《Nightfallers (LitRPG)》 1 - First loot 2 days before the start of the contest, Thursday. I sit in the May sun along the side of a set of clean stairs out a seldom-used exit of my school. I call out the name ¡°Kodama¡± over and over, waving chicken I stole from the cafeteria for the dirty little white-and-black stray cat who I have taken to. This is a short period each day I can take for myself. In this spot I get away from everything and let myself just scratch a cat¡¯s chin and listen to the little rumblings of a purr. A purr is a simple pleasure for a ward like me who has never had a pet. Kodama runs up from the bushes with a cute chirp-meow I understand is excitement and dives into the contraband food like it could be his last meal. I stroke his back, looking at the spots which form a Kodama-ghost¡¯s face and why I gave him the name I did. Catching sight of myself in the reflection on the glass door, I am smaller than I remember, and skinnier. I am wearing our school uniform: a plaid skirt and button-up white shirt with my name, Esme Edgeworth, embroidered on it. The uniform also includes a scarf, socks, black leather shoes, and long black hair in the approved ponytail. I don¡¯t see my reflection often, since I took the mirror out of my dorm room. I moved into that room as soon as I could on my twelfth birthday when I got a room of my own and didn¡¯t have to share anymore. Turning away out of irritation, I focus on Kodama; this is my time with my little friend, and I need not judge myself¡ªI am judged enough by others. Kodama is a lot like me: he has no family and no real home, he lives here at this school and has to depend on others to feed him. This place is our home, though unlike Kodama I am a ward of the Hillhurst School for the Gifted. I have no family and nothing outside of these walls. Little Kodama here showed up six months ago in the fall, and unlike me can roam free, he can choose his fate and leave, he is my friend. He hears a noise coming, and scurries away with the last piece of chicken. There¡¯s only a rustling in the bushes to betray a creature moving, and then the door opens. ¡°Esme, what are you doing? We need to get to the auditorium! Today is the big day,¡± says Briar, my blonde-haired friend. His wrinkled uniform, as always, looks as if he slept in it. We have been friends since he first stood up for me after I was being bullied by a girl named Josie here at the school. That was two years ago. I don¡¯t get bullied when I am with Briar, but I am still tortured by Josie in places he cannot protect me. She finds me in the bathroom and changing rooms and when I am between course lecture rooms. ¡°I know, I know,¡± I say, rubbing a sore spot on my head from when Josie pulled my hair the day before. ¡°This is the big announcement of the founder of the school, a guy we have never met¡ª¡± ¡°He is one of the most brilliant minds in the world,¡± Briar beams. ¡°He invented the SAINT program we use here; it is revolutionizing the world.¡± He emphasizes the term SAINT, a speed-learning system where we use a special virtual-reality headset that compresses weeks of learning into thirty minutes. It¡¯s a new learning system and has to be used sparingly or it causes psychosis and even brain damage. The courses we take with it here, in this pilot school, are always followed up with refresher classes so it sticks¡ªotherwise we can lose the knowledge gained. ¡°Sometimes I think you have been doing too many SAINT classes and fuzzed your brain,¡± I say, laughing, and then I hear the door open. ¡°Ginga, you two, we gotta go,¡± says our friend Kian coming out of the door. Kian has his dark black hair hanging in his eyes and he squints in the sunlight while putting a hand up. ¡°I was telling her they will announce Unlimited Worlds and that we would do the 1800s London Monster Hunters game. Or maybe we could do the space ship exploration, or perhaps the MOBA one¡ª¡± ¡°Briar you know there is only one world for us, the fantasy one,¡± Kian says. I look over my shoulder and see Kodama stalking along a fence, far off, and I walk back into the school with my friends. *** Standing at attention, the student body of our school cheers as three of the modern sages of technology enter the auditorium. We are here to learn about the new virtual worlds these men have created. They create top-of-the-line games, which¡ªwhen you are inside¡ªare the most lifelike and most immersive in history. At least, the screen behind the Benefactor of our school says that. I notice Josie Hederman, my school bully, is two rows down from us. She glances back at me with a smirk. I know she will try to find me later; I lean a little closer to Briar. One man named Dr. Lloyd Friend is standing and holding his new device in his hands. The device looks like a rounded pair of safety goggles. it¡¯s clear as glass, but he promises it is the most advanced civilian technology on the planet. This short and grey-haired man is the primary benefactor of our school. He is why I have a place to sleep and eat. He has a kindly voice, and age has clearly not dulled his wits. He speaks clear and strong. Mr. Friend shows how it fits on his head and goes through some history of the devices used in massively multiplayer games, or MMOs. He explains MMOs don¡¯t trap people in the game worlds anymore, which apparently used to be a problem. He seems especially pleased with the size of the headset he is showing, mentioning it often. It sounded cool. but¡ªlike all the other similar tech I never get to try out¡ªit will cost a ton of money. Few students here have any money, because this is a boarding school with strict rules. The only students who do have money work online. The ones that work online, my friends, only work so they can play games online. ¡°Esme, I know you don¡¯t play games and think it¡¯s all ginga, but Dr. Friend is a genius.¡± Keeping his voice low, Kian says, ¡°He created half of the early massively multiplayer online games. He made the ones which influenced everything after them. He may be old, but he knows how to build these worlds.¡± I look up at the stage and the three men who are the three richest people in the world. ¡°They formed Wutani Corporation to create Unlimited Worlds which will change everything," Kian says. ¡°It¡¯s all ginga!¡± I say, ¡°I¡¯ll never play this.¡± ¡°Yeah it¡¯s ginga how you pout. I just want to see the game,¡± Briar says, peering around bored, his leg bouncing with energy. ¡°Shhhh, I heard they will make some big announcement,¡± Kian says to Briar. A teacher scans over the students with dark eyes and a slight scowl. I return my attention to the three people on the stage; another guy named Reed Roth is speaking about how exited they were to test this new tech. They trade memorized lines back and forth with Gus Brodie, the youngest of the trio¡ªthough still probably fifty years old. ¡°And now for the big reveal,¡± Gus Brodie says and waves to Dr. Friend. Dr. Friend takes the microphone and with steady words says, ¡°Each of you will get free headsets and student subscriptions to Unlimited Worlds and the fantasy world Imagine Online.¡± The auditorium explodes with excitement and a buzz of talking. ¡°Additionally¡ª¡± He stops to let the teachers get everybody under control for a minute. As I look around, everyone seems excited. My face looks odd, I am sure, and my jaw is down in shock. I expected that everyone would get to try them on or something, but not free headsets. ¡°Okay, yes, that is correct, and we are giving them out today.¡± He waves behind him and the curtains in back of the stage open. The auditorium quiets; there is a huge pile of boxes each with the letters UW on them in large print. ¡°You will each receive a free headset, and a game card with some gear and things to get you started.¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The principal of our school, Mr. Tenreal, climbs to the stage. A small man with a beak nose and glasses, always with stiff shirts and perfect collars, he does the hands down gesture, saying, ¡°Calm down, calm down. Dr. Friend is the primary benefactor of our school and wants to see what our gifted students can do in an open world.¡± ¡°We have a little bet,¡± Dr. Reed Roth jumps in, his shirt showing sweat stains. ¡°We will be announcing this officially tomorrow, but we wanted to give you a compelling reason to play.¡± He hands the mic to Dr. Gus Brodie. ¡°Each of us has founded a school for gifted students and we have been trying to gauge which of our educational systems works best for the pupils. Our institutions follow a curriculum we each developed individually.¡± He waves to the other men on stage. ¡°We also have set up rewards for a successful game strategy. The rewards are on a per-region basis for the first month. Then on a per-sector basis for the second month, and finally the third month is the last part of the competition.¡± He looks around the audience before continuing, ¡°A student, or a group of students who win from one of the schools, can win up to five hundred million credits.¡± The auditorium inhales as one. ¡°From each,¡± he looks at his friends, ¡°of the founders of the other two schools.¡± He pauses. ¡°And additionally, the school of the winners will get up to three hundred million¡ª¡± The realization hits and the auditorium explodes with the kids, overachievers aged nine to fourteen, all ready to climb the stage and take their goggles right now. I can hear Dr. Roth say, ¡°Just like the other two schools.¡± I look at Kian and Briar; their mouths are open and they both have goofy grins on their faces. It¡¯s hard to gauge what the other students are thinking. We all have been raised with advanced VR tutoring, developed by the trio on this stage. And we have all¡ªexcept, apparently my two friends¡ªtaken the social skills SAINT courses to learn emotional control techniques. I see the wolves circling and plotting already in the audience¡ªglances, little gestures and whispers. At this school gifted is another word for ruthless. Dr. Friend takes the microphone. ¡°As you are my school, I expect you will do nicely and not cost me money.¡± He looks over his crowd of pawns with kind, fatherly eyes. He lifts a hand to silence the students. ¡°You have three months to conquer our world, Imagine Online. In the package with your headset is a game card with beginner gear to give you a boost. Everyone gets the same level starting bonus. In each box is also a list of the rules of the contest; school administrators have a separate but equally important set of rules.¡± He glances at the principal, who smiles and shrugs comically. Dr. Roth steps forward, microphone in hand. ¡°Regular civilian players also are playing to win, we will announce all of this tonight world-wide. The game winnings for non-school players is fifty-million credits. Each school will still get twenty-five million credits for participation.¡± He pauses for a second, admiring the power words like these can have. ¡°You can join up with ordinary members as long as the party and clan leadership are from the same school.¡± Dr. Brodie jumps in, ¡°And one important rule: any school that does not have a clan that makes the top five worldwide clan list will be closed.¡± He smiles and I see the blood drain from our principal¡¯s face. *** Lining up to get our headsets is surreal. I get mine and say thank you to the bearded tech-guy who handed it to me as Dr. Friend nods. Walking away, I keep thinking our studies will suffer¡ªwe have schedules to maintain for the virtual reality tutors. I am walking down the back hall to avoid people, to where I will meet up with Kian and Briar. Mostly I take this route to avoid Josie when I hear rapid movement behind me. I am on my face and my chin feels like it exploded. My body falls into my headset package with the crunch of the plastic breaking. I hear the familiar voice of Josie behind me say, ¡°Where do you think you are going, charity case?¡± I can almost feel her sneer pressing into my back. I turn over, off the box, and there she is with her stupid blonde hair and sharp face. She¡¯s not pretty¡ªcute, maybe. The kind of cute that once she turns her eyes on you you forget she¡¯s cute and realize she will bleed you for fun. I¡¯m dizzy and holding my chin, time is in slow motion. I am confused what is going on as she raises a foot, her skirt flying like a pinwheel as she brings her heel down with a heartrending crunch on my headset. ¡°Nooooo!¡± I say, though I had had no attachment to the goggles. It was still a shock she would be so violent. She smiles at me, content with her handiwork. Laughing, she walks off back to her group of friends where one of her minions had been holding Josie¡¯s untouched headset box. They giggle a nervous laugh and I can hear them chatter away down the hall as I lay in humiliation, feeling blood and tears drip down my chin. ¡°Well well, what have we here?¡± a familiar voice says. I don¡¯t want to be seen like this. I get up, my hair in my face as I try to pick up the destroyed headset, but it is wrecked, not worth saving. A wail leaves my lips and I double over. ¡°I¡¯m not weak,¡± slips out. Then with a sob, I say, ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Come, come,¡± I am lifted up and moved around the hall, then sat on some steps to the second floor. I wipe my eyes and see that it is Dr. Friend and one of his security guards. He calls over an associate of his, a worker, who picks up my box and then runs off. Dr. Friend takes a handkerchief and checks my chin. He wipes some blood away and says, ¡°This is going to bruise bad, you will want to ice this.¡± After some time, his associate returns with a new headset box setting it next to me. Another worker comes in with some ice in a plastic bag from the nearby school cafeteria. Accepting the ice, I carefully press it into my chin. The doctor looks at me like he is inspecting a bug. ¡°How would you love to get vengeance on that girl who attacked you? How would you like to make her feel what she just did to you, but more, much more?¡± he asks. ¡°I think I would enjoy that,¡± I say. ¡°If you desire that, then you can kill her in the game.¡± His mouth is pursed, and brow knitted. ¡°Or if you want real vengeance, then find her weakness. Once you do, exploit it and be cruel, but don¡¯t let her learn it was you.¡± ¡°Take care of this one,¡± he adds, pointing to the box as he turns to go. He stops mid-turn. ¡°You know, I think I can help you.¡± He pulls out a deck of stiff cards from his right jacket pocket. Flipping through them, he carefully selects a golden card and smiles at it turning it over, then places it in my hands. ¡°Use this game card with your headset before you log in, and remember, subversive action in the shadows is how you get ahead. When the chips are down, attack from the shadows. ¡°Also, I want you to report to SAINT training tomorrow, I am going to give you some free elective SAINT courses that will help you.¡± He smiles. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to show up.¡± His assistant is waving his hands in the air working a VR interface, presumably setting up my accelerated-learning SAINT courses. He turns on his heel and starts off; his assistants, prowling in his wake like attentive dogs, scurry after him as he walks away. Without looking back, the doctor proclaims, ¡°You are stronger than you think Esme.¡± *** Later, back in my dorm I feel better. It had shocked Kian and Briar that I met Dr. Friend. After telling them what he said, they decide we will play stealth characters. They believe he gave me secret information, which is funny and ridiculous. I open the box and I pull out a card that has the words ¡°The Rules¡± at the top. The rules are a simple numbered list.
  1. Each player is given starting gear and one player-bound knife of reconciliation. This knife can only be used once per week by players over level 15 during fortress conquest. Conquest is each weekend 8pm Friday to 11pm Sunday. The ability of the knife is to drain one level from a player character within your clan, automatic hit, range 30 yards. Note: each use will be a region notification event.
  2. To claim any prize(s) a Hillhurst student must be clan leader of the claiming clan. Alliances split all prizes evenly before any bonus or other allocation.
  3. The Hillhurst student clan leader will be allowed an extra portion of their choosing, as a special clan-leader bonus, within a range of 10%-60%. The remainder after the clan leader bonus will be split between all Hillhurst students in the clan. Non-student players with student players will split 1% of total monetary prize before any other disbursement.
  4. First dungeon region prize: in-game bonuses of starting fortress and items goes to the first student clan to complete the starter dungeon, per starting region. Additional prizes rewarded for first completion in the game world.
  5. Contest 30 - Prize 200M: The starting region must be conquered within thirty days of the start of the contest. This includes three fortresses and all battlements and outposts.
  6. Contest 60 - Prize 300M: The starting sector must be conquered within sixty days. A sector includes three adjacent regions, each similar to the students¡¯ starting region.
  7. Contest 90 - Prize 500M: The game world must be conquered within ninety days of game launch.
  8. All prizes are distributed as the in-game currency ¡°gold¡± and treated the same as any other in-game rewards. Rewards are subject to clan tax rate and region tax rate.
  9. Students from competing schools¡¯ split prizes normally. School and faculty prizes go to the clan leaders¡¯ school.
  10. During the length of the contest all students are required to attend school only one partial day per week, Friday.
  11. Incomplete contest prizes will be removed from escrow and not paid.
NOTE: Faculty prizes and rules provided separately to faculty. 2 - An education in violence. 1 day before the start of the contest, Friday. First thing this morning everyone is following the news about Unlimited Worlds, and all eyes before class are on screens. Watching the news in my standard school VR goggles I see that Imagine Online is opening with several other different immersive VR worlds to start. There is a science-fiction-based world called Imagine Beyond. There is a realistic western one which is 18+ because of adult content¡ªI assume that means naked people. The main world I will be in is named Imagine Online which is an ¡°updated, classic, open-world, RPG,¡± whatever that means. They have promised several more worlds to come over the next year, some of which sound much more interesting. There is a cozy mystery world where you can sit and drink tea by a fire and solve mysteries in a manor; that one will open in six months. I load up more videos. I¡¯ve been living in a cave and I need to know what I am getting myself into. Most of the videos are by fans who are regurgitating what devs say, so I search for just interviews of the devs. In one I find, a dev says within the game world, there is world vs. w. The zones he talks about will be based on players real-world physical locations and populations. The dev say that battles will be for zone influence structures which have different bonuses for defenders and de-buffs for attackers within that zone. The dev continues that this was to address the lack of gods in the game, as well as a way to keep players fighting for resources. However, the influence markers have to be constructed and guarded at later stages. I think it is end-game content that players won¡¯t see until they are high level. The initial contests help introduce a lot of this content to the new players. This is interesting. The game design foments competition and battle. Its design is to have everyone fighting for influence and limited resources at each stage. Another video makes it clear from the devs that players cannot pick a race besides human. In later stages of the game players can undergo transformation quests to alter their race. Players can even become members of beast tribes, gaining natural creature transformation abilities, or to be an elemental aspect like the ifrit for fire, sylphs for air, and so on. One female dev did a fifteen-minute talk titled, ¡°No Elves, no Dwarves? No problem.¡± It focused on how the system is far more flexible than having simple racial segmentation that force classes to use only specific races. The developers don¡¯t want to have pre-defined builds that characters follow online instructions for. So instead, there is internal programming to vary each character¡¯s experience based on personality and play style so that there is no way to recreate any specific build. Having a pretty Elf character had attracted me, and now I am not sure about this. I figure I need to learn a lot more about what is going on once I am in the game. There are a lot of acronyms being used and I am not doing too well with the terminology. The big news from the gaming channels is about the competitions. The amount of in-game currency to win is monumental, and it is evn more so that the in-game currency can convert into real life currency. After rereading the rules, I see there will be choices to make about finishing the game and leaving and taking the money. The rules seem designed for a leader, though the stronger you get and the more followers you have, the more danger you are in. The bell rings¡ªclass is starting. *** School is dragging today; all I can think about is getting into the game. Lunch time arrives and I have to avoid the main areas, so I go the library and badge in. I wave to Mrs. Lennox the librarian, then I go to the SAINT learning pods. The pods are small rooms with headsets and equipment to monitor and limit the time of the use of the devices. I enter a room and see the information signs on the wall. I have read them before, and they reiterate these are used to gain a wealth of information fast. These headsets could, with some kind of computer trickery, force your brain to recognize and learn things far faster than in real life. It¡¯s a simple biological hack, but it¡¯s one that gave an incredible advantage to those who could harness it in the recent past. Now, everyone is using them¡ªmy first time was when I was six years old. Originally a government secret project, the technology filtered out to the masses and became available for regular use. Additionally, you need long multi-month pauses between sets in the SAINT to allow your brain to process everything. At my school, all of us are on a tight SAINT schedule where we reinforce our subjects in between our quarterly in-depth SAINTS¡¯s. One teacher said we have absorbed as much as college graduates would have in the old days. It doesn¡¯t feel like we are all college graduates; all the kids still act immature compared to the adults at the school. I swipe my badge; using one of my several flex SAINT sessions where I may pick my topics to learn. We have flex so we can learn things like music, art, sculpture, and so on. I have other ideas about what I want to learn right now. I pass the large poster detailing all the information about the Speed-Attenuation-Intracortical-Neuroplasticity-Training system, or SAINT. Ignoring the sign, I sit down in the chair¡ªthat looks like one at a dentist¡¯s office¡ªand pull the helmet on. I¡¯m in the entry foyer of the SAINT system.a thought-based system, entirely controlled by your mind. In this space for flex learning you have access to the vastness of human knowledge. As promised, Dr. Friend had given me a special SAINT course which pops up. It is blocking me from selecting anything else, it¡¯s the only course I can take, and I must take it to open back up my elective courses. The mandatory one Dr. Friend has set up for is ¡°MMORPG history and cultural impact.¡± They do not list this course as a public option in the directory. ¡°Fine,¡± I mutter, then select the course and try to relax. The nameless tutor begins, I can feel the itch of the SAINT learning start. He is going through the course rapidly. I can almost keep up, but it¡¯s an aftereffect of how the program works on your brain. Then my mind catches up and time expands. I am learning about multiplayer games, the role-playing ones called MMORPGs. It starts with multi-user dungeon, or MUD, and follows the thread through games like Scepter of Goth, Legends of Future past and the Kesmai games. They pay special attention to the progression of MUD through various incarnations to becoming DikuMUD. DikuMUD is the form of the text-based multiplayer game that became the core of how every future MMO game after is designed. Once through the text games, the graphical games section begins. Graphical games covered are Habitat, Neverwinter Nights, the Shadow of Yserbius, Nexus, Meridian 59, the Realm Online, Mankind, Underlight, and even special sections for Ultima Online. Then the following section covers EverQuest, Asheron¡¯s Call, Runescape, Eve Online, Lineage, and World of Warcraft, which brought MMOs into the world on a large scale. Each section is taught with lore of the games and specifics on names of places and noteworthy events that happened in the game and patches. It even goes into details on the developer¡¯s names. In the first section on text-based MMOs, every detail about MUD is taught. Even that they called its world ¡®The Land¡¯, and how MUD inspired everything that happened after it, in particular DikuMud. DikuMUD set up all the names and systems that every MMO still uses today. The section on the modern MMOs is detailed in events, but also focused on how the games catered to player pressure to remove issues like permanent death. It also covers added conveniences like fast travel and instancing. It is implied you eliminate fun from a game when you remove consequences. The course praises Eve Online for keeping a level of consequences in the game to make losing a battle actually painful. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The final section is on the immersive games--¨Cthe ones where everyone kept getting stuck inside the games that used full-body pods-¨Cand the reasons people got stuck. The developers were so intent on proving they had real artificial intelligence they faked it. In fact, they faked it so well nobody could tell it was not real. Sometimes the developers themselves would pretend to be an AI and worked with select players to make compelling stories for the players to spread in online forums. After the government stepped in and regulated full-immersion technologies things got a lot better for the players, but the damage had been done. This led to the current generation of games and the SAINT program. The SAINT program is a way to offer real change in the way virtual reality works in general, not just games. For instance, people can take an entire college year in a week and finish a four-year degree in three months with mandatory breaks. This is a drastic improvement for advanced education. The training wraps up with a final line ¡°Wutani corporation is making great strides in public trust with the SAINT program.¡± Clearly, I¡¯m getting into marketing flim-flam in this training. The course finishes stating that it does not require a follow-up. I am back at the foyer and viewing the familiar interface and a section catches my eye. I have never considered before today but I have not done any historical SAINT learning. Drilling down into the menu, I look for thieves and their methods, finding several SAINT tutors on the topic, each with a different specialty, I mark them all and click on ¡°create composite tutor.¡± I have only four more flex SAINTS I can do in the next three months, so I need to make this count. I know we want to do rogue-type things, but these games also require fighting and killing. The jewelry and famous painting thieves that make up my first composite tutor won¡¯t know a lot about that¨Ctheir specialties are in not being seen. I look into stealth fighters, which has assassins, poisoners, and many ninjas come up. Martial arts tutors are used to learn how to fight and are required before joining a gym or a dojo. I go through the tutors and filter out the ones which are head-on fighters then I focus on the stealth aspects. I select about thirty different ones and I again click ¡°create composite tutor.¡± One more thing which could be useful I didn¡¯t realize until the gaming intro tutor showed me: clans and clan tactics are a big deal in these games. We will be stealth characters, so I can¡¯t just go with famous country founders or leaders. I filter down to famous street gangsters in the US and the Bratva in Russia, and I throw in a couple Yakuza as well. Then, selecting all the fictional gangsters I can find, I make another composite tutor. I click on ¡®save¡¯ for each of the composites so I can follow-up with them in regular VR. Follow-up is normally an important part of learning with SAINT. And, I could dig a little further and create reading lists based on each one at a later date. After clicking the learn button, I have three teachers, working in tandem, teaching me about stealth and about fighting. They drill me in killing and poisoning, about guns and cars. I learn about dispatching enemies with ice picks, throwing-stars, and garrotes¡ªabout twenty minutes pass. My brain feels hot, like I just ran five miles and my body is still recovering. But there is no time, I need to do the follow-up learning with each while I have time. First, the composite thief. I enter the SAINT and stand with Vinnie; I know his name because I feel like I can remember listening to him lecture for hours, though it has been only a short time outside. My brain believes that and knows it is not true, but if I can remember the knowledge and still use it, does it matter? Vinnie is an IA, an intelligent agent. His job here is to reinforce the learning we went through in our previous group tutoring. I cannot talk to him like I would with a person¨Cwe communicate through the learning, him to me. Everything I pick up is a learning; there is no wasted time in these instances. With Vinnie, the skills taught are not mentally demanding like the lectures. His is a physical tutoring, so he keeps creating live scenarios repeatedly. We cover keeping things between us and a target, line of sight, and pickpocketing. He covers lockpicking again, breathing exercises for jumping and landing, and how to walk, run, and even fall. I can feel the itch in my brain learning each. For a final, we combine all the skills in a street scene where my goal is to pick the pocket of a mark and retrieve a keycard. The mark is in a crowded party, which has guards at the door. Scouting it out, I pick the lock of a side gate and I slip in. I pretend to be a server with a tray, and I empty his pocket as I brush by. I exit the way I came and easily pass my course. As simple as that course is, I know that there are many others I can take, each with an associated lecture. This course was the beginner course, level 9. The level 1 class would require that I break into a fortified military compound and make off with state secrets. To complete it I would be bypassing computer security, physical security, and many deterrents. Wow, I should have tried these composites before. I enter the SAINT again, this time with Mushio my ninja teacher, I bow and sit awaiting instruction. He stands up, and our surroundings shift. We are now outside and there is an obstacle course; on one side there is a bright lamp shining over it. The light shines through the course onto a white wall. I know that I have to get from one side to the other without casting a shadow on that wall. *** Twenty-five failures later, I am so close to the other side. I slink past one of the blocks, bending my body at wrong angles. I nearly dip a toe into the light, casting a shadow and suffering another failure, but I make it. I cannot express emotion in these sessions, or I would be jumping up and down. My obstacle course done, I am positive that each failure was a learning being created in my head. I could feel the itch going wild the whole time. I wish I knew how it worked, but that is one topic that is hidden well. At least all the military and government agency usage of this system left us with these fighting and strategy courses. My next goal is to enter an Edo-era wooden fort and kill the commander. I survey the fort and notice that I can put the guards to sleep and slink in, or I could go over the wall. The main goal of this exercise is that I cannot set off an alarm, so I want to avoid the guards. Additionally, it should appear the commander died in his sleep. Slipping over the wall as a guard passes, I land with a balanced roll and blend in with the side of a wagon that is sitting next to a path. I see the commander walking with a lieutenant. I dive across the path and drift among the squat buildings until I am near what must be the commanders tent. It is the largest building and also the center-most one. There are guards at the door, and the commander is making his way over to it, inspecting a paper and talking with his troops. Avoiding the front door, I slide through a window, catching a falling rack of weapons that would have alerted everyone. I see a pitcher of water, so I drop in poison packet and hear the commander at the door talking to the guards. I slip back out the window and am back over the wall and wait to see the status of my mission. I pass with honors, that means the commander drank the poison and I am not being hunted. I leave, completing my reinforcement learning with Mushito. I return to the selection scene. I think about the further trainings for this tutor and see that there are a whopping fourteen more courses I need to take to master it. That will take me years with my current SAINT schedule. Moving on, I join Ben ¡®Rigs¡¯ Gallo, my street-level tutor. His instruction is much shallower that the other two, covering urban tactics. I am aware there are only three total courses with Rigs. This is the first one, so it should not prove too difficult. He wastes no time, and the itch is heating the back of my skull. I practice skills of driving, shooting and crowd management. Rigs goes over safecracking, and our surroundings morph into a nightclub. My goal is to use my surroundings, my disguise, and my skills to crack the safe inside, and then when leaving to avoid the police. It¡¯s simple. I feel the wad of cash in my coat pocket. Being a good student of Rigs, I walk around the back of the nightclub and bribe the policeman there to take the night off. He leaves, then I enter through the back and kill a generic guard. I break into the office safe and get the goods. Slipping into the club, I grab a drink before leaving out the front for extra credit, passing this module. The following modules in this series would be much harder. They require learning to see micro facial features, allowing me to spot lies and would require that I shake down people in a kind of protection racket. It also would teach me about power displays, which sounds interesting. I hope nobody looks at the official record of this, as I¡¯ve just demolished any career I could want in politics or as a CEO. In a moment of clarity, I send this SAINT session to my personal account so I can access it in regular VR if I need more info or advice from these tutors. I pull the helmet off and leave the library, ready to start. 3 - You are stood on a narrow road… Start of the contest, 30 days remain of contest A. Saturday. I watch as my vision comes to a point, just a little dot. I watch the dot for a second before it explodes back out like the Big Bang. Suddenly, I am standing inside of an empty, well-lit sphere. There are images of my face and various icons I don¡¯t understand all around one single word, ¡°configuring¡­¡± I am standing, though standing might not be the right word. I am floating. I am a disembodied spirit and have no form and I can¡¯t feel gravity or seemingly move. The word ¡°configuring¡­¡± finishes. With a fade-in, I am at the Unlimited Worlds ¡®world¡¯ selection. It has three worlds to choose right now: the space one, the adult western one, and Imagine Online the fantasy one. I pick Imagine Online and with a flash I am in a brightly lit room looking at shiny plastic character models in epic armor and weapons. I really hope our character models don¡¯t look like this in the game¨Cthese look like injection-molded plastic. I float forward and hear a voice say, ¡°Welcome to Imagine Online,¡± with a little too much pep. ¡°Please choose a base class,¡± the voice continues. ¡°Your base class sets your starting stats and skills. You can swap classes by training with the weapons of any class you prefer, and you are not limited to just one class.¡± Okay, that is cool, I can be multi class if I want. ¡°Advanced classes will open as you level. Please select each base class for more information then complete your selection and select a player name to enter the game.¡± Rousing music begins to play as I stare at a plastic-looking generic male fighter with huge shoulder armor. A pop-up appears over my vision:
Base class: Fighter (level 1)
Stats: Strength: 3 Willpower: 1 Dexterity: 1 Abilities: Smash, defend.
There is small note under the pop-up which says, ¡°14 advanced classes available. Sub-classes available at level 50.¡± I quickly change the selection to female, but this class was still not for me. I like simplicity of the fighter character sheet though, with strength at three. I glance at the mage and it has will¡ª or willpower¡ªat three, with two starting skills, just like the fighter. I expect that the rogue template will have dex¡ªor dexterity¡ªat value three along with two basic skills. After I stop in front of a plastic-looking rogue in black leather armor with a hood and a knife, the expected pop-up comes appears.
Base class: Rogue (level 1)
Stats: Strength: 1 Willpower: 1 Dexterity: 3 Abilities: Hide, slash.
I was right! Looking around, there are others I could choose from; one is some kind of crafter and another is wearing a sailor outfit. There is even another which seems to be a generic adventurer and so on. It¡¯s amazing that each of these have advanced classes and then sub classes below those. Am I choosing right? Gazing I don¡¯t see a stealthier-looking character than what is just in front of me. I have no other options, so it¡¯s time for my name. I select my rogue again and a keyboard appears along with the words ¡°By what name shall I call you?¡± I type in the name I decided upon last night, ¡®NightFlower.¡¯ As I press the complete button, the world turns black. Cinematic music beings to play and a soothing male voice speaks. ¡°In turbulent times where war has ravaged the land, heroes are born, and heroes are forged. This day, from a faraway land, a new hero has come forth.¡± My vision reorients down, and I see I am the star of a quick cutscene. The scene is me walking through a forest in a dark tunic with a dagger on my hip. I am wearing tight, heavy cloth pants with worn shoes, and I look like myself. I am not super-endowed, with massive jiggling breasts. I am not wearing a skimpy outfit of armor in name only. I don¡¯t look like female characters in other games, I look like me. I look like a pauper from a Charles Dickens book, a clean pauper, but I am¡­ me. The cutscene viewpoint pulls back to a wide expanse of a valley with mountains in the distance. A river cuts through the valley and I can see roads traversing the land. My viewpoint flies over a bustling town, and then I settle back onto the road just outside the forest where I saw myself in the cut-scene. Gravity kicks in and I stagger settling into my new digital body. It does not feel unlike my own; I am not sure what I expected but not expect to feel like me in my regular body. This all feels so natural, as does the world around me, which¨Cas expected¨Cis flawless. I watch grass rustle and small insects crawling on the ground. The narrator, having paused, continues, ¡°After a long journey alone through the Forest of Fell, you are stood on a narrow road between this new land and whence you came. NightFlower the apprentice rogue approaches the small town of Kesmai,¡± the narrator says. With an ominous tone, he continues, ¡°Night is soon to fall, and with it danger and adventure.¡± A crescendo in the music happens, and the narrator finishes with, ¡°Welcome to Imagine Online.¡± A notice pops up saying that my respawn point is the Kesmai neutral ground. I take a second to look at my heads-up display; the HUD shows my body with green lines under various parts. There are other icons which show info about my character¡¯s health, mana which is magical power, and stamina. There is also what looks like a faded version of my character with a light on it. I can see more menus with sub-menus; I have so much to investigate. Looking down at my body the display fades away so as not to break my immersion. I need to mess around with my settings later and see if certain settings are adjustable. I want that promised bathroom meter visible all the time. A notice pops up, ¡°Continue with tutorial?¡± It has no options, and I have to get going to find my friends, so I yell to the sky ¡°No?¡± and the pop-up window fades away. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The name Kesmai is familiar from my SAINT on massive multiplayer games. In 1982 a standalone game was released named The Dungeons of Kesmai. Following the first game, in December 1985 they released The Island of Kesmai, an online-only game. Island of Kesmai was only available on an early private network called CompuServe. CompuServe cost $6 per hour and was even more for a slightly faster connection. Even with these expensive per-hour costs gamers would play the game all day. Legends of Kesmai launched in 1996 on yet another private network of the time called AOL. Of the three, The Island of Kesmai is distinct as the first commercially successful multiplayer game. There are dungeons to beat here in Imagine Online, is that the reference? Are we on an island? I doubt that the name is a coincidence, it cannot be happenstance. There will be more references, I hope. I walk down the road to the town of Kesmai. *** Approaching the town, I pass several farmers leaving in empty wagons. The farmers, clothed as Dark-Ages peasants, greet me without stopping. Made up of wooden and stone two-story buildings, the town of Kesmai is pretty from a distance. It has no gates or guards, and the edge of the town is not well defined, mostly being a collection of livestock pens and fences. The town is bustling; I see people going in every direction carrying items. The townsfolk are easy to identify as they dress in nondescript clothing and focus on their tasks. I can spot game players like myself ahead at an intersection¡ªthey are standing in groups and are chatting with each other and keep looking around. I¡¯m not sure what to do, and I don¡¯t want to run into anyone from my school yet. Briar and Kian must be around somewhere, I¡¯ll need to find them. I duck down next to a hay wagon. The body icon in my display noticeably dims. It¡¯s my hide-meter, and I realize I am now hidden; I look down and my body appears semi-translucent. I sneak around the side of the wagon to look into the intersection. I try to see who the players are¡ªone has some rusted armor on¡ªand I don¡¯t recognize him. Another has a belt with several tools on it, and yet another has a staff and ragged robes. One player I see has a bow that looks one step above something you might buy for a child with suction cup arrows. I recognize none of these players. They all look older and they are talking about how they got to the town. One player even mentions fighting an animal in the woods. I see a notification window in my peripheral vision, and I shift to focus on it, causing a window to pop up.
NEW SKILL: Identify You have learned a new skill. Identify allows you to inspect creatures and players to determine rank, levels and skills. With a little practice, this skill will allow you to passively identify and categorize creatures.
Whoa, I didn¡¯t realize I would dynamically pick up skills. Focusing on something and trying to see deeper allowed me to learn the Identify skill. This was useful, and it made me wonder how many skills like this are learnable like this? In a system like this it would seem that there are a lot of different skills I could learn just by simply doing things. If I pick up a shovel would I get a ¡®Digger¡¯ skill? I will have to experiment. Sneaking past the group of players, I don¡¯t break my hide-in-shadows skill. The skill gets a system notice, a little ding, to tell me it increased to level two. The notification thankfully didn¡¯t pop into my view and block where I was looking. As the shadows of evening get longer, moving closer to the center of town is much easier. Testing my Hide skill, I move back and forth in light and see where I would become visible. The floating body icon blinks as I enter too much light, and I find I can stay hidden with ease. While I am crossing an open doorway, an NPC carrying bread walks into me. With a cry, he falls, and bread scatters in all directions. I jump back two steps and retreat as I re-enter the shadows. A baker sticks his head out of the door and sees the worker looking around for what he tripped over. He yells, ¡°What is wrong with you? I¡¯m docking your pay for the damaged bread, urchin.¡± The NPC picks up the bread, mutters a curse, and continues on his way. I will need to be careful if an NPC has scripted paths they follow¡ªI assume most of them will be scripted. Many times scripted NPC pathing can be helpful, with guards for instance, but I just messed up that guy¡¯s day. I follow a group of NPC kids and their dogs down an alley to what must be the main square, a large cobblestone circular area. I see markets and stalls, and there must be at least a hundred player characters here all shopping and looking at a large board with flyers all over it. This must be a quest hub for players, a dangerous place for lower-level characters, but not today. I inspect at least thirty players and there was only one level two character. My Identify skill gets a bump to level two and then a crescendo of music starts. ¡°What the¡ª¡± In complete surround-sound, the narrator says, ¡°Our hero enters Kesmai square.¡± Y, I must have set off a proximity event. ¡°Determined to make a name for herself in this quaint hamlet, our hero can use this square to find quests.¡± A large notice board in the center of the square glows for a second, and then the light fades. The narrator continues talking about and highlighting various parts of the square: church for healing, a crafting station and so on. The smooth male voice is soothing, but I hope it does not narrate all my quests step-by-step. That could be pretty irritating. I inspect more players, and then I see Briar and Kian entering the square; they are strolling along. I stay hidden, creeping along, until I am behind them. Appearing from the depths of a shadow, I take one step and put my hands on their shoulders with a slap and shout, ¡°HI, BOYS!¡± Almost falling down, Briar says, ¡°Whoa¡ªdamn. Dammit, Esme.¡± He looks a little closer and says, ¡°Oh, NightFlower, a great name.¡± I inspect him, a level-one rogue named Thorn and Kian, also a level-one rogue named ¡°Sil3nt.¡± ¡°How long have you guys been in the town?¡± I ask. Kian says, ¡°We both arrived near a river and walked in. I found Briar here on the road. How about you?¡± ¡°Just got here. Have you guys tried to use skills yet?¡± ¡°Not yet, but watch this,¡± Briar says and tries to jump back against a wall and activates his hide skill, I see him shimmer out and back in. ¡°No good,¡± he says. ¡°There are too many people around, I think.¡± He glares at a player crafter walking by with a basket of wool. Kian moves his hands in the air and a contact request pop-up shows for ¡°Sil3nt¡± and then a party invite. I approve both requests, and then I see two more body icons appear in my display with names and health bars next to them. More information displays for them. Looking in closer, I can see their online status and there is a line for effects which I can only guess at right now. There is a party voice chat, which could come in handy if we were all separated. There are quite a few greyed-out icons in the interface that I can¡¯t get more info on. They must be for later in the game, as we level. ¡°Let¡¯s go get starter quests,¡± Kian says. I nod at Briar and we all set off for the board. Quests for parties our level are limited and based on party composition. We only have two quests to choose from as a starter group. The first is ¡°The matriarch¡¯s fancy ring¡± which is a quest to find a woman and steal a ring she keeps in a lock box during the day. The next one is, ¡°A daring break-in,¡± which is a night quest to get into a shop and also steal a lockbox. Both quests are level one. It¡¯s nighttime, so we choose ¡°A daring break-in.¡± The pop-up appears.
QUEST: A daring break-in Kesmai''s baker has purchased illicit goods. There is a small locked box in the back of the bakery which implicates the baker and others. Steal this box and stop all of the problems in the town. Success: Bring the lockbox unopened back to the quest manager. Failure: Time limit expires. You open the box. Time limit: 12 hours
I click on ¡°accept¡± and the interface waits for both Kian and Briar to accept their pop-ups. We all need to accept the quest to do it. Turning away from the quest board, I crash right in the chest of a large guard and fall back into Kian. I look up at the guard; he is wearing a chain-mail shirt with solid metal boots, bracers, and gloves. He has a black embroidered surcoat with what looks like an eagle¡¯s claw in the center. I inspect him and see that his level is fifteen, far beyond any other NPC or player I have so far seen. Sizing us up, he crisply says, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Captain Lemmet. You young adventurers wouldn¡¯t be up to no good,¡± he narrows his eyes, ¡°would you?¡± ¡°Ginga!¡± Briar says. 4 - A daring first quest "We aren¡¯t troublemakers,¡± Kian says, jumping in to keep Briar from saying any more ¡°We are new here, could you direct us to where we can train basic skills?¡± The captain lowers his eyelids and takes in Kian, and then he points to where the narrator had shown an arena. ¡°You can train in and around the arena. If you are a fighter and prove your worth you could even join the guard.¡± He takes a second look at Briar and says, ¡°Well, some of you, that is.¡± A commotion breaks out on the other side of the square, so the captain turns and speeds off. ¡°How did we already get the guards¡¯ attention?¡± Asks Briar. ¡°It¡¯s like he was waiting for us to take the quest.¡± Kian says, ¡°I¡¯m sure he is probably part of the quest. We will have to sneak past him most likely and we have little time. It is dark soon and we have to start. I don¡¯t want to fail our first quest.¡± I look toward the commotion and see a group of rogues, players dressed identical to us. The other group is being questioned by the captain. ¡°We might not be the only ones trying to get this thing.¡± I say. Following my gaze, both Kian and Briar take in our potential competition. ¡°Bring it,¡± says Briar. *** We scout out the bakery first and Kian remembers seeing a sewer tunnel near the river. Making our way there, we stomp through the muck and into a sewer drain. I guess from the distance we have travelled that we must be close to the underside of the bakery by now. Kian and Briar stop ahead of me. ¡°What is that?¡± whispers Briar. ¡°You don¡¯t have to whisper,¡± Kian says, ¡°There aren¡¯t any guards down here.¡± ¡°But Kian, I hear something.¡± I step up to see if I can pick out what Briar hears, and it sounds like a clicking sound. ¡°I hear dripping and chirping sounds, maybe crickets.¡± I say as I see a pair of small, glowing animal eyes in the sewer ahead of us. ¡°Rats!¡± Kian says. We pull out our daggers and raise our torches as more glowing eyes appear. I mentally inspect the creatures and see they are simple level-one rodents with at most two hit points. I slip into the shadows. Kian dives forward as they approach and stabs one, killing it instantly. A rat near it jumps on his arm and bites him for one hit point of damage, dropping him down to 80% of his maximum. Damn, we are squishy at level one. Briar jumps ahead and stabs one, killing it, and also gets a bite for one hit point. I slink ahead to flank the remaining rats and a notice briefly shows. Surprise attack, 2x damage, +1 attack. I step out of the shadows and quickly stab two rats, who die with one hit each. Kian stabs the final rat; we all stop and look around for more. Our first fight in the game! We don¡¯t get any kind of notification, nothing to tell us we got experience points. Did we kill all of them? ¡°Damn, that hurts,¡± says Briar, rubbing his arm, ¡°Doesn¡¯t feel as bad the real thing, but it still aches.¡± ¡°It does,¡± Kian says, moving forward to a side-tunnel. ¡°Hey, this is what we were looking for.¡± Just inside the tunnel we see a grate above and I can smell bread. We are under the bakery. ¡°Shh,¡± Kian lightly says, pointing up. He straddles the wall and gets up to the grate and presses his face against it. Kian gives the thumbs up and he pushes the grate up and slides it sideways. Grabbing the edge, he lifts himself up and moves out of sight. Briar and I follow him up into the bakery, each of us hiding in the shadows. We can see each other by a light blue outline, and as my eyes pass over my party members, I can see their icons light up in my interface. Their health is not recovering, shouldn¡¯t their health be already recovering? I inspect Briar and see he has a disease debuff icon. The rats we fought had a disease. How much will this cost at the healing temple? Through the windows of the bakery we can see a light from outside. Pulling back deeper into the shadows, I can see a guard¡ªno, the captain¡ªwalk past the large window with a bright torch. The captain stops to check the door is locked then he continues on. We need to get out of here; I move to the back room where I quickly and quietly open the door. There on a table is our locked box. The box glows a slight golden color for a second; it is our quest item, all right. I move forward to get it and hear a snore. To my right in the dark I can see the baker, covered in a thin sheet, sound asleep. A notification shows ¡°Prone, surprise attack 3x damage, +2 attack.¡± W. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The baker rolls over in his sleep and I can see that he is the one from earlier in the day, the one who docked the worker¡¯s¡¯ pay and called him an urchin. Josie flashes in my mind, along with all the torture, kicking, and name-calling I have endured. Welling up inside me, a pent-up rage erupts, and I am next to his bed with my level-one knife up and ready. I am rage. Notifications scroll in time with my stabbing arm. You hit baker for 6 damage. You hit baker for 3 damage. You hit baker for 6 damage. Baker has died. ¡°What the¡ª¡± Kian says, standing in the doorway, his mouth open. I spin around, grab the lockbox, and throw it in my bag. I see a chest and open it without thinking. I dodge as a short knife ejects out of the box¡ªa trap¡ªand pick up coins inside. A notice informs me that ¡°+12 gold¡± is added to my inventory. ¡°Whoa,¡± says Kian. ¡°I don¡¯t think killing the baker was part of the quest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I say, ¡°I thought he would wake up. Let¡¯s get out of here fast.¡± We slip back down into the sewers, replacing the grate just as we hear a loud click and the front door opens above us. We freeze and listen. It is quiet, and then we hear, ¡°What the hell? Someone killed this dude, where is the quest b¡ª¡± ¡°Thieves!¡± I hear the voice of the captain call out. The light from his torch filters down the grate and into the sewer. ¡°You thieves will go to jail ¡ª there¡¯s been a murder, they killed the baker!¡± I hear more footsteps enter the bakery and turn and point to the way out, I don¡¯t want to be around for this. We navigate our way back out of the sewers and make it before the rats respawn. ¡°Whoa!¡± Briar says with a laugh. ¡°Those other rogues got shafted!¡± ¡°We completed the quest, at least,¡± says Kian, looking over his gear and checking the diseased rat bite on his arm. ¡°Let me see the box,¡± Briar asks, sticking his hand out. I give it to him, and he sits and looks it over, occasionally poking at it. ¡°So, what happens now?¡± I ask. ¡°I think we need to report back at the square,¡± Kian says. ¡°But I don¡¯t know if there is a curfew or anything. Let¡¯s avoid the bakery and head back.¡± Disappearing into the inky dark, leaping from shadow to shadow, we make our way to the square and stop. I see players still gathered around, looking at gear and digging in their bags. Standing near the stalls, I step out of the shadows. With a glance at our surroundings, Briar and Kian also step out and we walk forward to claim our prize. At the quest board I look around and see the quest manager booth. He is a human who is dressed as an old-time bank teller. He sits in a solid booth made of wood. Walking up, Kian says, ¡°We would like to turn in our quest.¡± He grabs the lockbox from Briar and places it on the counter in front of the quest manager. ¡°Quest failed, someone has opened the box,¡± the quest manager says. ¡°Regular experience points have awarded for battle and skills.¡± Notifications scroll along in the lower right of my vision, but floating in the center is a pop-up.
Quest ¡°A daring break-in¡± failed. You opened the lockbox.
With his voice a low growl, Kian turns and says, ¡°Briar, what did you do?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to, I just saw some paper inside,¡± Briar says. ¡°I thought there would be gold or jewels or something inside, man, not some stupid paper¡­¡± I grab the box and open it and pick up the paper.
Quest chain: a daring endeavor. The note in the box indicates that the baker was looking to bind creatures to his will to make his bread and was getting help from a nearby dark wizard. The baker had been providing the wizard with children to experiment with. Find out what the baker was up to and rid the town of the dark wizard. Success: Eliminate the threat of the dark wizard. Failure: Abandon quest.
