Pag poured all his mana into the cloak of flames spell, pushing it to coat his fists. He winced as the heat seeped past the skin of his hand into his bones as he pulled back his fist then swung it forward in a downwards arc at the hooded figure, white hot flames arcing out from his fist and slamming into the target in a blazing explosion. Pag fell bonelessly to the ground, unable to focus his thoughts as he stared at his empty mana bar and notifications that made no sense to his fogged mind. He lay there for what felt like an eternity not sure why he lay there and entirely uncertain if he was supposed to be anywhere other than where he was at that moment. The cold soggy ground cradling him in a hard bitter embrace as the dampness seeped into his clothes.
He blinked at the sight of what appeared to be a very agitated tapping foot in front of him and followed it up to a sour faced Aviva. Pag pulled himself to a sitting position and looked around, mind still foggy as the mana bar refilled. Once the last of it filled he blinked checked his notifications.
Pag thought for a moment then tapped the yes option.
Pag waved away the notifications then looked back up to Aviva with a blink, catching sight of a smoking crater behind her. He swallowed and winced as he placed his hand on the ground to push himself up, pain shooting up his arm sending him sprawling.
Pag lifted his face from the mud, a new set of notifications catching his gaze.
<20 points of damage taken from spell backfire.>
Pag cursed, blinking into the suddenly bright world around him. The ground beneath him was solid and people huddled around him, breath held as they stared down at him.
“Uh..” Pag said, unable to muster anything else as he frowned and covered his eyes against the harsh light.
“How do you feel?”
Pag squinted into the light at the direction the voice came from, trying to place it. It took a few moments of staring at the exhausted face before something clicked in the back of his mind. “Jorge? I’m fine, why? Is something wrong?” He asked slowly as he tried unsuccessfully to remember leaving the sensory deprivation pool. They must have pulled him out before logging him off.
He heard several people release their held breath and became aware of not only how little he was wearing but also how pruned and sensitive his skin felt. Pag grimaced and tried to stand without bumping into the people around him, a small shiver cascading through him.
“No, everything was fine, we just wanted to check in on you, let you dry off and eat something. You can go back in whenever you want but we would like you to try to do so outside of the sensory deprivation pool.” Jorge said handing him a towel.
Pag opened his mouth to say he wasn’t hungry but his stomach groaned at him and he realized that it had been some time since he had actually ate something outside of the game. He closed his mouth and gave a nod wrapping the towel around himself.
“Do we need to do anything before I get dressed?” he asked, wincing at the dryness of his throat.
Jorge cocked his head and glanced at a tablet in his hand. “as long as the adhesive on the sensors are holding we should be good to go. Just give them each a gentle tug when you get dressed and let me know if any come off or feel loose.” He said as he motioned for one of the people behind Pag.
Pag turned and they handed him his sack of clothes. “Thanks.” he said padding to the door that was propped open.
“So, tell me. How’d it feel? What did you think of to log in.” Dave asked in an excited voice as he rushed over to Pag's side.
Pag stopped and turned to look at him with a frown. “Dial up.” He said and walked the short distance across the hall to the bathroom.
Pag slipped into a stall and slid off his soaked boxers, wishing he had another pair. He dried off, vigorously rubbing the thick plush towel against his wrinkled skin, and got dressed.
“Hey uh, what do you mean by dial up?” Dave asked from outside the stall with a nervous chuckle.
Pag sighed and rolled his eyes. “I imagined the dial up sound. That’s how I logged in. Game seemed the same as in a pod.” He said curtly, wishing he would just leave.
“Ah. I see. Any reason why?” Dave asked with an odd tone.
“Shits and giggles, didn’t think it would work but it did.” Pag said pushing the stall door open and walking past him as he shoved his wet boxers into the sack his clothes were in. “How long was I logged in?” He asked Jorge.
“Right at 8 real time hours. Marissa has food being prepared for you as we speak. I hope you are in the mood for a burger and fries. Did you want to walk around some or use the gym any before tried to log back in?” Jorge said with a tone that told him that the last bit was less of a question and more of a suggestion.
“Maybe some light walking to get the blood flowing.” Pag said looking at him.
Jorge gave him an approving nod. “It’s nice outside this evening. Maybe the courtyard, it’s not far from your room and usually has fewer people in it than the gym does.”
“I have a few more questions-” Dave began but cut off when Jorge turned to him with a withering glare. “That can wait, I’ll send an email and you can get to them when you get a moment.” He said patting Pag on the shoulder as he passed them and hurried off.
“I’m really not a fan of him.” Pag says under his breath.
