《The Stubborn Light of a Dying Flame》


 Chapter 1: Ember Online

    ¡°So, you¡¯re coming, right?¡± Emma leaned over the table, her straight auburn hair nearly dipping into Rayna¡¯s instant ramen.


    Rayna shoved Emma back to her side of the table with a look of playful disgust. ¡°Personal bubble.¡±


    The convenience store was empty except for the clerk who was too busy watching something on his phone to pay attention to what two foreigners were doing in the dining section of the store. That was why Rayna usually picked this one; it was quiet, and no one bothered her.


    ¡°But are you coming?¡± Emma repeated, shattering Rayna¡¯s illusion of peace.


    Rayna sighed. ¡°Isn¡¯t this new game only open to people who have played Ember Online?¡± she asked. ¡°What good would going to the opening event be? I won¡¯t even be able to play along without the chip.¡±


    The chip, or the Ember Industries chip, was the newest advancement in gaming technology. A computer chip that was implanted directly into one¡¯s brain and simulated an augmented reality gaming experience.


    It was as controversial as it was popular.


    ¡°I bet they¡¯ll have some AR glasses or something that you can use to play along,¡± Emma said. ¡°Aaannnd once you see how fun it is, you¡¯ll see that Ember is totally worth the risk.¡± Emma wiggled her eyebrows, still trying to coax Rayna into getting the chip even after six months of staunch refusal.


    ¡°Or some poor player¡¯s head will explode, and I¡¯ll be proved right,¡± Rayna said, taking another bite of her ramen.


    Emma rolled her eyes. ¡°Ember Online has been out for a year, and the beta testing lasted three years before that with no problems. When are you going to admit that it¡¯s safe and come over with me to the dark side?¡± A playful grin spread across her face as she repeated one of her favorite jokes.


    ¡°When the light side runs out of cookies,¡± Rayna said, playing along with the reference. ¡°Seriously, Emma, do you really think a brain chip isn¡¯t going to have lasting effects? We could get twenty years down the line and all the players have turned into vegetables.¡±


    The safety of the chip was highly debated. Some seemed to think it was fine, and others were deep diving into the science to try to find anything that they could use to ban the technology. Despite being best friends since they were little, Rayna and Emma had found themselves on opposite sides of the debate.


    Rayna didn¡¯t think brain surgery¡ªeven if it was only a five minute procedure¡ªwas an acceptable risk just to play a game, Emma argued that it was the next step in human evolution.


    She was joking¡­ at least, Rayna was pretty sure she was joking¡­


    ¡°Just come this once,¡± Emma begged, holding up her index finger in front of Rayna. ¡°The new game is supposed to be just like Ember Online but it¡¯s fully VR. They came up with deep dive technology and everyone at that opening is going to be witnessing history!¡±


    Rayna finished off her ramen and sighed. ¡°If I come, will it get you off my back?¡±


    Emma squealed. ¡°Yes! Yes! Yes!¡± She bounced up and down in her seat. ¡°I promise, if you come today, I won¡¯t say another word about Ember Online or the chip for at least three¡ªno, six months!¡± Emma¡¯s look turned mischievous. ¡°Unless, of course, you decide to join. Because I will be helping you build your character.¡±


    Her tone had taken on a smug edge, and it was obvious that she assumed that getting Rayna to the opening would be enough to convince her to join.


    Rayna couldn¡¯t help grinning, despite her annoyance. Emma was a handful, but her friendship was well worth it. Who else would drag Rayna to parties and events if not for the bubbly extrovert that had her best interests at heart?


    ¡°Come on!¡± Emma grabbed Rayna¡¯s arm and pulled her toward the door, throwing away her ramen container on the way.


    ¡°What? Now?¡± Rayna asked, panic replacing the warm feeling from a moment before. ¡°Isn¡¯t the opening an hour or two away?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but the event is in Seoul and even if we take a taxi, we¡¯re going to be cutting it close. It took longer to convince you than I thought it would.¡±


    They flagged down a taxi and hopped inside before Rayna had time to adjust to the sudden change.