¡°See,¡± I say. ¡°I knew he was a bad guy. I knew it.¡± I click on ¡°accept¡± and select the option to make it a party quest. ¡°Okay, so let¡¯s not screw up this quest, all right, Briar?¡± Kian pokes a finger into Briar¡¯s chest, and I watch both of their hit points tick down. The disease is still active. My bathroom indicator icon is blinking¡ªback in the real world I need to go to the bathroom. But first, I interrupt the boys, ¡°Let¡¯s go get you two healed.¡± I pull out some of the gold coins looted from the baker. As we walk to the healers across the square I say to Briar and Kian, ¡°Looks like the disease will kill you in about a day, and it prevents you from recovering your hit points.¡± ¡°And it hurts,¡± says Briar as we reach the temple and see a female priest standing in front expectantly. ¡°Cure disease¡ªone gold,¡± she says. ¡°A dollar!¡± Briar says, he tilts his chin down and hiccups, losing another percent of health. Paying the healer her fee, I see I have another ten gold pieces left over. I excuse myself while the healing happens and walk back to the market; I stop at the tailor''s shop where there are mage''s robes and other low-end player gear for sale. I spy what I am looking for and quickly buy three black-hooded cloaks for two gold each. The tailor looks me over, saying, "These are good for keeping the night at bay, if you are a nightfall type of person?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I say, ¡°we are nightfall, uh, folks.¡± Does that sound bad? I wonder if she knows about the baker. I try my cloak on and it feels right¡ªit¡¯s the uniform of a rogue in this game so it should. I test the shadows and I blend in and out easily; I walk back to the temple. Reaching the boys and handing over the cloaks, I say, ¡°Here, we should have these.¡± Seeing , ¡°I need to log out for the night, it¡¯s late.¡± ¡°I need to go also,¡± Kian says, trying on his cloak. I watch his hit points finally increase as his natural healing now works with no disease. I log off *** Josie had watched the runt girl and her friends slinking around the town square and made a note of their player names. Josie herself had chosen a ranger starting character and had excellent eyesight, tracking, and aim. She was a character designed to mercilessly track and kill. About to log off, she had spotted the rogues and followed them with an arrow ready, waiting for them to step out of the square, but they logged off. This will be fun. 5 - Newbie Isle 29 days remain of contest A, Sunday. ¡°Where is this place?¡± I ask. Bringing up my local map, I share it with the party¡ªwe have no quest markers. This is not surprising, as most of the local map is grey with what is called the fog of war. The only visible parts on the map are near the center, around the town. ¡°I guess we need to find it. Is there any clue in the box?¡± Kian asks. We look at the box for any clue¡ªit has a wolf on the side and what looks like an island on the top. Using my Inspect skill I see that there is nothing special about the box, so I put it into my bag. I pull my cloak tight and say, ¡°We need to explore more to find what the area around here looks like so we can figure out where this quest starts.¡± We set off away from the town of Kesmai and follow the road to the river and keep walking. Often, we pass a farmer in a cart or several huts on the side of the road. I inspect the farmers and most seem about level five or six. I remember we had notifications last night and I bring up statistics; it looks like I gained a level, and Hide and Slash both increased by one, which is nice, I also have a skill point to distribute. Seeing that dexterity helps with hide I drop it in there and immediately feel a little lighter on my feet. ¡°Where did you guys put your skill point?¡± I ask. ¡°We both put ours in strength,¡± Kian says. ¡°After getting that disease it felt like having more hit points would be a good idea¡ª" ¡±Whoa, umm hey, is that the¡­ ocean?¡± Briar asks. Ahead, down a slope, there is a fishing village on the ocean with a ship docked to a small pier. The ship¡¯s flag snaps in the wind, and even from this distance I can make out the eagle claw emblem. We walk the road in silence; I take in the ocean''s sight, and the thought of a boat being able to take us places is great. I have never been on a boat in the real world, though most of this is something I have never done in the real world. It¡¯s why you play these games: you can safely try new things you normally could never do. Approaching the village, I can see that the mountains visible in all directions from direction of the town Kesmai. The mountains abruptly end at the edge of the ocean here, leaving a bay. The sides of the bay are sheer cliffs to the left and the right. This natural barrier seems odd considering the regular open nature of the world. It¡¯s as if Kesmai is in a fishbowl, and this is the one way out. Looking at the dangerous cliffs, I laugh to myself while I try to remember if there was a mermaid starting class in this game. When I enter the fishing village the now familiar rousing music starts all around me and the narrator begins, ¡°Our hero finds a gateway to fame and adventure but faces many challenges to attain her goal.¡± Wait, challenges, what? ¡°Her training not complete, the way forward is barred to her. What will our hero do?¡± The music trails off. I start, ¡°Do you guys have to listen to this stupid¡ª¡± ¡°Halt!¡± A guard with the eagle claw emblem surcoat standing in front of the dock readies his weapon. ¡°What business have you at the dock?¡± ¡°We would like to inquire about passage,¡± Kian says, looking back at us with a half-smile and then at the ship. I inspect this guard and cannot tell anything about him. This simple-looking guard could be a level 100 gateway guardian, I need to watch what I say here. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I see you are beginning your paths to glory still. To leave the island adventurers must have sufficient advancement. I am under orders from the captain, so I cannot let you pass,¡± the guard says proudly, right before we get the pop-up.
Quest: Reach puberty You need to be level 10 to leave the starting area. Success: Reach level 10. Failure: Abandon the quest. Time limit: Unlimited
¡°We¡¯re in a starting area?¡± Briar loudly quips. . No wonder my map is all f¡ª¡± ¡°You can leave the starting area once you have sufficiently advanced,¡± the guard repeats, boring his eyes into Briar. ¡°Until that time, this dock is off limits. If you require help with your training, perhaps you could hunt animals in the woods of the valley or speak with the citizens. I have no jobs I need done.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a horrible idea,¡± I say. ¡°We can search the woods in the valley.¡± *** ¡°Okay, which way should we go? We have walked thirty minutes from the dock and nothing looks familiar,¡± Briar says. " I vote right I guess,¡± as he waves his arm towards a fork in the road. The road goes up to the mountains that make up the boundary of the island and split to the left and the right. ¡°I vote for right,¡± I say, feeling we will get more of the map exposed this way. As we walk to the right, the overhead branches lean in more and the trees'' foliage become dense. The light reaching the forest floor is sparse. ¡°We should definitely practice our hide skills,¡± I say. As we walk, we dart between the trees by the road and dip in an out of hide. Continuing like this, we all gain a level in our hide skill. Hearing a noise ahead, I motion for everyone to use hide as we climb into the trees, covered in darkness. Approaching is a party of player characters: : two mages, two fighters, and a what looks like a cleric with a long hammer. The fighter¡¯s weapons are much better than the ones we saw on the starting fighters in town. The mages also have on expensive-looking robes and each hold a spell book. Inspecting them, I see the fighters are each level four, as are the mages, and the cleric is level five. This party would wipe us out without even thinking about it. ¡°That was awesome,¡± one fighter said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you blasted that guy like that¡± ¡°I got lucky¡ª¡± the wizard on the left side said ¡°And I healed him,¡± said the cleric. ¡°You only heal a little drip of health.¡± ¡°No, dude, I healed you full.¡± ¡°Do you think we are ready to enter the opening-month raid yet?¡± Says the other fighter ¡°Stop, you guys,¡± says the right-side mage. ¡°There could be more of those wolves around this area and I don¡¯t want to get attacked just because you guys want to argue about healing. And no, that raid probably will require us to be at least level ten to beat it. We can try it while we still don¡¯t get the resurrection debuff for dying, which we get at level ten. Once we hit level ten, we will probably start to lose item durability when we die.¡± Continuing their squabbling, they leave our hearing range. After their passing I feel like we are way behind¡ªthese guys are already talking about the raid. As three rogues, how do we propose to handle a raid? Dropping back out of the trees we continue on, more aware of our surrounds, and we stop to listen every so often.
New skill: Perception You don¡¯t want to have anyone get the jump on you, so you have learned to listen well. At higher levels, this skill allows you to passively find secrets. Active rogue class bonus: +2
Well, that is handy, this game automatically uses an ability when you do something. So just by stopping to listen this ability will kick in. Skills . We come upon a trail leading to the left, into a break in the mountains and surrounded by steep cliffs. it¡¯s the first canyon break we have seen so far in the mountains so far. Looking at each other, we resume hiding and walk the trail to see where it leads us. Soon I am on a trail with a swamp on either side of me and not much cover. Ten minutes later I see a raised knoll up ahead, and on that a two-story grey stone building. The trail leading up to the house has a huge cast-iron gate with alchemical symbols in relief covering the bars. There are weeds growing everywhere around the gate, which sits ajar as if someone just had passed through it. The top of the building has a spire with a cluster of lightning rods on it. Each of the rods has mystical symbols carved on them. It is finished off with a jutting clump of metal rods with a dangling silver quarter moon and brass sun. Looking over the grounds, I can see will-o''-the-wisps to the right and to the left floating lazily over the cold water. Night is setting quicker here with the dense trees and steep cliffs. I¡¯ve seen enough movies to know what happens in places like this in the dark. That stupid narrator will probably expound on the rise of the undead if we wait for night. ¡°I believe we¡¯ve found our wizard,¡± Kian says. Briar nods and looks ahead to the house, his face looking like he ate a sour candy. ¡°Who wants to knock?¡± I ask. 6 - Eyes and newts ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we scout this out first?¡± Briar asks. I walk up the gate¡ªit¡¯s time we saw what was going on with this quest. I don¡¯t want to waste a ton of time talking about what to do here. We can just go up and see if this wizard attacks us on sight or lets us talk to him. I slip through the gate without touching the bars; I know nothing about magic, but it feels like it wouldn¡¯t be wise to brush against these bars covered in alchemical symbols. Kian and Briar quickly shuffle up behind me, and Briar jumps into the shadows as I raise my fist to knock. Before my hand touches the door, I hear a loud gong, and for a second I expect music to start. I hear noises within the house, and the door creaks open. A small man, or maybe he is a gnome, appears in the doorway. He has bushy eyebrows, large hands and feet, and is wearing a black wizard¡¯s robe. His hair is short on top and his beard, grown to a point, is pure black. He peers over his glasses at us with no fear. I can feel the hairs on my arm raise and know immediately that the door is magically shielded. My perception skill shows the blue glow of a protective spell across the front of the door. With that protection it would be suicide to attack him. ¡°Please don¡¯t hide, come out,¡± the magician asks Briar, who falls out of the shadows after being detected. ¡°Well, now what is it you want, I am a busy man?¡± ¡°W-we killed the baker,¡± I blurt out. ¡°He was working for you.¡± ¡°Ah, yes,¡± the magician says, ¡°that is unfortunate. He had access to specimens I require, so this complicates things. I gather you didn¡¯t come here to confess. Additionally, I expect you know what he was after?¡± ¡°Not exactly,¡± Kian says, warily. ¡°He wanted a special binding enchantment so he could force a creature to work night and day for him making bread.¡± The magician waves a hand in the air. ¡°A trifle, really, and such a mundane use for my work.¡± I inspect the wizard see and he is level eight, a respectable amount above our levels, so he could likely defeat us with ease. I am careful to weigh words; we might both complete our quest and reap rewards from this wizard. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± I ask, hoping to trigger a quest from this NPC. His eyes light up. ¡°In fact I do. I cannot ask you to do what the baker did for me, but I have another issue. You see, I have a Kobold infestation.¡± His smile looks odd, ¡°The rodents have invaded a cavern behind my laboratory, behind this house. I have not had the time to exterminate them myself. Please handle that for me, okay?¡±
Quest chain: A daring endeavor (part 2) You have gone to work with the dark wizard instead of fighting him. Now he has given you a quest to defeat the Kobolds invading his laboratory.Success: Defeat the Kobolds. Failure: Abandon the quest.
I click accept. Kobolds are usually level one, so this should be quick and easy. It also gets us on the good side of the wizard, who may offer us more. ¡°Thank you. Please see me in my laboratory when you complete this task,¡± the magician says as he closes the door. ¡°We could have taken him,¡± Briar says, fingering his knife. ¡°No,¡± I say and explain the warding. ¡°Oh man, I didn¡¯t see that. How did you?¡± He asks. ¡°Didn¡¯t you get the perception skill?¡± asks Kian. ¡°No, what are you guys talking about?¡± Kian walks off muttering. I shrug, and we walk around the house to start the job. The house must be magically enchanted as well, as it is larger than it looks. Behind the house are the rising cliff walls of this canyon. Right at the base of the cliff is the laboratory, a small windowless stone building with a glass-paned ceiling. It smells of chemicals and alcohol, even at a distance. The roof of the laboratory has four chimneys all emitting some kind of caustic-looking steam or smoke. I watch as the billowing smoke rises up to the scrub brush and stilted trees growing in the steep incline. Passing the laboratory, we see the quest cave and notice that broken barrels are in the doorway. My perception picks up small footprints leading into and out of the cave and discarded bones of small animals that have been gnawed clean. Seeing extinguished torches near the entrance, we light one on a small fire outside the laboratory. I wave Kian and Briar to either side and motion to the shadows and that they should stay in front of me. I hoist the torch in front of me and walk into the cave with the boys leading on either side in the shadows. I can see Briar¡¯s blue outline move high along the cave wall. It looks like he found a ledge. Neither of them can go far as the edge of the torchlight only makes it twenty-five feet. I slowly walk, step by step, over bones, around broken crates, and on top of barrels. The wizard had been using this area to store supplies, it looks like. My perception picks up a red glow ahead of me and I strain to see what is up front as I move forward. I open up the voice chat. ¡°We have one up ahead, coming this way,¡± I say. ¡°I see,¡± Kian whispers as his blue glow moves forward and up. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I stop and wait; I wedge the torch into place on a barrel and step back into the dark, my cloak blending in, a perfect charcoal, hidden from all eyes. I can see Kian and Briar reposition themselves as my misdirection becomes clear. Tas the mine Kobold makes cautious steps¡ªadvancing on the torch. The Kobold is an ugly small creature the size of a three-year-old child. Its skin is dark, its ears are tall and pointed, and its nose is bulbous and looks like it could pop. It slowly enters the small clearing by the torch, and I see its nose sniffing the air¡ªit is going to smell us. I have two attacks and damage bonuses; it is time to stick a knife in this thing. A dark blob falls from the ceiling, and with two quick stabs the Kobold is dead without a sound. Kian stands and wipes black blood from his knife. ¡°These shadow attacks are amazing,¡± he says. ¡°I was about to get him,¡± I say. ¡°So was I¡ªdamnit,¡± Briar says. ¡°Can¡¯t let you guys have all the fun.¡± Kian puts his knife back in his belt and searches the Kobold, placing three gold coins in his bag. There was nothing else of value. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he says. I pick up the torch and we move farther into the cave; I try to lure another Kobold in, but this time two show up. One of the two is on all fours sniffing the ground. It falls to Briar in a flash of darkness, and I take the other with Kian adding a finishing blow, as one of my hits only glanced the creature¡¯s neck. We continue on slowly. After five minutes of walking I can see light ahead. It looks like a small fire ahead in a side cave. I set the torch down and join my friends in darkness as we move forward. We stop short of the side cave, seeing another kobold move into it. I see Kian is above the Kobold, so I make a ¡®pfft¡¯ sound and it turns and steps toward me, before quickly dying to Kian¡¯s knife. I climb up the edge like I saw the boys do, though it¡¯s a lot harder than it looks. I should put a skill point to strength. I peek around the edge of the side cave from higher up and I see the fire pit. Next to the pit there is a larger Kobold with one of the small ones. I inspect the big guy and see it is level three. I wave Kian and Briar up to look and we back away to where we can talk. ¡°Let¡¯s lure it out,¡± I say, ¡°I¡¯ll be bait¡ª¡± ¡°Deal,¡± says Briar, a bit too quickly. A huge smile on his face. I nearly burst out laughing and wave them toward the cave entrance. Once they are in place, it is my turn to do my act. I run back down toward the entrance and grab my torch. I walk to the front of the side cave entrance and place the torch in full view of the lead Kobold. I start to hum, and I hear a screech as the Kobolds both stand and run at me. The smaller one reaches the main cave first and Briar and Kian let it pass. Their goal is the leader. The small one runs at me. Picking up the torch in my left hand, I hold it front of me. The creature stops and I lunge at it with my knife, but I miss completely and fall forward. The torch smashes into the Kobold¡¯s face. Slashing wildly around, it knocks the torch back onto me. You hit Kobold for 4 fire damage. Kobold hits you for 2 damage Kobold hits you for 2 damage Kobold hits you for 4 fire damage I swipe up and land a hit on the little monster, killing it, and try to spring to my feet; I am down to 30% of my total hit points and I can¡¯t take another attack. I see Briar is on the ground with two hit points left and Kian is engaging the lead monster. With Briar out, I know I have to do something; this big Kobold is tough. As Kian doges an attack, I run screaming at the last Kobold from its flank, I duck into shadows while running and leap into the air. Legs tucked under me I slash out and with a glancing stab in the side of the head the Kobold screams, but I don¡¯t do any damage. Landing on the other side I smell the beast and can feel it¡¯s breath as it is turning to strike, I swing my arm back and plunge the knife into it¡¯s neck. You hit Kobold leader for 2 (+2 flanking) damage. You kill Kobold leader. Notifications scroll by and I push them to the side. I do see one of them mentions conditions met for the quest are complete. In the edge of my vision I can see Briar take another point of damage. There shouldn¡¯t be any more Kobolds here. Both Kian and I look at Briar and his face looks confused. What is going on? Briar coughs and then says, ¡°Crap¡­ bleeding debuff,¡± in a croak. I see his icon turn grey and his body wisps away as if a slight breeze had blown smoke. ¡°Oh man,¡± says Kian, laughing. ¡°He will be so pissed about not looting this dude.¡± He gives the dead kobold leader a kick. I step in to look at the loot list for this creature, and I see there is a knife and a ring, I toss both in my pack. I look back in the Kobold¡¯s living area; I pick up 25 gold and several rolls of dark cloth; I toss it all into my bag. Returning, I stop to inspect the weapon. It is a level three knife that none of us can use yet, but is a significant upgrade. The ring is a level three ¡®Ring of shadow cast¡¯. ¡°Oh, that explains what happened,¡± Kian says, looking at the ring. ¡°We attacked his shadow first, and the real him was in the shadows behind. I read the description of the ring out loud, ¡°In low light, the ring wielder can cast a simulacrum of himself ahead of his position. If hide-in-shadows check fails, the simulacrum disappears.¡± Oh wow, this is useful. ¡°Glad you looted that, you deserve that for saving me.¡± He points the Kobold¡¯s knife he picked up for his loot. ¡°He would have killed me with the next hit.¡± ¡°We both got new knives, so we can buy Briar a new one back in town,¡± I say, and he nods. I can¡¯t put the ring on yet, as I am still level two, so I toss it in my bag and look around for anything else. I try to see if my perception can help me find any secrets. Come on secret doors, let¡¯s find the secret kobold treasure. I am rewarded when I spy a brief glint on the wall and walk over and pick a gem from a crevasse. Inspection reveals it is worth 200 gold pieces. ¡°Damn,¡± Kian says, looking at my find. ¡°Yep, we are going to get some new gear. Then we are going to deal with the wizard.¡± *** I walk out of the cave into the night with Kian, battered but proud. Rounding the laboratory, we knock on its door and a smaller door¡ªinside the top half of the door¡ªopens. The wizard looks at us. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°The kobolds are gone,¡± I say proudly. ¡°Indeed, they are. An excellent job for scrub adventurers,¡± he says, squinting out into the darkness.
Quest chain: A daring endeavor (part 2) You completed part 2 of this quest chain. Reward: 400xp, 25gp, part 3.
I hear a ding as I see my level increase. The small number next to my name advances to ¡®3¡¯ and I see a small blur of notifications in the lower right corner of my vision. ¡°Hmmm,¡± he says. ¡°I could use you for more another day. Please come back tomorrow afternoon with the other member of your party.¡± I notice that Briar¡¯s icon is active, but there is no audio contact available from this distance at our level. ¡°Okay, well let¡¯s go get Briar and come back tomorrow, ¡± I say. ¡°Yeah, I wish we had fast travel in this game. It would help,¡± says Kian We walk out of the valley and I see Kian¡¯s icon black out; I spin around as he turns into wisps of black smoke, a barbed arrow falls on the grounI duck down, but I cannot enter the shadows. An arrow goes through my leg, pinning me. SilverBtch hits you for 5 (+3)(+3) damage. My hit points are nearly flatline, and I was only hit in the leg¡ªthere is no way I can take another hit. I look up and see SilverBtch stand over me; she is wearing the green tight-fitting armor of rangers, with a mask, boots, and gloves to match. Her cape swirls as she walks. Is this player doing this to make a recording? With a mask on, she pulls back an arrow and says, ¡°Time to die, charity case.¡± Then, she releases.
You have died Thank you for playing Imagine Online, part of Unlimited Worlds Your respawn point: Kesmai. Your respawn wait time: 10 minutes (9:58) Experience lost: 0 Eye-for-an-eye target: SilverBtch
Behind the pop-up I could see the replay of my death. 7 - A garden planted Fuming, I wait the ten minute respawn timer, and I log back in to talk with Kian and tell him it was her, it was Josie. I knew I would find her here, but somehow she found me first. What the hell? What am I supposed to Watching my skeleton reform and my body grow back on it, I see I am floating in the graveyard of Kesmai. I touch down a toe and I regain control, my body wreathed in a white glow. I notice I have a protective respawn buff that does not allow someone to kill me and does not allow me to attack, which will last for five minutes. I look around and see Kian pace back and forth¡ªhis debuff is trailing behind him like lace and his brow is in knots as he is thinking and muttering. Kian¡¯s black hair swishes with his head movements. Then he spies me and walks over. ¡°There you are.¡± he looks me over. ¡°Who attacked us?¡± I explain about Josie and about her gear and what she said. He looks like I expected him to: dejected and upset. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I say. ¡° I don¡¯t want to be picked on in two worlds.¡± ¡°I get it, we need a plan.¡± ¡°What is this eye-for-an-eye target?¡± I ask. ¡°Well, it means that we can attack and kill her in front of any guards anywhere in the game world. We will also not lose any reputation or renown,¡± he says offhandedly. Then he continues, ¡°And, we will also get a big-time experience boost and potentially other awards depending on how many other people she has killed.¡± He continues pacing. ¡°Right now she has a player killer marker on her. PK¡¯s cannot enter most towns because the guards will attack them on sight and the PK flag takes six in-game hours to lift.¡± Kian stops, then looks at me and says, ¡°I watched an interview with the devs, and they said the PK system was progressive to keep people in line. However, there are awards for those who decide to be player killers This is an open-world, player-vs-player game. Hunting players is a viable PVP play style, and you even get experience from killing other players.¡± ¡°She got experience killing us?¡± ¡°Yep, she probably did.¡± Kian looks up and says, ¡°Briar! Briar, over here.¡± Briar jogs up. ¡°Where the hell were you guys? What happened, did that crazy troll thing kill you guys too? Or was it the wizard¡ª¡± ¡°It was a Kobold, and no,¡± Kian cuts him off. ¡°We completed the quest and got the notifications. It wasn¡¯t a ¡®what¡¯ that killed us, it was a who.¡± Kian glances at me. ¡°It was Josie, hunting Esme here.¡± Briar¡¯s jaw drops, and he makes several false starts of sputtering before getting out, ¡°S-she is evil. What is wrong with that witch?¡± ¡°I am done for the day,¡± I say. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I watch Kian and Briar in the graveyard for a second; they have nothing to say as I log off. *** I log off Imagine Online and change to my personal VR and load up the tutors I had sent to my headset earlier at lunch from the SAINT; I want to get advice and see what the gangster would do. As bad as the idea sounds, I don¡¯t have many better ideas; we are being hunted, and I need some kind of solution. He probably won¡¯t be much help, but he should be able to at least walk me through a few ideas. I can¡¯t go ask the ninja, because he will probably explain how to poison her. Poison sounds great, and I have a memory of him talking about how tomato leaf extract was an effective poison used by ninjas. They would add to a victim¡¯s food in ancient Japan, causing a very slow death. As good as that sounds, though, I don¡¯t want to go to jail. My SAINT syncs and the tutor program loads. These goggles are amazing in how fast they are. My school-provided goggles would have taken thirty minutes to download these combined tutors. Actually, thirty minutes for just the local profiles while still keeping most of the data on the school server. I see an option for ¡°Keep local data.¡± which I check so the tutor profiles get locally stored in my goggles. I am dropped right into the tutor foyer. This looks almost identical to the system at school. What goggles did the doctor give me? I load up Rigs and appear in a room with my tutor; the large man looks at me. He has a scar on his square chin and rough, pockmarked skin on his face. ¡°Kid. Yo kid, you in there, kid?¡± he asks, waving a hand in front of my face. This is different, I¡¯ve never had a real conversation with a tutor like this. I didn¡¯t even know it was possible to not have them be stiff as cardboard in these kinds of follow-up sessions. This was more like being in the SAINT, but normally there you only have the sensation of having talked with them. In a SAINT you never experience the actual act of talking with them. That was part of how it worked, you never really get to drive. This is¡­different. ¡°Kid, you gotta get up, we need to cover things.¡± His raised eyebrows giving him an almost comical look. ¡°Sorry, yes I am here.¡± Does he look worried? ¡°What are you sorry for? You bribed the pigs, snagged the goods, and killed Shovelhead Bill, and then you stopped and had a drink all stone cold,¡± he says. ¡°That was perfect and just like I showed you, but it¡¯s not that. It¡¯s that Jimmy half-finger¡ªone of the big bosses¡ªhe is pissed, and you are on the hook. You stole back the goods he stole and now he wants them before the original owner finds out.¡± Holy crap, I¡¯m doing tutoring in real time here. Normally there is a version of me in here that is like the sleeping me going through the motions. Well, sleeping or some form of me that is my subconscious, they say. This is kind of awesome, but these sessions are designed to be without interaction, they are to cram and can last hours. I don¡¯t have that much time. ¡°Rigs, can we discuss something else?¡± I ask. ¡°For you, miss, sure. Anything.¡± I quickly explain my situation with Josie and what happened and what I expect will happen. Rigs listens intently, and after I am done he continues to sit and think for a moment. ¡°Thing is, miss, and pardon me for saying,¡± he adds, ¡°but people can only treat you how you let them treat you.¡± He shrugs. ¡°If you let this girl do this to you then you are allowing it. You need to show her, with words or with force ¨CI prefer force ¨Cthat she can never again mess with you. Never.¡± He looks very serious and taps his fingers. ¡°Y that she thinks she can come back to win. It has be a complete victory.¡± He pauses for a second, then adds, smiling, ¡°You know how you got that drink after offing Shovelhead, like that! That shows them they need to be afraid¡ªafraid that you would do that to them. You need to do this girl like that.¡± His intonation might be simple, but this construct knows his way around the underworld. He is an expert on how to exist among masses of strong A-types who all want to dominate each other. I can remember my deeds in the nightclub, and as if through a haze I can recall that the drink was a calculated maneuver, a show of power. Rigs had taught me to head off retaliation. I feel the itch, impossible, but it¡¯s back there in my brain, the SAINT learning itch. It should not happen unless I was in a SAINT machine. What is going on? I log off. I remember being inside, as if I was really there for the eight or ten minutes, but then why the itch. I check the time in the foyer, and it has been only one minute in with Rigs. These goggles can let me fully enter with the tutors as if I was really there. This gives me the ability to ask real questions and learn real strategies directly instead of getting the stock tutorial treatment. If I could use SAINT outside of prescribed amounts and outside of the officially sanctioned, pre-programmed tutoring sessions, then I could learn almost anything. I could literally use this to become better than anyone at almost anything, provided I didn¡¯t fry my brain by using it too much. These can¡¯t be the standard goggles for the game. People would have noticed immediately, and it would be all over the internet. There would headlines about how this new game was programming people with SAINT tech. There would be inquiries and government intervention. This is serious contraband hidden in plain sight as normal gaming goggles. The only people who could do this, and pull it off, were billionaires and captains of industry, the 0.01% and friends. What on earth did Dr. Friend give me? 8 - The drop 28 Days remain of contest A, Monday. Back in Kesmai, I have about five or six hours to figure out what to do. I equip my new level-three knife from the kobold; it looks wicked, but it has no special attack bonuses for me. It probably does for non-humans though. I count up my gold and head to the tailor and ask to have three masks made with the roll of cloth I picked up from the Kobolds sleeping area. The tailor gives me a sidelong glance and charges me five gold for all three. A timer starts and I need to wait three minutes for her to finish the masks. I take the interval to go through my settings again and look at my gear. I can wear the ring I got from the Kobolds now, so I slip it on the little finger on my left hand. I can see the new skill from the ring in my floating display. It provides a little icon I can activate with a thought. I have one point to distribute to my stats, so I throw it on dexterity. It can¡¯t possibly hurt to have more of my primary stat. The tailor finishes the masks, and I retrieve them and try mine on; I notice a reputation drop as I place it on¡ªafter taking it off the reputation returns to normal. It¡¯s lucky I haven¡¯t lost any reputation yet; if I had just put that mask on with any less, I would have gone below zero. Negative reputation would have caused the guards to attack. I think I will leave these off for now. Remembering the conversation the player characters we overheard in the woods had, I am curious about the public dungeon instance. I go look at the entrance to the special instance dungeon right in the town square, near the arena. Informational windows pop up as I approach. Mostly they are about how each region¡¯s starter area has a special instance and that whoever beats their region¡¯s instance will gain control of one of the main world fortresses. Another pop-up talks about what a raid dungeon is and that lower-level characters should not attempt this one. Those earlier players were completely wrong. I can enter this instance at any level, just not as a single player, and not with more than twenty-four players. It would be pretty funny having a mob of hundreds of level-one characters crash through a raid dungeon. To mob a dungeon like that in the old games they would have called it zerging. But it looks like party size is limited to six and raid size is set to twenty-four. I check the training in the arena; it is almost all sword fighting, but I can also practice with target dummies. I go and look at the target dummies and start using my slash skill. I do this for a few minutes and level up my slash skill to three. This is going to be a slow slog. In another ten minutes my slash skill is at level four, but I can see that there is diminishing returns with dummy practice. Thinking back to my tutoring by Mushito where I used throwing knives, throwing stars, and blow darts for distance attacks, I get an idea. Paying a visit to the weapons dealer¡ªa skinny NPC who looks like he is about to sneeze all the time¡ªI buy a pouch of throwing knives. I also pick up some rope and a new level-three knife for five gold. I look at leather armor and buy a cheap nice-fitting vest, leggings, and bracers for six gold, which provides me -2 damage from all physical attacks. I return to the arena training dummy and pull out the pouch of throwing knives. ¡°Okay, stupid dummy, make me stronger,¡± I say, chucking the knife at it. The throwing knife hit the dummy¡¯s head sideways and ricochets right back at me¡ªI duck, and it sticks in the wall behind me. ¡°Need some help there?¡± asks the NPC trainer. ¡°Can you show me how to use throwing knives please?¡± The trainer comes over and takes a knife, throwing it into the dummy handily. Then the trainer guides me, a slight glow accompanies him, and after two tries I get it.
New Skill: Throwing knife You can use throwing knives now. Number of knives: 1 Damage modifier: 0 (+0 strength) If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
¡°Thank you,¡± I say as he walks off. I start chucking knives into the dummy, one after the other. I spend the next thirty minutes getting the Throwing knife skill to level four. I see that I can still only throw one knife, but the damage has increased with my knives to 1-4(+3) for the base knife damage. The minimum I can do with a regular hit is four and the max is seven. I look at the damage data more closely and see there are full damage tables for glancing and bank-shot attacks. I doubt I will need those advanced throwing knife skill for a long time. Satisfied with my training, I get onto the road and walk through the woods to the wizard¡¯s house. Mid-afternoon I arrive at the wizard¡¯s house, and I decide to scout it out and get the lay of the land. I see the laboratory is not in use and the cave has no fresh kobold tracks. I choose to climb the outside of the house and check for any overlooked entrance. It is slow going as I make my way to the first terrace-like roof¡ªI had mis-judged the climb. I try not to make a clatter, but I doubt it would be of any use, the giant mobile of lightning rods with bizarre symbols on the roof makes enough noise. I could probably ride a horse around on the roof and the sound would not be noticed. Climbing farther up above the second level, I spy what I am looking for, a small window, open to the access hatch for where the lightning rods are. I try to will myself to be lighter and skinnier as I approach the window. I easily slide in it, and than am on a catwalk which has ropes and various other support structures for the underside of lightning rods. The rods extend into the inside of the structure and hang over the mostly open interior of the house. I use hide-in-shadows and enter the darkness, I am immersed in shadow and feel like liquid as I begin to explore. The wizard also has dug down, making the interior open to the basement, which gives the inside a large open-air feel. Around the inside are a series of large mezzanine walkways on the first floor, which is encrusted with bookshelves and gadgets. This gives a full three floors of open space from the basement floor to the catwalk where I am hidden. I can see the wizard far below, scribbling into a book. Looking around the top of the building at the base of the lightning rods, I see that the mass of rods is moveable. The brass supports which keep it from falling have pins. These things look easy enough. I check closer and I see that as the contraption sits right now, I could pull the pins out and it would not fall. But if anyone tried to maneuver the gizmo it would come crashing down. I decide to have a backup plan and pull the pins and set them aside in case I need to put them back for any reason. Better safe than sorry. I move down a flight of stairs and see that the wizard has not moved, I slink farther and farther down the stairs and I slink down the ladders slowly, until I am within range. I pull out several throwing knives then give them a little kiss for luck. lucky bitches, hit home. I breathe slowly and count three, two, one. I active the shadow-clone ring and raise my arm to throw my knife. The knife flies straight and strikes true on the wizard. You hit Zumlon the dark wizard for 6 (+3 surprise) damage. He jumps up faster that I would have guessed and begins casting a spell. I pull back to throw another knife which I release right as his spell detonates in my face and the shadow clone explodes like black glass. Zumlon the dark wizard hits shadow clone for 1 (+14) damage. Shadow clone is destroyed. Zumlon the dark wizard hits you for 3 (+3 electrical) splash damage. You hit Zumlon the dark wizard for 6 (+3 surprise) damage. Zumlon is casting again, and now he has me in his sights and not the clone. I pray my dexterity is good enough. I tumble down the steps and land behind a cabinet on my side. Dragging myself behind the cabinet, I am just able to avoid a spray of color that misses my leg. ¡°You dare attack me in my own house, cretin?¡± the wizard manages to hiss. ¡°I¡¯m going to use you for fertilizer.¡± I don¡¯t want to listen to his evil NPC monologue. I look around and then glancing up, find what I need: one of the ropes for the giant mobile. I take a throwing knife, I aim, and then throw. The knife hits the rope, snapping it. A giant ¡°CREAAAAAK¡± sound tears at the roof, but the mobile does not fall. What the? The wizard cackles and I see him wave to one of the rods pointing my way. It rotates and blasts the cabinet I am behind with electricity, and smoke immediately fills the air . He is using the roof as a weapon against me. I use the smoke to dive across to another cabinet. Moving as fast as I can, I dive again forward under a table and then behind another cabinet. Now I am fully flanking him as he points the ceiling mobile to where I was, frying the cabinet I had been behind to cinders. He is yelling about how he will grind me up all the while channeling a stream of raw power at where I was. Now behind him and to his left, I have a chance to attack. Slipping into the shadows, which is more like slipping into the smoke, I dive forward with a double attack plus backstab damage. You hit Zumlon the dark wizard for 4 (+3 flanking) damage. You critically hit Zumlon the dark wizard for 6 (+6 flanking) damage. You incapacitate Zumlon the dark wizard. The wizard screams and in a last attack whips his hand around with a twitch making the roof tear and creak. The metal mobile in the roof is bending and coming down. I dive out of the way just as most of the roof comes down in a thundering crush of dust and ropes and jagged metal. I pick myself up and dust off, looking around the damage. The entire rooftop mobile had come down on the wizard in a giant ball of spikes. I walk to the center and see the wizard is still trying to tell me something through blood-covered lips. I don¡¯t care, this needs to end. I slit his throat. 9 - a new improved daring plan As I draw back the knife, blood flows over my hand and the quest completes. You kill Zumlon the dark wizard.
Quest chain: A daring endeavor You defeated the dark wizard. Reward: 1400xp, 50gp, Part 2
You have reached level 4! You have reached level 5! Throwing knife skill level 5! Hide skill level 5! That was a huge experience point gain! I just gained two levels and upped some skills. I look at my character sheet and I assign one of my skill points to strength and another to dexterity and see a nice bump in my hit points.
NightFlower: Rogue (level 5)
Stats
Attribute Value
STR 2
WILL 1
DEX 6
Hit points 24
Abilities:
Ability Level
Hide 5
Slash 1
Throwing knife 5
Alchemy 1
14 advanced classes available Technical sub-classes available at level 50 *zero stats not shown
I close my character sheet and start to look around¡ªthere must be a ton of loot in here. But first, I look down at the dead wizard and kick him. ¡°Let¡¯s start with you.¡± Looting the wizard is simple¡ªhe is wearing a sheet. His robes need to be identified in town, and I cannot determine their value. He has a knife I¡¯m not able to identify and several keys. The book he was writing into was a grimoire that is not readable by me, at least not yet. This all goes into my bag. I see on the top of the metal mobile that landed on the wizard is a painted smiley face. This is the game developers¡¯ little joke for anyone thinking the ceiling trick would make for an easy kill. Looking more around his house for things to take, I find a fancy-looking chest on a pedestal. Standing to the side to open it with one key does not work. I am rewarded with a gas bomb that takes half of my health and stinks the place up, so I retreat and let the air clear while I heal. My health back to 100%, I step up and gently open the chest from the side with my knife. This wizard seemed to be paranoid. The chest contains a level-nine skill book called Summon Familiar and has a note. I pick up the note and read ¡°For the Baker.¡± There is also a wooden box which contains a deck of cards, the backs of which have intricate vines with glowing eyes painted on them. When I look closely, the eyes seem to blink. The deck of cards has a slight golden glow. I use identify.
Deck of transmutation
Deck of cards/epic/soul-bound This is one of the Fabled Decks, cards created by the infamous wizard Molocosto. A card may be drawn once per day, and the person who draws the card will take on a random animal form for a short period of time.
Oh damn, this is good. It¡¯s soul-bound, which means I cannot ever lose this item unless I purposely destroy it. There was an article that had made the rounds about how Imagine Online wanted to randomize a lot of the upper-level magic gear. They had settled on magic dice, cards, mahjong, runes, dominos, and even a magic 8-ball for randomized effects and skills. The rumors about these items caused a lot of online jokes prior to launch. People joked their weapons could randomly turn into wet noodles. Puns aside, nobody knew for sure that these items were real. Well, here I am, and this is one of those items. I¡¯ve got to try it! I pick up all the cards and go through them. They are all blank on one side and they each look like the card Dr. Friend gave me. I shuffle the deck and place them back into the case, then I pull a single card out and look at it. In the corners of the card, like a regular playing card, are numbers and they have a suit. Here the card is a Three of Cups and the image on the card is of a large snake coiled around¡ªand eating¡ªa flailing human. I feel the card dissipate and return to the deck. My feet join, and my body elongates, stretching out as my bones feel like they are melting into my core. I slither forward and curl up around a chair, now a snake. My player display is different, I have several snake skills to use and forty-one hit points. I can see this being useful, but because of the randomness, planning for what kind of animal you become is not possible. Checking the display, I see an icon of the transformation and mentally toggle it. I feel my snake body shudder, then split and form legs as my arms peel off the sides. The de-transformation completes, and I am back my body, standing as I was when I first looked at the card. I try use my perception in the wizard¡¯s main room to spot hidden books. More skill books would be great, but I see nothing more I can loot except an alchemical kit, which I take. I look around the house, trying to find the wizard¡¯s bedroom, but can¡¯t spot one. It looks like he slept in a couch in a corner of the first floor and there is nothing to loot there. I look at the keys and decide it is time to go check the laboratory behind the main house. I see then that Kian and Briar have logged in. They will probably get the quest complete rewards. I hadn¡¯t dropped the party and they must be getting at least partial experience for it; this was a party quest. They are probably on their way here right now; I ping the map with a party pin just in case. It is a little pin that shows my position which they are able to see I figure I have about fifteen minutes before they arrive, and I wind up hoping they can loot something from the wizard or they are going to be upset with me. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Going out the back door I approach the laboratory and use another of the keys on the door. From the side, I try to open the door, so I avoid any traps. The door unlocks and opens with a light push of my foot. I wait a second, and then step inside. The building is well lit and has beakers and vials and glass jars everywhere¡ªthis is a complete alchemical laboratory. The wizard was not just a wizard, it looks like he was an alchemist as well. On a dais in the center of the room is a large hide-bound book that shimmers as I look at it; my perception makes it light up. I check for traps and approach. There are two chests to either side of the dais and I decide that I should wait for Kian and Briar for those, but I want to look at the sparkling volume. I approach the dais and gaze at the shifting patterns on the pages of the book. It is open roughly one-third of the way, and as soon as I glance at the tome the pages begin to rapidly turn. Frozen in place, I see shifting symbols and what look like letters swirl and move across the pages.
New skill: Alchemy
With an alchemical kit you can make potions.
A new skill, this is great. am thinking the wizard was a creature I was not expected to kill at my level. I decide that I shouldn¡¯t loot any more until the guys get here. I step outside and go around the front of the building as Kian and Briar come jogging up. ¡°How did you complete the quest?¡± Kian asks. I lead them into the inside of the house, where they each can loot items from the wizard, though there¡¯s only minor items and gold left. ¡°You seriously dropped the roof on this guy,¡± Briar states, looking at the jagged metal. ¡°That is so cool. I bet he looked shocked when you did that, eh? What a jerk this guy was, I¡¯m glad you bombed him¡ª ¡°I was just going to try; I didn¡¯t think I would kill the wizard with my daggers,¡± I say with a flush avoiding that the ceiling plan didn¡¯t work, ¡±I wasn¡¯t trying to steal loot from the party or anything. Though, I did get this.¡± I pull out the deck. ¡°That is really cool but, seems pretty limited for usefulness.¡± says Kian, though his eyes linger on the deck. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, we still got full experience for the quest and gained two levels. You probably got more for the wizard, but really that¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go out to the laboratory.¡± ¡°Kian, step up there and look into that book,¡± I ask as we enter the workshop, where I point to the skill book. He smiles and steps up. The book flashes for a second, and Kian turns and says, ¡°Oh damn, a skill book, Briar, get up here.¡± Briar looks into the book and it flashes. I step up and close the book and hand it to Kian¡ªthis could be useful for barter later. I point the two chests. ¡°Anyone want to open those?¡± Kian and Briar each take one and do a three, two, one open. Neither were trapped and just contained multiple potions. We pick up twenty healing potions, another ten night-vision potions, several potions for armor and speed, and one for invisibility. ¡°What a haul,¡± Briar says as we look for more loot in the laboratory. ¡°I have an idea, you guys,¡± I say, ¡°though you might not like it. I think there is a way we can get through the raid.¡± *** In the town square of Kesmai is a queue of people waiting to get into the group battle instances. For instances, they can queue up as a group and arena battle other similar groups from all other parts of the world who also queued up. I see a lot of chats in the local channel requesting healers and tanks. Walking past the mob, I what we came for; a set of curved stairs going down into a large pit in the ground with the system notice.
Yaoguai Lair¡¯s (contest) Epic beginner dungeon. While digging a new well the residents of Kesmai have disturbed the lair of a skeletal Yaoguai. It is an evil entity who immediately attacked the town and killed many residents. Now, once per week, creatures from this pit rise and attack the town and must be beaten back. This version of Yaoguai¡¯s Lair is a special dungeon for beginner players. The first clan to complete the instance in each region will receive one of the three fortresses for the area.
