Sigil Online: Hellions Read online

  Riley nodded. He knew that Aaron couldn’t always trigger his powerful bug-form, known to many players as the White Weevil. Apparently there was some ‘cooldown’ or ‘time limit’ effect that Aaron had loosely mentioned. His friend also made it seem as though triggering the transformation was a bit of a burden on him.

  “I guess the hellions expansion hasn’t been the best for you then, huh?” prompted Riley.

  “Oh no, it’s great, I love it!” said Aaron. “It’s just… well, the monster-players are proving really problematic. There’s more conflict going on within the city. Everyone has to keep on their toes, you know? It’s tough. But there’s a lot of awesome features that I’ve been enjoying. Like all the new crafting stuff has been really cool. And when I do kill a monster-player, I usually get something that I can use in crafting.”

  “I guess being a crafter is really paying off then. Even though you live a double life,” Riley said a bit accusingly, but smirked afterwards.

  “For the hundredth time, I said I’m sorry!” said Aaron. “And I wasn’t lying about being a crafter. I do a lot of crafting! I kinda had to, when I kept getting loot I couldn’t sell. It’s just… you know, I didn’t really tell you about how I acquired all my materials.”

  “I always thought you were some sorta business mogul, with your shop and your crafting” said Riley.

  “Well, I’m kinda that too,” Aaron quipped. “But I’ve made a bunch of in-game friends who are also crafters. I’ve got this nice little tight-knit community of crafting friends. We have some pretty rare recipes.”

  “I still have yet to find a cool recipe for an item,” said Riley. “I found a couple when I was playing as Radiance, but it feels like there’s just less recipe drops lately.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been hearing that as well,” said Aaron. “Maybe they lowered the drop rates a little?” He then paused for a moment. “Which reminds me,” he shifted gears and even lowered the hand he held his fork with. “There’s something I wanna tell you. Or I guess I should say, show you. In-game, that is.”

  Riley lifted his eyebrows. “What do you mean? Why can’t you tell me about it now?”

  “I… well,” Aaron murmured at first. “It’ll just be a lot easier to show you. It’s kind of a secret, a crafting secret. I honestly shouldn’t even be talking about it, but I really hate that I kept the Weevil thing a secret from you. And I want to help you out, you know? Something more than meeting up with you and your friends to control bosses for you.”

  “Everyone loves you,” said Riley. “I think they love you more than me, in fact. They really like my power stealing buffs, but I’m pretty sure that getting to watch two bosses fight it out, while they damage the weaker one, is a bit cooler.”

  Aaron smiled. “Well, I wish I could pop over more, but you’re really far away and I have my shop… and I know the economy better in my city and I already have my crafting friends I do things with occasionally, and—”

  “It’s alright!” said Riley. “It’s not a problem.” He smiled. “I’m glad that we can at least hang out a little bit in-game now, is all. Even if it’s only once a week or so.”

  Aaron nodded, his lips still curled. He looked down to the messy pancakes. “Me too,” he said, as he slowly cut into them again.

  “So tomorrow’s the big day for you and your friends, isn’t it?” asked Aaron.

  Riley groaned. “That’s one of the reasons this week has been a pain. Rushing to get things together by tomorrow.”

  “I thought you’d be happier?” asked Aaron. “You’re all forming a guild! That’s something to be happy about.”

  “I am happy,” said Riley as he prodded the pile of fries with the one in his hand. “It’s just been a lot of work to get it going. Items, mini quests, all sorts of stuff. You know how guild-forming goes,” he prompted.

  “Actually I don’t,” said Aaron.

  Riley looked up with raised eyebrows. “Really?”

  Aaron nodded. “Never been in a guild, and I’ve never bothered looking up what it takes to make one.”

  “Damn, I thought with your boundless knowledge of Sigil Online, that you’d have that info ready and waiting.”

  Aaron shook his head. “Nope.”

