The banging from above hadn't let up and was becoming more insistent. Whatever was up there was big, and it sounded angry as fuck. As much as I wanted to stay here and find Stretch, we were out of options.
Darby's face scrunched up, her eyes darting between the vials and our expectant faces. She glanced up as debris fell from the ceiling, then back at us.
"Okay, guys, here's the deal," Darby said. "I'm calling this "Gravity-Or-Whatever." Darby paused and gave me a big Kathryn Hahn wink. "Patent-pending juice. I didn't have enough time or enough ingredients to perfect this potion. The best I could do was make something that'll slow us just before we hit the ground."
Leech's eyes widened. "Just before we hit the ground? How much before we hit the ground? That doesn't sound very reassuring."
"Yeah, what're we talkin' here? A gentle float or a bone-crushing splat?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light despite the knot forming in my stomach.
"If my calculations are right—and they probably aren't—about a hundred feet. Maybe less." Darby shot me a look that could've curdled milk. "It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing. We'll still hit hard, but it should be survivable."
Trogs let out a guttural growl that I'd come to recognize as his version of a sigh. "I'm not exactly built for impact. "
"Easy for you to say, Scales," I muttered. "Some of us don't have built-in armor."
Darby held up the vials, the liquid inside shimmering with an otherworldly glow. "Look, I know it's not perfect, but it's our best shot at getting out of here. Unless anyone else has a better idea?"
We all exchanged glances. It was a hell of a choice - risk everything on an imperfect potion or stay trapped in this crumbling fortress until we starved or worse.
The roof shook again, and a chunk the size of a card table but two feet thick fell. It crashed into the floor and shook our little room. The glass window shattered, and A huge beast claw surrounded by brown and green scales punched through.
I stared at the massive claw punching through the ceiling and blanched. The beast's scales glistened in the dim light, a sickening mix of brown and green that reminded me of rotting vegetation.
"Holy shit," I whispered, backing away from the crumbling debris. "Anyone got a clue what that thing is?"
Leech shook his head, his face pale. "No system message. We're flying blind here, buddy."
"Don't say flying," I muttered.
Trogs let out a low, rumbling growl. "Whatever it is, it's big. And hungry."
Darby clutched the vials of her Gravity-Or-Whatever potion, her knuckles white. "We don't have time to debate this. It's now or never."
I looked at my companions, then at the vials in Darby's hand. The beast above us roared, the sound shaking dust from what remained of the ceiling. Another claw burst through, widening the hole.
"Fuck it," I said, grabbing a vial.
"Just half. You guys, too," she told Leech and Trogs, holding out the vial.
Without waiting for the others, I uncorked the vial and downed about half of the contents in one gulp. It tasted like bitter licorice mixed with copper, and I fought the urge to gag and handed the rest back to Darby[
Darby, Leech, and Trog followed suit, their faces contorting as they swallowed the concoction. For a moment, nothing happened, but then a tingling sensation spread through my body, starting at my toes and working its way up.
"Anyone else feel like they're full of helium?" Leech asked, his voice slightly higher than usual.
Before anyone could answer, the beast above let out another ear-splitting roar. The ceiling groaned, chunks of stone raining down around us.
"Time to go!" I shouted, grabbing Darby's hand and pulling her towards the shattered window. The cold and biting wind whipped through the opening.
I peered over the edge, my stomach lurching at the dizzying drop. The ground below was barely visible, shrouded in mist and darkness.
"This is insane," I muttered, then looked back at my friends. "Ready?"
Trogs nodded grimly, his scales rippling. Leech looked like he might be sick, but he gave me a shaky thumbs-up.
"On three," Darby said, squeezing my hand. "One..."
The beast's claws raked across the floor, inching closer.
"Two..."
I took a deep breath, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"Three!"
We leaped.
“Son of a bitch!” I yelled as I dropped to the earth.
Stomach flip-flopping. The gruel we’d thrown together earlier was almost power-ejected right the hell out of my body. I could barely breathe. The pressure was immense, and I was dressed in the partial plate mail of a boss, The Shadow Warden, whom we had defeated, and it was heavy as fuck. At least I'd stored my Titanshard Ultra Greatsword in my temporal tote, so it wasn't dragging me down either.
My friends had already jumped and were already far below me. In her black leathers, Darby had her arms out front, hands cupping the air. Her legs were spread and bent back at the knee. Classic skydiver pose.
Leech screamed and flapped. His robes in his face, his pale bony ass hanging out for my poor eyes.
Trogs belted out a song as he fell. More punishment, this time to my ears. I loved the guy and all, but his singing was atrocious.
