Clearing the monsters proved to be the right choice. Bushes had returned to normal all around us and were far less cranky about being cut down. In the distance, either way, ink riddled colors swam and waved to an unseen breeze.
“Careful. I think there’s more of those things out there.” One of the players said.
“A lot more.” SweetPea was huddled near the back again. HotPants stood guard while Shadow used both knives to cut away a path.
“Okay, I declare these hedges trimmed, HotPants, you're first,” Awesome Jr. said.
“Alright.” She tilted her staff and squeezed into the narrow path we cleared out. I followed next, being the old man in need of an escort.
Inside was nothing close to what a maze should have.
Were those people lining the outer edge of a giant square? Not just standard individuals but weird ghostly outlines. I squinted old eyes and looked into the distance. There was a small army of people standing around. Each of them was female. Even poor vision couldn’t disguise some of those curves. They became less ghostly and more real the longer we stood there watching.
Oh no.
“What’s this?” Shadow asked.
“Memory lane,” I answer while trying not to feel my gut drop. Being praised for another man’s actions was bad enough. This would be far more awkward. Carver may have been a brave warrior, but he was also a love ‘em and leave ‘em type. This whole setup was a gallery of ex-lovers.
“Is that music?” SweetPea asked as a series of string instruments filled the air.
“Are those all women?” Awesome Jr. had focused on the important prospects in front of him. SweetPea and he were almost a couple, but there was a varying amount of flesh being displayed. Teenage males were notorious for being confused in these situations. Nearsightedness saved me from the same mistake.
“William. Did you think you could just sneak off and leave without so much as a goodbye?” That sweet voice stood out among all the others I had heard. Carver's personally most compromised Priestess.
“High Priestess.”
“After all these years, and all we’ve been, you can’t call me Peach?”
“She’s named Peach?” Awesome Jr. seemed more concerned with the cut of Peach’s dress than anything else.
“She’s a High Priestess for Selena. Up on the cliff over town.” HotPants muttered in response. "Not my style of voice, but still, she's done good."
“Yes, I am Peach, and yes, young Traveler, that is music.” She answered the questions in turn with her falsely sweet words.
“How are you here?”
“I’m not, not really, none of us are.” Priestess Peach gestured to the area around her. “To us, this is just a dream granted to us by the Voices. I thank Selena for this.”
"I'm sorry, Peach." My words tasted bitter. Peach had been among the few I ignored over the course of this last day. She seemed genuinely fond of the old man and I discarded all that in my rush of letters.
“As if I'd let you escape without at least trying to gain your pledge." Peach responded.
“How about one last dance?” I questioned, putting a few things together.
"I guess that will have to do.” She smiled, and though her pitch and tone were a practiced facade, everything else she was looked pleased.
“Are you sure? My hips aren’t what they used to be you know.” I tried to joke with her. Priestess Peach had been one of the first to point out Old Man Carver's shortcomings out loud.
“For this, I think the Voices can shed some forgiveness.”
“What are we supposta to do Priestess?” Shadow asked.
“You do whatever it is you Travelers do.” She waved them off. To her, none of this was real. Why should she care what happened to other people in a dream?
“Huh?”
Priestess Peach was proof positive that computers were not required to care about human beings. I said a fervent prayer to our future overlords in hopes there would be room in the metal polishing market. Or maybe I could move up to the hills where the Internet was still a myth.
“Come on, William.” Priestess Peach put out a hand waiting for me. I reached out mine and felt a pleasant energy wash from head to toe.
“Ehh.” Moving felt just a bit easier again. My joints became a bit more limber. Behind me, I could hear the others exclaim in surprise about something. Hearing hadn't improved with everything else.
Gift Received: [Age Reduction]
Description: Each successful dance and wave of [Ink Nightmares] will reduce William Carver's age. Statistics lost as a result of [Old Age] will be returned for the duration of this gift. This gift is temporary.
A small box displayed information for me. That was thankfully useful. I couldn’t be expected to cut a rug as an old man, not one who spent too much time being sedentary. The music was a slow general theme. We were both lucky in how well it fit my own personal skills. William Carver himself had no dance traits or abilities that I had ever seen. This was pure me in his body.