I want to inspect the first part of the dungeon and see if we can farm it. If we make it as far as we can each time gathering the experience for that initial section. Done right, we will gain levels quick. After some time, we should be able to make it to a mini-boss we can kill on each run to get gear and gold. Descending into the pit I see a platform that has a lever; it is marked in the interface as the way to begin the instance. It would be suicide for me to go in without a full party, so I step back. I wait in the shadows as a group comes down the stairs; they are a lower-level group made up of a couple fighters, a mage, and a cleric. They pull the lever and the platform lowers, and then as they are lowering into the earth a new platform appears in place of the original after about ten seconds. From the side I can see there are crates and other assorted items on the platform. One crate, which is open and facing the wall, has something shining inside. Nobody is coming down the stairs, so I slink up and check it. On the outside I see all the crates say Jenkins Apples and most appear to have been broken and smashed. On the inside I spy a gleaming and pulsating light. I get closer, climbing into the crate. From inside I see that there are stylized silver words etched into the wood which say Eye of God. That name is odd¡ªI know an early game reference for that. That was a named bug, exploited in an old game called Mankind, a space simulator from the early part of the century. That specific bug allowed access to a developer-only ship named the Eye of God. That ship could clean an entire star-system, potentially wiping out years of players¡¯ in-game work. That game-killing bug caused most of the players to flee Mankind. Those players ended up flocking to a new space game named Eve Online. ¡°Okay, you guys ready?¡± a young male voice says. I almost knock my head on the inside of the box, and quickly duck farther in. Ginga! I am on the platform, I peek through the slats of the crate and see this is a low-level party. I should be able to sneak off¡ª The platform creaks and descends. A rousing orchestral soundtrack dominates my audio channel and I see a cut scene of a great battle in the valley above. The narrator, clearly enjoying himself, starts in, ¡°Our hero answers the challenge to cleanse the island of Kesmai of the evil from the deep. Will she prevail and rescue the people of the island who depend on her?¡± I think we didn¡¯t get the whole ¡®depends on¡¯ starting quest for this instance. The cutscene dips into the pit I entered and flies into a tunnel ahead toward a large skeletal creature. The monster turns as the camera flies into its mouth and goes dark. The music stops and I¡¯m suddenly back in the box, still hidden. I am in the instance with them and they don¡¯t know it. The players run forward, but I can¡¯t see ahead well without being near their light. I can see their torches in the distance. I hear growls and yelling, the sounds of a battle. Then I hear screams and just as quickly as it started, I can tell I¡¯m alone in the instance. I wave my hands, swiping into the interface, and find the exit button. I de-instance back to area right before the platform. Slipping into the shadows to think, I have the beginnings of plan. If we can pull it off, it will be exactly what we need. *** In the town square, I watch from the shadows as groups roll into and out of the instance. I see Briar and Kian both also nearby watching; we are on local party communications and can talk with one another. I had finished explaining the glitch I found with the instance. We agreed we need to look for the perfect party to follow in. I got the loot from the wizard identified by a merchant earlier and found out the robe is a level 8 Robe of Casting, which supplies a casting speed boost. The spell book also level 8 and was empty and has a +2 bonus to spell damag. The knife is called Night Pick and is a level 8 knife that has bonus darkness damage. Sadly, I cannot use any of the items yet. I really wish I could equip the knife and see how much damage it does, as I definitely need an upgrade. ¡°Here come these clowns again, the dorky-party guys from the forest,¡± says Briar, breaking my thought. ¡°The fighter looks like he gained another level or two and is getting more tanky,¡± Kian says, repeating what I see using my Inspect skill. ¡°Still dorks,¡± says Briar. ¡°Let me go check these guys out, they are forming up on the side.¡± I say. I quickly leap through the shadows towards the party. When I am within hearing range of them, I inspect their members. The cleric is now level nine, and the two fighters are both level eight. They are all in new gear from the last time I saw them. I get a little closer to overhear. ¡°Okay, this our best shot,¡± the cleric says. "We are higher level than any group and we almost had it last time.¡± His armor is silver chain-mail, a helm, impressive black bracers, boots, and gloves. For a weapon he carries his hammer, which I cannot inspect. He has a holy symbol around his neck that I don¡¯t recognize, though I have not really paid attention to the deity system at all. ¡°We have new spells,¡± says one wizard, wearing a red robe and black boots. ¡°I think we will have it this time.¡± ¡°I bought the sword from the market,¡± one fighter says. He is also in chain-mail and lifts a yellow, glowing sword¡ªan enchanted weapon. This is the group we have been waiting for; funny it is the ones from the forest. I back up and open my voice chat. ¡°I found our group,¡± I whisper. ¡°Remember that group from the forest? They are fully geared and ready to go, hopefully they don¡¯t notice us tag along. Are you guys ready?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± says Briar, ¡°I¡¯m ready to follow the dork-party.¡± ¡°Are you sure Esme?¡± Kian ask. Then he adds, ¡°Never mind, I trust you.¡± We quickly leap through shadows to get set up next to the entrance ahead of our target group. We wait for another group to enter, and then we get onto the platform, along the edges in the Jenkins crates. Inside is complete darkness. I see the party come down¡ªthey have the excitement of battle, the glow. They are eager and ready to go; the cleric is leading the way swinging his hammer as he walks. The fighters are pulling their weapons out and singing. The mages finger their spell books. These guys are amped. ¡°Okay, get ready. Let¡¯s hope they don¡¯t notice,¡± I whisper. ¡°Ready, check, ready! Everyone ready?¡± the cleric barks like a drill sergeant. ¡°Ready!¡± both fighters shout. ¡°Ready!¡± the red mage says, pulling out his spell book. The other mage gets his spell book out. ¡°Ready!¡± ¡°Ready,¡± I whisper I get a ¡°ready! Ready,¡± in response. The cleric howls, and the fighters and mages join in¡ªhe pulls the lever. 10 - The depths The cleric pulls the lever and the platform stutters and descends with the sounds of gears and rumbling below in the deep. My dexterity saves me from the shock¡ªI could have stumbled in the crate and fallen out of hiding. The players are close enough that they would have noticed me and ruined our shot at piggybacking a higher-level team. My display icons fade and my vision dims to black. Oh great, here comes the music¡ª After suffering through the narrator and the music again I check and see that Briar and Kian are both still hidden. The party we followed through are already slowly moving down the tunnel. ¡°Guys,¡± the red mage starts, ¡°I thought I saw something weird in the notices as we entered. Did you guys see anything?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± the cleric says, ¡°probably just some glitch with that stupid cutscene we can¡¯t skip.¡± He waves around his hammer, testing the weight, ¡°I can¡¯t believe we cannot skip that.¡± The party advances up the tunnel with long strides and then pull out torches, which illuminates the walls. This tunnel looks entirely naturally made¡ªsmooth water-carved walls with stalagmites and stalactites scattered everywhere. There are many rough boulders, which is great for those of us in the shadows. I let the party move up ahead and I bring up voice chat. ¡°Okay, we are in and are undetected.¡± I move a little farther up. ¡°I want to keep up with them, so we don¡¯t have roaming monsters aggro us and cause a commotion. Come to me. We¡¯ll need to use these dark-vision potions, or we will be blind, and we don¡¯t have torches.¡± ¡°Good plan,¡± says Kian. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe this worked.¡± I hand out the potions and we all drink them, though I don¡¯t know how long the effects will last. ¡°We only have one shot. After this, they will never enter this instance again without checking the platform. Also, this is obviously a bug and they will probably patch this by this time tomorrow.¡± Briar says, ¡°None of us have been in here, so we don¡¯t know what to do. These guys have been in here a bunch of times now. What if they all die or we don¡¯t make it in time?¡± ¡°Time?¡± I ask. ¡°Yeah, see that countdown in the lower right?¡± says Kian. ¡°That¡¯s probably our time limit in here.¡± ¡°Crap.¡± I hadn¡¯t noticed that before, and we have just under five hours. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s just let them clear the trash, and if we can help them¡ªwithout them knowing we are here¡ªwe will need to do that.¡± Leaping though the shadows, we keep our communications to the bare minimum as we tail the party. Ahead, I notice the party stop for a second and then from either side come groups of monsters. I inspect them, six goblins, all level two. The fighters and mages quickly dispatch the trash, loot them, and then move ahead before stopping at what appears to be a fork in the tunnel. They look at the ground and do something I cannot see, then move into the left tunnel. I follow up ahead and see they had triggered a spike trap by casting a spell at it. That thing probably got them the first time they came in here, I bet that was pretty funny to see. To the left the tunnel opens to reveal a large cavern. Inside, at the center, looks like a deep pit with small walls around the edge. A large open well. The party is plainly visible with their torches and chants. It¡¯s like they are advertising their presence to the entire dungeon, and this room has only the one entrance and exit. This is a rounded, cavernous room with paths around the sides. In the center is a raised area with a stone tree carved from floor to roof. It has burls, knots, and its branches all have small, downward-pointed stone leaves which look like daggers. Hanging from one branch is a huge brass bell. Next to,and below the bell is a stone platform with three steps up. I watch the cleric mount the platform and raise his hammer; the other members of the party gather close to the tree trunk¡ªunder a thick branch. They reposition a couple times, and it looks like the party is making sure they are under the branch. The stout cleric swings his hammer back and hits the bell with a deafening clang. The stone leaves of the tree drop like sheets of daggers, striking the cleric. He runs back to the tree while suffering heavy damage. A low sound like goblins drumming starts and then the well lights up. With a snarling, rumbling, and clawing a monster with a snake¡¯s head and tusks comes up from the well. It is followed by the rest of it, which looks to be twenty feet long or more. It has smaller limbs with sharp claws, but with its large mouth it could easily swallow anyone in the cavern. I inspect the snake-thing. Its name is ¡°Grootslang the Devourer¡± and it is a level seven mini-boss. Inspect shows that it the equivalent of a level 12 regular creature. It rises, hissing in a strange, thrumming way which vibrates the tree, the sound increasing in power. The drumming abruptly stops and the creature roars impressively, shaking the tree, which drops hundreds of little stone leaf daggers. The party under the large limb is safe and waits. As the beast charges, the thicker of the two fighters steps forward and raises his shield. I can only assume he is the tank for the party. ¡°These are some cool mechanics!¡± Briar says. ¡°Let¡¯s hope no adds come out and aggro us. Keep back,¡± I say. Grootslang hits the fighter with a claw, and the fighter barely holds his groundRecovering, the fighter lets out a taunting yell at Grootslang while slashing it on the snout with his broadsword. The fighter then moves away from the trunk of the tree so the party can strike Grootslang on the flank. I see the tank taking hits from falling stone leaves and watch as his health plummets. Just as I think he will die, the cleric shouts and two counter-circling blue lights surround the fighter. The lights move from above and down to the ground, and the fighter is fully healed. Grootslang quickly turns and brutally claws the cleric, but returns to the fighter after another swipe from the tank¡¯s broadsword. The mages finish their spells finally and blast Grootslang with brightly flashing spells, causing huge wounds to erupt The second fighter braves the falling daggers to position himself for a powerful attack. He takes two hits, but lands the killing blow. The entire chamber is reverberating as the goblin drumming halts. Grootslang died, non-combatant experience gain: 500xp ¡°Seriously?¡± says Kian. ¡°We are getting experience from their kills?¡± ¡°Is this because it is a boss?¡± asks Briar. ¡°That must be it.¡± The tree morphs and changes shape and reveals a large lever, which the cleric unceremoniously grabs and pulls. This is awesome. The party heals up quickly and they loot the corpse of Grootslang and quickly exit the cavern. They don¡¯t notice any of the unusual shadows moving toward the dead mini-boss. Our party gains thirty gold, a pair of boots, a pair of gloves, We move fast and follow the party back the way we entered. Returning to the four, we follow them down the right tunnel, which curls up and to the left before dumping out into another cavern. This second cavern is smaller than the previous one. I can see what looks like a wooden fortification on the far side of a short chasm. On it there is a raised, half-rotten wooden drawbridge on the other side. It¡¯s a defensive structure designed to keep anyone on this side out. The party stops and I move up to eavesdrop on them. ¡°Okay, you guys know what to do. Hit them just like the last time. Hopefully we can get this right and not burn the whole thing down againcleric says. ¡°Are you ready, Bran?¡± He asks the fighter without the shield. Bran says, ¡°Yea, Alan, let¡¯s do this.¡± Then, he pulls a new torch out of his pack and lights it.¡± I almost forget I took a night vision potion and can see fine here. With the potion I can see ahead of them, but they cannot. Trying to get an idea of what they might do, I get closer. Then, I see a goblin scout appear on the top of a makeshift platform to the right of the drawbridge and I notice him sniffing the air. The fighter named Bran sprints ahead with the red mage behind him; he throws the torch onto the platform, and the goblin squeaks and jumps down. While the mage is casting, the fighter pulls out a bow and arrows and readies himself. A commotion erupts from the other side of the drawbridge, which I cannot see, but several goblin mages appear. The fighter lets an arrow fly and hits one goblin mage, interrupting a spell. At the same time the red mage¡¯s spell completes, and I see a fire bolt fly, blasting the mechanism keeping the drawbridge up. The drawbridge slams down with dust and rocks in the air. The cleric named Alan, the tank, and the other mage run up in exact time to cross the drawbridge as it settles. They all run across and begin to slaughter goblins, who mostly only have bows and arrows. I wonder how many times they took to get that right. The team led by Alan go into a cave to the right, then come back out. They stop and heal up minor wounds, and then take defensive positions as two skeletons come out. The mages blast one with fire as the tank stands bulwark to keep the mages safe. The cleric walks up with his eyes closed, chanting, and smashes one skeleton with a single hit from his hammer. ¡°These guys have done this a few times,¡± I say. ¡°Ya think?¡± Briar says. Quickly looking around and moving on, the players come to another fork take a corner to the right. Approaching the intersection, I see there is a large iron gate on the leftward side which has no visible way to be opened. I use my perception and focus on the surrounding area of the gate. Looking for a secret lever or something, I carefully scan all around the gate. I don¡¯t find a lever, but just out of the corner of my eye I see a slight glow, high above the path right at the intersection. There is something up there, a small opening. ¡°Can you guys follow them for a minute? I want to see what this is.¡± Briar and Kian move on, keeping a distance behind the group. I climb up to a tiny ledge; it has an even smaller entrance to a tunnel which looks like it would be great for a goblin. Goblins are small, and even at my size this tunnel feels cramped. It does not go toward the gate as I thought it might. It continues forward about a hundred yards. To the left, I enter from a high point, which can only be the boss room for this dungeon. It is a massive hall and behind a blue sheen of a ward sits a monstrous skeleton on a chair of rough-hewn rock. Behind the skeleton is a waterfall with glowing moss and a runic stone¡ªI see a chest under the chair. There are cages with skeletons hanging behind him. Huge books litter the floor. Could this be a lich? No, not at our level. I cannot identify it through the ward though. Moving forward for a better look, I see a small path down from my position and on it is a lever. Oh, what is this? I climb down and pull it; fire erupts out of the entire floor below. Holy crap! If this is like the first fight wouldn¡¯t goblins be up here drumming? Looking closer, I think the goblins might control the mechanics. My eyes follow the path to the lever, during a boss fight a goblin could come down that tunnel I did. Then, at a specified time, a goblin pulls the. That is it, I would bet almost anything that this is how the mechanics are done. I look at the cages with skeletons and I see they all have pulleys above them. Those things go up and down and even across the cavern. I can see another ledge similar, which probably has another goblin manning another lever. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. We can do this. I hear huge gears moving and the creak of metal; the players have opened the iron gate. Based on the location of where this boss room is, they probably have another mini-boss to go and maybe one more puzzle. They must have taken out another mini-boss and got access to another lever. I turn around and almost run back to the intersection. As soon as I am in range, I open voice chat. ¡°How did it go up there?¡± I ask. ¡°Good, there was a treasure room with some traps. They had to kill two trolls, and they were smart and used fire. One fighter took a hard hit, but the cleric healed him,¡± Kian says. ¡°I know how we will do this; I found the boss room and we can take over the fight mechanics. We will be able to make it look like they wiped once the boss is almost dead,¡± I proudly say and quickly explain what I found. Kian says, ¡°We will need Briar to position himself behind the boss for a backstab. When we finish with the party he can jump in and do a backstab, and then Esme and I will charge in.¡± ¡°Awesome, but these dorks need to speed it up. We only have a couple hours left,¡± Briar says. ¡°From the way they talk, they wipe at this next fight half the time, and the rest of the time they wipe on the boss.¡± At the intersection I see the party move past the gate, entirely unconcerned with their surroundings. Once past, they stop and wait. ¡°Alan, you need to make sure your mana is topped up before this next one,¡± says the red mage. ¡°We always end up cutting it too close.¡± ¡°I know, man, and we need Bran to have his skills off cooldown. How much time we need to wait?¡± asks the cleric. ¡°Only sixty seconds. Let¡¯s go get set up. And, for the record, I really hate this one,¡± Bran says, hefting his shield and muttering, ¡°the devs are bastards.¡± The party moves forward to where an opening is to the left; it looks like there is white stone around the mouth. ¡°Oh man,¡± Briar says, almost blurting out loud. ¡°Spiders!¡± I look again and see it is not white stone, but is instead thick spider silk. I move ahead and can hear the tank complaining about not being healed more in the coming fight. I sneak up closer to listen. ¡°We wiped here the first time, but we got this now that you guys know what to do,¡± says the cleric. ¡°Just keep the aggro and watch those little adds. When they show up everyone except Bran needs to be killing them.¡± They step in farther and burn away webs with their torches. I follow, eager to get a look at what they are about to fight. A spider would likely drop the gear a rogue like myself would love. Just 30 feet behind them now, I see they are on the edge of a platform ahead. A platform which has a massive cocoon-looking structure above it. Casting my eyes up, I see it is illuminated slightly with green and purple light coming from spots within; the platform has pits all around it, and if you were to fall in you would be tangled in webs. There is a path all around the lower side clogged with webs. I can see that in each of the four corners of this mostly rounded cavern are small cocoon structures with thick tendrils attaching them to the central cocoon. The second they step on the platform I can see that this whole cavern will know they are here by vibration. I slink back, ready to stay well out of the way. The party sets up, casts their buffs, and waits for cooldowns on skills to reset. I watch them pop potions, which I¡¯m not able to identify fast enough. This is the first thing they have really prepared for, and the more I watch these players, the more I think they are damn good. ¡°Ready, check, ready?¡± Alan barks. ¡°Ready!¡± they all yell in unison, pumped. The tank, Bran, steps forward and a light-strumming sound starts, as if cellos all around the cavern begin to play. The players are caught in a brief area-stun as the large cocoon shifts and a massive black widow spider climbs out. It shivers and drops before them with a slight bounce lifting it¡¯s forelegs¡ªthe strumming cellos begin a battle tune. I inspect the spider, its name is ¡°Jorogumo, the lady of the cavern,¡± and it¡¯s an Epic level 8 mini-boss. I can¡¯t get any more information on it, but I am glad these guys are fighting it and not us. Even with it focused on the other group, it is a terrifying creature to face. The cleric chants a warding as the tank moves forward with a yell and hits the spider on a leg. The second fighter uses a skill and the mages start casting furiously as the spider circles. The tank slams the spider again and I can see that very little damage is being done; he is just keeping it away from the casters¡ªwhom it would rip to pieces in seconds. The spider lifts both front legs, and the tank ducks behind his shield as a green acid sprays him. The red mage finishes his spell; stepping forward, he flings fire over the spider. It jumps back and circles to the side as the second mage finishes a spell, which causes several bolts to fly and hit Jorogumo with resounding thumps. I notice that one corner of the cavern comes alive with a shimmer and smaller spiders swarm. The tank screams ¡°buff,¡± and half-turns to the cleric, who steps forward with a touch that ignites him with a protective cobalt fire. The tank, now with a bluish glow, engages Jorogumo and moves it away from the others who all leap back. Seven cat-sized spiders swarm the platform, clamoring for the mages. The other fighter after finishing the skill he was casting leaps into the air, landing with a huge smash on the approaching spiders and instantly killing five. The others are quickly dispatched by the two mages. Alan the cleric chants again and a light glow bathes the platform with a splash. I retreat deeper into the shadows as I see another batch of the cat-sized spiders come from the corner nearest me and swarm to the players. The red mage casts at the mini-boss as the other mage quickly chugs a potion. Ice spikes burst through the onrushing mini-spiders and the leaping fighter does a huge swiping attack, killing several spiders. Two of the little spiders get onto him, doing a bit of damage, and he and the mage both take hits while killing them. Catching one spider with my inspect skill, I see they have only five hit points, but they can poison and look like they would easily swarm a player. The red mage¡¯s blast goes off and another fan of fire hits Jorogumo wounding it deeply. Another group of the small spiders¡¯ emerge. Alan the cleric smashes the lady of the cavern with a thundering hit, knocking it back. Immediately after his attach he steps back to heal his tank, who had taken a devastating bite to his arm. While the cleric and mages cast, both fighters attack the huge spider with taunts, jabs, and shouts. Jorogumo jumps back, taking damage. The spider uses a skill and webs cover the entire platform, sticking all the characters in place. At once it jumps from player to player, biting them. I see the last corner cocoon burst open, and five more spiders emerge. The tank breaks free and does a deafening shout, grabbing the attention of Jorogumo and all its children. He then ducks down and uses a skill which changes his appearance, making him look grayer and move slower. Everything attacks him at once as the others break free and begin to rain blows on the spider horde. The last to escape is the red mage. He downs a mana potion and casts a fan of fire, killing the boss, which morphs into the body of a beautiful woman in a long black dress. Gasping several times, she then lays there as if asleep, her body impaled on a lever. A lever which is identical to the one under the stone tree. The cello orchestra playing background music fades. I am surprised the narrator is not blabbing about the arachnid conquest. Jorogumo died, non-combatant experience gain: 800xp You have reached level 6! Hide-in-shadows level 6! The party stops and heals, they are all poisoned and the cleric has to cure each of them. We move to the sides keeping an ever-watchful eye. After looting the mini-boss, the red mage says, ¡°Does it seem like the loot we are getting is less than the other runs we have done?¡± ¡°Yeah, it really does. Maybe we are getting a farming nerf?¡± Alan asks. ¡°Well, let¡¯s wrap up the final trash stretch and do the boss, I think we have him this time.¡± He throws the lever and they start out. ¡°Okay, guys, loot fast,¡± I say as we jump on the lady and open the loot interface. I pick up a cloak and a knife.
Cloak of the Spider This cloak once belonged to the Lady of the Cavern. It¡¯s unnaturally black and drags shadows behind it. Hide in Shadows +2 Once per day: Summon spider (of wearer¡¯s level) Nightvision.
Inspect level 3! This cloak is a valuable find. I have lucked out now twice, this and the knife I cannot identify. Briar and Kian both get normal items for their levels and we receive another fifty gold. I slip on my new cloak; the hide bonus will be great. I toss my new stat point into dexterity. ¡°Can you guys follow behind them? I need to run to my perch and get ready.¡± Kian and Briar nod, and I take off, dragging shadows down the tunnel. *** I¡¯m above the lever, hidden in the shadows waiting as the party enters. Kian and Briar keep me appraised of the way the party got to the room. They let me know that there was a smaller spider ambush and some troll who broke free of a cage to attack. As the party enters the boss room, they look fresh and ready to fight. I see the two blue forms of my party members sneak in after them. Kian climbs up to the goblin perch on the other side of the cavern, Briar moves farther on so he can be behind the boss at the right moment. We are in place. I see the party buff up and the tank steps forward, crossing the threshold and awakening the Yaoguai, who stands, a nine-foot-tall skeleton. Yaoguai walks forward, a spectral sword appears in his hand. The goblin drums beat in time with his footsteps and start a steady rhythm of battle. The players use flame and bolts, and the tank suffers some heavy hits, but I¡¯ve seen this before. But then the music changes, and to my right I see a goblin emerge from the small tunnel and come down to the lever. As he reaches it, I wait for a second while I watch the players shift tactics and run to the center of the cavern as a cage drops. Piling into the cage, they wait, firing spells at the boss, and then the cage goes up. The goblin throws the lever and the floor is engulfed in fire, exploding below them. I know what I need to know now. I drop down, killing the goblin in one blow. I inspect the boss Yaoguai; he has 75% of his health left. I need to play my part as the goblin I just killed for a few minutes. Then, we spring our trap. The cage drops and the players move to the side of the fighting area as Kian says, ¡°My goblin is throwing his lever.¡± Spikes burst from the floor in the center. I watch Kian flash, killing his goblin lever-thrower in one deft strike. We now own this boss fight. Playing my part, I keep up what the goblin would do and blow up the floor while they are in the air. Kian shoots the spikes when they are at the side. The boss drops to 45% health, and there is a shift as he swaps tactics. Yaoguai plants his sword into the ground and becomes invulnerable as waves of ink-black power rush from him. With each burst there is a clawing, screaming, gasping sound that I am going to have nightmares about. I watch the black waves crash into the party and their health pools plummet. The cleric uses his big heal, it is clearly an ultimate that he was saving. That healing skill brings the party back from the brink of death, right before they are about to take another huge wave of darkness. I cannot see them then spot them in the cage high above the roiling mass of dark screaming energy. Each time the cage goes down the party gets out and attacks, then it seems the damage triggers the wave of darkness, and they quickly get back into the cage as it ascends. The period in the cage is time they use to heal, chugging potions and the cleric applies heal over time spells. I wait. Yaoguai is at 20% and they do another cage ride, healing up. ¡°One more cage ride, then when they land, we grill them up,¡± I say. The boss¡¯s health is at 15% as they pile out of the cage. Yaoguai opens his mouth and a wave of green gas sprays over the party as I see their health drop precipitously. Finally, the moment I have been awaiting, Yaoguai hits 8% and the trigger happens. The party jump in the cage, and this time the explosion does not happen. I see them look around in alarm while still furiously casting at Yaoguai, who is at 5% and dropping. The cage comes back down. They pile out, and I say. ¡°Now!¡± I throw the lever and the floor erupts in inferno¡ªI see the spikes shoot up and impale the party. When the fire dies down, both mages are dead, and only the tank and the cleric are alive. ¡°Briar, get into position. And again!¡± I say and throw my lever. The cleric had gotten a heal off the moment before, but the fire leaves him at only 1% of his health. I see him screaming, and then the spikes come up again. I leap down among the shadows to Yaoguai as I see Briar emerge from the dark and hurl forward. Briar has his knife above his head with both hands as he plunges it into the boss¡¯s head. Kian reaches the platform at the same time I do. We both are still in the shadows and moving fast as the boss turns, smashing Briar with his sword and leaving him at 6% health. I enter range and sprint foot over foot, leaping into the air at the flank of this skeletal boss. Kian sinks a dagger in the back of his knee as I drive my knife behind where his ear would be. The bone gives way and he instantly disintegrates. You hit Yaoguai for 12 (+4 flank) damage. Yaoguai died, the death blow landed by you, experience gain: 9500xp I land in a whirlwind of skeletal dust as the notifications pop up. You have reached level 7! You have reached level 8! ¡­ You have reached level 12!
Congratulations! You and your team are the first to complete the ¡°Welcome to Imagine Online¡± special instance, ¡°Yaoguai¡¯s Lair¡± - for your region. Congratulations: You have gained control of one of three fortresses in your region. See the quest manager in Port Yarrow to select your fortress. Please note: You must be a member of a clan to claim a fortress.
Congratulations! You now have access to create a clan. To claim rewards, please enter your clan name. Note: All members of your current party will become members.
It worked. It really worked. I remember the conversation with the tailor. I enter our clan name. Nightfallers. 11 - Nightfallers debut Notifications come crashing in. Trying to read, I can hardly keep up.
World notice: World first! Clan Nightfallers has completed the Welcome to Imagine Online dungeon, ¡°Yaoguai¡¯s Lair.¡±
Region notice: Region first! Clan Nightfallers has completed the Welcome to Imagine Online dungeon, ¡°Yaoguai¡¯s Lair.¡±
Congratulations! Your clan Nightfallers is the first to complete the Welcome to Imagine Online dungeon ¡°Yaoguai¡¯s Lair¡± in the game. Special bonus: 1,000 gold.
You have reached level 13! You have reached level 14! You have reached level 15! Hide skill +5 ¡°OH MY GOD! We all got a thousand gold!¡± screams Briar, hooting and dancing. ¡°Now let¡¯s loot!¡± I toss all my new stat points into my primary stat dexterity, which is now at a whopping sixteen. ¡°It worked! Damn!¡± Kian says. But you know this means we will have massive targets on our backs, right? That group we kill-stole this from is gonna be gunning for us. Every other group in the world is working night and day to beat their region¡¯s dungeon.¡± Kian paces back and forth, the weight of what we did settling in. ¡°You know we have to defend the fortress, right? And not just from other fortress owners¡ªwe¡¯ll have to defend it from basically everyone.¡± Briar walks up to the chest, points, and says, ¡°Loot time!¡± I think I am still in shock as I walk up to Yaoguai¡¯s treasure chest. I flip the lid for our spoils. I pick up a golden envelope that comes up first.
Elite Fortress Guardian As clan leader of the first clan to beat the Welcome to Imagine Online dungeon. We have prepared a special fortress guardian for you. Choose between three elite guardians for your new fortress. This is a gift from the development team. Choose wisely.
This might be worth more than any loot I could get. A fortress guardian like this could defend our fortress from a horde of players for the foreseeable future. Later in the game, the guardian would probably fall to high-level characters, but this gives us a sizable head start and some breathing room before our next school break. ¡°I think we will be okay for a bit,¡± I say and show off our new find. I look at the rest of my loot window and pick up an epic ¡°Belt of the Waterfall¡±. It¡¯s a belt that allows for limited underwater breathing. The best gear find though is a new level-fifteen +5 knife named ¡°Yaoguai''s Finger.¡± The knife has base damage of 41-77 and applies a magical poison. The poison will damage over time anyone hit with it by 3-8 damage every five seconds for thirty seconds total. The DOT adds up to 18-48 of poison damage. I equip both items and stash the fortress guardian ticket in my bag. Both Kian and Briar get epic items as well, but being shell-shocked, we are not trying them out yet. We take one last look around. We change our display tag for our new clan name. Right now shows it in gold, visible to other players. We don¡¯t need that right now. I fiddle with the interface and change the display tag to an evil-looking green color and make sure we can each toggle the tag off. Briar tests his tag and says, ¡°I like it. Evil-green is good. Maybe we should have called our clan SlimeLords?¡± I laugh, ¡°Next time I will, but now seriously.¡± I say while activating Perception. I want to see if there are any hidden doors or more chests. ¡°I need to understand all these new menus that just opened for the clan. And, we can claim the first fortress before another team in this region gets their pick. Also, we need to start recruiting.¡± ¡°Tomorrow is going to be awesome.¡± Kian says, waiting at the rune circle we assume is the exit. ¡°But, we need to be careful if we want to recruit people to our clan. We don¡¯t want them thinking we are some raid-core clan. If they want to raid, it¡¯s going to be obvious we didn¡¯t do this dungeon the¡ª" he pauses, looking at a scorch mark on the floor. ¡°The straightforward way.¡± I disable our clan tag for now and walk to the circle as Briar trots up. As one we all step on it and wait for a second before a flash envelops up. I am being stretched out and compressed, we are moved in space. We appear in Kesmai town square and there are players everywhere¡ªa lot of players. Among the players are large sentinel-looking creatures which I can Identify as game masters, who each have hovering eyes about them. With the number of players, I figure this must be every person in this whole zone who came here to see who beat the dungeon. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. *** I immediately hide in the shadows and try to drift away from sight. Briar and Kian follow my lead and we all move the side. I see where the instance was is now a mound with a placard stating it moved to its permanent home near Port Yarrow. A buzz of excitement fills the air. Nobody knows what exactly is going on and they are all mobbed around the game masters, trying to find out. The players are hounding the GMs with questions. I move onto a rooftop overlooking the square for a better view. I look around more now that I have a vantage point and I hear a reporter talking into one of the floating eyes like it¡¯s a camera; it¡¯s a small beholder. The eye floats around one of the GMs and it has a small stalk on the top which has a light like an anglerfish. I move to the edge of the roof to hear the reporter start her broadcast. She is a red-haired mage in her 20s, ¡°Happy Friday! This is Kisma Carn with U.W. Update News, your source for the latest in-game news inside of U.W.¡± The crowd around her presses in, but she maintains her composure.She waves, and the beholder scans the crowd. The mob yells behind her. ¡°For those of you here, if you have not, please enter #uwupdate in your interface chat to subscribe to our stream of daily news. We also have a UW tagboard which you can use to post newsworthy items.¡± Oh, this is good. I had seen a note about #uwupdate, but I thought it would be a tutorial thing; I did not understand it was an actual news show. I subscribe quickly and turn back to the reporter. ¡°We¡¯re here in the town of Kesmai, a smaller starting area on the western edge of the continent. Here today the world¡¯s first player group finished the entry dungeon. Their name is the [Nightfallers] clan, a three-member clan. And in record time, they did what teams of dedicated players across the world have been working night and day to do since launch.¡± She smooths out her hair, ¡°This group beat the expectations of the UW development teams by several days. We would love to see their team makeup and get the video of this world-first achievement.¡± Briar starts, "We should¡ª¡± ¡°We are not going down there,¡± I say. ¡°No way. We need to keep low¡ªwe used a bug, remember?¡± ¡°There is that cleric and his party,¡± Kian says, and I look down and spot the group.¡° They look pissed off and still have their death debuff¡ªfresh from the cemetery.¡± I feel momentarily sorry for them, but I know we needed this more than them, this is something I have to do. We go down and mingle with the crowd. None of us have our clan tag visible, so we can enjoy the spectacle. *** It is getting late, and after a couple hours things calm down, Kian and Briar log off and we promise to meet the next morning. As they go, I stick around and see what happens while I go through menus. I check my bathroom icon and see I am fine¡ªI¡¯m not in any danger of peeing myself. I see a familiar ranger, walking with her mask off and a bow on her back. She lights up red for me as an eye-for-an-eye target; it is Josie. Without hesitating a second, I slip down to the street and through the shadows, behind her. I have three attacks with my level-fifteen magically poisoned dagger. She is standing in the middle of the crowd as I slide closer, my cloak dragging its shadows behind me. I am right behind her now, and I can smell her. I am vengeance. I turn my name and clan tag on, so she knows it is me¡ªI want her to know. I put on my mask and pull my hood up. My knife slides between her ribs on her left side and she immediately screams out. The knife then slides under her back-right shoulder blade, and finally the knife goes into the right side of her throat. With my hidden status broken, I am standing above her in full view of everyone, my cloak grasping the shadows and my knife dripping neon-green poison. Josie wisps away as black smoke licks around my boots. My tag is visible, and I have multiple beholder eyes focus on me¡ªeveryone can see my name and clan tag. The #uwupdate channel light up with my name as live videos begin. I quickly dip back from the throng and run between buildings. Then, I leap onto a roof and put some distance between myself and them. A mass of players is trying to find me and I see them climb the buildings. One player closes in, a ranger class like Josie. I tear through the ink of night and end the ranger¡¯s life with a quick slash, in panic. I see I am in player killer state now, and being a PK means the town¡¯s guards will attack on sight. The players won¡¯t have any PK debuffs or downsides killing me. This is bad. A group of players watches me jump down from a roof as they come running around a corner. Seeing an attackable player, they go for it, one yelling, ¡°it is a GM event!¡± They are all level five; I tear through them like paper. Another group with mages burst onto the street. They start casting bolts at me which hit with stinging smacks. I use my epic cloak skill summon spider. As I activate the skill, the shadows dragging behind me form into the spiders'' legs and become a level-fifteen sword spider. It scurries off and slices every player and NPC it finds to pieces, it¡¯s the game world¡¯s blender. One beholder spies the spider and follows it around; another one hovers well above me. I see my PK debuff number shoot up, I need to escape and hide in the woods and let it slowly time out. Kian had said it will take hours. I don¡¯t know how to control the spider¡ªI¡¯m not sure I can. It is high level for these players and will kill everyone here. I have to take out another small group of players myself and then I see one of the huge Game Masters stomp around a corner and engage the spider. He slices it with a massive sword and the spider turns to pieces of shadow, which all rapidly flow back to my cape to drag on the ground. The GM runs at me with his huge two-handed sword in his hands. I am screwed. I pull out the Deck of Transmutation and pray for a bird card, a little bird. I draw and hold up a card to my face. I see a beholder move to get a look at me and I quickly glance at the card, ¡°The Chariot,¡± and image of a rhino covered in blood. I wanted a damn bird; you know to fly away¡ª I am power, but I run from my pursuer, four legs carry me through to the square. With my head down the crowd parts under me like grass, shields bend, swords break, my steps softened. I am trapped here. I turn, I crush more who stand still to die. The creatures strike me; I am slashed again and again, one under me, my horn inside his helmet. I am bleeding, fading. I know only power.
You have died [Extreme player killer death] Thank you for playing Imagine Online Your respawn point: Toldos, the Underworld Your respawn wait time: 0 minutes Experience lost: 4,400 (temporary) Items lost: none Eye for and Eye target: none
What in the hell happened? It¡¯s like the rhino took over there and I experienced it instead of controlling it. It felt like I was in control, but I wasn¡¯t. The scene of the GMs and the dead rhino is playing, but the pop-up says I don¡¯t have a wait time. I select to respawn, my body reforms, but I am not in the cemetery of Kesmai. Wherever I am is more like a ghostly town. Around me is a small fenced-in area under a dead tree. I have a chain on my neck and on my hands. I have a glow, but not the regular debuff. What is going on? I have none of my gear; I see I have access to money, and my character sheet says I am a ghost of myself. The sheet also says I have lost half my levels temporarily, and several levels permanently, unless I meet afterlife atonement conditions. This is a player-killer atonement instance. I am in digital jail, damn. I look over the log and my best count is that I killed about 15 players; the spider killed mostly NPCs, but got about 8-10 players, and me as a rhino killed another 20 in the tightly packed square. That would match up with the 4,400xp I would lose. I killed about 44 player characters because I went into a panic after killing Josie. That was all on beholder-camera. I don¡¯t even want to look at the in-game news. And apparently I can¡¯t, anyway. Ghosts don¡¯t get news. Figures. A dull, lumbering specter slowly walks to me and hoists me up by my chains. It says nothing¡ªI can only assume it is a simple NPC and I can¡¯t communicate with this thing. It drags me through the town, passing spectral houses and dead trees. There are bones hanging from strings rattling in a light breeze. The specter dumps me in front of a thick old knotty table in a small wooded area. At the table sits a hooded man, maybe more of a zombie than man, but he is not a ghost. The zombie-like man is writing intensely into a large book. He is in exquisite leather armor, and wears spiked rings and bracers, as well as a necklace with stones. Looking closer at the stones, they are adorned with moving clouds images. He is the boss of the area, of that there is no doubt. The specter shuffles over to the wall and picks up a tombstone. ¡°Now that was something,¡± the zombie says as he continues writing. ¡°My name is Toldos. I enjoy your work, I do, but there is a price to pay for these actions. You see, all actions have consequences and you, my friend, you racked up a tab.¡± He stops writing and sets his pen down deliberately as the specter shuffles back to the table. After a pause, he continues, ¡°You can pay with gold or you can pay with blood. Either way, you will atone with the full weight of your actions.¡± The specter slams down the ghostly tombstone in front of me as Toldos closes his book, looks up with cold yellow eyes, and smiles. 12 - Shackles and fortresses Toldos waves at the tombstone and stands up. ¡°This is your burden, a burden until such time as you complete my tasks of atonement. Tasks to right the bent in the balance of the living world. A bent, created by your actions.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask. ¡°What I am supposed to do with this?¡± I gesture toward the tombstone. ¡°You are going to carry it,¡± he says. Then, the specter picks up the ghostly tombstone. I open my mouth in protest as the specter swings the tombstone around to my back, clasping it around me. I feel the full weight of it as the clasps chains dig into me. ¡°This will mark you a servant of Toldos,¡± he says. ¡°You will carry this; nothing can cover it, and it cannot be removed until your penance is complete. All who see you will know you are mine and that you carry the burden of your actions in atonement.¡± This is crazy, I had no clue they did this for player killing. I thought it was a simple system where you could wait it out or do your penance by killing monsters. Slowly bringing down your PK status. Now I have to do quests to remove a literal millstone around my neck. Toldos ignores my scornful look. ¡°For your status as a player killer, if you like you can work here and cleanse my realm in your current state. If you would prefer, you could also pay me 440 gold to clear your status. Do you have a preference?¡± ¡°Take the gold,¡± I say, initiating the transfer and wincing a little at depleting the fund I had planned to use for the fortress defenses. ¡°Your status is clear; I will contact you about your quest once you are strong enough to complete it,¡± he says. ¡°What?¡± I blurt out.¡± What do you mean? I have to gain more levels.¡± ¡°Until next time.¡± Toldos says, returning to his work. *** Josie could scarcely believe the abrupt violence of her death; it was efficient and ruthless. It intrigued her when she realized that the little runt was the one who had done it. To top it off, the runt was the leader of the clan who completed the first run of the contest dungeon. She re-watched the videos of her death and the subsequent trampling of Kesmai square by a rhino. How had the game masters barely kept that rhino under control? What was that thing? Josie saw the image of the little thief standing there as her body turned to wisps of smoke. She could not allow these mice from her school to beat her, and she would stop them, in game, out of game, whatever it took. She didn¡¯t care about the eye for an eye free kill returned on her, she needed this to find her family, find out what happened to them. She had worked her way up in the school while the runts just walked in without a care and were handed everything. She had overheard the group talking, the cleric, two fighters and two mages who seemed convinced that someone had cheated them out of the world first boss takedown. She heard them talking about how someone had sabotaged the instance at the last minute to kill-steal the boss¡ªthat sounded like something she could use. Jossie walked up to the group and said, ¡°If you are interested in the [Nightfallers], they killed me too and I know who they are in real life¡ªdo you want to form a clan with me and my group of rangers and fighters to take their fortress?¡± The group looked up; she had their interest. *** I arise from a grave in murky dirt near an overgrown cliff by the seaside village. Checking my map, I realize I¡¯m not anywhere near where regular players would likely be. I don¡¯t need to be attacked right now, I need to figure out what just happened and what kind of damage I did to my name. I check that my player killer status is reset and that I¡¯m neutral to all characters which is what matters most right now. I imagine there are hunting parties out for blood on anyone with a PK status. My strength and dexterity are both decreased by one from the tombstone. Strangely it grants me extra damage, and I have a new system stat that is guild specific called ¡®Infamy¡¯ which is currently set at -440. The info pages on Infamy simply says, ¡°A measure of your fame for pious works or for villainy. It may draw attention to you when you would rather stay inconspicuous.¡± I want this tombstone off, so I wiggle around, scrape my back on a tree, jump up and down. I cannot remove¡ªor in any way interact with¡ªthe tombstone on my back. It is not spectral, and it looks real, but it does have some ghostly wisps that float off it. If I stay still, the strands seem to puddle around my feet. I check my character sheet and see that ¡°Talisman of Toldos (rank 3),¡± a cursed visual item, is attached to my character. This is going to be a pain to deal with. I can see the news channel flooded with videos coming in from players who have arisen from the graveyard after their wait time. Everyone keeps showing the video of me standing over dead Josie with my cloak dragging dusk shadows. There is a lot of wild speculation about how I am such high level. Videos of the rhino trampling the players and the GM are also there, and there are memes with people flying and me as rhino charging through them. The text on the most popular meme says, ¡°Unlimited Worlds they said¡­¡± Most in the public channel are saying it was a planned Game Master event that went wrong somehow. Everyone knows three things and that is my name, my level and that I am a member of [Nightfallers]. Just great.My in-game mail indicator shows I need to find a mailbox to see my mail. Checking my notifications and status, I have forty-four Eye-for-an-Eye players who can kill me with zero repercussions in the next week. I also now have a bounty on my head of 300 gold and climbing. There is a bounty system? I open up my inventory and pull out the Summon Familiar skillbook I looted from the wizard¡¯s house and flip it open. The book lights up and with a small flash turns to sand in my hands¡ªit was single use. I get a notification that I learned the skill. It is a ranked skill, meaning that it ranks up for every five levels I attain. Higher rank provides greater ¡®remote sight¡¯ distance for each rank level. I activate the skill and I am given multiple options; a wolf, a ferret, and so on, but I already know what I want. I select the raven¡ªclick that I agree choice cannot be reset. Finally, I hit the Summon button. The ground lights up around me in concentric circles with runes circling them. Above me the shadows swirl and coalesce and become too bright to view; they fade as a raven flies down to land. I inspect it and see its name is Morrigan, a female, and is a rank-three familiar. Its new icon in my display has a crossed-out eye next to it. I sit down and close my eyes, and the display icon lights up. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I look at myself--I am viewing from the eyes of the familiar. The view changes and I fly to a branch. I don¡¯t control the familiar fully, but with higher rank I think I might be able to have complete control. I open my eyes, returning to my body. Morrigan flies down and lands on the tombstone on my back. She communicates with a low, gurgling croak and a ''kraa kraa¡¯ sound that only a raven can make. ¡°Morrigan, I think you will like it with me. We are going to be busy.¡± I say. I need to go through my other items, but I will have time later. There are multiple quests I should get on the mainland, as I am level sixteen and can now choose an advanced class. I should find out how do my advanced classes, but I need to wait for Kian and Briar. They are going to laugh when I tell them what happened. I hope. For now I need to log off and sleep. *** I awake to go the bathroom. My dreams were filled with sneaking in the dark, flanking tactics, stabbing, cracking a safe, and knife combat in the dark. I make my way down the hallway, entertaining the thought of my real-life bathroom icon being lit up. Thinking of the dreams, I know it¡¯s how my brain makes sense of the SAINT data I learned. My brain is processing the overload of information and catching up, but it¡¯s still odd. A vital part of learning with the SAINT is getting proper sleep. Without it, your brain can begin to deteriorate, which is why the limits are so tightly monitored. I am at my current limit and I hope these goggles don¡¯t fry my brain. Finished, I tumble back into bed for fitful sleep. *** When I wake up, Saturday morning feels strange to me. My sleep was disturbed with many dreams of training, running, and charging as a rhinohrough my school, smashing everything to bits. I shower and eat, make sure I go to the bathroom, and then it¡¯s time to log in. Once in game, I appear in the woods and Morrigan flies down and perches on the tombstone on my back. This tombstone is definitely going to slow me some. Hopefully I can get this off soon. I see Kian and Briars icons are on and we are still in a party. I bring up my map and notice they are in the port town close by. I run over to them. As soon as he sees me, Briar blurts, ¡°Esme, you crazy crazy¡ª¡± ¡°Good job,¡± Kian says. ¡°That bitch deserved it.¡± I see they were hanging near the edge of the village and it looks like they had been practicing skills. As I walk up, they both turn and see me. ¡°Duuuuude,¡± Briar says. ¡°What¡­ what is that?¡± Kian says, pointing to the tombstone. ¡°And that?¡± He points to Morrigan. I explain about our new clan Infamy stat and how Toldos cursed me to carry the tombstone as some form of punishment for killing all those people. ¡°I heard something about this. It is a special back piece that you get for player killing.¡± Kian says. ¡°There was no specific number for the player killing score, they just said it was a lot. The greifer clans want them as status symbols.¡± ¡°You killed forty-four people. Damn,¡± says Briar. ¡°Let¡¯s go claim our fortress,¡± I respond, waving him off. We walk to the dock and the guard looks us over and says, ¡°You have become seasoned adventurers. It¡¯s time you leave this place.¡±
Quest: Reach puberty completed.
No experience points, but at least we can leave Newbie Island. We didn¡¯t actually get to see all of it, which is fine by me. From what I read on the the forums, there are more Kobold tunnels, a small Orc fort, a bunch of encounters with wolves and trolls, and a few field mini-bosses. We need to maintain our lead and get to the mainland. We have no time for sight-seeing. The guard continues, ¡°You will be unable to return to this island once you leave. Are you positive you want to go the mainland and have no further business here?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± we all scream at once. *** The ship is named The Ettin, and it¡¯s great on the water. The sun even breaks through the clouds and dolphins jump at the bow. The captain informs us the trip will take ten minutes, so we have time to enjoy it. Morrigan flies to the rigging and settles in looking over the water. The mainland comes into view and it is massive, mountain ranges stretching to the horizon. We will be the first players in the world to set foot on it. Oh great, another¡ª A cutscene of the ship with us on it begins. The cinematic follows a seagull above the ship, the rising music starts, and the narrator says, ¡°Our hero crossing the sea of storms begins her journey in full. She has passed the trials and gained valuable experience in the ways of the world. Her long trek is fraught with challenges and her quest finally in sight.¡± An epic rise in the music happens as the camera pans over the seedy-looking Port Yarrow and on to the mountains and a volcano in the distance. The ship starts to dock as the camera returns to my character. Stepping off The Ettin at Port Yarrow Docks is a full experience of a busy port. There are NPCs walking everywhere, fishermen busy fixing nets and moving carts of fish. I can spot merchants, pirates and smugglers and all manner of goods piled high. Surely there are a multitude of quests just here in the port were we to look. We want to move though; it is time to go to the town square and seek out the quest. We have a fortress to claim. The town is a mix of what looks like rough timber-framed multi-story houses with rock filling between the wood. The roof of each building is slate, but many are thatch or straw, which look like a giant fire hazard since they are so close together. I make a mental note that fire would be an effective tool within the city. The lower halves are typically shops or mixed areas for crafting, and the upper halves appear to be living quarters. Clothes lines hang between buildings with all manner of different sizes and colors of clothing. We pass into the town square. In the center is a large stone statue of a centaur with a bow standing over a dead snake. The sculpture is at least thirty feet high and makes an impressive appearance. Near to a lively looking trade shop called Boltac¡¯s Trading Post we find the quest board. Next to the board is the quest manager, a nervous sort, sitting idle in a counter window set up at the base of a house. There are two bored-looking guards standing by the window. As we walk up the quest manager recognizes us and a huge smile spreads over his face. ¡°Welcome to Port Yarrow, my lords, you have an important choice to make today.¡± He picks up a paper and holds it out. ¡°Are you ready? Please examine your options and when you are ready, let me know.¡± I take the paper and I see we have three options for a fortress, each shown on a map. There is The Jade Fortress, protected by a natural moat, and many large swamp creatures. There is a mountain fortress called The Eagle¡¯s Crest, which has a naturally difficult approach, some control of the weather and local mountain creatures. Lastly is The Leviathan Fortress with sea caves and the protection of sea creatures and some control of the weather. I pass the paper around. Kian and I both lean towards the mountain fortress. ¡°The swamp fortress sounds bad ass,¡± Briar says. ¡°I just keep thinking that we would have, like, an army of swamp things out there eating everyone and sucking them down into the muck,¡± ¡°Think of defensibility,¡± I say. ¡°Also, I have a dev coupon for an elite guardian and the mountain fortress is already the most defensible.¡± Briar nods and it is settled. ¡°The mountain fortress,¡± I say, handing back the paper to the quest manager. ¡°Very well,¡± he says with a smile before stamping the paper. ¡°You have fast travel available from the stone.¡± He points behind us. In a corner of the square sits a large rune-covered column with a crystal on top and four smaller columns around it. The stone pulses with an energy I can feel just by looking at it. He continues, ¡°Travel to your fortress is free and limited to those bearing your clan mark. Travel back here will cost you the usual rate of five gold. As regent of your fortress you collect an adjustable clan tax rate of 3%. This amount is for all gold collected as loot, and it is automatically taken out and applied to the clan war chest. If you have further questions, please see the help book located in the fortress command room.¡±
REGION NOTIFICATION Clan [Nightfallers] claims Eagle Crest Fortress.
