Back in the Game Read online

  I couldn’t help but laugh after our relief. When I returned to the game, I said I would only do one dungeon and that was it. Man, was I fooling myself or what? This is so much fun. Either way, I’m here for a reason.

  I turned to Brock. “Okay, so where do I get the Instant Reforge ability?”

  Brock gestured to the core of the caldera where the pit of lava bubbled. “Over there, and you’re not going to like what you have to do to get it.”

  I suddenly remembered how I received the Ice Regeneration ability. “Let me guess, I have to put my arm in lava.”

  Brock nodded grimly. “So I’ve heard.”

  I stalked over to the pit, looking down the river of lava below. “Alright, let’s see if Ice Coffin will do the job.”

  I launched the spell twice but to no effect, gesturing to Brock for assistance. He cast a few Ice Arrows down into the pit but they didn’t do any more than my own spells. I realized then that I must need the level three ice spell to have any effect.

  Or the equivalent powered Ice Attack . . .

  “Brock, summon your Ice Dragon!”

  Brock grinned. “Ah yes, I think I see what you’re getting at.” He then slapped his forehead. “Now that I think about, using this could have made that battle a whole lot easier, but I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t, considering the attack can only be used once per dungeon.”

  He brought out his white Summoning Stone and summoned his Ice Dragon. Mounting it, he flew high above the pit, and spending the last of his Mana, used its attack, Ice Breath. The icy wind blew down into the pit, more than enough to turn the entire surface into solid stone.

  “Alright, good job!” I shouted.

  Without hesitating, I jumped down onto the cooled rock and walked out over the crust. Hot jets of steam rose from the edges and cracks were slowly forming around where I stepped. It wasn’t taking my weight very well.

  “How is it down there?” David asked.

  “You’re welcome to come down and see for yourself!” I called back.

  “I’m good, thanks.”

  Looking for a sign of where I could get the ability, I noticed something in the stone. Cast in the center of it was an unmistakable symbol, a sword. Curiously, I bent down and touched it.

  — ABILITY TO LEARN ‘INSTANT REFORGE’ UNLOCKED —

  The movement the avatar showed was almost exactly like my Ice Regeneration ability, except the drawing motion was from hip rather than over the back.

  Hah! Now I just need to go sword shopping. I stood and summoned Peragon to carry me out of the pit. Maybe Siena would know a good place. She’s a Warrior after all.

  The crust I was standing on suddenly cracked like ice over a lake and steam rushed up at me. I jumped onto Peragon’s back and we shot from the pit up to where David and Brock were waiting, shifting nervously from a sudden tremor that rocked the mountain.

  “It’s building up pressure!” Brock shouted and pulled out his Transfer Orb. “The crust is acting like a cork, we have to get out of here before it pops! Come on!”

  I flew down to him and dismissed Peragon as David grabbed Brock’s shoulder. We then vanished from the volcano’s crater and appeared on the grass slope outside the mountain. Losing our feet on the slope, we rolled to a stop as the three of us breathed heavily from the rush of everything.

  David then snorted and we all cracked up laughing. At that moment, being in the game and laughing with my best friends, it felt really good. Like nothing had changed in the years we had been apart. It was an illusion and I knew it only helped to make me forget about why I was here, to avenge Sue.

  When we calmed again, Brock began talking. “You know, I was one of the beta testers of the first version of the Dream State.”

  David sat up. “What, but—?”

  “I was a later test subject. After they had ironed out some of the kinks in the game play.” His chest rose and fell on the grass. “Some of the people that died were actually on my team when testing out the digital version of the Dream State. That’s what a lot of people don’t understand. The Dream State was a computer game before it was a Dream Game.”

  From how close it resembled an MMO, even I could have guessed that much.

