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  “No way,” Vyncent said. “This land is my family’s land, and I’m staying.”

  “Let’s go,” Josh said, stepping away. “The sun’s going down, and you know what they say comes out at night.”

  “The really freaky stuff,” Bernard said, glancing around.

  “At night, they get together in big packs and hunt what humans remain.” Vyncent pursed his lips together. “There’s not many of us left.”

  “How long has this been going on?” Derringer asked.

  “Over a month now,” Vyncent said. “I’ve lost track.”

  “Why does it matter?” I asked.

  “Tells us how many dead have risen and what other types of undead spirits and shades might be lurking. As the undead uprising progresses, more powerful creatures are brought into the realm.”

  I nodded.

  “You should go,” Vyncent said. “It’ll be dark soon.”

  “Are other humans alive anywhere?” I asked.

  “No,” Vyncent said. “Most have fled to Westwood, which is about to fall, or Fishguard.”

  “What about Shockly Forest?” I asked. “And the elves?”

  “You ask a lot of questions,” Vyncent said. “Maybe you should pay me. In food. Or water.”

  I turned to Bernard.

  “Give him some rations,” I said.

  He frowned but nodded and opened his satchel.

  “The barbarian’s right,” Derringer said. “We’ve got to get moving if we want to make it out of the city before nightfall. I don’t want to fight a horde of undead.”

  “Is Shockly Forest overrun?” I asked, wondering about Sarah.

  “Last I heard, two powerful creatures were in control of the forest.” Vyncent looked around. “The rumors are that the undead are all coming from the orc wastelands to the east.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “Be safe. Are you sure you won’t come with us?”

  “I’ve got family here,” he said. “I’m staying for them.”

  “Let’s go,” Josh said. “We’re losing sunlight.”

  I turned and walked toward him with the others right behind me. The virtual sun in the sky felt all too real as it fell toward the horizon. As the temperature dropped, I worried more about us dying from the elements than the undead.

  “We need to find shelter inside the city,” I said.

  Derringer shook his head, still walking.

  “Not a good idea,” he said. “We’ll start a fire outside the city, and we’ll survive the night.”

  “Toughen up,” Josh said.

  He seemed older somehow. With each step down the street, the darkness increased. Howls and unholy screams pierced the crisp night air. My breath formed clouds in the air as I walked, hoping we didn’t run into anything we couldn’t handle.

  “You’re coming to another intersection,” Who said from above.

  “I can see that,” I said. “What else?”

  “More undead,” the owl answered.

  “Hold up,” I said out loud.

  The others stopped and turned to me.

  “My owl sees something ahead,” I said.

  “I see them too,” Josh said, pointing.

  Over a dozen shambling bodies turned the corner, heading straight toward us.

  “Keep together and take them out,” I said.

  Bernard, Derringer, Josh, and I formed a semi-circle as the undead approached.

  I gripped both my swords, wondering if Sarah had survived on the own.

  “Remember the worm,” Josh shouted then ran forward.

  Derringer shook his head them went after him.

  “They broke the line,” I said to Bernard. “Let’s hold back.”

  “Fine with me,” he said, mace at the ready.

  The barbarian and dark knight plowed into the oncoming pack of zombies. Arms, legs, and even heads flew as they made quick work of the decomposing bodies.

  With so many, several flanked the two in front.

  “Let’s get ‘em,” I yelled then ran forward with a battle cry of my own.

  The zombies didn’t stand a chance.

  Your slash HITS the zombie for 8 damage.

  You slash HITS the zombie for 7 damage.

  The zombie is dead!

  “On your right,” Bernard shouted then ran in front of me to swing at another.

  After a bash to the head with the mythreal mace, the zombie collapsed to the street.

  “There’s too many,” Josh yelled.

  Dusk had fallen, and I couldn’t see him among all the undead citizens.

  “Fall back,” Derringer called. “I’m dropping a device.”

  What’s that mean? I wondered, stepping back down the street.

  “Run,” Derringer yelled then took his own advice.

  Retreat from combat!

  You gain 800 xp divided by four party members.

  You lose 100 xp for retreating.

  You get 100 xp.

  You have 89,566 xp

  You need 15,434 xp for level 10 Rogue -> Bounty Hunter

  A penalty for retreating is new, I thought as I ran after the dark knight with Bernard at my side.

  Josh followed, barely making it before something exploded in middle of the zombies. Body parts went flying. An arm tapped me on the shoulder, making me jump back.

  “Follow me around the block,” Derringer said, still running.

  I took off after him, even more fearful something had happened to Sarah. Would we be able to find her if she got demoted to a lower form of NPC?

  Derringer stopped at the intersection we’d already passed.

  “There’s more coming,” he said, nodding his head.

  I turned and saw groups of zombies coming from all four directions.

  “Have any more of those explosives?” I asked.

  “No,” Derringer said. “Not yet.”

  Josh walked over.

  “Not looking good, boys,” he said.

  I nodded, heart racing. The slow-moving zombies made it so much worse. Everywhere I looked, they were coming for us an inch at a time. We had no escape except the air. I glanced up and saw my owl gliding above.

