Gabe:
It’s been hours since I died in the ambush. Or after the ambush. Whatever. Usually, in Dungeon Quest, the game gear tells me how long it will be before I’m allowed to log in again after dying. Sometimes it's just a few minutes, sometimes a few hours. This time, tho, there isn't a timer. I have no idea how long I'm going to have to wait.
Or if I’ll be able to ever log in again.
I wonder if I really did destroy my character. I mean… I did use abilities that made my Max HP go below zero. I don’t know if I can get those HP back. But it makes sense. I mean, a resurrection ability in most games comes with some pretty massive costs.
Would I do it again, if I knew I’d never be able to log into Dungeon Quest again?
Yeah.
I still can see the faces of the kids at the orphanage. *I* was the reason they got attacked. The guys recognized Maribel because I was glowing. She would have been safe if it weren’t for me. The kids would have been safer without me.
Even if I get back in the game, maybe… maybe I should stay away from people. To keep them from getting hurt.
I still have the gear on. I'm just laying in my bed, like I have been for hours, wondering if maybe it’ll be like normal again. Koji went home after an hour or two, after I told him the entire story of Lucia, becoming a pacifist, and the new powers I got. He made me promise to message him when I went back in the game and told me that Maribel wanted to see me.
I don’t know if she really does tho.
---
Maribel:
It’s been over five hours since the attack. The sun is setting, but it's still unsafe to move the children. I look at the status screen at my fingertips.
>>>
Name: Zaza
Type: Human child (NPC)
Proficiency: None
Level: 1
Age: 4
HP: 1/6
MP: 25
STR: 0
AGI: 0
DEX: 0
END: 0
INT: 0
WIS: 0
CHA: 0
PER: 0
LUC: 0
Status:
(Bleeding) (Fatigue) (Shock) (Heart Failure) (Lung Puncture) (Bruising) (Dehydration) (Blood Loss)
Bloodbound: Temporary and Max HP increased due to Pacifist Heal.
Relife: Core stats and level decreased to minimum due to recent revival. All stat upgrades, proficiencies, and levels have been permanently lost.
>>>
Her status screen hasn't changed for hours. Zaza isn't dead… but she just keeps bleeding. Her breathing is erratic and shallow.
It was an hour after the attack that the first child - Grace - lost the “Bloodbound” status and her Max HP dropped to 5. After the status disappeared, her wounds suddenly started responding to the healing magic and she began to stabilize. She’s been fine ever since. Zaza, Igor, and the other four children still waver on the edge of life and death. Their HP stays at 1, no matter how much healing we pour into them. After 30 minutes without a response, one of the castle healers suggested we give up… but the arrival of Gabe’s brother renewed their energy, and when Grace improved, that gave us all the hope to keep trying.
But all of us know that Grace was different.
Grace had 2 out of 6 HP. I think it's possible that she was the only child who survived the battle… and that somehow allowed her body to heal sooner.
I survived as well, but the healing isn't working for me, either.
I lose my balance and sit down at the edge of Zaza’s cot. I check my own HP. 12/32. Every hour, my HP drops, my Max HP dropping with it. None of my wounds have closed, and the pain grows stronger as my HP continues dropping. I’m still bleeding. And every time I fall, I find I need to take longer and longer breaks before I can stand again.
If this keeps going, I may only have half a day to live.
Maribel (quietly): “What did you *do* Gabe? What did you do to the children? To me? Are we going to live? Are we going to die? I don't understand…”
Suddenly a small round object jumps into my lap. It’s Lucia. She hums lightly and rests against my stomach. The cool feeling of her round body feels nice.
I try to gather my thoughts as I softly pet the prismatic slime. This is what I know so far:
Individuals who have “Bloodbound” status seem to have a higher than normal Max HP. It is impossible to heal them using healing magic beyond a certain point. Grace had 2 HP. All the rest of the children have 1. I currently have 12.
My Max HP decreases by 1 each hour. So does the maximum amount that can be healed by healing magic.
After 1 hour, Grace lost the “Bloodbound” status and was able to be healed, and her wounds responded normally.
The hit points granted by “Bloodbound” seem to be different in some way. Example: Even though Zaza continues to bleed at an alarming rate, and she stays in critical condition, she has not died when other patients who have lost that much blood normally would. That said, she has been attended by two healers for multiple hours now. None of us feels safe just leaving the children and hoping they’ll recover on their own.
Man in Uniform: “Sister, I think it's time for your turn again. How are you feeling?”
Maribel: “I'm concerned… for the children mostly…”
Man in Uniform: “From the looks of it, your HP hasn't stabilized yet either.”
Maribel: “I’ll be fine.”
