my head was pounding and spinning from the pain and horror of the wound.  I had unfortunately elected to turn up sensation settings along with disabling all the notifications, putting my character into full immersion mode at the advice of one of my fellow testers.  I bit back a scream of pain as I pushed the bone back into the torn flesh until I felt it, reasonably straight and then tied the bandage off.  Inside the medical kit I found some odd herbs as well as a vial of liquid.  Not knowing what the vial was, with the interface off I held it for a second, and got the feeling in my mind that it would help me heal, but it would knock me out for a while.  I swallowed the whole vial and everything faded into warm fuzziness.


    How long I was out, I have no idea.  There was no way for me to tell the time but I did feel a whole lot better when I came to.  Looking down at my leg I saw that It was no longer in pain, though the bandage was still soaked with blood.  I carefully unwrapped the bandage, while keeping pressure on it.  There was a jagged scar where the wound had healed but other than that it seemed ok.  I tried to stand up, and the leg throbbed with a deep ache. My sticky hands that were covered in blood slipped on the rock and I tumbled to my side, burning pain along my palms as they were scraped raw.  Hissing and cursing softly to myself I crawled along the bottom of the ravine towards where I heard the sound of running water.


    Blinking and trying to peer through the dim light of the ravine was difficult, especially with eyes that felt gritty and dry. My entire body felt wrung out but at least I was still alive.  The chilly, moldy smelling breeze that wafted out of the side of the ravine caused me to shiver as I continued to craw towards the water.  Eventually I reached a ledge that overlooked a swiftly moving dark current below.  I shivered again just looking at it and saw that the rushing water was nearly fifteen feet down and there didn¡¯t seem to be any other side to this river, the ravine walls went sheer vertical all around me, the stream of water pouring past extremely fast.  The cave was filled with the rumbling roar of the water, something I could feel through the very ground I was standing on.


    I sat up against the wall and put my face in my hands and groaned.  There was no escape, unless I wanted to try and climb back up and face whatever it was that had just tried to kill me.  That did not seem like a good idea.  I had been warned by the interface that my next respawn would be without any starter items.  It was a one-shot deal.  I would lose the nifty survival belt and knife I had picked in addition to my medical pouch.


    The bottom of this ravine was lit by several blue glowing crystals and it made it easier to look and take stock of my gear.  The survival belt had a small waterproof pouch on it, as well as the bronze knife that was secured to the side of the little pouch.  I looked inside and saw it had a set of needles and fishhooks, a small ball of tough looking string, a flint and steel rod and a few other odds and ends.  It had been a very good choice.  It would be a shame to lose all of this.  Steeling myself for serious pain, I curled and flexed my stiff and aching fingers wincing as I rolled off the side of the sloping ravine and carefully started to climb down.


    There was a little ledge right above the roaring dark river that I slowly reached.  I fell onto it, nearly exhausted with the effort and nearly tumbled into the water when I overbalanced trying to stand up and walk along the water¡¯s edge to sit down.  Experimentally I braced myself and stuck my hand into the water, and felt what I expected.  The water was ice cold, and my hand almost instantly went numb in shock.  It actually felt good to the injured palm and fingers.  I breathed a sigh of contentment as I dipped both hands into the rushing water to wash off the blood.


    That was a mistake.  There was a rushing sound and I nearly lost my fingers when I pulled my hands away just in time to see something with far more teeth than I cared to contemplate snap in the air where they had been just a moment before.


    Stifling a scream, I rolled away from the edge of the water, my heart pounding and near panic.  Did everything in Endaria want to kill me?  This wasn¡¯t how a new player was supposed to be treated¡­ I wanted to cry, I was stuck in this game if I wanted to get better.


    What had that guy, Mathew Vandarkin said before we were all put into our testing pods?  I had to make something of myself, push the boundaries of the game and I would get better faster.  I had no idea why that made any difference but I wasn¡¯t about to argue with anyone who had played this game before and sounded like they knew what they were talking about. I doubted anything could actually heal me, but if it even gave me a few more months left to live, I was all for it.


    Now I finally believed those stories I had heard about how brutal Endaria was to new players, and all the cautionary tales all over the forums, about how careful you had to be.  I could have chosen a town spawn, but then again if I was going to challenge myself that wasn¡¯t the way to do it.  I wasn¡¯t just another player, I was dying and if I couldn¡¯t get the capsule to heal me fast enough like people said it could, I highly doubted I would make it to the end of the testing period.


    Gentech told daddy they could cure me, and promised me a medical miracle.  I had my doubts, and knew that wasn¡¯t how the world worked.  Nothing was free, you had to work and fight to survive.  That was the story of my life ever since I had been born.  I had been given a very small chance to live past my twelfth birthday, and making it to fourteen hadn¡¯t just been a miracle, it had been a testament to how rich my dad was, and that I had refused to die.


    This was a game, that meant there was a way for me to win.  I just had to find it.  I sat down and decided to meditate.  It always cleared my head, and made me feel better.  The rushing water around me actually felt kind of relaxing, and while I had no doubt that I would shortly find myself in a respawn, for now It was a joy to at least not be bound to a wheelchair or a bed.  In the universe there was always one constant, while you still drew breath, there was still hope.


    Taking deep breaths, I felt entranced as if I was tumbling down a dark well and I let the water carry me away and focused on that.  It was a strange feeling, and the more I focused on the water the stronger and more relaxed I felt.  The power of the roaring underground current seemed to fill my veins and with every breath it made my body tingle.  With every heartbeat I felt as if I would burst.


    In my mind¡¯s eye I felt something change, there was a kinship there, and my awareness seemed to spin with dizzying speed around it, rushing closer and closer until there was an explosion of light and I was jolted back into awareness.  The ravine and the rushing water no longer felt cold to me, and when I looked down at my damp fingers, I saw the droplets of water running down my hands in crazy spirals like vorpal pools of power, and the water was glowing. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I shrieked and tried to fling the water off me, and it glowed and shimmered with energy before it lanced out in a stream and there was a cracking boom as the ledge under me where the energy hit shattered, and I let out a terrified scream as I plunged down into the rushing torrent.


    For some reason it didn¡¯t feel cold even though I knew the water to be some sort of icy meltwater.  I barely paid attention to this odd fact as I thrashed and tried to swim desperately for one of the sides of the ravine as I raced along with the rapid current spinning and twisting.  I dodged sharp rocks and flailed around as I spun and dunked and felt dizzy as the current plunged downwards in twisting spirals.


    I had to duck under an overhang before it brained me, and then I felt like I was falling downwards, faster and faster.  I realized I had just made the unhappy discovery of the top of a massive waterfall and was shrieking in terror as I flipped end over and then my entire body flared in stinging pain as I smashed into a pool of water.  Surfacing, I saw that I was in a massive glowing cave with a ceiling towering far above me.  I looked around for the shore of the pool and spotted a green luminescent glow of water lapping along one bank.  I had never learned to swim, not in real life but I had played other VR games on my implant and knew the basics.  Everything I learned about swimming however was forgotten when I saw massive dark shapes darting towards me under the surface of the water.  I thrashed and paddled then gave a leap when my feet touched bottom just as I felt something latch onto the seat of my pants and rip and tear at it.  I yelled in pain and panic as I rolled onto the shore with something black and shiny, and with lots of teeth clamped onto my butt.  I pounded at it for a few moments before I remembered I had a knife.  Ripping it out of its sheath I slammed it into the creature over and over again until it fell off with a wet spat.  I lay there gasping, then looked at my hands that were covered in blood and green ichor.  I gagged and felt bile in my throat.


    It didn¡¯t feel like it had torn me up much, and when I turned to get a good look at it my stomach clenched again and a wave of nausea hit me when I saw it was a gigantic leach with hooked teeth.  I felt weak, and my legs trembled as I limped over to a nearby rock and laid against it while I tried to hold one of my last bandages to the seeping wound.  When I stood up to try to find another of those healing vials, my world began to slowly revolve, then I slumped into a faceplant as my entire body suddenly refused to respond.


    It was then that I realized I had been poisoned.  Something that leach had did had made my body stop responding.  I closed my eyes to try to make the world stop spinning but it just felt like my entire mind was spinning.  I felt that familiar rush of power at the edge of my awareness when I thought about that odd meditation and wondered what it would be like to die in Endaria.  If I was poisoned, and couldn¡¯t move this was it.  I had tried and failed.  I had always wondered what it would be like to give up, to die in a hospital bed instead of fighting.  I fought that lethargy and gave a mental scream of anguish and frustration.  Instinctively I drew on the power that I had felt before and I opened my eyes to see a stream of glowing water flow from the pool and over me.  It snaked around me in a twisting spiral.  As it did my body started to feel better, even as I started to feel more tired, and drained.  My head throbbed and my entire body seemed to tingle.  Weariness seemed to drown me into oblivion, and I sunk down a bottomless well as I passed out.


    When I awoke, I felt even worse than last time, if that was even possible.  My entire body was numb and tingling with that pins and needles sensation you get when your foot or hand falls asleep.  This was everywhere and when I tried to stand up lances of fire went up and down my legs before I gave a gasp and landed hard, my tailbone flaring in pain as I landed on my butt.  I felt the rock under me on the one leg that had the seat of my cloth pants ripped out.  Looking around the massive cave I didn¡¯t see anything right about to eat me so I shrugged out of the cloth pants and had a look at them.  They were completely shredded along the back of my left thigh all the way up to the waist.


    ¡°Well, at least there seems to be no one around to gawk at my naked butt.¡± I laughed and almost startled myself with an echo that reverberated around the cave¡¯s wall.  There was a rustling sound and I quickly pulled the torn pants back on as I looked desperately around for my knife, when I realized my little sheath was empty.  I saw the glint of metal along the shore of the pool, and scooped up the blade that was covered in congealed blood and dark ichor.  I looked around for the leach and couldn¡¯t see its body anywhere.  My heart pounded and I quickly backed away from the pool then looked around for the skittering sound I had just heard.


    There it was again, and I looked around for the source of the noise but all I saw was glowing mushrooms, round rocks along the shore of the pool¡­. Wait.  Those rocks, they hadn¡¯t been there before!  I jumped away just in time as one reared up and hissed at me as it struck, massive crab-like claws snapping in the air as it lunged at me.  I slipped on the wet shore and my bare feet scrabbled for purchase few times, before I started into a stuttering sprint away.  Fortunately, it seemed like those things were very slow when chasing me.  Whatever was under those rocks seemed to be some sort of ambush predator, not something that could run me down.


    The rock that wasn¡¯t a rock hissed at me, then it skittered back to the shoreline and slammed back down with an echoing thump.  The impact made a few waves ripple out across the water next to it.  I breathed a sigh of relief and shuttered as I tried to get my breathing under control.  My heart was still pounding and my hands tingled and remained sweaty from the brief shot of adrenaline that had flooded my system.  Why hadn¡¯t I been eaten earlier?  There was no way for me to know how long I had been out of it, but perhaps those rock things had just arrived and hadn¡¯t noticed me until I had started moving around and making noise.


    I picked up a nearby stone and tossed it next to one of the rocks.  It reared up, hissing before pouncing on it with a resounding crash.  I heard the brief crunching sound of something gnashing on the rock I had tossed, then the creature reared again and the stone was launched away with a splat, then a plunk when it landed in the pool next to it.


    Well¡­ there I had it.  They must feel vibrations or something.  Looking around the cave I spotted something curious along one wall.  To get a better look, I padded over to it and peered at glowing moss that covered the walls, except for one round spot.  Pushing against it, I realized that it was soft, and sticky.  My eyes widened and I jumped away, fully expecting to get attacked, but nothing happened.  The dark spot seemed to be some sort of webbing.  I gave a near shriek as I realized that it was spiderwebbing.  Looking around me and up into the gloom I realized that what I had first taken for dark splotches around the crystals covering the walls was actually splotches of spider silk.  I really didn¡¯t want to find out what could make twenty-foot strands of spiderwebbing that were as thick as rope.  It would probably, like everything else in Endaria¡­ try to eat me.


    I wanted to scream in frustration, this wasn¡¯t fair! Even if I found a way out of this cave, and I didn¡¯t see any exits, the only direction that seemed to offer any real choice was up, where part of ceiling of the cave disappeared into a twisting, turning crevasse that shot up towards what could be the surface.  I suspected certain death awaited me up there, probably by whatever had made the sticky strands of silk that seemed to be mostly along the wall that led towards that opening.


    Today my options seemed to be limited mostly to the bad and the worse.  Whatever was happening to me when I drew on the strange power I was exhibiting, there were serious doubts in my mind that it would help me get out of this mess.  I folded my hands over my chest and sat down hard, stifling a shriek when some sharp rock poked my bare skin through my torn pants.  I rolled to one side to rub at the ground and push away the offending sharp rock as I took a few deep breaths and tried to think.  That strange power was probably connected to water in some way.  I had heard about this aspect of Endaria, but I couldn¡¯t quite remember what I had read.  Something about the elemental powers, and their relationships, or something.  Most players could cast magic, of some sort or another but that was all I knew.  I had seen a wide variety of powers displayed on the footage of Endaria I had watched the many thousands of players streaming, but it was one thing to see people casting spells and the like and another thing to try and figure it out yourself.

 Chapter 2: A Sticky Situation

    The temptation to switch on the interface was nagging at me constantly in the back of my mind.  I knew it would tell me everything I wanted to know, but to me that felt like giving up.  My mind has always liked to figure out things on my own, and there was that admonition not to use the interface.


    Yes, I would probably die, but at least I would have fun with my new magic before I went without some silly interface holding my hand.  Standing up shakily, I went to the far side of the pool, far away from anything that looked like suspicious, out of place rocks and I concentrated.  Nothing happened.  I gestured at the water, I mentally prodded like I would something on my implant¡¯s virtual menu, and still nothing happened.  Giving a snort of frustration I backed up a few feet from the edge of the water and folded my legs in a meditative pose.


    I could feel that power closer to the surface as I relaxed and felt for the rhythm of rushing water.  I finally understood what I had to do.  I siphoned some of that rushing power and pulled it into myself, as if I had always known how to do it.


    My entire body tingled with the rushing energy and I felt all the aches and pains in my body flow away.  My head stopped pounding as I started to fill that pool of energy inside me as I pictured a rushing vortex of power filling slowly up.  I opened my eyes and focused on one hand and mist from the damp air seemed to condense into a tiny ball of water.  I willed it to condense farther and harden, and my eyes widened as the water seemed to shed condensation before vaporizing into white powder.  Cold snowflakes melted in my palm before I concentrated again and the ball of water once again condensed.


    My head began to throb again as I felt the power drain out of me and I stumbled as I tried to condense more water out of the air.  I had to sit back down again and, and felt very tired¡­ and suddenly hungry.  I fished around in the survival pouch but found it had no rations or anything.  I looked dubiously at the small ball of line and the fishhooks and realized I had no idea how to fish.  Glancing fearfully at the ominous dark pool of water next to me, there was the sinking suspicion in my stomach that if I did manage to hook something it would probably pull me into the pool and make a meal out of me, or it would craw, slither or lunge out and munch me.  Food was supposed to be eaten; you weren¡¯t supposed to be eaten by it.


    There was nothing around that looked the least bit edible.  There were glowing mushrooms, the rock monster things¡­ algae and moss.  I sighed and looked at the mushrooms.  They had to be bad news, no way I was going to eat a glowing mushroom¡­ still¡­ wouldn¡¯t hurt to at least try.


    I had to distract the rock monsters a bit so I could get near them, as all the glowing mushrooms were clustered around their side of the pool.  The first few times I plunked rocks near them, they lunged on them but they stopped going for them after a few taste tests and I had to start slamming their rocky shells with larger stones to make them angry, this resulted in them ineffectively chasing me across the cave until they gave up and moved to the far side away from me.  I grinned as I bounded up to the mushrooms and inspected one dubiously.


    Picking it up, I had a very bad feeling when I went to eat it and was about to drop it when my hand began to burn and I shrieked before throwing the thing away.  It bounced across the ground next to me, spilling glowing iridescent liquid from the stalk where I had ripped it up.


    The liquid quickly began hissing and spitting slightly, giving off a burning smell as the rock around it pitted and smoldered.  ¡°Ok¡­ very bad idea.¡±  I grumbled and paced back to the shore of the pool where I sat down to think.


    I concentrated on the ebb and flow of the waterfall on the one side off the pool and let the energy fill me before I drew out a shimmering coating of water that was filled with my essence.  The wound didn¡¯t quite heal instantly, but it did feel better, and after I washed out the rest of the caustic substance, I watched the blistered skin on my hand smooth over slowly then close up as I kept that coating over it.  I did feel a bit drained, and a bit dizzy as I kept focusing power into the wound but it did heal over completely in the end.


    I drew on the energy of the thundering waterfall again I felt better, my head began to cease its pounding and the dizziness went away.  I carefully scooped a bit of the water out of the pool and backed away, when something rippled across its surface.  After putting a bit of safety distance between me and shore I concentrated.  Drawing on my power, in that now familiar sensation, I tried to compress the ball of water and imagined what I wanted.  A razor-sharp shard of ice formed out of the cupped water as it froze over slightly then it shattered, falling apart into white powdery ice.  I roared in frustration and flung the water away.  The water flashed where it hit, and the ground rippled and exploded in front of me, blasting me backwards and causing rocks and debris to rumble down into the water.  I looked up in terror as all of the rock monsters converged on me from my antics, and I tried to sprint away even as I stumbled. My world was spinning and my head was pounding, making it hard to escape or even travel in a straight line.  As one lunged at me sprawled across the ground I screamed and thrust my hands out in front of me.  Air condensed, and a lance of water slammed into the creature, drilling a hole in its rocky shell, then waves of power entered the thing and it exploded, sending sharp shards of rock bouncing across the cave.  This caused all the other monsters to halt in their tracks, then run for it, chittering in fear as they leapt into the pool and skittered under the surface.


    My head was pounding, my world spinning and diving as I stumbled around the cave, clutching my throbbing skull before I slumped back to the ground and desperately grasped for that familiar power from the rushing water and I breathed a sigh of relief as it filled me again.  It did feel like I could hold more of it now, as if whatever I had done had just made me stronger.


    I finally opened my eyes and looked at the carnage around me. There were bits and pieces of steaming monster flesh decorating the cave as well as myself.  A massive gory crater sat in the ground where the monster had exploded.  I looked at what I had managed to kill.  What was left of it looked like some sort of giant crab¡­ or something like it.  I reached down and picked up one of the claws, using my knife to pry out some of the steaming flesh of the creature out of the carapace.  I stuck it in my mouth and grinned, it did taste like crab!  I had had some crab before once, many years ago before my disease had worsened.  Daddy had wanted to treat me for my birthday, and the happy memory brought back a wave of giddiness.  I gave a hysterical laugh, then slumped to the ground next to the steaming pile of cooked crab as I happily munched on meat I pulled out with my knife.


    My meal was interrupted by the skittering sound above me and I looked up to see something inspecting me carefully from the hole in the ceiling far above.  Standing up abruptly, I backed up and slipped on the gore around me.  The hard fall onto the rocky ground knocked the wind out of me and caused my back to flare in pain.  Groaning, my vision swam back into focus to see that it was indeed a spider, about the size of a small dog and it looked very hungry as it began to drool and flex its mandibles.  Panic stricken, I painfully pushed myself back to my feet and look around for an exit, but there was no escape.  The first creature gave an ear-splitting shriek and suddenly it was as if the ceiling of the cave exploded into a spreading shroud of darkly churning ink that swarmed down the walls towards me.


    I screamed, ripping power from the water as I backed up next to the waterfall but I couldn¡¯t quite concentrate in my panic this time and even as I pushed power towards them, there was little effect on the massive swarm as they poured over me.  Their fangs sinking into my flesh and spreading cold and burning darkness over me as my body went numb and for the third time that day, I lost consciousness.


    Burning pain awoke me, and I screamed as I felt my body twisted in agony.  I tried to move, but found I was bound and wrapped.  I tried to concentrate, to think of anything that would save me but nothing but a growing feeling of coldness, and weakness before once again I felt like I was falling into a pit of darkness.


    All the pain ended, and suddenly an interface window popped up with a countdown timer. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    The unexpected interface box popped up in front of me before it faded and I found myself in that character creation room.  I was looking in a mirror at my naked body, all my gear gone.  I slumped onto the ground and sobbed.  One small mercy was that the more I tried to remember what had just happened the more it faded from memory.  I had heard about the effect, but it still made me shiver when I thought about it.  I was endlessly thankful that the spiders had made a quick meal of me and hadn¡¯t spent weeks using me as a snack.


    I couldn¡¯t feel any actual weariness of the body but I felt wrung out mentally, so I fell asleep, drifting in that endless void with just a mirror for company.  I dreamed as I slept, strange dreams that were filled with the smell of rain and the rumble of thunder, the rushing power of rivers and the howl of cyclones. I couldn¡¯t remember what they were about but they somehow gave me comfort and banished the nightmares I was prone to.


    There was a beeping sound in my mind that woke me up and I blinked, pushing my ragged hair out of my eyes before I saw that I could once again enter the game.


    I¡¯m not sure exactly how initial spawns work, but when I mentally tapped the respawn interface the world faded around me, but this time I somehow felt the power that caused me to spawn.  It was strange, but somehow, I knew what it was, as if my own power was infused with its aspect.  As the green force faded around me darkness and the mineral, musky and dank smelling caves filled my senses.


    Once again, I found myself underground, though this cave system was a different one then I had originally spawned in when I entered Endaria.


    Ahead of me was a long tunnel with howling wind rushing through it.  I smiled as I recognized a distant sound, the rushing thrumming roar of water far below me.  The wind howled again and caused me to shiver and looked down at my body, I was clad in only a thin cloth breast band and rough loincloth.  I had no idea where I was, and I figured that there was no sense in looking for my gear anyways since it was probably on my desiccated corpse in a spider¡¯s lair somewhere.


    I had heard that if you die enough times, you do get the option to pick another initial spawn.  I had no real assets now, no supplies or gear.  For a few moments I contemplated on just making a new character and starting somewhere else.  I wouldn¡¯t get starter gear though in either case.  It was a one-time deal with your first character, first spawn.  I was also told when I signed up, that I wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the VR dive capsule until the first week of testing was over, or there was some sort of emergency.  I didn¡¯t think they considered a shitty spawn location an emergency.


    I took a few steps, then stumbled and collapsed.  I sunk to the ground and felt weak, as if my very soul had been ripped apart.  This time I did open my interface and manually looked at my debuff messages, already suspecting what was going on.


    <You are suffering from rebirth weakness!  For two in-game hours you have a minor reduction to stamina and all channeling abilities.  WARNING!  This debuff will enhance one rank of severity if you are killed before it times out! Proceed with caution!>


    I had heard about this, and how that if you died enough times you could actually cripple your character¡¯s development, and the respawn timer would increase for every death.  This was especially a problem if you picked a rather unfortunate respawn binding, and got camped until you were killed enough times for you to pick another. My spawn point was pretty random, probably confined to a single cave system or something, but you could bind yourself to a set location in a number of different ways.


    The first being an altar to a god, not sure what that entailed, but there was also the option to use a spawn crystal if I could find one in a safe spot.  One thing for certain, landing in a random spot around the cave system, probably near creatures willing to rip my face off was not something I looked forward to.  I once again wondered at what time it was.  Was it day?  Night?  I wasn¡¯t sure.


    My dreary existence underground did have the effect of focusing my mind, with few other distractions. Other than the wind and the roar of rushing water, ther little ambiance other than my own breathing. Luckily, I wasn¡¯t really claustrophobic, and despite the narrow walls and passages, this place didn¡¯t feel closed in. In the past, I had often been confined to medical pods or small hospital rooms for most of my waking moments, going without glimpses of the outside world for sometimes weeks or months at a time, with only virtual life inside my implant to keep me company.  If anything, I was a bit agoraphobic and felt vulnerable outside that warm, almost weightless environment with hydrocarbon nanite fluid around me.


    I padded towards the sound of running water.  My only real advantage now was my strange new power.  It seemed that being near running water helped me recharge, so that¡¯s where I¡¯d have to be.  If something wanted to eat me, well at least I¡¯d be able to try and fight back if I could figure out my powers.  When I finally found the sound of roaring water, I found myself looking down towards a familiar inky black underground river, that was hard to see in the gloom of the cave.  The crystals did do a good job of lighting some of it up, but not by much. Somehow¡­ I knew it was the same river on a deep fundamental level.


    This area was quite a bit different from that ravine I had encountered the river in my previous incarnation.  Through the glow of crystal, I could see an actual path along it below me.  There was a rickety rope bridge that extended out over the river far above it, a bridge that I had to give a dubious eye and wonder if it would ever pass inspection in the real world.  I somehow doubted it, with blackened planks, and rotting rope.


    A path meant civilization?  I somehow didn¡¯t think so.  So far everything in this game was pretty much trying to kill me so my money was firmly planted on the idea that whatever used this path probably wasn¡¯t friendly either.


    Either way, I had to stick near water.  Sliding down the damp stone I stubbed a toe painfully on a rock before I slipped, and my slide turned into a shattering tumble with me sprawling out onto the path, where I skid painfully across the slick, mossy flagstones.  My body aching and burning from numerous cuts, I looked around for any way to get off the path and down towards the water.  There! Right below the bridge I saw slick handholds cut into the rock, and a pile of rocky debris forming a small area at the water¡¯s edge.  There was an actual pier there with a locked gear locker that was formed of rough timber with some sort of caulking around it to keep damp away from its contents.  I suspected the locker contained something to tie up boats or whatever they used to navigate the underground river.


    There were a series of thick rope lines across the river going up and down river from the pier, and I realized that they were there for someone to grab onto to slow down and pull themselves into the dock.  The swift current was truly something that was very difficult to navigate.


    Looking at the locker, I got an idea while staring at the rusty lock.  Sitting down on the dock I focused my power, drawing water directly from the river into a dense sphere and thrust it out using the same feeling that I had gotten when I had fried that crab.  I didn¡¯t exactly break off the lock off like I wanted, instead there was a shattering detonation of timber fragments and splinters that blasted away from me as I somehow blew a massive chunk out of the side of the wooden locker, completely missing the lock entirely.  My head throbbed and I got that now-familiar dizziness from using my power before I focused and drew on the nearby river for a recharge.  It took a few moments but this time it did come much easier.  I also noticed I was less dizzy this time, and probably could have gotten another blast out before I would have been dangerously depleted.


    I stuck my hand into the hole and fished around inside the locker, finding a few objects.  I pulled a slimy length of rope out, that was attached to a rusty hooked anchor, and a small box.  I looked at it for a second, seeing it was covered with wax around the seams, probably to keep out the damp.  Popping it open, I grinned.  Inside I found a small misshapen lump of metallic metal, and a scraper with a file on one side.  I brought it up to my nose and sniffed it and scratched the metal.  Walking over to a dry spot next to the dock I scraped a bit of the metal off, into tiny flakes then I used the steel chain and the file, it made a small spark that quickly caught the meatal, which flared up for an instant before dying down.  Yes! It was a magnesium firestarter! Just the thing for such a damp place, it was much more effective than the flint and steel I had originally spawned with, but the lump of magnesium would eventually run out.


    I wished I had something I could cut the rope with.  I could probably unravel it and wrap it around my feet for some protection against the rough ground.  But¡­ luck would have it that the locker was now empty.  I pushed the rusty anchor and its decrepit rope into the locker through the hole and looked along the bank of the underground river.  I couldn¡¯t really see an easy way to follow the river.  This bank had to have been artificially added, as the other slopes were pretty much sheer cliffs.


    I looked at the water for a while, resting down on the dock watching the rushing water while I thought.  I didn¡¯t have a boat¡­. But perhaps I could make one.


    My first experiment with water, I had somehow made ice, or snow.  Perhaps I could make an iceberg to float down the river on.  The water was practically subzero already, and I doubted it would easily melt my ride.  Ice would float, I would float.  Hopefully I wouldn¡¯t end up at the pool of spider death this time.


    It would have to be a decently sized iceberg, and I¡¯d have to find something to put between me and the ice.  I looked at the gravel around me and smiled.  I could cover the top of the iceberg with some gravel and dirt.  First though I would have to try and make my new boat.  This would take some doing.

 Chapter 3: The Wild Ride

    My first few attempts were disastrous, as one may expect.  After the first makeshift iceberg that I actually got to hold together properly went merrily bouncing down the river, I decided I would freeze the anchor rope into my iceberg.  This was actually an unintentional good idea, as I was able to slowly concentrate and freeze water around the rope, first making a giant popsicle like construction, then slowly forming it into a solid rectangle.  I pulled it up on shore, before packing a good covering of dirt into the top of it, then freezing heavy stones into the bottom for ballast once I found out how top-heavy it made my craft.


    The more I used my power the more it seemed that it was becoming second nature to me, and I found I could actually stream power from the river to directly power the formation of my iceberg.  Finally came the moment of truth where I pulled up the anchor and tucked my limbs in.  I had made a depression in the iceberg and grips to hold on but I wasn¡¯t quite prepared for just how fast I shot away when I got going.


    I bounced and slammed around the sides of the river before I went into a dizzying spin down the center for a bit before I went weightless and gave a shriek as I plunged downwards off a waterfall.  I landed with a massive splash and kept on going, banging and spinning and tumbling so fast, that I just closed my eyes and wished for it all to end one way or another.


    The lights of glow crystals became a blur as I streaked past open caves, down ravines and often launched off of waterfalls, I had to duck and lie flat, pressing my slight frame into the iceberg a few times when the roof rushed down at me, then expanded again as I streaked out into more massive caves.


    I have no idea the distance I traveled, one instant I was in a cave, and the next light and sound exploded around me and I was weightless, falling.  I looked down and saw I was hundreds of feet over a mountain valley, the glow of the sun was disappeared below the horizon as I tumbled and fell, letting out a shriek of terror and tucked into a ball as I spun off my iceberg.  The water slammed into me like I hit a concrete wall.  My power was uncontrollably ripped from me for a few instants and I momentarily saw stars and blacked out before my mind grasped my power and pulled the energy of the water around me, to bring myself back before I passed out.  I shot out of the water like a cannon ball, and tumbled across a muddy bank before a heavy thicket caught me, tearing new furrows into my body as I tumbled into its depths.


    I lay there, dazed for a bit my world spinning dizzily as I tried to come to my senses.  As luck would have it, my naked body was now covered in thorns and it seemed every inch of me screaming in pain as I carefully extracted myself from the thicket to crawl back to the river bank.  Pulling energy from the water, I let it wash over me and gave a gasping sigh of relief as my wounds slowly healed and my head began to clear.  I gazed far above me, and my eyes widened in shock at the sheer scale of the drop.


    I now suspected that that dock I was at was to avoid this waterfall, and likely a drop that was normally fatal to someone without my odd powers.  I looked around for my iceberg, but it was nowhere to be found. Either it had overshot the pool of water at the bottom of the waterfall and shattered along one of the riverbanks, or it was now continuing on a wonderful journey of discovery somewhere far away.  I felt along the sides of my loincloth and breathed a sigh of relief when I found the firestarter still there wound tightly around it.  I was starting to shiver now, and I could feel the darkness of night swiftly descending.  I needed to dry off quickly before I got sick, or became hypothermic.


    Not one to tempt fate, I made sure I built my fire in the shelter between a group of rocks that would hide most of the light.  Finding fuel was no problem, the gigantic fir trees or whatever they were growing around the banks of the river in this mouth of the valley generated a ton of needles and dead wood.  I heated stones in the fire, then put them in a circle around me, and wedged myself deep into the crevice of two of the stones before covering both ends with fir needles and branches to hide myself from anyone, or more likely a roving monster would investigate my little fire.  It took me a while to doze off, but I eventually managed it.


    The next day I awoke to stomping and shaking.  Something was snorting and sniffing my campfire.  I laid very still, my heart pounding as I saw massive, hairy feet with warty knobs on them shuffling around as something monstrous growled and grumbled to itself.  Hiding myself for the night turned out to be a pretty good call. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    My growling stomach almost gave me away.  My heart pounded for a moment as the thing gave a snort, then seemed to lose interest in my campsite, before the ground shook and it sounded like the monstrous thing had decided to rove on down the river.  It took me at least twenty minutes before I was calm enough to extract myself from my hidey hole.  I studied the wreckage of my campsite, the massive footprints, and when I peeked over the rocks I gasped as something massive was running along the river roaring and scaring everything for miles around.


    Flocks of birds took flight; wolves ran in terror and I swear I even saw a boar the size of a minibus run in the opposite direction.  Whatever that thing was, it was probably a good idea I hadn¡¯t made introductions.


    My body was stiff and grimy, and maddingly itchy so I stretched and idly scratched at a few bug bites as I tried to consider what to do now.  It was hard to tell where I was or how extensive this valley was.  I had caught a glimpse of it from the top of the waterfall, but not much stuck in my mind other than the terror of rushing green and approaching water that had filled my awareness before I had plunged into the pool of water under the massive waterfall.


    It was I had to admit, quite beautiful.  The morning light in the spray of water caused a rainbow to form in the heavy mist and fog that hung over the bottom of the valley the river curled down into the fog, following a valley that opened up on both sides to straddle massive mountains that touched the sky.  High above me it the jagged peaks were topped with snow, and a few of the tops disappeared into the clouds.  It was truly breathtaking.


    I took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.  Yes, everything in Endaria wanted to kill me¡­in horrific ways.  But¡­ it was almost worth it just to see stuff like this.  I had never been in such a realistic VR dive before.  All of this was completely indistinguishable from reality.  Well except the multi-story monsters and murderous spiders¡­ and the other stuff that I hadn¡¯t even been introduced to properly before they had tried to make a snack of me.


    Shuddering, I gave a whispering shiver as my teeth chattered in time with cold mountain wind roaring through the valley.  Abruptly, I realized that being nearly naked except for a breast band and a loincloth was a very bad idea.  Heck even with my starter clothes I would have been shivering.  I almost longed for a cramped hospital room, with the smells of antiseptic¡­ and impending death.  At least it was warm.


    I had to remember why I was here, because my dying body wasn¡¯t long for the world.  I couldn¡¯t afford any more respawns, especially since I wasn¡¯t sure if I would respawn nearby or back in that stupid cave system I had spent so long getting out of.  Prancing around I tried to think, think of anything that would help.  While I shivered and schemed, I heard a roar, and suddenly being cold seemed like the least of my worries.  I took off sprinting as I saw a massive, multistory monster, one that has rather familiar looking knobby legs and feet rumbling back my direction.


    It may have spotted me on the open riverbank.  I supposed that it you¡¯re a monster taller than most office buildings, perhaps you have a good vantage point to spot a stupid teenage girl that was out in the open.  It was futile, I knew in the back of my mind that for every dozen of my clumsy strides he must be covering the same distance with a single bound.


    Yep it had most positively seen me.  Trees crashed apart or were just run over in the distance as I sprinted, then I began to sob in terror as I felt the thing getting closer and closer.  Then I was falling, tumbling and bouncing down a hill.  Something hard slammed into my shoulder and I felt bones give a sickening snap, but my heart was pounding so hard and I was so filled with adrenalin I barely noticed the instant.  Far ahead of me I saw reflections of aqua blue, and more importantly I could hear the rushing of water.  It was a small stream, some branch off of the river I had left, and spread out ahead of me I saw that I was on the edge of a massive lake, with tiny islands in the center.


    I part tumbled, part fell, and bounced down the slope to the lake before I gave a leap and plunged into the icy water, my body nearly going numb from the heavy impact, but I reached deep into myself and propelled forwards, wishing for the water to help me along.  And¡­ it did.  I felt like it was pushing, aiding me as I channeled power through my body, shooting like a tiny torpedo across the lake, just under the surface.  The water was crystal clear and I could see deep down. It was a pretty deep lake, like one of those deep European lochs.  The islands were spurs of gigantic stones that towered out of the depths and I made towards one of them, grunting as I flopped out of the water and looked back.  That gigantic monster was standing on the far bank, giving me the stink-eye and roaring at me.  I retuned its attentions with the middle finger.

 Chapter 4: Help Wanted

    ¡°Yea bet you can¡¯t swim you filthy son of a bitch!¡± I screamed out at it, my voice echoing out over the valley and the lake. It let out an enraged roar, then it decided to call my bluff. Jumping into the water with a massive splash, hurtling a wave before it. As it began to swim, I realized the truth of the nightmare I was in¡­ turns out multistory horrors can swim pretty fast.


    It got about halfway to me as I stumbled up the island looking for the other side before, I heard a bloodcurdling scream from the monster as something green and scaly, with massive jaws shot out of the lake and pulled the thing under. My blood went cold and I stumbled over backwards, before I caught myself on a spindly tree as I watched in fascinated horror as I saw the last gasping air bubbles pop the surface of the lake, then all was still.


    Everything was still that is until I saw a snout splash up out of the water, and two yellow eyes watched me as I sprinted up the island, trying to get as far away from the water as possible. It did not for a wonder seem interesting in chasing me. I could see the snout munching and crunching, and there was a massive arm sticking out of it¡¯s many, and very large teeth. Then¡­I swear¡­ the thing winked at me before it vanished down into the depths.


    ¡°Did¡­. It just¡­ wink at me?¡± I grumbled and decided I had just imagined it. Sitting down on the rock, I groaned as my multiple injuries took that point in time to come crashing into my awareness and I hissed as I tried to heal myself. It was a surprise when I suddenly came back to my senses looking up at the morning sky, with my head pounding. I must have passed out for a second.


    It felt good to be alive¡­ and now I was hungry again. I wasn¡¯t sure if my reincarnation had included the crab meat that I had stuffed myself with, but somehow, I doubted it. My stomach roiled and grumbled as I stalked up the crest of the island looking for anything that either couldn¡¯t run away fast enough or wasn¡¯t running towards me with the intention of making me it¡¯s breakfast. The island was a decent size, but didn¡¯t seem to contain much other than a few stands of fir trees, a bit of tumbled ruins and a lot of driftwood along its shorelines.


    Making my way towards the ruins, I wasn¡¯t entirely impressed. There was, however a small shrine with stone statuettes on it that did seem to be more recent. It had a stone roof, that covered a nearly collapsed wall that was propped up by a fallen pillar. I wondered if this was an altar.


    If it was¡­ perhaps I could make this my respawn point. I have a laugh and wondered if I had lost my sanity. Yes, great idea! Create a respawn point that traps you on an island in the middle of a lake inhabited by a monster that could curb-stomp Godzilla. Brilliant!


    That pretty much demonstrated my brief train of thought on that idea, where I gave another snort of laughter and sighed as I sat down and groaned, clutching my stomach. As I studied the alter, shrine or whatever it was I got a sense of unease. It was as if I was in turned being watched, and scrutinized. It gave me the heebie-jeebies and I quickly decided the rest of the island needed a good look over.


    There really wasn¡¯t anything on the island¡­ at all. Just those ruins, and as I watched the sky darken, I decided to try and find as much driftwood and other campfire fuel as I could before the approaching thunderstorm reached me. It did look to be moving quite fast, so I figured it wouldn¡¯t last more than a few hours at the most.


    Gathering up a small pile of driftwood, rotten fir deadwood and other fuel, I started a small fire just inside the shelter of the shrine and warmed my hands up and burned the damp off my skin. The sky opened up with a deluge of water, and yes¡­ it was icy cold. I swear I even heard a bit of hail for a few moments off and on.


    I had made it a point to make sure my fire was on the opposite side of the shrine from that creepy altar that was making my hackles stand on end every time I looked at it. Walking over, I got a closer look, a few details that I hadn¡¯t noticed before standing out. There were carvings of wind, water, and lighting on the stone of the altar itself. Upon the surface of the altar, sat three statuettes in a triangle facing each other as if in conversation.


    It was very odd. The first statuette was of a man gripping a forked spear and a net, the second was of a short, squat muscular man wreathed in lightning and clutching a massive double-headed axe. The third was a woman with billowing tassels coming off what looked sort of like a cross between a robe and an evening dress. It reminded me of a picture of a gypsy woman I had once seen, Roma I think they are called.


    Crouching down I met the eyes of the man with the spear and net. The detail on the figurine was amazing, almost as if the thing was alive. I could even see the veins on beefy arms of the guy, and his hair seemed to almost be waving in the wind, it was so finely carved. The eyes though¡­ they seemed to be watching me, as if curious.


    Shaking my head and definitely weirded out, I scooted back to the fire and wondered if it was wise to not try and pay respects to some water god if I needed all the luck, I could get to get past supercroc or whatever that thing was in the lake.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    As the storm continued to howl and shriek, thunder crashing down and shaking my little shelter I felt something at the edge of my awareness, it was as if the storm itself was calling to me. I stared out into the grey, howling maelstrom and somehow it was mesmerizing. I¡¯m not sure how to describe it, but it was almost as if I knew deep in my heart that something in that storm felt somehow¡­ right.


    I uncurled from my crouch and stood on the entrance of the shelter; light spray carried on the wind flowing around me as I smiled. At first the water was icy cold, but then as if a switch had been flipped, the more I breathed in the crisp and spraying wind and drank in the sheer power of the wind and water the more I felt at peace, and it didn¡¯t feel the cold at all. It felt as if my body was on fire, not from the outside in but as if with each lighting crash my heart burned and swelled. With each rumble I could feel it in my bones.


    I let out a feral cry, all the rage and pain and heartbreak that I had gone through in my short but stunted life seemed to flow out of me, and I think it was in that moment I felt reborn. It almost was a shock to my system when the sun finally flared back down on me as the storm rumbled past and down the valley. I was left standing outside my naked body gleaming in the first breaking rays of sunshine. I slumped, and felt almost spent but still tingled all over as if I had gotten a shot of expresso.


    As I turned back to my fire, I froze. The statuettes were no longer facing each other. They were all turned towards the entrance of the shrine, and seemed to be watching me. I locked gazes with them, and I wanted to run¡­ but my feet refused to obey me. Instead, as if I was being drawn in, I came close and then knelt until I was eye level to all of them.


    There was an awkward shuffling from the statuettes as they peered at each other, then at me. One of them spoke in a bit of a strange accent. The eyes lit up in sparking blue sapphires, that blinked as it considered me.


    ¡°You¡¯re a bit of a wee lass to be a traveler er?¡± He cleared his throat, and I studied the statuette of the man with the spear and net. The net was now casually slung over his shoulder as he turned to glare at the other occupants of the altar who were also staring at me.


    ¡°She¡¯s young¡­ but powerful.¡± The woman said and her eyes flashed sky bright white like the sun peeking through the clouds.


    There was a snort from the squat muscular dude and he spun his axe in an idle motion, flexing his fingers as he tugged on his stony beard and shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need another teenage champion¡­ one headache is enough for me. Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut ye pie muncher Shango, you know that silly lad will just get himself killed anyways, why not have a backup?¡± The man with the spear catcalled.


    ¡°She¡¯s not quite attuned to me Aegaeon, but she seems to fit you perfectly.¡± The man cackled as he watched my incredulous expression shift from confusion, to wonder and back to incredulity.