  “Great job warning us,” I said sarcastically.

  “I’m sorry, Eric. I tried. This is so strange. I’ve never seen so many dead creatures moving. Have you checked that wagon for anything to help?”

  I glanced around and noticed a wooden wagon with no horses.

  “Let’s check the wagon,” I said as I walked over.

  The others met me at the wrecked vehicle. I peered inside the back.

  “Bunch of furs,” I said as I climbed in.

  At least we can warm up, I thought as I picked one up.

  Bernard poked his head in as I wrapped myself.

  “Give me one of those,” he said. “At least we’ll die warm.”

  I grabbed another fur then threw it at him. Underneath, something caught my eye.

  “There’s a small chest,” I said, kneeling to get a closer look.

  “Careful,” Bernard said.

  I marveled at the workmanship while looking for traps.

  “Hurry up,” Derringer said. “The zombies are almost on us.”

  Unable to wait any longer, I pried the lock open with a dagger.

  Inside, I saw five miniature vials with a glowing liquid inside them.

  “Potions,” I yelled, standing up. “Maybe we’ve got a shot.”

  I hopped out of the back of the wagon while clutching the chest. The others crowded around me as I pulled out a single vial.

  “All it says is Everlast,” I said. “Without Sarah, we can’t identify them.”

  Derringer sighed.

  “I know exactly what they are,” he said. “We can’t use them.”

  “No?” I asked. “Why not?”

  “They’re a higher-level potion,” Derringer said then glanced over his shoulder at the zombies. “We can’t use them at our low-level.”

  “Why?” I asked. “They w
ork on us?”

  “Oh, they’ll work alright, but they’re highly addictive,” he said.

  “This is no time for joking around,” I said. “How can a potion be addictive?”

  Derringer shrugged and said, “That’s just how they work. I’ve seen those potions kill good players who went for the short-term benefits without thinking it through.”

  “How do they work?” I asked. “What do they do, exactly?”

  “It’ll raise all your stats randomly from one to a hundred points and give you one to ten-thousand extra health. You’re basically invincible.”

  “That’s great,” I said. “We can’t get addicted if we only have a few of them.”

  “You’re not listening to me,” Derringer said, shaking his head. “If you drink one of those, you’ll get us out of this mess, sure, but when the potions run out, you’ll try to kill us or do anything to get more.”

  “We can get more,” I said. “What’s the problem?”

  “Oh, you can get more, huh?” Derringer asked. “Where?”

  “I don’t know,” I said defensively. “The zombies are coming. We don’t have a choice. I’d rather take this chance than die by a horde of zombies.”

  Derringer stepped back and looked around. At least a hundred or more zombies had us surrounded as they shuffled forward, wanting our brains. I took a deep breath, remembering my battle with addiction in the real world. The exoskeleton, while nice, meant a lot of pain in the beginning.

  I’d taken opioids daily. They still haunted me. At the same time, I didn’t want to die by a horde of zombies. Sarah needed our help and dying would only slow down our rescue efforts. I stared at the glass vial in my hand. Would it really be so bad? Would virtual addiction be the same?

  “Back to back, boys,” Josh said, hefting his sword with both hands. “This is our last stand. We gotta make it count.”

  The thought of possibly turning into a zombie inside the game made my stomach churn as the undead moaned and walked forward, a slow-motion tide of diseased and rotting flesh.

  “Screw this,” I said with stone-cold resolve. “I’m going to take one of the potions. We have no other choice.”

  “Hold on,” Bernard said, pointing to the sky. “Something’s coming.”

  “What is it, Who?” I asked.

  “Something I’ve never seen before,” the owl replied. “A dwarf riding a big wooden disc.”

  Axelrod? I wondered, still clutching the potion in my hand.

  “I don’t know an Axelrod, but he’s heading this way. Should I attack him?”

  “No,” I replied. “Not yet.”

  The others all stared at me.

  “What does your owl see?” Derringer asked.

  “I think it’s Axelrod,” I said. “Maybe he’s come to kill us?”

  “You’re too paranoid,” Josh said. “Either way, there’s about to be a huge bloodbath. The zombies are almost here.”

  I prepared myself mentally to die for the first time in the game. Had level one-three always been so brutal, or was something else going on?

  Would we live long enough to figure out the mystery?

  And what about Sarah?

  Chapter 2

  Sky Dwarves Patrol

  Eric

  As the zombies lumbered forward, the floating disc landed to the left of the wagon. The dwarf on board, dressed in greenish-blue chain mail, motioned us over with his hand.

  “Someone call for the Sky Dwarves Patrol?” he asked with a smile.

  I tilted my head, confused. For one thing, his skin wasn’t dark. With bright red hair and freckled skin, he looked like your typical fantasy ginger dwarf.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “You’re not…”

  I stopped before I said it.

  “What? Black?” He laughed. “Not all dwarves are black. Are you racist or something?”

  Derringer stepped on the platform.

  “I don’t care about the color of your skin,” he said. “I’m just happy you’re here. This looks like a new flying disc.”

  “We’re building them again,” the dwarf said merrily. “Everyone aboard. We don’t have much time.”