  Riley chuckled and sighed, as if remembering a painful memory. “Guild creation is a series of quests. You can’t do them by yourself. Or, well, most people can’t. Maybe you could, but some of them have been beyond what I think you’re capable of when you’re solo. But anyway, we get choices on what quests we want to do. It’s so that different players with various powers can tackle things that are more suited to their group composition. So that’s what we’ve been doing. Knocking out quests, killing monsters, acquiring special items, and some of our newer members to the group are taking over some of the crafting stuff.”

  “Didn’t you say Constructor was a crafter?” asked Aaron.

  “Yep, He’s our main crafter currently. He has the most skills in it. So he’s been sitting on the sidelines back at his place in Gargantuan City. Which he doesn’t seem to mind, apparently. Even though his pylon things are pretty cool. We’ve been knocking monsters out really quickly, most of the time. But finding the correct ones and getting the drops we need have been the hardest parts. Also, getting to the correct zones where the creatures are. Then, factor in all the monster-players that think they can jump us… it’s… just been a really rough week,” he grumbled finally.

  “So you’re all done the quests?” asked Aaron.

  Riley nodded. “We’re all done. We finished earlier today and I’ve just been looking through my items and taking account of everything. We’re going to do some votes tomorrow, once the guild contract is signed by all of us. That’ll decide if we stick to Bunker 7 as our main base of operations. At least temporarily. We’ll then start looking for a small place to buy for ourselves.”

  Aaron chewed another piece of hotcake, then murmured through the bite. “You have the money to buy a place?”

  Riley shrugged. “If we all pitch in an equal amount, there’s a couple places we could consider buying. But I think we’re going to settle for Bunker 7, for the time being. I can only imagine how expensive the Rook Den was when Warcry bought it. They must’ve really earned some serious money, for a bunch of mostly tier-zeroes.”

  “You going to buy Bunker 7?” Aaron questioned.

  Riley laughed. “No way, that place is way out of our price range. The owners of the bunker know what they’re doing. There’s a lot of players who operate out of it. It was one of the earliest group spots. I’m sure they’re making enough money to cover their rent in the real world, if not more. I’m not sure what costs are associated with running a spot like that, but they do put some money back into it to help us out. And they pay people to work there. But based on my rent and the fact that so many people use it as a hub, I imagine the owners are doing well for themselves.”

  “Yeah, that must be nice,” said Aaron. “Wish I could’ve taken out a small loan when the game first came out. Then I could’ve bought some property and rented it out to players.”

  “I’m sure some people had the same thoughts at the time,” said Riley. “I bet plenty of people lost money on that very risk.” He munched on a fry and then swallowed it. “So how’s your mom?”

  Aaron was cutting into the last portion of his pancakes, having almost finished them. “She’s doing really well. The doctors say that there’s no complications and that the cancer’s all gone. She had a rough couple of months there, with the therapy and everything. But she’s doing a lot better and I think she’s applying to a new job. Or a couple new jobs… not too sure. But I’m sure she’ll get something and then want to get her own place again.”

  “I’m glad everything worked out,” said Riley. “I’m sure it was tough.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Aaron murmured as he poked at his pancake.

  “Maybe you won’t have to take so many risks nowadays,” said Riley. “You’ve still got money from that interview, and don’t think I haven’t seen the ads on TV for Weevil-strength bleach. So I’m sure you’re not doing too bad financially. So if that’s the case, maybe you could keep your head down for a bit. You seem to be having trouble with the monster-players, since you can only deal with them in your bug form. Your infamy has waned with all the new monsters running around. So maybe take it easy for a bit? Or even come join us more often, so we can watch your back.”

  “There’s also the 'Strong enough to kill the White Weevil' bug spray,” Aaron sighed, but smiled. He looked back to his friend. “I’m doing what I enjoy. I love exploring new content. I’ve gotten used to playing alone.”