    I cleared my throat, as I watched the little statuettes bicker with one another and before I gave a sigh and put my head in my hands. Of course, this was a fantasy game¡­ of course the freaking gods were real!


    ¡°Hey you¡­ Girl!¡± The squat man with the axe gestured to me and I quite nearly rolled my eyes before I saw him narrow his own as he stared me down.


    ¡°Um¡­ yea? Can I help you guys? You going to offer me a quest or something?¡± I said hopefully, crossing my fingers hoping I wouldn¡¯t get a smiting for imposing myself.


    He seemed to sigh in exasperation, and the woman with the billowing tassels cackled with laughter. ¡°Pay up! What was the pool?¡± She gleefully rubbed her hands together before I saw the man with the spear sigh and drop his net as he fished around in the tight shorts he wore as his only article of clothing. I saw a glimmering flake of rock change hands and the woman looked at him smugly before flashing me a toothy grin.


    I was totally floored. These weren¡¯t quite what I had imagined when I had thought of all-powerful gods or whatever. It was more like a bunch of old friends shooting the breeze around the watercooler.


    Aegaeon cleared his throat and then peered back at me before shaking his head at my clueless expression. ¡°You want a job lass?¡± He said, then got a kick in the shin from the woman who glared at him.


    ¡°Ah¡­ what I mean to say¡­ do you want to be my champion?¡± He mumbled. The other two glared at him then I tried and failed to crack up laughing. ¡°Um¡­ just like that, no interview or anything?¡± I asked and realized there was a catch.


    ¡°Does this mean¡­ you know my life will get more interesting?¡± I said, almost hopeful and with a deep pit of dread in my stomach.


    ¡°Well, lass it¡¯s been a while¡­ I don¡¯t usually take champions but there are a few things I need done, just like pretty much every other god right now.¡±


    The woman snorted and her bubbling laughter seemed to stir breezes around her as she shook her head in exasperation. ¡°Just what do you need done Aegaeon? Admit it, you just want to have a piece on the board.¡± I frowned as I witnessed the glowing white orbs that were the statuette¡¯s eyes do a classic eyeroll. That¡­ was creepy.


    ¡°Ah she is close by that traveler kingdom the one that Pan likes so much! Let¡¯s send her there! What could go wrong, point her in the right direction and let her loose!¡± Shango cackled.


    ¡°Er do I get a say in this?¡± I stammered, and all three little statuettes turned as one to glare at me. I gulped. All of this while it sounded interesting, didn¡¯t quite convince me that it wasn¡¯t more trouble than it was worth. Yea, being a champion to a god sounded cool, but I was betting there was a catch. I knew how the gig worked. One thing I had a lot of when stuck in a lift support chair or pod was time to read. In these stories there was always a catch 22.


    ¡°There is¡­ one minor detail for travelers anyways.¡± The woman sheepishly murmured. I narrowed my eyes. Yep¡­ I wasn¡¯t going to like this.


    ¡°Once you take the mantle of a champion¡­ it does seem to limit the number of times your avatar in Endaria can go through rebirth¡­ that thing travelers do when you come back from the grave. Oh, and if you die the final death you can never be a champion again even, in a new mortal form.¡± She explained.


    ¡°How many lives?¡± I asked. My stomach sank and I felt ice rush through my veins.


    ¡°Four.¡± She coughed.


    ¡°Ah, and each time you die you lose a major part of yourself.¡± Shango spoke up solemnly.


    ¡°Can I say¡­. OH HELL NO?!!?¡± I backed up and all three gods groaned.

 Chapter 5: Bargains with the Gods

    ¡°See¡­ why did you go and tell the wee lass? She¡¯s taken a fright now!¡±  My prospective ¡®employer¡¯ grumbled and I slumped to the floor and rubbed my hands across the bridge of my nose.


    ¡°look¡­ girl¡­ er what is you name again?¡±  The woman looked at me and I perked looked up to see a bit of pensive pleading in her gaze.


    I thought for a second, thought of using my real name, but it didn¡¯t really seem like it was appropriate.  I was a new person here and needed a new name.  Mentally paging though fantasy characters I grinned.


    ¡°How does Nimue sound?  I can use Nim for short, I suppose.¡±  I happened to remember one of the names for the lady of the lake from Arthurian legend.  I was a big fan of that stuff and somehow it fit, considering I was on an island in the middle of a lake.


    ¡°Nimue! I like it!¡± The woman grinned at me and seemed to get a bit of wistful simile on her face before she gave a deep sigh and crossed her arms while staring disconcertingly into the distance at something I couldn¡¯t see.  I shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny once it shifted back to me before she snapped her fingers as her train of thought seemed to come back to her.


    ¡°Ah we should mention to you that Aegaeon¡¯s little bargain with you while, risky is also rewarding.  As his champion your powers will be enhanced¡­ substantially.  Oh!  I heard you travelers seem to like adventure.  It will certainly liven your path up a bit!¡±  She piped up and flashed me her bubbly smile as I saw Aegaeon groan and give a facepalm.


    I gave it an actual serious thought, which did seem to shock me back to the present situation. I had been told in no uncertain terms by a veteran player that I had to push the boundaries of this game.  Being this¡­ champion class or whatever it was sounded like fun too.


    ¡°Ok¡­ well, er anything else I can get as a champion? Er some gear or something would be a good start.¡±  I bargained and I saw all three gods crack wide smiles.


    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re going to do it lass?¡±  Aegaeon¡¯s doubtful voice echoed through the shrine and I took a deep breath and finally gave a nod.


    My mind made up edged forward, crouching down to grin at the statuette of Aegaeon.  ¡°So¡­ er can I get something to wear?¡±  I asked and he burst out laughing.


    Aegaeon nodded.  ¡°Essentially that¡¯s how it works, when you accept on a token of my power, that is when you undertake the role of champion.  It¡¯s the way of things that as patron I help you survive.  The actual object can differ between gods.  For instance, Iris¡¯s champion, the Pathfinder has a magic bag. I may not be on the same level as one of the great gods, but I do have one powerful token to bestow as the god of the tempest.¡±


    He seemed to slid something off both of his arms.  The bracelets he withdrew had seemed carved into his statuette, but when he tossed them to me there was a flash of light and I caught a set of glowing blue bracelets that turned from stone into a silvery-gold metal, expanding to normal size when they landed.  They made my hands tingle slightly and they felt¡­ somehow alive.


    Taking a deep breath and still harboring deep misgivings I slid them onto my wrists.  I felt a fiery pain, as the bracelets contracted and burned into my skin.  Before I could properly shriek, they had sunk into my flesh and became two sets of curling tattoos.  My arms bore a faint pair of roaring sea serpents with their open jaws across the tops of my hands.  As I watched I saw them move and flex.  Glittering blue inky scales flashed as they turned to regard me with interest.


    I tried shaking out my hands as I shuddered at what I had just accepted.  The two inked serpents didn¡¯t seem to mind and I saw them turn and seemed to settled down across my wrists and the tops of my palms.


    ¡°That¡­ is really freaky token¡­ seriously messed up.¡±  I grumbled, but secretly I did think they looked wickedly awesome.


    Aegaeon beamed at me.  ¡°Well, they grow on you.  If they decide they like you it may be possible to for you to learn their names.¡±  He chuckled and then he fished around in the pockets of his shorts before he pulled out a tiny bundle that expanded suddenly to form a pile of clothes at the foot of the altar.


    I looked at the garments.  They were strange, iridescent blue robes, and a pair of soft slippers that seemed to lace up, there were also a set of leggings. If I stared closely at the fabric some sort of wavy pattern seemed to churn and shift at a minute level. When I put the leggings on after removing my sodden loincloth, they shrank to the size of short yoga shorts. Sorting through the pile of clothing I found a tight sports band that was apparently supposed to cover my flat chest and acted like some sort of sports top.  When I pulled the robe over myself, my entire body suddenly started to warm up and I felt more comfortable.  The robe shifted and became like tight body wraps around me when I stood and flexed.


    ¡°The robe can change depending on need, it can become heavy like a winter cloak or can shift to become tight like a bodysuit for swimming.  It also is difficult to damage or penetrate and acts like light armor.¡±  Aegaeon explained and as I thought about it, the robe changed and shifted with my desires.  It was indeed a useful fashion accessory.  I put on the slippers, and they felt very comfortable.  The laces also gave my ankle a bit of support.  On a hunch, I gave it a thought and grinned as they transformed into divers¡¯ flippers.  ¡°Neat!¡±  I giggled and there seemed to be a pained silence from my statuette audience. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°Your new champion is, easily amused Aegaeon.¡± Shango said dryly and I swear I heard something disparaging about teenagers.  Narrowing my eyes at him he busied his gaze elsewhere.  I looked at the goddesses in the wavy dress and there was a twinge of envy at her beauty.  Briefly, I wondered what her name was, so far none of the other gods had called her by her name.


    ¡°SO¡­ a few ground rules lass, things you ought to know.  First is that if you kill a champion of an enemy god, I will be quite pleased with you, and will grant you a boon! How does that sound?!¡±  I frowned at him.


    ¡°So¡­ now other champions will want to off me as well as the delightful wildlife around me?¡±  I grumbled and I swear he smirked.


    ¡°Most of them, probably not. Ah but, I am a destructive weather god, so there are a ton of enemies, or do-gooders trying to reduce my power.  Every time you die, I get weaker by the way¡­ so it¡¯s in my best interest to¡­ help you along¡±


    ¡°And if I die the final death?¡±  I shuddered.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m banished for a while, and won¡¯t have contact with the mortal realms until my power recovers. So please don¡¯t die.¡±  He groused.


    ¡°And this is why he doesn¡¯t like having champions, and also why he is still, after thousands a years a minor, obscure deity.¡±  The goddess to his left cackled.


    ¡°Better than being the goddess of gentle breezes Aurelias.¡±  She crossed her arms in mock indignation and stamped a little stone foot.


    ¡°Hey, no one ever tries to mess with me, because I don¡¯t go around sinking ships, with rogue waves, or summoning storms just because I¡¯m bored!¡±  She shrieked and I raised my hands.  ¡°Hey¡­ uh sorry to interrupt but¡­ what are the rest of¡­ the rules?¡± I asked, and my stomach took that moment to give a rumble.


    Aegaeon grumbled and turned back to me.  ¡°Yea you¡¯re going to have to get me followers if you can, and you have to pray to me.  Praying to me will replenish your power, and it also gives me a boost, though it only works at full power once per day, with each successive prayer after that each day you get less of a boost.¡±  He ticked off digits on his fingers as he spoke.


    ¡°The more altars you consecrate to me, the more my influence¡­ also if you are in my domain, for example, you are inside a storm on near an altar dedicated to an allied god or me, or multiple allied gods you are stronger.  This works in reverse if you are in a hostile domain, you will be weaker like in a desert with no water or near an enemy god¡¯s altar, temple, or stuff like that.¡±  I nodded.  Made sense.


    ¡°I¡¯m a god of rainstorms, and violent seas and the like, not of natural disasters.  Don¡¯t go around making a massive mess if you can help it.  I already got a bad enough reputation.¡±  He grumbled and both of the other gods cracked up laughing.


    ¡°Well, off you go then, oh and don¡¯t forget my statuette, you need a focal point to pray to me and this one I¡¯ll bind to you.¡±  Aegaeon¡¯s pained grumbles faded along with Shango¡¯s.  The light went out of their statuettes, and suddenly it was back to the forms I had first seen them.


    ¡°Oh wanted to toss you a suggestion, before I go Nim.¡±  Aurelias piped up and I turned to study the god of soft breezes.


    ¡°I tend to pick up news¡­ and gossip being the god of breeze I do get around a bit.¡±  She gave a self-satisfied and smug grin before she cocked her head.


    ¡°Find other champions¡­ a dark change is coming and you will need help to survive.¡±  She said as her voice faded suddenly there were just three stone statuettes on the altar.


    ¡°Hey! That is like¡­ the most clich¨¦ warning ever!¡±  I yelled, but was a moment too late.


    Reaching over, I picked up Aegaeon¡¯s likeness and wondered where I would put the statuette.  It flashed and I felt a tingle in my hand for a moment before the light faded. Is that what he meant it binding to me?  I could actually feel a connection to the statuette now.


    I felt the robe I was wearing shift slightly and a small pocket appeared.  I pushed the statuette into it, and felt that the pocket was much bigger on the inside than it appeared.  The pocket vanished, morphing into the sleek garment as if it had never been there.


    ¡°So¡­ magic pockets¡­ what¡¯s next a bag of holding?¡±  I chuckled and then thought about it for a second before I realized that the pocket was probably the Endarian version of a bag of holding.  I found my firestarter and tossed it into the pocket next to my statuette, trying to suppress my grin.


    Now¡­ just how was I supposed to get past the giant monster?


    First, I decided that I would like to find food, only now realizing with frustration that I literally just became a champion of a god and hadn¡¯t bothered to ask my new boss for noms.


    I wondered just what powers I had acquired.  I didn¡¯t really feel any different, just had some wicked looking tattoos on my wrists, and a new wardrobe.


    There really wasn¡¯t anything on the island at all, not even hostile creatures, which surprised me as almost every step I¡¯d taken in Endaria so far had mostly been running from something trying to make a meal of me.


    I gathered up some courage and decided to stalk the shoreline of the island, there was no sign of the massive lake monster, so I took a chance and gave a running leap and dove into the water.  I could see quite far in the crystal-clear lake, and the new shoes I had received earned their keep as I use the transformed flippers to quickly make a break for the shoreline.


    As it would turn out, the monster had not forgotten me.  I looked behind me when something caught my eye and nearly peed myself when I saw the creature following me, keeping a respectful distance almost as if it was escorting me.  There was no way I could outrun it, but it didn¡¯t seem inclined to give me any grief so I relaxed.


    Stumbling onto the far shore I looked down the rest of the valley as I heard a noise behind me and saw the gigantic snout of the lake monster blow a plume of water out of its nostrils, then turn in one motion and dive back down into the lake.  It took me a few moments before I could get my heart to beat normally, and for my hands to stop shaking.


    In the meantime, I discovered that my clothes seemed to completely repel the water, drying rapidly like hydrophobic fabric. It was truly a wonder.

 Chapter 6: The Guardians of the Bridge

    When I found a good vantage point, I could see the beginning of a small trail leading from the far side of the lake deeper into the valley.  Making a quick decision, I followed it, with the hope of someone other than the murderous local wildlife to talk to.


    The fir trees slowly became replaced with towering redwoods, then the small trail joined a road paved with rough cobblestones and I lost sight of the mountains around the valley as I followed what had now become an easy, level decent.  I finally found my first sign of civilization when I found the river once again.  It was flowing along a massive ravine.  There was a wide stone bridge across the ravine, and it was heavily fortified.  And I mean the bridge itself was protected just as much as the two fortifications on either side of the bridge.


    Banners whipped in the wind, of multiple different colors and coats of arms.  Heavily armed and armored warriors patrolled walls that were even taller than the multistory monster that had chased me not long ago.  As I was spotted walking down the road, gawking and trying to figure out what to do, there was a roaring clang and I saw a portcullis rise to let out a stream of mounted guards who kicked their horses and charged towards me.  They didn¡¯t look friendly, or welcoming.


    ¡°That¡¯s far enough!¡±  One of them called and he nudged his mount forward as he looked me up and down, eyes narrowed.  I returned his gaze and saw the hovering outline of a player tag above his head.  I had turned off my interface for the most part, but I still decided to turn on a basic name display to see who I was dealing with. When I did, I gulped.


    Sir. Vance of Gilford


    Rank C


    Landed Knight of Gilford Manor, Kingdom of Fenwick


    My own ranking felt like it was several below his. As I understood it, that ranking system Endaria¡¯s game interfaced used was loosely based on combat potential.  This guy was a veteran player and, I sincerely hoped he wasn¡¯t a PKer, because I was screwed.


    He didn¡¯t seem to be happy to see another player.  ¡°Nimue¡­¡± He pulled out a curious dark slate that seemed to stream with symbols for a second before they stopped and he read it.


    ¡°No¡­ she isn¡¯t on our KOS list¡­ still she¡¯s not on any lists, not even the list of players heading for temple rock.  She shouldn¡¯t be in the valley.¡±  He muttered to one of the other guards.


    ¡°How did you get on this side of the bridge girl?  Who are you with?¡±  He barked at me and I shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really with anyone, just spawned.¡±  I said and he burst out laughing.


    ¡°You think I¡¯m an idiot?  There is no way you survived long on this side of the bridge, especially with the mountain trolls around causing a ruckus. If they didn¡¯t eat you, it would have been the spine wolves, or forest spiders.¡±  I winced.


    ¡°Well¡­ I did get chased by some sort of monster, it was at least the size of a three-story building, and yes I did get eaten by spiders.¡±  I said, though I shuddered at the thought of another variant of spiders that inhabited woods instead of caves.


    ¡°Hmm probably a hill giant or a cyclops¡­ could have been one of the infernal creatures from the Darkwood.¡± He grumbled for a moment and gave a sigh.  ¡°You get a good look at it?¡±  I shook my head.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s dead now¡­ got eaten by a lake monster when it tried to swim after me across the lake.¡±  I pointed back the way I came and from the clearing that the ravine occupied I could see the glimmer of the high mountain lake cut out of the small valley above.


    ¡°Ok¡­ well if ole¡¯ chompy got fed today, we won¡¯t have to worry about him for a bit. He¡¯s one of the local river guardians, not particularly dangerous unless you piss him off or he feels a bit peckish.¡± He gave a wry shake of his head.


    ¡°Sir Gregor, please escort our new¡­ guest to my office, I¡¯ll be right along, need to send a few dispatches.¡±  He turned and expertly guided his horse around and back towards the open gate.


    The other man gave a salute, and then peered at me with a curious stare as he gestured for me to follow him at a slow pace.  We crossed the massive cleared area around the fort on this side of the river and I saw little red poles along the road, and I wondered what they were.  As we approached the fortification a few very deadly looking machines that only slightly resembled giant crossbows, but much more intricate were turned from being trained on me, back to being trained on the far tree line.  The archers on the walls didn¡¯t seem to relax though, standing in ranks watching me warily.


    Upon closer inspection, I saw that some of the walls were scorched and the stone slightly melted.  There were also spots where clear battle damage had been repaired.  I spied craters in the clearing around the walls, burnt grass, and what looked like more than a few patches of viscus black liquid and other odd substances.


    There was one spot in the clearing that looked quite strange, as if someone had scraped a long line of grass with weed killer and stripped it bare, it ended in a massive circle of dead grass, and a deep crater.  The trail led off towards the woods.  The knight leading me nodded as he saw my confused expression.


    ¡°We got hit by some species of forest slime a few days back, happens every once in a while.¡±  He didn¡¯t really sound convincing.  Anyone could easily tell this place saw almost constant fighting.


    As we entered the fortification, I saw that pretty much every inch of it was designed to be defended from all directions.  I pondered this for a second until I saw massive claw marks along a stone roof and a broke off tooth wedged on a roof beam several stories above me high up on a keep with massive, thick walls.  The gate we passed through had multiple murder holes high overhead with slits along the walls for guards inside to stab or shoot attacks in the gateway.  There were two sets of portcullises and a massive stone door, almost like a vault that was on a rail.  I don¡¯t think I had ever heard of any sort of fortification quite like it even on earth.  It was an odd cross between a bomb shelter, a set of medieval castles, and seemed to be loosely based on forts I¡¯ve seen in games set in frontier America, or European gunpowder wars.


    The keep on the other side was quite massive, but solidly built with towers that protruded from each corner to give fields of fire to each other and cover anyone scaling the keep.  We kept on going, winding between buildings, that I could see were all designed to be fortified.  We entered another gatehouse, no less formidable then the one facing the outside and I saw that the bridge was actually a drawbridge that could be lifted from the other side to cut off this fort and access.  The other fortification was even larger, and I saw gardens and farms in a massive clearing around it.


    We crossed the drawbridge and I gawked at the extraordinarily thick walls that were in a star shape, giving the machines intersecting fields of fire, those walls looked more recently built and the older, heavier walls behind them that were taller still, and were dwarfed by a huge keep that towered over everything.


    This¡­ had to be overkill even in Endaria.  I considered what I had seen so far, and dismissed the thought, as it wasn¡¯t quite possible to be overprepared, or define anything as overkill in this game.  There was battle damage on the bridge itself and the fortifications on this side too.  A whole section of the ledge of the ravine was missing, as if something massive had torn it down into the river below.  I looked down and I saw white bones in the river, jutting out at the spot.  The bones of a very nasty looking creature that would have given the lake monster ¡°Ole¡¯ Chompy¡± a run for its money.


    Just how crazy were these people, to live here?


    ¡°Is Endaria for real?  I¡¯ve never heard of a game so brutal, much less one that was full immersion.¡±  I asked the player escorting me, as I peered at his displayed info.


    Sir. Gregor


    Rank C


    Kingdom of Fendwick


    The nametag was much more brief than other guy¡¯s nametag but it still indicated he was the same rank.  It made me wonder if the role a player took up was just as important as their ranking.


    ¡°There is a saying here in Endaria, or at least it¡¯s an inside joke on the forums, and wiki.¡±  He smiled at me and continued.


    ¡°In Endaria, you no eat rat¡­ rat eats you.¡±  He chuckled and I frowned at him.


    ¡°Er how big are the rats?¡±  I asked and he winked at me.


    ¡°Just if you ever have the unfortunate offer to help a little ole¡¯ lady with her cellar infestation in Endaria, think long and hard on it, and bring lots of friends.  Not that I¡¯ve ever seen anything that could remotely be called a quest, much less something as basic as that.¡±  He muttered darkly.


    ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s like a complete sandbox?¡± I asked, still curious about how the mechanics in this game actually worked.  I knew some sandbox games could be very sophisticated with everything from random generation to dynamic questing with every choice you made impacting the world around you.


    He gave a long sigh and looked up at the sky and grumbled something about stupid noobs.  ¡°Endaria isn¡¯t er like any other game I¡¯ve played.  In fact, it really helps if you don¡¯t even think of it as a game.¡±  He tried to explain as we entered the final gatehouse next to the keep on this side of the bridge and he guided us over to a long set of stables.  I looked at the curious construction.  There were small narrow doors the size of horses, and then there were a set of massive doors in the stables that seemed to be for things the size of small elephants.  Still another set of doors looked almost like hanger doors at an airport.  This was complete with an open and cleared stretch of packed dirt in front of them.


    Grooms came out to take the horse¡¯s reigns as he dismounted.  He patted the beast and greeted a young boy that came bounding up.


    ¡°Sir Gregor! Bal¡¯Sam is here to see you! Where is Sir Vance?¡±  He looked flustered, and sweat soaked his yellow lively as he tried to catch his breath.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to him¡­ Page Keldric, please escort this young lady inside the keep.  Get some chow, the both of you.  Keep an eye on her and make sure she gets up to the great hall. I¡¯ll rejoin you two there when I¡¯m finished with Bal¡¯Sam, I don¡¯t get back to you make sure she meets with Vance before he runs off again.¡±  He gave a grumble of frustration, then he clanked off out the nearby gatehouse into the rest of the fortification, disappearing around a sharp bend in the buildings.


    ¡°This way!¡±  The boy called as he bounced on his feet, seeming with bottomless reserves of energy despite the sweat soaking his clothes and dirt and grime across his arms and face.


    I hurried to keep up with him as he practically sprinted up the narrow stairs that went up the side of the keep towards its entrance.  I looked up and saw that even this entrance was designed to make attackers pay for every inch they advanced.  There were arrow slits above it, and several ways to put the exposed stairs in a crossfire.  I marveled at this little detail, and noted just how practical and overengineered everything here was.  I had seen fantasy games before, but this like Gregor had said, wasn¡¯t like anything else he ever experienced, and he seemed competent enough.  It had always seemed silly to me that most games designed castles and the like to look pretty, not be the deathtraps they were supposed to be. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Whoever had designed this didn¡¯t really care about how ugly it looked, but seemed to be very enthusiastic about making it a deathtrap for anyone fool enough to attack it.


    The stairs had no railing on either side and seemed to be treacherously narrow.  I could see cargo booms overhead that could lift large goods and the like up several floors.  One was lifting a heavy pallet of stones as I watched someone run inside what looked like a massive hamster wheel to winch the load up, ratcheting clanks sounding as the man threw himself into the work.  Masons with toolbelts and heavy leather smocks caught the load of bricks and pulled it into a doorway, moving the boom of the crane inside where they quickly untied the bricks and I saw a line of workers moving them into some sort of storeroom.


    When we entered the doorway, the corridors were narrow, with defendable choke points and gate after gate like airlocks.  The bottom floor seemed to be guard barracks and were packed full of soldiers who seemed to be in a constant frenzy of motion.  They were caring for gear by tables in the hallways, or doing other mystifying things like one gathering I saw where several men and women were clustered around a slate set into one wall as one massive, burly man with a scarred face and missing ear pointed at some sort of map displayed on it, barking out orders and talking to each one of them.


    The stairs we clime upwards from the ground spiraled clockwise and I stopped and stood for a moment as something tickled the back of my mind.  I snapped my fingers and remembered that this was actually quite common in castles, as it put right-handed attackers at a disadvantage as they fought their way up them.  In addition to the spiral, at each landing we came to actually had more gates and doors before you could go up to the next floor, and each of those landings were manned by guards.  They nodded to us, but still looked suspiciously at me with narrowed eyes as I was escorted higher and higher upwards.


    When my knees started shaking and I thought I would collapse, we finally passed through a landing that we didn¡¯t keep going up from.  This floor did smell quite lovely, and I could hear the clatter of plates and thump of tables and raised voices as we stepped into a small, open hall with a collection of guards, knights and people dressed in work clothes eating their late afternoon meal.  The hall went silent as all heads turned to regard me with interest.  The page pointed at a nearby table as he practically skipped over to one of people bringing out dishes of food and I shook my head in wonder.  The boy hadn¡¯t even seemed out of breath from the climb.


    A woman started arguing with him, hands on her hips and brandished a ladle from her belt at him after she emerged from a nearby doorway.  She called out orders to some staff and then stormed in my direction.


    As she stood there for a moment, we sized each other up.  She had dark, almost ebony skin and curly black hair.  I was reminded of one of my nannies growing up who had come from Georgia to work for my father.  This woman seemed to have the same sort of no-nonsense personality.  I saw that even working as a cook, she was armed with more than just a ladle.  A leather case that was the same size and shape of a crossbow hung from her back and a shortsword with a sweat stained grip was fastened along the case¡¯s strap as it went over her shoulder.


    It made me look around curiously, and I saw that no one here was unarmed.  Even a little girl playing dice with a gaggle of older teenagers in the corner was armed with a wicked looking hatchet that hung from a baldric.  She was wearing tanned leather armor and I saw a helmet sitting next to her as she spun dice to her friends as they ate.


    In fact, it did look like I was the only one here completely unarmed.  It was, quite awkward when I thought about it.


    ¡°Whacha be doing coming here to the frontlines noob?¡±  The woman peered at me, as if trying to figure me out.


    ¡°Umm¡­. I spawned here.¡±  I said and gave a vague shrug.  She returned a curt laugh and, a few other players in the room joined in.  I looked around and saw most of the older men and women in the room were actually players.


    ¡°How many times you die so far?¡±  She asked me and I saw her knowing smirk.


    ¡°Just once¡­¡±  I said and she gave me an appraising nod.


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s pretty impressive.  You should have chosen the town spawn you know¡­ it is your first time in Endaria?¡±  I nodded.


    ¡°The founders of Fenwick, myself included were originally beta players¡­ and most of us didn¡¯t last the first few days, especially after our spawn group broke up¡­ due to some infighting.¡±  She said.


    ¡°How many of there were you?¡±


    ¡°Almost two hundred players.¡±  She smiled at me.


    ¡°How many survived the first few days?¡±  I asked and her grin went wider.


    ¡°Thirty-two.¡±  She said and my jaw dropped in horror.


    ¡°We also trained for two years following the end of the beta for the start of Endaria, mastering weapon skills and or martial arts as well as studying crafting techniques in real life, and in training simulations before the launch.¡±  The woman explained.


    ¡°What is this Fenwick place anyways? I¡¯m kind of new here and don¡¯t know much about it.¡±  I looked around and a few of the players grinned at me as they stood up and motioned for me to sit down.


    I sat down at the table and one of the serving staff set a plate of food in front of me, as I dug into it with the page next to me already asking for seconds and chattering away with several other kids, they tried to explain a bit about the kingdom I was in.


    ¡°So as far as we know, we are the only player kingdom that¡¯s actually managed to be successful in Endaria.  Or at least the only kingdom that is led by players.  There are a few others that have more players in them then we do, but none with a player king.¡±  One explained; a warrior named Freddy.


    He had pulled out a slate and manipulated a few symbols until a map formed.  They showed me where I was.  The continent we were on was called Hygarth and there were a bunch of kingdoms surrounding the northern section of the continent on the other side of a mountain range, with the range extending in a horseshoe shape with Fenwick in the center of it, almost completely isolated from the rest of the continent.  We were along the foot of the mountain range on the southwest side of the horseshoe, about a week¡¯s ride from the capital.


    ¡°Oh and it is an actual week, this is about the farthest you can get from the capital and still be in anything claimed by King Roger.¡±  The woman explained.


    ¡°The port city of Bosroy is just southeast of here, and is still ruled by the League of Silvania.¡±  She explained and pointed to the map.


    ¡°So, yea, we have to worry about possible attack here by both the League of Silvania from the south and monsters from the surrounding forests and the mountains north of us.¡±  She explained, and I realized now why things seemed so tense around here.


    ¡°Are you at war with them?¡± I asked and there was a round of chuckles from the table.  ¡°Not officially, but it doesn¡¯t stop them from trying to weaken us by waging a proxy war, using the local bandits or barbarian tribes.¡±  Freddy responded.


    I gave a weary sigh and leaned back in my chair.  I was stuffed, and feeling a bit drowsy now that I was well fed.  Looking out the narrow windows here in the dining area, I could see that the sun was beginning to sink low in the sky, almost cresting the surrounding mountains.


    ¡°Sir Vance wanted her in his office, but I just went and checked, he still isn¡¯t back yet.¡± The boy piped up and the woman nodded to me.  I had learned she was named Gloria and was a combination of the local cook, and chemist/herbalist.  She had picked up an animated conversation with one of the locals during our meal about chemistry and tweaking potions and herbal medications.  I had quickly lost interest when they started arguing about different ratios of ingredients I¡¯d never heard about before like puffer thorn extract, and ambrite venom.


    The conversation around me faded as I cleared a spot on the table to lay down my weary head and I nodded off into a dreamless sleep.


    It didn¡¯t feel like more than a few instants before I felt myself being prodded, then there was a giggle and I blinked open my eyes to see the little girl who was playing dice earlier staring intently at me.  I tried to move, but my leg cramped and I groaned before shifting around in the bed I was laying in.


    Wait¡­ bed?  Why was I in a bed?  I gave a proper glance around my surroundings and saw I was in a dark room surrounded by bunks full of sleeping people.  A dim lantern shone from a nearby hallway where a bored looking boy in page livery was yawning and leaning on a short spear for support.  Next to him I saw Vance glaring at me and beckoning me silently.  He was obviously trying hard not to wake the other people fast asleep.


    The girl who had prodded me awake skipped back out of the room and stuck her tongue out at Vance before she disappeared around the corner. When I went to get out of bed, I discovered I was barefoot, and my slipper shoes that my new boss had made for me sitting at the foot of the bunkbed.


    I grabbed them, and winced at the cold stone floor as I padded over to Vance who silently motioned for me to follow him as we turned down the hallways in the same direction the girl had gone.  Vance climbed the nearby stairwell and I followed him, pausing on one of the steps long enough to slip into my shoes.  It took a few moments for my sleep addled brain to figure out the right way to lace the shoes up and I had to endure another nasty look from Vance before I was ready to continue.


    When we emerged on the next floor, I recognized the dining hall, all the lights were doused and it was empty now.  The next floor was a set of richly appointed chambers, and we went down the hallways for a ways, until he opened a door that had a brass nameplate on it with his own name engraved into it.


    ¡°Have a seat over by the heater and warm up. Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±  He looked at me and I paused for a second, only now realizing that Vance¡¯s breath had a bit of condensation to it as we had climbed up the keep.  I didn¡¯t feel the cold at all.


    There was a tiny little glowing device in the corner, giving off red light and heat, and he sat down by it for a moment rubbing a hand across his weary face.  I sat in a comfortable armchair next to him as he nodded and nudged a rough crate across the floor, one that had Watchwood Ale stamped on it, and clanked as he shifted it in front of his chair and sighed as he propped his armored feet up on it and leaned back.  His eyes closed for a moment, and just when I thought he had nodded off, his eyes snapped open and he shook himself.


    ¡°Sorry about getting back to you so late.  I was held up a bit.¡±  He grimaced and stared intently at me.


    ¡°How did you make it here¡­ alone?  I want the truth from you, and over the stone.¡± He pulled out a bumpy looking glass sphere and held it out to me.


    ¡°Bound to truth, in the name of the great seal! So mote it be!¡±  He called to the sphere, it glowed briefly with ethereal light and he nodded.


    ¡°Lay your hand on this and I want the truth from you kid, I¡¯ll know if you lie to me!¡±  His intense scrutiny deepened as I grabbed the sphere.  I didn¡¯t think it was a good idea to tell him everything, but I decided to at least tell him that I had used magic.


    ¡°Are you working for Bret, or his ilk?¡± He spat out and I shook my head.


    ¡°Um who is Bret?¡±  I asked and he glared at me.


    ¡°Respond to the question!¡±  He barked and I sighed.


    ¡°No I¡¯m not working for Bret, or whatever you are talking about.  I don¡¯t wish your stupid kingdom any ill will, yadda yadda.  What¡¯s this about?¡±  When the sphere glowed a soft green, he let out a sigh and then narrowed his eyes again.


    ¡°So how did you make it here, you said you only died once? I find that pretty hard to believe.  What spawn option did you pick?¡±


    ¡°The underground spawn¡­¡±  I grimaced and his eyes went wide.


    ¡°How in the name of Pan did you manage to get from one of those massive cave systems to the surface?¡±  He barked a bit of laughter and I grinned.


    ¡°Um¡­ I kinda rode an iceberg down an underground river, not sure how fast I was going but it was pretty fast.¡±  I said and he shook his head.


    ¡°Iceberg?  You use magic or something?¡±  I nodded at his question.


    ¡°So¡­ well now that does make a bit more sense now.  Water magi, nice!¡±  He grinned and leaned back, relaxing before he reached to a nearby shelf and picked up a rough carved wooden box.  Pulling a pipe from it and filling it with contents from the box he lit the pipe and took a slow pull.


    The smoke he breathed out was pretty exotic, and I frowned.  I had heard of smoking but, no one in my family was a smoker, and hospitals always had a zero-tolerance view on smoking inside so I had never seen someone smoke before.


    Vance puffed on his pipe as he seemed deep in thought for a moment before he perked up.  ¡°What¡¯s with the strange outfit by the way.  That¡¯s not noob garb, I know because I landed in the forest a few months ago with nothing but a shortsword, shield and cotton cloth rags.¡±  He grinned at me, as if remembering his own start in the game.


    I shrugged.  ¡°Got lucky, I guess.¡±  He frowned as the orb did seem to reluctantly glow green, after it shifted through yellow.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the whole truth.¡± He glared at me and I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°What business is it of you guys?  I really appreciate everything you people have done to help me, including that delicious dinner, and the bed but I don¡¯t owe you my life story.¡±  My own anger flaring, as I objected to being interrogated and talked down to by this veteran player.


    He held up his hands in placation, and then withdrew his pipe after another pull and cocked his head at me in curiosity.  ¡°I understand you have no reason to trust me or whatnot, but the same goes for you.  We have a lot of problems with spies trying to get into Fenwick, mostly of the player variety.¡±  He said and gave a bit of a chuckle before he leaned back and rolled a stiff shoulder, groaning in relief as I heard a joint pop.


    ¡°Ok¡­ well point taken.¡±  I said and tossed him the sphere.  He almost fumbled it in surprise and I glared at him.


    ¡°Do you intend me any harm?¡±  I asked and he quickly shook his head.


    ¡°No, we aren¡¯t PKers or anything! Honest!¡±  He hurriedly said at my look as I grimaced and pushed back a lock of bedraggled hair and suddenly wondered what I looked like for him to be so taken aback.  The ball of glass did glow green, and I gave a sigh.


    He waved his hand over the glass while muttering something, causing it to darken.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry, didn¡¯t mean to pry too much if you don¡¯t want to tell me what happened.¡±  He said as he replaced the orb into a pouch at his side and grimaced.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell when I¡¯m ready, and If I think I can trust you.¡± I held up a finger and pointed out at the lightening sky in the window behind him.


    ¡°Just how early before dawn did you get me up?¡±  I accused, and tried to fight back a yawn.  He nearly fell out of his chair as he rushed to the window just as I heard sets of bells begin to ring.  ¡°It¡¯s not dawn! It is in the middle of the night, nearly midnight!¡±  He bellowed as he quickly knocked out his pipe into a nearby tin and ran for the door, pulling out a glowing and franticly blinking crystal from about his neck.


    ¡°It¡¯s Vance what¡¯s going on?!¡±  His voice trailed off and I heard his echoing, clanging footsteps fade as he ran.

 Chapter 7: The Dogs of War

    The bells outside were tolling in some sort of coded sequence and I as I pushed open the barred window and poked my head of Vance¡¯s office I got a better vantage point on the carnage below.  A few buildings out in the fields next to the castle were burning and I saw dark winged shapes darting in and out of the trees nearby.


    Entranced by the horrific spectacle, I observed something red, like a streak of fire blaze off the back of one in a red ball and bounce off a glowing barrier that had suddenly begun to form around the keep and its walls.  Tiny figures were running for fortified homes around the farms, and I saw smaller globes spring up around them.  Then return fire began to streak back at the flying forms as they writhed and spun to dodge what looked like glowing beams of light and fire from defenders.


    I leaned on the sill of the narrow window and watched the battle, my stomach twisting in horror.  There was a screeching roar from high above, and I saw a gigantic bird the size of a light aircraft slam into one of the winged figures, hurtling it out of the horde attacking the fortified farms and ripping and tearing it with its talons.  The bird turned and with the lights of the fire silhouetting it, I saw it had a rider on the bird¡¯s back.


    The creature flew towards the keep, dropping its stunned creature prize down right in front of its shielded walls, where it began to get peppered with arrows, and objects that exploded when they hit.


    It was blasted apart into tumbling fragments, and I wondered just what the attacking creature had been.  More air support began to rally for the defense and I gasped as a massive golden griffin, streaming banners and covered in red livery rise up out of the courtyard, from the stable that I had seen earlier.  It was that one with a cleared strip of ground in front of it.  I now realized why those stables were so large, they housed these flying creatures.


    A horn sounded in the distance, and it was as if the nearby woods seemed to come alive with pinpricks of light as thousands of torches lit deep in the wood, and a wave of screaming creatures flowed towards the castle.


    One by one, as precious minutes passed, the little fortified farms began to lose their shields, with waves of power slamming into them.  With those globes of power down I saw explosions tearing apart both the defenders and the buildings alike.  Trumpets sounded from far below me, and the gates roared open to let out a stream of knights on horseback running to aid the farms.  Far below me, I recognized the coat of arms I had seen Vance wearing streaming from a banner on the front of the formation.  They slammed into the tide of attackers, and I could hear the screams of battle, clash of weapons from high up above even now.


    I stood there, not knowing if I was supposed to help, or what I could do in that maelstrom of death and battle below me.  Either way there had to be something I could do.  I sprinted out of the office and down the hall.  I skidded to a halt as I saw a young page press his hands against a crystal panel.  When It slid open, I saw that there was metal pole there that looked suspiciously like those poles you could see in old movies about what fire stations were like back at the twentieth century.  I ran over it and watched him disappear down into the bowls of the castle.  Then there was a series of slamming clangs as on each floor, a metal grate slid shut, before suddenly the panel in front of me slammed closed.  I tried to figure out how the page had opened it, but couldn¡¯t quite understand what he had done.


    I touched the crystal I had seen him touch, but nothing happened.  ¡°Move aside!¡± Someone behind me screamed and I felt myself flung to the ground as the ebony skinned woman, Gloria palmed the crystal and disappeared down into the darkness sliding down the pole.


    I grabbed the pole and slid down after her, hoping that I wasn¡¯t going to be squished by a closing grate.


    Landing at the bottom I had to dive out of the way of another descending person, then I was pushed out of the way again as the guard behind me ran for the parade grounds outside the keep, where a large formation of soldiers began to organize.  Weapons and shields were being readied as leaders rallied their men and prepared to march them out to aid the knights.  There was a stream of wounded being brought back to the castle on litter bearers.  Gloria skidded to a halt next to one and helped lift the litter to the ground where she began tending a wounded knight with bandages and forcing the player to drink potions even as he cursed at her and struggled to get up.


    ¡°Not going to drink your damm sleepyjuice woman! They need me back out there!¡±  I heard the player cry right before Gloria have him a hard slap, snapping his head back and dazing him.  She then yanked out the wicked looking glowing spear that was stuck between two joints of his plate armor and dumping a potion over the seeping wound.


    ¡°Hold still Jeff!  Goddamit you ornery sonofabitch!¡± She snarled as I dashed to the growing cluster of wounded.  Reaching for my power, I pulled glowing water out of the air and laid it over the man¡¯s wounds.  He gave a sigh as a nasty gash sealed up.  My head spun a bit, but I did feel stronger and the power did come more easily to me now.


    Gloria seemed to pause for a second, before her eyes widened in shock.  ¡°You! Hey what are you doing¡­¡±  She snarled at me before she blinked and watched in wonder as Jeff tried to struggle to his feet.  ¡°I¡¯m fine Gloria!  Let me get back out there! We are being overrun! There are too many to handle!¡±  The man stumbled a bit as Gloria helped him stand up and he half ran, half stumbled back towards the gatehouse.


    In the distance I heard the sound of trumpets again and the gatehouse rumbled open, and a stream of knights, villagers, and farmers poured into the courtyard flooding over the wounded.  The soldiers had already formed up to either side of the gatehouse and as the stream of incoming defenders trailed off, they rushed to cover the last of them before the gates slammed shut.


    I didn¡¯t see any sign of Vance.  There also seemed to be only about half the number of knights I had seen sally out earlier from my vantage point in Vance¡¯s office. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Gloria rushed to one of the men who was riding double, and I recognized him as Sir. Gregor.  He was badly wounded and swaying in his perch on the saddle, before Gloria helped him down where she began to try and rouse him.  I didn¡¯t have to wait to be asked as I saw the pleading look in Gloria¡¯s face as she franticly tried to staunch the flow of blood flowing out from under his armor.  It looked like his entire chest was nearly caved in by some horrendous blow.  She had to cut the armor off of him and then get help to unbind his gambeson to get to the wound.


