Chapter Forty-Seven: A Red Dawn Rises
Some time later, Don was still tracking down the elusive dark, evil mage and NPCs still followed him like a loyal reincarnating dog. Every time an NPC died helping him in a fight, before too long another would show up and follow Don's wizard. Sometimes it was a city guard, sometimes a soldier or mercenary, and once it was even a bandit who'd apparently experienced a radical change of heart. Either the game has a companionship feature that's not quite finished, or this is a glitch. Don was leaning toward "glitch," especially since the NPC's dialogue seemed to be messed up: the "bodyguard" said things that didn't necessarily match the occasion over and over.
"Do not seek death," advised a huge mercenary "bodyguard" multiple times, especially when Don started heading for a fight. "Keep your wits about you."
When the NPC arrived in soldier form, he insisted that "together we are stronger."
And of course, the city guard seemed especially broken, since he announced "a red dawn rises" fairly often, at any time of the day-night cycle.
It's annoying, but kinda nice too. I haven't died this whole game, since the bodyguard always launches himself out in front of me if my health gets too low in a fight. And he helps with small enemies and never takes any loot. The bodyguard even seemed to try to point out especially good loot, if Don missed any after a battle, by pacing around a fallen foe and saying something to get his attention, even if it didn't precisely make sense, such as "look to the skies!"
Maybe, Don eventually surmised, jogging through a flowery field, there's a clever AI controlling this NPC, and it's doing its best to convey ideas given the limited number of lines each NPC has. It definitely seems smarter than the average NPC; it almost never gets in my way or gets stuck on bushes or anything.
But of course, Don's mental energies had to focus mainly on his quest, enemies, side quests, item and inventory management, learning new skills, and so on, rather than his odd assistant. And of course, he hadn't entirely forgotten the story's prologue where his character had accidentally been triple-healed by a dragon, a unicorn, and the moon itself. Nothing came of the prediction that he would "wield great power" until one night when chattering, sharp-toothed gremlins ambushed him in a forest clearing. The moon slid out from behind a cloud, beamed down on him like a spotlight, and out through his wizard's staff in a concentrated beam of light energy. The gremlins shrieked and died.
Don spun in a circle to blast them all to smithereens, grinning.
Whoa! Don raised his staff to avoid hitting his bodyguard, who had been sprinting to catch up. This is great! Turns out I have moon power—cool! The moon vanished as quickly as it had come, taking Don's newfound power with it, but only one gremlin remained. Oh. Well, it's short-lived, but that's still pretty overpowered.
The NPC swung his sword and finished it off without even looking at it. He jogged a few steps toward Don, stepped backward, and then forward again. He sheathed his sword. "A fair wind is blowing," he finally said.
"Yeah,"Don agreed aloud, speaking his first words in several hours. "I'm pretty astonished too, NPC."
After half a second, the guard said, "What's that noise?"
Don frowned. "What noise?" He scanned the clearing for more enemies, but saw none.
The guard took another step toward him. "A red dawn rises."
Don rolled his eyes. I guess it was nothing—just another glitch. "Yeah, yeah, I know, your favorite line of poetry. Let's keep going. We're almost to Amaloor City."
"Yes, indeed, my lord." Does this AI have some sort of audio sensor?
The pair continued their journey.
From then on, Don discovered that although he could see better during the day, his character was strongest at night under clear skies. Heh. Fitting, since my brothers and I are deadliest at night. He quickly learned to gauge the clouds before heading for a battle, and better learned to control his power. His bodyguard quickly learned to hit the deck or duck behind a tree; Don tried to avoid friendly fire, but it was tricky when enemies surrounded both of them.
A few quests and towns later, while pausing at a magic pool, he learned that his formerly brown hair had turned pure white. Huh. That's a cool look, I guess. As long as it didn't change my eye color.
