Soulstone: The Skeleton King: Soulstone, #2

1

H ow the fuck are we supposed to stop the Skeleton King? Two’ Manchu said, voice cracking as he tore his eyes from the fading visage of the skeleton head Gereng had summoned and turned to Crash. Please, please tell me you know.

Crash said something, but I didn’t hear him because I was too busy taking a step backward. Then I took another one. Then I spun on my heel and walked away. This was too much, too big. I wasn’t sure how we were supposed to stop an army of undead hellbent on razing the town, and if I was being totally honest, I wasn’t sure why we would bother. We were in the newbie area of the game and had yet to step into the outside game world. Why would we waste time and risk our lives on a battle like this? It didn’t make any sense, even if I ignored the fact that I was scared out of my gourd.

I swallowed hard, trying to quell the thumping of my heart in my chest, but with every step I took away from my friends and the crazy old mage, I grew more and more anxious. I didn’t remember anything about this Skeleton King, nor why he was going to assault the town. I didn’t know how to stop him, and if I was being really honest with myself, I was really scared.

I mean, what if I stayed here to help stop the Skeleton King’s siege of the town and died? For the Non Player Characters in the Town of Silver Gables? That was crazy. For one they weren’t even real, and for two it wouldn’t matter because they were all ones and zeros. Even my pet bunny rabbit George, while funny and awesome, was no more real than a Tamagotchi, albeit a very realistically rendered Tamagotchi.

No. For me and my friends, this was real. Okay, so they were mostly jerks, and they hadn’t really been my friends before we’d been stuck here together, a fact that didn’t help make their status as friends less questionable, I didn’t want them to die. Mostly, though? Mostly, I didn’t want to die.

I’d barely done anything in my stupid, pointless life. This Skeleton King seemed like he could not only wipe out the town but kill all of us as well. If that happened, because of the way my mind was hooked to this particular version of virtual reality, it’d turn my brain into raspberry jam.

I couldn’t risk it. Not even to help my friends. Sure, Two’ Manchu had been nice enough, but Dark Heart? She was the fucking reason I was trapped in this world trying to find the soul stones. Sure by finding the soul stones I’d stop the AI virus the Maelstrom and save the internet or whatever, but let’s be real here. If given the choice, I wouldn’t be here trying to do that because, at the end of the day, there were probably a billion other people better suited to be here than me. No, I just wanted to go home, but unfortunately, I couldn’t go home because of that whole brain in a box thing. The only way I’d get to go back to my life was by finding the soul stones and using them to win the game.

That was the problem. I had no idea if stopping the Skeleton King would help us find the soul stones. Sure, he might reward us with some good gear and what not, but a soul stone in the newbie area? That seemed unlikely at best. Besides, any gear we got here would likely be quickly rendered useless by leveling in the outside world. Not only did this entire quest seem like it would delay our finding of the soul stones, it seemed dangerous. At best.

No. The more likely scenario was that we’d die. And even if I was supposed to be expendable and here to do that, I didn’t feel expendable. I didn’t want to die and I wasn’t Jason fucking Stathem.

I was just Aaron Hope, college senior. I had a whole life back home, and I couldn’t, just couldn’t risk dying. There was no way I was facing the Skeleton King. It was time to leave this newbie area and head into the main game world where I could begin my search for the soul stones. Even if I failed, it was safer. Staying here was not an option, at least, not with an army of undead coming to ravage this place’s ass off.

Looking for a drink? asked a husky, feminine voice from my left, and the sound of it broke me from my reverie.

I was still in town, sure, but I’d wandered off a considerable ways from my friends. I sighed. It was just like when I’d talked on the phone back home. I always mindlessly walked around while I chatted, so sometimes I’d wind up clear across the dorms without realizing it by the time I’d finished a call, which was annoying, to say the least when I needed to point something out that was on my computer and I had wandered half a floor away.

What? I asked glancing toward the speaker only to find myself looking at Jessica Rabbit. Okay, not her exactly, but all the vavavoom was definitely there, and it’d somehow been crammed into a chainmail bikini no proper adventurer would ever wear.

She stood next to a swinging door that reminded me of an old western saloon, and even from my place on the sidewalk, it sounded pretty boisterous inside. Too boisterous. Like the kind of place where I’d walk in and immediately get shot by a gunslinger with a bad attitude.

Not really, I said, shaking my head as I glanced anxiously at my HUD, looking for the time. The blacksmith wouldn’t be finished repairing my scythe for a while yet. Part of me wanted to leave now and forget the weapon, but I had time enough to wait for it. The weapon would be done well before the siege began.