“I don’t blame you.” Jorge said in a barely audible tone. “Come on, I’ll show you the way to the courtyard. “He continued louder, patting him on the back.
The walked in silence through the winding halls, only occasionally passing another person that Jorge always greeted by name with either a nod or a handshake. Some were players who were waiting to log back in, others were developers or other staff members but none were any that Pag recognized.
When they reached the courtyard it the sun was nearing the horizon. A dry heat enveloped him as he stepped out the door, Jorge following behind him. Pag stopped just outside the door and looked around the small verdant patch. The bushes were much like those that had grown in the area surrounding Toula and Maverick’s cottage but lacking the berries. A small wooden bench sat in a partially obscured alcove, a small tree casting it in shade while bushes and a birdbath drew the eyes away from it. Pag didn’t see a single other person as he stepped out onto the grass, inhaling the aroma as he drew in a slow deep breath.
Pag turned to Jorge as he took another step. “Should I just?” he asked twirling his fingers in a circle.
Jorge nodded. “walk, run, jog, skip. Doesn’t matter just make a few circuits around the yard. That’ll be enough for now, but I do recommend speaking with Holly or Marie to figure out a good plan to prevent muscle deterioration. We're working with some developers to get compression suits that will have small diodes in them to send small electrical pulses to the muscles to prevent it but until we get that completed and approved for testing we have to do it the old fashioned way.”
Pag trudged around the courtyard, making two complete circuits before the sun sank low enough that the lights began to flicker on. He tried to stay close to the building itself, partly to make as wide of a loop as possible and partly because the building still radiated the heat of the sun and his skin still held the memory of the cold ground from in the game. As he neared him again Jorge motioned with his head towards the door as he pulled it open and Pag slipped in the building silently. Neither of them said a word as the padded through the halls, stopping occasionally to let larger groups of people pass. After a group of 15 passed them, uproariously laughing as they huddled around a very tall bald man and what had to be the most glorious beard he had ever saw Pag turned to Jorge.
“Who are all of these people? I don’t think I’ve seen this many people here since I started.” Pag asked quietly motioning to the group.
“Players. Most of the time there aren’t that many walking about the facility. They are usually in game if they’re here but, until tomorrow morning you are the only person allowed in game so that we can more effectively monitor you. A lot of them don’t live here on site and go home once their shift is over even though they have access to all the amenities that are offered, but Dave is announcing the start of a new competition for the testers who play Ludere tonight at a banquet for all the players so nearly everyone is here.”
“How many testers play Ludere?”
“The last time I checked there were around 523. Not as many as Sarari or Iron Rain but they will start doing more hiring for it once we have all the new tech, like the suits and pods completed” Jorge's voice held an unreadable note at the mention of the pods, his face turning sour.
They stood there for a moment, watching the suddenly constant trickle of players stream past them silently.
Jorge gave a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, turning halfway into the flow of people. “C’mon, we should get you back to your room so you can eat, do whatever you need or want to do before you try to log back in.”
Pag took one last look at the people before nodding and following closely. To his surprise he realized that Jorge was leading him back to his old room. “You guys done monitoring me?” he asked
“I still want to keep an eye on your vitals for another day but you’re clear to return to your room. They’ll let you play from here or any other place you feel like it for a few more days. After that we’re going to try other places around the city, then eventually around the country and finally in other countries.” Jorge said with a shrug as he scratched the back of his neck stopping in front of his door. “Don’t forget to log out and exercise some. If I find out you’re staying logged in for too long of a stretch of time I’ll have frank boot you and set parental controls to limit your daily access.” he said with a low chuckle.
“Right. I’ll set a few alarms to get up and do something. Is it alright to log back in?” Pag said as he opened his door.
Jorge sighed and gave a small nod. “Message me if you need anything. I sent my contact details to your account, you should be able to access me in game through the message center or from your tablet if you’re not playing. “
“Thank you.” Pag said with a nod as he watched Jorge turn to leave.
Pag stood there for a moment in the doorway before stepping back and shutting the door. He looked around the room, his eyes immediately landing on the new television imbibed into his wall and the fridge that sat below it in its own nook. He padded over and pulled the door open, laughing as he saw the obscene amount of crush soda and snacks shoved into it. He grabbed a can out and popped the tab taking a slow sip of the soda as he shut the door and padded over to the table, sitting down in the chair. He placed the can on the table and reached for his tablet, unlocking it with a swipe, and scrolled through a few sites, skimming a few articles. One in particular caught his eye, it had no title but was about the further crack down and privatization of schools. They were now growing steadily more expensive, forcing some families to pull their children out to home school them. Both homeschooling curriculum and in school curriculum had new regulations while now allowing schools to give aptitude tests that would then be used to encourage children in the fields they tested the best in, while working to improve areas they hadn’t, and begin early preparations for their chosen job field as early as the ninth grade.