    ¡°They broke my enchantments¡­¡±  He gasped and Gloria picked up a piece of armor and frowned as she studied it.


    ¡°What in the heck¡­¡±  She poked at black substance covering the armor before her eyes went wide.


    ¡°We have underdark out there?!¡±  She stammered and he nodded.


    ¡°A horde of them flowing from the south.  We had heard rumors of something terrible happening along the coast, but no real confirmation until now.  Vance is dead¡­ so is Cecile and Kenny, since Vance died last night, that means he¡¯s stacked three times now¡­¡±  Gloria nodded at the knight¡¯s words and her face fell.


    ¡°At least twelve hours then, and he had the only master com crystal.¡±  She cursed and stood up.


    A shuddering blast that sounded like thunder rocked the shield, a dark lance of light howled and burned into it.  We all looked up and I gasped as an immense dark shape seemed to float down out of the clouds, deep purple sparks tracing a line between the shield where it had discharged something powerful.


    ¡°Airship!¡±  Gloria yelled just as bright beams of searchlights lit up from all the points of the star fort and there were a series of thrums as the odd devices launched projectiles at the airship.  The projectiles crossed the distance in an instant, and penetrated the shield around the dark looming form, causing massive explosions and washes of fire.


    Even from here we could hear the screams of it¡¯s crew as it rippled with concussive force, then seem to list a bit, debris raining down over the ground under it, along with clouds of falling creatures.


    The ship lurched upwards, clawing for the sky, but it looked like it had dropped countless floating figures, like a trail of inky dark behind it.  A searchlight fixed on them and I saw that they were falling monsters heading right for the castle.


    At the same moment the shield around us flickered and shuttered from another massive hit, this time from the outside of the fort somewhere. ¡°Run for the keep!¡± Gloria screamed and gathered up one end of a stretcher carrying Gregor, and I grabbed the other.  We ran for the narrow stairs of the keep just as the shield flickered and died as it had been a candle snuffed out in a wind.  Behind us and above us I could hear the clash of weapons and the howling inhuman roar.  Soldiers were streaming into the keep behind us as we entered, fighting a rear guard as hundreds of winged figures poured over the walls like a tide of darkness.


    The courtyard was filling with black creatures landing all around us.  Streaks of light, and blazing projectiles were arching out from the defenders of the keep, killing anything that tried to get up the narrow stairway along the side, unless it was a retreating friendly defender.


    Gloria ran off as soon as we set the stretcher down and I sat down next to Gregor who was fumbling at his shattered armor and trying to remove sections of it.  I helped him and he stripped down to a torn padded gambeson that had chainmail in vulnerable spots, like the armpit and other joint locations.  He picked up one of the discarded pieces of armor.


    ¡°Should have upgraded to that new stuff that the enchanters were working on, supposed to be more resistant to disenchanting.¡±  He winced.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked and he shook his head.


    ¡°It was a trap.  They lured us out and used more breakers that I¡¯ve ever seen to suppress the enchantments on our armor while they used breaker spells on us, then they used their heavy troops to attack the knights.¡±  He winced and pointed upwards.


    ¡°Only the second time I¡¯ve seen one of their airships, the last time was during the battle at the capital of Fendwick where they tried to wipe us out with a massive army.¡±


    ¡°Who are these underdark?¡± I asked.  They both looked at me in consternation.  He laughed.


    ¡°Pretty much the main baddies everywhere these days.  They are twisted creatures¡­ don¡¯t get bitten by them by the way.¡±  He trailed off and added the last bit as an afterthought.


    The keep shuddered and groaned.  I heard fighting all around us and a series of explosions.  I could still hear the strange machines firing and fighting outside the keep, so apparently the walls hadn¡¯t quite fallen yet.


    More wounded streamed into the barracks and I saw them being loaded into elevators.  I jumped onto one and helped heal the soldier being transported.  It let out several floors above, seemingly in the very center of the keep.  Players and locals in white robes rushed around me, and I saw them tending to the wounded as I stumbled out of the elevator, watching in fascination as they used some sort of bright light from their fingers to help close wounds and repair damage to their patients.


    I felt very drained, as I walked through the bedlam.  I had really strained my power helping Gloria and had to sit down for a moment.  Fishing around in my pocket I pulled out the small statuette of Aegaeon that I had been gifted and wondered just how I was supposed to pray and get some power back.


    There wasn¡¯t any moving water in close proximity for me to draw on, so I¡¯d have to make due with a few prayers.  It felt odd praying to a fake god in a game but it was what was expected of me.  It was just a game, and while I felt silly, it still was quite normal here.


    Drawing my feet up to me in a lotus position on the chair I gripped the statuette of Aegaeon tightly in my fingers as I tried to imagine drawing power from it, like I had done with the river.  Nothing happened.


    Gritting my teeth, I closed my eyes and muttered.


    ¡°Oh great Aegaeon¡­ please don¡¯t let me die!¡±  I said with as much conviction and piety as I could muster. Deep within my mind I felt a foreign chuckle before slowly, the statuette warmed in my fingers and a tingle like my fingers, then my arm falling asleep flooded my hands and I felt better, lighter as power flooded into me.


    I blinked open my eyes and saw one of the white robed clerics staring at me in horror.  ¡°Is that¡­ Aegaeon?¡± She muttered pointing at my statuette, her eyes wide as she backed away.


    ¡°She is one of the dark ones!¡±  She cried and I gave her a puzzled glance as all of white robed healers stopped what they were doing.  A player in the same white robes advanced on me.


    ¡°I knew there was something off about you the moment I saw you!¡±  He cried and I saw his eyes flash for a second, as he cast a spell with one gesture of his hand.  His entire face drained of color as he stared at me with glowing eyes.


    ¡°Shes¡­. she¡¯s the champion of Aegaeon! Kill her!¡±  He screamed and I felt lances of light billow out of their hands and suddenly I was bound in glowing ropes of power and carried to the ground.  The man who had cried for my death smiled at me as he advanced on my prone figure.


    ¡°You have any idea how much favor I¡¯ll get for killing you? I should thank you, at least if I get overrun and killed, I¡¯ll have something to show for it.¡±  He laughed as he lifted my neck to plunge the dagger into it.

 Chapter 8: The Flight

    I was still clutching my statuette, and it glowed and pulsed in my hand as I let loose a howl of panic. My hand went numb for an instant, then there was the crackle of power as a bolt of lightning surged from it then arched between my body and the man¡¯s, raw power yanked out of my link to Aegaeon by the weight of my terror.


    He screamed and collapsed as I broke free of the bonds and his twitching fingers.  My shaking legs stumbled me past him and I disappeared up the nearby stairwell.


    ¡°You people are crazy!¡± I screamed in panic.


    I had come here to help and now their priests wanted me dead!  As I ran upwards into the keep, yells for me to stop echoed behind me, and guards looked confusedly on as I passed them on the landing and ran upwards.


    The keep shuddered and buckled as titanic explosions echoed outside and I could hear the clash of arms and scream of inhuman creatures even through the thick stone.  The sound became louder the closer I got to the top of the keep, and I burst out onto the top floor into a scene of chaos.


    A multitude of guards were pushing back at a horde of creatures trying to pour through a hole in one corner tower of the keep.  I saw dark fangs and claws impaling guards and screeching off shields or armor as they fought a desperate battle.  Behind me guards and white robed clerics poured from the stairwell pointing at me as I sprinted down the hallway, before I turned around, trapped between fighting guards, attackers, and my pursuers.


    ¡°Get her! She¡¯s one of the enemy!¡±  I saw the player cry at me gleefully as he pulled his dagger and began to cast ropes of glowing light.


    ¡°I¡¯m not an enemy!¡±  I screamed.  The confusing distraction between the two forces created a brief opening and one of the creatures roared and smashed its way into the keep, a huge dark mace flattening a hapless guard and then it was inside and among us.  The creature ignored me completely and focused on the player who had been chasing me. He gave out a shriek of fear and I saw a nimbus of white energy pulse around him. The power rippled before it snapped into place, forming a shield that shattered in one massive sweep of the mace, tossing him right at me.


    I was bowled over as we were both sent sprawling in a painful jumble. I pushed the player off me and stood up focusing water, condensing it into a narrow stream of glowing power as I launched it like a spear, impaling the creature right under the neck as it lunged at the player who was still laying under me, groaning.


    I was blown back off my feet, my nostrils filling with the smell of scorched iron and charred meat as the concussive blast bowled me over.


    A tide of smaller creatures followed it in its wake as they exploited the hole that had momentarily opened up.  Clutching my statuette in one hand and using the other to lever myself up, I gathered power and tried that thing that had worked earlier with the lightning.


    A bolt of power made my arm go numb briefly as it lanced out in a blast of primal thunder and impacted a small chittering horror that seemed to be nothing but a mouth with teeth and short stubbly legs.  It collapsed into a jumble of wings, talons and teeth at my feet and I kicked the stunned creature back out of the hole in the wall.


    Soldiers and guards rallied around me and plugged the gap. Eventually, they began pushing me out of the way into the corner, still reserving dark, suspicious glances.


    I breathed a sigh of relief and was just about to catch my breath before I felt a blinding pain as the player slashed his knife across my back, my sturdy robes turning the point and keeping it from impaling me.


    We grappled, both of us tumbling to the floor as he raised his bloody knife and cackled.


    ¡°Screw you darkie! I¡¯m going to get that boon from Apollo! Die!¡±  He shrieked and I screamed, the razor-sharp knife biting into my palm as I struggled with it, trying to keep it from plunging down towards my chest.  My arms burned with power as I channeled, but I could tell that I was no match for the other player, who was much stronger and had me on my injured back, pushing down with all of his weight.


    His look of maniacal glee and his excitement at killing me increased as the point slowly began to inch closer.


    Abruptly, the weight was gone and I lay there groaning in agony and sobbing within a spreading pool of blood.


    A perplexed Gregor stood over me, doused in the corrupted blood of the monsters, gripping a sword in one hand and a heater shield in the other.  ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±  He bellowed as the other player struggled to his feet from where Gregor had tossed him.


    ¡°She¡¯s working with one of the dark gods!  She¡¯s here to spy on us! Let me kill her and I¡¯ll pay you handsomely!¡±  He yelled and the man just stood there, confused.


    ¡°Just leave her alone for now, we have more pressing matters! I just saw her help, and as long as she¡¯s fighting for us at the moment, that¡¯s all I care about! Get back down to the infirmary Harold!¡±  He bellowed.


    ¡°She must die!¡±  The other player screamed.  I tried to struggle to my feet, but my back exploded in pain and I felt sick and queasy.


    I tried to concentrate, but my power was fading, and my mind spun with every heartbeat matching time with the blinding torment.


    Pulling the statuette into both of my hands I murmured more pleas to Aegaeon to save me and felt a small trickle of power, that I slowly used to form into glowing water that rippled from my fingers to cover the slash in my back. The pain slowly began to fade, and I gasped in relief.


    I slowly began to focus on the world around me as I felt myself being dragged to my feet and Gregor glared at me in anger.  ¡°Fight with us now or I swear I¡¯ll kill you myself!¡±  He snarled and pointed at the faltering line of soldiers pushing against the breach.  I nodded and my head pounded as I channeled power into another lance of water, sweat from the soldiers, and muggy mist from the damp air swirled around and formed into a new lance of liquid.


    I concentrated on another huge hulking creature pushing at the raised shields covering the gap.  When polearms stabbed out at it causing it to rear, I struck and thrust my lance of water into its neck.  Superheated black blood sprayed as it clutched at the wound and collapsed backward into a horde of creatures behind it.  The feedback from the casting staggered me.


    My world spun and I swayed, the lance breaking apart as I lost concentration.


    The next moment I found myself on the sticky, blood and gore-soaked floor with no idea how I had ended up there.  I was being dragged away by a young girl, a familiar young girl towards the stairwell.  Groaning, with every muscle in my body on fire I turned over, thrusting my statuette of Aegaeon into my pocket and began to try to stand up.  Behind us, there was an earsplitting roar and the scream of the dying.


    I was bowled over, and the girl and I tumbled down the stairway as a wave of power from some enemy caster slammed into us, turning my blood cold and causing my entire body to burn in pain.


    We righted ourselves at the next twist and I stumbled to my feet, picking the girl up from where she had fallen as guards streamed into the stairwell, pushing us back.  There was a shuddering clang and a portcullis slammed down to cut off the top floor.  Screams of pain and gurgles, and roars could be heard as polearms jammed through the bars of the portcullis stabbing something massive on the other side.


    ¡°Run¡­ Run!¡± The girl pulled on my arm and I weakly stumbled down the stairwell with her, we rushed down to the next landing where another force of guards was getting ready, formed up in a line.  Crossbowmen were stationed at the slits in the gate that stood open, waiting for us.  Behind us came the survivors with Sir. Gregor bellowing orders to the waiting soldiers.


    ¡°We¡¯ve lost the roof of the keep! Get ready to hold here, we have to buy enough time!¡±  He pointed at me.


    ¡°Get to Gloria, tell her to get the wounded down into the tunnels before they break through!¡±  He bellowed at me, I nodded and half stumbled, half fell down the stairwell, the little girl trying to keep me from falling over.


    ¡°C-mon missy¡­ don¡¯t go to sleep on me.¡± The little girl¡¯s voice chided me as I tried to keep from passing out, a battle that was difficult when every step seemed to make the world spin, and my skull throb.


    ¡°Everything¡­ wants to kill me.¡± I grumbled and felt completely helpless, and despair threatened to overwhelm my tired body.


    Even if I survived the horde of chittering, ravenous monsters, I would be killed by that crazy player and the other clerics of another god.  This was all impossible, and I was beginning to regret even trying to play this stupid game.  I was tempted to use the emergency log out button and just tell stupid Gentech that I couldn¡¯t do it anymore.  I wasn¡¯t strong enough, or resourceful enough to survive this unreasonably difficult game.  I was sobbing in fear, and trembling as I tried not to think about the horror I had just endured.


    ¡°Whatcha talking about?  You ok miss!?!¡±  The little girl¡¯s shaky voice seemed far away as we descended, and she carried me back into the infirmary, almost effortlessly.  She threw me off her shoulder onto a cot. Gloria rushed over to me, before pushing away murderous looking clerics who seemed to want to go for round two on who gets to kill me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡¯ know who or what you are Nimue, but you can explain later. For now, just rest for a second.¡±  The words seemed far away as my head pounded and the world spun.  I was so tired, so very tired.  ¡°Gregor¡­. Gregor says to get the wounded to the tunnels; they have lost the roof.¡±  I gasped out as I thrashed and struggled to try and sit up.  Gloria gently pushed me back down onto the cot and shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late, we already lost the ground floor, we can only use the elevator and the drop shaft now. The elevator is only big enough for more than a few people to go down into the cellar and through the tunnels.¡±  Her voice sounded broken and hopeless.


    ¡°Are you really a champion?  Of Aegaeon?¡±  She looked at me sternly.  I nodded.


    ¡°Well, Herold and the other clerics want your blood, but I don¡¯t think your evil or anything. Girl, I have a good sense of people, and you don¡¯t strike me as the bad sort.¡±  She muttered and narrowed her eyes at me. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Vance already said he questioned you over truth stone, and you are not working with the enemy.¡±  She glared at one of the nearby clerics who was gripping a scalpel with clear fell intent, hatred in her eyes as she snarled at Gloria.  ¡°Kill her! Kill the champion of Aegaeon!¡±  She screamed, her face red with rage as Gloria held up a hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s so bad about this Aegaeon?¡± She asked calmly at the cleric.  The cleric shook her head and snarled.  ¡°Bringer of storms, slayer of sailors, god of the tempest!¡±  She shrieked and glared with me in hatred.


    ¡°If I can kill her, I can get a boon from Apollo! When we respawn, I¡¯ll be more powerful!¡±  Harold chirped up helpfully, grinning at me, and I swear he licked his lips.


    ¡°Lay off her Harold, Like I said she¡¯s already been questioned by truth stone!¡±  Gloria pushed the player away and he seemed to pout.  ¡°Who cares?! She¡¯s a stupid noob, and we will all die soon anyways!  Let us at least get something out of it!¡±  Harold whined and Gloria shook her head.


    ¡°Use your thick skull for once Harold!  She¡¯s a powerful ally, not an enemy, at least not right now.  I¡¯m sure that will change if you kill her for a quick powerup!¡±  Gloria pointed towards the open elevator.


    ¡°We need to get her to safety, get her out of here! I know all about the champions, and we can¡¯t afford to lose one that could help Fenwick! Don¡¯t you remember how helpful the Pathfinder was!?¡±  She turned and helped me to my feet, glaring at the others around me.  ¡°Load as many wounded as you can into the elevator!  We can take the drop shaft!  I¡¯ll see you down below.¡±  When Harold made no move, she glared at him.


    ¡°DO IT!  Or I¡¯ll have you kicked out on your ass! I know Roger is already tired of you as it is!  you¡¯ve been on thin ice for a while now!¡±  She bellowed and pushed me towards the pole.


    ¡°Follow right behind me Nimue!  Don¡¯t you let go and knock me off!¡±  She did something to the crystal and it glowed a blinking red as the compartment opened up.


    ¡°Kai! Follow behind Nimue!¡±  She pointed at the little girl and she nodded grimly as we jumped onto the pole.  My stomach dropped and I felt faint as we slid down into the darkness, all around us the keep shook and shuddered, twisted and groaned.  Distant explosion and waves of heat washed over us before we descended past the floors of the keep and I finally saw light as a door opened up far below us and we landed and tumbled out into a dimly lit room.


    As Kai pushed herself off me I looked up and the series of grates slam shut sealing off the tunnel we had slid down.  ¡°Hurry!¡± She said and pointed at another door that had opened up nearby.  It was a thick portcullis.  As we passed through, Gloria thumbed a crystal on the doorway and the portcullis slammed down to seal off the room.  She waved her hand over other crystals.  ¡°The traps are activated now unless someone keys the crystals on the way down.¡± She said and the girl nodded.


    ¡°The elevator is on the other side of the guard station! Hurry!¡±  She pointed to another set of portcullises and there was the clang of metal and a multitude of voices.  The elevator was opening up and wounded were being offloaded.


    Harold had taken it upon himself to hitch a ride down and was pulling wounded out of the elevator, the doors slammed shut and it went back up for another load.  ¡°Get them out of the landing room and get it ready in case the shaft is breached!¡±  Gloria barked out orders and the cleric nodded and pointed towards a cart sitting on rails.  I followed the rails and saw they disappeared into a dark tunnel at the other side of the massive cellar which was piled high with supplies and gear.


    The elevator opened again, and more clerics and wounded poured out, they were moved to the cart as several of the walking wounded and a cleric moved and shifted more carts onto the rails from where they were laying upright against the wall of the cellar.  ¡°Hurry we need to get them to bottom of the ravine and to the river before the enemy breaks through!¡±  Harold called as he sprinted back and helped move more stretchers to the cart.  I was led to the lead cart and Kai laid me down as I gasped for breath.  ¡°Pray! Get your power back!¡±  Harold screamed at me as his eyes went wide.  The next group of players was covered and blood and bleeding with fresh wounds, the wide-eyed clerics were screaming and yelling as they tugged a mix of wounded and dying out of the elevator.


    ¡°They¡¯ve breached the shaft! The grates won¡¯t stop them for long!¡±  The cleric cried and they cleared the landing room, the portcullis slamming shut.  Gloria did her hand waving over the glowing crystals, and I heard the clanking of metal, then a thundering shudder.


    ¡°The shaft¡¯s been sealed!¡±  Lets go!  She screamed at us.  Herself, and other wounded began to push the carts and I felt myself rolling forward.


    I concentrated on my statuette, praying for Aegaeon to once again, please let me not die.  The power slowly began to trickle back into me as I pushed my hopelessness and desperation into my prayers.  I felt Aegaeon¡¯s confidence in me respond and it made me feel a bit better. At least someone here was decidedly on my side.


    He trusted me, and I couldn¡¯t let my god down. My determination solidified and I was able to calm my pounding heart slightly.


    We were moving faster now and I saw the pushers had jumped aboard the rail carts and were riding with us as we began to roll down into the caves below.  Ahead of us, I could hear the thunder of water growing closer and realized we were getting closer to the rushing river that was next to the keep.  We entered stone rooms filled with supplies and passed through them.


    The next area we entered was a massive room, it was packed full of fearful refugees, villagers and castle staff.  A trio of battle-weary knights, who were caring for damaged weapons and equipment greeted us as we arrived.


    ¡°You¡¯re the last?¡±  One asked and they nodded.


    I looked around the room and saw racks of thin canoes and, large pontoon rafts.  I could feel the nearby power of the rushing river in my bones.  ¡°Hurry!¡± Gloria said and he nodded.


    ¡°We already sent several groups down the river, but we have been waiting until they get distracted by Fort Steadfast.  The main keep is still giving them a good fight.¡±  The knight said and she clanked over to what I had taken for a bare wall.  Quickly, they doused all the lights in the room.  There was a clank as a lever was pulled and the wall seemed to descend.  Right below us was the dark rushing waters of the river.  I could hear the clash of battle and screams of inhuman monsters above.


    Canoes were grabbed off racks, and a large pontoon boat was lowered down with a winch.  ¡°I¡¯m taking Nimue in my canoe, Kai, get in!¡±  The little girl nodded, her eyes wide in her helmet and I was handed a paddle as people gripped the canoe to hold it steady in rushing waters.  The door that had opened up partially, was a disguised cover in the cliff face.  All around us canoes were launching quickly speeding down the rushing river as their occupants desperately fought for control over the tiny vessels against the torrent.


    We were launched, into the dark waters and Gloria pointed up in the sky and motioned for us to stop paddling and to stay still.  High overhead several airships were attacking the other fort, exchanging volley fire from their siege equipment.  The walls of the keep we had just been moments ago were still not completely under enemy control with defenders still operating several of the strange machines, casting bolts of fire into the sky to support their allies at the smaller fort on the other side of the river. The keep was burning, fire rushing from its windows and entire sections were in ruins.  Massive gashes along the sides showed where towers had collapsed.


    Creatures swarmed over the sides of the keep, sill fighting defenders¡¯ floor by floor, each section of the keep was cut off though and even as we sped away, I saw hordes overrun lone holdouts, as they fought to the last man.


    ¡°Stay quiet.¡±  Gloria hissed.  The fleet of canoes rushed so far past the battle, at such speed we quickly lost sight of the chaos.  Ahead of my stomach sank as I saw spray kicked up by rapids.


    ¡°Steer right!¡± She murmured softly and all three of us maneuvered the canoe around the one side of the spray of water kicked up.  There was the crunch of and a scream as one of the other canoes weren¡¯t as lucky.  Far behind us, I heard howls and snarls.  Looking up I saw some of the flying creatures, massive winged lizard-like things had spotted us and were diving to snap up one of the trailing pontoon rafts.


    We ignored this and pressed on. My stomach fell as we plunged down a steep cascade and into more rapids, my mind caught up in not capsizing as the world became a blur of terror and maneuvering, we rushed through a darkened forest around rapids and ducking under fallen trees that stretched across banks.


    ¡°A dam ahead!¡±  Gloria hissed and we slammed into a pile of canoes with struggling occupants who were fording a clog of trees, debris and glut that was clogging the river at one side.


    Strong hands helped us up as we picked up the canoe and quickly pulled it across the damm and there was a steady stream of refugees continuing their flight on the other side of the dam.


    The delay was costly though, and just as we jumped into the water and pushed off into the current there was a scream of triumph from one of the flying creatures followed by panic and terror as it dove on the stranded.


    ¡°Watch out!¡±  I yelled as the creature dove on us, black talons outstretched.  Gloria pulled a small round object out of a bag at her waist and nearly capsized us when she turned and pitched it at the beast.  It exploded in a gout of flame and the creature hissed with rage as I saw figures on it¡¯s back trying to guide it to one shoreline.  It dove its head into the water to douse the flames as it went, and the riders on it¡¯s back were trying to put out flames that had climbed up into a harness they were on.


    ¡°Go! Faster!¡± Gloria urged us on and we paddled furiously, acceleration rocketing us towards rapids.  The forest around us got so dark we could no longer see and the canoe bounced and ricocheted off rocks.  Inevitably, there was a loud crunch and we were suddenly airborne for a moment before icy cold water slammed into us as we crashed into the river, our canoe smashed against something, breaking apart.  I lost sight of Gloria as I struggled to stay afloat, seeing no sign of the girl that was with us, barely able to make anything out in the gloom.


    Suddenly, I felt little hands grab me by the hair and the terrified face of Kai was in front of me as she dragged her hands around me in a panic. We gripped one another as we tumbled down the river, and my eyes went wide as I heard the roaring approach of more rapids.


    I had to get to shore!  With the girl gripping me, I gave powerful strokes of my arms and my feet with shoes that had converted into flippers until we slammed massive roots along the shore, my fingers struggling to find ones to grip before I latched onto them and held.


    We were suspended for a second, the current trying to tug us free before I heaved us up onto the bank and the girl let go, rolling into the mud next to me gasping.  Her missing helmet evident as she tried to push sodden hair out of her face.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ can¡¯t swim.¡±  The girl sobbed and I put my hand over her mouth to muffle her as I held a finger over mine, pointing back out at the river.


    In the gloom of the dark, something massive streaked past following the current and searching.  Kai nodded and we looked around for Gloria.  I assumed she had also swum for one of the banks, but with the current so strong she could be far downriver from us.


    The girl was despondent, shivering in the night air unable to move, so I dragged her behind me as we struggled up the steep bank, using gnarled roots to help us climb.  In the depths of the forest, I couldn¡¯t really see much of anything, and it was disorienting as we ran along the top of the bank, I looked at the shimmering water below us looking for Gloria.


    I fell when my foot caught on a root and Kai tumbled into a heap next to me just as there was the sound of a roar and a scream.  Rolling over the edge of the riverbank I saw a woman running along it.  She stopped, and there was a flash of flame and an explosion as she tossed another familiar looking round ball at the monster pursuing her.  Gloria didn¡¯t make it.  She was scooped up off the bank in the talons of the monster and her scream of terror was cut off suddenly into a gurgle.


    Kai gave a squeak of dismay next to me and we saw the monster land farther downriver, and peer into the gloom, in our direction as it ripped into the thrashing body of Gloria.  Suddenly, it launched in the air high over the river and disappeared over the forest canopy.  Breathing a sigh of relief, I sagged down and tried to calm my breathing and thundering heart.  Tears dripped down my own face as I sniffled and tried to focus on what to do.  Stumbling around in the dark forest, didn¡¯t seem like a good idea to me.


    ¡°Where does the river go?¡±  I asked Kai and she shook her head at me and I could barely make out her shaking her head at me as she replied as if I was an idiot.


    ¡°Goes to the sea of course, west through the lowlands, then south towards the sea.¡± I nodded and sagged.  I felt trapped, but somehow, I didn¡¯t feel like things were completely hopeless.  I was still alive, that was important.


    ¡°What¡¯s at the end of the river, a city?¡±  I asked, knowing that many rivers that joined the sea were often home to seaports.  She nodded.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Her teeth chattered as she spoke and I frowned.  It was cold out, but somehow, I didn¡¯t feel like I was cold.  I patted my clothes and found them somehow dry and warm.  My breath came with condensation, but I didn¡¯t feel cold at all.


    ¡°It will be dawn soon, so probably best to wait until then before we try to do any traveling.¡±  I pointed to where there was a set of two fallen and decayed trees with spans of hundreds of feet.  They formed a dark overhang that we scooted under and leaned into the girl who was silently shuddering with sobs and a bit of the pre-dawn chill of the night as it faded around us.


    I hugged her to me as she began to sob, and my own vision began to swim with fatigue as all of the events of the night caught up to me.   I passed out next to her, into a dreamless sleep.

 Chapter 9: Walking the Riverbank

    I found myself being shaken awake, sometime later, my entire body seemed to be yanked out of a drowning pit of weariness into the waking morning. Opening my eyes, the light seemed painful for a moment until my vision slowly swam into focus. Around me the sounds of a wakening forest sounded. Birds, and beasts alike all adding to the music of the morning song.


    In the background, I could still hear the rushing thunder of the rapids in the river. The girl¡¯s eyes were red from lack of sleep, but she was looking around after wakening me up. Standing up and then trying to climb up over the fallen trees, we had taken cover under, I watched her blink out sleep and focus on what she was seeing.


    I joined her, both of us peering down across the river below us. I couldn¡¯t make out any sign of battle, other than a few scorch marks on the opposite bank when the unfortunate Gloria had made her last stand. My heart pounded when I considered how unlikely it was that we were out of danger.


    Both of us were trapped deep in a forest that I knew nothing about. A chill wind blew through the forest from the nearby mountains and Kai explained that snowfall was a frequent occurrence, and the long winter was about to set in. In fact, it had been unseasonably warm this year and snow normally covered the land by now. I didn¡¯t like that notion, and realize that the dropping temperature was only going to get worse.


    ¡°So what do we do? I thought the attackers came from the direction of that port city, in the southwest.¡± I said pointing toward the direction the water flowed and she shrugged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mean anything miss, you saw them airship things. Cleon always said that those airships carried monsters around, who knows.¡± She said and I nodded.


    ¡°Which way is the capital of Fenwick?¡± I asked and she pointed back upriver, then thought for a moment and turned where she explained was east.


    Drawing in the dirt she showed me the path of the river from the mountains north of us and how it snaked southwest towards the coast. East of us was the foothills and a stretch of grasslands, before larger deeper forests called the Darkwood started.


    ¡°What is this?¡± I pointed around us and she explained. ¡°This is the Westwood miss, or that¡¯s what everyone in Fenwick calls it.¡± She said and gave a sigh.


    It wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to go upstream, and it was unlikely that going downstream would be a good idea. Right now, we had the river to orient ourselves, but I had played games before, where I had gotten lost shortly after disappearing into wilderness with no landmarks to guide me.


    So, where had those canoes been going? What was their destination on the river? That had to be part of a solution, if there was any. ¡°How long is this river, I mean how far are we from the coast?¡± I asked and the girl wrinkled her nose as she tried to ponder the question. She just shrugged.


    ¡°Really far miss, not sure how far but it¡¯s really, really, far.¡± She said and I sighed. Probably anything beyond a day¡¯s ride on horseback was far to this kid.


    ¡°Any ideas how many days it would take to reach the coast going downriver?¡± I clarified. She perked up at that.


    ¡°I heard people talking, they said it was four days down river to the port!¡± I frowned, and studied the speed of the rushing water, then I looked up at what I could see of the mountains through the gloom of the canopy and tried to estimate how long it would take for the mountains to give way to foothills and then floodplains along the coast. The river would likely slow down once out of the mountains, but I had no idea of the local geography.


    Ideally, I would want to stay out of the slow moving sections of the river, where it would be more difficult to lose pursuit, but I knew that it was more likely the enemy would be waiting farther downriver, blocking off places where there were lakes, ponds or natural dams like I had earlier encountered.


    The river was dangerous, either way. Even with a good canoe we hadn¡¯t lasted long against the rapids. Granted it was night, and we couldn¡¯t see well, but my own experience with this treacherous river had led me to discover several waterfalls as well, and I couldn¡¯t discount another encounter with one. I just didn¡¯t know the river well enough and that would likely get me killed even if I wasn¡¯t spotted and then killed by those flying creatures.


    The tree cover was our best bet, but it would be very slow going. Peering into the forest I could see a fair distance into the gloom, but I had the feeling that there were just as dangerous creatures in the forest as were chasing me.


    My father had been a hard man who had built his company from the ground up during the reconstruction after the short but brutal nuclear war that had broken apart the United States. It was this event that caused my own country, the Texas Union to form. He had once told me something when I had asked him about a decision he was mulling over.


    ¡°When you are faced with two bad choices, chose the one that both plays to your strengths and gives you the most options.¡± He had told me.


    I sighed as I looked at the river. Like it or not, bad choice or not I was a champion of a god that used water and storms as it¡¯s element. It may be a bad choice, it was likely a really bad choice, but it was better than bumbling around in a forest that I knew next to nothing about, and probably getting lost.


    Remembering that trail of death and destruction caused by the ¡°forest slime¡± I had seen only yesterday it was better to have options.


    ¡°We will follow the riverbank, and go downriver.¡± I finally decided and Kai just mutely nodded as she trudged sullenly behind me. ¡°Any idea how to find food around here?¡± I asked as my stomach rumbled and the girl perked up.


    ¡°Ah yes miss! I was apprenticed to Gloria, and she taught me how to forage, and some herb lore.¡± She said and then her face fell as tears streamed down it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad Kai, Gloria is¡­ going to be fine.¡± I said, wondering if NPCs understood the game mechanics behind player respawn.


    ¡°I know¡­ but they don¡¯t always come back.¡± She said and I froze, and wondered what she meant.


    ¡°You mean they don¡¯t always log in, or they don¡¯t always respawn?¡± I asked and it only produced a look of consternation on her face, before she shrugged after her eyes went glassy for a second and she seemed to snap out of a fugue.


    ¡°Don¡¯t really know how it works, its hard to find out with the great seal and all but I¡¯ve only seen them come back at special places, and their special place¡­¡± She pointed back up river and I shuddered.


    She was right. The respawn point for the other players was likely either destroyed or being camped. The other players could be captured or being killed over and over again. I wasn¡¯t sure how it worked and the interface wasn¡¯t too helpful in explaining things.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    I frowned and growled in frustration. This game needed a tutorial or something, it was ridiculous! What sort of game just threw new players into the jaws of death and expected them to stick around? I sighed and smiled. Crouching down I took a pinch of mud from the riverbank and studied it in my fingers.


    Everything here was so much more real than any other game I had ever played. It was completely indistinguishable from reality without the interface. I could see why the other player I had talked to before I had entered the game, had told me to turn it off. Yes, this wasn¡¯t the kind of world you could easily ¡°game out¡±. It was so much like reality that you had to think practically, less like a gamer and more like a survivor.


    I could see the bits of decayed leaf matter, rocky soil and loam in my fingers as I studied it and smiled. I hadn¡¯t ever felt so alive as much as I had here in the few days I had been in this game. It really wasn¡¯t much of a life being tied to a life support system, either in a mobile chair, or prone on a bed. When I had gotten really bad, I had sometimes been sealed into recovery capsules for weeks at a time. In the past, I had used other VR games as an escape before, but they were nothing but a mere shadow compared to this.


    I really did feel like I was talking to a little girl when I talked with Kai, she wasn¡¯t like any other NPC I had ever talked to in a game. She seemed to express emotion, she lived and worked with other players seamlessly. I thought about what she had said and frowned.


    ¡°Gloria was teaching you?¡± I asked and she nodded.


    ¡°She found me¡­ my parents were killed last year and she¡¯s been taking care of me. She said I had potential as a magi, and that she was going to send me to the Royal University in the spring.¡± Her voice trembled as she spoke and I crouched before giving the girl a hug. ¡°You can do magic?¡± I asked and she nodded.


    ¡°Not much, but some small stuff. My da could do more, call winds and work the forge with a really hot fire.¡± She demonstrated as she wrinkled her brow, her fingers trembled for a second before she seemed to warm for a moment and then a pale red foxfire seemed to cover one finger as she waved it in front of me. I studied the foxfire in fascination. It wasn¡¯t quite like a flame, it was more like a pulsing light, but it had heat and warmth to it. After a few moments she began to tremble and I felt her sway in a very familiar fashion.


    ¡°Put it out before you get a headache.¡± I said and the foxfire snuffed out. She took a few moments to recover before she perked back up.


    ¡°I saw you use water, glowing water! You can do stuff too!¡± She said pointing at me as I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I think I can work with water, lightning and, maybe wind.¡± I thought about the combinations I had used my power and it made sense a bit if I could work with winds. I doubted I¡¯d be a champion of a storm god if I didn¡¯t have some sort of ability with some sort of wind magic, even if I hadn¡¯t tried to use it yet.


    ¡°The honored ones of Apollo called you a dark one though¡­¡± She gave me a studying little pout before a mischievous smirk crossed her face at my frown.


    ¡°I¡¯m not evil or anything, and I don¡¯t think my own god is either. So, what if he¡¯s the god of the tempest? I don¡¯t think he wants to cause misery or suffering.¡± I said and she nodded.


    ¡°There are other gods like that, like the god of death! Hades!¡± I frowned. Why would the god of death not be an evil god? I asked as much and she laughed.


    ¡°Silly, the god of death makes sure there is balance, it¡¯s not evil for him to help people after they die! He came for my da, and said so when I asked him at his altar!¡± She piped up in an innocent way. I froze.


    ¡°Er is it normal to just talk with gods?¡± I asked and she shrugged.


    ¡°They will talk to you sometimes, mostly only people that they like or feel like talking to though.¡± She said in her innocent way that made me frown. Gods in games, didn¡¯t usually get so vocal with the players, but as I had found out it was likely not the case here in Endaria.


    It did make sense though in some ways. This game did seem to be one of extremes, where death was just part of trying to survive here, gods probably played with mortal lives in much the same way the stories said ancient Greek gods did. It hadn¡¯t escaped me that the gods were named after familiar gods I had heard about like Apollo. It was odd for a fantasy game, where typically the creators didn¡¯t like to use well known god names.


    We passed the time as we walked, and kept an eye out in the narrow strip we could see out of the forest canopy from the riverbank. When the sun rose up past midday, we stumbled down the bank and washed up in the icy water. Afterwards the girl pointed out edible plants along the river.


    I wasn¡¯t familiar with any of them. There was this root that she dug up along the riverbank slicing pieces for me with her knife, and there were some berries and nuts she pointed out to me which we gathered in abundance.


    She also picked up rocks and rotten logs and showed me various insects that were edible, but she didn¡¯t seem any more interested in eating them than I did.


    ¡°They are best fried and seasoned with sauce, honey or tasty gravy.¡± She explained, and also described which ones were poisonous if eaten raw or eaten at all. My stomach churned and I felt sick at the thought of eating wriggling worms or beetles.


    ¡°Gloria said that they are good for¡­ protein! Donno what that is, but she told me I needed to know how to find them and eat them!¡± She said and I paused as I thought about it for a second, she was right I remembered some of the stuff I had read about insects.


    ¡°Gloria is the best cook ever! She¡¯s been teaching me how to cook stuff from the forest, and also how to make traveler¡¯s food!¡± She then described a recipe that she had been taught that sounded suspiciously like pancakes.


    ¡°She makes the best cooked dire boar¡­ calls it bar-bee-cue¡± She said, proudly and I nodded, suppressing a laugh. Had Gloria really introduced Endaria to barbecue? That was something I would have to get her to demonstrate when we next met. Now that I could actually eat solid food, it would likely be a novel experience to eat well here.


    The talk of food, was a good diversion, and helped relieve the tension a bit, as we seemed to be going deeper into the forest, the canopy over the river began to solidify, turning almost into a thick tunnel, the trees cutting off the light little by little.


    We were quickly descending downhill, the water roaring into a heavy torrent with the speed and power from the slope, and I was very glad we had wrecked when we did, as it would have been quite terrifying to navigate this section of the river. Suddenly the ground flattened out and the tree cover broke open again, to reveal a massive forest lake.


    As we left the dense foliage where the river met the lake, I had to gasp. In the middle of the lake was a massive fortification and, it was under heavy siege.


    What seemed like a sea of crude rafts were swarming around it like a surge of ants. The enemy was having a much harder time trying to get anywhere near this fortification, as it had a small fleet of airships and flying creatures harrying a large enemy airship flying black banners and launching creatures up off its decks.


    However, the defenders seemed to have been cut off by land, as the bridge connecting it to the shoreline was badly damaged. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was intentional or the enemy¡¯s doing. The bridge was heavily fortified so I had to assume it could have been a failed assault on the enemy¡¯s part.


    Looking just below us, where the water entered the lake, I saw a town in ruins, watermills along the entrance of the river into the lake shattered and burning, with screams and fires raging below. The enemy was camped out on the far bank of the river, and were felling trees to make their siege rafts. As I watched, the looming shadow of an airship descended and deposited a war machine of some sort on one of the rafts. It whirled and clanked into position, metallic feet sinking into the timbers as some sort of magic users casted a black shield over the raft and began to propel it forward.


    The banners flying from the castle in the lake were different from the ones I had seen from Fenwick, and when I asked, my companion explained that this was the Dutchy of Glenlake, part of the League of Silvania.


    It did seem that the League favored airships rather than giant birds and the like I had seen Fenwick using. They were also very organized, flying in formation and focusing fire, carefully working together, the smaller airships screening the two larger ones I could see.


    They were, however massively outnumbered. The sky was dark with flying creatures, and it seemed to be a desperate battle of maneuver as the ships dodged swarms, and fought their way clear so they wouldn¡¯t get bogged down and targeted by the single enemy airship harrying them.


    It was like nothing I had ever seen in my life. The sheer scale of the battle unfolding over the lake made me feel like I was less than nothing, that everything I could do in this game mattered little when there was such a force trying to slaughter everything. I had no idea what to do, or what I could do other than turn around and start running for my life.

 Chapter 10: The Darkies

    The sun was slowly beginning to sink over the horizon, and I didn¡¯t relish trying to find somewhere to hid in all of this mess.  We were both tired from the long day of walking.  The sky was also beginning to darken early from overcast clouds, and the dropping temperature promised freezing rain, or even possibly snow.


    Carefully, we made our way through the forest surrounding the lake¡¯s edge until we found a burned-out cottage that had a cellar.  Pausing at the door, I arranged burned out wood over the door leading down into the cellar so it was hard to find, and didn¡¯t look disturbed before we descended.


    The cellar had obviously been looted already, there were smashed casks, and empty cheese racks.  There were also the ominous blood spatters across the stairs leading down, that made me hesitate when we looked around the cellar, but I didn¡¯t find anything that wanted to kill me or any bodies.  I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to know what had happened, either to the people or the bodies.


    I found a section of smashed furniture, and piled it up around us to hide us in the debris, before I spread out a pile of empty sacks, I had found for us to lay on.  Outside we could hear the rumble of distant battle and perhaps the beginning of thunder from the approaching storm.


    Even as scared as I was, I began to drift off to sleep, until we were both woken up in the middle of the night by a terrible, bloodcurdling scream.


    It was long, and drawn out, and very close, like right outside the cellar close.  As I began to try and extricate myself from our little hidey hole, Kai pulled me back and shook her head.  In my ear she whispered ¡°Banshee¡±


    There was maniacal laughter from above, and I could hear the sounds of wind and rain pounding the door of the cellar, but even that didn¡¯t drown out the terrible noise.  It sounded like there was a group of people talking and muttering above.  Then there was the sound of rubble being cleared and I heard the cellar door slam open.  A torch flared beyond our nest of broken furniture as several people descended the cellar stairs.


    ¡°Hey Maven!  It¡¯s actually dry down here! See I told you there was a cellar! Leave the slaves!  The banshee needs to eat too, just don¡¯t let it gorge itself, or it will go into a blood rage!¡±  One of them said and I peered into the gloom, barely making out a man wearing a dark cloak, and several other figures.  They were quickly building a fire in the center of the cellar on the other side from our hole.