  The zombies continued their snails-pace attack as we all stood on the floating platform.

  “Follow us, Who,” I thought as I stepped onto the platform.

  “Will do, Eric.”

  “Is this going to carry all our weight?” Josh asked.

  The dwarf hopped aboard last, squeezing in between Josh and me.

  “All this weight and more,” he said then stepped on a button near the edge.

  The board barely large enough for all of us to stand on it levitated. A few of the zombies grabbed onto the sides, clinging on. Bernard, Josh, and I bashed and stomped hands until they dropped off and fell to the group.

  After rising twenty-feet above the street, the platform moved forward, propelled by magic.

  “Who are you?” I asked, looking down at the dwarf.

  “Name’s Boki,” he said. “Axelrod sent me with a message.”

  “Oh?” Josh stepped over to him, not upsetting the balance of the floating platform. “What’s the message?”

  “He wishes you luck and will join you on this level to defeat Magi Inyontoo,” Boki said.

  “Why isn’t he here now?” Bernard asked.

  “Yeah,” I added. “Does he know what’s going on in this level?”

  “I don’t think so, but I can’t speak for him,” Boki said.

  “Dwarven magic for the win,” Derringer said, stretching out a hand. “Thanks for saving us from that predicament.”

  Boki hesitated then shook his hand.

  “Does Axelrod know you’re traveling with a dark knight?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Are you wanting to join our party too?”

  “If we’re going to be battling as much as it appears we’ll be, then yeah, it would be nice.”

  He tilted his head back, proudly peering into my eyes.

  “What do you think, guys?” I asked. “We all need to agree.”

  “He saved our lives,” Derringer said. “I want him in the party. At least for now.”

  “Not a problem here,” Bernard added.

  I looked up at Josh.

  He nodded.

  “Okay,” I said. “Let’s get you in our party.”

  [PC] Boki the dwarven fighter has joined your party.

  “My real name’s Eric,” I said, offering my hand. “Welcome to our group.”

  “Boki,” the dwarf said. “I like to stay in character.”

  “Oh?” I asked, my expression changing as he shook my hand.

  “It’s not common on the higher levels to use your outside name,” Derringer said. “You’re the odd one in this circumstance.”

  “Different is good,” I said then smiled weakly.

  “Axelrod said you guys would be a trip,” Boki said.

  “Eric, you’re approaching the city gates,” Who said from high above.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  A mass horde of zombies swarmed below.

  “We’ll keep going out of the city until it calms down,” Boki said. “Unless you have a better idea. With all these undead, we need to be careful.”

  “Good idea,” Derringer said, also glancing over the edge at the undead below. “We still don’t know what to expect with an undead uprising, but there has to be something or someone creating and controlling these creatures.”

  “We know enough to kill them all,” Boki said. “We might need to clear them all away.”

  “Now we’re talking,” Josh said. “We’ll need to kill thousands of zombies to level.”

  Boki frowned at his OOC chatter but kept his mouth shut. I noted his restraint.

  “Let’s worry about finding Sarah first,” I said.

  Boki raised an eyebrow.

  “Who’s Sarah?” he asked.

  “A companion of ours who got assassinated while sa
ving the dwarves on the last level,” I said bluntly, not caring if he enjoyed OOC talk or not. “We think she spawned on this level.”

  “Fair enough,” Boki said, nodding.

  I noticed a Warhammer hanging from his belt.

  “Axelrod said you guys are nuts, but I can tell this is going to be a great adventure.”

  “Thanks again for saving us,” Derringer said. “With all the horses likely dead and animated, this will be a fine way to travel the lands.”

  “Finally, some bloody appreciation,” Boki said then grinned. “Kidding, guys, kidding. Don’t look so upset.”

  “We’re over the city walls,” Bernard said in a serious tone.

  The dim moon overhead provided faint light, but I looked over the side and saw the crowds of zombies diminishing the farther away from the city we traveled. Some stragglers had wandered to the countryside but not as many as inside the city.

  “We need to get going,” Boki said. “Westwood isn’t as close to Talbot as it is on the first two levels, especially with all these undead.”

  “How long can this thing keep flying?” I asked.

  “Until it’s destroyed,” he said. “And that’s not happening anytime soon.”

  “Eric,” Who said in my mind. “Should I keep flying and scouting?”

  “Yes,” I said. “How much longer are you active?”

  “Five hours and twenty-four minutes.”

  “We should find somewhere to land by then,” I said out loud.

  Everyone turned to me at the same time.

  “Talking to my owl,” I said then grinned. “He’s scouting the way ahead.”

  As the floating disc flew silently through the air with us onboard, I sat down with my feet hanging over the edge. I spotted even fewer zombies below.

  “We should travel during the day,” Derringer said, taking a seat next to me. “They’re more docile when the sun’s out.”

  “Didn’t seem that way earlier,” Josh said, still standing.

  “Trust me, noob.” Derringer didn’t even bother looking up at the barbarian. “I know what I’m talking about.”

  “What did you call me?” Josh asked, taking a step forward.

  Derringer continued looking over the edge at the landscape below.