Laws like this were what forced him to drop out of his courses. Even with grants, scholarships and a student loan he had been unable to finish his final year of classes. Pag sighed and exited the article shaking his head. He stood, placing the tablet on the table, and stretched before chugging the soda and tossing the can into the trashcan as he padded over and locked his door.
Pag flopped down on the bed. “Lights out.” he said as he closed his eyes and called forth the dial up tone, a small smile tugging at his lips as he did, and logged in.
Pag blinked jerking his head upwards and nearly fell over, the only thing preventing him from doing so was the harness that linked him to Morena. He re-situated himself and looked over to Aviva. “Uh, what’d I miss?”
Aviva rolled her eyes scowling at him. “You really shouldn’t try to blow up your party members then just log out. I had to put the harness on you and tie Morena to Azulbek. Neither of them are happy about that by the way.” she said reaching over to untie the lead from Morena who chittered and lay her ears back.
“Team member? There was a hooded figure behind you, I thought it was the stalker from the tavern.” Pag huffed as he scrubbed Morena behind the ears.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Aviva shook her head. “Well it is the person from the tavern but they aren’t a stalker, just cautious, they just wanted to join us on the way south.” She said pointing back over her shoulder. “Add her to the party and apologize.”
Pag looked back blinked as he saw, not far behind Maverick and Toula, a heavily cloaked figure riding a massive stag. He nudge Morena to slow her pace until he had fallen back far enough to be alongside her. “Sorry about earlier.” Pag said nervously scratching his chin. “I didn’t realize that you were joining us and assumed the worst. “
The hood slowly swiveled, long, delicate hands reaching up to pull the hood back. Pags breath caught in his throat as he looked at her. She had large golden almond shaped eyes and thick black silky hair that reached her shoulders and the tips of her pointed ears peaked through. Her skin was a rich caramel color, pale silvery tattoos faintly visible against it.
“My name is Pag.” He said, the words tumbling out in a rush.
She stared at him for a moment before responding. “Andromeda.” she said simply turning back to watch the road in front of them.
Pag swallowed and waved up the menu, adding her to the party.
Pag waved the notification and his menus away, sitting there in silence for a moment before looking back over. “What class are you?”
“SpellSlinger.” She said not looking back to him.
“Whats a SpellSlinger? Like a mage right?”
“No.” she said with an exasperated sigh looking back to him. “Take archery and mesh it together with elemental magic. Rather than arrows I use solidified elemental mana.”
Pag blinked. “That sounds epic, what element?”
“Ice, usually.”
Pag thought for a moment and turned back to her. “If you can make arrows of mana is it possible to make other weapons?”
“Yes, it’s a very difficult skill to learn, no matter the weapon, but it is possible. Those who favor blades are SpellBlades, those who favor hammers or other blunt objects are SpellSmashers, those who use projectiles like slugs or arrows are SpellSlingers. Each use their affinities to create the solidified mana. SpellBlades are usually wind users but not always while SpellSmashers prefer earth.”
They rode in silence for a bit until Pag frowned and nudged Morena to speed up to pull alongside Aviva. “Aviva, is she from Soohan.” He asked her quietly.
“Yes, but she had to leave for political reasons a few months back and has been traveling Draggor since.”
“What sort of political reasons?”
“Nothing that concerns you. Don’t worry Mr. Enemy of Soohan, you’re safe.”
Pag blinked and frowned. “That’s not what I meant. I was just curious”
Aviva glanced at him then sighed. “Now that you’re awake we need to pick up our pace or we won’t make it to the next tavern before the next front of the storm.” she said nudging her Leprin into a faster pace.
Pag mimicked her and they rode on in silence. Trees slid passed them and they came out into a vast hilly prairie, thick stalks of pale golden grasses poked from the blankets of snow in small clusters. Sunlight glinted off the snow banks in brilliant glittering rays. As they climbed the first of many hills towards the towering mountains ahead Pag cast his flame cloak spell, granting Morena and himself a reprieve from the chill. Pag grimaced at his grumbling stomach and reached into his cloak, pulling out the small sack of berries and tossing a few into his mouth. Ahead of him Aviva came to a stop, standing in her saddle as she swiveled, looking all around them.
“Whats-” Pag started to say, looking around
“Shh” Aviva said quietly waving a hand at him.
Pag frowned and looked around.
“Shit” Aviva said in a low voice looking behind Pag on his right side.