It sort of pissed me off because normally, I’d log out, go to bed, and wake up to find it freshly crafted. Even if I didn’t have a virtual sword of Damocles hanging over my head, this whole waiting in real time was going to be balls fast.

You sure? You seem like you have a lot on your mind, adventurer. She smiled at me, and it was like someone turned on the sun. My heart began to race in my chest, and my pants suddenly felt two sizes too tight. I tried to remind myself that this was a game, but truth be told, no girl had ever looked at me like this NPC was.

Sorry, I need to go find somewhere to crash for the night. I’m checking out of this town first thing in the morning. I waved at her. The last thing I wanted to do was go drink in a virtual bar when I didn’t even know if I could get drunk. Nor did I want little miss too-good-to-be-true to roll my unconscious ass and take all my hard earned money. Nope, I needed all the Rhuvians, the cash used here in Ruul, I could get, and I definitely didn’t have any to spare on frivolous things.

You could stay with me. She smiled again as she turned and pointed toward the sign above the door with one long pink fingernail. Actually, you kind of have to stay with me. We’re the only inn in the Town of Silver Gables. She gave me a satisfied smile that made me want to kiss her. I didn’t, but man, was it tough.

I don’t have that kind of coin, I replied, turning to go. Only as I did, I saw my party members coming toward me. It didn’t seem like they’d actually seen me yet, but they were definitely on the lookout. I knew, just knew, that if they found me, they’d want me to help them try to stop the Skeleton King. I could still remember how I’d seen the wheels had turned inside Dark Heart’s brain when the skeleton’s dialog had finished.

Her eyes had lit up in a way that told me she thought we had to complete the quest and defeat the Skeleton King. I had no idea why we had to do it, but I was willing to bet she thought there might be a soul stone at the end of the tunnel. I, on the other hand, didn’t think so for two reasons.

Firstly, the Skeleton King’s siege seemed like exactly the kind of side quest that would pop up and take a bunch of time, which while fun, would mean that at the end of the day, you’d look and see you’d progressed the main storyline by one percent and spent fifteen hours doing side quests. In a game like this where I absolutely had to complete the main quest of finding the soul stones to return home, side quests were a non-starter.

Secondly, no developer in their right mind would put a soul stone at the end of a chain quest in a newbie area. This wasn’t like in Ready Player One, where anyone could visit the home world at any time. No, if this was anything like Titan Gate, once you went through the portal to leave the newbie area, so you could venture out into the wider world and not be confined to the starting hunting zones, you couldn’t return. That meant there’d be no way to come back and collect a soul stone if one was actually hidden here, which meant anyone who left would be screwed because even if they found all the other stones, they’d never be able to get this one. I mean, maybe that was the case, and this game was just really poorly designed, but it seemed unlikely.

So, you know what? Fuck that. I was done with this place. Everything was way too hard to fuck around with a side quest like that at our level. No. It was time to get out into the main world, level my character like crazy while finding better gear so I wouldn’t be gibbed while trying to find the soul stones in the world outside the Town of Silver Gables and its surrounding areas.

Only, I was fairly sure my friends would try to talk me into it, and since I’d die if Dark Heart died, I needed them not to talk me into it. No, I needed them to follow me into the world at large, and for that to happen, I needed them not to find me until that sank into their skulls because right now, they were still celebrating our victory over the cobalt demon. A victory that had nearly cost Two’ Manchu his life.

Hey, I said, turning back toward Jessica Rabbit in chainmail. I think I will have a drink. I nodded toward my friends as I approached the door and pushed it open. A wave of sound and chaos hit my eardrums like a tornado as I shoved some Rhuvians into her hand. Just tell them I went a different way, eh?

Not a problem, she said, smiling at me with her full pouty lips and pocketing the coins as I went inside. We have a simple rule in the Macabre Skull. If you want to get lost, we’ll let you.

Thanks. I nodded at her and stepped inside. The place was a lot bigger inside than I’d have thought it’d be from the outside. It was also both a lot dingier and a lot nicer than I’d expected. Everything inside was polished oak, from the bar stools and tables to the floor. The heads of everything from unicorns to orcs was mounted along the top perimeter of the room.

There were over a dozen adventurers sitting around playing cards inside, but none of them struck me as my kind of adventurers because all their garb was really similar. I sort of hated the cut and paste nature of NPCs in games. Granted, this was a newbie area, and I was sure no one wanted to spend time on NPCs here because of their limited interaction time, but still.

A grin spread across my lips. When I was done getting the soul stones, I’d have a word with the malevolent AI virus who ran this game. I’d ask, no demand, he make each NPC a lot more unique. After all, he was a sentient bit of code, it wasn’t like time mattered to him.

