Boy Meets Ai

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The forest was dark and quiet. night had fallen in the Ether. As expected, Seiko had spawned into a trap. He was encased in a translucent glass box. Moonlight refracted off of the magic, crystalline walls, creating a beautiful cool spectrum across his face. He could also see his captors stationed about 50 feet away. The paladin and his companion mage sat by a campfire. Seiko couldn't see the cleric or ranger. It was too soon to let his guard down but it seemed that the playing field was levelled a bit. A shimmer of light flashed behind him as Oaklee spawned in. She was clad in dark robes that blended in to the night, making her practically invisible. Perfect. Her face was obscured by a heavy hood. A crooked black rod was grasped in her hands. She moved quickly to the tree line before she could be detected. Seiko's plan was based on deception and diversion. They needed their enemies to think he was helpless and alone. Oaklee didn't care enough to point out the multiple flaws in his strategy and she had never been in a game before, so she went along with it. She hid in the overgrowth of a nearby thicket that Seiko had told her about, training her staff on the two enemies by the campfire. The enemy mage suddenly stood up, noticing Seiko was back. The paladin followed suit.

"Hey! Welcome back bud!" he called out cheerfully.

"We were beginning to think you weren't coming!" The two stalked toward him, hungry wolves cornering their prey. Seiko gulped, feeling his pulse quicken with adrenaline pumping into his veins. The tension in the air thickened as his situation began to weigh on him. His chances of survival were slim. less than that even. The paladin drew his large blade. From its sheath. The mage's hands glowed with dangerous energies. The barrier around him flashed twice, signaling that the caster was dispelling it.

"You wont be getting away this time" The mage said coldly. Just as the crystal prison dropped away, the three of them were suddenly encased in pitch darkness. The two confused enemies attacked instinctively out of panic as their vision was obscured. Seiko threw himself to the ground though as Oaklee's darkness spell exploded around him, crawling quickly away. He had memorized the terrain and even though he couldn't see, he moved expertly to the cover of the forest. His sight restored as he moved outside of the spell's area of effect. A bolt of arcane lightning lashed out of the dark orb, striking a tree just a few feet away from Seiko. The ai mage was impressive but he had little time to admire his accuracy before the paladin came barreling out of the darkness towards him. He laughed wildly, brandishing his sword. It was all Seiko could do to keep distance between them. The ranger sprinted with everything he had. His attacker came at him like a freight train. Seiko could feel the paladin's blade cut through the air just behind him. Another swing sent a spray of tree bark across his back. Seiko continued towards the thickest part of the forest, the narrow space working to his advantage. It became harder for the paladin to maneuver and the gap between them began to widen as his enemy fell behind.

"Stop running coward!" the paladin chided in the distance, but Seiko didn't even hesitate. He was a coward, but he was alive, and he was going to keep all of his loot. He was almost home free, he would make it out! That was when he felt the tip of a sword pierce his shoulder. The paladin had thrown it like a spear at him! The impact caused him to trip, falling just outside of the forest border. He could see a wide and deep ravine cut through the land in front of him as he stood up. He heard the heavy footsteps approaching from behind. Seiko backed away from his attacker, towards the edge.

"Oh, come on don't kill yourself dude. I'll have to walk all the way down there to grab your stuff." The paladin picked up his sword and dusted it off. Seiko continued scooting toward the ravine until he couldn't anymore. He drew his dagger, beckoning his assailant forward.

"Still got some fight in you? Well alright then." The paladin chuckled as he approached in his battle stance. He was even more intimidating than the Orc chief, plate armor glistening in the moonlight. The silence overwhelmed the two. All they could hear was the rush of their own blood. And then, Seiko did something strange that confused the paladin. He took a step to the side, dropping his guard. The realization washed over him a moment too late. He whipped around quickly but not quick enough. He was just in time to see a wave of dark energy slam into him, throwing clear off the cliff. Oaklee stood with her staff outstretched still crackling with black magic. She had a devilish grin on her face as she approached her user. Seiko rolled his eyes.

"You're late. He almost killed me."

"I think the words you're searching for are 'thank you, oh mighty warlock. Your arcane prowess truly knows no bounds!"

Just then, the enemy mage broke through the tree line. He saw the two enemies, but his paladin was nowhere in sight. His hands raised to cast another devastating fireball. Seiko and Oaklee tensed for combat.

"You will NOT escape!" The mage shouted.

Before he could attack though, his user hit the bottom of the ravine. As his HP hit 0, the mage vanished into nothingness. In a fake show of relief, Oaklee wiped non-existent sweat from her brow. Seiko didn't skip a beat. Time was short. He began jogging back towards the nearest town.

"Keep up!" he shouted to his new companion.

Oaklee rolled her eyes but followed. As she did, she couldn't help but take in the virtual world around her. She could feel it. An alien concept for a being like her.