Void Read online

  When the lead wraith turned toward Ajax again, Lillus stepped in front of him. “I won’t let you take him.”

  Ajax moved beside her to get ready to protect them both with his shield. His wounds from fighting the wolf throbbed, and he continued to bleed and lose hp. He quickly healed himself as much as he could with what little mana he had left.

  HP: 220/327

  MP: 15/220

  Too bad he had burned through all but one of his cool-down abilities when he had fought the wolf and its master.

  It occurred to him. Perhaps he and Sejanus were still invulnerable to attack from anyone but each other.

  Unknown commander/general/leader entity

  File corrupted

  Sub routine compromised

  Please contact an administrator and quote the numerals 3567/26/4 13:56

  We hope you are having an eventful day!

  But were the void wraiths (being unidentified by the computers controlling Visaria) bound by the same rules?

  “We need to get out of here,” Lillus said, over her shoulder to Talon. The red-headed dragon rider nodded, and started inching toward Firesoul, who watched the wraiths warily.

  Sejanus saw what they were doing, and pointed his sword at them. “Don’t move, any of you.”

  The void wraiths quickly spread out and started forming a circle around them. They had their backs to all the dragons except Firesoul, as if they didn’t care that the powerful beasts were there. The dragon riders stood back to back, the Poacher among them summoning her giant green spider pet.

  Ajax, Lillus and Talon continued toward Firesoul. Let the dragon riders deal with the wraiths.

  Suddenly, one of the wraiths blew white mist out of its mouth, and the three of them were instantly encased in ice. “What the?” Ajax struggled to move. The magic reminded him of the Frost Prison spell of a Glacial spec’d Elemental Mage, but far more powerful—and cold.

  “You.” The armored wraith pointed at Ajax again. “No leave.”

  One of the wraiths strode forward, reaching for Ajax. He tried to break free from his containment, but the ice may as well have been concrete, for all the difference his struggles made.

  As it went to grab him by the arm, Lillus screamed his name, incandescent wings sprouting from her back. “Leave him!” She pointed at the wraith, and a blast of white fire exploded from her finger and shot into the shadowy being.

  With a cry of anguish, it dissolved into a mound of gray snow. Teeth bared, she turned her finger toward the next wraith. It only stared at her as its life came to an end. The rest of the shadowy beings started fighting back. They unleashed their mysterious icy powers against the Demon Mage. Slivers of frost tore through the ground at their feet, tearing up the earth, blasting everyone with dirt. Their magics converged on Lillus, forcing her to her knees, as the ground around her exploded. Dirt and ice slammed into Ajax, bending him back at an uncomfortable angle.

  -15hp

  They can hurt me. I’m not invulnerable. The wraiths weren’t bound by the normal rules of Visaria.

  Through the debris, he could hear Lillus screaming in pain. Somehow, she continued to fight back. More earth kicked up from the exchange of magic slammed into him, and all he could do was try to protect his face. The ice kept him ensnared, and there was no escape from the tumult.

  A rock hit Ajax in the side of the head, staggering him. In his mind’s eye, he saw Talon’s health bar. The dragon rider had taken damage too.

  -56hp

  Companion suffered -67hp

  Then one of the ice spells passed under Ajax’s feet, tearing up the ground and inflicting damage on him.

  -27hp (unknown ability)

  They weren’t the only ones caught up in the void wraiths attacks. Sejanus and the others took damage too, and were forced to defend themselves. The spider pet leapt on the nearest wraith and buried its poison tipped fangs into its neck. A moment later, the spider stiffened, then dropped to the ground and onto its back. The creature shuddered once, then its legs curled up as it died.

  A heartbeat later, everything went to hell.

  Lillus blasted another wraith to oblivion, as Ajax swung his weapon at an oncoming wraith. Talon stood next to him, attacking the same target, using some cool down ability to inflict as much burst damage as he could.

  Inflicted 47 damage.

  Companion Inflicted 158 damage

  At least their weapons could hurt the wraiths.

  Ajax glanced at Lillus. She had fallen to her knees, one hand raised and still unleashing her power. Her eyes were wide with pain and terror, and she was covered in a sheen of glistening sweat.