What’ll you have? the big burly bartender said as I approached. He was scarred from head to toe and was missing one eye so he just looked at me with a blank socket. Cause if you aren’t here to drink, you need to leave. He shot a glance past me toward the doors as though hoping more people would come in.

Um… I said, taking a seat in front of him. I was hoping for a room for the night. Maybe some food? I asked, glancing at my satiety bar in my HUD, the interface that wrapped around my vision displaying all my pertinent data like health and such like I was in one of those science fiction games.

Right now, it showed my satiety bar had dropped to twenty-four percent. I knew that in Titan Gate, a whole bunch of negative things occurred when that bar reached zero, so topping it before I slept would be good. Then I could wake up well rested and get a move on. The increased regeneration rate that came from sleeping would definitely help once I was out in the real world.

We have chicken stew, the bartender grunted, pointing to a large back cauldron hanging over a fire in the corner. But you can’t have any unless you buy a drink. He pushed a menu listing prices toward me. A beer, soup, and a room would come to less than five hundred Rhuvians, and since I had around ten thousand Rhuvians, I figured I could spare it. That said, of the total cost, the beer was three hundred Rhuvians by itself and accounted for sixty percent of the bill. No wonder he’d insisted on it.

Fine, give me a drink, the stew, and a room, okay? I smiled at him as I held my hand out across the counter, offering it to him. He nodded and took my hand, and as he did, my wallet diminished by the exact amount of the goods on the menu.

Coming right up, he said, turning away from me and swiping a glass mug off the counter before putting it under a tap on a stained wooden barrel. Frothy amber liquid filled the mug, and as the head rose past the top and froze as it dripped down the sides, he shut the tap and put it down on the wooden bar in front of me.

I took it from the bar as he watched me closely with his one good eye and took a sip. And holy fuck was that shit strong. As I swallowed a gulp that sort of tasted like honey and hops, I stared at it in shock. I was going to be drunk by the end of this thing. And you know what?

I’d had a long day. Maybe getting drunk was exactly what I needed.

2

H ey there, handsome, said Miss Chainmail Bikini as I pushed my drunken ass off my barstool and stumbled toward the stairs so I could go to my room, crawl into bed, and pretend I was dead for eight to ten hours.

I had been right. One beer had been enough to get me faded. So what had my dumbass done? Drank three more because why the fuck not? It’s not like I was really drunk. Only, now it didn’t feel much different from the real thing and I was already regretting the decision.

The world swam in front of me, and as I tried to put my foot on the goddamned floor, it kept swaying.

Are you talking to me? I slurred, trying to turn toward the sound of her voice. Unfortunately, I wound up losing my balance and flopping backward on my ass. A jolt of pain surged through me as Jessica Rabbit knelt down next to me and gave me a smile that made some very bad thoughts run through my mind.

I am, she giggled and though I couldn’t say why, but something about it seemed sort of dark and alluring. She put one hand on my shoulder, trailing her delicate nails along my armor. Do you need some help up to your room? She raised an eyebrow at me. Because I’d be happy to help you.

Stairs, I replied because I was one suave bastard. Then I gestured toward them. They don’t seem to want to stay still. I pointed at my feet. And they don’t seem to want to work right. I shook my head. Nothing is working quite right.

Demon’s Ale will do that. Stronger than a kick in the teeth and twice as painful in the morning. She giggled again, and the sound made my heart go all a flutter. How about, I help you? she offered, seizing my wrist. Her touch was strangely cold, not icy or anything, but still cold.

Um… okay, I mumbled as she easily pulled me to my feet. Unfortunately, while she may have been strong enough to lift me, I wasn’t exactly good at standing, and the moment she released me, my legs turned to jelly and I toppled forward into her.

My arms went out in a wild attempt to stop myself and one of my hands latched onto her shoulder, while my body sort of spun, causing me to face plant right into her tremendous cleavage. Embarrassment shot through me as I tried to push myself backward, but my legs wouldn’t quite respond, so instead of getting up, I wound up collapsing into her, one hand grabbing her around the waist in a vain attempt to keep from completely pulling off her top.

Well, if that’s what you were after, I’m sure we can figure out a way to make it happen, she said, voice full of surprise. Then she smiled at me and patted the back of my head, forcing my face further into her mounds of joy before she tilted her head toward me so her mouth was near my ear. But not out here where people might see. She grabbed me by the hair and pulled my face away so she could look at me. Then she licked her lips in a way that made me swallow audibly. Let’s find somewhere more private. I’d hate to have your friends burst in here at the wrong moment. She winked at me.

