Age of Victoria, page 7
My wait was short. The little green man hopped down into the rocky creek bed without slowing. Reaching over his shoulder, he grasped another arrow, but his movement was interrupted by my sword clubbing down on his elbow. The sickening sound of a bone leaving its socket, familiar to anyone who has had to debone a chicken, sounded from his shoulder. His elbow showed only a minor nick from the blade, but the broken bone debuff flashed above the monsters head.
The goblin barely paused as it swung around, whipping his bow out at my head. I wasn’t sure how dangerous the stringed tool would be as a melee weapon, but I still wasn’t eager to be struck by it. The goblin’s left arm flopped as it wielded the bow with its right wildly. The sickening display was making me nauseous even as I batted its useless weapon away. My disgust and the attempt to ward away its weapon, left me dealing little damage to the little green menace.
After a successful blow to my face, I stopped waving my weapon around ineffectively and instead attacked the creature’s head in retaliation. The meaty impact of my blade into the monster's neck, as well as the critical hit, returned my confidence. After I focused on fighting instead of dancing away from the worthless attacks, the fight went quickly.
The goblin hunter had little health, but the damage it did with its arrows was still dangerous. The risk of being lamed and unable to advance or retreat made it a far more dangerous opponent than the wolves. I resolved myself, again, to be more careful with each new opponent. Each time I had to fight a new opponent, a new danger had presented itself. If I had been less capable, or a little less quick to respond, in each case, I could have died.
Each time I had told myself to be more careful, and each time I had ignored my own advice. I was starting to think that Emma was right about the amount of sense I had.
Out of combat, my health began to recover quickly. The apocalypse didn’t seem as dangerous as I thought it would be. It almost felt like the danger was being kept down to a minimum level and that as long as I was careful, I could handle whatever was thrown at me. That line of thought was dangerous, even if it was true. All it would take would be another young ogre, and I would be in grave danger. I couldn’t count on a flurry of lucky strikes and debuffs to save the day. If that situation repeated itself, most times, our group wouldn’t have survived. I was more capable now, with a higher level, but I was sure there were things with higher levels still.
The hunter’s corpse faded away while I was standing around having my existential crisis.
Scrambling up the rise I started back through the woods. I kept a close eye out for another hunter, but my approach was clear. The clearing where I had spent summers swimming and playing with Emma and Annie was changed. The small pond was still there, but the large grassy area was gone, and instead, a large rock jutted from the ground. The side of the stone was hollowed out. A crude bone gate was lashed together raised above a swirling moving gateway. Whatever it was, it looked dangerous. Focusing gave me its information.
Dungeon - Goblin’s Den (suggested level 3-5)
The more I learned about my new world, the less I understood. In what way was that a dungeon? Was it a cell block housing goblins? Considering the two goblin warriors, one on each side of the door, it seemed unlikely. Unless these were the wardens, but wouldn’t they be ‘goblin wardens’ then?
The goblins were both warriors, and level three. I was worried about taking on two at once, but I had done well enough before with the hunter, and I had killed multiple warrior type creatures before. Standing in the trees I looked around, checking carefully to be sure nothing else was about.
Since it appeared clear, I strode forward with confidence.
Both goblins noticed me as I approached, but they stayed at their posts until I had edged around the pond and came within a few paces. One was wielding a spear, but the other had a sword similar to my own: wide, thick, and chipped. The goblin warrior with the sword was the closer of the two, so I attacked him first. I was hoping I could keep the sword wielder between me and the spear goblin. I dodged backward and avoided the first swing, a broad left-to-right movement which left the goblin wide open. Stepping within the goblin's reach I was surprised at a sudden lunge. It’s pointy teeth snapping at me as I approached. While I had been surprised, I didn’t hesitate to kick the goblin, trying to knock him into his compatriot.
My kick landed, but I failed to tangle the two together.
