The Greystone Chronicles: Book One: Io Online Page 3

  The fight continued for another minute or so. As the boss’s health approached 50%, Alexander desperately hacked at its back, trying to cut away enough flesh to reach its spine and disable it. Finally, he leapt upon the creature’s back and raised his sword above his head, point down. He plunged the sword deep into the demon’s back, causing it to scream in pain and turn its head toward him. Unfortunately, he missed the spine and did not disable the creature. He did reduce it to below 50% health, however. It let out its tremendous roar, loosening more rock teeth from the ceiling, then it spun around and headed for the pond to heal.

  As the creature spun Alexander was thrown from its back. He hit the ground and rolled to a stop. Looking up, he saw a man-sized chunk of pointed rock falling right in his direction. He threw himself toward a boulder, hoping it would provide some protection. As he came to a stop, he felt a burning sensation on his arm. Probably some shrapnel from the falling rock impacting the floor. He looked down at his arm and found that it was on fire! When he landed, he’d placed his hand in the puddle that had been set on fire by the fallen torch! The incredible pain brought tears to his eyes.

  He jumped up, waving his burning arm at Sasha, who was distracted dodging falling stone. He needed her to heal him! The flaming water was burning his arm away.

  The water is burning!

  No longer waiting for a heal, Alexander gritted his teeth and grabbed up the still burning torch. He sprinted toward the pond, yelling, “the water burns!”. Within range of the pond, he hurled the torch, aiming for the boss that was thrashing around in the water. The flaming projectile bounced once on the boss’s head before dropping into the water. For a split second nothing happened, and Alexander worried that his hunch had been wrong.

  Then the entire surface of the pond erupted in flame! There was a tremendous “whoosh” and it seemed all the oxygen had been sucked from the air. The boss reared up from the water, emitting a scream that deafened the whole party. Then came a loud whistling, like a teapot only at a higher pitch. Then the boss simply exploded! Pieces of foul-smelling flesh and scales scattered everywhere, splattering the group. The head of the demon landed nearly intact at the base of the altar. The rest burned away in small pieces, or sank into the brightly burning pond.

  In the silence that followed, Alexander felt the soothing tingle of another heal from Sasha. As she approached him, she said, “last one for a minute, I’m totally out of mana”. Alexander sat where he was, leaning against the boulder behind him. Sasha sat next to him, breathing heavily. Alexander saw Brick drop his shield and sit down with the stone box from the pedestal in his lap. Max, being Max, was moving toward the boss’s head to check on their epic loot.

  A message flashed before Alexander’s eyes.

  Achievement earned: First Kill!

  You are the first to complete the “Caverns of the Dark Lord” Dungeon and slay Demon Lord Sr’vok!

  Fame points awarded: 1,000

  Experience: 23,000

  First Kill Reward: Epic or Legendary level item

  From the looks on his friends faces, they were all seeing the same message. Each of them had a golden halo surrounding them, indicating that they have gained at least one level from the experience.

  Alexander just closed his eyes, and took another deep breath.

  Level up! You have reached level 74!

  Your Strength has increased +1. Your Stamina has increased +1.

  You have 2 free attribute points available!

  You have 5 free skill points available!

  Chapter Two

  Loot, I Am Your Father

  Alexander opened his eyes at the sound of Max celebrating what must have been a drool-worthy loot drop.

  “YeeeeHAW!! I love first kill drops! There’s something here for each of us. I think you’re really gonna like this last one, Mr. Baggins,” Max said, favoring Alexander with a smile and a wink.

  Baggins? What? Did he get hit on the head in that last fight? “What are you talking about, Max?”

  “Hold on,” Max replied “First things first. Loot this good should be distributed properly, in order of awesomeness. Which makes ME first!” Max reached down and lifted his prize to show the others. It was an archer’s quiver that looked as if it were made of the serpent boss’s scales. Dark and supple, it almost seemed to absorb the ambient light.