    ¡°You have your wallet, don¡¯t you?¡± Emma asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m paying for the taxi?¡± Rayna asked incredulously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back,¡± Emma promised. ¡°I got excited and forgot to bring my card.¡±


    Rayna sighed, watching the number on the screen tick upward at a steady rate. ¡°I¡¯m going to regret this, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    But despite the steadily growing anxiety and dread, Rayna had to admit she was getting excited. She wasn¡¯t much of a gamer, but Emma had described the world of Ember to Rayna in great detail to try and convince her to join. According to her, it was filled with detailed environments like lush forests and sprawling deserts. This had been tempered by the limitations of AR, but a full deep dive setup where the player can freely walk around in the world? That could be amazing.


    They arrived at the venue a little over an hour later and Rayna grimaced as she handed over seventy bucks to the driver. Korean won was a little over a thousand won per dollar, but she had given up doing math in her head and just considered them equal for everyday purposes. Which meant she had just spent almost sixty ramen¡¯s worth of cash on a single taxi ride.


    Emma dragged Rayna to the back of the line, bouncing on the balls of her feet impatiently as she looked around.


    ¡°Do you have the tickets?¡± Rayna asked, frowning at the venue. It looked like a large warehouse, which seemed pretty low budget for the world¡¯s fastest growing online game. ¡°And are you sure we¡¯re in the right place?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need tickets. The locations were sent as an in-game invitation,¡± Emma said. ¡°Even though they were leaked, no one can seem to remember where they are except for those of us who were invited.¡± Pride shone on Emma¡¯s features. ¡°My invitation said it was for distinguishing myself in the world of Ember Online.¡±


    ¡°Well, you have been a top ranker for over six months,¡± Rayna pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s hardly surprising. Wait, if this thing was invite only, why am I here?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my plus one. Just play along, okay?¡±


    Rayna was starting to get a bad feeling about this that had nothing to do with her anxiety. Did it not strike anyone else as concerning that the chip was messing with their memories? Because that was Rayna¡¯s first thought upon hearing that the leaks had been unsuccessful. As they neared the guard, only worry for her friend kept Rayna going. If this was some sort of trap, she wasn¡¯t letting Emma spring it without backup.


    ¡°Usernames,¡± the guard at the entrance asked mechanically.


    ¡°DawnRising and Lillith,¡± Emma said without missing a beat.


    The guard opened the gate for them without further questioning.


    Emma pulled Rayna through and toward the entrance.


    ¡°Who is Lillith?¡± Rayna hissed when they were out of earshot of the guard.


    ¡°It¡¯s Lilly,¡± Emma said, naming her younger sister. ¡°She couldn¡¯t come, so I asked if I could use her username.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m not supposed to be here,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Emma, come on, can¡¯t you see this whole event is sketchy? We should go.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Emma said dismissively. ¡°And the invitations are just about head count. Each location had five hundred slots, so you¡¯re just filling the slot of someone who couldn¡¯t come.¡±


    Rayna sighed. ¡°Fine, but I¡¯m extending the gag order to a year.¡±


    ¡°Done. Now come on, we¡¯re going to miss the keynote speech!¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The inside of the warehouse was exactly what one would imagine, minus the boxes. It had been cleared of all the wares, leaving a large empty room with light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. The other players all stood around, talking excitedly about their theories for the new game. There seemed to be a good mix of Koreans and foreigners in the warehouse and Rayna was just glad that she wouldn¡¯t have to flex her language muscles today.