    They were two players!  I could barely make out names, and blood red aura around them that indicated from what I remembered, they were PKers, or Player Killers meaning they were unfortunately the worse possible people we could have run into.


    ¡°That¡¯s Dark Lord Mavin to you Squigs!¡±  Another whiney sounding voice bellowed and the first player laughed.  ¡°Just because you got promoted after Bruce went and turned traitor doesn¡¯t mean ur better than me! We both started together! Remember who got you the good life asshole!¡±


    There was another round of jeers and catcalls between the players before a warm red light kindled and one breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s colder than a witch¡¯s tit out there, and the rain will be ice by morning, mark my words!¡±  The whiney one, I had figured was this Mavin guy complained.


    ¡°Well if Targus catches us slacking off when we are supposed to be doing patrol, he will skin us both.  He¡¯s still pissed that he¡¯s down to only two lives now!  I think Sarkiss is just getting tired of him and hopes he gets himself killed off during this siege so he can find another sucker to be Phthonus¡¯s bitch.¡±


    They both laughed and I heard the clatter and crunch of a wrecked stool being pulled over the fire.


    ¡°Hey! By the way did you hear about this druid guy¡­ what¡¯s his name¡­¡±  Squigs said and I heard a groan of consternation from his companion.


    ¡°It¡¯s all I ever hear now that the Pathfinder isn¡¯t causing any more trouble¡­ druid this druid that.  What¡¯s he gone and done now?  I still can¡¯t figure out how he got both me and Bruce killed in that ambush we set for him.  You know it was like a dang nuke went off in that stupid underground rift we were maintaining.  Should have seen the look on Bruce¡¯s face when the tower stated falling down! Hahahahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Yea, been hearing something about him fighting with Fenwick right now, he was riding around on that stupid white dragon again, you know the one that helped sink our first dreadnaught, right before Brucie stabbed Sarkiss in the back over that Pathfinder chick.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ not that I really blame him¡­ Not saying that I totally believe what Bruce said over the forums, that¡­ I mean wouldn¡¯t that get Sarkiss banned or something? I still think it¡¯s a load of crap. But yea, not sure if I would have gone along with Sarkiss over that shit.¡±


    ¡°Well, Sarkiss is a sick bastard but yea that¡¯s what Bruce told me, that the girl couldn¡¯t log out somehow, and Sarkiss thought he could get away with it.  Bruce showed me a recording of the conversation and everything, he was streaming at the time and his whole cast just exploded into chaos.  Should have seen the chat feed on the livestream.¡±  He began to laugh hysterically as if it was the funniest joke ever.


    ¡°He¡¯s cut off all his streaming now that we have to track him and Pathfinder down and kill them.¡±  They both chuckled and I heard the stomping of boots, and our pile shifted slightly as one of them pulled some of the debris off of it.  There was the crunch of breaking wood and the clatter and roar as one of them tossed the wood into the fire.  My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure that they could hear it if they listened hard enough.


    ¡°What¡¯s Bruce down to now? Two lives?  I heard he died again when Targus caught up to them after the betrayal.¡±  There was another chuckle.


    ¡°Yep! He¡¯s done for!  I don¡¯t know how he managed to dodge the blood oath¡­ would really like to know that, but yea he¡¯s almost toast.¡±  Squigs cackled.


    The pile shifted again and there was the crackle of wood.  The one with the squeaky voice was in mid reply to Squigs when he froze.  Suddenly, he began to franticly dig into the pile.  ¡°Hey there is a player tag in here!¡±  He bellowed and I heard the drawing of steel.


    I gave a yowl of fear and rage as I kicked the pile over, nearly burying Squigs and pulled Kai behind me as we bolted for the stairs.  There was a flash and boom, and I was lifted off my feet, tumbling head over heels, my entire body on fire with tingling pain.


    ¡°Hah! A rank F?! She¡¯s just some stupid noob, and an NPC!¡±


    Kai screamed and I tried to sit up, as I watched Kai rip the little hatchet off her belt and stand over me brandishing it in a shaky grip.  As I watched, foxfire began to shroud the hatchet.  I stood up and pushed the girl behind me as I crouched and glared at the two Pkers. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Hey! You try and run I¡¯ll kill you dead noob!  What you doing down here?!¡± The squeaky voiced Maven said and I shrugged.


    ¡°Just spawned, was trying to get some sleep? What¡¯s with all of this war stuff going on?¡±  I tried to sound innocent and clueless and I saw Squigs narrowing his eyes at me as he studied my robes.


    ¡°Hey, she isn¡¯t quite dressed like a noob, never seen robes like that on a fresh spawn.¡±  He said quickly as he franticly looked between me and the terrified Kai, clutching her burning hatchet in a death grip.


    ¡°Yo, your not tagged with Fendwick, or anyone else we fighting, so we got no beef, don¡¯t see a bag or anything¡­¡±  Squigs sized me up, and I saw him studying me over a ratlike nose as he adjusted a bowler hat.


    ¡°Yea, don¡¯t mean anything though¡­ I don¡¯t see any pockets¡­ it¡¯s not like it¡¯s even worth killing her, we can add them both to the slaves¡­¡±  He said hopefully.


    ¡°No, Sarkiss said he wanted anyone with magic sent to the citadel to be tested for bonding.  We can¡¯t feed them to the banshee!¡±  They began to squabble and I slowly inched back towards the stairs before Maven adjusted a large top hat and grinned at me.  ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it you wouldn¡¯t get ten feet out the door before our banshee gets ya!¡±  He jeered and fished around inside a bag at his waist.


    ¡°Hey noob, it¡¯s ur lucky day! We are looking for recruits!  You can join us, or I can slap you in these.¡±  He brought up a set of gleaming slave collars.


    ¡°What happens to my friend here?¡±  I motioned at Kia who was shaking and sniffling behind me.  I turned and looked down at her pleading eyes.


    ¡°Oh her?  What¡¯s it matter to you?  She¡¯s just an NPC, why would it matter? Don¡¯t worry, if she isn¡¯t eaten by the dragons, I¡¯m sure she will be taken care of.  They don¡¯t kill dragon pilots if they pass.¡±  He huffed and kicked an empty stool to me.  I refused to sit down, and stood against the wall right next to the stairs leading up out into the roaring storm.


    Maven¡¯s reedy voice dismissed Kai with a derisive wave that made rage boil deep inside me.


    Squigs shrugged and pulled out another wrecked stool and slumped into it with a weary sigh.  He pulled out a bundle, and unwrapped it.


    It turned out to be some sort of jerky which he began to chew on.  Standing  up he offered the bundle to me and I shook my head.  Shrugging he went back to his meal.


    Maven plucked out some of the jerky and sighed as he pushed the slave collars back into his pack, idly tapping a wand with a dark glowing purple stone on his thigh like a riding crop.  It fizzled and sputtered every time it made contact with his wet cloak.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t¡¯ know what you heard about us Darkies, but we aren¡¯t all bad and I get a good vibe from you¡­ you don¡¯t feel like any of those conceited Fenwick punks, or the local trash.  Sit down and take a load off, ur not going anywhere in this storm! No one is.¡±  Squigs said, between a gulp from a waterskin, washing down his trail ration.


    He pointed to the girl.  ¡°She got you on an escort quest or something?¡±  He asked and I shrugged.  ¡°She¡¯s my apprentice.¡±  I finally decided on something that might work.


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯ve heard of those quests, yea NPC companion quests! Cool!¡±  Maven squeaked and I nodded slowly.


    ¡°So you can use magic too?  What god are you?!¡± Squigs suddenly spoke up, quickly standing up.  He picked up a wicked looking scimitar he had laying at his feet and it flashed with dark purple energy as he sized me up warily.


    ¡°My god isn¡¯t that popular with the locals either, have to admit¡­ some sort of destruction god.¡±  I raised my hand, pulling out my statuette and showing them.  They peered at it, seeing the net and spear, and both of them looked confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t recognize that one, but yea it doesn¡¯t have the goody twoshoes aura to it¡­ she ain¡¯t lying.¡±  Mavin said, and adjusted a lens that was fixed to his absurd hat as he stared at the statuette.


    ¡°So¡­ you have her as your power battery or something?  You know how to use blood magic, or soul leech yet?¡±  Squigs said, excitement in his voice.  He had wide smile on his face, almost a creepy one.


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand about that¡­¡±  I shook my head and they both laughed.  ¡°That¡¯s what NPC¡¯s are for you know, if they know magic, or have really strong soul.  You can you know sac the normal ones for power over an altar or you can tote around a bunch of thralls to keep you juiced up.¡±  He explained as if it was the most normal thing in the world to just kill little girls for power, or use them as glorified batteries.


    When he saw the look of anger on my face, he raised his hands in supplication.  ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t make this game noob, we just use what tools we got.  Who cares about a bunch of code?  I sure don¡¯t, but I do care about my viewers! They want blood!¡± Mavin cackled and he gave an evil laugh that sounded really bad and corny.  ¡°Muheheheheheehheehhe¡± Even his friend Squigs winced at it and shook his head.


    ¡°Your really bad at that you know?  Why did you choose such a horrible voice?¡±  He chortled and Maven glared at him with venom.


    ¡°Hey! Not my fault! I didn¡¯t know about that stupid age slider!¡±  He squeaked and when I peered at him closely, Beneath all the dirt and grime I could see indeed, he was in a teenage body.


    ¡°Yea¡­. Ahahahahahahaha.  You wanted to be a shorty¡­ and you became a squeaker¡­ never going to let you live that one down bud.¡±  Squigs began to laugh and even I had to cock a grin at the pair.


    ¡°So you guys¡­ like being evil?¡±  I tried to hide the disgust in my voice and I saw Squigs roll his eyes at me.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s got to do it, and It¡¯s much more fun than being some sort of stupid paladin of justice, or whatever.  Like those Fendwick smucks, they think they so bad because everyone wants to go an join the big player kingdom.  Well you know what?!  We going to crush them, they gonna get wrecked!¡±  Squigs chortled and Maven grinned.


    I nodded.  Had to admit, they did have a point. Fendwick didn¡¯t seem to be able to do much against them, and it didn¡¯t seem like these too weren¡¯t bad people, just playing the game differently.  I had to give a deep sigh, who was I to judge them?  Still it left a bad taste in my mouth every time I thought about their offer.


    ¡°If I join you, I need my apprentice.  You know, like you said as a battery or whatever, right?¡±  Squigs sized me up as Maven replied in his squeaky voice.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ not really up to us.  We have our orders too, Sarkiss¡­ doesn¡¯t really like people ignoring them.¡±  He gulped and Maven nodded quickly.


    ¡°What do I have to do?¡±  I asked and he shrugged.


    ¡°Not much, as long as you take a blood oath not to betray the Darkies, that¡¯s about it.  Until you take the oath though we will have to consider you a prisoner.¡± Squigs looked a bit apologetic, and Maven sighed as he munched thoughtfully on the dried strips of jerky he had swiped earlier.


    ¡°What happens if I, you know break a blood oath in Endaria, that sounds bad.¡±  I winced and they both nodded.


    ¡°Yep, it will kill you over and over again, a respawn won¡¯t fix it.  Very painful too from what I hear.¡±  He shrugged at me.


    ¡°Yea can¡¯t take any chances.  To many goody-goodies trying to worm their way into our faction, especially around Maven here, who¡¯s a streamer.¡±  He pointed as his squeaky friend and he rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m not always streaming you know, can¡¯t do it all the time or Sarkiss would have my hide¡­ in little strips¡­. Slowly¡­¡±  He shuddered.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this Sarkiss guy?¡±  I asked and they both laughed.


    ¡°Really you haven¡¯t heard of him?  Now I really know you¡¯re a noob!¡±  They both laughed.


    ¡°The Dark Overlord?! The Big Bad Boggie Man of Endaria?! I thought everyone knew who he was by now, especially after we started making this game our bitch.¡±  Maven squeaked and they burst out laughing again at my confused expression.


    ¡°So you two are important people, can you put in a good word for me?¡±  I perked up and Maven snored in derision.


    ¡°As if, I¡¯d speak up for some noob I just met¡­ you have to be kidding me.¡±  He rolled his eyes.  There was another bloodcurdling scream from outside and Maven clamped his hands to his ears grumbling.


    ¡°Worst¡­ pet¡­ ever¡­ Stupid banshee!¡±  He snarled.


    Squigs burst out laughing.  ¡°I told you not to summon it! I told you man!¡±  He shook with mirth.  There was a banging on the cellar door before it burst open and I caught sight of a ghastly spectral face framed in the dark and rain.


    It stared at me and its eyes flashed, before someone shoved it away and gave it a kick.  ¡°Damit Maven! Feed your stupid banshee already!¡±  The newcomer bellowed as he tromped down and froze when he caught sight of me.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this¡­ he froze and swayed as he read something above my head and his eyes went wide as they began to glow with a sickening inner red light.  I shuddered as our eyes met.  His own body seemed to be framed in billowing dark foxfire, as he glared at me.


    At that moment, I realized this man was a champion of another god, I could feel it deep inside and I knew he could too.  As he grabbed his weapon, and lunged at me I stepped back and gathered as much of a charge into my fist as I could and slammed it into his jaw.  My ears rang with a peal of thunder that was deafening in the enclosed cellar.  The man was thrown back, knocking over Maven who had stood up, they both sprawled in a heap as I yanked on Kai¡¯s arm, dragging her behind me as we ran up the stairs.

 Chapter 11: The Bringer of Storms

    The Banshee was waiting for me as I flung open the cellar door.  The door smashed into it and sent it sprawling.  As it stood up, I pulled energy from around me the power coming easily in the whipping, wind and rain.  I screamed and let loose a jet of crackling power that slammed into the creature.


    The banshee gave a surprised croak before it exploded, spraying out in a glowing crater of goo that splattered all over me as we ran forward.  I ran directly for the lake.  ¡°Climb onto my back Kai!¡±  I said and the girl leapt on my back and I sprinted, my head spinning as I clutched my statuette and drew on both it and the power and fury of the storm.


    Behind me I heard the enraged bellows from the man I had downed, and the pleading calls from his companions.  ¡°Come back!  He¡¯s not going to hurttttt yooooo¡±  Their voices were drowned off in the storm, replaced only by the pounding of my heart in my head as I ran, the girl clutching me.


    The more power I pulled into myself, the more the storm seemed to grow.  There was a flash then a boom that made my ears ring and my body tingle as a lightning bolt slammed into a nearby tree not a hundred yards away.


    I kept running feeling like I was on fire.  My body thrummed and coursed with the storm and I ran faster, and as it filled me with power.


    Abruptly, the lake¡¯s edge was there before me.  I gave a giant leap, clearing the heads of a few startled creatures resting under a propped-up raft before icy water slammed into me and I swam for all I was worth, my shoes becoming flippers.


    Behind me was a gathering set of screams, wails of pursuit, and the roar of monsters.  I swam, and it was as if I was nearly weightless in the water.  My vision became nothing more than my struggle to swim, desperate gasps as my lungs heaved in a rhythm and I tried to breath as Kai shuddered against me and clutched me like a drowned rat.


    At first, I had the thought of going towards the castle, but one fleeting glance between gasps as I struggled to stay afloat in the lake was enough to make me realize that was a very bad idea.  The battle was brutal and, the island was a maelstrom of death and destruction.  Between gasps and glances, I saw beam of light, lances of fire, the booms of explosions and the crackle of magic as a fleet of airships, and creatures, fought desperately above me hidden in the howl of the storm.


    I turned to the far side of the lake and swam for a rocky little crag I could see in the distance, even as my body finally started to lose its initial stamina and I started to swiftly flag.


    Kai¡¯s struggling body was dragging me under and I felt faint as if I couldn¡¯t draw air into my lungs as I swam.


    Screaming in frustration, and sobbing in rage and terror I swam for all I was worth, even as the combat drifted past me.  I caught glimpses of a sinking airship before it crashed into the water not far from me waves thrown up, and men and women flung into the lake all around.  It bobbed there for a while, discharging lances of fire and beams of light before it detonated when a massive bolt of dark energy slammed into it, shards of wood and bodies spraying out along with a rain of burning canvas and glowing crystals.


    The screams of the dying and battle drowned out my gasps and sobs as I continued to swim, my vision narrowing into slits as I focused on the little rocky crag.  It was a surprise when I slammed into it, my body carried up into the rocky beach by a billowing wave filled with debris.  Scrabbling at the rocks I turned and looked at the wreckage behind me, and then up at the distant far shore.  Against the dark sky I could see winged shapes rising up from the shoreline and coming towards me.


    ¡°Nooo¡­¡±  I sobbed. And I knew it wouldn¡¯t do any good to run, I would have to stand and fight.  ¡°Kai¡­ get into the rocks¡­¡±  I pointed at the rocky ledge jutting up out of the lake and she nodded.  I went to the top of the crag and sat down closing my eyes so I could focus on the storm around me.


    I was the champion of the god of the tempest and I was going to make them pay.  My hair stood on end as I gathered power around me, my entire body tingling before suddenly I felt white hot power slam into me as a lightning bolt crackled between me and the sky.  I screamed and pointed it at the lumbering form of a black dragon, a massive creature filled with things riding it.  It had turned from the nearby battle and towards me.  The energy thrummed and spun around me, then lanced out and slammed into the dragon.  It glowed with a dark purple barrier for a second, before the barrier shattered and my power slammed into it.  The creature screamed, as it writhed in the air, shedding its crew as it bucked, screaming figures flung away to plunge into the roiling lake.  Abruptly, the massive creature decided it had enough, and fled back towards the enemy encampment.


    I nearly passed out from the wave of dizziness and pain that lanced through me as I swayed.  I stood up, as if I suddenly knew what I had to do.  Thrusting out my hands I spun, letting my body be guided by the overwhelming power around me.


    Twin circles of glowing fire curled up and down my arms and I could clearly see the outline of twin serpents as the wind, and water slowly began to turn and spin in front of me.  The wind howled with a shriek that would have made the banshee sound like a kitten.  Slowly out of the clouds themselves descended a dark pillar of grey, spinning and whirling in the tempest around me.  I had conjured a funnel of terrible size and power. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    When it touched the water, it sucked up both lake and wreckage alike into the heavens, tearing rafts away from the walls of the castle, sucking flying creatures and airships into it, and I cast the monster I had created in the direction of the enemy camp as it continued to swell in size and monstrosity.


    From here I could see the full terrible scope of the encampment, something I hadn¡¯t been able to gauge properly before.  It was a sea of lights and tents, and massive hulking engines, it was a writhing sea of monsters that bayed in fear as the massive vortex bore down on them.  One of the airships it had dragged along was slammed into a tree along the shore where it detonated in a shower of power and shuddering explosion, the debris being sucked back into the spinning fury of the winds.


    My body felt like it was on fire, and my mind screamed in pain and agony as I fought to control my power.  Around me the entire storm began to spin, and lighting coursed up and down the crag I was standing on, explosions sounded from the nearby castle as lighting crackled into its wards.  I felt fear, true fear then of what I was capable of and it was that terror that snapped me out of it.


    I fell to the rocks, and lay there, my entire world spinning around me as I fought off a yawning pit of darkness, happy darkness that wanted to swallow me, into blissful oblivion.  I failed, and the weariness, the deep sinking ache that called to me claimed me.


    My mind drifted¡­ I was in a grey void, and I looked around for that death counter that I knew would be there.


    I couldn¡¯t find it, and I felt like somehow something was very wrong.  I felt darker, as if somehow, I had become something¡­ wrong, and yet¡­ disconnected at the same time. Something very bad had just happened, and I felt as something deep within my soul was missing.


    Above everything else I remembered that fear, of losing control and how¡­ how good it felt to break and rend to destroy and how good that power had felt.  I wanted to feel it again, somewhere deep down where I had always felt powerless.  At the same time, I was horrified at what I had done.


    I let out a breath of laughter that echoed around the greyness, a hysterical laugh that broke into sobs of grief.


    I¡­ had been a monster, and it had felt so good.  I had been more powerful in those few moments of destruction than I had ever been in my short life that was filled with disappointment from my father that I could never be anything more than an invalid.  This would all be over soon no matter what I did.  Nothing could change the fact that I was dying in the real world, no miracle of medical science could save me.  It was all I had now, these last few months¡­ and I was proving everyone right.


    I remembered that last look down from my rock, as I had gazed up past and out from the crag.  Kai had been watching me, she had been scared not of the monsters coming towards us but of me.  That instant frozen in my mind of her looking at me in horror made me clutch my head and sob.


    ¡°Where is the respawn timer?!¡±  I shrieked, knowing I must have died.


    ¡°Child¡­ be still.¡±  A kindly voice said, and it sounded very close.  I snapped my eyes open and found myself standing on a stone path in the void, one that had not been there and instant before.  Ahead of me the path grew, the gloom of the void retreating until I was standing on an island of stone in the void, with a small lantern on a pole.  Under the lantern was man in dark grey robes.  He was a thin man and watched me intently.


    I could see the path continue to form, until it met a gate far in the distance, a shining gate.


    I looked behind, me away from the gate, I saw a dark void yawning in the distance.  It was slowly moving towards me.


    The man in dark robes studied me for a long moment, and smiled.  ¡°Ah¡­ one of the younger god¡¯s chosen.  Aegaeon must have had a feast today for you to be here at the crossroads¡­¡±  He chortled, and pulled out a small set of brass scales that hung from a loop in his fingers.  He studied them for a moment before he looked up, almost startled as he fixed his gaze at me.


    ¡°Tell me traveler¡­ what is it you seek in our world?¡±  He asked and I gave him a confused look.


    ¡°Do you seek power?¡±  He asked almost absentmindedly as he idly studied his scales, then me as I looked behind at the slowly approaching void.


    ¡°What does it matter? None of this is real¡­ Nothing I can do can stop death.¡±  I began to sob as I sank down and leaned against the lamp post.  I knew that dad hadn¡¯t added me to the test group in Endaria because he thought it could cure me, he just wanted me to be happy before my frail body finally gave out.


    I pointed at the onrushing tide of dark void and shrugged.  I was never a brave one, I was scared to die.  I had to admit it, I knew that some people that I¡¯d met in the hospitals, the ones that were dying like me had made peace with death and could accept it.  I was never religious, not an ounce of faith in me, or any expectations of what would happen to me when the end came.  I had fought so long and hard against reality, and I knew it was soon my time.  Still the idea of actually dying, even if I would slowly drift away within game made me so scared, I could barely think.


    ¡°Fear is good, it makes us feel alive, but do not be ruled by it.¡±  He said and pointed at the shining lantern above me.  It swayed in the darkness, as if nudged by an unseen wind.


    ¡°There is always hope¡­ it is the light that guides us, and teaches us what is worth fighting for.¡±  He said and reached up and plucked the flame out of the lantern.  It twirled and spun in his hand as he leaned down, his bony body drawing close to mine as he held out the light to me.


    I looked at it dancing on his palm, before I reached for it.  As my own fingers cupped the light, it converted into a ball of spinning wind and lighting.  I could see spray and fury of the storm in that ball.


    ¡°What does hope look like to you?¡±  He said, as he slowly picked me up, as if I weighed next to nothing.


    I felt frozen within his arms, unable to move a muscle as he carried me towards the gate, and I smiled as memories of father as he had often picked me up and carried me.


    He had held me and sung to me when I couldn¡¯t sleep through the pain, when the drugs would wear off and I would call out for someone, anyone to help me.


    My eyes fixed on the dancing light in my cupped hands and silent tears streamed down my cheeks as I remembered.


    The door opened in front of us and I felt myself cast into a blinding light, a light that made my eyes hurt before I suddenly felt sound, and voices rush into my awareness.  ¡°She¡¯s coming around! Hit her again!¡±  I heard an angry voice in my ear before my side exploded into pain from a bone-jarring kick.  I writhed, but felt my limbs unable to move, I was bound.

 Chapter 12: The Price of Power

    Only one eye was open, the other was crusted with blood and swollen shut.  I gasped and shuddered, and then my world spun as my stomach clenched with sudden nausea.  I felt bile and gasped a dry heave for a second before my world spun back into place.


    As my one open eye spun into focus, I saw a glinting knife blade only inches from my face.  As my eyes widened in fear, and the other broke free from what had been crusting it shut I saw that I was being held by a very angry looking man in shimmering golden robes.


    He gripped my hair painfully and I struggled and fought against my bindings trying to figure out what was going on.  ¡°Don¡¯t even try to use your gift!  You do and I swear by Hermes I will slit your throat¡­¡± He cursed at me as I tried to glance around.  I saw Kai next to me, she was laying in a tangled heap, her short hair sprayed over her face, blood seeping from a cut in her forehead and her hands bound behind her back.  Her armor had been taken and she was stripped down to her padded vest and torn leather pants.


    For an instant I thought she may have been dead, before I saw her chest rising and falling.  My rage boiled around me when I saw she had not only a cut on her head, but a black eye and split lip.  She had been soundly beaten.


    The man¡¯s face twisted and grief and hatred and he spat on me and it was as if he struggled to keep from killing me.  ¡°If it wasn¡¯t¡­ for my patron¡¯s advice I would¡­ end you¡­ creature.¡±  He snarled.


    ¡°Wut¡­. What are you talking about?¡±  I stammered and he screamed at me, spraying my face with spittle in a wordless wail.


    ¡°That!¡± He thrust my face forward and I gasped as I realized that I was looking from high above towards a field of carnage.  The wooden railing disappeared below me and I looked around to see the curve of wood and distant destruction far, so very far below.


    Was I¡­ floating, in the air?  No, I was on some sort of vessel.  I saw the shattered wall of a castle, the scattered wreckage of airships, dark constructs and what looked like a sea of black bloody wreckage a trail of dead creatures, then beyond it a long line of devastation and torn up forest that disappeared over the curve of the bowl the lake was in.


    I gaped, my jaw hanging as I couldn¡¯t believe the magnitude of what I had done.  The town was gone, heck most of everything on that side of the lake was gone.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­ freak¡­ vile aberration of darkness!¡± He screamed.  I felt a searing blossom of pain as steel toed boot connected with my side.  There was a crunch and a blinding pain filled my breath as I shrieked and felt a rib crack, then my hair was yanked up and a gauntleted fist slammed into my nose, crumpling it and snapping my head to the side.  My vision exploded into sparks of light as I gasped and blubbered in agony.


    ¡°Duke Edris! Calm yourself! You can¡¯t bring her to justice if she is a corpse!¡±  Someone howled.


    Another man stood over me and sneered, he was wearing a uniform and what looked like some sort of officer insignia.  I panted in short shallow breaths, unable to fully take a deep one without blinding pain and tried to struggle, but my body was already weak and wrung out.  I felt drained, both of strength and any desire to fight.


    I began to sob again.  This was all just a bad dream, it had to be a bad dream.  That¡¯s why I was floating up in the sky being beaten by a madman.  Each heartbeat sent spikes of pain into me. My throbbing eye was quickly swelling and every breath that sent daggers into my side quickly changed my attitude. This was a nightmare and I wanted out.


    ¡°We can¡¯t kill her, she¡¯s a traveler!  The only way we can make sure this abomination suffers, and can never harm anyone again is if she is quickly taken and imprisoned.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure the collar will bind her power?¡±  Came the voice of my tormenter.  An old woman responded, ¡°Yes, she is bound did you find her foci?¡±  She crooned and there was a heated discussion.


    ¡°We need to take her foci, her channel to her dark god.¡±  She cackled.  I was laying there, bound and tied up, blood spilling out of my ruined face and nose as I snorted and sniffled.


    ¡°I know! ¡­ use the girl, her foci is likely soulbound to her, but if we can get her to give it up¡­¡±  The woman said and the man in the golden robes sneered at me as he bent down and kicked Kai¡¯s senseless form next to me, holding the knife over her neck.  ¡°Call your foci¡­ creature of darkness! Call it and I won¡¯t slay the girl!¡±  He screamed, his fury half maniacal as he held the knife poised over Kai¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Noooo¡­.¡± I burbled, but I meekly did as he asked and the small statuette shimmered into existence in front of me, as it had suddenly appeared in my hands or my pocket so many times before.  They all gasped as they took a step back.


    ¡°It is the bringer of typhoons! Aegaeon!¡±  The old woman hissed.  The duke reached down to grab it, but the statuette burned with ghostly blue foxfire and he screamed in pain.


    ¡°Fool! Do not use your hands to touch a dark relic!  It must be put in a consecrated container!¡±  The woman cackled.


    I tried to reach for my power, but couldn¡¯t find it.  The only thing I felt was the pain, and the deep weariness.  They had said I was wearing some sort of collar?  I could feel something around my neck when I focused on it.  None of this made any sense¡­ I had beaten the people attacking the castle, why was this¡­ duke so mad at me?


    I watched as my statuette was swept up with a gust of power into a glowing crystal box that shone with golden energy.  A lid was thrown over it, and when it was shut, I felt even weaker than I had before, as if part of my very being was gone.  It was a burning ache in my chest, and I felt woozy.


    The woman stood over me holding the crystal box and grinned.  ¡°Ah¡­ so it was your foci, she did not trick us. I can see her aura dampened now that her god can no longer look upon her with his favor.¡±


    ¡°Captain! Get this ship to Dawnwatch! Now!¡±  Duke Edris shuddered with rage and gave me a final vicious kick that crunched into my shoulder before he stomped off growling with fury.


    I felt myself being dragged, roughly along the deck by strong hands.  I blinked through my swelling eye and saw a trail of crimson blood across the deck before a hatch was opened and I was shoved down it.  I fell for a brief second before I was dragged up short by my bindings and someone lowered me down to the floor.  Pain exploded into my side when I thumped down onto the hard deck.  A burly man in a white and blue uniform jumped down after me, landing in front of my vision.


    He roughly dragged me across the deck and down a corridor.  My vision swam as I tried to focus through tears of frustration, pain and hopelessness before I was shoved into a tiny room with bunks folded up against the wall. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    There was a thud behind me and I saw Kia¡¯s senseless body tossed in behind me before the hatch slammed shut and I heard the clank of bolts being turned.


    It was all over now.  What was the point of living like this?  Why would I punish myself in the last few weeks I had left to live?  I could just log out now, and delete my character, and respawn.  I could choose a town spawn, no more of this crazy stuff that only felt like the pits of hell.  Kai would be better off without me to help her into any more trouble, and honestly what did I owe an NPC anyways?  She had held me back, and I had sacrificed my only link to my god for what?  For an AI that liked to pull my heartstrings?


    I couldn¡¯t move my body, my one good eye that wasn¡¯t swollen was only able to fix it¡¯s gaze on Kai¡¯s form.  It was stupid¡­ so stupid. Why?  It is just a game, just a game.  I thought this over and over laughing at my own stubbornness.  In the end though, I¡¯m ashamed to say I decided it was better I try again, and I abandoned Kai.


    Or tried I to anyways.


    When I tried to focus on the interface, the one thing I had neglected for so long to bring up the menu to log out I couldn¡¯t.  My heart thundered and I began to panic as I couldn¡¯t find the logout, couldn¡¯t get any of my interface options to appear.  ¡°Logout..¡± I burbled, my ruined nose making the sound into a bit of whispery screech, sending lances of pain through me as my lips moved.  I was stuck.  I was trapped here, with my life ticking away in the real world¡­ would it end in a week?  Did my real body even have a week left to live?


    I cried, and burbled, tears and blood streaming from my face as I wailed in frustrated horror as it truly sank in.  Weariness threatened to claim me as I lay there, but I didn¡¯t want to fall asleep.  If I fell asleep, who knew what fresh nightmare I would endure?  The was the rumbling sound of turning metal and wood behind me and the sound of shod feet.


    ¡°Ah¡­ creature! I¡¯m supposed to make sure you aren¡¯t going to die!¡±  Hold still!  I heard a youth¡¯s voice as he roughly pushed me over and the world spun around as my addled mind tried to focus on the face in front of me.  It was a ebony-skinned teenager with close cropped curly hair, he was wearing white robes and giving me an appraising look of horror at the damage to my face.  ¡°Sheesh our grace really did you over¡­ well serves you only your just reward dark spawn!¡±  He growled, but he did lean down and touch my side.  I screamed as a rib snapped back into place and throbbed.  He gave me a nasty grin.


    ¡°Nope, not going to deaden the nerves, not for you, orders from on high, and I¡¯m happy to obey.¡±  He cackled and then shifted to my face.  It was no less painful when he fixed my nose.  When it was straight again, I gave the youth a crooked smile.  ¡°Thanks¡­appreciate it.¡±  I murmured.  He sighed and took a deep breath as he settled his fingers over my swollen eye and I felt cool light pour into the swelling.  ¡°Should be ok by tomorrow.¡±  He got up to leave and I called out to him.


    ¡°Help the little girl! Can you?¡±  I asked and he seemed torn.  ¡°I was only supposed to heal you¡­ ok it¡¯s not like she really needs much attention anyways.¡±  He sighed in exasperation and knelt down at Kai¡¯s side and laid his hand on her forehead, healing the shallow cut, and then a split lip.  He seemed to sag with weariness as he passed his hand over her face.  Stumbling to his feet, he swayed out of the room and turned to smirk at me.  ¡°I¡¯ll be likely seeing you soon! I¡¯m sure our grace, Edris will give you another good thrashing, but I dare say it still won¡¯t bring his son back.¡±  He said, and I saw deep hatred creep into his of expression before he slammed the door shut.


    I was frozen in shock.  Had I really killed the duke¡¯s son?  How?  I remembered very little of what I had actually destroyed, but I did remember parts of the castle wall wrecked, a fallen tower, and several airships, with one exploding when it was slammed into something¡­ was it an enemy airship or one of the ones defending?  I couldn¡¯t remember.


    The only thing I remembered was that feeling, of being drunk on power, then of control slipping from me as I wanted to make people pay¡­ I didn¡¯t feel any triumph.  I only felt sick to my stomach at how badly I had messed up.


    Scooting across the floor I turned my aching body to study the stowed bunk, spotting a pull string at the top.  Turning my body with it¡¯s back flat against the wall I pushed against the wall and up until my fingers felt the string.  When the ship swayed again and moved, I lost my balance and fell forward, the bunk springing out from the wall and sending me in a sprawling heap on the floor.


    Dazedly I looked up, then smiled as I saw a nice flat, pallet to lay on instead of a hard floor.  I scooted across the floor the wall next the far side of the bunk, pushing myself up before I lost my balance and tumbled onto the thin padding, my head striking the wall with a painful slam that sent me reeling.  There was some sort of straps to secure myself into the bunk to keep from tumbling out, so I wormed under them and felt more secure and comfortable as the ship bucked and rode through the air.


    A combination of nausea I was sure was airsickness made my head spin for a moment but that moment ended with my weariness claimed me and I felt into a senseless slumber.


    I wish I could have stayed in that darkness until someone could save me, but all that occurred was a rough shake awake followed by an idle slap.  ¡°Get up, time to go darkspawn!  Let¡¯s go!¡±  I was being lifted out of the bunk and dragged upright as I tried to make sense of my addled wits once again, it was starting to become a habit, drifting from one nightmare to another here in Endaria.


    Framed in the doorway to my cell was Duke Edris.  He had a grin of pure malice.  I franticly looked around for Kai, but I couldn¡¯t see her anywhere.  ¡°Where is the girl, where is Kai?¡±  I called and he gave a dark laugh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your accomplice will be tried with you.  I wish I could say she could hang beside you on the gallows, but that sort of punishment doesn¡¯t discourage travelers, does it?¡±  He snarled and pushed me forward as the guards guided me.


    ¡°She¡¯s just a little girl! You going to hang her just because I saved her from being killed by those monsters?¡±  I screamed and he called a halt to the guards who froze me in place and pulled me up so Duke Edris could face me.


    ¡°You expect me to believe that story?  I know you must have corrupted her, or wooed the little girl from whatever hovel she crawled out of with promises of riches and power, and that you would throw her away as if she was trash.  She made her choice and will pay for it just like you will in a different way.¡±


    He sneered down at me and laughed, almost hysterically.


    ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯ve had to put up with travelers ever since you infernal cursed creatures have returned, and been a plague on Endaria.


    Everywhere you go you all cause chaos and destruction¡­ and none of you care about any of us.  Right then!  Don¡¯t feed me a fanciful tale to try to gain pity from me¡­ MY SON IS DEAD and you will PAY!¡±  He screamed in my face and punctuated his tirade with a fist into my stomach.


    I doubled over, and retched as the guards turned me away from their crazy ass duke, but nothing came out other than a bit of wet bile.


    It felt like I had been kicked in the stomach by a mule, if there was a comparison.  I thought for a second, and my cheeks burned with both anger and shame.  He was right, I had been fully prepared to just leave Endaria, and hide in a new life here to escape my¡­ crimes.  I was going to leave Kai to her fate, and not even give more than a few regretful thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry about your Son, nothing I can say will bring him back and¡­ there is nothing I can do.  Don¡¯t worry, either I¡¯ll die on my own, the final death or they will bring me out and I¡¯ll never come back¡­¡±  I sobbed and he whirled on me.


    ¡°You¡­ are going to die? Nonsense! Travelers never truly die¡­ they always return! Is there a way to kill you traveler?!  Tell me!¡±  He screamed and clutched at me before he lifted my slight form up and slammed me against a bulkhead, his eyes wide with hope and maniacal glee.


    I could see he was fighting against that abstract thing, the great seal, the one that kept NPCs from asking these very same sorts of questions, but somehow, he screamed and growled and turned to face me.


    I looked down at him and nodded with a grim expression.  ¡°Well not others I guess¡­ just me.  I don¡¯t have long to be a traveler; I¡¯ll die on my own eventually, in my world and that means I die here forever.  If you want to make my life¡­ pain and suffering I guess it is what I deserve, you see in my world¡­ my time¡­. Is¡­growing short¡­ days¡­ weeks¡­ I do not know how long I have.¡±  I said and I felt my own mind clouding up as I forced myself to speak, my brain going fuzzy and trying to shift me away from the line of conversation.


    He stared at me and nodded. ¡°It is interesting you haven¡¯t returned to your world, most travelers they leave us at the first sign of danger of being captured and we have to watch for their return, a most frustrating and tedious process¡­but you are different.¡±

 Chapter 13: The Labyrinth of Light

    ¡°What¡¯s the hold up your grace?  The prisoner giving you trouble?¡±  I head a gruff woman¡¯s voice call from above and a woman in an officer¡¯s uniform like the man I had seen earlier was waiting for us at a side hatch along the hull.  She held it open and gestured forward.


    The hatch led out into a short deck that had a ramp leading from it.  The airship was sitting snug, high on a gigantic cradle built into the side of a mountain.  I felt snow whip around me as I shivered and was led down the ramp onto cold, snow covered stone.  I looked up and gaped.  The foot of a gigantic stone tower reached the sky above me and as I turned, I saw high walls that reached around the tower.


    This fortification was built into the crag of a high mountain, and through the rushing snowfall I could see far below me was the open sea.  Smoke from battle covered a far horizon where I saw a port city under siege.  Dude Edris immediately drew out a spyglass and studied the battle from afar.


    ¡°Looks like they are lifting the siege around Bosroy.  Good.¡±  He cackled and there were a few muted cheers from the others around him as he passed the instrument.


    ¡°Inside! We have business here to dispense with, and we can be on our way to join the battle.¡±  He snarled and thrust the spyglass into a pocket of his golden robes.


    Behind me, I heard a shriek of fear, then Kai was tossed over the shoulder of a guard who lazily stomped along next to me as we entered the massive tower.  Inside the halls of the tower, I could see that it was made from some sort of white stone, polished and carved almost like a cathedral, with strange beasts and unfamiliar men and women.  The design of the building and others was like nothing else I had seen so far, and was quite removed from how I had seen the other fortifications I¡¯d encountered so far.  There was a lot of glowing scrip that made my skin buzz slightly built into almost every stone.


    The deeper we went down, the stronger the power felt.  Descending only a few levels down we stopped in a set of vast halls that swarmed with robed men and women, all wearing various colors of robes.  There were a lot of teenagers and children as well, all swarming through as if it was a busy town or from my impression, a university.


    Our procession was given a wide berth by them, and the passersby stared at the rough crewmen from the airship and at Duke Edris with desperate curiosity.


    The smaller set of rooms we entered off that main hall housed rows of desks and cubicles, men and women in uniforms stopped what they were doing to peer at us for a second before we were sat down on benches around a stone table.  The table was narrow, with glass orbs spaced down it, and my eyes widened when I guessed what the orbs were for.


    A few moments later a uniformed man entered and talked with Duke Edris before he put his hand on one of the nearby orbs and did that thing to make it a truth stone.  It glowed briefly then he gestured to me.


    ¡°I am Arbitrator Locke, and you are being questioned to your involvement in connection with the following charges.¡±  He read off a long list of offences and my eyes widened.  Just how many people had I managed to get killed?  There were also a few absurd ones like conspiring with the enemy, and a few ones that puzzled me like treason against the league, because I wasn¡¯t even a citizen of their country.


    They read a similar list of charges in front of Kai who simply began to sob with despair, and I frowned as they charged her with treason as well, and all the same crimes I was charged with, as well as the typical aiding and abiding stuff.


    The questioning began in earnest, and lasted for hours, they forced me to respond while I held a glowing truth stone.


    I tried to be as helpful as possible, and there was little recourse anyways.  In the end though they wouldn¡¯t drop most of the charges except for the stupid ones.  I realized that Duke Edris, or whoever had written them up had made the assumption that both of us were part of the League of Silvania.


    ¡°Honored Arbitrator, why is Kai being charged with conspiracy to aid the enemy, if the enemy was trying to kill her and me?¡±  I asked and he laughed.


    ¡°We are not talking about the Dark ones, but you yourself.  Your god is the enemy of all people, everywhere, don¡¯t you understand?¡±  I shook my head.


    You can¡¯t lie when over a truth stone, but if they don¡¯t ask the right questions, I was finding they could twist a lot of the events in whatever fashion they wanted.


    ¡°So¡­ you would have rather the Underdark monsters, or whatever they are rampage through your lands, level your castle, enslave or kill every man, woman or child, and then continue across your kingdom? Let me try and stop them!  I did lose control, and for that I can offer no excuse¡­ however I did stop them.¡±  I argued and he just laughed at me.


    ¡°They were a minor nuisance that our grace, Duke Edris assures me he could have vanquished.¡±  He snorted derisively and I shook my head.


    ¡°Did you not listen to how I described the fall of Gilford? You really think that Duke Edris would have eventually fared any differently?¡±  I snarled and he waved me away.


    ¡°His grace is not under questioning here; you are and you have been judged guilty.¡±  He remarked and then pointed at Kai.


    ¡°I have been asked to show mercy on the girl, as she is quite strong of the great magi blood.  She will not be executed, as his grace, Duke Edris has requested but will be given an indenture and apprenticed to the artificer¡¯s guild.¡±  He said and then turned to me.


