Void Read online

  Talon waved dismissively. “I fight well, though that won’t save me here.”

  Lillus moved in front of Ajax as the riders stopped thirty feet from them. Five were Martial Warriors, the sixth a Poacher. The female Poacher wore leather armor, the Martial Warriors, shining heavy plate, their helmets gleaming in the midday sun.

  As one, the warriors removed their helms, and stared coldly at Ajax. Draped in a purple cape, the largest man among them had a long silver chain around his neck. Ajax didn’t have to see the man’s stat panel to know him to be Sejanus.

  Glancing over the man’s equipment, Ajax’s legs almost gave out from shock. Everything the Supreme Commander wore, had magical properties to increase Might, HP, DEF, and Luck. And that was only the equipment Ajax had the Intellect to identify...

  A Shield spec’d Martial Warrior, Sejanus had a buttload of hit points. Far more than Ajax.

  Lillus, unless you blast them with your powers soon, I’m fu—

  “Talon.” Sejanus pointed at the young dragon rider. “You have drawn the blood of your fellows. The punishment is death.”

  The other seven dragon riders hefted their weapons, all but one of their dragon mounts letting out angry hisses.

  “You saw what I did to the Imperator.” Lillus raised her arms in the air threateningly. “I can summon my power and kill all of you where you stand.” She inclined her head toward Ajax. “He must reach the Oracle, the computer array that is the heart of this world. The void approaches, and only Ajax can stop it.”

  Sejanus glowered at her. “Your powers may kill us, but they will not slay our dragons before they can incinerate you all.”

  “You underestimate me.” Lillus tossed her hair back over her pointed ears. Ajax expected the angelic wings to sprout from her back as she readied to unleash her game master powers.

  But nothing happened.

  Perhaps she was still too weak from her injuries. What if she couldn’t gather enough strength to summon the power? What if she tried, and it killed her? She’d slept for days after using it against the Imperator. Then she had only hurt Ithilda; here she would have to take out the riders and eight dragons, all spread out, each one ready to strike her down at a moment’s notice.

  Making a fist, Ajax came to stand beside Lillus and pointed at Sejanus. “I challenge you to a duel. Man versus man.”

  A blood-drenched, tattered banner dropped to the ground between them as an invisible war drum beat. A relic of the old days, when Visaria had only been a game, the dueling system still functioned much the same as it had then. A player could refuse the offer of a duel with no loss other than to their sense of pride. But if they accepted the challenge, then the duel would commence.

  The fight would be to the death, but unlike in the past, there’d be no resurrecting at the nearest graveyard. No more lives either. If the computers controlling Visaria truly had lost the ability to resurrect dead players for their next Visarian life, then this duel would be to digital death, the loser returning to the prison of their own minds to spend out the rest of humanities exile. Or extinction...

  Lillus reached for him. “No, Ajax—”

  He silenced her with a look. Defeated, she lowered her arms and whispered, “Please don’t do this, I can kill them. I just need a few minutes to gather my strength.”

  So, she had been struggling to harness her powerful magic. “No, Lillus. This is the only way.” If I live long enough, maybe Firesoul’s mate will reach us and descend upon them unaware. If she managed to take out most of the enemy dragons before they could react... The scales might tip in our favor.

  One of the dragon riders let out a deep-throated laugh. “A lowly level eight against a level fifteen? This boy’s got some walnuts, that’s for sure.”

  Sejanus stepped forward, his eyes hard as iron. “Normally, I wouldn’t sully my blade on a traitor like you. But my lady Imperator personally gave me the quest to return with your head—so for you, I’ll make an exception.”

  Quest

  Objective: Defeat Supreme Commander Sejanus in honorable combat.

  Secondary objective: Kick butt and take names.

  Rewards: You won’t be dead. 500xp. +20hp Augment. You get to loot his corpse if there is anything left of it by the time you’re done. You will anger the Imperator and put the fear of god into her Imperium Guard.

  Warning: Sir, the probability of successfully navigating this duel is approximately 3720 to 1!

  Never tell me the odds! Ajax raged at the quest notification.

