Chapter 15
On The Run
~*~
So this is it, huh? I'm dead.
Eternal darkness. It feels like I've been here several times. In a moment, Lady Vesuvia will show up and spew her nonsense about saving Zephyria again. And then I'll wake up in some tavern, all recovered and ready to continue my journey.
Minutes pass.
Maybe I'm actually dead this time. No. My life hasn't flashed before my eyes.
I swing my arms around and feel nothing, not even my own body. Do I even have arms anymore?
An hour passes. Or has it only been one second?
Finally, something, a light of some sort with an indescribable color palette, flash for a split second in the void. Then, a second flash. A third flash. I instinctively try to reach for the rainbow display, but there's really no way of knowing if I'm even touching anything. What am I supposed to do?
"...glitch....."
Was that...a man's voice?
The sound of someone speaking catches me off guard. I can't remember the last time I heard a human speak, but for some reason, I feel like it's been quite recent.
"...what...end...ga.."
Another voice, female, merges with the first. "Shut...th........up! She'll..."
"...fix......."
What are they talking about?
I suddenly realize it's my chance to escape this game, so I scream. The darkness prevents anything from coming out of me mouth. I try again and again, to no avail.
Then, silence again.
I give up.
The lights have stopped flashing.
More time passes. Days. Months. Years.
And just when I start to lose hope, I hear the sound of sea waves rumbling.
In an instant, a brilliant light tears open the darkness.
Instinctively I raise my arms to shield my eyes. As the light attenuates, I see a text box appear.
"Hold on tight!"
It's the ship's captain.
A burst of color floods my view. The world rotates and reorients itself sky-side up. But we're falling. The ship is in midair. A wall of water rises in front of us.
My eyes search for something to hold onto.
The ship crashes into the sea, sending water splashing onto the deck.
We didn't sink, but that seems to be the least of our troubles now.
"Shore ahead!" the captain shouts.
Land is approaching us at a terrifying speed. The crew work to slow the ship down. I grab onto the railing and brace for impact.
Hundreds of seagulls scatter into the air as we slam into the beach. The ship flips over onto its side and glides a good distance, before finally crashing into a palm tree. My senses wobble for a good minute before finally recovering. The beach welcomes us with a steel drum melody with the sea's waves as its percussion background.
I gasp for air, spitting out the chunks of sand in my mouth. As I rise to my feet, I see in my periphery a group of curious people approaching the ship. Their worn-out attire hides their class and leave them with a dubious vibe. I trust my gut and run to hide behind a conveniently located boulder. From here, I can't see at all what's happening.
The sound of footsteps draw closer.
And just when I think I've been discovered, a text box appears to my right. I extend my body a few steps forward to get a better view of the conversation.
"What have we here?" someone says. "A gift from the sea."
"What a beauty!" another text box shows. "Andy will flip when he hears about this."
"I-I'm the captain of this ship. Who are you people?"
"Ah, the captain! Well let me explain a little something to you: the ship's ours now!"
"What? I demand to speak with yo--"
The captain's text is cut short by a whir, followed by a thump on the sand.
"You three, check the cabins. Salvage anything of value."
"Who made you boss?"
"Just do your job."
"Fine. What about the crew and passengers?"
"They'll be a good addition to the work force! Round them up, those still alive that is."
There must be at least five of them. Male or female, that's anybody's guess.
Unable to do anything to help, I decide to wait it out.
Tired and confused moans fill the beach. One by one, I watch the strangers escort our people away. Some make a ruckus, but I can't see what they're saying. Among the captives is Oren who can barely walk. I was hoping he'd make an appearance and save the day, but it looks like that's in my hands now.
Soon, they finish their search of the wrecked ship and carry the loot off.
I stay hidden for a bit longer before exhaling a sigh of relief.
To the left and right, the beach stretches as far as the eye could see. But save a few boulders and palm trees, it's completely barren. Opposite the sea in the direction where the pirates went is the foot of a hill. In the distance, a brown structure of some sort stands, overlooking the beach. Fearing that I may be spotted, I quickly crouch, but then realize the futility in that. I'm like a stain on a white shirt. If anyone's up there, they would've spotted me by now. The thought makes me uneasy.
