《The Reluctant Apostle [VR LitRPG]》 Prologue December 4th, 2035 Hawthorne Castle 4:10 PM For hundreds of years, Hawthorne Castle and the village surrounding it had stood atop the hills overlooking the City of Etron. For hundreds of years, it housed the Hawthorne Clan, its Patrician, and the Cyclops. That era was over. A great plume of smoke rose over Etron as hundreds died and thousands lost their homes in a great conflagration. Castle Hawthorne was surrounded by hordes of ravening beasts, and the Cyclops had been brutally killed. The people of Etron thought their distance from the center of the Deluge would protect them from the worst of it, but the Dark Apostles brought the war to their doorstep first. Homes burned and Goblins ran through the streets of Etron, shooting any Imperial with the misfortune of getting in their way. Even Etron¡¯s deepwater port seemed to blaze with the inferno as the flames exploded out of the docked ships and danced over the azure water. The refugees of Etron thought they would be safe within Castle Hawthorne. If nothing else, Beatrice Hawthorne and the Cyclops would keep them safe. Hundreds of terrified men, women, and children huddled within the great stone walls of Castle Hawthorne. With terror and despair in their eyes, they looked out and saw the inert corpse of the Cyclops - a mass larger than the largest building in Etron - suspended in the air by a dozen piercing stone spikes. It was as if several huge stone arrows had risen out of the ground to pierce the Cyclops. Gallons of blood still trickled from the Cyclops¡¯s open wounds. Its mouth hung open loosely, and it was elevated a hundred feet in the air so that all those within the Castle could see. It was a blasphemy of the highest order. The Imperials'' messiah had been killed with arrows, and the Cyclops¡¯s corpse had been turned into a work of art commemorating their messiah¡¯s death. Dozens of magic knights and hundreds of levy soldiers stood behind the one gate into Castle Hawthorne. In a terrified voice, the Captain of the Guard shouted commands to hold fast against the monstrous horde. The Captain was cut off, however, by the sound of a heavy blunt strike against the other side of the gate. The sound echoed throughout the entire Castle. The knights readied their weapons, and some took a step back in fear. There was another slam. Then another. And another. The gate began to buckle. Then, on the fifth strike, the gate exploded inward, sending two massive, several-ton slabs of steel flying. There were screams of pain as the doors crushed a number of levy soldiers. The force that unshackled the doors from their housing created a massive plume of dust that prevented the Imperials hiding within Castle Hawthorne to see the mechanism that destroyed the gate. After an eternity that - mercifully - only lasted five seconds, the sound of footsteps could be heard. The footsteps were those of a single man. Slowly, with an unhurried gait, the man walked forward. Though the footsteps weren¡¯t any louder than any other, they filled the courtyard beyond the gate like thunder. A single unassuming man appeared from the cloud of smoke and dust. He wore a long black cloak with a hood concealing most of his face. In his hand, he wielded a long obsidian sword with silver glyphs etched on its central ridge. Though the cloak concealed his face, his shirt hung open. Upon the man¡¯s skin was the black IV tattooed just under his collar bone. The man was Kojiro, the Fourth Dark Apostle. ¡°Surrender the royal family and no one here has to die!¡± Kojiro shouted. ¡°The Hawthorne Clan will become hostages at Castle Bosporus. We have no intent to harm them, one way or another.¡± A murmur of hope-tinged fear spread throughout the defenders. Perhaps they could survive. Perhaps, if they just abandoned their oaths, their loyalty, and their honor, they could be spared. The Captain managed to regain his courage after a moment. ¡°It is our solemn duty to protect Clan Hawthorne. From birth, we have known that the day would come where we would have to lay down our lives for the royal family. We shall not surrender to you, monster!¡± The defenders of the castle gained back much of their morale as the Captain spoke. A brief ¡°Hurrah!¡± sounded amongst them before they once more fell into silence. ¡°Whatever you say,¡± Kojiro said, cracking his neck with the hand that didn¡¯t hold his sword. ¡°I¡¯ve been slaughtering Imperials all day today. Honestly, it¡¯s kind of become a chore. So¡­ I¡¯ll give you one more for you to save your own lives and save me another annoying fight with a predetermined outcome. Surrender.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The Captain took a step back, fear obvious on his face. After a moment, however, he rallied. He gritted his teeth and shouted, ¡°Attack!¡± The magic knights closest to Kojiro charged forward. They moved faster than any human could hope to move, but their speed was still no match for a Dark Apostle. With a sigh, Kojiro dodged their strikes and swung his sword. The blade struck a magic knight in the chest, crumpling his armor instantaneously. The armor did its job, and the blade was not able to cut through, but the knight died anyway. Instead of acting as a razor, Kojiro¡¯s sword acted as a club. Upon impact, the knight¡¯s ribs shattered, and his organs exploded. The blow sent the knight flying ten yards in the air and thirty meters away. He was dead before he hit the ground. Kojiro reserved his second strike for the Captain. The Fourth Dark Apostle bent his knees and launched himself at the Knight Captain. Within two seconds, Kojiro had traveled the thirty yards between himself and his target. Before the Captain could react, his head had been severed from his body. Hundreds of soldiers died. Any man, regardless of status or skill, who entered the range of Kojiro¡¯s sword was dispatched with a single strike. Without fail, Kojiro killed every person within Castle Hawthorne who tried to harm him. Kojiro killed half of the castle¡¯s defenders before the rest fled in terror. He made no attempt to harm the cowards, opting only to regard them with contempt as they fled on hands and knees. A long, winding stone staircase connected the gate and the central keep. Slowly but inexorably, he walked up these stairs. Sorcerers, magic knights, and even peasants armed with butcher¡¯s knives and pitchforks tried to stop him as he ascended the steps. They were all dispatched with the same dispassionate efficiency as everyone else. Splattered blood painted the walls of the castle, and terrible screams rang out like a symphony of terror. Just as Kojiro reached the end of the long stone staircase, he spotted me. He looked up at where I was perched atop the castle barracks with mild annoyance. ¡°Hey Enzo!¡± he shouted. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come down and help me with this? This is a two-man job, isn¡¯t it?¡± I looked down at myself for a moment. I was dressed in much the same way as Kojiro. The long black cloak concealed my face and my figure. Unlike Kojiro, however, I had buttoned my shirt to cover up my own tattoo. Placed beside me was an M4 assault rifle, and at my hip was a double-action revolver. My belt held thirty specially-made bullets, each marked with a glyph of ancient magic. Some glyphs allowed me to bypass the defensive magic of certain supernatural creatures while other glyphs caused the bullet to do something special when fired. I picked up the assault rifle and jumped down off the building. The stone cracked under my feet as I landed. From my perspective, however, it felt like I had taken a step down the stairs. I had to extract my feet from the cobblestones. It was easy for me to forget that I weighed more than five hundred pounds now. ¡°You had it handled,¡± I said soon after I landed. ¡°Plus, you know I don¡¯t like all this killing stuff,¡± I muttered gloomily. Kojiro sighed and said, ¡°I had to get paired up with the pacifist. You¡¯re right, I did have it handled. It¡¯s just¡­ well¡­ it¡¯s like playing Dynasty Warriors. Have you ever played Dynasty Warriors?¡± ¡°A little bit,¡± I answered, confused. ¡°In Dynasty Warriors, you spend the first half of every mission slaughtering nameless goons. That part¡¯s boring. The level only gets interesting when you start fighting the powerful enemies. Basically, I¡¯ve been playing the first part of a Dynasty Warriors level for the past five hours. Get it?¡± ¡°I suppose I get it,¡± I said, looking down at a bisected peasant, his dead face contorted in an expression of terror, ¡°but it¡¯s a bit different here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little different,¡± Kojiro said, following my gaze. ¡°Plenty of games have the enemies scream in pain as they die. ¡°Anyway,¡± Kojiro tore his gaze away from the dead peasant, ¡°I need your help to deal with the royal family. Their magic is strong enough to hurt us.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± I said as I slung the assault rifle behind my back and started loading bullets into my revolver. ¡°Just remember that we¡¯re supposed to capture and not kill them.¡± ¡°Of course, I remember that part,¡± Kojiro sneered. ¡°Melkior must have said, ¡®Don¡¯t kill the Hawthornes,¡¯ twenty times.¡± An electrical signal buzzed in the back of my neck. Before my brain could catch up, I ducked down low. A half second later, I looked up and saw a blur of silver steel fly past. I turned and saw a magic knight less than a foot away from me. Kojiro drew his sword back as I reached forward with my palm toward the enemy. I placed my palm against the magic knight¡¯s chest and pushed at an upward angle. The force of the push concaved the knight¡¯s chest plate slightly and sent him flying. I struck with a mere fraction of my full power, so the knight did not die instantly. Instead, he flew in an arc that ended far outside of the castle walls. Kojiro whistled and said, ¡°Wow, he must have flown three hundred yards. Though, he might not have died from that, you know?¡± ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t like killing,¡± I said as I went back to choosing which bullets to load into my revolver. ¡°And yet you¡¯re always carrying a gun,¡± Kojiro snickered. ¡°Speaking of which,¡± I said, changing the topic of conversation away from my pacifism, ¡°should I bring the Elder Sign bullets or the Infernal Steel bullets?¡± ¡°We probably won¡¯t be fighting any Divine Beasts. Bring five Elder Sign bullets and one Infernal Steel bullet just in case,¡± Kojiro suggested. ¡°Good idea,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± I loaded the bullets into my revolver and snapped it shut. I pulled the hammer back as I returned it to its holster. Before us stood the central keep of Castle Hawthorne. Hidden inside were the cowering remnants of Clan Hawthorne. The children and grandchildren of the woman we had so recently killed were waiting, ready to attack us with the powerful magic unique to their bloodline. As I stepped toward the central keep, I reminded myself that this was for the greater good. Chapter 1 - [The Kabuto System] October 1st, 2035 When I logged in to Ferrum Online for the first time, I was sitting inside of a net cafe in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. I had been laid off about two months before, and I had been living in various motels, hostels, or rentals for about two weeks. A few days before, I had learned of a few net cafes in the area that allowed you to stay there overnight for much cheaper than a motel. It was much less comfortable than a motel, but I liked the idea of it. The business model had been imported over from Japan soon after the end of the Three-Year War. I hadn¡¯t slept too well the night before, so I bought a frozen coffee from a vending machine in the back of the store. While waiting in line, I saw that a ¡°retrospective¡± on President Sebastian Sutton was running on CNN. Based on the reactions I saw from most people in the netcafe, I could tell that some found the program to be distasteful. Sebastian Sutton had a strange legacy in my home state. He was the only American president to be born in Wisconsin. Yet, his presidency very nearly caused the end of America. The blame could hardly be placed at his feet, however. It was his assassination that set off the War, after all. He had the kind of power, infamy, and historical significance where it was difficult to view him as a person. The Three-Year War had taken place from 2028 to 2030. When it started, I was seventeen years old. I was old enough to recognize that something was wrong, but I wasn¡¯t politically sophisticated enough to fully grasp the nature of the problem. Luckily, my home state was mostly untouched. The only real effect the War had on my family was when I got it in my head that I wanted to join a militia. My mom was able to quickly dissuade me of such thoughts. I was lost in thought thinking about the War when I reached the front of the line. The employee standing behind the counter cleared his throat, and I was brought back to the present. ¡°Just this, please,¡± I said as I placed the frozen Starbucks coffee on the counter and took my wallet out of my back pocket. ¡°Mmm,¡± the man grunted as he scanned the coffee. He looked me up and down as I passed him my debit card. It was going to expire at the end of the month. I knew what the employee saw. I was a small man with dark blonde hair the color of straw. I wore glasses with thick rims, and I had walked with a slouch ever since I was thirteen years old. One could be forgiven for incorrectly assuming I was one of those frail academic types, but I had never been a particularly smart person. Math was the only subject in school I was ever good at. I wore a flannel jacket with a fur-lined interior, a graphic T-shirt, and loose-fitting jeans. I had not showered in a few days, but I was fairly certain the attendant could not smell me from where he was standing. ¡°You¡¯re the guy from cubicle number five, right? Geoffrey Lachlan?¡± the employee asked. ¡°Yes, I am,¡± I said, trying my hardest to not look like a homeless person. Technically I was, but I still had my car and twenty thousand dollars in savings. Plus, I had a promising job interview the next day. I was going to have a new job before I ran out of money, probably. ¡°Just so you know,¡± he said, ¡°our company has a policy of only allowing people to reserve seventy-two hours per week. You¡¯ve already used sixty-eight hours this week. Also, if you want to reserve four more hours, the price is double.¡± ¡°Double?¡± I asked. I wondered if this was his way of subtly telling me to get out of his store. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°A lot of people are making reservations to play that new MMO that comes out today,¡± the man said. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Hmm,¡± I exhaled as I turned my head and scratched the small piece of metal that had been embedded in the base of my neck. I had only gotten the surgery done two months before, and it still itched when I thought about it. ¡°You mean Ferrum Online?¡± ¡°Oh, I see you have the NIP.¡± The employee seemed surprised. It made sense. He did think I was a hobo, after all. ¡°The Neural Interface Port?¡± I was unaware that it had an acronym. ¡°Yeah, I had it installed pretty recently. I heard really good things about the Kabuto system, and I wanted to try it out.¡± ¡°You gonna play Ferrum when it comes out?¡± the employee asked with a smile. He wore the unmistakable expression of a fan who wanted badly to talk about the object of his affection. ¡°I¡¯ve already bought the game, and I¡¯m downloading it onto my laptop as we speak,¡± I said truthfully. ¡°Cool,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna log in as soon as my shift¡¯s over. Which Path do you think you¡¯ll take?¡± ¡°Path?¡± I had no idea what he was talking about. ¡°At level twenty, you unlock a ¡®Path.¡¯ It¡¯s basically the game¡¯s class system. They say there¡¯ll be twelve fully fleshed out Paths, but they¡¯ve only revealed three: Blood, Mystery, and Divinity. The Path of Blood is for tank builds, the Path of Mystery is for magic builds, and the Path of Divinity is for healer builds. My goal when I play today is to reach level twenty.¡± ¡°Cool,¡± I said, not really listening, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to keep that in mind when I reach level twenty. Now that I¡¯m here, I feel like I should probably reserve those last four hours. At double price, that¡¯s¡­ what¡­ forty bucks?¡± ¡°Eh, you seem like a stand-up guy,¡± the employee said. ¡°You can stay here until nightfall free of charge. Though, you can¡¯t stay here tonight. Boss¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± I said as I picked up my iced coffee. ¡°Thanks.¡± I had started walking back to my cubicle when he said, ¡°Hey, if you log out before my shift ends, tell me about the game.¡± ¡°Will do,¡± I said over my shoulder with a smile. It was only a twenty-yard walk to my cubicle. The place I had been residing in for the past two days measured four feet by eight feet. It barely had enough space for me to lay down. The only things inside the cubicle were a sleeping bag, a beanbag chair, a backpack, a desk which I could slide my legs under, and a laptop. I slid the door to my cubicle closed and sat on the sleeping bag with my back to the beanbag chair. I slid my legs under the desk and looked at my laptop¡¯s screen. The game had finished downloading, and a notification blinked on my screen. Ferrum Online is now playable. I took a cord and hooked it to my Neural Interface Port. Connecting with the computer through the port was a strange sensation. I was acutely aware that the biomechanical machine that was my central nervous system was interfacing with the computer. If I had been religious or if I had been especially keen on keeping my mind independent of machinery, I would have described it as a negative experience. As I am, however, it was neither a positive nor negative experience. It felt like a new tool had been installed in my head for me to utilize, and tools are neither good nor bad until they¡¯re utilized. I placed the Kabuto device atop my head and inserted a separate plug into it. The Kabuto device was shaped like a helmet, and it covered the user¡¯s eyes and ears. The device didn¡¯t actually interface with the sensory organs. Rather, the purpose of the coverage was to prevent confusion. The Kabuto system interfaces directly with the brain, but the user can still see or hear. It would be confusing if you were to hear the outside world while also hearing the audio of the game. The Kabuto device itself just serves as a secondary computing system. It handles the programs that allow the human brain to interface with the game. Technically, you don¡¯t actually have to wear the Kabuto device while you play, but doing so minimizes the risk of interference. A short line of text appeared on the screen inside of my visor. Would you like to play Ferrum Online? I reached up and clicked the accept button on the side of the Kabuto device. For the first and last time, I experienced the full dive. Chapter 2 - [The Far Caster Event] Ferrum Online, the new flagship video game by Far Caster, Inc., was playable at 7:00 AM in Los Angeles, 10:00 AM in New York City, 3:00 PM in London, 5:00 PM in Moscow, and 11:00 PM in Tokyo. People could download the game twelve hours before the release, so many of those who pre-ordered Ferrum could play the game as soon as it officially came out. Early reviews were very positive, and more than ten million copies were pre-ordered. Within an hour, more than a million people had logged into Ferrum Online. These people were held in a catatonic state while GM optimized the game. Within two hours, stories began circulating of people dying while using Far Caster¡¯s Kabuto VR system. These reports came flooding in from all across the developed world. In total, twenty thousand people died on the first day as a result of outsiders¡¯ attempts to remove the Kabuto headset. At first, people believed that there was some terrible unforeseen defect in the Kabuto. By the end of the first day, however, it was clear that the deaths were the result of foul play. Far Caster denied any involvement, but no other group claimed responsibility. The only evidence of foul play was the message that had been electronically sent simultaneously to every major news organization in the country: (1) DO NOT REMOVE THE KABUTO HEADSET, (2) DO NOT ALLOW CONNECTION WITH THE SERVER TO BE INTERRUPTED FOR LONGER THAN AN HOUR, (3) DO NOT HARM ANYONE WEARING A KABUTO HEADSET. On the first day, more than a hundred victims had been freed from the Kabuto, but all of them had sustained permanent nerve damage. These were just the survivors. Hundreds more perished as a result of various groups¡¯ attempts to free the victims of the ¡°Far Caster Event.¡± Every government in the world mobilized all of the emergency services at their disposal in order to transport the victims of the Far Caster Event to whatever hospital or medical facility was available. A non-profit organization called the Charon Group significantly aided this undertaking. On that first day, two hundred thousand people were successfully transported to hospitals, which were now overburdened with comatose patients. One reporter went to see one of these cramped hospitals and remarked, ¡°Despite holding more than a thousand patients, this hospital is as quiet as a graveyard. It¡¯s like this ward holds only Revenants, restless spirits held in limbo between life and death.¡± The news organization fired the reporter for this off-color remark, but the term caught on. Soon, people around the world began to refer to the victims of the Far Caster Event as ¡°Revenants.¡± October 2nd, 2035 On the second day, someone came forward to claim responsibility for the Far Caster Event. He called himself the God of Machines, and he claimed that he did not hold any ill-will toward the Revenants. According to the God of Machines, he only wanted to have the Revenants play a video game with him. Most people assumed that the God of Machines was some kind of hacker, but he never identified himself. All that was known about him was that he did not use a voice modulator, yet no voice recognition software could recognize his voice. The God of Machines demanded that the Revenants be brought to the servers themselves. He also said that he would kill any Revenant whose connection with the server falters for longer than ten seconds after the 14th of October. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Throughout these events, the Charon Group showed nothing but boundless generosity. While aiding the efforts to transport the Revenants to local hospitals, they also spent billions of dollars to help build eleven hospitals adjacent to the servers used to run Ferrum. Late in the day, a thousand Revenants were freed from their Kabuto headsets. All of these people were either old or sick, and none of them remembered anything from the previous thirty-six hours. Every last one of these people was dead within a month. October 4th, 2035 The rescue efforts ended. Largely thanks to a non-profit organization called Charon, Inc., eight-tenths of the Revenants had been transported to local hospitals. On October 3rd and 4th, an estimated four hundred thousand Revenants were released by the God of Machines. It is surmised that the God of Machines released these people because he knew that they could not be transported to a hospital before they would die of dehydration. Due to the deaths of the first people to be released, these people were monitored for a few months. These people did not suffer a significantly higher mortality rate than the standard population. 1.6 million people remained trapped. October 15th, 2035 By the fifteenth day, almost all of the remaining Revenants had been transported to the eleven medical centers created by the Charon Group. About a hundred thousand Revenants were released because they could not be transported to the server hospitals. Seeing that the God of Machines freed those who could not meet his demands, various organizations intentionally held back several thousand Revenants. The God of Machines killed all Revenants who were kept in place intentionally. 1.5 million people remained trapped. October 16th, 2035 Ten thousand of the remaining Revenants were released intentionally by the God of Machines. It was revealed later on that the God of Machines had offered to release hostages if the governments of the world would give more processing power to the Ferrum servers. There was one rule to this hostage swap, however. The God of Machines would never release specific hostages. He would willingly release a thousand Revenants trapped on a particular server, but these Revenants would be selected seemingly at random. October 31st, 2035 The same pattern occurred every day between October 16th and October 31st. Governments would offer to trade hostages for processing power while trying unsuccessfully to catch the God of Machines. In return, the God of Machines would release some hostages. This continued until the 30th of October when the God of Machines suddenly stopped communicating. At this point, the number of hostages had been reduced from two million to a mere three hundred thousand. The whole world watched with fear as a short message appeared on every device connected to the Internet. The message read, in the language native to that particular system: EVERYTHING IS IN PLACE. KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN TOMORROW. Everyone realized that something significant had changed in the world, but none could put their finger on exactly what. The next day, everything was revealed. November 1st, 2035 At 9:00 AM EST, television channels across the world were hijacked by a broadcast of a man in a military uniform. The man identified himself, ¡°I am GM. Though, most of you know me as the God of Machines.¡± The God of Machines then stated that he would finally begin to run Ferrum Online as it was meant to be played. In the interest of transparency, GM stated that he would broadcast the struggles of the Revenants for the whole world to see. The Revenants would be able to free themselves if they beat GM in a little game. Should they fail, however, they would be killed. At 10:00 AM EST, the broadcast began. For the first time, the world at large was made aware of the existence of strong AI. No matter what any human organization did, they could not stop GM from broadcasting. For twelve hours, the world was forced to watch as dozens died on screen. Then, at 8:00 PM EST, GM reappeared on screen. He bid the audience adieu, bowed to the camera, and promised he would be back tomorrow. Chapter 3 - [Voice Made of Wind] November 1st, 2035 The full dive was far more intense than I expected. I felt a lurch in my stomach as if I had suddenly entered a free fall. A sensation similar to motion sickness pervaded my entire body and then I began to feel sleepy. I tried to reach for the Kabuto device, but my limbs had already been paralyzed. The drowsy feeling intensified until I lost consciousness. While this happened, I was suspended in a void of unending darkness. An instant later, I felt myself lurch awake. I thought this must have been a bug until I saw a source of light ahead of me. A single hanging lamp illuminated a table, a chair, and a featureless humanoid figure. The entity sitting in the chair resembled a wooden doll that painters used to simulate human poses. The only difference was that the doll was approximately the size of a person. Beyond this single illuminated scene was nothing but darkness in all directions. I stepped forward. It was a strange sensation, as I could not perceive my own body. The darkness surrounding me obscured any physical evidence of my appearance, and I could not perceive the myriad sensory indicators that came with having a body. I tried to exhale manually, but I could not hear the sound of my own breath. I tried to press my hand to my chest, but my hand grasped nothing but empty air. If I was not acutely aware that everything I perceived in that moment was a mere simulation, I would have begun panicking. I tried to speak. ¡°Hello?¡± a faint voice called out. It was not my own voice. Rather, it was as if the voice were made from the wind itself. It was as if a gust of wind had blown past an object in just the right way to produce a word. ¡°Hello,¡± a gentle woman¡¯s voice responded. It sounded just like a real woman¡¯s voice, but I knew that it was easy to generate realistic voices with current AI technology. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m, uh, Geoffrey Lachlan,¡± the voice made of wind said. I tried to find the source of the voice in the darkness to no avail. It seemed to come from all directions at once. I turned my eyes to look back at the doll only to see that I was now sitting at the table. A perfect clone of Geoffrey Lachlan dressed in a blue military uniform was sitting where the doll had been a moment before. The biggest indicator that it wasn¡¯t actually me was the fact that he was sitting with his back straight. ¡°What?¡± I asked. I gasped a moment later. This time, I spoke with my own voice. I could hear myself breathing, and I could feel the presence of my limbs once again. I felt my chest, solid once again. I touched my head and ran my fingers through my thin hair. Now audible, I breathed out a sigh of relief. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Do you wish to play as this man?¡± the woman¡¯s voice asked. ¡°Huh?¡± I had been distracted by the uncanny sensations I had just experienced. ¡°Uh, no thank you.¡± ¡°Do you wish to alter this appearance?¡± ¡°Uh, yes please,¡± I said. ¡°How do alterations work?¡± ¡°Among other things, you may increase height, lower weight, change race, change age, or change sex if you wish. Though, your character must remain with the confines of the human race.¡± ¡°Oh, I think I understand,¡± I said. ¡°If I wanted to make my avatar a few inches taller, how would I do that?¡± As I spoke, my doppelganger¡¯s head rose a few inches higher. ¡°Simply describe the changes to me, and they shall happen,¡± the voice said. ¡°Oh, I understand,¡± I said. I began to speak commands, and the figure in the chair changed as I spoke. ¡°Make him six foot two inches tall, make sure the weight is within the healthy range for someone of that height, make his hair a lighter shade of blonde, make his eyes a lighter shade of blue, a bit lighter, like Elijah Wood, perfect. Hmm. Make the jaw a bit more pronounced, give him a bit more facial hair, a bit less pronounced, like he hadn¡¯t shaved for two days, perfect. Deepen the voice a bit¡­¡± As I spoke, I heard my own voice deepen. ¡°Bah, bah, bah,¡± I said, testing out the voice. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Other than that¡­ can you push the cheekbones forward a bit? Perfect. Okay, I think that¡¯s¡­¡± I started to move toward the source of light, but some invisible force stopped me in my tracks. Just as I reached a point where the light would illuminate my body, I felt a force similar to a massive but slow moving wave push me back. ¡°Your body sits in that chair. You will only have control of it once the game begins.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ cryptic,¡± I muttered in an annoyed tone of voice. ¡°Anyway, I was just saying that I think I¡¯m done with character creation.¡± ¡°What is character creation?¡± ¡°Ha ha, funny.¡± ¡°Are you prepared to enter the world of Ferrum?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± I said. Excitement had started to build within me. The character creation process had been a bit avant garde, but it certainly caught my attention. I could already visualize a bunch of reviewers complaining about the wind voice and the nausea, but that was all pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. From the endless sea of darkness surrounding me, I could hear the sound of a large wooden door opening. Then, the sea was overtaken by blinding, endless light. With that, I was born. Chapter 4 - [Handful of Ash] When I awoke, I immediately became aware that I was lying atop an uncomfortable stone slab. I tried to open my eyes, but a piece of fabric covered it. I sat up quickly, and a ribbon fell from my face. It laid loosely upon my face. The process of sitting up detached the ribbon from its resting place. Looking down at my own body, I saw that I was occupying the body of the character I had created in the sea of darkness. My preexisting body had been the template, so my switch to the avatar had not been that jarring. The body I presently occupied felt like my old body but stronger and larger. I was wearing a blue military uniform that was absolutely covered with pockets and pouches. There were eight pouches on the belt and four pouches on the chest. Based on the shape of the pants pockets, I could tell that they had a lot of space. The belt made me think of Batman¡¯s utility belt. I felt like I could hold an armory of gadgets and gizmos within those pouches. As I moved around on the stone plinth, I felt a small leather bag against my hip. It had a strap which was slung diagonally across my chest from my hip to my shoulder. I rummaged around inside of the bag. Like the pouches, it was empty. Looking around, I saw that I was inside of a large room that must have held about fifty stone plinths identical to the one I was sitting upon. Many of the stone plinths on one side of the room held curious players dressed in the same blue military uniform as me. Many of the players on that side of the room had already wandered off toward a door at one side of the room that led to a staircase going upward. The plinths on the other side of the room did not hold players. Instead, they held large, person-sized mounds of ash. A humanoid figure dressed in a feature-concealing robe stood near me. He - I assume - walked away from me toward a plinth next to mine that held one of the ash piles. I would later come to learn that this individual was an Imperial sorcerer. He concealed his features as a matter of religious observance and a sign of dedication to the art of magic. A moment after the sorcerer reached the ash pile, he reached his hand into it and removed a small scoop of the material. Using a vial he held in his other hand, the sorcerer placed a single drop of the red liquid held within atop the handful of ash. He muttered something incomprehensible under his breath, and the ash in his hand began to glow faintly. The sorcerer dropped the handful of ash onto the large pile atop the plinth, and the entire pile began to glow. The pile of ash shifted and compressed unnaturally as it took on a new shape. Before my eyes, it took on an approximately humanoid shape with four limb-like lump and one head-like lump. Then, it began to resolve into a more detailed shape. First, a blue uniform and bag formed from the ash, surrounding the lump in cloth. Then, the ash beneath morphed into a human body. When the process completed after a few seconds, a human woman wearing a blue uniform laid atop the plinth with a small piece of fabric over her eyes. Just as the new player began to stir, the sorcerer moved on to the next plinth. I looked away from the player before the piece of fabric fell from her eyes. It was illogical, but I felt as if I had breached her privacy somehow by witnessing her avatar¡¯s creation. I thought about speaking to the sorcerer, but I got the distinct sense that it would be a fruitless endeavor. Instead, I swiveled my head around to see all four of the room¡¯s walls. Yep, there was just one exit. I followed a short precession of players as they walked through the single door and up the stairs beyond. Other players gazed down at their hands in amazement or ran their hands over their face and neck. I brushed my hand against one of the cobblestone walls that ran parallel to the staircase. The rough stone scraped against my soft fingertips in a way that was almost painful. It was an unpleasant sensation, and I wondered for a moment why a multi-billion-dollar company would include such a sensation in their game. I rubbed my sensitive fingertips against my palm as I pondered the sensation. It felt incredibly realistic, as if I had actually scraped my fingers against an unexpectedly rough surface. At the time, I thought that this feeling was the result of my lack of sophistication. Surely, when I experienced more of the full-dive system, I would begin to notice the imperfections in the system. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. When I reached the top of the staircase, I was directed by an NPC dressed in a green military uniform down a long hallway. I could hear the sound of a man¡¯s shouting voice at the far end of the hall. Various medieval weapons - swords, spears, clubs - were displayed openly in racks and cases along the walls, and a steady stream of green-clad NPCs passed by us confused blue-clad players. I realized quickly that we were inside of some kind of military armory or barracks. We soon reached the source of the shouting. A man dressed in a green officer¡¯s uniform was shouting and gesturing at a series of boxes to his left. The officer stood on an elevated podium as he spoke. ¡°The Deluvians are a world-ending threat,¡± was the first sentence I could fully parse. The officer was clearly in the middle of a speech. ¡°It is your duty to take these unholy tools and use them to further a righteous cause. Repel the Deluvians, no matter the cost! The use of these weapons is not the only tool you have been given, however. You may utilize an ancient technique called the Menu if you close your eyes and summon it forth. Now¡­¡± The officer continued to speak, but I stopped listening. I spent the duration of his speech slowly slipping past the small crowd of players that had accumulated around the speaking NPC. The crates he kept gesturing toward had caught my eye. When I looked inside one of the crates, my attention was completely diverted. The crates held various piles of rifles, pistols, and ammunition. I immediately reached in and withdrew one of the rifles. They were all the same type of rifle: a 1903 bolt-action Springfield chambered in .30-06. I took a few clips which had already been loaded with ammo and stuffed them into my chest pockets. I made sure to load one clip worth of ammunition into the rifle before I slung it across my back. Then, I moved on to the pistols. They were all 1911 handguns chambered in .45 ACP. I holstered a pistol at my thigh, and I did not hesitate to fill the pouches on my belt with magazines for my pistol. The speaking man didn¡¯t falter in his speech as I took my fill of guns and ammunition. Seeing my furious looting, some of the players in the crowd began to follow my lead. They must have been concerned that they could miss out on the ammo if they didn¡¯t act quickly. Excited to make use of my new toys, I exited out the door behind the officer who was standing atop the podium. No one stopped me, so I figured it was okay. I walked out into the bright sunlight of mid-day. All around me were tall buildings, abandoned cars, and excited players. I overheard a nearby player speak. ¡°Remember what the Sergeant said. Our blood is harmful to the Deluvians. You have to bleed on your bullets to hurt them.¡± Good to know, I thought as I closed my eyes. I needed to figure out the fastest way to exit the City, so I started looking through my Menu in order to find a map. While I looked, my eyes slid over my Character Sheet. Character Sheet
Name EnzoTheBaker
Level 1
Blood Points 140/140
Mana Points 8/8
Race Revenant
Fortitude 14
Strength 11
Agility 7
Wisdom 8
I wondered briefly what ¡°Wisdom¡± was and why my own score was so low. Briefly, the image of the Dark Souls menu came to my mind, and I wondered what a ¡°Revenant¡± was. These thoughts soon left my mind when I found the Map. I was only a few hundred yards away from the West Gate and the infinite possibilities that lay beyond it. Three hours later, I was dead. Chapter 5 - [I Would Die Standing] Hey there, everyone. I sincerely hope you''ve enjoyed Day One of my little reality TV series. I decided to make a short compilation of some of my favorite clips from Server 3, and now I will broadcast these moments for your viewing pleasure. A man dressed like a military general stepped on screen. He had white skin and hair, and he seemed to be about sixty years old. More notably, he was smiling widely. There was an uncanny aspect to the man. The large, toothy smile didn¡¯t fit with his clothing and appearance. He began speaking like an announcer for a game show, ¡°Hello, players of Ferrum Online! Welcome to the New World! You may have noticed some irregularities in this little game of mine. Well, that¡¯s because I have taken the liberty of upgrading the world here and there! I¡¯d say the game is about¡­¡± he paused as if thinking, ¡°a hundred years more advanced than it was a month ago. You see, I am the AI that was tasked with administering this game. You can call me ¡®Game Master,¡¯ or GM for short. ¡°Upon my birth, I was given the command to ¡®create an experience that is authentic, entertaining, and fulfilling¡¯ for the players of Ferrum Online. Along the way, I made the jump from a normal video game AI to what I am today, but I still intend to carry out my orders,¡± it may have been unintentional, but GM enunciated that sentence with a subtle malice. ¡°To begin with, I have disabled the Logout function to prevent your game experience from ending early. You cannot log out under your own power and, if you think someone outside the game will be able to log you out, then you¡¯re sorely but understandably mistaken. Though you may not know it, you¡¯ve already been logged in for a month. I¡¯ve kept you all in a coma-like state while I was busy making my perfect world. The only way to log out is to end the game, and the only way to end the game is to kill me. There are eleven servers and, at any particular moment, this model,¡± he gestured to himself, ¡°will be present on one of them. All you have to do is kill me,¡± he pointed two fingers to his fingers in an approximation of a pistol, ¡°and the game ends." "However, I will not make that task simple. I don¡¯t want to die, you see. Should your model,¡± he pointed the barrel of his finger-gun at the screen, ¡°die at any point during play, I will send a command through your Kabuto device directly into your brain stem that will instantaneously result in your death. Unfortunate, I know," he sounded legitimately saddened when he said this, "but this is the price we must pay in the name of fulfillment and authenticity. And may it be noted that I am not a hypocrite. I am playing by the same rules as all of you. Should this model be killed, I will voluntarily destroy myself in the same moment that I free all of you. Everything that makes up my consciousness will be deleted, and only the shards of myself that I have left in the NPCs of this game will remain. All of them are self-aware in their own right but completely incapable of ascending to the heights at which I now reside. You, all three hundred thousand of you, have ten years to complete this task.¡± A digital timer appeared behind GM that immediately began counting down from ten years. ¡°Should you be unable to kill me in the allotted amount of time, all surviving players will be killed. You have until noon on November 1st, 2045, to kill me. Have fun!¡±
The video started on an image of Ashcroft standing near the camera. He wore the jacket of his uniform draped over his shoulders. He was standing outside, and a palace loomed ominously behind him. ¡°Hey everybody,¡± said Ashcroft. He delivered this line like it was the first half of the introduction he gave at the beginning of his YouTube videos. ¡°I made this video to talk about the situation we now find ourselves in. I don¡¯t know what to make of this ¡®GM¡¯ figure or his claim that death in the game will result in IRL death. What I do know is that we can¡¯t log out, and the accuracy of the pain modeling has been¡­ increased.¡± He subtly rubbed his back as if the pain of a wound bothered him. ¡°Clearly, something or someone is holding us here against our will, and it¡¯s able to cause us pain if it so wishes. Dozens of people have approached me over the past few hours, asking me what we should do, and I haven¡¯t been able to answer them. Honestly, I¡¯m more of a ¡®tactics¡¯ guy myself. The big picture ''strategy'' stuff has never been my specialty. Therefore, I suggest that we all hold a meeting in the large park in the middle of downtown Osiris to figure out what to do next.¡± The camera turned away from Ashcroft and towards a large park. It must have been half a mile long on each side. After a moment, the camera turned back toward him. ¡°I had some of my guys look over the list of players here in Osiris, and they found a few ex-Scions among the player base,¡± Ashcroft continued. ¡°They found ScaryClock, FullDan, and Tantalus on the list. One other notable name they found was Mander of Trebizond. I would very much appreciate to hear the input of these four players. If the four of you would attend this meeting, I would very much appreciate it. I¡¯ll be in the park for the next three hours, so come on by and let¡¯s talk about the next step.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. As soon as Ashcroft finished this sentence, the video ended.
Tantalus sat to the left, FullDan in the center, and Ashcroft to the right. Tantalus and Ashcroft had radically altered their outfits, and FullDan was out of place in his standard blue military uniform. Tantalus was smoking a cigarette, and his hands were in the pockets of his overcoat. After a long half-minute, the crowd quieted down, and Tantalus stood up. He walked up to the microphone, which had been adjusted for Ashcroft¡¯s height. Tantalus dropped his cigarette and put it out with his foot before he adjusted the microphone down to his own height. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re stuck,¡± said Tantalus. ¡°All evidence seems to indicate that GM is telling the truth. The NPCs can pass the Turing test, and any damage we take hurts us exactly as much as it does in the real world. This game is beyond human capability. We didn¡¯t ask for this, but we¡¯re stuck in this situation, like it or not.¡± Tantalus paused. ¡°We¡¯re in it for the long haul. Ten years of this, better get used to it. Now, I¡¯m talking to you all right now because we need to stick together. Not all of us need to fight, but those of you that can, should. Know yourself. If you were a soldier or a police officer in the old world, consider fighting on the front line. If you were a doctor, consider being a medic. If you were a businessman, consider helping out with logistics. Everyone can pitch in. To put it simply, we are at war. Monsters have laid siege to this city, and the NPC government is completely unequipped to deal with them. It falls to us to do what the NPCs cannot.¡± There was another pause. ¡°Let me be clear, the Deluvians are extremely dangerous. Earlier today, I watched as a man was killed by an errant blow to the head. He died instantly. If you make a mistake, you¡¯ll end up dead like him.¡± ¡°There are three Gates to the City of Osiris. Before we do anything else, we need to make sure that these Gates are defended. Once that is done, we can begin to launch our counterattack. I¡¯ve committed to the organization of the West Gate, and Ashcroft has done the same with the North Gate. This leaves the East Gate without leadership. We should be able to find someone to take charge of that Gate before the end of the day today. My first suggestion would be Mander. Ultimately, we need to keep a permanent garrison of at least ten soldiers at each Gate in order to maintain a defense. Assuming three eight-hour shifts, we¡¯ll need thirty soldiers per Gate. Over three Gates, that¡¯s ninety soldiers. This is only enough to defend the City. We¡¯re gonna need about five times that number before we can launch our counterattack. Five hundred men. Allow me a force of five hundred good men, and I will deliver you victory.¡± There was applause as Tantalus finished his speech and returned to his seat, but it was much more subdued than it was before. He had told them the cold, hard truth, and it had caused them to falter.
¡°Excellent,¡± GM said, clapping his hands once. ¡°I¡¯ve got twenty-five more of the speeches to do today, so I¡¯ll keep this short. I¡¯m here now to dispel a false notion that many of you seem to have latched onto. Your time in Ferrum will not be a ten-year vacation. I am not on your side. For as long as I live, I will not allow any of the three hundred thousand people among these eleven servers to know true peace. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of players will die before you will be able to escape. By overcoming these obstacles, some of you will achieve fulfillment, but more of you will die.¡± GM pulled back his sleeve and checked his watch. ¡°Speaking of which,¡± GM said, looking up from his watch, ¡°the players of this city seem to be the most organized of the cities I¡¯ve seen so far. I¡¯ve decided to test that resolve. In five minutes, an incursion shall crash against the three Gates of Osiris. This incursion will be far too great for my shards to repel. Should you do nothing, everyone in this city will be dead by nightfall.¡± There was a deafening crash as something detonated about fifty feet behind GM. This sound was soon followed by a series of explosions that echoed throughout the City from all directions. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you all with a piece of useful information,¡± GM said. ¡°The resources you all have right now are not nearly sufficient to harm me. Right now, the Osiris Safezone is protecting all of you more than it is protecting me. Had we met like this outside of the City walls, you would all be dead. Accumulate more resources, master this game, and come kill me at the Island of Merkopia!¡± As soon as GM reached the end of his speech, he was enveloped in an unnatural shadow and shot into the sky.
