Ambush Read online

  System Alert!

  This completes your foresight into a foreseeable outcome. You will now be returned to your save point.

  ***Disclaimer: If you change the circumstances in your upcoming scenario, you will effectively change the outcome***

  Another flash of light, and Matt found himself flying through the same dizzying tunnel. After a few moments the light particles accumulated into another blinding flash, dropping his avatar back onto the ground. He looked around, and immediately realized he was back at the same place and time as before the first System Alert popped up.

  That's trippy! How am I going to prevent that horrifying scenario from repeating itself?

  Just then, he caught a glimmer of silver to his side. The fallen avatar of a fully armored player that he did not recognize lay against a brick wall. He looked around for the fallen player's conqueror, but nobody was in sight. It would appear this player was the unfortunate victim of a Voidspawn attack

  Matt's glinted at the impressive armor. Perhaps the player had an unlocked inventory?

  As he approached the fallen avatar, a prompt appeared.

  Opportunity Alert

  Do you wish to loot this fallen player's inventory?

  ***Disclaimer: only unlocked items are available to loot (item locking is a service only available to Premium Members)***

  Loot Body | Leave Body

  The wounds on the avatar's neck were bloody still, which meant his death had occurred just recently. Perhaps he was there with @hellekith and @BlondeWarrior, and had fought to give them time to escape. He might have known he would die, but it was an in-game death. He would respawn somewhere else… although the respawning would be a painfully time-intensive process because it would cost him a 24-hour game lockout penalty.

  Matt reached his hand up and pressed on the ‘Loot Body’ icon hovering in his augmented vision. A screen displayed showing the content of the fallen player's inventory. First he selected the armor. To his surprise and sheer delight, the icon lit up in green.

  Yes!

  New Gear Acquired: Battle Armor

  The wearer of this armor is granted 2,000 increased Hit Points (HP). Flexibility and dexterity increase with higher levels. Requirements: Level > 11, Strength > 14 Agility > 8, Stamina > 12

  The avatar then floated in mid-air, but as the armor released, the body collapsed in a heap. Matt cringed at the gruesome sight accompanied by the horrifying sound of bones crunching and snapping. It gave him the heebie-jeebies, and he again had to remind himself that this was just a game. None of this was real.

  Seconds later the armor moved forward and hovered in front in front of him. He stepped into place between the hovering chestplate and backplate, and like a magnet they immediately snapped into place followed by the shin guards, boots, red cape, et cetera. The gear fit perfectly as if it were crafted to fit his body. Then again, the game probably adjusted the armor to fit his character's physique.

  Returning to the inventory screen, he was disappointed to learn that the fallen warrior somehow didn't have any weapons.

  No wonder he got slaughtered!

  Still, it didn't make much sense.

  Unless…

  Even from afar on the rooftop earlier, Matt had noticed that @hellekith appeared to be sporting a new sword.

  The sly fellow! Not that I can judge him anyway. I am stealing this player's armor, after all.

  There were a few healing potions available in the inventory that he snagged, but otherwise the inventory was empty. With his level of confidence now soaring, he moved forward, spear dancing at his fingertips. He yelled a warrior's cry as he ran to help his friend. One of the Voidspawn leaped into his path and an sense of déjà vu overwhelmed him.

  Here we go again. I won't let you defeat me this time!

  Threat Detected: Level 6 Voidspawn

  HP| 600/600

  Strengths: Long black tentacles allow for speed and easy subduing of prey. Head is covered with gnashing mouths full of razor-sharp teeth to allow for rapid devouring of trapped prey. Head is also covered with eyes to allow for 360-degree sight with intense focus. Cannot be killed.

  Weaknesses: Can be subdued into a temporary liquefied state, but has a five minute delay before it is able to regenerate.

  @doomsday16 was outnumbered one to three, yet he carried on valiantly with minimal damage. Matt barreled spear-first into the Voidspawn.

