End Online: Volume 2 (6 page)

-Lost-

The Christmas update that the game developers released was a
massive shock to me. All of a sudden I needed to not only maintain my equipment
but also my satiety levels as well. Yet it was nothing compared to the surprise
of Fen's invasion of my locker.

I was originally worried about what she does when I
was offline, did she wander around? Go into hiding nearby? However, that
was no longer a mystery after finding her hiding in the kitchen in my
locker.

The only question remains as to how. How does an AI that lives
in the game exit it, especially into my VL. She could have somehow downloaded
herself onto my VL, connecting to it the same way I do to the game.

'It's illogical, but it is the only possibility.'

***************************************************

The next day I return to virtual reality and find Fen
comfortably sleeping on one of the couches in my locker. It appears when she is
outside of End Online and its rules, she can shrink her body at will.

She wakes up as I enter and begins following behind me, tail
flicking back and forth. Ignoring the overly playful wolf I stroll directly to
the console to log into End Online.

I return to where I left, the goblins from the nearby encampment
have respawned overnight so there were a few the vicinity of my new
'Intimidating Aura' skill to receive an 'aggro' towards me.

'No! I had completely forgotten, I no longer have that
skill!' 

My 'Intimidating Aura skill had transformed into my new class
skill so maybe that will no longer be the case! A class skill is said to be
defined by the skills that make it up, but the majority of class skills had not
even been discovered let alone studied!

Opening my player information window I see not only the
four free slots but also my new class skill, the 'White Warrior'. I did
not expect overly much from it considering the simplicity of the name, but it
did consume a skill of 'Epic' rarity however.

A purple border... It is a ‘Legendary’ skill! If it was
physically possible, my jaw would have hit the ground. Although, I have been
through enough illogical things lately that it still might do so.

Holding my jaw in superstition I take all the information in.
There were so many enhancements in this class skill that I could barely take it
all in.

I had already suspected I would not be able to unequip it, and
that the curse of 'Aggravation' would remain. Yet, in addition to that the last
bonus effect caused me to furrow my brows slightly.

Holding open my cloak I look down at the equipment I'm wearing.
Surely enough the originally brown leather of my armour had turned white, some
parts almost silver. The rest of my equipment is completely white as well,
like I had gone swimming in a vat of bleach.

Even my weapons maintained were altered. It was only a
superficial changes, everything still appeared to be the same materials, simply
a different colour.

In a sense of curiosity I stuck a hand under my hood and removed
a few strands of hair. Letting out a sigh of relief, at least my hair was still
its original colour.

The skill promoted me with some odd sacred arts as well. I press
on them to view their information, revealing they were all related to the
bonus effect of being able to leave an afterimage of myself.

'Multi Mirage' caused multiple afterimages to appear at
irregular places, 'Pincer' would create two images of me mirrored on three sides
of an opponent, and 'Back Stab' would basically transport me behind the target,
leaving behind my original image that the enemy would attack while I stabbed
them in the back.

The only down side was they took off massive portions of my
stamina, using a corresponding eighty percent, sixty percent, and fifty
percent. But that should lessen once I level up more and use the skills enough
to lower the cost slightly.

They were excellent sacred arts, this ability to create false
images of me could be incredibly useful in a fight. But I can't help but notice
they will become less effective with more opponents. I was the warrior that
specialized in one on one fighting.

The rest was too good to be true. I even got a cooking skill!
The timing could not have been any better. I should possibly test out my new
post bonus speed. If I'm not used to it I won't be able to fight properly.

"Fen," I call out to the full sized wolf, who was busy
eliminating the goblins that came to attack me while I was reading my new class
skill, "As soon as you finish that goblin let's race back to Iceridge, if
you can beat me I will do whatever you want for an entire day!"

Fen's ears shot straight up, immediately killing the last goblin
with ice bolts in an instant, penetrating it from five different directions.

The wolf turned to look at me before taking the lead with an
early start.

‘She doesn't know what she is getting herself into.’

I laughed inside my mind as I took off. The extra thirty
percent plus agility bonus surprised me. It didn't exactly make me feel
lighter or like I was running faster, but each time I pushed off one of my feet
it was like I was throwing the world behind me.

I actually felt somewhat of an out of body experience while
running behind Fen. Glancing around me at all the trees I notice something out
of the corner of my eye. There was someone chasing us, about ten meters behind
me. They are incredibly quick, running almost as fast as I am.

I make a sharp turn to stop whoever it is, only to see a man in
a white cloak made of a trimmed fur. I see an exact image of me.

Moments after I stop, all of a sudden the image breaks into a
mist and is gone in seconds. Is this what the afterimage of me running is?

'Oh no! I completely forgot about the race with Fen!' 

Coming to realize that I was the hare who had just stopped for a
break I take off in the direction the wolf had gone, leaving the image of me
standing there behind. Activating 'Perceptual Sight', I used the heightened
senses to weave through the trees much smoother, travelling through them faster
than before.

As I break out of the woods, Iceridge is on the horizon and Fen
is only a hundred meters in front of me. If it wasn't for the new class skill,
I would have no chance of winning this race. But right now I have the speed
boost to overtake the wolf with half the distance left. Speeding over the
landscape I make sure to keep an eye behind me in case Fen tries anything.

And without a doubt the she did, she was so eager to win that
she stooped to trying to sabotage me. Shooting ice bolts at me and in front of
me.

Strangely enough though, she tried to interfere with my
afterimage and not me. The 'fake' me also appears to be slightly more than just
an image of where I was before. I imagined the image dodging the incoming
attacks and to my surprise, instead of following the path I took, it seemed to
follow my directions.

Running and trying to give directions to the mirage of me was
incredibly difficult, to the point that even with the system assisting my
commands the image dodged the attacks rather awkwardly. Eventually one of the
attacks connected, immediately dispersing the image into mist.

'She can't see me! All that is visible is the afterimage!' 

It was incredible information that would be useful in the
future, as is the fact that the dismissal of the afterimage reveals my
location. It only takes the stunned wolf a moment to recover before she sent
more ice bolts, this time aimed at where I actually was.

But I had already left behind another after fake, swerving
around the poorly aimed spikes of ice and lengthening the lead even more. It
would be a little different in a confined space where my speed would be limited,
but in the open expanse like this I clearly have the advantage.

The entire trip back I maintained the lead, touching the walls
of Iceridge first. Fen was clearly in a bad mood. Her cheating had failed,
causing her to lose the chance to order me around for a day. Well, I suppose
maybe I will still play with her tomorrow like she would have wanted. I need to
see how much easier my agility will rise. It was around the point of being at a
standstill and not increasing very much, before getting the class skill that is.

"Fen, I'm sorry, but you will have to wait outside for
today. I don't have another scroll, but I will get one for next time if I
can."

The wolf let out some kind a snort and turned around,
disappearing into thin mist that dispersed almost immediately.

'I catch her in my locker once and now she has no problems coming
and going whenever she pleases? Sheesh, what a bad sport, she only lost a
race.'

I, on the other hand, am incredibly happy with the ability
to create afterimages. I feel like all of a sudden I have run into a great
fortune, gaining the upper hand in battle.

Putting aside all the self-gloating about my new class skill, I
walk through the gates of Iceridge in order to sell the loot I have collected.

Inside the main courtyard, an incredible scene comes into
focus. Thousands of players are blocked up all the way to the church, like some
peak hour traffic jam. As I get closer I pick up various voices in
the crowd.

"What the hell is this? I'm just here to buy the cooking
skill and I have to wait in this frigging line?"

"I've been here for twelve hours already! How long is this
going to take?"