| After catching 5 fish with your new rod, you talked to the fishing trainer to turn them in. |
He sighed with relief as he opened the map and found the closest gate by the wall. After that experience, he didn¡¯t feel like questing again. He just wanted to go out and fight monsters. If they¡¯re close to the walls, they should be really low levels.
Despite setting out with the plan of avoiding quests, something caught his eye by the gate. A very old woman was hunching over by a tombstone and flowers that had been placed in front of a house. She wore a brown gown with a white apron. Her grey hair reached her shoulder and a few strands fell over her forehead.
Orion planned on walking by, but something deep down told him not to. An old woman was crying, how could he?
¡°Excuse me,¡± he said gently. ¡°Are you¡ okay?¡±
¡°Oh,¡± she replied with a weak smile. She pulled out a handkerchief and wiped underneath her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s nothing dear, but thank you for asking.¡±
She turned away and looked back at the stone. It was obvious that she was lying, but he had no idea NPCs could lie like that. Or maybe she just didn¡¯t have a quest.
¡°Well, even if that¡¯s so, you don¡¯t have to stay by yourself. Are you paying your respects? May I join you?¡±
She didn¡¯t reply. He guessed she really didn¡¯t have a quest. Still, Orion felt like it would be wrong to simply walk away. Whether real or fake, the old lady was hurt. Would he walk away from his grandmother if she were hurt? Never.
He remained silently by the woman¡¯s side until he was ready to get back on track. However, just before he walked away she spoke up.
¡°You stayed by my side,¡± she noted. ¡°Thank you. It means a lot. Not many people do, you know, they talk to me once but then just leave. This is my grandson¡¯s grave. Today is the anniversary of the day he left to go to war and never returned.¡±
She paused to wipe a few tears away with her handkerchief, so Orion put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Even if it was just a little bit.
¡°I raised him since he was a boy when his parents died. He used to make me this one meal and I¡¯d give anything to eat it again.¡±
¡°I can make it, if you have the recipe.¡±
¡°Oh, you don¡¯t need to do that, dear. Staying with me was more than enough.¡±
¡°Nonsense! I¡¯ll get it done and bring it back to you in no time.¡±
¡°Well, if you insist¡¡±
| A Loved One Lost |
Difficulty E |
+10 EXP
+10 Fame
+2 Charisma
|
| It is the anniversary of when Grandmother Ethel''s grandson went to war and never returned. Cook a dish as close as her grandson used to make as possible. |
¡°10 EXP,¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°The things I do¡¡±
Item Obtained: Grandmother Ethel¡¯s Spicy Beef Curry Recipe
The recipe used by her grandson.
Orion decided that the best way to recreate the recipe would be to gather the ingredients himself as opposed to buying them. That way, he would finally be able to explore while also doing a quest. The first animal he encountered was a boar.
He assumed the mob was somewhere between levels 1 and 5 since it was in the Eastern Forest, which was right next to the starter city. Even though the boar wasn¡¯t part of the recipe, Orion decided to fight it and test his limits for the first time.
The beast glared at him menacingly and dragged its front hoof along the dirt. Unless he backed away now, it would attack.
He unsheathed his iron sword and held it out in front of his body. He didn¡¯t know how to use a sword that well, but he knew how to fight. It couldn¡¯t be too difficult, could it?
The boar charged forward and he side stepped just before it head-butt him. As he moved, Orion also swung the sword around and sliced into the beast¡¯s side.
It tumbled forward but quickly rolled back to its feet. Once more, it dragged its hoof and charged forward. Orion attempted the same maneuver, but the mob predicted his movement. After adjusting its direction slightly, it managed to tackle Orion¡¯s shin.
Orion¡¯s leg was forced backwards, sending him into a spiral that ended with him on his back. He propped himself onto his elbows but before he could stand, the boar smashed into his face.
His jaw cracked and blood spew from his mouth, but luckily there was no pain. The blood was simply the game showing a loss of health since you could not see other player¡¯s health bars like in other games.
Anger fueling him, Orion spun onto his gut and faced the boar. He knew he wouldn¡¯t have enough time to stand, so as the boar charged again he thrust the sword forward while still on the ground.
The sword passed through the beast, dealing damage, and Orion received damage from the head-butt as well. If a player or mob takes damage to a normally-lethal area, say the head, the weapon will go through their avatar with slight resistance. After all, it seemed better to the developers to do it that way instead of having players running around with arrows piercing their heads while still alive.
Orion managed to climb to his knees in time for the next charge and opted to block. As the boar grew close, he turned the sword so that the boar¡¯s head would slam into the straight side. The beast recoiled, but before it had time to retreat, Orion swiftly swung the sword and sliced through the boar¡¯s neck (though, the head remained attached).
The boar cried out in pain before collapsing to the ground.
Level up!
Increased Swordsman Mastery: Beginner Level 1
Increased damage by swords (+3%)
¡°Yes!¡± Orion shouted happily, even going as far as punching the air. He turned and began to continue the hunt for beasts. He even leveled up a second time. Eventually he found a piece of farm land by the road, so he decided to use this time to look for ingredients.
He knocked on the door but there was no reply, so he went ahead and turned the doorknob. Luckily, it was unlocked. He entered and noticed that nobody was currently home.
¡°Things are really starting to look up,¡± he thought. There were a dozen barrels gathered together in the kitchen. Most of the barrels were filled with fruit or vegetables, and plenty of other ingredients could be found in drawers or cabinets. The farmers even had a couple bottles of Applewood Whiskey!
Once he left, he went around to the back of the house and saw cattle. He took one down in just one strike; apparently domesticated animals could be taken down easily unlike wild ones. A window popped up revealing beef and even the bones.
After taking what he needed he traveled through the forest back to the city. On the way, he leveled up again and was now only 20% away from level 5!
Grandmother Ethel was inside the house now, so he knocked on the door. She wearily called him inside and he entered to find her sitting at the table.
¡°Back so soon?¡±
¡°Actually¡ I just got to Dawnheim so I don¡¯t have many supplies. I have all the ingredients, but I was hoping I could use your kitchen?¡±
¡°Go ahead, dear,¡± she said with a smile.
Orion immediately went to work, using the bones and vegetables to create a broth and slicing the beef with a nearby knife. Still following the recipe, he whipped up something to marinade the beef in. Then he prepared a chopped onion with spices and peppers and cooked them in a pan.
After he cooked the onion mixture, he threw the beef and cooked them until they had a nice, dark brown color. He chopped a tomato, stirred it into the contents in the pan and finally poured in the beef broth.
The lid was placed and he took a seat to wait. Without a clock he was forced to check the curry every so often, watching the beef until it was tender enough. The game time and the real time were synched, so after a few hours it was ready.
| Spicy Beef Curry |
Decent quality |
No effects |
Increased Cooking Mastery: Beginner Level 1
Dishes prepared now give effects
+10 EXP
He had to admit, it was fun. He even found that Grandmother Ethel had rice and he prepared it with some spoon fulls of the beef curry once the timer went off. She took a bite and her face lit up.
¡°I¡¯m impressed,¡± she said. ¡°I only gave this job to a few people, yet you are the first to make it exactly as my grandson would. It was the rice. People tend to only do what they need to while few go an extra step.¡±
She looked as if she would cry again, but at the same time she looked cheery. Orion couldn¡¯t help but smile.
You have completed a quest!
| A Loved One Lost |
Difficulty E |
+10 EXP
+10 Fame
+2 Charisma
|
| After comforting Grandmother Ethel, you set out to make a dish that was on the same level as her grandson''s cooking. |
¡°You¡¯ve been such a sweetheart. I must ask, where did you find the beef? The quality was superb!¡±
¡°I stumbled on a farm house not too far from here.¡±
¡°On the opposite side of the Eastern Forest?¡±
¡°Yes, how¡¯d you know?¡±
¡°I just talked to the owner of that farm; he is here to repair something at the blacksmith. I¡¯m glad to hear that his farm is doing well, though.¡±
¡°Why would it not do well?¡±
¡°Well I¡¯m sure you hadn¡¯t ventured that far, but further east is the Swamp of Sulfur. Lizard creatures live there and they all obeyed a monster named Diablo.¡±
Orion clenched his fist as his heart skipped a beat. A boss fight is not far from him.
¡°The rumors say that Diablo is a demon,¡± Grandmother Ethel continued. ¡°Anyway, the smaller creatures of the swamp often venture out of the swamp to eat livestock. That¡¯s why I was happy to hear that my friend¡¯s farm was doing well.¡±
¡°I can take care of Diablo.¡±
¡°Oh, no no! You mustn¡¯t! Anybody who has ever seen him never returned to tell the tale. The closest anyone got was Fisherman Joe, who saw only part of Diablo through the trees. He said it was the biggest creature he¡¯d ever seen, with bloodthirsty eyes and jarred teeth that could rip a man apart. Joe met the monster¡¯s eyes and terror filled him to the point where he no longer leaves Dawnheim! Please don¡¯t go, I¡¯d be awfully sad if anything were to happen to you because of me.¡±
Orion showed her a reassuring smile, saying, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t go.¡±
He hugged her goodbye and she wished him good luck in his future endeavors. As he left the house, closing the door behind him, the smile faded.
Of course he was going to fucking go.
2. Cave of the Daunted
¡®Fisherman Joe, eh?¡¯
According to Grandmother Ethel, a fisherman had seen the monster that resides somewhere in the Swamp of Sulfur.
When he thought of a fisherman named Joe, he couldn¡¯t help but think of a fat man with a great beard who always held onto a bottle of Applewood Whiskey.
At a mere level 5, Orion probably shouldn¡¯t fight it, especially alone. The closer mobs are to a starter city, the lower the level. Based on that logic, Orion could estimate that Diablo would be at least level 15, but no higher than 25.
If he could find someone that was even level 15, the pair might be able to do it. Orion at least knew strategy and combat, so he hoped that those skills would help make up his lack of levels.
However, there were two problems: one, Orion would prefer to do everything solo, and two, he didn¡¯t know anything about how boss fights work in Genesis let alone what Diablo even does during the fight.
Orion had to simply hope that someone approached him, looking to tag along for a while. He planned to use said short-term companion until the boss fight was over. Then, they would go their separate ways.
Luckily, the first part of the plan happened. As he approached the eastern gate, Orion passed by a group of five players.
Three of the players were obviously together as they wore the same brown cape with a golden lion printed on the back. Even Orion, who was new to the game, knew the matching sigils meant the players were in a guild together.
Two of those three players wore steel armor, which meant they were considerably high in levels. The third guild member wore a variation of leather armor, which meant he wasn¡¯t as high as the others, yet wasn¡¯t as low as Orion. From the way it looked, the three guild members were trying to recruit the other two players.
The first player, a woman, wore a cheap set of blue robes which gave the impression she was a low level mage. Even though the robe covered her body, anybody with eyesight could still see her curvy ¡°assets¡± through the cloth. Combine that with a smooth face like a model and raven hair, it was no wonder male players would try to recruit her, even if she hadn¡¯t stayed true to her real body in character creation.
However, even with the woman¡¯s beauty, it looked as if the higher level players were trying to recruit the male more. This player wielded a simple iron sword much like Orion¡¯s, but unlike Orion¡¯s starter clothing this player wore leather armor. He didn¡¯t look special, at least to Orion, so he couldn¡¯t help but be curious.
At the same time, he didn¡¯t want to interfere. If he was to find a teammate for the battle against Diablo, it would have to be a loner character. One comrade he can do, two is pushing it, but five¡
As he began to pass the group, eyes set toward the gate, the low level male suddenly spoke up.
¡°Oh, our friend is here,¡± the player claimed and grabbed the female mage¡¯s wrist. As he hurried away towards Orion, he waved back to the guild. ¡°Thanks for the invite, though!¡±
Orion raised a brow, but decided to keep walking. From the situation, he felt he could accurately come to the conclusion that they were simply using him to get away from an unwanted guild invite. Once they walked a ways away, the players would simply leave.
But it was not so. Time passed and the two players followed Orion all the way to the entrance of the Swamp of Sulfur in silence. Finally, Orion turned to face them.
¡°I¡¯m about to go in here,¡± he said, using his thumb to point behind him. ¡°So¡¡±
¡°O-oh!¡± the boy stuttered. ¡°Do¡ you mind if I go with you¡?¡±
¡°Are you running from those higher leveled players?¡±
¡°Yeah¡ they¡¯re part of the guild Lion¡¯s Roar. They only want me to join them because my profession is a merchant.¡±
¡°A merchant?¡±
¡°Yeah, being a merchant increases gold looted by 5% and the chance to find rare items by 2%. We aren¡¯t good at combat, but sometimes people drag merchants along for the passive benefits.¡±
¡°Why choose it then? Why not just choose a combat class?¡±
¡°Because¡ I have something to prove, I guess¡¡± the player clenched his fist.
Orion felt like the player was pushing him to continue asking questions as to open a set of dialogue where the boy could tell Orion all about his backstory, struggles, and motivation.
It was nothing personal, but Orion didn¡¯t really give a fuck.
¡°And what of your friend there,¡± Orion asked. Then he nodded towards the mage instead of asking personal questions.
¡°Oh, I forgot about you! Sorry¡ I don¡¯t actually know her. She was being pressured to join though just like me so I ended up dragging her along. Sorry...¡±
¡°Don¡¯t mind,¡± the woman said. Her voice sounded cool and collected, yet soft, almost like a breeze during a sunny spring afternoon. ¡°I¡¯m just along for the ride.¡±
¡°Well I have to kill something in here as I said and I¡¯m not sure you two will want to go.¡±
¡°I can handle anything,¡± the mage assured before flicking part of her black hair back behind her shoulder to let it fall gracefully.
¡°Me too,¡± the boy joined in. ¡°My name¡¯s Fooly, a merchant. As I said before¡ heh¡¡±
¡°My name¡¯s Orion, a shade.¡± He opened the party tab to send the boy an invite so they could fight together. If they weren¡¯t in a party, the loot from monsters would only go to the person who landed the final hit. This way, they could all have part of the loot.
¡°Kara, a theurgist,¡± the woman said.
¡®This could work,¡¯ he thought.
Even though he had one more player than he cared to have, this way he wouldn¡¯t have to share his level. If they found out he was level 5, their morale would be low and they wouldn¡¯t trust him; his new comrades would just chalk him up as not knowing as much about the game and trust their instincts over his direction.
Besides, the less information they give to each other the easier it will be to break off later.
The trio explored the swamp, easily clearing any monsters or animals, such as crocodiles, that got in their way. After half an hour, they stumbled upon a cave. As they entered, words appeared in front of their faces.
You have discovered the Cave of the Daunted!
¡°We need to leave,¡± Fooly stated.
¡°Why?¡±
¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I heard somewhere that a boss lives here. He¡¯s really tough for a level 20 boss, so people tend to not fight him and just focus on quests in early levels.¡±
A shadow loomed over most of Orion¡¯s face, leaving only a sly grin. His heart picked up its pace in his chest.
¡®This is it!¡¯
Orion changed his expression to that of an innocent smile and looked to his party. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a shot.¡±
¡°Eh!? But-¡±
¡°You¡¯d like to try, right Kara?¡±
¡°Naturally.¡±
¡°It¡¯s settled then, we¡¯ll fight Diablo.¡±
¡°Wait, how did you know his name was Diablo?¡± Fooly asked.
Orion tilted his head slightly. ¡°What ever do you mean?¡±
¡°I never told you his name; I just said there was a boss here. Is this why you came to the swamp? You should have told me! I wouldn¡¯t have come!¡±
¡°Better not leave Diablo waiting,¡± Orion said, brushing Fooly¡¯s objections away.
He opened the skill menu, revealing a lone skill. At the beginning of the game, every class starts out with one skill and the player is expected to gain more via leveling as well as through quests later in the game. In the skills tab, a new window popped up with some text inside.
| Phantom Strike (Active) |
200 Mana |
10 second cooldown |
| After attacking, a second attack will follow through in half a second that deals equal damage as the first. |
The skill would be very helpful for ¡°burst¡± damage. He wasn¡¯t particularly skilled with a sword, so his attacks would be slow. Orion¡¯s best bet would be to get close to Diablo, hit him a few times while also activating the skill once, then retreat out of harm¡¯s way until he was able to use the skill again after 10 seconds.
Unless something dramatic happened that resulted in unpredictable behavior, which was by all means common, the monsters of his world typically focused their aggression to whoever was dealing the most damage.
Orion was sure that he dealt more damage than a merchant, even being under leveled. This was actually beneficial because he would draw Diablo¡¯s aggression, or aggro, enough for Fooly to heal. Then once Orion¡¯s combo was done and Fooly regained some health, he would back off and let Fooly resume aggro.