And High Priestess Peach felt almost sinful. If my body had been that of a much younger man I might have reacted quite differently. As it was we spun in time to the beat. Our dance was a slow spin that still managed to lift her dress a tiny amount. Were I able to go faster the other players might just get a glimpse of her birthmark.
The song went on and with each step I felt a little better, a little straighter, the ache in my shoulder wasn’t as sharp as before. Our dance ended with a bow and another woman stepped up from the audience.
“Goodbye, you old goat,” Priest Peach said with a single dripping tear. “Goodbye.” And she faded away leaving me facing a new partner, one who looked a little hurt.
“Where are my manners.” I tried to turn on all of Carver's lady-killing charm. “May I have this dance?”
“My wild man, I’ve been waiting for this dance for years.” This woman looked familiar from Carver's sometimes extremely vivid descriptions. Each one was familiar in some form or another. In the background over each woman’s shoulder, there were visible signs of a struggle. The players were busy fending off waves of other creatures. These were like the ones from outside the maze only smaller and more numerous. Probably the [Ink Nightmare]s mentioned in my gift description.
Screaming was muted under the sound of music and each partner’s movements. They followed better than Maud had, likely assisted by the machine. My brain couldn't wrap itself around each one of these NPCs practicing dancing just to wait for Carver to kick the bucket. In their minds this was all a dream. Which answered one of the age old questions, do robots dream? They do indeed, of Old Man Carver sweeping them across the dance floor.
I chuckled as partners exchanged again. Moving had grown far easier. Eyesight had recently approached real world clarity. Each dance partner was further and further along Carver's time line here in Continue. Another, and another, until finally I was standing with an elf of some sort. She was rather good looking. Her neck was long and shoulders slender. There was a litheness to her form that belayed a ballet dancer. It was easy to see why William Carver might have done any mission she ever requested.
"Is it almost over?!" HotPants' yelling had grown far clearer now.
"I think so, this is the last one!"
"Just a little longer!" SweetPea was busy pressing hands over a wounded Shadow. He laid there gasping for breath off to one side of the dance floor.
"You heard the lady, one last dance." I said softly to the elf. No amount of time reversals could bring Carver back to perfect. He started this game physically worn out and kept right on going. Regardless, my back was much better. Only now did I truly appreciate the kind of stones he had. He played a game where everything felt almost too real and risked it all to achieve his dream here in a fantasy world.
"And here we are, back to your first in our world." My nameless elven partner smiled as we moved across the floor. She was a bit more talkative than the others had been.
"I remember." I didn't, but William had.
"You know, if you'd danced as well back then as you do now, I might never have let you leave."
"I had adventures to go on." William Carver did. Who could say what I myself might have done.
"I waited you know. I'm still waiting." She was sad too. The other ladies had all worn different expressions. Some were full of joy, others were nearly possessive. Two went so far as to give Carver a firm smack on the ass, which meant I bore their aggressive tactics in his stead.
"I don't think I'll ever make it back."
"I knew you never would.” She sighed and it felt like the wind moved through us softly. “You were the first Traveler I'd ever seen you know."
I took her hand and stepped into a dance. The music sounded a bit more aggressive, and I treated the motions as such, confident that the machine could keep up. Her commentary was difficult to respond to. This elf, a woman whose name I never learned from Carver's journals, knew he wasn't a local.
"I'm sorry."
Our steps were wide movements, bringing us from one end of the labyrinths dance hall to the other. Walls of inky purple had grown to nearly nothing over the course of many partners.
"Hold it!"
"SweetPea, tell me you got more of those heals!"
"Yes!"
"Get HotPants back together."
There was a crash of flame and fire off to the side that had grown much more obvious as my avatar in the game improved. Eyesight could see where streams of tiny creatures had fallen. The players were torn, blood dripped everywhere. Horror crisscrossed my face as I realized that they were in trouble while I had been enjoying a myriad of beautiful women. Not only trouble, they were getting beat senseless.
