“Need backup!”
Fooly’s attention shot to the player who called for help: the only ranger in the party, Samantha. Because of her class Samantha wore brown leather armor, the same as Fooly. In fact, both of them were simple scrubs when their party leader picked them up and bestowed upon them armor and weapons.
As a merchant, Fooly understood the fact that he couldn’t deal a lot of damage nor could he tank for a long time. However, his passive was extremely sought after so he had to find a way to survive in combat. Roles typically boil down to: tank, damage dealer, and healer. Fooly and his merchant class created a new role.
Crowd Control!
Fooly darted to the aid of his teammate as she fended off five goblins.
“Shine!” he shouted as he reached her. The metal items in his inventory all began to shine, drawing the attention of the goblins.
Shine is a skill that makes anything metal in his inventory (gold, weapons, miscellaneous items, etc) illuminate like they were reflecting sunlight. This made it easier for merchants to showcase their items to other players, making them seem more valuable at first. However when the player actually takes a look at it, the effect disappears and said player sees the item for what it really is.
In this case the skill had the same effect against mobs. He could use this if any mobs slipped by the tanks and managed to reach the damage dealers. Before the goblins realized they were being played for fools, the damage dealer could escape and the tanks had time to shape their formation in order to deal with the new threat.
With the tank in the frontline and the healers and damage dealers in the back, it was a strong formation. With the addition of Fooly, it was near indestructible!
.........................
When a player dies in Genesis, they are forced out of the game and are unable to log back in for 24 hours. It upset him that he died, yes, but the thing that bothered him most was that he didn’t even have a fighting chance. One shot! One shot from Duke Wilde and his health had instantly dropped to 0.
He took a walk underneath the moonlight before heading back to the kitchen in his single apartment. As he sipped on some oolong tea, his stomach began to growl. After all, he had spent most of the day inside the game so he hadn’t eaten much in real life.
Viktor toasted some bread, put a slice of ham on top, then scrambled a couple of eggs and poured them on top of the toast.
It would be a lie if he said he wasn’t at least a little disappointed that text hadn’t appeared in front of him saying something along the lines of “Scrambled Eggs Decent Quality”.
Eating the food reminded him of his first meal he created in the virtual game: Grandma Ethel’s Spicy Beef Curry. He still remembered everything about it; what went in it, how it was made, and so on. It was his best dish so far, but it was the only one that he used a recipe for.
He felt a sudden urge to cook something, so he scanned the internet. He didn’t want to cook spicy beef curry again. No, this time it had to be something different.
After finding a recipe from Cetty Brocker, he got most of the ingredients from a late night grocery store. Luckily for him, it was still open for one more hour.
First he mixed granulated and brown sugar with vanilla extract and an egg in a mixer. In another bowl he mixed flour, baking soda and salt, and then added that to the first mixture of egg and sugar. At this point, the dough was beginning to stiffen.
With a spoon, he folded in the chopped nuts along with semisweet chocolate chips. The dough was done!
Viktor dropped the dough onto a baking tray by tablespoons and prepared to cook them when he realized he didn’t turn on the oven on. What a noob! After 6 minutes of waiting for the oven to heat, he finally tossed the baking tray in.
He turned the light on so he could watch them bake for all 10 minutes. When they were done, he grabbed a towel and used it to pull them tray out.
The aroma hit him in the face like a freight train transporting bakery goods. His stomach growled in anticipation as he waited for them to cool. When they finally did and he took his first bite, his taste buds cried and demanded more like a house of addicts.
I wonder what kind of effects these would give me in game, he thought. But that talking cat probably can’t eat these…
The cat he had accidently hurt with his sword was still at Duke Wilde’s mansion. It’s not like he could just leave her there. In addition to the quest, he’ll have to remember to pick her back up. Maybe if he cooks her something she likes, she’ll keep him company during his travels for a while?
What would a cat like…?
After sleeping, Viktor woke in order to eat his cookies for fuel and hop back into the game. When he logged on, he found himself at the town square of Vilheim. It was the town he had respawned in after dying to Duke Wilde.
He lost one level, his boots, and 25 gold. He sighed, feeling down due to the precious gold wasted, but ultimately decided to not brood over it too long. After all, being unhappy won’t bring him the revenge he seeks.
After a ten minute walk through the forest, slaying wolves by the dozen and collecting all of their items in hopes to sell everything for 5 gold, he wandered back into the rustic town.
As soon as he passed the gate, Jenovine rushed out the door and met him on the path that led to the house.
“You came back!”
“Of course I did,” he said. “You gave me a quest. As a man, how could I give up?”
Plus losing all my fame would be pretty unfortunate…
“My master is very upset with you, he’s even angry at me for bringing you here in the first place. If he even thought that we might be working together, he would kill me on the spot. You must be careful this time. The last I saw of him, he was in his study.”
“Do you know where my cat is? Or better yet, have any ideas how I can defeat the Duke?”
“Your cat? Hm… I think she might be with my master in his study. But as for any ideas… there’s one… but I’m not sure how relevant it might be…”
“Tell me.”
