James smacked his head on a large rock as he fell out of the doorway, which slammed shut behind him. His friends looked down at him, extremely confused about what he just did. He moaned in annoyance as he rose to his feet.
“That could have gone better,” he muttered.
“What did you think was going to happen?” Amelia asked.
“I don’t know, I thought we’d start falling through the sky or fall onto a field of grass or something, and I’d come out of this looking super cool. Didn’t think we’d be...wherever this is. You could have caught me at least.”
“Give us some notice next time.”
James looked around to see they were in a long tunnel of some kind. The air was boiling hot, especially under his massive armour, and it would have been completely dark if it wasn’t for the fiery light. Grey walked over to one of the glowing rocks and examined it.
“Magma,” they said. “We must be in a volcano or something.”
“Everyone get behind me.” James said, moving forward. “I’m the tank here, I can protect you guys.”
“Like hell you will.” Amelia said, casually strolling past him with one hand on the massive sword over her shoulder “Anything comes our way, I’ll smash it to pieces.”
“That works too. Let’s get moving.”
The tunnel was surprisingly short, leading into a small circular room. Patrick raised an eyebrow.
“Well, this doesn’t look like a room that would contain an enem-“
As he said the words, a giant spider fell from the ceiling, landing a centimetre away from Amelia. The entire party drew their weapons. Patrick sighed.
“Wow, I’m so surprised.”
Brutal Arachnid
Level 1
200/200 HP
“Let’s see what it’s like to hit things in this game,” Amelia smirked. She ran forward and slashed her sword upward, soaring into the air high above the spider.
Saber Skill
Rising Slash
A slash that ascends into the heavens.
Deals 2*STR Damage. Height gained based on DEX.
20 second cooldown
----
Brutal Arachnid
170/200 HP
Now targeting GlassAngel
Amelia smiled as she spun around, her feet planted on the cavern’s ceiling, before flying back towards the monster at high speed, slashing it across the head.
Brutal Arachnid
155/200 HP
“So that’s the difference between a skill and a standard attack?” Patrick wondered. “Skills activated when you perform specific movements, and everything else, no matter how fancy, is weak in comparison.”
“Yes, and if you bothered to play any VR games, you’d know that,” Grey replied, watching as Amelia cartwheeled back and landed in front of them, her massive sword slung over her shoulder.
“I like this thing,” she said. “Got a good weight and power to it.” She turned to the rest of the party “Any of you guys want to help? This game is built around parties after all.”
The spider lifted its leg and took a swipe at Amelia, who was so busy talking she didn’t see it coming. Luckily, James stood in the way and raised his shield. The attack struck, and although both of them were thrown back, the damage was reduced.
Guardian Trait
Shield
Leap forward to defend your friends.
Take half damage for another party member.
10 second cooldown
----
Cieth
175/200 HP
Patrick smirked. “You’re open!”
He swung his hand like he was throwing a ball and a bolt of fire flew out of his hand, striking the monster dead in the face.
Sage Skill
Firebolt
Strike the enemy with deadly flames
Deals 3*STR Damage. Uses 20 Mana.
10 second cooldown
----
Brutal Arachnid
125/200 HP
----
Sage Trait
Mana
Draw power from the magic enveloping Sable.
The Sage’s abilities expend Mana. Maximum mana determined by 10*SPL. 5 mana is gained per auto attack. Fully refilled upon visit to an inn.
----
Trident743
80/100 Mana remaining
“Keep it up!” Grey shouted. They held up their hand and a stream of gold light twisted through the air before striking James in the back, enveloping him in light.
Cleric Trait
Heal Beam:
Convert the will of Sable into rejuvenating light.
A sustained beam of healing, drawn from a Healing Pool. Maximum HP in Healing Pool determined by 20*SPL. Heals at a rate of 2 HP per second. Fully refilled upon visit to an inn.
Amelia and James jumped to their feet as James’ HP kept rising.
“Leave some for us!” Amelia shouted, running past the Cleric and the Guardian. The spider reeled back from the firebolt to the face, and Amelia swiped at the creature. James rushed forward as well, swiping up and striking the monster in tandem. As they did so, an energy bolt flew out of Patrick’s hand and put a hole in its leg.
Brutal Arachnid
100/200
----
Trident743
85/100 Mana
----
Cieth
200/200 HP
----
Skibabylon
Healing Pool
175/200 HP
After James swung upwards, he followed up by smashing the sword onto the ground, creating a shockwave that radiated outwards
Guardian Skill
Crash Blade
A powerful shockwave loud enough to divert enemy focus.