Man in Uniform: “Will you though? Will any of you be fine? What exactly happened here, Sister Maribel? In all my time in service to the Crown, I have never seen anything like this. It's as if all of you are poisoned. Or cursed. Or…”
Maribel: “Blessed.”
Man in Uniform: “What? What kind of blessing keeps a child from being healed? What kind of blessing allows her to constantly bleed from a wound in her back and chest?”
Maribel: “...the one that brought her back to life.”
Man in Uniform: “you don't mean…”
He looks over at Zaza, then the other children.
Man in Uniform: “Sister, you know what you are saying, correct? Are you stating that these children were dead, and that they are now alive?”
Maribel: “Yes. They were all dead. Perhaps Grace survived. And they are all alive now.”
Man in Uniform (quieter): “Be honest with me, Maribel. Is this the product of necromancy?”
I laugh, then hold my side since laughing hurts so badly.
Maribel: “No. This is no necromancy. This is something different. A miracle. I believe that, somehow, the children will be alright. That *I* will be alright.”
Man in Uniform: “But you said… you said they were dead…”
Maribel: “They were dead. I'm not going to lie to you. Zaza was stabbed in the heart. And yet…”
I look over at the little girl, within arms reach on the cot near where I sit.
Maribel: “They seem to be alive now, do they not? And I feel that if we keep trying, they, too, will begin to respond.”
The man begins healing my wounds. The green light plays on the surface of my body, enters inside, and fills me with the feeling of coolness… but the wounds don’t close. It’s as if the light is concentrating itself near the wounds… but isn’t touching them. As if they aren’t even there.
Woman’s voice: “Maribel! Look and see!”
Next to me, the healers working on Zaza exclaim as the light that has rested above her body for hours finally begins to seep in. The blood spilling from her wound slows, then stops, and the wound closes, leaving a scar in its place.
Maribel: “It’s working! It’s working! Zaza is saved!”
I check her status.
>>>
Name: Zaza
Type: Human child (NPC)
Proficiency: None
Level: 1
Age: 4
HP: 6/6
MP: 25
STR: 0
AGI: 0
DEX: 0
END: 0
INT: 0
WIS: 0
CHA: 0
PER: 0
LUC: 0
Status:
(Sleep) (Hunger) (Dehydration)
Bloodbound: Max HP increased due to Pacifist Heal.
Relife: Core stats and level decreased to minimum due to recent revival. All stat upgrades, proficiencies, and levels have been permanently lost.
>>>
She still has the “Bloodbound” status. But has it changed somehow? Otherwise, the negative status ailments have all gone away.
Wait.
All of them have gone away?
She had a punctured lung, a stabbed heart, broken ribs, extreme amounts of blood loss. Even the palace’s best healers couldn’t heal something that quickly.
Is it possible that the healing magic that has been used over the past 6 hours is being somehow saved or stored? But how would that be possible? This is so confusing...
I look to the other cots, but nothing has changed.
Wait. Zaza was the first one that Gabe healed. Could it be something to do with time? If that’s so, then Igor should be next. I walk from Zaza’s cot to Igor’s.
Woman: “Nothing here, I’m afraid… I’m sorry Sister Maribel…”
Maribel: “Wait. Just a few more seconds.”
Less than a minute later, Igor’s wounds begin to heal as well, as the green light resting on his skin seeps down inside. I check his status. He has 6/6 HP and the “Bloodbound” condition, is Level 1, and has zeroes for all his stats.
Within a few more minutes, all the children are peacefully sleeping. The soldiers carry us (as the captain doesn’t trust me to be able to walk in the city for some absurd reason) back to the church, where Father Kyrael is worried sick.
Maribel: “Father… I am so sorry… the charm you gave us just this morning was broken… and the children were injured on my watch… I submit myself for penance.”
Kyrael: “I’ve’a heard what happened, Sister Maribel. I’m’a sorry. I’m’a so sorry.”
(btw, Father Kyrael has a thick Italian accent)
---
Gabe:
I wake to a blinking green light.
Wait. That means connection is good?!? I can log in? I try to log in, and the familiar Dungeon Quest logo pops up.
And then I'm back.
---
Since I died, I respawn at my set spawn point - Fountain Square, in Fountain City. It looks like I have messages waiting.
One is from Koji - wanting an ETA of when I’ll get to the South Gate. Well… I’m guessing that got canceled when I died. Oh! He asked me to message him.
I log out and send him a text that I’m back in the game, then go back in. They should make it possible to send text messages in the game. Or forward in-game messages to your phone. That’s probably more likely, and more reasonable. Except that it would probably incur message fees from phone providers… hmmmmmm. Well it’s not like I can do anything about it. Lol. Maybe somewhere there is a suggestion box in-game. I’ll ask next time I’m at the adventurer’s guild.
I check my status.
