Reaching Salvation, page 1
part #1 of The Binding Series
REACHING SALVATION
by Harper North & David R. Bernstein
The Binding Copyright © 2019 by Torment Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Binding: Reaching Salvation
Book One in The Binding Series
Harper North & David R. Bernstein
www.tormentpublishing.com
CONTENTS:
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 1
“Now! Kill it now!”
My clustermate, Sparkly_Cow, shouts into the comm as if I don’t already know it’s time for the killing blow. The giant Slug Mech rears in front of me, preparing to fire from its six mounted Pulse Cannons. The beast roars, making the trees and foliage quake. The slimy flesh of its gray underside quivers around its triangular Control Center.
I run forward, my glowing Red Laser Blade shining off my armor. To my left, Dreaded_Ghost bolts in my direction from behind a luminous blue fungus. A green light flashes as my friend, Ghost––the medic––fires healing nanobots in my direction. According to my log, in the bottom left-hand side of my vision, she’s added 5 points to my Healing Rate for the next two minutes. The buff will keep me alive, even if I only take cover for a few seconds at a time to heal.
“That should help,” Dreaded_Ghost shouts over my comm. “Take the killing blow!”
“I can taste that 2500 XP now!” Sparkly_Cow shouts in victory. He fires his blaster at the beast’s hide, dealing small amounts of damage with each shot. Yellow sparks rain from the Slug Mech and burn out.
I bolt towards the Slug Mech, dodging around the bodies of its two friends. When this beast dies, our cluster can afford two- or three-more upgrades. We’ve dropped its health bar to less than a quarter, making the mutated beast desperate and willing to expose its weak area. I raise my Laser Blade for the killing blow. Dark-red light reflects off my Plasteel Armor like glowing blood. My sword makes a satisfying whoosh as I leap towards the mutant’s blue, glowing Control Center—
Our sniper jumps in front of me, Range Rifle raised.
I bump into his avatar and stop. In that wasted second, the Slug Mech fires off from all six of its Pulse Cannons.
Orange balls of light sail over the treetops, fizzling. Six transparent circles, but of the same color, appear on the ground, showing where the bombs will land. Sparkly_Cow leaps out of the affected area. Dreaded_Ghost backpedals into a curtain of glowing purple tendrils dangling from a tree. The Slug Mech roars.
“You idiot!” I shout over the comm. Genius’ avatar is all bulging muscles and animated tattoos, and his name is GloryStealer1. The text under his username tells me he’s a Level 5 Sniper. An early game character. “Get back and do your job!”
“I’ve got it!” he shouts, firing his rifle. A red needle-thin line zips through the air as the bullet pings against the Control Center and bounces off the rim.
Heroic.
I’ve now wasted five seconds thanks to this jerk.
The Slug Mech finishes its roar and attempts a body slam.
I leap away from the intensifying circles and the falling mutant. With Sparkly_Cow hiding behind a wall of blue mushrooms instead of firing, the beast’s hit points are regenerating at an alarming rate. Its health bar races past the one-third mark.
The pulse bombs explode as the beast hits the ground, fish-like mouth aimed in my direction. A quake shakes everything and I struggle to stay on my feet as I duck behind a jutting rock. GloryStealer1’s username flashes crimson as he vanishes under the massive beast. His health bar drops to zero, filling with red. My log tells me that he’s just been killed in action. What a loss.
But now we must drop this beast’s health all over again.
“Someone take over the ranged attacks!” I shout into the comm as the boss recovers and gasps. “I’ll aggro and keep its attention. Drop it back to a quarter. Ghost, how much cooldown is left on your nanobots?” My health is regenerating now that I have cover, but Sparkly_Cow isn’t doing so hot.
“Thirty more seconds,” she shouts from my right, opening fire on the side of what would be the Mech’s face, if it had one. “I’ll deploy them as soon as I can.”
“Good,” I said. “Do ranged if you can. Sparkly_Cow, do the same.”
I run towards the Slug Mech. It’s pulling its massive weight up on its tiny legs. The mutant has to rear back to deploy its cannons again, but it also has Grenade Launchers mounted on the top of its body. The only working launcher is on its right, but the glow of green nanobots surround the two broken ones on the center and the left. We can’t mess around. My health is past half, but Sparkly_Cow is down to a 100 HP and Dreaded_Ghost can’t stop firing her blaster to heal him.
Sweat bursts all over my body.
I can’t lose this.
I need the upgrades, the new weapon, and the XP.
Reaching The Binding is my ticket to a new life—my only ticket.
The Slug Mech focuses its attention on Ghost, turning its elephant-sized body towards her. She keeps firing her Blaster, but the beast’s segments pulse as it slides in her direction, turning its single working Grenade Launcher. A low hum fills the air and intensifies.
My Laser Blade won’t do much against the monster’s thick hide. That’s reserved for the Control Center. If the Slug takes out our medic, we’re screwed. Already, Sparkly_Cow ducks behind the blue fungus, trying to regen HP. Only the top of his helmet shows. His health bar isn’t filling fast enough. Our only hope is to short out the Grenade Launcher and buy Ghost some time.