I run as fast as I can to search for cover. But just as I make it to the hill, I'm pulled into battle.
* BATTLE START *
Three Curious Crabs pop out of the sand and crack their pincers.
I have a Shock Attack but decide not to use it. Instead, I focus all my energy into my wand and whack one of the little pests. It's surprisingly effective.
| -35 HP |
More than half of the monster's health is gone.
Each crab takes their turns at me with their pincers.
| -34 HP -35 HP -31 HP |
I whack the same crab again to finish it off. It flips onto its back and makes a satisfying crunching sound before freezing.
The rest of the battle is a breeze.
| You gained 60 EXP! You found Crab Meat x 3! |
* BATTLE END *
I check my inventory to see that a Crab Meat restores HP by 100. Not bad, considering I'm out of Potions. I eat a couple and then continue on my way.
The world screen appears, revealing a grassy field with sparsely laid out boulders. A slow ocarina tune fades in, giving the region a lonely, hopeless vibe. Behind me to the north, the beach where I was at stretches as far the eyes can see. The only thing of interest is a series of brown buildings jutting out of the hilly terrain to the south.
I make my way towards the structures, carefully avoiding the curious crustaceans popping up here and there. As I get closer, a wooden wall comes into view, wrapping around the buildings like some sort of fort. Before I can change my mind, I feel a strong force pull me inside. As soon as my vision settles, I see two figures nearby, too close for comfort. To be luck, they haven't noticed me. I drop to the ground and crawl behind a wooden crate.
"What do you want?"
"Tillis says she saw a suspicious person roaming around the area. Keep your guard up and sound the alarm if you see anyone."
They must be talking about me!
"Don't tell me how to do my job."
"You're a loser, and losers follow orders."
"Get the hell out of here before my dagger finds a home in your chest!"
"Sure, whatever. Later."
The text panels stop appearing. I assess my surroundings from behind the crates lined up against the fort. Peeking over them ever so carefully, I see a boy walking back and forth. At one end of his route is the entrance, and at the other end, a path leading back out to the plains. I could leave now and never look back, but the stronger side of me wants to play hero.
The kid looks a little too weak to be guarding the fort. Still, I suspect it won't be easy to defeat him. Plus, I wouldn't want to alert the rest of the posse. A part of me wants to go solid snake on the guy, but I suspect this isn't that kind of game. My only option is to try to sneak past him.
And so I continue to watch him sing, using the movements of his text panel as an indicator of his proximity to the gate. After a few verses, I start to feel confident. I rise to feet, ready to make a run for it. My eyes dart around, searching for the right moment.
Where'd the panel go?
My question is answered by a tap on the shoulder. "Ahem! Where do you think you're going?"
The world spins out of control, and I come face to face with the boy.
* BATTLE START *
Clad in brown tights and a ragged blue blouse, he doesn't look too threatening, except for the fact that there's a silver dagger in his hand. Three question marks hover above his name.
I gulp.
He lunges at me, slashing me with the blade of his weapon.
| -50 HP |
Before I get in a turn, he lunges forward again for another slash.
| -45 HP |
I brush away the pain and retaliate with my wand.
| -23 HP |
The guy moves in for another strike, and then another.
I use a Shock Attack, but to my surprise, he manages to dodge it.
"Nice try," he says, "but I'm too fast to fall for that cheap trick."
Again, I feel two more painful dagger pricks.
I whack him again for a little damage. The battle will be long, but there's a good chance I can still win. I bide my time, waiting for the right moment to heal.
"Time to finish you off. Gentle Stab!"
A special attack?
He clutches his weapon with both hands, marches up to me, and jams the blade into my guts.
| -168 HP |
The amount of damage brings me down to the brink of death, but not enough to kill me. As planned, I raise my staff to cast Heal, readying myself for another round. Instead of energy flowing from into me, I feel my entire body turn limp. Then, like a ton of bricks, I collapse to the ground.
* BATTLE END *
What the hell?
"Gotcha!"
