It’s over. I can hear my voice screaming in protest in my head, but I’m too damned tired to let it out. All of this pain. All of this bullshit. For nothing.

Enemy Defeated:

💀 The Sluagh (Level 20) [Shared with Elias, Luciana, Ron, Antony, Melinda, Dave, Hayato, Eita]

+50% Among Friends

Exp: 21

Earned: 70g

Exp to next level: 30/170

“Among Friends.” That stupid name is going to kill me every time, isn’t it? And for such a measly amount of XP. What a goddamn insult.

An arrow pings against a window behind Luci. Dodging the attack, she draws back her bow.

“Dave, stop it. It’s over,” barks Melinda. The flame is gone. The room chills, empty of fire and all remaining ambition.

“So you’re with them now?” the archer sneers. His focus darts from target to target.

“Of course not.”

By the stairs, the berserker heaves, his face sweaty and red but his sword positioned to attack. If he or Dave keep going, I don’t know on which side Melinda will fall.

It’s a Mexican stand-off. Again.

Screw this. I look at Luci, her sweet face contorted in outrage and dispair, and just like that, my exhaustion is brushed aside by will. No, not will. Adrenaline. And anger. Righteous anger. I have spent this entire damned apocalypse on the edge, and now that I’ve looked into the abyss, how dare this game allow it to look away. I will not be cowed by failure. I am not ceding this fight.

My blades itch in my hands. Almost everyone is standing on the opposite half the room from me: Ron and Antony to my right, the rest along the perimeter in front of them. Even with Melinda’s concession, they all look poised for combat.

All but Elias. Eyes locked on mine, he gives me a near-imperceptible shake of the head.

The hell is that supposed to mean?

He sighs, then shifts his eyes down to his right, then up again, then down to his right.

Is he having trouble with his vision? Something to do with his near-sightedness?

Annoyed, I mimic him and my dismissed notifications pop up. Right. The lower-right hand corner is where they appear. Is there something he wants me to see? The last message I got just details the death of the Sluagh and the sad amount of XP we earned, and that’s it.

That’s it. There’s no quest update.

The quest hasn’t been completed. Maybe the other team still needs to speak to Laserian and get him to lift the fog? Either that, or we’re actually meant to simply kill the guy. Whatever the case, the visa extension is still out there. We can win this.

The longer we stand here, the more apparent it becomes that something is wrong. A damp draft sweeps across the floor, scattering the monster’s ashes. The tension pulls like a taut wire. None of us move. None of us speak.

The floor trembles. Below us, a sound like a jet engine roars to life, then instantly hushes into silence.

Warning! A party has left the region. There are now (2) parties remaining.

The archer snaps. He pulls away from Elias’ reach as he grabs another arrow, leaps into the air, and-

A swell of energy pulses across the room. The telescope clatters to the floor, bookstacks topple, and Dave careens into a window.

Then, in the center of the observatory, it’s as though the space itself unfolds. From the opening emerges Sorcerer Laserian. He stands tall with an air of authority he didn’t quite manage to muster when he was huddled and stinking in his own prison.

The opening zips shut.

“And to the victors go the spoils!” he announces, extending his arms. He’s facing away from me, his twiggy ankles sticking out of his worn velvet robe. “With the death of the Sluagh, the isle can…”

I don’t hear the rest. Instead, I make the most impulsive decision I’ve ever made. There’s no plan or second guesses, only action.

Straight from my inventory, I trigger the Lesser Level Boost draught. A jolt runs down my spine as a message appears.

Level up! You are now Lv 22.

Three attribute points have been distributed to Strength, Fortitude, Dexterity, Wits, and Resolve. This affect lasts 1 minute.

His level is equal or lower than mine. He’s unalerted to my presence. If this skill works on elites…

With no hesitation, I shadowstep behind Laserian and jam a dagger into his neck.

When I pull the blade, the lonely wizard drops with a thud. Blood and piss leak out from under him, trickling into the grooves of the stone floor before spreading forth across the room.

