Project Daily Grind (Mirror World Book #1) (18 page)

So what did we have? It would take the group another thirty minutes to get to the terminal. Give it five more minutes to declare their spoils. Then they’d walk out. The spiders would arrive. And then-

A message from Flint interrupted my calculations.

Olgerd, we’ve just seen Slayer going out past us. I think we know why you don’t answer.

The motherfucker must have cast a Gag on you!
Knuckles butted in.

I beg of you to hold on,
Sir Tristan added.
Please listen to us—or rather, read the messages. I know you can see them even though you can’t answer. Most likely, he cast one of those virtual curses on you. According to the instance map, you must still be at level 7. Which means you aren’t just gagged but also immobilized. In the worst-case scenario, the scoundrel cast a Ball and Chain on you which means you’re standing there unable to take a single step. The best-case scenario, however, could be one of the minor curses that block the instance’s exits. I’m going to pre-empt your question as I know you can’t ask it yourself. Judging by your references to online games, you’re apparently not familiar with combat tactics. Here in Mirror World, they’re basically the same as in all other game worlds. You must know then that all monsters possess a quality commonly known as aggression...

He means aggro,
Flint butted in.

Exactly. This is a particular mob’s radius of vision. In your case, it’s spiders’. If he cast a Ball and Chain on you and if you’re located at the center of the hall, this is very bad news. Very. The moment the monsters arrive, they’ll attack you. As long as a group member is engaged in combat, Flint as the group’s leader can’t disband it. But if you’re only denied exit from the location—as we all hope you are—you need to find the most inconspicuous cranny in the whole location and keep quiet. In that case there’s some chance they might not notice you at all.

Hold on man, we’re gonna get you out!
Sprat assured me.

Even if we dump the haul! 
Knuckles promised.

Oh no. Anything but that. All that work! My mind was screaming as I desperately tried to find a safe spot in the cave.

As if listening in to my thoughts, Sir Tristan added,

Please don’t worry. I’m sure it won’t come to that. We’ve doubled up speed so we might gain about ten minutes. I’m pretty sure you’ll come out unscathed.

I could sense he was struggling to add,
provided you’re not under Ball and Chain
. I couldn’t suppress a nervous grin. Wasn’t I the lucky one?

As far as this shameful incident is concerned
, Sir Tristan went on,
we’re going to file a collective complaint. Both with the admins and with our employer.

I’m fed up with his little skunk and his pranks!
Sprat vented his indignation.
About time I look for a new job.

Me too,
Knuckles added.

So we’ll just quit, all of us,
Flint summed up.
A group of Seasoned Diggers is always welcome. Fuck Shantarsky.

I’m more than sure that our collective complaint will give us enough ground to cancel our employment agreement,
Sir Tristan informed us.
I suppose, quite a few other players in this cluster will follow suit. Many of them have a bone to pick with Shantarsky Jr.

Their support made me feel so good. These were guys you could follow through hell and high water.

Their idea made sense. Why not? I’d been thinking about quitting too, hadn’t I? In any case, I couldn’t stay in this cluster for much longer. And now I had a perfect official excuse. I wouldn’t be quitting on my own even but as part of a top group. Stupid as it might sound in my situation, whatever happened would be for the best. My cheat ability wasn’t exactly welcome here.

Wait! A cheat ability? Of course! My Shrewd Operator! Why hadn’t I thought about it earlier!

I grabbed my pick and ran toward the trolley, pulling a Stamina stone out of my pocket as I ran. Now was the time to use it!

You’ve used a magic stone of Stamina.

Effect: +3 to Energy every 40 sec.

Duration: 30 min

Excellent. I screeched to a halt next to the trolley and hurried to change the bot’s settings to Speed Mode. Off we go!

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal

My idea was simple. The same thing that I’d been trying so desperately to avoid could now save me. If I leveled up now, I’d be thrown out of the instance. By then the guys would have their haul safely in the terminal. Counting on the mobs not noticing me wasn’t a particularly smart idea.

Okay, so I’ll blow my secret, big deal. I was going to quit anyway.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal

Fifteen minutes had elapsed. I gulped an elixir. The bot was taking one hell of a lot of energy. Never mind. A couple of days in bed, that’s all.

We’ve reached level 2!
Flint reported.

Hold on, man,
Knuckles added.

I chuckled nervously. All that time I’d been trying not to get a new level—and now my counter seemed to have frozen.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

Your tool slipped as you picked at the slab of dark rock.

You’ve received a resource: Twilight Crystal.