"Thank you Grant, for giving me one last moment with him." Her commentary was enough to be the final straw on my fragmented attention. My well-practiced steps completely fall apart.
I twisted a foot and lost myself. The cane, which had somehow been tucked into a rope of my clothing, fell loose with a clatter. From the ground I turned and looked at the woman who used my real name, both worried and hopeful that I might see my deceased fiancée. No such luck. She was a slender thing with none of the same facial features.
"Goodbye William. May whatever passes for Voices in your world be kind in their judgments."
Then she too faded away.
"It's done!" One of the players shouted.
"They've stopped spawning!" SweetPea was really into it now. No longer did she hide, in fact, she was fiercely participating in the fight now. Awesome Jr. was cradling an arm and busy eying a pile of dead monsters. Glass was everywhere and parts of bushes were on fire.
"Melissa, use whatever you've got left to heal the others." Awesome Jr. was huffing and waved SweetPea off to the other players.
I watched all of this while confusion racked through my mind. The ground looked far more normal. Above us there was a hint of dawn pushing back inky darkness. The ground started to rumble.
"Oh good god." HotPants was trying to push herself back up with the staff. SweetPea's hands glowed with a faint blue over her back and sent some lights spiraling into her back.
"I don't know how much I have left..." The little healer said.
"It's okay, I think. Carver's done." Awesome Jr. was rubbing SweetPea's back trying to reassure her.
"Jesus wept. Look at him." HotPants said. "That's not the same guy. Robot. Not the same robot."
"No, he's not."
I looked down and took stock in the differences. Not only was the robe I had come to love completely gone, I was wearing some sort of scale mail. Heavy, but this armor was flexible enough to move around in.
One hand went for the cane out of habit and I managed to get both feet under me. Nearby the flashing inky colors that lingered about [Maze of Midnight] shuddered. Suddenly blacks, purples, and blues dripped off the plants and crawled towards the dance floor. My band filled background was gone. If I were a betting man this event called for some epic boss music. Sure enough almost in time with my standing the inks swarmed together forming a larger mass.
"Voices have mercy." I swore in the back of my brain.
More vein like collections of ink poured in from around us. Globs would reach up towards the sky, stacking on top of each and forming a giant creature. Almost like it was pulling up from the depths of some artist's nightmare. First a giant leg, then a forearm. The shape looked dreadfully familiar.
"Is that?" Awesome Jr. asked.
"Oh no. No, no, no. I'm not nearly strong enough for that. I want to hit stuff, not be pummeled senselessly. I don't need that in here."
"It's not a real one." Shadow protested with a hint of doubt in his tone.
The cane was a giant sword again. The tip much easier to keep up with Carver's improved grip. Behind me the other players were gathering together in a huddle. Whispers went back and forth about what to do next. Meanwhile our enemy grew even bigger, taller, thicker, until we faced a creature that took up a huge chunk of the room.
"That's a nope."
"Complete nope." SweetPea agreed. "So gross."
SweetPea was dead on with her assessment. We weren't just looking at a normal dragon shaped creature. This had no wings on its back. Littered all over the claws, shoulders, spine, and down to the tails tip were little tentacles. Just like the monsters we had been fighting before.
"What do we do?" HotPants whispered a very good question.
"The door behind us is closed," SweetPea said with a note of panic.
There was only one thing to do. Only one choice William Carver would make. I readied the blade to one side, took the stance Peg trained me in, and pulled up every ounce of foolish courage available. There was a welling of energy that rushed up my arms and to the top of my head. A mad sort of grin lifted my ears.
"LEEERRROOOYYYYYYYYYYY!" The sheer silliness of my battle cry counteracted the terror. That and the giant sword, something about it was a great equalizer.
I got one good swing in, slashing across the giant monstrosity’s leg. A tail came and my arm automatically moved to use the flat edge of the sword for a block. There was enough time for a prayer of thanks to the Voices above for giving me an assist. Carver's skills, not mine, would carry the majority of this fight.
"If he's going, I'm going." Shadow was much easier to hear now that I wasn't completely enfeebled by virtual old age.