He’s dead.

And if I’m right, Helen fucking wins.

Quest Updated!

THE PROBLEM WITH MAGIC: Complete

As per Lord Cathal’s request, Sorcerer Laserian has been defeated.

Objectives:

- (Optional) Retrieve a weapon worthy of defeating Sorcerer Laserian: Complete

- Deal with Sorcerer Laserian: Complete

Rewards: 200xp, Visa Extension (15 Days)

My heart is in my mouth as I stare at the sorcerer’s body. It worked. We did it. We won! No amulet of doom necessary. And I leveled up.

Warning! The winning condition for this region has been met. The region’s decay is now imminent. Enemy activity no longer disables the use of portals.

Title(s) Earned:

Vacationer: Earn a visa extension.

Reward: Travel Card Voucher

World Ender: Meet a winning condition.

Reward: Uncommon Accessory Voucher

The archer seethes. “What did you do?!”

An unbreakable grin spreads across Luci’s face. Elias places a protective hand over her as he steps in between her and the archer.

“Luci…” he warns.

But she doesn’t listen.

“Win, asshole,” she answers.

“No.” A bottle appears in the archer’s hand. “No, you didn’t.”

He lobs the potion overhead, pulls an arrow, and shatters the concoction mid-air, showering the room in a spray of green. Luci retreats, appearing just out of reach as droplets scatter, hissing on impact. Elias, however, isn’t fast enough. He bulls forward as a drizzle of acid hits his neck and back. Smoke rises, his skin sizzling like oil in a frying pan.

Again, Dave leaps over Elias’ charge, but Elias - even when he’s getting deep-fried - is clever; he isn’t aiming for Dave. Instead, he surges just past the archer and preemptively punts Melinda across the room just as she wreathes her sword in fire. Then he whips the templar’s sword through the air, unleashing an arc of dark magic that slashes her as brutally as any blade. Before she even hits the floor, she’s blown another few feet back. She rolls and lands, splayed out, a gash open across her chest. She doesn’t get up.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

With the acid eating into his back, it’s all Elias has in him. His sword clatters against stone as he collapses to his knees.

Behind him, Dave is already launching his next attack. At me.

His bow aims my way. He’s ridiculously fast and - as much as I hate to admit it - too goddamn cunning. I’m just about to shadowstep, given it’s my best method of dodging a blow. But he knows this. It’s my expelliarmus. My tell. So when the arrow doesn’t immediately fly, I realize he’s waiting.

Let’s see how he likes this then.

I disappear. Rather, my entire party disappears. It feels fuzzy, like static, all those fine little hairs along my arms rising in anticipation of a storm. When I glance down, a subtle sheen outlines my figure, but it must only appear that way to me. Luci, Elias, and Ron are simply gone.

Swearing, Dave fires anyway, his arrow splitting into three. I duck, and the projectile whizzes over my head as the other two go wide.

Okay, I have eighteen seconds of invisibility and one more use after that. Let’s make it work.

Ron whiffs it immediately, unable to dodge the berserker’s frenzied attack. Not his fault; he’s a big dude. He reappears as he takes a direct hit to the shoulder, then raises his own sword in defense.

As always, I’m not entirely positive who to attack here. It seems fair to say that mages need to go first. However, when I tiptoe toward Melinda, I spot the light catching on a prismatic dome around her. No idea what it is, but seeing as it triggered when she went unconscious, I’mma guess it’s not going to let me touch her.

Add that to my to-do list: get an item or ability that can identify just what the hell people are doing.

I already used my poison, so unless I want to get smacked by a whirlwind attack, I should probably just stay clear of the berserker. That leaves Dave.

But what do I do? Just stab him in the back? Ugh. This feels like the exact same battle as last time. The tanks duke it out, Elias waylays the mage and archer, Luci and I chip away at everyone’s health. They use draughts. We use draughts. Whoever has the maximum number of draughts wins? Unless, of course, they have other throwables. I think Luci still has a Poison Cloud tucked away somewhere.