So began a slow slog. I was trying to strafe around the sword wielder and keep my opponent between me and the spear goblin, while he would try to run around the fight and stab at me with his longer reach. Oddly enough, neither goblin was doing a lot of damage. They would hit for tens and twelves, but they were both slow, and I was dodging most of their blows. My attacks were faster and did slightly more damage, but they also had far more health than the hunter. I was starting to worry about my own health, being at half-life when the sword wielder finally died. The death of his companion had the spear wielder hollering out with a war cry of his own.
I wanted to smack myself in the face when I realized I had failed to use the skill I had just earned. Triggering the throat-ripping scream, I returned to the fight. One on one, and with the spear user doing far less damage now that I could focus on him alone, made the match a quick affair. I was proud of myself with my performance. I had thirty percent of my life left, and I had killed two goblin warriors of equal level. Sometime during my fight, the group chat icon had started to blink, but I had ignored it for the far more important battle. My celebration was cut short when an arrow impacted on my back and another hit my leg.
The shackle icon appeared the moment the second arrow hit. Spinning around I watched as from the tree line two goblin hunters drew and released. Dodging one bolt, the other hit my left arm and produced the dreaded bleeding debuff. My life ticked down to ten percent, and I made the only decision I could. I turned to the dungeon entrance and dived within.
Chapter 9
My dive through the dungeon entrance became a tumble. The floor through the entrance dropped into a ramp into the center of a large cavernous room. The stone floor snapped off the arrows in my back and leg as I began to flop down the slope as damage numbers flew off my body in a scarlet shower. Gritting my teeth and screaming through the agony I spread my body along the slope and slowed my movements.
Lying helpless on the ramp, shuddering in agony, I wondered if I would survive my latest act of stupidity. My health bar was barely there in my vision, the sliver of life left blinking and flashing scarlet along the length of the bar. The pulse of the blood loss debuff would fade away before the bar emptied, but I was only barely able to notice, my vision blurring and shuddering from the pain. The tutorial had mentioned ‘adverse debuffs’ at low life but failed to say what they were. Apparently one of them was extreme pain. With all my effort I focused on the number on the bar.
Three health.
My health started to refill quickly, indicating I was out of combat, but I couldn’t count on that continuing. The hunters would make it around the small pond and into the cavern soon, leaving me a pincushion if I couldn’t get up and prepare. My hands scrapped along the stone as I dragged them to my body, the effort of moving my limbs seemed to be like climbing a mountain. Only my approaching death had me stirring at all.
I wasn’t tired, my stamina bar was two thirds full, but mentally I was exhausted. The thought of yet another fight, more movement, more pain, had me wanting to curl into a ball and sleep. Father and the Colonel had emphasized that battles were part exhaustion and part terror. For me the terror translated into excitement, I enjoyed it far more than was likely healthy, but only now did I understand the limb shaking fatigue.
When my health hit twenty percent, another debuff ended, and my world snapped into focus. Whatever was weighing down my mind lifted, and I scrambled until I faced towards the entrance, my sword in a wet grip.
Only to face a solid wall.
Clambering to my feet, I lurched over to the stone surface. Only damp rock greeted my questing hands. Feeling around I tried to find a hidden lever, an elusive doorway, or some other explanation for how I moved through solid stone. I also couldn’t forget the fact that at any moment the goblin hunters could push through the barricade and attack. My health was recovering, quickly, but I was in no way ready. Worse, I couldn’t be sure they wouldn’t just fire arrows at me through the stone and kill me without resistance. I hadn’t been able to see through the swirly doorway, but who was to say that they couldn’t? The name text over our heads had made it clear that what one person perceives may not be what someone else will.
After five minutes of anxious waiting, I stopped crouching in preparation and instead started to lean against the wall. The flashing group channel icon was staring me in my mind. With focused intent I selected it.
“Vick! Talk to me. Vicky. Vick!” screamed my sister, her voice cracking with tears and hysteria.
My first few tries to answer were almost shouted over, and her voice was still filled with fear.