¡°Ready?¡±
¡°No!¡± Fooly objected. Then, he sighed and reached into his invisible inventory to pull out two health potions. ¡°At least take these; you¡¯ll take a lot of damage since you¡¯re still wearing the starter armor. Why are you, by the way?¡±
¡°No time to discuss that. Let¡¯s rock and roll.¡±
The cave was both cold and humid which created a sort of musky atmosphere that felt displeasing on the skin. For a few seconds, only a random drop of water from above accompanied the sounds of their footsteps. But it wasn¡¯t long until a groan echoed through the darkness.
They paused and assumed defensive stances. The cave began to shake. Soon, a figure gradually emerged from the shadows.
The monster was at least ten feet tall and had the figure of a golem on steroids. Its skin was a mixture of mud and rotten flesh; it even radiated a foul smell. Fooly and Kara were forced to plug their noses.
As it stepped into more of the dim blue light, Orion spied three openings in the monster¡¯s chest. It looked as if it had three hearts, each one about a foot apart and encased in greenish-brown vines like a cage.
¡°We have to attack those,¡± Fooly explained. ¡°It has three health bars, so we have to lower its health and then destroy a heart to start damaging the following health bar.¡±
Diablo looked down on them, but the party couldn¡¯t see its face. The monster had some sort of mask made out of off-white tree bark. There was a spot for its mouth that looked sealed along with two round, black holes where its eyes might¡¯ve been.
¡°Wait here,¡± Orion said, an idea popping into his head. He unsheathed his sword and sprinted forward, directly at Diablo.
The swamp monster raised its arm and struck down, smashing the ground and causing rock to fly up.
But Orion was ready and he dashed to the side before the attack landed.
Diablo really was slow at moving and attacking, yet a trick laid up its sleeve. As Orion planted his feet on the ground after dodging the attack, something else swung at him. On the monster¡¯s lower back were two long tentacles that were brown and scaled like a crocodile.
The right tentacle, unlike Diablo¡¯s arm, was much faster. It moved so quickly that if Orion didn¡¯t already have quick reflexes, he would be in a very bad position.
He raised the iron sword which collided with the scales. Going into the battle he had prepared himself for a sucker punch such as that one, but the force was much more than he anticipated.
The parry blocked half the damage, but he still lost 200 health!
The force also knocked him off his feet, flying back to where his party waited.
¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Fooly asked sarcastically.
¡°His arms are easy to dodge, but look out for his tentacles; they move quick. Fooly, you¡¯ll have to stay in its face most of the time.¡±
¡°But-¡±
¡°No time to argue! Try to draw its aggression as much as you can. I¡¯ll weave in and out of the fight to burst it when I can while Kara hits it from a safe distance.¡±
¡°But what about-¡±
¡°He¡¯s coming,¡± Orion snapped.
Diablo screeched, causing the cave to rumble. After a second, the ground below them began to tremble as three creatures climbed from underneath the dirt.
¡°I tried to tell you!¡± Fooly said, holding his sword in front of his body.
Orion¡¯s eyes darted around the cave.
The creatures were about half as tall as him with thin skin that wrapped around their bones tightly. It didn¡¯t take a genius to notice how well their appearance fit the title of ¡°ghoul¡±. The miniature monster¡¯s eyes beamed red and their fangs dripped with saliva.
What caught Orion¡¯s attention most were small symbols that circled around the ghouls¡¯ heads. One of them was the symbol of a sword, another was a campfire, and a shield gravitated around the final ghoul.
¡°What are those symbols?¡± Orion asked.
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¡°The person to kill the smaller creatures that a boss summons gets a buff and the symbols show what buffs they give. We should probably distribute them so that-¡±
¡°I¡¯m taking them all,¡± Orion said, moving in front of his party. The ghouls moved much quicker than the boss, so Orion soon found himself fighting all three ghouls. ¡°Start fighting the boss!¡±
Fooly cursed and moved forward, but Kara had no objection to the matter. She simply glided around Orion¡¯s skirmish and focused on Diablo.
Just as she shot out a lightning bolt from her fingertip, Fooly reached the monster and began striking it with his sword.
Orion had no time to watch their fight, as he had his own.
The first ghoul lunged forward, but Orion swiftly side-stepped the beast. With one strike, Orion sliced the ghoul¡¯s chest. The ghoul stumbled back and Orion had claimed part of its health.
But he wasn¡¯t finished.
¡°Phantom Strike!¡± he called.
A half-transparent, blue arm appeared from behind Orion which traveled in the exact same motion as his initial strike. The phantom sword sliced through the ghoul¡¯s body, dealing the same amount of damage as the first strike. Just as the phantom disappeared, Orion was already moving in for his third attack.
The sword slashed through the ghoul for a third time in a single second. Unfortunately Orion was still a mere level 5, so he couldn¡¯t kill the beast in one set of burst damage. However, after dodging another attack, the fourth strike decapitated the ghoul.
The creature fell to the floor, motionless. The remaining two ghouls watched, unsure of what to do. They stood frozen like someone pissed in their cereal, stunned as to what to do next.
In the top right corner of Orion¡¯s vision, a small symbol appeared. It was the same symbol that had circled around the ghoul he killed; a sword. A minor surge of energy pumped through his muscles and he didn¡¯t even have to look at his stats to know his strength had increased.
When he looked at the ghouls, he couldn¡¯t help but grin. With the new damage boost, he wondered if he could kill one of them in three strikes this time. They exchanged hesitant glances before dashing forward at the same time, teeth bearing.
Level up!
After cutting the final two ghouls down, Orion wiped a drop of blood from his mouth. By now he was used to seeing the physical changes that occur when a player is low on health, so he pulled out a small red bottle from his inventory which restored his health.
Accompanying the damage buff he had received from the first goblin, two more symbols appeared in the upper right corner of his vision. Underneath the sword was a campfire, which meant his attacks on a single target would apply a burning effect that dealt a slight amount of damage per second. The duration was ten seconds, so every ten seconds he would be able to reapply the buff.
The final symbol was that of a shield. At level 6 his defense was 5, but the buff provided him with an extra 5 defense. Now he¡¯d be able to take a hit or two from Diablo to give Fooly a break.
At that moment, a break was exactly what Fooly needed.
¡°Fall back, Fooly!¡± Orion ordered.
Fooly held no objections and immediately began jogging backwards towards Orion, who ran to take his place. Diablo continued to chase Fooly until Orion proved that he was a bigger threat.
¡°Phantom strike!¡±
In three swift strikes, the monster stumbled backwards, crying out.
With just Fooly, Kara had to be weary of the damage she dealt; too much and Diablo would aggro her. However, with Orion¡¯s burst damage, Kara could now release lightning bolt after bolt in rapid succession.
Diablo swung at Orion, first with his first and then with his scaled tentacle.
Again, Orion dodged the fist and blocked the tentacle. Unlike last time, Orion had an extra 5 defense, double than before! The attack stung and forced him back a few feet, but he managed to keep a solid stance.
After another strike from Kara, Diablo dropped to his knees. But he was not yet defeated.
Orion leapt into the air, grabbing onto the monster¡¯s shoulder. The smell of flesh and mud crept into his nostrils, but he ignored them. With one stab, he forced his sword through the vines into one of the holes in Diablo¡¯s chest and pierced a heart.
Diablo cried out as his health now reached 2/3rds. Orion felt the entire body of the monster shake as a second pair of tentacles burst from his upper back.
He let go of the flesh, but Diablo had increased his own speed. One of the new tentacles crashed into Orion¡¯s side.
He flew to the side, only stopping once his back crashed into the cave¡¯s wall. His vision shook and turned into a red tint; it wasn¡¯t a realistic way of almost dying, but it was a way for the game to tell a player they were under 10% health.
This also meant that a bleed-out effect would begin and if the player didn¡¯t eat a meal that provided health restoration or drink a health potion.
Luckily Fooly provided him with the latter, which he quickly chugged.
¡°Are you okay!?¡± Fooly called to him as he reentered the battle to draw Diablo¡¯s aggression.
¡°Peachy,¡± Orion said.
His health quickly regenerated thanks to the potion, so he was ready to continue the battle.
Now that they were finally able to fight as a three-person party, the second health bar of Diablo deteriorated at a steady pace.
Orion would jump in a tank a few shots while bursting it down, which allowed Kara to let loose her lightning bolts at a rapid pace. Once Orion needed to heal, Fooly would take over tanking the hits and Kara emphasized more space between her spells as to not draw aggro.
Diablo soon found himself taking a lightning bolt to his second heart, revealing the final health bar.
Like before, the monster started to transform. Its mask broke at the mouth and opened at least three feet while a long, purple tongue which resembled a snake¡¯s rolled out.
¡°Get back!¡± Orion shouted, anticipating a new attack.
Diablo spit out a venomous pool of spit that splattered onto the ground and sizzled as it corroded the rock and dirt.
Fooly had given into Orion¡¯s demands and began to obey without objections, so he was able to dodge the poison.
Even with the addition of a new attack, they were able to constantly deal damage to Diablo.
With Orion¡¯s direction, the party managed to take Diablo¡¯s health to 10%
¡°Look out,¡± a voice echoed through. The three low-leveled players turned their heads to see one of the high level players that had been trying to recruit Kara and Fooly.
The player unsheathed his enormous two handed and cut directly through Diablo¡¯s body. The swamp monster cried out as it collapsed to the floor with a thud.
Orion and his party battled the beast for at least half an hour, but the higher level player cut Diablo down in one strike.
While his party breathed sighs of relief, Orion dropped to his knees.
When a player kills a monster, most of the EXP and items went to that player¡¯s party. If Orion had killed the party he, along with his other party members, would have received roughly 33% of the EXP each.
Because another player dealt the last hit, Orion only received 10% of the EXP.
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
Even with the level ups, this was no time for celebration.
The higher level player spat in Fooly¡¯s direction.
¡°That¡¯s what you get for rejecting our guild invitation. You should have been glad, honored even, to join us! Think about that next time! Especially when I, the great Leodrogo, am the one to invite you!¡±
Fooly looked to the ground while Kara looked away, uninterested.
Leodrogo looked to Orion for the first time with disgust.
Orion¡¯s eyes traveled up and met the other player¡¯s. Usually, Orion went about his daily schedule feeling emptiness. Now not only did he feel an emotion, but the anger overwhelmed him.
Orion glared directly at the Leo with wide eyes. His fist clenched as he fought back the urge to slit the player¡¯s throat right then and there.
Leodrogo, sensing the bloodlust, took a step back.
Even though Orion was clearly a lower level, the player couldn¡¯t shake a particular feeling. A feeling of fear that seemed to seize his very soul and overwhelm his physical body.
A deep sense of regret dwelled in Leodrogo¡¯s gut. For what; he could not say.
¡°Uh, a-anyway, lets go,¡± the player stuttered, motioning towards the other guild members that had accompanied him.
Once the guild members left the cave, Fooly approached Orion.
¡°Sorry¡ this is all my fault, isn¡¯t it?¡±
Orion felt his anger quickly disperse once he looked to the merchant. He sighed, finally standing and brushing dust from his knees.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about,¡± Orion said, beginning to take his leave.
¡°Can I add you as a friend¡?¡± Fooly asked.
Orion thought about it for a moment. They¡¯d fought together, so he felt more or less comfortable with both Kara and Fooly.
Yet a war raged in his heart.
¡°Next time¡ if we see each other again. Ask me then, and I¡¯ll add you as a friend.¡±
¡°Promise?¡±
Orion returned the promise and clapped Kara on the shoulder as he passed her by. ¡°Good work,¡± he told her. She smiled for the first time.
Orion left the cave to continue exploring the world of Genesis by himself.
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡.
¡°So what have you been doing this week,¡± his therapist asked. She sat with her legs crossed on a leather chair and tapped a pen on her notebook.
¡°Not much,¡± Viktor replied.
¡°No? Nothing new?¡±
¡°Well¡ I did take your advice. What you said last week about reaching back into my childhood to find some happiness. I ended up trying out this new game everyone is talking about.¡±
¡°How do you feel so far?¡±
¡°Well, I have to admit it¡¯s amazing. You know, when I was a kid the technology wasn¡¯t this advanced. The first thing I did when I was in game was smile.¡±
¡°You smiled?¡± she repeated, uncrossing her legs and straightening her posture. She began writing into the notebook. ¡°Because you were happy?¡±
¡°Amazed, probably. I was excited because the world looked incredible and it was huge. There¡¯s so much adventuring I could do.¡±
¡°Video games are often violent nowadays. Do you kill anyone in the game?¡±
¡°I hunted some animals, mostly boar.¡±
¡°How did that make you feel?¡±
Viktor shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel too different, probably because they were animals. I grew up on a farm and did plenty of hunting there.¡±
¡°But then you joined the military at 17, and here you are 6 years later,¡± she said. ¡°When you start killing things other than animals, do you think that feeling will change?¡±
¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to find out.¡±
As he left the therapist¡¯s office, he was forced to pause to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Dark clouds covered the moonlight, so it was nearly pitch black outside.
His pocket began to vibrate.
He pulled out his smartphone and looked at the name on the screen. He recognized it immediately, but didn¡¯t answer it. In fact, all movement ceased for a moment.
Viktor¡¯s eyes turned into a blank stare. Even though he looked in the phone¡¯s direction, it was like he didn¡¯t even see the phone. His black eyes remained half shut as if vacant.
His glare was full of emptiness.
Once the phone stopped vibrating, a few minutes passed before a message appeared, informing Viktor that he had a voicemail. He moved the phone to his ear and listened.
¡°Hey, what¡¯s up bro? This Bobby, I was just calling to see what you¡¯re up to. I mean I know you busy, but, uh, yeah¡ I was hoping we could talk for a bit. I don¡¯t know, maybe text me man, I know you¡¯re busy. I just wanna know how you been and what you been up to and stuff. You hear about Jessie? She getting married in a couple weeks, I was thinking damn. It¡¯s kind of soon you know? She just broke up with Richie from the squad a year ago, shit feels like yesterday. I don¡¯t really know if I¡¯ma go.¡±
Pause.
¡°Anyway bro, I¡¯d love to talk to you soon. You eating well? Maybe I could come over and cook you a meal. I mean, I know you grew up cooking with your grandfather and stuff so you know how to cook and shit¡ but I just wanna make sure you know? You doing good? Hit me back when you can bro, I know you busy, but-¡±
Beep.
Bobby had talked until the voicemail forced him to stop. Viktor held onto the phone for a moment before sliding it back into his pockets.
Then he went home.
3. Wild Pines
Orion pulled a white bandana from his inventory. After placing it over in his eyes, it was tied around the back of his head.
Silence.
Ruffle.
Orion unsheathed his sword and dashed forward, swinging in the direction of the ruffling noise.
The sound of a rabbit cry reached his ears followed by a thud. He had successfully killed a mob without using his eyes.
Increased Swordsman Mastery: Beginner Level 2
Increased damage by one-handed swords (+6%)
It was increasing slowly, but he managed! He had spent around one hour practicing this way and he continued for another hour until¡
¡°Ow!¡± someone shouted. His entire body froze except his heart, which beat wildly. He could even feel the color drain from his own face. Did he just stab someone?
¡°Is someone there? Hello?¡± the voice said. Orion pulled the bandana from his eyes to around his neck, but he couldn¡¯t see them.
Only after looking around did he eventually look to the floor where he found a small cat that should technically be dead, but wasn¡¯t. It must have been hunting the rabbits Orion was targeting.
¡°Hey, you,¡± the cat said in a feminine voice. ¡°You¡¯re just in time¡ I need your help!¡±
What¡ the¡ hell?
¡°I¡¯ve been stabbed,¡± she continued. ¡°Do you have anything to heal me?¡±
Orion searched around his inventory before shaking his head. He had used his potions in the fight with Diablo a week ago and had traveled without potions since.
¡°Damnit¡ can you take me to the nearest town?¡±
He waited for the words saying that a quest had been triggered, but nothing happened. He debated on leaving her; after all if there¡¯s no quest, there¡¯s no point in helping. But seeing her bleeding and struggling, he couldn¡¯t not help. With a sigh, he gently put his hands underneath her and lifted her up.
When he entered the town, he was first met with a pile of leaves that blew towards him in the wind. The buildings looked rustic, like they¡¯d been there without maintenance for years. Since the sun was setting and darkness was beginning to creep in, the town even reminded him of some sort of ghost town.
You have discovered Wild Pines!
The ground crunched from pebbles and dead leaves as he walked through the town. If there were people inside the houses and shops, they weren¡¯t coming out. He eventually found a house with the symbol of a potion embedded on the door, so he knocked.
No answer.
¡°Hurry,¡± the cat pleaded.
Orion picked up the pace a little bit as he continued to search the town. Eventually he stumbled upon a gate that stood between him and a mansion. Unlike the other buildings, this one was well kept. The black iron gate was cracked open slightly, so he slipped through and approached the door. This time someone answered his knock.