¡°Fast travel costs gold?¡± Briar asks, waving the notification away. ¡°It¡¯s a gold sink for the game,¡± Kian says. ¡°Gold sinks help stabilize the in-game economy, without a gold sink no money leaves the economy.¡± Kian¡¯s knowledge of game mechanics is impressive. I have already selected him for our clan logistics commander. Once we start recruiting, we are going to need a capable leader for raids and coordination, and he has experience with these. I walk with them to the stone and touch it; I get a small shock as this location is added to my fast travel list. To add any other fast travel points in the game I will have to travel to one and touch it. My travel map appears, and I see there are two locations: ¡°Port Yarrow¡± and ¡°Eagle¡¯s Crest fortress [Nightfallers].¡± I choose our fortress and select ¡°travel.¡± With a fast crack of electricity my consciousness moves. 13 - The fortress 27 days remain of contest A, Tuesday. With a crackling of electricity, I appear in the stone central courtyard of a fortress. The air is cooler here and the many NPCs who are busily moving around are dressed warmer than their counterparts at sea level in Port Yarrow. The heavy walls of the fortress reach high. I don¡¯t have a view down, but it is obvious this is a place designed to withstand a siege. The top spire is adorned in hammered black metal, and I can see eagles fly into and out of the top¡ªsome look like they are carrying large tubes. Morrigan leaps into the air with a wisp of ghostly essence trailing from the tombstone on my back. The familiar soars up and seems to be taking in the surroundings and keeping an eye on the eagles. A square-jawed, sinewy NPC in light cloth who had been waiting nearby steps up to us and looks me up and down. ¡°Welcome, regent, to Eagles Crest. My name is Simon, and I am the fortress manager.¡± He waves around at the NPCs. ¡°I keep things with the personnel running smoothly here.¡± Lightning cracks from the stone and Kian and Briar appear in snaps of color and crackling electricity, both nearly falling over from their first experience with fast travel. ¡°Damn this is cr¡ª¡± Briar starts. ¡°Please follow me this way. Let me show you and your clan-kin the fortress controls. We will also cover fortress automation,¡± Simon says, walking towards the central keep. He continues, ¡°You will also be able to set up fortress guardians, manage resources, and trade. Your defense and war effort, which includes scouts and spies, is also available.¡± Simon opens the large wooden doors to a hallway with arrow slits and an iron portcullis at the end. We enter and he continues, ¡°Management can also be delegated to myself and I will work within boundaries you provide. Once per week, each Saturday, all claimed forts are up for capture. Capture is complete if the attackers overwhelm the defenders and hold the heart of the fortress at the stroke of midnight.¡± At the end of the hall I can see ceiling drop holes, and past the portcullis there are movable barriers which can be used for defense. This leads to a main hall. There are stairs at each corner leading to a mezzanine which also has defensive blockades. I see that the floor has holes in it everywhere, as if I can flood it somehow from below. ¡°Is there a lever to flood this floor?¡± I ask. ¡°Yes, it is part of the fortress defenses. You can upgrade this defense from water to acid or even oil,¡± he says, watching Kian and Briar inspect the floor. We ascend a set of stairs and continue into what I imagine is the side of the mountain. There are multiple rooms and tunnels carved from solid rock along the way. We continue up and then back out come across a large circular door. This door is odd and looks to be made of platinum with inlaid runes and has a large knob in the center. ¡°After you,¡± says Simon, allowing us to pass. I grab the knob and turn; the door opens and inside is a room with a huge stone table and windows overlooking the fortress below. The windows have an unobstructed view of the approach to the fortress from the valley below. There is a short podium with a bookstand and an enormous book on it in one corner. In the other corner sits a podium with a large crystal ball. I look at the table and see that in the center, rectangular area are raised sections of the dark stone itself. The raised areas represent Port Yarrow and this fortress; the rest of the table is flat and smooth. This table is a map of the game world and what I have seen of it. The rest, as with the ¡®fog of war,¡¯ is not visible to me until we have scouted it or visited. The raised portions look carved directly from the stone itself. Simon stands at attention near the door, watching me. I go to the book and see that there is a page with numbers that change while looking at them. It¡¯s a live representation of the current state of affairs of the fortress, the amount of food, money, people, and so on, all detailed. There are also instruction pages if you flip to the back of the book. I walk to the crystal ball and with both hands reach out to grab it. My personal visual display changes to a three-dimensional display of the fortress itself. There is a dizzying array of options and menus for this fortress. I am going to need help to manage all this. I release the crystal ball and motion for Kian to look. In one of the other corners, what I thought was a flat area appears to dip down. Looking in I see sand and rocks at the bottom. Simon interjects, ¡°That is your guardian interface. I believe you have a coupon to provide a guardian for your fortress. If you would like to use it, place it into the slot there when you are ready.¡± He points to a slot in the stone surrounded by brass. I nod and continue over to look over the approach and the valley. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What is down there?¡± I ask, pointing to the valley obscured by clouds. ¡°Those are the plains of Yarland, and there to the left is Yarrow Pass,¡± he says, gesturing to a pass far down the valley with the plains. He continues, ¡°To the right and down to the sea is Port Yarrow. You can see most of Yarland from here on a clear day.¡± ¡°Where are the other fortresses? The ones in this area, how close are they?¡± I ask. ¡°The fortress of Green Jade is in the swamp,¡± he points straight forward, ¡°and is quite far away.¡± He stops and thinks. ¡°However, with mounts you could cross the distance in several hours.¡± He points to the right of where Port Yarrow is and says, ¡°About the same distance up the coast is The Leviathan Fortress, the one on the sea.¡± He stops and quickly adds, ¡°To claim one, you must conquer its guardians¡¯ lairs, and both fortresses are beyond your clan capability at this time.¡± ¡°Beyond our what?¡± Briar asks. ¡°They are a huge reward for a dungeon raid of twenty-four players,¡± Kian says. ¡°They are wild, man. Just the three of us can¡¯t enter alone. We have been given a crazy head start here. In a week, two tops, we are going to have to defend this place against potentially hundreds of players. This is the only conquerable fortress in this region, and maybe even the entire game right now. Nobody will be able to conquer the other fortresses for several more weeks, most likely.¡± I hadn¡¯t even thought of that; we are a juicy target sitting here in the wide open right now. Players will be pouring into Port Yarrow from the newbie zone from here on out. From activity in the chat channels another region has beaten their starter dungeon as well, which means that region warfare is coming. If our region, Yarland, is not united and we are fighting each other, then when a neighboring region is united and attacks, we will be easy to dominate. With the gold costs to fast travel, mounting a full attack would be expensive. We need spies and scouts, we have to know what is coming. I go back to the crystal ball and access the interface named PLATO. I check on how much spies and scouts will cost. Spies are 50 gold and scouts are 10 gold each. The fortress bank icon blinks and I see that there is 1,100 gold in it, that won¡¯t last long. There is a note on the spies that you need to scout something first before sending a spy. I quickly purchase five scouts and I am notified they are in the courtyard awaiting instructions. I can issue instructions for each from here, so I send them out in each direction¡ªI need to lift the fog of war. With a second thought, I purchase one spy and I task him to watch Port Yarrow and see if there is anything going on there. I look through more of the options and see that the fortress is level one, and it can be raised to level two. It requires more resources that we have to buy, however. I have to build a stone quarry, a market, and a barracks. The cost is 250 gold. I see in the interface that inside the mountain is a stone quarry, and a market and barracks are erected in the main courtyard. Advancing the fortress level makes the walls fill in a little thicker and taller. The population increases according to Kian, who is looking at the book. The next level requires upgrades to the previous structures and a fortress guardian. There is also an option for an alchemy laboratory for 100 gold. We all have the alchemy skill and I have a multi-use skill book for it, so I figure it is a must have. I buy the laboratory and we each get a quest to level our alchemy skills. I decide that I should select our fortress guardian now. I pull out the ticket and go to the slot. Inserting the coupon brings up an interface with a note of thanks from the devs. I look at the options and my jaw drops, I can choose among several epic guardian bosses, all of which are powerful. I can see each one is geared toward certain kinds of fortresses. My choice is among The Great Kraken, The Horned Balrog, and The Frost Dragon. ¡°Okay, we need to choose,¡± I say, and explain our options. ¡°Could you imagine a Kraken on top of a mountain?¡± Kian says. ¡°It¡¯s obviously meant for the sea.¡± Kian says. ¡°I would guess that the Frost Dragon would be the one designed for this fortress. I mean, it¡¯s cold up here,¡± I say. ¡°The Balrog could also be,¡± Kian quickly says. ¡°The dragon can fly, maybe we can ride it?¡± I say. Kian and Briar both get smiles on their faces. ¡°Dragon!¡± They say in unison. Dragon it is. There is a rumble and I see in the interface that deep in the fortress, in its center, there is a pedestal of stone. The stone is the heart of the fortress and it now has a dragon named Frostcracker wrapped around it, sleeping. I check the dragon and it is a rank five epic guardian. We can sleep well at night knowing this guy is here. I see the automation options, so I go into those menus and I almost squeal in glee. I can set a multitude of defense options and management by Simon. I can even change his demeanor and how subservient he is. I leave him at the default settings for now. I change the option so he will start getting resources for advancement and start to focus on exploration and spying first and military might and expansion second. It looks like he can handle the minor things. The larger issues he defers to the regent of the fortress, me. There is also a greyed-out section for affinity, which looks like we can gain elemental affinities, or even mental or magical ones. There is a scripting section with default scripts for us players when we are logged out. I can set myself up with a script to do certain actions if we are attacked. Things like summoning clan members or resurrecting dead NPCs. It claims that if you learn the scripting language, you could do a pretty impressive series of actions. Another section is for allies and trading partners, where most everything can be managed by Simon or a designated clan member. I add Kian to the designated clan member list and step away. ¡°Oh really?¡± He laughs as he gets the notification. I go look at the book to check the help section. I read about fortress guardians and the aspected affinities. Wait, we need to attract more guardians? We can have up to five guardians¡ªone main guardian and four guardians who are lower rank. So, I have a rank five and I can have four rank four guardians as well. Additional guardians are only available from specific quests which will become available as the fortress levels up. This is going to be a bit of grind. The quests for the new guardians and resources are posted in the courtyard inn. The inn is where we are expected to log out, as we will gain rested buffs when we log back in. We can have real-life notifications to our standard VR goggles when there is something of note happening at the fortress. Morrigan flies into the room and lands on the table; she hops around and pecks at Port Yarrow. I see the fog of war beginning to lift from the table map as the scouts set out. 14 - Of dice and gems Josie and her new clan, the [Art of War], arrive in Port Yarrow during the evening. The port is busy and the notifications that the [Nightfallers] clan have taken their fortress refocuses her companions. She can feel their resolve harden as they all walk with purpose toward the city square. ¡°Let¡¯s get the quests for the fortresses first, then sell some gear and get the clan house,¡± Josie says to Alan, testing her control to see what kind of co-leader he intended to be. ¡°Let me manage the clan house. I¡¯ve already sold my spare gear,¡± the cleric says. He continues, ¡°I know the spots in town we need to set up advertising for the clan, definitely on the docks and at the square, maybe even hire roaming town criers.¡± Josie smiles at the unexpected enthusiasm. ¡°Great!¡± she says. ¡°I¡¯ll go get the quests and see if any of the new players ahead of us will join [Art of War].¡± Grabbing Bran, she makes her way to the square. Josie finds that there are many quests that look great but would be distractions. There are the two fortresses unclaimed in this region, both within easy reach. The [Art of War] clan¡¯s ranks swelled after Josie contacted each person who had NightFlower¡ªEsme¡ªon their Eye-for-an-eye list. Each player was eager for revenge. Esme had done the recruiting for her and she now had nearly enough players to mount a raid on a fortress. She selects the fortress quests and adds them to the clan quest log. ¡°So, the plan is to farm the instances?¡± Bran asks, shuffling in his heavy armor. ¡°Once we have enough people to raid one, the plan is to farm them, yea. We are going to enter the instance and get as far as we can before wiping, then exit, reset, and start over,¡± she eyes his nod. ¡°We should quickly gain a fortress with a full group. It will be a huge draw for players looking for a powerful clan,¡± she says. Getting a notification that their clan house was live, both Josie and Bran swipe away the notices and each bring up their local map. Josie turns and starts walking to the new clan house, Bran stepping quickly behind, a sword on his back clanging in time with each step. ¡°Are we going to have a media presence?¡± Bran asks. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°You guys want revenge, so do I,¡± she says. ¡°We cannot rightly prove what happened. And, you surely cannot accuse them, or you would look like fools. Even though¡ªand we all know it¡ªthere is no way that three stealth characters beat that dungeon. This is the way we win,¡± she says with a side-look of finality. *** Alan set up the clan house in the city center, just off the main square and next to an inn called the Rampant Cat. He hired one crier for the docks and another for the town square to advertise for the [Art of War] and bring in new recruits. Criers were also there to make it known the goal was to take the fortress from the [Nightfallers]. It worked almost immediately, as a pair of new players came in from the docks and joined. Any players coming from the newbie island or from another region would hear about the [Art of War] clan now. Josie walks up to the front to greet Alan. ¡°Looks good,¡± she says. ¡°I see we are recruiting, too. This will work!¡± ¡°[Nightfallers] are not recruiting yet,¡± Alan says. ¡°A tragic slip-up that should allow us to retake the lead,¡± he says, smiling. Josie thought back to her SAINT sessions with Sun Ts¨± and how she would use and monopolize on the slightest mistake her enemy made. Quickly, the snowball of their mistakes would overwhelm the [Nightfallers], and the tide of public opinion would be against them. As part of their tactics, Josie has already talked with the streaming services. If [Art of War] can take a fortress, they will gain at least one streaming contract for this region. Another piece in the puzzle to limit the exposure and gold the [Nightfallers] can make. Smiling, Josie turns to look at the street, ¡°We need to work to undermine [Nightfallers] clan as much as we can,¡± she says. ¡°We need to isolate them. We need to corner them in and never let up. We must keep them from forming any alliances with other clans and especially clans in other regions.¡± ¡°Oh, they are going to pay,¡± Alan says through a toothy grin. Sitting down, Josie goes over her plan. This is just one part; this is just stage one. One step at a time, what is the next step? With clan advertisements set, spare gear sold to make room in their inventories and to put gold in their coin purses, it was time to leave. Josie and Alan form a party and set out to the Leviathan Fortress. The travel takes the afternoon, along a winding coastal road. Wary after the distance they crest a rise and finally see the fortress. It is a bleak castle of green and grey, which sits on an outcropping over a raging sea. Seafoam and churn are all that is in the water, a sure death trap. There is only a narrow path to the gate of the fortress. ¡°We need to send out scouts to secure the area around here. We don¡¯t want any surprises,¡± she says to Alan, who nods and starts typing in the air. Stopping his fingers mid-type, he turns, and smiles, ¡°We just got enough members to form a raid party,¡± he says. Standing on the rise, Josie notices an old sign in the dirt on the edge of the cliff-side road. Picking up the decrepit sign and dusting it off, she reads the two words ¡®Skara Brae¡¯ with the right-side roughly cut to form a point. It¡¯s an old road sign pointing to what is probably another dungeon. She sets the sign where it will be visible, and not forgotten later, and turns her attention to organizing the first raid. The [Nightfallers] will regret wasting time. 15 - Dark devices I am outside of Port Yarrow. There is a small and beautiful hamlet here called Tir Chonaill. The little town built into the hills has several interesting quests available on their town square board, but that is not why I am here. I determined I needed to do my advanced class quest so I can get my level up higher. Briar wanted to go to Port Yarrow and sell items and to shop for new ones. He has also decided he wants to try out being a fighter so he is going to buy a sword and try to do his initial level ups in the training ground. Kian wanted to see about working on his alchemy and also to see if he could learn basic healing skills by doing the cleric quest-line. I agreed both would be useful. Before I left, we had joked that I could just tell them what to do for the rogue advanced class quest, if I do it. Now I am sitting here thinking I won¡¯t have anything to tell them. My quest led me here, but I am not sure where to go. There is a stream and a lake in the town, a mill, and even sheep. Near the sheep is a notice board with life skill quests. Shearing sheep, I will not do. The town square is a circle of large stones for seating and a speaker¡¯s area in the form of a raised semi-circle resembling a band shell. Made of much larger stones, the band shell is fit into a steep part of a hill. Next to the speaker¡¯s area is a large oak tree whose branches reach over the seating, shading it nicely. There is an old well under the tree with the classic crank and bucket. Additionally, there are leaves scattered among the weeds and broken sticks surrounding the base of the well. Above all of this, up on top the hill, is a small stone keep named Fort Kent. Most of the area¡¯s quests involve coming and going to that fort. The quests all say to report to the commander there, some kind of local law enforcer. That is not where I need to be. I decide that for my particular quest I should wait until nightfall. To wait, I climb the large tree in the center of town and make myself comfortable. I sit on a branch and go through menus to see what options I have to reorganize my display so it stays out of my way. Nearly everything is thought-based and easy to control in the game menus; however, there are a few things which use your virtual hands. You wiggle your hands in the air, physically turning knobs or pressing buttons for locked controls. This is all done seamlessly, and you rarely mess with your settings this way. This being an entirely virtual world, part of your interface can be physically there and feel no different to your hands than an object in the game world. I move my interface pieces around so that my stealth-related items are on the upper right and my party and raid info is in the upper left. I move my notifications and news channel to the lower left and dim it. I put my status icons along the right side, which includes Morrigan. Then, I delve into more of the fortress info. I have limited control from a distance, but I do have control and can increase building levels and hire new NPC¡¯s from anywhere. Reading through the help docs takes a while, and the shadows lengthen and clouds move in from the east. I see an old woman with a large walking staff approach the square below. There are NPCs running around all over, but this woman catches my attention. She moves as you would expect, shuffling and hanging onto her cane with one hand in what looks to be a painful grip. The staff is smooth from years of use. What catches my eye is her direct path to the speaking area. She comes to center of the square and stops, looks around, then drops a folded paper. ¡°For you,¡± she says quietly, then shuffles away. Well, looks like I have found what I was looking for. I wait for a second to see if there was anyone else coming, and then I silently drop down to scoop up the paper into the shadows. I move back to the base of the oak to read it. Carefully, I open the folder paper and see that it says, Welcome. You move in our midst. We know of you. Stand in the stone shell tonight if you want to gain the knowledge you seek. -The old man of the mountain. My Rogue advanced class quest line increments to step two. Looks like I am on the right path. I will do as the note asks and hope it is not a trap. I slink to the stone shell and I look around. It is not midnight yet, but I want to make sure I am not being led to my death. All my tutors are whispering in my brain to check that I am not being set up. I inspect the entire structure and don¡¯t see any specific issues. My perception picks up nothing besides a small mouse, which scurries away. After checking everything, I feel better about not walking into a trap. I blend in and wait, my cloak¡¯s clawing shadows getting brave with the sun gone and the moon rising. I notice the folder paper I had picked up moving in my pocket, and I pull it out and notice that the inside is glowing. I unfold it and see that behind the wording I had read there was a large rune painted in with water¡ªthe paper was becoming unstable. Crap, I just walked into a magical trap! Dropping the paper on the ground, I back up; the paper disappears as it touches the stone and I hear a grating sound and a nearby rumbling. One of the large stones on the side of the shell moves in. It is at an angle to not be visible from outside the shell. To a person looking from the town square, it would appear like I walk into the wall and disappear. I see a curved, torch-lit path into the hill. Nothing jumps out to attack or anything, so I guess I am good to go. The path curves in to the left. Ahead, I can spot an opening and see more torches. There is a noise ahead, like dripping water. I enter the open area and see that it is a natural-looking cavern with a door on the other side from where I am. Checking with my perception and notice that there is something different about the door, and to my right I see what looks like a small lever under some brush. I check the door again and then go back and pull the lever. A secret door opens to my right, smaller than the entrance. Given my options here, I think the new passageway is the right way to go. The secret door closes behind me and my path forward turns left. Following along the dark path, I see it goes up and to the left ahead. This will place me behind the door. What is this passage for? After stepping out, to my left I see a massive set of spikes on a spring system for the door I would have gone through. It is meticulously crafted and would have been inescapable in the previous room¡ªlikely turning me into hamburger. To my right the tunnel continues in darkness, with a spot of light far down. I sense movement there. ¡°The obvious path is not always the wisest one,¡± a male voice says. I cannot tell where it comes from as I look around and try to gauge the source of the words. ¡°I can see that,¡± I say, still scanning my surroundings. ¡°I believe you are looking for me,¡± he says. Then, a match is struck, and I see an old man lighting his pipe, sitting on a rock not fifteen feet away. ¡°I am known as the old man of the mountain,¡± he continues. ¡°This is no mountain, but I am indeed an old man. And I believe you are here seeking knowledge.¡± ¡°What knowledge can I learn?¡± I ask. ¡°The kind that you need¡ªthe kind that will help you to win the fights that are coming for you.¡± He jumps off the rock, landing lightly, and I see that he has multiple daggers on his person. ¡°Come with me, I¡¯ll show you.¡± We walk forward in silence for a moment and he turns to make sure I am still there. From a high point, we enter a large domed area with a pit in the center that has water several dozen feet below the edge. There is a spiderweb of wooden catwalks all around the sides of the pit. Along the catwalks I could make out merchants, and what looks like a makeshift inn and multiple side paths leading into the dark. ¡°This is one of our recruiting and training facilities,¡± the old man says. ¡°We put it right under Fort Kent and the commander who is looking for us. Our main, and much cleaner, facilities are in the actual mountains. There, my name is much more fitting.¡± I follow the old man down to an open area and several of the NPCs stop and watch us. He turns to me and says, ¡°Because of your¡­ interesting predicament,¡± he says. ¡°You are limited in your options.¡± He points to the tombstone on my back. ¡°I can train you in the following advanced classes.¡±
Class advancement: select at least one option, maximum two. Shadow - A shadow is an assassin who bends shadows to their will. -25% damage in daylight. Scout - A scout gains speed and accuracy, as well as the ability to teleport short distances. -15% health Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Gambler - Gamblers can double (or halve) their damage randomly. They use a set of dice for buffs (or debuffs). Bandit - Bandits can tame wild animals and gain speed and accuracy. -15% health
I look over the options. There are a lot less than I expected. ¡°What does maximum two mean here?¡± I ask. ¡°You can select two of these advanced classes to combine them; however, the negatives stack, so you need to be careful about how you combine them,¡± he says. ¡°For instance, you could take both scout and bandit, but you will lose 30% of your health pool. That is something you probably would regret.¡± He waits patiently. I weigh my options. Shadow is something I know I want¡ªit¡¯s exactly what I am interested in. But these others also seem good to mix with shadow¡ªscout , for instance, being able to teleport, and bandit with wild animals with speed and accuracy bonuses. Gambler looks interesting also, but it seems like the negative effects outweigh the benefits. ¡°I will take Shadow, and I pick Scout for secondary,¡± I say. ¡°Excellent choice,¡± the old man says. ¡°Complete the following tasks and we can begin training.¡± I get a new quest:
New quest: An emissary from a faraway land Eliminate Rogun Ratcliffe in Port Yarrow, an emissary from a faraway land. Rogun has traveled here to open trade agreements with the steward of Port Yarrow, Racine Garriott. The delegation is staying at an inn called the Rampant Cat. Completion reward: Advanced class trainers and class quest line unlocked, thieves guild merchants unlocked. *Bonus for killing all guards.
¡°Guess I am killing all the guards,¡± I say. ¡°You can go about this however you desire. Your exit and entrance are now the well,¡± the old man says. Then he points up to a ladder that turns into iron climbing rungs in the stone. I climb up and out of the well, murder on my mind. *** Entering Port Yarrow, I pull my cloak tightly around me and dip into the shadows. It is night in Port Yarrow, though the cycle in the game seems to be about a six-hour cycle of real time. It¡¯s the middle of the day at school so the streets are bustling. Coming from the south, my easiest path is along the waterfront. There is ship arriving from the newbie isle and I hear an NPC crier. ¡°Join the [Art of War] clan and fight the [Nightfallers] in the mountain fortress. Join the clan that will take over this region and dominate the western lands.¡± He finishes and hands out custom maps to the new players saying, ¡°This will add a map marker so you can locate the guild.¡± I wait until the players leave and the crier sits back down. I sneak up behind him, and after inspecting the crier, realize he is low level. My 3x backstab damage makes short work of him and I pull him back behind some crates and look at the map and flyer.
Clan leaders Alanenon, Braneton, and SilverBtch invite you to join the [Art of War] clan. Currently raiding the Leviathan Fortress, soon also raiding the Jade Fortress in preparation for taking Eagles Crest Fortress from [Nightfallers]. Join us.
What the¡­ how come I didn¡¯t know about this? I check the region chat, which I have had closed, and see them doing active recruiting there as well. We thought we were going to have more time. Damnit, Josie. I need to finish my quest and then get back to the fortress so we can plan. I throw their flyers into the water and dash through the darkness to the center of Port Yarrow. *** Reaching the Rampant Cat inn, I notice the building is three stories, painted red, and has a sign in the shape of a hissing cat. There are several guards milling about outside and the windows are nearly all lit up. Climbing up to the roof of a building across the street, I can see there is a guard on the top of the inn with a crossbow. Using my perception, I spot a second roof guard on an adjacent roof who is covering the first guard. I move farther down the street and cross hand over hand on a clothesline to the other side, then I slide through the darkness to the watcher. I dispatch him easily; he was low level and was there to make noise if he spotted anything. He didn¡¯t. Morrigan lands on a railing and cocks her head at the dead guard. The next guard is patrolling. He is keeping a close eye on the surrounding buildings, so I must time my strike just right. I maneuver closer to him, slowly making my way from the adjacent building to the top of the inn. Slinking in I am close enough for a backstab. I leap. This guard must have a perception skill as he spins around and my backstab grazes him. As I land, I duck and roll and try to turn around as I hear a click sound. Guard critically hits you for 8(+6) damage. Ouch, that was a crossbow bolt! I dive in, slashing at the guard. You hit Guard for 56 damage. You poison Guard. Guard takes 6 poison damage. Guard dies. The poison from my knife, Yaoguai''s Finger, finished him off. Luckily, he didn¡¯t have time to yell for help. I see also that I auto-loot 20 gold from each guard killed here. I drag the body to the next roof, near first watcher I killed, and make sure it is out of sight. Returning, I check the stairs along the side of the building¡ªno guards on the third floor. I extinguish the lamps to give myself more darkness and step down to a platform with a door that enters the building. Once inside, I peer into the hallway. There are two guards in the hall in front of me, one coming my way. I duck to the side of the door so that when it opens, I will be on the back side of it. The guard opens the door as expected, and then he steps out and begins to go up the stairs. Moving quickly, I slip behind him. I work my knife into his neck a few times. I move his body to the adjacent roof as well and slip back down the stairs. The other guard is still standing in front of a door. I backtrack to climb down the side of the building. Luckily, climbing was not as difficult as it should have been, as the lumber and stone leave plenty of easy footholds. If the tombstone on my back was not incorporeal it would have complicated any kind of climbing, so I am thankful for that. There is light coming from the open window of the room the guards are outside of. Looking inside, I can see a man bent over a desk and facing away from the window. I slip in and keep him in my sights. I made no noise and my perception picks up nothing that could be a surprise. I slide Yaoguai''s finger into his back, under his shoulder blades twice, and the final hit slides into his temple in one fluid motion. He was dead on the second hit. I retrieve my knife and set him down so that he does not fall. I check the books and his bags. I loot 200 gold, several scrolls and curiously, a quest item. The book he was writing into has the words Guiding Hand written inside the cover, and the quest is ¡°Yarrowland Sabotage.¡± I add the quest.
New quest chain: Yarrowland Sabotage (1) You have killed the emissary and found a book detailing his contacts and plans.The steward of Port Yarrow would be very interested in the contents of the book.
I hear the guard cough in the hall¡ªI need to deal with him then the ones downstairs. I ready my knife and ease the door open; he is still the only one there. I dispatch the guard, throat wound first, and drag him back into the room collecting another 20 gold in the process. There is nothing else in the room, so I leave and extinguish the lights in the hall. I make my way down one floor and find no guards. Just as I am about to go down another floor two guards start up the stairs. I dive around the side of the bannister and make my way above the stairs. I climb over the railing to be above the guards as they come up. After dropping down behind the closest one and dispatching him quickly, I move to the second and drop him as well. I need to move these bodies; I grab the first one and drag him up the stairs and dump him inside of the room. Then I do the same with the second while barely avoiding some player characters who had logged in and come out of their room. I check the quest, there is one more guard to kill if I want the bonus. I go back downstairs, the lower part of the inn has a bar in one side, an office, and a common area¡ªprobably used for food. I stick my head out of the front door and see my last guard. I step next to and behind him, and my knife slices through leather armor three times. Before the body falls, I see my quest is complete and I am to return to the old man. I melt into the oil of night. *** My deed done, I find myself in the alley next to a clan house. On my map it is shown as [Art of War]. This is her clan, this is Josie¡¯s clan. I wonder if I can find out what they are doing. If they see me, most will have an eye-for-an-eye consequence-free kill on me, and I could end up with a mob chasing me through the town. I will need to be careful. I move to the rooftop across the street, dashing through the shadows in a blur. I get to a spot on the peak of a roof, my cloak dripping grasping shadows over the edge. I need to observe. This is a new danger I was not expecting just yet and if I want to win, I need more information. What happened to that spy I sent here, anyway? Examining the front of the clan house, I see they have a huge battle axe cutting into the front of the building. The axe head is buried into the building over the front door and there is a group of new clan members out front. I quickly possess my familiar Morrigan, who is above, and swoop low to land on a crooked light pole near the entrance. I try to blend in, at least as well as a raven on a lamppost can ¡°So, we are going to take out the [Nightfallers]?¡± a rogue player asks. ¡°Not until we take Leviathan Fortress,¡± a mage says. ¡°And that will not happen soon. Nobody but the top team can get past the first mini-boss yet, and we suspect there are three more before the last boss.¡± ¡°So, how long do we have? How many levels?¡± the rogue asks. ¡°We figure our average player level needs to be 24 to claim the fortress,¡± he sighs. ¡°Nobody is close, our highest-level group can sometimes get past the first guardian, but the trash mobs after demolish them. We need to find a faster way to level.¡± This gives me a window of time. I leave Morrigan to fly into the night sky as I return to my original viewpoint from being within the familiar. I leave and make my way back to the fortress as stealthily as possible. I need to find out what we can do to get recruiting started in Port Yarrow. We need to stop the [Art of War] clan from getting too strong too fast. I check the interface and find that I can get a recruitment office in Port Yarrow and I can also hire guards for it. The clan recruitment office is 100 gold and includes a fast-travel point inside of the building. I buy the office and set the clan house sign out front to be a large dagger shape stabbing into the ground. The letters of our clan name make up the hilt of the dagger. The clan house is on the other side of Port Yarrow from the [Art of War] clan house and is next to an adventurer¡¯s tavern and inn named Gilgamesh¡¯s. I purchase ten level-fifteen guards for twenty gold each and one clan house manager for fifty gold. The manager can invite new players to the clan as entry-level members who only have fast travel rights and can talk in our communications channels. I spend another one hundred gold on five town criers who will work for the clan house manager. I notice that the spy I had sent to Port Yarrow had submitted a detailed report which I had missed. The report covers what I just found out and that there is a group of players who didn¡¯t join [Art of War] and have their own clan¡ªall currently nearing level twenty. Already? They are grinding an instance dungeon in a forest near the eastern border. I re-task the spy with collecting information on this new group. The scouts I sent out have done their work, and the map table has filled in much more with neighboring regions. I know it is time I send spies to the connected regions. For now, I sleep. Tomorrow, I am going to recruit this clan in the forest. 16 - A brisk business 25 days remain of contest A, Wednesday. I get an email itinerary from the school; Friday is going to be a busy day for the students. The school day has no regular classes¡ªthe day is filled with mixed classes about cooperation, leadership strategy, tactics, and monetary strategy. The teachers get a good bonus if we win. They also get to keep their jobs. It¡¯s incentive enough that they are trying to get us to work together. A smart ploy and we are going to have to do as they say if we want to win. That is two days away, time to focus. Logging in, I find myself in the Fortress with a log of my scripted events over the past night. The log events seem to all be sending scouts back out as they return¡ªnothing exiting happened while we slept. Checking the clan roster, I see our clan house and aggressive recruiting have helped. Six new members have joined, all under level fifteen. I see the clan house manager has given them quests running one of the sewer dungeons in Port Yarrow. Jumping into the clan channel, I say hi and welcome the new members. I request that if anyone new has friends to bring them in. I talk about our plans of raiding a dungeon soon¡ªas soon as I find one¡ªit will bring our levels up fast. I can see that two of our new members have the Hillhurst school symbol next to their name, a twelfth-level cleric named Bumblebzz and a level-thirteen fighter named FaydeOut. One of the civilian players is a crafter with armor focus, and the others are two fighters and a mage. I really hope none of these guys were ones I killed by accident back in Kesmai. The new members realize the clan leader is in chat and begin asking questions. *** Brief with answers I explain that they should continue to do the sewer quests for a couple days. I also tell them I¡¯ll work with them to run them through a new dungeon once that is set up. I was lying, of course; I didn¡¯t know how it would go negotiating with this clan of who were at the instance in the woods. I should be getting another report from the spy soon. I take time and look through more menus for the fortress and familiarize myself with custom scripting. Testing scripts for use when I am offline, I run a few through a simulator. I see the report tab blink in the interface, and I check it as I walk to the table map. The interface changes and hovers over a point showing a stylized forest between two passes. The pass looks to be about as far from a road in that area as can be. My spy had followed a player there. Their clan name is [Ballzdeep], and their leader¡¯s name is Sauce. The leader sauce has somehow gained the advanced class, Dark Arrow. The other primary members of the clan are Dignity a Tempest Cleric, Beards a Demonologist Mage, and a Titan Summonernamed Roll, some kind of tank. These players all have advanced classes and are level 20. Checking my travel options in the fortress interface I see I can buy portal stones for travel. The stones are organized by length of time they function for. The cheapest being a portal stone that lasts for five minutes. The most expensive being a permanent stone, which has a purchase limit of two. I buy a five-minute portal stone for fast travel to Eagles Crest fortress for 50 gold. This return stone will be worth it if my plan goes as I hope it will. I discover that Eagles Crest fortress has decent stables. As the clan leader of the fortress, I am entitled a mount. I pick a male pure black Slythsteed, which is basically a horse with natural scale for armor and claws instead of hooves. I have to choose a name; I type Deathbloom and get a new icon in my interface which I can use to summon him. On my map I mark the position of this clan leader Sauce, then I jump on my mount and race out of my fortress. Charging at full speed down the mountain I mentally switch my view to Morrigan. From her eyes I see me, a dark tombstone rider, dragging hooked shadows in my wake. *** I make a quick stop to the Old Man and turn in my quest, gaining my Shadow Scout advanced class. Several other windows pop up with what looks like basic quests to advance in level before other options become available for my class. The old man appears to be a far more advanced NPC than others in much of the world. He moves around with grace and asks topical questions. It¡¯s somewhat unnerving after dealing with other NPCs in the game. I take a quick look at my new skills, but the interface is intuitive, so they are easily available. I will need to spend time with them to get comfortable using them. Time to go make an alliance. *** As I ride, I pass through low forests, and a plain with enormous beasts that look like bison but with six legs. My map updates with a plains dungeon that looks like it is filled with something called Prairie Blades. I make a note of it for later examination. Finally, I come to the edge of the Pictish Forest, the area on the map shown as my destination. The report the spy submitted shows that the clan I am looking for are running a dungeon deep within the forest. I will need to move forward with care; this forest looks to be a maze and offers them a perfect defense. Deathbloom and I pick our way through the dense forest lightly. As night begins to fall the sounds of frogs fills the air. Being a Shadow Scout, I gain my buffs and my advanced class shadow skill icons light up. My night vision kicks in, allowing me to keep my way. Getting closer, I dismount and cancel the summon for Deathbloom, who trots off into the night. I move forward in the shadows on foot over a small pass. Leaving the main trail, I work my way up higher. I want to get a nice vantage point to scout out where I will be going, to see if anyone is setting up an ambush. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Arriving above where I think they are, I peer down into the wooded canyon. I get new information on my map about Qeynos Catacombs, which is the instance this clan is running. I can see a firepit down below and it looks like the player Sauce is there sitting by the fire with a bow across his back. He appears to be reading his interface. I don¡¯t want to seem like I am sneaking in to kill him, so I can¡¯t stealth my way through this. I decide that I should use the shadows and move in close, then reveal myself with plenty of space. I move back to the path and work through the darkness, shifting effortlessly in my element until I am close. Approaching Sauce from behind I examine the area for other players and see none, although I can see an entrance to the dungeon ahead of him. The entrance is raised stones with runes next to a deep pool of cold water. Inside the stones is a broken crypt door, emanating darkness. My kind of place. I step out of the shadows and clear my throat. ¡°Hi there, NightFlower. What¡¯s a little girl like you doing coming here by yourself with a bounty on your head?¡± Sauce asks without turning around. Taken aback, I stop. Something is not right. I look around and say, ¡°I am here because I want to offer you something, something that you need. I think we can help each other.¡± ¡°What do I need from you?¡± he asks. My perception picks up an oddity around him, I can¡¯t tell what it is though, so I move a little closer. ¡°A way to win the first round of the contest. I¡¯ve already won the first prize, but I need help with the second part. You and I, we join clans in an alliance, and we can take the prize.¡± ¡°Now, little girl, that is interesting,¡± he says, then disappears. Sauce steps from a tree behind me, putting an arrow away. I see the other members of the clan drop from the surrounding trees¡ªtwo more step from behind a rock. I am vastly outnumbered, outflanked, and overpowered by this entire group, every one of which has their advanced classes. Raising my hands, I focus on Sauce, who moves to where his clone had been sitting. ¡°I would like to join our clans, or create an alliance. We have the first fortress in the region and in the game. As part of the first in-game bonus we have an elite fortress guardian. We are basically untouchable for a while. The leader of [Art of War], Josie Hederman¡ªSilverbtch¡ªis working to take the Sea Fortress and has a forty-member clan already,¡± I lie. ¡°Josie?¡±says a mage named Beards. ¡°She is Silverbtch?¡± I can see him chewing on the name and I recognize him as one of the math prodigies from the lab classes¡ªhis real name is Chad or something. I think. Sauce is one I easily recognize as a student two years above me, whose specialty is tactics. If there was only one student that I could have in my clan, it would be him. ¡°Yes,¡± I say, ¡°and she is getting strong. If you would all like, I can give you a tour of the fortress and you can request anything you need that I can add to it. We could come to an agreement or at least have a truce of sorts while you consider our offer.¡± I pause and look at the members. ¡°I know that you are farming this instance, and by your levels it is good. I would like also to have our members run this with you.¡± ¡°You guys want to go look at this place?¡± Sauce asks his clan, getting nods. ¡°Okay, we will come check out your fortress, and then we will discuss among ourselves what we need and if this is a good fit.¡± ¡°Good,¡± I say. I¡¯ve got them on the hook but I¡¯m a little concerned with what they may ask for, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I pull out the five-minute portal stone. ¡°I have a shortcut,¡± I say as I active the small stone, which enlargers with a large glowing circle surrounding it. ¡°You guys coming?¡± I slap my hand on the stone. Covered with clinging electric blue bolts, I step into the courtyard of our mountain fortress, shooing NPCs away to make room. *** With pops and crackling, the ranger Sauce and his clan appear in the fortress''s courtyard. Stepping lightly and prepared for anything, they scan their surroundings; I welcome them as Simon steps forward to give them the standard tour. I let Simon do the tour, as his demeanor is mild and subservient. Knowing the fortress better than I, he can answer questions I do not have answers for. He discusses the features of the Foretress, everything, including that we can train them all in alchemy. He also explains that we can have other trainers available. I save the best for last, of course. When they see on our elite guardian Frostcracker, I can tell in their eyes that they understand the power of a fortress. They particularly like how the floor could flood in the main hall and joke about getting pool floats. ¡°¡­ and that concludes our tour. Mistress Nightflower?¡± Simon defers to me and steps back. ¡°Do you have questions for me?¡± I ask the clan. ¡°Where are the beer fountains?¡± one asks, to much laughter. ¡°No questions,¡± says Sauce. ¡°But we need to discuss this.¡± And he turns to his clan. Watching them walk across the courtyard, I go to discuss the matter of this alliance with Simon and how it works with the fortress. It¡¯s simply just an option to invite them as a clan and select the alliance checkbox. We also need to provide an official name for the alliance. Taking some time to look in the menus, I see there is an entire War tab on the alliance sub-menu, and only clan leaders can be executives of the alliance and declare war. There are some interesting options for war declarations. One type allows me to declare war until they pay our clan a certain amount of gold. That type of war declaration ends if they pay. Just when I think I know what is going on, I find something like this. Sauce walks up, the bow on his back swings, and his steps are light. He says, ¡°We are going to return to the rest of the clan and discuss this. You can send the invite, and I will accept or decline it tomorrow depending on our vote. Either way, it looks like you will be having a hell of a pool party in there if you get attacked.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I say as I send the invite. ¡°I look forward to hearing from you.¡± ¡° alliance?¡± He laughs. ¡°It¡¯s perfect, I love it.¡± I watch Sauce and members of his clan leave. They summon mounts which come running from outside the gates. They rapidly ride down the side of the mountain, like a pack of wild dogs, and disappear out of sight. I hope my tactic of letting the fortress sell itself was the best one. I can¡¯t come across as desperate to get them into an alliance, even though at this point I am desperate. Josie¡¯s strength is growing out there, I need the rapid leveling Sauce and his guys have found. They need my fortress or risk trouble when [Art of War] turns an eye to them. This is beneficial to both clans. My bathroom icon is blinking, so I log off real quick. *** Logging back in, I see two new recruits have joined. Time to do my welcome speech in the clan private channel. ¡°Pardon, miss,¡± Simon says. ¡°What is it, Simon?¡± With his calm, measured voice, he says. ¡°They have killed our town criers in Port Yarrow. The criers are respawning in the fortress graveyard. Also, our clan house is under attack.¡± 17 - Swiping 25 days remain of contest A, Thursday. ¡°What?¡± I say, ¡°When did this happen?¡± ¡°This is a recent event, miss,¡± Simon calmly replies. I run across the courtyard; at the stone I fast travel myself directly to the clan house. There are new recruits here with eyes wide, clearly not expecting a clan house siege immediately on signing up. They most definitely were not ready to see me come charging through. ¡°Status?¡± I bark at the clan house manager. ¡°The attack is done. Five recruiters were killed, though they have revived and are returning. Four guards were killed and will be revived shortly,¡± the clan house manager, a portly gentleman, says. At the front of our clan house several of our guards are dead. The others have weapons at the ready and are in a semi-circle in front. I notice arrows embedded in the dead guards. They cannot actually take our clan house, but they could camp in front and keep any new recruits from entering. This could be an issue if they decide to try that tactic. The revived town criers are already on their way back to the docks and their locations around the town. Criers are simple, scripted NPC¡¯s who will continue around the town attempting to find players not in a clan. They then follow the players around, handing them notes which add a pin in the user¡¯s map to this clan house. Their revivals were handled automatically by my offline fortress script. I have the guards clean up and I return inside and look around. The clan manager had done an admirable job and used the dagger motif nearly everywhere inside. I move to my clan leader¡¯s quarters on the top floor, which has a balcony. I stay inside and sit on the bed as I shift my consciousness to Morrigan, who is outside, and I fly around searching for any members of [Art of War]. Finding none, I return to the room. This was a message. I get a notification.
Region notice: alliance has been formed by [Nightfallers] Clan [BallzDeep] joins alliance Eagles Crest fortress is now a alliance fortress.
