Alexander Reyes, you have died. You are now in your home.

Alexander blinked. He was in his bed, and he felt, well, off. The world, just barely in focus, was spiraling around him. Vertigo came on suddenly, and he fell out of bed. Cursing at himself, he then tried to steady himself, his hip now throbbing in pain.

Alexander Reyes, you have died. You are now in yo-

“I know, dammit!” Alexander shouted out. He slammed his fist against the floor, a loud “thud” ringing out. The administrator in his home looked on dispassionately.

You have died. However, since you did not have any experience points, and you were without credits, we have exacted other penalties. Alexander exhaled sharply, muttering under his breath, eyes bloodshot. Your necklace, “Prizes,” has been taken away from you. You cannot get it back unless you have defeated Riverman.

“So he took it?”

No. He refused to pick it up. This is a punishment for death. Your only item will be your kilt, as Riverman decided to take your item “The Death Knight’s Hand.” That is it, for now. If you are defeated once again, twenty levels will be deducted, and your class will be revoked, never to be offered again.

“Fuck…”

Do you have any questions?

“No, I’m ok.” Alexander picked himself up, his muscles throbbing. Without my class, I’ve got nothing…

---

Alexander spent most of the time worrying. He felt a deep pit in his stomach, and his ears would burn with nervousness. He felt awful, and the seconds only passed by ever more slowly. He writhed around in his bed, his sheets slowly enveloping him as he sank further into his mattress. The world was bearing down on him. He felt doom knocking at his temples, and he felt self-destruction in the hairs on the back of his neck.

Alexander finally got up when the clock got to its final five minutes. Time had gone by slowly, excruciatingly, but it still had gone by. Sweat was pouring down his face. He felt feverish. One minute passed after another, and the clock finally struck zero, emptying him out onto the riverbed.

But Riverman was nowhere to be found. In fact, no one was around. He took a second, his breath held in, and darted his eyes around. He saw nothing.

Alexander breathed out, his shoulders dropping. He was alone.

The sun was high in the sky, and its rays scattered off the river. The water sparkled, and the scene was beautiful. But Alexander only saw the grass, and the blood that was spilled on it.

“Hey.”

Alexander whipped his head around. It was Jade.

“Hey.” Alexander gulped.

“So you died again?”

“Yep.”

“What did you expect?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t act like a teenager.” Jade scoffed. “You clearly had a goal in mind– to beat him alone.”

“Yeah, I did. And I thought I had him.”

“I don’t care what you think.” Jade stepped forward and out of some brush, revealing her angered face. “Because of you, this invasion has been stalled and Obadiah is pissed. You’re lucky they haven’t found any of my bombs just yet.”

“I’m sorry, ok.” Alexander’s stomach churned and his ears burned.

“I don’t want your apologies, we still have a job to do. Have you lost any levels?”

“No, but one more death and I’m basically done for.”

“Good. Now then, the plan was to scout out his powers on the first go-around. Did you catch anything?” Jade moved another step forward and sat down.

“A few things: he has a special class, most of his abilities are unknown, and he’s way stronger than anyone says.”

“The special class thing makes sense, but other than that you’ve got jack.”

“No kidding.” Alexander sighed, letting out all the tension he could.

“Still, we have a chance. While you were out, I came up with a few ideas.” Jade furrowed her brow. “Now, did he have a magical shield at all?”

“Not that I noticed. He had another form he showed near the end, but I didn’t feel any kind of shield.”

“Good. Any armor?”

“Nope.”

“Weapons?”

“He has a trident hidden in his famous oar.”

“Ok.” Jade rubbed her chin. “I’ve got it.”

—--

“You being a part of this plan means that you will listen to me from now on.” Jade stared down at Alexander.

“Of course.” Alexander felt like he just tucked his tail between his legs.

“Ok. First, let me show you something.” Jade waved her hands around, and a shadow enveloped her. Then, out of the cloud, another Jade came into being.

“Woah…”

“Woah indeed.” The copies talked in unison.

“How did you do that?”

“It’s a magical ability of mine. Just like you, I have a special class.”

“Now that I think about it,” Alexander cocked his head. “We haven’t really talked about my class.”

“You mentioned how Riverman had one as well, so I’m guessing you’re up to speed on what they are.” Alexander nodded his head. “My class is Shadowlord, and it allows me to do stuff like this.”

“How does it work?”

“Each of these copies are me. I am literally splitting myself in two, and each one has half the health, magic, and endurance as the original. Currently, I have a limit of five that I make. When a copy dies, it disappears and I love however much health, magic, and endurance it had.”

“That’s gotta be dangerous.”

“Yes. However, I have full control over them,” Jade reunited with herself. “And if I bring them back everything returns to normal. Of course, it does have a cost to create and re-incorporate them.”

“Interesting.” Alexander trailed off.

“With these clones, I have full control over them. In fact, it is like my mind is split into two, and I can see/ feel each one.”

“That’s gotta be jarring.”

“It is. It’s why I haven’t used it much– still trying to get used to it. Now then, what is your class?”

Alexander breathed deeply. “Demon.” He activated his demon form. “I can’t really use spells, weapons, or armor, but I get this form right here. Pain is dulled, and any limits on my body are removed.”

“Fitting.” Jade smirked. Alexander de-activated his form. “Now then, the plan is simple.” Jade reached into a back pocket and removed a small, wooden box. “First, take this. It’s a few shots of drugs, including caffeine, adrenaline, amphetamines, and a few extra goodies.”

“The hell am I supposed to do with this?”

“Well, we don’t have enough time to train you more, or to get you to some more levels. So, we’re going to pump you so full of drugs, that with your pre-existing abilities, you’ll be unstoppable. Of course, you will most certainly be on the verge of having your heart explode, but I’m ok with that risk.”

“But I’m not-”

“Moving on.” Jade interrupted. “Before the fight, take the caffeine, and right before, take everything else. Now, I will be with you for it, but as a copy. I will have another half up on a tower overlooking the fight, sniper-rifle aimed. Basically, I’m going to provide combat help until we find the right opportunity to surprise him with a well-placed bullet. Hopefully, after that, we can finish him off.”

“How well can you fight with only half your power?” Alexander started to feel worried.

“From what you told me, you were close to handling yourself when fighting Riverman. You shouldn’t need much more help. So, when the half helping you dies, I’ll be able to solely focus on taking the shot.”

“Sounds fair. Anything else?” Alexander could feel the blood rushing to his chest.

“Nope. Now then, let’s begin.” Jade made a copy of herself, and one of her halves started running towards the city. “Take the caffeine, we’ve got a fight to win.”

Alexander opened the box and found four shots. The first, a clear liquid, was labeled ‘Caffeine,’ which he took and jammed into his arm. It automatically dispensed into his blood-stream, and he immediately felt a rush.

“Ok, now do your thing, and call the Riverman. Make sure to keep those other shots ready for when you need them.”

“Wait, where am I supposed to keep this box? It’ll probably break if I hold on to it.”

Jade, stopped in her tracks, gave consideration to his question. After a moment, she took it from him, and put it into the ground.

“Just remember where it is. Give me a signal by tapping your left temple three times when you need a second to take it. We don’t want to show our entire hand right away, so we need to dull out these surprises over time.”

“Sounds good.” Alexander nodded, and walked back up to the river. As he moved towards the water, his reflection grew more distinct. And as he saw more of his visage, he hoped that this would be the last time he ever saw it in these waters. Third time’s the charm.

“RIVERMAN!!!”