    ¡°Champion Nimue of the dark god Aegaeon you have been found guilty of the following charges.¡±  He then spent another five minutes reading off a long list of charges, and I swear the list was actually longer than we had started with. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°You will be remanded to the Labyrinth of Light, where you will remain until the end of your days.¡±  He said and when I looked up, I saw that Duke Edris was not looking any happier than I was.


    ¡°You said she would be confined!  Why isn¡¯t she being remanded to the royal dungeon?!¡± He bellowed, and the arbitrator simply stared at him until the man finished his rant.


    ¡°I apologize your grace, but it is the law.  Her crimes are far too numerous, and frankly I doubt the royal holdings can contain her in any event despite the fact you yourself oversee their operation.¡±  He said and Duke Edris exploded.


    ¡°She killed my son! I deserve to make her suffer!  It is my right to extract vengeance!¡±  He screamed and the arbitrator¡¯s eyes narrowed at him.


    ¡°The law does not agree with your position.  Do you need me to question you on the treatment of your prisoners? It does seem as if grief has¡­ affected your mind in this matter.¡±  He stated and Duke Edris timidly cringed and nodded, his face suddenly going pale.


    ¡°Perhaps it has honored arbitrator¡­ I do not dispute your ruling.  Thank you for your time.¡±  He said through gritted teeth before turning and storming out of the room.


    ¡°What a piece of work¡­¡± I grumbled and the arbitrator turned to me.  ¡°You were involved with the death of Captain Wilhelm Edris of the Cloudfire.  He was an only son and heir.  I understand the death was not premeditated but you will repay either way.  The labyrinth will see to that.¡±


    I shivered.  ¡°What will happen to Kai?  I know you said she is to be indentured¡­ is it like slavery or something?¡±  I asked and he shook his head.


    ¡°She may be able to work off her debt in a few decades, but it is doubtful.  She will be given an education though and the Artificers Guild here at Dawnwatch is perhaps the best on the entire continent of Hygarth.  Do not trouble yourself, as she will not be mistreated and will be cared for.¡±  He said kindly and motioned to several men and women heavily armed and armored who grasped me by my bounds and led me down a long hall.  I was tossed into a cell, and guards slit my bindings.


    ¡°Remove all of your clothing convict!¡±  A gruff sounding voice prompted and I rubbed my sore wrists for a moment and looked around.


    There was a glowing blue crystal in the ceiling of the cell and I saw it begin to pulse ominously I glared at it.  ¡°No.¡± I stated, deciding on my course of action.  I knew there would be pain but I highly doubted that they could actually take my clothes off of me willingly, suspecting they were just like my statuette and could be recalled somehow.  They had slid a very familiar crystal box through a tiny opening in the cell, presumably for me to place my clothes in and I kicked it back out.


    Arcs of power stabbed down from the crystal and it felt like my body was on fire, I screamed and fell to my knees with pain.  The pain intensified and went on and on until it was suddenly cut off.


    ¡°Place your clothing in the box now convict!¡± The voice was more insistent and I stood up again and glared at the crystal.  ¡°No.¡±  I said and the pain came once again.


    After the third time, I felt as if I was going to die, and I sincerely hoped it would be the case.  Perhaps I would respawn somewhere else.  Kai was out of my hands now, and I had nothing to lose.


    My skin was red and blistered, some my clothing, while unmarred was plastered to my body with sweat.  The pain I was enduring here was some of the worse I had experienced so far, but it did give me a sense of power.  They couldn¡¯t force me to remove the garments gifted to me by my god and they couldn¡¯t extort me by threating to either kill me or hurt Kai.


    I was assuming a normal person would have eventually decided they had enough, but the request went on and on until I finally blacked out.  I woke up on a slab with a worried looking woman in white robes peering down at me and shaking her head.


    ¡°You fools nearly killed her!  Let her keep the stupid robes, we can ask her over a stone if she has anything in them!¡±  She cried and they thrust a glowing truth stone in front of me.


    ¡°Do you have anything in your robes that is dangerous, are the robes dangerous?¡±  She asked and I put my hand over it it as I responded with a no to both when she held up the stone, it glowed green.  They had taken my only possession that I could consider dangerous.


    ¡°See?  They are likely just a set of soulbound robes! Be off with you!  I¡¯ll have her taken to the entrance when she is strong enough to walk!¡±  She bellowed and I felt healing warmth over my body as she closed blistered skin.  I was given water to drink before the woman gruffly herded me off to another section of their processing area. I limped along, trying to keep the water down in my roiling stomach.


    I wasn¡¯t bound, but they did summon some sort of glowing, enchanted bands onto on my ankles and wrists.  They shrunk to form like a second skin around my body with no gap for me to stick a finger under.  ¡°Don¡¯t even think of trying to cause trouble.¡±  The woman cackled as I stared at the strange summoned constructs, a bit curious if they were actually physical or some sort of spell.


    ¡°You give me any problems and they will lock together and you will be trussed up.  The guards will have to drag you out and you don¡¯t want that.¡±  She explained and I nodded, picking at the collar around my neck.  I could still feel it draining my energy, and acting like a barrier every time I tried to reach out with my power.


    ¡°What is this Labyrinth of Light?¡±  I asked and she shrugged.


    ¡°I believe you travelers call such places a dungeon.  It is indeed filled with monsters.  If you die there the dungeon will bind your soul back to it.  There is no escape, and you can only live by serving the Labyrinth.  Your food will only be earned by what you contribute in there.  We do not know much about it, other than texts that have been sent back through the return box.¡±  She huffed.


    I nodded.  Sounded better than a dark cell, but I highly doubted I would last long without my powers.  At least if my character was destroyed on my last life, perhaps the game would log me out so I could create a new one.


    Thinking on that a second, I wasn¡¯t sure I liked the prospect.  This was a game after all and I was in fact not willing to lose.  Every game I had ever played, no matter how difficult did give you some way to win.  I had screwed up, badly but there had to be a way to win.


    I was led out through crowded halls and then down deeper into the ancient structure.


    With every step I could feel the growing power I had felt earlier rise in intensity before finally we entered a room with a single glowing archway.  A massive armored box sat next to the door, and I watched it glow and pulse for a second before there was a clang.


    Guards peered into the box, spears ready and sighed as they saw there was a pile of crystals, a few weapons and other objects.  Removing the contents onto a waiting dolly, they then pushed parcels and crates into it and slammed it shut.


    Clerks swarmed over what had been removed from box and started to inventory the items, marking something down on a ledger slate as they wheeled the dolly away.


    There was a pulse and I watched the contents they had put into the crate vanish.  I stared at the arrangement, then at the glowing archway in confusion.


    As the guards pushed me forward the archway pulsed brighter, then lit up in a cascade of power, a portal forming.  I could see nothing but a shimmering vortex of energy.  There was a violent shove from behind and I was pushed into the whirling vortex of power.

 Chapter 14: The New Fishie

    I felt myself falling, drifting in the golden light spinning for a second, then I slammed down into cold hard stone. There were only a few moments for me to collect myself, before rough hands pulled me up and I stared into the eyes of another player. I blinked and he grinned at me as I stumbled up onto my feet as the silver bands around my ankles and wrists glowed dimly, then vanished.


    ¡°Hey! We got a new one!¡± He cackled and tossed me to the side. As I stumbled across a small room, identical to the one I had entered in.


    I could see there were a few people unloading the crates from their side and a grizzled old lady with grey hair was helping unpack them and go through their contents.


    Everyone in here was heavily armed with an assortment of arms and armor. In the center of the room, there was one difference however.


    Reflecting light and thrumming with power was a gigantic crystal that hummed and pulsed. The crystal shivered for a moment, crackling golden light cascading up and down as it began to vibrate.


    As I watched, there was a flash of light and a half naked figure appeared and was sent sprawling across the ground. He stood up and gave a scream of rage.


    ¡°Second time in two weeks¡­¡± The old woman cackled.


    ¡°Where you die this time Kirk?¡± She inquired and he shrugged as he grabbed a robe from a pile on the ground next to the crystal and shrugged into it.


    ¡°I think it was around third circle into the Golden Maze, on the new path we charted last week. Not sure, was being chased by some sort of gibbering horror and barely made it past the wash. I fell into the wash and was swept somewhere unfamiliar when my climbing rope snapped and died when I hit the spikes at the bottom of a pit.¡± He said sullenly.


    ¡°Well at least we got a new shipment in, and a new fishie.¡± She pointed a wizened old finger towards me and I cringed a bit as the tall man stared me down.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the collar, she a magi?¡± He said excitedly.


    They all turned to me and studied me carefully, peering at my collar. I nodded.


    ¡°Yea¡­ sort of. I was¡­ a cleric but they took my statuette.¡± I explained, and decided not to mention my champion status. He grinned.


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t worry, we can get that collar removed! Can you heal?!¡± He said and I nodded.


    ¡°Awesome! We haven¡¯t had a healer here at the hub since Ged rage quit and rerolled his char.¡± I looked around in confusion seeing a lot of player tags and very few NPCs. Most of them were elderly and helping around. The players all seemed to be fighters.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± I asked and he laughed.


    ¡°Well, I hear the locals call it quite a few names, but everyone here just calls it the Labyrinth. It¡¯s the weirdest dungeon in Endaria. Oh, and I¡¯ll be letting Deidre introduce things for herself.¡±


    ¡°A few rules for the fresh fish.¡± The woman approached and sized me up.


    ¡°First¡­ no fighting each other. You will find out what happens if you commit crimes here, it will be very painful, and perhaps final. The guardian of the great Labyrinth of Light won¡¯t tolerate any shenanigans from you welps, and neither will anyone else here.¡± She pointed at the giant crystal.


    ¡°Travelers return to us here, if they die in the Labyrinth. If you commit crimes you may¡­ find yourself elsewhere and in a lot of pain, so do not cross people here and we will get along fine.¡± She continued.


    Pointing to the boxes of supplies, and the many guards arranged around them she nodded.


    ¡°You will be fed, and help will be given if you bring what we need to make the quota. Because you just arrived, the quota hasn¡¯t risen yet. However, with the current surge in new prisoners it will rise swiftly, and you will earn your keep or we will just let you starve or exile you to the mercy of the Labyrinth. It¡¯s that simple, and I¡¯m told even you travelers eventually start working together, as death becomes harder to bear.¡± She cackled and turned.


    ¡°Toss her a starter pack!¡± She ordered and Kirk leaned over to a bin. A small leather knapsack was tossed out of a pile by him towards me. I caught it and looked inside. There was a box of rations, a canteen and a few other items.


    ¡°This is your only freebie fresh fishie! You lose it in the maze and you won¡¯t get another unless you have credit.¡± Kirk stated.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m off to the bank. Got to gear up.¡± He said and bounded off running for the exit.


    Deidre grinned and handed a necklace with a copper medallion to me; it had a small silver tab on it. ¡°Press the tab to soulbind the necklace.¡± She ordered, and I did so.


    It flashed with light. There was a medallion on it with the etching of a maze. She flipped it to the other side and pointed to a set of numbers.


    ¡°This indicates how much credit you have. A meal from the mess hall is one credit. This pack is worth ten credits, you start with fifteen credits, so you are now down to five. You have five meals until you will starve. Work and earn credit!¡± She explained and gave me a shove.


    I felt, and probably looked very lost and in a daze as I stumbled away and she pointed me towards the far exit. My mind spun and I looked back at her.


    ¡°Is there any way to escape?¡± I asked, trying to keep the hopelessness out of my voice, and she cackled at me as if I had just uttered a funny joke. ¡°No escape¡­ well not unless you earn enough credit, but no one ever manages that!¡± She laughed and pointed. Now go and don¡¯t bother me anymore!¡±


    Shrugging, I nodded and walked wearily out of the chamber. Upon exit, I gasped as I stepped out into bright radiant light, and looked up to see that brightly lit, spotless walls like lit glass rose around me, and were hemmed in a small area dotted with buildings, and stalls filled with players. Most were heavily armed and looked like some sort of adventurers, others seemed to have taken the roles of crafters, and laborers.


    There were very few NPCs, but they were scattered here and there working with the players, laughing and talking as people passed by.


    ¡°Oi! Fishie!¡± I heard the familiar lilt of Kirk¡¯s voice as he laughed and called to me. I walked towards a large building made of spun and glittering white glass that had the words ¡°Bank¡± over it in chiseled script. He stood there pulling items out of a glimmering box that had appeared in front of him. He cast his robe into a bin next to the bank filled with them as he pulled on a set of armor and withdrew a worn looking sword out and strapped its scabbard to his side. Reaching in yet again, he removed a heater shield, slinging it from his back by straps on it.


    I blinked, trying to figure out how that chest had contained all of those items. It had to be like my magic pockets¡­ some sort of chest of holding or something.


    As I approached, he moved away and the chest vanished from the floor of the bank as if it had never been there. ¡°Follow me¡­ need to introduce you to someone, and then I have a¡­ business proposal for you.¡± He walked purposefully through the throng, greeting players as we passed by and we moved towards a large open market with people exchanging glowing tokens. He explained that they were the hard currency form of credit. You could withdraw credit from the bank, or deposit it and add to your credit. Tokens had the value of their credit written on them in fine script, and couldn¡¯t be duplicated.


    There was a dizzying array of goods for sale all around the market, but it wasn¡¯t really that crowded. ¡°Welcome to your new home!¡± He pointed towards the strange walls around us.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Has anyone actually made it out?¡± I asked and he shook his head. ¡°Not that I¡¯ve learned anyways, and I¡¯ve been here for a while now. Not a really bad place, kind of fun actually.¡± He piped up and I frowned.


    ¡°Fighting monsters to keep your character alive is fun?¡± I said, and he shrugged.


    ¡°Not all of us fight, some earn their credit by crafting, others by just being useful. There are only about fifty players here in the hub at the moment, but we are growing rapidly in population, as more people are cast into the labyrinth. Seems like several kingdoms are beginning to fall in love with this method of getting rid of us players.¡±


    ¡°Most of the population here is actually NPCs, but you don¡¯t see them much this far in the center. They are mostly in pocket enclaves all around the labyrinth.¡± he said when I asked him about what had been bugging me since I had landed here.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with them though, or you will find yourself in hot shit, what the old lady said was right, you can¡¯t be a dick and survive in here, the guardian won¡¯t allow it. Trolls and greifers don¡¯t last long, they get bored of being sent to respawn, or the punishment zone and just reroll their char.¡± He explained and I winced.


    The thing was since the last update in Endaria, about two weeks ago or so I¡¯d heard it now cost a ton of credits to get a new character.


    I wasn¡¯t worried since I could easily get a new one. My dad would have to pay but I could imagine it would become a burden. Every new character increased in cost, the price going up exponentially.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s with the robes?¡± He pointed at my outfit and frowned. ¡°They took all my stuff. How you keep yours?¡± He asked and when I told him he froze for a second and began to laugh.


    ¡°Man¡­ that never occurred to me, so that stuff is like soulbound?¡± I shrugged. ¡°No idea!¡± I grinned and he shook his head.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t try to remove it from my body forcibly though, so I¡¯m assuming they didn¡¯t think it was worth the trouble. Had to swear I wasn¡¯t carrying anything dangerous in them over a truth stone.¡± He chuckled and once again shook his head.


    ¡°We still have no idea why they do that, won¡¯t make any difference here.¡± He pointed to everyone carrying weapons and armor.


    ¡°You can¡¯t actually hurt anyone, and the guardian can read your mind to see if your being deceitful when trying to cause trouble. I mean you can try to hurt someone but it won¡¯t go well.¡± He smirked at my expression.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out in any case. I¡¯m sure you were some big bad criminal type like everyone else, but like I said, this place is a no asshole zone, so it¡¯s not too bad actually.¡± He grinned at me and pushed back a messy lock of his long brown hair as we arrived at a curious tent that had a glowing blue glass smithy on one side and a man sitting at a desk working on an intricate device on the other.


    He was a young man with curly black hair and a dark, almost yellowish complexion. His scared and battered fingers moved quickly through practiced motions and he popped a spring out and set it to the side of the device before Kirk gave a polite cough and he looked up.


    ¡°Oh yes! A fresh fishie! I was wondering when they would catch another!¡± He cackled and thrust a scarred palm out to me which I shook. His player tag identified him as Taizhou. His name glowed a fading dark red indicating he either is or was formally a player killer. I took a step back and he grinned when he saw me reading his tag.


    ¡°Not into that sort of thing anymore. I just fix things now. He pointed at my collar. ¡°And I remove those.¡± He grinned.


    ¡°How many credits this time Taz?¡± Kirk asked and Taz paused for a moment and grinned. ¡°thirty credits!¡± He said and Kirk groaned. ¡°C-mon Taz, you know I bring you the best stuff, make it twenty credits, she¡¯s a healer! I¡¯ll bet I can get the council to lay off you a bit if you do this for me.¡±


    Taz thought for a second then grinned. ¡°Twenty-five! And that¡¯s final!¡± Kirk grumbled darkly and pulled out a handful of glowing tokens, counting them out and handed them to Taz.


    ¡°You owe me big time fish! You better be a damm good healer!¡± Kirk growled and I nodded quickly. Taz slapped a stool down and knocked a heavy fist on it. I sat down, bringing my neck level to his hands as he examined my collar.


    ¡°Not a bad model, but I¡¯ll get you out in a second, they must have been rushed. The key isn¡¯t heavily encrypted.¡± He hummed to himself as he manipulated glowing tools and began to flex and turn a rod over the collar. After about twenty minutes, that I spent nervously fidgeting on the stool he gave a chortle of triumph and the collar popped off. I fell off the stool, losing my balance as my senses swam.


    The world blurred around me before it resettled and my whole body tingled slowly. Looking back up I saw Kirk and Taz both peering down at me with concern, and a bit of shock. I lifted my hands and saw that they were glowing a faint sapphire blue twined with gold for a moment before the foxfire from around me faded and disappeared.


    ¡°What¡­ the heck was that.¡± Kirk said and Taz shrugged before turning back to his work.


    ¡°Donno, never seen that happen, at least not like that before.¡± He remarked and began to cackle like some child with a new toy as he played with the discarded collar.


    ¡°Well you feel any better?¡± He asked an I nodded. I still felt a bit incomplete though without my statuette, or foci as the local NPCs had called it.


    ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m a cleric but I don¡¯t have a statuette to focus my power, anything I can do to fix that?¡± I asked and Kirk shrugged.


    ¡°No idea, ur asking the wrong person here. I¡¯m still figuring out Endaria myself.¡± We walked towards the direction of the mess hall. There did seem to be few other occupants, but for the most part the building was empty.


    A few NPCs were manning a large pot of stew on one side, and on the other there were sacks of supplies, ingredients, and a set of small cloth bags.


    Kirk pointed me towards the pot of stew. The old woman standing there peered at me with interest. ¡°New fish¡­ ah that explains why you haven¡¯t come for a shipment.¡± She ladled me a bowl of stew and handed it to me, and waved a stone in front of my new necklace.


    Glancing over towards Kirk, I noticed that he paying for one of the cloth bundles instead. He carried it over to the table where I sat down.


    I looked at the stew and realized that I didn¡¯t have a spoon. When I asked Kirk, he smiled and pointed to my pack. I opened it up and found a small compact mess kit, it had a stamped metal spoon and fork/knife combo set. It also looked like the mess tin could unfold and be either a small bowl or frying pan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose that thing by the way, they won¡¯t give you anther for free. In fact, it¡¯s probably best to bank that pack until you get your bearings.¡± He advised and I nodded.


    He had unfolded the cloth bag, waving his hands to break some sort of enchantment and grinned when he opened a box that revealed bacon, eggs and a biscuit with gravy steaming in front of him. ¡°Man, this is even better than I eat outside Endaria¡­ ahhh.¡± He bit into a piece of bacon with a blissful expression while


    As I ate my stew, I swear it tasted like the best dish I had ever eaten. I tried to remember when I had my last meal and wondered if it was back with those nice Fendwick people.


    ¡°I take it the really good food costs more credits¡­¡± I asked and he nodded. ¡°Five credits for a bagged meal, you can eat them here or take them with you. They are spelled to stay hot and fresh. They get them in with some of the shipments from the outside.¡±


    He stared at me as he ate, sizing me up. ¡°So¡­ what weapon do you prefer? Most people know how to use a knife or a gun from their militia training, but what did you use on the outside?¡± He asked curiously and I shrugged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t really know how to fight¡­ er at all.¡± I said as I greedily continued my meal. He frowned at me.


    ¡°Heh, you get a deferment or something from mandatory protectives training? I didn¡¯t know that was possible outside the domes.¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯m a Texas Union citizen, and er my circumstances prevent me from receiving combat training.¡± I said and he nodded.


    ¡°Well you¡¯re the second person I¡¯ve run into that is like that, the other guy was disabled in real life and was in the same boat.¡± He said and pointed to his sword.


    ¡°I know several martial styles, and I train quite a bit outside the game. You¡¯re going to have to use something more than just your power.¡± He leaned back and gave me a hard look.


    ¡°I know you magic types and your power will always burn out quickly. Its best used to augment some sort of weapon or use a crystal, staff, that sort of thing. I¡¯ve seen how the other teams with magi work.¡± He bit into a thick slab of bacon and looked on in envy as he seemed to be lost in the bliss of his meal.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been in the hub for a few days, hard to find good food when I¡¯m running the labyrinth unless I stop at an enclave.¡± He grinned at me as he spoke between bites and I smiled as I finished my stew, my stomach still feeling as it hadn¡¯t quite been satiated.


    I hadn¡¯t exactly had many meals in Endaria, I had the feeling I wouldn¡¯t care if the meat was actually rat or something as long as I could stomach it. What did surprise me was that I wasn¡¯t really depressed or hopeless anymore. Somehow it felt like things could be alright. I guessed it was part of Kirk¡¯s attitude, who seemed almost indifferent to life here in the labyrinth.


    ¡°So how do I repay you? I¡¯m assuming you need a healer or something?¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Well there are other healers but none have been around the hub for a while now, those groups are pushing farther out into the labyrinth and mostly work with the enclaves, not the hub.¡± He explained.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to go solo, mostly just gear runs, scouting, or shipment escort, trying to get credit from selling stuff to the quota council or wrangling favors from them.¡± He said and I nodded.


    ¡°There really aren¡¯t that many players in the labyrinth yet to make a big difference, but I do expect that to change. Other countries are shipping their problem offenders to Dawnwatch or other entry points.¡± He explained and pointed around.


    ¡°Wait, there are other places like this hub?¡± I asked and he shook his head. ¡°Not exactly. The Magister¡¯s Guild, they have portals they can toss us in, but everyone still ends up here. Their main base of operations is in Dawnwatch. I was tossed from Corinth.¡±


    ¡°There is a war nearby Dawnwatch by the way.¡± I said and he nodded. ¡°Yea we know, the Underdark has been in the area giving the League a hard time, but no one is stupid enough to attack Dawnwatch, it¡¯s a relic from before the cataclysm, and nearly impossible to assault.¡± He was reading a giant slate fixed to the far wall and pointed to the text scrolling across it. ¡°We have a news service, mostly stuff about what goes on here in the labyrinth, but new fish like you also bring us info, and we also get reports in along with shipments.¡±

 Chapter 15: The Guardian and The Quota Council

    When we were done, he showed me where to wash out my bowl and spoon. Once we had left the mess hall he pointed towards one of the stalls in the market.  It had the words ¡°Information Broker¡± printed on it in thick bold print. There was a woman sitting at a desk, an NPC who was writing something on a slate with a glowing stylus, frowning as she read and wrote.  She was middle aged, but her weather-beaten face gave her a much older appearance.   Covered in tattoos, with gold hoops dangling from one ear and a strange looking feathered band on her brow.  Her dark brown robes cascading from a lithe figure seemed to portray a look of reserved strength and competence.


    ¡°Here¡¯s where you can earn a few credits fishie, now meet me over there when you¡¯re done.¡±  He pointed towards a large open area next to a massive wooden wall that had men and women practicing with blunted weapons and staves.  They were stripped to the waist and covered in dust and sweat.  He limbered up his shoulders and cried out to a couple of them as he jogged over.  I watched several of the combatants break off and slap him across the shoulders as they pushed him into a ring.  He picked up one of the wooden swords off the rack and pulled the shield off his shoulders and faced off against a guy who was waiting for him, jeering.


    I turned away to see the woman staring at me, or more specifically staring at my robes.  ¡°How does this fresh fish wear robes of a dark god.¡±  She mused as if to herself as she stared at me intently.


    ¡°I was a cleric, before they tossed me in.¡±  She frowned and nodded.


    ¡°So, what can you tell this one, how may Saskin help the fishies?¡±  She stated and turned her intense gaze towards me.  I studied her neatly kept blond hair and intense eyes, and she nodded.


    ¡°Tell me of war, you know yes?¡± I nodded and began to tell her of my story, how I had come to Endaria, and the fall of the Fenwick stronghold, leaving out anything to do with me being a champion.


    ¡°You are not being truthful with Saskin¡­we are done here.  This one will pay but do not come back until you tell this one more of your story¡­ the parts that are important.¡±  She tossed me a glowing token with a single one credit mark on it.


    ¡°Hey!  This all for my life story?¡± I said, outraged.  I thought I had good information, about Fenwick and lots of good juicy bits.  I even described the different people I had met when she had asked me.


    ¡°Go now¡­ or do you seek from Saskin?¡±  She drummed her fingers on the table, then leaned back in her chair out of the glow from above and went back to reading, completely ignoring me.


    I had the feeling that anything I asked would end up being more than I could afford.  Huffing, I slowly got up and paced over to the nearby practice area to watch Kirk spar.


    Kirk was more than holding his own, he was actually quite good.  I sat down on a nearby bench and watched him with wonder.  His shield seemed to be a part of him, like an extension of his arm and his sword always was where it needed to be.  I had no idea how to fence at all but this wasn¡¯t exactly any sort of sword stuff I had watched before.  This was brutal and savage, both opponents gave no quarter.


    I noticed that they had to carefully state the rules of each fight, and promise no intentionally malicious bloodshed.  Even then, they glanced nervously upwards and took great care not to seriously injure each other despite the furious nature of their combat.  I wasn¡¯t sure what was going on here, but this place had to be the best-behaved prison I had ever heard of.


    Kirk finished, and shook hands with his opponent before he gestured to me to approach one side of the practice grounds, while others went back to fighting.  He slung his shield back over his shoulders, and put his practice sword back.  ¡°Right, well I¡¯m going to be teaching you all day.  Don¡¯t expect these lessons to be free either.  You will help me or I¡¯ll ditch you and you can have fun fending for yourself.¡±  His eyes narrowed at me and I nodded.


    ¡°First thing you need to learn is how to fall.  I¡¯ve watched you, it¡¯s like you don¡¯t have any idea how to walk properly.¡±  I frowned.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better just to teach me how to fight? What does falling have to do with it? I¡¯m not expecting to be a kung fu master or anything.¡±  Someone laughed at my retort and I turned to see a tiny looking player with a heavily scarred face.  She was holding a short sword and was practicing thrusts with it against an animated practice dummy.


    ¡°Fishie! You must really want to delete your char er?¡±  She cackled and then went back to thrusting her weapon, wincing as the mechanical dummy blocked the thrust with a little round shield.


    Kirk came up next to me.  He looked down at me in disgust and shook his head.  ¡°You can¡¯t learn to run before you learn to walk.¡± He then demonstrated how to fall by falling forwards and slapping the ground.


    We practiced all day long, until he had to log out.  When he did, I was left standing there in the practice yards, bruised, battered but a bit hopeful.  He had shown me several ways to fall and disperse the energy of jumping.  There was a pit of mulch and a wall people tumbled from.


    As I watched as other fishies were also being trained, I found that I was far from the only one completely clueless here.  Even players with red tags were learning here from ones without any PK status.  It wasn¡¯t without incident though.


    The gathering of so many new guys finally gave me a demonstration of the power of the guardian of the Labyrinth when one of them began to berate one of the girls practicing with a staff.


    She had slipped on the soft ground and fallen into one of the new guys practicing with a short sword on the dummies.  A shield arm from the dummy flew up and clocked the guy she had hit in the face from that moment of distraction, eliciting a scream of rage and pain.


    Clutching the bruise, he turned and pushed the girl away.  She stumbled back and fell down hard, her hand crunching awkwardly into the ground from the fall.  I winced as I saw she had injured her wrist, probably broken it.


    As she clutched her wrist, the player with the shortsword paced over to her and began screaming at her, while rubbing his face.


    ¡°Stupid cow! Look what you did!¡±  He called and then made a big mistake.  He viciously slammed the side of his practice shortsword into her head, rocking her jaw back and sending her onto the ground, bleeding.  There was a complete silence from the bystanders who all stepped away from him in terror.


    The response was nearly instant.  A bright light lanced down from the sky and froze the player as he prepared another strike on the helpless girl.


    ¡°You are in violation! First offence¡­ termination¡±  A force boomed over the hub and everyone turned to watch the light and wince as the player screamed, then was vaporized.  The process was not pretty or swift. The guardian must have decided to be a bit nasty, as it was very slow with first his skin burned off then his body cooked and burst apart, finally even his suspended body parts vanished in a bright flash and the beam was gone.


    There was nothing left but a charred and burning practice sword laying there on the ground next to a clump of burning rags.


    Everyone was silent for a moment, and my heart seemed to restart when there was a wry chuckle and one of the players kicked the mess to the side of the practice court and went to help the girl up who stumbled, and seemed to be in a daze.


    Walking over, I gesture for her to show the injured limb as I slowly and carefully reached for my power.  Gathering my glowing water out of the air with great difficulty until I had barely enough to coat my palm.  When she backed up in fear, I shook my head.


    ¡°Will you let me heal you?¡± I asked and glanced nervously up at the sky where the beam had come from.  She nodded quickly and stepped forward.


    It was more difficult, like I had felt when trying to use my power before I had become a champion.  I healed the cut on her head, and then proceeded to repair her wrist, which took a few minutes, and left me feeling a bit drained and queasy.


    She nodded and then hugged me.  ¡°Thank you!¡± The girl said and pointed to another group of people standing next to her.  ¡°We are forming a party; you want to join us? We need a healer!¡±  I shook my head.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really looking for a party, but I don¡¯t mind healing anyone.  I need to practice a bit.¡±


    At that statement several people with sprains and bruises came to me and I concentrated on trying to get the hang of healing more efficiently.  It was difficult as well as time consuming and left me feeling even worse than usual.  Soon I had to call a halt before I passed out, eliciting a few groans of consternation, but most understood the limits of a caster and were good natured about it.


    Finally, the yard began to clear out as the sky began to dim.  The light didn¡¯t fade completely but it dimmed to almost twilight.  The stalls from the nearby market closed, the occupants walking away towards open doorways in the distance.  I was soon left alone as most of the players simply logged out.


    I wished I could log out, but I had tried to pull up my interface.  Other than being able to see player tags, and a few other basic things, nothing responded.  I would have to wait until they pulled me out in a couple of days.


    They had said my testing group would have a forced log out after a week to undergo some tests, and let the techs service the VR dive capsules, in preparation for our month-long testing period.  This was sort of a trial run, to make sure we all could adapt to life here in Endaria.  Well it was generally supposed to be a week, but they said it could be seven or eight days so that they could make sure their staff wasn¡¯t overburdened by lots of testers needing seen to at once.


    I sighed and not knowing what else to do, laid back on the bench and stared upwards.  In the twilight I could actually make out a faraway dome, so impossibly high above me there were actually clouds within it.  Tiny flashes of light would sometimes streak across the dome, but it was there and reminded me of how unnatural this place was.


    I got up, stumbled forward, aches and muscles protesting as I slowly shuffled towards the mess hall.  I could use some more food.  Turning my medallion, I saw that it read a measly four credits.  I had the single credit in my pocket from the information broker.  That left me feeling a bit disheartened.


    It seemed as if the chow hall was also the evening gathering place for players.  Most people sat around in groups, or were just eating alone and glaring at anyone who wanted to sit near them.


    I waited in line, grabbed another bowl of stew and sat down in the far side of the hall, close by a few players practicing on instruments and trying and failing to sing.  It was discordant, but comforting as I watched them talk and laugh with each other. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Above everything else I was always lonely.  In the hospitals I hadn¡¯t had many other kids to talk to and the only one I talked to when I was at home was the house staff, or my dad.  Even in other VR games I had never really got the knack of interacting with people.


    I wasn¡¯t really sure how to actually just go up and talk to the other inmates, so I just ate in silence.  All too soon my bowl was empty, and it seemed like my stomach was still growling for more.


    There was more than just stew of course, but everything else cost more credits than I had on hand and I didn¡¯t want to waste anything else. I cleaned my spoon off, and put my head down wearily on the table and tried not to doze off, something that quickly became difficult as my meal rumbled and growled in my stomach.  I tried not to think about what had caused me to end up here but it was all I could think about.


    How was Kai doing?  Did Gloria and Vance make it out of trouble ok?  I was nodding off when there was a shuddering thump next to me and someone prodded me out of my sleepy daze.


    ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t sleep here! Stupid fishie, go to the transient hall!¡±  I looked up to see the old woman, the same one that had given me my pack staring down at me.  She sat down with a bowl of stew, and an apple and munched on the apple while grinning at me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t throw you out, but there are beds there, I¡¯m sure this table isn¡¯t comfortable! Go!¡± She shooed me away and I looked out of the dining area as she pointed towards another open area on the far side of the tables.


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll get some sleep.  Sorry.¡±  I mumbled and she waved me away.  Other players were looking at me with curiosity as I stumbled past them towards the doorway.  The doorway opened into a long hallway.  I saw various rooms, some locked doors, but I followed the sounds of voices until I entered a long dark room with beds.


    A small table was setup with a bunch of players playing some card game.  They stared at me haughtily as I staggered over to a nearby bed and collapsed into it.  Tucking my pack under me and clutching it, I drifted off asleep almost instantly.


    Nightmares were my only company, but thankfully I didn¡¯t¡¯ remember much of what I dreamt about, only that it mostly contained things trying to chase and kill me, and lots of screaming.


    I slowly came to as I was being shaken awake.  Opening my eyes, I looked up at another player I didn¡¯t recognize.  She wore white robes, with a golden sash around her waist and was watching me intently.


    ¡°Ah, get up¡­ the council sent me to find you.¡±  She hissed and pointed towards the door, where another figure was silhouetted.  A man in the same clothing I had seen the old woman who greeted me was tapping his foot and gesturing to me.


    I slowly struggled out of bed and groaned.  Every muscle on my body hurt and was stiff. I had to stagger for a bit before I caught my balance and rubbed my shoulders as I stumbled towards the man.  The player who had woken me up joined her friends around the small table and I saw that they were playing chess over rough carved pieces on one side of the table and a map was spread out on the other side as they discussed some future route.


    I slunk along, following the man out of the sleeping area and down the hall.  He stopped me and pointed to an open door, one that had been locked the night before.  There were several people sitting around a small round table.  I recognized the information broker, the old woman who had handed me my pack, and one of the ones I had seen helping out in the chow hall.


    ¡°Have a seat traveler, we need to talk about your quota.¡±  She pointed to a seat at the table and pulled up a slate.


    I looked at them curiously.  ¡°I thought my quota was me paying you credit to eat.¡± I said and they chuckled.  ¡°Well here is how it works, we are an informal council that helps run things smoothly here in the hub, most of us were born here in the enclaves so we are used to dealing with new faces and know how to work with the guardian, as well as Dawnwatch.¡±  She introduced all of the other members.  ¡°This is Karl, the provisioner.  Talk to him for travel gear and supplies.¡±  She pointed to a short, chubby man who grinned at me and nodded.


    She introduced the information broken and one more person.  ¡°This is Reesa, the leader of the trailblazers, she helps organize expeditions to the enclaves outside the hub.¡±  She pointed to a lithe and ridiculously fit woman who could probably give most Olympian athletes a run for their money.  There was an air of soft menace from her as she sat there, picking her nails with a dagger.  She looked up upon hearing her name and flashed me a toothy grin.  ¡°Heard you could heal, that¡¯s why you¡¯re here. Stop beating around the rocks Deidre and tell the fishie the score.¡±  She glared at the woman and Deidre sighed.


    ¡°We need people like you to help out with the monthly quota, not the casual junk we send off every day.  You see we get other things like medicines and tools that the enclaves need in our shipments, if we meet their demands.  We also distribute the credits that help pay for services around the hub and to put bounties out for what the Magister¡¯s Guild wants us to find.¡±  She pulled up a list and set it in front of me.


    ¡°I hear that young buck; Kirk wants you to help him.  We expect you to do your best to be useful to him, as he is a great asset.  However, you also need to make sure you contribute to the groups looking for the stuff in the quota whenever possible.  Especially now since it¡¯s been increased again.¡±  I frowned at them.


    ¡°And I¡¯m betting if I don¡¯t help, I won¡¯t get anything from any of you.¡± I asked and they all nodded.


    ¡°And the enclaves will turn you away too once word reaches them. It is impossible to survive without their aid.¡±  She narrowed her eyes at me and grinned.


    ¡°Ok¡­ I suppose you got a point.  I¡¯ll do what I can, what do you need me to do?¡±  I asked and they handed me a list of stuff to find.


    ¡°We have a list here ready for you, Kirk has the same list, and we expect him to help you, once you leave the Hub with him.  He knows all about what we need, you have any questions you ask him.  And try not to let him die again!¡±  They glared at me and I gulped.


    ¡°Ok¡­ and by the way is there anyone who can make me a new statuette?¡± I frowned at their confused looked until Reesa snapped her fingers.


    ¡°Hah, you a cleric and you don¡¯t know the simple things?  You need to make an altar to your god and consecrate it if there isn¡¯t a temple here in the hub you can use.  I doubt it¡­ you feel like a dark god disciple to me. Just remember that the guardian won¡¯t tolerate any human sacrifices, enslavement and that sort of thing.¡±  She said and I had the feeling that there was more to her threat than just a visit from the guardian.  I glared at her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not like that!¡±  I snarled and she raised her hands in placation.


    ¡°Not judging! We try not to interfere with the other gods, but do remember that the hub is mostly claimed by gods of light, and other allied gods so you can¡¯t really work here easily until you¡¯re out of their area of influence.¡±  She winced and leaned back in her chair studying me.


    She was right in that regard¡­ my power did feel like it was weak here, and hard to work with.  There was no rushing water, or blowing sea breezes, or anything that felt like I could draw power from too. I had a bad feeling that without a new statuette to use, I wouldn¡¯t really be able to be of much use.


    ¡°Are there rivers, and lakes¡­ large bodies of water in the labyrinth?  That¡¯s¡­ sort of how I get power without a statuette to pray with.¡±  I explained and they looked at each other, then at Reesa.


    ¡°Yes, there are lots of water areas, mostly deadly ones though, and some flooded areas you have to swim through.  A few lakes and rivers, but they aren¡¯t common.  There is also plenty of running water in the hub, if you look for it.¡±  She explained and I nodded.


    ¡°Pray and meditate young traveler.¡±  The information broker said and I turned.


    ¡°This one gives this to you for free.  Meditate at least once a day, and practice moving your power, and pray.¡±  She said and I nodded, thanking her before I lit up as a few questions occurred to me, and I was curious if anyone wanted to respond.


    ¡°Can I get any teachers to help me wield my powers?  Part of the reason I¡¯m in here is because I lost control and people died.¡±  I admitted, my head drooping as I tried to fight off nausea and grief at what I had witnessed.


    They looked between each other and I saw Deidre nod to Saskin.  The information broker studied me for a while before grinning.  ¡°There are¡­ some teachers, but better yet there is a spire of the way deep within the labyrinth.  This one knows only rumors of their existence, but perhaps you can serve this council by establishing contact.¡±  She intoned and watched closely at my confused reaction.


    ¡°What is this spire? They aren¡¯t clerics or anything are they? ¡­ most of the gods don¡¯t like me much.¡±  I grumbled.


    Saskin shook her head.  ¡°They¡­ are strange and we know very little of their beliefs, just that they have centers of learning and study all over Endaria, sometimes in the strangest of places.


    We do know there are walkers of the way that live somewhere inside the labyrinth but not where it is they call home or how to get there.  Perhaps¡­ if you search for them¡­ they will find you.¡±  She smiled at me, as if she knew something amusing that she wasn¡¯t willing to share.


    That did sound like a much better goal than just biding my time, and perhaps there was something I could do that would make up for all the misery I had caused.


    I looked at their list in my hands and sighed.  There was quite the scavenger hunt ahead if I wanted to find some of the stranger requests.


    ¡°What are¡­ ballast crystals?¡±  I asked and they looked between each other.  ¡°They float when given a charge¡­ some are small and round, others can be large and cut like a prism.¡±  Reese explained and I nodded.  I had a feeling that I would be asking a lot of questions, especially about some of the various herbs and plants on the list.


    ¡°The traveler Kirk can assist you with the list, he is very familiar with our requests.¡±  They waved their hands in a clear dismissal and I got up.  Reese stopped me and ushered me over.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to send you and Kirk out for a shipment run to the enclaves, when you¡¯re ready.  I suggest you join a local salvage team as well as train in the yards.  It doesn¡¯t pay much, but it is good preparation for some of the lesser dangers you will encounter.¡±  I nodded and thanked her.  She flicked me a glowing coin and I saw that it was a five-credit token.  ¡°Get extra supplies, and perhaps a basic weapon.¡±  She ordered.


    Thanking her, I left and drifted towards the chow hall, following my nose.  In the hall there was quite a bit of new fishies sitting at one table, apparently just having arrived.  All of them were wearing their packs and playing with the various items in them. I spotted Kirk talking with the group.  He waved me over.


    ¡°Hah¡­ seems that a bunch of new fishies were thrown in a couple of hours ago.  Deidre is going to have her hands full with this lot.  By the way I saw the council take you aside, they give you the score?¡±  I nodded.


    ¡°Actually, they seemed kind of nice, I was expecting¡­ something else when I was thrown in a prison.¡±  I mused, picking at a dried scab and sniffing my robes.  I was beginning to stink and I was filthy, in dire need of a bath.


    ¡°Yea¡­ while people are mostly polite to each other, there is a lot of cutthroat dealing and stuff. However, there is very little outright hostility, especially from the locals who were born here and grew up this way.¡±  I nodded recalling the very, public example that was made of the last offender.


    Kirk studied the room, his eyes narrowing.  ¡°Just¡­ be careful¡­ no violence doesn¡¯t mean no danger from people.  While the guardian can read minds if a complaint is made, he isn¡¯t all seeing and people do sometimes¡­arrange accidents, and other more¡­ Machiavellian things.¡±


    As he spoke, he was carefully watching a group of newcomers. They were all wearing dark dyed robes over blackened armor.  Their leader was an extraordinarily tall player with¡­ I shit you not¡­ a villain¡¯s mustache right out of some sort of kid¡¯s v-cast.


    The little group reminded me of the waster teens I saw hanging around virtual malls, when I browsed them, spending far too much time looking angsty and depressed.  They caught Kirk glaring at them and one noticed me, and lit up.