"Right." Awesome Jr. agreed. "It's just a game..."
I got another good swipe in before a giant paw came down from above to crush me. This one was slow enough that I could move out of the way. If dance had taught me one thing, it was how to get across a space in one or two easy steps.
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Grasping tentacles reached out of the giant leg and clawed at the parts of me too close. Health points shaved off in bits. I stepped further back and swung the lightened blade. Where my sword passed, globs of inky monsters came apart.
"Carver!" A player cried out.
"Old Man!"
"To hell with this, if he can do it, I can." HotPants charged in from the side of his right leg and gave a stab.
"Ugh!" Her staff sunk into the monstrous forearm and refused to come out.
"HotPants!" Awesome Jr. hadn't hesitated in lighting up one of his flasks. "I've only got three more!"
"Make them count!"
"Aim for the head!" Shadow yelled.
I dodged another blow from the tail and rolled away. Pain waved through the shoulder and a computer assist allowed me to keep grip on the sword somehow. Heat flashed as two more imitation Molotovs lit up. One got the monster's shoulder resulting in a giant shriek of anger. Noise far deeper than the ones outside rippled through the mazes inner sanctum.
"Carver!" I turned and looked ask the second ball of fire went off. This one completely missed the creature due to his sudden withdrawal.
“What?!”
“Look out!” SweetPea cried, her voice turning into a high pitched whine.
Oh. The creature’s tail swept in again and caught me full on in the middle. Part of the blade was up in a block, not enough to resolve the collision. I went flying into a wall of bushes. These bordered between the cleansed green and inky taint.
“SweetPea!”
“What?”
“Don’t distract the NPC!” Shadow yelled while stomping downward at the latest pile of little tentacle monsters to come out of the big creature.
“But I was helping!” She wasn’t really.
“Shut up and kill the little ones before they crawl back!” HotPants screamed. She was busy trying to sweep a pile of them away with her staff. “The little ones keep giving that big guy health!”
“We know!” Awesome Jr. was yelling too. Everyone was, their bodies damaged and run down. William Carver's existence could see the pop up boxes forming off to the side of the party’s screens. They were receiving increases to abilities as each one practiced with their virtual lives on the line.
I growled and tried to stand back up. The sword slipped and lost my progress. Another whack from one forearm sent me sprawling a second time. The world rung and Carver's vision took a turn for the worse.
“Come on.” This time I pushed through all the protests and got back to my feet. A third crash of flames poured against the boss monster's arm and set it shrieking.
Carver’s fancy blade swung. Light formed on the top along with a notification of various abilities colliding together in some super move. There was no time to read the system text as I tightened my face and pulled with all the simulated strength Carver had. My unintended move connected and severed the already burning leg.
“Get them!” Shadow yelled again.
“I’m out of fire potions!”
“Figure out something useful then!” Shadow and Awesome Jr. seemed destined to babble at each other. The creature fell off balance with another roar which stunned us completely. Their continued argument was muffled in the ringing that followed the creature's shout.
Stunned! Abilities requiring focus suffer a 50% penalty.
“No. Not yet.” My arm wiggled but failed to move correctly. Only four weeks of clutching at a cane kept my hand's grip strong.
HotPants couldn’t swing her staff but she did manage to fall onto one side and squish a few of the small scattered enemies. If she could do that much, then William Carver should be at least twice as stubborn.
“Come on.” It was becoming a mantra as I fought to stand.
[Stubborn as a Mule] activated. Stun effects reduced. Abilities require focus suffer a 20% penalty.
“Come on!” Twenty percent was still too much. I had to get myself back into the fight in order to protect the others. They were having a hard time against little ones.
I stomped a foot against the ground as hard as possible. Jarring shock rippled up the leg, spine, and to the top of my head. Double vision pieced back together in time to hear a second scream that repeated the effects of the first.
Stunned! Abilities requiring focus suffer an additional 50% penalty.
“Double stuns?!” Awesome Jr. groaned and fell to his knees amid a series of broken enemies. Their arms still twitched even though their health bars were empty.