  Brock continued. “I spent a year testing the game with them, that’s what beta players are supposed to do, after all. When they asked who wanted to be the first to try out DSD and do it for real, we jumped at the chance. Almost everyone on my team died or became so mentally unstable that they couldn’t defend themselves against Wona’s accusations. Although Data joined our team much later, he and I are the only ones with enough mental capacity to get the evidence to bring them to justice.”

  His grudge against Data and his dedication to taking Wona down suddenly made a lot more sense to me. After we had left school I had mostly been with Sue and David had been hopping from one job to another before trying out the Dream Engine. Brock had made an entirely new group of friends here, and then he had lost them.

  “We’ll get the orb, Brock,” I said. “You can count on that.”

  And I’ll use it to avenge Sue.

  Brock stood up and the high wind brushed through his blonde hair. “With your friends helping, Noah, I think you might be right.”

  I stood and David followed me up.

  “Well, we won’t get it back by just staying here!” he called, punching the air and running down the slope onto the grasslands. “I’m starving, Noah! There’s this great take-out place down the road from us that you’ll love!”

  I nodded and we headed down the hill after him, ready for our hunt tomorrow

  * * *

  The next day Siena messaged me early to meet her in Toena. I fondly recalled the Asian inspired design of the city with its tall red pagodas, Foo dog statues, and male and female NPCs in kimonos and samurai armor.

  As usual Siena appeared by my side in an instant, as though she had used a Transfer Orb and Data’s player-tracking software all at once. She beamed at me and placed a slender hand on my shoulder.

  “So you’re finally moving onto steel. I wondered how long it would take before you saw the superiority of real close combat. Too bad you didn’t choose the right Niche. You would have made an excellent Warrior, Noah.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m a battlemage, I like to keep my options open.”

  Siena nodded. “A nice way of admitting to yourself that you’re a coward. Maybe if you decide to make another account then.”

  Shrugging, I moved down the pathway. “It’s a habit I guess, considering I had a very good reason to be afraid during the time I was in here. It kept me alive.”

  “I guess . . .” Siena trailed off and gestured to the shopping square. “So you said you wanted to buy some light blades that were also durable. Well, this is your best bet, Wakizashi, the best in the Dream State.”

  “Which one?”

  She pointed. “The old woman over there.”

  I nodded and moved over to the small forge, remembering how I had received my red Dragon Arm gauntlet from an old man here. For Primatier dungeons it was useful, but now that my robes were all the magic protection I needed, I barely had reason to use it anymore.

  I arrived at the counter and pointed at the Wakizashi with a dragon engraved onto the blade. “I want a dozen.”

  “Whoa!” Siena called. “Big spender over here. Make it rain, Noah!”

  The Wakizashi weren’t cheap, which I could only attest to Siena’s honesty of their quality. I knew Data knew more about equipment than her, but I felt I was on better speaking terms with Siena considering she wasn’t accusing me of being a liar.

  “You can also wield two at a time, and I know how much you love to dual wield, you ambidextrous son of a—”

  “You sound jealous.” I equipped one, holding it out and studying the long Chinese-style dragon engraved on it. “You shouldn’t, after all you have one of the Color Blades.”

  Siena sighed. “Yeah . . . but do you know what would be better than one Col
or Blade?”

  “Two Color Blades?”

  Siena grinned and nodded. “At the same time!”

  I shook my head. If someone were to ever say that Siena could be content being one of the best players in the game, that someone wouldn’t know Siena very well.

  I made the short sword vanish and nodded. Now I was ready for whatever we might run into on our hunt for the Transfer Orb.

  Siena raised her brow at me. “You ready?”

  I nodded. “I hope so, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

  Chapter 10: The Hunt

  Thanks to Siena’s proposed leadership for our group, there was an unsteady truce between Data and Brock. Although it took a while for him to turn up, Data arrived with his item tracking software just as he had promised.

  Without saying a word, he appeared in the Chevalier Café where we had all arranged to meet and moved over to Siena. “I’m transferring a copy of the software and the crack for installing it to you now.”