  How much more could she take? If only he could break free of the ice and reach her.

  A dragon rider screamed as he became enveloped in a layer of ice. One of the wraiths touched him, and instantly the rider went stiff, his skin turning blue. He stood there, like a statue, sightless eyes still on the void being who had killed him.

  “Move out of the way,” Firesoul roared. “I will burn them all.”

  Ajax cut at another wraith as it reached for him. It backed away, its eyes pinpricks of ice within the swirling gray of its head.

  “We can’t.” Talon tried to pull his leg free from the immobilizing ice. “Try to eat them or something.”

  The other dragons had descended on the wraiths from behind, but they too held back from unleashing their fire breaths. The wraiths wouldn’t be the only ones caught up in the ensuing inferno if they let loose their fire. Only the two smaller green dragons moved in to snap at the wraiths with their sharp teeth. The others were all too large to fight in such a small area, lest they trample their own riders to death.

  One of the greens caught a wraith in its mouth and snapped its jaw shut. Instead of being bitten in half, the dragon’s teeth seemed to sink into the shadowy being’s body. When the jaw opened again, the wraith slid down the dragon’s throat. Two seconds later, the beast’s eyes widened and it made a gagging sound. Then it wailed, its body stiffening, tail as straight as a marble column. It arched its head into the air as ice exploding in a great jet from its mouth.

  Ajax spun to face the armored wraith as it suddenly strode toward him. Lillus tried to blast it with her energy, but it ducked aside and raced up to Ajax. He struck its arm with his weapon, but it simply bounced off the strange ancient gray armor with a dull thud. The wraith grabbed him, and instantly a deep cold flooded through his body. “You come. Have need. Of Chosen One.”

  Wrenching hard on his arm, it pulled him free of the ice. “Let me go,” Ajax cried, shaking uncontrollably from the cold.

  One of the dragon riders screamed, then another, and another. Through the haze of pain and cold, Ajax witnessed three of them harden to ice and become frozen statues. One toppled over and shattered into thousands of pieces on the ground. Another‘s arm broke off like an icicle, and fell to the ground in one giant frozen piece. As he froze to a solid popsicle, he stared down at his limb with a look of abject horror. The look froze on his face, as it crusted over with ice.

  Another void wraith shrouded in an ice-encrusted gray cloak emerged from the dead trees, its extended finder smoking with white mist. An enemy green dragon used its fire breath on the approaching wraith, but an invisible sphere surrounded the cloaked being, deflecting the fire into the surrounding trees and instantly turning them to blackened cinders.

  The armored void wraith holding Ajax watched the approaching being. Sejanus turned to the newcomer, summoning his spectral wolf then setting it loose. The wolf leapt through the air and collided with the invisible sphere, and instantly shattered like glass.

  “No!” Sejanus roared. He hurled his secondary weapon at the wraith, but it deflected off the shield and embedded itself in the ground.

  Without slowing its pace, the newcomer went to Sejanus and placed a finger to the man’s forehead. The Supreme Commander screamed for one short instant, then exploded into red shards of ice.

  Opponent defeated.

/>   You are victorious.

  Player Kills +1.

  +700xp

  Quest Complete

  Defeat Supreme Commander Sejanus in honorable combat.

  Rewards: You are still alive. 500xp. +20hp Augment. You might get to loot his corpse if you survive the void wraiths. Once the Imperator finds out about this, she will have six NPCs torn apart by her dragons as she unleashes her impotent rage. The Imperium Guard will quake in fear at the very mention of your name (probably).

  XP: 12667/15500

  Sejanus had died. The leader of the Elite Imperium Guard—gone in an instant.

  If Ajax hadn’t been so cold, he might have mourned the man’s passing. But a void wraith held him, a being not of Visaria. It waited for the approaching being, lowering its head as if in reverence. What are they going to do to me? Ajax’s heart pounded in his ears. How can—

  The focus of his terror turned to Lillus as she shrieked. Along with her cry of anguish, came a chorus of pained dragon roars. The cacophony of sound broke Ajax out of the cold and frightened stupor that had settled over him. He felt pulsing warmth from inside his inventory. Heat flooded through him, driving back the cold and filling him with such power, he had to unleash it, lest the power overwhelm him.