[Stubborn as a Mule] updated. Stun effects reduced. Abilities require focus suffer a 40% penalty.
The giant creature took strides across the room. One formally severed arm half formed in a skeletal mockery of itself. There were no eyes to speak of on the creature, but it’s jaw was grinning as damaged limbs stumbled forth.
“Ru-u-un!” SweetPea stuttered.
Carver, did, not, run. No matter how caring these teenager's warnings were. I would stand my ground. I would swing this sword over and over until there was nothing left. Nope, instead I took another claw to the body. The pain sent me flying far enough that there was time to wonder what a bear's attack would feel like. Likely very similar, more mass and strength over the small tears of these tentacle creatures. Bearing the brunt of a third attack brought my already fading health bar down to twenty percent.
Blood was everywhere. Vision blurred by streams of sweat. The sword was still in my hand. I had mere seconds to get back to my feet before the creature would attack again. Another one of those hits would maim me. Maim Carver. Whatever.
One knee was up, the leg didn’t have enough strength to force me to stand. Both hands were gripped around the giant sword's handle. I glared at the creature in my best old man defiance.
“I will not die lying down.” Carver would not die lazing about. He would stand and fight. He would stand and swing, and swing, and swing.
I, however, slipped and fell. The one knee I had propped up lost purchase and left me hanging on by the edge of Carver's sword. At least there was still that minor dignity.
A weight pressed on my shoulder and hissed. Then spat a small ball of fire. I had enough awareness to glance to the side. A small [Messenger's Pet]'s was spitting defiance at the larger creature. The sheer audacity of my situation must have set the boss monster back because it growled and roared.
Stunned! Abilities requiring focus suffer an additional 50% penalty.
“Oh god. We’re all screwed.” Shadow was pressed against the ground. One eye tilted up, seeing the giant creature towering over the lot of us. The boss was smaller than before, having lost some mass to the destruction of its wriggling bits.
I tried to stand up again. Both hands pulled with frail strength upon the sword's hilt. The blade dug into tile and ground below in response. Even if this horrifyingly giant mass of squiggles descended those jaws my direction. A pitiful death would invalidate my attempt to give him a stellar ending.
“His health. It keeps going down.”
I winced and realized that the wounds all over my body had applied a bleed of some sort. My quarter of health was down to ten percent. This was not fair. This was not the way things should end. I would not die on the ground. I would stand on my feet. I would go out like Carver wanted.
SweetPea reached out with one hand to try and heal me. Her battered form stretched across the ground and a torn look across her features. I had enough strength to look around and weakly smile at the lot of them. They were only here on this fool's errand because of me. Me, and this brilliant idea to take Carver into a dungeon. [Messenger's Pet] was still spitting tiny balls of fire out. They were minuscule before the bigger monster, but enough to cause it to flinch at times as chunks sizzled.
Brief moments of respite allowed me to struggle back to my feet. Everything felt worse than it had. My strength from the dances had faded. The sword in my hands turned back to its cane. Both knees locked up into position in order to keep me upright. Pain flared between my shoulders as everything hunched again. There, just like my first day as William Carver, I stood. Putting on an air of pride.
We, Carver and I, would die on our feet. By all the Voices Continue had to offer, by all the mental willpower available to me. I would grace him with that image at least.
But I might close my eyes just a little.
There was another roar from the boss. As if my debilitation could get any worse. Another wave rippled through preceded by a giant stomp. Another giant footstep came through and a sixth roar.
This time a much louder, much angrier cry answered the boss. From above and behind, somewhere in the distance came a loud scream that sounded more like thunder than a giant lion. I opened one eye a little and saw the nearly empty health bar. A cough full of blood sputtered out of my old form.
The other eye opened and vision swam into focus. Something new collided at high speeds with the boss monster. A shock wave rippled as the two connected. I pulled together what little willpower was left. [Identification] triggered on the newest creature.
Failure abounded. Repetitive stuns had made pretty much skill usage impossible. I had a hunch, given the sleek azure skin and thinned look. A female I think. That shade matching her scales lined up with the scarf of a certain orphanage caretaker. It also matched scales I handed over to that very same woman.