A new alliance chat channel opens as well as an alliance leadership chat channel. Sauce wants to set up a meeting at the fortress and bring his entire clan. He mentions that we need to set up semi-permanent transport stone to the catacombs they have been farming. [BallzDeep] clan will provide half of the cost for the transport stone. Contacting Kian and Briar, I head down to the transport stone in the clan house. As I walk, I send Sauce a note that I agree on the transport stone fifty-fifty purchase. Once I arrive back at the fortress, I head to the fortress command center. Staring at the map, I say, ¡°Simon,¡± and he trots up to me with an inquisitive look on his face. ¡°Do we have access to semi-permanent transport stones, and how much would they be?¡± ¡°A semi-permanent, destructible transport stone will be bound to this fortress and only allow travel between this fortress and the destination.¡± He idly waves at the carbon-black version of the fortress on the map. ¡°To create one, you will need 250 gold and it must be manually transported to the desired location.¡± I request half of the gold amount from Sauce, and I put half of it into the alliance shared bank. I see his half show up after a minute and I press purchase on the transport stone. I see the stone arrive in the courtyard below. Now, I wait for them to arrive. I need to talk with Kian, so I go down to the alchemy crafting house. The inside looks like what I expected an alchemy crafting structure. It is full of beakers and bottles with hanging herbs and what appears to be spices hanging from every possible spot on the ceiling. The trainer in residence is there. She is wearing an apron and thick glasses and is at a long table, leaning over a stack of smoking vials with a familiar figure. ¡°Kian!¡± I say, seeing him working on a potion, while oddly wearing chain mail. ¡°I see you worked on the cleric quests.¡± I inspect him and see he is a level 11 cleric and level 15 rogue now; the cleric side likely gives him some very interesting options to combine classes. ¡°It looks like you have been really busy with that.¡± ¡°Esme, I noticed you got that clan to join us,¡± he says as he finishes up the potion¡ªan advanced health potionsets it down. ¡°I know you probably wanted to be involved in that,¡± I say, heading off a potential discussion about clan leadership. ¡°Sauce and his clan will be here in an hour or so and I want you to meet with them. We are going to set up a semi-permanent transportation stone near an instance they have been farming so we can all level up fast. Their whole clan shot past us using it,¡± I say, watching his face and notice he seems to be waiting to speak. ¡°I know, but these are older students and are they taking fifty percent of the winnings, that is a ton of money¡ª¡± ¡°We will split it with them as a whole,¡± I break in before he continues. ¡°If there is 100 million, they all split fifty-million among their members and our, smaller clan, splits fifty-million. This game has forced us into a position where the money will be split up many ways no matter what we do. To complicate it further, if we are going to succeed it seems to be set up that we need to use most of the money inside the game to continue.. All the advancements, all the units and fortress guardians and upgrades, everything costs money to do and quests don¡¯t give that much.¡± With frustration welling up, I continue, ¡°This whole contest is a maze designed to bring us in and fight, make sacrifices, and climb over one-another ruthlessly. I have to bring in more clans or we will be chewed up within the week.¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± he starts. ¡°And I know you made a hard call; I just wish you had brought us in. Briar feels like you just steamrolled us with this. H-he is off doing his combined advanced class quest for rogue and fighter right now¡ª¡± ¡°Wait, how did he make it to level 15 so fast on fighter?¡± ¡°We buddied up with some other people¡ªit¡¯s how I leveled up my cleric class so fast as well.¡± He shrugs and motions toward the alchemy table. ¡°Alchemy really helps with leveling also. I¡¯m sure the alchemy skill book we own will bring more clans to the alliance. That thing is unique, and alchemy is nearly impossible to learn otherwise. We have people coming from other regions who want to learn.¡± ¡°I have not had time,¡± I admit. ¡°After I did my advanced class quest, I have not had a second to do much." ¡°I see, shadow runner , it sounds like you are a smuggler or something.¡± Simon walks in and says, ¡°I would like to report that riders have been seen on the mountain approach,¡± he says, then waits. ¡°That will be them.¡± I motion for Kian to come with me and walk into the courtyard. I see several guards hustle to the battlements, and I follow them up so we can overlook the approach. Looking down, I can¡¯t help but appreciate how defensible this fortress is. There is only one main approach, and it is basically a death trap the entire way up the pass. Of course, there are secret trails, which would be single-file and treacherous, but no army¡ªor even a mount¡ªcould navigate those. The trails are the paths of spies and scouts, a maze in the boulders and rocks. During a siege they will need to be closely guarded. I see the group on their mounts approach and notice a flag they are carrying. I cannot discern the colors, so I sit for a second and Morrigan flaps her wings as I take over. Flying low, I swoop down the canyon and I see that it is who we expect, our friends [BallzDeep] on their mounts with at least twenty-five members. In the front, the one named Dignity hoists a flag, which looks like a ¡­ pool floaty? Yes, it¡¯s a reclining pool float. I lose the connection with Morrigan from laughter, and I manage to bring myself to my feet with the help from a startled scout. Kian has a queer smile on his face and looks confused. ¡°You will see,¡± I say. ¡°Oh, you will see, come on.¡± Sauce and his clan arrive to a raised gate and the curious NPCs of Eagle Crest, who pour into the courtyard. Sauce rides up and hops off his mounts. He looks around, his eyes pausing on the transport stone we will need to move. ¡°I am just here for a minute; I will need one of you to come with me, as we need to get this stone placed near the instance. Then we will need to get you guys the quests for the instance.¡± He pauses, then .. ¡°My apologies, I am Sauce,¡± he says while shaking Kian¡¯s hand. ¡°Good to meet you. Nightflower has told me a lot about you guys, we are excited to have you,¡± Kian says. ¡°Sorry Briar is not here, he is working on his advanced class quest, though he has been gone a while.¡± ¡°All good. Can one of you show some of my clan here how to get set up with alchemy?¡± Sauce asks. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I am not the alchemist here,¡± I say, looking at Kian. ¡°Sure, I can do that,¡± he says. ¡°You all who want to learn Alchemy, rally over here with this guy.¡± Sauce hollers over his shoulder and six players jog over. ¡°Follow me,¡± Kian wave at them and gives me a wink as he walks off. ¡°All right, let¡¯s get this stone loaded and head back to the instance,¡± Sauce says. ¡°We have a lot more than what you saw there set up, there is a cave we cleared out and have been using as a base. It is out of way and anyone just going to the instance will not find it. We can put the stone deep in the cave and come and go as needed without fear that someone will destroy it.¡± ¡°That sounds like an excellent plan¡ª¡± I say, getting cut off as the main fortress transport stone comes to life with crackles and pops. From the prismatic storm walks a fighter in full armor, dark as night, carrying a spear and an impressively heavy-looking shield. The fighter gets his bearings and with electric crackles still clinging to his feet starts walking toward me. ¡°Esme!¡± he says. ¡°B-Briar?¡± I ask, as he takes off his helmet, I see it is him, he has turned himself into an impressive fighter. Seeing my approval, he starts, ¡°I¡¯ve been running some dungeons in the city and a few north of Port Yarrow. The party system in town is pretty good, and every group needs tanks and healers.¡± He beams at me, ¡°Shadow Runner, eh? Sounds like you are a smuggler or something.¡± With a chuckle, I inspect him and see that his class is now listed as a Guardian Dragoon. ¡°Wow, you have been busy.¡± I quickly ask, ¡°Hey, are you up for a quest? I need to go finish up my advanced class quest to get my skills. Can you help our new alliance with this?¡± I point to the stone. *** Back at the guild, I slip down the well under the tree. My tombstone makes me waver around a bit, but I am in no danger of falling. Without bothering to use hide-in-shadows, I enter the cavern below and I see there are more NPCs here than the last time I came through. The old man is still in his place, and I drop down and make my way to him. ¡°I see our new Shadow Runner has returned,¡± he says. ¡°I have,¡± I say. ¡°You have an active guild quest. I believe the ambassador from your last quest was not exactly who he said that he was,¡± the old man says. ¡°It would be good if you could find out what more was going on. It would be ¡­ valuable to us. Your new skills will come in handy.¡± I check my advanced class skills. Adv Primary: Shadow Adv Secondary: Scout Bonus: +25% damage at night. Bonus: Attack speed +5 Bonus: Accuracy +5 (ranged) Negative: -25% damage during day. Negative: -15% health Shadow native skill (rank 1, max 3): Shadow Net, +5-meter radius from player per rank, all players and creatures slowed 50% for five seconds. Scout native skill (rank 1, max 5): Teleport, +10-meter teleport line-of-sight per rank. * native skills usable once every fifteen minutes. * rank = one rank for every ten levels over 15, (level 25=rank 2, 35=rank 3, and so on) * Additional skills available at levels 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 75, 100 Hide skill +1 I check the quest Yarrowland Sabotage and see that I will have a lot of running around to do most likely, as it involves the next region over. I may need to let this one wait, but I can see how far I can get with it before they have the stone set up. Then we need to start doing instance runs on the catacombs to level up before the weekend allows for fortress conquest. I climb up the well and slip through the small town, stopping in an empty lot to try out my new skills. Shadow Net makes the ground look like an undulating pool of liquid shadow that wraps around anything moving within it. Teleport is instantaneous and leaves an afterimage of me where I teleported from. I appear a second later as the afterimage rapidly fades. Both seem to be very useful skills, though they have really long cooldowns, so they are more hail-Mary kind of actions. I check the quest again and I see the pin on my map for it¡ªit¡¯s not far away at all. It is on the south Side of the city. On the map it looks like a compound. Making my way to the location, I circle around and find the front gate and see there are two guards, but no gate. I step forward. ¡°State your business,¡± one of the guard says. ¡°I am here to meet with the Steward of Port Yarrow, Racine Garriott. This is about the ambassador he was to meet,¡± I say, ¡°I¡ªI believe the ambassador was not who he says he was. Also, tell him that the ambassador is dead, and that the steward should see the proof I have that the ambassador was not forthcoming.¡± One guard turns and walks into the house¡ªthe distance from the walls to the house was only perhaps ten feetreturns fast. ¡°The steward will see you now. Do not draw a weapon or use any magic or skills in his presence or you will be killed where you stand,¡± The guard calmly states as he motions for me to move forward under escort. Entering the house, I see the entryway is military clean with a table and weapon racks; it could not possibly be used as part of a normal household. I am escorted to the right of a set of stairs going up. We go down a narrow hall, which opens into a larger room with several guards and a man behind a desk who looks up as I enter. ¡°I apologize for the heavy guard, but there are assassins afoot in the city.¡± He glances me over, noticing the dagger at my waist. ¡°I understand you happen to know what happened to my meeting with the ambassador.¡± He pauses. ¡°What information do you have?¡± ¡°I have a book,¡± I say, and I slowly pull out the book I found the ambassador writing into from my quest. A guard takes it from me, inspects it, and then passes it on to the steward, who accepts it and begins to look through the pages. He stops and takes special note of the last written page and looks up at me. ¡°How did you come by this?¡± he asks with a serious expression that I can¡¯t read. ¡°I was tasked with bringing this to you,¡± I say, hoping my fib won¡¯t be questioned. ¡°You may have saved my life. You have also allowed time for Port Yarrow to defend itself,¡± he says. ¡°According to these records, I was to be killed by this assassin posing as an ambassador. This was all to be the first wave of an invasion force. All of our outposts are currently being taken, quietly.¡± ¡°W-wait, a what?¡± I ask. ¡°An invasion force from where?¡± ¡°Aradune Mithera, the Steward of Rathe,¡± he says, and then notices my confusion. ¡°Rathe, you know, the neighboring region? The man I was to open trade negotiations with was a member of an infamous Krewe of assassins. We would call them guilds¡ªanyway, it was all a farce. He is attacking our outposts now.¡± ¡°I need someone who can check on these outposts, this entire region depends on it. Are you and your clan up for the challenge?¡± he asks. A pop-up appears
Quest: Yarrowland sabotage (chain 2) Yarrowland is under attack. An assassin pretending to be a trade ambassador was meant to kill the Steward of Port Yarrow and begin a war with the neighboring region of Rathe. You have been tasked with securing the two outposts of Yarrowland on the border with Rathe. Success: Secure the outposts Failure: Do nothing.
Sigh. ¡°Yes,¡± I say cheerily. I leave and duck into an empty lot and see how I can set a clan quest, an internal kind of quest chain that only members of the clan can accept. I add the sabotage quest chain and mark each of the outposts on the map. The new clan members wanted to do more than the sewer quests in Port Yarrow, so they can help here, as this is more than a one-person quest. Once I am done and point the online players to the new quest, I log off¡ªI need sleep. Checking my email, I see one from the school. Dear Students, Given the abnormal situation with the school contest, We have an accelerated learning schedule for the following eleven weeks. Our goal is the preservation of The Hillhurst School, and to those ends, we have assigned you and your cohort to the following mandatory Friday classes. Effective immediately. 8am - Tactics and Countermeasures 9am - International Relations and Diplomacy 10am - Strategy & Warfare 11am - Effective Leadership Thank you. - Principal J. Tenreal Well, tomorrow is going to be fun. *** ¡°I¡¯m getting older,¡± Dr. Lloyd Friend stated across the boardroom of Wutani corporation, eyeing three stacks of binders on the table. ¡°I don¡¯t like this kind of paperwork anymore. We have computers to filter these kinds of things so why again do we need to look through these?¡± He waves a dismissive hand at the pile. Dr. Reed Roth, turning and frowning, breaks into a smile, ¡°I wanted to have a visual representation of what we were discussing here.¡± He waves at the pile. ¡°These are the binders of each child in the schools and the progress we have made with them.¡± ¡°Point made,¡± Gus Brodie says, glancing at Dr. Friend. ¡°Now let¡¯s look over what we have so far. The subjects in Hillhurst are doing phenomenal in the early game. In particular, this group of assassins who exploited one of the planted bugs.¡± ¡°We want to make sure that the students are not directed toward these and that they are more ¡­ organically found,¡± Reed says Dr. Friend looks at Gus. ¡°I am sure Reed wants us to be aware that his students have made it the farthest in unification. And indeed they have,¡± he waves an idle hand, ¡°recruited 70% of the region into one clan which could dominate their entire region this weekend.¡± He turns to Reed Roth. ¡°But he forgets about the reconciliation rule. They will gut each other¡ª¡± ¡°Lloyd, they appear to be forming a military structure as expected,¡± Reed interrupts. ¡°And the reconciliation should only affect bad leaders, that is its purpose¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know the first thing about people,¡± Lloyd says. ¡°The money will tear them apart the second they get close. Yours will need a common enemy, a structural force that they will band together to defeat.¡± Gus jumps in, ¡°We are doing all this to test the effectiveness of the new SAINT in the schools. We need to know that what we have done is worth the risk, worth the possible public outcry and backlash.¡± He says. ¡°We have risked a lot.¡± Dr. Friend says softly, ¡°Phase two has started. The in-game intrigue has begun, which will tilt the playing field. We will get our data; they don¡¯t realize that they are receiving bits of SAINT-like programming as they play. All the little things to make them better, smarter¡ª¡± ¡°We could melt their brains, or those teachers could melt their brains,¡± Gus says. ¡°We could,¡± Reed says, ¡°but that was always the risk. Alright, back to the data¡­¡± 18 - No more weekends 24 days remain of contest A, Friday. ¡°Welcome back to classes, students,¡± the teacher says with a slight annoyance. I can see band marks above his ears that show he has been online for an extended period. I am sure I have similar, as we¡¯ve all basically been online for a week. Reading a paper, he says, ¡°Please be advised that we have apprised your class guardians of the situation. All headsets for the game have the body feedback turned on. That means your muscles will be slowly worked as you are in the game to keep you from atrophy or issues with things like bedsores or bathroom incidents.¡± He continues on, reading, ¡°Additionally, your headsets can somewhat control bathroom functions, but do not under any circumstances ignore the in-game bathroom icons¡­¡± This is going to be a long day; I look around and see Kian, and just then Briar comes walking in as the bell rings. He flips his hair, smiles, and sits down near the back. ¡°¡­ and finally, your SAINT program limits have expanded given the special circumstances. If you have not chosen elective SAINT training, then the training today will count against your electives. If you have taken any of your quarterly electives, then you will also need to use a hyperbaric chamber before you leave us today¡ª¡± An outcry from the students interrupts the teacher, who tries to continue on, ¡°This is a mandatory SAINT. You still get the same amount; these are things you would choose as electives anyway. The chamber will help keep you from going insane. You will thank us one day¡­¡± ¡®Mandatory accelerated learning¡¯ just means that they give us the school headsets and cram info into us for fifty minutes. The headsets go on, the teachers have them set up for us, and then we sit and learn the equivalent of a college course in that period. This is standard issue for a class, but typically each of us have had our courses specially picked out for us with counselors since we can remember. Forcing someone to learn warfare who has been in deep study of the classics and philosophy would be, at least according to everything they have taught us, counterproductive. Nothing to do but buckle up. *** By the end of Effective Leadership my brain is ready to pop. I stagger into the hyperbaric chamber and lay down; I am required to be in this for four hours, and I am not going to complain. I¡¯m alone and there is a mattress. My thoughts are cloudy as I lay down and sleep. I awaken as the door makes an obnoxious buzzing sound, I get up feeling better, but still not all there. Ginga! I¡¯ve never done this much accelerated learning with the SAINTs in such a short amount of time before. It should not be dangerous, but I need to make sure I get enough sleep, or I could end up with potential issues. I make it back, walking in a fog, and I sleep for another hour in my bed. After I get up, I sip a glass of water and sit on my floor looking at my room, looking at all the useless everything in it. Nothing here is going to help me win this contest. I need to be online and I have a lot to do. I don¡¯t change my wrinkled clothes; I just pull on the headset and tap the side as I lay down. *** Arriving in a blizzard of black streaks, I land on my feet and the tombstone on my back nearly tips me over. Morrigan caws from a nearby tree. ¡°Hi, girl,¡± I say to the raven, who wipes her beak on a branch and scans the empty lot. Notification: portal stone erected at map point yarrowland-G-02 Ahh, I almost forgot about this. I need to go help do a stone setup run. Then I am going to gather the clan and we are going to go take care of the outposts. My mind still feels a little sluggish, but being in the game is helping. I make my way through Port Yarrow and back to the fortress. Once there, I check the portal stone and I have a new option Qeynos Catacombs I sent a message to the players Bumblebzz the cleric and FaydeOut the fighter, who I met previously and talked with. I¡¯m about to go do a new dungeon run, the one I promised you. Use the Qeynos Catacombs portal destination from the fortress and meet me there. I slap my hand on the stone and choose the catacombs. Its far past time I added new levels. *** I crack into being, tottering on a rock, and fall over, barely catching myself from hitting face first. The natural light here is from a fire and what looks like some torches which burn with a blue flame. ¡°Whoa there!¡± Briar says. ¡°We haven¡¯t finished up the floor area. We had to put this thing deep in a cave and the enchanters are still working on all the lighting.¡± He offers a gauntleted hand up, which I take and stand straight. He continues, ¡°These guys have been giving me the rundown of a lot of what is in this instance. It is nothing like the starter dungeon¡ªthat one was easy. This thing sounds insane.¡± He grins from ear to ear, ¡°Did you know they haven¡¯t finished it yet?¡± ¡°They haven¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°No, we have not, little girl,¡± interjects Sauce as he walks in, bow in hand and an amused expression on his face. ¡°It¡¯s a special story dungeon which is part of the region lore here. You¡¯ll see when you get the quest. The experience and gear are well worth redoing. The parts we have done are fun to redo anyway, and we seem to get a little further each time.¡± ¡°So, wait, how far have you guys gotten? I thought you had been farming this dungeon?¡± I ask ¡°We have made it pretty far, we think. It¡¯s not a straight dungeon run though. This is not a boring line to the boss. Inside, there are ways you can screw it up where you cannot continue further and are just stuck. There are also curses and things here which you will need a cleric, one that is not dark aligned. There are things which can permanently change your character, adding or subtracting stats, and then there is also a dragon in there¡ª¡± ¡°Whoa, hang on, what level is this?¡± I ask. ¡°You need to be level twelve to enter, and you can go in with a maximum of six players. It seems to scale to your levels, and it changes based on the party composition.¡± He stops and thinks. ¡°Well, not totally different, more like small to medium changes here and there. It¡¯s enough to guarantee that nobody will ever do a speed run of this though.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go get this quest,¡± I say, intrigued. Walking out of the cave, we cross a small chasm with a sturdy wooden bridge. When I look down I see the inner side of the chasm is narrow and I can understand why they chose this spot¡ªit is highly defensible. On the outside of the cave are players who are acting as guards, and they each nod at us. I can see they all are proudly wearing the alliance tag. I follow Sauce and Briar farther into the canyon, through a side area I didn¡¯t go before. There is a tiny town with a stone and wood inn and a little shop built right next to it. We go into the inn and I see it is standard¡ªthe bottom floor is a room and bar. This one was spotless and empty¡ªexcept, at the end of the bar sits a disheveled-looking man alone. He glances at us nervously and might as well have a large gold question mark above his head. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. I walk up to him and say, ¡°Hi, you look like you could use some help. Is there anything I can do for you?¡± ¡°Welcome to our small town of Bangor,¡± he says. ¡°Though, it is not as lively as it normally would be. We have had our share of misfortune befall us lately. You see, we have a mine here that we dug, which burst into a catacomb. It was a long time ago, you may have heard the story.¡± He looks curiously at me for a second, then continues, ¡°But, that has been taken care of already. The issue is that we continued on and hit something else, and now we have goblins pouring out of the mine. ¡°First the four miners went missing, then there was a band of six townsfolk that went into the mine to retrieve the miners and they did not return. They even had seasoned fighters among their number. When they didn¡¯t come back out, we hired a band of five adventurers¡ªwith a mage and everything. They, too, have not returned.¡± He stops, looks around, and then says in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of goblins that could do that.¡± The interface pings a little beep and I get a pop-up.
Quest: Through the mountain (story) The mayor of Bangor has tasked you with finding three separate groups who came into contact with goblins in a mine that goes through the Qeynos Catacombs. You have been asked to find and rescue them or at least let the mayor know what happened to them. Success: Unknown Failure: Unknown Bonus XP: 3,000 + 500xp/human NPC rescue (max 10,000xp). Note: A story quest is part of the lore of this region and can shape the politics and even the appearance* of the NPCs and players who belong to a region. A story quest is a much more involved instance than what you may be expecting, which can have long-lasting and even permanent effects, both positive and negative, on your character. Be careful about choices you make as this is not a standard dungeon. *These are limited rewards for Alliances and Clans only. New races and elemental affinities are potentially available for completion.
They weren¡¯t kidding about the story quest thing; this is much more than just a simple quest. If I read this part about changing the appearance of NPCs right, this mean we can unlock some other player races. And an elemental affinity for our alliance members would be amazing. This could be very interesting¡­ I turn to Sauce and Briar; they are looking at me expectantly. ¡°This is incredible,¡± I say. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s why we are keeping this area on lockdown until we are done with it,¡± Sauce says. ¡°It¡¯s also why your fortress is important, because when we complete the quest it can come with an affinity. Only a clan or alliance that control a fortress can take on an affinity and gain the aspect. We are pretty sure this one is air¡ªbased on a couple hints in the instance¡ªwhich makes your fortress the top choice.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± I say. ¡°I would do the same, but right now I need to know more about this instance and what we can expect. Maybe even you or one of your guys to walk us through what you have so far¡ª¡± ¡°Uhhh,¡± Briar steps in, ¡°Sauce and them want us to do it without help at first. We might find things they haven¡¯t seen yet. Apparently it is pretty free form, and it¡¯s better to go in without knowing what is up.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t just goblins is it?¡± I ask Sauce. ¡°Nope, not by a long shot. Expect to party wipe. A lot. You can also log out while in there, and when you log back in you will still be in the instance. You can spend days in there if you want.¡± We walk back toward the entrance of the dungeon and I see that Bumblebzz and FaydeOut made it, as did Kian. With these three, myself, and Briar that makes five for our party. ¡°My guy Roll can join you guys if you want?¡± Sauce asks, waving the summoner over to us. ¡°He hasn¡¯t been in here yet as his class quests for summoner have kept him super busy. He wanted to do those first or he would have been dead weight. That will get you guys to six people going in, and your composition is good, two clerics, two fighters, a summoner, and a Shadow Runner. There are also some NPCs in the instance who will join your party if you do things in specific ways. You guys might just make it. ¡°And frankly, we want you to make it. We are kind of stuck on this instance and need someone to look at it with fresh eyes,¡± Sauce says. ¡°We have been over and over this and we hit a wall. According to our info, [Art of War] clan will take the Leviathan fortress tonight or tomorrow. They are close and have been extensively running a similar instance to this. Theirs is farther up the coast, near the norther border.¡± ¡°There is one of these type of instances for each fortress?¡± I ask. ¡°Yeah, and nobody knows this, but it could be that the first one of these completed is what sets the affinity for the region. If [Art of War] completes their dungeon first then we could be in our mountain fortress with a water affinity, and water skills,. ¡°It could be good in your flooded room, but otherwise we would get no bonus.¡± ¡°Roll, forget anything you might have heard from the other guys and try not to message anyone asking for info, okay?¡± Sauce asks the summoner. ¡°Sure thing,¡± Roll says, nodding. The gesture looks odd as he is wearing a strange pointed hat, long robes and has an ornate book on his hip. On closer inspection, the book looks almost as if it has a face with eyes closed as the main center of its leather cover. It has runes and magical symbols down the spine and around the edges, it is a soul-bound item which emanates power. Roll stops as if remembering something and says, ¡°Though, I don¡¯t have much time right now. I need to get to sleep pretty soon¡ªtoday was a long day.¡± ¡°Yeah, with school, it was a long day for all of us. Let¡¯s jump in and get the lay of the land and pick back up in the morning,¡± I say. I form up the party, and we check our gear and supplies as we walk to the entrance. With the Transfer Party to Story Instance screen open in front of me, I turn to Sauce. He walked us to the entrance by the cliff. ¡°A dragon, you say?¡± I ask. He nods. ¡°Well, I only look like a little girl,¡± I say. I tap the button and we all shimmer and disappear, leaving little sparks where our feet had just touched the stones. *** The world is black and then our cutscene starts. We are flying toward the entrance and the camera whips through an underground cavern around the ruins of an ancient city with a broken tower in the center. The rising orchestral music starts and the narrator, as annoying as always, says, ¡°Our conquering hero needs to consolidate her power in the region. She has discovered her enemies are closer than she thought. The hero and her brave companions have found the entrance to Qeynos Catacombs, but quickly discover that the catacombs.¡± The camera zooms in to a goblin swinging down with a club, and it goes black. My vision returns and I notice we are in a cavern. I see goblin footprints and blood everywhere. With my night vision I can see ahead of us just fine, but my companions light torches and take several extra ones from the wall. There is a statue of a goddess here, recessed into a wall. There are candles burning around its base as well. When I touch it, my interface informs me that the location is my respawn point. The clerics apply basic bless and speed buffs to the party. These increase our armor and damage slightly; the speed increase is nice, as it stacks with my already fast attack speed. In this group my role is as an advance scout and lock picker. And with my Shadow Runner advanced class I can also do some monster crowd control. I am also useful on large monsters with my dagger that triggers poison. ¡°It is super late and my brain is mush. I need to go,¡± Kian says finishing his buff. ¡°We¡¯ve got to split also,¡± says Bumblebzz with a nod from FaydeOut. ¡°I want to look around a bit. My SAINT wasn¡¯t as bad as yours today,¡± Briar says, readjusting his armor and repositioning his bag. ¡°I can scout ahead a bit for you,¡± I say, jumping into the shadows and starting down the long hallway with my dagger out. I open the voice chat and say, ¡°We can communicate here. I¡¯ll whisper if I see anything.¡± I come upon a fork in the tunnel and take the right side and follow it for a good while. It comes into a dug-out cavern and a tunnel on the far side. There is evidence of long-ago mining here. Using perception, I don¡¯t pick up anything besides small rodents. I move through the cavern and spot a dead-drop trap right in the center, a small wire which would free a hanging rock higher up. This would be a potentially fatal trap if sprung. ¡°Watch it in here,¡± I say over the comms. ¡°I just found a nasty trap.¡± ¡°Thanks. If there are traps, I should stay here, since our clerics are both offline.¡± I mark the wire with a line of stones so that nobody will accidentally set it off. I decide against safely springing the trap, as it would make a lot of noise, which would undoubtedly bring goblins. ¡°You know, Kian isn¡¯t very happy with you adding us to an alliance without a vote, right?¡± he says. ¡°He was bitching that you just took over and started doing things without talking with us when you began the recruiting. Then he kind of lost it with the alliance¡ªthat¡¯s what set him off.¡± ¡°I spoke with him about it, he didn¡¯t seem too upset,¡± I say as I finish up marking the trap. I slowly inch into the tunnel that continues on. ¡°Briar, can you do me a favor? Promise me that if Kian decides to do something stupid, you¡¯ll try to keep him out of trouble?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. He can be an idiot¡ªbut, yes, I promise.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to hold you to that promise. Also, I¡¯ll talk with Simon so you can have access to the fortress should something happen to me,¡± I stop and compose my words. ¡°Josie is out to get us, although I don¡¯t know what she is planning or what she is going to do.¡± Briar nods, and feels like it is enough. Walking into the tunnel I find the famous catacombs the miners in the quest description mined into, which are fully ransacked. Broken bones are everywhere from the battles the miners had with skeletons. I see murals and vases which, somehow, are not broken. The murals all look to be images of humans talking with types of celestial beings of air and being taken on fantastic adventures where they meet giants and other creatures. The murals have a distinctive style that looks Greek or Mesopotamian. In what is nearly a straight line of rooms, I find the main crypt. Then, behind a giant sarcophagus, I see where the miners continued to dig. I see a problem, looking closer at the hole in the wall. Whoever opened this did the mining from the other side, which means the mayor was wrong. The goblins dug into the crypt and found the miners. Carefully moving through the small passage, I enter a room and the floor lights up purple. A trap? There is a large covered pit within the colored space in my display. I peel back a corner of the cover and look in. I identify a Shrieker inside the pit among spikes. Based on my MMORPG SAINT, a Shrieker would make an intense noise that would get the attention of everything within half a mile of here. I slink past the pit and peer around a corner. Thirty yards away I see a group of goblins around a fire. I could take them, but if one got away we would be in trouble. I carefully backtrack, keen to spot any traps I may have missed along the sides routes, and make it back to the starting room. ¡°I¡¯ve scouted as far as I can ahead,¡± I say, sharing my map with Briar, who was going through in-game mails. ¡°[Art of War] is taking the Leviathan fortress, they are live-streaming it right now,¡± he says. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see that.¡± ¡°Yeah, nothing to do here without healers. I¡¯ll see you in the morning,¡± he says and logs off. Standing alone in the darkness, I wish I could just do this myself. I wish I didn¡¯t have to worry about other people and what they think. I know we have to beat this instance; we have to or it¡¯s all over. I stare into the shadows and whisper to the world, ¡°I will not be weak.¡± Then, I log off. 19 - A storied instance 23 days remain of contest A, Saturday. In the morning I take a shower and eat slowly, I want to avoid the news of the Leviathan Fortress for now. After brushing my teeth, I want to floss and have to dig around to find where I left the string. With nothing left to occupy my time¡ªand my head still a little foggy from the SAINT yesterday¡ªI see that it is time to meet online. Logging in, I appear standing in the instance¡¯s entrance and I see Bumblebzz the cleric is here, and it appears he is going through his interface. I notice that our buffs from last night are still there; buffs are timed based on logged-in usage and not on real-world time. He notices me appear, and his hand moves in a wipe motion as he clears away his view. I don¡¯t see a notice that anyone has conquered a fortress. ¡°Hey there, I was just going through everything and making sure I was ready for this,¡± he says. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. We should all do that before we start out today.¡± I inspect him and ask, ¡°What are you planning to do for your advanced classes?¡± ¡°I was thinking of playing a White Scholar. You know, the ones with the fairies who assist them?¡± I am not at all familiar with it, so I just respond, ¡°That sounds really cool¡ª¡± In little showers of multi-colored light, Briar and Kian appear, followed quickly by FaydeOut and Roll. I watch the party list refill, which shows each player¡¯s icons and buffs. Both Kian¡¯s and Briar¡¯s buffs are gone, and so the clerics rebuff the whole party. ¡°You log back on earlier or something?¡± Bumblebzz asks them. ¡°Something like that,¡± Kian says flatly. ¡°Let¡¯s get this show on the road. Briar filled me in. Esme¡ª," he looks at the party, ¡°Nightflowersee you shared the map with the party, so do we have a plan?¡± ¡°Avoid death traps, kill things, win the world!¡± I say, failing to muster enthusiasm. After my talk with Briar last night, Kian¡¯s avoidance bothers me. I inspect him just to see if anything is different, but swipe away the window without ever reading it. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I say as I dive into the shadows and take off at nearly a run while listening to the party voice chat. ¡°What keeps killing Sauce and those guys?¡± Briar asks¡ªI¡¯m assuming¡ªRoll. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know, man!¡± Kian says. ¡°I really don¡¯t. They mentioned a few things like that there is a dragon and weird puzzles, but I don¡¯t have any specifics," Roll says. ¡°I¡¯m good for whatever they wanna throw at us,¡± says FaydeOut, whom I realized I have not spent any time with. He is an impressive-looking fighter who prefers no helm. He wears long, stringy brown hair and carries a shield and a sword with a bow on his back as a secondary weapon. His partner Bumblebzz carries a two-handed hammer on his back and wears chainmail with his cleric¡¯s tattoos on his arms. These tattoos mark him as a disciple of one the cults. They are where clerics gain their power. Mana focuses in the tattoos, which glow as a cleric uses their abilities. We move out. I take the lead, and at the dead drop trap I found last night, I stop to make sure nobody sets it off. We move on, and I mark out the pit with the Shrieker. We cannot talk anywhere near that pit for fear of setting it off. We back up and Roll starts a summoning spell. He pulls out his book and the face on the cover comes alive, making little strange gasping sounds. Roll has a feather-quill pen and writes furiously in the book. The floor around him lights up with spinning runes and the air begins to lift small stones. With a flourish, he finishes writing and whips his hand from the page, dragging the nib of the pen off the side. With the pen in the air he does a dab motion toward the ground where the stones begin coming together with a golden sinewy light that snaps them together. A floating creature forms of rock with club-like arms and no legs; golden veins pulse through its round body. Floating just off the ground, it is about five feet tall. From its body, an occasional pulsing mote of golden light falls down to the ground to fizzle like the welding sparks. ¡°This is a Colossus rank-one tank summon,¡± Roll says, smiling. ¡°I can only have one at a time obviously, but I do have two other kinds of summons. I can summon a Djinn that does fire damage, and a Fay summon which does air buffs and attacks¡ªit pushes stuff away," he adds. Morrigan, perched on the tombstone on my back, caws at the creature and shifts uncomfortably. In here she is of little use, so she tries to stay out of the way behind us. I can only assume she has night vision. This Colossus summon looks menacing; I can see why Morrigan does not like it. Roll begins to issue commands to the tank summon to go into the room and issue a taunt. It will then start smashing things up to gain the aggro of all the trolls and goblins. Trolls and goblins are not intelligent creatures, so we can taunt them easily. I see its smaller icon next to Roll in the party list section of the interface and see that it has nearly 500 hit points. With basic maintenance from a cleric this thing should be able to tank most any normal mobs. I want to watch the fight, so I maneuver my way into the hallway and climb along the upper part of the wall near the ceiling. Once I get to a vantage point, I will let the group know when the Colossus has managed to piss everything off. I just get settled in when the Colossus barrels into the room, flexes, and then does a low roar¡ªits taunt. I see a red glow affect the creatures in the room. As one they charge the summon and start smashing it. The colossus takes some hard smacks lowering its hit point pool. I hear a hum and see a golden glow under the goblins and trolls. Everything in the glow is flung in all directions as the tank summon does a wild spinning maneuver. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Good to come in,¡± I say over voice comms. I hear the yelling of the party charging down the hallway. I shift forward as I see a goblin running to a lever in the wall¡ªhe is limping from damage sustained from the Colossus. The damage apparently broke the focus of the taunt. I know I can¡¯t let him get to that lever. With only that thought, I have my dagger in my hand, moving already as I mentally use my new skill, Teleport. I pop into place mid-air with my arm still swinging which continues into the goblin¡¯s head. You hit Goblin for 13 (+6 flank) (scaled) damage. Goblin died My feet touch down silently, I spin low into the shadows and see a troll trying to flank the Colossus. The tank is thrashing around like a bull and does some kind of self-heal that makes it pulse gold and green and spray sparks. I leap at the troll. You hit Troll for 53 (+12 backstab) damage. Troll is poisoned. Troll died. I turn and get out of the way as my party bursts into the room and quickly dispatches the remainder. This was easy, but I get the feeling that if the goblin had made it to the lever, we would have had quite a different experience. I don¡¯t bother looting¡ªI want to inspect the lever while the party is hooting about how awesome the summon was. Made of roots, the lever is connected to a metal plate. I follow the line back and see that it would have pulled a string going down a hallway, our way forward. ¡°I¡¯m gonna scout up there,¡± I say as I dip into the dark and dive into the tunnel with the shadows of my cloak clawing at the torchlight. I carefully check for traps following the taut rope which goes into a larger cavern. I see it attached to a bell on a rock that obstructs my view. This larger cavern smells bad. I move farther in and around the rock to see the source of the smell. Below me, down a path through jagged rocks, there are caged pits with large dog-like creatures, and I see several goblins on the backs of them in the open. I inspect the dogs and see that they are Worgs. These goblins are called Goblin Outriders and have around twenty-six hit points. The Worgs are the real danger here though, as they have 80-90 hit points and poison bites. Near the center of the cavern in a raised area I see one large goblin, a Goblin Chieftain, who has 65 hit points. This chief is with a Worgmother, which is a mini-boss. This is much a more challenging fight for our group than the guards we killed back in the tunnel. If we can find a way to split up this group, we could take them. I count at least twenty Worgs and riders, as well as a few additional trolls who are asleep. I am sure there are more here I cannot see. I can see an opening where daylight shines in, far across the cavern. As I am watching, a group of six Worg riders come through it and back into the cavern. They trill and growl as they haltingly drag a carcass of a large shaggy creature to waiting knives. This new group makes the count twenty-six Worgs, and at least as many riders. The sleeping trolls also look massive. We don¡¯t want to do this fight, that is for sure. I look around and see a small ledge along the right which looks as if it may continue through another tunnel to the outside. We can entirely avoid this for now. My mind has been busy on assessing the cavem when my attention snaps back to the voice chat. ¡°What is this lever?¡± Briar asks, and then says. ¡°I bet it opens a secret treasure room.¡± Before I can react, a clear and crisp sound of a bell reverberates through the entire cavern and sixty pairs of eyes turn to where I am at. ¡°Ginga! Run up here NOW!¡± I half-scream into the chat. ¡°There is an army up here and we won¡¯t stand a chance in the tunnels.¡± I summon the cloak spider and prepare my new skill Shadow Web. I could use my Deck of Transmutation again if I have to, but after the rhino I am afraid there is no guarantee of anything. I could attack my own party as some half-crazed beast, or I could just turn into an earthworm. A roar erupts in the cavern as they release Worgs from their containment and goblins leap to their backs, joining the already mounted ones. I position my spider at a choke point and ready my throwing knives. We are probably going to wipe, but hopefully we can make a stand. The colossus appears and quickly takes up a position next to me¡ªit moves faster than the party so Roll must have sent it ahead to guard us. Then Briar and FaydeOut charge through the opening and up to me, stopping when they see the cavern, their mouths agape. Kian and Bumblebzz come in next with Roll and after seeing the wall of rabid dogs and crazed goblins charging. They start to look around. ¡°The ledge right there.¡± I frantically wave to the ledge and we all start toward it. ¡°Can you have the colossus hold our backs?¡± I ask Roll, who nods. ¡°Clerics go first,¡± I bark at the group. Thankfully, the don¡¯t even blink at this small girl taking control. Single file the clerics go, then Roll and me, and finally the fighters. My spider backs up with the Colossus summon and they make a valiant effort fighting. They manage killing several goblins and two Worgs before the Worgs tear apart the spider. The Worgmother gets to the summon and attacks. Without anyone healing the summon, the Worgmother¡¯s quick, savage bites bring it to ten percent of its health in seconds. I see Roll make a strange hand gesture, and then I hear a roar as a golden light pulses. The Colossus breaks apart, spinning wildly and smashing everything away from itself before reforming. It cleared a sizeable area around itself, but didn¡¯t kill the Worgs which leap and tear it apart, a rapid slaughter. The summons icon disappears from the party list. The goblin chieftain makes a wild sound in the goblin language and riders start shooting arrows toward our group, some circling around below to get better shots. I see that some Worgs are being sent down the path after us. The chieftain pulls back his bow and nocks a wicked-looking arrow. I feel the tug of several arrows hitting me in the legs and one in the hip. Luck on my side, I don¡¯t get an interface ping of a critical hit or a crippling blow. I pull the arrow out of my hip and keep moving. ¡°Faster!¡± I yell, arrows bouncing off the wall next to me. I see the chieftain loose his arrow and Bumblebzz takes it in the neck, a critical hit that has both bleed and poison effects. Kian catches him mid-fall and drags him farther down the narrow path. They reach the tunnel entrance ahead of me. I make it just after and wait, dodging an arrow, to verify that Roll and the fighters make it. We get into the tunnel as a Worg leaps and pins FaydeOut on the ground, tearing at his armor and sending blood everywhere. I slip in and flank the beast just as Briar stabs it through the eye and gets the kill. Blood gushes out over our fighter it had pinned. ¡°Dammit, Briar, you almost killed us all!¡± I say with a shrill voice. ¡°That lever you pulled rang a bell and alerted all of those things. I was about to move back and warn you guys so we could make a plan. Instead, you just advertised us to the whole instance. It¡¯s a miracle we are still all alive, no thanks to¡ª¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t know. None of us did. You could have told us what you were doing and to not touch it,¡± Kian breaks into my rant. ¡°Who walks around pulling random levers in a dungeon full of traps?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know what it was,¡± Briar sheepishly says and then notices FaydeOut still stuck under the dead worg. ¡°Help me out here.¡± We drag FaydeOut from underneath the stinking dead dog. Once we get him free, we pull back farther into the tunnel, Kian working a considerable cleric heal on Bumblebzz, who is sitting up and casting his own healing pool spell. The spell he casts fills the floor area with pulsing, yellowish-green healing light. The arrows in my legs pop out and fall to the ground as the healing works from the inside out. I can hear the goblin army rumble in the cavern with growls and the howling of the Worgmother. They likely won¡¯t follow us into this tunnel, as the Worgs could barely fit and would be easy to take out one by one. They circle around to cut off our escape, hunting us. 20 - Rocks We have healed ourselves, but the goblins are still following. Occasionally one will duck out of hiding behind us and shoot an arrow as we move through the narrow tunnel. I take the lead to scout ahead and get about twenty yards in front of the group and hear wind. Morrigan flies forward and disappears out of sight. Moving forward carefully, I see there is sunlight streaming in ahead. After turning a corner, this exit comes out on a narrow ledge that overlooks a grand valley with a river running through it. Below the ledge on a rise across a deep chasm are a band of mounted goblins with bows. I back up and return to the party. ¡°Hope you guys have some long-range attacks,¡± I say, stepping out of the shadows. ¡°Briar¡¯s new friends are out there with bows ready to pick us off, while we walk a narrow ledge,¡± I wave with violent hand-gestures pointing down, ¡°over a deep chasm!¡± ¡°I can try something,¡± Roll says. ¡°So can I,¡± FaydeOut says, pulling out his bow, ¡°I want to give them back some arrows," I sit down, close my eyes, and focus on Morrigan as my consciousness shifts to her eyes. I can feel the wind blow against me, providing lift under my wings. I am a hundred feet above the goblins, with a slight twitch of a wing I can soar away. I inspect the goblins again and see that there are six of them and the Wargmother is approaching. Scanning around the area outside of the tunnel, I spot several goblins moving along an even more narrow path toward our tunnel opening. I assume these are to harry us from behind as well as from across the chasm. With Morrigan¡¯s eyes I watch FaydeOut poke out of the tunnel entrance and duck back in as arrows clatter against the stone. He reappears again with his bow drawn and holds for a second, then fires, hitting a goblin directly in the face and knocking it off its mount. I see it is bleeding and will die. From above, I can spot a pulsing reddish light in the tunnel. A being of flame and smoke shoots out from the tunnel, through the air, and across the chasm to the waiting goblins. The flame summon wildly swings around and catches the Worgs and riders on fire. Flaming goblins make for some comical chaos as two Worgs go howling into the chasm, dragging squealing riders with them. The Worgmother leaps on the Djinn summon, killing it instantly. The Djinn explodes and I can see the mini-boss Worg is injured in the detonation, the chieftain is nearly thrown from its back and then circles the others while barking at his remaining riders to retreat. I return to myself within the cave and explain to the party about the ledge and the goblins along it. Roll drinks a mana potion and starts another summon. Again, he goes through the motions with the pen. With a flourish a Fay crashes down from the air and spins and floats in front of him. He speaks to the creature, giving it a brief series of instructions, and it whirls out of the tunnel. I move ahead just in time to see goblins flying from the leftward narrow path into the canyon, their pitiful yelps silenced with a thud. The Fay returns to keep rear guard for us as we take the path to the right, out of the tunnel and away from the nest of the goblins and their pets. From a safe distance, I can see the Worgmother and the chieftain watching us file out and climb precariously along the path. After a short distance, about the length of several football fields, the path turns back into the mountain. I can see another opening farther down the chasm and a natural bridge across the divide. I see a very large-looking¡­ man¡­ on the bridge, who looks too big from this distance and who is not wearing a lot of clothes. We enter the tunnel, which thankfully goes in only a short distance before turning left toward where we saw the bridge. It then gets to be a very narrow natural tunnel where we can only walk single-file. I take lead again and go ahead of the group, wrapped in the shadows of the cave. I step out of a slit in the wall, a large crack which opens into a boulder-strewn cave with a large fire in the center. There is what looks like an entire cow on a spit over the fire. At first I didn¡¯t notice, but around the fire, there are four colossal figures, stone giants. On the other side of the fire area is a pit and I can hear music coming from it. It sounds like a man strumming a lute, and singing. Inspecting the stone giants yields:
Stone Giant (Rockclaw clan) Intelligent giants who live in mountain caves, they are keen to trade, although they are aggressive when confronted and will work as a team. The Rockclaw clan was driven many years ago from the lands of men over a misunderstanding about cooking horses. -Rockclaw clan giants speak common. Hit Points: 140 Attacks: Fist: 19-39 Boulder-throw: 24-46 Club: 21-41 Stomp: 35-59 Immune to taunt, poison, blunt damage. 50% damage reduction for fire and piercing.
Okay, again this is not a fight we want. Something is off here¡ªthis game does not have portable music, so they must have someone in there actually singing. Maybe a bard? I better hurry back before Briar busts in scratching his ass and pisses off a cave full of stone giants. If they see where we come into their cave from they could smash the wall and we would be unable to get through. I now understand what Sauce meant about choices that leave you stuck. Back with the party in the narrow tunnel, I explain what I found and what I think is going on. We have a long discussion, rehashing and taking into consideration that the stone giants could be working with the goblins and what giants like to eat. ¡°Why would they have a bard?¡± Kian asks. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s one of the missing adventurers we are supposed to find,¡± Roll offers. ¡°That is a good point and we want to get him out of there. One of us will need to go in there and see if we can talk with the stone giants,¡± I say as everyone continues looking at me This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. I stop, taking in their looks, ¡°Oh, you guys want me to do this?¡± ¡°You got an entire clan of higher-level characters to join us,¡± Briar says, shifting to not press against a rock jutting out of the wall. ¡°Besides, you are the clan leader so you¡¯re the natural choice. And, you don¡¯t look as dangerous as you are. The giants will just see a little girl.¡± They have a point; I can use my perceived weakness to our advantage. It still feels like I am playing the damsel, but in this case, I am the one saving my party¡ªthese giants would crush us. I have a couple of really good escape options should things go badly¡ªas they likely will. My teleport and transmutation could be advantageous. If anything, I can hide really well. ¡°W-well, here goes.¡± I say, feeling like I sound like I am walking to my death. Moving into the cave, I decide I don¡¯t want to sneak around and potentially get detected by smell or some animal they have. I make sure my Deck of Transmutation is handy and I walk out of the tunnel and into the stone giants¡¯ den. Step by step, I emerge out into the open area of the cave. I am a small girl walking into a cave full of terrors. I look up and the cave ceiling is charred black from years of fires, and there are piles of bones to my left near the cave entrance. The giants are back farther in the cave and to the right slightly. My initial thought was correct¡ªone giant sniffs the air and looks up directly at me. His hairless skin is a grey tone, and he has the look of granite. He wears a leather skirt round his midsection, and he is at least three times my height. ¡°What have we here, my Stonekin?¡± says one of the stone giants, his voice a kind of rumble. Setting down his meal, he stands up and I can feel his weight like gravity. ¡°It looks like the goblin hole has brought us another songbird.¡± ¡°Do you sing, little bird?¡± he asks in an impossibly deep voice; the others do not get up, but the do look over. ¡°We enjoy singing and music, we have lived here for so long with so little.¡± ¡°I do not sing, I am sorry,¡± I say and I consider bowing, but it may be awkward to do that, so I give a sort of curtsy. ¡°I am simply seeking peaceful passage for my friends and myself. My name is Nightflower. What, may I ask is yours?¡± I feel that I should speak formally with this immense being. ¡°You may call me Beryllighter Rockclaw. I go by many names, but that is the name the humans know me as. How many seek passage, little Nightflower?¡± he asks, looking over me. ¡°Well met, Beryllighter Rockclaw. We are not a large party and simply seek to pass; we are also seeking lost members of our community who someone has sent us after. I believe you may have one there,¡± I point to the pit, ¡°and I imagine you may be interested in trading for his safety.¡± ¡°We may, though you have offered nothing for this person yet,¡± Beryllighter says, indicating the pit with a smile. Thinking of the information screen on this clan of stone Giants, I take a gamble. ¡°You are Rockclaw clan and have not been allowed in the lands of men. I am the master of a mountain fortress in the Yarrowlands. I would invite you and all your clan to live in my lands as long as you promise to help protect it.¡± Beryllighters chin snaps up, but then he recovers his demeanor and sits down on a large boulder. His clan mates behind him stand at my offer, which gives me a flash of terror. He says in his low voice, ¡°If you are what you say, then you can undo a great wrong done to us. I cannot promise you my entire clan for defense, but I can promise you two of our best fighters. If that is sufficient, we will leave you with your lost one and depart for your fortress now. If you are not what you say, you will be a songbird for us until you wither.¡± He holds up his hand, palm towards me, and I get the following pop-up.
Form NPC Alliance - Rockclaw Stone Giants Beryllighter has promised you two of his best fighters. In return, you will allow the stone giants to live in your land* so they may regain their honor. 2x Stone Giant defenders, rank 3 fortress guardians. * Your Yarrowland reputation decreased, related quests lines added and removed.