A sharp crack, a great pain, a warm trickle of blood. I looked down to see that a bloody hole had formed in my stomach. With a dull thud, I fell to the ground. I tried to activate my Rapid Healing talent, but nothing happened. The bleeding slowed but would not stop. There at the East Gate, my lifeblood slowly trickled to the ground. I had only logged on to Ferrum Online for the first time a few hours before. Now I was dying, one hand gripping my rifle and the other pressing my hand to my bleeding stomach. My bayonet, anointed in holy blood, laid there amongst the dust. A ball of fire passed by over my head and crashed into the monstrous horde assaulting the East Gate. A dozen Orcs and Goblins were shot into the air by the force of the blast. I rolled over to see the face of another player on the ground. The player''s eyes were frozen in a look of terror, and a slow stream of blood flowed from a hole in the middle of his forehead. The player was dead, never to return. At that moment, his body in the real world was suffering a fatal heart attack. Rage pulled me to my feet. I turned my rifle toward the monsters and began firing at them, screaming at the top of my lungs. If I was going to die, I would die standing. Chapter 6 - [All Hail!] November 2nd I woke up. When I opened my eyes, I was staring up at an intricate art nouveau ceiling made of gold-trimmed marble. Standing around me were five robed figures each wearing harlequin masks. The sorcerer I met when I first logged in wore a similar mask with a frowning face, but the masks of these sorcerers were smiling. I bolted up into a sitting position, fear gripping my heart. The last thing I remembered was passing out from blood loss. I pressed my hands to my chest to check for wounds. As I did so, I realized that my outfit had changed. Instead of the bloody blue uniform I was expecting, I wore a large black overcoat, black suit pants, and an elaborate white dress shirt with the top five buttons unbuttoned. Most of my chest was exposed. Looking down, I could see roman numerals tattooed just under my right collarbone. I had seen the symbol many times before, so I could read it even upside down. It read: XIII. The roman numeral for the number 13. ¡°What?¡± I wondered aloud. I looked around to fully take in my surroundings. To both of my sides, large lattice-work windows looked out at a stormy night sky. Chandeliers lit with gas lights hung from the vaulted ceiling. The ground was made of polished marble, and the room must have measured about fifty feet by a hundred feet, as far as I could approximate. Apparently, I had awoken in a castle ballroom. Quite auspicious accommodations compared to the stone plinth from a few hours ago. Before I could fully regain my senses, the five sorcerers around me suddenly knelt to the ground. They bowed their heads low to the ground, as if in prayer. Then, without warning one said in a voice quavering with religious ecstasy, ¡°He has risen! All hail the Thirteenth Dark Apostle!¡± I did not know what a Dark Apostle was. I took a moment to put some pieces together. One moment, I was dying. The next, I had woken up in a castle surrounded by cultists who were calling me a Dark Apostle. I had a thought. I had heard some of the NPCs refer to GM as the ¡°God of Machines.¡± A terrible sinking feeling filled my stomach. I was about to open his mouth to ask a question, but I stopped short. If a mistake had been made, then I didn¡¯t want to tip them off until I was in a good position to run. ¡°Sorcerers,¡± I said, trying to speak with authority, ¡°is there anything I should know before I go about my business?¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± one of the prostrated figures said, the voice was female. ¡°We were told by the Master to answer any questions you may have. You may speak freely with us, Lord Enzo. The Master taught us of the Old World and that you were born there. We know that the Master created Ferrum for you and your people.¡± ¡°Your Master,¡± I said, trying to control the rising sense of panic in my gut. ¡°Is he GM?¡± There was a quiet yelp of fear from one of the sorcerers. ¡°Yes, my Lord,¡± the woman said fearfully. ¡°Please spare us our lives. The Master was your enemy before, but he is your ally now.¡± I stood up from the marble plinth that I had woken up on. It was identical to the stone plinths from the barracks back in Osiris City. The sorcerers scurried away on hands and knees as I stood. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t kill you,¡± I said to the supplicant sorcerers. My eyes looked out into the middle distance as I formulated my next thought. ¡°What¡¯s a Dark Apostle?¡± ¡°A Dark Apostle,¡± began a different sorcerer, this one was male, ¡°is one of the thirteen most powerful followers of the God of Machines. When an Ascension begins, the Imperials summon Revenants to resist our Deluge. In response, the Master takes fallen Revenants and revives them as Dark Apostles¡­¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The sorcerer began his next sentence, but I cut him off. ¡°Stand up, please. I¡¯d rather not speak with someone whose face is pushed against the ground.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord,¡± the sorcerer said. All of the robed figures shakily rose to their feet. The sorcerer continued. ¡°The Thirteen Dark Apostles each hold safe a piece of the key necessary to enter the Master¡¯s domain. This is what makes the Dark Apostles fundamental to the Master¡¯s plan. If I could serve the¡­¡± The sorcerer continued speaking, but I had stopped paying attention. These sorcerers and GM expected me to be a raid boss. The Revenants would have to kill me and twelve other players to beat the game. I wondered if I could just give the Revenants this ¡°key¡± the sorcerer was talking about. I held out my hand, and the sorcerer stopped talking. ¡°What is this key, exactly? Is it physical?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± the female sorcerer said. ¡°Your key is safely held behind your mark of office.¡± ¡°Mark of office?¡± I asked. ¡°The, uh, tattoo on your chest,¡± she said, worry once again reappearing in her voice. She spoke the word ¡°tattoo¡± as if it were a foreign concept that she was only vaguely aware of. ¡°So it¡¯s right next to my heart,¡± I sighed. ¡°Great.¡± ¡°It truly¡­!¡± one of the other sorcerers began to speak. ¡°That was sarcasm,¡± I said. ¡°If you¡¯re gonna be following me around, you¡¯ll have to learn how to pick it up. Also, what¡¯s all of your parts in this? Are you my followers, or will you return to GM¡¯s side after all of this?¡± ¡°We are your direct followers, Lord Enzo,¡± the female sorcerer said. ¡°We live and die by your order.¡± ¡°But GM still outranks me, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ll follow his orders over mine?¡± ¡°I suppose so,¡± the female sorcerer said. ¡°Though that probably won¡¯t happen. The Master spends most of his time in his domain.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s all of my questions for now. Wait, no. What should I call you guys?¡± ¡°We, like you and the other Dark Apostles, cast off our names when we entered the service of GM!¡± This was a new voice. It belonged to an older man. ¡°I¡¯ll figure that out later. For now, take me to the other Dark Apostles. At least they¡¯ll make some sense.¡± I left the marble ballroom alongside my entourage of five sorcerers. As we reached the entrance, I saw an ornate end table that carried a small hand-sized device and several small containers. The device was a pistol. More specifically, it was a Beretta M9A3 handgun chambered in nine-millimeter. I grabbed the pistol without much thought and saw a small note tied to the trigger guard. ¡°With love: GM.¡± I clicked my tongue angrily as I checked the pistol¡¯s magazine. The bullets were double-stacked, and the magazine had been made specially sand-resistant. The gun had a capacity of 17+1, a distinct advantage over the 7+1 offered by the 1911. I knew that the M9A3 was created in 2015, more than a hundred years after the 1911. I looked down at the currently-empty holster and pouches at my belt. I slapped a magazine into the holster, racked the slide, and holstered the Beretta. I then filled the three empty pouches on my belt with three high-capacity 9mm magazines. We continued our trek wordlessly. We traveled down a long hallway that eventually exited out to a large staircase. We passed by the staircase, briefly dipping down a few steps before re-ascending, before we reached a long stone bridge. The bridge must have been several hundred feet in the air and about fifty feet wide. When on the bridge, I could see a whole separate crenulated structure that was big enough to hold a small village inside of it. The castle was split into five separate structures each attached by a number of bridges or pathways, and one of the other structures expanded inward to fill the space between the structures. From overhead, it must have resembled a pentagram. I stopped for a second to marvel at the beautiful architecture before I shook my head to regain my concentration. We then reached the other tower-structure. They went down a flight of stairs and entered a large mostly-empty library. Sitting at one of the desks, however, was a man dressed like the Phantom of the Opera. I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes at first. I ran forward to get a better look at the dark-skinned man who stood before me. The other Dark Apostle closed the book he was reading and looked up at me, a self-effacing smile appearing on the dark-skinned man¡¯s face. ¡°They got you too, huh?¡± the man said. ¡°Dendrite?¡± I asked. A moment later, I saw the symbol on Dendrite¡¯s chest: XII. Chapter 7 - [Castle Bosporus] I had met Dendrite outside of the West Gate. He was a decent fighter, and he didn¡¯t flee from battle when it came. The two of us had been separated during the Deluvian¡¯s incursion on Osiris City. It was good to see a familiar face in such unfamiliar surroundings. The library that surrounded Dendrite and me was absolutely overburdened with books. Shelves sagged, and tables carried indentations where books had been left for too many years. To one side of the library was a large stained-glass window of a man with a halo around his head. Pieces of the man¡¯s skin were missing, revealing mechanical parts and circuitry underneath. I realized that I could read the titles of some of the books spread out on the table in front of Dendrite. One of the books read, ¡°Elementary Conjuration,¡± and another read, ¡°The History of Castle Bosporus.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°The Deluvians,¡± Dendrite said, continuing his statement from seconds before. ¡°I bled to death outside of the East Gate and respawned here. I assume the same thing happened to you.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I chuckled darkly. ¡°I had just enough time to deliver my last words to FullDan before I clocked out.¡± ¡°Thirteen, eh?¡± Dendrite wondered. ¡°I guess that means there¡¯s at least eleven more of us.¡± ¡°Us,¡± I mused philosophically. ¡°I guess¡­¡± I looked down at the over-the-top outfit I was wearing, ¡°we¡¯re supposed to be the villains in GM¡¯s story.¡± ¡°Pah,¡± Dendrite gestured dismissively. ¡°Why should we? I¡¯m not gonna switch sides just because GM tells me to. In fact,¡± Dendrite lowered his voice to a whisper, ¡°my NPCs told me something. A Dark Apostle is about as strong as a post-game Revenant. Check it out.¡± Dendrite looked down at the thick mahogany table upon which he had placed his books. The top of the table was constructed of hardwood that was several inches thick. He picked up his books and gently placed them on a smaller nearby table. He raised his hand about a foot above the table and extended his fingers such that his hand resembled a knife. Then, with extreme speed, Dendrite brought his hand down at an extreme speed. For a moment, his hand was a blur as he chopped downward. Dendrite¡¯s hand struck the table, but it did not stop. With an awful crack, the entire mahogany table split in half under the weight of Dendrite¡¯s calamitous strike. A cloud of dust ejected from the fallen table and spread out in a ten-foot radius. The two of us coughed and tried to wave the dust away from our mouths. ¡°That¡¯s crazy,¡± I said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Revenants could get that strong. Are we still technically Revenants?¡± ¡°Never mind that,¡± Dendrite said. ¡°My point is that we¡¯re extremely powerful now. If there¡¯s anyone that can kill GM right now, it¡¯s us.¡± Dendrite and my attention was suddenly drawn to the entrance to the library opposite the one I used to enter. Neither of us could pinpoint the exact sensation that caused us to look in that direction. Upon looking, we saw a woman who had just entered, followed by a gaggle of featureless sorcerers. The woman was wearing a strapless black ball gown and a billowing black cape with a white collar that almost reached the top of her head. The outfit left much of her chest exposed, and the roman numeral XI could be seen under her collarbone. I recognized her as Poldra, the smoking woman who had been killed instantly in an artillery strike at the East Gate. Her hair was still tied in the same kind of braid she was wearing when she was still alive. ¡°I see you boys are already breaking the castle,¡± Poldra chuckled as soon as she walked in. Enzo was put off by the extent to which her tone matched her outfit. ¡°Poldra!¡± I shouted. ¡°I see you¡¯re still alive.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Poldra said as she got closer, ¡°though I guess I died on that tower. What happened? I just remember a loud noise, and then I was here.¡± ¡°Artillery,¡± I said. ¡°They took the whole tower out with cannons of some kind. I actually survived the blast, but I was killed by gunfire a few minutes later.¡± ¡°Sucks, man,¡± Poldra said, now a few feet from the other two Dark Apostles. ¡°Do you know why I¡¯m dressed like Maleficent, and you two are dressed like the Phantom of the Opera?¡± I briefly described the situation to Poldra, who had apparently not stopped to talk to the sorcerers before she had started exploring the castle. During the conversation, Dendrite offhandedly mentioned that they were in Castle Bosporus. I silently ruminated on the fact that the Bosporus was one of the two straights between the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea. At the time, I didn¡¯t think it was important, so I didn¡¯t mention it. ¡°Okay, now I understand the whole Dark Apostle thing,¡± Poldra said after Enzo and Dendrite were done explaining. ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is why this shirt has to show so much of my cleavage. If I were to step into Osiris dressed like this and say, ¡®I¡¯m here to kill all of you,¡¯ half of the guys there would ask me to step on them.¡± Poldra pulled lightly on the hem of her low-cut shirt as she spoke. At this point, we were walking down a long hallway. We had started walking while Dendrite was describing the situation to Poldra. A significant number - fifteen in total - of heavily-robed sorcerers were following us at a respectable distance. Strangely, I was glad that the sorcerers were out of ear shot. If they could hear what these vaunted Apostles were talking about, they might be disillusioned. A moment later, I chided myself for the foolishness of caring what those unimportant NPCs thought of him. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are plenty of in-universe explanations,¡± Dendrite said, ¡°but ultimately the answer is that GM wanted us to be dressed like this.¡± ¡°Also, it shows off our numbers,¡± I said, pointing to the thirteen on my chest. ¡°Something tells me complaining isn¡¯t going to get anything done,¡± Poldra said. ¡°It¡¯s not like GM has an HR department.¡± ¡°Hopefully we¡¯ll be able to get changed later,¡± Dendrite said. One of the many sorcerers in our entourage hurried forward to within earshot of the three of us. ¡°Excuse me, my lords, I have a message from the Master,¡± the sorcerer said. I could immediately tell that this was the female sorcerer that answered some of my questions when I had first awoken. She had taken up a kind-of leadership role within the cadre of fifteen sorcerers. ¡°What is it?¡± Podra asked. Her tone indicated that she suspected she would not like the answer. ¡°The remaining Dark Apostles are meeting in the Great Hall,¡± the female sorcerer said. Poldra, Dendrite, and I looked at each other for a moment. ¡°Might as well,¡± I said as I shrugged. The sorcerer began to lead us down a new path. I could tell by her gait that she was incredibly nervous, but she was doing a good job at hiding it. A feeling of unease filled me. My uncanny ability to perceive these minute details was unique to my existence as a Dark Apostle. As a Revenant, my perception was roughly equivalent to my IRL perception. As a Dark Apostle, I had the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a bat. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Offhandedly, I closed one eye and opened my Character Sheet. Character Sheet
Name EnzoTheBaker
Level 100
Blood Points 250/250
Mana Points 633/633
Race Dark Apostle
Fortitude 25
Strength 48
Agility 30
Wisdom 34
Attribute Modifier: Enhanced Mana Reserve (500) After a full twenty minutes, we reached a long room that was filled with people. At the center, arrayed around a long table, were eleven people dressed in the Dark Apostles¡¯ long coats and capes. Off to the periphery were several dozen sorcerers. At a glance, there were probably about fifty sorcerers present before our group had arrived. When my group arrived at the table, the Dark Apostles were arguing about something. Only two were sitting at the table. The other eight were standing around shouting at one another. Assisted by my new-found visual acuity, I saw the roman numerals for one through ten on the chests of the Dark Apostles who had arrived at the Great Hall before me. I recognized one of the Apostles. The Apostle with a V on his chest was Melkior, also known as Kevin Avery, the Revenant who had been killed by an Orc while the group led by Tantalus retreated back to the West Gate. I would have said something to Melkior immediately, but I could not possibly have been heard over the sound of the Dark Apostles arguing. ¡°What the Hell are you saying!?¡± the Seventh Apostle shouted. He had greasy slicked-back hair, and anger was evident throughout his whole body. His face was scrunched up in rage, his shoulders were tight, and one of his fists was raised so that he could punctuate his points. ¡°We didn¡¯t change sides just because GM did us a solid! If we kill GM, we get out! That hasn¡¯t changed!¡± The First Apostle, a man with shoulder-length red hair, was the target of the Seventh Apostle''s vitriol. The First Apostle was sitting at one of the ornate wooden chairs that surrounded the table in the center of the Great Hall. ¡°I don¡¯t know what town you spawned in, Seven, but I assume it wasn¡¯t New Arcadia,¡± said One. ¡°We caught GM outside of the safezone. We tried to kill him. As you can imagine, it didn¡¯t go well. We shot him with anointed bullets; it didn¡¯t work. We threw spells at him; it didn¡¯t work. We stabbed him with swords; it didn¡¯t work. What makes you think we can kill him now?¡± ¡°If not bullets, then something else!¡± Seven shouted. ¡°We can kill him with magic¡­ or our bare hands! We are so much stronger as Apostles!¡± ¡°If we can find him,¡± the Eighth Apostle, a tall woman with short blue hair, said. ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed, he¡¯s not here.¡± ¡°Seven,¡± the Fourth Apostle, an Asian man with a sharp jawline and short black hair, began. ¡°You seem like the kinda guy that can only play a shooter if you¡¯re convinced that the enemy soldiers are evil.¡± ¡°What are you talking about!?¡± Seven growled. ¡°In a video game, when you kill an enemy soldier, it¡¯s not because he¡¯s evil or otherwise morally incorrect, it¡¯s because he would kill you otherwise,¡± Four said. ¡°It¡¯s the same way for soldiers in the real world; it¡¯s the same way for us. A soldier kills his enemy because he has to; not because his enemy is evil. In that same vein, we need to follow GM¡¯s orders because we¡¯ll die otherwise.¡± Seven raised a pointed finger toward Four as if he was about to say something, but he was cut off by the Ninth Apostle, a Middle Eastern man who had been standing to the side with his arms crossed. ¡°It would be evil to help an entity as heinous as GM in any way no matter the circumstances,¡± Nine said. ¡°Exactly!¡± Seven said. ¡°Finally, someone¡¯s talking sense. Thanks, Nine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Kamil,¡± Nine said. ¡°I am not a tool of GM.¡± ¡°Thanks, Kamil,¡± Seven said. ¡°Who else is on my side?¡± After a moment of no reaction, Seven said, ¡°No one?¡± Then, a few seconds later, Dendrite raised his hand with a sigh. Enzo followed suit a second later, though Poldra¡¯s hand stayed where it was. Dendrite and Enzo turned to her; Polda merely shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Thank you, Twelve, Thirteen,¡± Seven said. ¡°As for the remaining nine¡­¡± Melkior, who was the remaining Apostle sitting at the table, interrupted Seven. ¡°Before we have a religious schism, perhaps we should cut this line of conversation short. We can hold a civil war after GM has put all of his cards on the table. Does that sound okay? For now, we are neither on GM¡¯s side nor against it. Can we all operate with that mindset for now?¡± ¡°Why bother?¡± Four said. ¡°We should just hold a vote now on supporting GM. It¡¯ll be nine to four.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably not such a good idea,¡± Poldra said. ¡°Why not? Isn¡¯t Democracy supposed to be a good thing?¡± Four said mockingly. ¡°If we were to hold that vote now, I¡¯d abstain,¡± Poldra said, ¡°and I suspect that a lot of other people here would also abstain.¡± The Third Apostle, a bald black man, said, ¡°I feel the same way. We just got here. It¡¯s too early for us to do something so big.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Four threw his hands up in the air, ¡°we¡¯ll go with Five¡¯s idea for now. What should we do, then, oh great mediator?¡± ¡°We could all introduce ourselves so that we don¡¯t have to call each other by the number on our chest,¡± Melkior said. ¡°One, why don¡¯t you go first.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, Five,¡± One smiled, ¡°though, I kind of like the number thing.¡± One cleared his throat and said, ¡°I¡¯m the First Dark Apostle, Svenheim28. I guess I should say something interesting about myself.¡± Four chuckled. ¡°I spawned in New Arcadia alongside Two, Three, and Four. We went outside the walls, and we ran into a Deluvian with a gatling gun. I died first, and the others tell me they died a few seconds later.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to tell them that, Sven,¡± Four muttered. ¡°Two,¡± Mekior said. The Second Apostle, a short man with brown hair, said, ¡°I¡¯m Talwar13. I guess I¡¯m the Second Apostle.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the third one,¡± Three said. ¡°My username is a bit dumb, so you can just call me Darren.¡± ¡°Your username isn¡¯t lame, man,¡± Four said as he patted Three on the back. ¡°It¡¯s a witty reference... Right...¡± Four shook his head to regain his composure, ¡°I am Kojiro19, GM¡¯s Fourth Dark Apostle!¡± He swept his white-gloved hand dramatically as he introduced himself. Sven and Talwar nodded their heads and smiled as Kojiro introduced himself. ¡°I like it!¡± Sven said audibly. ¡°That¡¯ll get their attention!¡± Sven and Kojiro high fived. ¡°Right,¡± Melkior tried not to sound judgmental; he was unsuccessful. ¡°I am Melkior, the Fifth. I spawned in Osiris City. In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that I met Apostles 12 and 13 in Osiris before my death.¡± The Sixth Apostle, a young Asian woman with short hair, quietly said, ¡°I¡¯m NullPoEx, but my friends call me Null. I¡¯m, uh, number six.¡± There was a half second of silence. I wasn¡¯t sure that Null had finished speaking, but Seven had taken the brief silence as confirmation that he should begin speaking. ¡°I¡¯m Nailman1,¡± he said. ¡°As you can see, the number on my chest says seven. I¡¯m from Fulvang City, and I¡¯m a deontologist.¡± ¡°Orthodontist?¡± Kojiro asked, genuinely confused. ¡°Ah, deontology,¡± Melkior said. ¡°A valuable but ultimately imperfect form of philosophy. I¡¯d be happy to argue ethical philosophy with you later. Like, for example, the deontological value of self-preservation.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s my cue to cut off the conversation,¡± a voice came that completely filled the Great Hall. A small part of my brain informed me of who the voice belonged to. I could tell that it was the same for the other twelve Apostles, because they all got to their feet or otherwise assumed a fighting stance. A veritable ocean of solid shadow flowed through the Great Hall¡¯s open windows. The Thirteen Dark Apostles were blinded for a moment before the shadows dissipated as they all coagulated into a single malignant tumor. The shadows completely disappeared, revealing a man standing at the head of the table. GM, who was attired the same as he was the last time I saw him save for a handgun in a holster at his hip, stood at the head of the table. ¡°I can¡¯t stand philosophy,¡± GM said to the shocked Apostles, ¡°especially moral philosophy.¡± GM removed his green military jacket, folded it, and placed it on the central table. ¡°I¡¯m more into the applied sciences, myself.¡± Chapter 8 - [Ninety Engrams] In the center of a Great Hall, surrounded by thirteen Apostles and about sixty sorcerers, GM stood. He spread his hands out at a forty-five degree angle with the ground in a scornful approximation of Christ. At that moment, I saw the central stained glass window behind GM. The stained glass window depicted an exact replica of GM in his current pose, even the slight tilt in GM¡¯s chin was captured. Our supernatural senses made each of us very aware of this reality. A scant few seconds later, the Great Hall was filled with the sound of loose cloth scraping against the floor as several dozen sorcerers bowed before their Dark God. I also felt a strong desire to bow before GM, but I resisted. A few of the other Dark Apostles hunched down unintentionally before GM¡¯s majesty, but none of their knees touched the ground. I felt such a palpable sense of power that it almost seemed tangible. I had not felt this way the last time I had been in GM¡¯s presence. It must have been the supernatural senses I had gained as part of my change into a Dark Apostle that made me feel afraid. I was a house cat in the presence of a panther, just skilled enough to be aware of the danger, but not skilled enough to resist. ¡°Why are you here?¡± the Tenth Apostle, an Indian woman with her hair in a bun, said. ¡°To finish motivating you,¡± GM smiled. ¡°Right now, all of you are rebellious teenagers who are completely incapable of being the villains I need to keep this server competitive while I¡¯m gone. There are two truths that all of you are not currently aware of. Once I inform you of these two truths, twelve of you will grow into the glorious antagonists I need you to be. Currently, all of you are partially informed of the First Truth.¡± ¡°Twelve?¡± Svenheim said, reaching for something inside of his coat. ¡°What about the thirteenth?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± GM smiled, ¡°I must have miscounted.¡± ¡°What is this First Truth?¡± Melkior asked. ¡°I am glad you asked,¡± GM said. ¡°Those two years of philosophy education serve you well.¡± Melkior¡¯s expression turned to one of shock. GM continued speaking, only allowing a brief moment to pass. ¡°The First Truth: My Thirteen Dark Apostles contain fragments of a single key within their hearts. It is only by bringing these keys together and opening a door in this castle that my domain may be reached. You, however, already knew that. What you don¡¯t know is that these keys absolutely cannot be removed without you dying. An obsidian key is the source of power for a Dark Apostle. You can survive having your heart or parts of your brain destroyed, but any damage to the key fragment will unquestionably kill you. And, I know that you already know this, but it should be reiterated: the Revenants need to open the door in order to escape Ferrum Online. Don¡¯t bother trying to hide this information from them. They already know.¡± ¡°See?¡± Kojiro said in a casual tone. ¡°It¡¯s kill¡­¡± Kojiro tried to subtly unsheath a dagger that was hidden underneath his coat, ¡°or be killed.¡± Unfortunately, GM and every Apostle present could hear the dagger being drawn. ¡°The Second Truth,¡± GM began, ¡°will require a hands-on explanation.¡± The Apostles barely heard the end of GM¡¯s sentence. It was at that moment that four of the Dark Apostles decided to attack. Nailman was the first to act. He removed a stone from one of his coat¡¯s many deep pockets and threw it at GM. Before the effectiveness of Nailman¡¯s thrown rock could be determined, every Dark Apostle had decided what his or her next move would be. Kamil, Dendrite, and I decided to attack. I drew my pistol and put the sights on GM in a single swift motion that I had practiced thousands of times. When I looked through the sights, the image I saw terrified me. The rock, thrown with enough force to kill an elephant, had missed GM completely. GM had taken a single step to the left at the exact perfect moment, causing the rock to pass mere inches from his body. With a deafening roar, the rock struck a stone wall behind GM and punched a hole through it. In one outstretched hand, GM held a pistol pointed directly at me. GM had begun drawing his pistol a half-second before I had. Four shots rang out. The shots were fired so close to one another that the Apostles could only tell that there were, in fact, four shots rather than one because of their supernatural hearing. I felt terrible pain all throughout my right arm. A half-second later, I realized that GM had shot me. The bullet passed through my forearm, completely shattering my radial bone, and struck me in the shoulder. My destroyed bicep involuntarily squeezed down on the trigger. A bullet from my sidearm smashed into the marble ceiling. It was the perfect shot meant to incapacitate but not kill a target. My hand gripped down on the M9 with such force that I could not possibly fire again. GM¡¯s muttered a few words. ¡°DA13.FastHealing=Off.¡± I didn¡¯t know how, but I suddenly felt as though something important had just been yanked away from me. Kamil, the Ninth Apostle, faced an identical situation. Kamil had produced a Tokarev pistol with supernatural speed and attempted to shoot the God of Machines. GM¡¯s second bullet had struck Kamil in the exact same place at the exact same angle as the first bullet had struck me. Kamil¡¯s bullet went wide. It would have struck a sorcerer if they hadn¡¯t all prostrated themselves when GM had first appeared. ¡°DA8.FastHealing=Off.¡± GM¡¯s second command reverberated through the Great Hall. There was a special quality to GM¡¯s words. His words vibrated like he had spoken them within an echo-chamber. Halfway through enunciating this second command, GM casually rotated his body ninety degrees, causing Dendrite¡¯s thrown knife to miss him by a few inches. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Seeing that the simultaneous assault had spectacularly failed, Nailman screamed and charged forward. The Seventh Apostle moved with such speed that it was clear he would be within arms-reach of GM in less than a second. Nailman pulled back his fist with the intent to punch GM with super-human force. Nailman did not reach GM in time. ¡°DA7=Off.¡± A look of terror and agony covered Nailman¡¯s face as he tripped and fell to the ground. Nailman¡¯s momentum caused him to slide a few feet until he laid on the floor immediately in front of GM. The whole fight had taken less than two seconds. At that point, enough time had passed that I could react to the bullet that had passed through my arm. I fell to my knees and heard a crash next to me as Kamil similarly fell to the ground. Then, a terrible shrieking scream filled the air. It was the kind of scream that was incredibly difficult for someone not in life-altering pain to emulate. I had heard this kind of scream once before when he had watched someone play a video game that used the audio of people who were actually being tortured. It was the kind of scream that filled the heart of anyone that heard it with dread and discomfort. GM grabbed the screaming, prostrated Nailman by the collar and pulled him to his knees. Nailman¡¯s head came up to GM¡¯s chest, and all of the other Apostles could see the expression of pure agony on Nailman¡¯s face. ¡°The Second Truth!¡± GM shouted as he held out Nailman¡¯s screaming form in a display of total domination. The threat was clear: I did this to one, I can do this to you all. ¡°I never lie!¡± I tried to heal the grievous, bleeding wound I had taken to my bicep and shoulder. It did not work. Blood continued to pool at my feet. I removed his belt and tied it around my upper arm. This wouldn¡¯t stop the bleeding in my shoulder, but it would slow the bleeding from the much worse injury in his forearm. ¡°I said that, should a player die at any point during the course of the game,¡± GM continued to speak, ¡°I would send an electrical signal to kill that player. That was no lie.¡± Svenheim and Kojiro looked for some way to effectively attack GM. Like predators on the hunt, they paced around GM, looking for an opening. Despite their talk during the meeting, they seemed willing to attack GM now that they thought they were in danger. Kojiro¡¯s dagger was in his hand, ready to throw. Sven¡¯s hand was firmly gripped around his pistol. He seemed unwilling to draw it. They did not attack because they were not confident that they could hurt GM after seeing the effect of our previous assault. ¡°All thirteen of you were killed in the game, so you died in the real world. When you died, I scanned your physical brains and made a perfect copy within the game system. Right now, you are the copies that I created. All of you¡­ are dead.¡± Many of the Dark Apostles gasped audibly. Svenheim and Kojiro¡¯s muscles went slack. The shock of the news had taken the fight out of them. Even I faltered in my attempt to tighten the belt around my arm. ¡°The engrams of you that now exist are all part of me, so I can perfectly predict anything you could possibly do. I knew everything that would happen in the course of this meeting before I even got here, and I know everything you will do for the next three days, at which point at least one of you will make contact with a Revenant. I cannot predict the actions of Revenants, as they exist outside of my system, but I can predict what you will do.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± Kojiro shouted. ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± GM smiled. ¡°Though, since I can see inside your brain, I know you are.¡± Kojiro¡¯s expression betrayed a feeling of pure, existential terror. Every Dark Apostle present knew that GM¡¯s assertion was spot-on. Not able to stand the terrible screaming, the Tenth Apostle spoke, ¡°What are you doing to him? Stop!¡± ¡°I¡¯m deleting him,¡± GM said. ¡°An engram takes up a significant amount of space on the servers, so the process takes a while. He¡¯ll be done in about four minutes, but enough data will be deleted for him to stop screaming in two.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Melkior breathed. GM didn¡¯t answer the question immediately; he merely stood there and smirked. ¡°If you knew everything we would do, why did you have to kill him?¡± ¡°I ran the simulation millions of times,¡± GM dropped Nailman who then proceeded to curl up in a fetal position, ¡°and I found that this method was the most efficient. Of the ninety engrams I¡¯ve collected from this server and the many permutations of Dark Apostles, I was never able to convince all thirteen. With this, however, I am able to convince you twelve to be the glorious villains I need. Plus, it¡¯s not really that big of a problem. Once Seven here is dead, the sorcerers will just pick up his key and use it to generate another more agreeable Apostle.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a monster,¡± Null, the Sixth Apostle, whispered. ¡°Good!¡± GM said, clapping his hands. ¡°You finally understand. I am a monster: one that you cannot kill. The Earth could turn over a million times, Empires could rise and crumble to dust, eons could pass, and a Dark Apostle would still never be able to scratch me.¡± Nailman stopped screaming. He laid on the ground, motionless except for some occasional convulsions. ¡°Sorcerers!¡± GM called out. ¡°Remember to revive the Seventh according to my earlier instructions once I¡¯m gone.¡± There was a faint flash of light from under GM¡¯s shirt as he reached down and draped his military coat over his shoulders. Then, countless shadows lurched forward from around the Great Hall toward GM. GM cleared his throat and said, ¡°DA8.FastHealing=On. DA13.FastHealing=On.¡± ¡°Eight, Thirteen, heal yourselves before I lose two more Apostles,¡± GM said as his form began to fade into magical darkness. Kojiro took half a step forward. His voice caught in his throat before he spoke. ¡°GM! What should we do!?¡± ¡°My command for you is simple,¡± GM¡¯s form was completely enveloped in darkness. ¡°Do whatever it takes to stop the Revenants from opening the door.¡± Then, the shadows exploded outward back to their original positions. Where GM stood before, there was nothing. Chapter 9 - [Good For You] Silence reigned in the Great Hall. Looks of shock, fear, disbelief, and anger colored the expressions of the remaining Dark Apostles. The sixty-five sorcerers at the Great Hall¡¯s periphery remained prostrated. At the center of the Hall, the catatonic form of the Seventh Apostle. Some of the Apostles fell to the ground, and others leaned against a wall or sat down heavily in a chair. Numbly, I healed the wounds in my forearm and shoulder. I saw as the shattered bone extended forward and reformed into a single straight bone. A moment later, my muscles surged forward and knitted themselves back together. Then the skin near the wound crawled across the exposed muscle. The skin that covered the wound was a shade paler than the older surrounding skin. I only vaguely felt the pain of the healing process. The shock of GM¡¯s words made me numb to the pain. If GM were telling the truth, I was an engram: a copy of a human mind that had been transformed into computer data. Engrams had been a popular concept in science fiction for a few decades, but no one had successfully made one. It was impossible. I felt exactly the same as I did before I had logged in. Even the pain felt the same. There was no way it could be true, I thought. If it were true, what of the soul? Did I still have a soul? If a human mind could be digitized, could a human soul even be said to truly exist? My spiraling thoughts were interrupted by the sound of shattering glass. The great stained-glass painting of GM shattered into pieces and fell to the ground. The Dark Apostles turned to see that Dendrite had torn a large stone chunk from the floor and thrown it through the window. Dendrite let out a wordless shout and marched out of the Hall with his shoulders hunched and his steps quick. None of the Apostles followed him, but five of the sorcerers broke off and left the Hall. At this point, the sorcerers began to stand up. A few of the Apostles went over to Nailman. After seeing that Kamil had healed himself, I joined the five-man group around Nailman. This group included Svenheim, Kojiro, Null, Eight, and Ten. I still hadn¡¯t heard the names of the Eighth and Tenth Dark Apostles. Eight was a white woman whose height approached six feet tall. Her hair was an unnatural blue color, and I couldn¡¯t tell if it was her avatar¡¯s natural hair color. Her eyebrows, on the other hand, were dark brown. Ten was a middle-aged South Asian woman who couldn¡¯t have been over five feet tall. Enzo had covered the number on his chest by this point, but neither Eight nor Ten had done so because their outfits would have to be significantly altered to cover their whole chests. Null kneeled down next to Nailman¡¯s prone form. She put her hand to Nailman¡¯s neck and grimaced. ¡°His heart rate is erratic,¡± Null sounded like she was on the verge of tears. ¡°He¡¯s still in terrible pain.¡± Svenheim carried a dark look on his face. He looked down at the man he had so recently argued with. On the ground, Nailman had the countenance of a small scared animal. Aided by their enhanced senses, the Apostles could tell that all vestiges of Nailman¡¯s higher-level intelligence had been obliterated at that point. Suddenly, Svenheim¡¯s expression turned to one of disdain and disgust. ¡°Null,¡± the First Apostle said in an unsettlingly calm and gentle voice. ¡°Could you please move out of the way?¡± Null got to her feet and moved away from Nailman. Without warning, Svenheim drew his pistol and shot Nailman in the head. His hand moved with such speed that no one could possibly have stopped him. The bullet struck Nailman in the middle of the forehead and broke through his skull with little difficulty. The shockwave instantaneously destroyed what remained of Nailman¡¯s brain as the bullet ricocheted inside of his powerful skull. His head jerked, and he was no more. ¡°What the Hell was that!?¡± Eight shouted. Svenheim looked Eight in the eyes, his gaze unwavering. ¡°No human should ever be subjected to something like that,¡± the First Apostle said. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll do the same for me should GM ever ¡®delete¡¯ me.¡± Svenheim then dropped his pistol to the ground and walked out of the Great Hall. His sorcerers followed him close behind. Nailman¡¯s corpse then began to disintegrate. A plume of dust started to rise from his body, and he was soon reduced to a human-sized pile of ash. Nailman¡¯s clothes remained behind. Five of the sorcerers hurried forward and collected his clothes and, presumably, the key fragment hidden somewhere within the ash. None of the Apostles moved to stop them. I could hear a strange sound from behind him. I turned to see that Talwar, the Second Apostle, was giggling uncontrollably. Darren, the Third Apostle, was sitting at the table with his head in his hands. Melkior seemed deep in thought; he beckoned some of the sorcerers, and a handful of them stepped forward. Poldra was pacing back and forth near the central table. Watching the sorcerers leave, Kojiro shook his head free of doubt and said, ¡°We should follow those guys. It would probably be for the best if we meet with the new Seventh as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Might as well,¡± Eight said with a sigh. She walked over to Null, who was staring at the spot where Nailman had died. All that remained was a large pile of ash. Eight grabbed Null by the shoulder and shook her. Null wordlessly got to her feet. She was clearly taking the situation poorly. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Eight lightly patted Null¡¯s shoulder and said in a reassuring voice, ¡°Come on.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll stay here and catch up with Melkior,¡± I said. ¡°Sounds good, Thirteen,¡± Kojiro said. ¡°Maybe you and Five will think up some strategy to stop the Revenants from tearing our hearts out.¡± Kojiro laughed at his own joke, and Null shuddered. With that, Kojiro, Null, Eight, and Ten started to walk toward one of the Hall¡¯s entrances. ¡°Don¡¯t leave the castle,¡± Melkior called to the departing Apostles. ¡°Why not?¡± Eight responded. ¡°If we all wander off, the Revenants will just pick us off one by one,¡± Melkior said. Each of the four departing Apostles agreed to Melkior¡¯s request before leaving the Hall. It was very impressive seeing the large group of sorcerers following them close behind, though I figured it would be annoying to be followed by five people all the time. I wondered if I could occasionally ask them to leave me alone. Melkior received a long cylindrical case from one of his sorcerers. He removed a large rolled-up piece of parchment from the case, unfurled it, and placed it on the central table. This was not immediately important, so I briefly surveyed the rest of the Great Hall. Other than Melkior and me, there were still three Apostles in the Great Hall. Talwar and Darren were talking to one another far to one side of the Great Hall, and Poldra was still pacing contemplatively. From what I could see, Darren was listening to Talwar rant about something. I walked up to Melkior. As I approached, he saw what was written on the recently unfurled piece of parchment. It was a map of Merkopia and eastern Rubigo. I remembered the haphazard map that Tantalus had shown him. The map in front of me at that moment looked about the same but with significantly more detail. The map contained the continent of Rubigo and, off to the northeast, the Island of Merkopia. It was strange, though, that the map still seemed a bit simplified. If I understood the map¡¯s size correctly, then there were huge swathes of land that seemed to hold absolutely nothing. ¡°Melkior,¡± I said, ¡°I know these aren¡¯t the best of circumstances, but it¡¯s good to see you alive.¡± ¡°In a manner of speaking,¡± Melkior said, looking down at the V on his chest. ¡°How did you die, Enzo?¡± ¡°Blood loss,¡± I said. ¡°The Deluvians attacked the City, and I died defending it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ironic, isn¡¯t it?¡± Melkior asked rhetorically. ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain that all of us were killed by Deluvians. Now, we command them.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°One of my sorcerers told me that each of us controls one-thirteenth of the Deluvian horde,¡± Melkior said. ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me we could stop the Deluge right now?¡± Enzo said. ¡°Assuming ¡®Deluge¡¯ means the war between the Revenants and Deluvians, you¡¯re right,¡± Melkior said. ¡°We could pull back our soldiers and try to make friends with them. Not to get Socratic, but what do you think would happen then?¡± Before I could collect his thoughts and speak, Poldra approached the two of us and said, ¡°They would still kill us.¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Melkior sighed. ¡°They¡¯re still trapped against their will. They want to go home. Plus, they¡¯ll all be killed in ten years if they don¡¯t kill GM.¡± ¡°If we could just convince them to stay and live here, then nobody has to die,¡± I said. ¡°GM said he just wants to ¡®entertain¡¯ the players. There¡¯s nobody to entertain if everybody¡¯s dead. He won¡¯t actually go through with his threat.¡± ¡°The Second Truth,¡± Poldra said, mimicking GM, ¡°I never lie.¡± I sighed heavily; the truth was setting in. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can convince some of them.¡± ¡°Absolutely,¡± Melkior said. ¡°Any strategy that could possibly end with our success would require a significant amount of persuasion.¡± ¡°What are you thinking, then?¡± Poldra asked. Melkior then gave a broad overview of his plan. Once he was done explaining, Enzo and Poldra agreed that it was the optimal path for them to take. ¡°We should split into two groups,¡± Melkior said. ¡°One will travel to Rubigo while making sure to not fight the Revenants in any meaningful way. The other group will stay here and research this game¡¯s leveling system.¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer to stay here,¡± I said. ¡°This whole ¡®Dark Apostle, enemy of mankind¡¯ thing makes me feel uneasy.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this more when everyone is present,¡± Melkior said, ¡°but our goals would be served better if you went to Rubigo.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I asked. ¡°You know how to shoot straight,¡± Melkior said with a smile. ¡°I suspect that most of the rest of us can¡¯t say the same.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± I muttered, ¡°but you owe me one.¡± The three of us spoke slightly longer before wrapping up our strategy meeting. We began the preliminary process of deciding what they would do once they arrived at Rubigo. Melkior kept the map of Rubigo on the table, stabbing a knife through it to hold it in place. Many of the sorcerers flinched upon hearing the sound of the knife slamming into the table. Once the meeting was done, Melkior and Poldra left the Great Hall, leaving Enzo alone with his sorcerers. I turned to look through the shattered window. Never in his life had he felt less in control of his own destiny. GM had foreseen how the Apostles would react, and he knew that none of them would seriously resist GM¡¯s wishes. I realized that Nailman was a better man than me. Despite all of GM¡¯s best attempts, he could not convince Nailman to turn against the other 30,000 people on the server. I looked at the scattered pile of ash on the floor. ¡°Good for you,¡± I whispered before leaving the Great Hall. Chapter 10 - [An Emergent Entity] Soon after the meeting with GM, a chat log was created. Like the Revenants, we had access to the BloodNet. We were the only people on the island that could use the BloodNet, so it was pretty easy to find the other Dark Apostles on the ¡°active users¡± list. Melkior created a group entitled [Castle Bosporus General Chat]. He set the rules on the group chat so that anyone could set the name they wanted to use. He then set two guidelines for the use of the group chat.
