ALL NOVEL Chapter 29 Adrift
Toadkiller Whoa! What did I miss?
Duchess I took care of Audigger.
Toadkiller Hah! I love it! She’s going to be so mad when she wakes up.
Toadkiller Did you get a double knockout? I didn’t notice when Fab left, and I’ve been checking the interface.
Duchess Kinda. With the power couple gone, I figured we’d reached the backstabbing phase in the contest.
Toadkiller You two had a secret alliance?
Duchess Yep. Surprised? We started the same newbie zone.
Toadkiller Color me impressed.
Duchess Impressed enough to leave me alone?
Toadkiller Impressed enough to come after you, dear. You’re shaping up to be a formidable opponent.
Duchess It was mostly a timing thing. Besides, it serves Audigger right for giving me lip over her lost weapon and Fab’s loot. Besides, I didn’t want to deal with rigging up this sail.
Toadkiller A sail, huh? It sounds like you’re on your way to Oxum.
Duchess Maybe. But I’m glad this skiff has a net to stand on. There’s blood everywhere. Ugh, this is disgusting. What a mess.
Toadkiller What if I told you there was nothing there to find there?
Duchess Please. But never mind where I’m going. Dude, you’re level 43? I thought I’d killed the highest-level player. You guys are seriously good players. You and Apache ought to knock each other out of the contest and let me and Darkstep battle it out.
Toadkiller Hah. Either way, it’s grats again. Did Audigger count as one of your knockouts?
Duchess Nope. I didn’t get credit for either her or Fab. That’s one thing they’ll need to fix if they ever do a battle royale again. Out of 64 players, the final four barely represent a quarter of the knockouts. It ought to be higher.
Toadkiller Tell me about it. Either you guys are coasting, or Crimson is grossly misrepresenting kills. Speaking of which, zero kills—really, Apache?
Duchess Hmm. Having no contest map changes things. I planned to go to Oxum, but now I’m not so sure. Have you been there before, Patch?
My chest tightened seeing Duchess address me. Was she seriously angling for an alliance? Her casual attitude toward Fabulosa, being unable to sail, letting others do her dirty work, and betraying her partner. I felt obligated to win if nothing but to keep her from doing so.
Sitting on the dock, I felt too numb to act. Fabulosa was gone. It didn’t seem possible.
I sat there, unable to move until the sounds of locals tenuously making their way into the docks. Most of the damage occurred on the other side of the harbor, so few noticed me sitting there.
I couldn’t believe Fabulosa was gone. Her last words, “Make us proud,” rang in my head. She wouldn’t want me stunned into inaction like this. Mourning her loss was a luxury she knew I couldn’t afford.
I forced myself to think. As the floor of the universe dropped out from under me, I reassessed my worldview. Witnessing the breakup of the last power couple, Audigger and Duchess may have been inevitable at this late stage.
I needed to move. Toadkiller had only been a day away, but after this ruckus, it seemed obvious that he’d force his way onto a skiff as soon as he found one. The idea of opponents waiting for chartered departures seemed like such a ridiculous assumption.
I grudgingly admitted Audigger’s knockout simplified the situation. Racing two players to Oxum was easier than three. And who knew what complications Audigger could induce on these rickety airships?
The leaderboard feature revealed Darkstep wasn’t the overlord I expected. While he still might have high skill ranks, unless he picked up something comparable to Applied Knowledge, I didn’t see how he could have accumulated enough power points to pose a threat.
Duchess still had her shrunken head, but if she had been truthful about never being to Oxum before, it meant she wouldn’t have a large NPC alliance working for her.
At least Duchess had the sense to avoid bragging about how she killed Audigger. Now, two sets of gear rested hundreds of yards outside the harbor. I’d go after them, but with the lower aerocline’s deadly fog, the idea of searching for items wouldn’t be possible with Toadkiller hot on my tail. I noted the general coordinates. Perhaps I’d be able to drag hooks over the side and snag someone’s gear after this Oxum business ended.
Right now, it seemed best not to hint at the gear’s location. If Toadkiller knew where to look, he could send his demons to retrieve them. But if Duchess wasn’t blabbing about it, then I wouldn’t. It was anyone’s guess if Darkstep saw what happened—or if he cared.
Before shoving off, Ebenezer appeared. “What happened here? Where is my skiff?”
I pulled out fifty gold pieces and placed them on the dock. The amount was a small fortune by city standards, but out here in the boonies, it amounted to retirement money. “I’m in a hurry. Duchess stole one of your vessels. You’d do well to stay clear of her. Tomorrow, someone named Toadkiller will steal another.”
“You’re taking this one?”
“Do you know the owner?”