    The whole group got up, cleaned up their mess tins, and slunk over to sit down, surrounding myself and Kirk.  ¡°Oh¡­ Kirk, we were looking for you.  Heard that last scouting mission didn¡¯t go so well¡­ a pity that.¡±  He cackled and the others grinned maliciously.


    ¡°That grapple rope I traded from you guys¡­ it snapped¡­ oh and the map you drew me was bogus. Almost got me killed on the way there.¡±  Kirk growled.


    ¡°Surely you don¡¯t think we did you wrong buddy¡­ that map was the only one handed to us that we couldn¡¯t look into.  I can swear over a stone if you want.¡±  He grinned and turned to me.


    ¡°Oh¡­ so it is true, you did pick up a stray.¡±  He said and gave a deep nod of his head, flashing me a toothy grin, while he peered closely at my robes.


    ¡°Those are interesting robes¡­ I like the pattern on them.  Not something I¡¯ve seen in loot drops or for sale around here.¡±  He mused and I looked at the cheap dye on his own clothing, faded and worn and had to admit I did feel a bit overdressed.


    ¡°Well¡­ there is an interesting rumor from one of the new fishes that came in today.  Someone said that a champion of Aegaeon was captured by Duke Edris, yes¡­ after that champion leveled most of his main holdings.¡± He stared me down intently as he spoke and I saw Kirk¡¯s eyes widen as he gave it some thought.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know if that champion is in¡­here would you?¡±  The god of the tempest¡­ has a nice ring to it, but I think I¡¯ll stick with the god of envy.  He really does reward his faithful well, not like those pitiful minor deities.¡±  The mustache man beamed at me and nodded to his group.  They all stood up at one and trotted off as Kirk fixed me with an intense gaze before he stared into space and shook his head.


    ¡°You have got to be kidding me¡­ a champion? I know the score with champions, and if a champion was thrown in here, they would be screwed.¡± Kirk said with a laugh.


    I groaned and put my head in my hands.


    ¡°Everyone, especially the other clerics would be trying to off champion in here for a boon, and they have what only a few respawns?¡±  He shook his head.  Standing up he pointed out the windows in the chow hall towards the practice courts.


    ¡°Meet me there when your done eating.¡± He called over his shoulder.  I sipped at my stew and nodded, quickly consuming it as if it was my last meal.  Kirk was shaking as he walked away and I saw his face was completely pale.  Was it me?  Or was it something else?

 Chapter 16: The Fallen City

    When I went out to meet Kirk, he had me doing a warmup this time, then drilled me on combat rolls and taught me how to stand, then a few basics on how to grapple.


    Enlisting one of his friends, they grappled and he demonstrated how to get out of choke holds, how to push opponents off you, how to get out of several different types of arm bars, leg bars and the like, then he drilled me endlessly, showing me how to practice on my own or with a partner.  Several of the other new fishes also practiced with us and he began to correct us all and demonstrate to them.


    He was actually a good teacher, better than most of the others that were giving instruction.  There was a knack that some people have at explaining things in ways that make sense, and is easy to follow and he had that useful skill that was part of his laid-back personality.  We took a break for lunch and I was dismayed at my swiftly dwindling credit supply.


    After lunch we stopped off at the bank where he had me deposit everything, then pull out a single two credit token.  Not really understanding what he wanted me to do, we walked over to the edge of the wall where a large group of new fishes were standing, packs over their shoulder.  He led me to the side where there were piles of gear and the like, had me purchase a long line of rope and a sack for my two credits.  He wound the rope over my shoulder and tied the sack to it.  ¡°Ok¡­ this isn¡¯t going to be easy, but try not to die fishie¡­¡± He grumbled and pointed at the long line of people forming up.


    ¡°If they tell you to run¡­ run dammit! Don¡¯t try to stick around and fight stuff!¡± He yelled over his shoulder as he walked back in the direction of the training yards.


    As the line grew shorter, I saw people in armor forming small groups as they looked over gear, sending people to purchase rope or a sack if they didn¡¯t already have the two items.  ¡°Get rope before you come along! We will be climbing and moving along cliffs! Hurry! We leave in five minutes, and if you¡¯re not back from the bank before then your left behind!¡±  He called and then I found myself in front of the man who had spoken out.


    He was a short, compact fellow in boiled leather protective clothing, and reminded me of the grizzled veteran Fenwick players I had met.  He carried only a short sword and small round shield with a wicked looking spike on it, and was decked out in bandoliers of gear and equipment.  He was wearing a proper climbing harness, and a hard hat with a little lamp on it.


    He stopped when he studied me and shook his head before digging in his pack and handing me a couple of carabiner clips.  ¡°Take these and keep them on the end of your rope and stay clipped onto the leads at all times! Always maintain three points of contact!¡±  He instructed, raising his voice into a shout as he glared at others behind me.


    As we left the tall white glass walls surrounding the hub, I let out a gasp.  The hub was surrounded by rocky cliff walls of stone that thrust the hub high above the land far below. I could see forests, a mesa and set of badlands cutting through them far below us, thousands of feet with massive waterfalls feeding them streaming out from the cliffs of the Hub.  The various types of walls formed into several distinctly different winding mazes around the hub, all with fog shrouding the tops, making it difficult for me to see them clearly.


    We passed through some sort of shimmering barrier at the gate and the leader pushed us into a trot as he glanced warily around.


    ¡°We need to keep moving fast! The critters watch for us leaving and we are now on borrowed time until we are attacked!  Move it!¡±  He bellowed and we began to stream hastily along winding paths cut into the stone.


    There were railings along the cliff to grab on to but at this point it was wide enough for us to travel two abreast as we hurried towards a set of ladders.  ¡°Pick it up fishies! You don¡¯t want to be monster chow do you?¡±  He screamed and pointed towards creatures crawling up the rock face towards us.  My breathing began to come in gasps as I began to strain for breath.


    ¡°We need to make it to the outpost before they get to us! Move it!¡±  He bellowed and my heart shuddered, and pounded as I saw horrible deformed, long limbed creatures with curved claws gripping the rock. They moved quickly with deliberate speed, snarling.


    One of the men raised a hand crossbow and snapped off an expert shot, nailing one of the closest in the skull.  It fell silently spinning into the void towards the far away ground below.


    Our leader pointed towards a rough fortification built into the cliff face, I saw the glint of metal off an arrowhead before a volley lashed out at our pursuers, causing them to scramble for cover, hissing and howling at us.


    We dived into the fortification, and a round white slab of broken glass was pushed into place along a deep track until it was secured with a metal bar.  ¡°Ok¡­ now that was the easy part¡­¡±  The leader said with a relieved chuckle.


    We began to travel down a massive cave system.  It was pockmarked with the ruins of some ancient city.  Metal beams, and fallen pillars lay everywhere.  Once we were deep in the ruins, he halted us at another manned barricade as he stopped to talk with a set of guards.  They pointed us down a side passage and the group moved forward until we were looking down into a giant chasm, the broken remains of the city spread out below us revealed in shadowy definition by glowing light from massive crystals along the walls.


    ¡°Clip yourself onto the leads and use the lines to get to parts of the ruins.  Fill your bags with whatever looks interesting, or particularly shiny.  Those of you who know what to look for instruct the others! GO! We don¡¯t have much time before we draw attention to ourselves and get swarmed.¡±


    I clipped my coiled rope to a lead line and made myself a crude harness with it, wincing as my hands were chafed.  The air was damp, and I could hear the rushing flow of water around me from nearby waterfalls.  There were a dozen people in my group and we slid down the lead line we had chosen together, each of us stopping to pounce on parts of the ruins.


    I kept going deeper.  The closer I got to the nearby rushing water the stronger I felt, as if power was flooding into my veins.  I didn¡¯t realize it was drawing me in until someone yanked at my line and shook his head.  It was the sandy haired girl with a scarred face, the same one I had seen on my first day who had laughed when I had argued with Kirk about my training.  ¡°Don¡¯t even think of going deeper! You want to get us jumped early?¡±  She pointed towards the depths and shuddered.


    ¡°Just look around here, and hurry!¡±  She growled at me as I let some line out from my shoulders and climbed along the ruins, trying not to slip on wet rock or moss.  There was quite a bit to sort through in massive scattered piles of wreckage, and I frowned as I gazed over the very strange looking ruins.


    There were a lot of demolished machines of some sort, they looked slightly familiar, as if they didn¡¯t belong here in Endaria, nothing like the nearly medieval, steampunk theme the game had going on.  Looking around I thought about what could be valuable, and I began stuffing my sack full of anything interesting.


    The spot I had landed on was a partially destroyed street, cobbled stone and wrecked machines lined it.  The machines had wheels and I crouched down to examine one with interest.  ¡°Weird¡­ they are rubber¡­¡±  I mused as I pried open a hatch in the machine.  I used a piece of metal I found, lying next to it as a makeshift crowbar.  There was loud cracking bang, as rust broke away from the hatch and I stuck my head in.  It was filled with shattered dials, and strange gauges.  I could see a steering wheel or something in the front where a person could sit. The glass around the cockpit of the vehicle was aged and clouded over with grime and debris.


    I looked for compartments, or lose objects and was rewarded when I found an old decayed metal box in the back of the machine.  Prying it open with the same bar of metal I had used on the hatch, I found that it had a rubber seal on it. The hiss of air clued me in that the box had been watertight, or something.  Inside was a few pristine devices, one that looked like a pocket watch with unfamiliar dials.  I found a small belt with a strange, stiff leather case shaped to fit something, with an attached clasped catch cap on it.  I popped the cap, and saw the handle of a shimmering metallic wand. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    When I drew the wand, it glowed softly, the crystal at its tip shimmering in blue-gold foxfire. All along its small length lines of power glowed and shifted as if coming alive.


    There was no way in hell I was going to give this thing up!  Smiling, I pushed the wand back into its case where it clicked into place.  I secured the clasp over the case¡¯s protective cap, dousing the light.  Shifting around in the tight confines of the vehicle, I struggled with the belt.


    Putting on the belt took a while until I realized it was one of those double belts, I had seen used for swords and the like, and I wrapped it around twice, letting the wand case settle on one hip like a holster for a pistol.  Rummaging around the rest of the interior did net me a few other things, but they didn¡¯t look nearly as valuable as the belt and its wand.  The robe also hid the belt nicely, and the belt seemed to shift around until I could barely tell it was there.


    Sliding out the hatch, I looked around and found myself alone.  That other player who had been with me earlier was gone.  I looked up the rock face and saw the salvage group quickly ascending as if the hounds of hell were nipping at their heels.  When I turned and looked down into the chasm I gasped and my blood froze as I saw that indeed, we did have a few things to worry about.


    There was a roiling wave of creatures pouring up the wall.  I let out a squeak of panic and ran for the line, not bothering to clip myself in, just ascending as fast as I could, using it to guide me along the outcroppings, my shoulders and arms burning with pain as they quickly began to tire.


    I made it about halfway up before something snarled below me only a few feet away and I had to pull my foot out of the way of a gnashing claw.  I screamed and channeled my power through my body and thrust it out, an arch of golden lightning curling off one arm and along my fist, catching the creature in the face.  It did little damage mostly because I was far too deep into panic to focus it properly, but it startled the creature and it lost grip on the wall and fell screaming down into the chasm.  This gave the rest of the creatures behind it a bit of a pause as they sized me up before they all shifted to focus on me.


    My mind spun and my stomach burned with bile as I tried not to lose my lunch, I climbed with desperate abandon, my arms becoming weak, my hands so slippery with sweat they kept slipping and losing their grip.  Life became nothing but me dodging creatures, jumping and climbing from ledge to ledge, now completely ignoring the lead ropes as I fled any direction that could keep me away from the creatures.


    My luck ran out as I looked for another path to climb, and I was cornered along a ledge not far from the top.  I could hear people calling out to me as I backed up, out of places to go.  A few arrows were fired from above, downing some of my attackers, but I was trapped.


    The ledge I was on disappeared into the darkness of a narrow crack in the rock.  I ran for it, following the pull of rushing water, squeezing into the narrow crevice and gathering power around me.  I gave a feral scream of rage and sent a lance of superheated water into one of the smaller ones that was able to fit inside the crack.  It detonated in a spray of steam, sending chunks of carapace out like shrapnel into the pack clamming to climb inside.  A whole pack of the monsters was sent howling into the depths, blown off the ledge.


    The crack ended in a dead end I couldn¡¯t continue down.  I could hear the distant roar of water, but the space was far too narrow for me to squeeze into.  I dizzily turned to fight, taking deep breaths to steady my pounding head and closing my eyes.  In the darkness I found I could see somehow, and when I looked around for the source of the light I found the wand I had discovered earlier glowing with eerie blue glow.


    The wand was gripped in my hands as if it had always been there.  I tightened my fingers around it and somehow the wand felt like a natural extension of myself as I held it over my head.  The creatures didn¡¯t seem to like the light much so I decided to see if I could make the crystal glow brighter.  It never even occurred to me to think of why it had gone from the pouch into my hand without me drawing it.


    I pushed power into the little wand and it hummed and crackled with cascading sparks of power, some jumping into my body and leaving me numb, others grounding out into the creatures gathered around the entrance of the crack in the rock.


    On instinct, I pointed the wand directly at the creatures and pushed some of my dwindling power into the thing.  My arm and the wand lit up in blue and gold foxfire that turned into a deafening blast of energy that burst out, knocking me over and blasting everything standing in the entrance of my hidey hole into the abyss.  I nearly fainted from the effort, and felt as if I had been completely tapped out.  I couldn¡¯t move to get up, my body had stopped responding to me.  I jerked and twisted with painful shocks of power as energy leapt out of the crystal and into my body as I gripped the wand tightly in my fingers.  Each heartbeat made my head pound and I could barely see straight as the world spun dizzily around me and my entire body tingled.


    I was dimly aware of fighting outside, then a familiar barking voice of command called out to me.  ¡°Hey fishie! You alive in there?¡±  I heard the leader call out, then I was awash in light as the man peered down at me with the lantern in his helmet.


    ¡°By the great ones¡­ what is that thing¡­¡± He mused and I felt the wand tugged out of numb fingers. The crystal tip snuffed out as soon as it was out of my grip and I felt the draining cease.  Taking a deep breath, I stood woozily to my feet, swaying and trying not to tumble over backwards as I glared back at him.


    ¡°Its mine!¡± I growled and he nodded handing it back to me.  ¡°Take the cursed thing, I want no part of it!¡±  His eyes widened when it sparkled back to life, flaring with power when I gripped it and thrust the thing back into its case at my belt.  The light winked out when I closed the top of the case over it, securing the clasps and he nodded to me as we returned to the ledge outside.


    There were lowered ropes all around us, and I saw most of the fighters from the outpost we had passed earlier pushing back the remnants of the creatures that had been chasing me, most of the twisted things had fled, but a few of the bolder ones were still fighting on.


    ¡°Tie yourself off on the rope and we will pull you up!¡±  I heard calls from above.  I did as I was told and was slowly pulled up to the top of the chasm.


    Once I was safely over the edge, I collapsed into the arms of the other players on the salvage team who were all staring at me in various expressions of shock.  ¡°Never seen anything like that¡­¡±  I heard someone whisper.


    ¡°What is she¡­ a magi?¡±  Someone asked one of the veteran players, the one that had told me not to go deeper.  She shrugged and gave me a grin.


    ¡°Well glad she¡¯s on our side¡­ yea¡­ really glad!¡±  She smiled broadly at me as I stood there shaking, tears of terror and panic still making my vision blurry as my headache began to fade.


    ¡°Form up, let¡¯s get back topside!¡±  I heard the leader call out and someone pushed a waterskin into my shaking hands.  I nodded thanks and nearly choked when I realized it was some sort of local rotgut booze.  It burned as it went down my throat, and I spat it out, coughing and hacking. My eyes were watering and my sinuses felt like they were on fire just from the fumes of the stuff.


    ¡°Ugh! What is this stuff!?¡±  I snarled and thrust the offending beverage back towards its owner, who turned out to be the player with the scarred face.


    ¡°Looked like you needed some fortifying¡­ sorry.¡±  She didn¡¯t look sorry, and I saw a few wry grins on the faces of players around me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get moving, before the team boss leaves us to your new friends.¡±  She laughed and pointed at the creatures below us, they seemed to be rallying and coming back for a rematch.


    We hurried to catch up and had to half scramble, half run to match pace with the retreating salvage party.  They sealed off our passage with a metal barricade, but the guards didn¡¯t stay behind to hold it, they just fell in behind us and urged us on faster.  The stone outpost also evacuated when we trooped past it, running ahead to clear the way as we made our way back towards the hub.


    The rest of the run went without incident and we all stumbled back into the hub, panting and covered with sweat from the exertion.


    Some of the players collapsed, dragged down by their heavy packs to lay gasping on the ground.  There were a few hysterical laughs from them and I got a pat on the back from the woman who had tossed me the rotgut.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Gazzy¡­ good to meet you.¡±  She said and pushed me forward towards a line that was forming.  I saw tables set up, and a dozen people with slates going over the junk that people had come back with as they poured it out.


    When I arrived, a stern man with a pinched face looked over my meager haul with disgust until he got to the pocket watch.  He stared at it for a while, turning it over in his hands before giving me a grin.  ¡°Well now, seems like beginners¡¯ luck.  I¡¯ll put you down for ten credits, the rest of this stuff is worth six credits, mostly scrap metal.  Try to focus on small, valuable looking objects like this thing in the future.¡± He carefully wrapped the pocket watch in padded cloth and put it in a case next to him.  The rest of my haul was dumped unceremoniously into a bin that was swiftly filling to the brim from our efforts.  I held in my complaints, knowing it would do no good.  They would pay whatever they felt like, and I doubted I was in any place to argue with them.


    Kirk was talking with my new acquaintance, Gazzy, and he was staring at me intently as they shared the rotgut between them, taking long pulls. They both grinned at me when they saw I was glaring at them.


    He approached, pushing the booze back to Gazzy as he came forward and slapped me on the shoulder.  ¡°Well, sounds like you had fun.¡±  He smirked and I heard a chuckle from Gazzy who stumbled off, back towards the chow hall.  Most of the salvagers were heading off towards the bank or the chow hall, in clusters, talking animatedly.


    ¡°You could have warned me!¡± I snarled and he just laughed.  ¡°Honestly, did you think for even a moment that this would be easy?¡±  I sighed and shook my head.  This was Endaria, and I should have known something would try to rip my face off the moment I stepped out of the safe zone.

 Chapter 17: The Training Yards

    ¡°Your alive! That is more than I expected, honestly. Why do you think I had you put all your stuff in the bank? Half of the time, new groups take heavy casualties, sometimes they don¡¯t come back at all.¡± He walked in the direction of the chow hall, but when I tried to follow him my body didn¡¯t seem to want to obey me. My world spun and suddenly the ground rotated around me until it rushed up to meet me. I lay there, my head throbbing and two Kirks peered over at me until my eyes focused and there was one Kirk smirking down at me.


    ¡°Go along¡­ will catch up.¡± I said and weakly waved to him before he shook his head and gestured to a couple of people. I felt myself being lifted up, then placed on a stretcher.


    They brought me past the chow hall, and dumped me into a bed. The player I had seen when I had woken up this morning, the one in white robes peered at me curiously. ¡°She really overdrew her power¡­yea¡­ not good.¡± She said and forced me to drink a cup of vile tasting tea. It made my eyelids feel like lead and I quickly passed out.


    When I woke up, it was already well into the night cycle. There was a murmuring of voices from the little table, and I saw the same players who had been playing cards there the night before, at it again. I yelped when I tried to climb out of bed and stand up. A leg cramped and I had to stand there shaking it out for a second, my entire body a mass of pain and ache.


    At least my head didn¡¯t hurt. Whatever was in that tea had gotten rid of my normal throbbing headache. The card players froze for a few moments, then went back to talking as they threw down glowing tokens and someone raised a bet.


    I passed them, feeling as if I was covered in a layer of filth and grime. I stank badly of sweat and blood, to the point it almost made me nauseous. My clothes were spotless, but I still stank so badly, my stomach turned when I got a good whiff. ¡°Where is the bathing area?¡± I asked the players at the card game and they gave me directions.


    I followed the corridor in the opposite direction from the chow hall until it opened into a doorway facing the street. Across from me I saw lights on, and laughter coming from a nearby structure that was reported to be the bath house. I stumbled and fell to my knees, before I managed to get back to my feet as I made my way across the street, stumbling and wincing.


    When I arrived, I saw two directions available to me, labeled male and female and I followed the female sign. Inside, I felt the pull of rushing water, and a comforting billow of hot steam blew over me as I pushed past a thick canvas flap and saw heaven in front of me. It was setup like a Japanese bath house, with hot pools of water. There was an attendant adjusting a faucet that poured hot water into tubs, with bathing women. She took one look at me and pointed to a tub on the end that was filled with dirty water.


    I wrinkled my nose for a second until she explained that it was there for me to get most of the worst off before I joined the rest of the bathers in the other tubs.


    I had never been in a public bath before, and it was weird stripping down and putting my stuff into lockers. Public nudity didn¡¯t seem to concern the locals here, and I did see that most of the occupants of the baths were not players. I quickly dunked into the tub with dirty water, turning it swiftly from light grey, to almost black as I washed. It was cold and I scrubbed off with a bar of soap and a rag that was handed to me by the attendant. When I plunged into the hot water of the nearby tub, I sank down into bliss. This was in fact, the first time I had a hot bath in Endaria. The bath easily met my expectations and surpassed them. My muscles unclenched and relaxed in the hot water as I tried to imagine I was anywhere but in a world that wanted to chew me up and spit me out at the least opportunity.


    ¡°Hmmm heard you did well traveler¡­ good job today.¡± A voice called next to me and I blinked my eyes open and saw Reesa peering at me. I gave a tired smile and nodded. ¡°Well guess I didn¡¯t die, so that¡¯s something.¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°Keep training, it will come easier, you¡¯re still a fishy, and it takes some time to adjust.¡± She laid back in the tub as she talked with one of her friends, their low murmurings lulling me back into a doze as I drifted off. The attendant had to prod me awake sometime later and shoo me out as the baths were closing. I changed into my robes, and stumbled back towards my bed, feeling like I had reclaimed some measure of humanity.


    The next day was filled with me practicing with a staff in the morning, Kirk drilled me endlessly as he worked with the fishies and ran us hard. This time when we went for a jog, it wasn¡¯t just myself but a good dozen other players with us as we ran around the hub. Kirk had us stop along the way, and do push up, sit-ups, and other exercises. He did everything with us, and I could tell his character was in considerably better shape than any of us. He drilled into me that I had to exercise and work hard on my character to make it stronger.


    In the afternoon we kept practicing, and I didn¡¯t join the salvage team when I saw them gathering. Kirk took the time to give personal attention to me, which meant beating me nearly senseless with fatigue as he drilled me endlessly in strikes and blocks with the staff, then ran me through the unarmed stuff he had been teaching me, this time showing me how to use a knife.


    The day passed so swiftly, I hadn¡¯t realized I had lost track of time until the sky began to dim, and the salvage crew came back. I saw that they had indeed not managed to come back intact this time.


    The veterans all made it, but most of the fishies were missing. When I stumbled towards the chow hall, Kirk stopped me and insisted I spend time meditating. To my surprise, he took me aside, to a quiet room with reed mats and folded into a lotus position across from me, and fell into a practiced rhythmic breathing. I hadn¡¯t realized he knew how to meditate.


    It took me longer to relax, but soon I was lost in the familiar practice. I cycled my power through my body, and imagined that it was like the pounding of the surf, the roaring of the winds. It felt refreshing, and I felt peaceful, my mind finally at rest as I lost myself.


    The longer I spent in that strange place, that only held the rushing roar of water and howl of wind the more I felt myself drifting until it was like I was being sucked into a roaring vortex of power. I let myself spin around and around drifting in the whirls of energy. Two large serpents followed me as I spun, but I didn¡¯t feel threatened, but as if they were there to protect and guide me. Distantly I thought I heard someone calling my name, but I ignored it. It felt so good¡­ to drift here forever.


    I was thrown out of the vortex, and found myself blinking up at the ceiling of the meditation room as Kirk, and Saskin peered wide-eyed wonder down at me. When I tried to stand, I stumbled and looked down to see my entire body was fading from being covered in glowing blue-gold foxfire. It vanished, and I saw that the light was swiftly being sucked into the little case at my belt that contained the wand.


    ¡°This one never has seen anything like that¡­ you were good to come get me traveler Kirk.¡± Saskin said in wonder as she stared at me.


    ¡°You¡­ you were hovering over the mat on a cloud of wind, and glowing¡­glowing¡­ what the heck?!¡± Kirk stammered and I groaned.


    ¡°You really are that champion, aren¡¯t you?!¡± He pointed at me and I hung my head, knowing that they would never believe me now if I denied it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen magi before, and yea they sometimes do strange things when they meditate, but it was like I was being pushed away by a swirling wall of wind every time I tried to shake you out of it¡­¡± He stammered and backed away from me with a grin on his face.


    ¡°It does explain much now¡­ do you want to give your full tale to me young champion?¡± Saskin asked and smiled as she sat down on a mat and motioned for me to sit next to her.


    ¡°Will not judge you¡­ among friends now, we all here in this place together.¡± She said and I gulped and nodded as I sat down across from her. Kirk leaned against the wall with a stern gaze fixed on me. I sighed and recounted everything that had happened, how I had lost control of my power.


    When I was done, my eyes stung with tears of guilt and Saskin gave me a hug. ¡°Do not despair¡­ this one knows much about the ways of fate. You were guided onto this path, and sent to us for good reason, sent to The Labyrinth of Light, where redemption¡­ discipline and courage are needed. This is good for you, and will make you stronger.¡± She said as she stood up and bowed to me.


    ¡°It is good to meet a champion¡­ very rare to find one who is a champion not because of the draw of power, but because of necessity.¡± She smiled at me and left me alone with a glowering Kirk.


    ¡°Well at least, it will be fun!¡± He said and laughed when I glared back at him. ¡°Can I call you by your name? Nimue?¡± He said, reading my player tag. I nodded.


    ¡°You can call me Nim if you want. Just stop calling me fishie¡­¡± He grinned at that and shook his head.


    ¡°Can¡¯t quite do that in public, it would break tradition.¡± He laughed and helped me up. We walked into the chow hall, and grabbed bowls of stew.


    As I ate, we greeted a set of newcomers I hadn¡¯t seen before. The group was all dressed in a set of those plain robes that I had seen Kirk wearing after he respawned that first day. There was no cheer among them and they dejectedly picked at their meal. A group of vets had apparently respawned.


    There were three of them, two young men in their early twenties, with similar features, something that surprised me, but they were slightly different ages. An older man, with greying hair and watery eyes had his head down and was tapping irritated fingers on the surface of the table.


    ¡°I take it you didn¡¯t make it through the red zone we were mapping¡­¡± I heard Kirks low, almost frustrated tone and the two younger men nodded.¡± One of them nodded.


    ¡°You were right Kirk¡­ it was a lost cause. We should have turned back to Talis when you were washed off the walk, but¡­ we were so close dammit!¡± He pounded his fist.


    ¡°We just don¡¯t have the right path on the walk yet, we will get it eventually.¡± Kirk said cheerfully and the older man, their leader shook his head. ¡°No. We are done with that stupid route. Reese can do her own dirty work if she wants, I¡¯m just going to stick with what works.¡± He snarled and Kirk let out a sigh.


    ¡°So your not heading back into the shades right away? He said, and all of them nodded or in the man¡¯s case he just gave a despondent grunt.


    ¡°Well I didn¡¯t die when I was washed off the middle path by the way. I did manage to work my way back to the shore and was climbing out of the spray. If my rope hadn¡¯t broke, I could have made it up to you guys.¡± The leader laughed and rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Told you¡­ don¡¯t ever trade with those asshats, even if they are the only ones around.¡± He chuckled and Kirk gave a long sigh and nodded.


    ¡°How much did you lose, the entire shipment?¡± He asked and the man with greying hair nodded.


    ¡°About half of it, the rest was back at basecamp¡­ guess we will have to go around the shades, and just brave the colosseum again, at least that thing is straightforward.¡± He got up and took his bowl over to get washed as the two other younger men followed. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you for the contract Kirk, you did do a valuable job.¡± The man said and he smiled at Kirk who shrugged.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t hold up my end of the bargain, let¡¯s say half¡­ I know you won¡¯t have much anyways.¡± He said and the man grinned at him crookedly and left the hall.


    ¡°Who was that?¡± I asked and Kirk grinned.


    ¡°My previous employers¡­ I was the beater on their last trade run.¡± He said, and at my look of confusion he clarified.


    ¡°I¡¯m usually employed as a beater, as they call it or in simple terms I go ahead and scout, trying to trigger or puzzle out the traps and look for anything that will get a group killed. It¡¯s not really as simple as it sounds, the shades of gold, often called the gold zone or the gold path¡­ is pretty much designed to kill groups, and not individuals.¡± He said and then pulled out a slate from his pocket. There were a few moments as he manipulated the magical construct and then he got it to show a small, but detailed map.


    ¡°Ok¡­ well the shades of gold are one of many different mazes in the labyrinth that we know about, it¡¯s like a wall that goes are certain parts of the explored areas we have discovered. He pointed to a large stream of gold that circled the hub in a half-moon. There was a gap in the one side of the golden circle that was black. Next to it is the colosseum, it¡¯s a maze that is mostly like a monster spawner where you fight increasingly stronger enemies, but the rewards are pretty good if you keep going into stronger fights, instead of using the keys to the trade roads.¡± He said and I frowned, my head spinning with the flood of information as I studied the map, there were so many colors and areas marked on that the thing looked like a rainbow, and there were clusters and masses of tiny skulls on the map. When I asked about those Kirk laughed.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Er it¡¯s where I¡¯ve died so far.¡± He said and winced at the number of them.


    ¡°Is that why your waiting so long to go back out?¡± I asked and remembered about how the death system worked.


    ¡°Yes¡­ death is very brutal on me now, and I¡¯m still under respawn sickness, my character is swiftly starting to degrade.¡± He closed his eyes and I saw for the first time that Kirk seemed to be scared. His hands shook and voice trembled as he spoke.


    ¡°Wait¡­ so respawns start to affect more than just some sort of sickness?¡± I said and he nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually finding it really difficult to advance now, and¡­ it¡¯s not a good feeling, almost like I¡¯m a shadow of what I was when I first joined the game. I¡¯m guessing I only have about a dozen respawns left until the end and I¡¯s not possible for me to keep going.¡± He said and leaned back to grin at me sardonically even as his voice wavered.


    ¡°Your scared to lose your character?¡± He nodded at that and sighed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. This is just a game, and I¡¯m having a blast.¡± He saw the look of concern and shook his head.


    ¡°How long is your debuff?¡± I asked and he seemed to lose focus in an expression I was coming to associate with people looking at their interface. ¡°Two days left¡­¡± He groaned.


    ¡°The thing about respawn sickness is that you can¡¯t just log out and wait on the timer to expire, it only ticks down in game, so I actually have to spend time here playing and working it off.¡± He said and I nodded. It made sense, or people would just wait it out in real life, and only play when they were off the timer.


    ¡°Also, the more you work on your character during the debuff, the better. It¡¯s insidious¡­¡± He grumbled and I finally realized why he was pushing himself so hard along with the other things he was doing, training everyday and exercising.


    I looked over the map again and frowned as I saw a purple section cut off with an island of dark black in the middle. ¡°What¡¯s this? I asked and he grinned, pointing to a line of skulls all over it.


    ¡°My bane¡­ the area is called simply the Miasma and it¡¯s probably one of the most difficult areas we know about. There is a path of sorts¡­ but it¡¯s challenging even for the locals who live in there.¡± He said and I gaped at him.


    ¡°People live in those death zones?¡± I said and he shrugged.


    ¡°You should know better, look at real life. People still live in the exclusion zones with radiation all around them despite plenty of places that are just fine. We are a stubborn species¡­¡± He chuckled and nodded at the markings on the map that had a few enclaves listed. Most of them were clustered not far around the Hub in areas marked green, but there were a few, almost in a line that spread outwards towards the edge of explored territory. Kirk pointed at those.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡¯ the Delver¡¯s road¡± He said, and a line appeared on the map as he manipulated it for a second.


    ¡°Most of the players are pushing down the road, and trying to get farther into the labyrinth. Those are outposts that have been setup for people to rest and recover, and respawn.¡± He explained.


    ¡°I thought there was only one respawn point.¡± I asked and he shook his head.


    ¡°Well we can¡¯t release our respawn out of the labyrinth yes, but we can respawn elsewhere, and if you are stupid enough to piss off the guardian enough, you could be exiled from the hub and end up with a random respawn that will toss you almost anywhere in the labyrinth.¡± Altars still work inside the labyrinth, and so does other stuff like respawn crystals and the like, though it can be a risk. Most still keep their binding here at the hub, or one of the more established enclaves.¡± He pointed to two larger marks on the map.


    ¡°This is Kazcart, and the other one is Talis. We were trying to find a better, faster route through this section. He pointed to a line along the golden colored maze with a single skull on it, about halfway between Kazcart and Talis. Zooming in on the map I saw the line was actually a bunch of confusing squiggles, Xs and notations. Long descriptions, solutions to different puzzles, traps and other esoteric things I couldn¡¯t understand were in tiny, neat scrip all over the mess. Kirk studied it for a while, with gritted teeth, grumbling angrily to himself.


    ¡°Almost have it cracked¡­ we are so close!¡± He muttered and then looked up to see he had me as an audience and grinned as he zoomed back out and put the tablet back into his pack.


    ¡°Sorry, was just¡­ thinking. The council has had me on this project for nearly two weeks, and I¡¯ve died several times trying new approaches.¡± He grumbled and perked up.


    ¡°You can manipulate water¡­ and wind, right?¡± He said and I slowly nodded.


    He thought for a second them had a faraway look as he leaned back in his char and put his big, beefy hands behind his head as he hummed to himself, lost in contemplation.


    ¡°Well mostly water¡­ I haven¡¯t really tried wind much.¡± He looked at my uncertainty.


    ¡°I¡¯d have expected you would use it all the time¡­¡± He said and I frowned.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t feel the wind in the same way as water¡­ it¡¯s like it¡¯s hard to pin down and manipulate.¡± I tried to explain the feelings I got when I used my power. He shrugged.


    ¡°Its just like anything in Endaria, takes hard work and practice.¡± He said and got up, stretching and groaning as he yawned.


    ¡°Need to log out for a while and get some sleep. Later.¡± He waved to me and his character froze for a bit before it dissolved into motes of green light. I shook my head, and felt a twinge of envy. If only I could do the same.


    The next day, I was up early, and somehow, I felt much better about training. That was until Kirk found me and took me aside to acquire a new ¡®training aid¡¯. It turned out to be a weighted leather vest.


    It was a collection of leather straps holding rough cast lead weights. There was a whole stall dedicated to those, and other training aids and it was predictably right next to the training yards. The harness was well used, and looked like it had gone through several owners before I had been gifted it. There was also a bit of evidence that the previous owners had parted with the harness in a few gruesome ways, with caked blood under some of the metal punched fastenings or in hard to clean spots of the harness. It was supple and well coated with protective wax, and clear grease.


    Kirk adjusted the weights as he watched me exercise with a practiced eye. As I studied his gear, I realized that he was also wearing a harness, something I hadn¡¯t paid any attention to before, thinking it was just part of his getup, not understanding what the thick pockets all over the webbed strapping on his armor was.


    ¡°We are going to increase the weight¡­ as your character grows stronger. Just keep at it, and be glad you will advance much more quickly than any of the NPCs. Player characters change very quickly, and those changes can be difficult to cope with.¡± He explained.


    Kirk took me to the far side of the training grounds, on the other side of a wooden wall that was constructed to simulate fighting on fortifications. I found myself in an extensive obstacle course from the very pits of hell. Everyone here were mostly veterans, and NPCs, all running a long course filled with traps, spinning objects and so much bedlam that I had to just stand there, slack jawed until Kirk poked me.


    ¡°Welcome to the real training¡­fishie.¡± He smirked and I backed up, in pure horror.


    ¡°No! What the heck is this place?!¡± I snarled and he just grinned.


    ¡°It¡¯s your new home, welcome to the pit!¡± he spread his hands and pointed to one of the entrances to the maze. ¡°Start running!¡± he bellowed and ran over to flip a glimmering golden hourglass. ¡°GO!¡± He screamed and I gazed wide-eyed at him for a second before dashing into the maze.


    Walls shifted chaotically around me, and I nearly fell into a rushing pool of water that streamed past, leaping over it, I jumped for a peg wall that was turning and spinning in circles. I let it carry me to a platform that looked safe and jumped for the platform. At the last moment I saw that I wasn¡¯t quite going to make the platform, having misjudged the distance. My jaw slammed into the side of the platform as I tumbled down into the roiling water, and I was dazed for a second as I was sucked into the spinning water. I was spat out a few moments later into a pool of water that had Kirk standing there shaking his head. As I rubbed at the scrape on my jaw and tried to focus on him.


    He helped me out of the pool and made me take deep breaths to calm down before he led me back to the entrances. He flipped the hourglass again and pointed. ¡°GO!¡± He bellowed and I ran.


    The next few hours were filled with pain, and suffering as I was battered and bruised. I only gained a short break when I managed to break my ankle on a rather silly fall where I had jumped out the way of a spinning log, and the floor had popped open on hinges and dropped me down into another section of the maze with approaching spikes.


    ¡°This is insane¡­¡± I groaned as I sat next to the pool, taking my sweet time healing my ankle.


    ¡°This is the easy entrance¡­ for the fishies!¡± He grinned and pointed to what I could see up over the top of the maze, with one climber running along a bridge with a metal saw chasing him as he whooped and hollered, jumping off the bridge, catching a rope and swinging out of sight. I winced and my eyes bulged as I saw the player smash his fist into a metal plate that threatened to push him off where he landed, causing it to spin away as he jumped and ducked out of sight into the depths of spinning blades and glowing balls of fire. There was a cheer from one of the onlookers.


    ¡°The most important thing, is to stay alive and not panic.¡± He said and motioned for me to follow him. I watched the maze shift around once again, worn wood and stone groaning as it changed configuration. A group of fishies, five of them were running the maze as a team. I watched them help each other up over obstacles, a complete group effort. As they quickly dodged traps, solved simple puzzles and made the course look easy, until they all managed to make a bad choice. The group was nearly wiped out when they were dunked into the rushing water. Three of them came sputtering out of the pool and stood to watch the rest of their friends slowly get picked off by various traps. When one was knocked out by a wooden practice dummy, I looked up and saw a mechanical claw descend into the maze, grab the girl, and toss her back to the entrance where they all swarmed over her.


    ¡°Almost had it, what was our time?!¡± She remarked as smelling salts were shoved over her face. She chewed on some sort of herb to restore her senses as they inspected the frozen sand in the hourglass. ¡°Not bad¡­¡± Kirk said and they brightened up.


    Kirk pointed to a nearby chalk board that listed times on the course for that week. They were rated not upon completion time, but how long they managed to survive, and how far they got. I had to gape at some of the times, one was an entire hour long.


    ¡°You don¡¯t complete the maze fishie, you survive it.¡± He turned to me and grinned evilly, then he sprinted into the left entrance that was marked with yellow paint, whooping and hollering. Other players who were gathered around the entranceway ran for vantage points on the nearby wooden walls that separated the maze from the training grounds. ¡°Kirk¡¯s going for it!¡± They yelled and I saw one of them calling out bets and glowing tokens quickly changed hands.


    Kirk was¡­ to say a few words¡­ superhuman. I saw him release his true power, as he leapt impossible distances with his body glowing in a haze of red foxfire in the corner of my vision.


    Effortlessly, he vaulted over obstacles, completely ignoring climbing holds or ropes as if they didn¡¯t exist. It seemed as if he could sense the traps with eyes the back of his head. Ducking only inches from being heavily injured and rolling into perfect tucks as he landed on one platform and vaulted off, all of this in his full armor and with all that weight on his gear. All the way he was whooping and hollering, as if he was having the time of his life.


    Cheers called out from the crowd as the hourglass filled before he finally fought his way through a series of some sort of gigantic wooden golems, and slipped up. A dozen managed to surround him and he tried to vault over them with one of his incredible leaps, and was snatched out of the air and thrown screaming into a dark pit. I looked back at the pool of water when he came coughing and sputtering out of it, standing up and whipping his hair back as he searched in the pool for his helmet. The helmet popped out of the stream of the water with a clang as it bounced off him. He gave a yelp and rubbed his head where it slammed into it, but didn¡¯t stop grinning.


    There were cheers and I saw tokens hauled off by a few of the vets who grinned at Kirk. Reese was eying him with a sly smile on her face, and I swear I saw the woman lick her lips. I had to blink at that and when she sashed up to him and grinned at the man, I clenched my teeth.


    ¡°So, when are you going to run the red zone¡­ Kirk.¡± She seemed to bounce on her feet as if the very idea was enough to make her day.


    ¡°Well, not off my rebirth sickness yet Reese, taking it easy.¡± He smiled and leaned down to tweak her nose as she snickered.


    ¡°How¡­ long?¡± She mouthed the words as Reese blinked her eyes at him, brushing around him with a seductive smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll beat your time someday on the red zone¡­ and take the offered forfeit.¡± He ginned and bit his lip as he turned and saw my glare. Reese saw his change of expression and gazed at me in speculation. ¡°Go back to instructing your fishie¡­ I¡¯ll talk later.¡± She flashed me a nasty smile and I glared at her and then stopped to think for a second.


    What was making me angry? I couldn¡¯t understand it, It¡¯s not like Kirk and I¡­ I froze and I felt something, as a shiver went through me. When Kirk flashed me a grin and gave me a playful sock in the shoulder, I had to turn my face away as it went completely red. He looked at my reaction, and stared at me.


    ¡°Um¡­ well don¡¯t be discouraged Nim, I¡¯ve been doing this for a while, and I¡¯m able to self-buff.¡± He said as he tried to puzzle out why I was looking embarrassed.


    I was still a bit shaken. One thing that had never happened to me was feeling this, this curse of hormones. My treatments had stunted that part of my physiology and I hadn¡¯t felt the same thing other kids my age did for hot guys, or the like. I had read romance books and was always confused at the different feelings described in them, as I had never experienced any of them. I even found it often difficult to love people, even my father. My entire life my emotional spectrum always seemed a bit¡­ off.


    ¡°I need¡­ a break.¡± I said and shuffled out of the pit and to one of the benches around the practice courts. I had to sit there for a while as I tried to collect myself. ¡°Never... felt jealously before¡­¡± I muttered and then gave a bit of a laugh. Laughter turned into sobs as I clutched my face in my hands and wept.


    I hadn¡¯t really understood how pathetic I had been, trapped in my little bubble world, usually drugged up to my gills in medications, or forced to sleep away most of the day. Now¡­ what was happening to me? I couldn¡¯t understand it.


