Realms of Fantasy Chapter 2: Strategy And Strategic Retreats
When you want to run away, but make it sound cooler...
Hello everyone again, everyone. So how will Aerilla handle the newly summoned ice drake? Read on to find out, and as always, all constructive criticism is welcome. Enjoy!
When I was Called and realized I'd be fighting monsters, I'll admit I was kind of scared. Unlike the game, it really hurts when I get hit, and death is a distinct possibility. Despite my favorite MMORPG suddenly taking on a whole new level of seriousness and peril, I knew I couldn't ignore what was happening. The day I was Called, I promised myself I would never, ever run away.
It might have LOOKED like I was running away from the advancing ice drake, but really, it was a strategic retreat. They just look really, really similar.
"Electros! Electros!" I fired lightning bolt after lightning bolt at the dark blue scaled drake chasing me, with little to any noticeable effect. Its thick scales barely even looked scorched by the magic, and its pursuit didn't slow down one bit as the lightning was diverted to the growing storm cloud hanging near the ceiling. Electric magic is the only kind I can cast while on the move; anything else would've required me to stand almost completely still for a few seconds. Those couple of seconds would be all the drake would need to close the distance so it could attack me, and my robes didn't provide much protection wouldn't do much good against sharp fangs and claws.
"Xavier! Are you alright?!" The Old Lady yelled to me as I ran past the office I'd left her in.
"It's Aerilla, Old Lady!" I yelled back in between more lightning bolts. "And yes, I have this completely under control!"
O.K; that might have been stretching the truth a little bit, but I did still have some options. My fingers glided through the small collection of glass vials sitting on my belt until I found the one I'd been looking for and yanked it free. I glanced quickly at the yellowish powder contained within to make sure I had the right vial before I turned quickly, throwing it to the ground between me and the drake. I bought my other arm up to shield my eyes as the vial broke, creating a huge blast of light and a loud, "BANG!" sound that left my ears ringing a little.
"HISSSS!" A satisfied smirk showed off my feline fangs as the drake reeled, temporarily blinded by the flash bomb. The first blow had landed; now for the finishing blow. Just need to grab the Fire Bomb and thr-crap!
"NYAH!" The second bomb had just left my hand when the drake decided to spray its icy breath wildly in my general direction. A wall of what looked like blue fire sans the heat caught the falling potion as it descended towards its target, bouncing off harmlessly instead of spreading its fiery contents all over the ice drake. I caught a glimpse of my now flash frozen potion hitting the ground harmlessly before the stream of ice breath came for me. Even as poorly aimed as it was, I was still forced to dive to the floor to avoid being a catgirl popsicle.
A shudder shook me as I tried to scramble back away from the drake. Though I had avoided a direct hit, my tail and one of my legs got tagged and were now slowly being coated in ice. The magical shielding of my robes was probably the only reason I could still move as I clambered to my feet and hobbled over toward the teller windows, the only place I could tell that offered me concealment without leaving me completely boxed in. At least the drake stayed still while it was shaking off the effects of the Flash Bomb, losing track of me as I climbed through the window and dropped as quietly as I could to the other side.
I focused one hand on what little fire magic I could muster without an incantation to thaw my leg while I checked my CommChain with the other. The ideal set up for any Breach would be to have a Defender class to draw the attention away from the others, a Medic class to patch everyone up, and 2 Attacker classes to really bring the hurt. It's not like I had done this by choice, but my current situation was a prime example of how flying solo could turn bad really fast. My latest CommChain check confirmed my solo act would remain that way for the rest of the Breach.
I shook my head; I needed to focus on my options. I'd never get off a properly aimed fire spell in time, and lightning was barely doing anything. Ice magic and the Freeze Potion... yeah; those were useless here. It'd probably freeze any other potions I threw at it anyway, putting aside the fact that I already threw my only Flash and Fire Bomb in the first place. As confident as I was in my staff fighting skills against another humanoid opponent, I did not want to press my luck against a drake.
Well, seems like I got nothing but a whole lot of courage... and a gun. And really, who needs courage when you have a gun? I smiled weakly before the chattering of my teeth took over as I pulled the gun I'd relieved the security guard of earlier. Whatever magical ability that guns have to make some people feel safe holding them, it apparently didn't translate into actual magic. Not like it really mattered anyway, since that drake might as well have been walking around with full body armor.
Come on; there must be SOMETHING I can do! I scanned through the list of my mage abilities on the CommChain. Potion crafting would be great if it weren't for the lack of ingredients, an alchemy set and time to actually make them. I have levels in cooking? When the hell did I level cooking?! Never mind, now's not the time...
...Wait, I can do that? Oh yeah; it's one of those abilities they give you early in the game to encourage you to work with other players. I forgot I could even do that since no one really bothers with it after your level reaches double digits and the equipment comes with its own bonuses. Would that even work if I tried it? It would probably back fire as soon as I completed it...
Touching the ability triggered the standard rush of memories that always accompanied the first time I used an ability from Realms of Fantasy in the real world. The best way I can describe it would be like remembering something you'd forgotten but really knew all along, even if you know for a fact you've never done it before. I usually find it's better just to ride along and let it do the work instead of trying to fight or really understand it. Push this, slide this, draw this...
WHAM!