  [-60 HP]

  A screech erupted from the creature and its hundred gnashing mouths snarled at him. Yet he stood rooted to the ground defiantly, demonstrating that he wasn’t afraid of it anymore. His pulse quickened and his blood still rushed to his head, but this time he did not give in. He wanted to fight and if that meant respawning far away, so be it.

  He slashed his spear at one the approaching tentacles.

  [-10 HP]

  He jumped when the tentacles lashed out under his feet. He slashed and jabbed, stabbed and thwacked.

  [-10 HP]

  [-20 HP]

  [-10 HP]

  [-10 HP]

  Again, his attacks didn't make much of a dent in the monster. It continued to retreat but then came flying back at him with even greater speed and stamina.

  To his side, his friend was losing ground, with sweat dripping off his brow. Their eyes met for a moment and they reverted to their fighting. Yet in that brief moment a lot was said. Confidence.

  Returning to the fight, he jumped onto a barrel and then onto a nearby ledge, balancing himself. The barrel below had already splintered into pieces, broken by a powerful lash by one of the three Voidspawn’s tentacles. He ran along the ledge, evading the attacks by the monsters. Reaching the other free side, he found a lot of upturned barrels, which he kicked at the creatures. Whatever items he could find, he picked them up and threw it at them. One of the barrels smashed through the gnashing teeth of the leftmost creature and the Voidspawn reared and gave a loud screech before getting pierced in its head by his friend’s sword. The Voidspawn dissolved into a puddle of black goo and vanished from the scene.

  HeadStab: Medium

  Assisted Kill

  [+150 XP]

  One down, two more to go.

  He then turned to the other two, who seeing their fellow defeated, rushed at him angrily, their teeth making a clattering sound as they clicked against each other. Their tentacles came at him and some of them scraped his armor even as he staggered to evade them.

  [-50 Damage]

  [-25 Damage]

  The force of their arrival pushed him backward and he stumbled over a medium-sized rock that felt quite out-of-place with the decor of the city.

  The two Voidspawn loomed tall above him, their mouths dripping wet saliva drawing ever near. He closed his eyes and turned his face away, his nose wrinkled at their foul breath. He thought that he was going to meet his death here and now, but one of them gave a screech. Through a small gap, he could see @doomsday16 stabbing one of its tentacles repeatedly. Thankful for the distraction, he started to jab at the other Voidspawn’s mouth.

  [-30 HP]

  [-40 HP]

  [-60 HP]

  [-30 HP]

  He kept pushing his spear forward until he finally started to smash the monster’s teeth. They fell down like a hail of tusks and when all was done, he slashed across its black gums.

  [-30 HP]

  [-20 HP]

  [-100 HP]

  The Voidspawn shrieked in pain and stumbled behind. He walked forward, suddenly encouraged. He ran, he leaped, and then he drove his spear through the mouth and twisted the shaft, almost diving into the creature’s throat. Before the monster could close its mouth, however, it dissolved into a puddle as well, leaving his armor soaked in its trademark black.

  StabTwist: Medium

  Instant Kill

  [+150 XP]

  A familiar chime sounded from the sky.

  LEVEL UP!

  +1 Willpower

  As @doomsday16 fought off the last remaining Voidspawn, he said, “
You’re one crazy fighter, mate!”

  Matt smiled. There couldn’t have been a better compliment.

  Giving another wicked smile, he threw his spear at the remaining Voidspawn’s abdomen. The latter reared and screamed and then moved forward to attack his friend only to meet the sword. His friend had lunged and stabbed it right in between its eyes. A series of squalling later, the Voidspawn reduced itself to a mass of black goo.

  HeadStab: Difficult

  Assisted Kill

  [+190 XP]

  Congratulations!

  You have successfully altered the foreseen outcome of this scenario. For your wisdom, you will be rewarded:

  +1 Intelligence

  +1 Agility

  @doomsday16 approached him with a big smile, “Look at you! That armor looks great!”

  Matt considered telling his friend about the Temporal Artifact, but thought better of it. He decided to wait.

  Matt beamed. “I feel invigorated! Oh, how I wish there were more of these Voidspawn here to fight!”

