It was midday, according to the Terminal. Pops had regained his strength and insisted on driving again, though Celestia held their only map and the van''s gas was near to empty. The Towering Forest, read the Terminal when asked, expanded in all directions for countless miles. The ocean must have been gone, because, heading southward as they were, the Clark''s should have found the coast hours ago. The effect was disorienting, and the Tower Trees added to the uncanny dimensions of the strange wood. Miles of natural forest separated the two Tower Trees visible to them, and the Terminal implied there stood more beyond view. The sky was gone, replaced by a dark and green ceiling. Yet even this panorama could not block sight of a true monster that had come up from the earth in the north.


    Mt Denali, once Alaska and North America''s tallest mountain now served as a peak to a greater mass, which Pops estimated to be a city''s width and a dozen miles high. The Clarkes were unspoken in their gratitude that the Quest Marker did not point them toward that grim structure which the Terminal called only Mt Nightmare.


    Some fortune was on the Clarkes'' side. The cataclysm that had been the rising of Folly had sent legions of Monsters into the chasms that split the land. Their replacements had yet to crawl up from their nests and Blight the land anew. The forest presented an eerie calm that went against its ominous air.


    It was impossible to accept the depths of the Forest, and many smaller phenomena went unnoticed by the Clarkes as the van inched along through the tall grass.


    Some very small changes, such as an energy that had seeped into the dirt, a vital force that all plants now drew from. The Tower Trees themselves gave off a warmth that banished the winter chill, and their vast canopies broke apart the clouds. It might have been a crisp spring afternoon. Strange, topically colored birds darted between the surviving spruces, their songs intelligently musical. Glittering dust fell from their wings as they took flight, their tales were twice as long as their bodies. Squat, furry quadrupeds, not far removed from the family dogs, snuffled about the high grass as if they''d always been there. The dogs barked ferociously at these critters, who fled from the muffled calls.


    A metal crunch shattered the uneasy peace, and the van stopped with a jolt. Pops had hit something hidden in the grass, and his fury was unmatched. Everyone poured to find the van had run afoul of a steel chest, which had destroyed the bumper.


    “Dude, no way,” said Celestia over Pops’ screaming. “There gonna be treasure in that?”


    “Prolly,” said Conrad, who couldn''t stop himself from opening it.


    A single glowing card sat inside, resting on the smooth metal. Conrad grabbed it with triumph. “Yeah! You know, I''m lucky that wasn''t trapped.”


    “That something we gotta look out for?”


    “Like, every other chest.”


    “Great. Gimme that, twerp.”


    The card read Spin Attack - Fire. A level 1 single use card that hits all enemies in range. An additional fire effect lessens the chance of an enemy''s next hit to land.


    “That is dope,” said Celestia. “This is so gonna save my ass.”


    After tearing the number off and tossing it aside, the Clarkes continued. The gas meter dropped as the tedious, creeping miles piled on.They followed the map marker on Celestia''s terminal, hoping the mysterious Guild Master had some answer for them.


    Conrad was quiet, reserved, knowing already much the other two didn''t. This was, after all, the outcome he had dreamed of but thought impossible. And he was still young. Childish enough to accept such drastic alterations with an angst and certainty that shielded him. Grooming a dog on his lap, he vowed to interrogate this Guild Master, and discover just why he had been denied.


    Pops was Pops, too far gone to worry. He''d struggled and bluffed and grifted his way through sixty years. That wouldn''t change now. Maybe this was Heaven or Hell. Maybe the government had done something, or the Russians or China. There was no news to tell him. No YouTube video to explain it. It didn''t matter. But remember, Pops still had a pre-roll then, and he put off from dwelling on his mood when it was smoked and gone.


    Celestia worried over several issues as she drove, pretending she felt okay. She especially worried about the front right tire, which had fallen off days before. She and Pops had put the axle back together several times now. Every bump agonized her as the van lumbered over it. And while she lacked Conrad''s inherent understanding of the circumstances, Celestia exceeded him in others. Something felt off. More than the chaos and fury and unreality of the past day and night. Something sinister, staged and hidden. A snake in the grass, if you will. Had the Class Card done something to her? Instilled a kind of sixth sense? She held out her arm and the Ability Cards manifested, spinning about her wrist. They were still beautiful. Lavish woodland decorations on their backs, and oil brush art on the front. Even the letters were slanted and pretty. And the soothing vanilla smell.


    Celestia dispelled the cards and looked now to the Terminal. A black glass screen, perfectly smooth and untarnished. Gunsteel metal covering its sides and body. It repelled an attempt to open or damage it. There were no seams, no screws, nothing moving. Not even a button or speaker. It turned on by will, touch or vocal command. Though turn on was a misnomer. No backlight turned on. The green text only appeared in the void. There was no menu or navigation. The Terminal showed only what was asked of it. An intricate system of yes or no prompts.


    "Class," said Celestia, balancing the Terminal and a pup on her lap.


    The Terminal generated text.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Player class? Y/N


    She said yes.


    Flambard Knight (legacy): a swordsman who strayed too far toward the occult. The Quiet Flame haunts him now, forever wrapping his sword and his heart in invisible fire. His undulating sword betrays the curse upon him, yet also holds the boon granted him.


    Required stats: Heroism, Brutality, Maleficium


    "Guild Master."


    One who has reached mastery of levels. They guide the Prodigies toward this same goal, offering Quests and advice.


    "Prodigy System."


    The way by which Strength is measured and Heroes are made. To quantify the unknowable.


    "Why am I here?"