His superhero power had arrived just in time: the dark mage-according to the rumors and the increasing numbers of grayclaws, goblins, and other enemies Don and his bodyguard were working through-had stolen some magical artifact that allowed him to conjure an army out of forest animals. Even insects, apparently, could be turned into small but numerous, mindless foes. Poor innocent forest animals. And poor me, having to kill all these monsters. At least it looks like I'm almost to the bad guy's hideout, if he doesn't slip away again.
But even as Don learned and upgraded his moon power, he grew to depend on his NPC bodyguard more: the reliable bodyguard had become a comforting presence at his back as well as a useful meat shield when necessary. In fact, Don missed the companionship and combat support so much that when the NPC died during an attempt to sneak into a grayclaw camp deep in misty woods, Don travelled all the way back to the most recent town to recruit a replacement. Sure enough, as soon as he was near enough for the guards on the wall to spawn in, one of them turned and sprinted down the stairs and out the gate to join him. The second time, Don chose a more cautious, stealthy path into the grayclaw camp, and, with the guard's help, won the battle.
Soon afterward, Don found himself paused just outside the cavern fortress said to be serving as the dark mage's hideout, checking his gear and sorting his hoarded inventory. Seventy-two health potions… hopefully that's enough for the boss battle, whether it's the mage himself, or he sends a troll at me or something. I've been saving them up.
This done, he nodded to himself and crouch-walked into the caves, starting the quest.
He and his surprisingly stealthy bodyguard worked their way through goblin scouts and clusters of grayclaws, always making sure none escaped each individual fight to warn others. Don looted chests while his bodyguard stood watch. Don's character was already independently wealthy, but he could not leave a chest or interactable shelf unchecked.
Finally, they crept into a vaulted, spacious, ominously dark cavern. Uh oh. This feels like a boss fight arena.
With a snap of fingers, torches all around the cavern burst into flame. Great stone doors rumbled shut behind and ahead of him. Don wheeled and located the mage—a tall figure in black-and-green robes, face hidden under a hood, green eyes glowing—standing on a ledge above him. A darkened tunnel behind the foe provided a possible escape route. I sure hope he's not going to flee down that.
"So," the dark mage said, "finally we meet face to face, wizard."
His voice seems… familiar. Where have I heard his voice before?
"My face shall be the last thing you ever see, evil one!" Don's character cried, without his permission. Oof. That's a bit cheesy. But still, epic.
"Enough talk!" The mage snarled. "It is time you witnessed true power!" His hands emerged from his robes; green magic began to swirl around them, growing and crackling with energy.
Sacrificing a few precious seconds, Don glanced up at the distant ceiling and was delighted to discover a small hole in the rock to the surface above. If the moon emerges, I'll have a short burst of moon power. I'll have to be standing in just the right spot at just the right time, though.
"Behold! All the depths of dark magic are subservient to me, the High Ghamyronis!"
Ghamyronis? Don snorted to himself even as he sprinted and rolled out of the way of one green orb hurtling his way, and then the other. Surely they could've done better than that.
The moon did not choose to show itself, and the bodyguard's sword and shield could do little against a ranged foe, so Don had to concentrate on this difficult boss fight. The mage conjured green orbs, enchanted arrows that would poison and slow him, bolts of green lightning, and occasionally throw an explosive bomb down that would burst into bright flames and send out a miniature earthquake that would knock Don off his feet if he was too close. Meanwhile, the mage shouted occasional taunts. Don wondered again where he'd heard that voice actor before.
Don dodged, shielded, rolled, and evaded. He sent his own magical bolts of fire, ice, or purple energy streaking up to the mage. He even managed to shoot a few enchanted arrows of his own from his High Bow of the Wolf Hunter, but the mage could sometimes bounce them back his way with a shimmering forcefield.
After chipping away at the mage's giant health bar for quite some time and consuming an inordinate number of health and "savagery" potions, Don finally managed to get the mage down to one-third health.
The mage screamed with rage, green lightning crackling over his black robes.
Time for a different phase? Different attack patterns?