    Kirk left me alone as I tried to gather myself and come to terms with what was happening to me in Endaria. Finally, he found me trying to tear apart a practice dummy with clumsily administered strikes, that I was struggling to execute properly, earning wallops from the padded shield every few moments.


    ¡°Nim¡­what is wrong with you?¡± He said shakily as I turned, my eyes filled with tears as I tried not to break down again. ¡°Just leave me alone for a bit.¡± I said in a trembling voice. He shrugged and glanced worriedly at me as he went back to instructing another unarmed practice group.


    I couldn¡¯t talk with Kirk, the very idea filled me with both self-loathing at my petty thoughts, and my own weakness. I felt broken inside, as if everything was a rush of confusion and hopelessness. What was the point of me ever even lusting after anyone? Or caring about anyone anyways?


    I wouldn¡¯t live long enough to have children in the real world, and no one would want me if my time was measured and uncertain. I finally slumped down, my entire body completely spent. I lay there as the practice dummy twirled and spun above me. There wasn¡¯t any point¡­ all of this was just¡­ pointless.


    This fantasy game was just me fooling myself that I could be happy or have fun, but there was nothing to look forward to. I could meet new people, laugh and enjoy myself, but soon it just would all be pointless as I died in the real world. What would Kirk make of my twisted, frail form on life support if we ever met? He would be disgusted.


    I hadn¡¯t had many friends, but there were a few over the years I kept in touch with, other people I had met in the hospitals, in the terminal wards.


    They had all left me, dying one by one and each one of them had abandoned me, just as I would soon abandon Kirk and anyone else who would grow to depend on me here in Endaria. I had fought on long and hard, but sometimes fighting wasn¡¯t enough. Sometimes there was just¡­ the end.


    My eyes were blurry with tears as I lay there in the dirt, heaving in rasping sobs as all of the frustrating hopelessness poured out of me. Wind began to swirl and spin around me as I let out a shriek of rage.


    I was trapped in world that just kept reminding me of my own mortality, and what I would never have. The practice dummy shattered into kindling and was launched away, sucked up into a vortex as I curled into a ball and shook in misery.

 Chapter 18: Confusion and Cores of Power

    ¡°Nim! Nimue snap out of it!¡± I heard Kirk¡¯s distant voice and I just ignored him. There was another booming voice and then pain exploded into me as my entire body convulsed. I found myself laying on the ground staring vacantly at blurry figures around me, very concerned figures who were all peering wide-eyed at me. ¡°Uh¡­ anyone get the name of that skimmer that just hit me?¡± I grumbled. Groaning, I tried to roll over and pawed weakly at the ground.


    ¡°I think the guardian gave you a zap.¡± Kirk was peering from me and into the sky. ¡°Never saw it do that before unless someone committed a crime¡­¡± He trailed off.


    ¡°What the heck is up with you?¡± Kirk said and I pushed him away angrily as I stood up and stumbled forward, clutching at my pounding skull, my stomach twisting in rebellion to the spinning waves of dizziness. ¡°Just leave me alone!¡± I cried as dust pooled and swirled around me, energy crackled up and down my wrists along my tattoos and I turned and stumbled away from the practice courts, just wanting to get away from people, I wanted to be alone for a bit.


    Kirk finally tracked me down an hour later as I watched the salvagers returning from their day¡¯s efforts. More of them had made it back this time, and I watched them happily congratulating each other and picking through their haul as they dumped it onto the tables for the clerks.


    ¡°Look¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± he said sheepishly and I shook my head.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really angry with you¡­ I¡¯m just trying to¡­ figure something out.¡± I trailed off lamely as he kicked the dirt next to me, and leaned back on the wall I was slumped against. ¡°What is it then? You not able to make a new character or something? I have the same problem¡­ for me it¡¯s back to earning a wage when I¡¯m not streaming my runs through the labyrinth anymore.¡± He said and sighed as I looked up at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re a streamer?¡± I accused and he shrugged.


    ¡°Not like a constant one. I make casts of my progress, and I do earn some money on the side from my work, not much, but I get by.¡± He grinned.


    ¡°Its one reason I ran the practice maze today, to have something to toss to my viewers. They like you by the way.¡± He said and I laughed, and shook my head.


    ¡°Why would any of your viewers like me? I¡¯m nothing here, just a stupid noob, or a fishie. Take your pick.¡± I grumbled and my shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Your really pretty you know, and a bit terrifying sometimes. I recorded you during that meditation earlier and people on my channel went wild¡­ they want to see what you can do. Do you actually know just how rare players are with your powers?¡± His voice was upbeat and encouraging.


    My heart sank. Just what I needed. More people trying to kill me, I knew how it went with these streamers. There were always people trying to get attention by sniping the streamer, or greifing the progress of their casts. I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted any part of it.


    ¡°You streaming now? Recording me?¡± I asked, fury in my voice and he shook his head. ¡°No! I¡¯m not, and I¡¯m¡­ sorry for not telling you earlier. Most of the other vets here know by now and some even follow me. What¡¯s really good about streaming my runs through the labyrinth is that people can¡¯t really mess with me while I¡¯m doing it, not unless they can keep up.¡± He grinned.


    ¡°I do it for fun, and because people like to see the strange stuff that goes on in the labyrinth¡­ it really is an amazing place.¡± He had a wistful voice.


    ¡°You really do like it, here don¡¯t you?¡± I accused, my familiar anger at being trapped here bubbling close to the surface. Kirk nodded and sighed as he stared off in memory.


    ¡°I hated it at first, I mean it is a prison after all. But¡­ the more I tried to puzzle out the labyrinth, the more I¡­ began to appreciate how interesting it is. There is more to just surviving in it, there is something else¡­ a deeper mystery about all of it.¡±


    ¡°Well good luck! At least you have the time.¡± I said bitterly and he just gazed at me.


    ¡°You want to talk about it? Not really any of my business, but if you don¡¯t want to work with me, I¡¯ll understand, I¡¯m¡­ not really used to having a partner.¡± He said and I stared at him.


    I wanted to tell him, wanted to have someone to talk to, but I didn¡¯t want to burden him with my personal baggage. Also¡­ I was scared. If I told him that I would eventually die in the real world I knew he would write me off as a lost cause. Despite everything I wanted¡­ desperately wanted him as a friend and I knew, deep down inside that he only cared about how useful I could be to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty? You know how lame that sounds?¡± I said and he gave a chuckle. ¡°You didn¡¯t really work on your character¡¯s appearance much?¡± He asked and I shook my head.


    ¡°Actually¡­ didn¡¯t do much at all with it except add hair.¡± I said and blushed. My hair had usually been shaven off to accommodate long term immersion in nanotherapy pods that helped slow down the progress of my disease and reverse the damage in a slowly losing battle.


    ¡°Add hair¡­ huh?¡± He inquired, then he paled as he realized what that meant, and he began to put a few pieces together. I had told him I was disabled after all. ¡°Sorry!¡± he waved his hands up as my expression darkened and I saw the look of pity on his face that made my anger rise again.


    I had to wonder just what was happening to my real body at this very moment. Gentech hadn¡¯t really discussed the details of this testing other than that the VR dive capsule I was in was also treating me medically, but they hadn¡¯t giving any guarantees so I knew it was also a temporary measure. I knew I was dying, and I didn¡¯t want his pity.


    We watched the salvagers disperse silently, each of us lost in our own thoughts for a few minutes until he stood up, backing away from my glare. ¡°Get some rest¡­ a bath wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea; sleep will make you feel better.¡± He said and smiled at me as he walked off shaking his head in the direction of the chow hall, greeting Gazzy as she pranced over to him tossing him her flask of booze. I shook my head at how easily he bantered with the woman, as if it came second nature to him. It made me a bit envious. I couldn¡¯t figure that sort of thing out, and wasn¡¯t entirely sure I wanted to.


    I didn¡¯t really feel like going into the boisterous and crowded chow hall, so I just bypassed it and headed for the baths. They were packed, filled with people, and I turned away when I saw a long line stretching into the street. I turned away from the familiar buildings, and threw out my senses for rushing water. I wanted somewhere comfortable to hide and sulk in peace.


    I followed my senses, and wound through buildings, past unfamiliar sections of the hub until I entered an empty section that seemed abandoned. I knew the hub was massive, but only a very tiny part of it was occupied. There was for example supposedly four gates all around the hub, but only one was used, and most of the stuff players used was gathered around it.


    The strange white glass buildings didn¡¯t decay, but they were filled with dust and debris. I saw the remains of past habitation everywhere, old carts, furniture in buildings, and so many other little details that did spark a bit of my curiosity. I followed my nose, and my senses towards the sound of running water and stopped in my tracks as I found a massive fountain with statues surrounding it.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what the strange figures represented, but had the suspicion they were carved likeness of Endaria¡¯s gods. None of them were familiar to me, upon a casual glance. I looked down at the cascading fountain that stretched across a plaza, lost in the gloom of the night cycle. There were waterfalls, little rivers and whirling pools that were decorated with carved script that glowed.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Walking next to a waterfall I laid back, my feet dangling down into the cool water as I stared up at the cascade, smiling at the prismatic haze that drifted off vapor surrounding the falling water. Here it felt like everything would be alright¡­ that I was safe. Lazily, I drew power in from the environment around me, cycling it though my body to ease the aches and pains. My head cleared and I tried to make sense of my new feelings¡­ was I really feeling what I had read about? Was it lust, jealously? I was sixteen, and most girls probably already knew how to deal with this. I didn¡¯t have a clue what to do.


    I haven¡¯t even had to worry about a period. My own menstrual cycle was deeply repressed by my treatments along with so much else. I knew what it was supposed to be like, but most of the time I had never considered any of it in detail. What would it be like to be someone with a future? I had never considered it before. I had always lived from fight to fight, trying not to think about the end. A future wasn¡¯t a luxury for me, it was something that had always been nonexistent.


    My father had never groomed me to follow in his footsteps, I had been free to pursue my own hobbies without worrying about any sort of career to work for. Why bother training me to be his heir? There was no future for me beyond what minor medical miracles that occurred to keep me alive day by day.


    I pushed off the edge of the fountain and stroked through the waterfall, letting the cool water splash across my face. The fountain wasn¡¯t cold, but wasn¡¯t warm either, that sort of perfect temperature that felt just right. It was peaceful. My robes tightened to my body into a swimsuit, as they shifted along with my shoes and I swam along the flowing waters of the fountain, following the drifting currents as I spun between the statues of gods that probably disapproved of me, mighty warriors whom I would likely never learn the names of. This game wasn¡¯t perfect¡­ but if I was going to choose the place of my death, I supposed there were worse fates even if none of this beauty was real. What would it be like? Would I just not wake up one day or would I just fade away suddenly?


    I floated on the surface of the water, letting it carry me around in a weaving circuit that cycled in some sort of odd twisting knotwork of channels, the current taking me past three waterfalls, one after another. As I moved, I watched the strange streaks of light on the dome so high up that it made me wonder, if it was in fact the heavens of some tiny world, and this labyrinth was a universe all of its own. Endaria was supposed to be a game with more than one world to explore, and I had heard of stranger things within games. The thought made me smile as I wondered if I would ever make it out of this place, only to find that I had some new strange world to explore, that I was no longer on prime at all.


    What would it matter? The whole point of the game was to have fun¡­ it wasn¡¯t anything more than that, just something created by advanced AIs, the most advanced in the world. I tried to contemplate just how VirtualDreams had made this game, and it was beyond me. None of this should be possible, but here it was and I was in this strange place, pretending to be some sort of magician or whatever. The concept was so absurd that I chuckled as I drifted along.


    I was quite surprised when my own laughter was returned. Startled, I thrashed about looking for the source of the laughter and treaded water as I peered around the deserted area, suddenly feeling very foolish. The laughter had come from the top of a series of cascading pools in the center of the channel I had been drifting in. Glancing up I saw a blue-green form peering back at me. It smiled and I saw little fangs and a toothy grin.


    ¡°Of course, this stupid fountain was filled with things that probably want to eat me.¡± I grumbled, wondering why I hadn¡¯t already been attacked. The creature leapt down out of the splashing pools of water and swirled around me, a long tail whipping back and forth like a shark. It had the upper torso of a young girl, but had hands ending in sharp nails and webbed fingers. Instead of hair, there was flowing layers of short scales, the rest of her face smooth, and reflected the expressions of a young child.


    She peered with interest at me, as if trying to figure out what I was. I swam for the one side of the fountain and she blocked me, her arms crossed in anger. ¡°You know this is sacred water¡­ right human?¡± She grumbled and glared at me.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see a sign telling me to stay out.¡± I complained but she shook her head, and I was reminded distinctly of the immature attitude of a child as she twitched one irritable webbed finger at me.


    ¡°Well there should be one!¡± She huffed and I rolled my eyes, no longer really that afraid of the small creature. She did have rather sharp looking fangs, but I had the feeling that one good zap would discourage any thoughts of adding me to the dinner menu.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll get out¡­ ugh.¡± I pushed past the creature and lifted myself up out of the water of the fountain as the creature stared at me curiously, with slight consternation.


    ¡°Wait... you¡¯re not scared of me?¡± She flashed her tiny little fangs at me and I rolled me eyes. Compared to most things I had encountered in Endaria¡¯s deadly waters she was a pushover.


    ¡°Nope¡­ need to let them fangs of yours grow a bit more¡­munchkin¡± I smiled at her and she huffed.


    ¡°No need to rub it in¡­¡± One of her fingers rubbed a tiny fang and she hissed again at me.


    Walking back over to the waterfall I sat back down. I didn¡¯t really feel that tired, and I did need to practice meditation more. If the creature wanted to interrupt me, well I¡¯d make sure it regretted it. She watched me warily and when I sat down well away from the edge of the fountain. Seemingly satisfied evicting me from her fountain, she dived under the water and vanished.


    Meditation was starting to come easier now that I was getting the hang of what technique worked best. I gripped my power and began to cycle it and, felt as if something was guiding me as I started to spin my power and concentrate it.


    The roaring energy of the fountain was powerful, and pulsed in time with my heartbeat. The ebb and flow became a tide, but I resisted the urge to join the roaring, instead focusing inward as if it was second nature. My power began to whirl faster and faster, and began to condense.


    A shining ball of energy began to expand into a core of rippling power inside me, that sparkled with lighting, howled with wind and resounded with the pounding thunder of water.


    I condensed it farther with each breath, now falling into a rhythm like the flow of the tide, when I felt resistance, I began to push past it, condensing faster and faster, my core of power straining to contain the energy I was putting into it, I could feel pain, but I was becoming used to enduring pain now and I pushed it away.


    Finally, I felt like it was time to back off and I pulled back out of my core and kept cycling energy through my body, and an image formed in my mind of a barrier around my core. I began to condense energy from my body around the burning core of power, and it dimmed from a burning sun into a spinning ball of energy, a blue ball with white and gold sparks. Slowly, I began to pull out of my trance, and I opened my eyes, and gave a yelp of surprise.


    I was floating over the fountain, slowly spinning on a vortex of air and from below me the entire fountain glowed. All the statues around the fountain were watching me with eyes of radiant power, each one burning in a different color. My concentration broken; I fell shrieking from the air landing in the top pool with a splash, the wind knocked out of me from a perfect belly flop.


    The roaring fountain pulsed, then a wave of water cascaded out and I was tossed squalling and choking, trying to get air as I was dunked from pool to pool until I landed in the bottom of the fountain, trying to tread water, but I found I was weak as a kitten, my entire body was unable to move. As I sank, my mind wanted to make my limbs move, but it was like they were stone.


    I tried to hold my breath, but my lungs pounded, and I began to get light headed. Then, I felt little fingers gripping me and I was moving upwards. My head broke the surface and I gave a wheezing gasp. As my world spun from the sudden rush of oxygen to my body, I felt myself being pushed up onto the side of the fountain and I mustered enough energy to roll over, out of the water.


    I lay there gasping, my body unable to move, my heart was roaring in my ears and panic began to fill me.


    I wondered if I was dying. It felt the same as when my life support systems in my regeneration pod was having difficulty keeping up.


    Distantly I could hear a bit of girlish laughter and I concentrated on it, then reached deep inside myself, to where I could feel that core of power still burning. I slowly pulled energy out of it, cycling it through my body, and I began to feel lighter, stronger.


    Slowly, I sat up and looked around. The statues weren¡¯t glowing, and the fountain was silent and dark. I must have been imagining it. But there was one thing that I knew I had done; I had formed my energy into a core. It felt powerful, and somehow¡­ right as if this was how it was always supposed to be. Standing up I gave a whoop of triumph pumping my fist to the air. ¡°Yahoooooo!¡± I felt my eyes burn with tears as I smiled.


    There was a raspberry from below me and I looked down at the tiny creature that had saved me from drowning. I knelt down and grinned.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± I whispered and she blushed and twirled a bit before waving to me and diving out of sight, disappearing into the fountain.


    I frowned as I realized it was a deeper dark than I had expected. Just how long was I meditating? I had to cycle more power from my core into my body as my weary limbs ached and I began to make my way back towards a soft bed.


    When I arrived, even the card players were done, the baths were closed and the lights were dark. Sleeping forms turned and murmured. I was tired but I lay in my bed smiling to myself and feeling inward to my core of power. It felt strong, and rippled with energy. It took me some time until I was able to nod off and fall into a dreamless sleep.

 Chapter 19: Bound by the Seal

    The next day, I woke up early on my own and sat in the chow hall eating stew, looking around for Kirk. He wasn¡¯t around, and I wondered when he would log in. I couldn¡¯t wait to tell him about my breakthrough.


    Idly I toyed with my medallion and winced every time it turned and showed my nearly expended balance of credit. Soon I would have to go out and earn my keep. Hopefully I would have Kirk with me next time.


    There was a clatter and thump, and I started as a group of players sat down around me, yanking me abruptly from my happy daydreaming.


    The smile of excitement on my face began falling away as I realized it was the creepy guy in black robes, and his posse. ¡°Ah... if it isn¡¯t Kirk¡¯s little stray.¡± He turned a big smile on me and waved a hand at one of his minions. He twirled a glowing token in front of me and I looked in shock, as it had an engraved fifty credit mark. When I frowned he smirked at me and my wide-eyed expression at the coin.


    ¡°Heard you can heal¡­ we need a healer, and your better off with us.¡± He smiled and I narrowed my eyes. ¡°We can pay you much better than Kirk, what¡¯s he contracted you with? Or hasn¡¯t he even paid you yet?¡± I inched away from the man who was definitely too far into my personal space.


    ¡°Um¡­ not really that interested in joining up with a group¡­ I¡¯m still training you know.¡± I said carefully and he shrugged.


    ¡°Why you suddenly want me now? I bet you knew I was a healer before, it¡¯s not like it was a secret or anything.¡± I asked. He shrugged, and I saw him study me for a moment. I didn¡¯t trust these people and if they thought I¡¯d just leave Kirk for credits they were wrong.


    The man nodded to his minion and another fifty-credit token was produced. ¡°Two weeks pay, up front. You can go bank it. We know your deal with them, and they won¡¯t mind if we take you off Kirk¡¯s hands. We have a special arrangement with them.¡± He grinned as if the matter was already settled.


    It was a really tempting offer, but I shook my head. I trusted Kirk, and to me trust was far more valuable than credit. My father had told me all about people like these, who thought loyalty could be bought at a price. Those sorts of people didn¡¯t really look at people like assets, they looked at them like tools, and tools could be cast aside.


    There was a clatter of a bowl and Kirk pushed his way into a spot beside me, a classic Kirk smirk on his face.


    ¡°Ah heard about Sid¡­ what a pity he ditched you guys. Looking for a new healer, are we?¡± He popped a boiled potato into his mouth and closed his eyes as if it was the tastiest bland, boiled potato ever.


    ¡°Stay out of our business Kirk! Now if you don¡¯t mind¡­ we were having a discussion¡­¡± Their leader said through gritted teeth. Kirk simply gave an mmmm of pleasure as he leaned back.


    ¡°You know it is satisfying¡­ watching you guys beg a new fish just because you can¡¯t keep a healer happy. This is what your third time losing a healer or an alchemist?¡± He grinned at them, and I rolled my eyes as I stood up.


    ¡°You going for your run this morning Kirk?¡± I asked and he nodded.


    ¡°Yea was expecting you to sleep in again¡­. You don¡¯t normally get up this early.¡± I nodded and we both ignored the fuming group behind us as he quickly downed his stew and gave me a wink as I frowned at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a morning person¡­¡± I grumbled. I was used to sleeping in, actually was used to only having a few waking hours a day. It did make a refreshing change since I had joined Endaria, just last week I had only been awake one or two hours out of four. My mind froze and I began mentally counting the days since I had been in Endaria.


    Had it been seven or eight? I couldn¡¯t quite remember, and my heart pounded when I realized it had been at least eight days. I was supposed to have been pulled out by now.


    Suddenly panicking, I franticly tried to pull up my interface, but once again it was absent, I wanted that log out button but it just wasn¡¯t there.


    Kirk must have sensed my mood suddenly change and he watched me warily. ¡°Let¡¯s go, want to run you through your morning drill first before we run.¡± He said, but I felt sick and trapped. I looked at my hands and tried to calm down but those hands, they were shaking.


    ¡°You ok Nim?¡± He whispered when he saw me staring at my hands and I mutely nodded. I looked at him and wondered if I could tell him what was going on. Would he believe me?


    ¡°Can we go somewhere private?¡± I asked and he shrugged and motioned for me to follow him. The meditation room was empty, so we went inside and he shut the door, locking it. ¡°What¡¯s up¡­ you ok?¡± He asked and I shook my head.


    ¡°I¡­.I¡­¡± I tried to open my mouth to speak, but my mind just went blank and fuzzy. I tried again, but my throat locked up. I felt sick and faint, sinking to the ground gasping for air as I tried to speak again, tried to say something but once again my mind blanked out, this time followed by a splitting headache. Something was wrong, why couldn¡¯t I tell him?


    ¡°Ok¡­ I¡¯m going to go get Saskin¡­ something is not right. Stay here.¡± He opened the door and sprinted off. I clutched myself and shook, as I began to sob. I was running out of time, and couldn¡¯t log out, and say goodbye to my father¡­ what would happen if my character died the final death, and I couldn¡¯t log out to make a new one? Would I be trapped in that darkness? I knew that you had to initialize a reset on the capsule, it couldn¡¯t be done in game.


    There had to be a failsafe if something went wrong. Gentech wouldn¡¯t build capsules without that sort of thing and VirtualDreams wouldn¡¯t make a game you couldn¡¯t leave.


    I had been told that I could log out if the game was too intense and I needed a break. No¡­ something had gone very wrong, and the fact that they had not logged me out on their end, well after the proposed time for the one-week checkup was proof that it was something serious.


    ¡°This one is very busy, traveler Kirk, I charge for advice you know¡­¡± I heard a very annoyed Saskin whine as she was dragged into the room. Her voice trailed off when she saw me crying and clutching myself, my eyes shut as I screamed in my mind to log out.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Please leave us traveler Kirk. Let me speak alone with the troubled one.¡± She shooed Kirk out of the room and turned to regard me.


    Saskin sat down next to me and I felt warm arms grip me as she wrapped me in a hug. ¡°Do not despair¡­ friends are stronger together, tell me now what is wrong.¡± I tried to speak, and when my words failed me and I felt the woozy blankness. I saw Saskin¡¯s own eyes widen.


    ¡°That is the work the great seal! You are trying to tell me something it does not want you to.¡± She narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath. I looked at her with confusion.


    ¡°What¡­ what is the great seal? I mean I¡¯ve heard of it, and I know some of what it does, but I don¡¯t understand what it is.¡± I asked and she nodded.


    ¡°One to blind us. One to bind us¡­ all to seal us and Endaria keep us.¡± She chanted and I looked at her curiously in confusion. I had heard that rhyme before when I had researched the great seal on the forums before I had joined the game.


    It was a children¡¯s rhyme that the locals often quoted, and was a great enigma to the other players. ¡°Travelers¡­ they are not normally greatly affected by the great seal¡­ but you, you are different¡­. Puzzles this one¡­.¡± She trailed off and then turned to me.


    ¡°Have to tell Kirk¡­have¡­¡± I choked off as the seal gripped me and she shook her head.


    ¡°Won¡¯t work to try and tell this one either, if it has you in it¡¯s grip you have to find a way to get around it or trick it. That is possible you know.¡± She grinned at me and I sighed.


    ¡°This one had thought it was¡­ something else, but while we are alone here¡­it is quite the accomplishment! You have condensed your power into a core¡­ very good¡­¡± She said and I her gaze was locked on me, her eyes flashing milky white for a moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s important! I need to¡­¡± My mind blanked out and she just shook me.


    ¡°Stop it! Do not toy with the great seal! If it is important you will find a way! Worse things can happen if you force it to bind you tighter!¡± She huffed at me and I nodded.


    ¡°Now¡­¡± She stood up and dragged me to my feet. Handing me a white lacy handkerchief she pointed to my eyes. ¡°Does no good¡­ to always be at your worst.¡± Her smirk lifted my spirits as I wiped away tears and took a deep breath.


    Kirk popped his head in, concern on his face. ¡°You guys have a good talk? Can you tell me what is going on Nim?¡± When I shook my head, he gave a sigh.


    ¡°I really wish you would just tell me¡­ you¡¯ve been really weird since yesterday and that obstacle course. If it makes you feel any better, I¡¯m a high-end rank B, so don¡¯t feel bad if it takes a bit for you to catch up.¡± He said and I stared again at his player tag, for the first time reading his rank. He was even higher ranked then that knight, Vance.


    ¡°Its not that¡­ it¡¯s something else..¡± I trailed off, then I smiled at him.


    ¡°I figured something out last night, when I was meditating. I have a core of power now!¡± His eyes lit up and he beamed at me.


    ¡°You finally finished the skill tree for novice in meditation? How did you do it without a trainer?¡± He asked and frowned at my utter look of confusion.


    ¡°Skill tree?¡± I asked and he frowned.


    ¡°Do¡­ you use your interface?¡± He asked, as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. At my look of shock, he smiled. ¡°Your one of those players then¡­ well actually it makes more sense now.¡± He nodded and grinned again.


    ¡°Not many people realize that there are advantages to not using the interface. I had to learn that lesson the hard way, and turned mine off only a couple of weeks ago. Its much easier to intuitively learn with it off, even if it does teach you things through the skill tree, it is a better idea to let Endaria itself teach you. I was wondering why you were learning so fast¡­¡±


    ¡°Did someone tell you to turn it off from the start?¡± He asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°That player must have been a high rank vet then, because it is something that only now is being experimented with and talked about on the forums. I¡¯m still kicking myself for not listening to everything when Killkenny started putting his stuff about Vander up. You know it was him that made the discovery public right? You watch any of his casts?¡±


    I shook my head, and frowned. I had done some research about Endaria, and looked over forums and talked to people who played. That¡¯s how I knew about some of the basics like the great seal. I had heard of Vander, the infamous druid of Endaria. He was playing some sort of unique class that no one had been able to understand yet. The power that player wielded was rumored to have toppled a mountain.


    I turned back to Saskin who seemed to have spaced out for a moment. She stood there and I watched her closely as her focus came back to me and she nodded to the both of us.


    ¡°This one bids you a good day, and will charge credit next time! Too busy! Do not bother again unless you pay!¡± She huffed and I grinned at the strange woman as she pushed past us, stomping down the hallway towards a conference room.


    ¡°Bah¡­ she¡¯s all bark¡­don¡¯t let her fool you, she will help you if you need it badly enough. Saskin, will be¡­ Saskin though.¡± He chuckled and turned back to me.


    ¡°You ready to train?¡± He asked and I nodded my head. He held out my training vest. ¡°I had more weight added, and I think since you have a core now, I¡¯ll have to quickly add more.¡± He gave me an evil grin when he saw my shoulders droop.


    ¡°Hey¡­ your body is important! You can¡¯t push lots of power through a weak character. You have to build up your strength, endurance, and agility¡­ well if there is such a thing. What¡¯s your body metric at now? Er if you don¡¯t mind looking in your interface.¡±


    I tried and failed to look into my interface and he frowned when the look of annoyance passed over my face. ¡°Um, never mind. I can tell just by looking at you that you are improving but you do have a way to go.¡±


    I put my hands on my hips and glared at him as he backed up. ¡°Sorry¡­ yea¡­ next question.¡± He thought for a moment and motioned for me to put on my harness. I shrugged into the weighted harness and followed him as we left out the back way towards the bath houses. He fell into an effortless trot and I had to pick up my pace to keep up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s scoop up the fishies¡­¡± He rubbed his hands together and I saw the crowd of fishes wearing their starter outfits, all practicing. They perked up when one of them spotted Kirk.


    ¡°Morning run!¡± He called out and his usual group fell into pace with us, leaving a few very confused looking players behind. They were quickly urged to follow by the other vets.


    We ran several circuits of the training ground, up and down the practice wall and around the main hub area. Every time people looked tired, he told us to stop and did pushups or sit-ups with us, then ran us through a little course I hadn¡¯t seen to the side of the market. It was a series of ropes and bars. The people that had been working with our group from the start were told to run across the taunt rope, then he had us do pull-ups until each of us were completely exhausted. When we were about to drop, we ran to the maze.


    When people stared at him in horror, at the sight of the maze one of the players spoke up. ¡°Can¡¯t we wait until we¡­ are fresh to try it?¡± He gasped for breath and Kirk shook his head.


    ¡°You think you are going to run the labyrinth while fresh? More than likely you will have monsters far more powerful than you nipping at your heels! You will be surviving, sometimes going for hours without rest, and even wounded or poisoned! Your characters need to be pushed to the breaking point and beyond!¡± He pointed to the maze.


    ¡°This is a toy compared to the real thing¡­ I¡¯m not sure how many times each of you has died so far in Endaria, but let me tell you one thing that never ceases to amaze me. The locals only have one life, and they live here. They rarely ever die, even to the greatest threats and hardest parts of the labyrinth. You see they train from birth¡­ you have a lot of catching up to do to meet their expectations.¡±


    He pointed to all the times on the red zone board. ¡°They have the best times¡­ not us players. You want to impress them and get the good quests; this is where you do it.¡± He motioned me forward, and my stomach twisted for only an instant as I realized I was to run next.

 Chapter 20: The Gaze of the Gods

    ¡°GO!¡± He pointed to the center route, the green one.  I ran forward, flooding power into my body from my core.  My body trailed a shimmering blue haze of power and I felt as if I was running on air as I leapt and grabbed a handhold on the spinning wall at the entrance, letting it carry me forward.


    I leapt from it, dodging a whirling wooden beam and then rolling to the side as I felt the spot I landed on beginning to give way.  The trap door pattered open, but I was not there to fall down into the water, I was up and running.


    Channeling power into my legs, I leapt out across a gap that I had to rock climb last time.  Clearing it easily, I kept running forward.  The maze shifted around me and rearranged.  I paused  and spun in confusion only for a moment before I had to dodge several flying balls of energy that shot out from crystals on a wall.  Dashing forward, I awkwardly began balancing across a beam that was over the rushing water before jumping off it and grabbing a rope as the beam began to turn.


    My core slowly drained as I pushed my body to it¡¯s limit and beyond, feeling joy at my increased vigor.  With a little bit of quick experimentation, I found that if I pushed just enough of the swirling white energy that pulsed just inside my barrier, I could power long leaps.


    The solid blue of my core would refresh my weariness, but it quickly shrank if I drew on it too fast.


    Obstacles flew past me, and I jumped and reacted on instinct.  The falls that had been drilled into me only days previously let me roll and leap after I jumped.  At one point, I had to fight a whirling practice dummy that popped up in front of me and I picked up a black eye and a few bruises.  I counterattacked, using the blocks and strikes that Kirk had shown me, pushing power into the palms of my hands.


    My lightning crackled when I grasped a thread of it out of my core and the little wooden shield the dummy swung for my battered face exploded into kindling.  I ducked under the missing arm and kept running.


    After I exited the corridor with the dummy, the maze shifted again and suddenly I found myself being bombarded from all sides with balls of energy.  I had to jump, dodge and weave but nothing helped.


    Each one made my entire body lock up with pain when they hit and I screamed and tried to push them away.  Slowly a bubble of energy formed outside of me as I remembered the barrier around my core.  I pictured it, except around my body and the barrier formed up into a shield.


    The power in my core quickly shrank, like water being poured out of a glass and I sank to my knees, my world began to spin and my barrier shattered into shimmering vapor.


    I came to outside the maze, with Kirk cracking smelling salts under my nose.  ¡°Very good run Nimue!¡±  He shook me and had a wide grin on his face.  I was surrounded by a massive crowd of people and I looked around, confused.


    People were cheering and patting me on the back as I stood up.  I felt my stomach go light, and my eyes brightened as I saw my time and distance.  I was ranked third on the green maze.


    ¡°Next time don¡¯t try to stay and endure a kill room though.¡± He laughed and grinned at me.  I felt my heart leap when I saw honest praise in his face.  He looked¡­ proud of me.


    The old woman Deidre walked up to me and nodded her head.  ¡°You have promise traveler.  Take this, as your prize for reaching the top three of the novice route. Strive higher, and we will reward you again.¡±  She handed me a glowing ten credit token.


    I bowed my head in thanks in the way I had seen Kirk do with her a few times, and she beamed at me.  ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I said and stumbled over to nearby bench.  As the other fishies ran into the maze, I sat back and tried to catch my breath.  I felt drained, as if I had run all day, then been put through a blender.


    I felt inside me for my core, and saw it was nearly empty, it¡¯s feeble light pulsing weakly.  I had to go find a spot to try and recover my power.  For the millionth time I regretted the loss of my statuette.


    There had to be a way to get a new one.  I wondered if I could carve my own, or have someone make one for me.  Would that even work?  I would have to ask someone else who was a cleric.


    Kirk followed me out of the maze entrance, and I told him where I would be.  His eyes narrowed for a second before he shook his head.  ¡°You know that place is dangerous¡­ be careful¡­ I¡¯ll come check up on you in a bit.¡±  He said and trotted up the wall next to the maze and watched the fishies get wiped out, one by one.


    I found my way to the now familiar fountain.  It looked a lot different in the late morning light.  I could see gleaming gold filigree on carved scenes along the sides. I could also make out more of the fine details on the statues.  Studying, I paced around the statues, wondering if I would find my boss¡¯s likeness among them.  I didn¡¯t see his statue anywhere.  I did stop at one familiar figure though.


    ¡°Shango¡­¡± I breathed, recognition flooding into me as I recognized the squat man with the axe and lightning bolt.  A smith¡¯s hammer hung from a belt next to a tiny set of drums.  I stared at details that I had missed on his tiny statuette on that altar by the lake.  I smiled.


    On a hunch borne out of that familiar instinct I had felt guiding me since I came to Endaria, I laid my hands on his statue and called out his name.


    ¡°Shango!  Shango!¡± I chanted and suddenly I felt my hands being flicked off as the statue moved and he shooed me away.  ¡°Shhhh stop that!¡± He pleaded and I saw fiery red eyes staring at me as he leaned down.  I backed up, tripping over my own feet and landing on my rear, my eyes wide in shock.  It had worked!


    ¡°I can¡¯t talk here for long, or the others will notice¡­¡±  He whispered, eying the other statues suspiciously.


    I quickly stumbled forward and kneeled at his feet to listen.  ¡°Take heed of your tokens of power and make sure you say your bedtime prayers!¡±  he whispered to me and I frowned, confused.  Looking back up at the statue I saw that it was back to its normal form and was no longer in possession of glowing eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±  I asked, but the statue was just a statue again.  I gave a frustrated grumble and found my spot next to one of the fountain¡¯s waterfalls and folded myself into a lotus position and began to meditate.  I slowly pulled power in, and this time I decided to take it easy, vivid memories of overdoing in the two previous instances fixed into my mind.


    I spent about half an hour filling my core and just relaxing in the calming flow of meditation.  When I opened my eyes, I wasn¡¯t floating above the fountain, I was right where I was supposed to be.  I let out a sigh of relief and laid back, dangling my feet into the cool water as I gazed up at the bright, but sunless sky and wondered if I could sunburn in this strange labyrinth.  I felt a splash on my legs and sat up, gazing down into the fountain to see the strange creature that had come to my rescue earlier.  She was staring at my shoes with interest.


    ¡°Pretty¡­¡± She pulled at the fabric of my lacings and I morphed them into flippers for her, to see her reaction.  She gasped and her eyes narrowed at me.


    ¡°Oh! You part Naiad?¡± She asked curiously and I laughed and shook my head.  ¡°Nope¡­ just have magic shoes.¡±  I said and she nodded.  ¡°I can change my feet too!¡±


    She stated and heaved herself up beside me, her fishlike lower torso vanishing in a very disturbing display of flesh morphing that made my stomach twist.  Two childlike legs dangled into the water next to me and I saw her legs were blue-green and slightly scaled like the rest of her body.  She kicked the water, splashing her feet with a squeal.


    She grinned at me, her tiny fangs making her cute meter rise by several degrees.  ¡°Got a name munchkin? I asked and she nodded.  ¡°Ren¡­ my name is Ren!¡±  She stated proudly I nodded solemnly.  ¡°I will remember it! Not every day someone saves my life Ren. My name is Nimue. Nice to meet you.¡± I said and she frowned at me.


    ¡°Artemis wanted me to save you!¡± She pointed at a regal looking statue of a woman in armor, with a bow slung in a case over one shoulder.  I nodded.


    ¡°So, they were watching me¡­¡± My voice trailed off, and I shivered as I realized I had probably picked the wrong place to draw attention to myself.


    ¡°They do watch you¡­¡±  She intoned with a hiss and fixed a suspicious eye on one of the statues in particular. I turned to see what she was looking at and I swear I saw one of the statues shift slightly, it was a woman who was gazing into a bowl of water.  ¡°Iris¡­ she sees all.¡±  Ren said when I asked her about the god.


    ¡°Nimue! Where are you?¡±  I heard Kirk¡¯s voice call out, before he came around the corner of the fountain and caught sight Ren and me talking.  The little creature let out a hiss and leapt into the water, vanishing into the depths of the fountain.  I called out to her but she was gone.


    ¡°Dammit Kirk you scared her away!¡±  I shrieked. He was frozen there, a look of shock on his face.


    ¡°Um¡­ Nim, you do know how dangerous Naiads are right?  Their poison alone¡­¡± He shivered and shook his head.  I glared at him.


    ¡°Ren won¡¯t hurt me, she¡¯s a sweet little thing.¡± I argued and he rolled his eyes.


    Kirk looked at me like I was insane.  I shrugged my shoulders, and pulled my feet out of the fountain, standing up and stretching.  ¡°I leave you alone for an hour and I find you here making friends with venomous monsters¡­¡± He groaned and rubbed his face in his hands.


    ¡°She¡¯s not a monster! I¡¯ve fought monsters, and she doesn¡¯t act like them!¡±  I argued and he laughed.


    ¡°Do you think most of the things we fight aren¡¯t intelligent?  He asked and I shrugged.  The monsters I¡¯ve encountered so far usually behaved like mindless, or ravenous beasts.  When I explained some of those incidents, he shook his head.


    ¡°Most monsters, especially the ones here in the labyrinth aren¡¯t mindless beasts¡­ they are intelligent and cunning.  They have homes, cities, and villages in some cases.  Some of them are also very organized and patient, they will stalk you for days, and lay ambushes.¡±  He said and I felt my blood go cold.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Ren is like those, are there any dangerous monsters here in the hub?¡± I asked and he shrugged.


    ¡°Better to air on the side of caution and don¡¯t get complacent.  There is a barrier yes, but I doubt it¡¯s infallible.¡± He scolded and I sighed, knowing he was probably right.  I had considered the hub a safe zone but, perhaps it wasn¡¯t such a good idea for me to go exploring on my own.


    When he saw my change of attitude, he did smile at me. ¡°That isn¡¯t to say you can¡¯t reason with them¡­ never heard of anyone reasoning with those underwater terrors like your Naiad friend, there but you can bargain with some of the creatures here in the labyrinth and even gain a few allies that will fight with you if they have something to gain.¡±  He explained. I perked up at the thought of not having to kill every monster I encountered, and the likely very slim possibility that not everything in Endaria wanted to eat me or rip me to shreds.


    ¡°So you ready to run the course again?¡± He asked and I nodded quickly in excitement.


    We walked back to the course, and this time I had a waiting audience.  Kirk frowned when he saw the tops of the practice wall filled with both players and locals alike.  ¡°Ok¡­ you are going to try something different.  He smirked and pointed at a group of well thrashed fishies that were sitting on benches or heaped senseless around the area where the claw returned people, and the pool that flowed out of the maze was.


    ¡°Form a party, and run it as a team.  I want to watch you. You can only pick from those players down there, no using fresh ones, or any vets, or any of the locals even if they beg to join in.¡±  He instructed.  When I looked at him dubiously, he narrowed his eyes at me sternly.  ¡°GO!¡± He smirked, in an expression of Kirk humor that I was growing to hate.


    There were six fishies, two girls, and four guys slumped, sitting or in one case, still out cold on the ground around me as I looked them over.  I knelt down at the player still out cold and saw she was breathing evenly, and snoring slightly.  Confused, I looked over her body until I found a collection needlelike darts over her body at various points where her thick padded training armor didn¡¯t stop them.


    Placing my hands on her body, I gently pulsed my power into her, like I often did to myself when trying to sense where I was tired or if something was broken.  I could actually feel the poison in her system, and found it was a mild sophistic.  I pushed power into her, using some of my water energy to increase her metabolism and see if I could get her body to process it faster.  It didn¡¯t really seem to have a noticeable effect, so I looked over the others.


    Kirk hadn¡¯t indicated at all how I was supposed to convince anyone here to try and do a run with me. I suppose that was part of the reason he was testing me.  I bit my lip for a moment, trying to figure out how to approach them before I thought of how Kirk approached everything and everyone.


    ¡°Get up all of you!  I¡¯ll heal you and we will run through as a group!¡±  I barked out, putting a bit of a bellow in the command.  One of the fishies fell off his bench in surprise before eying me warily and another just laughed and gave a snort of derision.  ¡°Piss off!  You go run this stupid course if you want to, I need a break¡­¡±  He said as he leaned back against the wall of the return pool. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    I pointed up at the people watching me and my antics.  ¡°Do you want all of those people to think you guys chicken?  Look at you! It¡¯s like you don¡¯t want to be here.  Why don¡¯t you just go and delete your characters?  If you can¡¯t even do the green course, how are you going to survive out there?¡±


    I laughed at him and I saw his face go red.  He pointed down at the girl who was starting to stir woozily, one of her friends was helping her up, and pulling out the little needles all over her body.  ¡°I don¡¯t know who died and made you god, but none of us are going anywhere! So yea, piss off bitch!¡±  He strode forward, legs shaking from fatigue and looked with concern at the girl.


