Alice Cross

Level: [4]

Race: [Aries]

Class: [Healer]

Order: [Club]

Guild: -none-

Party: [Town Heroes]

...............Level 10

.......................Level 1

…………...Level 5

................Level 3

...................Level 3

I was flipping through my guide book after getting the shop’s NPC to appraise my flowers, none were useful, and my potion, it would allow the drinker to breathe underwater for an hour. I had noticed that there was a new skill available for purchase. . You best believe I grabbed that skill and tested it right out on someone walking by.

I felt a drain that I had not felt in a few levels. That was good to know, but there was no way for me to tell how much more health it would bring to the person I cast it on until it was needed. I wished there was some way to actually see numbers or health and mana bars, but I was left guessing. By the feel, I think it took about half my mana to cast at this first level. It was going to be slow to level up, like my other skill, but I was confident it would not be impossible.

I still had an hour until I was supposed to go to the first floor, but I was tired of sitting around in New Beginnings. I stashed all my belongings except my new amulet and empty drawstring bag, then headed to the black tower. I should have waited, but I figured it wouldn’t be too bad waiting for them at the mouth of the canyon. The blessed water kept most mobs away anyhow.

When I got into the tower, I started the long trek up the stairs. I didn’t remember there being this many stairs up. My breath heaved in my chest and I held onto the wall for support. My little hooves were getting so heavy it was hard to lift them. When I was about to give up, I arrived at the golden door and pushed it open.

The center of the maze was as I remembered it. The small building was untouched and so was the looming frozen boss above it. The golden chest, however, was absent. My heart dropped, would we not get the loot again? Would no one? It made our items rather valuable, but they should have been much better for unique and limited loot.

Mumbling in disappointment, I pushed through the hedges. I took my time and received fewer scratches. The pit was completely changed from the last time. The water we had released had not created a lake around the maze as I thought it would have. Instead, it snaked around it in a delicate stream and fed the roots of four mighty trees.

That made much more sense as to why the Forgotten had blocked the water. These trees must be minions of the boss and spawn back when the waters feed them. The water must also prevent them from leaving the pit so the rest of the floor is safe from the Blight. The boss fight was not going to be easier, it was going to be much, much harder this time.

“Shit.”

I was preoccupied with trying to come up with ideas, that I did not notice my surroundings. I had made my way up into the canyon, my mind running through different boss fights I had accomplished gaming during my lifetime. I didn’t notice I was in danger until it was too late and two strong arms were wrapped around me from behind and covered my mouth.

Liam’s annoying, infuriating voice spoke over my shoulder. “Well, well, well, we got ourselves a prize here. A wild little healer.”

It was then that I noticed his party was standing along the canyon in the shade. Five other players chuckled with Liam’s joke and I noted that Rick was not in their number. Liam pushed me forward, holding onto me tightly.

“The way down must be nearby if this second floor bitch is here. You gonna be nice and tell us where it is?” He spun me around and held onto my head by the horns, forcing me to look at him.

“Can’t. Spoilers.” It was true, but I also wouldn’t have told him where anything was except where he could go… straight to hell.

“You animals, you all have to learn your place. We’ll will teach you to have proper respect for men. You’ll learn that you are inferior to humans.” He snarled in annoyance. I could see a vein on his forehead pulse in his anger. I thought that only happened in cartoons.

One of his party mates had moved behind me and slipped something around my neck. When I fought, Liam captured one of my wrists while holding onto one horn with the other hand. He twisted my arm in a painful angle that made me freeze. Pain here was different, but it still hurt and it was still something the mind did what it could to avoid.

The other man cinched the rope he had been pulling around my neck tight, not dangerously tight, but uncomfortably so. He pulled my free hand behind my back and then caught the other one from Liam to secure together.

“What the hell do you plan to accomplish with this?” I growled at him, unable to jerk my head out of his hand. He shook my horn roughly, making me stumble to a knee.

“You are going to tag along with us and be our healer. Once you learn to play nice, we’ll take good care of you.” He motioned for another of his lackeys. They grabbed my bag and searched it to find nothing, shrugging.

“Like hell, I will.” I jerked my head again with all my might and broke free of his grasp. Liam stumbled back a little, but played it off as just stepping away.

A sixth man joined us, having traveled from the direction of the pit. This man was very different from the rest of the group, who were completely human. He had two large, round and fuzzy ears that poked out of his messy brown hair and a long tail with a dark brown tuff at the end. He was nearly as tall as Clint, but leaner. His golden eyes stared at me for a long moment before he spoke to Liam.

“I think a boss room is ahead. There is a huge statue and a hedge maze.” His voice was deep and rich. His words seemed to catch in his mouth and I noticed it was that he was trying to talk around some large fangs. “I can’t tell what kind of boss it is, though.”

“Great work, you are a testament to your kind, Allen. You can hold onto our newest pet.” Liam grabbed the rope from the man behind me and held it out for Allen.

One of Allen’s ears twitched several times before he stepped forward and accepted the line. He gripped it tight, knuckles turning white and I abandoned all hope that I could win him as an ally. He tugged me along to the shade of one of the canyon walls as he explained the sight of the pit he took in.

Liam listened absently as he glared at me. I could almost feel his mind cranking and scheming through the lock of his gaze. I didn’t like it.

