Guardian Reil dealt 6 HP damage to you with Triple Threat.
In a panic, Atlas frantically screamed into his mind Status. A small box appeared, showing him the information he wanted to see.
HP: 21/50
Mana: 15/50
I’ve got to do something fast. I can’t take many more of those attacks before I’m a goner. My health won’t regenerate naturally, but luckily my mana has a little.
With no other abilities to rely on, he jumped toward the animal and activated Double Slash again. The fire returned to his eyes as the ghostly image appeared and he mirrored their attack pattern. The bright flash of red lit his vision after the first attack landed, but Atlas was ready. He deftly shifted his weight and swung the blade at a backward angle as the image showed, catching the monster on its side and sending its counterattack off course.
Capitalizing on his successful deflection, he activated Double Slash and followed the attacks shown to complete his ability.
You dealt 1 HP damage to Guardian Reil with Deflect.
You dealt 3 HP damage to Guardian Reil with Double Slash.
Feeling smug about his success, he gave the little animal a grin. It quickly morphed to a feeling of dread when he noticed its health bar hadn’t moved and still looked full. He wasn’t sure, but he would swear the little squirrel smiled back before it leaped toward him again.
He frantically tried to dodge as before but failed in the attempt and received three more hits for his trouble.
Guardian Reil dealt 6 HP damage to you with Triple Threat.
Desperate to escape, he tried to flee again, only to be rooted in place after a few steps as the same message appeared in his vision. It took only moments for the agony of the creature’s bite to return.
Guardian Reil dealt 6 HP damage to you with Triple Threat.
Resigned to his fate, he did the only thing he could think of and turned to face the tiny thing. With the rest of his mana, he cast Nature’s Fury. He followed the movements and spun his hands as the power built. When the circling motion finished, a stinging sensation in his left arm broke his concentration and caused him to focus on the small squirrel now holding on to his arm by its teeth. The image continued moving, and he failed to follow while the guardian finished the last two bites of its attack. The power building in his arms manifested into a ball of energy in front of his chest and then detonated. He flew backward and landed on his back. Blackness filled his view as a disturbing message drifted to his mind.
Guardian Reil dealt 6 HP damage to you with Triple Threat.
You failed to cast Nature’s Fury. You took 3 HP damage from the spell backlash.
You have died.
Chapter 4
Redemption
Dead? From an overgrown squirrel? That’s flat out embarrassing.
You will respawn at your designated bind spot in three hours.
Error: Bind location not set. You will bind at the closest population center.
Since you were under level 5, no death penalties take effect.
Death penalties? Why didn’t my druid trainer tell me about this? Why didn’t he let me know I needed to set a bind location?
The darkness shifted, and he was sitting in a recliner in a modern style room. A large television hung on the wall directly opposite him. The screen came to life, and a message popped up.
Sorry, but you died. You can either take this time to log out and return after the three-hour respawn timer is up, or you can stay here and play some classic games while you wait. Please make a choice.
Atlas looked didn’t want to log out, so he chose the Classic Games button. A controller materialized in his hands and the screen changed its picture. A list of classic consoles filled the screen. He selected one of the arcade style emulators and the complete list of titles for it showed up. He spent his three-hour hiatus from the game on a nostalgia trip.
His anxiety rose as the clock neared zero. When the coveted number finally arrived, his vision shifted from an empty gray expanse to the vibrant colors of the forest. The smell of wood smoke caught in his nose and he spun to see the town of Kilthan.
With both a sigh of relief and a groan of realization, he trudged back toward the master druid’s home. He arrived in nothing but the standard clothing he’d started the game with. His bag and belongings were noticeably absent. In a flash of insight, he looked at his minimap and spotted a small skull and crossbones icon on his map.
I guess my belongings are still where I died. He followed the familiar path back to the residence of Master Longstride.
“Ah, welcome back Atlas. Finish up that quest?” called the voice of Longstride as he entered.
He spun to face the druid and the man’s face shifted.
“I guess that’s a no. Judging by your appearance and lack of a bag, I’d guess you met an unfortunate demise? You Reborn sure have a habit of dying,” the druid said with a shake of his head.
“We need to talk, Master,” Atlas said with a grimace, “Why in the world didn’t you also teach me the motions for the spell casting of Nature’s Fury?”
“Uh, you didn’t ask me to,” Longstride said carefully, “I offered to teach you the ability, and you accepted. You never once asked me to show you how to cast it. Why? Didn’t you run outside and immediately try it out like all the others of your kind?”
The thought hit Atlas like a lightning bolt. Why didn’t I try it out? You’d think I’d be stoked to test out a magical spell in this hyper realistic game?
“Well, why didn’t you remind me to bind my spawn point here?” Atlas asked as he changed the subject.
The druid adopted a deep frown before he glared at Atlas, “I’m not your parent nor