Here goes nothing.
>>>
Name: Gabe
Proficiency: Pacifist (2)
Level: 1
HP: 2/2
MP: 20
STR: 2
AGI: 2
DEX: 2
END: 4
INT: 2
WIS: 2
CHA: 4
PER: 4
Inventory: Karmic Ring of Strength (bound)
0 gold (0 in deposit)
Ripped clothing (+0 defense)
Haruka seed
>>>
Well, that’s better than the worst case. I mean, Lucia only has 1 HP, and she’s ok, right?
Wait.
Lucia.
Where’s Lucia? I don’t remember seeing her except for the few moments during the battle. Come to think of it, I don’t even understand what happened during the battle. My memory is somewhat fuzzy, but I honestly think she was *invisible* somehow.
I check the skill explanation for Pacifist Protection.
>>>
Pacifist Protection (500pts) (Level 0): Choose one other being. You will take all damage in their stead. This ability extends beyond dimensions. Damage forms protected depend on range. Becomes invalid if the Pacifist dies.
>>>
“Becomes invalid if the Pacifist dies.”
I’m the Pacifist. I died. Which means that Lucia again has only 1 HP. And that if anyone even so much as throws a pebble at her or even looks at her weird she will die.
I have to find her. And the kids from the orphanage.
My thought before to stay away from everyone is completely gone. These are my friends. I’m not going to run away from them. I’m going to figure out how to keep them safe.
I run down the south street from Fountain Square toward the area where the ambush happened. I get to approximately where I remember it happening… but nothing is there. It *is* really early in the morning. And it’s also possible that I don’t know exactly where it happened. But I can’t find anything either way. I start running toward the church.
A minute passes and I get an in-game notification. It’s from Koji.
“Hey! Stay at Fountain Square - I’m coming to meet you! I have something for you, and someone who *really* wants to meet you!”
I don’t really have time for this… but I guess it *is* my brother. I message him back and agree to wait at the fountain. Then I jog back to the square and wait. If Lucia has survived this long, and the children are still alive, a few more minutes probably won’t make much of a difference.
---
Koji (the night before):
After finishing my meetings, I go home and fall asleep. I’ve been on my feet for what feels like days.
When I open my eyes again, it’s early morning. I usually don’t have time to play Dungeon Quest before work, but today’s a holiday. I log in - still no messages from Gabe - and figure out what to do. I don’t want to take a quest and miss Gabe and have him die again. Maybe I’ll hang out with Jade? That way I can catch him as soon as he logs in.
If he’s able to log in.
I jog to the market and wait near the place where Jade’s booth is set up.
Oh. Yeah. She doesn’t live here. This is a game that mirrors life, so the NPC’s actually sleep. They have places that they live. I have no idea where she sleeps. And… there is no good reason for me to know that information.
I browse the booths and stalls that are open in the early morning hours. I’m almost broke, so this is window shopping / just using time waiting for Jade to show. There’s food, equipment, textiles and clothing, armor, jewelry, books, pottery, almost anything you could imagine. The market gets louder and more full as time goes on - people arrive and set up their booths, children run out into the aisleways trying to get me to try something or buy something.
I make my way back to Jade’s booth. I think she must have a special arrangement with the market, since she leaves most of her booth up overnight. She’s there, sitting behind the counter staring off into the distance somewhere. I watch her.
She isn’t unattractive. For an elf (actually, I haven’t seen many elves in this game, so I guess I don’t know if she’s short or tall)... she’s about my height. Maybe a little shorter. Has a killer smile and a great laugh. Her choice of clothing is bright and showy - maybe a little too showy for my taste, but I dress in muted tones so that business meetings go well. And here in Dungeon Quest muted tones means fewer monsters can see me. Jade’s jewel tones definitely would not hide her from monsters.
I laugh, and Jade looks over at me.
Jade: “Fruit Boy! How long have you been standing there?”
Koji: “Just a minute. I thought I’d come help you melt glasswax.”
Jade: “Ohhhhhhhhh. Well, I don’t need any glasswax melted today… is your brother back yet?”
Koji: “Not yet. But I don’t want to miss him again.”
Jade: “Makes sense. Sure, Fruit Boy. You can hang out with me while you wait!”
She’s hilarious.
Half an hour later, I get a message from Gabe. That means he’s back! I turn to Jade.
Jade: “What? Do I have something on my face?”
Koji: “Gabe is back! Do you want him to come meet us?”
Jade: “Um… the last time we told him to meet us, he got attacked and killed halfway. I’m thinking *this* time, he stays put and we go meet him. He’s at Fountain Square, right? That’s where most people arrive when they do their teleports.”
I message Gabe, ask him to wait for us, and Jade and I set out at a jog for Fountain Square.