Then

“Well, what is it? Cause I didn’t get it,” Cal said.

“It says Horde Wave Survival.” Gene was visibly shaken, just like the rest of his team.

“There’s a timer counting down from two minutes,” Bastien said.

“That sounds new and ominous,” Cal said. “Success parameters?” He wanted to keep the boys from losing focus and panicking.

“Destroy the waves and survive,” Gene said.

“Rewards?”

“Uh… varied.”

“Failure parameters?”

Gene’s face was pale. “Death or escape.”

“What happens after that?”

“A Spawn Point will be created…”

“Of course,” Cal sighed. “Okay, here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to find a good defensible position. I recommend near the front doors. The cash registers and all the carts should give you a good bottleneck to funnel these waves. If it goes bad you can bail and run outside.”

“Wait… can’t you just take care of this?” Bastien rounded on Cal.

“I didn’t get the quest so that probably means it’s too easy for me,” Cal shrugged, “but it’s a good chance for you guys to get some quest rewards, which we all know give the best Universal Points. If it goes bad then I’ll help. So, chop-chop. If I’m not mistaken you’ve got a little over a minute to get into position.”

The team ran for it. What was impressive to Cal was the way they kept to their formation and stayed alert. They didn’t just assume that the area was safe until the quest countdown timer reached zero. Gene barked out directions for Olo, who was leading the way. They followed the same exact route that they came in on. It was wise to ensure that they passed through areas that they had already cleared of monsters.

With their remaining seconds the team, with Cal’s help, moved some of the empty shopping carts to create an even better funnel. When that was done they got into the familiar diamond formation. Olo at the front, Gene and Johnny on the flanks, and Bastien in the middle rear, ready to heal or lend a hand when the opportunity presented itself or was required.

Seeing that the team was ready, Cal moved back closer to the doors, next to the bags of sweet and salty loot. He’d make sure their haul would remain secure after all it was why they had come in the first place. Oh, he almost forgot the most important part. He’d have to be ready to pull the team out of the fire if things went bad, which meant he’d have to deal with the outcome of a failed quest. He wondered what sort of a Spawn Point the spires would make out of a Target. Better or worse than the high school?

“Wave one incoming!” Bastien called out as the countdown hit zero.

A small, snarling gremlin, singular, as in one came scrambling over the makeshift barricade of shopping carts. It funneled itself down into Olo’s wheelhouse. The teen smacked it hard with his bat and sent it flying back where it came from.

Cal heard the crack. He knew he didn’t need to bother using his telepathy to see if the monster was still alive.

Bastien confirmed it for him. “Done! Thirty seconds to wave two!”

Johnny barked out a laugh. “Seriously? Just one? This is going to take forever if each wave goes up by one.”

“Stupid apocalypse, doing stupid things,” Gene said.

“Wave two incoming!”

This time five small gremlins came.

“Shit!” Gene rushed forward to join Olo on the front lines, while Johnny did the same on the other side.

Together the trio made short work of the gremlins.

“Anyone hurt?”

“Nah, we’re good.” Gene said. “Bastien, if it’s just small gremlins, I think you should join us. Makes no sense keeping you back there. You’re missing out on the points.”

Bastien nodded and placed the lantern on the shelf of the returns department a few feet behind him. He then moved closer to the front with the rest of his team. Cal wasn’t so sure that was the right move. You’d have to weigh the potential that the next wave was comprised of the type of monster and the numbers you were expecting, otherwise Gene was just putting their only healer at risk. As the saying went ‘healer dies, team wipes’, or something like that. The last time Cal had played an mmo was just after college, which was almost fifteen years ago.

“Wave three!” Bastien called out from just behind the front line. The teen was ready to get some hits in the gaps.

Seven gremlins came and died.

The next four waves were comprised of ever increasing numbers of the little gremlins. The seventh wave got a little dicey and Gene was forced to use his last two casts of the magic missile spell for the day to thin the mass of twenty gremlins down to a more manageable fourteen.

“Save your skills!” Gene commanded.

“Got it!” Olo smacked away a group of leaping gremlins with a sweep of his riot shield.

The four teens battered, slashed, and stabbed the small monsters until none remained alive. They received a few wounds for their trouble. Mostly small cuts from tiny claws.

“Anyone need heals?”

“No heals,” Gene said to Bastien. “Save them for really bad wounds.”

“Wave eight, ten seconds,” Bastien said in between huffs of breath.