“I’m here. I’m alive. I’m alive,” I said. With each answer, my voice dropped in volume as I could hear my friends calm themselves.
“Your life was dropping. You weren’t answering. You were almost dead, and then, your health bar went grey,” Annie said, her voice hiccupping as her speech started to lose coherence.
“I’m alright. I am. I had to kill two goblin warriors, they were tough but I did it,” I said.
I wasn’t looking forward to explaining my predicament, but it was obvious that I wasn’t getting out of this without help. I had rushed ahead time after time, even as I berated myself not to, and this was the result.
“Why did you’re health bar go grey?” Emma asked.
That was a good question. To me, my health bar was fine, recovering nicely in fact. But everyone else in the group had a grey health bar. This was more of the world doing one thing for some people and another thing for others. I was not a fan of this new trend. The only answer I could think of was that I was in the dungeon. A dungeon was where you put people when you didn’t want them ever to see the light of day again. I wasn’t going to be seeing it from this entrance, that was for sure.
Hitting my fist against the stone wall then standing, I looked around. The walls were grey stone with small chunks of bright blue quartz. Even with the glowing quartz, there shouldn’t have been enough light to see by. All the same, while it was dark, it was still possible to see the tunnel around me.
Finally, I was unable to ignore the increasingly angry questions in the group chat. I wasn’t intentionally being rude, and it wasn’t that I was upset, angry, and embarrassed. I just needed to be sure I was safe before I started talking. The excuse sounded like a lie even in my thoughts, but I pushed that aside for now and focused on my situation.
“The cave icon is for a dungeon. I’m not sure it’s a dungeon as we think of it. It might be. I can’t tell yet. Things are odd, as usual. When I stepped through the swirly portal, all of your health bars went grey as well. I think it’s like the name text; it depends on who is viewing it,” I said with my answer barely calming the tirade of questions.
“Leave the dungeon now,” Robert’s strained voice cut through the discussion and left the other two silent.
Banging the pommel of my sword against the wall, I shrugged even though I knew he couldn’t see me.
“A bit of a problem with that. The dungeon entrance is one way, and it’s stone on this side. I’m going to look around and see if I can find an exit.”
“No! You will stay at the entrance. We are coming to help. You almost died a few minutes ago, and you are already running off to do it again,” demanded Annie.
Usually, Annie was very quiet and agreeable. The etiquette lessons I had always shunned and derided, she viewed as useful for manipulating others and controlling the discussion. Annie was not a social butterfly in London, but neither was she avoided or the talk of the town. She managed her social persona perfectly and never had to worry too deeply about the social game. She played it only to be left alone. For Annie to start barking out commands and abandon all social niceties was a shock. One that left me even more ashamed of my previous actions.
I had let the adrenaline and adventure get to me. The excitement of my freedom and what it could mean had thrown what little restraint I had away. To me, this was a new world where I could do anything, become anything. For me, it was like the chains I carried my entire life was ripped free. For Annie and Emma, it was like someone knocked the floor away beneath their feet. Robert, poor Robert, has had to step away from his uncle, the man he has respected for decades, and go against his commands. Worse, it was on the backdrop of the fear of the loss of his family and friends. My family had always worried about a letter from the Queen arriving to talk about our fathers bravery; we had already lost our mother. Emma lost her mom only a few years ago. We knew loss and pain. Robert still had his grandparents.
“All right. I’ll wait until you three arrive,” I said, “I’m sorry I’ve been so erratic, I'll do better. I just feel like I have a chance at freedom and I don’t want to miss it.”
None of them answered, I continued to wait in silence, the urge to explore overwhelming but I resisted. I just rested against the walls. The blockading stone was cold and gritty against my clothes, but the very fact that I was lounging around on the damp stone and not sitting for tea with a full-length dress made it pleasant. I was sure that my enjoyment of even these difficulties would fade into a disgruntled annoyance, they always had before, but for now, I would enjoy the novelty.