AoE attack that deals damage equal to 3*STR gains a boost in aggro equal to ? SPL.
20 second cooldown
----
Brutal Arachnid
85/200
Now targeting Cieth
“Wait, only 15 damage?” James complained, “You guys do that just by hitting them! And I have a twenty second cooldown on that?”
“And I want a massive healthpool, but we can’t have it all,” Grey replied. They raised their hand, and red light streamed from the spider to their hand.
Cleric Skill
Draw Pain:
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
You can bestow people with lifeforce, and you can take it too.
Deal damage equal to 2*STR, and restore your Healing Pool by 2*SPL.
20 second cooldown.
----
Brutal Arachnid
75/200
----
Skibabylon
Healing Pool
195/200 HP
The spider staggered around, reeling from constant attacks. Patrick growled as he hurled another fireball. “I want this tutorial to be over already.”
Trident743
Firebolt
----
Trident743
65/100 Mana remaining
----
Brutal Arachnid
45/200
“I fully agree," Amelia replied, "I want something that fights back already. Then James and Grey will have it out in some actual effort. Let’s do this!”
She rushed towards the spider and slashed up into the air once more. As she did so she cartwheeled in mid-air and fell down, striking the spider in the back with her blade
GlassAngel
Rising Slash
----
CHAIN
Saber Skill
Piercing Blow
Stab right through the enemy’s defences and pierce their very soul
Deal 3*STR damage, ignoring DEF or the effects of Shield
30 second cooldown.
----
Brutal Arachnid
0/200 HP
----
Encounter complete!
All party members gained 75XP
All party members gained 300 Gold
Amelia climbed off the corpse of the monster. “What do you guys think of this game so far?”
“Hard to say from out first fight,” Patrick replied. He was randomly waving his hand in the air, wondering if another spell would come out. “They definitely got throwing magic right. Those fireballs really do have impact.”
“I don’t think me and James learnt a whole lot from that fight,” Grey admitted. “Tutorial or not, I would have preferred it to fight back.”
“Is there a way to turn all this text off?” Amelia asked. “Kinda distracting.”
“Guys, be quiet,” James said, putting his fingers to his lips. The party went silent and they listened, and quickly they could hear what James could: clicking. They all looked up to see a small horde of spiders clambering down the walls, their eyes glancing between their fallen brother and the invaders that had killed them. Rocks fell from the wall as they clambered downwards, and a large chunk of the cavern wall collapsed, revealing a tunnel onwards.
“I’m sure they’re going to start fighting back soon enough,” James shouted. “Run!”
The party rushed into the tunnel as fast as they could, James bringing up the rear to protect themselves from the small horde of spiders clambering after them. They twisted and turned as the light of the lava faded away, leaving only the glowing red eyes of their hunters to light the way. One of the monsters leapt forwards, but James stabbed it in the eye, forcing it back and slowing the tide.
Brutal Arachnid 8
195/200 HP
“That’s the eighth one?!” Patrick shouted from in front of James, “This isn’t how difficulty curves work!”
“Guys, we’re running out of tunnel!” Grey shouted from in front of Patrick. Amelia smiled, as she rushed forward and slashed through the rock, and light rushed back as they entered the core of the volcano.
A rocky path spiraled around the side of the volcano, leading up to a bright light at the top. The light was bright enough to pierce through the ash that covered the air, making it harder to breathe. Various spiders were crawling along the side, and some of them were blocking the path in front of them, although they were a little smaller in size.
Aggressive Arachnid
Level 1
45/45 HP
“Those look like the weaker ones,” Grey shouted. “Patrick, Amelia, take them out!”
“As you command,” Amelia shouted. She jumped into the air and proceeded to bring her sword down onto the spider’s head.
GlassAngel
Piercing Blow
----
Aggressive Arachnid 1
0/45
“Good thing these go down faster,” Amelia commented. The spiders behind them clambered out of the small tunnel and started to spill out, climbing up to higher ground. More of the smaller spiders crawled their way but were quickly cut down by the two offensive players guiding the party forward. A massive spider leapt up from behind, nearly squashing Grey, but James leapt in between them, batting the monster away with his shield, sending them hurtling into the lava below even as it smashed its leg into James' side.
Cieth
Shield
175/200 HP
----
Brutal Arachnid 12
0/200 HP
Grey gave a nod of appreciation as James landed on his feet and kept running. As this finished, Amelia was busy cutting down another spider.
GlassAngel
Rising Slash
----
Aggressive Arachnid 3
15/45
Patrick followed up with a bolt of flame.
