Death March Page 6

  “Wow,” I said, holding up the potion. “That was great. Can I have more?”

  I paused as she frowned at me. That’s not what I’d meant to say. Then I closed my eyes and grimaced. “Sorry. I’ve got a charisma of eight. Didn’t mean to say it like that.”

  She let out a long-suffering sigh, sat on her pallet, and covered her face with both hands.

  “Hey,” I said. Don’t insult her, don’t insult her. “Uh, you look pretty upset.”

  She rubbed at her face, then dropped her hands into her lap and leaned back against the wall. “Three weeks I’ve been fending for myself, and now the first person I meet is a level one noob with charisma eight. Is this a joke? Is Albertus Magnus personally trying to screw me over for something I’ve done?”

  I didn’t know what to say. Maybe changing the topic would be a good move. “You a member of Cruel Winter?”

  She nodded. “I thought I was the only member left.” Her eyes narrowed as she studied me, then she laughed. “You chose to join up? So you’re not just a level one noob, you’re also an idiot?”

  I frowned. “I see you’ve got charisma eight as well.”

  “No,” she said. “Charisma fourteen.”

  “Oh. So you were being rude on purpose.”

  “I’m sorry.” She rubbed at her eyes again. “It’s been a very long, very frustrating three weeks. I thought I’d surprise my old friends by logging back in, only to discover that everybody’s dead, the castle and village are slowly turning into raid dungeons, and I’m stuck here for the next five months unless I decide to end my session early and forgo my payment. I’m this close.” She held up her thumb and forefinger with an inch between them. “This close.”

  “I see. So you don’t know what happened here either?”

  “No idea. I joined Cruel Winter back when Euphoria first hit, and played two sessions. It was amazing. Then... then work happened, life got busy, and I took a five-month break in the real world. Lost touch with everybody. An opportunity to play with this corporate account came around and I decided to surprise my old guild and just appear—and this is what I’ve come back to.”

  “Can’t you die on purpose and respawn somewhere else?”

  “I’m Cruel Winter. I respawn in the highland meadow.”

  “Why don’t you make a new avatar then?”

  She looked away. “My corporate account’s locked. I can’t make a new avatar.”

  “Oh.” That sounded weird, but she clearly didn’t want to elaborate.

  “Where’s the closest other town?”

  She gave a hollow laugh. “Three months away on foot. Euphoria is huge.”

  “Great.” I leaned my head back against the wall. “But hey. I’m glad I ran into you. You may not be excited to see me, but I’m thrilled to have finally met someone else.”

  She studied me. “What are you even doing here?”

  “Long story. I let my ex manipulate me into playing. Turns out she’s a lot more vindictive than I thought.”

  “Oh,” said the girl. “Oh. That sucks. I’m really sorry.”

  “Yeah, me too. But I’m not giving up yet. I’ve got six months in here and I’m going to make it work.”

  “That’s... optimistic of you. Those draugr we fought are the lowest level mobs here in Feldgrau. I’m level eight and I can barely take a couple of them on myself. I’ve been killed twice already by wraiths, had my head torn off by a skeletal champion, and that’s with staying away from the charnel pit on the far side of town. We’re surrounded by the restless dead here. This whole region is full of high-level monsters and mobs. You’re not going to have an easy time leveling without dying.”

  I’d guessed, but hearing it out loud hit me like a blow to the chest. Death March mode meant no second chances. No respawning. No nothing but this one shot.

  “My name’s Lotharia.” She reached out and squeezed my wrist. “And don’t worry. Each time you die, I’ll head right on up to the highland field to greet you and return your gear. We’ll find a way to make this work.”

  I covered my face with both hands.

  “What?” asked Lotharia. “What did I say?”

  5

  “You what?” Lotharia was staring at me as if I had casually revealed that I liked to eat babies. “You came here in Death March mode?”

  I decided I didn’t have to meet her eyes just then, so instead casually examined the wine bottles. “Yeah. I know how it sounds.”

