Chapter 52: Secret Synergies

“We must arrive here,” I said, pointing to the shadow X on my tablet map.

DarkNeon and Vick5 were at the door, surveying the chaos erupting outside. Azwold and Relja studied our course alongside me.

“Do you think that’s an alley or something?” said Relja.

“I’m gonna ask DarkNeon to make us invisible. It’s worked before. That way, we won’t have to try shortcuts and make guesses. We’ll just go straight where we need to.”

“Aye, let us ask,” I said, exiting the shop…

To a wild nighttime melee underway. I scanned the dark enclave under its fluorescent blues, but saw no bees. I had sensed their departure. And having flown via bee’s eye view before, I knew how far they could get with favorable winds underwing.

Telemoon had more than a little hierarchy disruption on their hands, and the black streets-turned-battlefield told me they were aware.

An explosive, bright sizzle caught my attention. The Shock Paladin and Flame Brawler from Trailerpark Nightowls were performing SparkFire combination spells. A Telemoon squad—two Combat Technicians, one Fabricator, and one Mender—were fending off the elite raiders. While the Fabricator and Mender welded and re-energized, the Combat Technicians retaliated with shock guns and fire wire.

“I don’t think the bees got everyone,” said DarkNeon. “Just a guess, though.”

“I believe they have taken wing to elsewhere in the Realm,” I said.

“Let’s hope they’ve got their priorities right,” said Azwold. “Because they could’ve done a lot more good right here.”

“It’s like Medett said,” said Relja. “She and Berem came up from the valley because the Earth Clan’s Council of Elders made an edict. They couldn’t fight the sickness without widespread attention. And we can’t fight Telemoon without hitting them all over the Realm.”

“Wow. Good analogy,” said DarkNeon. “Lemme try one; the aesthetic around here is kinda like desert stronghold meets techno-infecto.”

Relja hummed ambiguously.

“Can you make us invisible, Ms. Neon?” said Azwold.

“Now you’re talking.” The Light Rogue grinned, then cast [Lenticular Bubble III], enveloping us in vision-bending tricks of light. “Get cozy and follow me,” she said, dashing toward space between clashes.

We moved swiftly along the dark road, but even the clearest path was battle ridden. We came upon two dozen fighters squaring off amidst a rumble.

Organized battalions of Telemoon combatants flanked a close-knit mini raid of players. A contingent of healers from Cosmic Sands channeled their energies alongside a Grainshaper Mage and Spirit Ranger from Scarecrow Nest. A Stone Guardian and Root Mystic duo from Blursed Anecdote took up defensive positions as several Beast Druids from Beast Budz shifted into animal form.

With an organic and practiced coordination of their own, the raiders combined their abilities in a battle trance state. Deflecting, healing, dealing both steady and burst damage, they applied strategic force at just the right times. With close-to-perfect positioning and teamwork, the players fended off target after target, thwarting Telemoon maneuvers.

We watched for several waves of combat, studying the flow of it.

“Should we help them?” whispered Relja.

“Our objectives take logical precedence over engaging in ongoing skirmishes,” said Vick5.

“I think our quest is too important, too,” said Azwold.

“But are they winning?” said DarkNeon. “It’s hard to tell.”

We observed for several long moments. It became clearer with each passing one; they were indeed on the defensive. And their mana reservoirs kept trending downward.

“What do you think, Eld?” said DarkNeon. “Can we take ‘em?”

“Why must I decide?” I said.

“Looks like you have party leader right now,” said Azwold. “And we need a tie breaker. Rel and Neon want to fight. Vic and I think we should focus. Think of the stakes. Let’s move on.”

Vick5 showed me the screen of his gauntlet controls. It displayed a pie-shaped graphic, mapping the percentage to which each party member had something to lose by our failure. “Gnarlroot_The_Eld” held the largest pie slice.

“Logically,” said Vick5, “Gnarlroot_The_Eld should decide our pace, given his advanced stakes in our quest’s outcome. I employed this reasoning when assigning party leader to you.”

“Blast it all,” I growled. “Fine. Let us fight. But what if we lose? How do we enter the melee?”

“I was saving this...” said Azwold, suddenly forlorn. “My [Sandfall Scepter] has an activated ability that stops time for a while. I wanted to use it when I find my Gremlin.”

He lifted his head up, and activated the [Sandfall Scepter], then vanished.

“Hey!” DarkNeon yelped. “My spell didn’t break. Where’d he go?”

“Forward in time from our perspective,” said Relja, “I think.”

Then, all at once, we saw one full Telemoon flank squad fall to their knees, afflicted with a dozen [Spell: Haunt]s simultaneously.

“The time is now,” I said. “Fight!”

And then, as my party rushed to follow up on Azwold’s initiative, I cast [Spell: Slow Time].

The sensation was distinct from other weird experiences I had had. My thoughts and actions seemed to accelerate while the world around me peeled away in a vertigo-inducing parallax of spacetime stretching. I teetered momentarily, using up precious time. I concentrated to acclimate, and took keen notice of each elastic second passing.

Azwold reappeared in a slow-motion flourish of inky purple smoke, and twist of his dead-grass green [Tomb Cloak]; low on mana and crawling through the phases of time-warp discordancy.