That means a dangerous move.
I lift my left hand and flick my wrist up, which raises my arsenal hotbar into my display. I turn my head, scrolling through my weapons until my Electric Glove highlights. I nod to select my weapon, which equips the bulky metal glove on my right hand. That’s +2 to my Strength while equipped. -1 to Speed, but this is my best option.
“Atlas, hurry!” Ghost shouts, maintaining fire with Sparkly_Cow. “We’re going to lose everything!”
With my Electric Glove balled into a fist, I charge the Mechanized Slug. It could flick its tail and throw me across half of the map, but I have to take the risk.
A warning horn blasts. Damn. In the upper right of my vision, the border of my game map flashes in a dangerous red. Six crimson dots race across the map from all directions, sailing for our clearing. The Slug Mech has called in for reinforcements. I’m not sure if the others have sensed our new problem.
I calculate that the reinforcements will arrive in three- or four-minutes. Without a sniper, we won’t hold them back. Losing GloryStealer1 is a loss after all.
Closing the distance, I leap onto the Slug Mech’s back. Its slime-coated skin indents under my Magnetic Boots. This beast has more metal inside of it than the Corporation’s vaults. That metal is the only thing that lets me climb onto its back without sliding off, but the climb isn’t easy. The launcher’s panel is only a few feet away.
Sparkly_Cow darts out of the glowing fungus and fires shots at the Slug’s side. Dreaded_Ghost maintains her rate of fire. The Slug Mech’s health bar stays at just under half. Its Healing Rate matches the damage it’s taking. This beast is biding its time, waiting for its slug buddies to arrive.
Humming from the Grenade Launchers peaks. Then, the second comes online with a click and turns towards Ghost. One shot will drop her HP to half without Plasteel Armor. Two rapid shots will wipe her out.
Balling my fist tighter charges my Electric Glove. Blue lightning bolts dance around the metal segments as the glove whines and glows. The first Grenade Launcher beeps, ready to fire in two seconds. I run towards the mounted panel on the monster’s back, raise my fist, and plow my glove into the center.
The Mech’s health bar drops to a third. Lightning forks around the launchers, shorting them out. A blue timer appears under the Slug Mech’s health bar, counting down from thirty––how long the short will last.
And my glove has a cooldown of two minutes.
“Open fire!” I shout into the comm. “We’re almost there!” The Mech roars and tries to flick its front end at me to bite. I’ve aggroed it. Good. My armor can take the damage from a fish mouth, no problem.
Sparkly_Cow leaps from behind the fungus and goes postal on the Slug Mech again. His health bar has now risen to 500. Half full. Dreaded_Ghost fires nanobots at Cow and returns to attacking the Slug.
My brain works overtime as I scroll through my weapons. It’s like riding a bull and trying to read at the same time. The mutant’s health bar drops as it focuses on me rather than healing it
I glance at my game map as the border continues its disco party. The red dots have closed half the distance. Awesome. I rise amidst the Blaster noise and access my arsenal to equip my Laser Blade (+3 Speed). Taking a breath, I prepare for the Slug Mech to rise. This is my final chance.
If we lose, we blow the whole boss fight and start over from the save point. I don’t have time for that.
The mutant lumbers towards me as my clustermates continue to fire, which tells me I’m still doing my job. But the Slug Mech rears back with a mighty roar, exposing its underside and Control Center. The blue triangle pulses like an electronic heart, promising victory.
Its HP is at a quarter.
“Now!” Sparkly_Cow shouts.
I charge to the Control Center, Laser Blade raised. And, this time, no noob sniper jumps in my way. Genius’ corpse remains on the ground, and I have a passing thought that I should loot it before he gets back here from the save point.
But, not now. The warning horn blares again. The Slug Mech’s friends are about to break into the clearing.
Letting out a war cry, I plunge the Laser Blade into the middle of the boss’ Control Center.
The Slug Mech’s health bar drops to zero. I hold my blade inside the triangle as its disgusting flesh throbs in agony. The creature thrashes and the ground trembles, but the danger has passed. The dots on my map vanish as the reinforcements de-spawn.
I withdraw my weapon.
The Slug Mech topples to the side, crashing into underbrush and glowing fungus. Its health bar vanishes as its corpse goes still beside Genius, emitting smoke from its electrical parts. Victory music plays and a chime sounds as 2500 XP pour into my account. With bated breath, I watch the number above my hotbar climb from 950, fast at first, and then slowing and settling at 3450.
That’s enough for me to afford three more upgrades to my base stats. Three more upgrades will also get me to Level 16. I fall to one knee and pump my fist.
“Yes!” Sparkly_Cow shouts over the comm. He emerges again from behind the giant blue mushroom, which has served as his cover for the entire fight. “You, sir, have guts. If we ever need a warrior again, we know who to call.”