  She nodded and stared off into space for a moment while she accessed it. Data looked at Chloe and Keri who had decided to come with us alongside David. He looked to Brock last, who had been leaning against the back of a leather chair and glaring at him the entire time.

  “Siena has promised you that she won’t show me the number, I take it?” Data asked.

  Brock shook his head. “Not me.” He pointed in my direction. “Him.”

  I nodded. “Siena is someone we can trust as a neutral party on this mission.”

  “If that’s the case . . .” Data’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t want to tell you in a message unless someone would find it, and although it’s suspicious, I don’t think it proves anything . . . but . . .”

  “Just spit it out already!” Chloe called.

  “Any unauthorized use of the item tracking software will be immediately tracked and recorded.”

  We all looked at each other, eyes wide.

  “It’s a risk we’ll have to take,” I said. “It’s the only way to find who has the item. I can only hope they’re willing to giv—”

  “Alright, it’s ready,” Siena interrupted. “Brock, it’s your turn, send me the item code number.”

  “You already have it.”

  Siena stared into space again and nodded, as though impressed. “That’s definitely the item code for a Transfer Orb.”

  Brock frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “All Transfer Orbs start with an E4 code. If you know the code, with a little programming you can trick the system into thinking you have one and use it to . . .” She stopped and looked around as though she had said too much.

  “Wait a minute, is that how you appear wherever you want to?”

  Siena put her hands up when seeing Data scowling at her. “I didn’t say nuttin’, and would you look at that, I found out where the item is!”

  “Where is it?” Keri asked, as though anxious to be away from such a tense conversation.

  Siena narrowed her eyes. “Hang on, he’s just vanished.”

  “Vanished?” Brock asked, his voice showing how on edge he was.

  “He must have used a Gateway . . . and there he is. He just showed up in Yarburn.” Siena’s eyes widened and she pulled back. “He must be late for something because he’s moving pretty quickly for a Heavy.”

  “How do you know he’s a Heavy?” Chloe asked.

  “Because it says it right here.” She gestured to thin air. “Name: FranktheTank, Niche: Heavy. From his stats, he looks like a bit of a newbie. Must have come across our orb by accident. Hah, what are the chances?”

  She grinned but then looked up and saw our serious expressions. She returned her gaze to the map only she could see.

  “He’s heading out of the village to the coast. Looks like he’s making a beeline to . . .” One of her eyebrows rose. “The Broken Clock Tower?” Her gaze shot to Data. “Have you heard of that dungeon before? I haven’t. Is it a new one?”

  Data also looked puzzled. “Tsh, the Broken Clock Tower? But that’s only an experimental dungeon the engineers haven’t fully worked out the mechanics for yet. The time manipulation in it is . . .” His eyes widened in what seemed like panic. “Oh crud!”

  Data suddenly vanished from the bar. We all looked at each other in confusion. I felt suddenly suspicious.

  “Why is FranktheTank walking to the clock tower when he has a Transfer Orb that could teleport him there?”

  Siena shrugged. “Maybe he’s afraid someone will see him use it and track him down. In any case, it looks like that’s where we’re heading. Brock, you ready?”

  “When you are,” he replied, sounding more jovial now that Data wasn’t around. “Ready everyone?”

  We all nodded and selected the area Brock had chosen: Yarburn–Coastline. We vanished from the bar and appeared on the outskirts of the Yarburn forest, staring at a field that stretched out over the coastal gorge.

  In the distance, I saw a single fully armored Heavy. He was walking quickly toward a stubby old building of brick and mortar with a huge broken clock face standing before a plateau.

  So that’s the unlucky fellow who found the orb?

  We watched from the shadows of the swaying trees as the armor-plated giant entered the building from a broken window. I was about to chase after him but Brock held me back.

  “Wait . . . look.”

  In the fields before the tower, seven dark figures appeared in bright flashes. The one in the middle was wearing a hood with what looked like horns sticking from it. My hackles rose and my blood roiled in my veins when I realized who they were.