"HISSSS!" Damn it, not yet! The drake had found my hiding spot, pushing through the little wooden swinging door that allowed access from the main floor of the bank to the teller's area behind the windows. Why the hell did we have to come to a bank with such poor security for a loan?! I scrambled out from under the window I'd be hiding in and started climbing over the counter again, throwing the gun at it in a desperate attempt to get the few extra seconds I needed to finish my plan.
"AHHH!" White hot pain shot through my non-frozen leg as the drake's claws dug deep into my calf. I wasn't sure if it was planning to drag me down to him or if he'd missed trying to bite me and just grabbed what he could, but either way he got a nasty hit on me. Hauling myself over the counter tore me free at the cost of a deep set of gashes in my leg. When I landed in a heap on the floor on the other side of counter, the pain in my leg told me I wasn't getting up again anytime soon.
A low moan escaped me as I pushed myself, biting back the pain shooting out of my wounded leg as I glanced back toward the drake as it made its way back through the door it'd just came through. I couldn't tell if it was intentionally approaching slowly or just felt that way in my hazy state. I could hear the Old Lady yelling something, maybe a warning, but I couldn't make out the words. Sorry Old Lady, looks like you'll have to get that loan without me. I promise I'll say hi to the Old Man for you if I get to go up there in the clouds...
Heh...Heh Heh! The cloud! Can't believe I forgot about the cloud! My laughter was weak and slightly crazed sounded as I worked my way into a sitting position. The drake was almost on top of me now, apparently deciding it was going to finish me off with its jaws. Well done, drake. I'd applaud your victory... except when I clapped my hands together, it wasn't for his benefit.
KRAK-BOOM!
As soon as I put my hands together, the storm cloud I cast at the beginning unleashed a huge bolt of lightning directly through the drake. It'd been charging on its own while also absorbing a portion of my lightning spells to further charge it. Its thick hide might have protected it from the little bolts earlier, but not from the fully charged force of a storm cloud hitting it at once. Bolts of electricity shot out of its body as it cried out and jerked wildly.
The drake still wasn't done, but neither was I. When I threw the gun at it earlier, I had taken something out of it first; specifically, the clip with the remaining bullets. I'd been drawing a fire rune onto the clip in the meantime, which I hastily finished while the drake was being electrocuted. I figured the bullets would probably explode if I tried to fire an enchanted gun, spraying me with hot metal shrapnel and probably taking my hand with it. That would be bad, but if that explosion were to happen somewhere else? That could be good, especially if that somewhere else was the drake's mouth as I used the last of my strength to shove the glowing hot clip into its mouth.
What happened next I couldn't tell exactly; my wounds and exhaustion were catching up with me fast. I caught a glimpse of the drake's neck bulging strangely before my face hit the floor; maybe its spasms from the electrocution caused it to swallow the clip? The next thing I heard something that sounded like, "SPLORTCH!" before I was coated in a spray of wet, cold chunks of drake flesh. The lack of fangs sinking into my neck or the feeling of ice solidifying over my body made me pretty certain it was dead.
I laid on the floor for what seemed like an eternity; anything more than breathing seemed like a herculean task. Sleep was seeming like a really good idea right now. Just a quick little nap, that's all I needed. If only this person would stop shaking me and moving me around...
"...vier?! Xavier!" Oh, hey Old Lady. Boy, your voice sounds really far away. What's wrong? Why are you crying?...
"...re die on me!" Die? Oh, right; dying. Dying's bad. I should do something about that.
The Old Lady must have noticed my hands fumbling around my belt for a bottle and pulled it free herself. Crap, I felt like such a little kid. Needing Mom to open my bottle, and having to hold my head up as she poured the potion into my mouth. I might have died from embarrassment, if I wasn't already in danger of dying from hypothermia and blood loss.
I remember seeing an ad a long time ago for a cough medicine with the tagline, "Tastes terrible, because it works". The health potions in Realms of Fantasy seemed to follow that same philosophy as I tried not to gag on the foul tasting liquid as it slid down my throat. Even as my stomach churned trying to keep it down, a feeling of warmth and alertness was rapidly returning to my body. The Old Lady didn't sound so far away and hazy, and the pool of blood from my wounded leg seemed to stop growing.
"Tanks, Old Lady. Imma O.K..." I managed to mumble as I sat up. My fingers started working again as I dug into a pouch and withdrew a small crystal prism with a small mote of light glowing within. The purple mist of the Breach reacted toward the prism, being sucked in like a vacuum as I tossed it in the middle of the room. The prism started to take on the same purple color, though the light in the middle continued to shine brightly even as the mist filled and surrounded it.
Once the last of the mist left the bank, the Cleansing Crystal exploded in a brilliant white light that made me and the Old Lady shield our eyes. When the light cleared, she looked shocked to see me back to her normal human son instead of the woman with cat ears, a tail and magic powers. Aerilla's wounds went with her, but the exhaustion stayed with me as the Old Lady was forced to help me to my feet.
"I promise I'll explain everything in a bit." I glanced around at the damage that had been done. Though the monsters and magic were gone, the scorched walls, damaged furniture and cracked tile floors remained. "But for now, let's get the hell out of here. O.K.?"
The Old Lady agreed with me for once. And it only took me nearly dying to do it.