    ¡°I bet this is actually a limited beta test,¡± someone said. ¡°And we¡¯re going to get to be the first to deep dive!¡±


    ¡°No way! Deep dive technology would take years of planning and permits. They couldn¡¯t keep that under wraps. This is probably just a fancy way of pitching new and improved AR systems.¡±


    ¡°No, it was confirmed that the new game is VR. They just wanted to make sure their top players got the first slots.¡±


    ¡°And I suppose you would put yourself in that category?¡±


    ¡°I may not have been a ranker, but I was one of the best assassins in the game. No one saw me coming which is why no one knows who I am.¡±


    Rayna covered a snort with a cough, drawing a dirty look from the player.


    ¡°And what¡¯s your username?¡± he asked. ¡°I bet you were in the last slot and just got the invite through dumb luck.¡±


    ¡°This is Lilith,¡± Emma said sweetly. ¡°Of the RemEmber guild.¡±


    The man looked doubtful. ¡°Come on, everyone knows the RemEmber guild is based in the US.¡±


    ¡°Most of our members are, but Lillith and I moved here before the game even came out.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. ¡°Then are you¡­?¡±


    ¡°DawnRising,¡± she said. ¡°Guild Leader. Now if you¡¯ll excuse us, we¡¯re meeting up with some of our other members.¡±


    Emma led Rayna away from the flabbergasted group.


    ¡°We¡¯re meeting your friends?¡± Rayna asked in surprise. ¡°Aren¡¯t they all in the US?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but those couch potatoes don¡¯t know that.¡± Emma grinned. ¡°And my guild and I have a bit of a reputation.¡±


    Rayna snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll say. What the heck did you all do in there?¡±


    ¡°Just being awesome,¡± Emma said. ¡°Ember Online heavily penalizes player on player violence, so we focused on the monsters instead. We cleared three whole zones in the past year. It¡¯s how we made it so high up on the leader board. Every single one of my guild mates got an invite to the opening.¡±


    Rayna wasn¡¯t sure if clearing a zone was impressive, but Emma at least thought it was and the game developers must have, too, if they invited her whole guild to their top-secret-might-be-a-trap game opening.


    ¡°Greetings players!¡± A man said from a raised platform at the front of the room.


    Rayna frowned. Had that been there a second ago?


    The man was short, and his scruffy white curls almost reflected the light of the warehouse fixtures. He wore fantasy-esque clothing consisting of a brown tunic, dark brown trousers and a hooded travel cloak.


    ¡°I am the Artificer Eldar Cremble, and you all know why we¡¯re here today. You are the best and brightest that Earth has to offer, and I thank you for lending me your strength.¡±


    Several of the gamers cheered, but they were shushed by those near them as the man kept speaking.


    ¡°The challenge ahead is not to be taken lightly. My world is dying. The monsters grow more aggressive by the day, and I don¡¯t have the power to stop this alone. I would like to give you all one last chance to walk away. I do not take unwilling initiates. Know that the journey ahead will be difficult and many will die along the way, but though the risks are great, so too are the rewards.¡±


    ¡°We should go,¡± Rayna whispered, grabbing Emma¡¯s arm. ¡°Something isn¡¯t right about this.¡±


    Emma shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s just flavor text. He¡¯s setting up the new game.¡±


    Rayna wasn¡¯t so sure. If this was just an act, the man could have won an Oscar. He looked tired and worn, the circles under his eyes almost as dark as Emma¡¯s hair.


    One player raised his hand and Eldar Cremble nodded at him.


    ¡°I would like to opt out,¡± he said. ¡°Will it affect my chance to participate later on?¡±


    The Artificer nodded. ¡°There will only be one chance. Anyone who leaves today will not be able to continue to the world of Ember.¡±


    A buzz of mumbled conversations filled the room.


