Manifest Read online

  “Well I’m glad to see you both! I was going to suggest we hit the tavern tonight anyway,” Gitch said.

  “Oh, we are! Actually, it looks like we will be very soon!” Kraznik said merrily. He pointed with a long, black finger at a large object being lifted into the sky.

  “I-is that the tavern?” He realized it was a stupid question, but he couldn’t believe it. Fizzy’s Fizzled Fizzes was ascending into the air.

  “Yup, casks and all! You fairies got some awesome magic, let me tell ya!” Kraz complimented, “Shall we gents?”

  Chapter 24

  Gitch woke up the next morning with cold feet. It was a chore to open his eyes, but when he felt something lick his face, he was up in a flash. He was standing knee deep in a shallow pool of green water with a monstrous creature looking down at him. It had the body of a walrus, the head of a sea lion, and one ginormous tongue.

  “Oooh, you wake! Good! You fairy go to big hall with all fairies. Must go quick! Big fight soon!” the creature said in broken English. Gitch had been backing away, but stopped at hearing those words. The beast was speaking much too loudly, but at least it was still dark out. He thanked the creature and left quickly. He had no desire to know how he had come to arrive in the stables, but more importantly, he didn’t want to be left behind for the coming fight. Hangover, or no, he would be there for his friends and kin. They may have driven him nuts, but they were all he had with Croken being…somewhere far away.

  He rushed to The Hall of Necessities as fast as his mana-infused wings would take him. Somewhere along his journey, he realized he had something attached to his right foot and hand. Looking down, he saw a white rope tied to each limb. What had happened last night?

  Gitch arrived at The Hall not two minutes later. There was a growing crowd out front, with the queen flying dead center. He saw Kraznik flying up as well and went over to greet him.

  “Morning Kraz. You remember anything about last night?”

  “Dude, I got sick three times on the way here. All I remember is you insisting on being tied down in bed to avoid sleep walking. Dwik thought you were being silly and offered to cuddle, but you didn’t want anything to do with his ‘creepy Santa beard’ ever again. We tied you down, tight, but when the knocks came this morning, you were nowhere to be seen. Where were you Gitch? How did you get out?” Kraz asked.

  Gitch looked down at the frayed ends of the two ropes still attached to him. “I think-I think I might have ripped them off,” he said in disbelief.

  “You couldn’t win a wrestling contest with a squirrel. How did you tear those bedsheets off?” Kraznik asked skeptically.

  A sudden realization hit Gitch. Praying that it wasn’t so, he pulled up his manifestation page to check. Palm met face when he confirmed his suspicion.

  Name: Gitch

  Race: Fairy

  Class: Prankster

  Alignment: +3

  Level: 6

  Experience Points Required To Level Up: 780

  POOLS:

  Health: 138

  Mana: 522

  Stamina: 340

  ACTIVE EFFECTS:

  Hungover:

  -25% to all skills, abilities, and concentration

  ARMOR VALUE:

  Simple Cloth Arm Band: 1

  Simple Cloth Arm Band: 1

  Simple Cloth Pants: 2

  Simple Cloth Shirt: 3

  Simple Cloth Cowl: 1

  Total Armor Value: 8

  RESISTANCES:

  Light Magic: 15%

  Nature Magic: 50%

  ATTRIBUTES:

  Strength: 6

  Dexterity: 25

  Constitution: 4

  Endurance: 13

  Intelligence: 16

  Wisdom: 20

  Charisma: 15

  Luck: 1

  Unused Attribute Points : 0

  RACIAL TRAITS:

  Terraformer

  Tiny creature

  Ribbing

  ???

  PRANKSTER ABILITIES:

  Transmorph, level 3

  Dubious Missioneer, level 3

  SPELLS:

  Wing Blast, level 4

  Polymorph, level 3

  Mana Influx, level 2

  Last Rite, level 1

  Trilit, level 3

  SKILLS:

  Flight, level 9

  Improvised Weapon Proficiency, level 2

  Tracking, level 3

  Dive Bombing, level 2

  Polearm Proficiency, level 3

  Diplomacy, level 9

  Barter, level 8

  Cloth Armor, level 1

  Riddler, level 4

  QUESTS:

  An IMPudent Ritual

  Cultivating Todd

  Pink Magic

  A Queen’s Request

  Things had changed greatly since he last pulled up this screen. Not only did he gain a new skill, but he leveled some existing ones as well. Apparently, he had also accepted Queen Tibura’s quest sometime during the night’s revelries as well. All it took was for him to check out his active effects for him to surmise why he had no recollection of the evening’s activities. He was sufficiently hungover, which felt accurate, but wasn’t his biggest concern.