A young woman wearing a maid¡¯s dress greeted him at the door in a weary voice. ¡°May I help you?¡±
The first inch of her hair was black, but the remaining hair that traveled down to her shoulders was light brown. Her skin was tanned and perfectly smooth. Orion felt captured by her beauty for a second before remembering why he came.
¡°There was an accident with this cat,¡± Orion explained. ¡°I don¡¯t have any healing potions with me so I was hoping someone in town could help me.¡±
¡°Nobody is in this town.¡±
¡°You¡¯re in this town. Can you help? Please, I can repay it.¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said as she began to shut the door. Orion stopped it with his hand.
¡°Please.¡±
The woman shifted her gaze behind her before looking back to Orion. Something was off. Orion watched her; one of her hands were trembling like she was nervous or afraid, but she contained it well. That being said, there was one sign of uncertainty that is unavoidable. Orion could see it because of his experience in the military. Deep in her eyes there was warmth, her real emotion, covered by the coldness of her emotional mask.
¡°You can come in,¡± she said. ¡°But I beg you: don¡¯t leave the main hall. You must wait here for me.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±
The doors creaked until they closed behind him. The woman disappeared, so Orion took in the scenery in silence.
It was incredibly dark; the only light in the room was a chandelier that wasn¡¯t on. Therefore the only light was from the moon, which was beginning to emerge in the sky and peered through the windows. A rug led to a staircase that traveled halfway to the second floor before splitting to the left and to the right. On the wall in the middle of the staircase was a large painting, but Orion couldn¡¯t see what it was of.
She said just don¡¯t leave the main hall, right?
Orion walked closer and gazed upon the painting. It was a very, very old man who looked well over 100 years old. The painting was so large that the man was as tall as Orion himself. The chandelier above suddenly turned on.
¡°A guest,¡± someone said. Orion followed the voice to the right where a man stood at the top of the stairs. He looked to be in his 20¡¯s, about as old as Orion. He wore a fancy suit and twirled a cane. ¡°What a surprise.¡±
Just then, the woman returned. ¡°Duke Wilde!¡±
¡°Ah, Jenovine. I assume you granted this stranger entry to my mansion?¡±
Jenovine began to speak again, but Orion spoke first. ¡°Forgive us, uh¡ Sir Duke¡ You see my cat here is dying so I was seeking help.¡±
¡°I see, I see! Jenovine, dear, come take our guest¡¯s cat, will you? Nurse her back to health and make haste.¡±
¡°Yes, master.¡± The woman hurried up the stairs and disappeared with the cat.
¡°My grandfather,¡± Duke Wilde said, pointing his cane towards the painting. It was true that the two men resembled each other. ¡°But please, join me as I walk my mansion. It is not often we are honored with visitors!¡±
The two men traveled the halls with the Duke often pointing at pieces of art and providing commentary.
¡°This painting my grandfather had painted of his previous home before this mansion; he quite loved the outdoors, you see. It was much more modest and secluded. Ah, this statue was made of my grandfather¡¯s first love; he demanded it to be made of marble and look more beautiful than any person could be. In here is my study¡¡±
He opened a large door to a room with bookshelves that touched the roof and spread all along the walls. Orion had never seen a collection so large except for public libraries. His jaw dropped from amazement and when Wilde noticed, he laughed.
¡°Would you like a drink?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should¡¡±
¡°Do you drink often where you¡¯re from?¡±
¡°Yes, why?¡±
¡°Tell me, what is your favorite? If you¡¯d refuse mine, you must tell me what you would accept! Nay, I employ you to make it for me so I can taste it first-hand!¡±
Orion had to ponder the question for a moment. Then he asked, ¡°Will you lead me to your kitchen?¡±
¡°As you wish.¡±
Once Orion entered the kitchen he set out to find the ingredients. There were many barrels and cabinets that were utterly stocked. The Duke had fruit, beans, Applewood Whiskey, meats, seasonings, and so forth.
An orange produced orange juice, a grapefruit produced grapefruit juice, and he found a bottle of gin. After mixing the ingredients together he poured it into two glasses filled with ice and a slice of lime.
Item Obtained: Gin and Juice
Increased Alchemy Mastery: Beginner Level 1
Crafted beverages now provides bonuses to stats
Orion handed the glass to the Duke and they shared the drink together. After each had four glasses, they were both beginning to feel quite good.
¡°I must admit, my friend,¡± Duke Wilde said. ¡°You know how to make the most delicious drinks. I must ask; will you stay long? I have enjoyed your company. In fact, might I ask a favor? I have been gracious in inviting you here, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll say yes! Jenovine always cooks the same meals and I feel like trying something different today. Will you help me?¡±
| A Feast for a Duke |
Difficulty E |
+50 EXP
Duke Wilde''s Cane
|
| Duke Wilde has requested that you prepare him a meal. The quality must meet the Duke''s expectations. |
Duke Wilde¡¯s cane? What¡¯s that? A weapon? Whatever it is, the quest is rank E so it doesn¡¯t seem too worth it.
¡°I can¡¯t possibly accept.¡±
¡°You misunderstand. I invited you into my home and offered to heal your pet. You will accept my request.¡±
| A Feast for a Duke |
Difficulty E |
+50 EXP
Duke Wilde''s CaneIf you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
|
| Duke Wilde has requested that you prepare him a meal. The quality must meet the Duke''s expectations. |
| Additional Information: |
Rejecting or failing this quest will cause Duke Wilde to turn hostile |
¡°In that case, I accept¡¡±
There was no telling how strong the Duke was, and while he can always respawn there were two things he had to keep in mind.
The first; dying results in one level lost, plus all of his items have a randomized chance of being lost forever. Players often visit the bank so in the event they die, they won¡¯t lose their items.
The second; his cat companion might be an NPC and when an NPC dies, they never return. If they own a shop, a new shop owner will take their place. Towns and cities are often safe spots from player versus player which is why NPC¡¯s aren¡¯t typically outside of them unless there is a quest.
So if Duke Wilde attacked him, would he become hostile to the cat as well? He might respawn, but the worst case scenario¡ the cat would die forever¡
¡°Excellent!¡± the Duke exclaimed. ¡°Jenovine will join you shortly to assist you and I will be waiting with your companion in the dining hall.¡± Duke Wilde disappeared into another room and soon Jenovine joined him.
¡°I told you to not leave the main hall.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t, though. I just climbed the stairs and even that was halfway.¡±
¡°Hmph,¡± was her only reply.
¡°Do you have any recipes? What kind of food does the Duke like?¡±
¡°No! You must leave, now!¡± She began trying to force him out of the kitchen.
¡°I can¡¯t.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°He has my cat.¡±
¡°Is that cat as valuable as your own life!?¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°My master is not as you think,¡± she explained. ¡°He will play games with you simply because he can. He will find a way to keep you here, like he has tried with your cat. You have two options: run away or be trapped forever. If you forget your cat, you can still escape. But if you stay, you will fail whatever quest he gave you. You won¡¯t be able to fight back either, because he¡¯s immortal.¡±
¡°Immortal? What do you mean?¡±
¡°Long ago, my master was the duke of Wild Pines. He founded it actually, it was named after him. My master feared growing old and he wasn¡¯t ready to die yet, you see, so he employed a dark wizard. This woman preached black magic and convinced the Duke that he could live forever. He accepted her offer, which resulted in everyone in the Duke¡¯s mansion being killed including my great grandmother.
Eventually everyone in the town left after a handful died due to the dark wizard¡¯s magic. I came for revenge, but ended up trapped here for ten years. Now he will do the same to you unless you leave.¡±
¡°How¡¯s he immortal?¡± Orion interrogated.
¡°I don¡¯t know the spell the dark wizard used. I just know the results.¡±
¡°You said if I fail the quest he gave me I¡¯ll be trapped. That means if I pass the quest everything will be okay, right?¡±
¡°What? ¡You can¡¯t!¡±
¡°I can if you follow my lead,¡± Orion said, pulling the bandana off of his neck and retying it around his forehead.
¡®I should probably forget about any recipes he has for now. He wants something that Jenovine couldn¡¯t make. Though I still don¡¯t have much experience¡ what can I make? What about something I¡¯ve made in real life? Barbecue is always great, but there¡¯s no grill in this world... but what if¡¡¯
¡°Jenovine!¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°I need brisket.¡±
¡°Okay¡ what else? Make a list and I¡¯ll make sure to find what you need.¡±
Once Jenovine returned with everything he needed, Orion went to work. First, season the beef with salt and pepper. Then he put it in a casserole dish and fried it until it had an even brown color. Chopped carrots and celery was added, along with garlic and extra seasonings. Then he poured hot water on top to braise it and once the water was boiling, he put the lid on and threw it in the oven.
But what¡¯s brisket without barbecue sauce?
To the side, Orion finely chopped an onion and garlic. Then he fried it, seasoned them, and threw in brown sugar to help caramelize the onions. Smoked paprika was then added for some heat along with vinegar. Finally a bit of ketchup and Worcestershire sauce was added that Jenovine made for him while he cooked everything else. When it had the consistency he wanted, he seasoned it a bit more and poured it into a bowl.
¡°Just like dad used to make,¡± he told Jenovine with a smile, but she only returned a confused look. She probably didn¡¯t know what he was making. ¡°So what does he usually like as, you know, a side dish?¡±
¡°Any vegetable, I suppose¡¡±
¡°Potatoes it is!¡±
In salted, boiling water, Orion partly boiled them. Not too much so they started to fall apart, but enough so they would cook on the inside before burning the outside. He coated a pan with olive oil and threw the potatoes in while making sure they ended in one layer and none over lapped the others. After seasoning, he threw them alongside the still-cooking brisket.
When they were lightly golden, he pulled the potatoes back out. In a bowl, he poured olive oil and vinegar over rosemary, then added thyme and garlic. All of that went over the potatoes and then was thrown back into the oven.
Orion timed it so the potatoes and the brisket would finish cooking at around the same time. He pulled them out one at a time and put both dishes next to a single plate. He sliced some of the brisket, plated them, poured some of the sauce over it, and then added some of the roasted potatoes.
| Beef Brisket with Roasted Potatoes |
Good quality |
Stamina +25 for 5 minutes
Stength +5 for 5 minutes
|
Increased Cooking Mastery: Beginner Level 2
Fame +50
Good quality! The Duke was sure to love this. Orion sent a silent prayer of thanks to his dad before taking the plate to the dining hall. After eating, Duke Wilde¡¯s face lit up!
¡°Delicious! You have certainly met my expectations!¡±
| A Feast for a Duke |
Difficulty E |
+50 EXP
Duke Wilde''s Cane
|
| You provided Duke Wilde with a dish that met his expectations. |
Level up!
Orion opened his inventory and examined the item he was rewarded with. It was a miscellaneous item, so he couldn¡¯t use it. Upon closer inspection he saw it¡¯s true worth: he can sell it for 250 gold!
¡°You have done well, my friend. You must stay longer and continue cooking for me!¡±
¡°I can¡¯t. I did as you asked and it¡¯s time for me to go.¡±
¡°I see. You¡¯re right, you cooked for me and I helped you. Therefore, we are even. You may go.¡±
His now-healed cat followed him to the door, but he was soon stopped by Jenovine. ¡°Please,¡± she said. ¡°You mustn¡¯t go. I need your help!¡±
| The Truth about the Duke |
Difficulty C |
+300 EXP
+100 Fame
+100 Gold
|
| Jenovine has expressed that Duke Wilde is evil and wishes to undo the spell of the dark wizard. |
| Additional Information: |
Failure or denying the quest will result in -100 Fame |
The rewards were tempting, but Orion was hesitant. It was a rank C quest! Plus, the additional information revealed heavy consequences.
A player can lose fame by stealing, killing NPC¡¯s, killing players, and failing quests. Once you have negative fame, you become an outlaw. He didn¡¯t know the specifics to it and made a mental note to do some research once he was out of the game, but he had to decide on whether he was to accept the quest or not now. Orion could always come back and gain fame again, but it would take a lot of effort. Was it with it?
¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said. ¡°You said it yourself: he¡¯s immortal. What could I do?¡±
¡°He must have information in his study! I beg you, go look!¡±
With a sigh, he accepted the quest. Since the Duke thought he left, Orion was forced to sneak around. When he found the study, he put his hand on the knob and shook it, but it didn¡¯t budge. Locked.
¡®Of course.¡¯
¡°I can steal it,¡± his cat companion said.
¡°Wait, you¡¯re still here? You can leave, you know.¡±
¡°You helped me so it¡¯s only right that I help you.¡±
Orion decided to leave out the fact that he was the one who hurt the cat in the first place. ¡°How are you going to steal it?¡±
¡°Are you kidding? I¡¯m a feline; master of stealth. Wait here.¡±
The cat disappeared and soon returned, keys jingling in its mouth. After unlocking the door, Orion slipped in quietly and started to look around. If he had a journal, where might it be kept?
He dashed to the desk in the middle of the room and ruffled through the drawers. He found a small book in there and started flipping through the pages. As soon as he found a page talking about the dark wizard, the door to the study burst open.
¡°Well well,¡± the duke said. ¡°You left as a friend yet you return as an intruder! An enemy!¡±
The duke pointed a palm forward and a bright light illuminated from his hand. Then, a bolt of lightning shot out and struck Orion in the chest. His health completely depleted!
4. The Truth about the Duke
¡°Need backup!¡±
Fooly¡¯s attention shot to the player who called for help: the only ranger in the party, Samantha. Because of her class Samantha wore brown leather armor, the same as Fooly. In fact, both of them were simple scrubs when their party leader picked them up and bestowed upon them armor and weapons.
As a merchant, Fooly understood the fact that he couldn¡¯t deal a lot of damage nor could he tank for a long time. However, his passive was extremely sought after so he had to find a way to survive in combat. Roles typically boil down to: tank, damage dealer, and healer. Fooly and his merchant class created a new role.
Crowd Control!
Fooly darted to the aid of his teammate as she fended off five goblins.
¡°Shine!¡± he shouted as he reached her. The metal items in his inventory all began to shine, drawing the attention of the goblins.
Shine is a skill that makes anything metal in his inventory (gold, weapons, miscellaneous items, etc) illuminate like they were reflecting sunlight. This made it easier for merchants to showcase their items to other players, making them seem more valuable at first. However when the player actually takes a look at it, the effect disappears and said player sees the item for what it really is.
In this case the skill had the same effect against mobs. He could use this if any mobs slipped by the tanks and managed to reach the damage dealers. Before the goblins realized they were being played for fools, the damage dealer could escape and the tanks had time to shape their formation in order to deal with the new threat.
With the tank in the frontline and the healers and damage dealers in the back, it was a strong formation. With the addition of Fooly, it was near indestructible!
.........................
When a player dies in Genesis, they are forced out of the game and are unable to log back in for 24 hours. It upset him that he died, yes, but the thing that bothered him most was that he didn¡¯t even have a fighting chance. One shot! One shot from Duke Wilde and his health had instantly dropped to 0.
He took a walk underneath the moonlight before heading back to the kitchen in his single apartment. As he sipped on some oolong tea, his stomach began to growl. After all, he had spent most of the day inside the game so he hadn¡¯t eaten much in real life.
Viktor toasted some bread, put a slice of ham on top, then scrambled a couple of eggs and poured them on top of the toast.
It would be a lie if he said he wasn¡¯t at least a little disappointed that text hadn¡¯t appeared in front of him saying something along the lines of ¡°Scrambled Eggs Decent Quality¡±.
Eating the food reminded him of his first meal he created in the virtual game: Grandma Ethel¡¯s Spicy Beef Curry. He still remembered everything about it; what went in it, how it was made, and so on. It was his best dish so far, but it was the only one that he used a recipe for.
He felt a sudden urge to cook something, so he scanned the internet. He didn¡¯t want to cook spicy beef curry again. No, this time it had to be something different.
After finding a recipe from Cetty Brocker, he got most of the ingredients from a late night grocery store. Luckily for him, it was still open for one more hour.
First he mixed granulated and brown sugar with vanilla extract and an egg in a mixer. In another bowl he mixed flour, baking soda and salt, and then added that to the first mixture of egg and sugar. At this point, the dough was beginning to stiffen.
With a spoon, he folded in the chopped nuts along with semisweet chocolate chips. The dough was done!
Viktor dropped the dough onto a baking tray by tablespoons and prepared to cook them when he realized he didn¡¯t turn on the oven on. What a noob! After 6 minutes of waiting for the oven to heat, he finally tossed the baking tray in.
He turned the light on so he could watch them bake for all 10 minutes. When they were done, he grabbed a towel and used it to pull them tray out.
The aroma hit him in the face like a freight train transporting bakery goods. His stomach growled in anticipation as he waited for them to cool. When they finally did and he took his first bite, his taste buds cried and demanded more like a house of addicts.