  @doomsday16 laughed. “Oh, there will be! And soon! They respawn, remember?”

  Matt nodded. “We must go then.”

  “Yes, to the gates. And I hope our friends have reached the gates without much trouble.”

  “I hope so too, though there was a Level 10 Voidspawn in their path.”

  “Holy crap! Couldn’t you have led with that before?” he asked. “Come on now, to the gate! We must follow them.”

  “And if there are more Voidspawn?” Matt asked.

  @doomsday16 swung his sword in the air and then caught it by its hilt as gravity pulled it to the ground. He then gave him a nasty smile and said, “We fight them!”

  Oh, how his eyes gleamed in that moment! But Matt began to sense an overwhelming exhaustion, and wished he could just log out and get some sleep. But perhaps that wasn’t to be.

  “Voidspawn it is then!” Matt remarked.

  Nodding, they both raced in the direction @hellekith and @BlondeWarrior had taken.

  Chapter Ten

  The Phoenix

  Devastation spread around him for miles. Dead NPC and avatar bodies were lying everywhere - some with their armor on, others with their bodies bare to the sky. Tears almost welled in his eyes, seeing the vicious carnage. He again had to remind himself that the scenes he was experiencing weren’t real.

  He wondered what sort of battle had taken place that had left this place charred and smoking. Blackened skulls lay against the wall, dotting the streets as though they were decorations. Whoever had done this had done so to leave a message. Everything looked bleak. The once beautiful city now lay desolate and its people burned alive. He could still hear the echoes of their screams.

  Using the live data from his HUD, he checked the stats of the inventories available but it appeared that most of the good stuff had already been picked clean. He wore the same armor he had picked up a few days ago in Atlantis before he had fought the Voidspawn. It was a shame that he couldn’t save that legendary city from its terrible fate. He had failed it. Seeing the destruction around, he began to think he had failed this one too.

  Step by narrow step his feet took him, not worrying about what danger lay ahead. A glint of metal then caught his eye.

  Could it be?

  He trudged over to the fallen player's avatar, and a prompt appeared.

  Opportunity Alert

  Do you wish to loot this fallen player's inventory?

  ***Disclaimer: only unlocked items are available to loot (item locking is a service only available to Premium Members)***

  Loot Body | Leave Body

  He eagerly selected 'Loot Body', and let out a cry of victory when he saw the green icon of a sword.

  Yes! Finally I can ditch this pitiful spear!

  New Weapon Acquired: Claymore Sword

  Length: 140 cm. The wielder of this sword is granted the ability to hew down opponents with dexterity and ease. Chances for Instant Kill are 70%. Greater chances for instant kill increase with higher levels. Requirements: Level > 7, Strength > 9, Agility > 4, Intelligence > 4

  He hefted the sword into his hands, and was surprised by its weight. It would definitely take some getting used to. He then stored the spear in his inventory, unsure if he would need it again at a later point in the game.

  He commenced his trek through the wasteland. His hands held the large sword, ready to strike at a moment's notice. As he approached another fallen soldier, the same prompt appeared.

  Opportunity Alert

  Do you wish to loot this fallen player's inventory?

  ***Disclaimer: only unlocked items are available to loot (item locking is a service only available to Premium Members)***

  Loot Body | Leave Body

  Matt selected ‘Loot Body’ again and a broad smile beamed on his face. He selected the two available icons and added them to his own inventory.

  New Weapon Acquired: Steel Bow

  The wielder of this bow is granted the ability to target and take down opponents from afar. Chances for Instant Kill are 90%. Greater distances and accuracy increase with higher levels. Requirements: Level > 5, Strength > 9, Agility > 4, Intelligence > 3

  ***Disclaimer: This weapon requires a quiver of arrows, otherwise the weapon is rendered ineffective***

  New Gear Acquired: Unlimited Quiver

  The carrier of this quiver is granted an unlimited supply of arrows, delivered 10 at a time. If all ten arrows are used in rapid succession, a down time of ten minutes is required before the quiver automatically refills. Down time decreases with higher levels. Requirements: Level > 5, Strength > 9, Agility > 4, Intelligence > 3

  Cautious, he moved ahead. There wasn’t a soul in sight. His sword at the ready, he carried forward as though all the carnage in the world wouldn’t make him turn tail and run. He remembered something @hellekith often told him - bravery is but accepting fear as a friend and embracing it; cowardice is seeing fear as an enemy and running away from it. @hellekith couldn’t have been more right.