    To reach Mastery of Levels and become a Guild Master.


    "Who did this?"


    The System quantifies the unknowable.


    "How much further to my Guild Master?"


    Analyzing...


    Approximately three miles. Warning. Now entering hazardous terrain. Warning. Monsters detected in area.


    Celestia looked up. To say the land was simplifying was not wholly correct. It lost an amount of detail, the crisp luster of the Towering Forest. The ground formed sharp, unnatural edges, and sudden steep planes. It sank everywhere into bubbling swamp filled depressions. And the walls of the depressions were layered, like some quarries. The rock had been cut with precision, as nothing natural formed that way. The effect was disorienting. The trees were also smaller here, cruel, bent trees that bunched close together. A fog rolled between them.


    Skull lanterns burned at intervals, implying something living dwelled here to light them. But the Clarkes saw no such creatures. A few wild hares and great bullfrogs leaped into the safety of the grass, but these creatures showed no Vitality Bars. Nor did they appear on the Terminal.


    The big, mean looking birds flying overhead did.


    Enemies detected: x3 Wraith Vultures (lvl 1)


    Strikes: 1/1


    The carrion flyers folded their wings and dived for the van. Their talons struck the roof as they passed. These were true behemoths, each bigger than a man. Their weight rocked the vehicle. And with each attack, they spread their wings again and climbed for another go. Escape was impossible, the strange swamp''s winding paths too narrow to take at speed. Pops went for the Winchester but found it empty. It fell on Celestia to act."


    "Welp, use the sword," said Pops. "That''s why we''re here, right?"


    "Looking that way," said Celestia.


    She eased open the driver side door but shut it at once as a vulture tore past, flying parallel to the van. Her second attempt took her outside, as Pops and Conrad grabbed the dogs trying to follow her. As an instinct, Celestia held her sword in a familiar stance, two handed and held low and forward. Her head burned, desperate for caffeine. The vultures circled above, just below the crooked canopy, and one dropped suddenly. Its speed terrified Celestia, who turned and ran, carrying her sword by the blade. A vulture crashed down beyond her, and another and the last! The Monsters had abandoned the van to chase her now. The three thrashed at each other a few feet off the ground, realizing they were in competition for a single prey. One broke from the others and struck out. Celestia activated Quiet Flame and swung, but the attack was so mistimed, the Terminal failed to register it.


    I''d like to tell you Celestia then proved her heroism and lived up to the stat she most exemplified. That she turned then, flammard held aloft, and beat back the wicked birds with a deft strike and a pillar of fire to finish them off. Panic took hold of Celestia. The animals sensed this and capitalized on her weakness. One, two, three they abandoned their bickering to circle around her, wings spread to block her escape. The birds cackled, almost human like, and bit the air, testing their prey. A beak threatened to snap Celestia each time she backed away. And now the birds drew closer, drawing a tighter circle around the Prodigy.


    Celestia summoned her cards. Quiet Flame had been wasted, and Chaos Shield prompted the same error. The new card, she thought. Spin Attack - Fire.


    The card burst, and the flammard raised. But enough to pull Celestia''s arms with the force, but with a sort of steering assist tug. The sword, or rather the card, seemed to be guiding her through a motion unfamiliar to her. One she would think useless in practice. But all was changed now, and she moved with the sword, its pull and her training acting together. Now the sword moved with tremendous force and she spun in place like an ice skater. One low swoop that caught two of the birds on fire.


    18 Attack vs 12 and 4 Defense! Strike out!


    Two of the birds writhed, their feathers alight. They tried to fly but their burning wings caught no lift and they died terribly. The last had backed away and was unharmed. It lunged at once, poking it''s head forward. Celestia found blocking a beak with a narrow sword cumbersome, but the numbers were in her favor.


    17 Defense vs 16 Attack! Parry!


    A Kendo strike to make her sensei proud took off the beak, and the animal gave up the attack as the Vitality Bar above it burst. Celestia heaved, doubled over with hands on her thighs. A chirp from the Terminal.


    Reward: x5 Flame Coat (1) AB Card(s)


    Flame Coat - (single use) a fire coats the wielder’s weapon, dealing an additional Strike and diminishing the target’s chance to hit


    “Beautiful,” said Celestia, a weak smile. She was about to return to the van, when something enormous lumbered out from the trees. It was a Monster in size only, as it took the form of a brown bear. But no bear had ever grown to that size, nor did any.bear hold the same cold intelligence in its eyes as this specimen. Celestia froze, and Pops and Conrad didn''t dare leave the van and anger the beast.


    The bear meandered up to her, standing thrice her height. It sniffed her, a deep, gasping noise. Its jaw moved strangely, as if it were trying out the motion for the first time. It began forming crude words.


    “Troublesome. Know how to talk now but lack the mouth for it. Ate some weird tasting dirt and this happened. After all the shaking. Know what happened?”


    Celestia stood erect, arms straight at her side.


    “Um. Not really. Just as lost as you?”


    “Too bad. Hoping you knew.”


    “Do…all animals talk now?”


    “No idea. None I''ve seen, besides us. Be careful. Lots of creatures I''ve never seen or smelled, and I''ve been around. Well, I''m lost and trying to find my cave. Wish me luck.”


    And the bear went back into the woods, heading the opposite way it came. Celestia gasped, having held her breath since the bear''s appearance. It seemed no one had survived unchanged. And as the Clarkes regrouped and prepared to guide the van through the brooding swampland ahead, ice blue eyes watched their progress through binoculars, a thin, frosted sword cold and bloody at the watcher’s hip.