Pag turned and felt his eyes went wide, a massive crystalline Minotaur stood not far from them, pulling a massive halberd from its back and pointing it at them.
“I was hoping we would be able to squirt through the field boss’s territory.” Aviva said, quietly cursing. “You’re going to have to put it down, preferably before it gets close.
“What?!” Pag yelped.
“Go.” she said undoing the clasps that held him in the saddle and shoved him.
Pag fell into the snow, windmilling his arms, and fell face first into a deep bank of snow that began to melt around him from his sustained cloak of flames. He pulled himself up and met eyes with the Minotaur who was running full tilt towards them now. A string of curses tumbled from his mouth and he cocked his arm back, preparing to use his newest spell. He pushed as much of his mana as he dared into his arm before thrusting his fist forward and the mana along with it. A ball of flames the size of a pumpkin hurtled forwards roaring through the air and hitting the Minotaur on the left side of its face.
The Minotaur let out a roar like a fierce gale howling through a mountain pass and glass breaking as it fell backwards, the left side of his face melting and cracking. Pag held both of his hands in front of himself, releasing his cloak of flames and pooling all of his mana into his hands. As he began to feel snowed, his mind fogging over, and his hands began to feel as if he had stuck them into an open flame he released it all in a single burst. The mana tore from his palms, flames roaring like a speeding freight train to hit the Minotaur square in the chest and tearing straight through to the other side. The Minotaur cracked from the massive hole in his chest and fell to pieces.
Pag fell forwards, landing on his hands and knees, his eyes on his mana bar watching as it slowly refilled until he was finally able to string together a coherent thought and stand. He glanced over to his notifications and felt a weak smile stretch across his face.
<2,000 EXP x 1 Glacial Minotaur>
Player Name: Pagacco Level: 14
Class: Mage Subclass: Pyroclasm
Profession: None Specialization: None
Currently Active Title: Enemy of Soohan Most used Skill: Flames
Alignment: Inflammatory
Health: 120/120 [R:10] Mana: 260/260 [R:10] Stamina: 55/55 [R:11]
Points Earned: 27
Reputation:
Soohan: Blood Feud (-9999) Draggor (155)
Lunar Empire (0) Red Fox Caravan (0)
Arcane Core (12) Backstreet Boys (-500)
Unionized Draggor Thieves Clans (-500)
Attributes:
Strength: 10 Constitution: 11 Dexterity: 12 Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 16 Charisma: 11 Piety: 2 Luck: 10
Karma: -2
Combat:
Attack: 10 Accuracy: 5 Agility: 10 Speed: 5
Critical: 0.21 Endurance: 5 Focus: 12 Defense: 10
Magic Def: 10 Armor: 0 Hygieian Meter: 55
Active Status Effects:
Cold II – Stinky II - Exhaustion I - Tombs Rattle I
Flames - Beginner 2
Titles
Enemy of Soohan – Beginner Pyroclasm - Cartographer I
Pag stood slowly, reactivating the cloak of flames, and trudging slowly through the snow as the heat radiating from him melted the snow around him. When he reached the shattered remains of the Minotaur he knelt and opened its inventory to loot it arching his brows in surprise.
<1x Glacial Minotaur Horn. Crafting material. Quality: High grade, Sharp>
Pag placed the item in his inventory and stood slowly scratching his chin as he considered the chunks, toeing a larger piece a bit before shrugging and trudging back to Morena. He pulled himself back into the saddle and hooked the clasps back into place, nudging her back into a steady pace.
“How much farther do we have to the tavern?” Pag asked as the others guided their beasts to follow him.
“About another mile or so. Just before we reach the pass.” Aviva said
“And how how long do we have before the next storm front catches us?” Pag said turning to look back at Maverick’s heavily bundled form.
Maverick made a few subtle gestures, his hands glowing a faint magenta.“About an hour at the most. Jet streams shifted a bit ago and it’s now being heavily pushed towards the mountain but the clouds will be too low lying so once it hits the line it’ll be there until they shift again or the system dies out.” His voice was muffled from the layers of clothing and came out rushed, the words escaping the folds of fabric in large puffs of steam.
Pag frowned staring at him for a moment. “Hey, Maverick why don’t you ride with me for a bit.” He said nudging Morena to a stop. “I have a skill that I can use to keep you warm and were fixing to have to start riding pretty hard to get there in time.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Toula’s surprised expression.
Maverick glanced between him and Toula, who gave a small nod, before slipping off the Spectral Boar and dismissing it. Pag held a hand down to him to pull him up into the saddle while he undid a few of the clasps. Once Maverick was settled he reattached the clasps, looping a few of the harnesses straps around Maverick.