  No, that honor fell to his list of attributes. He had placed all of his unused attribute points into strength! He was a fairy, for crying out loud! What the gopher tooth did he need with a level 6 strength? More importantly, what the Dufflin did he drink last night to make him completely screw up his ‘character’ build. It wasn’t like he could redistribute the spent points. Grumbling in frustration, and cursing his luck for what seemed like the 35th time since logging in to Manifest, he asked Kraznik what his own strength score was. It would be good to have someone to compare against.

  “Well, I don’t mean to make you jealous,” Kraz said smugly. “But I have a strength score of 5. That’s about half as much as a regular human. Don’t feel too bad though. I like fairies, but they are the weaker species after all.”

  “5? Well that is impressive, Kraz! Or would be if mine wasn’t 6! Ha!” Gitch mocked. That, and the stupefied look on the imp’s face, was enough to lift his spirits.

  “6?! But how-”

  “Whose blasted idea was it to wake us at three in the cursed mornin’! Gnomes need time to sleep off a party of that level, ya fairy twonks!” came a shout not 10 feet away.

  Gitch looked to see a very grumpy Dwik still rubbing his eyes. He didn’t blame him. He felt like crap himself, as did just about every fairy present. All, in fact, except for a shy-looking, blue fairy Gitch recognized as Tupia.

  She was the one he had tasked to deliver a report on all things Fae to the inn for him to read later. If memory served, she was not a fan of fighting. Was she really going to battle with the rest of them? He saw plenty of white, yellow, and even an orange dot or two hovering above the growing crowd of players, but hers was the only blue dot in sight. He would try and keep an eye out for her on the battlefield, but thinking of his past combat experiences, there was only so much he could really do when they were in the thick of it.

  Dwik made his way through the throng of fairies and over to the gawking pair. “Good to see ya were able to make it. Neither of ya can hold yer ale worth a lick. Kraz, you are the worst belly dancer I ever seen. Gitch, you play a mean harmonica, but don’t ever sing in public again. Ya sound like an orc in labor! Also, maybe a little warning next time ya feel like changin’ into somethin’ called a ‘penguin’ a hundred feet in the air. Weirdest darn bird I ever saw. Couldn’t even fly! It took a dozen fairies to catch ya before ya hit the ground. Ya just kept screamin’ over and over, ‘I am the emperor!’, ‘I am the emperor!’. You two almost embarrassed me at my very first Fae battle party!”

  Gitch and Kraznik looked at each other, and an unspeakable truth would pass between them in that moment. Never, NEVER, bring up the events of last night. Both gave a nod of the head in silent agreement before turning back to their surely gnome.

  “
Nice to see you too, Dwik. Now why the hell are you here?” Kraznik asked pointedly. Gitch had the impression the imp did not like the way Dwik’s eyes kept lowering to his stomach. It was more than a little creepy, no matter how poorly of a dancer Kraznik was last night.

  “Ya think I’m lettin’ the two of ya storm that fortress by yerselves? Nah, think I’ll tag along this time. Goldie and Alpha are comin’ too. They got back not too long ago. By the sound of it, a whole heard o’ beasties are headin’ north with the rest of the fairies, but they were dead set on comin’ along with the two of you feta-brains.”

  “Dwik, it’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but we were chosen because we would respawn if killed. You and the wolves aren’t so lucky. The three of you should head to the glade where the fighting will be safer. We will meet up with you there,” Gitch reasoned. Kraznik nodded at his words, which earned both of them a flick on the nose.