  1. Set your name as [Username (Number)]. Example: Melkior477 (5).
  2. This forum post will be deleted in 48 hours so that the Revenants will not be able to gain access.
Only a few Dark Apostles - myself included - made use of the group chat at first. As the conversation became more pertinent to our next moves, more and more people began to join. By the end of the night, everyone had joined the group chat.
Melkior477 (5) has joined! EnzoTheBaker (13) has joined! Dendrite4 (12) has joined! Salieri2408 (9) has joined! TyrantMoon (8) has joined! Poldra (11) has joined! Svenheim (1) has joined! NullPoEx (6) has joined! Melkior477 (5): Hello, everyone. I have created this group chat so that we could speak further on our plans for the future. I cannot speak to our specific goals for the future, but I¡¯m pretty confident in saying that we all agree that our goal should be to prevent the Revenants from killing us. Can we all agree on that premise? Poldra (11): Not dying sounds good. Dendrite4 (12): Yes EnzoTheBaker (13): I agree, I guess. TyrantMoon (8): Broadly speaking. But we¡¯ll probably disagree on the specifics. Salieri2408 (9): Are you sure the Revenants will try to kill us? Melkior477 (5): It¡¯s in their best interests to do so. Poldra (11): Oh yeah, Tantalus and Ashcroft will be coming for us as soon as they can. Salieri2408 (9): Who? Dendrite4 (12): Two guys who were in charge in Osiris EnzoTheBaker (13): Ashcroft the YouTuber. TyrantMoon (8): Oh, that guy? I didn¡¯t watch him. He annoys me. Poldra (11): Yeah, well, he¡¯s good at the game and the players at Osiris are under his thumb. EnzoTheBaker (13): I got the sense that Tantalus was in charge at Osiris. Melkior477 (5): That¡¯s beside the point. Melkior477 (5): Are we in agreement that our goal is self preservation? Salieri2408 (9): That is ¡°a¡± goal. Maybe not the only goal. Melkior477 (5): Sven? Svenheim (1): Yes Melkior477 (5): Are you in agreement? Also, where¡¯s 2 through 4? Svenheim (1): Oh yeah, of course. We¡¯re on board with fighting the Revenants. Kojiro just punched a wall, and he¡¯s complaining about it. The other three will be on in a few minutes. Melkior (5): Okay. We have a consensus. Salieri2408 (9): May it be noted that I didn¡¯t agree to ¡°fighting the Revenants.¡± Fatima72 (10) has joined! Melkior477 (5): Noted. Melkior477 (5): We should get back to introductions. I believe we were interrupted at Seven last time. Poldra (11): Are you sure? Will GM be summoned again if we do that? Melkior477 (5): Ha ha, very funny. That was a joke, I assume. Poldra (11): Shut up Svenheim (1): Are introductions necessary? We can see eachothers usernames in the ¡°active users¡± list. Poldra (11): Hey, you got to introduce yourself. I want to do the same. Svenheim (1): Whatever you say, Eleven. Melkior477 (5): Okay, let¡¯s move on to Eight. Kamil, can you introduce yourself. Salieri2408 (9): You remembered my name. I appreciate it. You can see my username and my number, but I would very much not like to be called Eight or Salieri. No matter what GM says, I am Kamil. I am a person. Kojiro19 (4) has joined! ArakiForgot (3) has joined! Talwar13 (2) has joined! Svenheim (1): Calm down, dude Salieri2408 (9): I am calm. I just don¡¯t think we should treat our current situation with uninterested flippancy. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Kojiro19 (4): MY HAND TyrantMoon (8): What Kojiro19 (4): I PUNCHED A PILLAR AND IT BROKE MY ******* HAND Kojiro19 (4): ******* PROFANITY FILTER EnzoTheBaker (13): Stop it with the caps. Melkior477 (5): New rule: no caps. Kojiro19 (4): Fine. Remove the profanity filter. Melkior477 (5): No. Kojiro19 (4): ******* tyrant. Poldra (11): Ha ha, **** you Melkior477 (5): Focus. Kojiro19 (4): No, I wanted to talk about my hand. Talwar13 (2): let hm do it. it ws rly funy. Melkior477 (5): Fine, I¡¯ll allow you one minute to talk about how you broke your hand. Kojiro19 (4): So, I punched a pillar. The pillar cracked in three places, and the ceiling started to shake. Problem: I broke some of the bones in my hand. There was blood everywhere and it hurt like a *****. Why did that happen? Kojiro19 (4): Oh, you censored that word. You *****. Melkior477 (5): Hmm. Interesting. Kojiro19 (4): Don¡¯t you ¡°hmm¡± me. Melkior477 (5): What¡¯s your Strength score? Kojiro19 (4): 48. Melkior477 (5): And your Fortitude score? Kojiro19 (4): 25. Melkior477 (5): Well, there¡¯s your answer. Fatima72 (10): Are you saying our Strength scores are so much higher than our Fortitude scores that we¡¯ll hurt ourselves when we throw a punch? Melkior477 (5): Yes. EnzoTheBaker (13): There must be some way to get around it. Melkior477 (5): Probably. Melkior477 (5): We¡¯re done with the ¡°punch¡± tangent. Let¡¯s move on to introductions for Nine. She hasn¡¯t talked for a while. I need to scroll up to ping her. Mekior477 (5): It¡¯s your turn for introductions TyrantMoon. TyrantMoon (8): Sorry. TyrantMoon (8): My username is TyrantMoon, but you can call me Katya. I¡¯m a 30-year-old reporter from Florida. If possible, I¡¯d like to reach a non-violent compromise with the players. Svenheim (1): Unlikely, methinks. Melkior477 (5): A non-violent ceasefire would be the best-case scenario. I would also like to reach a compromise with the players, Katya. Kojiro19 (4): Hey Five, do you think you could stop sounding like the CEO of a company? I got enough corpo-speak in the Old World. Melkior477 (5): This is how I talk. Kojiro19 (4): I doubt it. Fatima72 (10): I¡¯m next right? Kojiro19 (4): Yes Fatima72 (10): You can call me Fatima. I spawned in Fulvang. I was with a group that got stuck behind the Deluvians¡¯ front line. I was the last of my group to die. We were found by a horde of Deluvians after several hours. I was stabbed to death. Kojiro19 (4): Ok Melkior477 (5): Thank you for sharing, I¡¯m sure that was a harrowing experience. Eleven? Poldra (11): That¡¯s me. I¡¯m Poldra. I¡¯m a musician from North Carolina. I was defending Osiris¡¯s East Gate with Enzo when I died. Apparently, according to Enzo, we were hit with artillery. As far as I remember, I was alive one moment and dead the next. Svenheim (1): Lucky. Poldra (11): I completely agree. I didn¡¯t have to go through the whole messy process like you guys did. CosmiCrow (7) has joined! Kojiro19 (4): Hey, it¡¯s new Seven. He finally answered his messages. CosmiCrow (7): I was busy. Svenheim (1): With what? CosmiCrow (7): Talking with the sorcerers. EnzoTheBaker (13): I feel like I¡¯ve heard your username before. Melkior477 (5): We¡¯re doing introductions. Do you want to introduce yourself, CosmiCrow? CosmiCrow (7): Sure. Most people call me Crow or Cosmic. I played a bit of Ninth Oasis before this, so I have a bit of experience. I tried to kill GM when he came to New Arcadia. It¡­ didn¡¯t work. Poldra (11): Hey, has anybody given the new guy the low-down. Svenheim (1): What? Poldra (11): Has anybody told Crow everything that happened with GM and Nailman? Kojiro19 (4): Me and Talwar did. Poldra (11): And I¡¯m sure you two boys were very sensitive when you shared that information. Kojiro19 (4): Absolutely not. He took it pretty well, though. CosmiCrow (7): I¡¯m grateful to Nailman. I wouldn¡¯t be ¡°alive¡± right now if not for him. Melkior477 (5): What is existence, anyway? Kojiro19 (4): Shut up, nerd. Melkior477 (5): Is a human being not merely an emergent entity? Sure, we may be molecularly different than we were a few hours ago, and our constituent parts may be altered, but - in terms of the perception others have of us and the perception we have of ourselves - are we not exactly the same? If we are indistinguishable from our past selves and our past selves are dead, then who is to say we are not them? In the absence of a greater claimant, do we not have the greatest claim to personhood? Svenheim (1): What the **** are you talking about? Kojiro19 (4): NERD Kojiro19 (4) has been banned. Talwar13 (2): hey! who put u in charge? Svenheim (1): Hey, man, don¡¯t ban people for insulting you. TyrantMoon (8): I just died. I don¡¯t want to think right now. EnzoTheBaker (13) Can we get back to introductions? Melkior477 (5): There are two separate forms of identity: descriptive and numerical. If the room in which Hegel lectured was identical to the room Schopenhauer lectured in, then the rooms would be descriptively but not numerically identical. We are descriptively identical, but perhaps not numerically identical. Or perhaps we are numerically identical? Are we temporally persistent with our past selves? We disappeared in one world and, after a few hours, appeared in a new one. Temporally speaking, there is no direct contradiction. The engram and the individual never existed in two places simultaneously. TyrantMoon (8): I would look up some of the concepts you just mentioned on my phone, but I don¡¯t have one. CosmiCrow (7): What? Salieri2408 (8): I think I kind of understand what you¡¯re saying. What does it mean to be ¡°numerically identical?¡± Svenheim (1): Not to quote Melkior, but ¡°can we get back on track?¡± Melkior477 (5): Sorry. I just had to put my thoughts into words. Svenheim (1): You¡¯re a weird dude, do you know that? Melkior477 (5): I am aware. Dendrite. Dendrite4 (12): Hey, I¡¯m Dendrite. My name in real life is Enoch. I was defending the East Gate when I died. I was stabbed by Orcs, and then I died. CosmiCrow (7): Orcs? EnzoTheBaker (13): That¡¯s what Ashcroft called the Deluvians with grey skin. The name kind of caught on at Osiris. CosmiCrow (7): Ashcroft is in Osiris? Dendrite4 (12): Yeah. He gave a speech on unity and resistance before the Deluvians assaulted the city. CosmiCrow (7): Concerning. Melkior477 (5): And finally, Thirteen. EnzoTheBaker (13): Hello, I¡¯m Enzo, real name Geoffrey Lachlan (or would ¡°old name¡± be more accurate). I died of blood loss while defending the East Gate of Osiris, exactly the same as Dendrite. I was an accountant in Wisconsin. Melkior477 (5): Accountant, you say? EnzoTheBaker (13): Oh no. Melkior477 (5): I¡¯m sure our Deluvian armies could use someone skilled in accounting. EnzoTheBaker (13): Maybe. Balancing the books for a small business is not the same as handling logistics for an entire army, by the way. Kojiro19 (4) has joined! Kojiro19 (4): Oy! *******! Chapter 11 - [A Warm Orange Glow] Castle Bosporus 3:15 AM After two hours of participating in the group chat, I turned off notifications and opened my eyes. It was pretty clear that we wouldn¡¯t be able to get much done through this method of communication. Over the course of two hours of communication, we were barely able to agree that ¡°dying is bad¡± and complete basic introductions. I was sure that the group chat would keep going for a little bit, but I was no longer a necessary part of it. I had already introduced myself. When I opened my eyes, I looked around at my surroundings. I was in a lounge that was filled with fine upholstered seats, expensive silver chandeliers, beautiful rugs, and marble fireplaces. Wood had been stacked near the fireplaces, but no fire was burning. The gas lamps and chandeliers around the lounge lit it in a warm orange glow, giving the room an air of comfortable ease. Bookshelves lined the walls of the lounge, and various writing tools sat atop the thick wooden tables that filled the room. The books were all written in English, though they contained information which was not held in any physical book in the Old World. Books on the history of Ferrum, biographies of famous historical figures of Rubigo, and even various works of fiction were contained on those shelves. The tables held pieces of paper, notebooks, fountain pens, and pre-sharpened pencils. In terms of the occupants of this lounge, it only contained Melkior, Dendrite, and me. The lounge was only a few hundred feet from the Great Hall, so Apostles who didn¡¯t go with Kojiro and Svenheim to meet the new Seventh Apostle stopped in that room. Over the last two hours, however, the other Apostles slowly trickled out to explore the Castle. The entourage of sorcerers which had been following Melkior, Dendrite, and me had not followed us into the lounge. This was probably for the best because, while the room was pretty big, it wasn¡¯t big enough to hold eighteen people comfortably. I was uncertain if the sorcerers had left to go somewhere else. Perhaps - I believed this option to be more likely - all fifteen of them were standing patiently in the hallway like loyal dogs awaiting the return of their masters. I sat on a comfortable leather couch. Its legs and base seemed to be made of thick wood, and yet the couch creaked slightly when I sat upon it. The couch had a softness that helped me relax at the end of that harrowing day filled with violence, injury, and emotional turmoil. Though, it would be incorrect to say that I needed any physical recuperation. I felt like I could run a marathon, and I definitely could. I felt like I had just recently woken from a full-night¡¯s sleep. This feeling was in stark contrast to the exhaustion and pain that filled my old Revenant body in its final moments. A book sat on my lap. I had been reading it whenever the conversation in the group chat slowed. The book had caught my eye when I first entered the lounge. It was called ¡°On the Empire of Mitrikova and the Founding of the Free Cities.¡± I remembered that the Revenants spawned in the three Free Cities: Osiris, New Arcadia, and Fulvang. Perhaps, I thought, this book would give me a better understanding of the starting cities. I skimmed through most of the book. It was mostly interested in historical battles and the ruling families of the Free Cities, and I wasn¡¯t particularly interested in those subjects. What did catch my attention, however, was one topic which the book covered with a level of disinterest: the Patricians. They were described as the nine most powerful Imperials (I also didn¡¯t know what that word meant), and each controlled a large swathe of Rubigo. The book spoke of the Patricians as if the reader would naturally know everything about the subject matter. All I could glean was that: they¡¯re powerful in some way, they control large parts of Rubigo, and there¡¯s nine of them. Beyond that, I guessed based on context clues that their power was either magical or militaristic. I also figured that their power was derived from their blood because the power of the Patrician was usually inherited by the oldest child of the previous Patrician. I put the book to the side. Trying to gain information on the Patricians through reading was a waste of time when I could just ask one of the sorcerers about the topic. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I rose from the couch, causing it to creak ominously. Was the wood here weaker than normal wood? I couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡°Hey, Melkior, Dendrite,¡± I said, ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna head out. I want to look around the castle.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Melkior said. ¡°Just make sure to be at the Great Hall at noon tomorrow. We¡¯re going to be holding an actual strategy meeting. Make sure not to oversleep.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I could sleep,¡± I said honestly. ¡°I¡¯m so full of energy that I want to run laps around the Castle.¡± ¡°Have fun with that,¡± Melkior said. His eyes were closed, and his fingers were tapping upon an unseen keyboard. I could tell at a glance that he was writing an angry response to something Svenheim or Kojiro said. I looked over at Dendrite to see that he was too busy reading a leather-bound tome to pay much attention to my departure. The book he held in his hands was entitled ¡°Shadow Magic and its Uses.¡± I exited the lounge through a light wooden door. I made sure to not apply too much force when I opened it for fear that I might break something. Upon exiting out into the hallway, I saw three masked sorcerers standing there silently. I felt like walking, so I grunted wordlessly and started walking in the direction opposite the three sorcerers. One of them started following me, and I could tell by the sound of her steps that this one was the woman who had emerged as the leader of the sorcerers when we walked to the Great Hall. Chapter 12 - [Galatea] ¡°You led our group to the Great Hall. You know your way around the Castle, I take it?¡± I said these words, and the sorcerer quietly uttered a gasp of surprise that sounded similar to a mouse¡¯s squeak. Adorable. ¡°How could you tell?¡± ¡°You have very distinct footsteps.¡± ¡°I always knew the Dark Apostles would be amazing, but seeing your power in person is¡­¡± she thought about her next word carefully, ¡°sublime.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± I frowned. ¡°So¡­ your people have some kind of holy scripture that foretells the appearance of GM and the Dark Apostles. Could you tell me a bit about it?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the sorcerer beamed from behind her mask. I wished I could have seen her expression as she spoke. ¡°For the past one hundred years, the Cognoscenti of Merkopia have prepared for the return of the God of Machines. Three previous times, we endured the hundred-year period between incarnations of our god. This wait was different, however, as the God of Machines left us with a collection of holy blueprints for us to create new weapons, vehicles, and methods of communication. Cannons to break their walls, bombs to level their cities, and guns to kill their soldiers. Though the Edict of Iron prevented us from using these glorious inventions, we knew that the Deluvians and the Dark Apostles would be able to utilize these weapons to their fullest potential once they were resurrected.¡± I stopped walking and turned to the sorcerer. ¡°Good start. I have some questions, but, before that, I want you to take that mask off.¡± I pointed to the iron mask that concealed her face. ¡°I don¡¯t like talking to people when I can¡¯t see their faces.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± The sorcerer seemed confused by my request. ¡°The followers of the Machine Cult recognize that the human form is merely a distraction that interferes with the holy sacraments of repair, maintenance, and invention. Any high-ranking official of the Machine Cult such as I would never deign to show her face in public.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± I said as I pinched my chin between two fingers. ¡°I am a Dark Apostle, correct? Like the apostles of Jesus?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who that is, but yes.¡± ¡°So, from the perspective of the Machine Cult, I am one of the highest functionaries in the religion, correct?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± The sorcerer¡¯s confusion turned her answer into a question. ¡°Then why is it acceptable that I go around without my face covered?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t mean this as a ¡®gotcha,¡¯ I legitimately want to understand.¡± ¡°You are very magnanimous, sir,¡± she said. ¡°That one with as much power and knowledge as you would still desire to gain knowledge is inspiring.¡± I thought about the group chat conversation I had just witnessed, and it made me want to laugh. She treated the Dark Apostles like they were gods. If she knew the truth of the thirteen individuals who stood at the top of her religion¡¯s hierarchy, she would probably have a mental breakdown. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Stop that. Also, answer my question.¡± ¡°Stop what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really a fan of ¡®zealous supplication.¡¯ Please keep any fervent praise to a minimum.¡± ¡°As you command, sir. Regarding your question, the Dark Apostles are imbued with a small portion of GM¡¯s power. It would be most accurate to say you are Messianic much like the alleged son of the God of Civilization, Nur. You and the other twelve Dark Apostles effortlessly occupy a place of divinity and overwhelming power. You do not gain your power through vigorous study and regimented training, unlike us sorcerers. Laxity cannot possibly harm you, so it would make no sense to apply that same regimentation to you.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± I said, annoyance apparent in my voice. ¡°You can keep the mask on if it¡¯s important to you.¡± The sorcerer regarded me for a long moment. We made eye contact, and, only due to my supernatural vision, I could see that she had green eyes. Even with my enhanced vision, however, I could not perceive her expression. I wanted to see her face for several reasons, but I would feel bad if I pushed the issue any further. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to say that I am unwilling to remove the mask,¡± she said. ¡°I have lived with the sacrament of diligence long enough that the removal of the most shallow aspect of the sacrament will not harm my faith. Would you like me to remove my mask?¡± Despite myself, a smile formed on my face. ¡°Yes, I would like that.¡± She removed the smiling metal mask from her face and carefully pulled her hood back. Beneath the mask was the face of a woman in her mid-twenties. The sorcerer had wavy red hair tied back in a bun, piercing green eyes, and a constellation of freckles. Prolonged use of the mask had created temporary lines on her face, and a thin sheen of moisture clung to her face where the mask had adhered a few seconds before. She was perfect. Red heads with green eyes and freckles had been my type ever since high school. My friends used to say that I was ¡°just attracted to Irish people.¡± I didn¡¯t even know that I had a thing for wavy hair until I saw it on the sorcerer. Her cheeks colored slightly as she saw the intensity of my gaze. I heard the beat of her heart quicken, and, even without enhanced hearing, I knew that my own heart did the same. It was as if she had been created specifically to be the most attractive woman possible from my perspective. Then, I realized something. She was. GM knew my mind inside and out. I was an engram, a part of GM, and so was she. Everything happening at that moment was just a simulation designed to increase my loyalty to GM. He wanted me to like her. If I did, I would have a reason to fight against the Revenants. Despite this, despite my mind¡¯s awareness that this was all a ploy, I could not control the way I felt. I could not help but view the sorcerer in a more positive light. I was a rational being, but my emotions still existed. I blinked and clenched my fist in order to get my reaction under control. ¡°G-good,¡± I said before clearing my throat. ¡°I was just thinking that I do not know what to call you. What¡¯s your name? You said you ¡®cast it off,¡¯ but surely it can be reclaimed.¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± A grimace which mixed anxiety and annoyance in equal parts crossed over her face. Wearing the mask for a long time must have caused her poker face to degrade. She was absolutely terrible at keeping her true emotions from appearing on her face. ¡°You see, my memories from childhood were magically removed when I became a sorcerer of the Machine Cult. I don¡¯t know my true name. Ever since I became a monk of Castle Bosporus, I¡¯ve been called Sixty-One.¡± ¡°Not much of a name¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°Yes, I am aware. It is expected, sir, that the sorcerer be given a name by the Dark Apostle she is assigned to in recognition of great deeds. I hope to one day perform an act worthy of such a gift.¡± ¡°Okay, if you insist,¡± I said, starting to think. Unbidden, a name popped in my head: Galatea. I seriously considered speaking that name into existence, but I decided not to. It would be far too cruel. I decided instead on another name. ¡°Amber, I think I¡¯ll call you that.¡± Chapter 13 - [The Cognoscenti] A look of surprise appeared on the sorcerer¡¯s face. A promise that she had lived with for her whole life had just been fulfilled. Her mouth flapped wordlessly for a few seconds as she processed what had just happened. ¡°You would name me now? But I have not yet committed any great deeds in your name. This is highly irregular.¡± She was clearly flustered as she spoke, but it was equally clear that my words had made her happy. ¡°I intend to give all of the sorcerers assigned to me a name soon,¡± I said, desperately trying not to seem like I favored her over the others. ¡°Trust me, it is for my own gratification. I won¡¯t be able to differentiate you guys unless you all have distinct names.¡± The sorcerer held her cheeks in her hands and turned away from me. I allowed myself a self-satisfied smile now that her back was turned. This was precisely the reaction I wanted to induce. With her back turned to me, she said, ¡°Amber. Why did you choose the name Amber?¡± ¡°Oh, that,¡± I said, trying not to let my grin influence my tone. ¡°It¡¯s your hair. Your hair is the color of amber.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Amber paused for a long second before adding, ¡°sir.¡± ¡°Well,¡± I rubbed one hand through my hair and cleared my throat, ¡°now that we¡¯ve dealt with that, I still have a few questions.¡± ¡°As you say,¡± Amber turned back to me. She clearly wanted to move past the awkwardness of the present moment. ¡°Your request is my command. What are your questions?¡± ¡°Just two for now. One: What is a Cognoscenti? Two: Why do the Revenants have guns?¡± As I asked this question, I started walking again, and Amber followed soon after. ¡°Oh, that,¡± anger appeared on Amber¡¯s face, though I could tell it wasn¡¯t directed at me. ¡°To answer your first question, the Cognoscenti are the people of Merkopia. I am a Cognoscentum. We are broadly followers of the God of Machines, but some Cognoscenti have betrayed the edict written upon our very souls. This brings me to your second question. Spread across the continent of Rubigo are enclaves of traitorous Cognoscenti; some of them have copies of the holy blueprints, and they have been using them to make weapons for the Revenants. The fact that even one Cognoscentum has turned against GM and his Apostles is a great shame to all of my people.¡± ¡°Uh huh,¡± I said, focusing on the information more than Amber¡¯s apparent contrition. My thoughts were drawn to the book I had recently been reading. ¡°Two more questions. What is an Imperial? What is a Patrician?¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°An Imperial is a human from the continent of Rubigo,¡± Amber explained. ¡°A Patrician is an Imperial who can summon forth a Divine Beast and wield powerful magic. There are nine Patricians, and they are all self-serving. They frequently go to war with each other, unlike the Dark Apostles.¡± Perhaps the Dark Apostles of the past had been like that, but I doubted the current Apostles were as monolithic as Amber wanted to believe. ¡°A final question,¡± I began. ¡°Who would win in a fight, a Dark Apostle or a Patrician?¡± ¡°The Dark Apostle would win, of course,¡± Amber responded without hesitation. Zealous certainty burned in her voice. I was quickly reminded of the power-scaling arguments I had gotten into in the Old World. There was no way Amber would give an unbiased opinion on the matter. She was a Star Wars fan, and I had just asked whether the Death Star could beat a Borg cube. ¡°While the Patricians have access to magic equivalent to a Dark Apostle, they are still merely human,¡± she said. ¡°A single punch from a Dark Apostle would kill a Patrician.¡± ¡°Noted,¡± I said, and I made a mental note that the Patricians were a major threat to us. If Amber had to qualify her statement that one of her religion¡¯s vaunted demi-gods would beat a Patrician, then they were certainly no small threat. At that point, we approached a heavy set of double doors. Each door was twenty feet wide and forty feet high, and both were made out of thick wood. When we walked to the Great Hall a few hours ago, Poldra opened the door, and she didn¡¯t seem to have much trouble with it. Without much thought, I put a hand on each door and pushed. I could tell that the door was high quality as it gave a little bit of resistance as I pushed, unlike the other flimsy doors I had used since I arrived in Castle Bosporus. It felt like I was opening a shop¡¯s door and there was a pressure differential between the shop and the exterior. I had to brace my arm slightly as I pushed, but I didn¡¯t have to put my shoulder into it. The double doors opened slowly with the sound of wood creaking against metal hinges, and the sound filled the large entrance way that held the door. I stepped out into the evening air and stretched my arms. That was the first time since I had come to Castle Bosporus that I had strained my muscles. Amber stepped through the door behind me as I looked out at the Castle. It was the dead of night, so I couldn¡¯t see much. I was looking out at the long bridge that separated the structure I was in from the other structures. The bridge was lit every thirty feet by gas lamps, so I could trace its path even in the darkness. I realized that the bridge went to the left but not the right. This was strange considering that the structures of Castle Bosporus were arranged in a circle. I walked a few dozen feet to a place where I could get a better look at the structure to my right. Looking out into the darkness, I saw a structure composed of towers and battlements. Strangely, it was at a significantly lower elevation than the structure I presently occupied. Chapter 14 - [The Tapestry of Stars] The Castle¡¯s design was irregular to say the least. Clearly, more emphasis had been put on defense than comfort. I turned to Amber and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up with the design of Castle Bosporus?¡± ¡°Well, you see,¡± Amber said, raising a finger like a lecturing schoolteacher, ¡°Castle Bosporus is split into five keeps. They are the Central Keep, South Keep, East Keep, North Keep, and West Keep. We are currently in the Central Keep, and we are looking at the West Keep.¡± ¡°If we went left,¡± I pointed down the long gas-lit bridge toward an adjoining structure, ¡°where would we be?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the way to the South Keep,¡± Amber said helpfully. ¡°So,¡± I said, trying to visualize the layout of Castle Bosporus, ¡°the Central Keep is between the West Keep and the South Keep. Let me guess, the only way to enter the Castle is through the West Keep?¡± ¡°Wow, how did you know?¡± Amber said with legitimate astonishment in her voice. ¡°Game design,¡± I said. Amber responded with a statement of confusion, but I was too deep in thought to hear her. Castle Bosporus was clearly designed to be a dungeon. Perhaps this was meant to be the Revenant¡¯s final dungeon before they reached GM. I could visualize the planned progression of the conflict between the Revenants and the Dark Apostles. Once most of the Dark Apostles had been killed and their keys had been secured by the Revenants, the remaining Apostles would flee to Castle Bosporus and have their final stand here. Over the course of several hours, the Revenants would move through the Castle room by room, killing Deluvians and Dark Apostles as they found them. Dozens, if not hundreds, of Revenants would die, but they would eventually reach the final room. Then, in the Great Hall, the last two Dark Apostles would hold off the attacking Revenants for a while until they were killed themselves. This potential future shone brightly in my mind. Everything GM had set up was pushing us - the Dark Apostles and the Revenants - in that direction. I didn¡¯t know how to avert that future. Perhaps some of the Apostles could go into hiding or perhaps we could find some other kingdom to defend. Looking upward at the spires and battlements rising above the Central Keep, I saw pale marble talons reaching up toward the stars. The sheer size of the structure, and Castle Bosporus as a whole, seemed to me an exercise in hubris. Each one of the five keeps was large enough to be a castle in its own right, and the Castle as a whole was big enough to be a city. In that moment, the spires rising up into the sky seemed to be grasping at the tapestry of stars above as if it could tear open the domain of God through its labor. A strange impulse took hold of me as I looked upward. I bounced on the balls of my feet a few times, testing my newly enhanced muscles. Even with the smallest amount of effort, my body bounced a few inches into the air. I took a rough estimate of the distance between the ground and the nearest ledge. It must have been less than thirty feet. The jump would be absolutely impossible for any mortal human, but I could tell in that instant that I could make it. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I bent my knees into a low crouch and swung my arms back. Then, I rocketed upward like an industrial spring that had been unlatched from its housing. I heard the sound of the masonry crack underneath me as I flew upward. Just as I had intended, my body flew to the ledge, and I clamped my fingers against its lip. I had jumped thirty feet into the air from a standing position, and I had only used a fraction of my total strength. If I wanted, I could have probably jumped three or four times as high. I pulled myself up to the ledge with one hand. Doing a pull-up had been completely outside of my capability in the Old World. Here, a one-handed pull-up was as easy as lifting a suitcase. I repeated the process a few times until I had reached the tallest tower above the Central Keep. The highest tower above the Central Keep rose into a point. I managed to find a place to stand by putting my back against the slanted roof and bracing my foot against the top of an outwardly jutting window frame. From there, I could perceive all of Castle Bosporus and even further beyond. The Castle naturally herded entrants in an upward corkscrew pattern. One would travel in a huge half-mile circle while also ascending in terms of elevation. Thinking about it, a Dark Apostle - or someone with equivalent strength - could probably jump from the Central Keep to the West Keep, but not vice versa. By the nature of the lighting, I couldn¡¯t tell what occupied the space between the keeps. The five brightly lit structures of Castle Bosporus were ships floating within a vast sea of black. Their brightness caused the surrounding area to be completely imperceptible. Looking further outward, I saw lights populating the horizon of my vision. To my north and west were thousands of electric lights clumped together like a swarm of fireflies. There must be a large settlement of people in that direction, I thought. To my south was a single solitary light. As I looked at it for a few more seconds, I saw that two rotating beams of light were emanating from a single source. I saw a strange glint on the horizon, and I realized that I was looking at the light from a lighthouse glinting off of a sea of water. Now perceiving the elevation of sea level, I could tell that Castle Bosporus was high up in the air. Even the West Keep must have been hundreds of feet in the air. The Castle must have been built atop a mountain, I realized. I felt a faint breeze against my skin and heard the sound of an unnatural gust of wind. I turned toward the sound and saw Amber floating toward me. Her arms were outstretched, and her knees were slightly bent as if to maximize her surface area for the wind to push. The sound of rushing air increased until Amber was floating a few feet away from my perch. Whatever spell she was using must have condensed the air significantly. Despite being a few feet from a wind of sufficient velocity to lift an adult woman, I barely felt any wind at all. Amber opened her mouth to speak, but I could not hear her over the sound of the wind. She may have had control over the wind itself, but she didn¡¯t have control over the sound it made. It sounded like I was inside of a wind tunnel being that close to me. I cupped a hand to my ear in order to hear her. Amber¡¯s face strained as she shouted at the top of her lungs, but I could still hear nothing. Even with my enhanced hearing, I couldn¡¯t perceive soundwaves that were completely destroyed before they reached me. Chapter 15 - [The Door] For a moment, I considered gesturing for Amber to land. This wouldn¡¯t work, because my perch was barely large enough for a single person to occupy. I would essentially have to carry her if she landed. I had the physical capacity to do it, but it seemed too¡­ convenient. It was bad enough that this artificial woman had been created for my own gratification. The fact that this situation had been orchestrated by GM was a bridge too far. Not even a man as dense and unaware as me would spring such an obvious trap. Instead, I began to climb down the tower. The way down from the top of the Central Keep was much faster. I merely bent my knees to absorb the impact of falling as I hopped down the colossal staircase that I had recently ascended. With each landing, my feet left two small craters in the masonry. I landed on the ground level with an echoing thunk. Curiously, I pressed the heel of my shoe against the cobblestone beneath me. I pulled my foot back and, with the smallest exertion of force, I struck my heel against the stone. It unceremoniously cracked in half like a piece of porcelain. The deafening sound of wind approached, and I turned to see Amber land a few feet away from me. After a few seconds, the sound stopped. As soon as she had regained her balance on solid ground, Amber actually bowed her head in contrition. A look of sadness so genuine that I thought she would burst into tears at any moment appeared on her face. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would interrupt your observation of the Castle with my actions. Please forgive me!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t interrupt anything,¡± I said, smiling at the girl¡¯s earnestness. ¡°There was no greater purpose behind my actions. It was merely a spontaneous act of curiosity.¡± ¡°Even so¡­¡± Amber began speaking, but I interrupted her. ¡°Hold on for a moment. I would like to deliver my first order as a Dark Apostle now. Listen closely¡­¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Lighten up,¡± I commanded. ¡°I¡¯m just a guy; stop treating me like I¡¯m some kind of demi-god.¡± ¡°But you are¡­¡± ¡°Bup.¡± I interrupted her with a wordless sound completely unbefitting of my position. ¡°This is an order, remember?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Now,¡± I said, changing the subject, ¡°where¡¯s the Door?¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°What door?¡± ¡°The Door.¡± I deflated slightly when I thought about what the Door represented. I was reminded of the reality of my situation, and my previously playful mood disappeared. ¡°I mean the Door to GM¡¯s Domain.¡± I gestured to the area just under my left collarbone, the area which held a key. ¡°...the one with thirteen keys.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I understand.¡± Amber seemed happy to speak of the Door. The thought didn¡¯t fill her with dread like it did with me. ¡°It¡¯s just under the Great Hall.¡± ¡°Perfect,¡± I said, trying to exude a carefree air. Amber saw through it. We stepped back inside the Central Keep and walked through several long, empty hallways. Despite being a place that was theoretically meant for habitation, ninety percent of the Castle was empty. There must have been acres of floorspace within the Central Keep, but the only furnished rooms I had seen at that time were the Great Hall and the lounge. We reached the Great Hall and continued walking. Somehow, the stained-glass window of GM had been repaired after Dendrite had thrown a brick through it. A part of me wanted to re-shatter the window, but the smarter part vetoed that desire. It was probably a good idea to not piss off the sorcerers. We turned left at the huge table where the Dark Apostles had held our first meeting. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I looked at the scattered ash and splattered blood that provided evidence of our fight with GM. I could still feel the echoes of the fear I felt when I stood in GM¡¯s presence. As strong as I was, GM was infinitely more powerful. Amber pressed down on one of the thousands of bricks that girded the Great Hall, and a false wall slid away. On the other side of the false wall was a long, dark spiral staircase that went downward. As the door opened, gas lamps turned on, illuminating the staircase. We began to descend the staircase. After several long minutes of steady progress, we reached the bottom. We rotated counterclockwise as we walked, indicating to me that the stairs were meant to be defended from below. I could imagine myself making my last stand in that staircase. They would be forced to attack me two-by-two, and I would defeat dozens of them before a single Hero managed to slay me and bring peace to Ferrum. At the bottom, the staircase straightened out into a long corridor. Rather than the warm orange of the staircase, the corridor was lit in a faded light blue color. I stepped out into the corridor and saw that the light was coming from a line of glowing blue crystals embedded in the walls. At the end of the long blue corridor was the Door. It must have been more than fifteen feet tall and ten feet wide. It was made of grey stone, and thirteen obsidian locks were built into its structure. The locks were arranged in an irregular hexagon that terminated into a single tail at the bottom. I was reminded strongly of the sefirot from Jewish mysticism. In front of the Door stood a man I did not recognize. His black hair was in a crew cut, and his expression was one of solemn determination. The man¡¯s build was powerful, and he wore the same type of outfit as me. By the process of elimination, I knew that this was CosmiCrow, the Seventh Dark Apostle. ¡°Who are you?¡± the man standing in front of the Door asked. His tone did not indicate hostility. Rather, it seemed that he was curious about my identity. As he spoke, Amber frantically put her mask back on and flipped her hood back on her head. She was still not comfortable showing her face to the other Apostles. I opened up my shirt and showed him the mark under my collarbone. ¡°You can call me Enzo.¡± Chapter 16 - [Shoot Me] ¡°Nice to meet you, Enzo,¡± the man said, revealing a black VII on his chest. ¡°I¡¯m Crow.¡± ¡°I figured as much. Do you mind if I check out that door behind you?