I joined my party with bonus haste, observing their spell choices and combat positioning. The raid next to us had already shifted their full attention to the western flank. I opted not to concern myself with that fray, instead focusing on my party, looking for ways to make their battle choices more deadly or more effective.

I knew now that the game code hid secret synergies; an interconnectivity of abilities and elements. If I chose my spells carefully, I might enhance the attacks of my allies.

The first opportunity I saw was DarkNeon. I had been observing her fighting style almost as long as the Spirit Mage’s. She began the telltale casting animation of her [Spell: Dazzle III]. Knowing this spell afflicted enemies to bumble in place, blinded for several seconds, I waited. Counting off the extra seconds, and the sub-seconds between, I cast [Spell: Fright Hand III] the instant DarkNeon’s blind ended. I knew that maximizing crowd control effects could have decisive battle-winning results.

The next opening that presented itself was Relja, who was preparing her [Spell: Circle of Silence] on a different clump of Telemoon attackers; primarily Menders. The Telemoon version of a healer. I understood her intention; to deprive the tougher Telemoon fighters of their health regeneration long enough to defeat some.

Before Relja finished her spell, I began mine. I intended to execute my casting at the same time as her. I listened to her down-tuned, time-dilated notes as she sang her magic, and into that I wove my own casting. My spell drove itself between her melody, and I cast [Spell: Weaken III].

A muffling cyclone spun up around a sizable group of enemies and I watched as leeched stat essences transferred themselves into my vineworks. But not only to me, also to Relja. I admired a moment as she glanced at her hands in comically slow amazement. She glanced at me with a brief grin, then prepared her next spell.

I experienced a wave of surprise myself when I noticed a generous [Flow State] buff timer ticking slowly in my peripheral vision. Vick5 had activated his [Aura: Flow], and [Spell: Wellspring], and was doing his best to position himself midway between the five of us.

Though my [Spell: Barkskin*] was on cooldown, I decided to try a vine spell while under the water buff effects.

With a suddenness that seemed to ignore my slow time effect, every Telemoon goon in the vicinity turned toward me and began using their leap and dash type abilities.

Taking advantage of my flow state and slow state, I cast an ever-quickening series of spells. First, [Spell: Thorns II], which synergized with Vick5’s water effects. Then [Spell: Tooth Rush I], repositioning myself to a safer location, bolstered by a bone-burst spell cast by Azwold.

Then a Combat Technician, Demolitionist, and Engineer beset me at once. Though they took reflected thorns damage from each blow, they did not relent. Under a series of interruptions to my cast bar, I made several concentration checks to cast [Spell: Calcify I]. Like the sound of a mountain giant munching on rocks, my attackers mineralized, immobilized in stony sheaths.

This created a window of opportunity; DarkNeon and Relja scorched the trio with a sharp gale and sun blast combination spell.

The enemies fell, and I cast [Spell: Re-compose III], draining every fallen Telemoon in range. I realized in a split second that I could run around in my quicksilver slow-time state and drain every fallen enemy in a larger swath. I did so, a vine-slinging skeleton dashing, scrambling, jangling, tangling.

There were now half the Telemoon attackers on the battlefield than when my party joined the fight.

At full health, and mana gaining, I felt neigh invincible. And I still had five minutes left on my slow time effect.

With the battle well in hand now, I pondered whether I could gain more use from my speed, looking my tablet over as if nothing could interrupt me. I gazed beyond the fighting to a dark walkway at the far end of the plaza. I could make it there without trouble.

A strange sensation shivered through my waxworks. I sensed the [Hive Scepter] reach its nadir of power. The moon slid from view behind its final fragment, fading to black. I re-cast [Spell: Vision Wisps III], returning my attention to the dark walkway. Moon glyphs appeared on a door frame. Taking up the binoculars, I watched the purple glyphs—reminiscent of those on the stone ring portal—paint themselves out along the door’s edges.

I decided not to waste my remaining time-slowed minutes and hurried toward the curious glyphed doorway. But I learned in a foolish instant that even at 1/4 speed, projectiles were faster than my bony legs. Ignoring the battle behind me, I had no chance to dodge. One moment I was rushing along, the next a shock bola tangled my legs. I crashed to the ground, jaws clacking together, cracking several teeth into gritty shards as my chin met black brick.

I rolled over in time to see two hover drones zero in on my location. Their devices whirred and shot down a twirling net, which expanded like a spider web over me.

A stark realization also fell upon me; despite the effects of my most powerful spell, I was not faster or more clever than the most dangerous guild Realms of Lore had ever seen. My only saving grace was that any Telemoon combatants within range were still battling.

My party hollered to the other raiders in low, stretched words, informing them of our quest priorities. And as they ran in my direction, their movements went from a flowing and sluggish trudge to a real-time return, gaining speed with each footfall.

“Are you crazy, Eld!?” the Rogue yelled.

“Give me a hand,” said Azwold, donning his pine green [Serpent Hide Gloves], then yanking on my shock net.

“I found something,” I said, tugging at the bola tangled around my ankles. “Look,” I pointed.

“A dark walkway?” said Relja.

“Pretty standard stuff,” said DarkNeon. “You ditched us mid fight for an alley?”

“Your vision wisps are active?” said Azwold. “What is it, then?”

“Moon glyphs,” I said.

Azwold glanced down a different street, and into a wide and well-lit laboratory window.

“My... is that my baby?”

“Oh my,” I said.