Although…

Twelve more seconds. I reroute towards Dave. He’s circling the perimeter of the room, arrow nocked, likely in an attempt to get an angle on our tank. Luckily, Antony appears to be just as much of an oaf as Ron and doesn’t have the foresight to provide an opening.

With Silent Step, I approach the archer unseen and unheard. Soon, I’m within just a few inches.

Six seconds left.

I focus and imagine peering into his inventory.

And behold: a list materializes before me.

Dave’s Inventory

Lesser Health Draught x2

Lesser Stamina Draught x4

Lesser Resolve

Common Leather Belt

Rare Talisman of Lesser Spell-Holding (Broken)

???

???

[Obtain Advanced Sleight of Hand to identify more items.]

Shit. Still. Holding my breath, I try to nab the health potions and feel a resistant pull. Okay, fine. I try to steal one of the health potions.

Inventory Item added: (1) Lesser Health Draught

Skill proficiency increased:

Sleight of Hand 5 (+12 Dexterity Bonus)

Title(s) Earned:

Novice Thief: Steal from an NPC or participant’s inventory.

Reward: Lesser Stealth Draught Voucher

Time’s up. Good for a first try, I guess. I’m definitely keeping that strategy in my back pocket for next time.

For now, I guzzle my Lesser Fortitude draught and drive my blades into his back. The crazy bastard twists away from me, nearly gutting himself on my scian, then leaps several meters backwards as he fires.

It’s the same ability he used on the Sluagh, meaning first, it’s a crippling shot and second, he doesn’t have time to prepare for a follow-up.

Shadowstepping, I emerge behind him and stab him again. He quivers with a tell-tale shiver as he downs a health draught, then spins and retreats again. This time, I figure if I teleport, he’ll be ready for it. However, since he still can’t pull another arrow on time, he’ll probably follow up with his jump ability. So in lieu of my shadowstep, I slide under the crippling shot and attack him head-on.

Meanwhile, the tanks continue to clash. Elias is back on his feet, as is Melinda. Just as a ball of fire ignites in her fist, Elias calls out for Ron to mute her. The flame sputters and she blocks with her sword, falling onto her back foot. At the same time, an arrow flits up the stairwell, rounds the room, and drives into Dave’s back, though Luci herself is nowhere to be seen. Must be her new Deadeye ability. Another two arrows follow.

Screaming in rage, Dave chances it with a point-blank triple shot, forcing me to shadowstep and dodge before he can do it again.

It’s a weird tango we have going. The fight in the fairy grotto seemed like utter chaos. Abilities pulled from a hat, one after the other. There was no telling what anyone would do. Besides, we didn’t want to fight. We had no experience or desire to engage with other participants. The entire encounter felt wrong and doomed from the beginning. It seemed only fitting that it ended the way it did.

Now, here, floating in a tower among the rain-soaked clouds, we’re locked in a frustrating chess match. We know the moves, the patterns, the bluffs. Maybe we didn’t necessarily want this fight, but we prepared for it. We came to terms with its inevitability. And yes, it seems like we’re winning. We’re moving our pieces into position, whittling away at their strength, and backing them into a proverbial corner from which there’s no escape.

So why does it feel wrong?

As we continue the dance, I consume a stamina draught. Then another draught a minute later. Two down, one left, and I imagine Dave’s in the same boat. Slash, retreat, arrow, dodge, drink, slash, retreat. I don’t know how much longer this will go on. It doesn’t even feel like Dave is trying all that hard. Besides two mystery items and a Level 20 ability, what else could he have?

Sweat beads on my neck. I’m stabbing and slashing so much that I feel like my hands are permanently molded around the grips. Muscles burning, I try to conserve my stamina, but the archer is fucking relentless. Eventually, I down my final stamina draught. Still have two health potions though. Had to use one for a screwed up dodge.