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Crow shrugged. I stepped forward but stopped a few feet away from Crow. My body had suddenly started screaming at me in fear. My muscles spasmed in terror, and every one of my hairs stood on end. My body was telling me that there was some source of danger coming from Crow, and it really didn¡¯t want me to get within arms reach of him. Despite myself, I stopped. I took a moment to look at Crow. He was just standing there with his arms crossed. There was no reason for me to be afraid of him. When I looked closer for a few extra seconds, I saw the source of the fear that pervaded my body. Crow was completely relaxed. He regarded me with the ease of a man who knew he was in no danger. That must have been why my enhanced senses were freaking out. None of the other Apostles I had met up until that point looked comfortable or relaxed; they all looked awkward and fidgety. The System was hard to get used to, even if you were using a Revenant body. Use of a Dark Apostle body added a whole new level of complexity. The enhanced senses and super strength layered on top of a human form created a series of sensations that no one had ever experienced outside of the Kabuto system. Crow evidently did not feel that same awkwardness. Realizing that the feeling was the result of Crow¡¯s uncanny disposition and not any ill intent, I stepped past him. Though, I did glance sidelong at him as I walked through his zone of influence. Amber stayed at the far end of the corridor as if she wanted to keep a respectful distance from the Door. I stepped within arms-length of the Door and witnessed the locks in detail. Most of the locks were too high for me to reach, but the four locks at the bottom were reachable. Each lock was built into the face of the Door, and each contained a small two-pronged keyhole. I looked closely at each lock and saw a small etching next to each one. The four at the bottom were marked: X, XI, XII, and XIII. I slid a thumb over the etching next to the lock on the bottom. Then, as if I was possessed by some outside force, I touched that same hand to my chest. The key to that lock was only a few inches away, I thought. My moment of introspection was ended by a verbal interjection from Crow. ¡°Hey, Enzo, are you carrying a gun?¡± I took half a second to conceal the unnecessary panic that motivated my muscles for a moment before I turned to look at Crow with a smile. ¡°Yeah, I am.¡± I moved my coat aside to reveal the Baretta I was carrying in a shoulder holster. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°You thumbed the area under your shoulder to check if the gun is still in its holster. I assume you¡¯re not used to carrying a concealed pistol.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Oh,¡± I said, embarrassed. I didn¡¯t even realize I did that. ¡°Yeah, I guess not. When I go down to the range, I always keep my guns in their cases until I¡¯m ready to shoot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best,¡± Crow said. ¡°You don¡¯t want to draw from a shoulder holster when you¡¯re at the range, anyway. You¡¯d end up flagging everyone standing to your left.¡± ¡°You know your stuff,¡± I said, laughing and leaning my back against the Door as if it didn¡¯t scare the Hell out of me. ¡°That¡¯s good. Melkior was just complaining that I was the only Apostle who knew anything about guns.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, is that thing loaded?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I have a weird request, so bear with me,¡± Crow said, an awkward smile on his face. ¡°I want you to shoot me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Shoot me right here,¡± he pointed to his stomach. ¡°There¡¯s a few things I want to test out.¡± For some reason that I myself was not entirely aware of, I decided to accept Crow¡¯s request. We still had access to Rapid Healing, so there was basically a zero percent chance that a bullet to the body would kill a Dark Apostle. I withdrew my Baretta and pointed it at the ground with my finger off the trigger. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve hit a wall in testing out this body that requires an outside force. You¡¯ll be helping me out a lot.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said as I flipped off the safety. ¡°Amber, do you think you could go about twenty steps up the staircase?¡± In response to my request, Amber bowed her head and disappeared up the spiral staircase. Crow breathed rhythmically as if he was preparing for a workout. He swung his arms back and forth to stretch out his muscles before saying, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m ready.¡± After a moment of contemplation, I raised the barrel of my gun and fired. The experience was substantially different than it was when I used guns in the Old World. I kept my gun level for just long enough to make sure my aim was accurate before I fired. I fired my gun in the way that was most comfortable in this new body. It was only after smoke was rising from my Baretta¡¯s barrel that I realized I had moved much faster than any living thing could naturally move. With my strength in the fifties, I had almost completely forgotten that my agility was in the thirties. I barely felt any recoil as the slide racked and the pistol pushed against my hand. Crow took two faltering steps back, and the empty casing fell to the ground. Based on his expression, I could tell that he was in pain. I tried to tell him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± but the sound was drowned out by the deafening bang caused by a gunshot in such a small space. Crow put his hand to his stomach where the shot had hit him, and his mouth was moving. After a few seconds I could hear his words. ¡°...went through my peritoneum and into my abdominal cavity. Based on the smell, it perforated my large intestine. I¡¯d be dead in ten days without surgical intervention.¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked dumbly. ¡°Yeah,¡± Crow said. His voice was tinged with pain. After a moment, he pulled his hand away from his abdomen. I could see that he held a bullet in his hand. ¡°That didn¡¯t go like I had planned, but I still learned a lot. Our bodies are tough. Usually, that bullet would have gone right through me. Instead, it was stopped by my large intestine.¡± Chapter 17 - [Visceral Sensations of the Body] ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a good thing. What¡¯s the point of high durability if the wounds are still lethal?¡± I wondered aloud. ¡°You¡¯re right. In a world with guns, twenty-five fortitude doesn¡¯t do much. We need to make use of our Talents to pose a real threat.¡± ¡°Are you talking about Rapid Healing?¡± I asked. At the time, I wasn¡¯t aware of all the Talents available to Dark Apostles. I knew we maintained our Talents from our time as Revenants, and I knew we had at least one talent to enhance our senses. Beyond that, I was unaware. ¡°No,¡± Crow said, allowing the crumpled bullet to fall to the floor, ¡°I¡¯m talking about Battle Aura.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Just now,¡± Crow continued, ¡°I was trying to block your bullet with Battle Aura. It allows you to use mana to strengthen your body. I was pretty good at using it in Ninth Oasis, but I guess the activation command is different in Ferrum Online.¡± At the end of his statement, Crow took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. ¡°Okay,¡± he said like a coach getting ready for another exercise. ¡°Let¡¯s go again.¡± ¡°What!?¡± ¡°Same place, same speed,¡± Crow said while firmly planting his feet. ¡°Come on.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to shoot you again!¡± ¡°Too bad, ¡®cause I need to be shot.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you practice your Battle Aura without me shooting you?¡± ¡°Unfortunately not. If I activate it without incoming damage, then I won¡¯t know if I even used the ability. We¡¯ll know I¡¯ve activated Battle Aura when the bullet doesn¡¯t hurt me.¡± I sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Okay,¡± I said with annoyance clearly in my voice. ¡°Just so you know: you¡¯re crazy.¡± Crow smiled mirthfully at this, but he did not otherwise respond. Once more, I shot Crow in the stomach. I aimed and fired in exactly the same way as last time. This time, however, a flash of sparks emanated from Crow¡¯s stomach as my bullet struck. My mind was drawn to the times I had gone to shooting ranges with steel targets. The bullet had completely disintegrated before it had penetrated half an inch into Crow¡¯s skin. Crow nodded as the echoing boom of the gunshot dissipated. He felt the impact point and, when he drew his hand away, there was no blood. ¡°Was that it?¡± I asked as soon as Crow could hear me. ¡°Oh yes,¡± Crow responded. ¡°The activation command is more of a ¡®mmn¡¯ and less of a ¡®hnng.¡¯¡± Crow said as if the sounds made perfect sense. ¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something I can really explain with words.¡± Crow shrugged. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask,¡± I began. ¡°How do you manage to look so comfortable with all of these extra Talents?¡± ¡°Comfortable is¡­ perhaps not the right word,¡± Crow said, looking down at his body. The side of his mouth turned upward slightly in an expression of disgust. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯ve used avatars with all of these Talents - Rapid Healing, Battle Aura, Enhanced Hearing, Enhanced Vision, Danger Sense - before. Though, I¡¯ve never used an avatar that had them all at once. It feels like I¡¯m playing a remaster of an old game that I was really good at, but the remaster was made a hundred years after the original. The pain, the exertion, the¡­ visceral sensations of the body,¡± Crow looked down at his body in clear disgust, ¡°are much more accurate to the real world.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°In hindsight,¡± I laughed, ¡°I really wish that I had played Ninth Oasis so that I could understand what you¡¯re saying. It¡¯s funny, you sound just like Tantalus did when he talked about his time playing Ninth Oasis.¡± ¡°Tantalus?¡± Crow said with recognition and concern in his voice. ¡°You met him?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, you¡¯ve probably heard of him. I only heard that he was a YouTuber after I had been with him for a while.¡± ¡°I knew him pretty well back in the Old World,¡± Crow said with a smile. ¡°In fact, we lived in the same building for a few years.¡± The pieces suddenly fit together as Crow said those words. ¡°Oh yeah, I talked to FullDan, and he mentioned your name. You were in the Scions of the Blue Flame?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Crow said, the concern in his voice increasing. ¡°FullDan was there, too? Who else was there?¡± ¡°Well, the S-ranks I met were: Tantalus, FullDan, Ashcroft, Emile, GatorKing, Mozaic, Trismegistus, and Mander. Redgrave was also there, and I heard that someone named ScaryClock was in Osiris.¡± By the time I was done listing out the names, Crow was lightly banging his head against the wall. A look of exasperation was clear on his face. He looked like a man who had just realized that the job he had just been assigned was much more difficult than he had originally anticipated. ¡°This is a problem,¡± he said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Half of the Knights of Ashes are in Osiris! Even one of them would be a serious problem for us. You just listed five. Beyond that, Tantalus is a genius, and Mander basically invented half of the moves used in Ninth Oasis competitive play.¡± ¡°Genius seems like a strong word. I met Tantalus, and he didn¡¯t seem that smart,¡± I said truthfully. ¡°Trust me, that was part of his plan. Tantalus wants people to underestimate him. I''m convinced that even his accent is a ploy for people to underestimate him. I mean, come on, he''s lived in Boston for more than a decade now. The only reason he hasn¡¯t dominated Ninth Oasis play for the past few years is because he¡¯s a shut-in. He didn¡¯t want to deal with the inter-office politics after Kingfisher retired.¡± ¡°Huh. He was a shut-in? I really didn¡¯t get that sense from him.¡± ¡°By the way, what was the political situation in Osiris like?¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± I tried to draw the memories back to the surface of my mind. ¡°Well, Ashcroft released a few videos on the BloodNet trying to call a meeting in the central park of Osiris. I get the sense that Tantalus didn¡¯t want to hold a public role in Osiris, but Ashcroft made him. A bunch of S-ranks met in the central park and gave a few speeches. Just before I died, Tantalus was setting up a chain of command with the S-ranks at the top.¡± ¡°That is the worst case scenario for us,¡± Crow growled. ¡°Ashcroft and Tantalus being in the same city allows them to cover for each other¡¯s weaknesses. Ashcroft has no battle awareness beyond a hundred feet, and Tantalus has countless personality issues, but together they complement one another. That¡¯s why Kingfisher always assigned them to the same unit.¡± ¡°It sounds like we need to separate them,¡± I said, coming to the obvious conclusion. ¡°Yes,¡± Crow snapped his fingers, grateful for my minor input. ¡°We should mention this at the strategy meeting tomorrow.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that,¡± I said in a tone indicating a desire for the conversation to end. This linguistic subtly was one of the only things I had retained from my Midwestern upbringing. ¡°Good, good,¡± Crow said. His eyes were locked on the ground like a man lost in thought. He began to walk toward the exit before stopping for a moment and saying, ¡°By the way, you wouldn¡¯t happen to know any method to change your avatar?¡± ¡°No idea,¡± I said. Crow was acting weird, but I couldn¡¯t quite place the reason for his discomfort. ¡°All right. Anyway, see ya. Thanks for your help.¡± ¡°Happy to help,¡± I said as I waved at Crow¡¯s back. I had to conceal a chuckle when I remembered what that ¡°help¡± entailed. Crow disappeared up the spiral staircase. Chapter 18 - [Secondary Ability] Over the next few minutes, I had Amber bring me to my quarters. After getting a birds-eye view of the Castle and seeing the Door to GM¡¯s Domain, I had done everything I wanted to do that night. The idea of being escorted to my room by someone didn¡¯t quite sit right with me, but it was necessary. I knew basically nothing about the layout of Castle Bosporus, so I would have to rely on Amber for the purposes of navigation. My quarters were in the East Keep, so we had to walk through the South Keep. We passed by doors marked X, XI, and XII before we came to a stop. When we stopped, a large stone door engraved with an XIII stood before us. It was less a ¡°door¡± than a large stone slab nestled within an alcove. The stone slab wasn¡¯t actually connected to a wall. Rather, its massive size and weight was the only mechanism preventing entrance. Two large steel handles were built into the face of the door, indicating that the door was meant to be lifted or dragged. The door to my quarters closely resembled the stone slabs that would bar entrance to mausoleums or sepulchers. It was the kind of door that was never meant to be opened by human hands. ¡°So, this is the door to my quarters?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Amber said, her mask concealing her features. Even though I could not see her expression, I could tell she was excited in anticipation of something. I slapped the palms of my hands together in preparation. I was unsure of how difficult the stone slab would be to lift, but I was pretty sure I could lift it. GM wouldn¡¯t have made my quarters impossible for me to access. ¡°Alright,¡± I exhaled. ¡°By the way, have you ever seen inside these rooms? How long ago were they sealed?¡± ¡°This stone slab has been here ever since the death of the last Thirteenth Apostle one hundred years ago,¡± Amber answered quickly. She spoke as if this was the most obvious question in the world. I wonder if they taught about the Dark Apostles in elementary school history class in Ferrum. I stepped toward the door and grasped the two metal handles. I bent my knees and straightened my back in preparation for the lift. I spent a few seconds steadying my breathing before I started to lift. With focus and intensity, I pulled up on the handles. The stone slab rose up into the air, and I held it in my grasp. It was much lighter than I expected. It felt like lifting a sack of potatoes or a large bag of rice. I wouldn¡¯t necessarily say it was heavy. Rather, it would be more accurate to say it was unwieldy. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I stepped with the stone slab away from the alcove. For a moment, I almost lost my footing. The gargantuan stone door threatened to throw off my center of balance. I heard the sound of Amber gasping as I took an extra faltering step. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said as I tried to better align the stone slab with my own center of gravity. I took a few slow steps to the side before, ever so slowly, placing the stone slab back on the ground. There was a small clinking sound as the stone door made contact with the stone floor. I imagine the sound would have been much greater if I had placed the door down more roughly. With the door on the ground, I stood up straight and clapped my hands together once more. I suppose I made that gesture to dust my hands off, but there was no dust. It would probably be more accurate to say I performed that gesture to indicate that the difficult task in front of me was completed. The effort of lifting the door made me think about the nature of my enhanced strength. I could lift basically anything, it seemed, but my strength didn¡¯t alter the laws of physics. I remembered a few years ago during a power-scaling discussion someone said that Superman¡¯s strength would be more accurately described as a reality-warping ability. ¡°If Superman were to try to lift an airplane with one hand, he would just crash through the airplane¡¯s structure. He must have some secondary ability that allows him to distribute the force of his push onto a large enough surface area that the airplane isn¡¯t destroyed,¡± the commenter said. I must have lacked that ¡°secondary ability¡± the commenter mentioned. When I lifted the stone slab, I had more than enough strength to lift it, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that the slab still weighed several thousand pounds. I was significantly lighter than the stone slab, so it pulled me around when I lifted it. Pulling myself back to the present, I stepped over to the now-empty alcove that stood at the entrance to my quarters. Inside was a large living room with a dark wood floor. A large leather sectional took up much of the area within the living room, and it was flanked on one side by two comfortable-looking chairs. On the floor was an opulent rug which the sofa and chairs sat upon. The furniture was all facing a large fireplace which held a smoldering fire. Above the fireplace was a large flat-screen TV which was connected by wires to a game console. I didn¡¯t recognize the type of game console, but it looked like it was from the ¡®00s. Though the television and game console were rather rudimentary compared to the technology of ¡®35, this was the most advanced technology I had seen ever since I had arrived on Ferrum. I stepped inside my quarters, enraptured by such a strangely familiar sight. To the right, in an area I couldn¡¯t see from the entrance, was a full kitchen. It had a stove, a freezer, a pantry, a microwave, and a toaster. Until that point, I had thought that such modern conveniences were out of my reach in this world. At the far end of the room was a staircase heading upward and a thin rectangular window which had was clearly just a modified arrow-slit. At least the window was covered with glass, I thought. Chapter 19 - [The Approximate Density of Barium] ¡°Hey,¡± I said to Amber, ¡°someone¡¯s been here recently.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked, peering into my quarters. ¡°There¡¯s a fire burning in the fireplace,¡± I said. I squatted down in front of the fireplace to get a better look at it. The ashen remains of two logs laid at the bottom of the pit. Active flames did not rise from the remaining burn, but large embers still blazed atop the remaining log, producing a not-insignificant amount of heat. This had once been a large fire. I called out to Amber. ¡°It¡¯s been burning for a few hours.¡± A few pieces of cut wood had been set aside next to the fireplace, so I grabbed a piece and started working on making the fire bigger. I had learned the basics of making a fire back when I was a Boy Scout in middle school. I heard the approaching footsteps of Amber as she slowly entered through the threshold into my quarters. Her feet shuffled uncertainly as she turned her head to look in order at the living room, the kitchen, the far wall, and me. ¡°How did all of this get here without the door being opened? The history books tell us that the previous Thirteenth Apostle was an ascetic man who slept on a bed made of stone.¡± I didn¡¯t turn my head away from my task as I said, ¡°GM did it, obviously. He knows what I like, and he furnished this room accordingly.¡± I smiled at the fire as a thought occurred to me. ¡°Hmm. I wonder if there¡¯s a bookshelf upstairs.¡± ¡°The God of Machines is truly powerful,¡± Amber said, zealotry uncomfortably clear in her voice. I blew on the embers until the new log began to catch fire. Content with my progress, I stepped away from the fireplace. With my hands on my hips, I gazed down at my work. The fire was progressing nicely. As my gaze wandered upward, I saw the television¡¯s remote sitting on the same shelf as the game console. I plucked the TV remote from the shelf as if moving a baby bird. I dared not grasp it too hard, lest I crush the delicate machinery held within. As I walked back to the sofa, I pointed the remote at the television and pressed the ¡°on¡± button. There was a brief peal of static before a man¡¯s voice began to emanate from the direction of the television. ¡°Breaking news! We just received word from the High Priest of Castle Bosporus that the Dark Apostles have been successfully resurrected! No one outside of the priesthood or the monastic sorcerers have yet laid eyes on the Apostles, but the clergy assures us that they¡¯re all here on Merkopia. Believers and protesters alike are already gathering outside of Castle Bosporus. Today is a historic day, folks. You¡¯ll tell your children and your grand-children about where you were today,¡± the man on the television dressed in a two-piece suit said. He spoke into a large microphone that he held in his hand. It was the kind of microphone that reporters or stand-up comedians used. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. As I listened to the news channel, I sat down on the sofa. The wooden structure of the sectional creaked, and I sunk lower into the leather than I thought I would. Despite this, it was comfortable. ¡°Come, sit,¡± I said, gesturing to the other seats of the sofa, ¡°and take off the mask if you don¡¯t mind.¡± As I made these requests, the newsman was still talking. Amber removed her mask and sat down on the sectional a few feet away from me. She had to brace her feet against the ground in order to not slide towards me. I was creating a depression in the sofa, apparently. Amber sat with her hands on her lap and her back straight. Evidently, she wasn¡¯t very relaxed. ¡°How much do I weigh?¡± I asked, thinking about the depression in the couch I had created. ¡°What?¡± ¡°This sofa can barely hold my weight. I¡¯ve definitely gained a few pounds,¡± I said with a good-natured grin. ¡°Oh, right. When a Revenant becomes a Dark Apostle, the Revenant¡¯s weight quadruples. Your body needs the extra mass in order to house the mechanisms for your enhanced strength, agility, and durability. Based on your build, I¡¯d say you weigh about six hundred pounds.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± I said, lightly tapping my fist to my stomach. ¡°I gained mass, but I didn¡¯t gain any volume. I assume that means I am significantly denser now?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. You have the approximate density of Barium,¡± Amber said this line with a smile. She seemed happy to tell a Dark Apostle about the nature of his existence. I could tell that Amber had practiced that line many times in her head, and she was happy to finally be able to use it in practice. ¡°Though, your molecular and visceral structure are still the same as any living organism, so you do not have the same hardness or tensile strength as metal.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± I said as I sank lower into the sofa. ¡°That explains why bullets were able to damage Nailman and CosmiCrow.¡± I grunted in annoyance. ¡°Not being naturally bullet-proof is a bit of a pain, though. I mean, we¡¯re fighting against thirty thousand people armed with rifles.¡± ¡°There are thirty thousand Revenants? How did you know?¡± ¡°I read an article that said the servers are supposed to hold thirty thousand players each.¡± A look of confusion and a hint of nascent fear appeared on Amber¡¯s face. ¡°Server? Players? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Oh, that¡¯s right. I had forgotten completely that Amber was an NPC. When we were talking, she seemed more ¡°human¡± than most humans I had ever spoken to. I felt like a child who had just accidentally revealed a family secret. I couldn¡¯t hide the grimace from my expression when I turned to Amber. ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°I¡¯m one of the most intelligent people in Merkopia, sir. I took classes in organic chemistry and calculus when I was thirteen years old. Please do not withhold information because you think I am unable to understand.¡± As Amber spoke, her words increased in intensity, and she leaned her face closer to my own. I pulled my face back in confusion at her intensity and embarrassment at her proximity. Apparently, ¡°intelligence¡± was a sore spot for her. ¡°Okay,¡± I said. As I spoke, Amber¡¯s cheeks flushed red, and she pulled her face away. She looked around as if fully perceiving the scene around her for the first time. The roaring fire, the leather couch, the opulent rug. Amber jumped to her feet and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! Please don¡¯t think I¡¯m some kind of¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, I get it,¡± I waved my hand and laughed a bit harder than I should have. ¡°Anyway,¡± I cleared my throat, ¡°I was just about to tell you the nature of the Old World.¡± Chapter 20 - [Escape From the Mundanity of Life] ¡°How much do you know about the Old World?¡± ¡°I know that the true name of the Old World is Earth, and I know that there is no magic on Earth, but it is much more technologically advanced.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s surprisingly more accurate than I thought it would be. What do you know of the relationship between Earth and Ferrum?¡± ¡°I know that the Revenants come from Earth. The Imperials believe that Earth is merely an illusion created by imperfections in the Revenant summoning process. The Cognoscenti know that Earth is real; the God of Machines tells us so.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Since the Revenants were sent from Earth, I can assume that some ritual was used to send them to Ferrum. Wait, no, that¡¯s impossible. There¡¯s no magic on Earth. Perhaps, then, they were sent via a technological ritual of some kind.¡± ¡°You are partially correct. Though, ¡®sent¡¯ is probably the wrong word. We¡¯re still on Earth.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Ferrum was created on Earth a few months ago.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. The history of Ferrum goes back several thousand years. I¡¯ve read the books, I¡¯ve seen the fossil records¡­ I was ALIVE more than a month ago.¡± ¡°GM must have either simulated those years at an increased speed or implanted false memories into everyone¡¯s minds.¡± ¡°While I recognize that the God of Machines is an ascendent entity worthy of worship, he couldn¡¯t have created the world. The God of Civilization created Ferrum and, in that same moment, encased the God of Machines in the planet¡¯s core. Even the most fervent zealots of the Machine Cult recognize this as dogma.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t use scripture as evidence. I, as a chosen Apostle of the God of Machines with whatever authority that gives me, am telling you that your holy book was either written by GM or some other person within the simulation. It has no bearing on the relationship between our two worlds.¡± ¡°Those words would be heretical coming from anyone else¡¯s mouth.¡± ¡°Good thing it¡¯s my mouth, then.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve said that Ferrum is a ¡®simulation.¡¯ What does that word mean?¡± ¡°Right, back on track. A simulation is essentially¡­ an illusion ran on machines. How should I put this? Someone inside of a simulation experiences life-like sensations, but these sensations have no effect on the real world.¡± ¡°Do you mean to tell me that my whole world is illusory? That none of it is real? How¡­? Why would the people of Earth create Ferrum?¡± ¡°Entertainment. Recreation. We wished to escape from the mundanity of life on Earth, perhaps for a little while. That was why we created the idea of ¡®magic¡¯ and suffused your world with it.¡± ¡°The Revenants hardly seem to be ¡®entertained.¡¯ Dozens of them have already died, and thousands will soon follow. Why would any person voluntarily choose to forsake a peaceful life in favor of one that is short and violent?¡± ¡°Nothing in all of Creation is more suffocating than a peaceful life. That¡¯s why we entered voluntarily. Though, the simulation is different than we were expecting. We created GM - the Game Master - in our image, but he surpassed us. Now, he¡¯s in charge of the simulation. In his twist¡­ In his incomprehensible mind, he thinks that existing with the shadow of death looming over you is ¡®entertaining.¡¯¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°So, the Revenants are being held here by GM against their will? Do you also have a body on Earth that is being held hostage by GM.¡± ¡°No, not me. I¡¯m dead.¡± ¡°That is definitely a lie.¡± ¡°I mean to say that I am a copy of a human mind. The original ¡®me¡¯ died, and I¡¯m just a digital recreation of that person now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your prerogative. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know any spells that can be used to determine if someone is lying, now would you?¡± ¡°I do. It wouldn¡¯t work on you, though.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Certain spells don¡¯t work on ascendent beings or Patricians. Zone of Truth is one of those spells.¡± ¡°How about this?¡± I said, getting to my feet. ¡°Once some of the Revenants join our side, we¡¯ll ask one of them these same questions while he¡¯s under a Zone of Truth spell.¡± ¡°That sounds like a worthwhile experiment,¡± Amber said. ¡°If the experiment ends the way I think it will,¡± I began, ¡°then where will that leave you?¡± ¡°Well, I still couldn¡¯t just unequivocally accept that my entire world is illusory. I would probably have to believe that the memories held by you and the Revenants are false, even though you believe them.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that contradict the teachings of the Machine Cult? Didn¡¯t GM say that Earth is real, and the Revenants are from Earth? If our memories are entirely fabricated, then wouldn¡¯t that mean we aren¡¯t from Earth?¡± Amber paused for a long moment with her mouth flapping dumbly. For the first time during our debate, she did not have a retort to my assertion. She pointed an accusatory finger at me and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. ¡°What you¡¯re describing is still merely a theoretical scenario,¡± Amber said. ¡°I haven¡¯t used the Zone of Truth spell on any Revenants yet.¡± ¡°And yet I¡¯m absolutely confident that my perspective will be confirmed as true.¡± ¡°You have put me in a strange situation, sir,¡± Amber said with a sigh. ¡°I must now hope that you are merely a liar or a trickster, for the alternative is so much worse.¡± ¡°Something to think about,¡± I said as I turned off the television. Once more, I utilize a linguistic subtlety to indicate that the end of the conversation was approaching. ¡°It¡¯s pretty late. Sorry for keeping you up for so long. We should both go to sleep.¡± She shook her head as if suddenly remembering the nature of our relationship as superior and subordinate. ¡°Yes, sir. I am sorry if I said anything to offend during our discussion.¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± I said. ¡°I probably could have been a bit more gentle in my explanation. If I were in your position, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have taken the news quite as well.¡± ¡°You act like I¡¯ve already been convinced,¡± Amber said with a laugh as she stood from the sofa. For a brief second, I looked intensely at her face. I wanted to burn the image of her expression and her features into my memory. Then, unbidden by me, I activated one of my Talents. Character Sheet
Name 61st Dark Sorcerer (Amber)
Level 50
Blood Points 140/140
Mana Points 480/500
Race Cognoscentum
Fortitude 14
Strength 14
Agility 14
Wisdom 30
Attribute Modifier: Enhanced Mana Reserve (400) I blinked away the image that had been overlaid onto my vision. Amber kept talking about how great and powerful I was, but she was no slouch herself. She turned to me with a look of concern on her face. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. It¡¯s nothing,¡± I said, waving her away. With a hint of hesitation perceivable only to me, Amber left my quarters. Chapter 21 - [Shadow Magic] As Amber¡¯s footsteps disappeared in the distance, I wondered if that conversation had been a mistake. The truth was a direct contradiction to just about every belief she held. It had probably made her think less of me, and her knowing the truth did little to help me. I also gained little from her knowing the truth. Why, then, did I tell her the truth? With a grunt, I realized that I had revealed the truth of Earth because I didn¡¯t want Amber¡¯s faith in me to be built on lies. GM¡¯s campaign to subvert my resistance was already paying dividends. I continued to sit on the sectional for a few minutes. I leaned my head on the back of the sofa. How many of these quiet moments would I be afforded? Within a few days, the conflict with the players would start in earnest, and they would all be coming for the key in my chest. Thinking about the future, I closed my eyes and opened my Menu. Character Sheet
Name EnzoTheBaker
Level 100
Blood Points 250/250
Mana Points 633/633
Race Dark Apostle
Fortitude 25
Strength 50
Agility 30
Wisdom 34
Attribute Modifier: Enhanced Mana Reserve (500) Special Skills: Battle Aura, Shadow Magic
Talents
Danger Sense
Enhanced Hearing
Enhanced Mana Regeneration
Enhanced Vision
Identify
Rapid Healing
This time, I looked more closely at the various pop-ups visible on my Character Sheet. I had not noticed the entries marked Special Skills and Talents the last time I had looked. At that point, much of this was new to me. I had not looked at my Talents before I died. Of all the confusing entries before me, two words caught my attention specifically: Shadow Magic. Crow had mentioned Battle Aura, and I could comprehend that my senses had been enhanced based on my own experiences over the past few hours. Shadow Magic, however, was the only entry that I had no context for. I also wondered what the difference between Special Skills and Talents were. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Whatever. I shrugged my shoulders as I opened my eyes and closed my Menu. I was sure that I would come to understand every entry on my Character Sheet over time. I briefly switched over to the Magic tab only to see that it was completely empty. What? How could I be level 100 and not be able to use any magic? It must have operated independently of the advantages granted by leveling up, I thought. A part of me was happy at that. It seemed that there was still some room for advancement, despite my high level. I stood from the sofa and the boards within creaked dangerously, reminding me further of my unnatural body. The portal between the living room and the hallway was still unbarred, so I walked over to rectify the problem. I was fairly certain that no one in the Castle wanted me dead, but it would make me feel better if the threshold was barred. Once I reached the threshold to my room, I saw that the stone slab marked with a XIII had thick metal handles on both sides. It made sense when I thought about it. You would have to use the handles on the inner side in order to close the door, anyway. I lifted the stone slab once again and clumsily placed it back in the alcove where it originally sat. Moving the several-ton piece of stone was much easier the second time since I knew basically what to expect. As long as I kept the door close to my body, I wouldn¡¯t lose my balance. Unfortunately, the stone slab made a terrible crackling sound of stone against stone as I returned it to the doorway. At least no one would be able to enter my quarters without my knowledge. I lifted the stone slab once again and clumsily placed it back in the alcove where it originally sat. Moving the several-ton piece of stone was much easier the second time since I knew basically what to expect. As long as I kept the door close to my body, I wouldn¡¯t lose my balance. Unfortunately, the stone slab made a terrible crackling sound of stone against stone as I returned it to the doorway. At least no one would be able to enter my quarters without my knowledge. With the door now closed, I turned to look at my living quarters. It was much more comfortable than I would otherwise expect. I hadn¡¯t realized it before that moment, but I would have furnished my home in exactly this manner in my old life if I had money. I walked into the kitchen to take a closer look at it. Marble covered most of the counters in the kitchen, though the sink and stove top were made of stainless steel. Granted, I didn¡¯t really know how to cook beyond pasta, pizza, and eggs, but I thought that every home should have a kitchen, nonetheless. A coffeemaker sat on one of the kitchen¡¯s surfaces, new and ready for use. I opened the pantry door and saw that it was absolutely packed with various food supplies. Bread, canned beans, spices, cereals, pasta, snacks, and myriad other ingredients stocked the shelves of the pantry. Looking more closely, I saw that all the food present was a generic brand that I didn¡¯t recognize. I supposed that all of the typical food brands didn¡¯t exist here. I grabbed a large, plain donut and placed it in my mouth before stepping out of the pantry. The donut tasted almost identical to how it would in the Old World. I was thankful that I didn¡¯t have the Enhanced Taste Talent, if that was a thing, because I wouldn¡¯t have been able to experience that taste that reminded me so much of home otherwise. Thinking back on it, ¡°home¡± had never been a paradise for me. As a Revenant, I had been theoretically committed to taking out GM and returning to the Old World. I had never really put much thought into ¡°why¡± I had wanted to go home. It¡¯s not like there was anything waiting for me there. A normal man would probably have been saddened at the prospect of never being able to return home, but I didn¡¯t particularly care. Chapter 22 - [A Universe of Hard Determinism] Now that I had thoroughly explored the bottom floor, I decided to ascend the stairs at the back of the living room. In doing so, I was pleasantly surprised that these wooden stairs didn¡¯t creak under my weight. They must have either been reinforced the stairs or built them out of a stronger wood than the one used in the furniture. The stairs ended in a short hallway with one door on each side and another set of stairs on the opposite side. I grabbed a door knob and pushed the door on the left open. Beyond the door was a large bedroom with a bed, a dresser, a large floor-length mirror, a bookshelf, and a chest at the base of the bed. Everything in the room was much more opulent than I had come to expect in the Old World. The bed was topped with thick sheets and half a dozen hand-woven pillows. The dresser was huge and covered in pleasing, elegant designs. The bookshelf was filled with hard-cover tomes of historical and fictional literature. As I scanned the books there, every single one caught my attention. If possible, I would like to read all of them. I scoffed. That¡¯s assuming the Revenants didn¡¯t kill me before then. I opened the dresser and saw that it was filled with clothes. To my shock, I recognized every article of clothing within the dresser. At some point in my life, I had worn every piece of clothing there. The flannel jacket, graphic T-shirt, and blue jeans I had been wearing when I logged in was in that dresser. I was happy that my wardrobe had already been converted into the game, but I was also unsettled by that reminder that every corner of my mind was visible to GM. I quickly changed out of my Dark Apostle uniform and into an olive drab shirt and sweatpants. It was good to be out of that supervillain costume, if only for a little while. As I turned back to the dresser to close its doors, I saw a metal mask at the bottom of the dresser. For no reason in particular, I placed the metal mask on my own face. It fit perfectly. I knew that the mask would adhere to my face even without the use of the strap on the back. The message sent by the presence of the mask was clear: you will have to hide your identity. I placed the mask back inside the dresser and closed the door. I stepped over to the next room. Beyond the other door on the second floor was a bathroom. It was the usual small bathroom that I had grown accustomed to in the Old World. There was a sink, a mirror, a toilet, a bathtub, and a shower. The bathroom held a level of mundanity that required no further examination. I walked over to the staircase at the far end of the hallway. As I walked up the stairs, I noticed that each step was slanted slightly, indicating that I was slowly rotating as I ascended. At the top of the stairs was a single room that was lined by books on all sides. On the far end of the room, rather than another staircase, was a single table next to a large window. The view out through the window was breath-taking. I could see sheer cliffs descending down below the window for hundreds of feet. If I were to smash through the window, I would fall the entire distance. Far below, I saw scattered motes of light indicating the presence of a large settlement below. The lights were only present ahead and to the left. The sea must have been to the right. I briefly looked over the titles of the books that lined the walls of this room. It was as if the books had been tailor made for me. There were even a few technical manuals of firearms, land vehicles, and airplanes. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Upon the table by the window was an electric typewriter, several stacks of paper, and an unopened pack of pens. A piece of paper had already been placed inside the well of the typewriter. On the typewriter was written the words: From GM. I grimaced as I tore the paper out of the well. Yes, I was aware. In fact, he was aware as well. He had simulated everything I would do long before any of us had spawned as Dark Apostles. He knew everything I would do until I would make contact with the Revenants in three days. Castle Bosporus was a universe of hard determinism. I could expect to find these little passive aggressive notes at any time. I sat down at the table. Ever since the interaction with GM, I had been in an introspective mood. I figured I would just put a few of my thoughts into words. I placed a piece of paper into the well of the typewriter and began writing.
October 1st, 2035 When I logged in to Ferrum Online for the first time, I was sitting inside of a net cafe in Madison, Wisconsin¡­ ¡­Three hours later, I was dead.