“Well, boss, what should we do?” Allen repeated after Liam had not responded the first time he asked. Finally, the lion eared man stepped in Liam’s line of sight, blocking me from those predatory eyes. “We are waiting for your orders, boss. Should we mess with the maze?”

“Yeah, yeah.” He grumbled in anger, shaking his head as if some spell had been broken. He pointed to two of his party members. “You two, go find the way to the center of the maze and be careful about it. I don’t have time to wait for you to respawn.”

They hopped to, fear seeming to put pep in their step. These guys were lead by fear. I had to come up with a way to use that to my advantage, maybe sway them to my side or at least cause trouble enough to be a distraction so I could get to Clint and Jun.

Allen turned back to me and pulled me to a rock. He pushed me to sit. I hadn’t noticed until then that he was still keeping his body between me and Liam. Surely it was my imagination that he was shielding me, maybe he just didn’t want Liam to be distracted again. The latter seemed to be working as Liam was in deep conversation with another one of his men, plotting and planning. They spoke about their supplies and what would be needed to camp the area until they discovered the way down.

After what felt like an hour, the two that were sent off on the mission returned. They had found the center as well as the small building with the golden door. The door, however, was locked. The game must have had a patch. No chest and the door locked, maybe both events happened after the boss was defeated. Liam strutted over to me and Allen submissively moved out of his way. The slimy redhead bent down to me, his finger caressing the lines of one of my horns.

“You know that I know that the second floor is behind that door my men found. You are going to need to show us how to get through it.” He said in a sickly sweet voice as if talking to an unwanted pet.

“I’m not going to show you shit.” I pulled my head back away from his touch.

His hand struck out, grabbing my horn and jerking my head around. He shook me with every word for emphasys. “You. Will. Behave. You don’t understand the position you are in. You have no choice here. You will do as I say.”

I spat in his face once he stopped jostling me about. “Eat shit and die again, Liam.”

At this, he struck me across the face while still holding onto my horn. I tasted the coppery flavor of blood in my mouth, but it didn’t hurt near as much as such a thing had hurt when I was alive. I smiled up at him.

“I would say you hit like a girl, but that would be insulting my entire gender.” This earned me another few strikes. As much as I used to fear pain, this was nothing. I had nothing to fear with this. As much as I didn’t want to face the re-spawning process, it wasn’t something I would do anything to avoid. I could handle it. I could handle this prick.

I could have been hallucinating, but I swear I saw some of his party wincing and looking away as I was being beaten by this horrible man. Generating sympathy and staging a coup might actually be an option, but it was going to take a while. Liam’s temper was a frightening thing and him beating on me reminded them that this anger could be focused on them.

Liam stopped once he realized he had to hold my body up by the horns. I was hurting and felt weak. Thank the Nothing for the reduction of pain in this game. One of my eyes was swelling shut, I may have lost a tooth it was hard to tell with a mouthful of blood and I wasn’t to keen on searching with my tongue in case he hit me and caused me to bit it again.

I mumbled to cast my spell and felt the damage that had just been dealt be repaired. I was relieved that the pendant didn’t have to be in hand like I thought. I smiled up at Liam. “Like I said, worse than a girl.”

“Animal Whore!” Liam screamed in anger, his voice echoing through the canyon.

I hoped with all my might that Clint and Jun would have heard that. I knew that Liam’s party was a far lower level than my own party. They had not taken part in removing the Blight hord, they were probably level one or two. Though they outnumbered us, I could bet that we would stomp them, especially if those two had the element of surprise.

“Drag her with us. We are going to go check it out.” He instructed Allen before leading the rest of his men towards the boss room.

I couldn’t decide if I wanted to warn him. His entire party entering the pit would awaken the boss and they would not survive the boss. I would be caught up in that, as well, and likely not survive. It wouldn’t put my party too far behind if I had to re-spawn, but it would be inconvenient.

“Boss, I don’t think this is a good idea. I’d bet every last coin I have, that is a boss room. The boss is either hidden or won’t activate until something is met.” Allen said, lifting me to my feet.

“Yeah, one game I played you had to put stuff on the right pedestals to spawn the boss. We didn’t see anything like that in there, but there are some suspicious trees.” One of the two men that had explored the maze said.

“Or just got to find a key.” Another suggested.

“I’ll just burn down the tree and maze, maybe it is under one of them.” The shortest of the group said. His blond hair was spiked in a very 90s fashion. He pulled out a crude looking wand, one that looked exactly like what Jun had from the starter kit. This reaffirmed my assumption of their level and ability. They had yet to find anything better.

“Oh yes, always a grand idea to go stomping into a dangerous area and setting fires.” I said, taunting the bunch.

The muscles in Liam’s jaw tightened. I could almost hear his teeth grind. Antagonizing someone like him was something I never thought I would do, but I was still reeling from the memory I had to relive thanks to respawning. I don’t want anyone like her to get anywhere in the world.

“Bring her with us. Let’s burn the place down.” He commanded.

I was pulled along as this party decided to tackle the boss. I needed this boss to activate due to his whole party being there and hopefully my presence wouldn’t throw a wrench in that. I needed my party to be right behind them to rescue me. The latter didn’t matter as much, though, I could return and recover if the boss took me out with them.