Chapter 16: The Road to Doomstar

Ricky stopped on the road, staring ahead of him.

*Achievement: Getting the jump on them! You have detected a potential threat before it has detected you. +10XP

*Combat event: You have entered a potential combat situation undetected, and can now take the first action. +5XP

The creatures were still around fifty yards ahead, but there were several of them – perhaps ten. Each was red, with large jaws, four short wiry legs, and thick stumpy tails.

To Ricky's right, the marshlands rose into a rocky ridge and then a series of cliffs, with hills behind. To the left of the road were several abandoned buildings ringed with rotten wooden fences. Beyond those he could see sand dunes; the sea was not far away.

Guide, what are those animals ahead?

“Those are korapta lizards, smaller ones. Do you want to see the stats?”

Yes, please.

***

Creature encounter

Korapta lizard, minor.

Medium reptile, speed 6.

Weapon: teeth; claws.

Damage: 2–8 per hit.

Armor: light (natural).

***

Okay.

So these were ‘minor’ lizards. The beasts did look a lot smaller than the monstrous creature which had dragged Spanch away in the forest, even allowing for the exaggeration that memory is sometimes prone too.

It occurred to Ricky that while he could probably afford to take a few hits from those creatures, it wouldn’t be pleasant – and they could wear him down just due to their sheer numbers.

With his speed of 2, they were also faster than him.

So, can I transform?

“Ricky, you can transform once per day. This ability resets at midnight in the Dark Framework world. You have already used it today.”

Right. Thought so. And how much damage does my morning star do again?

“It ranges from four to eight.”

Less than the katana, then.

“Yes. Ricky, you can list your inventory at any time by saying ‘inventory’, or view the detailed characteristics of a particular item by saying ‘stats’ and then the name of the item.”

It would be best if he could avoid a fight, that was for sure. Who knows what he might still have to face on his way to Doomstar, or in the ruined city itself?

No.

He was going to need all of his resources, and shouldn’t engage in a fight for no good reason. It was just a damn pity that he had used up his transformation already.

Hiding in one of the abandoned buildings might be possible, he reasoned, glancing off to the left, but on the other hand, the creatures could just surround him and attack him repeatedly to wear him down. Much better to stay out in the open, with the chance to run for the hills if he needed to.

His main and perhaps only advantage was that they hadn’t noticed him yet.

Ricky moved off the road, walking slowly, and began to move over to the right. The area immediately beside the road was marshy, but soon he had reached the area where long sloping rocks led upwards towards the cliffs. He hoped to put as much distance as possible between himself and the lizards, ideally looping right around them at a distance and then rejoining the road at a later point.

However, he had not gone far at all when it became clear that the korapta lizards had now noticed him.

*Game mechanics alert: the temporary reduction to your hiding bonus has made the difference between success and failure.

“Great,” he murmured.

The creatures had stopped moving and were facing in his direction. Watchful, but not attacking yet. Ricky, too, paused, and took the morning star out of his backpack. He might not want a fight, but he needed to be ready for one, and that meant having his backup weapon to hand.

Ahead, the rocky surface ran below cliffs which were initially too high for him to pass, but if he continued this way the cliffs descended until they reached an area that was more of a rocky ridge. Would the lizards be able to follow? He wasn't sure. But at least he would have the high ground.

*Achievement: Strategic thinking! You have successfully observed the terrain and formed a plan to gain a better position against a foe. +10XP

He walked on. Part of Ricky’s mind was screaming at him to run, but he was also conscious that doing so might make him look like prey. Better to go slowly, calmly, acting like he didn’t care. But it was so difficult to move slowly. He just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

The cliffs were directly alongside him now. He could now see that the area just beyond where the lizards were located was a kind of crossroads. As well as the main north-south road that he had been on, there was another road leading off to the west, with a single wagon visible in the distance, and a smaller route heading up to the east coast in the direction of an island that sat just off the near shore.

The early evening had now given way to dusk, and the sky was a deep pink with high stripes of fluffy clouds. It would be a pretty sight if he wasn't in so much danger. And if it didn't indicate that night was just about to fall.

Finally Ricky reached an area of cliffs that were only two to three yards high, and he began to look for handholds. Below, most of the lizards were still in the road, but two had moved off, and were now beginning to cross over towards the stony slope. Towards him.

He put one hand onto the cliff, and then another. The slope was vertical – not an easy climb, but he felt that he could do it. The rock was cold and sharp against his hand. He pulled himself up, scrabbling for a foothold.

Climbing to another ledge and then another, he made it up another few feet before hearing the clear and distinctive sound of running animal feet on the rock behind him.

*Achievement: Use your senses! You have detected the sound of foe before seeing its attack. +10XP

Ricky swung around, clinging to the cliff with one hand, and pulling at the handle of his katana with the other. As he had already realized, some of the beasts were racing towards him, and he now saw not two but three. But they were still a distance away. It was not the time to fight – not yet.

He looked up. The top of the cliff was only a couple of feet away now.

Straining, Ricky reached up for another small handhold and jammed his fingers into it painfully, then scrabbled with his left foot, searching for a gap in the rock. What he found was more of a lump, but he gained a little bit of purchase, and managed to move his right hand up to another ledge.

Now. Just one more move.