I wonder what kind of effects these would give me in game, he thought. But that talking cat probably can¡¯t eat these¡
The cat he had accidently hurt with his sword was still at Duke Wilde¡¯s mansion. It¡¯s not like he could just leave her there. In addition to the quest, he¡¯ll have to remember to pick her back up. Maybe if he cooks her something she likes, she¡¯ll keep him company during his travels for a while?
What would a cat like¡?
After sleeping, Viktor woke in order to eat his cookies for fuel and hop back into the game. When he logged on, he found himself at the town square of Vilheim. It was the town he had respawned in after dying to Duke Wilde.
He lost one level, his boots, and 25 gold. He sighed, feeling down due to the precious gold wasted, but ultimately decided to not brood over it too long. After all, being unhappy won¡¯t bring him the revenge he seeks.
After a ten minute walk through the forest, slaying wolves by the dozen and collecting all of their items in hopes to sell everything for 5 gold, he wandered back into the rustic town.
As soon as he passed the gate, Jenovine rushed out the door and met him on the path that led to the house.
¡°You came back!¡±
¡°Of course I did,¡± he said. ¡°You gave me a quest. As a man, how could I give up?¡±
Plus losing all my fame would be pretty unfortunate¡
¡°My master is very upset with you, he¡¯s even angry at me for bringing you here in the first place. If he even thought that we might be working together, he would kill me on the spot. You must be careful this time. The last I saw of him, he was in his study.¡±
¡°Do you know where my cat is? Or better yet, have any ideas how I can defeat the Duke?¡±
¡°Your cat? Hm¡ I think she might be with my master in his study. But as for any ideas¡ there¡¯s one¡ but I¡¯m not sure how relevant it might be¡¡±
¡°Tell me.¡±
¡°Do you recall the painting that he told you was of his grandfather? I¡¯m not so sure it is. When I came to avenge my grandmother the man in the painting wasn¡¯t so old; he had to have been eighty. Now, ten years later, he looks even older and more dreadful. It¡¯s almost as if the painting is the one who is aging and not my master.¡±
With that in mind, Orion slipped through the front door. Unlike last time it was now sunny outside so he had to be more careful around windows, but that also meant the shadows would be darker.
¡°Jenovine!¡± Duke Wilde¡¯s voice echoed throughout the halls. Orion glided across the floor and hid at the base of the staircase. Footsteps grew louder gradually until stopping above him.
Orion closed his eyes.
In the military he would surely be laughed at or even scolded for closing his eyes. After all, as a soldier you must be able to constantly watch everything around you.
However, this is a unique situation. If Duke Wilde spotted him; Orion would be forced out of the game for a third time. If he hoped to survive, Orion needed to put all of his chips in one basket; one memory.
When his father would take him hunting, they once ran into a hungry bear. It spotted them, but they managed to dash through the trees and find a cave to hide in. The trees blocked the animal¡¯s line of sight so it didn¡¯t see them go into the cave, but it was suspicious. That¡¯s when Orion¡¯s father placed his hand over Orion¡¯s eyes and closed his own. Eventually, the bear passed by them.
Later he told a young Orion that the eyes provide a connection between a person¡¯s soul and the physical world. By closing them, a person would be able to conceal their presence unless someone happened to look directly in their direction.
Was it true?
That didn¡¯t matter.
All that mattered was that Orion had to do everything in his power to stay hidden from Duke Wilde. Jenovine and the cat¡¯s lives depended on it.
Plus he had forgotten to go to the bank to deposit his items in the event he does die.
The footsteps soon picked up again, traveling in the opposite direction. Orion used this chance to creep up the stairs and find the study again. Luckily it was unlocked this time.
When he entered, he saw the cat sitting on the Duke¡¯s desk. It jumped up once she saw him.
¡°You¡¯re alive!¡± the cat exclaimed.
¡°Is there anything in here that will help me defeat the Duke?¡±
¡°No¡ I take a look around every time he leaves the study but still haven¡¯t found anything.¡±
¡°Quick: Where haven¡¯t you looked yet?"
¡°Uh¡ uhm¡ that bookshelf to your left and the bottom drawer of his desk here.¡±
¡°Check the desk, I¡¯ll check the bookshelf.¡±
The bookshelf had a few small statues and busts as well as a bottle of Applewood Whiskey, so luckily it wasn¡¯t completely full of books. That would save him time.
Only five minutes after they began their search, Duke Wilde opened the door and entered the study. Orion was by the door, so he stepped behind the opposite side and held his breath.
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¡°What are you doing, cat?¡± he demanded. Distracted by Orion¡¯s companion, the Duke shut the door but kept his eyes locked on her. He started to walk forward but Orion dared not move.
¡°I was just¡ curious about your grandfather¡¡±
¡°My grandfather?¡±
¡°Yeah, you know, you¡¯re always talking about him¡ and cats are naturally curious¡¡±
Duke Wilde sighed. ¡°I might as well tell you, cat. I did not know my grandfather and nothing in this mansion is his. They are all mine and they always have been.¡±
¡°But¡¡±
¡°Long ago a dark wizard wandered into my town. Around this time I also held a ball and invited everyone in town. She, of course, attended. I had just finished paying a famous painter to craft the most beautiful portrait in the world and it was on display that night. Many people made comments on how amazing it was.
¡°I grew jealous,¡± he admitted. ¡°The portrait looked even better than I did in real life! Even more, I would grow old and eventually die yet the painting would live on forever. That¡¯s when the wizard approached me, offering a deal I could not refuse. The painting would grow old instead of me, she preached. I would live forever; forever beautiful and forever young. That was almost two hundred years ago.¡±
¡®The painting is the key!¡¯ Orion made a mental note.
As he tried to slip through the door, a slight creak from the wood caught the Duke¡¯s attention. He spun around to see Orion still alive, and Orion could tell from the furrowed brow that the Duke was not happy.
¡°You again! Dammit, Jenovine! This is the end of you!¡±
After another flash of light, Orion was killed in a split second.
That night was restless. Jenovine and the cat were still in danger. Would they be okay? Is Duke Wilde taking his anger out on them?
Viktor only slept for 3 hours before waking from a nightmare. The rest of the time of being forced out of Genesis was long and painful.
Once he logged back into Vilheim, he immediately made to the woods. Even when he aggro¡¯d wolves and they chased him, he continued running until they lost interest and reset back to where they were before.
He soon arrived back in town and burst down the door to the mansion. Duke Wilde was at the top of the stairs waiting for him.
¡°You¡¯re here again,¡± his voice echoed. ¡°Perhaps you are as immortal as I? No matter, I know how to hurt you another way.¡±
The Duke had been holding onto the cat by the back of her neck. He released her and she began to bolt down the stairs, running to Orion for help. Orion ran forward as well, eager to get ahold of her and bring her from harm¡¯s way. After all, it was his fault the cat was here.
Duke Wilde¡¯s hand released a sudden flash of light. Following it, a lightning bolt traveled through the air and struck the cat.
Orion was suddenly no longer in the mansion, nor the world of the game for that matter. Instead, he was in a desert town surrounded by men in green camouflage and pale buildings. A young girl roughly the age of seven or eight was running towards him when a gunshot broke through the air.
The girl¡¯s eyes widened as she flinched forward and her steps halted. She raised her hand to her chest and clutched her flowery dress that was beginning to stain with blood.
¡°No!¡± Viktor shouted, dashing forward. As he caught up to her she began to collapse, so he yanked the fully automatic rifle off his shoulder and tossed it to the side. He caught her just before she hit the ground and held her in his arms.
He tore her dress, revealing a bullet wound next to her bellybutton. Her skin was covered in blood like red paint. Viktor gently laid the girl on her back and started rummaging through his backpack.
The girl¡¯s breath began to lose its strength as even more blood dripped from her lip. Viktor pulled out his trauma bag, cursing rapidly, and started to pack the wound with gauze.
A rocket from a launcher rushed by his head, forcing wind to blow into his face. He looked behind him to see the rocket crash into a Humvee and explode. A friendly tank started to roll passed them, so he focused back on the girl who had ceased breathing.
¡°Come on,¡± he shouted to her as he began to apply pressure bandages over the wound. His heart ached for her and his eyes began to grow humid from frustration. Despite her lack of breathing and limp body, Viktor still believed he could save her.
But as the tank passed, they were wide open and easy targets. One of his comrades rushed to his aid and put his arms around Viktor¡¯s chest. Viktor believed he could save the girl, but his ally was pulling him away! This was the worst day of his life; he had never felt more like shit! A little girl was dying; who he could save, but his teammates were stopping him!
He started to fight back and another soldier came to restrain him. He continued fighting with all his might, desperately trying to get back to the little girl, when a third soldier approached him and slapped him in the face.
He froze, shocked.
After another slap, he breathed in an enormous breath. He was back in Duke Wilde¡¯s mansion.
¡°Snap out of it, Orion!¡± Jenovine was saying. Apparently Duke Wilde had attempted to shoot him with a lightning bolt, but Jenovine pushed him out of the way. She bought him a few seconds before the Duke fired again, but Orion had suffered from a PTSD attack.
It was the first flashback he¡¯d had since returning from the war, and he knew what triggered it. When he glanced over, he saw the cat. She was lying on the ground, motionless, with a slight amount of smoke lifting from her side where the energy hit her.
Orion felt rage boil inside his gut and prepared for an attack. After pushing Jenovine to the side, he pulled out his sword.
¡°Oh? Will you fight me? Go ahead, scum! Let¡¯s see you dodge this one!¡±
Duke Wilde shot a fire bolt this time, which was exactly what Orion wanted. He dove to the left where there was safety, but just after landing he pointed the sword¡¯s tip back where he initially was. This way, the part of the blade seared red with heat while he reached safely.
¡®This would never work in real life, but let¡¯s hope it works here!¡¯
Orion straightened his posture and began to twirl the sword in his hand. The Duke must have realized what Orion was doing, because he tried to leap down the stairs to protect the painting. However, Orion chunked the sword as far as he could first
The iron blade spun through the air and stuck into the canvas, causing the Duke to collapse. He raised a trembling hand to the hilt, but the heat plus the friction caused a spark that devoured the painting.
At the same time, the Duke combusted into flames.
Orion ignored the Duke¡¯s screams and knelt by the cat. He picked her up in his arms and began to carry her outside. Eventually Duke Wilde¡¯s screams died down until the mansion grew silent, but Orion payed no attention anyway. He quietly dug the cat a grave and buried her.
Once he finished, Jenovine joined him.
¡°You did it,¡± she said. He could tell she was happy, but she withheld some of it. Perhaps because of his companion¡¯s death.
| The Truth about the Duke |
Difficulty C |
+300 EXP
+100 Fame
+100 Gold
|
| You have discovered the secret to Duke Wilde''s immortality and slew him! |
Level up!
At least he leveled up; that means he only lost one level during the quest. After the gold he lost he only made 10 gold from the quest, but he gained quite a lot of fame. Luckily he didn¡¯t lose Duke Wilde¡¯s cane that he received from the cooking quest. Maybe he could sell that for more gold?
Orion stood and clapped his hands together to knock dirt off. His head hurt and he felt tired, so all he wanted to do was leave the god-forsaken town. As he made for the gate, Jenovine stopped him.
¡°Say, you wouldn¡¯t happen to know where the nearest town is¡?¡±
Orion recalled that she¡¯d been locked in the mansion to serve the Duke for ten-or-so years.
¡°There¡¯s a town not far from here,¡± he said, pointing north. ¡°Ten minute walk, give or take.¡±
¡°Oh. Well¡ what will you do now¡?¡±
¡°Wander. Fight monsters. I¡¯m not sure to be honest, I¡¯m just exploring at this point.¡±
¡°I see. Okay, then¡¡±
Jenovine looked to the ground and shuffled her feet nervously, giving Orion the strong impression that she was waiting for him to say something.
In a regular game, he would have options. Perhaps his avatar would tell the NPC where the closest town is and that would be it. However, this was an advanced virtual reality game. He could say whatever he wanted and she would act accordingly.
¡°Want to travel with me?¡± he asked.
It was unheard of to have a follower in an MMORPG. After all, they don¡¯t provide much combat benefits. That being said, Orion liked to be different.
¡°Really!? Yes, I¡¯d love to!¡± She stopped moving her feet and smiled as bright as she could.
¡°Let¡¯s go then,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ve got a long way to go.¡±
5. Sabertooth Attack Ohmy
In the Pride Forest.
Kirino swung his sword toward the sabertooth. A dim glow matching the shivering demeanor of the blade glittered through the air as it pierced the big cat¡¯s tough skin and executed it. As he retracted the sword, he turned his whole body which caused his black cloak to flutter.
Since the sabertooth¡¯s blood was warm, his sword steamed slightly. He couldn¡¯t even use it without wearing gloves because the chill was uncomfortable. It was a good sword though, giving him a slow effect to the mobs he attacks; they attack and move 25% slower when hit by the sword for 5 seconds. The effect didn¡¯t stack, but since he attacked quickly it would be reapplied often.
As Kirino flourished the sword and sheathed it, his party composed of 5 girls and only 1 other guy cheered for him.
¡°So cool!¡±
¡°Kirino is the best!¡±
¡°How is everyone¡¯s level?¡± Kirino asked.
¡°We need to kill just a few more for me to catch up,¡± Asura said, brushing her golden hair behind her ear.
¡°What about you, uh¡¡±
¡°Flein,¡± the samurai replied.
¡°Right, Flein, of course. Are you about to level up?¡±
¡°Well, I actually¡¡± he began to explain when Kirino released a huge yawn. After Kirino apologized, Flein picked up his sentence where he left off.
¡°I actually need-¡±
This time, Kirino completely interrupted the samurai. ¡°That¡¯s cool. So hey, listen up: Asura needs a few more kills to level up so watch me kill more sabertooths.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve got your back, brother!¡± His step sister called out, raising her healing staff.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m so awesome; my health regenerates at a faster rate than the mobs hurt me!¡±
¡°Wow,¡± the fan girls in the background commented. ¡°He¡¯s so amazing!¡±
That wasn¡¯t completely true: his health regeneration was high because of his cloak but the only reason he didn¡¯t need a healer was because sabertooths often hunt by themselves. In a one versus one, he wouldn¡¯t face much struggle. He grew up practicing kendo as well, which actually helps with fighting in-game.
¡°Someone bust out the Applewood Whiskey,¡± he called out as he finished slaying one of the last sabertooths. ¡°It¡¯s time for-¡±
A scream rang behind him. Upon looking, he saw a sabertooth had snuck up behind his party and was preparing to attack. Though they could fight it, they instead called for help.
¡°Help, Kirino!¡±
Kirino dashed forward and began to strike down the beast. When it fell, he found himself breathing heavily and his limbs were growing tired.
¡°You saved me, Kirino,¡± Asura said. She leaned forward and kissed her boyfriend on his cheek. His step sister¡¯s eyes waved uncomfortably.
¡°D-do you need heals?¡± Subaru asked.
¡°Well, I am starting to feel tired. So sure.¡±
Just as Subaru finished healing Kirino, his attention drew to the trees. They were shaking and footsteps were growing louder. This didn¡¯t seem to be an ordinary sabertooth¡
Out of the shadows emerged a sabertooth that was twice as big as a regular mob. At 14 years old, Kirino was roughly 5 feet, 5 inches tall. This beast was twice as tall!
He immediately recognized it as Chazo, the sabertooth boss.
Most sabertooths had brown fur, but this beast¡¯s fur was white with black stripes. Its two teeth at the front of its mouth was almost the size of two short swords as opposed to the dagger-sized regular sabertooth¡¯s. It wore some sort of golden ring around one of its teeth, woven bands around its hind legs, and a tribal beaded necklace around its neck.
Kirino was in awe. Chazo was a rare spawn, so he didn¡¯t expect to see it his first time hunting in the Pride Forest. Normal sabertooths were level 55, but this boss was level 85!
.¡¡¡.¡..¡..¡.
One of the perks to asking Jenovine to follow him was that Orion had access to a portable kitchen kit: a campfire and a black pot with metal rods used to hover it over the fire.
What¡¯s more is that Jenovine had summoned the kit out of thin air, which meant NPC¡¯s had some sort of inventory. Now any time he found loot, he could give it to her and she would hang onto it until they wandered into a town and he sold it.
A tender chunk of beef slid into his mouth via a spoon, causing his mind to go blank for a moment of pleasure.
It was good!
One of the mechanics in the game was the ability to feel things. Not pain for when you die, of course. After all, nobody would want to play a game that makes you feel pain (probably).
But if Orion was to touch the ground, he would feel the dirt and grass on his hand as if it were real. Food with a quality of ¡°good¡± or better could also be tasted. That was why he hadn¡¯t been able to taste any of his dishes before; they were never of good quality. Players often didn¡¯t cook at all because you needed to grind the mastery skill before you start tasting food, so it was easier to just buy it.
Unfortunately even though Orion wanted to cook his own food, he couldn¡¯t seem to make them right. They all turned into poor quality.