  Data wasn’t lying. Seems we’re not the only one on the hunt for this guy. Still, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to deal with these bastards.

  It was Bitcon and his team of miscreants, Wona’s very own in-game death squad.

  “Oh crap,” Chloe muttered.

  David nodded. “That’s not good.”

  Siena grinned wide. “What are you talking about, this is great! We can finally get some revenge, eh Noah?”

  I nodded, watching all seven of them running into the building. “In either case, we should get going now, before they realize why we’re tracking him.”

  Although odds are they already know. But what was with Data’s reaction when hearing that this was the dungeon we were heading to?

  Chapter 11: The Broken Clock Tower

  It wasn’t just the Broken Clock Tower, it was the buried clock tower. It rose out of the earth, mostly buried like the Statue of Liberty from The Planet of the Apes movie. However, it looked more like Big Ben than a lady holding up a torch.

  Frank had followed Tessa’s directions and arrived there just after lunch. He came upon the dungeon where he was to meet with Dice. Being deep underground, it would have seemed like a good place to corner someone, but it was a Secotier dungeon where players couldn’t steal items, so he couldn’t think of the motive for choosing such a spot.

  A simple trade, Moola for Transfer Orb. Nothing to worry about.

  He stepped up onto a boulder and through a broken window in the clock face. As soon as he entered, there was the sound of gears moving and suddenly one of the hands shuddered to life, the minute hand moving from one-thirty-four to one-thirty-five. He moved further in, gazing at the sudden motion of spinning gears and pulleys moving up and down.

  Frank put his speed to use and began padding down the many loose wooden stairs to the eleventh floor, seeing stenciled numbers on each of the platforms. Even after he had gone down a few floors, he still hadn’t come across, or even seen, any monster encounters, let alone other players

  Pretty strange dungeon. Best get in and out quickly.

  He continued down a few more floors before hearing glass being broken above him, and the sounds of heavy boots on the platform above. He looked up to see a group of seven robed avatars moving in front of the giant clock face. It was the most ominous sight Frank had ever seen in the Dream State. He picked up his pace, making i
t to the fifth floor. The group above must have heard his descent as they began to follow him down.

  The minute hand clanged and the gears around Frank rattled. He looked up to see if they were gaining on him. He felt suddenly confused when he saw that only four of them were chasing him down, the other three were running in what seemed like slow motion on the seventh floor.

  Wait a minute, the clock says one-thirty-seven and they stopped on the seventh floor. Does that mean that whatever number the minute hand stops on, the players on that floor get slowed down by some kind of time magic?

  He didn’t have time to contemplate this. Every dungeon had some kind of gimmick, but messing with time was something Frank had never heard of. The four that were still running had started jumping floors instead of running down them.

  “Why the heck are you chasing me, huh?” He then murmured to himself. “It’s not like they can steal my items here!”

  No one answered, and so he just kept running. Although he knew they couldn’t take anything from him if they did kill him, he didn’t want to be late to meet the person he promised to sell the orb to. If he was killed, he would have to start again from all the way back in Yarburn and risk being frozen by the time magic.

  He managed to get to the fourth floor before they caught up with him. The robed avatars moved like ghosts, leaping from place to place. He knew tanks could take a fair bit of damage and shrug it off like it was nothing, and he was lighter than most. He decided on an action to take in the moment and acted on it without hesitation.

  He jumped from the ledge and fell a good three floors before he landed . . . and fell through the floor below him into the basement level, first floor.

  Well . . . that wasn’t fun.

  Dust clouded around him and the ground shock shook him to the bone, but he was still alive, the fall damage only taking half of his Hit Points. As the cloud of debris cleared, he looked around to see that the basement room was larger than most of the other levels. He then realized he wasn’t in the basement, but at the lobby, where the ground floor should have been. Yet the stencil below him said Floor 1, as though they had messed up the numbering.