I quickly agree to the new alliance, not knowing if there will be repercussions from the decrease. I still haven¡¯t fully explored my alliance and diplomacy interface. Beryllighter¡¯s face breaks in a huge smile and he says in his low rumble, ¡°Very good. We will make our home in your lands and have our defenders report to your fortress. Thank you, little Nightflower, we will work to increase your honor as well as ours.¡± I watch the stone giant turn and pick up a few belongings. He gathers his people, with more coming from back rooms, including women and children. They leave the cave without looking back once¡ªthey simply picked up what they could and walked as a people from their home. I can¡¯t help but wonder if I have doomed these people to relocating to my area. If [Art of War] takes our fortress, what will happen to them? They will most likely be hunted down for the experience they can provide. I feel a presence behind me and turn to see my entire party watching the giants march down and across the valley. ¡°That was a good call,¡± Kian says to me. I nod, mainly because I don¡¯t know what else to do. ¡°Can you guys get me out of here?¡± a voice from the pit rings out. We walk over and look down in the pit to see a bard. I inspect him, and he is indeed one of the missing. He is a member of the lost adventuring party, a bard named Mistel Fansy. We pull him up from the pit and get an interface ding for progress on one part of the main quest. Through the mountain (story) : Objectives 1/15 ¡°Thank you all. I¡¯ll be heading back, it has been quite the ordeal, and I am done with this place. Thank you for not killing the stone giants. The young ones and women were kind to me,¡± he says and turns to leave walking into the tunnel in the wall, presumably to go back to the tavern in the town of Bangor. I decided to scout around the cave to see if our goblin friends are going to be visiting us. It will be nice to know if we have any other surprises in the area, all the things that would not bother stone giants, but might try taking a bite out of us. After I am satisfied we are not about to come under attack, I return to the cave. ¡°There is zero loot here,¡± Briar says after we look around for about an hour and scouted the area fully. ¡°There is some kind of a large crystal in the back here,¡± Roll says, leaving one of the side rooms. I go to look. It¡¯s a huge purple crystal with spikes. I can see swirling smoke-stuff inside of it, shapes snapping into focus only to fade away just as swiftly. It is far too large to carry, and my Identify skill simply identifies it as a Crystal Shard. I leave it to the clerics to examine and try to figure out. Going out to the front of the cave, I watch Morrigan fly in and land on top of an obelisk standing near the bridge. She caws and pecks at the top of the obelisk. When I try to pass it, she caws again and dive-bombs me, then returns to the top of the obelisk. It looks like it once had words carved on it, but I cannot make any of them out. What does this crazy bird want? Morrigan seems determined that I look at this thing, and so I walk around the base. On the other side, with my back to the chasm, I can see a small bit of glowing silver writing. I squat down and brush away the dirt and rocks and see the words Shard Vigil Memorial written in the silver letters. This is the same kind of writing I saw inside the crates at the entrance to the starter dungeon, what feels like ages ago. The Shard Vigil, in massively multi-player game history, can only be a reference to one game, Asheron¡¯s Call. It was a special monument that the developers created for players who had defended the final shard¡ªof six¡ªin a large global quest chain. In the quest, the players were to destroy the crystal named The Shard of the Herald. Instead, they defended it around the clock for days: against the developers, all the other players, and even vast waves of spawned monsters. That group of players kept the game story from progressing for all that time. Every player on the game server could not continue the main quest chain until someone destroyed the shard. Amazingly, instead of being punished or pulling dirty tricks, the developers of Asheron¡¯s Call rewarded the audacity and tenacity. They created a permanent monument in the game that had a list of the names of all the defenders inscribed on it. If this is a reference to that monument, then this tower is a clue about the crystal shard in that room in the cave. The one clue about how to solve this instance was here in plain sight the whole time. I wonder how many times Sauce killed these Stone Giants and walked right past this crumbling stone? I think I know what we need to do. But we need to sleep and pick this up in the morning. 21 - Greens (part 1) 22 days remain of contest A, Sunday. I log in and get a notification.
REGION NOTIFICATION Clan [Art of War] claims The Leviathan Fortress.
I feel my resolve grow seeing this news; I need to finish the story instance and set things in motion in the game to halt Josie¡¯s progress. This changes the whole game; [Art of War] don¡¯t have time to take the Jade Fortress today, hopefully. They will surely try to take it Friday night, as soon as the conquest period begins. I scan through the channels and see there is a lot of talk that they are planning to make an attempt on the Jade fortress. With pops and electric snaps, Briar and Kian both log in. ¡°Morning. I don¡¯t want to talk about it, okay?¡± I look at each in turn. ¡°I was thinking, you guys, can you swap between your classes as needed? We might need some stealth coming up later in here,¡± I ask. ¡°Sure, haven¡¯t you tried yet?¡± asks Briar. Then, seeing my look, he continues, ¡°You just need to equip a weapon type for the class you want to use. If we can use the weapons for more than one class, it will give you a choice of which one you want to use. You really haven¡¯t tried another weapon?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I say. ¡°So if I want to level my fighter class right now, I could just pick up a sword and shield and I would be a level-one fighter?¡± Briar nods and stows his gear, then pulls out his cloak and knife and I see he chose Nightblade as his level fifteen advanced class. Kian retrieves his gear, and he has chosen Strider, which is a combination of Ranger and Outrider. We stop and discuss the advanced class quest, which was different for each of us. The other players log in with their brilliant snaps of light. Each look at us in turn. ¡°Whoa, you guys got all emo,¡± Roll laughs. ¡°I like it, and it might come in handy to have you stealthy lot handling some of these issues. This instance doesn¡¯t seem to be a hack and slash. This place is a lot more about using your head.¡± I nod at his insight¡ªit was what I was thinking as well¡ªand say ¡°This valley is huge, and I have a pretty good idea what we need to do. I think¡ªI don¡¯t know for certain, but I think¡ªthat the crystal in the cave back there is one many we will encounter. I think there are crystals around in this valley and surrounding areas, we need to find them all, then I think we need to destroy each of them. I want to test that theory by destroying the one back there in cave first.¡± I give Roll a smile. ¡°If you could get your Colossus summons to go smash it, I think I can prove my theory.¡± ¡°U-Uhh, sure, okay,¡± Roll says and begins his summoning spell. We all stand back and watch the Colossus smash on the crystal. With each hit it causes a thud that resonates like a deep drum. Louder and louder the sound gets as the summoned creatures finally smashes the crystal shard. A release of power, like a breath of air held for an eternity, empties forth. The smoke clouds that were inside the crystal dissipate into the air just like steam would rise from a kettle. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Fenmalain Soul Crystal destroyed (1/6) We hear a loud roaring sound and I sense that Morrigan is agitated. Rapidly, I look through her eyes and see a brilliant blue-and-gold-scaled dragon emerging from the lake in the center of the valley. ¡°Oh no! Run to the tunnel! A dragon is coming,¡± I yell as I take off, my feet blurring below me. ¡°Ginga,¡± yips Briar, as he is the last who crashes into the tunnel. ¡°We need to move back farther. That thing might have a breath weapon.¡± I maneuver the whole party back and I say, ¡°I have a teleport, so I¡¯ll go and look and try to get some information on it. If you see me come back, move back farther, there may be a wall of flame right behind me.¡± I dip into the shadows as I start back, I can hear my team on the voice channel maneuvering away from the tunnel entrance. Still in the tunnel entrance and hidden, I switch to Morrigan¡¯s eyes. She has climbed higher into the sky and I see the dragon flying toward the cave. I swap back to my vision just in time to see the dragon enter the cave. It is enormous, and my inspect skill is far too low for this creature¡ªI only see question marks for every field in the display. Its scales are brilliant, but a little worn. Its claws, like daggers, scrape the dirt. This cannot possibly be a young dragon. This is a fully mature and intelligent animal. Being this close to it makes me have an almost uncontrollable desire to run. I know if it even looks in my direction, hidden or not, I will flee in terror. This is absolutely not a creature that we can hope to fight. I see it looking around at the ground, dipping its head here and there, and then sticks its head into the crystal shard room. It emits a low growl and a short snort. It turns its head and sniffs the air with a series of short inhalations. Luckily for me the stone giants recently left, and their campfire remains lit, still with the entire half-burnt cow on it spewing smoke. I see the dragon sniff at the pit where the bard was, and then it turns and exits the cave. I follow to see it, noticing that it stops at the monument, snorts, and takes flight. ¡°We don¡¯t ever want to fight that thing,¡± I say in the party voice chat. ¡°It makes Frostcracker look like a kitten,¡± ¡°I guess your plan worked,¡± Roll says, stepping up next to me. ¡°How did you know to do that with the crystal?¡± ¡°Just a hunch,¡± I lie. ¡°We need to find the other crystals. I think there will be two or three more in this valley, probably. I would guess there is one in the with the Goblins and probably one near the lake and then at the end of the valley. I can scout with Morrigan, but this is going to be really slow going.¡± I go and lay down next to the fire and notifications all start scrolling. Resting: Experience gain 200, Goblins. Resting: Experience gain 2000, Worgs, Goblins You have reached level 16! Resting: Experience gain 3500, Giant alliance. Resting: Experience gain 2000 shard destroyed (1/6) You have reached level 17! Hide skill +2 ¡°Hey, guys, come over here and rest,¡± I say. ¡°Think you might like this.¡± Once we are all rested, we determine that we should split up. Two of the rogues will go into the goblin den to find and destroy the shard, and the other three will explore the valley. I request that Kian comes with me into the goblin den. As a Strider advanced class, he can use a bow with an ability that should allow us to destroy any shard we find from a safe distance. Then, we can watch the dragon eat the goblins. We say goodbye to the others and start our trek back along the ledge and into the goblins¡¯ den. We stay hidden in shadows as best we can, but the worgs have an excellent sense of smell, so we have to maintain a distance from them. We also have to find the shard, as it likely won¡¯t be out in the open with a light on it. Taking our time scouting around the den, I don¡¯t see anything that stands out. There is one structure, however, near the back of the cavern, that looks almost like a shrine. The structure has what looks like it could be a goblin holy symbol over the door. There are two pits of burning sage to either side of the door, and it usually has multiple goblins around it. ¡°What you wanna bet is in there?¡± asks Kian. ¡°Almost anything, but we need to come back when they are asleep. It¡¯s dark outside now and they are going to be up for hours,¡± I say. We retreat back the way we came to the cavern and rest at the fire and log out for a break. 21 - Greens (part 2) 21 days remain of contest A, Monday. Waking up, I am still exhausted; the headset triggers muscle groups to keep you from getting sore or cramping, but with extended use causes soreness. One bonus of the muscle triggering is that it helps avoid bed sores¡ªan actual problem with early full immersion¡ªand I am sure there are other possible issues. I wonder if my persona still is helping to keep the fortress going while I am logged off in the instance, or if I have to log off in the fortress for that part to work. I have a few minutes to wait for Kian to log in, so I go through our new recruits. We have a good number who are joining now that we have formed the alliance. The current number of clan members in [Nightfallers] is forty-six, with twenty-nine logged in right now. With the [BallzDeep] clan adding their members to the alliance has reached 78 members which feels like a lot. I had anticipated that having an early fortress would give a perceived advantage, and this shows it¡ª With a pop Kian appears in a brilliant flash of electrical light. I look him over; his hair is a little different here than in real life, it¡¯s like the game combs it for him. He is in his Strider equipment. I had watched him using some gear yesterday that I hadn¡¯t seen before¡ªlike crampons for climbing¡ªwhich allow him to move a lot faster than I can, while climbing ¡°Morning,¡± he says, giving me a funny look as I stare at him at him, ¡°You about ready to go in there and just nuke that thing? I was thinking we could do a little distraction to lure them all out of the cave.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I ask ¡°There are some old wagons outside this cave, that I assume belonged to the stone giants, which we can use. Let¡¯s get one of those down the road to the rise in front of the where the goblin den is. Then, we light it on fire¡ªand I have some oil¡ªit rollst down there, as we duck to the side. Once the cave entrance is in flames, we sneak in.¡± I nod. That is a solidly lunatic plan to get in through the front. There are multiple little entrances around the main one, so it should be simple. If not, I can pull a transmutation card and see what happens. The others log in, but are in different parts of the valley. They had not had any luck yesterday. I scroll through the party chat log and it seems they have spotted something yesterday that looked promising. They are going to climb to a cave, far up the side of one of the mountains. We discuss any other possible locations and that the lake might have one. The lake goes into a cave at the other end of the valley. There is a dock on the lake with several boats and lanterns, an obvious invitation for us to follow. ¡°Watch for smoke at this end of the valley. There should be a lot of smoke filling the sky,¡± I say ¡°We will. Good luck, you guys,¡± Briar says. ¡°Once you smash that thing, get the hell out of there, that dragon will fry your ass.¡± Four hours later we have our cart at the top of the rise. The steering is locked, so it will go in a straight line down to the front of the goblin cave entrance. Kian produces a bottle of special smoke oil and pours it all over the hay and extra wood we had piled in the cart. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s light this thing, then run and get into place,¡± I say. Kian pulls a flint out of his pack and strikes it once, lighting the huge wagon, and then jumps down. We lean into it, and it starts rolling down the hill just as smoke starts to billow out. ¡°Okay, run!¡± I say as I dart off the side of the overgrown road and into the woods and thicket and keep moving as fast as I can. The flaming wagon is outpacing me now and heading directly for the front of door of the goblin hole. Just as the burning cart is nearing the front entrance several goblins appear on worgs¡ªa patrol. The flame-cart hits a bump and goes airborne, smashing into them before they can move. The sizzling stew of flaming hay and sticks rains down on the goblins, who are unable to wipe off the oil. When they attempt to wipe it away, it burns even hotter. Apparently the thinner this oil is, the hotter it burns. Goblin screams fill the air. As we run up to get into position, one of the worgs sees us and turns a burned head to begin to charge. It falls with an arrow sticking out of an eye socket. I look to see that Kian had loosed an arrow in mid-run¡ªa Strider indeed. He really learned a lot while he was off doing his own thing for a couple days there. I should have paid more attention. ¡°To the side,¡± he snaps in a low voice, and we duck to the side where there is a small entrance. I dive in and roll into the shadows. In front of me is a surprised goblin, and as I come out of the roll I raise a knife and slide it between its ribs. At the same time an arrow goes into its neck. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s move up and see what is going on,¡± I say without stopping. I enter the shadows with a quick side-step motion. I glide through the darkness and gloom as I enter the main cavern. I glance to the right and admire our chaos; I can see that the fire is even spreading into the cavern. What the hell kind of oil did Kian put on that thing? ¡°Down the side,¡± Kian says in a whisper. We move between sleeping areas and worg pens, off the main paths in the cavern. All the goblins have moved to the front to see what is going on. With a side glance I see that the Worgmother and the chieftain are also moving up to investigate the fire in the front. We slip past the main group of the goblins and get to the structure we think is a temple. Kian downs a guard out front; I take care of one just inside. Through the entrance of the small structure, we face another shard. It has piles of leather-wrapped bone totems in front. Kian swaps his gear to Cleric, since we are out of combat, and hefts his hammer. ¡°Let¡¯s take this thing out. Keep them off me,¡± he says as he raises the huge two-handed hammer. He hits the huge crystal shard, and it makes a deep resounding thud. Then he continues hitting it harder and harder, each hit making the deep sound vibrate the entire cavern. Thud, thud, thud. He smashes on the crystal, the cavern vibrating like a tuning fork. I can hear the goblins going crazy. Stepping back to the doorway, I see a mob heading our way. The Worgmother and at least fifteen worgs with riders are all bolting across the cavern floor, leaping past fire pits and knocking over pens. The mass of goblins are screaming and waving weapons. I don¡¯t have a lot of options of what to do. Thud, thud¡ª I pull out the deck of transmutation. Then, stepping outside of the little temple, I pull a card and hold it up to my face. *** I am faced with the image of what looks like an armored bear tearing apart a knight. My body feels like it is in a mixer as I change, warp and re-wrap my skin onto a larger skeleton. Everything grows hair and then forms bone plates on the outside. The interface says Armored Cave Bear. I watch a goblin arrow hit me, bouncing off. I realize that this animal I have become is flagged as enraged, it just lit up in the interface¡ª I am claw and might, I am wrath of a mother. Goblins and worgs fly everywhere as I see the Worgmother and her rider square off with me and nock a wicked-looking arrow. I smash a worg, ripping its throat out, then the arrow hits me between armored plate and buries deep. You have been hit for 48 damage (+poison) by Goblin Chieftain. Thud, thud¡ª With my front paw I grind a goblin rider into the ground, killing it with my weight. Then, I move toward the Worgmother and the Chieftain, who both back up as the other worgs hit me. You have been hit for 37 damage (+poison) by Goblin Chieftain. Thud, thud¡ª A final thud happens with a release, the power escaping. The broken shard¡¯s energy floods out in a wave of force, like a sigh of vitality that has been pent up for eons. The notification for us about the updated quest flies through my vision, although I barely see it. Fenmalain Soul Crystal destroyed (2/6) I will attack Kian in this state, so I turn off the transmutation¡ªwhich does nothing. It is greyed out¡ªGinga, what now! There is a notification about the enrage status being reset in several seconds. I wait as I smash more goblins and hear a distant roar. I click the transmutation off and fall to the floor, bleeding profusely and still poisoned. The bear had an immense constitution, I do not. Kian grabs me from behind and pushes me to the side as he swings his hammer into a worg¡¯s chin. The entrance of the cavern explodes as the front of the dragon enters the cavern, breathing steam which melts goblins and worgs mid-step. The whole cavern is full of smoke now; the wagon had created a mess of fire and burned like some smoke-bomb-napalm. Now, a creature of fire¡ªof the darkest depths of the earth¡ªwas here breathing steam and making the air a thick fog of humid soot. I am dragged to the side of the cavern and up the little trail. We go back down to where we ran along the small ledge and Kian pushes me along, not bothering with the shadows. Occasionally I see a flash of light, through the smoke and fog that is choking the main cavern. We enter a smaller cave and get in far enough to be safe. Kian¡¯s arm tattoos light up and I feel the poison lift from me, and my bleeding wounds pull together as they begin to heal. He adds an extra buff and does a few other spells to make sure I am not cursed as well. All the while we can hear roars and screams from the cavern as a community of goblins is exterminated by a creature of legend. The screams and howls quiet, so we go to where the cave exits out on the side of the chasm and wait. After several minutes the dragon, looking entirely unharmed, takes flight with a roar and glides slowly to the center of the valley. ¡°Did you guys make it?¡± Briar asks over the communications channel. ¡°I think we did,¡± Kian says. ¡°I think we did.¡± Once the air clears after a couple hours, Looting the cavern takes us a lot of time kicking through ash. Almost everything in the cavern was smashed and covered in liquefied goblin. We manage to only salvage several items we can sell for about 400 gold at the market. Digging through the cavern rubble in a part near the central raised chieftain area, I find the remains of humans in smashed cages. After I call Kian over, we count seven bodies and then we get a quest update. Through the mountain (story) : Objectives 8/15 ¡°Did we do something wrong here? Did we miss rescuing these people?¡± I ask no-one in particular. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Kian responds flatly, looking at the bodies smashed in the charred cage. We make our way back to the stone giants'' cave and being exhausted we bid farewell and log off. 22 - Dragon 20 days remain of contest A, Tuesday. Logging in, I remember that I had not rested properly the previous evening to get experience, so I walk over and I sit next to the fire and close my eyes. Resting: Experience gain 2000 Shard destroyed (2/6) Bonegnawer Clan destroyed: Experience gain 1500 Bonegnawer Clan kills 22: Experience gain 2200 You have reached level 18! Hide skill +1 That helps. I need to look through and add my level-up stats and see what is going on with my character sheet. I click on my character and take a look at where I am. Nightflower: Shadow runner Level: 18 Hit Points: 107 ((4*18)+(3*18)) - ((126/100)*15) Infamy: -440 (Tombstone) Damage: 27-49 +4-9 (PK) +25% (night) -25% (day) +80% chance 3-8 for 30/6s Stats: STR: 2 (3: -1 PK) WIL: 1 DEX: 15 (16: -1 PK) Abilities: Hide: 16 (14+2) Slash: 4 Throwing knife: 6 Alchemy: 1 Modifiers: Bonus: +25% damage at night. (Shadow) Bonus: Attack speed +5 (Scout) Bonus: Accuracy +5 ranged (Scout) Negative: -25% damage during day. (Shadow) Negative: -15% health (Scout) Hold breath: +60 seconds (Gear) Other Skills: Shadow net (Rank 1), +5-meter radius from player per rank, all players and creatures slowed 50% for five-seconds. Teleport (Rank 1), +10-meter teleport line-of-sight per rank. * Familiar: Morrigan, Raven (Rank 3) * PK=negatives and positives for player-killer infamy. This tombstone has complicated things a bit, though I am used to it now. If I level up, hopefully that will get me the quest to remove the tombstone so I will finally be done with it. I click on the tombstone and look over its information again. My biggest character sheet hit is the -15% health for being a scout. I need to add some points to constitution to increase my hit points or I am going to start having serious problems. I have one stat point to spend, so I increase my constitution stat up from zero to one and my hit points raise to 122. I see Briar and the other start logging in. ¡°Hey, we had some issues last night trying to get into the area where we think the shard is,¡± Briar says, his voice sounding strained. ¡°There are some creatures there we need to get through. We wiped up there and are coming back now, luckily everything hasn¡¯t respawned.¡± ¡°I think if we use my Djinn Ifriti summon we will stand a better chance this time,¡± Roll chimes in, clearly in a good mood. ¡°The colossus didn¡¯t do well against those bat things and they swarmed us one by one.¡± ¡°Djinn? You mean the fire thing?¡± asks Briar. ¡°Thorn, I hope them targeting me was a random thing. Otherwise if mobs know to target and kill the healers, we are going to have a lot more trouble going forward. If that is the case, we will need Sil3nt to come help us out.¡± Bumblebzz says, using Briar and Kian¡¯s character names, which confused me for a second. ¡°Stop at the cave and rest up to get experience for the shard we killed,¡± I say. Kian appears in a brilliant cloud of sparks that spread out from his feet. ¡°Kian, I have an idea where another shard might be,¡± I say outside of our vocal chat. He nods, and I see that he looks tired and his buffs have worn off, while mine are still active. Kian must have logged in after I logged off last night to check on Briar. ¡°Hey, guys, keep us posted, we are going to try to find another shard,¡± I say in our voice channel. *** ¡°You are going to do what?¡± Kian asks, looking at the lake at the center of the valley. ¡°I¡¯m going search for a shard down there.¡± I point at the lake. ¡°I think there might be one in there, and I have this belt that lets me hold my breath a really long time.¡± I rest my hand on my belt. ¡°I¡¯m not going down there.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I got it,¡± I say and then dive into the lake. Once underwater, I get a new status bar for air, which has two minutes on the timer. I go deeper down and swim along the muck and the plants. There are toothy fish swimming around and giving me a wide berth, but I don¡¯t see anything here and my oxygen bar is dropping. After surfacing, I see Kian on a rock along the shoreline and I wave. Changing my mind I say, ¡°This might take a while; you sure you don¡¯t want to help?¡± Then laughs, ¡°I thought you said you got it?¡± We move farther along the coast and I dive at each spot, finding nothing. At several points along the shore we have to kill monsters that come out to attack us, a group of hyenas and several huge reptiles. By the end of the day, we have covered roughly half of the shore of the lake. ¡°We got it!¡± Briar suddenly breaks into the voice comms channel Fenmalain Soul Crystal destroyed (3/6) I swim out of the water as fast as I can. ¡°We need to hide!¡± I shout, and I feel the ground rumble and the water of the lake begins to ripple with energy. We dive into a patch of low scrub brush and look up just as the dragon explodes from the lake surface. It flaps its giant wings in the air, flinging water in huge gushes all across the shoreline, and all over us in the bushes. The dragon roars, and I feel panic well up in my throat, but I manage to swallow it. I see Kian begin to get up to run, and I grab his legs and climb on him to stop him from bolting. The dragon must have fear as one of its innate abilities. I have a powerful feeling to flee. The game must be tapping into the primitive parts of the brain and manipulate that for the effect. I can only guess at the intricacies involved with that. ¡°Briar¡­ Thorn,¡± I add Briars in-game name for the sake of FaydeOut. ¡± You guys need to get out of there, now,¡± I shout into the voice channel. I speak louder than I meant to. I hear huffing. ¡°We¡¯re running¡­ as fast¡­ as we can,¡± Briar says breathlessly. We watch the dragon reach one of the peaks, flying around in a large circle and then using its breath weapon all along the side. Hovering for a moment, the dragon flaps its wings and lands high in the mountain near a pass and disappears into what I can only imagine is a cave. ¡°Oh ginga!¡± I hear FaydeOut say, which is cut off by a loud sound and then silence. I see his icon grey. We wait for what must have been an hour before the dragon returns and circles the lake, landing on the opposite side from us and sliding into the water. I get up to try to see what it does. Based on the water movement, there is an underwater cave the dragon is going into. ¡°I¡¯m back at the cave after being killed,¡± FaydeOut says, ¡°though I need to go to sleep soon. I didn¡¯t sleep well last night. Good job though, we took that crystal down.¡± ¡°I need to go to sleep as well,¡± Kian says. I nod, feeling like I need sleep myself. We have been going at this instance pretty hard these last few days and it is taking its toll. I say goodbye and I log out. *** 19 days remain of contest, a Wednesday. As soon as I wake and start up the game I start diving in the lake, not waiting for Kian to log in. I move farther down the waterfront, being careful of any creatures that may be along the shore ready to attack. The shoreline is lightly wooded here, and farther on I see a large rock with a lagoon below it. There¡¯s a keyhole-shaped indentation in the shoreline that I couldn¡¯t see until I got to this point. I dive here, and it¡¯s different from anywhere else in the lake that I have seen; the water is clear and much deeper than other areas. My concern is that it is a little too close to the area the dragon rises from, but I need to find out if a shard is here. I come up for air several times and continue closer to the large rock. Diving as deep as I dare, I spot a small cave. I approach the cave, and inside I can see a shard. Once at the entrance my perception lights it up. There are two large freshwater crabs that look like rocks with plants growing on their backs. They will likely be made aware of my presence as soon as I get any closer. I resurface and make my way to the shore and wait. The party all log in shortly after, and I explain my find. ¡°Let¡¯s lure them out to the shoreline while two of us go down and smash that thing,¡± Roll says. ¡°My Colossus should be able to tank them.¡± ¡°Okay, as soon as you guys get here we can set up our trap,¡± I say, sitting on my rock, waiting. Once everyone has arrived, I volunteer to be the bait and dive into the lagoon. As I suspected, both crabs awaken as I approach and move swiftly toward me, and I barely stay ahead of them on my way to the shore. Once at the shore they follow me out of the water, pincers snipping at my legs. Then the Colossus summon flanks them and knocks both sideways. I teleport back along the lightly sanded coastline, about thirty feet. I let the party keep them busy as Kian and I both dive back into the water and swim to the cave. Upon entering, we see the crystal with the living smoke inside, churning and longing for release. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Thud, thud, goes Kian¡¯s hammer, and I make smaller thuds with my knife. He has to go back up for air, but I continue with a thud and thud as the resonance of each hit gets louder under the water. I place a hand on the shard and give it a final stab and it crumbles with the shockwave rippling across the underwater landscape. Fenmalain Soul Crystal destroyed (4/6) Time to move. I swim as fast as I can, and when I am at the shore I can feel the lake rumble. We run around the other side of the large rock and to a depression we found. Inside we had fashioned camouflage of sorts. We made a cover of sticks, grass and branches that we can throw over ourselves to hide. The hope is that leaving the summoned tank on the shore will keep the beast from finding us. I dive into the hiding spot just as I hear the roar. Though, the dragon did not get airborne. It swims to the shore and with one quick breath it destroys the Colossus on the shoreline, we watch the icon disappear and hope it is enough. ¡°Wh¡ªere are¡ªthe¡ªsmall¡ªones¡ªthe ones¡ªwho wish to free¡ªit?¡± We hear the dragon hiss and spit, its mouth working the words around its sword-like teeth. I look at Briar and hold my finger to my lips¡ªif briar even thinks of talking. We hear the beast crash around the area and inspect the dead crabs. Finally, the dragon issues a long sigh that sounds like a gravel truck as it slides back into the water. Kian starts to get up, but I pull him back down and point to Morrigan in the sky. He nods, and I sit down and close my eyes. As Morrigan, I am flying above us and can see the dragon in the water. It is on the other side of the rock with its head above the water and its body below. It is listening and smelling. It pays Morrigan no mind, as she seems very interested in the dead crabs, and there are other birds circling. I open my eyes and put my finger to my lips and motion a typing gesture. Bringing up the virtual keyboard, I type out what I saw into the chat channel. We decide to move silently inland as fast and as quiet as possible; we need to make it to the boats. We set out quickly, storing any armor or loud gear away so we don¡¯t make noise walking. We scurry, trying to get distance from the rock in case the dragon decides to fly into the air looking for us. I occasionally check back with Morrigan to see what the dragon does. After a long time, it swims silently back into the lake and disappears, its ridged back breaching the water and the tail perfectly following it. The ripple in the lake spreads out slowly. ¡°Did you guys hear that thing talk?¡± I ask once I feel we are far enough away. ¡°That was terrifying,¡± Briar says. I nod, thinking of the shards. I am not sure why I keep the secret of how I know of the shards from them, but I don¡¯t want them to know where I am getting my information. I don¡¯t want Roll to go back and tell Sauce that there is hidden knowledge he could use in the game. It¡¯s my competitive advantage right now, and I need to keep it a secret from everyone, even Kian and Briar. As for the shards, I don¡¯t know what happens when we break the final one, but the last one will surely be in the dragon¡¯s lair itself. I look at the sky and check my game clock¡ªwe are running out of time. We have only a few hours left of today, and then we only have tomorrow to finish this. Then it will be Friday and Josie and her clan will try to take the Jade Fortress. We have to stop them from taking that strategic point at any cost¡ªit will tilt the playing field too much against us. Also, we have to complete this quest before her clan members, who have been working on a similar story quest, complete theirs. Though, given the nature of this quest I am of the mind that these story quests seemed designed to be the most difficult in the game. This is not standard MMO playstyle in here: this is all about using your head and not just charging in to smash everything. We travel across the valley floor, each of us looking over our shoulders as we walk and trying to catch a glimpse of doom before it eats us. I give Kian and Briar knowing glances as we look at the sky and our surroundings. Each of us are becoming aware that we may have to fight the dragon to finish this instance, not something any of us have a desire to do. After a short time, we reach the end of the valley and can observe the sheer cliff face that dominates this end. There are similar cliffs on the far end of the valley. The rock wall with a chasm and natural bridges into the stone giants¡¯ cave. On this end of the valley there is no chasm; however, there is lapping water going up to the cliff face. The wall rises, to what must be, a thousand feet. At the bottom of the cliff face is the front entrance to a drowned temple. It is clearly manmade with carved, ancient columns rising up covered in flowering vines. Birds nest in the cliff face and create a cacophony of sound as we approach the dock. I can see some turtles along the shore and large fish lazily floating away at our approach. ¡°We can fit a max of four in one boat,¡± Kian says matter-of-factly. ¡°They look sound, but old. The oars are here and are in good shape.¡± He hops into one and tests its balance. ¡°Should we tie the boats together so we don¡¯t get separated?¡± Roll asks. ¡°If we did that, we could end up getting caught up on all kinds of things,¡± Kian says. ¡°It would actually be more dangerous to tie them together.¡± He looks around at the shoreline. ¡°If, for instance, a giant turtle eats one of the boats whole, it would drag the second boat down as well.¡± Roll, looking at the turtles on the shore, appears sick and says, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s not do that.¡± We climb into the boats: me, Bumblebzz, and Briar in the first boat and Kian and FaydeOut in the second. Manning oars, we push off into the lake and begin rowing silently toward the entrance of the temple. We take in the expanse of the scene. The cliff and the cold expanse of water mesmerize us. No one speaks to break the moment as the sun disappears over the valley edge. We drift into shadow, and our approach to the temple startles a group of birds who fly out. Once we are closer, we can see that the columns around the front are decorated with deeply carved runes under the vines. There are words etched over the entrance which are worn and covered in vines and roots, the effect is of age. I¡¯ve not been paying close attention to how beautiful the world is, and I take a moment to savor the game world before Briar lets out a hoot. ¡°Ginga, what was that!¡± he asks as a large fish swims away. Laughing, we row into the temple, pulling out torches for those who can¡¯t see in the dark. The columns continue on the inside, and in the clear water I can see that there are fish and other creatures below us in the water. Nothing huge or dangerous, but enough to keep my nerves on edge. Ahead of us is a broken wall, and the water continues through it. The water here moves on its own farther into the cavern. The rate is slow, however, and is not alarming. The walls here reach up in the darkness. Peering forward, I can see that ceiling is about sixty feet up, but near the torchlight the ceiling is not visible. The walls here are naturally smooth and have a pinkish hue. Occasional long roots that look like threads hang down low near the water as the narrow cavern winds its way through the earth. After three-hundred yards of winding cavern, the water is still and deep and there is a natural split in the cave. One branch goes left, from which I can hear what sounds like white noise, and the other side is a quiet, narrow. To the right the cavern stops in a still area of water with rocks sticking out and has a horrible smell which I cannot place. It smells sickly. The rocks look as if something covers them in stinky bird droppings of some kind. There are more of the roots coming down from above. FaydeOut tries to push our boat away from one of the rocks and grabs at one of the roots to pull us over. ¡°This root is super sticky¡ª¡± He¡¯s cut off as he is violently drawn up into the darkness where I hear the squeaking and chirrups of thousands of bats. We all start yelling and Roll begins summoning, while still sitting in the boat. I can hear FaydeOut screaming above, apparently in a fight. I take an oar and hold on tightly as I wrap one of the sticky vines around it, which then pulls me up into darkness. With the momentum I get I¡¯m launched over the back of a creature perched on a ledge. It looks like a cross between a scorpion and a slug. My inspection reveals it to be a Cave Fisher and it relies on its sticky strands to catch unsuspecting creatures. There are two of them here¡ªone has FaydeOut stuck and is he is trying to defend himself. His hit points are going down fast. The one that pulled me up is trying to bite the oar. I hear Roll still chanting below as I raise my knife and begin to try flanking this thing. You for 42 (+8 flanking) damage (poison immune) Pulling my knife out of its body, I see it is almost dead, but the creature whips around and knocks me against the wall and spits at my leg. Cave Fisher hits you for 22 damage (rooted) I can¡¯t move my leg; the Cave Fisher readies itself while closing the short distance with little clicks of its feet on the stone. The light and heat of fire erupts below. In the brief illumination, I can see hundreds of bats in the air. The front pinchers of the Cave Fisher move to snip my arms. I begin a swing and teleport behind the Cave Fisher attacking FaydeOut, where I bury my knife into its carapace. You hit Cave Fisher for 38 (+12 backstab) damage (poison immune) Cave Fisher dies. The Cave Fisher thrashes around in death throes as FaydeOut gets up. I turn and leap to the one that had been attacking me, and with a double-handed overhead stab I slash it with a devastating critical blow. You critically hit Cave Fisher for 53 (+12 critical) damage (poison immune) Cave Fisher dies. I turn to FaydeOut and see that he is downing a health potion. I look over the side and I see that Roll has summoned his Djinn summon which is busy frying bats and burning the dangling strings from other fishers. I look at FaydeOut and say, ¡°Looks like we have only one way down.¡± I kick the body of the Cave Fishers over the side and then jump to the icy water below. *** ¡°Well, that was fun,¡± I say, back in the boat and dry¡ªthe game dries players within about thirty seconds of getting out of the water. For some reason I think about how if we didn¡¯t dry so fast there would be a lot of comfort issues, especially with leather, in a fantasy setting. FaydeOut gives me a knowing look. ¡°Thanks, Nightflower, I won¡¯t be touching anything dangling from the ceiling for a long time.¡± He waves his hand in a mock gesture at another dangling filament near the split where we had gone right. As we take the left channel of the cavern, the noise I had heard earlier gets louder and I realize what is going on. ¡°Sounds like we are going to be going into some rapids,¡± I say, feeling a frown on my face. The boats get to faster-moving water and we have to use the oars to keep away from the walls and off of rocks in the channel. The cavern narrows more, and we do everything we can to slow our speed. ¡°We need to be ready to jump off this boat if there is a waterfall up here,¡± I say loud enough that the second boat can hear. I turn to them with a smile and say, ¡°We will let you guys know if we need to abandon ship.¡± After another ten minutes of us navigating the water the channel widens and slows, and we are able to get the boats to the side of the channel. I can see ahead and that it looks like we will be entering into a very large cavern. ¡°We are about to go into the open up there,¡± I say as I point. ¡°I think one of us should go forward and scout it out.¡± Everyone simply looks at me. ¡°Oh,¡± I say as they smile. ¡°I figured I should give someone else a chance!¡± We row a short way up farther. Moving silently in the shadows, I enter the cavern and see a patch of Shrieker mushrooms to the right of the path the water takes. Shrieker mushrooms are great intruder alarms, hearing a sound they let out a piercing shriek so loud it can cause damage. If we had continued, they would have made a huge amount of noise and woken every creature in this instance up. In fact, as I look at it, I realize they are too perfectly placed, as if they were planted. I make my way past them and use a Teleport to get to a ledge. I make my way around the edge so I can get far away from the Shriekers and let the guys know in voice comms. As I come down from the ledge, I see the cavern is an amazing world of many varieties of giant fungus. Right in the center of the room is a crystal shard, surrounded by several massive fungus which are called Death Spores. These showed up in several historical MMORPGs from my SAINT course. If you inhale the spores they spray at you, you will fall asleep and be poisoned. I slink up and notice there are four bodies in this area which look like they were dragged from near the Death Spore mushrooms. Through the mountain (story) : Objectives 12/15 Clearly, we are on the right path and this will be the fifth shard. I type in the party channel to avoid speaking so we don¡¯t set off the Shriekers and that I found a shard. They will need to stay put for a bit while I continue to explore. Following the water through the cavern leads to another tunnel ahead, and there are additional ledges along the top above it. From the entrance I came in, to the right is radiating warmth¡ªI move carefully. I pass a pool of water, hearing what sounds like deep, low breathing around the corner, so I dip into the pool to hide. The pool lights up and start for a second and almost run away before I get a notice. Use the healing pool of the dragon Vizizwrack: +1 Constitution, permanent. Oh wow, I needed that! And Vizizwrack is the dragon¡¯s name. My hit points jump to 138 with the addition of the stat point. I slink out of the water and peek around the corner and see the dragon Vizizwrack apparently sleeping on a mound with bones all around him in huge piles. Behind him is deep pool, apparently his entrance and exit to the lake. Even while sleeping, the dragon stills looks ominous and I have to fight down the urge to run. I am sure the loot here would be great, but I don¡¯t think we can take this thing. I back away into the cavern and slowly return to the party, a plan in my mind. Let¡¯s see if they go for it. *** ¡°This plan is crazy,¡± says FaydeOut and Bumblebzz at the same time. ¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± Briar chimes in, turning to wink at me. Roll summons the Colossus and we sneak up to the Shriekers. Kian swapped to being a cleric and has a silence skill. He jumps around the corner and casts silence on the Shriekers. I dash forward in the silence, slicing them at the base. I assume they will grow back in a few days, but for now they won¡¯t wake up the freight-train of burning death sleeping a few hundred feet away. The cooldown on his silence spell is ten minutes, but we should be okay. The dragon only attacks when a shard is broken. Leaving the Colossus by the Shard we continue on all the way through the main cavern to the exiting tunnel. We stash the boats around a corner in the narrow cavern leading from the main cavern. Climbing up onto the ledge with Roll and FaydeOut, we can see the whole cavern; Roll is just at the edge of his summoning control. FaydeOut has his bow at the ready and what looks like an explosive arrow nocked. In the voice communications, I say, ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Ready,¡± from all. Roll¡¯s hands begin to move as his control of the Colossus resumes. The summon steps forward, and we hear a dull ¡°thud.¡± Thud, thud¡ª Louder and louder the strikes brain-splitting screech and a rumble of movement as the dragon wakes. Roll is trying to maintain his concentration and as the dragon comes into sight. The steady sounds of the sacrificial Colossus doing its work resonates in the cavern. Thud, THUD¡­ Louder and louder with each strike. The dragon frantically claws its way to the water and breathes in as its torso glows with magical light. With an exhale, the dragon kills the summon and the Colossus icon fades away in a cloud of steam. ¡°Now!¡± FaydeOut fires his arrow, which sails true to the source and explodes with a final thud that releases the breath of the crystal. Power explodes out in waves of smoke and steam. From the cloud the dragon¡¯s head appears first and is then followed by its body, charging toward us and wings folding in. I catch a quick glimpse of the notification scroll past. Fenmalain Soul Crystal destroyed (5/6) ¡°RUN!¡± FaydeOut yells as we charge back along the narrow ledge to get to the boats. I am running behind Roll, who leaps as soon as we round the corner, arms and legs still moving in mid-air. I step, then plant my left foot at the very edge, leaping directly after him. Directly behind me, FaydeOut leaps as the billowing rush of steam and death press us down into the water. 23 - Wizard 19 days remain of contest A, Wednesday I wake in my bed thinking of last evening, of how we came out of the water in clouds of steam. Each of us surfaced blistered and smiling like we had just gotten away with the biggest heist in history. We moved farther downstream and pulled the boats into a small side area where we could get them out of the water and rest and heal up. Everyone had their bathroom icons flashing so we decided to call it a night. This next part, we all expect to be the end of this instance. In my room at home I look around at my bookshelf, which is filled with reference books and little knick-knacks I had picked up on occasional trips into town. All the rare little things I had spirited away to be just mine. My school stipend was small and would scale with my age, but as a ward I generally have no need for money. I just let it collect in my account to use on trips we seldom go on. Our school only takes occasional breaks, and someone brings us wards on special trips whitle the others go to families they barely remember. It seems like another life now, far away, not even mine. I use the restroom and go down the empty wooden hallway to take a shower. The smell in the dormitory is ripe, and people are clearly foregoing showers for the game¡ªI couldn¡¯t take it anymore; I¡¯ll be a little late getting in. After my shower I put on a set of comfy pajamas and climb into my bed and log in. Each login is almost unexpected, it is the familiar feeling of the world shrinking to nothing and then expanding back but in a different place, in a different body. I appear, taking physical form, and see I am the last one to log in. "I had to take a shower, I couldn¡¯t take it anymore.¡± I say, to knowing nods. ¡°I logged in to not smell myself,¡± Briar says, lifting and arm and sniffing. We get the boats back into the water and begin the trip down the narrow cavern. The water speeds up more and more to the point that it feels like we are going to break apart as the boats bounce against the cavern walls. Our little beat-up boats somehow stay together though, despite the abuse. The cavern widens, and the water gets deeper and then slows. It is still fast moving here, and there is a bridge over the water ahead. To the left is a sand and pebble beach. Ahead I can hear a roaring sound and stand to see, causing Morrigan to take flight and caw. ¡°T-there is a waterfall ahead!¡± I say as I start using an oar to paddle to the shoreline. The other boat follows, and we beach out boats and pull them up out of the water. Looking around, I don¡¯t notice anything specifically interesting besides the bridge, which Morrigan is sitting on while pecking at it. This bridge, like everything else here, is old and worn with runes and steps that appear to have had a thousand years of use. It crosses over the stream, just before the water disappears into a chasm with a cloud of mist. If we had not been paying attention, I don¡¯t know if we would have been able to survive that fall. I flick a pebble over the side and Morrigan hops closer to watch it. We continue over the ancient bridge and along a path which enters a hallway. It¡¯s not a natural cavern like before, but an actual built hallway with columns and painted walls. Each painting is the next step in a narrative. The story of a people who had been peaceful and then encountered both undead creatures and creatures of shadow who corrupted them, causing them to kill one another. In the narrative, a great horned and winged god took notice of the people and came down to enslave them. A small group resisted, and after many sacrifices they tricked the demon god into a pentagram of five crystals, which sealed it into a sixth center crystal. The next paintings show they placed this crystal beyond a tomb in a large cathedral, and then they broke the key into three pieces which they scattered across the land. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t anyone ever destroy the keys completely?¡± I mutter to myself. The people in the final paintings are shown to stay outside the cathedral to protect it from anyone who would wish to break the final crystal. These defenders look pretty serious about it all. One image is of a man who became a living shadow. The image shows him maintaining an eternal vigil. ¡°What does this mean?¡± asks Kian, who looks at the painting showing the last crystal that has a shadow of the demon. ¡°We destroyed the other crystals, so what are we supposed to do now? It looks like this last crystal will release a massive demon if we break it. I am not a good-aligned character, but that seems like a bad idea for anyone.¡± ¡°I think we are going to have to defend it,¡± I say. ¡°Where do you get that?¡± Kian waves at the pictures. ¡°Why did we break the other five crystals, then? Ginga! If you are hiding stuff¡ª¡± ¡°Listen,¡± I cut him off. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just have a pretty good feeling that this will work. I could be wrong, I could be really wrong.¡± I don¡¯t want to tell him that I am just following what I know of the defenders of The Shard of the Herold. I have started to think of it as Harry, the nickname they gave it in the old MMORPG called Asheron¡¯s Call. I don¡¯t want to tell them because I will have to explain about the SAINT and about Dr. Friend. Briar looks at the both of us. ¡°We need to get through this. What are we going to do?¡± ¡°Once we get there, I think we will need to defend it so nobody breaks it. But we need to see what happens.¡± ¡°H-how would you know that?¡± Kian sputters, but then stops as Briar steps between us. We continue through another great hall with more paintings of an earlier, peaceful time of the people, where there is no war or death or demons. The path continues on and enters a much larger cavern. There is a chasm to my right that has a narrow bridge with no railings and a painted wall to the left which has a hole smashed in it. There is a handprint of fresh blood to the right of the entrance in the wall. Across the bridge I can sense a creature of shadow. Because of my class and my abilities to manipulate shadows, I can detect when one is near. I can sense this one is formidable and will attempt to fight us on the bridge. Roll summons his Djinn, which helps the party with light, and I suggest we check to the left through the hole in the wall. I feel like there is something there that may help. Examining the entrance, I can hear a weeping man, he is muttering between sobs and miserable. Signaling the others, we enter a cave area behind the wall and spot a large man, a fighter. He is pacing past a two-handed sword leaned against the cave wall. Bumblebzz lights up the room as the Djinn enters, and the man looks up. Upon seeing the Djinn and Bumbebzz he steps back to the sword. I can see his nails are long and his eyes are red; an odd fear is painted on his face, a fear¡ªand a hunger. ¡°This man is cursed,¡± Bumblebzz says. ¡°He is a half-vampire.¡± ¡°I¡ªI¡­ am,¡± the fighter says. ¡°My name is Wren, and I accepted the curse for strength, but it was still not enough.¡± He looks at the blood red sword. He then asks Bumblebzz, ¡°Can you help me?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Bumblebzz exclaims, his face brightening up as he opens his bag and begins pulling out scrolls, chalk and vials of strange looking liquid. ¡°This is going to take some time,¡± Bumblebzz says while drawing a circle and directs the fighter to lay down. ¡°Can you guys make sure I am not interrupted, maybe scout the area?¡± he asks. I watch him chant for a few minutes and start looking through the passageway and finally I end up reading the bulletin boards to try to see if anything is happening in the game world that we need to be aware of, but there are far too many posts clearly trying to provide false information or trying to get information.After thirty minutes Bumblebzz is complete with his spell. Wren looks like an entirely new man, but avoids the sword and asks the other fighters for another weapon to use instead, FaydeOut provides him a new two-handed sword from his bag. ¡°I will join you, if you will have me?¡± Wren says, testing his new sword on the air. ¡°I am a capable fighter.¡± Through the mountain (story) : Objectives 13/15 ¡°Are you a member of the party the Mayor mentioned who went looking for the lost miners and villagers?¡± I ask and he nods with a grunt. Briar walks over and reaches for the sword. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you want to do that,¡± Bumblebzz says sharply, stopping Briar. ¡°That is a cursed sword that will turn you into¡­ something¡­ eventually.¡± Briar shrugs and grabs the sword, and I see his eyes light up as Wren shivers and steps back, trying to avoid looking at the sword. Briar stands for a minute, apparently reading the item description. Occasionally he looks as if he is in conversation, and then he places the sword in his bag. Finally, he notices everyone watching him. ¡°What?¡± he asks. Back at the narrow bridge, I move forward and step one foot on the bridge, I can see the eyes of the shadow creature light up on the other side. The shadow¡¯s flaming sword lights up. Upon inspecting it, I see I face Hamud the Corrupted. This creature, what was once a man, left forever to guard this narrow approach. With my night vision I can see that there is a mound back beyond where he appeared¡ªa grave, if I am not mistaken. ¡°Creature of shadow, listen to me and let us pass,¡± I say, trying for a bluff or maybe to see what kind of power I have in the shadow realm with my low-rank shadow powers. It should recognize me as a fellow creature of shadow; I don¡¯t see this Hamud as a combat target in my display. ¡°You ¡­ alone ¡­ may passsss,¡± It says with a voice like sheets of paper in the winds. ¡°I could not get by this corrupted creature,¡± Wren says, looking down and away he adds, ¡°not even as one cursed with evil power.¡± I step back off the bridge and to my group. ¡°Bumblebzz, do you happen to have any holy water?¡± I ask He digs in his bag and produces a vial. I take the vial from him and say, ¡°Give me a second.¡± Then, I pass beyond the shadow Hamud, who is good for his wordthough I am prepared to teleport if he turns on me. I go to the mound beyond him, which has rocks on the top and a square stone with a seal on it. My guess is that this is the seal keeping our friendly shadow man anchored. I uncork the vial of holy water and douse the grave. The stone cracks, and a palpable amount of power is discharged. Then Hamud dissipates and floats away, nothing remaining of him as the wisps curl and fade to nothing. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go. I probably won¡¯t have many chances to take advantage of my class like that, but I would say that made things a lot easier. Also, I put him to rest, so that is a good thing, right?¡± I ask to blank looks from the party. We continue on through a long cavern with a floor of paving-stones and unlit and empty braziers every thirty feet. They are presumably used to light the way, but now are just good as markers for distance. I can see a light much farther down the cavern. Ahead it looks like the path is exiting to outside, where it is night. Then I feel a wind that blows fresh air. Clearly, we are leaving the mountain. We walk in silence, and the darkness presses in on each of us. Even with being a shadow it hits me; I pull my comfortable cloak tight. This cavern looks to have once been a market of some kind. It feels like it should have people in it, that it is designed as a lively place. It¡¯s builders did not mean it for this quiet and dark contemplation. We each walk with careful steps, deliberate so as not to disturb the ghosts of this sullen bazaar. Exiting the market cavern, we enter into a valley at dusk. Sheer cliffs rising in an oval shape line the valley, easily as long as the previous valley with the lake and equally impossible to climb out of. There is a paved road for us to follow this time, and we walk with quick steps, as being in the open in the final stretch makes us all uncomfortable. The only sounds are little huffs and noises of shifting gear, the audio track for our march. Wren nervously coughs every so often, I guess he is still not fully healed from his curse. I see that he is not making eye contact and trying to keep distance from Briar. The road follows along the right cliff face, and as we walk, we see caves and hollows carved into it with crumbled bricks which acted as walls at one point. Some of the dwellings are two or more floors and have the remains of yards in the front, the telltale arbors and rows of long-dead, petrified wood. This side of the valley is elevated in parts, which provide a view of large grasslands with animals grazing and many birds of all variety. There are areas which at one point may have been farmlands, but have become overgrown marshes full of wildlife and the smells of compost and occasionally the odor of weeks-old death. We proceed with no resistance or even interest. After walking for what feels like too long, we come to a huge side pocket of the canyon, where we see city walls and an open gate. Beyond the gate are the remains of a city, though there are no signs of life as we approach. I can¡¯t detect that any wagon, horse, or person on foot had tread this road in recent memory. At the gate there is a sign on the ground. I stoop down and pick it up, wiping dust and caked dirt from it. I read the name of the town. I know we are in the right place. At the far end of the town, carved out of the cliff as a single piece, is a tower which looks as if it was recently created. It has none of the wear and ruin of the rest of the town¡ªclearly it is our destination. It is where we will find the final and sixth shard, the one from Asheron¡¯s Call called The Shard of the Herald. Its original defenders affectionately called it Harry. In order to protect it they discovered that they could sacrifice themselves to it endlessly so it would level up. They leveled it up so incredibly it became nearly indestructible. In-fact, they leveled the shard so much with their own blood that the devs could not de-level it due to an error, as it was so far out of normal range. The devs themselves died trying to destroy it, the defenders victorious. The employees of the game even joked that that the shard had become sentient. Approaching the perfectly round tower, I see it has six floors and the door lays open. From outside the tower, the lower floor is empty save for a single stairway up. In diameter, the tower is approximately eighty feet. It looks to be perfectly clean, not a blemish. ¡°Well, this is it ¡­ I think,¡± I proclaim with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s buff up and get ready. I assume I should summon the Colossus, as we will most likely need a tank. What kind of plan do we have once we are in there?¡± Roll asks as he begins to summon. ¡°Tank and spank,¡± Briar says while doing little excited hops. Morrigan won¡¯t come close to the tower, and her icon is greyed out in this area. This is a problem, because I don¡¯t have her as an option to scout out the tower. Pulling my cloak tight around me, I leap forward into the shadows inside the door and steal through the blackness to the stairs. The stairs follow the inside of the wall and ascend to the floor above. Peeking into the second floor, I see bodies of undead and remnants of shadow creatures¡ªlike chalk on the stone¡ªfrom a fierce battle that took place here. The smell of sulphur and signs of fire and other spells on the floors, walls, and the bodies of the undead show that this was a recent fight. I continue to the third floor and see much of the same until the fifth floor, where I hear ragged breathing above me. I continue up the stairs along the wall. I am being careful to look over the edge of the sixth and final floor, and I see several badly mangled bodies. I see the crystal we are here for, and resting near it I see a wizard, covered in blood and breathing slowly¡ªhis life clearly draining away. I move up closer to him. Upon inspecting I see his name is Rytheran¡ªhe is listed simply as a ¡®Protector¡¯ and nothing more. He looks at me approach and I call the others up. He opens his mouth slowly, and as Roll and FaydeOut come up, he looks at each of us. ¡°P-protect the shard at all costs ¡­ These fools,¡± he waves a hand at two bodies, ¡°destroyed the other shards. They released the Dark Master ...¡± He shakily reaches for his broken staff, and then is still. I look at the bodies he had indicated. Through the mountain (story) : Objectives 14/15 Through the mountain (story) : Objectives 14/15 Through the mountain (story) : Objective complete.