Even if it hurt his ability to do his healing prayer magic Cal was going to really encourage the boy to at least get enough cardio to last more than a couple of fights. Although to be fair going all out in a life or death struggle with monsters for more than a minute or two at a time was a probably a big ask for even the most well-conditioned athlete. He remembered his old high school wrestling matches only lasting two minutes a round, yet even his younger self would be sucking oxygen by the whistle. It took a lot of practice and experience to learn how to pace oneself. Cal was glad for the superhuman level of stamina that he now possessed.

Something he caught with his mental senses jarred him from his reminiscence. “Big ones incoming!”

Cal’s shout gave the team only a second or two of warning as a human-sized gremlin came leaping out of the shadows, right over the shopping cart barricade on their left flank.

The monster came straight for Gene, who was caught off guard. Cal was just about to shove it away with a blast of telekinetic force when a booming shout pierced the quiet, shadowy dimness.

“On me!” Olo stepped in front of Gene as the latter scrambled back.

Cal could see, so to speak, the change that overcame the gremlin. Instead of its original target, it fixated on Olo in an instant. A peek into its mind confirmed that for the gremlin only the tall, lanky, black teen with just a bit of baby fat left on his face and around his belly, existed. It wanted nothing more than to rend and tear its enemy.

When viewing the scene through the lens of his telepathy, Cal could see something like a thread or line that connected Olo to the gremlin. It pulsed and Cal liked to imagine that it was the Taunt skill Olo sent out being received and the hate from the monster in reply. A good enough explanation as any.

The gremlin swung a clawed hand at Olo’s head. The teen showed an enormous amount of bravery to block it with his shield. Unfortunately, his physical strength wasn’t yet on the same level as his guts. The blow jarred him and sent him reeling back several steps.

The gremlin went to follow-up its attack, only to trip and let out a shriek that Cal recognized as pain.

Johnny suddenly appeared at the gremlin’s side having swung his machete low, just above its knees. The blade dug into flesh and muscle, from the way that Johnny had to struggle to wrench it out, he must’ve cut all the way to the bone.

Interesting. It appeared that Johnny’s ability worked on Cal if he wasn’t paying attention. It wasn’t invisibility. Johnny didn’t literally vanish from sight. Cal had seen the teen in action several times. The ability was more akin to distraction and obfuscation. When he triggered the ability it was as if the enemy that he was targeting lost sight of him momentarily, even when he was standing right in front of them. He could then make his escape or reposition for a better angle of attack.

The gremlin fell to the ground, which was its end. The teens didn’t hesitate as they surrounded it. They bashed and hacked until the monster stopped moving. Even Bastien was able to get a few shots in.

“That was scary,” Olo said in between deep breaths.

“Thirty seconds until wave nine,” Bastien said.

Gene looked back at Cal.

Cal ignored the imploring look on the teens face. If they wanted to do this sort of thing they need to learn what it was like when they were drawing all the aggro. “Best get ready.”

Perhaps it was more instinct than a sign of cowardice, but the team backed up closer to the doors, closer to where Cal was standing.

It turned out to be a prescient move, as wave nine was comprised of five human-sized gremlins coming at them out of a shadows in a loose crescent shape aiming to envelope them.

“Hmm, bit unfair,” Cal said. With a flick of his hands he grabbed the two gremlins on each flank with telekinetic force and hurled them back into the shadows.

“On me!” Olo drew the three remaining gremlins to him. “Cleave!” He swung his metal bat in a wide horizontal arc from right to left. Despite barely grazing the three gremlins there was the loud thwack of flesh being hit with a blunt object. Each gremlin fell back as if struck by the full force of the bat.

Team F.C.W.R. leapt into action again they battered and hacked at the fallen gremlins until the monsters lay still.

They didn’t have time to celebrate their victory as the other two gremlins reappeared. One jumped in and pulled down on the upper edge of Olo’s riot shield dragging the teen down into the reach of its gnashing teeth.

The other appeared behind Gene and before anyone could react, Cal included, it bit down on teen’s shoulder.

Cal was about to intervene when he forced himself to stop and consider the scene. Time slowed to a crawl in his perception. He cringed at the anguished scream on Gene’s face as the gremlin worried at his shoulder like a dog on a chunk of meat. A little further away, Olo was on top of his shield, which was on top of the other gremlin. His bat lay several feet away. His right arm was in the gremlin’s mouth. Cal was impressed to note that the teen was doing his best to press down with all his weight to keep the gremlin from shaking its head and tearing at his arm even more.

It was what the remaining two members of the team were doing that ultimately made Cal’s decision for him. There was no need to save them, they were going to do it themselves.