  Elven Quiver of Constant Wood

  Item Level: Epic, Scalable

  Stats: +10 Agility, +10 Focus

  When equipped, this magical quiver will produce unlimited wooden Elven Arrows with +5 damage. In addition, once per day it has a 20% chance to produce a magic arrow with special abilities. Class bonus: Even when full, this quiver will be completely silent as the Ranger moves. That’s right, unlimited wood, and total silence. What more could a guy ask for?

  Brick snorted and pointed at Max “Hahahaha! Constant wood, that’s funny!”

  Sasha just rolled her eyes. “What did the boss drop for me?” She asked.

  Max reached down and lifted a 6 foot long ebony staff, twisted and segmented, as if it were cut from the serpent’s spine itself. At the top, held in a three-pronged claw, was an eyeball the size of a golf ball. Complete with a vertical red slit, the eye seemed to look at you no matter where you moved. Max handed it to Sasha, who seemed hesitant to touch it.

  Staff of Creepy Consumption

  Item Level: Epic, Scalable

  Stats: +20 Intelligence, + 10 Wisdom, +2 Luck

  This staff absorbs magical or elemental damage equal to user’s total mana pool, converting it into useable mana. Class bonus: Druids can use nature magic to command the staff to take the form of a serpent guardian that will fight to defend its master for thirty seconds.

  “Wow, this is… pretty awesome!” Sasha said with smile and a small excited bounce as she looked over the weapon. The eye on top spun around to face her and winked. “Well, mostly awesome.”

  Brick couldn’t help himself. “Better leave mister creepy with us when you hafta go behind the bushes’n do yer business!”

  Sasha’s eyes widened and her face looked stricken. “Maybe I can make some kind of cover or hood for it. Like they do with hawks.”

  Alexander finished inspecting the staff. “So you basically got yourself a magic shield, free mana source, and a pet, all in one. That damage absorb could come in handy. What’s your mana pool look like now?”

  Sasha stood still and stared off into space for a moment, mentally manipulating her UI to look at her character screen. “Hey guys, I gained 2 levels from that fight! With the staff bonus, I’m up to just over 1800 mana.”

  “Nice,” Brick said, always one to appreciate good mitigation. “Ye should be able to stand up to even a boss level AOE without having to run. And it effectively doubles yer mana pool. Which means more heals for me!”

  “Yes, yes. Sexy creepy stick. Very impressive’n shit. Time to see what’s next,” Max said as he lifted what looked like a large, raggedly shaped, melted chunk of the demon serpent’s ebony hide, and handed it to Brick.

  “Bah! What is this ugly thing?” Brick asked as he easily hefted the thing in his left hand. “It’s too light to be…” he stopped speaking, lower jaw dropping as he read the item description.

  Sr’Vok’s Last Stand

  Item Level: Unique Epic, Scalable

  Stats: +10 Stamina, +20 Strength

  Fused by the fires that ended Sr’Vok’s existence, his scales melded and hardened to form an unbreakable shield. Born in the element of fire, any fire magic impacting the shield will heal its bearer for one half the normal amount of the attack damage. Class Bonus: Scraping a metal weapon across the face of the shield produces a “Serpent’s Screech”, annoying any foe within a 40-yard radius and causing them to attack the shield bearer.

  Alexander, Max, and Sasha all looked to Brick to see his reaction.

  “This… fire heals… “ Brick sniffed, and turned his back to his friends, quickly wiping tears from his eyes before facing them again. A
wide smile broke out under his unruly beard, and he roared “BY DURIN’S MITHRIL BALLS!! With this, Smaug himself would perish under me hammer!”

  The friends all chuckled at Brick’s rapid reversal and obvious adoration of his new gear.

  “Speaking of Smaug… and mithril, this last one’s for you Mr. Bilbo,” Max handed Alexander a bundle of black cloth.

