Trials of a VRMMO Healer

Chapter 4 - Don't You Know Your Queen?

I was woken up by my VR headset beeping at me in the middle of the night. I went over to check it out and the little display on it said, "Eternity Online: In-Game Alert". I knew my in-game body was still in the game, but what could be happening to it in the safety of the inn? Groggy and rather annoyed I logged back in.

It was a pretty surreal experience to be woken up twice in the span of a few minutes, this time by someone pounding on the inn room door. Outside, there was some kind of commotion and I could see shadows outside my window. Torches, maybe? I answered the door first, though.

"Miss Traveler!" exclaimed one of the innkeeper's daughters. Her eyes were wide with fear and the already unsettling circumstances seemed even more dire.

"What's wrong?"

"The monsters, they're attacking! This mornin', a whole swarm came from the west! We've barricaded the central square, but it's only a matter of time! Please!"

"Okay, okay, I'll go take a look," I told her, though it felt a little weird consoling someone who was taller than me. All these humans around here were, though. I readied my sledgehammer and headed outside.

The inn was adjacent to the central square, so it was relatively safe from the scorpions. The villagers had used their wagons and carts to build makeshift barricades around the streets and when a scorpion did manage to climb over, it was met with dozens of pitchforks and clubs. They'd manage to hold out like this for a while, but I could see a number of them downed on the street, including Bill.

"Bill! What's going on? Are you okay?"

Bill gasped with pain.

"To tell the truth, I've been better. One of 'em got me... it might be just a scratch, but the poison..."

"Hold on... Cure Poison!"

"Oh... you can cast healing magic?"

"Yeah. I'd heal you more but I think I should get the others who have been poisoned before I run out of mana. At least that way you'll survive."

Bill nodded. "Fine with me."

I tended to the other poisoned villagers and tossed a few [Minor Heal]s to the ones who seemed in critical condition. My mana pool had increased through my battles, so I was able to get people back on their feet pretty easily. I heard cries from the barricades as three scorpions made it past the villagers, two through one alley and one through another.

"Take that one, I'll get these two!" I told the villagers. It was critical we not get caught between waves of scorpions on both sides. The stunned villagers glanced at each other and rushed to help the others who were fighting off the lone scorpion. At this point I'd had plenty of practice fighting these monsters. As my [Mana Infusion] skill had increased, so had its efficiency and the speech with which I could switch stats. I could boost my agility and dodge until I found an opening, then funnel my mana to strength or my weapon, whatever made more sense at the time. The agility boost was especially fun; it felt like I could run faster, jump higher, it was like my body would do whatever I wanted. It must be amazing at high levels. The cap to how much I could infuse had also raised, though my mana pool drained a proportionate amount.

When I had finished with my scorpions, I checked to see how the other was going. It wasn't great. The villagers had surrounded it but their weapons couldn't break through its hard shell.

"Get back!" I shouted at them and they took a step back, startled. With a clear run-up to the scorpion, I put my mana into my agility then leapt into the air. As I did, I switched it to strength. More levels in [Mana Infusion] sure came in handy. The scorpion didn't last for more than a hit with that kind of momentum.