“Do you recall the painting that he told you was of his grandfather? I’m not so sure it is. When I came to avenge my grandmother the man in the painting wasn’t so old; he had to have been eighty. Now, ten years later, he looks even older and more dreadful. It’s almost as if the painting is the one who is aging and not my master.”
With that in mind, Orion slipped through the front door. Unlike last time it was now sunny outside so he had to be more careful around windows, but that also meant the shadows would be darker.
“Jenovine!” Duke Wilde’s voice echoed throughout the halls. Orion glided across the floor and hid at the base of the staircase. Footsteps grew louder gradually until stopping above him.
Orion closed his eyes.
In the military he would surely be laughed at or even scolded for closing his eyes. After all, as a soldier you must be able to constantly watch everything around you.
However, this is a unique situation. If Duke Wilde spotted him; Orion would be forced out of the game for a third time. If he hoped to survive, Orion needed to put all of his chips in one basket; one memory.
When his father would take him hunting, they once ran into a hungry bear. It spotted them, but they managed to dash through the trees and find a cave to hide in. The trees blocked the animal’s line of sight so it didn’t see them go into the cave, but it was suspicious. That’s when Orion’s father placed his hand over Orion’s eyes and closed his own. Eventually, the bear passed by them.
Later he told a young Orion that the eyes provide a connection between a person’s soul and the physical world. By closing them, a person would be able to conceal their presence unless someone happened to look directly in their direction.
Was it true?
That didn’t matter.
All that mattered was that Orion had to do everything in his power to stay hidden from Duke Wilde. Jenovine and the cat’s lives depended on it.
Plus he had forgotten to go to the bank to deposit his items in the event he does die.
The footsteps soon picked up again, traveling in the opposite direction. Orion used this chance to creep up the stairs and find the study again. Luckily it was unlocked this time.
When he entered, he saw the cat sitting on the Duke’s desk. It jumped up once she saw him.
“You’re alive!” the cat exclaimed.
“Is there anything in here that will help me defeat the Duke?”
“No… I take a look around every time he leaves the study but still haven’t found anything.”
“Quick: Where haven’t you looked yet?"
“Uh… uhm… that bookshelf to your left and the bottom drawer of his desk here.”
“Check the desk, I’ll check the bookshelf.”
The bookshelf had a few small statues and busts as well as a bottle of Applewood Whiskey, so luckily it wasn’t completely full of books. That would save him time.
Only five minutes after they began their search, Duke Wilde opened the door and entered the study. Orion was by the door, so he stepped behind the opposite side and held his breath.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“What are you doing, cat?” he demanded. Distracted by Orion’s companion, the Duke shut the door but kept his eyes locked on her. He started to walk forward but Orion dared not move.
“I was just… curious about your grandfather…”
“My grandfather?”
“Yeah, you know, you’re always talking about him… and cats are naturally curious…”
Duke Wilde sighed. “I might as well tell you, cat. I did not know my grandfather and nothing in this mansion is his. They are all mine and they always have been.”
“But…”
“Long ago a dark wizard wandered into my town. Around this time I also held a ball and invited everyone in town. She, of course, attended. I had just finished paying a famous painter to craft the most beautiful portrait in the world and it was on display that night. Many people made comments on how amazing it was.
“I grew jealous,” he admitted. “The portrait looked even better than I did in real life! Even more, I would grow old and eventually die yet the painting would live on forever. That’s when the wizard approached me, offering a deal I could not refuse. The painting would grow old instead of me, she preached. I would live forever; forever beautiful and forever young. That was almost two hundred years ago.”
‘The painting is the key!’ Orion made a mental note.
As he tried to slip through the door, a slight creak from the wood caught the Duke’s attention. He spun around to see Orion still alive, and Orion could tell from the furrowed brow that the Duke was not happy.
“You again! Dammit, Jenovine! This is the end of you!”
After another flash of light, Orion was killed in a split second.
That night was restless. Jenovine and the cat were still in danger. Would they be okay? Is Duke Wilde taking his anger out on them?
Viktor only slept for 3 hours before waking from a nightmare. The rest of the time of being forced out of Genesis was long and painful.
Once he logged back into Vilheim, he immediately made to the woods. Even when he aggro’d wolves and they chased him, he continued running until they lost interest and reset back to where they were before.
He soon arrived back in town and burst down the door to the mansion. Duke Wilde was at the top of the stairs waiting for him.
“You’re here again,” his voice echoed. “Perhaps you are as immortal as I? No matter, I know how to hurt you another way.”
The Duke had been holding onto the cat by the back of her neck. He released her and she began to bolt down the stairs, running to Orion for help. Orion ran forward as well, eager to get ahold of her and bring her from harm’s way. After all, it was his fault the cat was here.
Duke Wilde’s hand released a sudden flash of light. Following it, a lightning bolt traveled through the air and struck the cat.
Orion was suddenly no longer in the mansion, nor the world of the game for that matter. Instead, he was in a desert town surrounded by men in green camouflage and pale buildings. A young girl roughly the age of seven or eight was running towards him when a gunshot broke through the air.