This was our twentieth. What a shame. It felt weird: I was about to face murderous monsters capable of ripping me to shreds, and I was mourning the loss of some stupid stones.

I wondered whether they were indeed going to rip me to shreds or whether they would choose some different kind of torture.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

Your tool slipped as you picked at the slab of dark rock.

You’ve received a resource: Twilight Crystal.

You’ve received +1 to your skill.

Yes! Got it. Just one more level, then I’d be free!

I gulped yet another elixir. The trolley was heaped with stones. I ran toward the next one.

Never mind! We’ll make it!

The bones of my long dead fellow Ennans crunched underfoot. I understood of course that this was the work of my imagination, nothing else. Everything around me was naught but designer stage settings. They just looked so impossibly real.

My mind must have kept immersing deeper and deeper into the virtual world. Another year, and I might end up like one of those Specters. And it was pretty clear to me now that I was stuck here for quite a while. Getting the loan was one thing. Now I had to pay it back. Which might take years—decades.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

I didn’t hear the other guys anymore. What were they up to? I was beginning to miss Sir Tristan’s preaching.

Five minutes until the spiders respawned. Where the hell were they? I cast a scared glance around me. By my calculations, they must have already declared their spoils about five minutes ago. I swallowed another elixir. The bot kept crashing through the rock, quickly and efficiently.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

Your tool slipped as you picked at the slab of dark rock.

You’ve received a resource: Twilight Crystal.

Fuck the crystals! I’d stopped counting them a long time ago. A sense of doom washed over me. The guys must have had a problem. What a shame I couldn’t even open the map. That way I might at least see where they were. It was high time they rescued me.

Grinning sarcastically, I looked over the loaded trolleys. What a waste. Only a few seconds left. I had to go look for cover. You never know, they might indeed not notice me.

Closer to the carved picture in the rock I noticed a small niche. Good place. A nice little deposit of crystals. I might keep hacking at them. You never know...

Sorry, guys. If you don’t answer, it can only mean you have problems because of me.

I darted for the niche. There! I made it. Slowly I reached into my bag.

You’ve used a magic stone of Stamina.

Effect: +3 to Energy every 40 sec.

Duration: 30 min

I froze.

Spiders began appearing. I clasped my pick handle. Holy mama mia, how many were they? Ten... eleven… exactly fifteen.

I took a closer look. All of them were the same race: Red Widow. All level 35.

Compared to their bellies, their heads were tiny. All had eight legs, sharp as spears. Their color was fiery red. I remembered reading somewhere that some spiders had excellent vision while others could detect sounds with the little hairs on their legs. Those game developers were full of sick ideas.

I could see fifteen of them, all staring at me. Where was their boss? She was probably lying in hiding, studying me.

I cast a look around. She was nowhere to be seen. The monsters were busy peacefully spinning cobwebs. Even from where I stood I could see that each thread was an arm’s width.

Now where was this lady lurking now? It didn’t really matter, did it? As long as she stayed there for as long as she could.

Ten minutes elapsed. I kept nice and quiet, trying not to breathe. This must have something to do with the fact that I was still in one piece. The spiders weren’t paying any attention to me. If it went like that, I could stay in my hidey hole until the cows came home.

Guys, where are you? Now was a perfect moment to disband the group and head home. But I had a funny feeling I wouldn’t forget this quiet evening in a hurry.

Having finished their work, the spiders hung motionlessly in their freshly-spun webs. I made a quick estimate. If I managed to get out of this particular cave, the remaining levels were bound to be easier. I had to wait till the curses wore off and then try to advance toward the exit. By then, the guys were bound to remember me. I still didn’t think they’d forgotten, though. Something must have happened—something quite serious, too.

Fifteen minutes elapsed. Everything remained the same. The eight-legged behemoths froze statue-like.

I was stiff all over. Strangely, my body felt real. Or was it my imagination playing up? The moment I’d thought that staying motionless for a couple of hours was a hard call, my brain must have reacted accordingly, sending my body an impulse to move.

Whatever the reason, it did feel real. My shoulders ached like hell.

No idea what could have triggered what happened next. It must have either been my attempts to move my stiff neck or my bad choice of a hiding place. In any case, I didn’t get the chance to contemplate: I beheld Steel Widow in all her awesome glory.

Chapter Eighteen

S
omething snapped within my chest.

The steel Leviathan moved unhurriedly towards me. If the other mobs looked like regular spiders the size of a family car, their Queen resembled a robot rather than an insect.

