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  You have 821,600 xp

  You need 178,400 xp for level 10 Valkyrie Skyrider.

  The buzzard swooped down and landed next to the dead wolf, pecking at the corpse. I tossed my spear into the air before catching it and throwing it at the scavenging bird. The spear tip went through its throat, killing it. Another wave of sickly smells mixed into those already present in the room. I felt a little woozy as I walked over to get my spear.

  What’s the deal with this so-called dungeon? Can it be called a dungeon with only one room? And where’s the gnome technician I need to save? I continued feeling the wall with my hands, desperately looking for a hidden latch, secret button, or something to get me out of the room before more monsters appeared. Would they start getting tougher?

  I stopped after searching the walls around the entire room. Had I missed something in the hallway? As I walked toward the door leading to it, two more flashing orbs appeared. One of them contained a gnome dressed in a white jumpsuit. The other contained a basilisk, a creature I unfortunately knew well from my old gaming days.

  “Watch out!” I yelled. “Don’t look at it!”

  The snake-like creature slithered toward the gnome. He screamed in a high-pitched voice then took off for the far corner of the room. At least it’s not an adult basilisk, I thought as I stabbed it with the tip of my spear, causing it to hiss and turn toward me. Before it caught my gaze, I turned away.

  “You watch out too!” the gnome yelled from across the room.

  The basilisk bit my ankle from behind, causing damage.

  The basilisk INJURES you for 12 damage.

  You have [265/277] health remaining.

  Not looking at it, I slammed my spear down, hoping for the best. The tip missed the creature entirely, striking the hard, stone floor as the basilisk bit me again.

  The basilisk INJURES you for 11 damage.

  You have [254/277] health remaining.

  After biting me, it ran around, trying to capture me with its stoning gaze. I threw my arm over my eyes, striking with my spear and once again, missing.

  “I’ve got it!” the gnome yelled behind me.

  “No!” I shouted. “Stay away!”

  I dropped my spear and raised my hands to cast.

  Your Golden Bolts MAUL the basilisk for 24 damage.

  While not my most powerful spell, the fact they automatically hit my target helped. The basilisk scurried forward, powered by its eight tiny legs, as the gnome rushed past me with its eyes closed. He ran straight past the basilisk and into the wall behind it.

  “Ouch!” he cried out before losing his balance and falling to the floor.

  No wonder nobody was able to save him before, I thought as I cast again. Ten Golden Bolts zoomed from my palms to the basilisk, causing the cursed reptile to shriek.

  Combat is Over!

  You get 1,000 xp.

  You have 822,600 xp

  You need 177,400 xp for level 10 Valkyrie Skyrider.

  “Thank you,” the gnome said. “My name’s Crusty.”

  “Don’t mention it,” I said. “Do you know how to get out of here?”

  “I have a map,” he said.

  “Great.” I stepped over to him. “Can I see it?”

  “It’s not a map of this dungeon, but sure…”

  “What’s it a map of?” I asked, taking it from him.

  “The Ruins of Monkey Island,” he said.

  “Oh...Thanks...I was hoping for a way out of here.”

  “That’s easy,” he said. “A lot of people have come to save me, but none of them listen.”

  “How do we get out?” I asked.

  “Easy. When the white orbs appear again, run into one of them. I’ll run into the other, and we’ll get out of here.”

  “That sounds too easy,” I said. “Why hasn’t anyone else done it?”

  Crusty smiled and stroked his long, white beard.

  “We have to do it at the same time,” he said.

  Another two orbs appeared in the center of the room.

  “Now!” I shouted, running toward one of them.

  Would he make it to the other in time? A bright light flashed as I ran into one of the orbs. When it went away, I found myself running in the no-man’s land a few hundred feet outside the city walls of Kron. Crusty the gnome was nowhere in sight as I stopped running and glanced around to get my bearings. I still held the map the gnome had given me, but I’d left my spear behind. Cursing my forgetfulness, I walked toward the nearest city gate.

  Chapter 17

  Good to be Questing

  Sarah

  I left Julian and Keith in charge of the city and left on our finest ship with Jericho at my side. Together, we would find the Ruins of Monkey Island. Nobody had heard of the island before or been to it, but that didn’t dissuade me from trying to find it. The map Crusty the gnome had given me looked detailed enough to be genuine.

  Jericho stood next to me on the forward deck of the ship, watching the horizon as the captain searched for the previously unknown Monkey Island. After so long building up my city and battling Charlotte for control of the island, it felt nice to get away for an adventure. I had no idea what I would find or where the gnome had gone.

  When I checked the base of the statue after getting back, Thomas’ office and the dungeon were both gone, my spear too. I’d claimed another one from the blacksmiths before I left on my journey of exploration with Jericho. He pointed to a few oddly shaped clouds in the otherwise clear blue sky.

  “That’s a bad omen,” he said. “I wonder about those sometimes.”

  “About clouds?” I asked, smiling and not really paying attention.

  “No, omens.” He continued staring into the distance. “They’re so odd.”

  “How so?” I asked.

  “Where is the information coming from? Is there a meaning to life?”