The girl’s eyes widened as she flinched forward and her steps halted. She raised her hand to her chest and clutched her flowery dress that was beginning to stain with blood.
“No!” Viktor shouted, dashing forward. As he caught up to her she began to collapse, so he yanked the fully automatic rifle off his shoulder and tossed it to the side. He caught her just before she hit the ground and held her in his arms.
He tore her dress, revealing a bullet wound next to her bellybutton. Her skin was covered in blood like red paint. Viktor gently laid the girl on her back and started rummaging through his backpack.
The girl’s breath began to lose its strength as even more blood dripped from her lip. Viktor pulled out his trauma bag, cursing rapidly, and started to pack the wound with gauze.
A rocket from a launcher rushed by his head, forcing wind to blow into his face. He looked behind him to see the rocket crash into a Humvee and explode. A friendly tank started to roll passed them, so he focused back on the girl who had ceased breathing.
“Come on,” he shouted to her as he began to apply pressure bandages over the wound. His heart ached for her and his eyes began to grow humid from frustration. Despite her lack of breathing and limp body, Viktor still believed he could save her.
But as the tank passed, they were wide open and easy targets. One of his comrades rushed to his aid and put his arms around Viktor’s chest. Viktor believed he could save the girl, but his ally was pulling him away! This was the worst day of his life; he had never felt more like shit! A little girl was dying; who he could save, but his teammates were stopping him!
He started to fight back and another soldier came to restrain him. He continued fighting with all his might, desperately trying to get back to the little girl, when a third soldier approached him and slapped him in the face.
He froze, shocked.
After another slap, he breathed in an enormous breath. He was back in Duke Wilde’s mansion.
“Snap out of it, Orion!” Jenovine was saying. Apparently Duke Wilde had attempted to shoot him with a lightning bolt, but Jenovine pushed him out of the way. She bought him a few seconds before the Duke fired again, but Orion had suffered from a PTSD attack.
It was the first flashback he’d had since returning from the war, and he knew what triggered it. When he glanced over, he saw the cat. She was lying on the ground, motionless, with a slight amount of smoke lifting from her side where the energy hit her.
Orion felt rage boil inside his gut and prepared for an attack. After pushing Jenovine to the side, he pulled out his sword.
“Oh? Will you fight me? Go ahead, scum! Let’s see you dodge this one!”
Duke Wilde shot a fire bolt this time, which was exactly what Orion wanted. He dove to the left where there was safety, but just after landing he pointed the sword’s tip back where he initially was. This way, the part of the blade seared red with heat while he reached safely.
‘This would never work in real life, but let’s hope it works here!’
Orion straightened his posture and began to twirl the sword in his hand. The Duke must have realized what Orion was doing, because he tried to leap down the stairs to protect the painting. However, Orion chunked the sword as far as he could first
The iron blade spun through the air and stuck into the canvas, causing the Duke to collapse. He raised a trembling hand to the hilt, but the heat plus the friction caused a spark that devoured the painting.
At the same time, the Duke combusted into flames.
Orion ignored the Duke’s screams and knelt by the cat. He picked her up in his arms and began to carry her outside. Eventually Duke Wilde’s screams died down until the mansion grew silent, but Orion payed no attention anyway. He quietly dug the cat a grave and buried her.
Once he finished, Jenovine joined him.
“You did it,” she said. He could tell she was happy, but she withheld some of it. Perhaps because of his companion’s death.
The Truth about the Duke Difficulty C
+300 EXP
+100 Fame
+100 Gold
You have discovered the secret to Duke Wilde's immortality and slew him!
Level up!
At least he leveled up; that means he only lost one level during the quest. After the gold he lost he only made 10 gold from the quest, but he gained quite a lot of fame. Luckily he didn’t lose Duke Wilde’s cane that he received from the cooking quest. Maybe he could sell that for more gold?
Orion stood and clapped his hands together to knock dirt off. His head hurt and he felt tired, so all he wanted to do was leave the god-forsaken town. As he made for the gate, Jenovine stopped him.
“Say, you wouldn’t happen to know where the nearest town is…?”
Orion recalled that she’d been locked in the mansion to serve the Duke for ten-or-so years.
“There’s a town not far from here,” he said, pointing north. “Ten minute walk, give or take.”
“Oh. Well… what will you do now…?”
“Wander. Fight monsters. I’m not sure to be honest, I’m just exploring at this point.”
“I see. Okay, then…”
Jenovine looked to the ground and shuffled her feet nervously, giving Orion the strong impression that she was waiting for him to say something.
In a regular game, he would have options. Perhaps his avatar would tell the NPC where the closest town is and that would be it. However, this was an advanced virtual reality game. He could say whatever he wanted and she would act accordingly.
“Want to travel with me?” he asked.
It was unheard of to have a follower in an MMORPG. After all, they don’t provide much combat benefits. That being said, Orion liked to be different.
“Really!? Yes, I’d love to!” She stopped moving her feet and smiled as bright as she could.
“Let’s go then,” he said. “We’ve got a long way to go.”