Is this it then? In a battle of attrition, I believe we’ll win. We outnumber them, and due to the Sluagh, we’re not terribly outleveled either. But if there’s something I’m missing, I need to figure it out. Now.

Come on, plan girl. Think. How do I seal the deal?

I spare a glance to my left where Elias and Melinda clash swords. Luci’s against the window, launching arrow upon arrow at the Varangian Guard as Ron continues to challenge him head-on.

Skirting my attack, the archer smirks. “You’re better than last time.”

“You’re worse.”

“Still mad you let us escape?”

He knocks back my scian with his bow, then lazily jabs an arrow in my direction. It’s an easy dodge. Guess he’s trying out his melee moves?

The archer cackles. “If I’d been you, I would’ve chucked an explosive in our cell and called it a day. You got a team you clearly care about, and I told you what would happen. Maybe you didn’t believe me? Or maybe you’re just a coward.”

My next attack slashes into his arm. He dances back, shaking off the pain with a manic grin. Seriously, why’s this guy talking so much? It’s a waste of stamina.

“Now Melinda’s roasting your man and the little one’s going killer.”

I grunt. “You need to work on your charm.”

Ducking around him, I stab down behind his knee, missing him by inches as he rolls forward. He hops onto his feet, shoots, and dives toward me in the arrow’s wake with a dagger in his hand. Sidestepping the arrow, I tap my empty sheathe. When the hell did he get that?

Something slaps in me in the back. Then a hot, burning pain lances through me as the same arrow I dodged bursts out of my shoulder, blood running in rivulets along the point. Before I can tear it out, the archer drives his bow into my stomach and tries to land a blow with my own damn weapon, but I shadowstep behind him.

My arm won’t move. Dismissing my scian, I wrench the arrow from my shoulder. Redirection. Cute. Also ow.

The archer spins around. “You know what your real issue is?”

“I only have one dagger.”

He laughs as he slings his bow over his arm. “You still think this fight is fair.”

Then he leaps inhumanely backwards. That same retreat ability again. What’s he thinking? I wait for the archer’s crippling arrow to follow, but he doesn’t attack. Kicking up dust and ash, he slides to a stop just beside Luci.

Before I can shadowstep, he slips behind her, back to the window, the roiling clouds warping like wings around him. Both arms lock across her chest. The dagger glints in his hand.

She can’t retreat.

I sprint towards her, screaming for Elias.

The curved blade fits around her collar like a necklace. Her eyes go wide as the dagger’s point digs into her flesh.

Her body goes rigid. She’s holding her breath, arms pinned to her side. This isn’t how this is supposed to go.

“Any closer and she earns a new smile.”

I freeze.

“Now back up.”

“No.”

He snorts. “Shouldn’t come as a shock to you that my strength could use some work, but - and I’m very willing to experiment here - I think I got the right position to get this thing through. Whadya think?”

A drop of crimson runs down her neck.

“Now back up.”

I don’t move. I won’t move. I’m going to murder him. I’ll tear his throat out with my teeth. There has to be a way. There’s always a way. I need a Plan B, an exit strategy, a trick, something. There’s always something.

My body moves for me.

“More. All of you, into the middle.”

Another foot moves back.

Come on, brain, think. Luci can’t retreat. I can’t shadowstep. Invisibility won’t break his grip. If Elias charges, best case scenario, he knocks them apart. Worst case, he punts them out the window. If I move forward, he kills her. If Ron moves forward, he kills her.

I bump into Ron. Elias braces, snarling, beside me. Melinda idles on one side of us, her blade and palm bereft of fire. Antony completes the flank. His sword gleams in his hand, ready for the attack.

The archer’s eyes flash. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”

He doesn’t get to tell us.

A foggy green concoction appears in Luci’s grasp. Fist clenched, the bottle shatters, bloody shards tinkling against stone as an impervious cloud explodes around her.

From within, the archer coughs. “Do it!”