One hundred and twenty miles per hour. Darby had reminded me that reaching terminal velocity would take about twelve seconds. That is the speed at which I would no longer speed up, thanks to the air’s natural resistance. There was a lot of good that would do me as I smacked into the earth.
The ground came up fast! The earth rushed toward me, a mottled tapestry of sickly greens and browns. To the east, a dense forest loomed. Westward lay yet another fortress. At least this one wasn't falling to pieces. It looked practically brand new compared to the shit holes I'd already been forced to explore. A veil of clouds shrouded plumes of smoke from fires to the north and south as I plummeted ever closer to the ground.
“I screamed, “Fuuuuuck!”
The potion finally kicked in, and it felt like I’d ripped the cord on a parachute. I slowed, slowed some more, and caught sight of my friends as they also slowed.
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“Hell yeah!” Darby laughed.
I was still falling too fast. I was about to become hamburger meat, and I had no idea where we'd end up without being anchored to a Whispering Veilstone. The last we had used, a portable version, was completely dead.
The potion gave my body a massive jolt, and I practically came to half a dozen or so feet from the ground. The air was blasted out of my chest, leaving me gasping.
Then we floated to the ground and landed as gently as a baby's fart.
"I never want to do that again," I groaned after I settled on my feet.
I glanced at Darby. She still had the exhilarated grin riding her face. "You like roller coasters, don't you."
"Oh my god, yes."
Trogs pointed up. "Falling from up there was enough of a rollercoaster for me."
I followed Trogs' finger. The fortress of Eldrath loomed above us, a behemoth of stone and metal that defied gravity.
The fortress was a bizarre mix of high-tech and medieval architecture. Sleek metal panels and glowing lights were interspersed with ancient stone walls and arched windows. It was as if two entirely different eras had collided and fused in a chaotic jumble.
I craned my neck, trying to count the floors, but there were too many to keep track of. Hundreds, at least. Windows lined each level, some dark and empty, others flickering with an eerie light.
"Stretch could still be in there. We should find a way back in," I suggested.
"What if he fell out when the fortress crashed?" Darby stood beside me, hand over her brow, staring at the massive building.
I didn't want to think about that. Stretch has been a real pain in the ass at the beginning of the game. He'd grown on me, and with his mount, Cindi had even become an integral part of our team. He knew things about this world, although his knowledge was erratic at best. There was a feeling of guilt. I had unintentionally caused The Nexus to crash. I hoped that my actions hadn't killed him.
I turned away from the fortress, taking in our surroundings. Lush green grass sprouted from the once-barren earth, carpeting the rolling hills in a vibrant emerald hue. Wildflowers of every color dotted the landscape, their delicate petals swaying in the gentle breeze.
Over the past week, trees had burst forth from the ground, their trunks thickening and branches reaching toward the sky. Leaves had unfurled, and now a canopy of green stretched as far as the eye could see behind us. The air was filled with the sweet scent of new growth, a refreshing change from the stale, recycled air of the fortress.
Darby slowly spun in a circle as she took in our surroundings. "It's beautiful," she breathed, reaching out to touch a nearby shrub. The leaves were a deep, healthy green, and tiny buds promised future blooms.
I nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. "Hard to believe this is the same world we were in just a week ago."
When we had arrived, it had been in a crumbling fortress near a volcano, and everywhere I'd traveled had been dead and desolate.
In the distance, what appeared to be the lights of a city twinkled. It was too far to make out any details.
"What's that look like to you guys?" I asked, pointing towards the distant lights.
"Maybe it's a city," Leech said.
The granddaddy of all system messages suddenly assaulted my head.
> WELCOME TO THE LAND OF ELDRATH
>
> The land of Eldrath, once a barren wasteland dominated by desolation and despair, has stirred back to life. Long and withered forests now thrive with fierce vitality. The air has grown thick with the scent of blooming flowers and fresh growth.
>
> Among this resurgence of life, ancient ruins have been laid bare, crumbling relics of a bygone era. Moss-covered stones and arches etched with arcane runes beckon. What secrets do they hide?
>
> The races of Eldrath, long scattered and diminished, are emerging from their long slumber or refuge. Three dominant…
>
> … of life that flourishes once again. Life in all its…
>
> All…its…
>
> … fallen towers…vague whispers of…
>
> …death of the…
>
> …arcane…power…
>
> SYSTEM MESSAGE: SYSTEM MESSAGE: SYSTEM: SYSTEM
I shook my head, reminded of the first time I'd arrived in this place and had first started receiving the world AI's cryptic announcements.
"Hey. What the hell?" Leech exclaimed.
"The messages? They are back. Mine is broken," Trogs said.
"Same," Darby added.