Her head and belly appeared to be armored. Her eight legs carried her enormous body across the ceiling with remarkable ease. Now I knew why all that time I hadn’t seen her. The wretched thing had been hanging right above me.

Now I was in trouble.

I had only one way out. I shifted the pick in my hand for a better grip.

I swung and hit the rock.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal

The Widow doubled her step.

I swung and hit the rock.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal

I kept watching her out of the corner of my eye as she was creeping sideways toward me. Only a dozen paces left between us.

I took a swing.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

Your tool slipped as you picked at the slab of dark rock.

You’ve received a resource: Twilight Crystal.

As if anyone needed them now!

I took a swing.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

The Widow stopped, tensing like a taut spring. I squeezed my eyes shut. My heart was pounding, about to explode. My hands shook. She was bound to lunge at me.

I took a swing.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

And again.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

Come on, you bitch! Don’t drag it out!

I swung and hit the rock.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

The Widow hadn’t lunged at me. She’d done it differently.

You’ve been attacked!

Your feet are bound with Venomous Cobwebs

Effect: -5 pt. Life every 25 sec

Duration: 30 min

Immediately my boots lost 5 pt. Durability. Dammit!

I swung and hit the rock.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

The monster withdrew—apparently waiting for me to pop my clogs. Oops, not really. She tensed again.

I swung and hit the rock.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

You’ve been attacked!

Your shoulders are bound with Venomous Cobwebs

Effect: -5 pt. Life every 25 sec

Duration: 30 min

Minus 7 Durability to my jacket. You bitch! That way I’d walk out of here naked!

You’ve been attacked!

Your hands are bound with Venomous Cobwebs

Effect: -5 pt. Life every 25 sec

Duration: 30 min

Bye, gloves. The sticky whitish threads now entwined most of my body. A few more attacks like these, and I’d look like a friggin’ Egyptian mummy.

I took a swing.

My bag was almost full.

The Widow looked puzzled. She crept closer but she didn’t attack me again quite yet. She was watching me. How I understood her! All that effort on her part had done zilch damage to me, only to my gear. Or had it?

I took a swing.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

Come on now! Was my Shrewd Operator asleep or something?

I took a swing.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

Your tool slipped as you picked at the slab of dark rock.

You’ve received a resource: Twilight Crystal.

What was I supposed to do with their stupid crystals?

The Widow shifted her position. Still, she seemed reluctant to approach me. Or was this her normal behavior? The other spiders positioned themselves next to the exit. Apparently, they were supposed to attack an entering group
en masse
while the Widow sat coyly in one corner throwing Venomous Cobwebs over any newcomers. That was the most realistic scenario.

I swung but failed to hit the rock.

You’ve been attacked!

Your feet have been burned with Toxic Saliva

Effect: -2 pt. Energy every 50 sec

Duration: 30 min

You’ve received Burns to both feet.

Effect: -15 pt. Life every 40 sec

So that’s her new tactic, then. My feet felt on fire. I’d once experienced something similar when I’d scalded my hand. Oh, bummer. I shouldn’t have thought about it.

You’ve been attacked!

Your hands have been burned with Toxic Saliva

Effect: -2 pt. Energy every 50 sec

Duration: 30 min

You’ve received Burns to both hands.

Effect: -15 pt. Life every 40 sec

Both my boots and my gloves lost a few more Durability points and were automatically moved into my bag. According to the rules, any injury prevented the use of clothes or armor. Luckily, the rule didn’t apply to weapons and tools.

The game developers had it all covered. An injured player offered work to several professions. A healer would have to heal him or her, an alchemist would have to make a necessary potion while an herbalist would have to find an herb suitable for healing. There had to be even more links to this moneymaking chain. But at least in this particular case, they could forget sponging off me. The moment I left the instance, all the negative effects I’d received were bound to wear off. I remembered it well from the guide book.

My stats kept dwindling. I was overcome by fatigue—and pain, an unbearable and supposedly never-ending agony burning through me.

Dammit! I had very few crystals left in this particular spot. If I tried to move to the next deposit, I could trigger the other spiders.

I took a swing.

A few minutes ago, I’d poured the contents of my bag onto the floor, emptying it completely. A few of the Venomous Cobwebs had already landed on the bag. It wouldn’t survive another attack. In that case, I’d have to bolt for the trolley standing by the opposite wall.

You’ve been attacked!

Your chest has been burned with Toxic Saliva

Effect: -2 pt. Energy every 50 sec

Duration: 30 min

You’ve received a Burn to your chest.