“Good thing we hired you,” Dreaded_Ghost says. She steps closer as the victory music fades. “We’ve been trying to conquer this map for days. Any time, Atlas_Reign.”
I face her, aware of the metal loot crate appearing before the final Slug Mech’s corpse. Ironically, it sits on top of Genius’ head, leaving the animated tattoos on his bare chest for all to see. I struggle not to laugh at the spaceships and alien octopi fighting each other on his skin. Genius even has an animated 8-bit ship shooting at asteroids on his open vest. Somebody wasted his upgrades on the absurd.
“Thanks,” I finally say. “How did he get into the cluster?” I pull up my game options with my right hand and flick my gaze downwards until I highlight my Screenshot function. I nod to take the shot. That’s a picture I’m keeping for posterity. “What did he think he was going to do? Distract the Slug Mechs to death?”
“You’re evil,” Sparkly_Cow says, but I can detect that he’s trying not to laugh, too.
“He shouldn’t have tried to do a tank’s job,” I say.
“I agree.” Dreaded_Ghost nods and turns her helmeted gaze to the crate. “There’s a rumor floating around the forums that you get––”
“One Electromagnetic Attraction Rifle per player,” I fill in. I know what the Zoltaxi Forest map offers. I study the forums daily. A gun like that will give me an edge in a lot of maps. A weapon that pulls my enemies towards me as a close combat specialist is a match made in gaming heaven.
I rush over and open the crate.
In a split second, the loot spawns inside. The Attraction Rifle has an orange glow surrounding it, indicating that it’s a weapon I’ve never handled before. I pick the weapon up, which feels surprisingly light in my hands. Another chime sounds as the orange glow vanishes and I automatically equip my new toy. Green text appears in front of me.
New Achievement: The Great Attractor!
You are now the most attractive member of your cluster. Maybe.
I smile. The rifle’s barrel warms and glows violet as it charges automatically. I know from reading and researching that this rifle draws power from other items in my inventory and armor, such as power cells. But the drain isn’t that much. I also know, without accessing my Database, that the rifle adds 2 points to my General Accuracy while equipped. Not bad.
I’m now one big step closer to reaching The Binding, earning the right from the Corporation to start my real life over on a new, better planet: Mera.
And, by extension, escaping the nothing that is my existence on Earth.
CHAPTER 2
Sparkly_Cow and Dreaded_Ghost admire their new Attraction Rifles as I retreat into the tree’s curtain of glowing tendrils. The two of them talk to each other over the comm, discussing how they’re going to spend their three new upgrades.
Dreaded_Ghost holds out her metal arm and turns it over. “I’m going to upgrade to a more natural look,” she says. “A new arm costs two upgrades at the outpost station we passed a while back.”
“A natural arm?” Sparkly_Cow asks. “But you play a Cyborg.”
“So? Even us Cyborgs want to look good.” She pokes his avatar in the ribs.
I swipe my left hand towards the center of my vision, pulling my stat table into direct line of sight. The transparent green box partly blocks my view of the others. White text displays my base stats. I play a Human to keep things simple. Other races have to deal with body upgrades to avoid being as easily destroyed in battle. Cyborgs and Androids break body parts when facing higher-level enemies, even if they need less armor than us carbon-based life forms. For me, it’s all weapons and attributes. Having animated crap on my body like Genius wouldn’t be great when I wear armor all the time, anyway.
Sparkly_Cow and Ghost continue to flirt, so I turn my attention to my base stats. It’s time to level up.
+–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––+
Strength: 12 (+1)
Speed: 16 (+1)
Stamina: 21
Healing Rate: 17
Awareness: 12
* Close Range Combat: 31 (+1)
Sniper Dead Eye: 17
General Accuracy: 20
Luck: 10
+–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––+
My HUD tells me that I have three upgrades to spend. I allocate one to Close Range Combat, my starting specialty. Every player chooses a specialty during character creation, though higher-level players can branch into other skills, leaving the game open for character development. I’ll stay a warrior. We’re in demand during raids and boss fights. Thinking back to the Slug Mechs, I also allocate another point to Strength and another to Speed––both of which are becoming more important, I’ve noticed. These upgrades will help end fights before reinforcements get called in and before another Genius can jump in my way again.
“Atlas_Reign,” Cow says, breaking my thoughts.
I swipe my stats back to the side, where they vanish. Instantly, the number 16 flashes green in my vision, complete with victory music. I’ve leveled up thanks to achieving 160 upgrades. At Level 16, travel time in Jump Pods is cut down by a third. Awesome. Now it’s only 10 more points to the next level.
“Done?” I ask.
“We haven’t decided how we’re going to spend our upgrades yet,” Cow says. He nods and holds me in his orange gaze. Sparkly_Cow plays a Meran, even though the guy says he’s from Earth, like me. Real Merans are a race similar to Humans and inhabit the planet I’m trying to reach
“Well, since you do more shooting than me,” I say, “you can spend your points on Accuracy. Healing Rate might be a good one too. No offense, man, but you almost got destroyed by the end of that fight.”