  “Safe? Ya think I’m a coward? I am not afraid o’ danger, little fairy! I am comin’ so shut yer trap, and thank me later when I save yer little pink –”

  “Thank you all for coming!” Came a resounding voice that reverberated off the nearby buildings. It was not a shout, but Gitch was certain it had been magically amplified. It didn’t take long to locate the source.

  Queen Tibura hovered above them all, with three fairies circling her head like a living crown. He assumed those were her guard of trainer fairies, masters of their branches of magic. All previous trains of thought derailed when he saw a pink fairy among them. It was his trainer, Puk! He needed to speak with him ASAP. What secrets or spells would he unearth for him? What alteration specific items or knowledge could he impart? He almost flew up right then and there to meet him, but then realized a fairy zooming towards the queen at full speed might be frowned upon. He was willing to die today, but not by friendly fire, in the fairy city, while suffering one terrible headache. The enhanced voice was not helping. Gitch stayed put, but made plans to meet up with Puk after the battle.

  “I trust you have received one of our two requests for help? The fact that you are here is evidence enough of your loyalty and courage. As you know, the imps and fairies have long been at war, but today, everything changes. You know our plan and your role in it. Be sure to follow my orders, or that of your squad leaders. If the imps retain control of their portal, this city and our people will be swept away in a flood of evil. We will lose our lives, and you will lose the safety of this point of respawn. We cannot fail. We MUST not fail. We are going to destroy this evil. We will be victorious, for WE. ARE. THE FAE!” she proclaimed loudly.

  A low cheer went up, with clapping and a few whistles. It was not exactly the exuberant response she had been looking for. The queen looked down at them all with a frown, but then a look of recognition appeared on her face. She gestured with both hands and spoke a few words that Gitch could not quite make out. He didn’t care, though, because his headache was instantly gone. In fact, there was no sign of a hangover at all!

  “There, all debuffs have been removed. Now, let’s try that again. WE. ARE. THE FAE!” she shouted once more. This time Gitch was in danger of popping both ear drums.

  The screaming was so loud, the whistles so shrill, the clapping so clappy that everything else was completely drowned out. For a moment, Gitch thought back on what Alpha’s healer had said about this world’s version of the Clap, but he didn’t pay it much mind. He was right there clapping and cheering with the lot of them, screw the consequences.

  They left shortly after that. The fairies flew low to the ground, while Dwik and Kraznik rode along Goldie. Dwik, for obvious reasons. He just couldn’t keep up on his own two legs. Kraznik explained his was to conserve stamina for the coming fight. Flying for him was less magical, more physical, so extended trips took a greater toll on his body.

  Gitch and Alpha were both stoked to see each other again. If Gitch had a tail, it would have matched Alpha’s, which was moving about a mile a nano-second, give or take. There was plenty of nuzzling, licking, and petting when the two saw each other, and Alpha showed off her affection as well. When in Rome! Gitch took his customary spot atop Alpha’s head, right between her ears, and they were off.

  The raiders made good time, arriving at the mountain fortress roughly an hour before dawn. The queen assigned several of the players as squad leaders and called them forth to receive their orders. Gitch wasn’t chosen as a squad leader, but that was hardly something worth complaining about. His nerves were up high enough as it was. When the leaders came back, they quietly gathered their troops and explained the plan of attack.

  Gitch’s squad leader was a green fairy named Chaka. She had an orange dot above her head, and unlike several of the others, wore a grim expression on her face.

  “I know many of you haven’t died yet, but let me tell you, it sucks. The screen doesn’t cut to black, and you don’t just spawn back in town by taking an arrow in the knee. The pain is real, and bleeding out is no picnic. Follow my commands, and hopefully most of you will survive the day,” she said honestly, but there was clear concern in her voice. Chaka truly wanted them to survive. She gained his respect immediately.

  In a whispered tone, she told them how they would be making a pass at the stronghold to draw out the imps. They would cause what damage they could, but the ultimate goal was to survive while drawing out the enemy. They would fight just long enough to allow the infiltration team time to enter the keep, at which point they would all head north to the special glade where reinforcements would be waiting. It sounded organized, simple even. Gitch prayed it was so.

  Chaka released them to have the final moments leading up to the battle to themselves. She did issue a few final commands, though. They weren’t to make any excess noise. No spell-casting. Stay well behind the tree line… It all boiled down to ‘don’t be heard’ and ‘don’t be seen’.