Quest: Through the mountain (story finale) Rytheran, a dying mage, requests that you protect the shard from the Dark Master instead of destroying it as you have the other five shards. Success: 25000xp, the shard remains intact. Failure: The shard is broken.
¡°We need to get ready,¡± I say as the remainder of the party get to the floor with the summoned Colossus gs are about to get rough. Protect the shard at all costs. Ready spells and have items handy.¡± I slide into the shadows as a purple and black rift opens on the far wall, near stairs to the roof. The rift shudders with vibrating energy, which claws at the ceiling and the floor with cruel snaps of energy. I see a shape forming and use my Inspect skill. A female Dark Master named Vidorian steps foot through the gate. She is wreathed in wispy black cloth that moves with an otherworldly wind. She drops down with silence and grace, wielding a two-handed sword, a knife on her hip. A subtle vibration and rising anthem of background music begins. Right before the first bass note in the battle music, Vidorian raises a gauntleted hand and drops an anti-magic zone on the floor, a counter appears in my display. Ginga! Fifteen-seconds of no spells, which will be a problem if anyone needs healing fast. Vidorian charges forward, crashing into the Colossus as they begin to trade blows. Roll throws a vial of oil onto the Dark Master who uses a skill and webs him. She then does a spinning slash which knocks both Roll and the Colossus back. I see Briar charging up a heavy attack called ¡°Thunder rumble¡± and FaydeOut charging an attack called ¡°Deep hitter¡± I need to give them time, so I dash forward slicing at her leg before blinking back out of range. Briar and FaydeOut unleash their on her and I visibly see the air distort from the impacts. I maneuver into a position to flank, I slip farther back and wait for another of her Spin-slash attack. The Colossus charges in with rocky arms swinging around its center like a buzzsaw. Vidorian does another Spin-slash attack which knocks the Colossus away, and then I leap forward with a flanking attack. You miss Vidorian the Dark Master. Damn! I¡¯m not doing anything in this fight. Kian uses a specialized hammer ability called Sonic-boom and lands a deafening smash knocking her back. I can see she is at 75% health after that attack. My perception shows a translucent red area on the floor in front of her where I assume she is about to attack. This is some kind of a boss attack telegraph, we have to avoid it. Panic-diving to the side, I barely get out of the way of the attack. She drops to 70% health and crouches down, invulnerable, and a wind I can¡¯t feel rushes condensed black wisps of energy toward her. I immediately open voice chat. ¡°Move back!¡± I shout. Everyone leaps back before a massive purple burst of energy explodes from Vidorian. I see the shard take damage¡ªit is at 84%. The Dark Master places her hand on the floor and a wave of green washes over her, bringing her back to 78%. The anti-magic zone dissipates¡ªit¡¯s been fifteen seconds. Bumblebee casts a healing aura and the ground pulses for thirty feet around him with a white healing energy, giving slow heal-over-time effects on the party. I use my cloak skill and summon the spider. A level eighteen Dire Spinner forms from the shadows and immediately webs the boss. The spider jumps forward, attacking, spraying a yellow poison. I re-enter the shadows and move to the side to try for another flank and I quickly have a chance. You hit Vidorian the Dark Master for 58 (+9 flank) damage. You apply poison to Vidorian the Dark Master. That is a nice hit, but my happiness is short-lived as Vidorian spins and I take a two-handed sword hit to the chest. It knocks me back applying a stun for three seconds and bleed effect. Vidorian the Dark Master hits you for 72 (+0 shadow) damage. Bumblebzz¡¯s Aura of the Divine heals you for 15 damage. Bumblebzz¡¯s casts Heal (2) and heals you for 50 damage.Stunned, I lay there watching the party unload on the boss. Wren is down, everyone is damaged. I see Bumblebzz slinging healing spells as fast as he can. The crystal is at 56% Vidorian reaches 40% health and does another area attack, which heals her back to 48% health. The crystal¡¯s health drops precipitously, now only at 40%. No longer stunned, I notice that the Colossus is doing admirably, with two Clerics keeping it alive it is able to box Vidorian in, limiting her movement. Dropping to 35% Vidorian leaps back, summoning by a deep black aura, and all the bodies on the ground rise. I also pick up sounds from the lower levels and realize the battle music just changed to a faster tempo. Not good! ¡°I¡¯ll work on the adds!¡± I shout as I run for the stairs to the lower levels and begin furiously slashing at the undead and the shadow creatures. On my screen I see the Colossus crumble as the undead from this floor, including the dead wizard, Rytheran, attack Roll was ready, though, and finishes a Djinn ifrit summoning which burns the undead and catches the Dark Master on fire. The oil that Roll threw earlier is sizzling on the boss as the Djinn rapidly charges an attack, I see it in the interface it is called ¡°Entombing blaze¡±. An explosion of fire, with delayed sound engulfs Vidorian. I am forced back by the number of undead, so I use my Shadow Web skill and ensnare all enemies on the floor. I lift my dagger as if to strike and leap into the air toward the boss and I use Blink, teleporting just above her back. You hit Vidorian the Dark Master for 84 (+15 backstab) damage. You kill Vidorian the Dark Master. The undead and shadows all fall to the floor. Completed quest Quest Through the Mountain - final Experience gain 25000 Quest Through the Mountain Experience gain 3500 (500 of 7500 possible bonus) Experience gain 2000 shard destroyed (3/6) Experience gain 2000 shard destroyed (4/6) Experience gain 2000 shard destroyed (5/6) You have reached level 25! New ranked skills available to learn from your class trainer. Your familiar: Morrigan (raven) becomes rank 4! Hide skill +4 Slash skill +3 Searching Vidorian I get a ring, a shadow skill book, and a bag of dice, all epic. Before I have a chance to look at my loot, a circular dias appears in front of me, rising from the stone floor. I step onto it.
As defenders of the Shard, you are granted a [ranked] alliance boon. (Pick 1) - Flame aspected, gain powerful fire skills - Air aspected, gain powerful air skills - Water aspected, gain powerful water skills - Earth aspected, gain powerful earth skills * aspected means all attacks can gain the aspected damage type if aspect stance is set. Ranked aspect skills additional skills available at levels 20, 30, 40, 50, 75, 100
¡°Wanna be airbenders?¡± I ask with a smile on my face. 24 - housekeeping 18 days remain of contest A, Thursday. Logging back in at the Fortress, I see it is busy. The sector announcement that alliance became air aspected is a huge boon for interest in our alliance and makes the choice to join up with our alliance a desireable one. Being air aspected at lower levels is not exciting. For a basic level fifteen character you just get Wind Guard. It is an air-based shield around your body that helps deflect ranged attacks. As part of the aspect, the whole alliance gets slightly changed looks; our bodies are a lighter color and our eyes have a whitish glow. Additionally, our hair and clothes have new effects added, which make it looks like we are constantly standing in front of a fan in some shampoo commercial. Looking at the ¡®Air Aspect¡¯ section of the clan info shows what you look like at higher ranks, and the visual effects become much more pronounced. You get flying ribbons and dust whipping around behind you and new skills that allow you to push attackers back. Much later in the ranks you can summon Air Beasts¡ªwhich resemble Chinese dragons¡ªand can even fly for short periods at the very highest ranks. I had not spent much time thinking about the element aspects. Air seemed to be the smartest choice. With air you can put out or feed fire, it can nullify water, and is only beaten by earth. With no public info on the skills available, air was our safest choice. I am really happy with it, and so are our members judging by the way they are bragging in the public channels. They keep posting about how it stacks with multiple defenders together. I check on my new recruits and notice there is a small group of them who managed to complete the quests I had assigned the clan. They managed to secure the far outposts in our region¡ªsmall military installations on the border, I had not given much thought to them¡ªan impressive feat given their lower levels. They are calling their party ¡¯Falling Knives¡¯ and are all rogues. I like their style, and I have an option to apply the rewards to the party who completed the quest. Pressing the button, I see in the clan chat logs that they each gain several levels. I assign them a knife badge, a sign of my personal stamp of approval. Quest: Yarrowland sabotage (chain 2) complete! The completed notification is followed immediately with a new quest pop-up.
Quest: Yarrowland sabotage (chain 3) The outposts of Yarrowland on the border with Rathe need to be reinforced. Escort the supply convoy forming in your fortress to each of the outposts and defend it from attack. Success: Reinforce the outposts Failure: Supply convoy destroyed. Time remaining: 5:59:58
There is an option to broadcast to our clan and alliance, so I select that and begin the task of organizing the alliance event. This is going to take me at least six hours, but will be worth it for morale before this weekend. I create a raid group with twenty-four people, and Sauce creates another raid group with twenty-two, and we ride out as a massive escort force. I can see that the alliance is in incredible spirits. Riding along, I observe as they all are playing with their new aspected skill and discussing new tactics to use as air warriors. Or, as the jokes fly¡ªabout being benders. *** The event convoy had¡ªof course¡ªtaken the worse possible route to each of the outposts. We are promptly attacked, at each stage, by an appropriate number of enemies for our defenders to not feel it was easy. At one point several huge ogres¡ªwhich attacked as a group between the outposts¡ªmanaged to damage the convoy pretty badly. That fight was our only issue with the event. We made it back to the fortress after verifying the outposts are stocked and manned with fresh NPC soldiers. The Wind Guard skill was extremely useful in large group tactics, repelling ranged attacks, and acting as an amazing group stacking buff. I make my exit from the fortress and I take a quick run to The Old Man of the Mountain to get my new class skills. He charges me some money and I pick up Shadow Reflection and Feather Fall. Bringing up my character sheet, I look at the changes.
NightFlower: Shadow runner Level: 25 Hit Points: 191 ((4*25)+(5*25)) - ((225/100)*15) Infamy: -440 (Tombstone Damage: 27-49 +4-9 (PK) +25% (night) -25% (day) Special: +80% chance (3-8 times) for 30/6s Stats: STR: 5 (6: -1 PK) WIL: 1 DEX: 17 (18: -1 PK) CON: 2 Abilities: Hide: 20 (18+2) Slash: 7 Throwing knife: 6 Alchemy: 1 Modifiers: DEX bonus attack: +1 STR bonus damage: +5 Bonus: +25% damage at night. (Shadow) Bonus: Attack speed +5 (Scout) Bonus: Accuracy +5 ranged (Scout) Negative: -25% damage during day. (Shadow) Negative: -15% health, Scout Hold breath: +60 seconds (gear) Other Skills: Shadow Net (Rank 2), +5-meter radius from player per rank, all players and creatures slowed 50% for five-seconds. Shadow reflection (Rank 2), shadow armor protects you and reflects damage back at an attacker. +5% Per rank Teleport (Rank 2, +10-meter teleport line-of-sight per rank. Feather fall (Rank 2), x2 times per day per rank. Wind guard: (aspect: Rank 2) * Familiar: Morrigan, Raven (Rank 3) * PK=negatives and positives for player-killer infamy
Not bad. I spend the rest of my day at the fortress getting to know our new recruits. I talk about the story instance and how we beat it, with Sauce asking a lot of questions. And I finally get the chance to speak with the stone giants whose home is deep in the mountains and not far from the fortress. They set up in a very secluded area, though I have no new quests with them yet. Tomorrow morning, we will need to meet and discuss our plans for the other fortresses. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. It¡¯s time to take this whole region. *** 17 days remain of contest A, Friday. Friday is a school day, and we have SAINT follow-upswhich are mind-numbing in every possible way. The day drags horribly as we all circle back on the data that we learned last week. In our minds it is no different from having spent weeks studying it intensely, so follow-ups to make it stick feel redundant. Oddly, I have never had a follow-up course on my special SAINT for MMO history that Dr. Friend gave me before we started. I don¡¯t feel as if I am losing any of that data. I wonder if the follow-up is one of those things that is just done as a preventative measure. Like how we have to have our teeth checked every year even though the nanobots that maintain them are some of the most stable ever developed. Even the doctors who check that our mouths are okay look bored. They say that occasionally there are issues, but they never mention what kind of issues arise or what happens to those people with issues. I fall into my dorm room, exhausted, and after I use the bathroom I log into the game; I need to check with my spies on what [Art of War] has been doing. It¡¯s time I took some measures against their expansion and solidify our hold on the region. We still potentially have two weeks, but after today I have a bad gut feeling I can¡¯t shake. *** Logging in I set up in the fortress and Simon appears giving me his report. Last night, the stone giant guardians discovered two spies from Leviathan Fortress and killed them. I knew we would have spies watching us the way we watch them, but now I am pretty concerned about what Josie knows and if our information is reliable. I go over the reports and I send out more spies, including a few to the town to keep an eye on movements of the [Art of War]. They have taken up the tactic of leaving their clan house and splitting up, this leads the spy have to make a choice to follow only one group. We have also lost all the spies sent to keep tabs on the Leviathan fortress. I have no information on what kind of guardians they have, or if they have gained more resources. I make my way to the clan house in Port Yarrow and speak with new recruits. I find that they are joining because we have the aspect and because they heard that we have special clan events, likely the escort mission. Lying¡ªjust a little¡ªI say I will be doing more of these. I make a mental note to speak with Simon about if there is a possible way to add more through the fortress interface. Kian and Briar had gone off to do another quest they had, and I get in touch with them and ask them to be available tomorrow. I have a special announcement for the whole alliance. I have decided that this weekend we need to keep [Art of War] from taking Jade Fortress, and take it for ourselves. *** 16 days remain of contest A, Saturday. ¡°Finally!¡± Briar hoots. ¡°We need to go and soften them up before I tell the whole alliance; however, I have requested an all-hands meeting in the Fortress dining¡ªerr pool¡ªroom,¡± I say. We make our way through Port Yarrow after appearing in crackles of electric color. Our appearance immediately will give us away as members of the alliance, we have turned our tags off, so we are not easily identified as the leaders. In the corner of my eye I spot a normal-looking street NPC. He is surrounded by a group of filthy street kids who scatter, and then he disappears into the shadows once he spots us. I am known and it is noted that we have come to town I nod to Briar and Kian and move through the city, and then to our clan house. At the clan house I dash to the roof and spot our followers with Morrigan from above. I drop down the back of the building, avoiding a couple of the kids, and maneuver to the alley behind where the adult NPC is crouching behind a barrel. He has a good view of our clan house. I dive forward and with a spinning slash I end his spying without a sound. I climb the building once more and make my way to meet with Kian and Briar at the appointed location outside the city. We summon our mounts and begin the trek south on the narrow roads through rolling hills to the area of swamp in the region where the Jade Fortress is. We need to move from the road to avoid a group of [Art of War] members as they patrol back to the south. I know they have a temporary travel stone, so this is a security patrol. It will be dark soon¡ªthe in-game day and night cycle is a six-hour one, so we will have tonight to sabotage [Art of War]. Afterwards we will return to gather and begin an attack. Hopefully the spies we still have in our alliance will be caught by surprise and won¡¯t get out messages before we can make an attack. From the trees we follow the group without being detected to their staging area for fortress assault. It is a place they use as a forward operating base to attack the fortress. The final unclaimed fortress in a region flips to active NPC defense as well as a normal straight dungeon run. Running the dungeon is the only way to claim the fortress. Scanning the camp, I can see the travel options. I can see that [Art of War] has secured the ramparts of the fortress already and must have groups inside trying to beat the boss and claim this fortress. Kian and Briar both dig into their bags and produce the alchemical wonders we will be using this evening. We each pick up our goodie-bags of mayhem. Moving in closer, we have to take out a couple of NPC guards stationed around. We fan out from the shadows. At each fire we find we place one of the vials created from the alchemical workshop. The vials are a new concoction Kian came up with that he says will create a gas cloud which will incapacitate the entire camp. Since the sun has set, my hide skill is far above the detection level of the guards and players in this area. I am able to place vials in fires with NPCs and players around them. The players around a campfire are easy, especially since they are paying attention to their character sheets and stats screens or chatting in the clan communications. I take a quick peek in the large tent near the stone which is empty, I had expected to see at least an NPC. I leave the summoned Sword Spider from my cloak in the tent and have it climb into the ceiling and wait. Once through the camp we meet on the other side and wait. I pull out my new dice set, the Dice of the Dirty Summons. I will be taking a risk, but I am pretty sure this will at least cause chaos.
Dice of the Dirty Summons Summon a random [Dangerous] undead creature to a visible location you specify within 100 yards. - Summon appears with random area of effect debuff(s).
I roll them and a red, ground-based targeting reticle for the area effect and the summons appears. I maneuver it to the center of the camp, just as I see a fog begin to settle and a group reappears after failing the dungeon. I select the area near them and put the dice away. A vortex of swirling, inky smoke appears at the center of the camp. It is accompanied by a pulsating groundswell with vines which leap from the ground, ensnaring all the players and NPCs in the center 50% of the camp. As the summons completes, I see a huge undead dire-ape appear, already in an enraged state. I have my spider drop from its location and circle the camp to spin a silk barrier to slow any would-be escapees. We watch as the rooted players and NPCs are demolished by the massive dead ape. Just then, the portal stone comes alive as [Art of War] members come to the defense of the forward camp. Apparently, they were alerted by the rooted players in chat. They appear in cracks of static and light amidst the dense cloud of our alchemical soup with an enraged dead ape ripping heads off players. My summoned spider returns to me, not useful where it was, and I attach a jar of special alchemical agents it. Sauce personally signed that jar like a World War II bomb with the words ¡®Enjoy, bitches!¡¯ The spider bounds toward the portal stones. I turn to Kian and Briar, who look happier than I have seen them in a while. ¡°This is the fun part,¡± I say through a grin. ¡°Your idea of softening is more like annihilation,¡± Briar says with a laugh The spider reaches the portal stones and I have it move to the side, away from the crazed skeletal ape. ¡°I have it waiting until¡ª¡± A large group appears all around the portal stone and the spider curls and squeezes, breaking the glass jar. The camp erupts in the closest thing to a tactical nuke I have even heard of in an online game. It instantly vaporizes twenty players, the stone, the camp, and¡ªof course¡ªmy spider. ¡°G-ging-a¡± Briar slowly says, his mouth open. The blast flings the crazed skeletal ape to the side, and it charges into the woods dragging two NPCs with it. I don¡¯t know if it will de-summon on its own, but this is our cue to leave. We jog through the underbrush and dense trees to a spot far enough way and activate a five-minute portal. With a crack of electricity and laughter we reappear back at the fortress with fifteen minutes to spare to get ready for the alliance announcement of our attack. I had, of course, recorded the entire event. As soon as everyone is present, I introduce some new members and explainnot to mess with the stone giants. Then I play the recording, projecting it onto the entire wall of the dining¡ªpool¡ªroom. The packed hall is in awe, laughing, and then erupts with a cheer as the explosion rocks the camp and vaporizes the large group. Sauce stands, clapping, and does an elaborate bow before he turns to the group. ¡°You air-beasts ready for some action?¡± he barks at the crowd, his personal air aspect appears almost as if a fan is blasting his robe. Scanning the eager faces, I raise my skinny fist skyward and say, ¡°Mount up, , we¡¯re going to take another fortress!¡± 25 - Party started 16 days remain of contest A, Saturday. The war column of wild air-aspected players charging through the city on mounts is definitely noticed by everyone. When bundled together, the air aspect bonus increases and creates the effect of having it spin dust-devils off as we pass. The NPCs look on nervously, but otherwise go about their business. We skip stealth and careen headlong down the road, a wild bunch of crazed players with blood and battle lust to spare. We overwhelm several [Art of War] stragglers we come across. There are so many of us hitting them most of us are barely even able to get in an attack. Our mounts huff and spit and complain about being pressed to their limit while we chase the players down. The Jade Fortress comes into view amid the swamp and trees in the lower-lying areas. The crater from the forward base is still smoking, the portal stone is dust, the tents are shredded. There are no players or NPCs in sight. The war party charges forward, eager to enter the fortress. Now it is our turn to set up a camp and begin to work to take out the Fortress. ¡°Saying that you beat the story instance with the dragon; I want this one,¡± Sauce says to me, walking up with bow out and eyes on the edge of camp. ¡°That sounds fair. I could use a break from dungeons¡± ¡°I have got some info from [Art of War] defectors about this fortress and I think we can take it down,¡± He says. ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep it clear out here,¡± I say. I watch Sauce walk off and pull in his crew, then I see him put in the call in the alliance chat. I do a similar message about having scouts stick around outside and act as outriders to warn of an impending attack. I know Josie, and there is no way she will take this sitting down. She will counterattack, so we need to set up a supply line. I check on the wagon hauling a temporary portal stone here and see how far they are out¡ªluckily, they¡¯re fairly close. Once we have that set up, we will be able to fortify correctly. I see Kian typing in the air on the side of the camp, far away from the others, so I walk up to him. ¡°Anything up?¡± I ask. ¡°No, but it sounds like they are on the move. You pissed them off.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I say with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go check on that portal wagon,¡± he says, not meeting my eyes. I watch him mount up and leave. He was not acting normal, but I have too much to think about here. We need to start getting set up. I see a notification that our first raid group has entered the Jade Fortress. *** Kian was torn as he rode from the camp. He felt like he had been completely sidelined by Esme in the last couple weeks. They did well in the storyline instance, but outside of that Esme was making a lot of calls that he was not comfortable with¡ªthe alliance being one of them. That player Sauce had his own motivations and would turn on [Nightfallers] as soon as he could. There is simply too much at stake. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! When Josie had contacted him saying she was willing to offer him a bonus and do an official clan agreement guaranteeing him a bonus amount if he switched sides, he hesitated for a long time, but finally caved. He didn¡¯t like her, but the guarantee was a way to make sure he took care of himself. And, he knew Josie was a more capable leader. She didn¡¯t sneak around behind everyone¡¯s backs; she was a bitch, but at least you knew that going in. He approached the supply wagon with the portal stone and un-summoned his mount, then climbed into the wagon. Quickly dropping a bag and pulling a string from the closed top. The driver and the group of players didn¡¯t pay him any mind as he¡ªa founding member¡ªwas nobody to worry about. He heard an explosion from the direction of the Fortress and saw the smoke rising. He had left a much larger bag there, which had just vaporized most of the alliance. Summoning his mount, he began the ride back toward Port Yarrow, instead of back to either fortress. Behind him the supply wagon exploded, tearing the players and the wagon to bits, pieces of the stone scattering as rubble. He selected ¡®yes¡¯ next to the dialog box asking, ¡°Do you really want to leave clan [Nightfallers]¡± *** The explosion rocked the new camp, I had initially been thrown far from the explosion. Many of the Alliance members all around me, our stacked air aspect provided unexpected protection from the sabotage. I am stunned, according to the interface, and everything is blurry and sounds muffled during the effect. While waiting for the stun to clear up, I hear the sound of an advancing war party. I see Josie on her mount with Alanenon and Braneton just behind. She is screaming and shooting arrows impossibly fast at fleeing players. She stops and scans the battlefield with a smile on her face. I want to slap her. How did she pull this off, I had been careful to not allow any regular members¡ªpossible spies¡ªto know what the plan was. I see her pull out a box and shake it, pulling out what looks like a domino or a Mahjong piece, then throw it toward me. It lands, sticking into the ground and I see it is a Mahjong piece, North, one of the four winds in the Mahjong set. The ground rapidly freezes around the game piece, the frozen area advances in lines like it is alive, lashing to all players nearby. With each player frozen it creates jagged ice spires above them, reaching to the sky. Me, and many of the remaining are almost instantly subsumed in ice. My eyes freeze last, I see Josie laughing.
You have died Thank you for playing Imagine Online Your respawn point: Eagles Crest Fortress Your respawn wait time: 10 minutes (9:57) Experience lost: 0 Items lost: none
How could they have¡ªmy eye catches a clan notification. Sil3nt parts ways with clan [Nightfallers]. Thorn parts ways with clan [Nightfallers]. I see several other names leave the clan. I decide to wait for a while before logging in, so I am not a target for the Knife of Retribution. The knife skill¡ªthe players action to remove a leader¡ªis more of a ¡°kill Caesar¡± kind of thing, but I could see it being used by spies. Is this it? Logging back in, I begin to re-incorporate back into the world and find myself back under the tree in the ghost town where I first received this tombstone on my back. This time, however, I do not have chains and shackles on. The little clink of bones hanging from the dead tree is oddly comforting. I had been getting more and more concerned that Toldos had not called me back for my tasks of atonement yet. ¡°I have a job for you,¡± I hear a voice say. Turning toward it, I see Toldos sitting on the other side of the tree. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to do me some of your tasks. Though, it might be a bit different from what you had in mind. However, I think you are just the person for the task.¡± He turns and gives me a dead smile and says flatly, ¡°The balance requires adjusting. There are others like you who have made my job difficult. I want you to do what you do best ¡­ but do it even better.¡± *** Appearing in the fortress graveyard, I can barely focus on anything. I scan around at the others who are looking to me. Finally, I open my mouth to say something, then I close it. ¡°We have been betrayed,¡± I finally get out. ¡°We have one last hope. Sauce and his team are in the fortress. If they beat the guardian we will take the fortress, otherwise we lost our advantage.¡± I go to the fortress control room and wait, staring at the table map. I don¡¯t know what to do now. Kian betrayed me to Josie and he must have brought Briar into it. It¡¯s the only thing that makes sense. How did this even happen? I get a message from Sauce saying they didn¡¯t make it and asking what happened. I type back a message. Kian betrayed us. I hit send and log off. 26 - Anew 15 Day remain of contest A, a Sunday. I lay awake after a fitful night of sleep, thinking about taking a shower, about food, about how I have been betrayed by my friends. All night I was turning everything over and over in my mind, trying to spot where I went wrong, what I missed. All the little quips and jabs that Kian made, I know he wasn¡¯t happy with some decisions. I had an idea he was doing something, but this was a little over the top. And Briar too, that really hurts. I go to the cafeteria early in my pajamas and get my personalize food; I return to my room and flop onto the bed. Picking up the headset, I consider quitting. Instead I log in.
REGION NOTIFICATION Clan [Art of War] claims The Jade Fortress.
Appearing in the game, I walk around my fortress, morale is low among the alliance members I see. Based on the in-game alliance chat there are many people confused about what happened. There are rumors in the chats that [Nightfallers] leadership is failing. I see also that a large amount of the explosives made via alchemy had been removed from the alchemists hut by Kian and Briar. I feel a plan taking shape; I type into the alliance chat.
Pool Party, There is no need to fear. We will KEEP moving forward, and there is a plan. All YOUR leadership is still intact. Pool Party has had a small setback, but we are going to take this region. I made a PROMISE and I will keep it for my alliance, my clan and my friends. ¡ªNightflower
I press send, knowing the spies will pass on that message. Then I cheer up a little. It¡¯s time to show the alliance we are still in the game. I find Simon and we peruse the clan and alliance offerings. There is one alliance quest we can do with the Stone Giants which involves an invasion of the Eastern Outpost. There are multiple invasion-themed story quests which I can choose locations for. None of the location choices are near the fortress, but it¡¯s going to be a blast. I make up my mind; I am going to use the alliance quests to create massive in-game events every day of this week. Partly to keep the players busy and happy and partly to help level them. There is even a subterranean open world quest which would attract a lot of people. I check and the story instance is still up and running. It has changed, though, and is now a raging capture-point battlefield where the goblins are acting like Tusken Raiders. The goblins¡¯ job there is taking potshots at the players while occasionally doing Worg raids. The ability to enter the instance has been extended to Port Yarrow and is open to anyone. So far has maintained control of the capture points. Control of those points means that our aspect skills and powers are given a boost, and this is going to be key moving forward. I make sure that Simon knows to keep those players happy and remind them of the schedule for the battlefield.
Alliance schedule: Monday: Defend the Outpost¡ª[story quest] a large-scale defense using siege weapons. Tuesday: From Below¡ª[story quest] earth dwellers from the depths surface in the plains. Wednesday: Defend the Outpost (2)¡ª [story quest] another wave of attacks. Thursday: Offensive Action¡ª[story quest] remove a large band of orcs who are raiding towns and villages. Friday: Fortress preparedness (after school).
I run this by Sauce, and I ask him if he can help; we divvy up the tasks for the coming week with me leading on Monday and Thursday. ¡°Josie is going to attack us first thing Friday,¡± Sauce says, twirling an arrow in his fingers and looking over the fortress grounds. He is sitting on a rock above the fortress control room, legs dangling over idly. ¡°She has been playing a long game in the chats and forums, they are trying to wear everyone down. And now that they have Jade, they are declaring victory all over the Internet.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°We will be ready; I have a couple aces up my sleeve, and they don¡¯t know everything.¡± I say. ¡°I know you do,¡± he says. ¡°Anyway, I picked a good one for today,¡± I say with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s called Rockclaw Redeemer and the alliance is going to help the Stone Giants redeem themselves¡ª¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they eat a noble¡¯s horse?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know for certain, but the noble who banished them has become a bad guy according to the alliance quest text. On his death, all proclamations are nullified, so we are going to go sack a fortified compound with a crazy horse-loving noble, then kill him.¡± ¡°What are we waiting for?¡± Sauce jumps down from his perch, smiling. *** 10 days remain of contest A, Friday. Friday is here and our classes are done. I had seen Kian and Briar only briefly, and they had avoided me and quickly gone back to their rooms. I had a busy week in the game, and even with the black feeling of being alone without Kian and Briar I had enjoyed myself. Looking back, the week went as planned. The Stone Giants had to be redeemed to take part in . The alliance members were unsure about the giants until they saw them in action on the battlefield. Then they all wanted to hang out with the giants and talk with them. The noble was the typical arrogant spiteful man, holed up in his summer estate. We fought waves of fighters and even a stampede of wild horses when the noble opened the horse pens upon seeing the giants. We killed everything and in the end the giants offered to spare the noble¡¯s life, but of course he declined. They just simply crushed him before he finished his high-pitched monologue. Then, on Monday, with our newly redeemed stone giants we defended the outposts from an invasion force from the east. With me leading, we snuck out and sabotaged all their equipment with minor explosives. Then we caught them on fire during the battle. The siege engines all exploded and destroyed the attackers. Sending out a round-up crew we mopped up and killed the remainder of them. It was a quick job, and for finishing the quest we got a permanent portal stone at the outpost. Sauce took over the following morning, and we opened up the alliance quest to be a region event, which made the experience and drops better and the monsters harder. Clans and alliances are ranked at the conclusion of the event with special rewards for the top slot. The event consisted of some evil dwarves, The Duergar, that had come up out of the ground and established a crude fortress that we had to attack. The quest was to eradicate them by collapsing four pillars within a tunnel to the depths. The tunnel of course was well guarded and if we were not careful planting bombs on the pillars we wouldn¡¯t make it out. The tunnel collapse sealed the Duergar back into the earth¡ªat least for a time. Sauce did this spectacularly and led the alliance to a decisive advantage over other clans in the rankings for the event. The next day, Sauce again led us to a spectacular victory in the second part of the outpost defense. For the even the attackers, just normal-looking NPCs this time, had harnessed some truly massive war elephants and other boss-level creatures which had to be killed before they smashed the gates. The final killing blow of the fight was an explosive poison bomb Sauce had fashioned to an arrow. Throughout the fight, me and the . Our party had the second highest kill rate after Sauce, who was with the stone giants. We received another portal stone at the second outpost, as reward. Thursday, I got my chance to lead again and attack the orc encampment. They had created themselves a full orc village in a slot-canyon, which made their defense easy. I took the Falling Knives again, and we went up and over to take out guards along the path. The final battle was fairly bloody for both sides because of the natural defenses, but we won. Now, we need to prepare our fortress for attack. *** ¡°We know what¡¯s coming. The spies have all reported back that [Art of War] clan is getting ready,¡± I say to Sauce, Dignity, Beards, and Roll. We all watch a berserker named Fatty spar with one of the stone giants, something nobody else had tried. ¡°Are the approach surprises ready?¡± He asks me. I notice Dignity and Roll tilt their heads, listening. ¡°Yes, we are all ready,¡± I say. I don¡¯t want to proclaim out loud that we had set up a way to remote detonate pre-planted bombs along the approach which should implode the invaders. The idea was to stop them from attacking en masse and get them to trickle in, while the giants hurl giant bombs at them. If the attackers get in, we have an upgraded pool party of acidthey can deal with. We also had set up some large rolling boulders we can use to clear the approach. This is going to be a rough weekend for everyone involved. ¡°Alright, I can light them with flame arrows. This is going to be hilarious.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate them though,¡± I say, thinking of Kian and Briar. We spend the next several hours going through preparations and stopping in town for equipment and potions. I check in with the clan house and have them reinforce the doors and windows in case of attack. Then I return to the fortress and stand on the ramparts over our gate, my cloak billowing in the wind behind me, shadows scratching at the stone. I see the line of riders, [Art of War] is on the move and heading our way. I check the public in-game chat channels and get confirmation that they are riding on us, a mass of players and NPCs with several unknown creatures in huge wagons. ¡°Bring in the runners and lock the gate!¡± I bark down at my man at arms. Simon stands at my side, he asks ¡°Are you ready, madam?¡± ¡°We are ready,¡± I say 27 - Swampy starts 10 days remain of contest A, Friday. The boulder crashes down the narrow approach, flattening NPCs and a couple players. It misses the wagons with the creatures on them and thunders past the main column which managed to move to the side. ¡°Kian, why are you doing this?¡± I whisper as I watch one of our defenses fail thanks to his inside information. They had sent forward scouts up to kill the NPCs whose job it was to pry the boulders loose. Kian does not know about the explosives in the approach canyon, but I am sure he can guess. We had discussed the defense of the keep as one of its main selling points. The attack column begins the hike up the narrow mountain pass. They are dragging two covered wagons with what look like the huge oxen from the plain. The oxen appear to be straining themselves, so whatever they are pulling in those wagons is heavy. I try to guess what they are pulling up the side of our mountain and cannot come up with even the slightest idea. I have a feeling that, no matter, I will not like whatever it is. I make my rounds quickly and check on everyone, I see Sauce in the courtyard waving and make my way down to him. My tombstone backpiece makes me easy to spot. I wonder why I haven¡¯t seen anyone else with a backpiece? ¡°Is it time?¡± asks Sauce. I nod and see him light an arrow on a brazier, pull back his bow, and silently loose the flaming projectile. It follows an arc that quickly carries it out of my line of sight, over the wall. An explosion and shaking of the earth rock the fortress. Back up the stairs and at the top of the wall, I see a cloud of dust and fire below. However, we didn¡¯t get the wagons¡ªthey were still too far down the mountain. The entire front lines of the army were buried and they will need to dig the approach out if they want to get those wagons up here. This buys us some time. Not much, but a little. Walking back through the courtyard I notice my little crew of rogues, the Falling Knives, waiting for me near the portal stone. I motion with a finger to give me a minute. ¡°That¡¯s what I am talking about!¡± Sauce yells and high-fives Dignity, clearly excited about something. He sees my confusion and says, ¡°I just killed 32 players with one explosion.¡± ¡°Oh wow, you got the notifications for all of those¡ª¡± ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you kill 50 people in the starting area all at the same time?¡± ¡°You got that tombstone on your back that keeps the story going. Everyone knows about it and thinks it is pretty awesome,¡± he says, laughing. ¡°We don¡¯t get the PK status in war zones though, so I don¡¯t have to worry about being saddled with one.¡± He turns, looks, and fires an arrow and a figure falls from the wall. ¡°Bam! Take that, spy.¡± I leave Sauce to his raining death and see that we will have all the supplies needed for the defense. I check the alchemy station and pick up some packages I had made for me and the Falling Knives. We are still able to portal-stone out, which is a key point in why we want to get the attackers stuck in the mountain approach. I quickly purchase enough five-minute portal stones for each of us, and then go and hand out the stones and the alchemy packages as we form up the party. ¡°Be careful with those. If you drop one, it can blow up everything,¡± I say, spreading my hands wide. They nod and we all wrap cloaks tight and transfer to the Qeynos Catacombs portal. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Arriving in the cave we immediately spread out. The location has not been found by our enemies and still has the NPC guards keeping watch. We exit the cave in darkness, into the valley on foot. Leaping through the shadows before summoning our mounts, dark windswept horses that step from deep shadows and shake light off. We thunder across the plains kicking up dust in our haste. Approaching the war zone we can see the torches of the [Art of War], far up on the side of the mountain, in the distance. On the long ride, I keep my eye on the chats to see what is going on publicly. There are some people who are following the war party and keeping the public channels apprised of what is going on, but I don¡¯t know how accurate it is. We need to get close enough that I can use Morrigan to fly over and check. Then we can take out whatever is in the wagons and mess up their efforts in general. At the base of the approach, I spy one of the narrow cracks that the spies use as paths to move around on the mountain. I signal two of the Falling Knives to a crack on the other side. We split up and keep voice communications open. I am with one of the Falling Knives named McStabface. As we approach, I give him instructions for rigging up the lower entrance of the mountain approach. We move farther up, and I pause and switch my vision to Morrigan from high above. Below her, I can see the war column on the approach and the two wagons. There is a large contingent that is working to clear the path, they are nearly done. We are going to have to move fast if we want to give them pause here. I can see the occasional flaming arrow land. Everyone watches as Sauce creatively taunts them in the local chat channel. Strangely, I don¡¯t see Josie, Kian, or Briar anywhere here. In the inky darkness I slide out from a narrow crack behind a bush. Slipping into the enemy ranks, stealing between the shadows, spooking mounts and brushing past the legs of NPCs, I move quickly to the wagons. I get to the far side where there are no players watching and I look under the cover of the nearest wagon. They are large tanks, which appear to be carrying water. I climb up farther to look into the tank. Peering in I am even more confused, it is just water. There is nothing else in it, just strange-smelling water. Is this ¡­ swamp water? I don¡¯t know why they would want this to siege our fortress, but I am going to destroy it. I notice on my map overlay that one of the Falling Knives is on the other tank of water, attaching an explosive. I start to ask him if his tank is also only water, but I hear a commotion. ¡°Hey, what is that?¡± Then, much more loudly, ¡°A spy over here!¡± And the war column boils with knives and torches, surging. I place my bomb and I scurry over to see a mob of players trying to squeeze into one of the cracks in the walls my rogue went safely into. But the jig is up¡ªit¡¯s time to turn this into a real war. ¡°Light em up!¡± I say in voice chat. I light the bomb on the tank and then one of the bombs inside my pack. I throw the entire pack farther up the busy canyon and I move as fast as I can back to my crevasse. I see other packs flying, landing amidst the enemy. Once at the crevasse I move farther into the rock as the ground lifts with the explosions, the packs, the tanks, the whole side of the mountain shudders with each blast. The water from the tanks begins pouring into the cracks in the mountain. I am forced to climb higher to not be swept away. I can hear the NPCs and the players screaming back in the canyon. I move to an outcropping of rock that has a decent view of the approach and climb to the top. I notice that the water is all over the side of the mountain, and in the dark of night it has made the air cold and smell like decay. ¡°Be careful, guys,¡± I say in voice chat. ¡°Something is going on with this gross water.¡± There is a wind that blows in, and with it a quiet fog that dampens sound. It feels magical¡ªthere was something about those tanks full of water. Then I see them¡ªcreatures of dirt, vine, and darkness climbing up out of the clefts and crevasse of the steep and rocky approach. Everywhere they touch is covered in slime and sprouts plants. I watch them attack the NPCs and the players as they are running down the hill. One player, a creature chasing him, runs into where we had placed some booby¡ª The explosion at the base of the mountain looks like a firework that half went off. It shoots flaming chunks of players and swamp goop all over, and then there is another explosion, and still another. Not wanting to have that swamp water touch me, I move closer up the mountain to the fortress. We need to regroup and see what is going on, I set a point on the map for the Falling Knives to find me. ¡°Hey, guys, meet on my map point and let¡¯s head back,¡± I say in party chat. We lose two party members to the swamp, but the rest make it. I fire up a five-minute portal and appear back in the courtyard. ¡°Good job keeping that goop away from the fortress,¡± Sauce says with a half-smile. ¡°But we have bigger problems now. I heard over chat that they wanted to let that stuff sit and rot the walls and gate over the next day. Then they could just come and walk into here Sunday. Apparently, they are still preparing the main invasion.¡± ¡­ they are still preparing the main invasion. ¡°That stuff is still all over the mountain, but yea it is way too close to the gate for comfort. Well, I¡¯m going to try to catch some sleep, but I¡¯ll have my headset on so Simon can ping me if anything happens,¡± I say, trying not to let it show that I am rattled. ¡°I¡¯ll do the same,¡± he says and we log off. 28 - Snowbird 9 day remain of contest A, Saturday I wake and log in. The swamp parts of the mountain have gotten worse, and the fortress has to constantly be on guard from swamp creatures, summoned in the fog, attacking the walls. We spend the day trying to stop the attacking swamp, and eventually with the help of fire potions and mages we make progress in pushing it back. I am in the control room trying to get information from the spies, but [Art of War] have killed most. I read the chats, and it looks like they consider us as good as dead; the jokes are already being told. [Art of War] having created a war declaration against can openly attack us anywhere. They camp out near the Port Yarrow portal stone for easy kills as Alliance members portal in. Any alliance members who exit the safe zone in Port Yarrow die by a large group of waiting [Art of War] players. We can still check the marketplace and turn in quests, but travel is restricted. Under siege and at war we can¡¯t do much but wait. I pace the battlements in anticipation. I log off late and leave my headset on in sleep mode so I will hear a ping if anything happens.