Effect: -15 pt. Life every 40 sec

That was it. My bag was gone. I watched miserably as it crumbled to dust. The gloves and the boots dropped to the ground. My injuries didn’t allow me to put them on.

I used another Stamina stone and downed another elixir. I had only one left now. I heaved a sigh. Now I had to make a dash for the trolley.

I looked up. My torturess wasn’t in a hurry. She seemed to be watching me with curiosity.

All right. I took in a deep breath, let the air out, then darted.

Darted
probably wasn’t the right word.
Hobbled
was more like it. Stooped like an old man, I limped toward the trolley—my last chance and my saving grace as I thought—struggling to overcome the agonizing pain and losing precious Energy points.

Come on now! I was almost there! I ran around a particularly large heap of bones, steel and cobwebs: the ancient arena of a major battle. What was I saying? This was only stage scenery! This was a game, dammit! But why oh why did it hurt so much?

I glanced up at the rock ceiling. The Widow followed me closely. You bitch!

I stepped it up. Faster! Faster! Move it!

My haste played a bad trick on me. I stumbled over a skeleton and collapsed to the floor right in the middle of the room. The deafening clangor of deformed suits of armor echoed off the walls. Someone’s radio helmet rattled across the floor like an old tin bucket. Like a child, I squeezed my eyes shut and shrank my head into my shoulders.

The wretched piece of metal seemed to rattle forever. But I was still in one piece. The helmet rolled in between some rocks and came to a halt. Silence hung in the cave.

I glanced up. The Widow was right there, tensed and ready to spit at me again. I had to be quick.

Gingerly I raised my head. The spiders hung motionlessly in their cobwebs. That was good. That was very good! That was exactly what we needed.

I scrambled to my feet, trying not to stumble against any of the steel junk lying around. The trolley was about twenty paces away. Never mind. I’d make it. Come what may!

My chest was heavy. I was dangerously low on oxygen. No wonder. My Energy levels were dropping fast. The Stamina stone couldn’t handle all the numerous poisons the wretched Widow had cast on me. I gulped down my last elixir. That was a bit better.

I went for it. I’d never forget those last twenty paces.

Gasping, I took a swing with my pick.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

Come on, Operator, man! Do it!

I swung and hit the rock.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

Come on, bro!

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

Come on, you bastard!

You’ve been attacked!

Your back has been bound with Venomous Cobwebs

Effect: -5 pt. Life every 25 sec

Duration: 30 min

Yeah, yeah. Sorry, spider lady, but you’re wrong. Your cobwebs can’t stop me anymore. Shame about the jacket. But I was long past caring about such details.

The trolley began filling with crystals. The Widow hurled a few more cobwebs at me. Then she quieted down—probably waiting for me to pop my clogs. You preprogrammed bitch!

I swung and hit the rock.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

I couldn’t do it for much longer. This nightmare seemed to never end. My movements slowed down. I’d never felt so bad in my life. I didn’t even want to think about the consequences. All I wanted was to get out of this cave. The pain was mind-boggling. Bright circles span before my eyes. My hands were shaking. My legs felt leaden. I was on the brink of fainting. I stubbornly shook my head and took another swing.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

A few more swings, and I was going to die right there. That was it. I closed my eyes and drew in a strained breath. I swung.

You’ve received a resource: Gray Crystal.

I glanced at my torturess. I didn’t care anymore.

Wait a sec. What was that? Something was wrong. Something was going on. Until that moment, the Widow had been sitting still after her last cobweb attack. But I’d never seen anything like what was happening to her now. Her gigantic steel body was vibrating silently—no, not silently. I could hear the sound it made: disgusting and barely audible, as if someone was rubbing two pieces of foam plastic together.

My body hair stood on end.

What happened next was something I must have subconsciously feared all along. I heard a similar sound coming from the entrance, only louder—more aggressive. And it was louder for a reason. This unbearable rustle consisted of many separate sounds.

I turned round, already knowing what I was going to see. I was right. The Widow must have got tired of watching me, so she’d called her little helpers. All fifteen spiders were slowly climbing down their webs.

I watched helplessly as the giant spiders approached, moving faster and faster. That was it. End of game for me. With a strange clarity I thought that it might have been better for me to receive a few lashes of Slayer’s whip. It wouldn’t have been as bad.

Oh, no. I wasn’t going to give up that easily. I got a better grip on my pick and struggled to take a swing. And another. And again. My Energy was at zero. Three spiders had already lunged at me, about to stab me with their sharp spearlike legs. I might have time for just one more stone.