¡°Do you want me to teach you?¡± Jenovine asked him as they ate the stew together while sitting on the side of the dirt path.
¡°No, I think I just need recipes.¡±
¡°Should we buy one in the next town?¡±
¡°Well if I¡¯m honest with you, I was hoping we would stumble on one. I wanted to hang onto as much gold as I could. But we might have to buy one.¡±
¡°Well monsters aren¡¯t going to drop pieces of paper that tell you how to cook. We¡¯ve been together for a month now and all you¡¯ve done in grind monsters.¡±
It was true, other than his therapist visits almost all of his time had been put into Genesis. Ever since Jenovine joined him, he had focused on grinding to get to a high level in hopes to be able to solo bosses.
In three months, he had gained 50 levels!
Just then, a scream reached them. Orion immediately rushed into the forest as if by habit. Jenovine¡¯s reaction was slightly slower, but she was very fast and caught up quickly.
There were few mobs roaming around, so they managed to dodge them well enough. Soon they found the source of the scream: a party of seven hanging around fighting an enormous sabertooth.
¡°Switch!¡± A man cloaked in black shouted. Following his orders, a beautiful golden-haired woman dashed forward and launched a fury of sword strikes.
When the same man yelled ¡°Switch¡± another time, he ran around it and continuously struck it¡¯s legs while the woman retreated.
¡°What is he saying? What does ¡®Switch¡¯ mean?¡± Orion asked Jenovine.
¡°No idea,¡± she admitted.
It didn¡¯t appear as if the maneuver had any effect whatsoever. Even though one stopped attacking, the boss stayed aggro¡¯d on the same person until losing interest. All that means is that they are losing the amount of damage per second they were putting out.
When fighting mobs, the beast or monster always goes for the person dealing the most damage unless someone uses a skill that is specifically for drawing its attention. If the idea was to continuously switch the mob¡¯s agro, all they had to do would be to fluctuate the damage per second each person put out.
Or, more practically, have a tank on hand so that aggression doesn¡¯t become a problem.
This idea of ¡°Switch¡± only resulted in dealing, for example, 100 damage per second as opposed to dealing 1000 damage per second simply because it looks or sounds cool.
Only when both players grew weary, cut up, and bloody (showing the physical attributes of being low on health) did the rest of the party join them.
But it appeared that the monster was too strong. Their team was well equipped but Orion drew the simple conclusion that they were simply under-leveled.
¡°Oh, I remembered something: that¡¯s actually a mob boss named Chazo, so it¡¯s much stronger than normal sabertooths in the area. Should we help?¡± Jenovine said.
¡°Probably not. If they lose, they will just respawn. I, personally, would prefer to not go through dying again.¡±
¡°Get back!¡± The black swordsman commanded. A fire burned deep in the man¡¯s eyes.
Orion tilted his head. It¡¯s not like the stranger could take on the beast himself¡ right?
Just then, the swordsman activated a skill that summoned another sword from thin air. He began to attack more furiously and was screaming at the top of his lungs.
¡°Damn that kid is loud,¡± Orion said, sticking his fingers in his ears.
Chazo swung his right claw forward in a swift attack, slashing the swordsman¡¯s chest. The man cried out and flew a few feet back.
¡°Kirino!¡± his party yelled.
Two of the many women rushed forward to his aid. The golden haired girl from before took a defensive stance between the swordsman and Chazo. The other girl, a black haired girl carrying a wooden healing staff, knelt by Kirino.
¡°Let me heal you!¡± the healer was saying, pointing the staff towards Kirino. He continued to lie on the ground and raised a hand.
¡°It¡¯s no use,¡± he said weakly. ¡°I¡¯m dying.¡±
Orion assumed that meant he was under 10% of his health. When a player reaches that low, they will continue to bleed out until their health reaches 0.
¡°That¡¯s why I should-¡±
¡°You must go, Subaru.¡±
Kirino stroked her cheek gently and some tears dripped from her eyes. Orion looked around and noticed that everyone in the party were growing misty eyed, ready to burst out in bawls.
¡°What the hell is happening,¡± Orion muttered. To his left Jenovine shrugged, equally confused. NPCs are lost forever if they die, but even Jenovine and all other NPCs knew that players would revive at the nearest town.
¡°Brother,¡± the healer cried.
¡°Oh my god,¡± Orion said, emerging from the trees. ¡°Just accept the damn healing.¡±
¡°But-¡± Kirino began to retort.
¡°Do it!¡±
Kirino looked to Subaru and hesitantly nodded, letting her heal his health enough so that he wasn¡¯t bleeding out anymore.
¡°We can¡¯t win,¡± the swordsman explained, standing now. Chazo stood a few feet away with its head low to the ground, ready to attack if anyone came near or provoked it further.
¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡±
Kirino examined Orion¡¯s gear and seemed unconvinced. After all even though Orion was probably a higher level than them, his gear said otherwise. It was simple leather armor and an iron chest plate; gear for a level 30 or 40.
¡°Chazo isn¡¯t attacking right now, right? That means unless we get close or attack it, it won¡¯t attack us. It¡¯s gaining its health back at a rapid rate, though, so we can¡¯t really use it as a strategy. But it does give me time to think.¡±
¡°But it attacked us first,¡± the golden haired girl stated.
¡°You must have been standing in its spawn zone, so when it appeared it automatically attacked.¡±
¡°Well we can heal up now and then continue the fight just like before!¡± Kirino suggested, appearing hopeful.
¡°No, I¡¯m taking over,¡± Orion said. The fight he witnessed before was pitiful and he wanted no part of it.
¡°This is Asura,¡± the swordsman waved a hand towards the golden haired girl. ¡°She¡¯s probably stronger than me.¡±
¡°Then why were you holding her back and trying to do everything yourself?¡±
¡°Er¡ ah¡ well¡ because I¡¯m the man!¡±
¡°That¡¯s just stupid.¡±
¡°What about you, then?¡± Kirino retorted, nodding towards Jenovine who remained by the trees. ¡°Your maid girlfriend is over there and you¡¯re over here.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. Also, why did you not use your dual swords until near the end?¡±
¡°Because¡¡±
¡°For dramatic effect? Yeah, don¡¯t kid yourself. When we go back in, use all your skills.¡±
Before Kirino could reply, Orion moved on to talking to the rest of the team. ¡°Tank. Focus on using your skills that draw it¡¯s aggression, got it?¡±
The samurai shot a thumbs up. ¡°Name¡¯s Flein.¡±
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¡°Cool. How many healers do we have?¡±
Subaru and one more girl raised their hands. The second healer looked as if to be only thirteen years old. Orion wondered if that was what they called ¡°loli¡±.
¡°You,¡± he said pointing to Subaru. ¡°Are your skills area of effect or single target?¡±
¡°Single target.¡±
¡°And you?¡± he asked the loli-girl.
¡°A-a-area of effect!¡±
¡°Subaru, focus solely on healing the tank. That means we can use our other healer for healing the rest of us. Flein, you¡¯ll be facing it head on with Subaru behind you. That leaves all of us behind it and away from its claw attack that just knocked your leader on his ass. Eventually Flein will lose its aggro, but as I saw before Kirino and Asura can handle its attacks for a while. At least until Flein¡¯s skills get off cooldown.¡±
¡°Gotcha!¡± they all said.
The battle began.
¡°Battle Cry!¡±
¡°Phantom Strike!¡±
¡°Blessings!¡±
For ten minutes, the group battled Chazo. It mostly went as Orion planned, only Flein often lost the boss¡¯ aggression more often than he predicted. Luckily they had two healers, so nobody was too injured. However, it eventually revealed a new attack.
Chazo waved his tail behind him, forcing a fierce gust of wind to stagger the damage dealers behind him. Once he regained his composure, Orion noticed a red text appear and fade after a couple seconds.
Your strength and defense has lowered!
A de-buff!
There was a mage in the team, but everyone else relied on strength. Plus the samurai tanking Chazo¡¯s attacks was thrown off as well, probably just out of surprise.
Chazo spun around and swung his razor-sharp claws at Orion¡¯s team, causing them all to fly backwards.
Orion tumbled into a roll and landed on his knees, ready to fight again. However, the weaker players were out of breath and struggling to stand.
¡°Heal them!¡± Orion ordered, and the loli-girl used a trembling hand to chug a blue potion before beginning to heal the team. The only problem was that the healing would take time.
Chazo had focused back on Flein, who was struggling to defend. Even with a healer, he wouldn¡¯t last long without damage dealers behind the boss to draw its attention while the tank¡¯s skills were on cooldown.
As his eyes watched the samurai battle the sabertooth boss, he noticed a sword lying on the ground. It was Kirino¡¯s second sword, which was completely black so it stood out amongst the grass. He must have dropped it after the team was attacked.
Kirino¡¯s sword would deal more damage than his own sword, and every bit of damage counted if he wanted to withstand a one on one fight with Chazo, even if the fight only lasted a few seconds.
Orion sprinted forward and swept the sword from the ground.
Text appeared in front of him.
You have lost 25 fame!
Of course, picking something off the ground is still stealing if it belongs to another player. However, he accumulated an impressive amount of fame due to the quest fighting Duke Wilde. He had 200 fame, which made NPCs nicer, prices lower, and certain quests available. Usually you wouldn¡¯t reach that amount until you were at least level 100.
But he was too invested in this fight to care about 25 fame!
Once he reached the beast, he swung the sword at its legs.
Chazo roared and faced Orion. Then it lifted its paw up high in the air.
¡°Shrouded!¡± Orion called.
A sliver of silver in the form of an orb appeared around Orion. The barrier would protect him from 1000 physical or magical damage. But as the cost, his mana dropped by 3/4ths!
It was a mana-hungry skill and the cooldown was 60 seconds, but it was necessary. If he didn¡¯t help Klein, the samurai would fall too quickly and Chazo¡¯s health would reset.
The claws clashed against the orb and forced the boss¡¯ claw to fly back into the air. The barrier shattered and though the attack deflected, Orion still took enough damage to put him at 25% health.
Chazo prepared for a second attack.
¡°Battle cry!¡±
Chazo¡¯s attention was drawn back to Flein.
After a second rotation, resulting in Orion falling to 15% health, the rest of the team arrived to help and he began to receive the area-of-effect heals.
¡°Same plan as before!¡± he told them.
They began to deal consistent damage again, chunking Chazo¡¯s health by 10% before its tail moved to the left.
This time, Orion¡¯s attention to detail spotted it.
¡°Duck!¡±
Everyone around Orion dropped to their stomachs, allowing Chazo¡¯s tail to swoop above them. The wind nearly blew everyone over, but they managed to dodge the de-buff and resume the attack.
¡°Phantom Strike!¡±
¡°Fury Strike!¡±
¡°Lightning Bolt!¡±
With the occasional command of ¡°Duck¡±, Orion managed to lead the team to chunking the boss¡¯ health below 25%.
The sabertooth suddenly roared, but it wasn¡¯t a regular roar; it was loud enough to shake the ground and the trees. Across the field, Orion saw Flein fly back against his will into the forest and out of sight. At the same time, two sabertooths lept from cover.
Shit! Think fast!
The sabertooth to the left had a sword symbol floating above its head; the one to the right had some sort of open book which gave extra spell damage.
¡°Kirino, stay with me! We¡¯re going to keep the boss busy! Loli, stay and heal us at the same time! Asura, take Subaru and fight the sabertooth on the left!
The loli-girl¡¯s face flushed when she heard the nickname. ¡°L-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-¡±
But Orion didn¡¯t give her time to object to being called ¡°Loli¡± as he had more orders.
¡°Everyone else, the three of you should be able to take the sabertooth on the right!¡±
Orion didn¡¯t much enjoy Kirino¡¯s company but based on what he¡¯d seen before, he would be able to help tank some of Chazo¡¯s attacks.
¡°Shrouded!¡±
Orion shielded most of the first attack. Because Kirino dealt more damage than him, Chazo¡¯s attention soon focused on the swordsman instead. With one strike, Kirino was thrown back.
Orion¡¯s skill didn¡¯t come off cooldown soon enough to block the first attack, so he was soon thrown back as well.
However, at that time Kirino was rushing back into the fight.
Once Orion regained his composure and ran into battle, Kirino was hit back again. It was like the sabertooth was playing with a pinball machine.
This time, Orion¡¯s barrier had come back off of cooldown.
¡°Shrouded!¡±
The attack was deflected, but neither one of them could take another direct hit. It was then that Asura lept into battle and Subaru helped with healing as well. Since she was a skilled swordsman, she dealt more damage per second than Orion and Chazo focused his attention on her.
She was able to survive a hit and the rest of the damage dealers soon finished slaying the other sabertooth add.
They all took some damage, but with their numbers they were able to stall until Flein found his way back.
¡°Battle cry!¡± he shouted.
Chazo¡¯s aggression was pulled towards the samurai and they were able to resume the assault. Even though it was a video game, Orion could feel sweat drip from his brow and was out of breath. But he couldn¡¯t ease up.
Luckily the boss didn¡¯t summon any more minor creatures and after another dodge from its tail, Chazo¡¯s health reached 0.
The giant sabertooth raised its head and cried out before collapsed to the ground, causing dirt to swarm over all the players.
+25000 EXP!
Level up!
Level up!
Orion could finally release a heavy sigh. His second boss, Chazo the Sabertooth, was a successful victory.
And it only took an hour!
He approached the corpse of the beast. A small window popped up revealing one item: a bonetooth necklace. He retrieved it and examined it.
Item Obtained: Bonetooth Necklace
A unique trophy obtained from Chazo the Sabertooth. Given only to those worthy.
Only to those worthy?
Orion took another look, this time through his inventory like he was ready to put it on.
| Bonetooth Necklace |
Durablity: |
100/100 |
|
Effects
+10 Fame
+50 Health
+Leadership
|
¡®Leadership? What the hell is that?¡¯
Orion looked around at the players celebrating their victory. It didn¡¯t appear that anyone else received the item, so had the game somehow knew he was leading the assault and gave the item to him as a reward? He equipped it and decided to do research on what ¡°leadership¡± was later.
As he turned to leave, Kirino stopped him.
¡°Hey,¡± the swordsman said. ¡°Can we add you on our friends list?¡±
¡°Uh¡ no thanks.¡±
¡°Come on, please? You can travel around with us; you and your maid friend!¡±
¡°I prefer to roll solo, but thanks.¡±
¡°Well, can I have my sword back?¡±
¡°Hey, look over there!¡± Orion shouted suddenly, pointing in the opposite direction. ¡°A possible addition to a fan club, damsel-in-distress!¡±
Kirino excitingly spun around to look for who Orion was talking about, but saw no one. When he turned back, Orion was gone.
¡°You¡¯re going to keep his sword?¡± Jenovine asked as they returned to the dirt path they had been traveling before.
¡°Hell yes, I lost 25 fame picking this thing up. I¡¯m not about to just give it back.¡±
¡°Does it do anything special?¡±
Orion opened his inventory and examined the sword.
| Obsidian Sword |
Durablity: |
65/100 |
Damage: |
32 |
| Requirements: |
100 Agility |
|
Effects
+25 Strength
+25 Dexterity
+50 Agility
|
| Sells to merchants for 200% more gold than to shopkeepers. |
¡°Pretty impressive,¡± Orion admitted. ¡°But it looks like it¡¯s more of a sword than you would use with a second sword, like how that kid was using it while dual wielding. I¡¯ve been using a low level sword to save money, so I¡¯ll be able to use it for now. Later I¡¯ll sell it and try to buy a better sword with the gold.¡±
¡°Where to next, then?¡±
¡°Next? Hm¡ I guess now we should go to the coast.¡± He looked to Jenovine and smiled. ¡°There¡¯s a lot more islands and countries waiting for us!¡±
6. Voyage
¡°Why do you think the cat triggered your first flashback? Why the cat specifically? Do you compare that specific non-player character to the young girl you met overseas?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Viktor admitted. ¡°I guess I just felt the same helplessness. I couldn¡¯t help either of them.¡±
The therapist raised her head slightly and pondered her next question while tapping a pen to a notepad. ¡°Do you feel alone?¡±
¡°Not really.¡±
¡°But you live alone, yes?¡±
¡°I meet people in the game.¡±
¡°Do you travel with them though? Have you joined a guild yet?¡±
Viktor shook his head to both questions.
¡°Have you even added anyone on your friends list?¡±
Viktor thought of the only other player he¡¯d really spoken to for an extended period: Fooly. He had promised to add the merchant to his friend¡¯s list the next time they met.
¡°Yet you invited a non-player character to join you on your adventures. Not a real person.¡±
¡°I guess it¡¯s different,¡± he shrugged.
¡°Tell me more about her,¡± the therapist said.