  The problem was that fairies were a curious bunch, and several of them attempted to make their way to the edge of the tree line to see what they were up against. Gitch may have tagged along with five other nosey nellies who were slowly crawling their way through the underbrush. They almost made it too if not for a meddling grey fairy returning from scout duty. He brought them back to base camp, and one of the squad leaders chastised them severely. He reminded them that they might be sneaky and quiet, but that didn’t matter a dirty ostrich tail-feather when you glowed in the dark! Imps may not be the brightest, but they learned at a young age that glowy things meant bad news. After a few more stern warnings, and a reminder that only grey fairies were assigned as scouts, due to the whole invisibility thing, they were released.

  Gitch kept an eye out for the Master Puk on his way back to his friends but there was no sign of the pink trainer. There was, however, a group of 11 or so fairies huddled together near the center of camp. Each of them was garbed in the best Fae armor he had yet seen, and the tips of their tridents seemed to glow a dark green. What was most striking about the group, however, was that each and every one of them had a red dot above their heads. They were all at least six levels above his own! They were easily the most powerful group of fairies he had come across, and it was not hard to figure why they were not back at the glade with the other NPCs. This was the infiltration team. They would be the ones responsible for slaying the rakatu and capturing the portal.

  If he had gotten to pick his place on the front lines, he thought standing next to them might be a good way to go. Any imp foolish enough to cross them wouldn’t stand a chance. Gitch would be as safe as safe could be. That was, until they left him behind to fend for himself while they entered the base. Knowing his luck, that was exactly what would end up happening. Yeah, best to stick with his own squad. Before he joined them, however, he wanted to see how Dwik, Kraz, and the two wolves were doing.

  When Gitch came across the group, he found them in poor spirits. Apparently, Dwik and the wolves weren’t allowed to join the battle at all. That way they were sure to survive the initial attack, as well as conse
rve their strength for the long run back to the glade. Kraznik was grumpy for a very different reason. He was to accompany the infiltration team inside the fortress.

  “They thought it best to have a living, breathing guide, rather than use that perfectly good map I made them!” Kraz replied angrily once Gitch asked why he was in a mood.

  “Well, I’m sure the 11 of them will look after you just fine. They look pretty tough!” Gitch encouraged.

  “Maybe, maybe not. That isn’t the point. It’s still a suicide mission! Try and imagine the torture coming my way if-no, no when we get caught. You think they will go easy on a traitor like me? At least I updated my respawn point to Fae-thil for when they finally do murder the crap out of me.”

  “Change your respawn point? You can do that?” Gitch asked incredulously.

  “Duh. It was one of the first things my greeter told me. Didn’t Dwik tell...” He didn’t finish, the look on Gitch’s face said it all. The fairy was glaring at Dwik, who had the good graces to hang his head in shame.

  “Dwik,” he started. “You are a good friend, but a friggin lousy greeter. You do realize there is a large-scale battle set to take place directly where I will respawn? What happens if they capture or destroy whatever it is binding me to the glade?”

  Dwik didn’t look up and spoke rather lowly. “In either case, you will spawn in a random location determined only by the gods. Perhaps they would allow you to come back in Fae-thil to be among yer own kind?” he ended hopefully. Gitch could tell he was trying to make him feel better, but it wasn’t really working. There was no way he would spawn in Fae-thil, he wasn’t that lucky.

  “Dwik, just how many players did you greet before me?” Gitch asked through gritted teeth.

  “Not counting you... well, none. You were my first.”

  Kraznik was cracking up. The imp bent over, alternating between snorting and laughing. “Thanks man! I don’t feel so bad about myself anymore,” he said cheerfully, clapping Gitch on the shoulder.

  Gitch just shook his head, tired of discovering even more things he didn’t know. He could have chosen at that moment to go off on Dwik, but it wasn’t worth it. There was no telling what the day would bring, and he didn’t want potentially their final moments together to be spent in anger. He flew up to the sulking gnome, grabbed a fistful of beard, and tilted his head up. He looked him straight in the eye and said, “We’re good man. We’re good.”