  “Absolutely insane,” she said. “I mean, Death March itself is one of the most awful concepts ever, but to pick that and come here? Didn’t you do any research at all?”

  “Nope. My ex planned it that way. She called me an hour before we were due to log in.”

  I risked a glance. She was still staring at me incredulously. “And you wanted to game so badly you threw all caution to the wind and just dove head first into this craziness?”

  “Yeah, something like that. I need the pardon.”

  She snorted, clearly not impressed.

  “Not for myself,” I said, tone growing hard. “I’m doing this for my brother. He’s in serious trouble with the law and it’s not his fault.”

  “Oh,” she said. “I’m sorry to hear that. But wasn’t there a less… suicidal way to go about helping him?”

  “Like I said, my ex lied to me. And to be honest, I was the one who chose to Death March it.”

  “What a mess.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “What are we going to do?”

  “What I always do when I game. Level up. Become the apex predator.” It sounded good, but they were empty words. I took down a bottle of wine and stared at it intently. How the hell was I supposed to level up here?

  There was a long, awkward silence. To break it, I drew my dagger and plunged its tip into the cork, which I then twisted around and withdrew with a pop.

  “You tried any of these yet?” I asked, holding the bottle out to her.

  “I—actually, no, not yet. Thanks.” She took the bottle and drank. “Pretty good.”

  I sat as she handed it to me. “So, look. I’ve played my fair share of games, but you’re going to have to help me get a handle on Euphoria. My character sheet is too bare-bones for me to make the appropriate min-max decisions. What can you tell me about the mechanics here?”

  “I know. I freaked out a bit when I saw my own sheet three weeks ago. It’s been really stripped down since I last played.”

  “Oh?” That was interesting. “It’s changed?”

  “Yeah,” she said, wiggling her butt a bit to get comfy on her straw pallet. “When I first played, it was much more transparent. You could see your hit points, mana regen rates, plan out your whole skill and talent progressions by researching the relevant trees. Now it’s all gone.”

  “Huh.” I took a swig and handed her the bottle. It was good. A little sweet, kind of blueberry-ish, but nice. “I wonder why.”

  “I remember some talk going around before I left the first time. A couple of our members were actually part of the original Euphoria beta test team. They speculated that the AI was trying to find the right balance of immersion and fun. Perhaps he decided having too many numbers on your sheet was ruining the experience. So he cut them down to help people get more ‘in character’.”

  “That’s arbitrary, though. I love working my sheet. It’s a huge part of any game’s appeal for me. If anything, not having that full access has made me really frustrated.”

  “Yeah,” said Lotharia despondently, and twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. For a moment she stared out at nothing, chewing the tip of her hair. “I know what you mean. But what can you do?” Suddenly, she looked up. “Hey, did you hear a chime after the fight? That alerts you to XP gains. You checked your sheet?”

  “No.” With all that had happened, I’d not thought to check my sheet. I toggle
d it open before me, then paused. “Can you see my stats?”

  She gave a wry laugh. “Don’t worry. Not without your permission.”

  “Not like there’s much there. Here, I’ll share it with you. How do I… oh.” At the thought, a small portrait of Lotharia had appeared in the top right. I reached up and tapped her image. It pulsed gold once and then returned to normal.

  Lotharia sat up straight as my sheet opened before her. “Oh, wow. I’d forgotten how awful level one was. Eight, twelve, eight, eight, eight, eight. Ridiculous.”

  “Tell me about it,” I said. Three little windows popped up over my sheet. A shudder of excitement ran through me. Even minor updates were a step in the right direction. I read the first.

  You have gained 45 experience (15 for surviving the ogre encounter, 10 for assisting in killing of two draugrs, 20 for running off the draugr pack). You have 45 unused XP. Your total XP is 45.

  Lotharia gave a low whistle. “You survived an ogre encounter?”