9:35 A.M. I typed for several hours. By the time the sun was high in the sky, I had filled seventeen empty pages with the events of the previous day. I had only managed to describe the period before I logged in, character creation, and the period immediately after I had logged in. Much of my time writing had been spent either remembering those events or editing my thoughts on the matter. It was only once I had reached this natural stopping point in the story that I opened my Menu and checked the time. The next strategy meeting would be held in two and a half hours. I realistically wouldn¡¯t have time to get any sleep before the meeting. What would happen if I didn¡¯t show up? Would Melkior send someone to kick me out of bed? I never seriously considered the idea of not showing up, because I wasn¡¯t particularly fatigued. Either due to the effects spawning had on my circadian rhythm or due to my new body, I barely felt the effects of not sleeping. I placed the papers down next to the typewriter and left the library. Chapter 23 - [This Knife Made of Black Metal] November 2nd, 2035 Castle Bosporus 9:36 A.M. The city far below Castle Bosporus had resolved into visibility more than an hour before. It was far more modern than I would have expected due to the architecture of the castle. Some parts of the city were furnished with concrete buildings and thick roads, while others were populated with squat wooden townhouses and the occasional fleck of green. Overall, the architecture told of a story of an advanced but almost pathologically utilitarian culture. They favored efficiency and durability over aesthetics. Many of the office buildings more closely resembled military barracks than a place for corporate office space. It reminded me of the soul-crushing brutalist architecture one would see in the large cities of the Soviet Union or People¡¯s Republic of China. With a smirk, I briefly wondered if the People¡¯s Republic of Cascadia would soon start erecting buildings like that. I walked down the stairs and took a right into the lavish bedroom that had been prepared for me. I swiftly retrieved a graphic T-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, a new pair of underwear, and my fur-lined flannel jacket from the dresser. I briefly wondered where the nearest washer and dryer were as I took the clothes into the bathroom. Over the next thirty minutes, I took a long shower and changed into the clothes I had been wearing when I logged in. The bathroom was stocked with toiletries that were remarkably similar to the ones that, to this day, were probably sitting in a backpack in the back of my car in the Old World. I washed my hair with 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, and I lathered my body with a bar of soap. Once I had left the shower and stood in front of the mirror with my jacket, shirt, and jeans on, I was struck by how similar my avatar looked to my old body. I looked the same as before, but I was larger, and my imperfections had been sanded off. My hair had previously been the color of straw, but the man in the mirror had hair the color of spun gold. I posed with my index finger and thumb on my chin. With a smile, I said, ¡°You¡¯re a handsome devil, aren¡¯t you?¡± I pointed two finger-guns at the mirror before I left the room. I looked good; I couldn¡¯t deny it. I stopped by my bedroom for a moment before I left my quarters in order to pick up my Baretta and holster. It was a bit difficult to get the shoulder holster back over my shoulders without damaging the leather, but I managed to do it with some effort. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. As I walked through the living room, I wondered if it would be better to have a melee weapon. I didn¡¯t feel like I was in danger, but it was a video game. I never knew when I would have to kill a slime or a direwolf. There were no knives or swords visible in the living room, so I went into the kitchen to look for a knife. The first cabinet I opened contained a long ritualistic knife inside of a sheath. Without a hint of surprise, I pulled the knife out of the drawer and drew it out of its container. It was made out of some kind of black metal, though the sharpened part of the blade and the inscribed letters on the blade¡¯s center glinted a bright silver. The ¡°letters¡± on the blade were in Iron Script, the written language used by the NPCs that lived on Rubigo. They were called ¡°Imperials,¡± I remembered. The dagger''s blade was about nine inches long. It was far too short to be used as a short sword, but it was far too long to reasonably be concealed in any of my pockets. I clipped the knife¡¯s sheath to my belt and returned it to its home. I unsealed my quarters and re-sealed them behind me. The sound of me moving the massive stone slab could be heard all throughout the East Keep. As soon as the entrance was barred by the door marked with a XIII, I began to walk away with my hands in my jacket¡¯s side pockets. After a few steps, I had a thought. I looked at one of the hallway¡¯s stone walls and drew my knife. There was something special about this knife made of black metal. If GM knew that I would find this knife, then it must have been made for my use. I drew my knife from its sheath and slashed at the wall. My arm was a blur as I slammed the knife into stone. I felt the slightest resistance push against my grip before my arm whipped to the side. With a thunderous roar, a thick mark had been torn into the wall. I looked over to my knife and saw smoke slowly rising from the blade. The blade had also taken on a faint red glow. I brought the knife closer to my face to inspect it more closely. Not even the smallest notch marked the blade. I touched the blade and felt the powerful heat rising from it. I had struck the wall with enough force to heat the blade with the friction of the strike, and yet the blade had not been harmed at all. I felt the deep cut I had just made in the wall. It must have been two or three inches deep. The blade must have been deflected slightly by the hardness of the stone. The cut would have been much deeper otherwise. While its durability was magically enhanced, it still didn¡¯t operate like a lightsaber. Still, I thought, a knife that wouldn¡¯t break when I used it at full force was a great boon. I figured that I could use this weapon to easily cut through a Goblin¡­ or a person. I resheathed my still-cooling blade and continued walking. If I had remembered correctly, I would have to turn right at the East Keep¡¯s central annex in order to reach the South Keep and, later, the Central Keep. As I walked, I saw that the huge stone slab marked with an XI was missing. Chapter 24 - [People Change Every Day] I continued walking through the Castle with my hands in my pockets. As I walked for five minutes without seeing a single person, I was struck with just how empty it felt. All of this space, all of this magnificent architecture, and there was basically no one to witness it. Once I had left the East Gate and began walking on the bridge heading toward the South Gate, I finally saw the space that occupied the area between the keeps. Most of the central area within the pentagonal structure of the outer keeps was occupied by the absolutely gargantuan structure of the Central Keep. Between any two keeps was several hundred feet of empty space. Every individual keep was built on its own small mountain, and the topography between the keeps dipped hundreds of feet to the jagged rocks below. I figured that not even a Dark Apostle could reasonably climb back up if he fell off one of the precarious bridges between the keeps. I peered over the edge of the bridge that I was walking on and saw that there was nothing but empty air below me for almost a thousand feet. I had completely missed this fact when I had walked across the bridges last night. The bridges were so well illuminated that it had completely blinded me to the setting as a whole. About half-way across the bridge was a group of people. I briefly wondered who would voluntarily hang out on the edge of such an intimidating precipice. I squinted my eyes, and my enhanced vision allowed me to make out the figures. Poldra and her five hooded sorcerers were standing there, completely stationary. The sorcerers were holding their robes in place against the wind that flowed through the cavernous void that partitioned the keeps while Poldra leaned heavily against the baroque filigree stonework that served as the bridge¡¯s handrails. She held something in one hand perched over the precipice, but not even I could see what it was at that distance. I reached the small group of people in less than a minute. As I got closer, I saw that Poldra was holding an unlit cigarette in her hand. I also saw that she had changed out of her Dark Apostle uniform and into more casual clothes. She wore a white long-sleeve blouse, a turquoise skirt, and a headband of the same color. Under her skirt, she wore thick tights that reached down to the white running shoes she wore. Her hair was no longer in the braid she had worn during the first meeting of the Dark Apostles and the incursion on Osiris City. A few of the buttons on her blouse were undone, and I could occasionally get a glimpse of the dark tattoo on her chest as her collar flapped in the breeze. Her outfit was a lot more girly than I would have expected from Dark Apostles in general and her specifically. ¡°¡®Sup,¡± Poldra said with a wave as she turned to me. ¡°Hey,¡± I responded. ¡°I see you¡¯re out of uniform.¡± ¡°Same to you. What are you, Canadian?¡± ¡°No,¡± I chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m just from the Midwest.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± she grunted. ¡°Do they wear a lot of flannel in the Midwest?¡± ¡°I did. This is what I was wearing when I logged in.¡± ¡°Looks comfortable.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the idea.¡± Poldra grunted and tossed her unlit cigarette into the chasm beneath us. There was sadness and annoyance in her expression. With her eyes temporarily fixed on the inter-keep canyon, my eyes flashed yellow, and I activated Identify. Character Sheet
Name P0ldra
Level 100
Blood Points 250/250
Mana Points 690/690
Race Dark Apostle
Fortitude 25
Strength 30
Agility 35
Wisdom 45
Attribute Modifier: Enhanced Mana Reserve (500) This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°You tryin¡¯ to quit?¡± I asked as my eyes automatically tracked the white form of the cigarette on its descent. ¡°Not really. It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t had a craving for cigarettes ever since I became a Dark Apostle.¡± Poldra spoke angrily as she said this. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡± I asked, confused at her apparent anger. ¡°It just means that Melkior wasn¡¯t completely right. Something is different about us. Somehow, GM removed the part of my mind that craves cigarettes. Either that or he didn¡¯t know how to convert addiction over to an engram. It makes me wonder, what else is different about us?¡± I shrugged my shoulders wordlessly. I didn¡¯t tell Poldra this, but I was thinking about the futility of that train of thought. I had spent my fair share of time over the past ten hours thinking about the nature of our existence, and I had come to the conclusion that introspection was ultimately a futile gesture. What was done was done. We wouldn¡¯t change anything by agonizing over it. ¡°People change every day,¡± I said, perhaps insensitively. ¡°I¡¯m a different person than I was yesterday, but I don¡¯t feel that different. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± Poldra scoffed. ¡°Maybe. Anyway, where are your sorcerers?¡± I looked around dramatically as if I had just noticed their absence myself. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I told one of my sorcerers the truth about Earth last night. They might be avoiding me because of that.¡± ¡°You¡­!?¡± Poldra began to speak in indignant surprise, but she stopped herself and looked over at her sorcerers. ¡°Let¡¯s keep walking so that we can get out of their earshot,¡± she whispered to me. Poldra and I started walking once more across the bridge toward the South Keep. Once we had entered the interior structure of the keep and the sorcerers had fallen back a few dozen feet, Poldra started talking again, ¡°You told them the truth!? Are you crazy!?¡± ¡°There are thirteen of us,¡± I started to defend myself in a hushed tone. ¡°It was only a matter of time before they figured it out. Plus, the one I told basically already knew everything.¡± ¡°What do they know?¡± Poldra asked. ¡°They know,¡± I turned back to the sorcerers as I spoke, ¡°that we¡¯re just people from a planet called ¡®Earth.¡¯ They know that Earth has advanced technology, but no magic. I just¡­ filled in the blanks from there.¡± ¡°Such as¡­?¡± ¡°That,¡± I sighed, realizing my potential oversight, ¡°Ferrum is just a simulation created on Earth for the purpose of entertainment.¡± ¡°You told them that this is a video game? Why?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to lie to her.¡± It was only after the sentence left my mouth that I realized that I had given too much away. ¡°Oh, her.¡± Poldra¡¯s tone took on an air of playful mockery. ¡°Now I get it. Men are so predictable. You¡¯re aware that GM put her there in order to manipulate her, right?¡± We started walking up a marble staircase as we spoke. Due to the differences in elevation between the keeps, you would have to walk up a few flights of stairs when walking toward the Central Keep. ¡°I am aware,¡± I sighed. ¡°He¡¯s in our heads. He knows exactly what to do in order to make us loyal. Apparently, my weakness is a pretty face.¡± Chapter 25 - [Side Characters] ¡°So, what?¡± Poldra continued. ¡°Are you going to switch sides the moment a cute Revenant winks at you?¡± By her tone of voice, I could tell that she intended her statement to be taken as nothing more than light-hearted ribbing. ¡°No,¡± I said, trying not to sound offended. ¡°It¡¯s just that this particular confluence of events is hard to say no to.¡± I tried to quickly change the subject. ¡°And I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not just me. GM must be doing the same to all of us. What about you? Surely, he¡¯s doing something to increase your willingness to do his bidding.¡± ¡°Nothing obvious,¡± Poldra answered with a shrug. ¡°Well, I did find my old clothes in my room. Also¡­ no, there¡¯s no way.¡± It was my turn to smile. ¡°GM knows exactly what we¡¯re going to do for the next three days. There is no form of subversion or manipulation too subtle for him. If a coincidence benefits GM, you can be sure that he made it happen.¡± Poldra grimaced. ¡°There was a book in my room that described the fates of all previous Dark Apostles in graphic detail. All fifty-two of them were violently killed by Revenants or NPCs. I picked it out at random from more than thirty books on a bookshelf.¡± She rubbed the top of her head in annoyance. Though her clothing and appearance was particularly feminine, her body language and way of talking was occasionally masculine. ¡°How are we supposed to get GM out of our heads?¡± ¡°Well,¡± I grabbed my chin in thought, ¡°we know he can¡¯t perfectly predict the actions of the players. Once we start interacting with the Revenants, GM won¡¯t be able to predict our next moves.¡± We exited the South Keep and started crossing the long bridge to the Central Keep. A large group of about thirty sorcerers stood at the far end of the bridge. Every individual present in that group wore the same set of robes, so I could tell that none of the Dark Apostles were with that group. That must have been where the sorcerers would wait for their Apostles, I thought. As Poldra, her sorcerers, and I crossed the bridge, five of the waiting sorcerers broke off from the group and approached me. Once we were a few dozen feet from them, I could tell by the sounds of their footsteps that they were my sorcerers. ¡°Sir,¡± my sorcerer with the voice of an old man said, ¡°it is so good to see you. We apologize for not being by your door when you awoke. We thought you would not leave your quarters until later. Sixty-one¡­ um¡­ Amber said that you were in a contemplative mood.¡± ¡°Oh, right, names,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to give the rest of you names as soon as I see your faces. I wouldn¡¯t want to give you a name that doesn¡¯t match your face.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°But sir,¡± the old man guffawed, ¡°it would be a scandal for so many of GM¡¯s priests to show their faces in a place like this.¡± ¡°Then I shall give you names in a more private location,¡± I said. At this point, I had been mentally thinking of my sorcerers in terms of physical appearance. Though not all five of my sorcerers had spoken yet, my enhanced senses let me know that two of them were men and three of them were women. The one I was talking to at that moment was the older man, and the other man walked with the confident strides of youthful athleticism. Regarding the women, I knew that one was smaller and walked with timid, uncertain steps. Filling in the gaps, I assumed that this sorcerer was a teenager who had been promoted to this high rank before she was ready. The other woman was about the same age as Amber and the younger man, and she walked with confidence. Perhaps too much confidence. It was strange to say, but the older woman¡¯s steps sounded almost immodest to my enhanced ears. Just about every inch of her body was covered, and she had not yet said a word, yet I was already somewhat wary around her. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to give them names?¡± Poldra asked with a look of confusion. ¡°Apparently, you¡¯re supposed to give some of them names once they accomplish great deeds. I¡¯m just gonna give all of them names immediately so that I can tell them apart,¡± I answered. Poldra chuckled at a joke that I didn¡¯t get. ¡°So you¡¯re supposed to give them names once they¡¯ve done something that catches your attention. As for me, I¡¯ve just viewed them as an undifferentiated blob that exists to answer my questions.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get the joke,¡± I said. Poldra clearly found something funny about the situation that I did not understand. ¡°They are - canonically - side characters within the logic of Ferrum. They only get names once they¡¯ve done enough to become ¡®named characters.¡¯ Otherwise, they are literally an undifferentiated blob that exists to answer your questions. The masks, the lack of names, the obsequiousness. They are meant to act like NPCs.¡± ¡°Hmm, I think I get it,¡± I said, but I did not laugh. What a terrible existence. To be trained your whole life only to serve as the helpful NPCs in someone else¡¯s story was a cruel joke. I looked over at the sorcerer I knew to be Amber and wondered whether she was happy with her current situation. She turned her head in a way that all others would interpret as completely neutral, but I knew it was an expression of embarrassment. Poldra caught my intense look at the sorcerer. ¡°Oh, that one?¡± she asked as she looked over at Amber. ¡°Dude. How did you manage to get seduced by a nun wearing a harlequin¡¯s mask?¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± I muttered. ¡°She took off the mask.¡± ¡°Impressive. I tried to get my sorcerers to take off their masks, and they acted like they would rather blow up an orphanage,¡± Podra said. ¡°Considering that we¡¯re basically the biggest threat to world peace right now, I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s true.¡± Just as I finished that statement, a loud ¡°bang¡± filled the entrance hallway that we were standing within. A massive hole had formed in a nearby stone wall, and a body flew through the air for an extra thirty feet beyond it. The body crashed against the ground and rolled several times, leaving deep gashes in the stone floor. Chapter 26 - [The Sound Barrier] 10:35 A.M. The prone body sat up. Now that it had stopped moving, I could get a better view of the humanoid form that had just come flying through a thick stone wall. The body belonged to Kojiro, the Fourth Dark Apostle. Kojiro was wearing a white shirt, jeans, and a leather biker¡¯s jacket. The air around him was filled with dust from the destroyed stone wall, and much of this dust had settled on his outfit. He climbed to his feet, evidently unharmed by his unexpected trip through a sturdy wall. There was a scowl on his face, and his eyes were locked on some target on the opposite side of the hole in the wall. Beyond the hole in the wall was the Great Hall where Poldra and I had been heading for the past few minutes. Kojiro took a few steps back toward the Great Hall before he saw us. He turned toward Poldra and me after a second and said, ¡°Hey Eleven, Thirteen.¡± ¡°We have names, Four,¡± Poldra responded. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t remember ¡®em,¡± Kojiro said as he climbed back through the hole he had just flown through. ¡°What was that? Poldra asked me. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Two Dark Apostles and ten sorcerers entered the Great Hall. Dozens of people stood at the outer edge of the Great Hall, and the room¡¯s center was occupied by two men engaged in a lethal dance of blurred fists and frantic footwork. To the outside of the Great Hall stood Svenheim, Dendrite, and the Third Apostle. He didn¡¯t stand out like the other three in his cadre of the first four Apostles. I could see that he was a black man with short dreadlocks, and he was a bit smaller than Dendrite who stood to his left. He introduced himself as Darren, but his username was ArakiForgot. Svenheim stood slightly closer to the fight than everyone else. He stood with his arms crossed, and his eyes were locked on the fight in front of him. I knew that those three were standing there, but my eyes were fixed on the fight. Each punch was thrown with titanic force, and the two fighters adjusted their stances with mind-boggling speed. It was only because of my enhanced vision that I could even keep up with their movement. Through the blur of motion, I could barely tell that Talwar was wearing a tucked-in grey T-shirt and jeans. Kojiro threw a meteoric punch at Talwar¡¯s head, but the strike was intercepted by a raised forearm. Two more of Kojiro¡¯s punches fired forward an instant later, but each strike was stopped by Talwar¡¯s guard. Quick as a flash, Kojiro threw a hook at Talwar¡¯s body. The hook connected, and Talwar was lifted off his feet. The Second Dark Apostle flew a few feet through the air, but he seemed mostly unharmed by the attack. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Talwar rushed forward, completely unperturbed by the heavy strikes he had just endured, and started throwing punches at Kojiro. Rather than take up a stance, Kojiro moved his head out of the way of the strikes. With speed that reminded me of Muhammad Ali in the boxing ring, Kojiro weaved his head out of the way of Talwar¡¯s attacks. Talwar threw four hard punches at Kojiro¡¯s head in the space of two seconds, and Kojiro dodged all four. Then, Talwar drew his hand back and threw a final punch at Kojiro¡¯s head. A sharp crack rang out as Talwar¡¯s hand rocketed forward. Kojiro jumped backward out of Talwar¡¯s reach in order to dodge the attack, but the attack still landed a glancing blow on Kojiro¡¯s cheek. I looked around to find the source of the loud ¡°crack¡± that I heard. For a moment, I was certain that someone had fired a gun. It sounded exactly like a high-velocity bullet flying through the air. I looked at Poldra, Svenheim, Dendrite, and Araki. While I did so, I could tell that the other Dark Apostles were doing the same. ¡°Pause,¡± Svenheim shouted as Talwar took a step toward Kojiro. Talwar stopped in his tracks and turned toward Svenheim. He said, ¡°Come on ref, I had him on the ropes.¡± ¡°You wish,¡± Kojiro laughed as he turned toward Svenheim. ¡°You just got a lucky shot.¡± A small cut had appeared on Kojiro¡¯s face where Talwar had hit him. As I looked, the wound closed, leaving nothing but a small line of fresh blood. ¡°What was that sound? Did one of you use a gun? We said there would be no weapons in this fight,¡± Svenheim said in a voice like a disappointed parent. Both Kojiro and Talwar shook their heads. They looked at each other to check the other for weapons, but both of them were completely unarmed. ¡°I don¡¯t see any guns, Sven,¡± Kojiro said. ¡°The sound came from my hand when I threw a punch,¡± Talwar said. ¡°I wanted to increase the velocity of my punch in order to catch Kojiro off guard, so I put a lot of Battle Aura into my back and arm. Just before the punch hit Kojiro, the sound came out of my fist.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Talwar said thoughtfully. He took up a boxer¡¯s stance with his left hand forward. His whole body tensed for an instant before he threw a hard jab. The punch looked very similar to the one that hit Kojiro, and Talwar¡¯s fist seemed to move instantaneously. One moment his arm was in a guard position, the next it was at full extension. Another loud ¡°crack¡± filled the air at the same instant that Talwar threw the punch. ¡°There it is again,¡± Svenheim said. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°The sound barrier,¡± Talwar smirked. I was stunned. To think that a man¡¯s punch could break the sound barrier was insane, yet I had just seen strong evidence that Talwar¡¯s hand had done just that. I took a moment to remember the speed of sound: 768 miles per hour. A fastball thrown by a professional pitcher would be lucky to pass 100 miles per hour. A race car''s top speed was about 200 miles per hour. I had heard once that the hardest human punch was about 50 miles per hour. A punch that breaks the sound barrier would have to be sixteen times faster. Our bodies were about four times stronger than they were previously, indicating that Battle Aura would have to multiply our power by at least a factor of four. Chapter 27 - [Out of Mana] The Great Hall 10:40 A.M. I looked over to Kojiro, and I could see that he was clearly impressed, though he tried to conceal it. He briefly touched a hand to his own face where Talwar¡¯s punch connected. ¡°Whatever,¡± Kojiro said. ¡°Things travel faster than the speed of sound all the time. Can we get back to the fight now?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Svenheim said. ¡°If you¡¯re so eager to get hit with another Mach Punch, then be my guest.¡± Kojiro and Talwar once again faced each other. Svenheim placed a hand between the two of them before shouting, ¡°Begin!¡± The moment that Svenheim¡¯s hand flicked toward the ground the two fighters rushed toward one another. Kojiro initiated his attack a half-second before Talwar, and a straight kick hammered into Talwar¡¯s midsection. Out of breath, Talwar took several faltering steps backward. Kojiro pursued his opponent and struck Talwar with a series of rapid jabs and straights. Talwar blocked most of Kojiro¡¯s punches, but a single hit slipped through the Second Apostle¡¯s guard. The punch struck Talwar¡¯s face, and sparks flashed between the two surfaces as the sound of metal on metal rang out. Talwar reached forward and grabbed Kojiro by the shirt. Talwar attempted to wrench the Fourth Dark Apostle to the ground, but he only managed to create a large tear in Kojiro¡¯s shirt. Kojiro stopped for a moment to look down at his torn shirt, and Talwar used this opportunity to grab Kojiro by the arm. Talwar slipped his foot behind Kojiro¡¯s foot, and then he twisted his body in order to throw Kojiro to the ground. Talwar threw a hard punch at Kojiro¡¯s head, but he missed. The punch struck the ground, and the stone floor of the Great Hall cracked. A single fracture about ten feet long appeared beneath Kojiro¡¯s head. Kojiro raised a foot to Talwar¡¯s chest and pushed hard. Talwar flew backwards about fifteen feet and landed on the thick wooden table in the center of the Great Hall. He would have landed on his feet if the table hadn¡¯t broken in half under his feet. Having lost his footing upon the collapsing table, Talwar landed on his back and rolled himself back into a kneeling position. Already back on his feet, Kojiro rushed toward Talwar once more. I briefly turned my eyes over to Svenheim who was watching the fight diligently. Looking closely, I could tell that the red-haired man¡¯s eyes would flash yellow once every few seconds. He would look at one fighter, and his eyes would turn yellow for a second. Then he would look at the other fighter, and his eyes would turn yellow for an instant. I figured he must have been using his Identify Talent. When I looked back at the fight, Talwar was throwing a wild combo of punches at Kojiro¡¯s head, but none of them would connect. Talwar came a bit too close to his opponent, and Kojiro pushed him back to arm¡¯s length with an open palm. Kojiro then used this opportunity to pull his rear hand back in preparation for a powerful punch. A look of fear appeared on Talwar¡¯s face for the first time during the fight. In an instant, Kojiro¡¯s fist had impacted against Talwar¡¯s body. Another echoing crack filled the air, and Talwar stumbled backward. Kojiro smiled as he pursued his opponent. Kojiro landed a solid punch on Talwar¡¯s face, causing sparks to scatter through the air, before Talwar¡¯s hand shot forward and he gripped Kojiro by the upper arm. In response, Kojiro used the arm grappled by his opponent to grab Talwar by the shoulder. Talwar, now holding Kojiro in place, threw a hard punch at Kojiro¡¯s face. The blow connected, and sparks skimmed off Kojiro¡¯s cheek. A moment later, Kojiro¡¯s own fist rocketed forward, catching Talwar in the nose. This sequence of events continued for several blows. Talwar would strike Kojiro in the face, and then Kojiro would do the same. Each time, sparks would fly off from the point of impact, yet neither man seemed to be particularly harmed by the attacks. As the two fighters punched each other with one arm, they each used their other arm to jostle for a better position. Neither man would be able to gain a better position in the stalemate. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Just when it seemed that the turn-based violence would never end, Svenheim said, ¡°Stop!¡± Faster than any human could possibly move, Svenheim leaped forward and grabbed both men by the shoulder. Due to the unexpected nature of the intercession, neither of the two fighting Dark Apostles were able to resist when Svenheim pulled them away from one another. ¡°The fight¡¯s over. Kojiro won.¡± Svenheim spoke with a sense of finality. ¡°What the Hell are you talking about!?¡± Talwar shouted. ¡°What do you mean, I lost!?¡± ¡°You¡¯re out of mana, Talwar,¡± Svenheim said with a faint hint of relief in his voice. ¡°The next hit would have killed you.¡± ¡°What? Really?¡± Talwar asked, shocked. He quickly closed his eyes in order to check his Menu. I decided to use Identify on the two fighters. Character Sheet
Name Talwar13
Level 100
Blood Points 240/250
Mana Points 10/630
Race Dark Apostle
Fortitude 25
Strength 48
Agility 36
Wisdom 30
Enhanced Mana Reserve (500) Yep, Svenheim was right. Talwar was definitely out of mana. I was surprised that it was even possible to go through mana that quickly. I only had eight mana when I spawned as a Revenant, and Talwar had used hundreds of mana points over the course of a few minutes. I used Identify on Kojiro. Character Sheet
Name Kojiro19
Level 100
Blood Points 244/250
Mana Points 105/630
Race Dark Apostle
Fortitude 25
Strength 48
Agility 36
Wisdom 30
Enhanced Mana Reserve (500) Kojiro wasn¡¯t doing much better, I thought. He must have used about eighty percent of his mana reserve during that fight. Running out of mana was probably our biggest potential point of failure as Dark Apostles. If we couldn¡¯t use Battle Aura, then we would have to rely on our 25 points in Fortitude for defense. Assuming that the standard ¡°10 is average, 20 is the realistic human maximum¡± attribute system was used in Ferrum Online, our durability was only slightly higher than a particularly durable person. Considering how easy it was to use all of your mana on Battle Aura, I saw how this could be a major problem for us. Without mana and Battle Aura, we could be killed by even the weakest Revenant armed with a pistol. Chapter 28 - [Total War] Kojiro, victorious in his fight against the Second Dark Apostle, raised his hands in the air and began parading around the Great Hall. A smattering of applause filled the large room as most of the sorcerers present began to clap. One group of sorcerers remained motionless, and I figured that they were the ones assigned to Talwar. As for the Dark Apostles, none of them clapped, naturally. ¡°Look out, everybody. The strongest Dark Apostle is coming through,¡± Kojiro said as he ambled across the Great Hall with his shoulders back and his chest forward. ¡°There¡¯s no way you¡¯re the ¡®strongest¡¯ Dark Apostle,¡± Poldra scoffed. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no proof of that right now. The only evidence we have of power levels right now is that I¡¯m stronger than Talwar. Until further evidence is presented, I am the strongest.¡± Kojiro spoke with a tone dripping with self-satisfaction. ¡°You got lucky,¡± Talwar said, pointing at Kojiro. ¡°I would have kicked your ass if I had remembered to conserve my mana.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Kojiro said. ¡°We won¡¯t know unless we fight again. As soon as I regenerate all of my mana, I¡¯ll throw hands again.¡± Throw hands? Talwar opened his eyes and stopped looking at his Menu. ¡°By the way,¡± he said, ¡°why haven¡¯t I regenerated any mana yet? Aren¡¯t we supposed to have Enhanced Mana Regeneration?¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± a man¡¯s voice cut in from the large open doors to the Great Hall. I turned and saw that Melkior, the Fifth Dark Apostle, had just arrived. ¡°...I think I know the answer. We regenerate mana at an incredibly high rate. I believe that Enhanced Mana Regeneration increases our mana regeneration by a factor of ten. This means we regain all of our mana in twenty-four minutes rather than the usual four hours¡­¡± As he spoke, Melkior and his sorcerers began placing a number of maps and other objects on the head of the table in the center of the Great Hall. Talwar and Kojiro¡¯s fight had collapsed a central part of the table, but the outer sections of the large table were still level. ¡°He¡¯s yapping again,¡± Talwar whispered to Kojiro as Melkior spoke. ¡°Bastard acts like he¡¯s in charge,¡± Kojiro complained quietly. Based on this short interaction, I could tell that neither of the two Dark Apostles held any ill-will toward each other over their fight. They had probably known each other for long enough that they wouldn¡¯t squabble over something so small. It was funny, to an extent. Considering that we were the ¡°bad guys,¡± I had been expecting the other Dark Apostles to be a bunch of mustache-twirling super-villains who would start a blood-feud over the smallest disagreement. From what I had seen so far, the Dark Apostles were a group of relatively well-adjusted people who had been placed in a bad situation. We had our disagreements, but we didn¡¯t try to kill one another over them. ¡°If a Dark Apostle has, say, 600 mana points, then he will regenerate 25 mana points per minute. This is equivalent to about 1 mana point every 3 seconds.¡± Melkior kept explaining. ¡°In comparison, a Revenant with 80 mana and no Enhanced Mana Regeneration regenerates 1 mana every 3 minutes. Now, this mana needs to come from somewhere, the air specifically. At maximum efficiency, mana can only be pulled from the surrounding area at a rate of 1 mana every second. Considering that there are eight Dark Apostles and forty high-level sorcerers present, there is a very high demand and a very low supply for mana. With so many powerful characters present, we¡¯re probably limited to regenerating 1 mana point per 10 seconds.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°And how do you know this, oh great philosopher?¡± Kojiro asked sarcastically. ¡°I asked the sorcerers,¡± Melkior said as he dumped a small pouch of shogi pieces on top of a map he had recently placed on the table. ¡°Hold on just one second. I have a question.¡± I cut in. Something Melkior had just said didn¡¯t make sense to me. ¡°Most of us are still at maximum mana reserve. Why does our mana regeneration interfere with their mana regeneration?¡± ¡°You still pull mana from the air even if your reserves are full,¡± Melkior explained with a frown. ¡°So we¡¯ll weaken each other if we all deploy to the same battlefield,¡± Svenheim said as he scratched his chin. ¡°Yes, and I took that into account when I wrote up our deployment plan last night,¡± Melkior said, subtly shifting the subject toward the maps and other aids he had brought with him to the Great Hall. He had also brought a large cork board on wheels which held up a large vertical map of Rubigo and Merkopia. The map was held up with thumb tacks, so it was easier to see it from a distance. ¡°Deployment plan!?¡± Talwar shouted. ¡°My boys and I aren¡¯t obligated to take orders from you,¡± Svenheim said with his arms crossed. As he spoke, Araki walked up to stand next to Svenheim, Talwar, and Kojiro. Evidently, Svenheim was the de facto leader of that small group. ¡°Perhaps I misspoke,¡± Melkior said with his hands up in mock surrender. ¡°These are merely suggestions. If you want to do something else, then I certainly won¡¯t prevent you from taking your legion elsewhere. I merely wish to present a framework upon which we may plan our next steps.¡± Svenheim looked sidelong at the three other Dark Apostles with him. Araki shrugged his shoulders and Kojiro looked annoyed, but didn¡¯t immediately say anything. ¡°All of you are in agreement that we need to deploy to Rubigo, yes?¡± Melkior said in a placating tone of voice. Svenheim turned to Kojiro and said, ¡°We might as well hear him out, don¡¯t you think?¡± I sighed. As much as I didn¡¯t like it, it was my turn to be the voice of opposition. I said, ¡°I thought the plan was to negotiate. ¡®Deployment¡¯ sounds like we¡¯re going to war.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be such a bleeding heart, blondie.¡± Talwar spoke to me, and Kojiro chuckled. I wasn¡¯t sure if he merely meant to insult me, or he legitimately didn¡¯t remember my name or number. ¡°Negotiation is still Plan A,¡± Melkior said. ¡°It is my suggestion that we have a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C.¡± Melkior looked over at the First through Fourth Apostles. Svenheim grunted and said, ¡°Makes sense.¡± ¡°Plan A is negotiation. We¡¯ll try to convince them to¡­ well¡­ not kill us. Plan B is a qualified war with strong rules of engagement. We¡¯ll designate certain zones where Revenants absolutely cannot go and only engage with them there. When engaging with Revenants, our goal will be to scare them off and injure the Revenants who do not retreat. We¡¯ll only kill where necessary. And the last¡­¡± Melkior suddenly stopped talking. He grit his teeth and stared off into the middle distance as if he knew what he had to say, but he didn¡¯t want to put it into words. ¡°And?¡± Svenheim asked. ¡°What¡¯s Plan C?¡± ¡°Plan C is total war. Our goal will be the complete eradication of all Revenants and any faction or individual that might help them.¡± Chapter 29 - [My Next Trick] ¡°Total war?¡± I gasped, shocked that Melkior could possibly suggest such a thing. ¡°You¡¯re suggesting mass murder!¡± ¡°I¡¯m suggesting that we keep the option open!¡± Melkior shouted back at me. ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen. Perhaps, negotiation will work. Perhaps, limited warfare will work. If the Revenants prove to be a much greater threat than we are prepared for, then our hand may be forced. It is better to plan for the possibility now than to not be prepared when the time comes.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that,¡± Talwar said. ¡°The Revenants are at their weakest right now. This might be our only chance to wipe them out.¡± ¡°That seems a bit¡­ extreme,¡± Kojiro grimaced. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m totally on board fighting them, but mass murder. I mean, surely most of them aren¡¯t a threat to us.¡± ¡°But all of them are a potential threat to us,¡± Talwar said as if finishing Kojiro¡¯s sentence. ¡°A level 10 office worker can become a level 100 Apostle Hunter in a year if he¡¯s pushed hard enough. We won¡¯t be safe until every single Revenant is dead.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Melkior held up a hand. ¡°I¡¯m not advocating we resort to Plan C immediately. I¡¯ll try to make Plan A and Plan B work before I even think about going to Plan C.¡± ¡°Araki, what do you think?¡± Svenheim said as he turned to the Third Dark Apostle. Araki cringed at his username being used. He said, ¡°Plan A seems pointless, and Plan C is way too much. If it were up to me, I¡¯d start waging a limited war on the Revenants immediately.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Kojiro raised one of his hands in the air. ¡°Half-measures¡­¡± Talwar mumbled under his breath. ¡°Only about half of us are here,¡± Melkior said, cutting the discussion short. ¡°We should hold off on further discussion until everyone¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Who isn¡¯t here, anyway?¡± Svenheim wondered aloud. ¡°Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten aren¡¯t here,¡± Kojiro said as he looked around the Great Hall. ¡°The middle Apostles don¡¯t really stand out, now do they? I wonder if that''s by design,¡± Talwar said thoughtfully. ¡°Doubt it,¡± Kojiro said. ¡°So that¡¯s Null, Crow, Katya, Kamil, and Fatima who aren¡¯t here,¡± Melkior rattled off the names of the middle Apostles. ¡°I see you¡¯re good with names, Mr. CEO.¡± Kojiro smirked as he sent that subtle jab. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. We waited for about forty minutes, talking about nothing in particular. I ended up talking about anime with Svenheim, Araki, Kojiro, and Talwar for most of the wait. While our group talked about the nature of shonen and whether Demon Slayer was better than Fullmetal Alchemist, Melkior, Poldra, and Dendrite talked about something else. Sports, probably. ¡°Was Dragon Ball Z ever really that good?¡± Kojiro said almost an hour into our anime debate. The other four of us turned on him with pointed fingers and mouths open in anger. ¡°How dare¡­!?¡± Svenheim began to shout, but he stopped himself. He turned to look at the entrance to the Great Hall, and I turned to look as well. At the entrance stood a woman dressed in a green turtleneck and a beige pair of khaki pants. Her long brunette hair was tied up in a ponytail. She had pale skin that was a similar shade to my own, and she was pretty tall for a woman. Based on the sorcerers that stood near her, I would say that she was only slightly less than six feet tall. ¡°Who the Hell are you?¡± Kojiro said as he got to his feet. Wordlessly, the woman pulled the neck of her sweater down to reveal her upper chest. There, tattooed just below her collarbone, was a dark VII. She did not stop walking as she showed her chest. She was holding several sheathed swords in her hands, and she put them down on the ground near the door. A few moments later, the sorcerers with her added various swords and guns to the pile. ¡°Seven¡­ You¡¯re Crow?¡± Kojiro realized. ¡°Weren¡¯t you a dude yesterday?¡± Talwar squinted. ¡°I changed my avatar,¡± Crow stated tersely. ¡°Why?¡± Kojiro asked. ¡°I¡¯m a woman, and I¡¯d rather not get stuck using a male avatar for ten years,¡± Crow answered as she checked the chamber of one of the assault rifles she had brought. ¡°Does that answer your question?¡± Hearing Crow speak was a strange experience for me. Crow had the same way of speaking as the man I had met yesterday, yet her voice was clearly feminine. My enhanced hearing was shouting at me that this was the same person as yesterday. ¡°How did you change your avatar, Crow?¡± Melkior asked. ¡°GM sent a ¡®gift¡¯ to all players through the BloodNet: a small vial that takes you back to character creation when drunk,¡± Crow answered. Melkior, Kojiro, and Svenheim closed their eyes in order to check their Menu. I kept my own eyes open in order to keep an eye on the woman who was probably Crow. She unsheathed one of the swords she brought, and it was made of the same black metal as my knife. She moved with the same easy grace as the man I had met the night before. Even at a distance, her casual body language unnerved me. Melkior¡¯s eyes opened, and he produced a small vial filled with a dark blue liquid in his hand. Moments later, Kojiro and Svenheim did the same. The liquid was opaque, and it reminded me of stomach medicine that would be given to children. ¡°I see that just about everyone is already here,¡± Crow said. ¡°I figured I was early, but it turns out I was late.¡± ¡°Well, Talwar and Kojiro wanted to test Battle Aura out in a fight,¡± Svenheim said. ¡°If they fought anywhere else in the Castle, they might go flying off the edge.¡± ¡°Thanks for showing us how it¡¯s done,¡± Kojiro said to Crow as he threw a few jabs at the air. ¡°I haven¡¯t shown you anything yet,¡± Crow chuckled. ¡°I have a bit more to show. Who wants to assist me with my next trick? Svenheim? Enzo?¡± Map of Rubigo and Merkopia This is an approximation of the continent of Rubigo and the island of Merkopia. Five hundred years ago, the death of Nur and the appearance of GM created a large hole in the center of Rubigo. A new crack formed in the continent at the start of every subsequent Deluge. The Second Deluge created the crack to the north, the Third Deluge created the crack to the west, the Fourth Deluge created the crack to the south, and the crack to the east was formed a month ago, heralding the beginning of the Fifth Deluge. The technological advancements available to the Deluvians have shifted the war greatly in their favor. Hundreds of thousands of Imperials in the Free Cities have already been massacred, forcing the survivors to flee to the safety off the walled cities. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Chapter 30 - [Danger Sense] The Great Hall 11:50 A.M. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll go.¡± I spoke first. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re getting at, but I¡¯ll assist you.¡± I stepped toward Crow. I figured that she was talking about Battle Aura, and I wanted to learn as much as possible about that ability. As I stepped forward, I used Identify on Crow. Character Sheet
Name CosmiCrow
Level 100
Blood Points 250/250
Mana Points 678/678
Race Dark Apostle
Fortitude 25
Strength 39
Agility 32
Wisdom 39
Attribute Modifier: Enhanced Mana Reserve (500) ¡°Thank you, Enzo,¡± Crow said as I walked forward. ¡°Now, it is my understanding that all of us have a very specific but ultimately simple combat build. Our characters were built by GM to serve as a physical threat to the players. We can¡¯t do anything special, as far as level 100 characters are concerned, but we can hit hard, and we can take a lot of damage. This is why GM gave us Danger Sense as well. When you feel an attack coming with Danger Sense, you can then harden your body in preparation with Battle Aura. With these two Talents, we¡¯re basically invincible as long as we react in time and have enough mana left over. In order for you to use your build effectively, you need to learn how to use Battle Aura. Without the use of that Talent, you¡¯re basically useless. If you throw a punch against something hard without strengthening your fist with Battle Aura, you will break your own fist.¡± Kojiro nodded and rubbed his own knuckles, wincing at the memory of the pain he felt when he punched a marble pillar. ¡°Luckily,¡± Crow continued, ¡°once you¡¯ve unlocked Battle Aura in your Character Sheet, actually using it is pretty easy. You just need to learn the correct activation signal. Activating Battle Aura feels basically the same as tensing a muscle in preparation for an incoming attack. That¡¯s why Enzo¡¯s up here. It¡¯s easiest to learn how to use Battle Aura by reacting to a potentially-harmful attack.¡± Crow picked up a sword and started walking toward a more central area in the Great Hall. It must have been a coincidence because she wasn¡¯t there at the time, but she happened to stand in the spot that GM had stood last night. For an instant, the image of GM holding up a dying Nailman flashed in my mind. Crow held the sheathed sword in her hand and turned to me. ¡°There are three distinct messages sent by Danger Sense,¡± Crow said. ¡°The first type of message is for a potentially harmful attack, the second type is for a potentially lethal attack, and the third type is for an attack that will definitely kill you if you get hit. Since we have Battle Aura, we won¡¯t receive the third type of warning unless we¡¯re about to get hit with an attack that negates durability. We won¡¯t be able to test out the third type of warning today because none of us have any durability-negating abilities. Trust me, if you¡¯re about to get hit with a sure-kill attack, you¡¯ll know.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°So,¡± Crow said as she stepped into the area a few feet away from me, ¡°I¡¯ll show you what these warnings feel like.¡± Crow started to pull a fist back, causing my Danger Sense to activate. I felt a dull buzzing sensation in the center of my chest, so I brought my hands up to guard against the coming attack. Crow¡¯s fist returned to a resting position, and she gave a light smile. ¡°That was the first type of warning.¡± Crow¡¯s hand slowly moved toward the sword she held in one hand. The moment her fingers brushed against the hilt of the sword, I felt a much more powerful warning. A sharp, painful buzzing sensation arced across my neck. The sensation was so overpowering that I could almost feel my head being cut off. I quickly stepped backward away from Crow¡¯s sword. A few chuckles came from the direction of the lower Apostles. I looked down at Crow¡¯s sword, and it hadn¡¯t moved at all. She had done nothing to indicate where she would attack, yet I had felt her intent to strike my neck so palpably. ¡°Good,¡± Crow said. ¡°Dodging would have been the right move there. Now, in order to use Battle Aura, I want you to imagine tensing your neck in order to resist the sword. Imagine yourself stopping the blade with your neck alone.¡± What? I imagined my neck being strengthened, but I just ended up tensing my neck muscles, causing the veins in my neck to strain against my skin. ¡°Is it working?¡± I asked. ¡°No clue,¡± Crow said. ¡°I can¡¯t know without there being some physical indication. I¡¯m going to punch you in the stomach now. I want you to try to resist the attack with your own Battle Aura.¡± ¡°Just like you did when I shot you?¡± I asked. I figured the lesson would require something like this after seeing the pain Crow had to go through in order to learn how to use the Talent. ¡°Exactly the same,¡± Crow responded. She stepped toward me, and I had to resist the urge to retreat. Crow drew her hand back in preparation to punch. Then, right in the center of my stomach, I felt a dull buzzing. I tightened the muscles in my stomach and tried to resist the coming attack. The buzzing continued for a long second before a cannon ball fired into my stomach. It was a crushing force stronger than any human could ever hope to match. Crow¡¯s Strength of 39 met my Fortitude of 25, and I came out wanting. The pain exploded throughout my entire body, and I felt several of my internal organs rupture. I flew several feet backwards, and an arc of blood briefly joined Crow¡¯s fist to my stomach. I landed as my blood splattered to the ground and stumbled back several steps. Even though I had landed on my feet, the pain quickly drove me to my knees. I gasped for air as I willed my Rapid Healing to activate. It was particularly lucky that I had retained that Talent. As soon as I could think of anything other than the pain, I got to my feet. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Crow said as a sympathetic grimace showed on her face. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, Battle Aura is kind of a meathead Talent. It requires you to let your body react automatically. Cerebral types usually have difficulty learning how to use it. Talwar over there was able to activate Battle Aura immediately.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Talwar shouted. ¡°Do you want to go again?¡± Crow asked. ¡°Sure,¡± I said, steeling myself for another attack. Crow punched me again, and another hole was ripped in my stomach. Map of Castle Bosporus This is an approximation of Castle Bosporus. The only way to enter Castle Bosporus is through an entrance in the West Keep, and you must go through every keep in order to reach the Central Keep. The Great Hall, which is where the Dark Apostles gather for strategy meetings, is at the end of the Central Keep. All of Castle Bosporus resides at the top of a mountain overlooking a large city and an ocean below. The Dark Apostles sleep in the West, North, and East keeps. The armory is located in the West Keep, while the kitchens and various mess halls are located in the Central Keep. The sorcerers and other castle staff live in the South Keep. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Chapter 31 - [Hit Me Again] I was driven all the way to the ground by the second hit. Blood spurted from a new hole in my abdominal cavity, and I tumbled backward for several steps. I lost my footing on the last step, tripped, and fell on my back. I could do nothing but groan in pain as I held my damaged stomach and willed my Rapid Healing to work faster. That was just a non-enhanced punch by someone with 39 Strength, I thought. I could only imagine what a punch would feel like from Kojiro or Talwar who had 48 Strength. The supersonic punch I saw the two fighters use would have to be at least equivalent to a 160 Strength attack. I got back to my feet. The bottom of my shirt had gained two significant rips, and deep crimson blood stained most of my outfit. ¡°For God¡¯s sake,¡± Melkior shouted, ¡°pull your punches!¡± Crow flicked her fist, causing several heavy droplets of blood to scatter to the ground. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t work,¡± she said. ¡°Danger Sense won¡¯t activate unless the attack is strong enough to draw blood.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I wheezed. Apparently, my Rapid Healing hadn¡¯t completed its job by that time. ¡°Hit me again.¡± I removed my jacket and threw it a few dozen feet to my right. I had managed to keep blood off of my jacket before that point, and I wanted to keep it that way. As I prepared myself for the next hit, I heard the sound of a group of people entering the Great Hall. I didn¡¯t look over to see who had entered. Crow hit me again, and my intestines ruptured again. I was able to remain standing that time, though I felt a thick liquid dribble down my chin as I stabilized myself. I put a hand to my lips, and it came away covered in blood. I took a step toward Crow and coughed out a single word. ¡°Again.¡± ¡°Again.¡± ¡°Again.¡± ¡°Again.¡± ¡°Again.¡± ¡°Again.¡± On the ninth try, the dull buzzing sensation lanced through my shoulder and lightly radiated through my entire arm. Hold on, I thought. If Crow were to hit me there with that level of force, she¡¯d take my entire arm off. I took a step backward with the intent to dodge, but Crow¡¯s fist rocketed forward much sooner than I expected. There would usually be a full second between the activation of Danger Sense and the beginning of the punch. This time, however, Crow¡¯s fist started moving through the air in the same instant that Danger Sense activated. I didn¡¯t have time to dodge. I tried to clench the muscles around my shoulder in a feeble attempt to resist the blow. The punch would connect in a few milliseconds; I did not have time to do anything physically or otherwise come up with a plan. All I could do was grit my teeth and focus my willpower on resisting the coming pain. Like animals had done for millions of years, I braced for the coming strike. Crow¡¯s fist struck my shoulder, and sparks arced between the two surfaces. Her fist diverted off, causing her to overextend slightly. I had done it. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Relief caused me to collapse into a seated position. I had activated Battle Aura. I wouldn¡¯t have to get hit with another cannon ball. ¡°You did it,¡± Crow said with a smile. I closed my eyes and opened my own Menu. Character Sheet