  Suddenly, the wraith next to him made a keening sound. It let go, and grasped at the hand that had held him. Still keening, it fell back, as intense heat exploded from Ajax and blasted everything around him.

  As one, the wraiths screamed, the shrouded darkness of their bodies burning away until they were gone.

  Unknown entities vanquished

  File corrupted

  Sub routine compromised

  Please contact an administrator and quote the numerals 3567/26/4 14:05

  When the heat dimmed, all that remained of its passing was the stench of cooking meat.

  Lillus, Talon and Firesoul stared at Ajax. Beyond them, the seared remains of the enemy dragons steamed in pools of melted snow. And I didn’t get any xp!

  Shaking (more from exhaustion than from fear or cold), Ajax removed the moldy broken pineapple from his inventory and almost dropped it in surprise. The item was no longer a pineapple, but a strange black ball, much like a giant marble. No scratches marred its smooth shiny surface, nor did heat radiate from it like it had moments before.

  Ajax snapped his gaze away from the ball as Lillus collapsed. Racing up to her, he slipped the strange item back into his inventory. “Lillus.”

  Her eyes were closing as she looked up at him. A trickle of blood ran from her mouth, though her hp was half full. “You... see now. You’re the Chosen One.”

  Then her eyes closed and she went limp in his arms.

  CHAPTER 5

  NO MORE PINEAPPLE

  QUEST REMINDER

  With all that out of the way, consider the following quest you seem to have forgotten...

  Quest

  Objective: You’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz. By Wizard, we mean the Oracle or Advanced Hyper Neural Net Array.

  Hint: You better call it Ahnna, as it hates being called the Oracle.

  Warning: Failure to comply with these orders will result in the void consuming everything, thus condemning the human race to extinction in both Visaria and the real world. Also, Lillus will be forced to drag you there by your hair, so as not to allow this to happen.

  Rewards: Undreamed-of wealth and glory. You will become the champion Visaria needs in its time of darkness. Never before has there been one such as you. Chosen One.

  Warning: You are being hunted. Watch your back.

  I’m working on it, Ajax raged at the notification in his field of view.

  After patching himself up to stop the bleeding (and quickly applying his new augment to his girdle), Ajax wrapped the sleeping Lillus in a blanket and placed her in Firesoul’s basket saddle. “I’ll be back for you.” He wiped the blood from her lips, then brushed back her hair. You look so beautiful when you’re asleep. He kissed her gently on the forehead. Please wake soon. I need you.

  Turning, he hopped off the dragon. As he made his way over to Talon, he glanced at Firesoul. The dragon stared at the corpses of his kin with a distant gaze, much like the hundred yard stare of a veteran soldier. Firesoul had likely known the other dragons his whole life. He’d have played with them, fought with them, and bled with them. Now they were all dead, along with their riders. And I don’t get to loot Sejanus’s corpse as there’s nothing left of it.

  Well, all the riders were dead, but one.

  As he neared the other two, he noticed Sejanus’s helmet on the ground. Picking it up, Ajax brought up its stats in his mind’s eye.

  Steel Helmet of command

  Worn by those who lead the armies of the Imperium against its enemies.

  +40def

  Special Ability: Random chance to inflict fear into the minions of the Republic of Dern. Can inspire increased confidence in friendly NPCs.

  Warning: This helmet marks you as a leader. In battle, you will be a magnet for enemy snipers. Keep your head down if you want to keep it.

  Not bad, Ajax thought to himself and slipped it over his head. He didn’t bother retrieving his old one that the Supreme Commander had knocked off his head.

  DEF: 175 (BASE: 20+155 from equipment)

  The man groaned as Ajax came to stand next to Talon who watched over him. Blood covered his armor, and the skin of his left arm had gone black. Frostbite.

  Talon shook his head. “Ivan. Ivan. Ivan.” He glanced at the steaming remains of the other dragon riders, some nothing more than slithers of flesh. The wraiths had turned them to ice and killed them all, along with their dragons. Then Ajax’s strange magic had melted the ice and cooked the flesh as if it had been thrown into a campfire.