  The bundle feeling heavier than just cloth alone would be, Alexander began to pull the folds apart to see what was wrapped within. But having pulled back all the folds, he discovered nothing within. He held the cloth up to inspect it

  Dressed for Dinner

  Unique Legendary Item, Scalable, Enchanted, Undroppable

  Stats: + 10 Stamina, + 10 Agility, + 20 Strength, + 10 Crit, +5 Luck

  This rare dark mithril armor was custom crafted by a Dwarven Master Smith for a human hero of legend. A hero who was, unfortunately, devoured whole and digested alive by the great serpent. After centuries in the belly of the demon lord, the mithril has remained undamaged. It is impervious to any piercing, cutting, or acid damage, and reduces blunt trauma damage by 20% . The armor’s enchantment grants a 25% boost to strength and agility for ten seconds. Enchantment is only usable once per day. Bonus Skills: Armor grants wearer Night Vision. Class Bonus: Armor allows wearer to infuse their melee or ranged weapon with “Serpent’s Bile” once per hour. Upon striking a target, Serpent’s Bile causes 50 points poison damage per second for 10 seconds, stacking up to 5 times. Infusion lasts two minutes. Wearer is 100% immune to all poisons. This legendary item is forever bound to its wearer, will absorb 5% of wearer’s earned XP points for kills, and will grow with the wearer, developing new properties and granting addition skills at higher levels.

  The others all stood around Alexander, mouths open, staring at his new armor. Alexander himself took a moment to read the description a second time, slightly suspicious. It wasn’t all that unusual for a First Kill on a dungeon boss to drop a legendary item. But this…

  “Wow, man,” Max echoed Alexander’s thoughts, “I’ve never seen an item like that. Never even heard of one. If you were to put that up on the auction, it’d be worth…”

  “Millions,” Brick finished for him. “Unique item, Legendary, with huge stat bonuses that will only get better as ye level? AND its Dwarven crafted! By Durin’s hairy nutsack! Ye could buy a house and retire on the cash ye’d get for that!”

  “Or you could just equip it, and I’d basically never have to heal your clumsy butt again!” Sasha quipped as she elbowed Alexander in the ribs. “I could focus on stumpy over there. Although with that new shield, I’m not sure either of you will need me much.”

  “Brick, you could probably sell that shield for a tidy sum, as well,” Max added, reaching a hand toward the tank. “I’d be happy to put it in the AH for you. I’ll start the bidding at one hundred thousand gold.”

  Brick moved back a step, sliding his shield onto his back and raising his fists, “Ye touch me shield and I’ll break every elfish bone in yer body!” he said with a wicked grin.

  Max and Sasha laughed at the dwarf’s antics, while Alexander smiled along, looking thoughtful. “Does it seem odd to you guys? The drops, I mean?”

  “What do you mean?” asked Sasha

  “Well, I get that this is a first kill. But that boss dropped two epics, one unique epic, and a unique legendary. Each piece with perfect stats and bonuses for one of us. And even the mobs on the way down here dropped better than average loot. We’ve got a couple rares, and a bunch of high quality common drops and crafting mats to sell. Each of your shares of those sales will pay your bills for 3 or 4 months, at least.”

  “Damn right!” Max agreed. “I knew there was a reason we’ve followed you around for so long. It sure ain’t your sparkling personality. You’ve got a talent for finding loots!”

  “I think Alex sparkles just fine!” Sasha said, looking at Alexander. She suspected she knew what he was thinking, and decided to change the subject. “All the ladies think so. Well, not me. Cuz I know you. But other ladies.”

  “Dumb ones, maybe,” Brick added. “Dumb, near-sighted ones with low standards.”

  Rising to the challenge, Alexander smiled at his short friend. “You would know all about ‘low’, wouldn’t you, mister four-foot-nothing?”

  “Ooooh snap! Low blow, Alex,” Max piled on with a smirk at the dwarf.

  “Yeah, yeah. Ye can all bend down here’n kiss me sexy dwarvish arse! And speakin of arses, I’m thinkin we should haul ours outta here before these beasties start to respawn!”

  “Agreed,” said Alexander as the others nodded their heads “let's teleport home. I need to log out anyway, take care of some personal business.”

  “Personal business, aye,” said the dwarf, “had a couple burritos for dinner before I logged in. Got some ‘personal business’ to take care of, meself! Bwahahaha!”