Bastien clubbed the gremlin on Gene’s back until it let go and tried to defend itself. From the way it was staggering Bastien must’ve cracked its skull. Together with the wounded Gene the two teens finished the wounded monster.

Johnny appeared above the other gremlin’s head and very carefully drove the sharp point of his machete into one of its eyes. The monster twitched for a bit before it went still. It hurt and it took some effort, but they were able to pry Olo’s arm from out of the gremlin’s locked mouth.

“Thirty sec… until… wave,” Bastien could barely get the words out with how hard he was breathing.

“Alright, looks like you guys are done,” Cal said.

Gene grimaced with pain from the ghastly bite wound on his shoulder. “No, we have to finish the waves or we’ll fail the quest.”

“You’re in no shape to do that and I believe you don’t have enough time to do your prayer heals, right, Bastien?”

Bastien nodded.

“But the quest,” Olo said. His eyes were squeezed tight and he cradled his bitten arm close to his body.

“You can’t even hold your bat,” Cal sighed. “I have an idea. Gene, can you still use your last spells.”

“I think so…”

“Good.” Cal turned to Olo next. “Still got a Taunt left in you.”

Olo picked up his riot shield and nodded.

“Great! As soon as they come, you all do as I say.”

Nods all around.

The sounds of snarling, the clicks of claws on the tiles, it was a cacophony unlike anything any of them had heard since the Davis War many months ago.

Cal counted twenty human-sized gremlins. Cal saw them all with his telepathy. Some were charging straight through the funnel, while others were aiming to strike from the flanks, hidden in the shadows. He grabbed the latter with his telekinesis and pulled them out of the shadows as soon as they made their moves. He sent them crashing into the space right in front of him, right in front of the charging gremlins.

“Gene use your fireball.” Cal’s voice was calm. It was as if he had just asked the teen to solve for x.

“Fireball!” A small flaming orb the size of a baseball appeared in Gene’s hand as he hurled it like a pitcher.

The ball impacted in the center of the mass of gremlins with an explosion that billowed out into a cloud of flame and heat that Cal felt from where he stood, twenty feet away.

Seven gremlins, those closest to the epicenter of the explosion lay where they fell, unmoving. Cal couldn’t detect any thoughts from them.

Thirteen remained. These gremlins stood up unsteadily and focused on Gene with palpable hatred and hunger. It was clear to see even without telepathy. Their bodies were burned. Blackened and cracked flesh wept blood. The foul stench of their flesh wafted through the store’s interior. It reminded Cal and the teens of things they wished to scrub from their memories. It was the smell that often haunted their nightmares.

“Looks like you just got all the aggro, Gene,” Cal said. “Olo, you’re up.”

Olo stepped up next to Cal. His body visibly shook.

“Don’t worry,” Cal whispered. “I won’t let them hurt you. Just take their attention away from your DPS, like a Tank is supposed to.”

“On me!” Olo bellowed as he held his riot shield in front of him. Bloody, bitten arm held tight to his chest.

The gremlins immediately switched their focus to Olo. They came rushing forward with surprising quickness, but Cal was ready. He threw his arms wide and clapped them together. At the same time the gremlins were pushed in together and held in place. They were a tangle of limbs and claws that struggled impotently against the invisible grip.

Cal kept his concentration on the gremlins. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and the sharp pains of many needles started to poke at his brain, metaphorically of course. “You got that other fire spell, right?”

Gene nodded as he shuffled his way closer to the gremlins.

“Any day now,” Cal said through grit teeth.

That put a little pep in Gene’s steps as he hurried to stand just a few feet away from the gremlins that could only snap their sharp teeth in his direction. “Fire Spray!” A flat arc of flame shot from his outstretched hand. The fire fanned out in a continuous spray bathing the gremlins for a few seconds before it cut out and Gene staggered back.

Bastien and Johnny rushed forward to catch Gene before he toppled. Together they dragged him behind Cal and Olo.

“Right,” Cal said as he released his telekinetic hold on the gremlins. They fell to the ground, some remained still, while some still moved weakly. “Bastien, Johnny kill the ones still alive and make sure the rest are actually dead.” While the two rushed to comply. Cal beckoned to Olo. “Sorry, but I need you to pay attention to the wave announcement while I work on Gene. I’ll get to you next.”

Cal didn’t wait for a reply, trusting in the teen to handle his role. He went to the front doors where he left his day pack and grabbed first aid supplies. He rushed to Gene’s side. The teen was flat on his back and staring up with a look of utter exhaustion on his face. He could barely lift his head.

“Sorry, used up all my spells and I think cause of the bite, it took out a lot more from me than I expected.” Gene’s words were weak, barely audible even with Cal’s superior hearing.