    Rayna fidgeted. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I don¡¯t like this.¡±


    A crease appeared between Emma¡¯s brows.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little odd, but didn¡¯t you hear what he said? There won¡¯t be another chance to play. I don¡¯t want to miss out just because I got cold feet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how games work,¡± Rayna hissed. ¡°It will open to the public sooner or later. Let¡¯s just go.¡±


    Emma shook her head. ¡°You can go,¡± she said, pushing Rayna gently toward the door. ¡°I¡¯m going to stay, but I don¡¯t mind. This isn¡¯t what I was expecting, and I don¡¯t think it will do anything to convince you to join.¡± She gave a sardonic smile. ¡°Just my luck, you join the one event that comes with a creepy game master.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere without you,¡± Rayna said, locking her elbow in Emma¡¯s. ¡°We both go, or we both stay.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Emma sounded hopeful.


    Rayna sighed. ¡°If this guy starts anything, I got your back.¡±


    Emma laughed, giving Rayna a sideways hug before turning back to the stage.


    In the end, only three people left. The rest looked nervous, but they were unwilling to pass up what might be the biggest gaming advancement of the 21st Century.


    ¡°It warms my heart to see so many people willing to come to our aid. It has been a long and dark time, and I hope to someday see the light at the end of the tunnel. You will now be transported to the tutorial, where you will be given a chance to adjust to integration and grow stronger before you join the fight. Good luck players.¡±


    The man vanished, along with the stage. Rayna took a step back. ¡°What¡ª?¡±


    But before she could finish her question, everyone in the room began to glow.


    ¡°This is so cool!¡± someone yelled. ¡°The effects team went all out for this.¡±


    ¡°Emma, what¡¯s going on?¡± Rayna seemed to be the only one concerned.


    ¡°Sorry, you probably can¡¯t see it. We¡¯re being teleported, but they must have ramped up the effects budget because the details are¡ª¡± she stopped, noticing Rayna¡¯s expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I can see it too,¡± Rayna said. ¡°I don¡¯t have the chip. Why can I see it too?¡±


    Rayna was the only one in the room who wasn¡¯t glowing.


    Emma opened her mouth to answer before she disappeared, along with the rest of the players.


    ¡°Emma!¡± Rayna shouted, panic in her voice. ¡°Oh Shit! Shit, shit, shit!¡±


    She looked around wildly, not sure what to do.


    ¡°Bring them back!¡± she shouted to the empty warehouse. ¡°Elbor or Eldear or whatever your name is, bring them back now!¡±


    She was too afraid to feel stupid. How could almost five hundred people just up and vanish? There were no piles of dust on the ground, so they couldn¡¯t have disintegrated. They were just¡­ gone.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not going to give them back, at least take me, too!¡± Rayna snapped.


    ¡°You want to come to Ember?¡±


    Rayna whirled around, taking a step back from the man. He was looking up at her, his expression a mix of curiosity and hope.


    Rayna tried to look intimidating, but she stuttered, ruining the effect. ¡°W-where did you take them?¡±


    ¡°To the tutorial,¡± the man said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go?¡±


    Rayna frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know, you tell me, you¡¯re the one making people disappear!¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You don¡¯t have a marker¡­ how did you get in?¡±


    Rayna swallowed. ¡°A friend brought me.¡± She wasn¡¯t going to back down. She would call the police if she had to. This man would give her Emma back or there would be hell to pay.


    ¡°And you want to go to Ember?¡± the man confirmed again.


    ¡°I want you to give me Emma back,¡± Rayna snapped.


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible. Initiates can only travel one way.¡±


    What was that supposed to mean? That Emma was stuck who knows where with a psychopathic game master? Or were they actually on another planet?


    ¡°I cannot read your mind without the marker,¡± the man said. ¡°You have to tell me what you want. I will not take an unwilling initiate.¡±


    Rayna made a split second decision that she would probably come to regret. ¡°Send me wherever you sent Emma. I want to go.¡±


    If they were together, they had a better chance of figuring out a way to get back.


    The man nodded. ¡°I will send you to Ember. Hold still.¡±


    He reached up and tapped Rayna on the forehead and she stiffened, her vision darkening at the edges. The last thing she felt was her body falling sideways as she blacked out.


