10

Try and try again

Day 3 Default 2

Other players are not to be trusted!!!

KillPrinsX wondered if she really felt the pain. She sat down on the bed she had randomly spawned to. Her hopes and dreams destroyed. Is that pain? Does it hurt? It’s only a game. But it can be so very real sometimes. Even the Mana depletion left her short of breath. The adrenaline was really pumping, she felt euphoric when she survived her first Nap Time adventure. The felt the fear when three other players started to beat the shit out of her. She felt that hope rekindled when Jason saved her from that beating. She felt the relief when she finished of the Banished Bear and the Death Knight all in one shot.

But did she feel pain?

She finally got over herself and decided that she could maybe get lucky again with Nap Time.

Out in the cold arctic winds, trudging through knee deep snow, a group of three count their time before death. The frozen debuff was slowly killing them, even with Buffs, hot chocolate and rum was all that was left to give them a few minutes more. Their potions had all been used up since then, even those looted off the other two dead group members. It’s was only a flimsy religious belief in their own Luck and Endurance stats that kept them hoping for a change in weather.

Alas! There it was, not a Bi-Polar Bear or angry Penguine, but a cave!

Geothermal heat billowed out, and they stood in the hot and humid draft for a few long minutes before venturing in.

Congratulations!

You have completed one step in the quest: Arctic Explorer.

You have found 1 of 3 locations to compete this quest.

They travelled down through the path of winding. A few measly Ice Crabs were hardly noticeable, killed on sight. And this is where their Luck had really paid off.

The last cavern was a big one. One that stretched on for miles. And in the center was an island, the size of house, floating in the warm waters.

The teammate with binoculars stood and focused on the island. “There’s treasure chests!… and a portal!” Their hearts jumped with joy and their shoulders relaxed, maybe home at last, and a little relief form this frozen barren landscape.

Portals were rare, very rare. There was probably one in each of the various landscapes… and only one. This one must have the “the one”. Observably so, as this cavern was huge, many tunnels lead from various points on the map. Besides that, portals could also be a hassle, not knowing where it would drop you, unless one carried a portal key. Another rare item usually found after a very long and arduous quest given by a hard to find NPC.

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The one with binoculars continued to check the layout, finding the best path to this island. There were some floating flagstones one could walk across. There was also a boat. There was apparently a route one could take by climbing the ceiling too.

He discussed it with his teammates.

They came upon a decision; two would cross by flagstones while the other would follow behind in the boat. A near fail proof plan, but maybe not…

ALL TREASURE IS GUARDED.

They stepped down, now level with the water. They were always on the watch, a few bats flew down occasionally, dispatched quite easily.

With out much more than a nod, they set off as planned. The flagstones floating in the water weren’t difficult to traverse, balance was key, but nothing for most players.

A teammate had gotten in the boat and followed, slowly paddling, careful not to disturb the water and make his teammates lose balance.

They carried on, jumping from one stone to the next, paddling slowly behind.

That had Managed to get halfway across without any mishap, a small slip, but nothing serious.

They were halfway across, and there was a disturbance in the water. It didn’t take binoculars to find out what it was.

“Water snake!”

“Leviathan!”

“Run for you lives!”

The one in the boat was the first to go. First the bow and then the foundering sailor.

The Leviathan circled the two, coming up slowly, and going back down, dreadfully slow.

The player in the lead jumped from one stone to the next, carrying on his path, hoping his death wouldn’t come, praying he might make it.

The second cowered on the stone, hoping his life might be spared if he didn’t disturb the waters. He might be right.

The Leviathan chomped on a trembling stone, the one his teammate had just jumped off. Now, he only jumped faster.

He watched quietly as his friend ran and jumped, making it, closer and closer to the treasure and portal.

The Leviathan chomped, one stone, and another. The beast was catching up.

Run and jump, run and jump. Faster, faster. He was nearly there. Ten more to go! But no, the beast was smart. Chomping and swallowing the next stone, player and all.

There was one man left. One who just might make it out alive.

He lay motionless on the stone he had now gotten to, making it ever closer while the Leviathan was distracted.

Now he wait.

The Leviathan left back to the depths and the player started moving, slowly, slowly, carefully watching the waters behind him.

The Leviathan popped up once again, looking for the disturbance.

The player stopped, balancing to stop the rocking of his stone.

The beast rose it head and took a bite of he stone just behind him.

The player jumped, hoping the monster wasn’t paying attention with its back turned.

He advanced another two before settling down again.

All he could do now was wait. And wait he did.

Another long minute passed before the Leviathan went back down to the depths.

And the player moved on. Les than ten to go.

He got closer and closer before the Leviathan came back up. But he was so close, he could out run it!

And he did. He jumped to the last flagstone while the Leviathan took the stone he was just on.

The last jump to the wall. He soared through the air, hand stretched out for the ledge… a mere inch from his finger tips, the ledge now out of his grasp, and a miserable death.

The player fell to the water.

The Leviathan came.

KillPrinsX woke up.

Her 10 points of HP dropped in the blink of an eye, the room swirled into blackness, and unswirled, apparently the same room in an identical house, on another identical street.

No luck this time. Perhaps another… There’s nothing to loose. I mean, who would really be comparing their number of defaults.