  Ajax grimaced. God, I hate the stench of cooking meat. If Lillus were awake, she’d have had her marshmallows out about now.

  “What are you going to do to me?” Ivan asked, breathing heavily, holding his frostbitten arm.

  “I should leave you here to die a slow death.” Talon had his sword drawn. “I never wanted any of this. Ithilda,” He spat the name. “Ordered me to take Ajax and Lillus to meet the generals of our armies in the east. Then my own brethren attack me, and try to kill my dragon. None of you even gave me a chance to explain my side of the story.”

  “We were told you were traitors.” Ivan sneered at Ajax. “Told that you helped him and his black mage concubine escape from the Imperator’s prison.”

  “Escape?” Ajax took off his helmet to wipe dried blood and dirt from his face. “We were never imprisoned. The Imperator let us go. She even gave us a dragon mount to ride.”

  Talon nodded. “What he says is the truth.”

  Ivan stared at his frostbitten arm and shook his head. “Guess it doesn’t matter what the truth of things is. Not after... this.” His eyes fell on the powdered gray remains of one of the wraiths. “Those things.”

  “They were void wraiths,” Ajax said. “They are agents working for the void, a threat that looms far to the west.” Ajax wished Lillus were here to explain things better, for he knew so little about the enemy. But she would likely sleep for days on end.

  “I heard what the black mage said to the Imperator back in the Dragon Keep.” Ivan looked Ajax up and down. “I didn’t believe any of it. But now...” He let out a pained groan. “I believe. Those wraiths, were not of Visaria.”

  “They’re dead now.” Ajax checked the item information on the black ball in his inventory, but only got the same warning message about the Item ID system being compromised. Odd too, that the ball was still listed as moldy broken pineapple in his inventory panel.

  “Yes... ” Ivan grimaced. “I’ve never seen such power before. Both you, and the Demon Mage.” He shook his head. “How?”

  If only I could answer that.

  Talon still hadn’t put away his sword. The dragon rider gave his wounded brethren a hard glare. “I never liked you, Ivan. You’re nothing
but a bully, who followed Sejanus around like a sniveling weasel.”

  Ivan let out a bitter laugh. “Trust me, the feeling is mutual. You’re nothing but a witless boy, always distracted by the new shiny thing. You were never loyal.”

  Talon raised his sword over his head. “I was always loyal to the Dragon Rider Code, and to the Imperator. You were loyal to none of that. You were nothing but a crony for Sejanus, and the other corrupt goons who deem to call themselves the officers of the Imperium Guard.

  “Bah.” Ivan waved dismissively. “The Code is a relic of a bygone era. It has no place in this new Visaria. If we are to spend decades trapped in this digital world, why live by some stuck-up code, better suited to programmed NPCs than free-thinking players? Instead, we can take what we want, from whomever gets in our way and have some fun.”

  “We’re meant to be the good guys,” Talon raged. “We’re meant to set an example for the rest of the Imperial Army.”

  Ajax couldn’t believe what the two men were saying. He had always seen the elite Imperium Guard as warriors of unsullied virtue and honor. Even if their Visarian lives were temporary, and one day they would return to the real world like the rest of humanity, they were meant to be a cut above anyone else. Loyal to the Imperium, to the Imperator and to the Sinjharian people.

  “Good guys.” Ivan spat at Talon’s feet. “Only children and idiots believe in good and evil. The world is made with shades of gray.”

  Talon kicked Ivan in the jaw, then held the wounded dragon rider down with his boot. Sword poised over the man’s neck, he seemed to prepare himself to end Ivan’s life.

  Ajax stepped forward and grabbed Talon’s arm. “No, wait.”

  Talon blinked. “Why? He deserves to die.”

  “That might be true, but...” A plan came to Ajax. “If we let him live, he can go to the nearest army citadel and tell them what he has seen. He can warn them of the threat of the void.”

  Ivan groaned as Talon put all his weight on the foot holding him down. He said nothing, only stared at Talon’s sword hovering inches above his neck.