¡°I think she¡¯s a little older than me. She went on a quest to avenge her grandmother when she was 20. She was trapped for 10 years and served as his maid, outfit and everything.¡±
¡°I meant tell me more about how she helps you.¡±
¡°She carries things around for me, which is nice. There¡¯s a specific carry weight for a player¡¯s avatar that can¡¯t be changed, so I can travel further distances without having to go back to town so often. She cooks too.¡±
¡°Do you practice cooking?¡±
¡°I enjoy it, but lately I haven¡¯t been doing it much at all.¡±
¡°Are you trying to rely on her more? Perhaps subconsciously.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°You¡¯re followed around by a character who isn¡¯t a real person. To me it looks like you¡¯re trying to make a connection with someone, but subconsciously you are contradicting yourself.¡±
Viktor¡¯s attention traveled out the window into the clouds. He understood what she was getting at, more or less, but it was still confusing and hurt his head to comprehend it.
¡°Do you like¡ um¡¡±
¡°Jenovine,¡± he said.
¡°Yes, Jenovine. Do you like her? Are you attracted to her?¡±
¡°She¡¯s quite attractive, yes, and she¡¯s nice. But I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m interested in her.¡±
¡°Why not?¡±
¡°She¡¯s not real. Besides, I don¡¯t feel connected to anyone nor do I have any desire to pursue connection.¡±
¡°But she can hold a conversation, can¡¯t she? The artificial intelligence in the game is programmed at a sophisticated level: non-player characters can die. If you ask them a question, they can respond intelligently. They feel things, at least according to them. Does that not make them real?¡±
Viktor found himself shaking his head slightly as he thought of an answer until finally shrugging the question to the side.
¡°I¡¯d like to set a goal for you, if I may. The next time you play the game, create a connection with someone. Whether it¡¯s with Jenovine or anyone else. Even if all you end up doing is adding their character to your friends list.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± he said honestly.
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡..
One of the more mind-blowing things about Genesis, at least in Orion¡¯s eyes, was the graphics. He stood at a dock, watching the glistening waves gently rock the enormous wooden ship. The dock sounded of creeks from the wooden planks and the occasional seagull.
As he approached one of the guards standing by the boarding plank that led customers to the ship, the guard sized Orion up.
¡°I¡¯d like two passes to Ravenhook, please.¡±
¡°Doubt you have enough gold, kid,¡± the man replied.
Once again, Orion was judged by his tattered leather armor. Perhaps he should finally travel to a blacksmith and buy new armor. After all, he had grinded more monsters while traveling a week to the coast after defeating Chazo the Sabertooth.
¡°How much is it?¡±
¡°300 gold apiece.¡±
¡®600 gold!¡¯ Orion cursed in his head. He¡¯d been playing the game for a little over three months now and in the time, he had achieved level 78 and accumulated 735 gold. Quests gave little gold just like mobs, so they best way to get gold was to sell items or beat bosses. Solo players, like Orion, typically took longer to level up and get gold.
But Orion played every day, only leaving to take care of shopping or cooking and visiting his therapist weekly. Because of that, his level and gold amount was just as high as a guild player or someone who played with friends.
And now he was about to lose almost all of his gold!
For a moment, he reconsidered. But something in the back of his mind pushed him to pay the fee. Other than adventure, there was one more reason he wanted to go to Ravenhook.
Last week, he and Jenovine stumbled on a traveling merchant. The woman was completely surrounded by guard NPCs in steel plate armor, which had told Orion they were all at least level 250.
They chatted with the merchant who told them of a secret ingredient, hidden in the mountains north of Ravenhook.
The herb only spawned at a random hour once every half a year, and the timescale in Genesis was the same as the real world. That meant a player could only find the herb twice a year in real time, so it was one of the rarest items in the game.
It also only spawned during a full moon, so Orion would have to deal with level 90 werewolves infested within the mountain.
It was only a legend and most players didn¡¯t even know about it, plus he would have to camp the area and continue looking every night for 3 days in a row.
So why exactly would he want to?
The merchant went on to tell him what the herb, known as Wolfsbain, did. First, a player had to crush the herb. Then, they had to incorporate the powder in whatever they were crafting.
For example, if a player was blacksmithing a weapon they would sprinkle the powder over the material as it cooled. Since Orion often tried to cook for Jenovine instead of the other way around, it gave him a chance to repay all the meals she made him.
Using the item resulted in the player gaining 1 mastery level for whatever craft they used it in. Any effects it gave tripled, the item (or meal, in Orion¡¯s case) automatically received a ¡°very good¡± quality, and would gain twice as much experience for their craft for one week.
There were other hidden items in the game that provided similar benefits, but the Wolfsbain was perfect for Orion.
Werewolves had tough skin and often hunted in packs. Because of that, solo players didn¡¯t typically go into the mountains.
The werewolves also gave less experience for every member of a party. Because of that, players that fought with friends opted for other areas in the world where EXP opportunities were simply better.
Not only were the mountains almost completely untouched by players, but Orion was never afraid of a challenge.
The merchant assured him the herb would spawn was sometime between two and three weeks. His plan was to get there as soon as he could and kill werewolves every night as he searched the mountains.
That¡¯s why when the guard impatiently reached a hand out, Orion sighed and plopped a coin purse filled with 600 gold into his palm.
Jenovine pat Orion on the shoulder and gave him a smile with a nod. He could tell she was trying to say ¡°everything¡¯s going to be okay¡±.
Once they boarded the ship, Orion spotted a familiar face. Underneath the deck, players gathered to wait for their departure. Sitting by himself at one of the dozen tables and staring out the window was Fooly. As soon as Orion entered, Fooly simultaneously looked towards the entrance and their eyes met.
A big grin crossed Fooly¡¯s face as he waved. ¡°Orion, hey!¡±
From the looks of it, Fooly joined a guild.
A player can usually tell if another person is in a guild based on a guild item. Every guild has a symbol and players can craft items that bare said symbol. He wore a black robe with a sigil on the right shoulder.
The robe went as low as his mid-thigh, so Orion could see black leather that Fooly wore as pants, boots, and gloves. Usually players stick to one type of armor: clothing like robes, light like leather, medium like chainmail, or heavy like plates. However Fooly wore a robe with light armor, which was not often seen.
Orion assumed it must be because of his job.
As a merchant, he needs the swiftness that clothing gives. However, he¡¯s not a primary source for damage and would probably tank a few hits during a fight, so the leather would give him some help there.
Unlike Fooly, Orion was a solo player and was often directly in the fight. As such, he wore leather armor with a medium armor chainmail vest.
He would have to part with it soon, though, for when he finds new gear. Well, he didn¡¯t necessarily have to change, but they were beginning to lose their durability.
Plus, they didn¡¯t provide him with any extra stats like magic resistance or extra agility. Since he was beginning to reach level 100, he would need to start finding items like that to fight mobs effectively.
Orion realized his mind had wandered off and snapped out of it by joining Fooly at the table.
¡°It¡¯s been a while,¡± Fooly noted. ¡°What¡¯ve you been up to?¡±
¡°A little of this and a little of that,¡± Orion replied.
¡°I see you¡¯re not rolling solo anymore,¡± he said. Then he nodded towards the woman sitting next to Orion. ¡°Who¡¯s the lucky lady?¡±
¡°Jenovine,¡± she said, joining the conversation.
Fooly waved a hand towards Orion and they both leaned in a bit and whispered, ¡°Why¡¯s she in a maid¡¯s outfit?¡±
However, the whisper turned out to be louder than Fooly expected.
¡°Because it¡¯s comfortable and I¡¯m used to it,¡± Jenovine said.
¡°She¡¯s an NPC,¡± Orion added. ¡°So she doesn¡¯t have to worry about armor.¡±
¡°An NPC!? Why are you traveling with an NPC?¡±
Orion shrugged. ¡°She was being held captive and offered me a quest to set her free. When I did, I just asked her if she wanted to tag along. I mean, it¡¯s not like she had anywhere to go and she helps with selling my loot or cooking.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t have to talk about me like I¡¯m not here¡¡±
¡°Sorry. What about you, Fooly? Where¡¯ve you been?¡±
¡°I joined a guild,¡± he said, pointing to the sigil Orion had noticed earlier. ¡°We¡¯re called The White Hand.¡±
Orion had heard of the guild before due to their social fame. A lot of guilds are casual, but there are plenty that are around a general theme: warriors only, crafters only, etc. The White Hand was full of players with positive fame that focused on large scale quests and raids. Never guild wars, though.
¡°You should check it out! Most of the players are hardcore, but there are a lot of casuals too.¡±
¡°No thanks.¡±
¡°Alright, no worries. We should get together and hunt sometime soon, like old times.¡±
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Orion¡¯s attention was pulled to the entrance where a woman wearing a cloak climbed down the steps. On her chest was a symbol of a roaring lion.
The woman made for a nearby table and Orion focused back on Fooly who had been talking.
¡°We should add each other on our friend¡¯s list so we can get together later.¡±
Orion began to decline, but the words caught in his throat as he pictured his therapist shaking her head. ¡°Sure.¡±
Fooly¡¯s face lit up and he spoke aloud to no one in particular. ¡°Add Orion to friend¡¯s list.¡±
A window popped up in front of Orion. It was odd that Fooly used the voice command when he could simply open a window and do it manually. That¡¯s how most people did it, but Orion guessed that Fooly was simply excited.
He decided to use voice command as well. ¡°Accept.¡±
¡°Still, it¡¯s amazing getting this far solo. Encouraging, even! I¡¯m a Merchant, if you remember. For you to get this far by yourself gives me some hope since I¡¯m with a guild.¡±
¡°You mentioned a goal last time we spoke, during the battle against Diablo. Choosing a profession like merchant over a combat class must have been difficult, but you did it to work on your goal. Very admirable.¡±
Fooly¡¯s face flushed. ¡°N-no! You¡¯re much more impressive, for sure, definitely. So uh¡ Jenovine, it was? How do you like traveling with Orion?¡±
¡°He¡¯s nice,¡± she smiled.
¡°That¡¯s all? Come on! A player and an NPC... no, not just an NPC! A beautiful woman! You two, traveling this world together, all by yourselves. It¡¯s almost like a forbidden lo-¡±
¡°Stop,¡± Orion and Jenovine said in unison.
Orion glanced over to his companion, who looked to the floor to hide the pink in her face. Fooly laughed and took a drink of water.
¡°Well, where are you two headed then?¡±
¡°Ravenhook. You?¡±
¡°The same, actually! I¡¯m meeting up with some guild members. That¡¯s so cool, not only do we get on the same ship at the same time but we¡¯re going to the same place! We might be the only ones; I hear nobody tends to go to the continent. A lot of it is unexplored.¡±
¡°Guess I¡¯ll have plenty to explore for the first time.¡±
Orion and Fooly continued their conversation for a long while, with Jenovine joining in every once in a while. Orion was quite surprised by her AI; he didn¡¯t know much about it but it had to have been fairly advanced to be able to think and feel for herself.
The ship stopped five times over the course of two hours, each time most of the passengers left while a handful joined. Long range travel was tedious, but it was necessary due to the enormous world.
The ship they were on wasn¡¯t the only ship; there were hundreds of others all floating around the seas. Thus, the cabin eventually dwindled to Fooly, Orion, Jenovine, and the cloaked woman with the lion on her chest.
¡°Do you want anything, Orion?¡± Jenovine asked, motioning to the right wall. Orion followed her direction and saw a long counter with complimentary snacks provided by the ship¡¯s captain. The ship was loaded with just about everything; meat, fruit, Applewood Whiskey, bread, etc.
¡°I¡¯m good, thanks though.¡±
Jenovine shrugged and stood to get something herself. As she walked over to the counter, the cloaked woman suddenly sprang up and snatched Jenovine by the neck. Orion shot to his feet, but the woman was too quick and had an iron dagger pressed to Jenovine¡¯s neck before Orion could reach them.
¡°An NPC, huh?¡± the woman said. Her hood cast a shadow that covered her face except for the sinister grin. ¡°Tell me, if I slit her throat and make her bleed, will she feel it? Or maybe I should make it quick for her. Make sure to say your goodbyes because you¡¯ll never see her again.¡±
Orion took a step forward but the woman pushed the tip against Jenovine¡¯s neck, causing a drop of blood to drip down her skin.
¡°You haven¡¯t done it yet, so you want something right? What do you want?¡± Orion demanded.
¡°All of your gold. Both of you.¡±
Orion glanced to the side. He was ready to tell Fooly that he didn¡¯t have to listen to her and that this had nothing to do with him. However, he was already pulling a hefty gold purse out of his inventory. Orion did the same.
¡°Toss em to me, but stay where you are!¡±
They obeyed. The woman kept her eyes locked on Orion and Fooly and her hand around Jenovine¡¯s arm. Then she bent down slowly and picked both purses up.
¡°Pleasure,¡± she chuckled and raised her head to let the hood fall onto her shoulders. ¡°However, I¡¯m not just a regular thief.¡±
Orion¡¯s heart skipped a beat and his eyes grew wide, which peered directly into the woman¡¯s. She had eyes full of red and blood.
¡°The consequences for killing in a video game are a lot less heavy than in real life. But players respawn¡ that¡¯s no fun¡¡±
The woman giggled and tilted Jenovine¡¯s head back, ready to plunge the blade into the NPC¡¯s neck.
¡°Fight me!¡± Orion said.
The woman stopped, baffled. ¡°Eh?¡±
¡°You love killing, right? If you beat me you¡¯d be able to kill all of us on this ship. If you kill Jenovine now, you¡¯ll be next to die because Fooly and I will team up against you.¡±
¡°You¡¯ll team up against me anyway,¡± the woman laughed. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid.¡±
¡°No. I¡¯ll be the one to fight you because I want the satisfaction of killing you myself.¡±
Orion held a stare with the woman in silence for a few moments. What he said was true and she knew it; killing the NPC would only cause the guys to attack her at the same time. Now, he was giving her an out.
She had to take it because of his appearance. With the armor he had, she thought there¡¯d be no way he¡¯s the same level as her.
¡°Fine,¡± she said. Then she tossed Jenovine to the side, who stumbled and collapsed. ¡°My names Katrina. What¡¯s yours, kid?¡±
Orion unsheathed the obsidian sword and dashed forward without replying. Katrina laughed as if she enjoyed the response and whipped out a second dagger. After crossing her blades, she was able to block his first attack.
¡°Phantom Strike!¡±
His transparent arm appeared, throwing her off guard. She pushed back his real sword and barely managed to block the phantom sword, but Orion was already moving for the third strike.
His sword sliced through her torso, causing Katrina to fall back.
But the assassin was quick to recover and dashed to the side, quicker than Orion could follow.
¡°Stun!¡±
One of her daggers began to spark with electricity and slid into Orion¡¯s side. He felt a prickle and flinched, but couldn¡¯t react further. But it was more than that¡
He couldn¡¯t move at all!
She was behind him now.
Katrina wrapped her arm around Orion¡¯s neck in a headlock and stabbed him in the chest. Even though he didn¡¯t feel any pain, Orion couldn¡¯t help but grit his teeth as if it were real.
Orion felt his muscles and limbs loosen as the stun wore off. He grabbed her to keep her still and ran backwards, slamming her into the wall. She loosened her grip and tried to let go to get away, but he gripped her tighter and flung her over his shoulder.
The woman smacked onto the floorboards and Orion thrust his sword into her chest.
He couldn¡¯t help but think if this was real, it would have ended there. However, this was a video game so she rolled on her side and hopped to her knees.
¡®I¡¯m a little rusty,¡¯ Orion thought to himself. ¡®But I can at least think. In that position, the only thing she can do is lunge forward.¡¯
Katrina flipped her daggers around like an assassin before shooting off the ground. In a second, she reached him just as he predicted.
¡®She tried to fight me head on before but I landed a hit on her, so she¡¯ll try to get around me again.¡¯
Katrina stepped to the right before shifting her feet and spinning to the left. Orion let his sword relax to his side and turned to face her in time to see her smirk.
¡°Cutthroat!¡±
Another skill! Katrina vanished in thin air and Orion felt a slight breeze from the movement of her appearing behind him.
¡°Stun!¡±
Her dagger electrified and she moved for a stab.
¡°Shrouded!¡±
A thin barrier surrounded his body as a chunk of his mana depleted. Just before the dagger stuck in his back, Orion managed to block it.
He heard Katrina kiss her teeth behind him as she tried for another attack, but Orion spun around to face her.
The dagger stilled held the spark effect, so he had to be sure to not get hit. Likewise; if he managed to hit her, she would be in trouble.
He stepped to the side, dodging the dagger. Then Orion flipped his sword back around to the correct position and tried for an uppercut.
She stepped to the side, dodging the blade.
¡°Phantom Strike!¡±
Since his arm was already raised, Orion swung downwards. At the same time, his phantom strike would swing upwards.
Katrina was forced to retreat back a step and prepared to counter, but she was now where Orion wanted her. This whole time they fought within arm¡¯s reach of each other.
Now, she was within his range but out of her own.