  “You know,” said Riley. “You might’ve killed Paladin, but he could’ve destroyed some monsters, I bet. He was really powerful in one-vs-one fights. As you saw. But you’re only strong in solo fights when you’re in Weevil form. He was powerful all the time.”

  “Are you criticizing me for killing Paladin, now that we have all these monster-player troubles?” asked Aaron, with a slight frown.

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying,” Riley sighed. “What I’m saying is that Sigil Online has all sorts of players with different powers. Paladin was really powerful when he could directly fight someone, you’re powerful when you can directly fight someone as the Weevil, but both of you have a hard-counter.”

  Aaron nodded. “Yeah, I’ve noticed,” he murmured. “When I fought your friends back in Death’s Chasm, the ones that could pin me down and use their powers to grapple me were really problematic. Todd, Snow, Erica. If they had more damage behind their abilities, I’d have had some real trouble. If Erica and Todd had been paragon, I might’ve been crushed even faster.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m saying,” said Riley. “For ever
y player out there, there’s several power-types that are good against them. It’s like one giant game of rock-paper-scissors. Which you’re well aware of. All I’m saying is that maybe you should be more careful. You have money, you don’t need to risk yourself to make even more money.”

  “I like being ahead of the curve, though,” said Aaron. “I really enjoy delving into places others can’t.”

  “I know,” said Riley. “Just… be aware of your surroundings. There’s tons of monster-players out there that would love to beat you, if they knew where you were. For right now, most of the player-killers are having a great time fighting monster-players, instead of regular players. So that’s given you some reprieve from being hunted.”

  “Also, that monster that attacked me earlier seemed extra surprised when he realized who I was,” said Aaron. “Lots of people seem to think I died, since I haven’t been making my presence known.”

  “Which is good!” said Riley, leaning forward slightly. “Let that protect you. Come hang out with us more. Keep your shop, sell your items, whatever you want to do. Just… be careful, alright?”

  Aaron looked up to his best friend and offered a smile. He nodded. His plate was empty, save for lines of fruit-flavored syrup. “I’ll be careful,” he said. “It might be annoying to fight these new monsters one on one, but they’re going to need to try a lot harder to bring me down.”

  Riley leaned back in his seat. “I guess if a few of them get lucky and manage to kill you, you’ll have no reason not to come join us, huh?”

  Aaron narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you go planning my demise just to have me come party with you.”

  “There’s a lot of cool pact powers out there,” said Riley. “That’s what Seth ended up doing. He got tired of being tier-zero and got himself a pact.”

  “Ehh,” Aaron shook his head. “The pact system is cool and all, but it’s way too ‘double-edged-sword’ for my taste.”

  “Seth seems pretty happy with it,” said Riley.

  “After weeks without powers, I’m sure he was happy with anything.”

  The two friends continued to chat. There was never much silence between them when they met up at Paragon Cafe. With the arrival of Sigil Online’s newest expansion just a month prior, the two had even more to talk about with each passing day.

  Chapter 2: Business As Usual

  Riley's eyes opened. His room was dimly lit, as he always had his heavy brown curtains pulled tight to block the sun’s rays from ebbing into his room. Sleep came easy when he spent so much of his day hooked into Sigil Online. Now that he wasn't in such a dire situation financially, he was able to stay asleep as well. The stress and nightmares had abated. He was enjoying life again. Even if that life involved removing himself from the real world and inserting his mind into a virtual one.

  He slid out of bed and went about his normal routine. Bathroom, breakfast, news articles. He went through his usual schedule in about an hour. Breakfast consisted of a meager bowl of oatmeal. He'd started to cut back on coffee, bit by bit. It wasn't really needed when he spent most of his time in-game. But he always enjoyed the taste of it as part of his morning routine.

  After going through the usual motions of preparing for a day in Sigil Online, he laid back in bed and pulled his headset on.

  He grabbed his crescent-shaped visor from the nightstand and pulled the strap on the back and situated it around the base of his skull. He flipped a switch on the side and a familiar mechanical whir sounded from inside the headset.