  Supreme Commander Sejanus

  Race: Human

  Class: Martial Warrior

  Skill Focus: Shield Warrior

  Level: 15

  Allegiance: The Sinjharian Imperium

  Origin: The Dragon Keep

  Player Kills: 84

  Might: 20

  Dexterity: 14 (1 Dexterity increases base avoidance by 1%)

  Intellect: 3

  Spirit: 2

  Luck: 5

  HP: 540

  EN: 100/100 (EN=ENERGY)

  AP: 285

  DEF: 310

  Active Abilities

  Battle Resolve (BR): Increases all defenses by 10%

  Drawing his sword and hefting his shield, the Supreme Commander accepted the duel, and the banner disappeared. “Time to die, traitor.”

  CHAPTER 3

  TWO MEN ENTER, ONE MAN LEAVES

  AJAX BRACED HIMSELF as Sejanus strode forward. Suddenly, the Supreme Commander stood right in front of him, landing a staggering blow to Ajax’s shield.

  -72hp (Ferocious Charge + crush damage)

  Somehow, Ajax kept a grip on both his shield and weapon, and blocked a second blow. Sejanus had clearly duel spec’d, with talents in both the Shield and Brutal Warrior trees. That made him tough, but also able to put out decent damage. Far more than Ajax.

  A bad combination.

  Dodging a savage swipe, Ajax came up with a plan. He would pop his Shield of the Lost Sun and use the damage reduction to risk attacking the other man head-on. If he could get the other man’s HP down nearer to his own level, and do some serious wounding in the process, it might slow Sejanus’s attacks and make him easier to kill. If Ajax took more damage, he could always heal himself, unlike Sejanus, who had no healing abilities. With potions being forbidden in duels, the only way Sejanus could heal would be through passive regen.

  Trying not to think of the dire odds of pulling the plan off, Ajax activated his Shield of the Lost Sun ability, then screamed a battle cry. As he charged forward, he used slashing attacks to acquire the bonus damage from his weapon’s +5 damage modifier. Sejanus blocked most of the attacks on his shield, but one caught him in the arm.

  Inflicted 16 damage

  16! Come on. Ajax couldn’t believe it. Sejanus weathered several more thrusts on his shield, then he put it back in his inventory and watched Ajax with a mocking grin. “Come on, hit me, boy. I’ve left myself open.”

  Gritting his teeth, Ajax quickly cast a Medium Heal on himself, then slashed at Sejanus’s face. The warrior took the blow on the helm, and staggered back a step.

  Inflicted 11 damage

  But his grin quickly returned and he waited. Slashing again, this time for the Supreme Commander’s side, Ajax scored a slightly better hit.

  Inflicted 21 damage

  Only 493 hp to go...

  Sejanus glanced down at the tiny dent in his armor, then his eyes went back to Ajax. “Now, I shall show you what you’re truly up against.”

  Removing something from under his armor, Sejanus incanted a single word. A sprout of darkness appeared beside him, and from it, emerged a spectral wolf. It let out a long, mournful howl, freezing Ajax’s blood. He retreated, until he backed into a dead tree trunk.

  He knew what the wolf was. A pay-to-win cash shop item from a loot chest that scaled with its owner’s level. The cash shop no longer functioned, but for people who had been playing in Visaria before the end of the real world came, their purchased item
s carried over into their exile—often giving them an unfair advantage. Ajax himself wore one of these items (Sparkle Pony Chain Vest of the Unicorn), though his had been given to him by the Imperator.

  “This is overkill,” Talon said, shaking his head. “Don’t do this, Sejanus.”

  The Supreme Commander sneered. “I’ll let my wolf deal with this traitor. Then when it’s done with him.” He pointed at Lillus. “It will feast on her pretty little flesh.”

  “Go to hell,” Lillus snapped, her eyes never leaving Ajax.

  Growling, the wolf leapt at Ajax. He could only watch it fly through the air toward him, his shield held in a nerveless grip. The glowing green wolf’s maw spread wide, revealing sharp teeth, dripping with spectral saliva.

  A moment later, the wolf collided with him, dragging him to the ground and snapping viciously at his neck. He could hear nothing beyond the snapping teeth, the bestial growling, or his own screams.

