Sword and Claw

Book One: Chapter 5

Sora and the party reached the edge of the woods toward the open valley. The sun was just rising from beyond the mountain walls. Day times moved fast in SCO than in real life. Some quests required to be completed only during the night. Making the day move fast helped players get the chance to complete their night duties before they have to log out.

Sora has about four hours left to play, still plenty of time to raid the dungeon. It has only been an hour since he logged in.

Below the mountains was a tall castle structure, nearly as big as a skyscraper. Shaped like a giant granite egg on top of a flat rectangle building. Anyone in the valley could spot an unusual structure like that.

"Is that the dungeon?" Sora asked.

Susie smiled at the marvelous structure. "Yup. Just like how I remembered."

"I wonder why nobody else found it yet. It's in a wide-open area."

"Maybe someone found it," said Paul. "And they never came back out."

"Good," said Amy cheerfully. "We get the dungeon all to ourselves!"

Sora turned to her. "Then we better get in there before more players find it."

Amy nodded in agreement.

"Hold on!" Susie raised her hand up. "Before we go in, we should make sure we all have items to support our raid."

"I am stocked up," said Sora.

"What do you have?"

"I have five health potions, five elixirs, five mana potions, and three resurrection potions."

"Me too," said Amy.

"I only have one resurrection potion and two mana potions," said Paul.

Susie glared at the boar priest. "Why do you only have a few items?"

Paul shrugged. "I don't have enough gold to buy more items. But my spells can heal and cast divide shields to protect you."

Susie rubbed her forehead. "At least the others have enough items to keep us alive. Let's go."

Sora and the others followed Susie toward the egg-shaped castle. Since she has been in there before, it made sense she should lead the group. Amy wouldn't want to lose the rare loot again and Sora wanted his first time inside a hidden dungeon to be satisfying. One thing most players hated was dying before they could start the quest.

In front of the castle, Susie approached a short staircase below a tall wooden double door, which was the entrance. On both sides of the door were golden statues of lizard men, holding round ruby stones in both of their hands. They wore loincloths around their waists, staring into space.

Susie held up her right hand. "Wait. Those statues are booby traps. They will instant kill us when we walk up the steps."

"How do we get up there?" Amy asked.

Susie pulled out her wooden staff. It was tall with a curvy tip on the top. "There are five buttons on each row. We have to step on each one so the statues will not shoot us. I will go first."

She jumped onto the first button which was a flat square step, painted red. After Susie's weight pushed the square down, she hopped to the next step. Then the next, and the next, until she reached the top of the staircase. None of the statues did anything.

"Good, who's next?" she shouted.

Paul stepped onto the first square and followed the same pattern, hopping up. "This is easy!"

He reached next to Susie and looked down. "What is the point of this first trap if anyone can get in?"

"Perhaps it is easy, but the challenge is inside is different," Susie explained. "Are you coming up next, Amy?"

The fox girl padded Sora's left shoulder. "Wish me luck."

With one foot, she hopped to each square button without landing on both of her feet. It looked like she was playing hopscotch.

When Amy landed on the last button, her foot slip and she fell backward. "Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Amy!" Sora sprinted up the steps for her, but both of the ruby balls blasted two beams toward them.

Sora caught Amy in his arms as he landed on the steps, but both of the red beams hit them, sending them into darkness.

Rodan

HP: 0

Resurrection potion used.

Sora opened his eyes and found himself lying next to Amy on the grass. Both of them got up and brushed the grass off their pants.

"Are you alright?" Sora asked.

"I'm fine," said Amy. "I got two resurrection potions left now."

"Me too."

Players could only use resurrection potions three times during the gameplay. Once they get used up, nothing else could save the players from logging out when they lose. They could buy only three resurrection potions from the shop.

"Can you please walk up correctly, Amy!" Susie shouted. "If you die again, I will leave you behind!"

Amy glared at Susie. "Just hold your horses!"

The fox girl jumped up to each red square step with both her feet this time. After she reached the top safely, Sora hopped to each step next.

Sometimes you couldn't perform fancy moves when mistakes could prevent you from reaching your destination.

Sora reached next to Amy, and then Susie faced the doorway. "Now we can enter, but stay in my lead. If you die, you will respawn outside."

That meant starting all over and facing the traps again. What else could be worse than the statues outside?