  “Barely,” I said. “More luck than anything else.”

  “Still, impressive.”

  I examined her surreptitiously through my screen. Was she mocking me? Didn’t look like it. I whisked the top window away, and read the second one.

  Your attributes have increased!

  Charisma +1

  Dexterity +1

  Constitution +1 (Con increase is dependent on one night’s good rest.)

  You have learned new skills. Athletics: Basic (I), Survival: Basic (I).

  “Not bad,” I said, looking up at Lotharia with a grin. “Charisma nine! How do I sound? A little more irresistible?”

  “Oh, you’re plenty resistible, don’t you worry,” said Lotharia. “And don’t get too cocky. Just saying hello to someone or surviving a fight will earn you XP and new skills at level one. By the time you reach my level, you’ll have to do much more to earn the same amount. Killing a draugr pack won’t even register for folks around level fifteen or whatever. Enjoy the life of ease while you still have it.”

  “Thanks. Just the right thing to say to the Death March guy.”

  Lotharia covered her mouth, eyes going wide. “Sorry.”

  “Charisma nine joke. All right, one window left. Let’s see.”

  New talent advancements available!

  Adrenaline Surge

  XP Cost: 25

  - Adrenaline Surge allows you to temporarily boost your physical stats, followed by an extended cooldown period during which you are subject to Exhaustion.

  - All physical stats are boosted by +2 for a number of seconds equal to your Constitution x2. This is followed by a cooldown period of -2 to all stats for a number of seconds equal to your Constitution x4.

  Sabotage Defenses

  XP Cost: 30

  - You deal damage to an opponent’s armor, lowering their defensive capabilities instead of dealing actual damage.

  - All forms of armor can be damaged, reducing your opponent’s defensive ratings by an amount equal to the damage dealt.

  Uncanny Aim

  XP Cost: 25

  - You can now hurl daggers and other handheld projectiles with greater accuracy at longer distances.

  - All ranged attacks with small, handheld weapons now receive double your dexterity bonus.

  Astute Observer

  XP Cost: 25

  - You become attuned to your environment, achieving a heightened state of alertness and awareness.

  - This ongoing passive effect boosts your perception as if you had Wisdom 14 and were carefully scrutinizing your environment.

  Minor Magic

  XP Cost: 45

  - You gain access to magical tricks common to all arcane adepts.

  - You gain access to three cantrips which you can cast at will.

  That little thrill became exponentially bigger as I studied my new options. “You see what I’m looking at?”

  “The joys of gaining XP. Sure.” Was that wry amusement in her voice?

  I read through the five new talents again, not skimming this time in my excitement but instead taking my time with the details. Adrenaline Surge sounded great for dire emergencies like being pinned by a couple of ogres—I could really see it helping get me out of a tight corner. But while eighteen seconds was pretty good, the cooldown period could be a killer: half a minute of exhaustion right after.

  I skipped Sabotage Defenses. I was nowhere near close to engaging in that kind of tactical approach to combat. Uncanny Aim? I wondered if I could Backstab from a distance. That would be a nice combo—but would result in me losing my knife on my first attack. Nope.

  I lingered over Astute Observer. An ongoing passive effect sounded pretty great, and as squishy and defenseless as I was out here, being able to see trouble coming before it hit me could prove crucial. I tapped my lips in thought, then moved on to Minor Magic. Endless cantrips could be useful too, albeit limited. If the Euphoria ones were anything like I’d experienced in the past, their utility would be dependent on their user’s creativity.

  “I’m thinking Astute Observer.” I pushed my screen aside. “What do you think?”

  “Strong choice.” From the confidence in her tone, I knew she had enough gamer in her to make character progression a worthy subject. “The others are pretty great, but right now you need to focus on not getting killed. None of the others, except for maybe Adrenaline Surge, help you with that. And to be honest, if it comes to your needing Adrenaline Surge? +2s in this zone won’t really make that much of a difference.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. Question: can I spend XP on my attributes or skills?”