  -16hp

  His helm was all that saved him from having his throat torn open. Taking control of the situation, he brought his weapon up from under the beast and rammed the blade into its belly. The steel sank in more than a foot, causing the wolf to howl in agony.

  Critical hit Inflicted 91 damage

  Far from giving into the pain, the wolf only redoubled its efforts to bury its fangs into his neck.

  Claws raked down the front of his armor with sickening high-pitch scraping sounds, like long fingernails scratching a chalkboard. Pushing his sword deeper into the spectral wolf’s guts, the blade finally sank up to its hilt. Yet still the beast fought on.

  Inflicted 46 damage

  The wolf finally managed to pierce his neck with one of its teeth. Blood spurted from the wound and spilled over the snow covered ground beside him.

  -46hp

  Status effect: Nicked Artery

  -3hp

  -4hp

  -3hp

  Oh, god. I’m going to weaken as I bleed out.

  Casting several heals to keep his hp near full, Ajax started jerking the hilt of his sword back and forth to inflict as much damage as he could.

  Inflicted 16 damage

  Inflicted 18 damage

  Inflicted 15 damage

  Another fang tore into his neck.

  -27hp

  “Lillus,” he cried. “Help!”

  Then he remembered she couldn’t. Being in a duel, made Sejanus invulnerable to all but Ajax’s attacks until one of them died or twenty minutes had elapsed. If Ajax and Lillus hadn’t been cast out of the Imperium by the Imperator herself, the Demon Mage would’ve been able to act. As outcasts, they were considered enemies, which meant different dueling rules applied.

  When two enemies dueled one another, the rules were two players enter—one player leaves.

  If Ajax tried to flee, he would encounter an invisible wall preventing his escape.

  Why did I get myself into this? What was I thinking?

  -6hp

  -9hp

  The blood loss was getting worse, and as it ticked lower, the spectral wolf seemed to grow in power. It tore at his armor, gouging rents into the iron. When Ajax tried to pull his sword free, the beast suddenly leapt off him, and landed ten feet away. The wolf sank low to the ground, watching him with hungry eyes, its blood dripping from its wound. Taking the moment’s respite, Ajax burned some more mana to heal himself.

  HP: 281/327

  MP: 90/220

  Just as he cast a fourth heal, the beast started moving. Snarling, it leapt on him again, pinning him to the ground and burying its teeth deep into his neck.

  -122hp

  Status effect: Nicked Artery, momentary stun

  For several long seconds, he couldn’t move, as his hp plunged at an alarming rate, his field of view flashing bright red.

  -23hp

  -26hp

  -34hp

  HP: 76/327

  Then the stun faded and he quickly cast his instant Touch of Light, restoring him to full health. The hp renewal wouldn’t last long, not with all the blood he was losing. He had to do something to change the course of the fight,or he’d be doomed.

  Seeing red, Ajax grabbed hold of his weapon, savagely ripping it free, and spilling the icky green spectral guts from the beast’s belly. Taking its snout in his armored hand, he roared defiantly into its face, as it fought against his grip. “Far Q!” He plunged the blade into its neck, driving it out the other side.

  “Grwart,” the wolf growled, ectoplasmic blood gushing from its mouth and spilling over Ajax.

  Critical hit Inflicted 167 damage

  The beast was still alive, though barely.

  “Enough.” A voice raged. The wolf faded to nothing, along with its blood. Sejanus’s enraged face appeared, his teeth bared. “I guess I’ll have to kill you after all.” He raised his sword over his head two-handed and started forward.

  Ajax gulped. His only cooldown ability remaining was his Wings of Deliverance spell that would activate upon death. He had been reduced to 0 hp a few days earlier, and the thought of it happening again so soon afterwards...

  Sejanus brought down his weapon. Ajax rolled to the side, and the blade tore into the ground less than an inch from his head. The Supreme Commander kicked Ajax in the back, sending him flying through the air and smashing into a tree, forcing the wind from his lungs.

  -47hp (crushing attack)

  How am I going to survive this? While Ajax had been busy with the wolf, the Supreme Commander’s passive health regen had healed almost all his lost hp.