Before I could respond, she took my hand in hers and pulled me drunkenly up the stairs. Her hips swayed with every step, so that by the time we’d reached the first floor, I’d had about seventeen different fantasies. Man, I really needed to get my freak on a leash.

This was a game. She wasn’t real.

As she turned to look at me, batted her long black eyelashes, and grabbed my collar to pull me into a kiss, I decided I didn’t care if it was a game because maybe Cypher from the Matrix was right. While this girl didn’t exist— that it was just a bunch of electrodes telling my brain her warm, luscious lips were pressed against mine, I honestly couldn’t tell she wasn’t real.

She broke away from me then, taking a step back and looking at me with hooded eyes. There’s a lot more where that came from, she whispered, reaching around my waist and pulling me close so her breasts pressed into my chest. I just need you to do one thing first.

What’s that? I asked as she got onto her tiptoes and leaned into me so her breath was hot on my lips as she spoke.

We want you to join us, adventurer, she murmured, leaning in close to me and trailing her fingers down my chest. Help us crush this town, and the Skeleton King will reward you greatly.

Wait, what? I sputtered, trying to process her words as her fingers dipped beneath the waist of my pants, and her lips hovered over my neck.

Is it so hard to understand? she asked, pulling back as she spoke so her mouth was practically touching my own. We need an ally within the town to ensure the Skeleton King’s victory. Her lips pressed to mine then, shattering my alcohol-saturated thoughts into something primal and deep. Still, even as she entwined her body around mine, I knew something was wrong.

Join the Skeleton King? I couldn’t do that. Firstly, I wanted to leave this town, not stick around, and secondly, he was the bad guy, why would I possibly join him? After all, the Skeleton King was going to try to kill my friends along with the town full of NPCs, and while I didn't care much about the town, I didn’t want to ensure the deaths of my friends.

I can’t do that, I said, pulling away from her kiss even though it felt like Heaven, and the only thing I wanted to do was throw her down on the bed in her room. Somehow, I knew that probably wouldn’t be in the cards anymore.

Her face twisted in momentary anger as she stared at me, eyes like the fires of Hell themselves. Then she pushed the look off of her face and ran a hand through her hair, brushing it back so it fell across her shoulders like a crashing wave.

Are you sure I can’t do anything to change your mind? she asked, batting her eyelashes at me while running one hand along the curves of her body. I can be very persuasive.

I’m sorry, I swallowed, trying to push my way past the alcohol, and as I had that thought, I wondered if they’d gotten me drunk to better help them recruit me. I can’t betray my friends.

I quite understand, adventurer, she whispered, moving in close to me and nuzzling my neck with her lips. It’s a shame I can’t change your mind. I’d have liked to spend more time with you, but alas, if you will not join the Skeleton King, I’m afraid we must part ways. There’s just one more thing, I need to tell you. She pulled back then and stared into my eyes while hungrily licking her lips.

What’s that? I asked, but before I could say more, she pressed her finger to my lips and rose up on her tiptoes.

Shh. No more talking, she breathed as she stared into my eyes while her other hand wrapped around my waist. The warmth of her body seeped into me as I struggled to do anything other than stare into her eyes, only I couldn’t. Maybe it was the alcohol, and maybe it was something else, but either way, all I could do was stare at her perfect face.

I nodded and reached up to brush a fallen lock of hair out of her face, and as I did, she leaned in close to me so her mouth was practically touching my ear.

The Skeleton King sends his regards, she murmured right before she buried a dagger to the hilt in my stomach. Agony exploded through my abdomen, and my health dropped by fifty percent.

I opened my mouth to scream, to cry out, to do something, but before I could, she shoved me backward, and I tumbled down the stairs much to the dismay of my health bar.

As I crashed to the ground at the bottom, more pain erupted from the core of my being as every nerve inside me caught fire and screamed at me because of course this game not only let me feel unrelenting agony, it could kill me.

What the fuck? I cried, grabbing hold of the dagger and wrenching it free of my own stomach as Jessica Rabbit began to walk down the stairs. Only, with every step she took, her flesh began to slough off of her body, revealing the glistening, white bone beneath. Her face twisted into a grimace, and her eyes turned to crimson embers as she snorted at me and raised onto skeletal hand toward me.

Were you expecting something else, perhaps? She scowled at me as complete and utter contempt exploded across what remained of her facial features. That’s not in the cards! No, the only thing left for you to do is to take your friends and leave before we kill you. She crossed her arms over her chest. You have been warned.

Warned? Fuck off. Blue balls are one thing, but stabbing me and throwing me down the stairs? That’s not fucking cool, I snapped, fury roaring through me as I put my free hand to the wound in my stomach and attempted to heal it with my magic so I could get up and beat some manners into her stupid face.