Orion thrust forward with all of his strength. Because Katrina had prepared to counter attack, she didn¡¯t have time to dodge.
The sword went through her gut and she stumbled back.
He was faster now than when the fight began; he was rusty no longer. Before Katrina could react Orion retracted his sword, already on the move.
He spun around and let the sword follow the momentum naturally. The blade sliced through her body, causing her to collapse to her knees. Blood coughed from her mouth.
She was low on health.
Orion¡¯s hand began to tremble and his heart raced. He even felt his face grow a little red from the blood pumping in his veins.
This was what it felt like to kill in Genesis.
It was as if something had seized his soul and ripped it from his body. A sense of chilled chains wrapped themselves around him with no intention of letting go again.
Orion raised the sword and plunged it through her back, even going as far as sticking the sword into the ground.
¡°I¡¯ll remember you,¡± she spat. Then, all that remained was the blood which served as evidence of their battle.
You have lost all your fame!
He retrieved his gold purse and tossed Fooly his. Both Fooly and Jenovine stood in shock and silence, unsure of what to say or do.
Orion grabbed a bottle of Applewood Whiskey from the counter and poured a drink.
¡°Orion¡?¡± Jenovine whispered.
He looked at her but he didn¡¯t really look at her. His eyes simply stared in her direction as if not seeing her physical body at all. A mist shrouded his eyes.
Then he turned back to his drink and took a sip.
7. Fooly
¡°One more!¡±
Fooly raised his new steel sword and slashed the goblin. The green beast, which was only as tall as Fooly¡¯s waist, stumbled back. A split second later, an arrow spun out of the darkness and pierced the goblin¡¯s head.
The goblin cried out as it collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Level up!
Fooly breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, after all the grinding, he was level 80! He was strong now, but not as strong as¡
The vague memory of Orion killing Katrina flashed through his mind.
Fooly needed to be stronger! So, Fooly has asked his guild leader to lend him a party for two weeks in order to grind some levels.
¡°Fooly, man,¡± a male knight named Jibril said. ¡°We gotta call it a day. We¡¯ve already trained for a good six hours more than we normally do!¡±
¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re right. You guys can log off now. Same time tomorrow, though.¡±
The four other party members roared with delight and laughed as a group, probably due to the exhaustion. After saying goodbyes, Fooly was left sitting on a rock.
He opened his friend¡¯s list.
He had around twenty names listed, but one name stuck out the most. Orion.
When Fooly had logged on, Orion was already on. Twelve hours later when Fooly is ready to log off, Orion was still online.
He tapped Orion¡¯s name with a finger, causing the familiar small symbol of a megaphone to pop up.
¡°Hello?¡± Fooly talked with no one around, but his voice managed to reach someone else.
¡°Yo,¡± Orion¡¯s voice ranged in Fooly¡¯s ears.
¡°What are you up to? You¡¯ve been online for a long time.¡±
¡°Looking for some mountains. A merchant told me it would be near Ravenhook but it¡¯s so far away. I feel duped already and I haven¡¯t even reached it yet.¡±
¡°Want some help? I could-¡±
¡°No thanks. It shouldn¡¯t be much longer now and I don¡¯t want to waste your time.¡±
Silence. Orion was far away from Fooly, but not just in a physical sense. Ever since he killed Katrina, it was as if a part of Orion died too. It seemed like an unfair trade; Katrina will respawn, but what if Orion stayed like this? Distant¡
¡°Oh, I think I¡¯m here now, actually. I gotta go, I¡¯ll see you soon.¡±
The megaphone vanished, leaving Fooly sitting in silence. His heart churned in a sense of motivation; he had to catch up to Orion! Then, Orion would be forced to listen to him!
Just as his picked up his sword, a person appeared out of thin air. It was Samantha, the ranger from his party.
¡°Fooly?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°What are you still doing online?¡±
¡°Uh¡ what are you?¡±
¡°I was going to ask the leader for something¡ Were you planning on training more?¡±
Fooly looked away. He didn¡¯t want to make her feel guilty by leaving him so he didn¡¯t want to tell her the truth. At the same time, she was one of the only members of the guild The White Hand that didn¡¯t look at him as an object due to the merchant¡¯s passive.
He couldn¡¯t just lie to her.
As he thought of what to say, Samantha immediately caught on.
¡°Well,¡± she spoke up. ¡°I suppose since I¡¯m already on, I can train for a while longer.¡±
He looked at her with a blinding smile. ¡°Well, I was going to go into the forest since those mobs would be easier for me to solo, but with you here we can stay in the cave. At the entrance of it the goblins were lower in levels, so a pair should be able to take them relatively easy.¡±
¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± she said, shooting him a thumb up.
They cut down goblins at a much slower rate than when there was a group, but eventually Samantha managed to level up and they said their goodbyes for definite this time.
The next day, the whole party was online and continued their training at a steady pace.
It had been nine days of constant grinding when the team stumbled on a small indention in the cave wall. It opened like a hallway, but Fooly couldn¡¯t see too far down because of the darkness.
¡°Should I scout ahead?¡± Samantha asked.
Fooly nodded.
Because of her profession of ranger, Samantha could activate a skill that allowed her to see two times as far as any regular player. She would be able to see the mobs that waited for them in the darkness before drawing aggro and return to the party unharmed.
When she returned, she shook her head.
¡°It¡¯s a boss.¡±
¡°Do you know which one?¡±
¡°No, I couldn¡¯t get close enough. It¡¯s full of goblins too, so the boss has to be at least level 120, maybe more.¡±
¡°Can we fight it?¡± The knight asked.
¡°No. Actually¡ call the guild leader. Tell him what we know about the boss and ask for reinforcements.¡±
¡°Roger that,¡± Jibril said, opening the guild member list, which was similar to the friend¡¯s list. As he called, Fooly sat on the ground and scratched his chin.
¡°Did you see how many goblins there were?¡±
¡°No,¡± Samantha replied.
¡°He gave us approval,¡± the knight said. Then he sheathed his sword and dropped his shield in order to join Fooly on the floor. ¡°We just gotta wait for another squad that¡¯ll get here in an hour.¡±
Just then, Fooly¡¯s stomach rumbled.
Their healer, a monk named Xevrend, sat next to Fooly. ¡°Should I heat up that soup we bought from the traveling merchant the other day?¡±
¡°Hell yes.¡±
Fooly waited in anticipation as Xevrend crafted a fire and boiled the pre-bought soup. Even though it was already made and not fresh, it still tasted delicious. More so than if any of them cooked, so none of them had cooking mastery and a high level in said mastery was needed to add taste to meals.
But before he could dig in, a party appeared and unfortunately it wasn¡¯t their reinforcements.
A large, body-building, power-lifting, meat-head looking man led the group. He wore some simple cloth armor that resembled fur but carried an enormous double headed axe over his shoulder. The axe must have been as tall as the warrior himself, which meant it took considerable strength to wield.
Fooly could already very well guess what the man¡¯s profession was. Berserker; one of the heaviest hitters in the game but they lacked defense, hence his cloth armor.
Along with the armor, the leader also had a cloak draped down his back.
¡°Eh!?¡± He shouted when he saw Fooly¡¯s squad.
Fooly stood, not wanting to seem weak by sitting. ¡°Who are you?¡±
¡°Trick, one of the captains of Lion¡¯s Roar. Who¡¯re you?¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Lion¡¯s Roar!
¡°Fooly from The White Hand.¡±
Trick released a laughed that came from the bellows of his gut. ¡°You hear that,¡± he said, looking behind to the rest of his team. ¡°The White Hand!¡±
Fooly could already sense a confrontation rising. The two guilds have been rivals for longer than Fooly¡¯s been in The White Hand. That being said, they never fight. Fooly¡¯s guild doesn¡¯t participate in player versus player while Lion¡¯s Roar prides itself on pvp.
The number one rule for The White Hand is to have positive fame; no player with negative fame can join. The second rule is to not pvp. So when Lion¡¯s Roar shows up, the leader of The White Hand demands all members to retreat.
¡°So what¡¯re y¡¯all doin out here, sittin around?¡±
¡®He doesn¡¯t know about the boss! Maybe if we don¡¯t tell him, they¡¯ll-¡¯
¡°Somethin in there?¡± Trick asked, pointing a thumb to the opening in the wall that led to the boss. Fooly¡¯s heart sunk and the berserker laughed as if feeling the dread. ¡°Kindred! Run in there, will ya? Scout it.¡±
¡°Yes sir,¡± a woman wearing all black replied.
¡®Damnit, they have someone to scout too!¡¯
Kindred descended into the darkness and soon returned with the very information Fooly had been trying to hide.
Trick grinned from the news. ¡°Oh? Waitin for reinforcements then? Say, you don¡¯t mind if we steal it, huh? Unless, of course¡ you wanna fight for it.¡±
Fooly felt a hand clap his shoulder and turned to see Jibri, who was shaking his head.
¡°My, my,¡± a female voice called from the shadows. A woman cloaked in black stepped out from behind Trick and let her hood fall, revealing her face.
Katrina!
¡°I didn¡¯t suspect we¡¯d meet so soon,¡± she smiled.
¡°You know this guy?¡± Her leader asked.
¡°A bit. Well, are we going to fight? You can¡¯t fight though, can you? Your friend had to save you before!¡±
Her laugh crackled through the cave.
¡°We were just leaving,¡± Jibril spoke up. The knight lifted his hands up to show innocence before beckoning for the team to follow.
¡°Running, you mean?¡± Katrina mocked. ¡°You really are worthless. I¡¯ve never seen someone so pathetic! How much gold did you drop for me on that ship? Eight hundred?¡±
824.
¡°That¡¯s impressive, though. No, really! You must have worked so hard to get that much. So, lemme ask¡ you compensating? You are, aren¡¯t you!?¡±
He couldn¡¯t keep his eyes from breaking contact and dropping to the gravel beneath his feet.
¡°You are!¡± She crackled again. ¡°You poor? You¡¯re probably really stupid too if you¡¯re playing this game instead of working. And weak! Holy shit, could you be any more pathetic? Look, the bug crawling around here is worth more than you.¡±
She stomped her boot again the ground which caused something to squish and smear along a rock.
His heart twisted and he felt so frustrated, he wanted to cry.
Someone cleared their throat behind him.
Fooly met Samantha¡¯s eyes. There was silence at first, but after a few seconds she slightly nodded. Fooly looked back to Lion¡¯s Roar and the half dozen smirks.
Fooly¡¯s sword sung as it was released from its sheath and pointed towards the berserker. ¡°Challenge!¡±
¡°You plan to make it official?¡± Trick laughed. ¡°You afraid of losing fame? Whatever, a chance like this¡ the first PvP battle from The White Hand! I¡¯ll gladly be the one to defeat you! Accept!¡±
A small circle the size of a quarter appeared on the ground between the two leaders, lighting the cave in a dim blue. Then, it expanded its radius outwards until becoming a border for the battlefield. Any player leaving the border wouldn¡¯t be able to reenter.
¡°The boss¡¯ll be pissed,¡± Jibril whispered, but lifted his shield anyway. After all, the challenge had already been issued and accepted; there was no turning back.
¡°Shine!¡± Fooly shouted. A bright light emerged from his sword and poured over Lion¡¯s Roar. The entire enemy team then found their avatars charging forward without consent.
¡°Iron Wall!¡± Jibril slammed the bottom of his shield, which delved into a point, straight into the earth. This caused the ghost of a shield tall enough to touch the ceiling to erupt from the ground, completely shielding his team.
Lion¡¯s Roar, which remained taunted by Fooly¡¯s spell, found themselves attacking the enormous shield. Meanwhile, the rest of Fooly¡¯s team darted around the enemy and circled around them. From the sides as well as from behind, the White Hand released a fury of spells, arrows, and sword strikes.
Fooly¡¯s team managed to deal a considerable amount of damage. However, the battle soon changed.
¡°Roar!¡± As Trick shouted his command, his voice amplified tenfold and knocked Fooly along with Jibril onto their backs a few feet away.
Fooly cursed and managed to stand back up quickly but when he saw the battle, his moral plummeted.
PvP, or player versus player, is much different from PvE, or player versus environment aka mobs. Versus a boss, Fooly¡¯s tactic of surrounding the enemy would have worked just fine against many bosses in Genesis.
However, Lion¡¯s Roar easily turned on Fooly¡¯s teammates and began slaughtering them. Other than Jibril, there was only one other tank in his team. While she did the best she could to draw aggression and tank, the damage dealers in Lion¡¯s Roar seemed to melt right through her armor.
Before Jibril and Fooly managed to reach, the backup tank had fallen. Then the battle became a huge clusterfuck; all of Lion¡¯s Roar focused on the damage dealers on Fooly¡¯s team and nothing could be done.
Nothing could be done because of Trick. The berseker faced the merchant and knight all by himself; just his body and an insane battleaxe.
Each team had ten players originally. Other than the small skirmish of Fooly, Jibril, and Trick, plus one tank in White Hand already falling, that left the following players:
Seven players in the White Hand.
Nine players in Lion¡¯s Roar.
Even though the White Hand didn¡¯t participate in PvP, they were by no means weak. The battle even remained equal for the first few minutes. However, the number advantage began to take its toll as the White Hand¡¯s numbers whittled down faster than Lion¡¯s Roar.
¡°Fierce Strike!¡±
Trick slid his grip on the battle axe down to the very end of the handle. Then, after spinning and taking a step forward, he used the moment to force the axe to slice through the air.
Fooly managed to duck, but his knight was slower. Jibril held his shield up to the side in defense, but the blade of the axe smashed right into the shield and threw Jibril out of the border.
Fooly vs Trick.
Behind Trick, Fooly caught a glimpse of the main battle. His teammates were beginning to die at a rapid pace. He saw no way to win.
¡®So this is PvP¡¡¯
Fooly collapsed to his knees with no motivation. Trick chuckled, pleased to see the weakened spirit of his enemy, and raised the battle axe into the air.
Fooly looked down, not wanting to watch the final blow, ashamed.
The next second; a black screen.
The virtual reality pod released the lock and opened, revealing Fooly¡¯s real room. It was dirty due to the clothes spread out on the floor. He didn¡¯t have a dresser; only a closet, which was full. In fact, the only furniture he had in his room was a bed and the virtual reality pod which was given to him by a friend.
He knew that Genesis wouldn¡¯t allow him to log in for another twenty four hours, so he climbed out of the pod. His bedroom¡¯s door creaked as it opened, revealing a hallway.
¡°Look out,¡± someone said. A second later, his ten year old brother shot across the hall towards his own room.
Fooly glanced out, confused.
Before his little brother entered the room next to Fooly¡¯s he paused and glanced halfway to Fooly¡¯s direction. ¡°Mom¡¯s home,¡± he muttered.
Fooly sighed and made his way to the kitchen, where he pulled out a water bottle and set it on the table. As he made a ham and cheese sandwich, he could hear the lock on the front door shaking. Eventually a woman managed to open it and stumbled into the apartment.
She made her way to the kitchen where Fooly quietly bit into the bread.
¡°You gonna pay for that?¡± she mumbled.
He could smell the liquor on her breath and it sickened him. However, he remained silent. If he were to say anything, literally anything at all, it would result in a barrage of drunken verbal abuse.
His mom, noticing the bottle, lifted it by the cap and strolled into the hallway towards her bedroom.
Fooly¡¯s sandwich was slowly set onto his plate due to a sudden loss of appetite. He ultimately decided to split it in half with his younger brother. He was probably lucky than his two other brothers weren¡¯t home or he¡¯d feel obligated to split one sandwich into fourths.
Once the meal settled into his stomach, he went into the kitchen where the only computer for the family sat on a desk. He surfed to a forum for Genesis called the Market where players could sell anything in-game for real money; characters, items, information, anything.
Unfortunately, none of the items he had looted that day could sell for much. He was still a low level, under 100, so unless the item was incredibly rare he was shit out of luck. Still, he checked every day just in case.
After an hour of wandering around the Market, YouPlay, Jebbit, and Flitch, Fooly shut the PC down and went to bed.
The next day, he logged on to his spawn location; a small town. Within five minutes, a voice called to him. ¡°Fooly,¡± it said. ¡°This is Hirsane. Where are you currently? Can you make it to Flowrider?¡±
¡°I¡¯m about an hour away from there, I think.¡±
¡°Good. I¡¯d like you to meet me there to discuss¡ recent events. See you soon.¡±
Hirsane, the guild leader for the White Hand, stopped the call before Fooly could even reply.
Though his estimated time of an hour was accurate, the travel seemed to take all day to Fooly. Would he be suspended? Or maybe fully expelled? He deeply regretted fighting the rival guild because if he lost the guild, the game would become insanely harder. A solo player that¡¯s a merchant? Forget about it.
When he finally reached the town, he paused in front of the guild building.