"A red dawn—A red dawn—A fair wind is blowing," His bodyguard said.
What? He's stuttering now? Don turned. Is he trying to say something?
The bodyguard, sword out, stared up at the ceiling.
Don looked and sprinted to the center of the cave, under the opening.
Pure white moonlight poured through the hole.
Don blasted the mage with his moon power; the mage screamed.
When the moon and his power vanished, the mage stood hunched over, panting theatrically.
"You will regret your deeds of this day," he said. Only a sliver remained in the red health bar over his head. "You will rue the day you tried and failed to defeat me, for I cannot be defeated! I will conquer this world by my great might!"
Where have I heard this voice actor before? Was he in some other game I've played?
With a crackle of green magic, the dark mage turned and vanished down the tunnel behind him.
Nuts! Don looked for a way up to the ledge to give chase, but of course there was nothing.
An evil laugh echoed out of the tunnel. "I look forward to our rendezvous, wizard. I look forward to your destruction. For I am the High Ghamyronis."
The stone doors at either end of the cavern rumbled open, releasing Don and his bodyguard from the boss arena, but Don remained frozen in place.
That voice… I don't know it from a game. I know it from real life. Recently. What voice did I hear recently…?
"The High Ghamyronis…" he murmured aloud. "The High Gahmer… The Gahm—" Don's jaw fell open. "The Gamer!"
Shell! If the Gamer voiced the bad guy in this computer game…
The city guard NPC had jogged over. "Yes, indeed, my lord," he said. "Yes, indeed—Yes, indeed."
More stuttering? Don stared at him. If I'm playing a game that the Gamer had a hand in, is this really a game? Or is this something more?
"Who are you?" Don said aloud to the NPC. "Are you controlled by an AI?"
The guard paused for a long moment, as if searching through possible lines to reply. "No, my liege. No—" he cut off sharply, as if the recording of his voice line had been paused. He took a step forward. "A red dawn rises. A red dawn—Dawn—Dawn—Dawn." Not helpful, dude. He took a step backward, crouched, and stood again. "Ah, traveler, the city guards are like brothers. Harm one of us, and you harm all of us." He paused. "—Like brothers. Har—Brothers."
Don's brain fired like an overheating engine. So… I'm in a game run by the Gamer, but this NPC that's been following me around for ages is one of my brothers? What is—how did this happen?
"Leo?" Don finally said aloud. His heart pounded in his chest. "Can you hear me? Raph? Mikey?"
The guard looked up and down rapidly. He's… nodding? Nodding. "Yes, indeed—"
"You can hear me," Don repeated, dazed. "But I can't hear you."
The guard—one of his brothers—nodded again. The crazed head-swinging would've been hilarious in different circumstances. Which one? Well, logic says it must be—
"Leo?"
The guard nodded. "Yes, indeed—"
"Leo… I'm in a game run by the Gamer?"
Leo nodded.
Panic made his breathing accelerate and his fingers clammy. Shell. This isn't just a game—it's a trap. This whole thing was a trap. With the Gamer, there must be some high stakes somehow... I don't know what, but it must be bad. How did I get into this? I don't remember. How do I get out of this? Wait… Leo…
"Leo! Are you in danger?"
Leo swung his blank-faced character's head from side to side. "No, my liege."
"Mikey and Raph?"
"No, my liege."
"Then…" What did the Gamer do this time?
"Dawn—Dawn."
"Would you quit saying that?" Don snapped. "It's not helping me think!"
Leo stepped closer. "A red dawn rises. A red dawn—Dawn. Don."
Don's mouth dropped open a second time. "You haven't been glitching… you've been trying to say my name this whole time!"
Leo nodded. "Yes, indeed, my lord."
"And…" Realization suddenly fell over him like an ice-cold blanket. "…I'm the one in danger."
"Yes, indeed, my lord."
Shell!
Don frantically looked for a menu to leave the game, but of course, there wasn't any.