“Who is that?” Someone whispered but my ears were muffled from all the yells.
“I don’t know.”
“Carver's almost dead, do you have anything left?” Awesome Jr. asked.
“Better yet, why is that dragon helping?”
“She, I think.” HotPants said.
She, the giant azure dragon, was going to town on the creature of nightmares and ink. Relief washed across my face. It was enough to make me happy in this path. I stayed on my feet and suffered the buffet of wings and near misses of huge limbs. Wingtips, balls of flame, and conglomerations of tentacle monsters passed me where I stood. My health dipped into critical and started flashing.
I nodded and bore witness to the scene.
Flames proved to be the nightmare's downfall. Ball after ball of light orange fire spat out of the dragon's maw. Each one sending the boss creature into fits as it shrank visibly and writhed. Soon there was nothing but a growing puddle of goo.
Finally its health bar reached rock bottom. She, the dragon, let out a few more blasts to ensure that the enemy’s health went into the negatives.
I tried to smile but instead hit rock bottom myself and slipped downward again. Rapidly my legs gave out and soon Carver's body was on the ground. I had a front row view of the large dragon shrinking and twisting upon itself. The dragon was turning back towards me and in moments she turned into human form.
Our mystery rescuer was Mylia, the Half-Dragon orphanage Mother. Her hands reached for a scarf and wrapped it back across her hair. The blue knitted clothing was now obviously hiding a small pair of horns and a tint of azure scales that hung around her forehead. One more mystery solved of why she looked the way she did. She was practically dainty now as she screamed out Carver's name.
“Carver!”
I tried to smile but barely moved my eyes in her direction.
“Carver!” She shouted again. Did no one want to use my, I mean his, first name?
“Mylia.” I croaked.
“SweetPea, can you do anything?”
“I’m completely out. Empty. Do you have any bandages?”
"Nothing for that level of damage." HotPants said.
“Anyone have anything?” Awesome Jr. sounded nearly frantic. The four of them were standing around now, moving but not nearly as broken as I was. They at least had slivers of health remaining.
“Mylia.” I croaked again.
“I’m here Carver.”
Swallowing hurt. Breathing was beyond difficult. There was a taste of copper in the back of my mouth that would make me barf again if there was any strength to do so. I had nothing left but still had room for a final push. I won and succeeded in a final adventure. There was one thing left to do.
“Tell me a story, Mylia.” My lips felt dry. Everything hurt more than normal. Pain was rapidly fading though into a numb sensation.
“I will. I will, you just have to make it through. We’ll get High Priestess Peach here, or I'll carry you.”
“Mylia.” I whispered with all the strength left to my old body.
“Mister Carver. You don’t die now, what will the kids do?”
“Tell me a story.”
“I don’t…” She was crying.
“You promised... to think about it.”
“I, I don’t know where to start.”
“Your story Mylia.” I gasped and coughed. The vile taste in the back my throat grew worse and breathing was harder. Another wracking wave of coughs as my frail form couldn’t double up. Carver wouldn’t cry, I existed beyond this game, but right now there was nothing else. Mylia was getting a chance to say goodbye and that was something everyone deserved.
“What do I say? How do I start?”
“Once upon a time,” SweetPea said. “That’s how all the best stories start.”
"So cliché." Shadow muttered. HotPants poked him weakly.
I tugged at Mylia's sleeve in desperation. Neither eye seemed capable of focusing. They slowly drifted downward and barely worked. Blackness haunted the edges of my vision.
“Okay. Okay, a story. But you have to stay with me, Mister Carver.” She swallowed too and wiped away her tears. Moments later they returned but she worked through.
“Once upon a time…” Mylia Jacobs whispered.
The flashing health bar stopped with one final blare of red. I lost my grip on the cane and blackness descended, leaving her story unheard. A message slowly appeared upon my screen.
You have died.
I reached for the logout button before anything else could interrupt me. My mind was in no mood to handle anymore tonight.