  Lotharia shook her head. “Nope. Those reflect your in-game usage. Spend all day chatting at an inn? Your charisma will go up, and you’ll gain basic levels of Carousing or Seduction. Spend weeks reading in a library? Intelligence and skills like Academics, History, or Engineering will bump up.”

  I gave a long sigh of disappointment. “Makes sense, I suppose. Can I look at your sheet now?”

  There was an awkward pause.

  “Um. Sorry. Charisma nine.”

  “Right.” Lotharia shook her head. “God, I hope you level up fast. But sure. Let me give you access.” She squinted at her personal screen. From where I sat I could see vague squiggles of information, but nothing that gave away even a hint of her stats.

  “Here we go.” She tapped the screen then sat back, looking both proud and a little nervous.

  Her screen opened before me, and I leaned forward, drinking it in.

  Lotharia Glimmervale

  Species: Human

  Class: Enchanter

  Level: 9

  Total XP: 832

  Unused XP: 12

  Guild: Cruel Winter

  Title(s): Acolyte of Frost

  Domains: None

  Allies: None

  Cumulative Wealth (GP): 312

  Attributes

  Strength: 8

  Dexterity: 13

  *Constitution: 11

  Intelligence: 9

  Wisdom: 14

  *Charisma: 14 (+2 Enchanter class bonus)

  Mana: 0/16

  Skills

  Survival: Basic (III)

  Knowledge (Cruel Winter): Intermediate (I)

  Diplomacy: Basic (IV)

  Carousing: Basic (V)

  Seduction: Basic (I)

  Stealth: Basic (III)

  Melee: Basic (IV)

  Athletics: Basic (I)

  Talents

  Spellcasting: Basic

  Meditation: Intermediate (II)

  Quick Reflexes: Basic

  Spell List

  Cantrips: Basic

  Frost Armor: Basic

  Hail Strike: Basic

  Restoration: Basic

  Imbue: Basic

  Summon Fog: Basic

  I gave out a low whistle. “Now that’
s a little more like it. How long did it take you to hit level nine? And is your name really Lotharia Glimmervale?”

  She laughed, a pleasant, rich sound, and for a moment I relaxed, was content to simply take in the sight of her lounging before me. An exposed length of her thigh where her dress was slit caught my eye. Seduction, Basic (I), huh? I forced myself to focus.

  “No. But Euphoria’s more generous with XP if you come up with a new name. It’s all about immersion. I used to know members of Cruel Winter who never broke character. No coincidence that they leveled the quickest.”

  “If they were that hardcore, they might have focused the most on grinding,” I said. “That’s not exactly ‘in character’.”

  “True. Either way, Lotharia works. And I wasn’t really focused on powering up. I spent a lot of time just having fun, to tell you the truth. It was a crazy time when Euphoria first opened up. Everybody was so in awe. So grateful to be here. Like the opening of a new utopia. A magical time.” She stared at her bottle of wine, lips pursed, lost in her memories.

  I could believe it. Her highest stats and skills were charisma, Carousing and Diplomacy. No wonder she was down about having to hang out with a charisma nine noob.

  “Anyways. It’s all changed.” She took a swig and handed the bottle over. Half the wine was gone. “We won’t be able to stay down here much longer. The draugrs will soon work up the courage to come sniffing around once more, and sooner or later they’ll either find us or point others in our direction.”

  “That’s too bad. Where should we go?”

  Her shoulders slumped. “Hard to say. This was my best hidey-hole yet. We’ll have to sneak around during the day and try to find a new basement or the like. It’ll be dangerous. Very dangerous.”

  “What about heading out into the forest?”

  “With our Survival levels? We’d be miserable, and would spend half our time starving and the rest of it running away from ogres, demodands, vallomirs…” She trailed off. “No. Best we stay here on the outskirts of town.”

  “But then where are you getting your food from?”