Now, now. Don’t make me kill you. She licked her lips again, running her decrepit tongue over her bone white teeth. That would make things messy, and I do so hate when things get messy. Just go, and consider yourself lucky, adventurer. She glanced past me toward the rest of the NPC patrons inhabiting the Macabre Skull. Throw him out.

The sound of lurching feet filled my ears as they turned toward me in unison and rushed forward, skin peeling from their bones with every step.

Fuck this! I cried as I put my free hand to the wound in my stomach and cast my Heal spell. White light wrapped around the wound, sealing it over and bringing my health back up to full while causing the throbbing pain of the wound to vanish. Unfortunately, it dropped my mana to just over half in the process. That sucked, but it was better than dying. A quick glance at the unidentified dagger I’d been stabbed with yielded almost no information, but it didn’t matter because it was a dagger, and daggers were my fucking jam.

Besides, smart or not, I was way too pissed to just leave. I scrambled to my feet while pulling out the black mithril dagger I’d found in the lockbox out. Then I turned to face the skeleton horde surging toward me.

You want some of this? I snarled, trying to ignore how everything around me was still blurry around the edges thanks to all those beers. No, I couldn’t focus on that. I had to focus on killing the fuck out of these guys.

The first of the skeletons reached me then, and as its bony foot arced out toward me, I initiated my Sidestep technique. The force of the blow was enough to knock the breath from my lungs and drop my health by a full six percent, but I didn’t care because even though I took the damage from his attack, my Sidestep skill let me phase through it and reappear behind my opponent. As I appeared behind the skeleton, I initiated my Revering Vendetta skill.

Emerald light burst from the tips of my daggers with so much force that when they struck the undead skeleton, he exploded into a cloud of iridescent shards that netted me a full seven percent experience and moving me closer to the next level. I had half a second to feel good about gaining all that EXP from a single monster before the scarred bartender grabbed me in one scarred hand and flung me across the room like a ragdoll.

My back slammed into the wall above the bar, and I toppled to the ground in a daze. The world was too hazy for me to make it orient itself back to reality, and as agony shot through me, I tried to pick myself up. The girl who’d stabbed me was still on the stairs, but the bartender, along with a half dozen skeletons were coming toward me fast.

You might be wondering why we’re targeting you, Kahn, skeleton lady said as the bartender leapt the bar and grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt before lifting me over his head like he was the Ultimate Warrior. The answer is simple. You always get rid of the healer first. Once you’re gone, the others are sure to follow.

As she finished speaking, the barbarian slammed me down onto his knee like I was Batman, and he was Bane. An earsplitting crack filled my ears and my HUD went absolutely ballistic, indicating I’d just lost sixty percent of my life.

You have been critically injured, the voice of my own personal in-game notification system told me in the sexy voice of Elizabeth Hurley. Unfortunately, while changing the voice from the robotic one I’d started with to that of Elizabeth Hurley had seemed like a good idea at the time, at the moment though, it just felt sort of silly because she was basically telling me I was getting my ass kicked, which was something I was already really well aware of.

Is that all you’ve got? I wheezed as my broken body collapsed to the wooden floor at the bartender’s feet. Because that’s not nearly enough to stop me from killing you.

Kahn, we don’t want to kill you. We want you to take your party and leave, the skeleton girl said, coming further down the stairs. But if you prove difficult, we will kill you and your friends along with this town. She smiled as the bartender grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and shook me like a chicken in China Town.

You have been warned, the bartender growled, his voice deep and menacing in a way that made my gut clench and panic surge through my veins.

This isn’t over, and next time, I won’t be alone. I smiled, flashing my teeth at them as I reached into my inventory, pulled out a scroll of teleportation home, and initialized it. Later.

As my world evaporated into light and my body was instantly transported out of this crazy inn, I suddenly had the urge to stick my tongue out at them, but it was too late for that.

3

Ireappeared flat on my back next to the fountain in the center of town, and as I lay there, trying to blink the hazy moon above back into focus, I couldn’t help but laugh. I wasn’t sure why the Skeleton King had sent the Queen of the Damned to deliver a message to me, but it hadn’t fucking worked.

Oh, I’d gotten the message all right, but now, unlike before, I wanted to kick his undead ass. If he’d sent an assassin to make me leave, it meant I really needed to beat him. A smirk crossed my face. This was like when I’d played D & D with my friends and the DM really wanted us to do something so he made the other options untenable.

Well, Mister AI DM, I’d gotten the message. The Skeleton King was going down.

All right Skeleton King! I cried, raising my pilfered dagger in the air in triumph. I’m coming for you!

What the hell are you talking about, boss? George the rabbit asked