“It’s fine, just means you’ve got to get stronger.”

Cal carefully, yet quickly manhandled the thin teen to get his motorcycle jacket off his injured shoulder. The gremlin’s teeth went right through the kevlar fabric to bite deep into the flesh. They really needed better protection, actual armor. Was it too much to ask for someone in their community to have the blacksmith or armorer classes? If those were even possibilities.

He cleaned out the wound with alcohol then checked the punctures for any foreign matter. It was an easy thing to use his telekinesis to pull out even the tiniest bits of fabric.

“That was the last wave,” Olo said.

“Good, stay on guard,” Cal said without looking up from his work. Once he slapped the gauze and taped it to Gene’s shoulder he beckoned Olo over. “Your turn.” It didn’t take long to dress the other teen’s arm.

“Alright, Bastien are you feeling up to using some of your healing prayers.”

“Sure, but I thought you took care of their wounds?”

“I’ve got this theory that healing counts towards participation and since you lot didn’t get a quest completion message yet, I’m guessing we have to exit the store first.”

“Sure, I can do that.” Bastien’s tired face lit up.

Bastien knelt next to Gene, who was in a seated position, leaning back against the returns counter. He placed his hand over Gene’s wounded shoulder and started softly praying.

It was the Apostle’s Creed. Cal recognized it immediately. He was a bit surprised to find out that Bastien was probably Catholic. It had been years since he had gone to a mass, not since he grew too old for his mom to make him go. Idly, he wondered what the Church thought of the spires and the introduction of powers and magic into the world. They probably didn’t like it, he vaguely remembered something about them speaking out against Harry Potter for teaching witchcraft to children or some such nonsense. A vindictive part of him thought it would be interesting to see their reactions if they saw Bastien doing actual magic while saying their prayers. What sorts of changes to doctrine and dogma would they need to make to fit the new reality?

The space between Bastiens hands and Gene’s shoulders began to glow with a soft, warm light. One minute, two, then three, Cal counted before Bastien slumped down and caught himself against the side of the counter.

“Wow, thanks man! That never fails!” Gene rotated his shoulder. “Just sore.” He poked at the gauze bandage with his fingers. “I can’t feel the holes anymore.”

Olo raised his uninjured arm. “Uh…”

“Give me a few minutes,” Bastien said wearily.

They waited for Bastien to recover before he repeated the healing prayer magic with Olo’s arm. He then did the same for the minor wounds on all of them before collapsing down right next to Gene.

“Good job everyone,” Cal said. “If I’m not mistaken that should be that…”

The team wasn’t paying attention, a far away look had descended on their faces.

“You’re getting predictable,” Cal said to no one in particular.

“Quest succeeded!” Johnny said brightly. He was the only among his team that had the energy to be excited. “I got 2000 Universal Points for it!”

The rest of the team echoed the same.

“I wonder how the points will be divided for the kills?” Bastien frowned, “I hope the healing was worth it.”

“You’ll find out the next time you go to the spire and yes you’ll get points for it,” Cal said. “Congratulations gentlemen! Warriors of Light and Virtue!” He laid it on a bit thick. “You have successfully completed an epic challenge and have been well rewarded.” They deserved it.

“This is the most points we’ve gotten in like ever,” Johnny said. “I don’t have an exact count, but I think I’ve gotten like 3100-ish total this whole time.”

“You got the loot for the council and you did the first horde wave challenge!” Cal grinned. “All without triggering anything crazy—”

An all to familiar chime rang in Cal’s ears.

“God damn it,” Cal said flatly.

You have successfully met the requirements to face the True Boss of the Target Encounter Challenge.

Success Parameter: Defeat the Boss.

Failure Parameter: Die or Flee.

Rewards: Control of Encounter Challenge, Varied.

Failure: Creation of Spawn Point.

Will you accept?

“Do we —” Gene started.

“Nobody say a word.” Cal deliberately looked at each teen in turn to impress upon them with his will and a little bit of his telepathy. He couldn’t chance an accident. “When I point at you, you will focus on the quest and you will think and say the word ‘NO’.”

Cal pointed at each teen. One by one they did as he commanded.

“No,” Cal said.

When the quest message vanished from his vision and hearing he let out a sigh of relief.

“That was too close. Alright, we’re done for the day. You lot can rest outside. Then we’ll head back with our loot and then you lot can sleep for the next few days. After that I think I’ll need to look into a training regimen for you guys,” Ca said. He purposefully ignored the tired smiles that broke across Team F.C.W.R.’s faces.