A guild house is a place for guild members to meet. It¡¯s a tall building with two dozen rooms per floor. A guild leader, or someone in the guild with high standing, can rent a room for a day and all members of the same guild are allowed entry.
Guilds can have their own castles or mansions that are exclusive to them, but guild houses are spread around the world in major cities. If a guild needs to meet away from their headquarters, they can do so there for privacy.
When he summoned the courage, he followed his leader¡¯s directions to the room currently rented for The White Hand.
The door opened, causing Fooly to almost bump into another player.
¡°Whoa!¡± Fooly exclaimed, taking a step back. ¡°That was close, sorry about that. Where did you come from?¡±
¡°Hm?¡± the player replied.
¡°Where did you go?¡±
The man leaving the room tilted his head in confusion.
¡°Where did you come from, Cotton Eyed Joe?¡±
¡°I should be asking you that; you¡¯re the one who almost bumped into me.¡±
¡°True¡ I¡¯m meeting with Hirsane.¡±
¡°I won¡¯t keep you then,¡± the player said, walking passed Fooly and making his exit.
In the middle of the room was a large, wooden round table that could seat twenty players. All the way at the other end sat Hirsane, whose long, pure white hair was brushed to the side.
¡°Sit,¡± the guild leader instructed. His voice was firm and confident yet held a touch of softness. ¡°I have already heard from Jibril what happened. I¡¯d like to hear your side now.¡±
¡°Forgive me, Hirsane. I¡ lost control of my emotions.¡±
Hirsane remained silent, waiting for Fooly to continue.
¡°I joined Genesis to find ways to make money. On the news they often showcase pro players who are living the dream and blogs always talk about how rare items go for a lot of money in real life. But lately I haven¡¯t been lucky. Even though I¡¯m a merchant, I can¡¯t find rare items. I got irritated and Lion¡¯s Roar baited me.¡±
¡°I see.¡±
¡°So¡ what¡¯s my punishment?¡±
Hirsane stood and followed the edge of the table, his golden jewelry clinging together every step. When he reached Fooly, he placed a hand on the merchant¡¯s shoulder.
¡°I have a job for you.¡±
8. Therapy 3
When Viktor woke up, a particular darkness covered the room. It was night so of course it would be dark, but this felt different from the usual 3 am atmosphere.
Maybe it was just because he was tired and in a half-asleep trance.
Viktor swallowed, but his dry throat begged for more liquid. He threw the covers away from his legs and walked into the bathroom.
Flick.
Though he flipped the light on, the room remained dark. Luckily he could still see well enough in the dark, so he sighed and went ahead to the sink.
He turned the handle, letting the water pour from the head. He looked at his body in the mirror, which had actually become a sort of a ritual. Ever since he came home, he¡¯d been slimming down at a rapid pace.
The first month of his return was torture almost in the literal sense. Were they just hallucinations or were they something else entirely? Either way, they eventually stopped. Genesis might be working as a sort of therapy for him because he hadn¡¯t seen anything in a while.
Maybe because he was thinking about it that it happened again. His attention was stolen by a small canister to the side that held Windex cleaners. Why was that there?
The lid popped open. However, in the mirror just a couple feet away from the object, the lid was not open.
They were different.
The lid flipped shut and open two more times while the canister in the mirror remained static.
Viktor shut the water off and took a few steps back with his eyes fixed on the canister. When he finally turned around, he faced the open door that led into his bedroom. Standing on the bed was a dark figure.
It couldn¡¯t be said whether the person was facing Viktor or not, but Viktor quickly shut the door and stayed in the bathroom. He looked in the mirror, this time at the area above his neck.
¡°The area above his neck¡± would be the best description because it wasn¡¯t his face. It was some sort of distorted image that wasn¡¯t scary nor demonic; only odd. It was more like a spiral with no facial features.
Viktor got the distinct feeling that it was another person. He never believed in spirits but this would be one, right? This is evidence that something else exists!
Then it talked.
¡°I¡¯m never letting go,¡± it said. The spirit¡¯s voice, much like its image, was not particularly evil.
Letting go of what?
¡°I¡¯m never letting go,¡± it repeated.
Viktor thought about what the spirit meant. It has something of his and doesn¡¯t want to give it up¡ what could it mean?
Viktor said the first thing that came to his mind.
¡°Give me my soul.¡±
He could¡¯ve sworn the spirit smiled.
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡.
¡°Do you believe in the devil?¡± his therapist asked. She tapped on the clipboard that sat on her lap as she patiently waited; silently assessing his mental stability.
¡°I don¡¯t think so¡ but I never really think about stuff like that.¡±
¡°Do you believe in God?¡±
¡°I suppose so.¡±
¡°Then if you believe in God, you must believe in the devil as well. Correct?¡±
¡°Makes sense.¡±
¡°Perhaps the dream you had is your subconscious trying to talk to you. Hell is a place where sinners go to pay for what they¡¯ve done, so deep down you feel like you should be punished.¡±
¡°I should be.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because¡ you know why.¡±
¡°What you did, you did for your country. You should know that.¡±
Viktor stared out the window, which had seemed to become a bit of a ritual for the therapy sessions. By now the woman trying to help him had grown accustomed to the silence and continued the conversation.
¡°How is Genesis?¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Well when you first started it seemed to be helping you. Now here we are, three or four months later, and your nightmares are returning. Did anything happen?¡±
¡°I killed my first player a few days ago.¡±
The therapist started to jot something down with her pen but continued talking. ¡°I see, I see. That may have something to do with what¡¯s happening to you now. What happens when a player die?¡±
¡°They lose some items, a level, and aren¡¯t allowed to re-enter the game for twenty four hours.¡±
¡°So once the time restriction has passed, they can play again?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Remember that. You never killed anyone. That player will have returned, alive and well. If you are comparing that to the people you killed, you will find all the effort you¡¯ve made to get better go to waste. What will you be doing in the game now?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll be in the mountains hunting for a rare item.¡±
¡°Will there be other players?¡±
¡°No.¡±
The therapist hummed. ¡°I don¡¯t think seclusion is the best thing for you now.¡±
¡°I suppose I have Jenovine.¡±
¡°It will be dangerous there with her, correct?¡±
¡°Probably.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t let anything happen to her.¡±
Viktor clenched his first, bunching up his shorts. He knew what she was referencing.
¡°I won¡¯t,¡± he promised.
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡.
A wolf-like creature cried out as a sword sliced along its side. The beast, called a monger, then collapsed to the ground with a thud.
The monger¡¯s design was based on a normal wolf, though they had plenty unique attributes. Its fur, which could be black, grey, white, brown or any slightly different shade of those colors, was tough and sharp. Many monsters had tough skin but the fur of a monger was like armor.
They were also about as tall as a lion in the real world while also quite muscular. They were terrifying beasts full of killing intent.
They also hunted in packs.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Just as the first monger died, the other two surrounded Orion. They lunged at the same time and he managed to dodge one, but the second sunk its teeth into his forearm.
¡°Orion!¡± Jenovine gasped. She took a step out of the trees where she hid.
As Orion struggled to toss the monger at his arm, the other noticed the NPC¡¯s appearance. The beast lowered its head and growled.
¡°Phantom Strike!¡±
Orion delivered three successive blow at the first monger, but its grip held tight. He noticed that the monger¡¯s ally had disappeared and his eyes scanned the area for it.
The monger was approaching Jenovine, teeth bare. She was backing away slowly to keep distance between them, but the monger looked set on its new prey.
Orion cursed and tried to run towards her, the monger at his arm bit down harder to remind the player that it was still there.
The monger knew that he couldn¡¯t take Orion on by himself. After all, the player had already slain one from the monger¡¯s pack in front of its eyes. But it still held tight as if it knew that all it needed to do was keep Orion busy. Meanwhile, its ally would be able to get their dinner.
But Orion could not be contained, especially with his new skill.
¡°Blink!¡±
Orion vanished in the blink of an eye and appeared again, twenty feet away.
The skill was a level 100 skill. Every profession gets a unique skill, exclusive to that profession, once they reach level 100. Orion had just reached level 100 today, so this was his first time using it.
When he appeared he stumbled forward, almost going as far as tripping over his own feet. Teleportation is an odd feeling, like his stomach had been left behind and hadn¡¯t teleported with him. The sides of his vision were blurry as well, but they quickly refocused to the world around him.
A howl sounded behind him, telling the other monger that Orion had escaped. The monger stalking Jenovine looked back to see Orion before picking up the pace and sprinting towards Jenovine.
But there was more to Orion¡¯s new skill. After using it once, he can continue to use it after a one second delay for a maximum of three times. Each time he used it, the mana cost would double: the first time costed 50 mana, the second costed 100 mana, and the final costed 200 mana.
Once he used all three or if he didn¡¯t blink a second or third time within three seconds, the skill would go onto its regular cooldown of twelve seconds.
¡°Blink!¡±
Orion immediately reached the monger and engaged it in combat. It must not have expected Orion to catch up so quickly because he landed a free hit on its neck.
Critical hit!
It turned now and leapt through the air, aiming for the throat. Normally he would have taken a hit.
¡°Blink!¡±
He used up the last teleport to instantly appear behind the monger. Once he struck it from behind, it stumbled forward. The second monger reached the battle at this point, but it was too late. With one more strike, the monger collapsed to the ground.
Orion was hurt. Fighting three at the same time was what made the mongers difficult, but when the first died the fight became easier. Now it was just one versus one, so the result was apparent. They both dashed forward.
¡°Phantom Strike!¡±
The monger cried out as it joined its pack in whatever beast heaven it would go to.
Orion released a sigh at dropped to his butt for a rest.
¡°Thank you¡¡± Jenovine said hesitantly while walking towards him.
¡°It wasn¡¯t a problem,¡± he told her. Orion didn¡¯t want to look at her because it was a lie; as they continued to adventure and fight stronger beasts it was becoming more difficult for him to protect her.
He was very observant of his surroundings which is why he managed to catch up to the monger, but it was a small pack. There was a very good chance that future packs would consist of five or maybe even six mongers.
They hadn¡¯t even met any werewolves yet, but maybe they just weren¡¯t far enough yet into the mountains, dubbed the Forgotten Land. That wasn¡¯t the official name, but it¡¯s what players called the mountains due to the fact that players hardly go there.
Right now they were simply surrounded by trees that surrounded the base of the mountain. All they could see was green and blue from the moonlight above.
¡°Do you know where to go?¡± She asked.
¡°Nope. The merchant just said it was in the mountains. It¡¯ll be day in about an hour, so this is what I think we should do: Get some rest. I¡¯ll be back soon and we¡¯ll be able to delve deeper into the mountains during the day. Werewolves only hunt at night and there are less mongers the further we go, so we should be safe when the sun is out.¡±
¡°I wish the herb spawned during the day.¡±
¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± he said sarcastically. ¡°But that would be too easy, I suppose. Come on, let¡¯s find a spot to camp.¡±
When Orion is logged out, Jenovine uses that time to sleep. Besides, what would she even do while he was gone?
They searched for an hour before finding a waterfall, so Orion set up the camp along the cliff¡¯s side. This way if any mongers spotted her, she would be able to dive into the water. It might be uncomfortable to be wet, but the beasts wouldn¡¯t follow her.
¡°Okay,¡± Orion said as he finished pitching the tent. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a few hours.¡±
¡°Come back soon¡¡±
¡°Sure.¡±
He logged off.
The latch to the virtual reality released, opening Viktor to the real world. For him, the real world consisted of a living room with a laptop that sat on the ground and nothing else but the pod.
Viktor swung his leg out and started to climb out of the pod, but his strength failed halfway through. This resulted in him falling to the floor with a grunt on his hands and knees.
His vision rapidly began to blur as his hands shook. The carpet that was just a few feet away from his face lost focus.
¡°You good, Vik?¡± someone asked.
When Viktor looked up, he wasn¡¯t in his living room anymore. He was surrounded by tall, lush trees and was kneeling behind one of them.
A man was to his right that knelt by another tree as if using it for cover. Viktor immediately recognized him.
¡°I¡¯m fine, Bobby.¡±
¡°You sure? You aint get shot?¡±
Shot?
As Viktor contemplated why Bobby would ask if he got shot, a bullet whizzed by the tree and smacked into the ground. A handful of dirt and grass popped out of the ground like a cloud.
Viktor cursed and pressed his back against the tree to secure his cover. He looked down at his camouflage uniform to check for blood, but was relieved to see none.
¡°No, I didn¡¯t get shot.¡±
¡°Good. Can¡¯t have you dyin on me today!¡±
¡°How many are there?¡± Viktor asked.
¡°Same as us: six or so.¡±
¡°Should we call for reinforcements?¡±
¡°Already got Richie on it,¡± Bobby said, nodding to the right.
Viktor turned his head to see another soldier furiously pressing buttons on a large walkie talkie. The tree was big enough to hide two people, so another soldier was trying to help him through it.
¡°Pressing it harder won¡¯t make it work better, you know,¡± the fourth soldier was saying.
¡°Shut the fuck up and let me do this,¡± Richie spat.
Viktor turned his attention back to Bobby. ¡°So if there¡¯s an enemy squad to the north, why don¡¯t we avoid them and just go south?¡±
¡°We were told to hold this area no matter what, remember? I¡¯m trynna get in touch with base to see if they¡¯ll let us pull back, but the fuckin coms aint workin, as you can see.¡±
¡°So what are we going to do? Fight?¡±
¡°Maybe¡. They got us on lock down right now though. Hell, you moved out of cover for a second and they took a shot at ya. I sent two of our guys south about fifty meters; they¡¯ll go east a bit and loop around to the side of the enemy. Then they¡¯ll come back and tell us where they at and hopefully how many there are.¡±
Viktor sighed. Nothing to do but wait.
A shot rang out in the distance. Then another. Then a third.
Viktor eagerly started to make his way to the source, but a shot from the enemy told him the squad was still pinned down. They were forced to wait for the scouts to come back, if they were to come back.
Luckily they did. Two soldiers stumbled through the trees, one helping the other walk.
Bobby was the first to speak. ¡°Stevens, what happened!?¡±
¡°They sent out scouts just like us and we came into contact with them,¡± the uninjured soldier explained. ¡°We got one of them but Craig got hit.¡±
¡°You see how many of ¡®em there were?¡±
¡°I think so. You were wrong; there¡¯s definitely more than six. I¡¯d say eight or nine, not counting the one we took out.¡±
¡°Dammit,¡± Richie shouted, throwing the com device down. ¡°I can¡¯t get a connection. Let¡¯s just leave!¡±
¡°That¡¯s treason,¡± Bobby said.
¡°So!?¡±
¡°You want to go to jail?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡±
¡°You know what you signed up for,¡± Viktor said.
That shut Richie up. It was harsh, but had to be said. Everyone there signed up knowing what they would be getting into and the dangers of it.
¡°What¡¯re we going to do, then?¡± Richie asked.
Everyone looked to Bobby.
¡°You aren¡¯t going to like it,¡± he said. However, no one raised complaints, so he continued. ¡°I still have a smoke grenade; I say we toss it and cover our position in smoke. That way we¡¯ll be able to move from cover more and fire in their direction.¡±
¡°But we won¡¯t be able to see¡¡±
¡°You¡¯re right. And the enemy won¡¯t be able to see either. While our unit provides cover fire, we can have someone flank to the west. As soon as he¡¯s in position, we¡¯ll advanced and sandwich them.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Viktor volunteered.
¡°Good, I was hoping you would. It¡¯s well into the night, so you should be okay as long as you stay low and quiet. You have eight minutes to get around them. You better be ready when we start advancing, dammit.¡±
¡°Roger.¡±
¡°Ready? Three¡ two¡ one¡ go.¡± Bobby pulled the pin on a metal canister and tossed it on the other end of the tree.
The canister made a clicking sound before bursting open and gradually releasing grey smoke. Viktor heard yelling from far away as the enemy continuously pounded rounds into their cover.
Bobby¡¯s team all stuck their rifles out and fired randomly while staying behind the tree themselves. After half a minute of constant fire fight, the shots began to occur less frequency, probably due to reloading.
Viktor used this time to rush to the right. The leaves and small sticks that lay on the floor crunched and shuffled as he hurried, praying he wouldn¡¯t be shot. Once he emerged from the smoke, he crouched low and moved more carefully in order to make as little noise as possible.
He looked at his watch; it had been four minutes since he left cover. Viktor had tried to go as far out as he could so nobody would coincidently spot him, but it was time to start moving back in. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t make it in time.
He looked at his watch again. Two minutes left.
Just when he looked up from his watch, the forest transformed back into his bedroom. Panting and sweating, he pressed his palms to the carpet and pushed himself to his knees.
After stumbling into the bathroom, he turned the shower handle to cold and sprayed water from the overhead nozzle.
The liquid tapped the back of his head, sending shivers down his spine and cooling the blood that pumped fiercely through his veins.
What the hell am I gonna do about this?