Tensing his body, he leaped upwards and grabbed for the top of the cliff. The surface under his hands wasn't as firm and smooth as he had expected, and for a moment he panicked, his feet scrabbling on the cliff face. But with a grunt, he pulled himself up to the point that he was able to get his elbows over the top, and then a knee.

*Combat event: You have evaded foes that would otherwise have proved deadly. +20XP

*Game mechanics alert: Your strength has made the difference between success and failure.

He was up.

And not a moment too soon, for the korapta lizards were now scrabbling at the cliff face below him, snapping and growling as they did so.

Ricky whirled around, stepping back from the edge. As he did so, he saw that the rest of the group of lizards had joined the leaders. In total, he counted nine of the animals, but three of them now dashed off in either direction along the base of the cliff, with the remaining three now trying to climb towards him.

One scrambled up towards his feet, its jaws snapping. He reached for the katana again, and then on impulse pulled out the morning star – perhaps his height advantage would make the heavy chain weapon more effective. He then swung down hard at the nearest beast’s head and connected sweetly, the blow snapping its neck and sending it slumping to the ground, motionless.

*Combat event: Critical hit. +35XP

*Combat event: You have killed a lesser korapta lizard. +15XP

*Game mechanics alert: your mighty strike bonus was not been increased due to your temporary penalty.

The next two swings were misses, however, and Ricky realized that rather than just looking for a better way up, the remaining six beasts were circling around, going both ways along the cliff to then come around behind him. He could soon be attacked from three directions.

Ironically, his foes were operating as a pack.

It would surely take the other lizards a bit of time to come around behind him, though. Ricky struck out at one and then another of the closer ones as they climbed. The blows were not as sweet as the first one, but both succeeded in knocking his attackers away from the edge and sending them screeching towards the ground below.

With that, Ricky turned and ran.

Remind me, Guide – how fast am I?

“Ricky, your speed is 2.”

And theirs is 6, right? Obvious they are faster, but is there some way I can work out how quickly they’ll catch me?

“With a speed advantage of four, they will gain 40 yards on you per minute.”

Oh, shit. Excuse my language.

“No need to apologize, Ricky. I am getting used to it.”

The hills rose to his left, getting higher the further away they were from the coast. Ricky could even see snow-capped peaks in the distance. To the left he could see the road as it continued southwards, as well as a narrower offshoot road that snaked inland. But before he could think about this further, his attention was captured by three bounding lizard-like shapes speeding towards him from the left. A chill ran through him.

He knew that the three that had tried to circle around on the other side would not be far behind, and neither would the two that he had knocked back down the cliff. Perhaps he should have stayed there and tried to get another hit on each of those.

Too late now.

Just then, a shout came from the direction of the smaller inland road that he was approaching:

“This way, Ricky!”

A quick check of the map while he ran showed that the new arrival was a guild member – someone who somehow knew his name. That narrowed it down considerably. And as he approached, his initial thought was confirmed. Gabriella was in the wagon.

She was seated at the front of what was a very large wagon, a crossbow clutched in her hands. Beside her was another woman with a crossbow, this one an older individual, squat and white haired – his map had shown him that she was an NPC, while the halfling driver of the wagon was a player.

As Ricky sprinted on, he looked at the approaching lizards to his left, and then back at the wagon. Reaching the wagon would bring a degree of safety, but it wasn’t an easy lifeline – the lizards were moving faster, and would soon be standing in-between him and Gabriella.

Then the first one stumbled, a spray of blood rising from it as Gabriella’s crossbow bolt embedded into its neck. It slumped to the ground. The second one also took a hit and slowed, but kept going. Ricky heard the crossbows twang a second time – both misses this time, one deflecting off the ground and shooting just past his leg. The third of the trio of lizards coming from the left was now almost on him. He was going to have to take it on himself.

“Move to the side!” shouted Gabriella. As she did so, he realized that he was in their line of sight – a miss with the crossbow as they shot at the lizard could easily hit him instead. He dashed to the right, even though doing so took him further away from the wagon, then pulled the katana and swung as hard as he could. The blow was poorly-aimed, on the turn and without his full weight behind it, but it hit home. The creature paused, then opened its jaws wide and ejected its tongue, which shot out and wrapped around Ricky’s neck like python. As he was yanked forward, the katana clattered against the ground and was wrenched from his hand, clattering across the rocks nearby and out of reach.

*Combat event: You have been disarmed.

*Combat event: You have been grappled.

*Damage report: You have lost 4 hit points (59 remain).

*Debuff: You are now restrained. Until you break free, you cannot move in the direction that you want.

He immediately found himself unable to breath, and was dragged to his knees before being pulled closer and closer to the jaws with their double row of teeth. Visions of the monstrous beast in the forest crunching down upon Spanch flashed through his mind. Then, the lizard began to bite down repeatedly:

*Damage report: You have lost 7 hit points (52 remain).

*Damage report: You have lost 4 hit points (48 remain).

*Damage report: You have lost 4 hit points (44 remain).

Just then there was an explosion of blood as two crossbow bolts hit the beast that had restrained him – a direct hit to the head.

*Achievement: I owe you, partner! You have been saved from certain death by a comrade from your guild. +10XP

“Now, Ricky – run!” shouted Gabriella.

Accumulated XP: 955 (unspent: 455)