  Supreme Commander Sejanus

  HP: 531/540

  Sejanus rushed at him, swinging his blade. Ajax took the strike on his shield, but the blow stunned him for half a second. Long enough for the Supreme Commander to punch him in the side of the face.

  -61hp (crushing attack)

  The blow knocked Ajax’s helmet off, sending it spinning away. It’s loss reduced his Def by 10. Not a major loss, but considering he was getting his butt caved in, a small loss could soon add up to something far greater.

  And so it did.

  Sejanus tore away Ajax’s shield with one hand then stamped down hard on his sword hand. The Supreme Commander stared down at him a moment, then let a big gob of spit drop from his mouth into Ajax’s face. “You disgust me, traitor. How dare you think you are worthy to fight me in battle.”

  “Ajax.” Lillus cried.

  Moving his eyes to the side, Ajax saw her trying to reach him, but Talon held her back. The enemy dragons had moved closer, flickers of flame in their mouths.

  No doubt they meant to kill both Talon and Lillus if she looked like she intended to use her power. Even if she managed to kill the enemy dragons, and their riders, Sejanus would be unharmed. The Supreme Commander would likely be strong enough to kill both Talon and Lillus, for he could still hurt them, while they couldn’t harm him until the duel ended. And if he killed them, I would be next, Ajax thought grimly.

  A man with the Supreme Commander’s position and experience would be wearing the best equipment in the Imperium.

  Sejanus removed a second sword from his inventory and placed the tip of the weapon at the center of Ajax’s stomach. “I’m going to pin you to the ground with this sword, then once your Wing’s of Deliverance ability has been used, and our duel is over, I’m going to let my dragon eat you.” He sneered. “I will make sure she swallows you whole so that her stomach acids slowly scour the flesh from your bones. Your death will be long, unpleasant and most painful.” He leaned in close. “So better not go in there and cast all your healing spells, because you’re only going to be prolonging your own torment.”

  The other dragon riders chuckled, waiting for their leader to carry out his threat.

  Then their laughter died as a deep arctic cold swept over them. Ajax widened his eyes, as he saw figures approaching from the dead forest.

  Void wraiths.

  CHAPTER 4

  THE VOID

  SEJANUS BACKED AWAY from Ajax as th
e wraiths approached, replacing his secondary weapon with his main one. Ajax retrieved his sword and shield and got to his feet, then raced over to Lillus and Talon. The duel between him and the Supreme Commander was still in effect, and could not be canceled until one of them had died or another nine minutes had past.

  The void wraiths slowed as they approached, and an icy shiver ran up Ajax’s spine. The six beings seemed to be staring at him.

  “Who are you?” Sejanus demanded.

  Silence.

  “What do you want?”

  More silence.

  Then one of the void wraiths stepped forward, and turned its shadowy gaze on the Supreme Commander. The wraith wore ancient looking icy gray armor over its entire body, and carried a long spear that appeared to be carved from an icicle. Ajax shuddered. The wraith had a face. It looked like a man, but one made from a deep gray fog, as if someone had been able to grab the predawn mist in their hands and shape it into the form standing before them now.

  Unlike the insubstantial flesh, the armor and the spear seemed solid enough. How such a being was able to wear armor and carry the weapon went far beyond Ajax’s limited Intellect. The physics of Visaria were modeled after the real world (for the most part) so something that appeared to have as much substance as the air itself shouldn’t have been able to carry around physical items. Ghosts sometimes wielded weapons, but they were objects from the Visarian Spirit Realm, a now unreachable sub-plane of Visaria Online that had been part of the Fallen expansion pack.

  This weapon and armor were clearly of this world.

  The wraith and Sejanus stared at one another for a long moment, then the shadowy being raised its hand and pointed at Ajax. “Him,” it said, its voice a deep slow drawl that lingered in the air seconds after it had spoken.

  Sejanus blinked, glancing at Ajax. “You want the traitor? Why?”

  “Him.” The wraith repeated.

  The dragons stirred as two more void wraiths approached the clearing through the dead trees. Now there were eight of the strange beings, six in front and two behind.

  Sejanus seemed at a loss for what to say, as did the rest of his command. The dragons growled, keeping their distance from the void wraiths, but making sure they remained within range of their fire breaths.