Ebenezer pointed to new fixtures. “The Yamadas just refitted it for the next season. The family hauls brill.”
“Good. I’m commandeering it. Pay whatever you think it’s worth their trouble to pick it up in Oxum. You might find your skiff there as well.”
“You said there’d be more trouble tomorrow?”
“Toadkiller is level 43. Tell the guards to avoid putting up a resistance unless they can repel an adventurer loaded with magic items.”
Ebenezer’s eyes widened at the mention of Toadkiller's level. Perhaps restraining an adventurer of that caliber fell outside of the realm of possibility for the town guards.
“If I need another ride, I’ll rent another. I assume there are captains in Oxum.”
Ebenezer cautiously picked up the gold. He took care to avoid dropping coins between the bamboo boards with his calloused fingers. “Forty gold to rent? Thank you, sir. Anytime you want a skiff just ask for old Eb.”
I looked to the east. A row of blocky promontories rose above the aerocline—the Gray Manors.
“What heading should I take for Oxum?”
“You sailing through the night?”
“If I can. Is there a reason not to?”
“It’s low tide, so watch for driftbeds. They’re combing brill until the season picks up again.”
“Driftbeds?”
“You’ll see buoys drifting on the surface. They’re all tied in an anchored line. Unless you want to get tangled, I recommend approaching from the south.”
Ebenezer’s description matched the pink sheets Lusha maintained outside her home.
“You’ll want to go there anyway. Oxum’s on the south side of the central mesa.”
I nodded to show I understood.
“Where’s your pretty partner?”
“She won’t be making the trip.”
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. She’s a looker, that one, but it’s just as well you’re not distracted.” Ebenezer winked at me.
I smiled and nodded, hoping to avoid the awkward truth of her absence.
His mirth faltered when he straightened and looked at the abandoned skiff drifting in the fog. Its blood-drenched sail stood like a red flag on the white sea of vapor. He pointed to the derelict craft, looking ashen. “Wait…that’s not…she didn’t…. What happened here?”
I let him off the hook. “Don’t worry. That’s not hers. She’s fine. She’s probably gobbling down food right now.”
Ebenezer nodded, giving a nervous smile.
“Come on, hop in. I’ll drop you off on your other skiff. Show me how an expert sails this thing.”
Ebenezer dropped into the vessel with as much aplomb as Lloyd ever had on the water. He showed me how to operate a locking auto-pilot mechanism, that held the sail aloft. With no cargo, the platform had plenty of room. He steadied the mast with lines connected to the frame. It operated like a typical sail. He showed me little cleats meant for locking the boom into position.
“These skiffs are directional? There’s a front and back?”
Ebenezer pointed to the frame’s ends. “Well, sure. You got your fore and aft. I suppose you could steer her other ways, but your tracking will be off. And you’ll wobble in high winds.”
I searched for a tiny mast in the distance. Judging by the shoreline, I couldn’t see anything over a couple of miles away. Unlike the sea, skiffs blended in with the vapors of the aerocline. It wouldn’t be easy to spot each other in the fog.
Ebenezer gave me advice about the optimal shape of the sail. If Duchess hasn’t been to Oxum, I would almost certainly beat her there.
“Would you recommend popping Compression Spheres? It seems they could help propel me.”
Ebenezer smirked and dramatically adjusted his hat. “Not unless you want to fight fog monsters along the way.”
Memories of being wound in the aeroclast’s grip still lingered. I shook my head. “No. We’d fought one this morning. That’s enough for me.”
“Then you’ll be fine.”
When we pulled alongside the bloodied sail, Ebenezer gave me a worried look.
“Like I said, that’s not Fabulosa’s blood.”
He searched the vessel for damage and relaxed after finding none.
“I’d offer to take the messy one, but I don’t want to advertise my whereabouts.”
Ebenezer hopped onto the other skiff and adjusted the sail. “For forty gold, it’s your preference. I’ll bleach the sail before the stain sets.”
“Thanks, Eb.”
“No, lad. Thank you. Fair winds to ya.” With a wave, he swung the boom and tacked toward the dock.
My skiff bobbed gently on the bed of fog. Ropes squeaked against the metal frame, which groaned with every shift, reminding me more of a wagon or a handcart than the sounds of a boat at sea. The lack of splashing noises made for a quiet trip, though the wind howled when I turned my head at a certain angle.
The aerocline’s surface wasn’t a perfect plane once it left the windshadow of Farseed’s peninsula. The winds propelling the craft stirred the aerocline’s surface. Vapors formed crests and valleys, gently rocking the skiff as it glided east. The swells of fog limited visibility in the troughs, but on its peaks, I caught sufficient glimpses of the Gray Manors on the distant horizon.