Trident743
Firebolt
----
Aggressive Arachnid 1
0/45
----
Trident743
45/100 Mana remaining
“I’m out of skills!” Amelia shouted.
“And I’m running low on mana,” Patrick added. “You guys had better start pulling your weight.”
“I’m trying to keep back a horde of giant spiders!” James shouted, stabbing another spider in the eye “You guys are gonna have to deal with the small fry.”
Brutal Arachnid 8
190/200 HP
“Sorry, I didn’t realise you were the same guy,” James apologised to the reeling spider. It responded by firing webbing at James, sticking him to the ground.
Cieth
155/200 HP
----
Status Effect
Stunned
Unable to take actions
The rest of the party skidded to a halt as they saw the horde of spiders lunge towards their friend. As they did so, Patrick stepped forward and swung his hands wide, and a storm of daggers flew out towards the oncoming tide. They spun in mid-air around James, slashing through the webs holding him down as they embedded themselves into the flesh of any monsters that jumped on him.
Sage Skill
Dancing Daggers
Cover an area with daggers that fight on their own.
For 20 seconds, create a 20 Unit circular area that deals ?*STR damage to anyone within the area every 2 seconds. Uses 10 Mana.
40 second cooldown
----
Trident743
35/100 Mana remaining
----
Cieth
150/200 HP
Stunned Status Removed
----
Brutal Arachnids 3, 7, 12
195/200 HP
James ran away so he wouldn’t be stabbed again. “Thanks for the save.”
“Anytime,” Patrick said. Some of the more cowardly spiders stayed behind the wall of daggers, while others accepted the damage and charged through. The light was growing bigger by the second: they had almost reached the top of the volcano. However, the spider that had been stabbed by James multiple times scampered across the wall and stood between them. Amelia slid under the creature and ran her sword along its soft underbelly, while Patrick vaulted the creature and blasted it in the back with an energy bolt.
Brutal Arachnid 8
175/200 HP
----
Trident743
40/100 Mana remaining
The spider tried to bite James and Grey, but both of them dodged out of the way and ran past the creature, not even bothering with beating it up more. The smoke was getting thicker the closer they were getting to the top, yet somehow light pierced through.
“How bright must their sun be?” Patrick asked.
“That isn’t the sun,” Grey told him, “It’s a searchlight.”
As he said this, a flying boat flew into view, large enough to carry a party twice their size. One large propeller spun on the back, while ores protruded from the bottom, moving like they were swimming through water. Tubes with red liquid poked out of the hull at random intervals, all linking back to the engine behind the propeller. A man was piloting the boat from a classic ship's wheel, wearing a gas mask and goggles to protect him from the smoke, and as soon as he saw the party, he slowed the ship down to call out to them.
“Are you the heroes sent from another world?” The man in the airship asked.
“How many other people get stuck in spider volcanoes for you to ask that?” Patrick shouted back.
“Climb aboard, my good friends, and we can vacate this horrid place!” He turned the airship around and floated down to a point where the party could climb aboard. As he took off, the wave of spiders caught up to the party, the spider that had lost its eyes leaping after them but falling down the volcano as the airship ascended.
“Brace yourselves!” The aeronaut commanded. The party grabbed onto the various random pieces of machinery placed on the ship as it went hurtling through the ash cloud, the dust stinging their eyes. Then, after what felt like an eternity of bleakness, they broke through the dark clouds and away from the volcanoes.
Before them, they could see dawn rising across endless green fields. A few quaint villages dotted the landscape, but they were too high up to see if anyone was watching them. On the edge of the horizon, silhouetted by the sun, was a towering city, with spires as high as mountains. The party stood together, looking out across a sight they could never see in reality. The pilot joined them and smiled.
“Welcome, my good friends, to the world of Sable.”
Encounter Complete
All Party Members gain 100XP
All Party Members gain 300 Gold
Level Up!
All Party Members: Level 2
All Party Classes: Level 2
Cieth: +100 HP
Skibabylon: +5 DEF
GlassAngel: +5 STR
Trident743: +5 STR
The engine then proceeded to explode.
James Stats: Level: 2 HP: 250/300 STR: 5 DEF: 15 DEX: 5 SPL: 10 INT: 0
Grey stats: Level: 2 HP: 100/100 STR: 5 DEF: 10 DEX: 5 SPL: 10 INT: 0 Healing Pool: 195/200
Amelia Stats: Level: 2 HP: 150/150 STR: 20 DEF: 5 DEX: 5 SPL: 5 INT: 0
Patrick stats: Level: 2 HP: 100/100 STR: 15 DEF: 5 DEX: 10 SPL: 10 INT: 0 Mana: 65/100