    I had to take a deep breath, and I could almost feel Kirk¡¯s smug grin on my back as I leaned down and pushed energy into the woozy girl who was still trying to stand.  I gave a slight pulse of my yellow sparky stuff to go with it, and she yelped and stood bolt upright, suddenly awake and alert.  Rubbing her eyes, she looked over at me with a grimace.  ¡°Thanks¡­¡±  She said and I nodded.


    ¡°All of us are fishies until we prove ourselves.  Here is your chance!  I¡¯ll heal you all up, and we can run this course together.  It isn¡¯t important that we get a great time, only that we work together and show them what we can do!¡± I pointed to our growing audience and the man gulped.  Someone in the crowd waved to him and cheered him on when I said that, and I saw his shoulders fall.


    He shook his head and grumbled.  ¡°Ur freaking insane¡­ none of us are little magical terrors like you, most of us don¡¯t even have powers at all.¡±


    He trailed off and one of the other guys, the one who had fallen off the bench earlier stood up and shrugged.  ¡°I¡¯m game, but yea need someone to heal me.  It¡¯s not like any of us has anything better to do.¡±  He chuckled.


    I looked over their names.  The one who had just spoken was named Brett, the girl who I had revived was named Lilly, and her friend was named Adriana.  The loudmouth was one of the former player killers with a red tag over his head, and was named Gravedigit.  I smirked at the oddball name.


    He was a massive player who must have maxed out his bulk metric in player creation.  The padded armor that most of the fishies wore, was a few sizes two small on his gigantic frame and he carried himself like he expected me to be afraid of him.  He was also favoring one leg, and winced every time he moved.  This kind of spoiled the act, but he did seem to be a bit wary of me even if he was trying the whole looming menace routine.


    When I let a bit of power course up and down my arm as I cracked my knuckles he winced and backed up slightly, confirming that he knew exactly how much it would hurt if I zapped him. Not that I was stupid enough to do that, but evidently, he hadn¡¯t witnessed a guardian vaporization yet like I had, or he wouldn¡¯t even be slightly afraid of me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll heal your leg, stand still.¡±  I said, and before he could protest, I crouched down and placed my hands on the leg, sending my power into his body to try and figure out what the damage was.  He had an injured knee.  I moved my hands over the knee and gathered water from the nearby pool, floating it over to cover my hands and pushed my power into it as I held the glowing liquid over his knee.  He gave a gasp of relief and cracked a smile at me.


    ¡°Ok¡­. You are actually really good at this healer thing.¡±  He complemented me and I felt myself blush.  When I was finished the knee, I worked on his shoulder, then I began to patch up the others.  When I was finished, I saw the light of hope in their eyes and pointed towards the center path.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t going to be easy, and we will likely make several goes at it.  What are the different hazards you guys have encountered so far?¡±  I asked, particularly curious about the tiny needles the girl had been knocked out with. It was something I hadn¡¯t encountered before.


    Two of the people who were lounging around waved me off and didn¡¯t move, but my four listeners gathered around me as I began to try and organize them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen practice dummies and those glowing ball things, lots of pit traps¡­¡±  Brett said and one of the girls nodded.


    ¡°Watch out for needles too.  I rolled all over those needles when I was diving under a spinning log.¡±  She winced and I nodded.


    ¡°Ok what are your skills, any really fast or agile players?¡± I asked and the girl who had been filled with needles and her friend both nodded.


    ¡°We can use shadow magic to cloak ourselves.¡±  Lilly demonstrated the technique, stepping into a shadow cast from one of the walls, and vanishing into it as if the shadow had eaten her.  I could see a fuzzy outline of her shape, but it was as if it was covered in a black haze and unless she moved it was very difficult to see.


    ¡°We can also self-buff to a limited degree.¡±  Adriana said and she gave a few hops, then I saw her body glow with power, and she did a standing flip that launched herself into the air about a meter.  She landed, and took a deep breath and I felt the shadows around me pull towards her as she breathed and drew in power to replenish herself.


    Gravedigit was impressed, but he did roll his eyes.  ¡°That¡¯s not real magic, it¡¯s just shadowmancy.  I can buff too, but it¡¯s the standard chi path from Mageos that everyone tends to use.¡±  He said and I saw him breath in and out, closing his eyes.


    He began to vibrate slightly and a red haze, much like I had seen around Kirk earlier gathered towards him dimly.  He let the breath go and the haze left him as if blown out like a candle in the wind. I snorted, when I remembered complaints about having no magic.  This sure looked like magic to me.


    ¡°Makes you stronger, and that sort of thing?¡± I asked and he nodded.  ¡°Yea, you can do it too, if you work on your character¡¯s spirit properties.  Has nothing to do with magi gifts, just like shadowmancy is just you making a contract with a shadow creature.¡±  Adriana nodded.


    ¡°Yea, he¡¯s right, what you use is elemental based and really rare¡­¡± She beamed at me and I sighed.  This was becoming a bit interesting, but I had to move on.


    ¡°Ok¡­ trying to get through the course we have to pass over the physical obstacles quickly, and we need people to scout.  I could run the course by buffing myself, but my power would work best if I¡¯m enhancing you guys. Brett nodded.


    ¡°Yea I don¡¯t have any magic, or any of that stuff at all.  I¡¯m a crafter.¡±  He let out a pained sigh when everyone turned to regard him with a bit of sympathy.  ¡°I was an¡­ artificer or was just getting started as one.  I don¡¯t have any tools or ways to augment myself though, they took all my stuff when they threw me in here, and broke all my soulbindings.¡±  He said and I nodded.


    I reached into my pocket and pulled out the wand, still in its case.  I had taken the belt off earlier, and shoved it into my pocket before I had gone to bed.  The case was still wrapped with the belt wound around it.


    ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± I asked, wondering if he could use it if it was a magical device.  His eyes went wide and I saw him blink, and murmur something.  ¡°Yea¡­ that¡¯s a caster foci wand.  That description¡­ a unique item! I¡¯ve never seen that metal before¡­ and those enchantments¡­!¡± he said in wonder and his hands ran over it as if it was the holy grail.


    ¡°Can you charge it for me?¡±  He asked me as he looked up with eyes wide.  I opened the pouch and pulled it out.  I had felt it drawing in my power the last few days, but it did feel like it was filling up slowly.  I concentrated and let a flood of my power into the wand and its crystal pulsed and glowed with sapphire light, flecked with gold and white.  Brett was mesmerized as he stared at the glowing lines of tiny script swirling around the wand as it blazed into life.


    ¡°Yea! I can see it can cast three different aspects of elemental power, and has several sets of enchantments to focus the power¡­ how do you have three affinities anyways?¡±  He asked me, incredulous.


    ¡°Donno, I think I¡¯m strongest with water though.¡±  I shrugged and kept charging the wand until I had given it about a quarter of my core¡¯s power.  It still felt like it had a way to go, as if that was just a drop in the bucket of its capacity.


    ¡°You know this thing is a unique item, and has a ton of enchantment slots on it!¡± He said excitedly and I frowned at him.


    ¡°You are going to give this back, if I let you borrow it right?¡±  I said and he nodded.  ¡°Yea, I can swear by the seal if you want.¡±  He said gravely, almost as if he fully expected me not to agree and I nodded, causing his face to take on an ecstatic expression.  ¡°Do it! I won¡¯t require a blood oath but that will be good enough.¡±


    ¡°I swear by the great seal that I will return your loaned property when you ask for it back.¡±


    ¡°And so witnessed!¡±  I heard a booming voice that sounded suspiciously like the guardian from high above.  We all looked up nervously.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I said in a shaky voice and he buckled the belt on twirling the little wand in his fingers, his eyes bright.


    ¡°The wand case has a recall by the way if you ever drop the wand. You can recall the wand to your hand or the case once every thirty minutes.¡±  He stated and I grinned, remembering how I had suddenly found the wand in my hand when I had needed it. ¡°Thanks¡­ how do you know by the way?¡±  He looked at me as if I was crazy.


    ¡°Er.. just use the item tag, when you read it.  Anyone can tell basic properties, the only thing you may not be able to see is perhaps some of the advanced stuff like the types of scripting used in the enchantments, stability, and stuff like that.¡±  I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t use the interface¡­¡± I grumbled and he let out a bark of laughter.  ¡°Ur an idiot then¡­ seriously, it¡¯s like tying your hands behind your back¡­¡± He said and when I frowned at him, he quickly shut up.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done fine without the interface¡­¡± I said through gritted teeth, and I wondered not for the first time just what else I had missed out on.


    ¡°Are we going to run this or what?  Gravedigit said as he stretched and cracked his neck, mentally fortifying himself up for the maze.


    ¡°Ok this is how it¡¯s going to work.¡±  I laid out a basic party theory for them.  ¡°The girls will scout, Brett will help against ranged stuff, try and blast those energy casters if you can.  I¡¯ll try to shield and heal ok?¡±  I said and I also went over different expectations, such as Gravedigit using his long arms to try and boost Bret over obstacles.  ¡°Throw him if you have to! Use those muscles!¡± I smiled when Gravedigit flexed and grinned at me.


    ¡°I should be able to keep up while my power lasts.¡± I grumbled and Gravedigit shook his head.  ¡°Try and conserve your power, I¡¯ll stay in the middle so I can help you through too.¡±  He said and I nodded.


    ¡°What are you fishies waiting for, an invitation?!¡± I heard Kirk bark at us from the wall and I turned to give him a middle finger.  I heard a few laughs from the wall but I drew a line in the dirt and dust over the cobblestones at the entrance.  ¡°Get ready!¡±  I said and we crouched, I could see the spinning wall just past the entrance and we would all try to leap up and over it as soon as we entered the maze.


    ¡°Go!¡± I hollered and we took off.


    We vaulted over the first wall, the two girls leaping past us, glowing with that dark shadow energy as they easily cleared the wall and scouted ahead.  Gavedigit pushed himself up and over, then lowered his hand down grasping Brett¡¯s wrist and launching him up and over the wall, he did the same for me and we fought our way through the first part of the maze without much difficulty.  The two girls who were ahead of us helped us around traps, and triggered some of the more combative ones for us.


    Brett¡¯s command over the strange wand was nothing short of amazing.  He could send streams of energy with it, or touch it to his body to refresh himself and get some stamina back.  Once I saw him play with it a bit until he managed to form a ball of condensed water out of the rushing moat under us and knock a set of practice dummies off a narrow bridge they were protecting.


    Eventually though, we began to get bogged down with the energy ball traps.  Our group quickly learned that just returning fire wasn¡¯t very effective, as it only disabled them for a few short moments.  If we weren¡¯t fast enough, they would start firing again.


    One of the girls got wiped out when a blast of water flooded her off a ledge she was leaping up, catching her in mid-leap and sending her screaming into the drink.  We lost Brett to a barrage of energy balls when my shield collapsed while I was covering him.  This occurred in one of the same kill rooms that I had managed to wipe in earlier.


    Gravedigit told me to just use him as cover as we ran for the exit that Lilly had found, as I weakly deflected the balls.  I had discovered completely by accident that the balls of energy could be bounced off my fists if I charged them with power and gave them a good smack.


    This didn¡¯t last long, as I didn¡¯t have as much of that sparkly stuff in my core as I did water or wind.  Eventually Lilly got blown into a deep chute while trying to disarm a trap, and failing.


    Gravedigit and myself were both wiped at the same time when we got stuck in a room that had glowing spikes, the walls slammed into us and the spikes paralyzed us both, leaving the claw to toss us back out to the starting area.


    Kirk was waiting for us with a grin on his face.  ¡°Not bad, all of you¡­ let¡¯s do a review.  Sit down and I¡¯ll go through a few things with you.¡± All of us were tired, battered and bruised but we attentively sat down around him on the benches and he began.


    ¡°First what went right?¡± He asked us.  There were a few snorts from us and I nodded.  ¡°None of us got seriously injured?¡± I asked and he shook his head.


    ¡°Most of you did your roles well, but that¡¯s not what I noticed the most.  You managed to adapt well to the different traps, and that is good.  You need to learn to think on your feet and make quick decisions.¡±  He said and turned to me.


    ¡°You¡¯re the leader, and the most important thing that you lost was situational awareness.¡±  He said and pointed to our two scouts.  ¡°They got way too far ahead, where the rest of the group couldn¡¯t help them if they got into trouble.  In a normal group most of you would probably be using short range com crystals to stay in touch if you have them.  Here it¡¯s basically line of sight.


    Remember, no matter how good a scout you are, things are going to go wrong.  The traps are very hard to avoid, especially if they are designed to trigger after a group comes into range.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ so if they miss something¡­¡± I trailed off and he nodded.  ¡°Yes, if you take it for granted that they cleared the way, it can go badly for you.  Always be ready to react and have a few quick defensive plans ready to go.¡±


    We discussed the run in meticulous detail until the sky began to grow dim.  Kirk finally called our little impromptu class to a halt.  We had a large group all listening in and asking questions by the time we finished, nearly two dozen fishies, almost all of the ones I had seen around the practice courts.


    ¡°Right, tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll see you all by the entrance.  The council wants me to lead a salvage run, and I think I¡¯ll take you all along with me.¡±  He said and my eyes went wide as he smirked and I saw one of the locals grin at us and whisper something in his ear.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you all die on me, there is a bit of a pool going on you guys, so I¡¯m counting on you.¡±  He declared with one of his Kirk smirks and most of us groaned.  There were a lot of smiles and happy faces though.  None of my little party looked at all disheartened from our run.


    Brett returned my property, and I thanked him, and decided I¡¯d charge it and let him use it when we were working together tomorrow.  He was a real master at using the thing, and I was learning more about it just by watching him.


    Gravedigit stopped me when he saw I was sneaking off, away from the rest of the group as they made their way towards the chow hall.


    ¡°Hey, come join us Nimue!¡± The rest of the party was sticking together and my heart swelled when I saw them turn to me, but I shook my head.  ¡°I¡¯ll catch up later, I need to go meditate and recover a bit before I hed off to bed.¡±  I said and he shrugged.  ¡°Well ok, and thanks for the run, was a lot of fun!¡±  He said and cracked his massive knuckles as he trotted to catch up with Brett who was talking to the two girls.


    Kirk stopped me as I passed the alleyway leading toward the abandoned section of the hub.  ¡°You should spend time and talk with people¡­ I can see they make you nervous but, you have to be able to step up and lead Nim.¡±  He looked disappointed for a moment before he took a deep breath and studied me carefully.


    I felt my face go hot and I snarled at him, my blood burning in barely contained rage.  ¡°I didn¡¯t ask to be a leader, why did you go and do that to me anyways?  I thought it was just you and me?  I thought we were going to be partners, not just part of a group or something.¡±  I huffed and he frowned at me.


    ¡°What do you think I do as a trailblazer or a beater Nim?¡±  He said, using one of his usual rhetorical questions, and before I could speak up, he explained a few things I had missed.


    ¡°As much as I scout by myself, I also lead groups.  There is a very high likelihood I could in fact die or be incapacitated while we are leading a group, and you will have to take over as my second.  You will have to step up and lead.  That is just how it is, and if I¡¯m leading any group, I pick the strongest second I can.¡± He growled and I looked down, my face burning in shame as my anger drained away.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯m just not use to any of this¡­¡± I gestured around to the crowded hub around me.


    ¡°Er talking with people?¡± He asked and I nodded, my head held dejectedly.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of, I know most gamers aren¡¯t really people persons.  You will just have to get used to it. Try to talk, make friends.  It¡¯s part of the reason why I play this game, to meet people and have fun. I bet if you try it, you will feel better with people to talk to.¡±  He leaned back against the alley wall and gestured for me to go on.


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to change overnight Nimue, but at least try¡­ please?¡±  He pleaded with a weak smile on his face and I felt my heart thrum when I saw his expression.  He was disappointed in me, and I could feel it.  I nodded and felt guilty as I ran off to hide at the fountain.

 Chapter 21: A Strange Dwelling and a Deadly Fountain

    When I arrived, it was dark and peaceful.  I saw no sign of Ren so I sat at my favorite spot, under one of the roaring waterfalls, the stream of water arching over me as I drew in measured breaths.  I had the wand gripped in front of me as I meditated and I slowly pulled power into it as I kept cycling more into my core.  I wasn¡¯t quite sure how it worked, but the more I sent my own power into it, the more I felt as if I was starting to get a feel for what it could do.


    I could actually feel those enchantment slots Brett had mentioned, now that I knew what to look for as my mind drifted into the instrument.


    It felt like blank spots in my mind as I used my mental senses to study the peculiar wand that swirled with twisting engravings and strange symbols.  There were several distinct enchantments on it, and I felt that recall enchantment connecting the wand to the pouch.


    There was also one that could manipulate the raw power in different ways, in three types of attacks.  One was a stream of energy, one was manipulation, and the third was a blast of force.  There were a few others, I couldn¡¯t quite fathom out, but I did have the feeling that as I used it more, I would be able to discover more about it.


    I played with the wand for a while as I charged it, forming balls of water over the fountain, and condensing them.  I found I could harden the ball of water, until it became almost as hard as concrete.  That¡¯s one of the things that I had seen Brett do, and it had worked well to knock over practice dummies, but I had the suspicion that it could knock holes in walls, and crush foes, or I could do other things with the manipulation power.  It did drain energy fast, and was difficult to control, taking a lot of concentration.


    Meditation that evening was arduous, and it was all I could do just to channel power into the wand.  Ren also didn¡¯t pay me a visit, as I had been hoping.  I lay there watching the dome far above, something that was swiftly becoming a natural pastime for me.  I was having a hard time relaxing so I could focus, but the area itself did feel peaceful.  I had the feeling that even if I wanted to go back and get some sleep, it would be with great difficulty.  My stomach roiled when I thought about tomorrow.  I remembered how I had almost died last time, and I knew that Kirk would likely put me on the spot again to lead my little band of fishies.


    My stomach rumbled and I sighed.  I hadn¡¯t eaten, and I doubted that the chow hall was still open.  Digging around in my magic pocket, I looked for anything I may have put in it, thinking I may have stuffed a travel ration or something I had forgotten about.  My hands found an unfamiliar small object on a chain and I pulled it out.  I had to stare at it in the darkness before I realized it was that magnesium firestarter I had from the very first day I had played Endaria.


    It made me feel better seeing it somehow.  It felt like a lifetime ago even if it was only a few days.  I had managed to survive with nothing but my wits and a little luck.  Surely, I would be alright tomorrow. I was in fact more powerful now, I would have friends at my back¡­ and I would have Kirk.  That was far more than I had before, and the monsters then were just as terrifying as the ones now.


    I stood up and looked around the square, and stretched.  This place was actually really peaceful.  There was none of the bawdy noises that were a part of the populated area of the hub, and I felt at home here.  I looked beyond the fountain at the gardens surrounding it, small overgrown shrubbery and waist high grass, the buildings beyond were small townhouse types of buildings, with a few regal looking structures that could have once been anything from temples to storefronts.  I spotted something that drew my gaze like a magnet.


    It was a tiny little townhouse nestled in between two large abandoned buildings that almost looked like and afterthought and cocked my head.  It seemed a bit out of place, but it looked nice and had a small brook running past it¡¯s front lawn with a stone footbridge over it.  The brook flowed past the building and into the nearby gardens, lost in a tangle of overgrown thickets.


    I walked over the overgrown path, crossed the footbridge and looked at the door.  It was still solid, but it¡¯s paint was peeling and the brass nameplate was long ago degraded into something I could no longer read.  Placing my hand on the door I pulled it open, finding it surprisingly unlocked.  When I entered the building, I saw a strange looking shaped crystal hanging from a hook just inside, and stepped outside and squinted my eyes in the descending gloom to look at the front of the door.  Sure enough, I saw that the shape of the crystal fit the depression where the lock ought to be on the door.  I pulled it off the hook, shut the door and pushed the crystal into the lock and turned it.  There was a click, and the crystal flashed with amber light along with the lock.  I gave a grin, ear to ear.


    I unlocked the door again and pushed the key into my pocket as I pulled out my wand out of its case and held it above me like a torch.  Willing the crystal to light up, wasn¡¯t difficult.  I instinctively knew it could hold that light for as long as I wanted it too, as if the information about how to use the instrument was slowly starting to fill my mind.


    The house was very narrow, but completely intact.  Whatever wood it was made out of it was dense, with a tight grain that looked even more solid than any hardwood I had ever seen.  There were very little signs of any decay in the building at all.


    Right in front of the door past the entranceway was a narrow staircase with an ornate railing leading up to the second floor.  I ignored this and decided to explore the ground floor.  The first room off the entranceway was a tiny living room, with dusty, sheet covered furniture.  It wasn¡¯t expensive furniture or didn¡¯t look it to me, but seemed both comfortable and functional.  I pulled the sheet off one and saw it was the hide of some odd beast.  It was almost like leather, except slightly iridescent.  There were comfortable tables and chairs around this living room and I looked beyond it to see a combination dining room directly attached to a little kitchen.


    The kitchen had a stone oven, metal stove and a water pump at the sink.  All the metal was of some unknown alloy that didn¡¯t seem to have a speck of rust on it.  I gave the pump a few pulls and after a bit of dirty water, it came out clear.  I smiled.


    Off the kitchen to one side, I opened a cellar door that lead downwards with a spiral staircase disappearing into the darkness.  I decided to put off going down into unknown cellars for a later time and walked back through the building and to the entranceway where the stairwell was.


    The stairs didn¡¯t even squeak when I climbed them, and I found myself in a small hallway with several rooms on the upper floor.  There were two bedrooms, a master bedroom and a smaller bedroom that looked like it had once been a children¡¯s room.  There was a bunkbed in one corner, dust covered toys hanging out of a half-open toychest on one side by a wide bay window.  I frowned and wondered just what was the story of this place, or what had caused most of the hub to lay abandoned.  I¡¯m sure the locals knew and I resolved to make it my mission to find a way to get the information out of them.


    Turning, I walked out of the room and saw there was one final door.  It was shut and when I went to open it the knob flashed a sullen amber and I got an electric zap.  I gave a squeal that sounded suddenly loud in the silent house and shook my hand.  It still didn¡¯t make any sense to me that I could channel my own power and it wouldn¡¯t hurt, but if someone else, or my wand discharged back into me it still caused me a great deal of pain and injury.


    Shouldn¡¯t I be resistant to lightning in general or something?  I was the champion of a storm god after all, and I had been struck with lightning from that storm without any real effect on me.  I grumbled and pulled the key out and looked for a place to put it on the door, I didn¡¯t see any sort of keyhole at first, but as the key neared the door the knob flashed and I heard a click.  It blinked an amber light and I sighed with relief.  I cautiously reached out a hand and turned the knob.


    There was a click and the door opened.  I stood there and looked at a cluttered workshop, there were yellowed, crumbing sheets of velum pinned to walls with faded diagrams and writing.  Small strange devices lay scattered around the room, all buried in layers of dust.


    I let of a dry cough and suppressed a sneeze when I brushed off one of the tables to try and see what was scattered over it under the dust and saw fine tiny screwdrivers, tiny little tools I couldn¡¯t understand the use of and spikes of metal that almost looked like dental picks.  I looked around the room with interest, spotting a conspicuously tall device about the same height as myself, covered in a sheet.


    Walking over to it, I pulled the sheet off. A gasp of wonder escaped my mouth as I stood there, studying what looked like a giant man-sized doll.


    It was covered with intricate clockwork gears and pins that looked completely alien to anything I had seen in Endaria.  I brushed a bit of the dust off and frowned as I studied the fine detail, entranced by its beauty.  I would have to bring some artificer here to look at this strange workshop and hopefully salvage this place for anything useful.  I wasn¡¯t sure why this house had been overlooked but it was very strange.


    I knew that we would go into ruins tomorrow in search of treasures that would pale in comparison to this place, but it still felt wrong for me to loot this place if I knew nothing about its former occupants.  Did someone know the owner of this house if her or she was still alive?  It didn¡¯t make any sense to me at all but I quickly left the workshop and closed to door.  I waved the key over the doorknob and it flashed an amber light, the door locking once again.


    Would the guardian punish me if I stole anything from this house?  I had been warned from the very first day that stealing was dealt with harshly and I didn¡¯t want to find out the hard way if this place was indeed someone¡¯s property.


    Descending the stairs, I put the key back on it¡¯s hook by the entranceway and shut the door.  I was about to walk out of the front yard and across the footpath when I spotted something gleaming that caught my eye in the light radiating from my wand.  I bent down by the side of the path and picked up a tiny gleaming ring.  It flashed in my hand and I saw it expand from tiny child size to a shape that would fit one of my fingers.  I inspected it carefully, seeing it had a small signet on it, a strange symbol of a cloverleaf, with a twisting interlocking M?bius sign.  I popped it into my pocket, and turned to look back at the house.  I had thought about living there, but it would be a better idea to try and figure out what was the story with this place if possible.


    It had felt right somehow, and welcoming, but I couldn¡¯t place why.  It was also weird¡­ all the other buildings on both sides were on a whole level of abandonment beyond that little house.  Everything inside that building had almost felt like it had been left behind only a few years ago, but I had the feeling that it was a lot longer than just a few years.


    The night had deepened to black as I walked back to my bed at what I was beginning to think of as the community center.  I was just about to go to sleep, when I remembered what Shango had said.  He wanted me to pray before I slept.  I knelt at the foot of my bed and felt like an idiot, as I clasped my hands together and focused on an image of my patron god in my mind.


    ¡°Please if you¡¯re out there boss, I need a bit of help¡­¡±  I said.  I opened one eye, then another, almost half expecting something monumental to have happened, but there was nothing around me except for the sounds of snoring and murmuring.  I heard the soft voices of the players at their card game on the other side of the room.  With a frustrated sigh I climbed into bed, shifting my robes into something more comfortable and slowly I drifted off to sleep.


    The next day I was woken up by a cheerful prod from someone.  I blinked my eyes, feeling very well rested and I didn¡¯t have an ache in my body at all like I usually did walking up in Endaria.  For once I actually felt like I had gotten a good night sleep.


    ¡°Kirk said you need to get your sleepy butt up.¡±  One of the locals yawned and shifted her nightdress as she slid her feet into a pair of sandals and grabbed a bucket filled with several bath items and a hairbrush.  I watched her as she left the sleeping hall and walked out towards the baths.  A bath would feel good right about now, I did still feel a bit sticky and gamy from yesterday and I decided I could make a quick trip to the baths.  I didn¡¯t have that woman¡¯s bathing kit though, but I did have an idea.  I quickly pattered out of the sleeping area, and over to the baths.  That woman wo had woken me was apparently a late comer, but I smiled as I decided to test something.  I waved to the attendant and stripped off my clothes and stood next to the tub with the warm water.  Most of the women were just using the long sink trough and the mirror on one side, some combing their hair, others using devices that looked suspiciously like a steampunk version of a curling iron.  The one I saw someone using had a softly glowing crystal attached to the end of it and seemed to be doing the job alright.  I looked at my own hair in the mirror and winced.


    My hair hadn¡¯t been long, but it was long enough apparently to become a tangled mess, and it was still a bit dirty and greasy with sweat from yesterday.  I walked over to the warm washing tub.  There were several people washing up in the water.  I concentrated on the water, using a wisp of my power from my core to slowly draw out a large sphere of water and I took a deep breath as I let it descend over me and I began to spin the water.  I pushed power into it, and as I expected it began to glow and took on its healing properties.  I felt clean and refreshed, as I spun in the glowing water and a tingling sensation spread over me.


    I slowly stepped out of the sphere and pulled my power back into me with one hand placed on the floating bubble of water, it was getting hard to hold the water in front of me.  The shape was beginning to flux and distort as I felt more power than I intended leaching out of me I got it back over the tub just in time to watch it cascade down into it, splashing a few bathers who shrieked and glared at me. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The other people who were doing their hair, and makeup were all froze, staring at me and I winced and mumbled an apology.  The attendant didn¡¯t seem happy with me she shook her head and pointed with one finger towards the exit.  I nodded, quickly dressing and slipping out of the bath house and went in search of breakfast.  I was starving.  I did feel clean and refreshed and I had gotten a fleeting glance in the mirror before I left, my hair wasn¡¯t exactly in the best of shape still but it wasn¡¯t quite bed hair any longer.  Today¡­ if I made it back alive, I would reward myself with a shopping trip.  There were a few things I needed, starting with a hairbrush.  I gave a giggle, as I realized this would the first time I could ever remember needing one.


    Kirk heard my giggle, and I saw him look over at me as I walked over, and grabbed one of the bagged meals instead of a bowl of stew, paying with a five-credit token I found in my magic pocket.  He was eating his stew and had his eyes locked on me.  I tracked his odd gaze and wondered if there was something on my face I had missed in the washing.


    His spoon was poised over his mouth, and he just was frozen there as if in shock.  I waved my hand in front of his face, startling him.  He shuddered and nearly spilled his stew before coming back to his senses.


    ¡°Umm what¡¯s up with you Kirk, usually you have some snarky remark for me every time I see you.¡±  I asked, a bit thrown off by his sudden change in attitude.  ¡°Umm¡­ nothing¡± he said and stared at me out of the corner of his eye as if tying to see something for a bit then he shook himself.


    It smelled like the best five credits I had ever spent, and while I mourned the loss, like the penny-pinching miser I was becoming, you couldn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t need a treat.  ¡°Well, um going to take you to the market this morning, need to get you a bit more gear¡­  You do still need a few things¡­¡±  He said between bites and I nodded as he kept trailing off his word and continued to keep one almost confused eye on my face as I tried to figure out what had him staring at me this morning.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you off rebirth penalty now by the way?¡± I asked and he mutely nodded, still studying my face as if watching something, his eyes transfixed in a confused expression.  I finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    ¡°What is it ?!¡± I bellowed and he shook himself before leaning over to one of the girls who was looking in a mirror and inspecting a black eye with it mournfully.  He asked to borrow it for a moment and handed it to me.


    I looked at my face closely and my eyes widened.  It was sparkling with shimmering iridescence, small waves of water, like the shifting light at the bottom of a pool was playing over my skin and swirling around my neck in endlessly intricate patterns.  I raised one arm and turned my head to look it closely, noticing the effect was much more pronounced over my water serpent tattoos.  They seemed to be shimmering, their inked scales winking in the light and I swear I saw them shifting slightly. I hadn¡¯t noticed it in the bath house because I had just given myself a glance.


    ¡°Umm¡­ ok.  That¡¯s creepy.¡±  I said and he nodded, as if entranced.  ¡°It¡¯s¡­ what did you do¡­¡±  He said and I tried to explain with a shaky voice.


    ¡°I took a bath in my shimmery healing water this morning¡­¡±  I said and handed the mirror back over to the girl who had been inspecting her shiner.  She was now staring at me, having caught our conversation.  ¡°What the heck...¡±  She said and I shrugged, and slumped in my chair, feeling a deep blush appear as other people began to notice.


    As the whispers began around me, I gathered up my bagged meal and fled the chow hall, my heart pounding and my eyes beginning to sting.  I had seen how everyone looked at me.  They had to have thought I looked like a freak.  Kirk¡¯s odd expression the worst, out of all the people I hated his reaction the most.  He knew what I was¡­ and I thought he had accepted me, even if I was often a bit scary¡­ as he had put it.  I thought about that for a second and wondered if he was scared of me, or it was something else. As I thought of that, I remembered how he was always treating me as if on the edge of fear.


    I ran, my eyes burning, the bagged breakfast swinging in my hands as I moved through the hub, not paying attention to where I was going.  My feet eventually carried me away from the bustle of the busy area and I found myself standing in the familiar fountain square.  I gave a sigh, and walked over to my favorite spot under the flowing waterfall and dangled my feet in the water as I unpacked my breakfast again and began to munch on a cheese and egg filled breakfast wrap as I sat there, aimlessly staring out over the peaceful fountain and tried to forget about my worries for a few blissful moments as I enjoyed the first meal I had that wasn¡¯t stew since I had come to this strange place.


    I reached down for a sausage after I polished off the breakfast wrap only to see a familiar little blue-green arm silently sneaking out of the water towards it.  I gave a squeak of outrage and rapped Ren on the knuckles.  The hand darted back into the fountain and she poked her head up out of the water and hissed at me.  I noticed she was already chewing on something, and inspected the sausage count.  Indeed, there was already one missing.  ¡°Hey!¡± I scolded her and she grinned at me, her little silvery fangs gleaming in the morning light.  ¡°Tastes weird¡­ what sort of fish is it?¡± She asked and I shook my head.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fish Ren. It¡¯s my breakfast!¡±  I said and she pouted.


    ¡°Ok¡­ it tastes weird anyways¡­.¡±  She said and she studied my face for a few moments, cocking her little head as if confused. I sighed and waited for it.  Even Ren probably thought I looked like a freak.


    ¡°Ooh¡­pretty!¡±  She cooed in the very same way I remembered her acting when she had studied my shoes.  She looked at me, then pulled herself up to stare at my exposed legs, which I also noticed were swirling with the same odd patterns.


    I gave a dark grumble and wondered if I would ever live this down, from anyone I met today.  I figured whatever I had to have done to my skin had to eventually wear off.  Perhaps I could convince Kirk to let me take a day off, until I wouldn¡¯t attract crowds of gawkers everywhere I went.  There was likely no chance of that ever happening, and I pondered for a few moments if he would ever let me have a day to myself.  He was training me hard for some purpose I didn¡¯t yet know, but figured had something to do with what I had been told at my meeting with the quota council.  I would have to pull my weight somehow.


    Also, he was depending on me to head out with the salvagers this afternoon.  I gave a frustrated scream and laid back on the tiles of the fountain and I realized that I felt trapped.  I never really wanted to be someone people depended on, a leader or someone important.  I just wanted to live.  I looked over at the strange little house and tears filled my eyes when I realized why I had explored it.  For a few wistful moments yesterday, I had imagined I could live here in peace, relax every day here at the fountain and ignore the fact I was in a vicious prison, in the center of a deadly, insurmountable labyrinth.  If I would follow Kirk, I would follow him down a road that would lead to pain, and death.  Here I was safe¡­ but was that what I really wanted?


    I remembered that feeling as I ran the practice maze, when I ran from monsters the size of buildings and fought with all of my power¡­ it had made me feel¡­ alive somehow.  I had loved the challenge deep in my heart and the call to adventure was something I had always dreamed about when I was wasting away in regen pods, trapped in my own mind with only my imagination for comfort, never knowing if my next painful gasp would be my last.  Now I could live adventures that I had never even remotely dreamed about.


    I sat up, and looked for Ren.  I spotted her on the other side of the fountain arguing heatedly with another Naiad.  I froze as it registered in my mind what I was seeing.  There was another Naiad watching me with a guarded gaze, a suspicious sneer.  She was much older, the face of a young woman, with full exposed breasts and was about my size, if you didn¡¯t count the tail.  I sighed with a bit of twinge with envy.  Even Ren actually had breasts, it was one thing I wished I had actually bothered to modify in my character creation, but I hadn¡¯t even given it a single thought.  My character was completely flat-chested.  I didn¡¯t really even need support or anything, the stretchy breast band was all I needed, and it wasn¡¯t like it needed to cover much of anything.


    They stopped talking when they saw me watching them, and the other Naiad pushed Ren away angrily and in one powerful leap she dove towards me and sped like a torpedo through the fountain in my direction.  I didn¡¯t like where this was going, and suddenly the words that Kirk had said about Naiads echoed in my mind.  I didn¡¯t even have time to react, just widen my eyes in horror before she erupted out of the water and I felt strong arms, like thick steely cables grab my legs, and I was pulled into the fountain, I made one panicked grasp at the tiles and missed.  I tried to scream, but suddenly found myself choking on water as I was being drawn down.  I saw a grate slide open at the bottom of the fountain, and suddenly we were traveling rapidly through pitch blackness.  I tried to struggle, but the Naiad shifted me until she had me in a choke hold and I weakly began pounding her arms, trying to concentrate to channel my power, but my panic erased any chance of focus as I felt my head pound and my vision narrow.  My lungs burned and my body began to convulse as I began to feel light headed.


    I would die here, because I hadn¡¯t listened to Kirk when he had warned me this fountain was dangerous¡­ and he was right.  I had assumed I was safe, and paid for it.  Dimly, I was aware of passing out of darkness into a shining light, and as my mind began to grow weary, so weary and sleepy¡­


    I suddenly found myself gasping for air and my head was pounding with a deep ache and I felt dizzy with relief as fresh air filled my wheezing lungs.


    I was floating in a pool of glimmering water, snot running down my nose as I was being pulled along to an underground platform. Someone heaved me up and turned me over, viciously knocking my back with rough fists.  As I coughed and wheezed, a bit of liquid dribbled out of my mouth.  I felt sick, and for a tedious moment I thought I would get to greet my rather expensive breakfast as it came up all over the fresco I was laying on.


    ¡°Stop it Yara! Don¡¯t hurt her!¡± I heard a familiar hissing shriek and there was a sound of a tussle behind me, a scream of pain followed by a splash.  I was pulled up roughly, and the face staring at me was twisted in hatred.  ¡°You wish to steal our young human? I know your kind¡­ always slaying us, capturing us¡­¡± She hissed and bared fangs at me that looked very deadly, and not like the cute little needles that Ren sported.  I fell back and she loomed over me.


    There was a sob of pain as I heard Ren jump onto the platform, little feet pattered over to me and she threw herself between me the other Naiad.  ¡°The great lady told me to save her, and watch her Yara! You can¡¯t hurt her!¡±  She shrieked and the Naiad snapped her gaze to Ren, and stared her down as if in disbelief.  ¡°If you had ever told a lie I may have thought you speak false, but you are always honest Ren¡­¡±  She slowly turned to me and snarled at me.


    Ren was cradling a wounded arm, it sported deep bright claw marks on it, as if the older Naiad had sunk her long nails into it, and I felt anger begin to boil in me, snapping me out of my panic.  She had hurt Ren, she had hurt my friend.


    Lighting crackled up and down my body as I gathered a shield around me, pushing the Naiad away and standing in front of Ren.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what your problem is¡­ but stop hurting Ren.¡±  I snarled and I saw the creature¡¯s eyes widen as she stood there, on her two transformed legs and glared at me.  Water curled up out of the underground pool around her and spun to form weapons in the Naiad¡¯s hands, a gleaming shield of solid looking water on one arm, and a wicked looking spear in the other.


    She hissed at me.  ¡°Stand away Ren¡­ I will dispose¡­ of this human.¡±  She glared at Ren who shook her head stubbornly.


    ¡°NO! I said NO! You will listen to me! I order you to stop!¡±  Ren shrieked and the older Naiad began to chuckle.  ¡°You do not understand Ren¡­ do you not know what she is?¡±  The hissing voice addressing Ren was filled with both grief and fury.


    ¡°She is not like the others!¡± Ren stomped a little foot and stared the warrior down until she gave a long sigh and waved away her weaponry with a gesture, letting the water fall down and splash around the fresco we were standing on.  ¡°You do not understand what you are doing¡­ this is a betrayal even your mother will not forgive.¡±  She hissed and Ren just glared at her.  ¡°Nimue is my friend!¡± She huffed and her voice was suddenly less sure, the tiny voice held a bit of fear.


    I grasped at my waist, before remembering that I had taken the belt with my wand case off when I had gotten my bath and stuffed it into one of my pockets.  Digging around in my pocket I found the wand case with the belt still wrap around it, my fingers popping the catch off  and I gripped the handle.  I held the glowing wand out in front of me and it blazed into life, power crackling up and down it¡¯s length, sometimes sending small arcs of sparks into my fingers, numbing them, causing me to gasp and wince slightly.


    The Naiad smirked at the display, and didn¡¯t seem at all intimidated by my new weapon.  ¡°Human, you can barely control that thing¡­ put away your toy before I take it from you.¡±


    Ren looked between me and Yara as if not sure what to do.  ¡°Both of you don¡¯t fight!¡±  She shrieked and we both gave her a ¡°stay out of this¡± gance, which she snorted and crossed her arms at.


    ¡°You both are stupid!  Yara¡­ do as I command! I order it¡­ and you! I saved you, now don¡¯t hurt Yara!¡±  She shrieked and and I sighed, and pushed my wand back into my pocket, and into it¡¯s case, snapping the case shut before I drew the case and it¡¯s belt out.  I took a moment to secure the double belt and it¡¯s wand case around my waist before I returned to glaring at Yara.


    ¡°Come to your senses Ren!  She is dangerous human! She isn¡¯t one of your pets! Do you even understand what you have done?!¡±  She screamed in frustration and in the distance I heard a few shouts and the sound of running.


    Everyone turned and I saw Ren shake with fear as several other Naiads poured into the room, brandishing weapon and looks of rage kindling in their faces as they spied me.


    ¡°Intruder! Humans in the temple!¡±  One of them shouted over her shoulder and Ren began to cry.  I took one look at my opposition and made a break for the water; I didn¡¯t want any part of this.


    Naiads poured over me and I felt one of them sink their fangs into my shoulder, blinding pain coursed through the bite, followed by a terrifying spreading numbness that began to flow through me.  I screamed and pushed power from my core, wrapping my body in it, and tried to burn the poison out.  Power rippled into me and I felt my entire body lock up, as I burned with a searing energy that coursed over my body.  I screamed, and it turned into a whimper as I collapsed.


    Waves of force rocked over me and there was a series of shouts, splashes and bellow of rage and pain as the heap of Naiads were flung off me and I coughed and tried to stand up, my wand somehow now gripped in my fingers, as a cold wave of ice tried to roar over me as I desperately fought the poison in my system.  I struggled and gasped, then crouched as I screamed in pain, black liquid trickling out of the bite wound before it began to bleed red, then it sealed up.  I collapsed, and tried to catch my breath as I looked around.


    Naiads were in a circle around me hissing, their weapons poised to strike, and I saw Ren standing in front of me, her face a cherry red color with rage as she stomped her foot and sobbed as she screamed at them.  ¡°No! Stop hurting Nimue! Stop it!¡± She cried and they began to glance between them, then at me, now wary as I began to come to my senses and stand up shakily, the toxin now out of my system.


    I still felt numb where the bite had been healed and a bit queasy.  Whatever that stuff was, it probably would have killed or paralyzed a normal person.  I had a newfound respect for those fangs, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I could survive another go at getting that stuff out of me.


    ¡°Ren¡­ can you just tell them to let me go?¡±  I asked and she looked up at me, fear on her face as she glanced between me and the others.  I didn¡¯t want to hurt anyone but I had a feeling that there was no turning back if it came down to a real fight.  I would have to kill, or be killed.


    ¡°Human¡­ put away your weapon¡­ you can not escape, and Ren¡­ my daughter, what have you gotten into now?  I heard a melodious voice, in a sing-song lilt that made my skin craw.  A beautiful Naiad pushed her way through the others and stared at me.


    There was a chuckle from the naiad and she studied me, and peered at my body which was still dancing with the strange swirling light on every exposed scrap of skin.  ¡°She is a human, but she is wavekin, and touched by the bringer of storms¡­¡± She sighed and waved her hand.


    ¡°Begone! I do not need her killed, at least not yet!  Let us take her to the foot of the gods and see what they have to say.  If they judge her wanting, we can dispose of this intruder then.¡±