8 days remain of contest A, Sunday My headset pings me, it is late in the morning, and I slept until nearly noon. I go to the bathroom. Coming back I step over dirty laundry and a plate and fall into my bed. Then I log back in. Players are running around the grounds and battlements of the fortress and the portal stone is flashing regularly with incoming players arriving in batches from Port Yarrow and the outposts. I climb the battlements and see that [Art of War] is coming. This time it¡¯s the main force with Josie at the front. They have brought more wagons, that look heavily guarded, which will soon be within bow range. I can see rogues and others stealth-based players with my perception as purple blobs or footprints across the rocks on the mountain. There is a shadowy war happening alongside the visible one. Bringing up my interface for the fortress, I quickly spend the money for additional defenses: archers and a flaming oil a type of ballista called a Polybolos. It shoots huge arrows from the towers. And, of course, I buy a ton of explosives from the alchemy house that we can attach to the arrows. I open the fortress interface and request the Stone Giants help, beyond just the two they promised¡ªthe new option became available after we did the optional quest to redeem the Rockclaw clan. I don¡¯t see any extra options, like I have for the giants, for the dragon guardian, as he is already the prime guardian. I need to check his options after this fight. I don¡¯t believe the giants will answer the call, as it was pretty clear they would supply only one two. But I may need the help, and based on the interface, since redemption they have added to their numbers significantly. It lists their reputation with as Friends, so it can¡¯t hurt to ask. I hear Sauce laughing with his friends below and they look like they are all working on something. ¡°Oh, this is gonna wreck faces,¡± Roll can barely say between laughs with the other alliance members standing around. Jumping down, I see what they are working on¡ªit¡¯s one of the large ballista arrows with one of Roll¡¯s small air summons attached to it. The little fay strapped onto the arrow and loaded up with explosive packets looks nervous. I glance at Roll and back at the arrow with raised eyebrows. ¡°We are gonna shoot this fay over them, and it is going to drop explosives along the way like a bomber. Once it lands, it will launch its ultimate and start attacking. We¡¯ve rigged it up to self-detonate once it gets to 30% health. It¡¯s a new option; the air aspect gives some really cool opportunities with this air-based summon,¡± Roll explains while trying to keep his cloak from flying around. I take notice that being in a group since becoming air aspected can be interesting, everyone¡¯s clothes and hair are flying around in wisps of wind. It gives us the effect of always being on a mountaintop. Then with the aspect skills active, multiple players together have a wall of wind around them blowing everything around. Any alliance member can pass through the barrier, but it is strong enough to deflect arrows and damage foes. The wind walls have become an issue in the fortress, and the NP¡¯s have to keep things tied down. [Art of War] is welcome to go head-to-head, we have an advantage. ¡°Now that looks fun,¡± I say, looking at the little Fay. ¡°I hope it works.¡± I examine the summon closer and it appears as if it is made of electric blue glass and wind with runes flowing through it like blood. ¡°You guys ready for this attack?¡± I ask, changing the topic. I get nods, and then a loud horn blows once. ¡°Party time,¡± Sauce says, springing to his feet and heading toward the stairs up the battlements. Following Sauce up, I see Roll head to one of the towers with the ballista, holding his crazy arrow and carrying a bag of explosives. When I reach the top, I see all the defenders have activated Wind Guard, and the combined effect makes them immune to ranged attacks. It also makes my hair and cloak blow everywhere. A flight of arrows arcs in to the battlements, and the air pushes them down into the ground or turns them around and sends them feebly back toward the attackers. Looking past the wind wall, I see that [Art of War] has cleared the areas we exploded earlier. They have also passed a section which was supposed to have exploded on their flank. The outriders they sent have killed all of our spies and trigger-men on the approach. They have a clear road to our front door and are in arrow range. I see the wagons being pulled by war elephants. What can war elephants do in battle?
SIEGE START [Art of War] begins siege of Eagles Crest Fortress As alliance leader, you have new modes: - Command mode active.
I switch to command mode and see a megaphone icon which makes my voice heard by any alliance member near the fortress and I direct, ¡°Ballista, fire!¡± A moment later I see large arrows carve gashes in the attacker¡¯s front. The fodder line consists of all their hired NPC¡¯s, a mix of scaled fish men, and undead swamp fighters. Then I see a blue light streak from the tower Roll was in, the fay riding an arrow, small twinkles of lights in its wake. After a second, I see sparkling packages being dropped from it. The blue light splits from the arrow in mid-air and I see the arrow hit a player directly in the chest, killing him immediately. The blue light flits down, surrounding a dozen players and spins them like a mixer. Then the explosives go off and the war starts. As the bombs detonate the NPCs, the noise spooks the war elephants, which charge forward and trample the NPCs and players in front of them. They stampede right to the walls with the wagons, which I assume are full of swamp water. The first of the wagons reaches the wall and the war elephant breaks away from the wagon it was pulling. It then begins to trample around in front of the gate, crashing into the other elephants and knocking their wagons loose as well. A horn blows twice and the top of the nearest wagon comes off, then tentacles reach over and onto the wall. An octopus the size of a semi-truck begins plucking NPC archers and our alliance players off the wall, suckered limbs crushing them with ease. I see the another wagon open and an octopus explodes out, sloshing water everywhere. They were in wagons of water. Water. ¡°Hit those octopuses with fire and break those wagons,¡± I say in command voice. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I jump down from the battlement, leaving my spider summon to go and poison the octopuses, since I am not a front-line fighter by any means. I move into the fortress proper and make my way to the command room where Simon is. I look out the open windows and see my spider has poisoned both of the octopus, but died when the second one got hold of it. I can view the top of the towers above and there Roll is manning a ballista. I see him fire and a bolt punctures both of the wagons. Hopefully, removing the water in the wagons prevents the octopuses from healing. One of the octopus climbs, limbs moving faster than my eye can track, up the tower, and grabs Roll¡ªwho is holding a large bag of explosives. I see it stuff Roll into it¡¯s maw, and then after one second it erupts. Pieces of octopus goop spray all over the battlefield as cries go up along the battlements. The other octopus has smashed the gatehouse, and I see it work the gate mechanism which raises the outer gate and leaves our fortress open. Sauce and Dignity rapidly move backward toward the inner gate, the one with the kill tunnel. ¡°Form up in the pool room,¡± I say using command voice. I see the enemy pouring through the front gate. Sauce shoots one final flaming arrow, and the entire front gate explodes into a crater, killing dozens of players and NPCs who had tried to come in. Through the smoke, fire, and octopus guts I can see Josie entering triumphantly into the gate, she has Kian and Briar with her. ¡°Dammit!¡± I say, startling Simon, who otherwise seems not to be bothered by any of this. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared the defenses,¡± he says and opens the door with a small bow. I charge down the stairs to the pool room from the tunnel above. Arriving I quickly check the passage to the heart room behind us for spies. In haste, we prepare to defend the kill room, mostly from above, but a few of us are in the basin area. The front gate explodes inward, and right after it a backpack slides into the kill room, all the way down and to the back gate. ¡°Get back!¡± I say as I dive for cover. The gate sides explode and fall in, completely opening the fortress. ¡°Get out of the pool,¡± I say to a couple of stunned players. I climb to the upper level and throw the pool switch with two hands. I watch as the upgraded fortress acid begins to flood the floor from below. The explosion damaged part of the pool floor. The acid overflows the kill room area and spills out into the courtyard, where it sizzles and pops on the ground. They throw more bombs in, and then I see Josie toss a Mahjong piece in the doorway. A large vine grows in the pool room and out the front of the castle. It comically expands like a beanstalk from the children¡¯s tale and several players, including Sauce and Dignity, are caught in it. I can only watch as it lifts them right out of the room, tangled in the growth. In moments it finishes growing, the trunk is enormous and quickly turns brown, the base of a gigantic tree. I retreat to the Heartroom¡ªit is empty. Only the heartstone, set in a gold base, on a central dais is here. The ceiling has cracked open from the tree growing out of the middle of the fortress in front. I don¡¯t see Frostcracker our epic guardian. Did it fly out of the broken roof? Checking the fortress interface in a panic I see someone disabled our guardian, an admin, one week prior. I view the log and see it was Kian who disabled him. When I try to reenable the the guardian, I am blocked¡ªI cannot while the fortress is less than 80% intact. What kind of stupid rule is that? Josie, Kian, and Briar step into the Heartroom with me next to the stone, feeling my doom. It¡¯s just me now. *** ¡°Well well, she didn¡¯t reactivate the guardian.¡± Josie smirks at me, then glances at Kian while nimbly stepping over rubble with her bow in one hand. ¡°Kian, why?¡± I ask, and I see him turn his head. Briar is standing slightly behind Kian and Josie. Briar gives a nervous, and pleading, glance to Kian. I can hear crashing outside in the courtyard. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this done, I just need to hold this room for thirty minutes before midnight tonight.¡± She says. ¡°Kian¡ª¡± ¡°He sold you out for money. When I take this whole region, he gets a big piece of the pie. Though I don¡¯t really know if I want a traitor around for the whole game, at least he gets this chunk,¡± she says, while pulling her bow out. I pull a card from under my robe. If I ever needed to turn into a death dragon, this would be the time. I look down at it. It is an image of a tiny snowbird on a branch in a winter garden. There is a single wand in each corner. In a flash and whirl of matter, I am in the air. My wings flap wildly as I maintain my altitude and I hear Josie burst out laughing. ¡°I was expecting you to turn into a huge monster. What happened?¡± Josie taunts. She pulls back her bow, and without hesitating shoots at me, the arrow narrowly missing my tiny body. ¡°Fly away, little scared bird,¡± se says as I fly up and farther away from her. I can see daylight streaming into the chamber from the hole in the roof and I instinctually want to flee, to go out there in the open. I want to be far from friends who have sold me out to my enemies. I make for the exit; my little wings carry me fast and true. I am near the hole in the roof when I hear Josie laugh again while she walks up to the Heartstone. I think of all the pain and terror Josie has caused me, even in this game, turning my friend from me. Somehow she talked Kian into being a traitor and dragged Briar into it. As much as I would love to just fly away and leave this all behind, I cannot. I am just shaped like a little bird; I can still fly, and hope for an opening to reappear behind her for a backstab. Swooping down, I buzz over Josie¡¯s head with a chirp and I keep flying circles around her. I gain and lose momentum and height as I dive-bomb her over and over. ¡°Ginga! You freak, I am going to roast you,¡± she yells as she wildly shoots arrows at me. I am small¡ªand moving fast¡ªthe arrows come close, but not close enough. Harrassing her, I can hear sounds outside, thumps and booms and screams. Luckily, it doesn¡¯t seem like Josiehears it; she is too focused trying to swat me with her bow between attempts to shoot me. I see her pull out a blue arrow dripping with magical energy turn, draw and loose the arrow. I can see it coming for me and I try to turn, but I am too late. My small, fragile body is sliced on my left side. SilverBtch critically hits You for 124 (88 +44 water) damage *Transformation cancelled; damage exceeds transformed creature health. SilverBtch applies bleed 18-22 to you I fall and hit the ground with a sickening crunch. I am near the Heartstone and my side is open and bleeding. I can¡¯t move, the damage and shock freezes me in place, my breath ragged and labored. Laying here, I can¡¯t help but watch a lone feather floating down, slowly drifting back and forth and then landing on my stomach. My wind is gone, and the air aspect begins to leave me. ¡°Esme, you are stupid and weak. You really thought that you could beat everyone in this game, and you thought you could beat me? You could only attack me from behind back in Kesmai.¡± She laughs while standing in place, then looks around the room with distaste. ¡°What kind of name is Kesmai, anyway?¡± I laugh thinking about how the original players of The Island of Kesmai would react to this scene playing out. The laugh causes me to start coughing blood up. This game has these death scenes down. At least there is that. Bleed -19 hit points (SilverBtch) Josie begins to pull another arrow out of her quiver as Kian looks away. I see that Briar is fooling with something, then a red magical gash opens in the air and slashes Josie across her chest. A region notification flashes that Briar has used a knife of reconciliation against SilverBtch, and she screams. Kian spins as Briar raises his knives and hits Josie for three incredible backstabs. I watch numbly while she falls to the floor, spraying blood up into the air all over Briar and Kian. In a fog, I see Briar spin in the red shower of her blood and slash Kian with a flanking hit. ¡°You idiot!¡± Briar yells, leaving a huge cut in Kian¡¯s side. Bleed -22 hit points (SilverBtch) Kian, falling back against the wall, looks at Josie. She is dead, her body turning to wisps of black. He turns and runs back out of the door as I see him grabbed and smashed against the wall, exploding into smoke. The huge hand, the hand of a stone giant. Briar sheaths his knife and backs up to near me, raising his hands to show he means no harm. I see a request to join [Nightfallers] from his character Thorn, and I accept it. The air aspect overtakes Briar with puffs of wind and his hair starts flowing in an unseen wind. The stone giants who enter the room take a second look at Briar, then quickly nod when they see the room is secure. Beryllighter, the Rockclaw chief, enters and walks over to the Heartstone. He pats it gently. ¡°Aww, little girl, let¡¯s get you right,¡± he says. His brows furrows as he bends over and picks me up, and a light green glow seems to surround him. I grab the little feather on my chest as my vision gets a little fuzzy. Then, the whole interface flickers like static. Bleed -20 hit points (SilverBtch) Beryllighter heals you for 80 hit points, bleed removed. My player interface is grey from being stunned; I can¡¯t see any status updates as I am carried out of the Heartroom back to the courtyard. Rising music starts and my vision blurs. I am suddenly outside of my character body and floating above, watching the giant carry me. The narrator softly says, ¡°Surviving the attack, the regent of Eagles Crest fortress is cared for by her guardians. Her arch foe is vanquished, and she has survived the trials of war.¡± The camera passes over Briar and the giants. ¡°She regains a lost companion and bonds with her allies. Our hero has prevailed the darkness and come out victorious. Having survived the attack, the allies¡¯ fortress is changed and given a new name.¡± A system notification passes in the lower right of my vision. Region notification: Eagles Crest Fortress is renamed Ashvattha air fortress. The sun is setting as Beryllighter enters the wrecked courtyard carrying me. I see there are twenty stone giants as well as all the alliance defenders of the fortress, who are resurrected. The game has them standing at attention, all watching the cutscene with me. The music hits a high point and there are fireworks as Frostcracker lands hundreds of feet above us in the massive tree growing out of the center of the air fortress. The guardian roars cinematically while the camera follows my familiar Morrigan; she lazily glides down and lands on the tombstone on my back. The music fades and I am back in control of my character and standing in front of my army. I clench the tiny feather and look over the courtyard. Then I raise my weak and bloody fist and¡ªloud enough that all present can hear me clearly¡ªsay, ¡°It¡¯s time to take the war to them!¡± 29 - Bring it on! 8 days remain of contest A, Sunday. ¡°We have six hours left of this weekend,¡± I say among the rubble of the courtyard. The repairs already paid for are underway, but will take time. ¡°Frostcracker will be re-enabled as well, I set that up with Simon.¡± I cannot help but notice that all members of the Falling Knives party now have a small snowbird insignia embroidered on their cloaks. Briar told them about me turning into one. I kind of feel dumb about staying as a bird during that fight, but I didn¡¯t have many options there. I was just trying to keep her busy long enough for something to happen. ¡°She threw everything she had at you,¡± Briar says, tripping over a rock while looking up at the tree. ¡°The Jade fortress has no guardian right now. If you want to take it, now is the time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m down. They just got beat and have bad morale, two fortresses to defend with grumpy people is a lot,¡± Sauce says. He turns as if he is daring anyone to contradict him. ¡°Any objections? If not, I¡¯ll purchase the siege gear and the NPC soldiers and let¡¯s go take it from them,¡± I say. I am met with determined stares from the alliance. I open the interface and start spending money. *** We roll with the siege gear under the cover of night from the closest outpost. Luckily, we stay completely undetected until we are close enough to rush into position. I gather Briar and the Falling Knives; Briar has decided that they are his shock troops after watching them work during the defense of the fortress. We make our way to the side of the Jade Fortress and its twisted green towers. Scaling the walls, we begin a silent NPC murder spree across the grounds until we are at the front and raise the gate. ¡°Welcome to Jade Fortress,¡± I say over the voice chat to my alliance. I hear the crackle of the Portal Stone, and then an explosion. The Falling Knives¡¯ explosives trap on the portal stone blew up. They are there to keep doing the same to anyone coming in. Nobody will pass while they are on watch. I allow myself a little chuckle at how vicious they are. The tower ballista come alive and I have to dive out of the way. I dash through the dark to the side of one tower and quickly ascend. Somehow, I find purchase in the stones for my fingers and continue my climb. At the top I leap over the edge swiftly dispatching a lower-level player character. I take over the ballista, seeing players on another tower of the fortress I take them by surprise with a ballista bolt. I destroy the other ballista, but do not see a kill for the player I had seen there. Then I see him thrown over the side of the tower, screaming all the way to a sickening crunch. Dignity and Beards poke their heads over the wall and wave at me saying, ¡°Don¡¯t shoot!¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I use one of my air aspect feather-falls for the day and leap off the tower. I settle to the ground with little dust-devils swirling around the base of my cloak. Having learned the trick from Josie, I use the explosives to breach the main castle. As the front explodes out, there are two massive lizards with thick scales that climb out. Following the lizards are about 20 of the swamp creatures we fought in front of our own fortress. ¡°Firebombs!¡± I say. We throw the firebombs all around the defenders, losing several players and a couple dozen NPCs in the process. The fire bombs seem to be doubly effective against the native creatures of this zone. Once the last of the defenders falls still, we enter and I use the shadows to leap ahead. There are a few lower-level players we quickly dispatch. I make my way to the Heartstone room. The room is similar to the one in the Air Fortress, but the stone is made of jade and pulses. I slap my hand on the stone as the timer begins the countdown. I look at the clock, we made it here with five minutes to spare. Sauce comes in and also puts his hand on the stone. ¡°This is gonna piss them off so bad. I have some ideas for how we take the last one,¡± He says with a mischievous chuckle. ¡°Good,¡± I say. ***
REGION NOTIFICATION Clan [Nightfallers] claims The Jade Fortress.
We walk out of the Heartroom together and look around at our alliance, all of whom are beaming with the sure knowledge that we will win the region. One more to go. I find a set of stone steps and climb it so all can see. Turning around to survey the rubble field we just took, I wait for Sauce to join me. Then, with a whistle, I get the attention of all nearby. All eyes turn to us. ¡°We have taken this fortress from [Art of War], and they have only onemore thing left that belongs to us,¡± I say, still a little unsure how I ended up a general. ¡°They are going to have five days to prepare for us unless we keep them busy, and they will fight us tooth and nail. Every trick, every skill and relic they have, they will throw at us to keep us from winning. We are going to win anyway.¡± I look to Sauce and smile as he steps forward. ¡°We need to cook up some real treats for those guys in Leviathan fortress,¡± Sauce says. ¡°We need to hound them all week and not let up for a second. We have to keep them from consolidating their power. It will be a war of attrition, trickery, and nastiness. In other words, our kind of war.¡± He nods at the Falling Knives. "If you have any ideas, let us know privately. We have some plans already¡ªyou guys are going to love it.¡± The members of cheer the news. Their week will be work, but we can do this as long as we don¡¯t let up¡ªwe have to keep the pressure on. I see in the public chat my troops are already taunting the enemy, but that is just step one. 30 - All day long 7 Days remain of contest A, Monday ¡°We have to hit them where it hurts. We can¡¯t let them travel anywhere. They will do no leveling, no shopping, no market, no travel of any kind,¡± Sauce says, clearly getting into the new war general roles we have. ¡°We will control all the dungeons near their fortress. All the resources, those, will be ours. They will be stuck sitting in their fortress watching in fear. ¡°We have set up alliance chat channels for each of the various fronts we are waging war on. In this effort, each team will have a codename and a team lead who will talk in these comms. Your alliance leaders have discussed it. and when we win, for each AOW kill you get, we will give you a thousand gold. The team with the most kills of AOW members will get an extra 250,000 gold from each of us when we win. In your alliance interface is a new tab with a leaderboard. You will need to register your party for the board and stick with them until Friday.¡± Excited chatter and grins overtake the alliance members. Incentivizing them to hunt and kill enemies is not needed, but this makes it more likely they will be ruthless. I step forward. ¡°First up, everyone get into the party you will use for the contest and join the alliance board,¡± I say, looking around. In the translucent window I have open, with the alliance leaderboard, I start seeing more parties show up. Sauce waves and says, ¡°If your party is not all online yet, just form a party and give yourself a name and then invite them. No party jumping okay? ¡ªAlright, get going.¡± ¡°We need volunteers,¡± I say. Every hand raises, and laughter bursts out. I select one group I have seen work well together before during the outpost quests and assign them to the resources. Another group I assign to the story dungeon that [Art of War] has been running. I am careful not to limit them to only those areas, they are going to want to participate in the competition. I just ask that they specifically clear them routinely to looking for targets. ¡°Don¡¯t forget,¡± Sauce hollers at the throng. ¡°Weekend-only war declarations are off during the week, so we are going to all be flagged for PVP and maybe pick us up some tombstones like Nightflower here. Flagged for PVP means guards will attack. We have several full-time crafters who can go to town on shopping runs should you need anything.¡± For Port Yarrow we have four parties¡ªincluding the Falling Knives, which includes myself and Briar. Sauce wants to patrol around their fortress with a group of ranged fighters and Roll with his summons. Roll leveled up and got a new rank of his air summon he wanted to try out. The summons now looks like a Chinese temple guardian, almost like a mix of dragon and pit-bull that floats instead of using wings. Their party will locking down the road to the Leviathan Fortress for anyone not in . I turn to my Falling Knives and smile; they proudly display their knife and snowbird insignias. This wild little pack of assassins is going to tear apart the town and the surrounding areas with a special emphasis on destruction. This¡ªthis, is the fun part. *** Watching the splinters of the enemy¡¯s clan house rain down in burning pieces satisfies me in ways I could not have foreseen. I paid an NPC to tell a new character that if they carry a package into the [Art of War] clan house, they would get a secret quest. The explosion rocked the town. Falling Knives got +5 kills on the alliance board with one bomb. A series of light chimes ring. We get a small little one each time it records a kill, and the sound is a reminder that there is a contest happening. The forums and public chats like local, region, and trade are all nothing but complaints and whining about our alliance. The Falling Knives end the day on a good note, nineteen kills total, but we are not close to the top of the leaderboard. Sauce and his party took out a huge group on the road and racked up forty-eight Top five: #kills partyname (leader): This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. 48 Deeps (Sauce) 32 AoWsucks (BenHur) 30 EatThis (JelloB) 23 Snowbirds (Fatty) 19 Falling Knives (NightFlower) Our party decide to log off in a safe spot, a rooftop in the poor section of the Port Yarrow. I verify using Morrigan that no one has spotted where we will log out and we all do a countdown and snap out of existence to sleep. *** 4 days remain of contest A, Thursday The last several days went by quickly, and they were spent constantly following and killing every player we could find. We have halted the economy in our entire region and the NPCs won¡¯t come out of their houses. The only NPCs seen are the shopkeepers, the ones who don¡¯t have homes. The campaign against [Art of War] is having a debilitating effect on them: people are quitting the clan and still getting killed everywhere they go. The only safe place is to log off. They have their little wins here and there, though, and as our members get killed, they are reappearing with haunted expressions and tombstones from Toldos. I check the leaderboard, the last few days have been busy. #kills partyname (leader): 108 Snowbirds (Fatty) 92 Deeps (Sauce) 84 AoWsucks (BenHur) 81 Falling Knives (NightFlower) 79 Zipheads (Chucklenoggin) Fatty is a berserker, in a party of shape changers and berserkers that has been wrecking player groups. They are basically a roaming Zerg-force, and they frequently post videos in the public chats of their violence. I see Kian¡¯s character name Sil3nt among the names of those we killed. It seems that he is no longer a member of [Art of War]. Sauce killed him in a large group attempting to leave the Leviathan fortress, and then some of our new [Nightfallers] players cornered him and took him again down near the market. They offered me a video, but I declined, and I didn¡¯t say anything to Briar about it. While waiting on a rooftop, deep in shadow, scanning for new victims in Port Yarrow, I get an in-game message from Kian. It dings and pops up.
We need to talk please, meet me by the well under the tree.
I consider that I could go and just get another kill, but I should hear him out and see what he has to say. I ask Briar to come with me and we head out, leaving the Falling Knives to keep our area clear of players. I have Briar hang back for a minute, but remain in sight. I decide that I want to scout out the area first, just in case this is one of Josie¡¯s tricks. With Morrigan¡¯s eyes I can see the entire area, and the only one present is Kian, who is up in a tree. Approaching, I don¡¯t try to use hide-in-shadows, and I don¡¯t try to even be silent. I just walk up, my cloak dragging scratching shadows behind me, my hood down, and my hair blowing slightly with the air aspect. ¡°Speak your peace,¡± I say when I am close. I look up into the tree as Morrigan flies down and lands on the tombstone on my back and wipes her beak. Kian drops from the tree, he is in his rogue gear and looks skittish. I notice that he is wearing the cloak I got for him. ¡°Hi,¡± he says meekly. ¡°I want to apologize. I don¡¯t know what I was thinking, and I don¡¯t know why I did that.¡± He looks up. ¡°I was jealous of you. I thought you were making all the decisions by yourself and that you didn¡¯t know what you were doing¡ª¡± ¡°But I did.¡± ¡°Yes, I know. I was wrong. I was very wrong¡ª¡± ¡°You really were,¡± I snap, trying not to cry. ¡°What do you want from me here?¡± I ask. Morrigan from my shoulder makes a gurgling croak sound and shifts, visibly disturbed. ¡°I want to help you, and I want to earn my way back into Nightfallers,¡± he says. ¡°How can you help?¡± ¡°I can give you the layout of the Leviathan fortress and tell you everything about the guardian there. I can tell you all about their plans, at least as of a couple days ago, and I can provide alchemical services. Listen, I know I hurt you. ?¡± I know I need a break or I am going to show my heartbreak. I turn and wave Briar over. ¡°What¡¯s up loser,¡± Briar nods to Kian. ¡°Kian repeat for Briar what you just proposed to me please?¡± I say as I turn and sit down. Listening to Kian repeat everything again to Briar, I almost get that feeling of when we first started playing. Briar interrupts him every few seconds with an expletive about how his brain is excrement. It¡¯s almost like when it was fun, and we all got along. I know I am mad, but in many ways I set this all in motion, and this is my fault. Kian and Briar have been best friends most of their lives. It would tear Briar apart to lose Kian as a friend. I can¡¯t let that happen. ¡°Ahem. I think I know what to do,¡± I interrupt Briar, who is explaining to Kian how many nails he has for a brain. ¡°I am going to set your reputation with the alliance to friendly, so you won¡¯t get killed everywhere. You can go to the Fortress and work in the alchemy house. We need more bombs; you can help the war effort by making us those. I would stay out of sight though, as there are a lot of people who may still kill you. Oh, and before you go, let Briar know all the info on the fortress.¡± I pause and then continue, ¡°I apologize to you, Kian, for my part in all this, and for not talking with you. It¡¯s going to be awhile before I can trust you again. Just know that I forgive you and I am going to try to get everyone else to forgive you as well,¡± I say. I see Briar visibly relax, and for once he has nothing to say. ¡°T-thank y-you,¡± Kian says, choking up. 31 - Leviathan 2 days remain of contest A, Saturday. It is Saturday evening, after a full day of setting up our encampment, just outside the gates of Leviathan Fortress. The fortress has high, slick walls and towers of coral with shell roofing and gangways between towers. The fortress itself is on a steep island, the cliffs of which make it a natural fortress already. The entryway is across a narrow footpath, which the tide covers at certain points of the week. The footpath continues up a steep and narrow road that winds back and forth to the gates. Under the island, in dark sea caves, are creatures which can be summoned as guardians. There were rumors of the creatures on the forums, and in the chats, but I had assumed this is information ¡®plants¡¯ to try to steer away any would-be attackers¡ªnow I am not so sure. Kisma Carn, the reporter, I first saw in the newbie island, is stalking around our camp, with her floating eye-cameras, interviewing people. Above us, one of the Beholders is focused on myself and Sauce. ¡°Get that thing out of here,¡± Sauce yells at the reporter. She walks over. ¡°Care to make any statement? This could be the fight that wins the Yarrow region. She gives us a quizzical look that I realize is because we have our name and clan tags off, so she only knows that we are alliance. Sauce leans in and I cannot make out what he says, but her face bunches up and she storms off. He laughs and turns to me. ¡°The alliance has strict orders not to have clan or name tags on to not identify alliance leaders, she has no idea who we are.¡± ¡°I think she might,¡± I say, watching her walk away. I¡®ve seen the way she keeps within a certain distance, and that one of the beholders is always kept roughly pointed in our direction. ¡°Even if the alliance members don¡¯t say anything, their actions speak to who we are. People are always coming up to us, and they move aside when we walk around. I think it¡¯s pretty obvious.¡± I check the #uwupdate channel and see she is hyping up the battle and probably giving away information to our enemies inside the walls. ¡°I have a little surprise I found in the alliance upgrade tree,¡± Sauce says and shares a screen with me. ¡°It¡¯s encrypted voice communications with all alliance members, so alliance members can talk openly, and their voices will sound like a garbled mess to anyone listening.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s buy it,¡± I say. Notice: alliance upgraded with full-encryption voice communications. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try this out,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯m going to go with the full-encrypted mode and not the intended-target mode. The default will not encrypt for NPCs, or players not in the alliance, who you are directly looking at. So you can still buy things, but any comms over our channels or directly to another member will be encrypted automatically, even if they are standing right in front of you.¡± ¡°Perfect,¡± I say. Sauce fiddles his fingers in the air, moving interface knobs. Notice: Voice override. All alliance in-person voice currently encrypted. ¡°Okay, so we can talk freely now?¡± I ask. ¡°I think so. Let¡¯s find out,¡± He walks over by the red-haired reporter and says, ¡°So about that offer of a private interview in my dorm. I really did mean the part about whipped cream!¡± ¡°I bet she has fake read hair,¡± I say to Sauce, then look at her. She looks from to Sauce and says, ¡°Is this some kind of joke, I can understand you, but everyone else is speaking some kind of garble, is my headset broken or something?¡± Other players around her talk to each other and she looks more confused and then abruptly logs off. We open alliance-moderated voice, which only allows a few of us to speak. I say out loud, ¡°Okay, we are fully encrypted for a bit. You guys know what to do. Deep¡¯s Party and AoWSuck¡¯s party are going to flank up the sides once it is dark. Snowbirds and EatThis are going right up the front to try to draw their attention.¡± I wave at them and they all pretend to fall over from the imaginary weight of my hand. I give them a chuckle. ¡°Falling Knives have some interesting new tactics we are going to try. If they don¡¯t work, then it could be rough for us, but we have a backup plan. Luckily, we brought out a temporary portal stone and set it up in a cave nearby. We can get back fast if we need to¡ªit can still take a whilethey are probably going to figure out that is there pretty quick.¡± ¡°These guys are ready for us,¡± Sauce says, stepping up as Kisma Carn reappears with her beholder eye cameras. He pauses, and then continues, ¡°Nightflower and I have been running you guys rough, but just another day and we can all cash in and have some fun.¡± He does not mention we will almost immediately need to start working on the region battles. I have already sent spies to the other regions and am awaiting more information. ¡°Falling Knives, on me. We¡¯re moving out,¡± I say. We all as a group form up, and I walk us over to the Stone Giants who have a large fire pit and a humongous wagon next to them that they had brought through the portal. I hear Kisma Carn say, ¡°I knew it,¡± as she tries to walk over and ask us about the first dungeon and the story instance. I don¡¯t bother to try to say anything. Everything we say is garbled to her, so there is nothing she can understand unless we speak directly to her. I make a signal to the giants, who nod and get up. I begin to walk my way to the edge of the camp where I make another signal to several alliance members who make their way back to the reporter and begin talking to her about the killing competition scores. She is so happy to understand someone she stays put. That taken care of, we need to test some tactics out. *** Away from the camp and the eyes of the Fortress, we help the giants get our contraption put together. This was an idea Briar had, and it is so insanely crazy it might work. He had explained it to me, but now we need the Falling Knives ready to climb in this thing so we can field test it before tonight. ¡°So, guys, here is the idea. You know how we all have that aspect skill Feather Fall? We are going to shoot ourselves over the top of the castle with this rogue-a-pult, and then Feather Fall down behind the gates,¡± Briar says as he gestures at and displays the catapult as if he was selling a kitchen appliance. ¡°We are the shock troops who are going to let our army in, but we need to get there first, and this is the fastest way.¡± The stone giants start cranking the catapult down, watching us with amusement as they work. ¡°That is ¡­ so cool!¡± the Falling Knife named Burnt says. Under his cloak he has long hair that hangs into his eyes. He is a natural predator in the game, one of the unofficial leaders of the group. ¡°Because we only have two Feather-Falls per day with the aspect we can only use one of them to practice each,¡± he continues. ¡°That is right, and we made a target over there. I am going to go and place a glowing beacon on it,¡± says Briar, who promptly jumps in the catapult. He straps on some goggles he got¡­somewhere, and then he simply nods at the stone giant, who presses a lever. The sudden twang of the contraption is the power of magic and physics, which slings Briar a quarter mile into the sky and probably half a mile down range. He slows considerably as he begins to angle downward, we can see him slowly and gently float down to the ground. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. We hear him ¡°Whoop!¡± and raise a hand. Instantly, all the Falling Knives line up and begin trying to cut in front of each other to climb into this death trap. They are excited¡ªno, eager¡ªto do this near-suicide mission. I intend to reward them if we pull this off. This will be a story told like the ¡®Falador Massacre¡¯ in the legacy of the old game Runescape. We¡¯re taking advantage of a bug¡ªor feature¡ªin unintended ways. In this case, the Feather Fall aspect skill. We are turning ourselves into silent missiles, parachuting assassins. No matter if this works or not, there will be people claiming they were here for the Leviathan battle for years to. It¡¯s my turn. Ginga, I wish I had thought of getting goggles. I jump in and nod. *** Now that it¡¯s nighttime, there are lights of flame and magic near the gate, and the crews are keeping the enemy busy. I keep checking my shadow meter we just need it to be a little darker. I can see that everyone is looking in on the chats and forums to see what is going on at the gate. That reporter is still trying to get her story, and the GMs have given her access to the Fortress so she can stream the battle. I may need to take out those beholder cameras. I check on Sauce, his team is in position, unnoticed, and scaling the wall. They will wait for our signal. I see the shadow meter get to the right light level. ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± I say and stand up. ¡°Remember, this is pure stealth. We don¡¯t want them to know how we pulled this off if we can help it.¡± We don¡¯t need to be exactly the perfect distance, we can turn with Feather Fall and angle as needed into the fortress. Briar and Burnt go first, and then two other Falling Knives. I change the angle slightly and I go along with the rear troops to make sure Deep¡¯s Party with Sauce gets in the back. Along with the twang is, the momentum, something that in the real world I know would have knocked me out, or juiced me from the acceleration. The game is not quite that developed yet. I feel wild rushing of wind, and at the peak of the launch, I¡¯m weightless for a couple seconds. A quick flash of fear goes through my mind, ¡°did I accidently use Feather Fall earlier in the day?¡± I slow my decent and breathe a sign of relief. I drift slowly, fully wrapped in my cloak and the darkness of night, heading directly to my destination: one of the towers in the rear. It has one bored guard at the top manning a ballista. I maneuver directly above him and cancel Feather Fall as I pull my knife out. I notice over his shoulder that he was looking at chats, he didn¡¯t see me before the critical hit turned him smoke. I quickly dismantle the ballista and pick up a box of the explosive tips that were stocked on the roof, then go to the stairs and begin my descent. Halfway down the stairs is a window, I set the box there with a lantern next to it. Moving farther down, I take out several NPCs quietly and another level-seventeen player who had ducked into the tower to check a forum, or something. In ten minutes, the first guard I killed is going to alert the rest when he logs back in, so I have some time, but can¡¯t be careless. I hide the bodies as fast as I can, and as I am dragging the body of the player, two NPCs open a door and walk in. I fling daggers and then pounce¡ªone nearly got away before I silenced her. Back in the deep shadows I move down onto where the wall is and signal Sauce and his crew to come up. His job is to secure the rear for now and then move forward when the alarm is sounded. I point out the lantern in the window and quietly mention that he can blow the tower in half should he need a distraction. He nods and uses hand signals with his team. I meet up with my Falling Knives rear guard Burnt. We all move forward, it¡¯s now time to do our gate duty. We move through the courtyard among players and NPCs unnoticed and find Briar with a pile of bodies. With a crooked smile he nods at the gate. There are two big lizard looking NPCs, I use Identify, they are Scalemen¡ªlevel 19 warriors. We might need them to be distracted, the ten-minute window is nearly up. I see a notice in our group chat ¡°Thirty seconds left since the first Feather Fall.¡± ¡°Sauce, we need that tower to come down,¡± I say in voice communications. Ten seconds later I hear a deafening boom, the fortress shakes and rumbles as stones fall and grind to the earth. The players on the front wall turn in horror, and more than half gather NPCs and start moving to go and secure the back fortifications. One of the Scalemen goes, and the other enters the gatehouse, the one that has the turning wheel for the lowered gate. I nod at the Falling Knives and they leap forward to try to bring the giant lizard man down with wicked backstabs. If this doesn¡¯t work, I need to blow up that whole gate. On the heels of the Falling Knive, we follow the Scaleman and all leap on it, but it is tough, and this is going to be a fight I don¡¯t have time for. I have my distraction, so I move to the opposite inside of the gatehouse, and dispatch an NPC here, and I throw the lever for the wheel. As soon as the lever moves, I toss an explosive into a burning brazier¡ªat the same time I use my teleport to move to the doorway where the Falling Knives are still fighting the Scaleman warrior. I see one of the Falling Knives drift away in black wisps, dead, another is mangled and tries to drink a healing potion, and the last is circling the wounded creature. The explosion behind me pushes me forward and I plunge my knife into the Scaleman and leap back. You hit Scaleman for 62 (+12 backstab) damage. You apply poison to Scaleman Scaleman dies. We leap on the wheel to raise the gate. and two other Falling Knives should be dealing with the players on the wall by now. The explosions above us rock the earth and everything is knocked loose, including braziers and lanterns, which cause fires. We continue to crank up the lowered gate until it won¡¯t budge. The smoke is becoming a problem, so I grab an iron brazier stand and stick it through the chain. The wheel and chain tangle up in the stand and bend the metal so that the chain cannot be moved in either direction. The gate is up, mostly, and we have done our part. ¡°Welcome to Leviathan fortress,¡± I say on the alliance channel as I get a notice it is now Sunday, our last day of the contest. Stepping back out in the courtyard, I see that Sauce and his crew had cut a swath back to the front of the Fortress. They have just blown the front door of the castle. The players on the wall get cleaned up and the front gate force comes in, all smiles. ¡°Where is that bitch,¡± Roll says, looking around. ¡°I imagine she is in the room with the Heartstone,¡± I say, feeling a rumble, ¡°Looks like we are going to have to fight a guardian first.¡± Huge tentacles appear over the side of the walls and a massive squid-like beast pulls itself up and enters the courtyard. The creature has two enormous eyes and what looks like about ten tentacles as well as a beak and a large oily body behind it. ¡°It¡¯s the damn Kraken!¡± Sauce hoots, shooting an arrow directly into one of its eyes. Deep, resonant music starts as the tentacles begin grabbing alliance members and shoving them into its huge beak. Roll sends his air beast summon at it, which blows the tentacles away briefly. The Kraken is next to one of the towers. I dash to its side and quickly climb the stairs to the top; I grab the crate at the top and run back down. Placing the explosive on the inside near the base, on the side where the Kraken is. We have twenty greyed-out alliance members now¡ªthis is an epic guardian and it is going to kill us all. I take out my dice of the dirty summons and roll; a giant boar appears in a cloud of laughing gas. It attacks the kraken, and though it does some damage it is quickly eaten. I take a torch and throw it into the tower at the explosives which catches some grass on fire near the crate. Damn! Sprinting across the courtyard I get scooped up by a tentacle. Damn! Damn ! As I am lifted up, the crate explodes and all of the stones at the base of the tower violently eject out and pummel the kraken. The tower itself begins to fall. I am released, dropped in a sick blob of giant squid parts. The kraken has taken deep wounds, but is still not dead, I see tentacles farther down the ramparts flailing, players being swiped from the walls. My army is in ruins. There are a few stragglers wounded, and I try to rally them as I climb from the muck. The comms are in chaos, so I just take explosives from my bag and light the fuse. If we are going down, I am going out with a bang! The Kraken is wounded and all the tentacles near me are mush. I notice a rock wall where I can get above where its head is. I only have a moment before the Kraken gets free and my explosive goes off. I leap up the stairs, the fuse trailing little bouncing lights along the path. I heft the sack and sling it right at the Kraken¡¯s head as it bellows, I begin to duck as I see the little trail of sparks go deep into its beak. I curl up behind the stones as the explosion hits with a thud I feel through my chest. A wall of squid juice and entrails sprays the courtyard the Fortress and silence sets in I pick myself up, and I walk through the open doorway of the inner Fortress and go directly into the Heartstone room. The light is low, it¡¯s just low enough to really show off the glow of the stone. I am here. I am really here! An arrow sails through the hood of my cloak, flinching, I hear, ¡°You are not going to take this fortress. I worked too hard.¡± I tumble forward, I lift my arm and teleport behind her. You hit SilverBtch for 71 damage. You apply poison to SilverBtch Screaming, she turns while firing arrows impossibly fast SilverBtch hits you with arrow-revolver for 53 damage SilverBtch hits you with arrow-revolver for 61 damage SilverBtch hits you with arrow-revolver for 56 damage I am stunned, and she pounces, pounding my face with her fists. I summon my spider from my cloak, which jumps on her, and I climb away to the stone. The game mechanics have me crippled from the blows for a time¡ªI need a healing potion. I can¡¯t use the deck of transmutation or I will just end up a wounded animal. I look at my hands, I had forgot about the Ring of shadow cast, which creates a simulacrum. I activate it, allowing me to hide in theshadows as a fake copy of me is doing what I am doing. I try to position myself. Josie finishes the spider and limps over; she pulls out an arrow and aims. SilverBtch takes 15 poison damage. ¡°You are weak and you can¡¯t beat me. You can never beat me.¡± She says, spittle coming out. She releases the arrow at the shadow, and I take that moment to spring up. You hit SilverBtch for 87 (+15 flank) damage. You kill SilverBtch I slump down and sit for a minute. The battlefield outside is quiet, no-one is there, and nobody is coming. Standing with a wobble, I walk over and place my hand on the perfectly blue stone. I leave a little smear of blood. The timer starts in the corner of my interface, the timer that will change the rest of my life. Rousing music rises. I let out a sigh¡ªthat narrator is going to have a field day with this one. --end of book 1-- postmortem - decisions on the story First off, wow, thank you for reading my first full-length novel all the way through. I hope I shocked you; I hope I entertained you and I hope you think about this story a month or year from now ... and smile. This novel came about as something of an offshoot of a story I wanted to tell about Esme and where she came from. I kept toying with the idea of that first book, but wasn''t confident enough as a writer to tackle it at that time. So, I moved forward in her timeline to after the events of the first book(s) that had been bouncing around in my head for such a long time.
Note: That story is about a girl growing up in a secret underground base as an experimental weapon who is freed by the actions of a mysterious benefactor who they must in-turn set free. Chased and hunted by their ex-classmates and shadowy mercenaries, what they find out changes the world and themselves forever.
I wrote this book as the beginning of a trilogy where Esme and her team take areas of this game over and progressively the stakes raise as we go along. The timeline for me writing this was late 2019/early 2020, which¡ªas you can imagine¡ª2020 put a damper on my momentum for the story and I actually entirely stopped writing and editing until I got the first chapter out here on RR in 2021. During that time, I purchased a house and moved my family to another state. In my first try at 10,000 words of this story, Esme had been shot and was bleeding, running down a street away from a corporate killer and stumbles upon Kian and Briar (or, really, they stumble upon her), who were living in an abandoned house. They pilfer some headsets and all play the game in-between running from a hitman. Esme hides her past and the kids get roped into an intrigue where corporations are using time-compression (or similar) to get ahead and pay the kids to assassinate (in game world to slow down) competition, of course later they find out some of it sticks. This abandoned storyline would have been a direct lead-in from the earlier books(s) I wanted to write. Alas, it didn''t ring ''right'' so I branched into another storyline with a school and the kids, who are poor, run across a terrible wreck and abscond with some headsets and then get the hitman after them. This story took place more in the ''real'' world and was abandoned for similar reasons. Those two melded into what you just read, in which I ended up avoiding the real world to focus on the game world, which is fine for a LitRPG, but it''s still not the story I ''want'' to tell. I have to admit, the story you just read is still rough. You can''t walk away from a second draft for one or two years and really get back into it. The momentum and energy are gone and you have other stories to tell. At that point, the story feels "stuck" in the past. This is painfully clear in the first chapter of Nightfallers, which is a rough/freshman effort by any standards. The story falls flat in various parts, meanders around, and has consistency issues. These issues are larger in part because I moved and lost many of the original notes on the project, including, sadly, many on where I intend to take the story. My editor who muscled through this work and tried to pull it together saved much of what you got here, though we didn''t circle back later as planned. 2020 had many large changes in store for me. This book was one of those. Some hindsight issues that need to be fixed in Nightfallers book 1: Just scanning above, this is not a trivial list, and this list is not entirely complete. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Particularly the ''big'' issue: Many issues I encountered were that this is the first story I have written in first-person point of view (yes, I wrote my first 80k-word novel in a POV I was not familiar with). I chose first-person POV because it really gets you in the protagonist''s head and allows the reader to connect with them deeply. The problems here lie in that the reader can only see what the main character sees. You can see how other authors work around these limitations in the stories most all of use have read. Take the Harry Potter series, for example, you only get the story from his perspective and so in order to view other perspectives, JKR had to invent ways for Harry to ''see'' things¡ªthus the invisibility cloak, the pensieve, the time-turner and the polyjuice potions, among others. All those things in the story were included just so that Harry could get information he otherwise would not have been able to get being just ''himself''. Here in my story, Nightfallers, I had similar issues where Esme needed information that would come from her knowledge of the games via her SAINT class¡ªthe one that Dr. Friend gave to her¡ªand I admit this is a lazy cop-out that bothers me a lot. Originally, the sessions with her virtual teachers were supposed to be interspersed throughout the story, almost a conjoined second thread weaved into the primary ''game'' story to complement it. However, these got dropped into, and shortened, at the start of the book because I was unsure how to do what I wanted to accomplish with that storyline. I believe this is a detriment to the story that I could have told and is a pretty classic first-timer mistake. Esme needed the info and I needed a way to get it to her quickly. All of this said, I think I got the ending that I wanted to see, and I hope you agree and hopefully enjoyed the finale of the book despite the issues in the rest mentioned above. So, what is going on with this story? I have put this story on (partial) hold for now to write the prequel novel to this¡ªwhich is what I originally started to write and scrapped before moving forward in time for Nightfallers. That story will be more in the ''thriller'' genre. Then, with fresh eyes later this year, I can revisit this story. Having written a novel now, I can appreciate how much more I needed to do and how much taking so much time away from the story really hurt it. This has been an amazing experience both writing and seeing readers engage with the characters. I have learned so much from the experience, about writing, about life, and about "what" I want to write and how I "need" to write. I''ve also learned that I need to plan more, and then plan some more, and then plan the editing, and just lock myself in a room to edit and edit and plan for editing time that is 2x or even 3x the time to write the book. That said, everyone needs to have a first book. This was mine. -joeldg