The first ten minutes of sailing unnerved me. Surely, I couldn’t maintain this heading throughout the night. It hadn’t occurred to me that I could have paid him to pilot the skiff while I slept, rested, and reset my cooldowns.
After thirty minutes, my pulse stopped racing, and I settled into the task with a calmer mindset. After a few hours, I familiarized myself with the skiff’s workings enough to let my mind drift.
The changing reality settled in my psyche. Fabulosa was gone. Beaker was gone. I was alone, as I first imagined myself to be when I first entered Miros.
It felt less like I was playing a role-playing game and more like I embroiled myself in a contest of will between me and three opponents.
I had one remaining power point to spend. Earning enough experience to gain another level before facing Duchess and Toadkiller didn’t seem likely, nor did I expect to find better gear. Although, if I could knock them out, I could see myself reaching level 32 before Darkstep ever got around to playing the game.
Darkstep was only level 18 and hanging out in the Suza area. What was he doing? Perhaps he built an NPC army or engineered his own dungeon. It wouldn’t matter. I’d had enough experience in Hawkhurst to know that stationary positions were prone to intel gathering. On a long enough timeline, I could send scouts into whatever settlement he constructed and learn its weakness. If his defenses proved insurmountable, I’d accumulate experience points and gain more top-tier powers until I could overcome whatever he planned.
My current problems were Duchess and Toadkiller. I pulled the demon collar from Fabulosa’s Bracelet of Infernal Command set. The collar possessed no description by itself. Without Fabulosa’s gear, it possessed no use.
I gave the demon collar one last squeeze before stashing it into my inventory. The useless thing was the only thing I had left of her. “It was a good idea, Fab. It’s a shame we couldn’t try it.”
Fabulosa had a way of grounding me. She spotted big-picture things that I sometimes missed and called me out when she disagreed with my theories. Hearing her confirm things reassured me I wasn’t going crazy. And perhaps because of that feeling, I couldn’t mourn her loss. It felt like I would not be in Miros long and that I’d be right behind her. Still, the scene of her rolling off the skiff haunted me. Like Charitybelle, her last action in Miros was selfless and savvy.
Darkstep hadn’t been wrong about Toadkiller being a threat, and the leaderboard confirming this led me to believe that going to Oxum would ultimately help my game. Level 43 seemed higher than possible. Perhaps he’d discovered the leveling equivalent to Applied Knowledge.
I hoped the advantage that Darkstep promised was worth the trouble it caused. I considered goading Toadkiller to divulge information about whatever bauble he’d hidden there, but dismissed the thought. Talking in the chat channel could easily backfire.
Instead of seeking help from others, I turned within. With only one power point, I regarded my menu of potential powers.
Available Spells
Tier 1
Acid Splash, Arcane Missile, Bless, Dim, Endless Ammo, Eye, Faerie Flames, Featherfall, Grease, Ice Bolt, Just Strike, Light, Lightning Bolt, Purify Water, Scry, Summon Swarm, Tangling Roots, Vegetable Empathy
Tier 2
Arcane Sight, Detect Illusion, Divine Will, Fireball, Resize, Sunburst
Tier 3
Polymorph Self, Refresh Health
Tier 4
Burrow, Rally
Tier 5
Mind of Stone
Power Points
1
Nothing except Divine Will might give me a significant advantage against Toadkiller. The extra 20 willpower might neutralize his demon’s banishment ability. The mesa upon which Oxum and Toadkiller’s dungeon was likely all stone—so Burrow wouldn’t be much use. Besides, fancy ways to move shouldn’t be my focus. In an end game, I needed offense.
Toadkiller had 43 power points. It seemed almost impossible to comprehend—my only hope rested with him not ranking up skills enough to make his powers game-changers. He had to have at least as much health as Audigger.
If my game had any weaknesses, it was my damage output. Gladius Cognitus and high combat skills were certainly enough to lean on, but fighting in Farseed proved that even combat skills were situational.
During the fight on the docks, I longed for solid earth. My ability to channel Dig worked wonders against opponents on the ground, but it held no sway on the docks. I couldn’t use Earthquake to dislodge Audigger’s advantage over Fabulosa. It was powerless on the aerocline. Thanks to Mr. Fergus, many of my powers had leaned toward the direction of the earth.
If I could manage it, I wanted to retrieve whatever advantage rested at the bottom of Toadkiller’s dungeon and return to Oxum in time to trigger my Aggression bonus. Without mentions of it in the combat log, the other players had no way of knowing it existed. In foreign settlements, my crits with Gladius Cognitus could reach over 400, and I wanted to exploit it if possible. I’d been in too many fights recently where it hadn’t come into play.