  Such deep questions from an NPC. I played off his questions like I was talking to a young child who wouldn’t understand. Was that why I’d become so lonely? I needed to start interacting with the other player characters on nearby islands. Charlotte wouldn’t come to her senses, but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t make an effort to befriend Eddie on Gecko Isle.

  Or maybe some of the others? There had to be a reason they were on the penalty level like me. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to interact with them? As I tossed the conundrum back and forth in my mind, Captain Steve walked up, a scowl on his sun-bleached face.

  “We’ve got trouble following us,” he said.

  Jericho and I both turned to him.

  “What is it?” I asked. “Can we outrun them?”

  “Spider ships,” Captain Steve said. “We can’t outrun them.”

  I regretted not investing more resources in improving our sailing technology. With over ten thousand citizens, it became easy to forget things. Little details slipped through the cracks all the time which was why Charlotte was doing so well against me.

  “They’re closing in fast,” Captain Steve said. His crossbow leaned against his left shoulder.

  “I’ve got an idea,” Jericho said. “It’s dangerous, but it might work.”

  How bad could it be? “Do it. We don’t have many options.”

  Captain Steve and I looked at Jericho. The shaman sat cross legged on the deck of the ship and started chanting. I glanced back and saw four of Charlotte’s spider ships gaining on us. As Jericho chanted his unknown spell, Captain Steve walked away, barking orders to the crew. Had I made a mistake going out on the high seas? Maybe a spell?

  I walked toward the back of the ship and saw the enemy drawing even closer. Jericho’s chants got louder, ending in a fantastic screech that pierced the air around us. At first, nothing happened. Then the sea between us and the spider ships started bubbling. What’s going on? I peered closer and saw a few giant tentacles come out of the water.

  “You summoned a kraken?” I yelled.

  Jericho walked up, smiling.

  “What were you
thinking?” I asked.

  “I told you it was dangerous,” he said sheepishly.

  The huge kraken lifted out of the water, its tentacles flailing wildly. It could come for us or go for the spider ships at any moment. At least the kraken appearing stopped the other ships. I always had to try to find the bright side. Captain Steve rushed over with his crossbow leveled at the immense sea creature. I watched in horror as he fired a bolt at the kraken.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, grabbing at the crossbow.

  Several sailors ran up to protect him.

  “Enough!” I shouted.

  “Kraken incoming!” Jericho shouted.

  He sounded too excited for my taste. I turned and saw the kraken making its way toward us, its tentacles stretching toward the main mast of our ship. Captain Steve fired another bolt, further enraging the creature.

  “Stop!” I begged. “You’re just antagonizing it!”

  “I’ve got another idea,” Jericho said.

  “Great. You’re going to get us killed!”

  “No, I’ve got this,” Jericho said, chanting again.

  He pointed his palms at the kraken. I saw several sheep appear on the other side of the beast. They hung in the air for about a second before plunging into the water and thrashing about. As the fifth one fell into the water, the kraken changed directions.

  “Full speed ahead!” I shouted. “Get us out of here!”

  Captain Steve barked more orders to his men as I watched the kraken go after the spider ships. They shot webs and fire from their decks, but they didn’t stand a chance against the impressive sea creature. I turned and saw Jericho gripping the rails and jumping up and down in excitement as the kraken killed its prey.

  “That was too close for comfort,” I said.

  Jericho settled down and turned to me.

  “Sorry,” he muttered, head hanging low.

  “Although,” I continued. “Your follow-up plan worked.”

  His head shot up, a smile still plastered on his face.

  “I thought so,” he said. “The idea just came to me like they do sometimes.”

  He rambled on, bringing up even more strange thoughts for an NPC. Was he actually a trapped PC? I decided to check as our ship raced away from the kraken.

  “Do you want to join my party?” I asked, sounding foolish.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Join my adventuring party,” I said.

  He cocked his head to the side.

  “I’m not sure I understand. Are you hitting on me?”

  “No, no,” I said. “Never mind.”

  “Are you sure? Everything okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I said. “Don’t worry about it. You did a good job.”

  Jericho smiled, once again rambling about everything and nothing. I nodded at appropriate spots as I watched the carnage behind us getting smaller as our ship pulled away.

  Hours later, I couldn’t be sure where the kraken had come up out of the sea. More importantly, we’d gotten away from Charlotte’s spider ships. There’s no way they could know about Monkey Island because we hadn’t even found it ourselves. I stood next to Captain Steve near the back of the ship as he steered it with a big wooden wheel.

  “This island doesn’t exist,” he said then spat on the deck. “Or I’m not a captain.”

  “I’m sure it exists,” I said.

  “Have you seen it before?” he asked.

  “No, but I have a map.”

  He laughed, his head bouncing up and down.

  “It’s not like someone could make a fake map, right?”

  “The map’s not fake,” I said.

  Was he right? I wondered.

  “Something ahead!” a man in the crow’s nest on top of the mast yelled.

  Captain Steve pulled out a looking glass and peered through the long, black tube.

  “Fog,” he said. “I don’t like the look of it.”

  “Where are we on the map?” I asked.

  “The island’s supposed to be here, but all I see is that fog.”