  He moved ahead, preferring to go straight than take any turns. He didn’t want to get lost in the city while looking for @BlondeWarrior who was rumored to be stranded here. It wasn’t like the idea of her avatar being dead crossed his mind, but he still had hope for her. Just as he was ready to step over a mutilated corpse, a large humanoid jumped in front of him with crimson dark wings at his back. Every other feature of the creature was human except for the hands, which burned with a bright red fire. His teeth however, were blood red as became evident when he snarled.

  Matt didn’t feel terrified. Rather, he stood with his sword held high, its point towards the monster. He had a smile on his face, challenging the humanoid to attack him. For some reason, the monster didn’t step forward.

  Strange.

  No monster had ever stayed away from the fight. Every creature he had met was aggressive, unlike this one. The humanoid acted in a defensive manner. Though his snarls and growls indicated otherwise, his other features were relaxed and calm. Yet Matt knew if he moved forward, the creature would defend itself.

  To test his theory he took a step forward, which made the humanoid flare his eyes. A loud growl sent him staggering, the force of the wind coming out of the creature’s mouth strong enough to make him retreat involuntarily.

  With such defenses in the creature’s inventory, he had no idea how to fend off the creature. Wind and fire both were strong elementals. Fighting them seemed above his present skillset. Yet, he knew if he wanted to go forward, he needed to defeat this creature. But how?

  “Intriguing creature, isn’t he?” a familiar voice spoke. The voice seemed to come from behind him. He turned and saw @hellekith walking towards him, blood red on his sword

  “What creature is that?” Matt asked.

  “You must have heard of a phoenix, no?”

  He nodded. Who didn’t? Phoenixes were cute little red birds who died in a blast of fire and were reborn in a pile of ashes. Until this moment, he had t
hought phoenixes were harmless little creatures. Now that it had assumed a strong humanoid form, he began to doubt his earlier mythological leanings. Perhaps every bit of his knowledge was wrong.

  “I thought they were harmless!” he remarked.

  “Oh they are!” @hellekith responded, a smile on his face. “Harmless unless attacked.”

  “You call that harmless?” Matt asked, shocked at his friend’s reply. “That thing blew wind at me.”

  “You must have done something to incite it, mate,” his friend said. “Come on, what did you do?”

  “I just want to go forward. This monster isn’t letting me.”

  “Of course, it doesn’t. It wants you to go back. It senses danger, great danger.”

  “What?” His tone came out raised, evidencing his disbelief. “I don’t follow.”

  “These burned bodies… well, the phoenix might have burned them, but in response to a far more terrible fate. It protected them from the powers of whatever monster actually attacked this place. Now, that other monster must be there in the city so the phoenix won’t allow you into it because it wants to protect you. The phoenix is your well-wisher.”

  Matt raised his brows. “So this monster is a friend?”

  “Well, yes, but more of an acquaintance than friend. It can still be deadly if it loses its patience.”

  “I gotta find @BlondeWarrior but the only way I can is by going inside the city.”

  “That’s a conundrum,” @hellekith agreed. “However, I have learned that phoenixes can be bargained with.”

  “What do I have that this creature will like?”

  “It must be something worth convincing it to let us pass.” his friend explained.

  “My inventory is nothing great.” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

  @hellekith smiled and patted his shoulders. “Nothing in my inventory will sway it either.”

  “Then what will?” He wished his friend would get to the point and not talk around in circles.

  “A few days ago, I acquired another knowledge stone that gave me an interesting tidbit of information. It was regarding phoenixes and now I wonder whether it was coincidence or bare luck that made me get it. Or perhaps the game engine had set me on a predetermined path towards you. I don’t know.”