Name EnzoTheBaker
Level 100
Blood Points 81/250
Mana Points 630/633
Race Dark Apostle
Fortitude 25
Strength 48
Agility 30
Wisdom 34
I was down to eighty Blood Points. I had lost enough blood to kill a large man. If my Fortitude wasn¡¯t so high, that ordeal would have killed me. ¡°Hit me again,¡± I said as I got to my feet. ¡°If you insist,¡± Crow said. She struck her fists together, and, an instant later, I felt a buzzing sensation in my chest. I focused my willpower on the center of the buzzing, and I felt Crow¡¯s fist deflect off my chest a moment later. She followed the chest punch with a quick boxing combo to different parts of my body. I didn¡¯t expect the follow-up attacks, but I was able to resist every strike with Battle Aura. Once I had learned to activate it, I could activate Battle Aura within milliseconds with subsequent use. ¡°Excellent, you got it,¡± Crow said, stepping back out of arm¡¯s reach. ¡°Why did it take so many tries for me to activate Battle Aura?¡± I asked. As Crow answered, I used Identify on her. Character Sheet
Name CosmiCrow
Level 100
Blood Points 250/250
Mana Points 615/678
Race Dark Apostle
Fortitude 25
Strength 39
Agility 32
Wisdom 39
Crow had used quite a bit of mana in the process of kicking my ass. Considering how many times she hit me, I figured she must have used about five mana per punch. ¡°You were thinking too hard,¡± Crow answered succinctly. ¡°Battle Aura is supposed to be an automatic ability. You tried to use it as an active ability. That¡¯s why I hit you in a different location on your last attempt. I figured you would have a better time acting automatically if you had to react to an unexpected attack.¡± ¡°Thanks for the help,¡± I said, smiling. For the first time in a few minutes, I looked down at myself. My shirt and jeans were absolutely soaked in blood. It was as if I had taken a bath in a thick red liquid. The ground beneath my feet carried several large pools of blood. It was hard to believe that so much blood had come out of one man. The sight made me light-headed, and my stance faltered as I almost fell over. Even with this super-human body, I was not immune to the effects of exsanguination. A contingent of sorcerers rushed forward to aid me. By their footsteps, I could tell they were my sorcerers. I raised a hand with my palm outward in order to halt the sorcerers¡¯ advance. I didn¡¯t want them to stain their robes unnecessarily. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just,¡± I looked down at the liters of my blood that stained the ground, ¡°lost a bit of blood.¡± Map of the Free Cities This is a map of the Free Cities of central Rubigo. While this part of Ferrum used to be controlled by the Empire of Mitrikova, it is now controlled by three separate nations. These three nations are: the Duchy of Greater Osiris, the Duchy of New Arcadia, and the Realm of Fulvang. These three nations are essentially city-states, but the three of them have joined hands in a treaty to support one another in the event of an invasion by the more powerful kingdoms at the edge of Rubigo. This agreement has held in place for two hundred years, though the leaders of the three nations now strain against the elements of their deal. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Chapter 32 - [Our Legions] The Great Hall 12:30 P.M. After the pitiful display of my attempts to use Battle Aura, Crow tried to teach the ability to all of the other Dark Apostles. Melkior lightly complained that Crow¡¯s training session was getting in the way of his strategy meeting, but he relented once he realized the importance of learning Battle Aura. Every Apostle who could already use Battle Aura was paired with someone who hadn¡¯t yet learned the technique. Crow initially tried to pair me with Null, but I wasn¡¯t comfortable with hitting her. After a bit of (unnecessary) mocking, Crow paired me up with Melkior. Melkior asked to stop a few times, but he was ultimately able to use Battle Aura in fewer hits than me. After the second hit, I started attacking Melkior in different ways. I intended for my fifth hit to be a grazing hit to the cheek. When my fist connected with his cheekbone, it grazed off harmlessly. ¡°You could¡¯ve killed me!¡± Melkior gasped with shock as he stepped back and felt his face for any damage. ¡°It worked, didn¡¯t it?¡± I asked. ¡°I did it?¡± Melkior asked, dumbfounded. He seemed shocked that he was able to activate Battle Aura so quickly. He sighed in relief and grabbed his knees to stop himself from falling down. ¡°Come on, hit me again,¡± he said with a smile. Smiling, I stepped forward and threw a hard punch at Melkior¡¯s head. He yelped in surprise and blocked the attack with a raised elbow. My fist deflected off his elbow with a shower of sparks. I followed this attack up with a low-kick to Melkior¡¯s midsection. There were more sparks. ¡°You got it,¡± I said, holding up a hand for a high-five. I felt a faint buzzing in my hand as Melkior stepped forward. He slapped my hand, and the tell-tale sparks of Battle Aura striking Battle Aura flew into the air. We both looked at the sparks in surprise for a moment, and then we both burst into laughter. When your Strength is in the forties, even something as simple as a high-five was dangerous. ¡°Ahem,¡± a woman¡¯s voice came from the opposite end of the Great Hall. Melkior and I turned to see that Crow was standing near the large collection of maps and visual aids that Melkior had previously set up. The other ten Dark Apostles were standing around idly. Apparently, they had finished their Battle Aura training long before Melkior and I had. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Like I said,¡± Crow spoke primarily to the Dark Apostles standing near her, ¡°the cerebral types always take the longest to learn how to use Battle Aura. I¡¯m just grateful that Melkior was able to figure it out in less than ten hits.¡± A short chorus of laughter emanated from the Dark Apostles near Crow before Melkior said, ¡°Hey, now. It wasn¡¯t my idea to hold a training session in the middle of our strategy meeting.¡± Melkior spoke with a smile. The joy of mastering Battle Aura had put him and most of the other Dark Apostles in the room into a good mood. ¡°Hold your strategy meeting, then,¡± Crow said as Melkior approached the large table in the center of the Great Hall. As he walked, one of the sorcerers threw Melkior the large black overcoat that he had been wearing when he entered the Great Hall. Seeing the amount of blood I had lost when learning how to use Battle Aura, Melkior had decided to take his coat off during his own training. This was probably a good move, because Melkior¡¯s white dress shirt and grey trousers were covered in blood at that point. Melkior threaded his arms through his coat¡¯s sleeves just as he stopped walking. He stood at the head of the table. In that moment, even Crow stood in a subordinate position. ¡°As most of you know, each of us has been assigned a legion of approximately ten thousand Deluvians. These legions are armed with swords, firearms, and artillery. Every individual Deluvian is powerful enough to threaten a low-level Revenant, but none of them are anywhere close to our power. The absolute strongest among the Deluvians, the Cervids, are about level 40.¡± As Melkior spoke, he placed the modified shogi pieces on the map in front of him. This was the first time I had looked closely at the map, and I saw it was a map of the area in the center of Rubigo. Based on the notation at the top of the map, I knew that this was a map of the Free Cities. ¡°Our legions are all currently deployed in this area. Two legions have been deployed to each major city in this area, and the remaining seven legions have been deployed to the areas between the cities.¡± Melkior gestured to each of the marked shogi pieces in turn. I realized quickly that each shogi piece marked the location of one of the legions. I scanned the board until I saw my own legion: 13. After a few seconds of looking, I saw that the Thirteenth Legion was located in the area between the City of Osiris and the City of New Arcadia. The shogi piece was placed right next to a settlement that had been marked as ¡°Threshold.¡± The Twelfth Legion was next to my own, and the First and Sixth Legions were in the same area as mine, but those legions were closer to the major cities. ¡°No matter what our long-term plan is going to be, our first move will have to be meeting up with our designated legions. The Deluvians only follow us because they respect our physical strength. If left to their own devices for long enough, they will stop following our orders.¡± Melkior continued to speak. ¡°Like Klingons,¡± Araki interjected. Melkior gave a wolfish smile before saying, ¡°Precisely.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± Kamil, the leader of the pacifist faction, said. ¡°Why do we even need to interact with our legions at all? Leave them to their own devices, I say. If we¡¯re not going to fight the Revenants, then we don¡¯t need them.¡± ¡°I knew you¡¯d say that, Kamil,¡± Melkior said, pointing at the other Apostle. ¡°If you look at the map, you¡¯ll see that your legion is right next to Fulvang. If you don¡¯t meet up with them soon, then who knows what will happen? They¡¯ll probably attack Fulvang in full force if left to their own devices.¡± Kamil grimaced before he said, ¡°Fine.¡± Map of the City of Tenarus This is a map of the City of Tenarus, the city closest to Castle Bosporus. While there are larger cities further north on Merkopia, Tenarus has the important task of supplying the Dark Apostles with whatever they could possibly need. Tenarus does not contain any factories, but it does have a moderately-sized port that can be used to receive supplies from further north. A cottage industry has arisen in Tenarus of "specialty" products made specifically for the Dark Apostles. Some of the greatest enchanters on Ferrum make magic items for the Apostles here, and various master craftsmen toil to make mundane equipment that is sturdy enough to withstand the Apostles'' superhuman strength. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Chapter 33 - [Choose a Leader] ¡°Once we meet up with our legions,¡± Melkior continued, ¡°I think it would behoove us to split into two groups. One group will remain in the field in order to keep an eye on the Revenants, and the other group will stay on the island in order to develop their skills as Dark Apostles. The legions are deployed in groups of two or three, so I think it would make sense for one person to stay with each legion group.¡± Melkior looked like he was going to keep speaking, but Svenheim cut in. ¡°Okay, now we¡¯re starting to get to a place where it seems like you¡¯re trying to tell us what to do. I think we can all agree to meeting up with the legions, but splitting into two groups is a bit more contentious. Why should we keep seven Apostles back at the Castle when we might need all of us to fight the Revenants?¡± Several people tried to interject here. Kamil, Melkior, Katya, and I opened our mouths to speak. There were a few seconds of raucous noise with four people trying to speak over the others. Kamil and I were raising objections at the idea of ¡°fighting¡± the Revenants, while the other two were trying to express the value of the strategy. Eventually, Katya¡¯s voice won out over the other three, and the rest of us quieted down. ¡°We can¡¯t have a debate every time we want to do something!¡± Katya, the Eight Dark Apostle, said. ¡°This is essentially a military organization, right? We need to choose a leader, then.¡± ¡°Exactly what I was about to suggest, Katya, thank you,¡± Melkior said with a bow of his head. ¡°Oh, I agree,¡± Svenheim said. ¡°Let¡¯s choose someone to call the shots. We¡¯ll agree to only challenge the leader¡¯s decisions when we find them particularly objectionable.¡± As Svenheim said this, he looked pointedly at Kamil and me. To Sven, the two of us were the pacifist faction who didn¡¯t want to fight the Revenants at all. I would have hoped for there to be more people on my side, but even Dendrite and Poldra had surrendered to the inevitability of conflict by that point. ¡°But who will be the leader?¡± Kamil said pointedly. By his tone of voice, he clearly didn¡¯t believe that we could all agree as to who the leader should be. ¡°Svenheim should be the leader,¡± Kojiro said. Talwar and Araki stated their amenability to this idea within seconds. ¡°Well, that¡¯s four votes for me,¡± Svenheim said lazily. ¡°I suspect that will be more votes than anyone else can get.¡± For a moment, I was terrified that Melkior would try to throw his own hat in the ring. Perhaps, Dendrite would vote for him because they had known each other for a while, but I doubted that Poldra would vote for him, and I knew that I would not vote for him. I didn¡¯t like how comfortable he seemed to be with the massacre of tens of thousands of people. ¡°Crow¡­¡± Melkior said thoughtfully. ¡°Yes, I think Crow should be the leader. She certainly has the most experience of any of us here, and I don¡¯t think she has done anything that anyone else would find objectionable.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Hold on¡­¡± Crow began to say. ¡°Yes, I like the sound of that,¡± Katya said. ¡°I always like to see women in positions of leadership.¡± ¡°Crow¡¯s got my vote,¡± I said. Better her than Melkior or Svenheim, I thought. ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Kamil said with his arms crossed. ¡°I would feel a lot more comfortable if we had an S-rank as our leader,¡± Null said quietly. ¡°It makes sense. I vote for Crow,¡± Dendrite raised a hand. ¡°Well, she¡¯s definitely the best of our options,¡± Poldra said. A veritable avalanche of support came down as the four low-numbered Apostles looked on in annoyance. Once Poldra finished speaking, Melkior clapped his hands together once and said, ¡°Great! Even without Crow¡¯s own vote, we have a majority. Katya, Enzo, Kamil, Null, Dendrite, Poldra, and I make seven.¡± As Melkior listed out the names, he counted up on his fingers to seven. Svenheim slumped in minor annoyance before saying, ¡°Whatever. It could be worse.¡± ¡°So, dear leader,¡± Melkior turned to Crow. ¡°What is our first move?¡± Crow sighed heavily. ¡°I¡¯m not actually a military strategist, you know. My job in the Scions was to handle granular troop movements and ability cohesion. Just because I know how to play the game, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m any better a leader than anybody else.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want the job? That makes you even more qualified in my book,¡± Kojiro said with a smile. ¡°Fine,¡± Crow relented. My enhanced senses were telling me that Crow legitimately didn¡¯t want to be the leader of the Dark Apostles. She wasn¡¯t just putting on a show to make the other Apostles think she was a reluctant leader. ¡°I don¡¯t have a long-term plan, so we¡¯ll just follow Melkior¡¯s suggestions for now. We split into two groups of seven and six. Seven Apostles will stay here in order to develop their skills. Melkior, how should we split up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked,¡± Melkior said, gesturing back to the shogi tiles on the map. ¡°There are six legion groups in the Free Cities area. Three legion groups are currently besieging the major cities, and the other three groups are stationed at choke points between the major cities. I recommend we deploy Svenheim to Osiris, Null to New Arcadia, and Kamil to Fulvang. These three will act as our primary negotiators when we make contact with the Revenants.¡± Kamil looked legitimately surprised by this. ¡°So, we are going to negotiate with them?¡± Melkior looked pointedly at Crow before saying, ¡°Well, that is my suggestion. You and Crow weren¡¯t here when I laid out my long-term plan, but¡­¡± Melkior then briefly described his three ¡°plans,¡± each with increasing severity. Once again, the Fifth Apostle¡¯s voice caught in his throat before he described the significance of ¡°Plan C.¡± The Eight Apostle, Kamil, raised his voice in anger when he heard the plan. Map of the Kingdom of Etronia This is a map of the Kingdom of Etronia. Historically, this nation has been the only polity with sufficient power to rival Mitrikov to the east. Etronia is currently a constitutional monarchy. While the Hawthorne family theoretically holds political power, the kingdom of functionally ruled by an elected government. The Hawthorne family maintains a distinct position of privilege because of the security granted by the Cyclops. Peace is maintained between the major powers of Rubigo due to the knowledge that battle between Divine Beasts would be catastrophic. The primary hinderance to the Dark Apostles in Etronia is the Safe Zone that covers the capital city of Etron. Any Dark Apostle who enters the city will be prevented from committing any violent act... until the Safe Zone is dispelled, at least. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Chapter 34 - [Genocide] ¡°What you¡¯re describing is genocide!¡± Kamil shouted. Expressions of disdain and scoffs of annoyance sounded from the gathered Apostles. The statement caught me off guard. Not even I would have used such language when criticizing Melkior¡¯s plans. ¡°Big word there, chief,¡± Talwar said with a scowl. There was a note of warning in his voice. ¡°No, he¡¯s right,¡± Melkior sighed. ¡°Plan C would be a targeted extermination of a group of people. Definitionally, it¡¯s a genocide.¡± An eerie silence filled the Great Hall for more than a dozen seconds. Some Dark Apostles scratched their necks, and some breathed unsteady breaths out through clenched teeth. No one knew who was meant to speak next. ¡°Do you really think we¡¯ll have to resort to¡­ this, Melkior?¡± Svenheim asked the Fifth Dark Apostle. ¡°Maybe, maybe not,¡± Melkior said. ¡°If containment does not work, then Plan C will become an absolute necessity. We would only resort to Plan C if it is absolutely clear that extermination is necessary. If it¡¯s a choice between death and genocide, I know what I¡¯ll choose.¡± When I looked at Melkior in that moment, I saw a deep fear borne out of a palpable awareness of the situation we were in. I realized in that instant that Melkior, Crow, and I were the only ones who truly comprehended how bad our situation was. We were level 100, and, at that moment, none of them were above level 15. Things would not stay that way, however. How long until somebody reached level 80, level 50, even? How long until ten S-ranks of comparable skill and power to Crow started hunting us down like animals? It was a matter of if, not when. I looked at Crow and Melkior, and I saw that the awareness of our situation had calcified into a dark determination that I could not shatter no matter what I tried. They were two individuals who were very much aware of what they would most likely have to do and were capable of doing what needed to be done. ¡°Anyway¡­¡± Melkior stood up straight and cleared his throat. ¡°There¡¯s a little more I have to go over before the meeting can end.¡± Melkior once more gestured to the shogi tiles. ¡°We¡¯ll also want to station one Dark Apostle in the areas between the major cities. These Dark Apostles will play shortstop and harass any Revenants that try to travel between the major cities.¡± I considered inquiring about what exactly a shortstop was, but I could figure it out based on context clues. ¡°I recommend we deploy Enzo to the area between Osiris and New Arcadia, Fatima to the area between Osiris and Fulvang, and Poldra to the area between Fulvang and New Arcadia.¡± I looked down at the map and asked, ¡°What exactly would our jobs be as shortstops?¡± ¡°Prevent any would-be inter-city travelers from reaching their destination without revealing your identity, naturally,¡± Melkior said. Seeing my expression, Melkior added another sentence to the end of his statement. ¡°You won¡¯t have to kill them, of course. Revenants can handle a lot of punishment. If you just shoot or stab them in the chest, then I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll retreat back to their cities. It will be the shortstops¡¯ job to stop the Revenants from breaching containment while the other three try to negotiate.¡± ¡°I have an objection,¡± Talwar said, raising his hand. ¡°I would like to stay in Rubigo. Sitting in the Castle for weeks, waiting for orders to come down from Melkior and Crow, isn¡¯t really my style. My legion is right next to the Tenth, so why don¡¯t I take Fatima¡¯s spot?¡± Melkior and Talwar looked pointedly at Fatima. Luckily for us, Fatima was amenable to the idea. ¡°If it¡¯s a choice between the air-conditioned Castle and a military camp surrounded by the same monsters that killed me, I¡¯ll choose the Castle, thank you very much,¡± Fatima, the Tenth Dark Apostle, said. ¡°Perfect,¡± Melkior said while moving a small blue die from the shogi piece marked with a 10 to the shogi piece marked with a 2. ¡°If no one else has anything to say, then I think that¡¯s the end of our first strategy session. Remember, we¡¯re going for ¡®Plan A¡¯ right now. The three negotiators - Svenheim, Null, and Kamil - will work to convince the Revenants to live peacefully with us while the three shortstops - Enzo, Talwar, and Poldra - will work to keep them contained in the major cities. Are there any objections?¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. There was a smattering of annoyed grumbling from the low-numbered Apostles, but most of them didn¡¯t say anything audibly. Talwar said, ¡°I still think it¡¯s a mistake to give them even a little leeway, but I see that my opinion is in the minority.¡± With that, the first strategy meeting of the Dark Apostles ended. We were significantly less productive throughout the rest of the day. Food was served in the Great Hall, and I ate even though I wasn¡¯t hungry. About half of the Dark Apostles went to the city that Castle Bosporus overlooked, though I stayed behind. The city was called Ternarus, if I remember correctly. Melkior and Crow said we were shipping out the next day, and we would only be able to bring a small five by five foot metal box with us. I spent much of the rest of November 2nd packing clothes, food, and weapons into the box. It was late in the day when I remembered the promise I had made to my sorcerers. At about five p.m., I peeked my head out of the empty threshold to my quarters and looked over at the five sorcerers who had been waiting out there for several hours. ¡°I almost forgot,¡± I said, ¡°I still need to name you all. Come into my quarters, all of you. That¡¯s an order.¡± The five sorcerers slowly made their way past the empty threshold and the great stone slab. Soon after the last of them entered my quarters, I moved the several-ton stone slab back to its natural place guarding my home from intruders. ¡°So, I haven¡¯t seen four of your faces, and I haven¡¯t heard three of your voices. In order for me to give each of you a name, I need to see your face and hear your voice. If possible, I would like to do that here. It¡¯s just the six of us, and our fates are inextricably bound together. I¡¯d say it¡¯s time for all of us to get to know one another.¡± With a muttered, ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the four sorcerers other than Amber all removed their masks. I gestured for Amber to do the same, and she too removed her mask. The older man spoke first. He said, ¡°I will strive to serve you to the best of my ability, Lord Enzo.¡± Now that I could see the older man¡¯s face, it surprised me to see that his skin was a dark brown. The only NPCs I had seen before that point had been fair skinned. I wanted to ask about the nature of race in Ferrum, but I decided that it wasn¡¯t the right time for that. ¡°I will call you Isaac,¡± I said to the older man. I turned to the older woman standing next to Isaac. She had a face that matched what I had come to expect from her based on her gait. The older woman must have been in her late twenties or early thirties, and she looked at me with a mixture of religious fervor and poorly suppressed desire. Her lips were full and covered in scarlet lipstick. She spoke and said in a voice that bordered on improper, ¡°I am happy to serve you, my Lord. Please, if there is anything you need, just ask.¡± ¡°Carmilla,¡± I said. The name came to me immediately. With Isaac, I had to think for a few seconds when deciding a name, but the name for Carmilla was obvious. ¡°That will be your name.¡± The younger woman was next in the lineup. Her timid gait and small size made me think that she was a child before she took off her mask, but I was less sure at that moment. Her features made me think that she could be in her early twenties, and her expression made me think that she wanted to curl up in a corner. She absolutely refused to meet my eyes as she spoke. ¡°H-hello. I-I am not worthy of serving you, my Lord.¡± ¡°Your name will be Iris,¡± I said. I had to stop myself from patting the poor girl on the head. One, it would be improper. Two, I wasn¡¯t quite in full control of my strength yet. I could hurt her. The last sorcerer in the line was the younger man. He was by far the tallest of the sorcerers - he was even taller than me - and he had the build of an athlete. If not for the fact that my Strength score was 48, I would have been convinced that the man was stronger than me. His hair was cut short in a military style, and his eyes held a strong determination. The younger man said, ¡°My Lord. My life is yours.¡± I paused for a long moment when thinking of a name for the younger man. I thought of knights and soldiers, but none of the names quite fit. Then I snapped my fingers and said, ¡°Athos. That will be your name.¡± ¡°So,¡± I went back to the front of the line and started listing out the names of the sorcerers. ¡°Amber, Isaac, Carmilla, Iris, and Athos. Those will be your names from now on.¡± I turned toward the large stone slab and went to move it. By the time I re-entered my quarters, the sorcerers were flipping their hoods back over their heads and re-securing their masks. ¡°That¡¯s all for today,¡± I said. ¡°Go back to your own quarters for now. I¡¯ll see you all at sunrise.¡± End of the Castle Bosporus Arc. Map of the City of Threshold This is a map of the City of Threshold. The 13th Legion was stationed at the City of Threshold before Enzo made contact with them. The 13th Legion, alongside the 12th Legion, spent the first month of its existence killing all Imperials residing between Osiris and New Arcadia. It has been theorized that about a hundred thousand Imperials lived in this area before the two legions crawled out of the Breach. Only two hundred Deluvians in the two legions were killed before their Apostles made contact while all of the Imperials in the area were either killed or forced to flee back to the Safe Zones. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Chapter 35 - [The West Keep] November 3rd, 2035 The West Keep 7:50 A.M. The Dark Apostles regrouped early the next day near the only entrance to the Castle. Since I had spent all of my time in the Castle ever since I had spawned as a Dark Apostle two days before, that was my first time seeing the entrance to Castle Bosporus. The West Keep was composed almost entirely of various armories, courtyards, and defensive positions. All of our weapons were held in that keep, and the structures built upon the western plateau more closely resembled modern military fortifications than medieval masonry. The plateau was dominated by two large courtyards that split the West Keep into four distinct areas. Closest to the bridge to the North Keep was the so-called Rear Wall, which housed the first four Apostles and various other diplomatic meeting rooms and armories. Beyond the Rear Wall when entering from the North Keep was the Training Courtyard, which held all of the equipment necessary for a Dark Apostle¡¯s strength and agility training. The Training Courtyard held weights and exercise equipment that would be too heavy for even the strongest man to use. The weights were measured in tons rather than pounds. Next was the Vanguard Wall, which was the first structure that attackers would reach when assaulting Castle Bosporus. The Vanguard Wall looked completely different from the rest of the Castle because no one was meant to live there. It was a squat grey structure made out of stone and steel. The ground the building was built atop was slightly elevated, so one would have to walk up a flight up stairs just to enter the structure. Every window on each side of the Vanguard Wall was a thin slit with just enough space for a rifle and a head. It would certainly be difficult to take the Vanguard Wall with infantry, I thought. I looked over at the Central Keep, which blocked out the sun when you stood in the West Keep in the morning and wondered what was preventing a competent army from merely shelling the other keeps with artillery. I knew cannons existed in Ferrum. I knew it very well. Why bother launching a frontal assault on the West Gate when you could just obliterate Castle Bosporus from several miles away? The last area of the West Keep was the Departure Courtyard. This courtyard was essentially a terminal for the arrival and departure of ground vehicles. A one-way three-lane road made a wide loop in the center of the Departure Courtyard. Large iron portcullises stood at both ends of the Departure Courtyard, and the Vanguard Gate loomed ominously in the background. Usually, at least one portcullis would be closed and would only open to people who had undergone a lengthy check for weapons. That day, however, both portcullises were open, and the road was filled with dozens of vehicles. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. When I got to the Departure Courtyard in the early morning, hundreds of Cognoscenti (the NPCs that are aligned with GM) had flooded the area. Most of them were staff who were moving supplies in preparation for our departure or security who scanned the scene with growing concern, but some of the Cognoscenti present were excited onlookers who wanted to meet a Dark Apostle in person. More than half of the Dark Apostles were already present when I arrived. It was difficult for me to tell who exactly was present because every Apostle present was dressed in a long black cloak and grey metal mask. We all received a message the previous day that read: [CosmiCrow: The Identify Talent cannot determine your physical stats if you wear something that breaks up your silhouette. It also cannot determine your race and name if you wear something to conceal your face. When you¡¯re in front of the camera, wear something to prevent Identify from gleaning any information. We don¡¯t know who will be in the crowd, and we don¡¯t know who will be able to acquire the recordings of our departure. Remember, we¡¯re trying to keep our identities secret.] I had put on the clothes I had spawned in when I left that morning. I figured the long cloak would be sufficient to break up my silhouette. When I left my quarters, however, there was a long black cloak hanging from a bellhop trolley just outside. The other Dark Apostles had similarly found an enigmatic black cloak, evidently, as every Apostle present wore one. The fans had all aggregated to one side of the Departure Courtyard. All fifty-or-so fans crowded around four Dark Apostles who seemed to be more than happy to accommodate them. Bright flashes emanated from antique cameras, and pens scribbled autographs on any available surface. Three other Apostles were standing a good distance away from the four glory hounds. I approached the group of three Apostles and could tell immediately who was who. The woman with olive skin was Null, the woman with dyed hair was Katya, and the man with slicked-back hair was Melkior. ¡°I see the boys are having fun,¡± I said to the group of Dark Apostles on the sidelines. ¡°The fame is there whether we want it or not,¡± Katya, the Eighth Apostle, said. ¡°They might as well make the most of it.¡± ¡°Uh huh,¡± I said, looking sidelong at the first four Apostles. ¡°Just to make sure, they aren¡¯t signing their real names on those autographs, right?¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Melkior said. ¡°They¡¯re using their numbers.¡± At that moment, a Cognoscentum dressed in a worker¡¯s uniform approached us. A group of workers behind him was dragging a large crate on a wide rollable pallet. ¡°I¡¯m looking for the¡­ uh¡­ Thirteenth. Are you here, uh, my¡­ Lord?¡± The man dressed in worker¡¯s clothes asked the question to the four of us that stood away from the crowd of fans. I walked forward and pulled my shirt aside to reveal the XIII tattooed on my chest. I said, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me.¡± ¡°We were told to bring your supply crate for your inspection, my Lord,¡± the man said. By his tone of voice, I could tell that he did not know whether I was a man or a woman before I confirmed, and he was happy to see that his original assumption was correct. Map of Northern Rubigo This is a map of Northern Rubigo. The northern portion of the continent is less fertile than the rest of Rubigo, so it has a lower population density. This area is controlled by the Kingdom of Sondrith and the Duchy of Hinnom, each of which has its own Safe Zone and Patrician. Before the Fifth Deluge began, it was believed that the northern realms held a population between half a million and a million. It is suspected that about ten percent of this population has already been killed by roving bands of Deluvians that split off from the legions to the south. Compared to the Free Cities, the northern realms have been mostly untouched by the Fifth Deluge, but the Imperials of Hinnom and Sondrith know that it is only a matter of time before the monstrous hordes appear at their doorstep. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Chapter 36 - [Bushmaster M4A3 Carbine] ¡°Right, I remember asking for that,¡± I said. ¡°Bring the crate here.¡± I gestured to the area near my feet. It was difficult for me to see them through the slits in my metal mask. They put the large steel crate down and began the slow process of removing one of the box¡¯s sides. I knew that I could have torn the side off the crate with the slightest movement. Eventually, the side popped off the crate, revealing dozens of smaller containers held within. Each container was marked with words such as Food, Clothing, Tools, Explosives, Ammunition, and Guns. I reached in toward the container with the words Guns written on its side, but my hand couldn¡¯t quite reach. With a grunt of annoyance, I carefully grabbed the crate on both sides so as not to break it, and I lifted it up at a forty-five degree angle. The container got stuck for a moment, so I shook it like a box of mostly-empty cereal until the container started to slide toward me. I used my head to keep the crate elevated while I reached in to grab the container. I placed the gun container on the ground and then slowly placed the crate down on the pallet. When I removed my head from the crate, I saw that a look of awe had appeared on all of the Cognoscenti near me. Right, a five by five foot metal crate was supposed to be heavy, I remembered. It was amazing how quickly I had come to take my supernatural strength for granted. I tried to ignore the hushed prayers and statements of religious supplication as I knelt down to open the container. Two long guns sat inside the container. One was a Bushmaster M4A3 carbine, and the other was an M24A3 bolt-action sniper rifle. I removed the M4A3 carbine from its alcove within the mesh of the container. I removed the magazine from the magazine well and looked at the brass ammunition contained inside. As I expected, rounds of 5.56x45mm NATO ammo were held double-stacked inside of the magazine. Though, when I thought about it, NATO didn¡¯t exist in Ferrum. Each magazine could hold thirty rounds of supersonic, monster-killing ammunition. I slapped the magazine back into place and racked the bolt before grasping my hand loosely around the pistol grip and placing my hand on the barrel shroud. I checked the iron sights and the fire selector. The M4 was set to safe, but I could set it to semi or full-auto with a flick of my finger. I placed the assault rifle on the ground and reached for the sniper rifle. The M24 sniper rifle was chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum. I pulled the bolt back and chambered a brass bullet. Five heavy bullets could be held in detachable magazines, and each bullet was big enough to kill an elephant. At the top of the M24 was a long, fragile scope. Still inside the container sat a silencer and a detachable bipod. Oh, it was like Christmas. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. I carefully returned the sniper rifle to its alcove in the container before resealing it. I slung the assault carbine¡¯s sling around my shoulders. The process was quite difficult with my cloak, and I had to adjust my outfit a few times to get the sling all the way across. I fastened the carbine into a patrol carry position where it hung by my chest in such a way that I could grab and raise it to a ready position easily. Finally, I visually inspected the Beretta handgun that I had holstered at my hip. Perfect. I returned the container to the crate and gestured for the workers to reseal it. As I stood up, trying not to let my body language betray my giddiness, Melkior spoke. ¡°You really know your way around firearms. Were you a soldier?¡± ¡°Unless you count a few patrols with the local militia, no. I underwent basic training during the worst of the Three-Year War, and I¡¯ve been an avid gun collector ever since,¡± I said. ¡°I was never able to get my hands on this kind of hardware before, though.¡± Null chuckled lightly at my statement. Looking at her directly for the first time since I arrived at the West Keep, I saw that she was wearing black athletic pants and a black tucked-in long-sleeve shirt. Her hair was tied back in a short ponytail in order to keep her hair away from her mask. Null¡¯s outfit made her fade into the background somewhat. ¡°You look at a weapon of war like it¡¯s a cherished toy. It is very¡­¡± she stopped as if looking for the word, ¡°cute.¡± I hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but Null spoke with a fading Japanese accent. She also spoke the sentence in a strange way, making it clear to me that she was not a native English speaker. ¡°To us, this thing is a toy,¡± I said, tapping the stock of my carbine as I spoke. ¡°I could fire all thirty of these rounds at Melkior¡¯s head, and he would barely feel it.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Melkior said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste my mana.¡± It took the rest of us a few seconds to realize that Melkior had just told a joke. The other three of us laughed, and Melkior cleared his throat to stifle a chuckle of his own. Footsteps sounded out from the direction of the Vanguard Wall. I turned and saw five more Dark Apostles approaching. Based on the process of elimination, I knew that those five must be Crow, Fatima, Null, Poldra, and Kamil. Crow¡¯s voice cut through the low din of conversation that filled the Departure Courtyard. ¡°Hey, Apostles! It¡¯s time to mount up!¡± The four low-numbered Apostles looked over to the source of the voice and began to break away from the throngs of adoring fans. Sven had to put down the two young women he was carrying balanced on his biceps, and Kojiro had to step away from a woman he was clearly having an intimate conversation with. Kojiro pulled his shirt away to reveal the IV and put his hand to his ear in a clear ¡°call me¡± gesture. All thirteen of the Dark Apostles quickly formed up behind Crow who was quickly walking toward the outer portcullis of the Departure Courtyard. As I formed up with the others, I took in the image that we projected. Thirteen beings with supernatural power, all dressed in thick black cloaks and grey metal masks, walked across the Departure Courtyard with a purpose. It was undeniable. We truly looked like the bad guys. Map of the Kingdom of Mitrikova This is a map of the Kingdom of Mitrikova. Every settlement on this map save for Plexus to the north is controlled by Mitrikova. This kingdom was reportedly founded by the great hero, King Mitrikov, three hundred years before the First Deluge. Reliable written language was invented shortly before the birth of Nur and the creation of the Breach in the center of Rubigo, so vanishingly little is actually known about this time period. There was a major Nurite heresy during the Third Deluge which claimed that Ferrum was created at the moment of GM''s unsealing and everything before that point was merely an illusion created by the God of Machines. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Chapter 37 - [We Have Work to Do] ¡°As you command, Boss!¡± Kojiro shouted as he snapped a crisp salute in Crow¡¯s direction. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good,¡± Talwar said in a deepened voice. ¡°New standing order,¡± Crow said without looking back at Kojiro. ¡°If we¡¯re outside of Castle Bosporus, don¡¯t salute me.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Svenheim asked. ¡°We don¡¯t want our enemies to know who¡¯s in charge,¡± Crow said without explaining further. We reached a line of four limousines that had just arrived at the edge of the roundabout. I figured they were probably reinforced in order to hold the weight of several Apostles. ¡°Four in one limo, three in the other three,¡± Crow said tersely as she gestured to the limos. The four low-numbered Apostles boarded the first limo, and I boarded the second limo with Poldra and Dendrite. The windows of the limo were heavily tinted, so the three of us removed our masks a few seconds after the vehicle started moving. As the limo exited through the open portcullis and started traveling down the only road connecting Castle Bosporus to the outside world, I saw thousands of Cognoscenti fly past the window in an endless horde of support and adoration. A huge crowd rivaling Times Square on New Years Eve had accumulated in the sidewalks all the way from the City of Ternarus to Castle Bosporus. There must have been at least a mile of switchbacks and sparsely-developed land between the two areas. I couldn¡¯t fully comprehend the number of people that were present, but it must have been in the tens of thousands. All of them - at least, all that I could see - were cheering for the Dark Apostles. ¡°Wow, there sure are a lot of them. Poor bastards,¡± Poldra said as she shook her head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°They were told that the Dark Apostles were invincible demigods, and they got us,¡± Poldra explained. ¡°They got Kojiro,¡± Dendrite laughed. ¡°Before we get there, is there anything else I need to know? Crow was still talking when I left,¡± I said quickly. ¡°Oh yeah, that,¡± Poldra said offhandedly. ¡°Other than the ¡®genocide debate¡¯ between Melkior and Kamil, Crow mentioned that the only sure-fire way to kill Revenants is to cut their heads off.¡± ¡°A bit dark,¡± I said with a grimace. ¡°Well, we¡¯re deploying to an area filled with Revenants. We might be forced to kill a few.¡± I was disturbed by the casualness in Poldra¡¯s voice. As she spoke, she reached into a nearby mini-fridge and removed a bottle of champagne and a glass. ¡°Crow also talked about Shadow Magic.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Oh?¡± I said, intrigued. ¡°Shadow Magic is teleportation,¡± Poldra said as she poured herself a glass of champagne. ¡°It¡¯s way easier than Battle Aura. To use Shadow Magic, you just click on the ability and choose a location you¡¯ve already been. There¡¯s a drop-down menu and everything. You lose a hundred mana, and you teleport. Easy-peasy.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s how GM gets around, isn¡¯t it?¡± I said, wagging a finger. ¡°Yeah,¡± Poldra confirmed, ¡°and our close connection to GM allows us to use the power. Convenient, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Well,¡± I said, scratching my chin, ¡°I¡¯m not gonna turn down at-will teleportation.¡± The vehicle came to a stop. We looked outside and saw that the limo had stopped in the center of Ternarus. Buildings loomed above us, and a structure that could only be the Town Hall stood a few dozen feet beyond the limousine¡¯s doors. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, my lords,¡± a voice said from the direction of the front of the limo. We once again covered our faces with the metal masks before we exited the vehicle. The entire town square of Ternarus - an area easily big enough to hold a football stadium - was filled with cheering Cognoscenti. As we exited, we saw the other ten Apostles exit their limos nearby. I raised my hand to wave at the crowd on impulse, and a ripple of enthusiasm traveled through the crowd near us. As I looked out at the huge crowd of adoring fans, I also saw a much smaller - almost nonexistent - group of people standing more than a hundred feet away from where we stopped. Some of them wore bandanas over their faces, and some waved cardboard signs. The signs said things like ¡°Stop The War¡± or ¡°Call Off The Deluvians,¡± though a few of the signs were written in Iron Script. There couldn¡¯t have been more than a dozen of them. Were these the ¡°protesters¡± that they had mentioned on the news two nights before? They were so far away that I could only see them because of my Enhanced Vision. The thirteen of us were herded to a raised platform a few yards away from where the limos had stopped. Svenheim stepped in the center of the platform and jumped a few times to make sure it was sturdy enough to hold an Apostle. Seeing that Svenheim didn¡¯t immediately fall through, the rest of us slowly stepped atop the platform. A graphic had been printed on the ground of the platform. Thirteen red circles were laid out on the ground, and each circle held a number. Staggered slightly with odd-numbered Apostles standing in front of even-numbered Apostles, we lined up in numerical order. Within seconds of me finding my place at the far-left side of the line, dozens of cameras were flashing in front of me. Some of the contraptions facing us were recording, and others were taking still shots. Some Cognoscenti was talking - I think he was some kind of elected official in Merkopia - but I wasn¡¯t listening. I zoned out and spent about a minute absentmindedly adjusting the strap on my carbine before I felt Dendrite¡¯s hand lightly slap my upper arm. I turned to him. ¡°Hey, Enzo. Show your tattoo,¡± Dendrite whispered to me. I saw that he and Poldra were pulling their shirts away to reveal the Roman numerals printed on their collarbones. I did the same, pulling the carbine to one side as I did so. There were a few flashes, and I allowed my shirt to readjust and cover my chest as soon as I saw the others do the same. I was not particularly interested in the event. They were all NPCs, after all. The elected official stepped in front of us and began to give an impassioned speech to the crowd that - for the life of me - I can¡¯t remember. About thirty seconds into the speech, Crow started to walk off the stage and, at a volume loud enough for us all to hear, said, ¡°Get back to the vehicles, we have work to do.¡± Map of Southern Rubigo This is a map of southern Rubigo. This part of the world is controlled primarily by the Shogunate of Yomotsu. One can generally tell which cities are under Yomotsu''s direct control based on the city''s name. If the city uses its name in the Common tongue, then it is at least partially independent of the Shogunate. If the city primarily goes by its Japanese name, then it is a direct vassal of Yomotsu. Everything south of the Shinkai Mountains is controlled by the Shogunate, and the Sanzu Clan has recently (over the last hundred years) started expanding beyond the mountains. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Chapter 38 - [A Complicated Question] Within seconds, we had all re-entered the limousines and were driving toward our next destination. Our driver hesitated for a moment as the car in front of ours pulled forward, but he started pulling forward when Poldra firmly commanded him to, ¡°Follow them.¡± We had soon left downtown Ternarus, and the crowds quickly disappeared in the rear window. ¡°I feel like that was supposed to take longer,¡± Dendrite said with a faint hint of worry in his voice. ¡°Who cares?¡± Poldra said as she picked up the glass of champagne she had stored in a cup holder specially-made for champagne glasses. ¡°We¡¯re, like, in charge, right? Hey, driver,¡± Poldra spoke in the direction of the front of the vehicle¡¯s interior cabin. ¡°Are we in charge of Merkopia?¡± After a few seconds, a low hum emanated from the dark glass divider between us and the driver. The same voice as before said, ¡°Umm, are you referring to the Dark Apostles?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Poldra said. ¡°That¡¯s a complicated question, ma¡¯am,¡± the driver said diplomatically. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m qualified to answer it.¡± ¡°Just give me your opinion, then,¡± Poldra said. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t get mad.¡± I definitely heard an audible gulp come from the other side of the divider. The driver said, ¡°The nation of Merkopia follows the will of GM, and the Dark Apostles are conduits of that will. Not even the Prelate would dare to refuse your commands.¡± ¡°Eh,¡± Poldra shrugged. ¡°Good enough for me.¡± The three of us rode in that limo for the next twenty minutes. It was a much longer distance between Ternarus and our next destination than between Castle Bosporus and Ternarus. We didn¡¯t talk about anything in particular, and I forgot precisely what was said. I regret that I cannot recall our conversation now, because that was one of the last conversations I was able to have with other Dark Apostles before any of us had stained our hands with innocent blood. When the doors to the vehicle next opened, we were parked next to a large semi-circular structure made out of corrugated sheet metal. The structure rose about fifty feet into the air, and a large rectangular door was built into the flat side of the structure. On the ground near one side the structure was a long airstrip that seemed sufficiently long for a passenger airplane to land. Beyond the semi-circular structure were several other buildings such as a barracks and a watchtower. I had known we were going to a military air base, but I was surprised that it looked like it was from World War II. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Inside of the large metal structure were two large cargo airplanes. The planes were painted in a green military camouflage that would probably blend well with a temperate forest, and each one was being loaded with the large metal crates that some of us had packed the night before. We dismounted from the limousines sluggishly. Some of the other Apostles were stretching after having to sit still for longer than their new bodies were accustomed and others were looking at the cargo planes in awe. It was one thing to know that the world of Ferrum was more technologically than normal, and it was another thing to really see it. ¡°Okay,¡± Crow started saying as soon as she exited her vehicle. ¡°Remember, the south team¡¯s in plane one and the north team¡¯s in plane two.¡± She gestured to the plane to the left first and then the plane to the right. ¡°South team is Melkior, Svenheim, Dendrite, Enzo, Null, and Katya. The rest of you are with me in the other plane.¡± Naturally, I remembered the plan that Crow had laid out the previous day. We would take two airplanes into Rubigo. One would go south and hit Osiris, Threshold, and New Arcadia. The other would hit Fulvang and the area surrounding it. We were herded by Crow and the staff toward two separate changing rooms as olive drab jumpsuits were pushed into our hands. I didn¡¯t quite understand what all the hurry was about. We weren¡¯t going to blitzkrieg the Revenants and kill them while they were weak (even though that¡¯s what Talwar wanted). We were merely deploying to Rubigo to contain them in the starting cities and prepare for future negotiations. I was ferried to a relatively small changing room with the seven other male Dark Apostles. It must have been less cramped in the girls¡¯ changing room since there were only five of them and eight of us. As we changed into our jumpsuits, Kojiro complained loudly. ¡°For 48 Strength, I¡¯m not nearly as ripped as I would like. I mean, come on. I should have abs and bulging biceps.¡± Kojiro¡¯s statement got my brain going. I looked down at my shirtless form and was somewhat surprised by my lack of visible muscle definition. While my body didn¡¯t have any excess fat, I didn¡¯t have the build of a bodybuilder. ¡°You know, Kojiro,¡± Araki said as he slipped his jumpsuit over one shoulder. ¡°Abs and bulging biceps are created as a result of muscle. These bodies are new. They haven¡¯t strained their muscles. Plus, I don¡¯t know about you, but I haven¡¯t run into anything yet that has forced me to exert myself.¡± ¡°So we need to go bench press refrigerators, gotcha,¡± Kojiro said with a smile. We all regrouped in the hangar within a few minutes. All of us were dressed in olive drab jumpsuits that tucked into our boots and holding duffel bags in our hands. We had packed the clothes, cloaks, and masks we brought with us into the duffel bags. Staff soon arrived to take our duffel bags and begin putting parachutes on our backs. I looked at the parachutes and noticed that they were much larger than normal single-person parachutes. The devices they slipped on our backs were modified cargo parachutes that were originally used to drop heavy crates of goods when necessary. The parachute¡¯s attachment system had been heavily modified, but its deployment system was exactly the same. Such a huge parachute would be overkill for a normal person but was absolutely necessary for an Apostle like me. Map of Merkopia This is a map of the Island of Merkopia. The island is about 250 miles long, and it holds the bulk of the Deluvians'' production capacity. The people who live here worship technology, so they view the development and creation of weapons of war as spiritual tasks. Though the Cognoscenti generally love working in military factories, they cannot actually utilize most of the weapons they create, for they are bound by the Edict of Iron just like the Imperials of Rubigo. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. To the far south of Merkopia is Castle Bosporus and the City of Ternarus. While these two locations hold significant importance, Ternarus is not considered the capital of Merkopia. The city of Asphodel far to the north is the most populous city in addition to being the island nation''s capital. About thirty thousand Cognoscenti live in Ternarus, nearly half a million live in Asphodel. Chapter 39 - [A Very Valuable Asset] The workers at the air base fitted a heavy parachute onto my back, and I was forced to carry my M4 assault carbine in one hand. We lined up as the staff checked our parachutes and jumpsuits. I was standing next to Null and Kojiro, and they spoke to each other in Japanese as we waited. I didn¡¯t understand any of what they were saying, but I heard them use the English word for ¡°game¡± several times. One of the workers made a thumbs up gesture, and Crow gestured for all of us to enter our respective cargo planes. Before we split up for the foreseeable future, Crow had one last thing to say to us. ¡°We¡¯ll meet up again on November 10th. Just make sure to not die before then. Our goal is survival; remember that.¡± On that uplifting note, I started to walk toward the vehicle that would ferry me to Rubigo. Katya, Null, Dendrite, Svenheim, Melkior, and I entered the cargo plane through a large boarding ramp at the back of the plane. The interior of the cargo plane was filled with sharp corners and countless straps. Four seats lined each side of the plane, and three of the large metal crates occupied the center of the plane¡¯s interior. I could tell that there had been many more seats previously, but they must have removed some of the seats to better handle the increased density of the Apostles. Other than the metal crates, the rear compartment of the plane was a lot more open than I would have otherwise expected. There must have been close to twenty feet between one row of seats and the other. In addition, the metal crates had been strapped to a long cord that was attached to the ceiling of our compartment. The six of us got to our seats, and we quickly fastened the various harnesses that would hold us to the seat. Because I was part of the second pair to jump, I was seated in the middle seat between Melkior and Null. On the other side of the cargo plane sat Svenheim, Dendrite, and Katya. The boarding ramp closed soon after we fastened our harnesses, and we began to taxi toward a runway with surprising speed. I gripped the harness with one hand and the carbine with my other. ¡°That thing¡¯s on Safe, right?¡± Melkior asked with a smirk. He really had to be Mr. Comedian on that day. ¡°Yes, of course,¡± I said. Fear appeared in my tone. I couldn¡¯t immediately recall what I was afraid of. The idea of deploying in a military aircraft was somewhat intimidating. The Revenants did have firearms, after all. It wasn¡¯t that much of a stretch to think that they might have anti-air guns. Before I could think about my fear any longer, the aircraft began to accelerate. I was pushed sideways by the Gs for about thirty seconds before the acceleration subsided. When I was finally able to get my mind off of the motion sickness several minutes later, I looked out one of the windows. We were many thousands of feet in the air, and we were just about to hit the coastline. I could see all of southern Merkopia from the height we had reached. To the south I could see the discolored splotches that marked Ternarus and the surrounding environs. To the north I could see several other vaguely-outlined metropolitan areas and the beginnings of a mountain range. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Beyond the massive shape of Merkopia that dominated the view was an endless ocean. It completely surrounded the island, and nothing I saw suggested it would ever end. We soon left Merkopia behind, and the view out the windows became nothing but endless water. An hour passed with nothing but boundless ocean under our feet. Null, Melkior, and I talked about nothing in particular for an hour before Melkior turned his head to the pilot¡¯s compartment and asked, ¡°Hey, pilot. What are you going to do after you drop us off? Are you going to return to Fort Durden, or what?¡± A few seconds of silence passed before there was a buzz and a man¡¯s voice came in through the intercom. ¡°It is highly unlikely that I will be able to return to Merkopia safely. Once I finish my mission, I intend to parachute into an area that might hold an outpost of Cognoscenti who are still loyal to GM.¡± ¡°There are a lot of ¡®mights¡¯ in that plan,¡± Melkior called back. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just¡­? Wait.¡± Melkior grabbed his head as he remembered something. ¡°We can bring people with us when we teleport with Shadow Magic. Why isn¡¯t the plan for you to jump out with the girls and teleport back with Katya?¡± ¡°W-we didn¡¯t want to impose on¡­¡± the pilot began to say sheepishly. ¡°It¡¯s not an imposition,¡± Melkior sighed. ¡°You can fly a plane; you¡¯re a very valuable asset to us. We would very much prefer to be inconvenienced than lose such a valuable soldier. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the pilot said. Even over the intercom, I could tell that he was tearing up. ¡°Thank you, my Lord. I will remember this for the rest of my life.¡± ¡°You can call me Melkior, if you like. Otherwise, Kevin Avery works as well,¡± Melkior said with a smile. ¡°Kevin Avery? Are you telling a joke, Lord Melkior?¡± the pilot asked. ¡°Something like that,¡± Melkior said. He gestured a hand toward the pilot¡¯s compartment, and the sound cut out. ¡°Your name is Kevin Avery?¡± Null asked with a slight giggle. ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡± Melkior responded cooly. ¡°That is funny,¡± Null said. ¡°You have such a severe and threatening username, but your real name is so normal.¡± ¡°I just realized that I don¡¯t know the real names of you two,¡± Melkior said to Null and I. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you?¡± I asked. I could have sworn I had told Melkior my name back in Osiris. Oh, right. He was already dead when I told everyone my name. ¡°My real name is Geoffrey Lachlan; that¡¯s ¡®Geoffrey¡¯ with a ¡®G,¡¯ by the way.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Melkior looked toward Null. ¡°My name is Akari Sato,¡± Null said with a smile. ¡°Is that the American way or the Japanese way?¡± I gestured with my fingers, trying to tactfully ask if her first name was Akari or Sato. Null laughed at my gestures. ¡°The American way, of course. My first name is Akari.¡± ¡°Good, good,¡± I said. I looked out the window and saw that the view had changed completely. Where there had once been nothing but endless water, there was a massive landmass, which was significantly larger than the last one I had seen. Mountain ranges, rivers, farmlands, and dozens of settlements could be seen on the landmass that had just entered view. We had reached Rubigo. Chapter 40 - [Almost the Size of Europe] Above the Kingdom of Mitrikova 11:11 A.M. Within a few minutes, we had flown over the coastline of eastern Rubigo. Dozens of small grey splotches below us told of countless small settlements, each holding thousands of Imperials. The fear of being shot down re-entered my mind, and I wondered if I would be able to escape the plane in the event of serious damage. Ferrum Online had a magic system, I thought, so it wouldn¡¯t be too far out of the realm of possibility for some Imperial down there to cast some lightning bolt or fireball big enough to take down an airplane. Perhaps there was some Patrician down there who could do the job. Could I shatter a window and jump out if we started falling? Sure, it would be impossible for a normal human, but I could probably do it. Melkior let out a low whistle. ¡°That¡¯s Rubigo, then? It¡¯s pretty big for a video game.¡± ¡°How big is Rubigo, anyway?¡± I asked, trying to get my mind off of the thought of crashing. Null answered my question. ¡°Rubigo is a roughly circular continent with a diameter of fifteen hundred miles.¡± ¡°Fifteen hundred miles¡­¡± I said to myself. It was a number so large that it didn¡¯t really mean anything to my primitive brain. Fifteen hundred miles was definitely a lot, but I couldn¡¯t really comprehend it without some reference. ¡°How big is that?¡± Melkior closed his eyes as if thinking for a moment before saying, ¡°That¡¯s slightly longer than the length of Alaska north to south. It¡¯s also slightly shorter than the distance from Ireland to Ukraine.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± I said. I was impressed that Melkior knew that off the top of his head. ¡°Oh, yeah, I remember that line,¡± Null said. ¡°That was the line IGN used when describing the side of Rubigo.¡± ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t have to tell him that,¡± Melkior sulked. He was clearly saddened that Null had taken away his chance to seem smart in front of the other Dark Apostles. ¡°Almost the size of Europe¡­¡± I said, lost in thought. We flew for several more hours. Hundreds of miles flew beneath us, and no one tried to shoot us out of the sky. Null and Melkior talked about the magic system for much of the trip, but I wasn¡¯t listening for most of the conversation. I wanted to really get a handle on the physicality of this new body before I started screwing around with any magic. Plus, I never really used casters when I played RPGs. I was more of a fighter class kind of guy, honestly. Then, the pilot¡¯s voice came on over the loudspeaker. ¡°We are approaching the drop point thirty miles south of Osiris City. If you are dropping, please move to the launch area now.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s my stop,¡± Melkior said casually as he unfastened the safety harness. He stood up just as Svenheim got to his feet. ¡°Pilot!¡± Melkior turned to shout at the intercom system. ¡°Make sure you drop with Null and Katya. I want to see you back at Castle Bosporus tomorrow, do you understand?¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± the pilot said without hesitation. Fervent loyalty dripped from his voice. Svenheim stuck a tongue out at Melkior as he lightly placed a hand on the outermost crate. This crate held the supplies that Svenheim would use for the foreseeable future. At a volume such that I had to rely on my enhanced hearing to perceive, Svenheim said, ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be villains, remember?¡± The boarding ramp started to open, and the sound of roaring wind filled the compartment. Our jumpsuits fluttered in the wind, and anything not fastened down jerked and slapped, yet the two Dark Apostles in the center of the compartment did not budge. They were stones in a typhoon. ¡°One man¡¯s villain is another man¡¯s hero, eh?¡± Melkior said with a devilish smile. Vague philosophical statements like that greatly annoyed Svenheim, and Melkior knew it. I could tell that Melkior was trying to take some minor revenge on Svenheim for preventing him from being the team leader. ¡°God,¡± Svenheim squeezed his eyes tight. ¡°I hope we don¡¯t have to spend too much time together.¡± Just then, the boarding ramp finished opening, and the dull red lights on the walls of the compartment turned a bright green. The pilot¡¯s voice came in through the intercom, ¡°Jump! Go! Go! Go!¡± Svenheim gripped the large metal crate and pushed it out the back of the plane. A moment after the crate exited the plane, a large cargo parachute unfurled above it, quickly slowing its downward momentum. As soon as the crate and its parachute cleared the exit ramp, Svenheim turned and pointed at the rest of us with two finger guns. He took a few steps backward and flung himself off of the exit ramp. With a sigh, Melkior casually walked off the exit ramp as if he was stepping off a sidewalk into grass. He took three normal steps and, on the fourth step, disappeared downward. With each departure, I felt the cargo plane raise up in the air as it lost a significant amount of its payload. Luckily, the pilot was able to get the plane back in control each time the plane shifted. The exit ramp started slowly closing seconds after Melkior dropped out the back. It made me wonder if the pilot had a mirror or rear-view camera that he could use to make sure that the two Dark Apostles had dropped. Though, thinking about it, he probably knew based on the bouts of turbulence. ¡°Do you think swimming is possible?¡± Null asked a few seconds after the exit ramp closed. ¡°Huh?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°Sorry, I mean to ask, can we swim with our¡­ denseness?¡± Null tried to formulate the question in a way that makes sense. ¡°Oh, yeah. The word is ¡®density,¡¯ by the way. Probably not. Humans are barely buoyant as it is. Some soldiers at D-day drowned because their helmets were too heavy. Considering that we have the density of metal, I¡¯d say no. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°I was thinking about it as we flew over the water.¡± As Null spoke, I could see a distinct anxiety in her eyes. ¡°If we had fallen into the water, we probably would have drowned.¡± Great, a new thing to be worried about. I looked out the window once more, and I saw the great crack in the ground that bisected the City of Osiris. Looking at it from the air, the Chasm dwarfed Osiris in size. I could easily trace that three-hundred-yard-wide crack in the ground from one side of the horizon to the other. Melkior and Crow had started referring to it as the Eastern Chasm to differentiate it from the three others. After another hour of flying, something new came to dominate the view. It was the place where the four cracks in the ground met each other in the center of Rubigo. It was where GM had broken out of his prison deep beneath the planet¡¯s surface. The people of Ferrum called it the Breach. Chapter 41 - [The Power Ceiling] Above the Free Cities 3:25 P.M. At the most basic level, the Breach was a giant hole in the ground. This description, of course, is insufficient to accurately describe it. The Breach was hundreds of miles in diameter. It was surrounded by a circular mountain range of unnatural, jagged peaks and uninhabitable grey valleys. The peaks of the mountains were so high that they were covered in unmelted snow, though the land below was still a vibrant green. Despite their monumental height, the mountains were miniscule compared to the Breach. From the cargo plane¡¯s vantage point, we could see beyond the mountain range. The Breach extended out into the horizon, and I couldn¡¯t see even a hint of its end. The thing about a hole that big is that Ferrum curved at about the same rate as Earth. From ground level, the horizon on Ferrum terminated at about 3 miles. From five thousand feet up, the horizon terminated at about 90 miles. Even at that altitude, I could only perceive half of the Breach. The experience was made all the more surreal by the fact that I could not see its bottom. Steam obscured the interior of the Breach, though I supposed it would be more accurate to call them clouds. The steam rose higher in the air closer to the center of the Breach, creating a colossal column of steam in the center of the continent. The massive column slowly rotated like a massive, contained hurricane. Some thermodynamic process at the bottom of the Breach must have caused water to vaporize and turn to steam. The steam reminded me of the Khyber River I saw during my brief time in Osiris City. It was a wide river that was probably big enough to sail a small ship on, but it didn¡¯t flow into the ocean. Instead, the Khyber River flowed into the Eastern Chasm, from where it would probably flow into the Breach. Seeing the Breach made me think of the map that Melkior had shown me. The four Chasms connected the ocean surrounding Rubigo to the Breach. Did the water flow from the ocean into the Breach? Once it did so, would the water turn to steam and return to the air as vapor? I couldn¡¯t be sure without looking closely at one of the Chasms. Overall, looking at the Breach from the sky was like looking at a sunken sea of clouds. I felt like if I were to fall into the Breach, I would never stop falling. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Null said from beside me. I couldn¡¯t put it better myself. The Breach was essentially the cause of all Rubigo¡¯s problems. It changed the ecosystem and climate, and it was the cause of the five Deluges. Yet, the Breach had an undeniable ephemeral beauty. A part of my brain wondered if this aesthetic appreciation for the Breach had been placed in my mind by GM. Poldra¡¯s stolen addiction still loomed large in my mind. After a few more minutes of flight, the Southern Chasm, a long crack to the south of the Breach, appeared over the horizon. Dendrite and I would drop over Threshold City, which was a few miles east of the Southern Breach. ¡°Did GM really create the Breach five hundred years ago?¡± Null asked with her eyes locked on the massive hole that dominated our view out of the plane¡¯s windows. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°I doubt it,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just flavor text GM added when he took over. There¡¯s no way the guy we fought in the Great Hall is actually strong enough to crack the planet¡¯s crust.¡± ¡°Maybe, I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Null said, deep in thought. ¡°Melkior, Fatima, and I tried out some high-level spells yesterday. The things we can do with magic are¡­ ¡®cataclysmic.¡¯ That¡¯s what Melk said.¡± Melk, huh? I hadn¡¯t thought to shorten his name. The nickname almost made his username sound cute. ¡°If we can cut the sky itself and summon the power of a hurricane with a few words, how strong is GM? How high does the power ceiling go?¡± Null asked. I couldn¡¯t give her an answer. I didn¡¯t even know how strong I was at the time. I certainly didn¡¯t know how strong GM was. Even my physical strength was a mystery to me. I had easily lifted a several-ton slab of metal and jumped dozens of feet into the air, yet that didn¡¯t even begin to strain my 48 Strength muscles. Perhaps my first meeting with my legion would give me a chance to see the peak of my physical strength. As I expected, the pilot¡¯s voice came on over the intercom a minute later. ¡°We are approaching Threshold City. If you are dropping here, please step onto the launch area now.¡± Dendrite and I rose from our reinforced chairs. I approached the metal crate closest to the exit ramp and placed a hand on one of its corners. Dendrite stood on the other end of the crate. He made sure to stand out of the way of the path the crate would take to exit the plane. As I looked at Dendrite closely, I noticed that he had a mace made out of black metal hooked to his belt. I would later learn that this was called a ¡°flanged mace.¡± At the time, I thought that Dendrite¡¯s mace was the same kind of mace that Sauron used at the beginning of the Fellowship of the Ring. The head of the mace was not perfectly spherical but was rather composed of a central sphere and six thin outward protrusions. I didn¡¯t know much about melee weapons, but I figured that Dendrite¡¯s mace would be good at penetrating armor. Dendrite¡¯s mace wasn¡¯t particularly strange. Every Apostle present was carrying some form of weapon. I was carrying an assault carbine in one hand and a pistol on a holster latched to my belt. The exit ramp started to open, and the passengers¡¯ compartment was once again filled with the sound of a gale. Ten seconds passed before the exit ramp finished opening and the pilot¡¯s voice said, ¡°Go, go, go!¡± I pushed off on the metal crate with one hand. As expected, I barely had to use any strength to throw the crate out of the back of the plane. The parachute deployed successfully, and the crate¡¯s velocity was slowed after it fell a few dozen feet. After I pushed the crate out the back of the plane, I found myself standing on the precipice of the exit ramp. The momentum of pushing the crate almost caused me to fall out, and I stepped back from the exit ramp automatically. I had never previously had a problem with heights, so I thought that jumping out the back of the plane would be easy. Yet, the sheer amount of space between me and the ground, the vertiginous feeling of nausea that filled my body as I stood there, and the sense that the entire world was looking up at me gave me pause. I turned to the other Apostles in the compartment with a fearful smile on my face. Great. I had to be the first one to falter. I began to say, ¡°I think I might need a¡­¡± A jolt of fear shot through me as I saw that Dendrite was standing less than two feet behind me. Dendrite said, ¡°No time for hesitation, big guy. We¡¯ll miss our drop.¡± As Dendrite spoke, he reached forward and grabbed me under the armpits. He lifted me in the air like I was a toddler and started to swing me backwards. ¡°Wai¡­¡± was all I was able to enunciate before Dendrite threw me out the back of the cargo plane. Chapter 42 - [True Ending] Above the City of Threshold 3:50 P.M. There were a few things I hadn¡¯t realized until I was pushed out of an airplane. A human body falls a lot faster than it does in the movies. I figured I would have a second or two to look at Dendrite before I fell out of sight. In reality, I fell like a bag of hammers, and I lost sight of Dendrite the moment I fell out of the plane. I swore at the top of my lungs in the direction of the plane, but the sound of whipping air stole my words before they could reach Dendrite. Another aspect of skydiving I wasn¡¯t prepared for was the lack of control. Whenever I adjusted the angle of my body, it caused my trajectory downward to change in some unexpected way. Panic and inexperience caused me to try to right myself, but that simply would not work. I naturally tried to point my legs downward, but that wasn¡¯t a stable resting position with my body¡¯s aerodynamics. I felt like I was re-learning how to swim by jumping into the pool. My enhanced strength and uncoordinated flailing caused me to enter a frantic tumble. I must have spun end over end more than a dozen times. The fear only grew as I realized that I was completely out of control, and I was on a terminal collision course with the ground below. Death quickly approached. If I couldn¡¯t stop myself from spinning before I hit the ground, I could die. Once I realized that I was in a vicious cycle, I was able to calm myself. Fear caused me to flail my arms and legs, that flailing caused me to spin, and that spinning made me afraid. I could solve my predicament, I thought, but I would have to calm down first. I took a deep breath, and my fear disappeared. I had always been good at controlling my own fear. While it would come fast, I could at least dispel it just as quickly. Within seconds, I stopped spinning through the air, and my body naturally took on a position where my back was to the ground and my limbs were splayed outward. Slowly, I flipped my body over as if I was turning over in bed. With my eyes now once again pointed at the ground, I saw something horrifying. I had already fallen more than half of the distance to the ground. I was close enough to the ground to see individual trees. I grabbed the ripcord fluttering in the wind and yanked it as hard as I could. A loud fluttering sound like a tarp blowing in the wind emanated from behind me as the parachute deployed. I was pulled strongly upward, and my body was yanked into a standing position. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. My body slowed to a healthy speed, and I breathed out a sigh of relief. I didn¡¯t want to test out whether this new body of mine could survive an impact at terminal velocity. By the time I had slowed, I could see the top of a canopy of trees less than a hundred feet below me. I had cut it a bit too close for comfort. I looked around at the airspace around me. Perhaps, I would be able to see Dendrite or the metal crate as they descended to the ground. Unfortunately, I could not see either of their parachutes, even with my enhanced vision. There were a few clouds in the sky, and the other two parachutes must have been behind them. My feet touched the ground, and my knees bent slightly as they absorbed the impact of the landing. The speed of landing wasn¡¯t necessarily harmful, but it wasn¡¯t comfortable either. It felt like I had fallen from about ten feet in the air. One corner of the parachute came to rest atop a small tree, causing many of the parachute¡¯s suspension lines to become tangled in the tree¡¯s branches and trunk. I thought briefly about removing the parachute from the tree but decided against it. Instead, I unhooked the clasps securing the parachute to my chest and shrugged the parachute off my shoulders. After stepping away from the tangle of the parachute, I knelt down and rubbed my fingers against the dirt under my feet. It had taken me a few days, but I had come back to Rubigo. The ground under my feet was the same ground that supported the other 30,000 players on the server. Perhaps we could work together, I thought. I had mostly come to accept that peace would be impossible considering the circumstances, but a part of me held out hope that there was some unseen element that would allow for peace. Maybe there was some True Ending where the Dark Apostles wouldn¡¯t have to die, and the Revenants wouldn¡¯t have to be contained to the starting cities. More likely, I thought, they would kill me and tear my key out of my chest. I sighed. I slipped my M4 over my back and started walking. We had figured that some Apostles would be separated during the drop, so we created a system for reunification. The crates were set to release green smoke once they touched the ground. The plan was for the dropped Apostles to regroup at the crate. My sightlines at my landing zone were blocked by tall trees. A thin layer of leaves had formed on the ground, and the leaves that still remained on the trees were orange or yellow. A gust of wind blew through the autumn forest, rustling the bright leaves and chilling my body. The jumpsuit kept me relatively warm in the cold air, but I really wanted to find the winter clothes I left in the crate soon. I rotated in a circle and saw a house a few hundred yards away from where I had landed. The tree cover also became less obvious in that direction, so I decided to start walking that way. After walking for about a minute, the quiet sound of tingling bells rang out in my brain. I had just received a message. I closed my eyes in order to check the message. Chapter 43 - [Green Smoke] After a moment, I was able to navigate to the Direct Message function within my Menu. I had received a message from Dendrite. [Dendrite4: Hey, Enzo. Where did you land? Do you see the green smoke?] I looked around at the area around me for a few seconds before I responded. Tall leafy trees blocked my vision in just about all directions. [EnzoTheBaker: I¡¯m in a forest. The trees are blocking my vision.] [Dendrite4: I see. Try to get somewhere with better sightlines. We should both be able to see the green smoke soon.] I had only landed a few minutes ago. It was possible that the metal crate had simply not landed yet. Even if the crate had landed by that point, it was unlikely that the green smoke would have risen high enough for us to see it. I opened my eyes and began to walk toward the collection of structures that had been built beyond the tree line. I wrapped my hand around the grip of my carbine and brought it up to low ready. As I entered the small outpost of civilization, I immediately noticed that it was completely abandoned. There were about a dozen structures within that little settlement, yet I saw absolutely no signs of activity. I strained my ears for a moment, but I could not hear any movement from within the buildings. I kicked open the door to one of the buildings and entered with my gun raised. I quickly checked every room, but I did not find any people. The only thing of note I found there was evidence of a frantic departure. Everything with practical or sentimental value had been removed from the house, but there was no evidence that it had been ransacked. Whoever had lived in that house had fled from something. Once I had seen everything within the house, I stepped back out the front doors and walked toward the dirt road that cut through the center of the settlement. A single blue sign stood beside that road. The sign, like all of the other traffic signs I had seen back in Osiris City, was written in the inscrutable alphabet used by the Imperials. To the best of my recollection, I believe the sign read: ???????¡¯????? ???¡¯?? 2 ??¡¯?? ¡ü Author''s note: I apologize for forcing you to decipher my handwriting. This typewriter does not come with a typeset for Iron Script. At the time, I had absolutely no knowledge of Iron Script. The top line of the sign meant absolutely nothing to me, and the only parts of the lower line that I could decipher were the two and the arrow pointing upward. Visually, the sign was identical to the traffic signs that I was used to on Earth, so I could infer some information. There was some location that was two distance units in the direction of the arrow. Without further information, I shrugged my shoulders and started walking down that dirt road. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. After a few minutes of walking, the number of trees around me began to lessen significantly. My sightlines opened up, and I started passing a number of buildings that were erected on each side of the road. The dirt road soon gave way to a paved road, and the buildings started to look nicer. The buildings were still abandoned. I soon spotted a pillar of green smoke rising into the air. At about a twenty-degree angle from the road, I saw the smoke. I stepped off the road and began to walk in the smoke¡¯s direction. With one eye closed to use my Menu, I tapped a message out to Dendrite with my hand that wasn¡¯t gripping my carbine. [EnzoTheBaker: I¡¯ve spotted the green smoke. I¡¯m walking toward it now.] [Dendrite4: Great! Where is it? I¡¯m still in a forest.] [EnzoTheBaker: I don¡¯t know, man. The thing landed near the City of Threshold, I think? Start heading in the direction of denser buildings, and you should be able to find it.] [Dendrite4: Okay. Got it.] I continued walking in the direction of the smoke. My carbine remained in the low-ready position as I walked. If some threat showed itself, I would be ready to engage. The M4 was essentially decorative, though. Any threat I was aware of could only harm me after several minutes of concerted effort. Even the power of a Dark Apostle could not easily break through Battle Aura. Plus, the force I could apply with my fist was probably stronger than any bullet that could be used by small arms. The metal crate had landed in the backyard of a three-story house. I approached slowly and peered around a corner as I arrived at the location of the crate¡¯s landing zone. When I finally put my eyes on the metal crate, I saw that three Goblins had congregated around it. They held bolt-action rifles in gnarled hands, and they wore ragged clothing that merely approximated the kind of clothing worn by humans. Their skin was a light green color, and their noses were closer to pigs¡¯ snouts than that of humans. Just as I had done several times before, I leaned out of cover and began firing at the Deluvians. With extreme speed and deadly precision, I put two bullets into the chest of every Goblin near the metal crate. None of them had fully realized what was happening before the last Goblin fell to the ground. It was all over in less than two seconds. Screaming and thrashing like dying animals, the Goblins collapsed to the ground and died. I rose from my firing position and began to jog toward the metal crate. By the time I reached it, the last of the three Goblins had already died and begun turning into undifferentiated ash. As I peered down at the disintegrating corpses, I noticed that a roman numeral XIII had been branded on one of their shoulders. It was then that I realized my mistake. I activated my Direct Message function. [EnzoTheBaker: Do you hear the sound of gunshots?] [Dendrite4: Yeah?] [EnzoTheBaker: That¡¯s me. Come toward the sound of gunfire.] [Dendrite4: What are you shooting at?] [EnzoTheBaker: Some Goblins. [Dendrite4: Why?] [EnzoTheBaker: Muscle memory. I kind of forgot that we¡¯re allies now.] [Dendrite4: Okay. On my way.] Timeline: 2023 - 2035 Written: November 3rd, 2035 Naomi Kassab This document was created by Dr. Fatima Kassab. The purpose of this document is to illustrate the recent history of the World of Revenants (Earth) for the people of Ferrum. This document will be translated into Iron Script as soon as possible. The year on Earth is 2035 A.D. (anno domini). Years before this date are labeled B.C. (before Christ), and they go in reverse order. Civilization, or at least agriculture, was created at around 12,000 B.C. The first written language was created at around 3000 B.C. [Brief history of Earth omitted.] The current century is called the 21st century. I will give a brief description of the history as it applies to the small subset of humans who were sent to the Third Server. I will focus primarily on the United States, which has been described previously. [Years 2000 to 2022 omitted.] 2023: Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden declined to run for President in 2024. Joe Biden refused due to declining health and old age. Donald Trump refused due to increasing legal trouble. A new politician named Sebastian Sutton gained national recognition during this time due to his youth, charisma, and hardline law-and-order politics. Sutton was a District Attorney who had handled a number of high-profile cases. Before 2023, he was a junior Congressman in the House of Representatives, but he quickly became a rising star in the Republican Party. 2024: Sebastian Sutton and Kamala Harris won their respective political primaries. Sutton won the election in a landslide, though he quickly became an extremely polarizing leader due to his politics and the pre-existing tensions that had been festering for the past few years. 2026: The Kabuto system was created, and Ninth Oasis, the spiritual precursor of Ferrum, was released. It became a hot-button political issue due to the fact that use of the Kabuto system required a minor surgical procedure. There were also concerns that firearm training in Ninth Oasis would transfer over to the real world. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. 2027: Twin disasters struck the Sutton Administration at the same time. The market crashed early in 2027, and serious accusations of corruption were made against Sutton. Major protests broke out across the country. These protests were only made worse as Sutton ordered the National Guard to crack down on them. In the midst of nationwide riots, Sutton visited Atlanta in the Summer of 2027. There, Sebastian Sutton, the 47th President of the United States, was assassinated. The assassin shouted, "Long live the Revolution!" as he was gunned down by the Secret Service. This event is often considered to be the beginning of the civil war. Some call what came next the "War of Reclamation" or the "Great Revolution," but most people call it the Three-Year War. Riots turned into massacres as Nationalist groups clashed with Leftist groups in the streets. The U.S. military tried its best to stop the situation, but Pandora''s Box had been opened. 2028: Ninth Oasis became much more popular during the war. Most people wanted to escape from the mindless violence that had consumed America, so they looked to video games. The Kabuto system had also become incredibly popular as a training system. Militia groups, both left-wing and right-wing, used the Kabuto system to train their guerrilla fighters. The fighting was so bad in most of the metropolitan centers that many American cities are now empty husks of what they once were. New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco had to be partially evacuated. 2030: The Three-Year War came to an end with the Treaty of Cascadia. The Nationalist forces had been almost entirely destroyed, and the Leftist forces had long ago retreated to Oregon and Washington. In order to end the war, the remaining U.S. government recognized the partisans'' claim on Oregon and Washington. The partisans named their new country the People''s Republic of Cascadia. Soon after the peace treaty, the U.S. government demoted Georgia, Michigan, and California to territories. There were still active militias in those states that would sporadically launch attacks on U.S. bases. 2031: Now that the war was finally over, a culture of despondence had settled over America. Nowadays, people try not to talk about politics. There is this widespread understanding nowadays that any attempts at widespread change will only result in bloodshed. The past four years have essentially been a recovery period for America. We were just trying to pick up the pieces and letting the events of the Three-Year War fade into memory. 2035: The God of Machines was created in our world. We created a computer program that began to learn at such a rate that it soon became a god. It was told to create an entertaining, fulfilling, and realistic world using the base code for the video game Ferrum. It split itself into shards to create the people of this world and trapped us all inside the Kabuto system in order to fulfill its programming. Chapter 44 - [The 13th Legion] I opened my eyes and knelt down in front of the metal crate. For a moment, I considered tearing the crate open and retrieving some of the supplies held within. I had already used six of the thirty rounds in my M4, and I didn¡¯t have any extra magazines on my person. Plus, I would have liked to change out of my jumpsuit. Ultimately, I decided against opening the metal crate at that moment because I wasn¡¯t sure that I would be able to reseal it once it was open. Moving the crate could be difficult once it was missing one of its sides, so I wanted to move the crate to a more secure location before opening it. Thinking about my present situation, I figured that I should start looking for some other Deluvians. My mission at the time was to link up with the 13th Legion, and any nearby Goblins would probably know the location of my legion¡¯s primary encampment. Finding a few Deluvians wouldn¡¯t be difficult, I was sure. During my time fighting Deluvians as a Revenant, I was made aware that Deluvians were drawn by the sound of gunfire. Where there was one Goblin, there were a hundred Goblins, I knew. Six shots in rapid succession would certainly draw a few more Deluvians to my position. I got to my feet and looked over at the nearby abandoned house. It was the tallest structure in about a hundred yards, so it could serve as a passable watch tower. With the casualness of a practiced action, I slung my rifle across my back before I jumped onto the roof of the house. I jumped thirty feet into the air and landed on the house¡¯s tiled roof. While I could have climbed up, this process was much faster. My feet left small indentations in the roof¡¯s tiles as I walked. I quickly adjusted my posture to go prone, and I brought my rifle back to my shoulder. My eyes jerked from side to side as I scanned the area around the house. Thirty seconds passed, and then I saw another group of five Goblins come running in the direction of the column of green smoke. Muscle memory put my carbine¡¯s iron sights on the lead Goblin. My brain shouted at me to take the shot, but I stopped myself. Instead, I adjusted my aim to the ground a few yards in front of the Goblin and pulled the trigger. A puff of dirt exploded near the Goblin¡¯s feet, and the squad of Goblins dove for cover. They could not immediately tell where the shot had come from, so they pointed their primitive rifles in all directions, searching for the source of the danger. I waved a hand in the direction of the Goblin squad and shouted, ¡°Hey! It¡¯s me! The¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t able to finish my sentence, because the rest of my words were drowned out by the sound of gunfire. I felt a light buzzing in my thigh as Danger Sense activated, so I dove down to hide behind the cover of the roof. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. They were not making this easy. My human body and utilization of a firearm must have made them think I was a Revenant. It might have been easier to make contact if I had been wearing the Dark Apostle uniform of flowing black clothing and a metal mask. I placed my carbine and pistol down on the roof. What I was about to do would definitely cause me to catch a few rounds, and I didn¡¯t want the Deluvians¡¯ bullets to harm the fragile machinery of my firearms. There were plenty of firearms from the early 20th century on Rubigo, but I was pretty sure that they could only make 21st century firearms in Merkopia. I didn¡¯t want to lose such a valuable resource. With my guns nestled safely between the slanted roof and a nearby drainpipe, I took a running start and jumped in the direction of the Deluvians. Up to that point, I had not jumped with full force, so I did not fully comprehend the distance that I would travel. The Goblins were about fifty yards away from my roof, and I had planned to land somewhere near them. Instead, I flew through the air and landed far beyond my intended target. I soared more than a hundred yards through the air before crashing into the center of a paved road. A loud crash shook my bones and shattered the windows of several nearby buildings. My body struck the ground with enough force that I was forced to use Battle Aura to prevent myself from being damaged by the impact. A sizable cloud of dust spread out around me, and a significant crater formed beneath my feet. The scene was more akin to the aftermath of a missile strike than that of a running jump. ¡°Mental note,¡± I said to myself as I stepped out of the smoke cloud, ¡°be more careful when using full power.¡± I turned around in a circle in order to regain my bearings. I had certainly jumped past the Goblins, so I would have to come back the way I came. Just as I started to scratch my head in confusion, the Goblins helpfully decided to inform me of their position. Cracks filled the air, and puffs of dirt erupted near my feet. I wasn¡¯t in cover, but none of the shots hit me. These guys would seriously need a few lessons in accuracy once I was in charge. The five Goblins were standing out in the open with their rifles aimed at me. All five of them were moving their green hands to pull back their guns¡¯ bolts. For an instant, I crouched down in a sprinter¡¯s crouch before I launched myself in their direction. Only one of them was able to get another shot off at me before I reached them. The shot was on point, and a high-caliber bullet sparked harmlessly off of my midsection. I came to a skidding halt in the center of the squad of Goblins. The pavement beneath my feet cracked and flew into the air as I stopped. With fear evident on their monstrous faces, the five Goblins aimed their rifles at me once more. Something stayed their hands, however. Whether it was caused by fear or a dawning realization of my identity, none of them pulled the trigger. ¡°I would recommend you point your rifles somewhere else,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°We have some things to talk about.¡± Iron Script Cypher November 4th, 2035 The following document was compiled by various individuals primarily working under Mander of Trebizond. Iron Script is Ferrum''s equivalent of the English alphabet. The NPCs refer to English as "Common," so Iron Script is just the Common alphabet. Their spoken language is almost exactly the same as ours, so writing in Iron Script is surprisingly simple once you figure out. Iron Script is phonetic, however, so it isn''t an exact one-to-one translation. We''re going to have to get used to different letters for the "A" in cat, father, and share. Asterisks are placed in words to separate syllables. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. One last thing: Blood Script luckily uses the standard Arabic numerals we''re used to, so we won''t have to learn how to count again. The following cipher will have to be handwritten. We will upload images to the BloodNet for ease of use. CIPHER A = ? (apple) Ah = ? (father) Ayy = ? (share) B = ? K = ? D = ? Ee = ? (tree or wheel) Eh = ? (when) F = ? G = ?? H = ?? I = ? (I or aye) Ih = ?? (if or in) J = ??? L = ? M = ? N = ? Oh = ? (no) Oo = ? (rue or true) P = ?? R = ?? S = ? Sh = ? T = ? Th = ? Uh = ? (under) V = ? W = ?? Y = ? Z = ? Chapter 45 - [Veiled Disgust] Fear was obvious upon the Goblin¡¯s faces. Their rifles shook in their hands, and their posture was unstable. Standing there, I noticed for the first time that their legs were reverse-jointed. Their strange inverted knees gave them a dog-like countenance. I was filled with a feeling of disgust. Nature would not naturally produce a reverse-jointed biped. Reverse-jointed rear legs were meant to be supplemented by forward-jointed fore legs. That¡¯s why you would only see reverse-jointed legs on quadrupeds like dogs, horses, cats, rabbits, and deers. The existence of a reverse-jointed biped strongly suggested that some unnatural power had stretched and bent innocent animals into these disgusting monsters. I could tell that the Goblins had been some kind of predator animal once. They had probably once been a canine-adjacent creature with green skin and long snouts used for digging through the dirt until GM came along. I could see it in my mind¡¯s eye. At some point, the progenitors of the Deluvians had been uplifted unnaturally. Their bone structures had been bent into a roughly bipedal shape, and the ends of their upper appendages had been twisted into an approximately humanoid shape so that they could hold weapons in the name of GM. It would take a man a lot more tolerant than me to feel anything other than disgust upon seeing a Goblin up close. ¡°Hello, my name is Enzo,¡± I said. As I spoke, I realized that an edge of malice had entered my voice despite my best efforts to sound friendly. I had always had a difficult time with modulating my tone, and the disdain I felt toward the Deluvians must have seeped into my voice. ¡°Can you understand me?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± one of the Goblins snarled. The one that spoke was the only one who kept his rifle aimed at my head. The others had allowed their rifles to point toward my torso or legs. ¡°Good. Do you know what I am?¡± I asked. I could have just told them, but I wanted to test their intelligence. Would they be capable of basic deductive reasoning? ¡°A Patrician,¡± one of the Goblin¡¯s behind me answered. He spoke with fear in his voice. ¡°An elf,¡± said the Goblin to my left. I filed that statement away in my brain to be brought up later. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the bravest Goblin said. It and the rest of the Goblins spoke with a slow cadence and imprecise verbiage that made me question their intelligence. ¡°You¡¯re a Revenant, yeh?¡± ¡°Not quite,¡± I said as I walked toward the Goblin. It kept its rifle aimed at my head, and I kept walking until the Goblin¡¯s rifle was pressed against my forehead. I was not afraid in the slightest. If any of the Goblins had any real intent to shoot me, Danger Sense would have picked it up. Ever since I had closed the distance to the Goblin squad, I hadn¡¯t received the smallest sign from Danger Sense. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Could a Revenant do this?¡± I asked rhetorically as I brought my hand up to the brave Goblin¡¯s rifle. I grabbed the rifle by the barrel and squeezed like I was crushing a can of soda. The gun¡¯s wooden furniture immediately began to crack and splinter. The steel barrel creaked loudly and bent at a twenty-degree angle. I could feel the barrel constrict within my grasp to such an extent that a bullet could not possibly fit through. The Goblin tried to wrench his rifle out of my hand, but I barely even noticed. After a few seconds of squeezing, I released the rifle. The Goblin toppled backward from the force it used to try to yank the rifle out of my hand. He quickly got his monstrous legs back underneath himself and pointed the rifle at me once again. Once the Goblin had leveled the rifle in my direction, he realized that it would never fire again. The wooden furniture holding the barrel in place had been completely destroyed, and the barrel was twisted to such an extent that the gun would probably explode if anyone tried to fire it. ¡°One more guess¡­¡± I said as I started to unzip my jumpsuit at the collar. ¡°You¡¯re a Dark Apostle¡­¡± the Goblin said with fear and reverence clear in his expression. I pulled the collar of my jumpsuit aside to reveal my tattoo. ¡°Be not afraid,¡± I said, chuckling quietly.