  “Keep going forward,” I said.

  “It’s too dangerous. We might come upon rocks or something worse.”

  “Can it be worse than facing a kraken?” I asked.

  “Fair point,” he said. “Full sail ahead.”

  I watched as we sailed forward toward the unknown.

  Chapter 18

  Ruins of Monkey Island

  Sarah

  “Slow and steady,” Captain Steve muttered.

  “All clear!” the man in the crow’s nest shouted.

  “See, we’ve got this,” I said, smiling.

  Jericho pointed toward the shore as the fog broke.

  “The island,” he said. “We found it.”

  “Don’t sound too surprised,” I said.

  Captain Steve dropped anchor in the bay. I saw a sandy beach with a thick, lush jungle behind it. The scene reminded me of when I’d first arrived on the penalty level over ten years earlier, before Charlotte and I had used up most of the natural resources.

  “Lower a rowboat!” Captain Steve shouted. “We’re going ashore.”

  How many of them should I take with me? I wondered as the captain walked over.

  “We’ll be ready before nightfall,” he said.

  “Are you going ashore with me?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No, I’m staying with my ship if you don’t mind.”

  “That’s fine,” I said. “We might need to get away in a hurry.”

  “I still can’t believe this island’s actually here,” Captain Steve said.

  “Find ten more for me to take ashore,” I said. “Your most capable.”

  “That many?” Captain Steve asked.

  I nodded. “They’ll come back. Don’t worry.”

  While I wasn’t sure what I might find in the ruins on the island, I wanted enough labor to help me carry it back to the ship if necessary. Maybe I’d find something that could swing the balance of the war with Charlotte. That would be more valuable than gaining experience points and leveling my Valkyrie Skyrider.

  “You’re coming with me,” I said, turning to Jericho.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said.

  The captain assigned ten sailors to go with me. Most of them had a sword or knife, but I didn’t expect to run into anything too dangerous on the island. Or at least I hoped not to run into anything too hard to kill. We climbed down to the rowboat tied to the side of the ship then cut it free, six of the men rowing us toward the shore.

  I sat in the back of the boat, watching the beach and tree line carefully for any movement. The map hadn’t given any clues on what might be in the ruins on the island, only showing the way to get to them. I glanced down at the parchment and saw it wasn’t too far inland. A cave led to a temple that had been built underneath the ground.

  When we reached the shore, several of the sailors jumped out and dragged the boat onto the sand. I climbed out and looked around, still not seeing anything out of the ordinary. Jericho headed toward the tree line as I turned to the men standing near the boat.

  “Two of you stay here on the beach,” I said. “The rest of you come with me.”

  As the men argued among each other as to who was staying behind, I turned to see Jericho stop at the edge of the beach.

  “See anything?” I called out.

  He glanced back and shook his head.

  Good, I thought as I trudged through the sand toward him. Eight of the sailors followed me, stopping as they reached Jericho and me at the edge of the jungle.

  “Everyone stick together,” I said. “Keep your eyes open for anything.”

  “How far is it?” one of the men asked.

  “About a mile,” I said. “Unless the map’s wrong.”

  “That’s entirely possible,” Jericho said.

  I shushed him then strode into the jungle. We moved slowly, stopped by the thick, green vegetation and giant flying insects th
at sucked blood. At times, I hated how realistic the Tower of Gates could be. Jericho walked right behind me with the other eight men following in a single file line. All of them complained as we made slow progress.

  “Getting closer,” I said to urge them on.

  To be honest, I was beginning to doubt the map. We’d long since passed the place where the temple entrance should be located.

  “We’re going in circles,” a sailor complained.

  “He’s right,” Jericho said. “I remember that rock from earlier.”

  “Okay,” I admitted. “We’re a bit lost. The temple has to be around here somewhere.”

  “We should go back,” a sailor said.

  Several of his companions grunted their approval of his idea.

  “Not yet,” I said. “We…”

  I stopped talking as I heard a distinctive buzzing noise.

  “What is that?” I asked in a low voice.

  “Beats me, but it doesn’t sound good,” Jericho said.

  “Everyone be ready,” I said, holding up my spear.

  “Bearbugs!” a sailor yelled.

  I saw a swarm of the six-inch high creatures with a bear body attached to a spider bottom. They spilled out of a hole in the ground, piling up rapidly. Could we defeat them? I wasn’t familiar with bearbugs, and the game wasn’t giving me any information.

  “We should go,” Jericho said. “Bearbugs can be nasty.”

  “No,” I said. “We’ve come this far. Some magic will help. Follow my lead.”

  I cast three Flaming Discs of Lava at the swarm of bearbugs. All three hit directly, burning dozens and dozens of the creatures, but they continued spilling out of the ground. Even worse, my spell had enraged them.

  A blanket of them scurried toward us.

  “Run!” a sailor shouted.

  They scattered into the jungle as Jericho and I stood our ground.

  “Hit them with fire!” I shouted then cast more Flaming Discs of Lava.

  Jericho chanted then slung a ball of fire at the approaching swarm. It exploded in front of them, lighting even more afire. The chirping noises increased in volume as the bearbugs moved in the other direction.