“Hold on tight Mav. Keep your face down and covered.” Toula said reaching over to pat the folds of fabric as she offered Pag a small smile.
“I’ll ride out front, using my spells to try to keep as much snow cleared as possible. Ride behind me as close as you can, it should reduce the wind drag if we do that.” Pag said nudging Morena to the direction Aviva had indicated.
“Here take this.”Aviva said tossing him a small vial. “It’s the only one I have right now so make good use of it.”
Aviva has gifted you 1x Potion of Mana Overfill. This potion will refill your mana and temporarily increase the size of your mana pool.
Pag gave a small nod and took a deep breath, nudging Morena into a run. He slipped the vial into his cloak then held a hand out in front of him, leaning as far to the side as he dared so if there was any backfire he would be the only one hit with it. Focusing he pushed a slow steady stream of mana down his arm and out his palm. The flames gushed out in a thin stream, melting snow and ice in front of them as Morena ran full tilt. Wind howled in his ears and he tossed a glance backwards, his focus faltering momentarily as he saw the heavy black clouds beginning to blanket the sky behind them. The bite of backfired flames pulled his attention back to his task and he blinked into the wind that tore at his face and robes. Pag pushed all thoughts from his mind and focused on the constant stream of flames and staying on Morena.
A cold wind bit at him from behind, something he barely registered as he rode one eye on the road he was creating and one on his mana bar that was steadily draining. As his mind began to fog he took his hand from the saddle and reached into his cloak, bumping the folds of fabric that swaddled Maverick, his snowed mind suddenly focused in on how soft the fabric was. With difficulty he shook his mind free of the syrupy thoughts his mind was mired in and pulled the vial from his cloak. He bit into the cork that stoppered the vial and yanked it out, opened his mouth enough to drop the cork and chugged the contents of the vial. As he swallowed the last drop of it he felt a violent shudder run through his body, his face screwing up as he registered the acrid taste. It was like someone had taken a pepsi and poured ghost pepper powder and vanilla into it then let it go flat. His tongue immediately went numb, the fog lifted from his mind and he was suddenly hyper aware of his surroundings. The bitter wind at his back had picked up now, pushing at them with vicious howling gales that carried cutting ice and thick white puffs of snow that danced around them obscuring his vision as they blended in with the snow banks and clouds.
He grabbed the saddle again and tightened his focus, narrowing the stream of flames while extending them further in front of them. The flames, though incredible at eating away at what was on the ground, did little to diminish the snow that fell. He could barely see beyond Morena’s muzzle but kept up the pace, his heart jumping at what he assumed were the distant tavern lights ahead as they topped the rise of a steep hill. As the snow fell heavier the lights disappeared behind another hill as they descended but he held his course.
They tore through a low valley, the clouds overhead having long swallowed the sun now ate every blanketed the land in darkness and snow. A dark crystalline form rose from the snow and Pag cursed, the wind tossing them far behind as they approached the newly re-spawned Glacial Minotaur. He nudged Morena, sending her into a wide circling path around it as he gathered a mass roiling of mana into his other hand, letting go of the saddle. His stomach and back muscles screamed, having held the position for so long he could feel the muscles quivering. He shot one massive burst at the Minotaur's head before it could launch an attack, this time taking the head off in one clean hit. It fell backwards into a small group of figures, mobs likely, smashing them into glittering shards of ice.
They topped the rise of another hill and Pag registered the sheer cliff facing suddenly in front of him, his mind jumping to the small opening that was blocked only by a thick sheet of ice. Quickly he redirected his flames, if they couldn’t find the tavern they needed to get out of the weather as quickly as possible.
The sheet of ice drew closer and Pag cursed pushed all of his mana into the flames, melting a hole large enough for Morena to jump inside but not quite big enough for how far out he had been leaning. His face and chest smashed into the ice shattering it, the impact driving the breath from his lungs and painting his vision with stars.
>Yes
Pag blinked the stars from his vision trying to process the words in the dialog box that took up his vision. He mentally tapped yes and straightened up in the saddle, rubbing his face and wincing as he felt where his face had hit the ice. He would definitely bruise from that. With shaking hands he reached down, unclasping himself from the saddle and unwrapping the tethers from around Maverick who turned to look up at him, folds of fabric falling back to reveal his wide eyes.
“Your nose is bleeding.” Mavericks voice was soft
“Where are we?” Toula asked, her voice breathy as she came up and pulled Maverick from the saddle.
“Not a tavern” Andromeda said with a snort as she padded around to get a better look
Pag followed their gaze, his mouth dropped open as he took in the scene.