  He closed his eyes and rested in bed, as the countdown began to initiate his connection to the online world. He exhaled slowly. The login countdown was almost a part of him, like brushing his teeth or unlocking a door. He subconsciously counted down in his head, and the moment he reached zero, his senses faded.

  -

  The world of Sigil Online embraced him. When his eyes opened, he found himself within his in-game apartment, a meagerly furnished room within a concrete bunker.

  He was lying on a bed that was nicer than the one he had in the real world. But in the game, his bed counted towards his 'apartment furnishings' and helped his character by giving him a 'rested buff,' which helped his stats throughout the day.

  His attire hadn't changed much since he took on this virtual persona. He wore a pair of dark brown denim pants and a brown leather jacket. He had on a light gray T-shirt beneath.

  -

  Relinquisher

  Level: 70

  Tier: Two

  Status: Healthy

  Hit points: 100%

  Buffs: ‘Well Rested’ / Debuffs:

  Stats:

  Power: 15

  Constitution: 25

  Toughness: 25

  Mind: 10

  Stamina: 20

  Dexterity: 26

  Luck: 5

  -

  When he made this character months ago, he'd gone by his real name, 'Riley,' up until he'd acquired his sigil and became a paragon. Now, he was called Relinquisher. Some people called him 'Reli' for short. But the friends he'd made before he became a paragon still called him Riley. It made things somewhat confusing, but luckily the names were similar, so people tended to figure out what was going on. He wasn't sure why no one ever called him by his full paragon name. Perhaps it was too much to say?

  He pulled himself out of bed and immediately went for the door. He hadn't put much money in increasing his apartment's furnishings. His money was better spent on gear and items. Furnishing your apartment was something that crafters or rich players usually did.

  He left his room and went into the hall. He stepped quickly, but was in no particular hurry. He was by no means 'late' to the meeting, but he doubted he'd be the first one there.

  He got to the stairwell and ascended it swiftly. When he got to the top, he opened a door and entered the main room of Bunker 7. There was a bar counter, plenty of drinks, couches, a lounge area, tables, booths, and a number of televisions. Most of the TVs were set to some news station or web-channel, talking about Sigil Online in some fashion or another. With the release of the latest expansion, there was even more buzz on the many stations and streamers that spoke about the game.

  Riley stopped several feet into the room. He slowly scanned the area. The televisions were on, the music was playing. But for the first time in the history of playing Sigil Online, he didn't see anyone around. Not Marcella, or any of the other workers that staffed the bunker. It was dead, lifeless.

  He looked over to the table that he and his soon-to-be guildmates were usually seated around. There were a few glasses and mugs set on the wooden tabletop, but that was it.

  Riley directed his attention on the televisions as he headed over to the set of heavy double doors. None of the televisions were showing anything particularly interesting. Nothing that would warrant the bunker being empty. Maybe something was going on outside?

  Riley reached the doors and pushed the right side open.

  The moment he did, a cacophony of sounds assaulted him.

  "There's more coming from the left!" someone shouted.

  "I didn't know so many NPCs were in the entire city!" came another.

  "Where are they all coming from? This is crazy!" came another voice, but this one Riley recognized. It was Seth. He was one of the first friends he'd made after he'd lost his last character.

  Riley looked around as the telltale sound of shotgun bursts assaulted his ears, coming from the far right.

  The scene before him was utter chaos. There were several dozen people clustered around the street near the entrance to Bunker 7. But coming from both sides of the street, and pouring out of alleyways, were hundreds of figures. They looked like ordinary people, just like those around him, but with less flashy and eccentric clothing and features.

  Upon further inspection of his surroundings, Riley watched as his friends from Bunker 7 fought off the mass of bodies scrambling towards them.

  Riley's eyes widened further as he noticed that the bodies were sickly and pale. They weren't moving naturally. They were frantic and clawing. Some of them were missing limbs or chunks of skin.