> MESSAGE: You survived a long fall. Wow! Just wow! Thanks to your companion's resourcefulness, she's getting a Faller's Finese ribbon she can use to decorate her armor. You should congratulate her and offer a high five.
>
> Bonus! You all get a few rusted pennies for your stupidity in jumping out of a perfectly good tower. Keep up the good work, meat-puppet.
>
> Bonus! Temporary boost to fall damage. This effect expires in one day. Now, don't go jumping off a bridge, you miscreants—at least not one higher than twenty five feet.
A few hundred rusted pennies were suddenly added to my pile.
"A ribbon?" I asked Darby.
Darby pulled a black ribbon out of her temporal tote. It was small and stitched with the outline of a person, mouth open in a scream, as they fell backward off a ledge.
"It's Cute, and I get a boost to avoiding fall damage. It's only 10%, but I'll take it. By the way. You guys need to open your inventory."
Leech shrugged, stuck his bag in his temporal tote, and froze. "No way!"
"What?" I asked and did the same.
A new screen appeared superimposed over my HUD, floating in front of my face like some advanced augmented reality glasses.
All of my items were sorted by category and were on little shelves. My armor level was at the top because it contained the most items. Miscellaneous crafting stuff was a close second and right below it. Not only that, but I could now sort based on category, weight, and even value. When I chose to sort by value, my ultra-great sword was the first item, followed by the pieces of Shadow Warden's Plate I wasn't wearing.
"What is even happening right now? This has been a jumbled mess up until now."
"We're back in a functioning world."
"I think Darby's right. Oh shit, look at this," Leech said, and his old magic wand appeared on his off-hand. "Hey, lil buddy. You served me well. If I get a house here, I'm putting you on the wall."
"I didn't realize you had such a personal relationship with your wand," I chided.
"You don't have a personal relationship with your wand?"
Darby laughed. "You walked into that one."
I turned away with a groan to cover my suddenly hot face.
----------------------------------------
A trickle of water drew my attention. I scouted until I located the source. The little stream cut across our path. It was only a couple of feet wide, and the water it contained was sweet, almost like it was tinged with honey. We spent some time just savoring the liquid.
On either side sat low rows of a small plant. It was about three feet tall, bushy, with thorned branches sticking out on all sides. The leaves were oval-shaped and were a stunning gradient. From emerald green at the base to a soft, shimmering blue at the tips. Nestled among the leaves were clusters of translucent berries that were a deep iridescent purple and about the size of a marble.
"I wonder what those are?" Leech said as he studied the plant.
"Let me try one," I reached out.
"Wait. What if they're poisonous?" Darby's hand shot out and stopped me.
"It's okay. I'm just going to taste one and spit it out immediately. We have fresh water to rinse."
"Sounds super sketchy, dude," Leech added.
"I learned watching survival shows."
"Oh, from a TV show? That makes it better," Darby's voice dripped with sarcasm.
Before they could stop me, I grabbed one, tossed it in my mouth, and bit down. Before I could spit it out, the most wonderous flavor danced across my mouth. Yeah. I said: danced. It was that fucking good. Like a sweet grape and a nectarine had a love flavor, baby.
"God! Damn!"
> SYSTEM MESSAGE: Congratulations, you just ate a berry without checking for poison! Your survival instincts are indeed something to admire. Who needs safety when you have taste, right?
"Shut up, Phil - asshole," I chuckled.
> SYSTEM MESSAGE: Congratulations! You just discovered the Enliven Berry. These little treasures taste good and can keep your big ole gullet filled until you locate some real food. Just don't eat too many. Remember the time you thought cherries were the bee's knees and ate half a bag in one sitting?
I did remember it all too well. The cramps, bloating, and then the endless half hour I'd spent on the toilet, the whole time me grumbling, "What kind of shit is this!" while pounding the wall.
TMI?
TMI…
> SYSTEM MESSAGE: Bonus! You earned the Fearless Forager ribbon! You've proved you like to take risks, so how about a +20% increase in finding edible items and thirty minutes of slight health regeneration when consuming discovered foods? Just think what would have happened if you'd taken a bite of the Mushroom Man.
My HUD nudged me a couple of times like someone had picked me up and jerked me to the side. I opened my temporal tote inventory and found the new ribbon. It had a picture of a man grasping his neck while choking.
Pulling it out, I placed it about where Darby had placed hers on her chest. It stuck there, and a new piece of information was filled in under my stats.
> 1 of 3 ribbons applied.
"I want one of those," Leech pointed at my ribbon.
"They're not for the old's, sorry, buddy."
Leech laughed. "You can go fuck yourself."
"Such a potty mouth," Darby put in.
"He needs some fiber. Here, eat berries. I bet they'll get stuff moving." I grinned.
"You two think you're sooo funny."