  Smiling, Alexander pulled his teleport stone from inventory and activated it. A flash of light, a slight disorientation, and he found himself back in his bedroom in Stormforge, the human capitol city. He took a moment to stow all his loot from the dungeon in a secure storage chest at the foot of the bed, laid down in the bed, then pulled up his UI and thought “log out”.

  Chapter Three

  Like a Box of Chocolates

  Alexander opened his eyes and took a moment to orient himself. Even after all this time, the transition from the virtual world back to reality required a brief adjustment. Without needing to look, his right hand reached up and removed the VR set from his head. He blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting to the light, then focused on the clock hanging on the wall across the room. It showed 7:00am. His stomach grumbled slightly, confirming that it was indeed about time for breakfast. With another deep breath, Alexander unfasted the restraining belt across his waist and slowly sat up from his gaming chair. He slid his feet into slippers placed conveniently by the chair and rose on unsteady legs.

  “Alfred? How long was I in game this time?” Based on his urgent need to take a leak, it must have been a while.

  “Good morning, young Sir. You were playing for just over eleven hours. Did you kill many monsters and rescue the princess?” the voice of his household AI responded in a vaguely British accent.

  Shit. Eleven hours! That dungeon took longer than I thought. “No princess, Alfred. Did get some amazing loot, though.”

  “Very good, sir! It’s all about the loot, sir.”

  Chuckling at his AI’s attempted humor, Alexander wobbled, still unsteady, toward his bathroom. After using the toilet, he decided breakfast could wait a few minutes. A nice warm shower would feel good on his sore muscles and wash the stale sweat from his body. Though his real world body remained relatively motionless while he played the game, his mind still triggered the muscle contractions that corresponded (to a lesser degree) to his avatar’s movements in the game. During in-game battles his heart rate increased, adrenaline released, his temperature increased, and his sweat glands activated just as if he were moving and jumping in the real world. The seat belt across his waist kept him from rolling out of the chair.

  Freshly showered, Alexander reached over to a shelf just inside his closet and grabbed a pair of sweat shorts and a t-shirt with “FOR THE HORDE!” emblazoned on the front. Sitting on a stool while dressing himself he made a mental note to shorten his game sessions.

  That was too long. I can barely stand, and my whole body is sore. I need to keep it down to 8 hours from now on. “Alfred, please call Lainey, tell her I’m going to need a massage this morning,” he said as he headed out of his bedroom suite toward the kitchen. Just as he thought he detected the smell of bacon, Alfred informed him, “Lady Elaine is already here, and is awaiting you in the kitchen. She called an hour ago, and I informed her how long you’ve been in your game, young Sir.”

  Translation: Lainey knew he’d be hungry and sore.

  Walking slowly but determinedly into the kitchen, Alexander saw Lainey standing over the waffle m
aker, pouring in batter. He noted two skillets on the stove, one frying eggs, the other bacon. Two plates were set at the small kitchen table, along with a pitcher of orange juice and a pile of fresh toast.

  Lainey was dressed casually, much like Alexander himself, in sweats and a tank top. Not quite 5 feet tall, she was well muscled, and moved with the grace of a dancer. Her long chestnut hair was wrapped up in one of those magical ponytail-slash-bun things that some women seemed to be able to create, with a pencil stuck through the middle to somehow keep it structurally intact.

  “Morning, Sir Knight! Alfred says you were rescuing a damsel in distress. After 11 hours straight, I hope she at least put out for ya!” She flashed him a wicked smile.

  “Dammit Alfred!” Alexander looked up toward the nearest sensor panel that the AI used to monitor the house. “There was no princess, no damsel!” He winked at Lainey as he scolded his AI.

  “No, Sir. Of course there wasn’t. My mistake, young Sir Knight.”

  Alexander rolled his eyes as he sat at the table. He poured himself a glass of juice, his arm feeling weak as he lifted the pitcher. He looked up at Lainey as she set a plate of breakfast in front of him. “This is YOUR fault, you know!” he said.