Beyond my boredom was my hunger and thirst. I had failed to prepare as well for this outing as I had believed. Weapons and armor had been my only real thoughts. Now that I considered what an adventure would really take, the list started to grow, the distraction of planning alleviating my boredom. Matches, a nightman’s lamp, food, water, spare clothing, a tent, bedding, the list was long. Looking down at my trousers I blushed as I considered that with my current attire, the knickers that I preferred would add too much padding and would not allow for the standard belt and loop for cotton napkins. A problem that was not currently an issue, but would be soon enough. That was one issue with the Clothing Reform Movement I had not given sufficient thought.
After a few hours, hours where the group focused on fighting and not talking to me, they finally decided to discuss my predicament. It was likely that Annie had decided my punishment was to be silence, it felt like one of her penalties. Emma would just have told me how much of a nit I was being and would wait until we were alone to pinch me.
“Getting here was not terribly difficult. The wolves were simple to kill, and the one hunter we found died shortly, but you owe Robert for this Vick. He has been run ragged trying to keep these curs away from us,” Annie said, her voice suddenly loud in the silence of the stone tunnel.
“Thanks. All of you. Thank you. I know running off was dumb. I’m trying to reign in my excitement. This isn’t playtime, and I’m not a child, so I shouldn’t act like it,” I said.
Robert coughed awkwardly. It was interesting how a cough traveled through group chat since he was trying to ‘speak’ using it - mainly trying to convey his embarrassment. Robert never could take a compliment or appreciation well. Ducking her head and continuing to work was Emma's solution to praise. Only Annie ever dealt with compliments well, smiling and giving all the right social cues.
“Right, right. Did you really enter that swirling doorway Victoria? Whatever convinced you to do that?” Robert asked his question more about ignoring the appreciation than out of any real interest.
“Oh!” I said, realizing that my silence could have been a cause for danger, “watch out. When I killed the goblin warriors, two hunters attacked me.”
That brought up another interesting question though. Why were there two warriors at the cave and where did they come from? Did the two hunters find reinforcements to replace the warriors? Why didn’t they enter and attack me? None of this made any sense, and I was starting to fidget in confusion.
“One of the warriors is down. This is much easier than the beetles. We can see them from far enough away to do some real damage before they arrive,” Annie said, her voice very chipper for some reason.
A few seconds later had Annie continuing with her chipper tones, “…and two! Eww, a burnt goblin is much worse than burnt dog hair. Still,”
That ‘still’ at the end of her statement was deeply disturbing. Annies' voice had almost shone with happiness, and that was not the sound you wanted in your sister's voice as she burned her enemies alive.
Before I could respond to the new disturbing tones, Robert stepped through the tunnel wall, and into my lap. I took a few points of damage as I fell over and scraped my hands on the stone, while Robert nearly tumbled over me. While Robert regained his balance against the wall of the tunnel, I found myself the focus of both Annie and Emma, both of whom burst into hysterical laughter over my appearance. Flat on my back, legs spread wide, arms over my head, cloak spread under me, with my up-thrust chainmail covered breasts seeming to be displayed for all to see.
Even Robert was not above a few embarrassed chuckles, though he turned his view away as quickly as he could.
“What are you wearing?” asked Annie, her voice nearly as flabbergasted as she was scandalized.
Scrambling up off the ground I pulled my cloak tight around myself, then shrugged as I pulled the sides around on either side of my bosom, hiding nothing.
“It’s AC is thirteen. This new world requires us all to make adjustments to survive.”
With an unladylike snort, Emma responded, “And the fact it makes you look like you added twice your growth doesn’t hurt your feelings either.”
My face reddened as I tried to remain straight-faced, but I found myself laughing with Annie and Emma, the reduction of tension much needed after the last few hours of silence. Thinking of the time that had passed, I realized that it must be reaching toward night now. I had failed even to consider what it would be like camping out in the woods while fighting ravenous beasts and humanoids. My adventure could have been even shorter-lived than expected given my wild acts.