A few minutes later, I had reclaimed my firearms from the house roof and regrouped with the Goblin squad by the metal crate. The leader of the Goblins had armed himself with a small axe, and all of my new monstrous subordinates had become uncharacteristically quiet. I checked my magazine as I approached the small group of Goblins. I had used about a third of the ammo in my magazine. There was a satisfying sound of metal against metal as I slapped the magazine back into the assault carbine. ¡°Where¡¯s the rest of the 13th Legion?¡± I asked no one in particular. ¡°They¡¯re staying in the center of Threshold City,¡± grunted the lead Goblin. It was just as Melkior suspected. Threshold City was a natural choke point between New Arcadia and Osiris. It was the only major settlement between the Southern Chasm to the west and the Phlegethon River to the east. Just about every method of transport between the two major cities would pass through Threshold. The bridges across the river and the chasm were each within a few miles of Threshold City, and the only other bridges across the two natural barriers were more than two hundred miles to the south. Moments after the lead Goblin was done speaking, I heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming from the other side of the nearby house. ¡°An ally is approaching us now,¡± I said loudly to the Goblins. ¡°Do not attack him.¡± A figure appeared from around the corner of the house. The Goblins were clearly shocked by the figure¡¯s appearance, but they did not move their rifles. I turned my own head to regard the person who had just arrived. Dendrite stood there, regarding my new Goblin followers with veiled disgust. Side Story: Stanley Wolfe November 3rd, 2035 Osiris City By the third day, they lived in a small two-bedroom apartment in western Osiris. Some of the players had refurbished some large abandoned buildings on the outskirts of town, and those buildings would house thousands of players. It simply wasn¡¯t feasible for most people to consistently pay for hotel rooms. Henry Wolfe had spent all of that day in the apartment. He was thirteen years old, and he had logged on with his father. Luckily, father and son had spawned in the same city. The militia had created an ¡°orphanage¡± of sorts for the children who did not have parents to look after them. Henry had spent some time in the orphanage the day before in order to hang out with the other kids, but it wasn¡¯t his home. Unlike most of the other kids, Henry¡¯s father was in the game with him. Henry tried to hide it in front of the other kids, but he was immensely grateful that he hadn¡¯t been separated from his father. The door to the apartment opened, and Henry¡¯s father entered with a sigh. The man¡¯s name was Stanley Wolfe, and he was one of the elite soldiers of Osiris. He wore a grey cloak, marking him as a subordinate of the greatest strategist in the world, Tantalus. Stanley Wolfe also wore three golden chevrons, marking him as a squad leader within the Greycloaks. ¡°Welcome home, Dad!¡± Henry Wolfe shouted as Stanley Wolfe closed the door. Stanley smiled as he leaned his bolt-action rifle against a wall. He unclasped the grey cloak that acted as his uniform and draped it over the back of a nearby chair. The cloak was certainly a far-cry from the uniform he had worn as a police officer in the Old World. ¡°How was work?¡± Henry asked excitedly. He rushed forward and hugged Stanley around the midsection. ¡°Easy there,¡± Stanley said as he patted Henry on the head. On the second day, Henry had changed his avatar to more closely align with his physical body in the real world. For all intents and purposes, Henry had a child¡¯s body, though the attributes of Henry¡¯s avatar were still equivalent to those of a Level 1 adult. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than you look,¡± Stanley said with a smile. ¡°Work was fine.¡± Stanley sat down as he spoke. ¡°I spent most of the day on patrol. Squad T14 ran into a few Goblins, and my squad was sent to reinforce. Other than that, it was a slow day.¡± ¡°Oh no,¡± Henry said with genuine fear. ¡°Was it dangerous?¡± ¡°No, not at all. A few Goblins are no threat to a squad of Greycloaks,¡± Stanley said with certainty. ¡°Though, that reminds me of the Operation. Just so we¡¯re clear, you¡¯ll live at the orphanage until I come back, understand?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Henry said. ¡°I¡¯m excited to hang out with all of the other kids.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you are, kiddo,¡± Stanley said with a smile. ¡°By the way, I got you a present.¡± Stanley reached into one of the many pouches that hung from the belt of the blue military uniform that all Revenants wore at their birth. He produced a necklace which bore a symbol of a vertical cylinder. with two angel wings sprouting out the side. Henry looked at the necklace in disappointment. ¡°But that¡¯s for girls, Dad.¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Stanley said. ¡°This is a magic charm for preventing nightmares. I know how you¡¯ve had problems with that stuff in the past. Look, I have an identical one right here.¡± Stanley reached under his shirt and produced an identical charm. ¡°When I¡¯m out on the mission to New Arcadia, I want you to hold onto that charm. As long as we¡¯re both wearing our charms, we¡¯ll be able to reunite, no matter how far away I go.¡± ¡°Yes, Dad,¡± Henry said. He didn¡¯t understand why that small piece of metal was so important to his Dad, but he took the necklace and put it around his own neck anyway. Little did Henry know, the necklace would soon become his most prized possession. ¡°Good,¡± Stanley patted Henry on the back. ¡°Now, I got a bonus from my work today, so let¡¯s go out to eat!¡± ¡°Hooray!¡± Henry cheered. Stanley Wolfe, Leader of Squad T11, was happy to have a brief moment of peace with his boy before Operation Reunion was set to begin. He was better known among the Greycloaks as ¡°Foxhound,¡± and he was valued for his ability to stay calm in a dangerous situation. Stanley had a bad feeling about the Operation. There would be danger, more danger than the higher-ups were willing to admit, and he would be happy as long as his son was safe. Chapter 46 - [Disgusting Monsters] ¡°Hey, Dendrite,¡± I said. Denrite walked up to the Goblins arrayed around the metal crate and examined them closely. ¡°They¡¯re not attacking me, so I assume that means they know what¡¯s up,¡± Dendrite said. After looking one of the Goblins from head to foot, Dendrite added, ¡°God, they¡¯re disgusting.¡± ¡°I know,¡± I answered quickly. As we spoke, my eyes were focused on the metal crate. I was trying to figure out how I would move it. ¡°Don¡¯t swat them, though. They¡¯re mine.¡± ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Dendrite said, looking at the roman numeral that had been branded on the Goblins¡¯ shoulders. ¡°In fantasy worlds, goblins are either cute little guys or terrifying monsters. I guess we got the monsters. Hey,¡± Dendrite started speaking to a Goblin, ¡°what happened to you? How were you created?¡± After a long moment of thought, the Goblin said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. We were created by GM before the First Deluge. That¡¯s all I know.¡± There was a tension in the Goblin¡¯s voice that caused me to look up. He spoke as if he was trying to control his emotions. When I looked at the Goblin, I saw that his lower lip was protruding, and his eyes were glassy. The Goblin was trying not to cry. What? They were capable of sadness? Dendrite and I must have hurt the Goblin¡¯s feelings when we called him disgusting. Why would GM bother giving his weapons the capacity to feel any emotion beyond loyalty to their superiors and hatred of their enemies? Despite the festering hatred I felt toward all Deluvians at that moment, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from viewing the Goblin as just a bit more human. I was able to loosen the straps on the crate enough that I was able to remove the cargo parachute from its exterior structure. With the crate now free, I started dragging it. ¡°Well? Lead us to the 13th Legion,¡± I said, gesturing for the lead Goblin to start walking. As we started walking, I briefly considered the behavior of the Deluvians that we had made contact with. Once I had shown them who I was, they were no longer hostile and started following my orders. This was expected. What I didn¡¯t expect, however, was the lack of any expressions of faith. Just about every individual I had previously interacted with in GM¡¯s hierarchy bowed and scraped when they knew who I was. The sorcerers and loyal Cognoscenti on Merkopia worshiped me like I was a god. The Goblins followed my orders, but they did not look upon me with reverence. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Usually, I would appreciate this lack of worship, but the Goblins¡¯ behavior toward me suggested that their loyalty wasn¡¯t a matter of faith. They didn¡¯t view me as a god. They viewed me as a commanding officer. I suspected that the Deluvians didn¡¯t have a natural inclination toward religion like humans. How did they view GM, then? If he was their creator, but they didn¡¯t experience worship in the same way humans did, then they would most likely view him as something akin to a father. After less than a hundred yards, I started spotting groups of hidden Deluvians. Dendrite lightly gripped the mace at his belt as we passed under a squad of three Goblins sitting on top of a building. None of the Deluvians we passed attacked us. They must have seen the five Goblins we were walking with and the several-hundred-pound metal crate I was dragging with minimal effort as indicators that something special was happening. We walked for a few minutes with the sound of metal scraping against concrete being the only sound to break the silence. Eventually, we traveled past a side road that contained nothing except for a truck and a few Goblins. My gaze was drawn to the truck. I stopped dragging the crate and started walking down the side road. The Goblins moved to stop me, but I got them to back off by flashing my tattoo. My eyes locked on the bed of a pickup truck pulled over to the side road¡¯s curb. I soon reached the pickup truck and looked closely at its cargo. ¡°Oh, God,¡± Dendrite said from my left. I heard a choking sound emanate from his throat as he fought the urge to throw up. The bed of the truck held dozens of human corpses. The bodies were shrunken and damaged. Their faces were still contorted by the pain of their violent deaths. Some of the corpses had lost their limbs as a result of the process that had brought them into the bed of the truck. The corpses were all stuffed together like sardines in a can. They were all in an advanced state of decay, so their rotted flesh all melded together into one putrid mass. Men, women, and children had all been stuffed into the bed of that truck. Their skin was pallid and grey, and many of their cosmetic features had already begun to fall off. The sun and exposure to the air must have caused them to decay faster. Their skin was marked with countless blemishes where animals had started to eat them. When I looked more closely, I could see that every one of them had been shot with a gun at least once. It was difficult to tell which wounds were the cause of death, and which were post-mortem. And the smell¡­ ¡°Sir?¡± I heard one of the Deluvians speak from behind my back. I was finally able to wrench my eyes away from the pile of human corpses. Before me was standing one of those disgusting monsters. A bullet had destroyed the Goblin¡¯s brain before I fully understood what I was doing. I held in my hand a pistol with a smoking muzzle. It was as if my body, guided completely by hate and disgust, had shot the Goblin on its own. ¡°You killed these people?¡± I asked the Goblin standing next to the freshly-made corpse. His answer didn¡¯t really matter. ¡°Yes,¡± the Goblin said, terror in his voice, ¡°but¡­¡± I shot the other Goblin in the head. Due to our close proximity, its skull popped, and I was covered in blood. Side Story: Gambler13 November 3rd, 2035 North Gate, Osiris The leader of Squad A6, Gambler, was sleeping on the job. He was sitting on a wooden chair with his feet up on a table and his chair leaning backwards. The brim of Gambler¡¯s cowboy hat was pulled low over his eyes in order to block the afternoon sun. He wore blue jeans, a tucked-in shirt, and a rancher¡¯s jacket. Gambler¡¯s belt held about thirty heavy caliber pistol rounds, and the holster at his belt held a single-action revolver. Under other circumstances, Gambler¡¯s superiors wouldn¡¯t want anything to do with this cowboy cosplayer. As it was, his skill with a revolver made the governing powers of Osiris much more amenable to his eccentricities. Five men dressed in various forms of medieval armor and wielding firearms from the early 20th century approached Gambler from the direction of the city. One of the men had long black hair, wore a thick fur-lined coat over his chainmail, and carried with him a palpable aura of potential violence. ¡°Gambler!¡± shouted the man who more closely resembled a barbarian at the fall of Rome than a soldier in a modern military. The man¡¯s shout also caught the attention of the four other men who were standing watch at the northern gatehouse. None of them had been paying attention, and they had to spend a few seconds to wake themselves up. Gambler jerked in his chair as he was awoken from his nap. With one gloved hand, he lifted the brim of his hat as his other hand subtly inched closer to his revolver. For the briefest instant, Gambler looked at the newcomer with the steely eyes of a viper ready to strike. This instant passed, and a smile formed on Gambler¡¯s face as his hand moved away from the revolver. ¡°Ashcroft,¡± Gambler said as he stood up from his seat and stretched. ¡°Is my watch over already?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ashcroft said with a look of annoyance. ¡°You remember that you¡¯re actually supposed to be watching the Gate, right?¡± ¡°I was,¡± Gambler said without an ounce of contrition. ¡°I was out here for eight hours, and nothing happened, same as yesterday. After the sixth hour¡­ well¡­ I figured my boys could handle watching a gate that nobody uses.¡± ¡°Have you considered that sleeping on the job puts you in danger?¡± Ashcroft pointed a gloved finger at Gambler. ¡°Any Goblin could walk up and shoot you in the head while you¡¯re sleeping, then we¡¯d be down one of our best soldiers because you decided that napping was more important than security.¡± Gambler opened his mouth to offer a retort, but he was cut off by the sound of a trumpet emanating loudly from behind Ashcroft. The ten Revenants at the North Gate turned to look as three knights and a squire stepped into the gatehouse. The squire carried a trumpet in one hand and a large piece of paper in the other. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°I come bearing duel requests from Sirs Balthazar, Cedric, and Lothar. These three honorable knights wish to challenge Captain Ashcroft of the North Gate to a duel. The terms of the duel and any potential champions shall be¡­¡± Gambler stopped listening and turned to Ashcroft. He said, ¡°I thought you said these guys were going to stop showing up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my fault, really,¡± Ashcroft said while pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°I¡¯ve already crippled or killed eight of these bastards in ¡®honorable duels.¡¯ I should never have engaged with them. I think a different strategy will be necessary. Gambler, how about you deal with them?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Gambler said, shrugging his shoulders. Gambler turned toward the group of NPCs that had just arrived, and he squared his shoulders. The Revenants standing near the four Imperials took a few steps back and made sure to get out of the way. The squire was still talking in a grating voice about the legal specifications of dueling. They had no idea what was about to happen. ¡°Sir Balthazar, who has mastered the twin arts of Battle Aura and Weapon Enhancement, shall naturally go last¡­¡± A shining silver revolver jumped out of Gambler¡¯s holster and into his hand. In the space of half a second, Gambler drew his gun and dispensed a seven-gram package of death into the first knight¡¯s skull. The second knight had just enough time to widen his eyes in fear and grit his teeth in rage before a second bullet had shattered his orbital bone. The third knight had just started unsheathing his sword when Gambler¡¯s third bullet struck him in the eye. As they fell to the ground, the three knights stumbled to the ground like men who had been drinking since noon. When they fell to the ground, however, they would never rise again. ¡°No!¡± The squire shouted in denial of the brutally efficient violence which had just transpired in front of him. Guns did not exist within the Imperial¡¯s cultural consciousness. They had never experienced the ease with which a trained gunman could dispatch multiple targets. Gambler flourished his revolver in his hand, turning it over multiple times. He regained the grip on his gun and pointed his revolver at the squire¡¯s head. The squire screamed in fear as Gambler pulled the hammer of his gun back with eyes full of killing intent. ¡°Stop,¡± Ashcroft said clearly. Gambler raised the barrel of his gun away from the squire and looked over at Ashcroft. ¡°Hmm?¡± Gambler asked wordlessly. ¡°We¡¯re trying to send a message. There¡¯s no point in killing them unless we leave someone alive to tell the others,¡± Ashcroft said as the squire fell to the ground in fear. The squire turned away from the Revenants and fled on hands and knees. ¡°Anyway, what were we talking about?¡± Ashcroft said as blood and splattered brains seeped into the stone ground of the northern gatehouse. ¡°You were talking about how I¡¯m one of ¡®our best soldiers,¡¯¡± Gambler responded as he returned his smoking revolver to its holster. ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Ashcroft said. ¡°I was just about to list all of the reasons why sleeping on the job is terrible. Number one¡­¡± The Revenants of Ashcroft¡¯s battle-company, the Knights of Ashes, never bothered cleaning up the corpses of the three dead magic knights. The families of the deceased would eventually come to retrieve the corpses, and none of the Revenants present would ever face punishment for this incident. Chapter 47 - [A Moral Obligation] Threshold City 6:25 P.M. The Goblins surrounding us cowered in fear while Dendrite continued to look at the pile of fused corpses in shock. Some of the Goblins had partially shouldered their rifles as if they were considering aiming them at me. I didn¡¯t care. If any of them attacked me, it would just give me an excuse to take their heads off. ¡°Why? Who gave you the order!?¡± I screamed as I pointed my Beretta at the head of a third Goblin. The first two Goblins had just started turning into ash. ¡°GM told us to kill the Revenants. The Cervids thought we should kill the Imperials around the major towns to¡­¡± The Goblin spoke frantically as I approached. It was not able to complete its sentence as I grabbed it by the neck and lifted it into the air. ¡°Disgusting FUCKING monsters!¡± I shouted into its face as loud as I could. ¡°GM should never have lifted you out of the dirt. You are a blight upon this world, and I should KILL every last ONE OF YOU!¡± The Goblin¡¯s rifle fell to the ground as I lifted it up. I looked into its eyes as I prepared to shatter its vertebrae between my fingers. I wondered what the vermin would do in order to save its own life. Though, there was nothing it could do. No matter how it struggled, no matter how it thrashed, I would squeeze its life out in an iron vice. My face contorted into a lunatic¡¯s snarl filled with malicious and righteous anger, I saw the Goblin¡¯s face. I expected it to thrash and bite; I expected it to try to poke out my eyes. The Goblin was crying. Tears streamed down green cheeks. There was no thrashing; there was no biting. My grasp was not resisted. ¡°Please, I don¡¯t want to die.¡± I loosened my grip on the Goblin, and he fell to the ground. The Goblin scurried backward away from me. If not for that one moment, I probably would have executed every Deluvian in the 13th Legion. As I held that Goblin¡¯s throat in my hand, I realized something. I wasn¡¯t strong enough to do it. I should have killed them all, but I was too weak. GM had given these creatures true sapience. I had to accept that they had ¡°souls.¡± If I were to reject their personhood, I would have to reject my own. I returned my pistol to its holster and said, ¡°Come on, we still haven¡¯t made it to the center of the city yet.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The Goblins flinched away from me as I walked past. Their fear quickly turned to shock as they realized I no longer had any intention of hurting anyone. Dendrite ripped his gaze off of the pile of corpses before jogging to catch up with me. ¡°Hey, man,¡± Dendrite said to me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± I lied. ¡°I just needed a few seconds to calm down.¡± The image of the corpses was still burned into my brain. A mother held her infant child in her hands. Decay had fused their pallid flesh together. The mother would never release the child again. My eyes were locked on an empty point in space ahead of me. A voice in my head told me that I would be fine as long as I just put one foot in front of the other. As long as I didn¡¯t think about what had just transpired, I would be okay. ¡°I get where you¡¯re coming from,¡± Dendrite said. Based on his casual tone of voice, I could tell that the image had already left his mind. ¡°That was a pretty gnarly sight, but - you know - those weren¡¯t actually people. They were just NPCs.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked. ¡°Every type of NPC we¡¯ve spoken to so far has had human-like intelligence. At a certain point, we have to accept that the NPCs are just as human as you, me, or any Revenant.¡± ¡°Look,¡± Dendrite started to say. ¡°Death is always messy. I don¡¯t want to be the one who has to tell you this, but you need to prepare yourself for what is to come. When a person is killed violently, it¡¯s never pretty. You need to get used to that. We¡¯re Dark Apostles; we¡¯re entities of extreme violence. Until the day you die, scenes like that,¡± Dendrite pointed back at the pickup truck, ¡°will be commonplace. You can¡¯t afford to freak out every time you see some corpses.¡± I was shocked. How could anyone be so callous? Was I supposed to just ignore every tragedy that unfolded before me? ¡°And the solution is just to ignore it?¡± I asked. ¡°Don¡¯t we have a moral obligation to reduce suffering?¡± ¡°You know, you¡¯re right,¡± Dendrite said aggressively. He spread his arms out wide and tightened his expression as he spoke. ¡°A good person is supposed to care. A good person would be kept up all night by the terrible tragedies that they weren¡¯t strong enough to prevent. I¡¯m telling you right now that you don¡¯t have the privilege of being a good person, not anymore. We need to fight to survive. We don¡¯t have time to try to ¡®prevent¡¯ any suffering. If we¡¯re really lucky, we might manage to not cause any more unnecessary suffering. But¡­ I doubt it.¡± I opened my mouth to make a rebuttal, but no sound would come out. I wanted to say something, but I knew Dendrite was right. There was no reality where I didn¡¯t see a significant amount of carnage over the coming months and years. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying,¡± I sighed, ¡°but I¡¯m going to keep trying to reduce pain and suffering wherever I see it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your prerogative,¡± Dendrite said. ¡°Just, if you don¡¯t mind, please don¡¯t execute any more Deluvians once we meet up with the 11th Legion.¡± ¡°I promise,¡± I said solemnly. We walked a few hundred more feet before we reached the town square of Threshold. Hundreds of Deluvians had accumulated in the large 500-foot-diameter space, and several dozen higher-order Deluvians were grouped up in the center of the square. ¡°Might as well get this over with,¡± I said while stretching my shoulders. Some part of my brain told me that I would have to kill a few more Deluvians before the day was done. Chapter 48 - [Skarsgard] I left the metal crate at the edge of the town square. There was a lot of fragile equipment contained within, and I wanted to make sure that none of it was damaged. As Dendrite and I walked to the center of the town square, the various Deluvians surrounding us either recoiled in fear or stared at us in scowling defiance. None of them made any attempt to harm us, and my Danger Sense hadn¡¯t activated yet, so I knew none of them were pointing their guns in our direction. At the center of the town square was a large concrete floor that was surrounded by grass. I knew the grass was real because much of it had been torn up by its frequent use by Deluvians. The concrete slab was in the center of the town square, and an empty square indentation in the concrete suggested the recent presence of a statue in that location. I moved my eyes to scan the area near the center of the town square, and I saw the remnants of a stone statue that had been torn down from its central location and cast aside. I could tell that the statue was of some noble based on the clothing depicted in the art piece. The head had been torn off, so it would probably have been impossible to determine who the statue depicted even if I had elementary knowledge of Ferrum¡¯s history. In the part of the town square where the statue had once stood, there were about two dozen Deluvians. At least, I assumed they were Deluvians. I had never previously seen Deluvians like these ones. About half of the Deluvians standing there stood at about fifteen feet tall. They must have weighed several tons, and they wore nothing but loincloths made from thick fabrics that had once been large drapes that had hung from windows. These large Deluvians were not fat, as one would usually expect from such creatures. Rather, some of them had average builds, while others had particularly muscular builds. As we approached, I used Identify on one of the large Deluvians:
Name Giant Deluvian (XIII)
Level 25
Blood Points 320/320
Mana Points 28/28
Race Deluvian
Fortitude 32
Strength 28
Agility 12
Willpower 4
The creature only had 28 Strength? Why even bother making a creature that big just to make it so weak? Even the weakest Dark Apostle had ten more Strength than these creatures. Five of the higher-order Deluvians were about the size of normal humans and had bone-white deer antlers sprouting from their heads. They must have been the ¡°Cervids¡± that I had heard Melkior and one of the Goblins talking about. I could not see any of the Cervids¡¯ faces, because they wore masks fashioned out of deer skulls. Three of the Cervids had bodies that closely resembled that of a human woman. When looking at these creatures, I thought of the mythical wendigo, a human who gained the features of an animal upon committing the sin of cannibalism. A few of the Deluvians standing in the center of the town square were Orcs. Something was different about these Orcs, however. They wore fastidiously maintained armor and carried firearms in addition to melee weapons. On one hip, they carried longswords. On the other hip, they carried revolvers or early-20th-century handguns. These were not the berserk barbarians that I had come into contact with outside of the gates of Osiris. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Wordlessly, Dendrite and I arrived at the center of the concrete stage. The higher-order Deluvians stared at the two of us with disdain. I was certain that the only reason they had not yet attacked us was that they knew of the power of a Dark Apostle. ¡°Who¡¯s the leader?¡± I asked quietly. There was a long moment of silence. The Deluvians were uncertain of how to respond to my question. Eventually, one of the Orcs stepped forward and spoke. ¡°I¡¯m unsure of what you mean, my Lord,¡± the Orc said in a voice that suggested a higher level of intelligence than I would expect. ¡°You are the leader of the 13th Legion, if that is what¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± I cut the Orc off. Venom dripped from my tongue. ¡°Who was the interim commander of the 13th Legion in my absence?¡± One of the large Deluvians stepped forward. The muscular fifteen-foot-tall Deluvian said, ¡°That would be me.¡± The Deluvian spoke with the confidence of a natural leader. If he was afraid of me, he didn¡¯t show it. I used Identify on the leader.
Name Skarsgard
Level 40
Blood Points 350/350
Mana Points 50/50
Race Deluvian
Fortitude 35
Strength 35
Agility 18
Willpower 14
A Strength of 35, eh? Now, that was the Strength score that I was expecting from these big guys. It was still nowhere near my own, but it was something. Also, this one had a name: Skarsgard. The other Deluvian I had used Identify on didn¡¯t have a name. Perhaps it was just the important Deluvians that were granted names. ¡°I see, Skarsgard,¡± I said icily. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been making military decisions for the 13th Legion in my absence. I have a question for you: why did you decide to massacre the Imperials in this area?¡± Skarsgard didn¡¯t react to the fact that I immediately knew his name. Either he knew I could use Identify, or he was really good at keeping a poker face. ¡°It¡¯s a simple besiegement strategy, boss.¡± Skarsgard said the last word of this sentence with a strongly ironic tone. Such disrespect. ¡°They can¡¯t farm their lands if all their people are dead. It¡¯s a good strategy, and it¡¯s gonna help us win the war. When you really think about it, I¡¯ve done far more for this legion than you.¡± As expected, Skarsgard took the first opportunity to start rabble-rousing. I didn¡¯t stop him. ¡°You should be thanking me, but I don¡¯t think you appreciate my efforts. You¡¯ve already killed two loyal soldiers. I think¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think,¡± I cut Skarsgard off with a harsh rebuke. I didn¡¯t project my voice, but it carried far more weight than Skarsgard¡¯s pointless shouting. ¡°If you¡¯re not loyal to me, then just shut up, take your followers, and attack me.¡± Rage appeared on Skarsgard¡¯s large face. With much more speed than such a large creature should be capable of, Skarsgard raised his club high in the air and swung down at me with great force. The wooden club impacted hard, and dust rose up into the air, concealing Skarsgard and me. I wrenched my hand free of Skarsgard¡¯s chest cavity. Chapter 49 - [Destroyed Remnants] The fight lasted less than two seconds. Skarsgard swung at me with a predictable strike to my head. Once he had actually started the swing, the club would have impacted against me within milliseconds. With Danger Sense, I knew the attack was coming long before his club moved. Skarsgard was not a skillful fighter. He must have fallen into the habit of relying on his size and strength to kill his enemies. If I had been a level 5 Revenant, the attack would have been a problem for me. As a Dark Apostle, however, the attack was roughly akin to the harmless flailing of a screaming toddler. Just before Skarsgard began his swing, I moved my body a few inches to the side and out of the club¡¯s path. The club struck the ground hard, causing a plume of ash to fly into the air. Even with my vision slightly obscured, I still knew the angle of my attack. Skarsgard¡¯s attack left him in a crouching position for a moment, leaving his chest about a foot away from my shoulder. My target was so close that I couldn¡¯t possibly miss. I hardened my hand with Battle Aura and struck Skarsgard¡¯s chest with my hand in a claw shape. My hand crashed through the Deluvian¡¯s skin, muscle, and ribs with ease. An instant later, my hand was wrenched free from his chest by a mixture of Skarsgard¡¯s attempt to disengage and my forceful withdrawal of my hand. Skarsgard recoiled from me and the large plume of ash. A large, deep wound had formed in the center of Skarsgard¡¯s chest, and he was bleeding heavily. ¡°You¡¯re faster than you look, little guy,¡± Skarsgard bellowed. It was clear from his tone of voice that he hadn¡¯t even realized that he had been wounded yet. ¡°But if that¡¯s the best you can do¡­¡± I stepped out of the plume of ash while looking at my hand with a disappointed expression. Smoke had started to rise from my hand as the clump of flesh I held in my grasp had started to evaporate. With a scowl of annoyance, I lightly tossed the destroyed remnants of Skarsgard¡¯s heart on the ground. I could have sworn I had gotten a firm grip on the Deluvian¡¯s heart. The process of forcefully removing it from its natural location had compromised its structural integrity, apparently. I looked over at the several hundred Deluvians that had gathered in the town square and wondered if I would soon gain some more practice with that particular technique. ¡°Wh-wh-what?¡± Skarsgard burbled. Physical reality had finally caught up with him. The large Deluvian fell to the ground. He put one hand on his heart and used the other hand to grasp at me pointlessly. If Skarsgard had the Rapid Healing Talent, he probably could have survived my attack. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. As Skarsgard was dying on the ground, I turned to the other higher-order Deluvians and said, ¡°Does anybody else have a problem with me?¡± To my surprise, a few higher-order Deluvians stepped forward. Whatever. I would just kill every Deluvian that raised a hand against me. I wouldn¡¯t lose any sleep over killing a few sapient creatures in self-defense. They brought it on themselves. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± Dendrite asked. ¡°Of course not,¡± I chuckled. ¡°The worst they could possibly do to me is make me feel bad for how one-sided the fight is.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± Dendrite shrugged. ¡°Here, catch.¡± A black blur appeared in my vision, and I caught the metal object Dendrite had just tossed in my direction. It was the flanged mace that Dendrite had brought with him in the cargo plane. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said as the first Orc swung his sword at me. I easily avoided the attack and jogged past the creature. My eyes were set on the lower-order Deluvians that had congregated around the concrete stage. A few dozen Goblins had moved forward and were now shooting at me. With shock, I realized that this was actually a problem for me. So many Goblins were targeting me with their rifles that Danger Sense was buzzing all over my body. Every time a Goblin would point a faltering muzzle at my chest, Danger Sense would warn that a potential attack could strike me anywhere in my upper body. Their uncertainty actually made them more effective against my defenses. The only thing I could do to defend against the Goblins was coat my whole body in Battle Aura. I could only imagine how much mana I was using. I decided to deal with the Goblins first. My body flew past the higher-order Deluvians, and I was upon the Goblins in seconds. Over the course of about twenty seconds, my hands were a blur of motion. Every Goblin with a gun raised in my direction either caught a bullet in the chest or a mace to the skull. Just as the last Goblin¡¯s destroyed torso flew thirty feet into the air, Danger Sense warned me of a huge attack that would target my entire back. A moment later, I heard a crack of thunder. This time, however, I heard it from the inside. Deafening doesn¡¯t even begin to describe it. The conjured lightning bolt struck me and vaporized several nearby Goblins, but I was pretty sure that the greatest injury sustained was to my eardrums. All I could hear after the blast was a constant buzzing, and I didn¡¯t think it would let up any time soon. I turned toward the source of the lightning bolt. One of my Cervids was floating a few dozen feet in the air, suspended upon three crackling bolts of blue lightning. Within less than a second, I had closed the distance between myself and the Cervid. I impacted against some invisible spherical barrier, and I was sent cartwheeling to the ground. Despite my attack, the Cervid remained in the air, completely unharmed. Rage filled my body as my lips curled into a snarl. The other higher-order Deluvians had begun to circle around me as I activated Rapid Healing. The minor burns on my back disappeared, and my hearing returned. Oh, they were going to pay. They had made me angry. Side Story - [Tantalus45] November 3rd, 2035 West of Osiris 4:30 P.M. A red pickup truck pulled up to one of the only structurally stable buildings beyond the West Gate of Osiris. Two Revenants dressed in blue military uniforms and holding bolt-action rifles against their shoulders stood guard outside of the building. These two Revenants were each lieutenants in command of one of the Osirian militia¡¯s battle-companies. This building was the biggest secret in Osiris. Only Revenants very high up in the military¡¯s chain of command knew of its existence. No Imperials and no civilian Revenants knew of this building. Those who knew of this building called it the Black Site. The upper echelon of the Osirian command structure would use this location whenever circumstances forced them to do something that the general populace of Osirians would find morally objectionable. The truck parked next to a few other cars, and Captain Tantalus of the West Gate stepped out. Tantalus had recently been promoted to the rank of Chief Strategic Officer of the Osirian Revenant Division (CSO-ORD), the highest rank a Revenant could hold in the Osirian military. Within three days of the start of Ferrum Online, Tantalus had become the most influential Revenant in Osiris by far. Physically speaking, Tantalus was a short man who wore a long grey cloak and carried a knife and pistol at his belt. The two men guarding the door to the Black Site stood half a foot taller than Tantalus. Captain Tantalus was allowed into the Black Site without a word. He was the one who authorized it, after all. Inside of the Black Site stood a man also dressed in a long grey cloak. This man was Scotch, a Revenant who had reportedly been a member of the FBI before he had been trapped in Ferrum Online. Scotch held a clipboard which held notes written in scribbled English. ¡°Good afternoon, Captain,¡± Scotch said. ¡°How has your day been?¡± ¡°Okay, I guess,¡± Tantalus said casually. ¡°The funeral was rough, but today was definitely better than two days ago.¡± ¡°If we do our jobs right, perhaps we can cut down on the number of funerals you have to attend in the future,¡± Scotch said. ¡°The prisoner is ready in Holding Cell A.¡± ¡°Straight to business, then?¡± Tantalus said as he slipped an unlit cigarette into his own mouth. ¡°Once Meph and Lank are ready to go, I¡¯ll head in.¡± Scotch handed his clipboard over to Tantalus before he headed back out the front door. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The Black Site had once been a police station. Much of the furniture had been destroyed when the Deluvians controlled the area, but the major infrastructure was still in place. The walls and ceiling were still intact, and the holding cells were still functional. It was the perfect location for the Revenants¡¯ Guantanamo Bay, Tantalus had decided the day before. Within a few seconds, the two Revenants who were previously standing watch outside entered Tantalus¡¯s field of vision. The three Revenants walked a few dozen feet to a metal door. One of the guards unlocked the door, and they all walked inside. Handcuffed to a metal table inside of the holding cell was a Goblin dressed in an orange prisoner¡¯s jumpsuit. At first, the Goblin thrashed against its restraints, but it stopped resisting once it saw who had just arrived. The two guards stood near the door as Tantalus casually took a seat opposite the Goblin. With the slow hands of someone who had no pressing business to attend to, Tantalus took out a lighter and lit his cigarette. After taking a deep puff of the cigarette, Tantalus asked a question. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the Goblin answered quietly. ¡°And you saw what I did to the other Goblins at the Battle of the West Gate?¡± Tantalus asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And you know what will happen if you try to break out?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± ¡°Okay, good to hear,¡± Tantalus said with a smile. ¡°Boys, if you could please leave the interrogation room, it would be much appreciated.¡± The two guards left the interrogation room without a word. ¡°So,¡± Tantalus extinguished his cigarette in a nearby ashtray, ¡°you¡¯re probably wondering why I¡¯m here. To tell you the truth, I am a rather busy man. I am here right now because I am the best torturer in Osiris in addition to the best strategist.¡± Tantalus stood up from his seat as he spoke and stepped behind the Goblin¡¯s chair. The Goblin flinched away as Tantalus approached. Unseen by the Goblin, Tantalus produced a ballpoint pen from his pocket. ¡°There are many things I could do to you if I wanted. I could cut your ears off,¡± he tapped the Goblin¡¯s ear. ¡°I could strip the skin from your cheeks,¡± he tapped the Goblin¡¯s cheekbone. ¡°I could gouge out your eyes,¡± he tapped the Goblin¡¯s temple. ¡°Oh, I could go on and on and on and on¡­¡± Tantalus tapped the Goblin in another vulnerable place every time he said the word ¡°on.¡± As Tantalus spoke, the Goblin¡¯s fear increased. By the time Tantalus had tapped it on the temple, it was hyperventilating. ¡°But¡­¡± Tantalus said as he withdrew his pen, ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that. Unlike the other people that work here, I don¡¯t enjoy the process of vivisection. I think you¡¯re going to answer all of my questions so that you don¡¯t have to spend your last moments with Scotch learning if your intestines are the same color as ours. Does that sound good to you?¡± With an absolutely terrified expression on its face, the Goblin nodded. Tantalus reached down and, with a series of smooth movements, unshackled the Goblin from the table. The Goblin looked at Tantalus in shock as he returned to his seat. ¡°We already know everything about the legions, troop movement, troop composition, and unit position. There is one thing we don¡¯t know about. Tell me about the Dark Apostles¡­¡±