    * * *


    Lilly stared at the news report, her knees pulled up to her chin. This couldn¡¯t be happening.


    ¡°¡­have gone missing from all around the globe,¡± the news anchor said. ¡°The opening event, thought to be the launch of the sequel to hit MMORPG Ember Online, has become the center of what is believed to be some kind of terrorist attack, resulting in the disappearance of nearly two point five million players from the United States and ten million worldwide. Ember Online developers deny any existence of such an event and are cooperating with Interpol, the FBI and other government agencies around the world to try to locate the missing players.


    ¡°Attempts to use the Ember Industries chip to locate the victims have proven unsuccessful as they appear to have all been removed from the servers at the same time. The remaining chips have been disabled remotely and the World Health Organization advises removing these chips to avoid future health complications.


    ¡°Now reporting live from one location in Seoul, South Korea is Mindy Sanchez. Mindy, are you there?¡±


    The scene changed to a woman in her mid-thirties holding a microphone outside of a warehouse.


    ¡°Yes, Sarah, as you can see, I am standing at the scene of one of these mass kidnappings that is believed to account for about five hundred of the victims. But unlike the other warehouses that hosted the events, this site held another crime that has caused much concern regarding the fate of the missing players.


    ¡°Local English teacher and American expat Rayna Gibbs¡¯ body was discovered alone in the warehouse at six pm this evening. The suspected cause of death is a heart attack, but investigations are still underway to determine whether Miss Gibbs¡¯ death was due to natural causes or if there was foul play involved. What distinguishes Miss Gibbs from the other victims is the fact that she has never played Ember Online, nor did she have the Ember Industries chip implanted in her brain at the time of the incident. According to our sources, she switched places with one of the intended victims and police are speculating that she was disposed of when the perpetrators learned her true identity.


    ¡°However, no evidence has yet been uncovered in regard to Miss Gibbs. We will continue to update you all on the details of this case as they develop. Back to you, Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Our hearts go out to the friends and families of the victims. In other news¡­¡±


    Guilt knifed through Lilly¡¯s heart. Rayna wasn¡¯t even supposed to be at that opening, but Emma had begged Lilly for weeks to let Rayna take her spot and she had eventually caved.


    Now Rayna was dead, and Emma was missing.


    Lilly¡¯s mom sat on the other end of the couch, a tissue held to her nose as she watched the news with bloodshot eyes. She looked at Lilly and opened her arms invitingly.


    Lilly scooted over and curled up next to her mother.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find her,¡± her mother whispered, smoothing Lilly¡¯s hair out of her face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Lilly wasn¡¯t so sure, but she let her mother cling to her hope.


    Maybe this is a nightmare, Lilly thought. Any minute, Emma will wake me up and drag me away to go hunting Swamp Badgers in the Astral Forest.


    But no matter how hard she tried, Lilly couldn¡¯t wake herself up.

 Chapter 2: Initialization

    Rayna floated in a vast white space, unable to move or look around. She felt neither cold nor hot. In fact, she felt nothing at all.


    Am I dead?


    At least it didn¡¯t hurt. She had expected death to be more painful. Besides the strangeness of not having any sensations, the white world wasn¡¯t so bad.


    She wasn¡¯t sure how long she floated there, just contemplating the concept of death, before words appeared in front of her.


    Welcome to the System.


    Rayna would have frowned if she could feel her mouth. What System? Was she not dead? Or did the afterlife mimic a cheesy web novel? The words in front of her changed.


    Initializing Character Sheet¡­


    Retrieving name¡­


    Retrieval failed. Please input your name.


    Rayna, she tried to say, but of course, it didn¡¯t work. That didn¡¯t seem to be a problem for the System, however.


    Name designation: Rayna.


    Please select a Class:


    [Warrior] or [Mage] or [Healer].


    This was starting to feel an awful lot like making a character in a game. Rayna hadn¡¯t played many RPGs before, but she had a general grasp of the basic concepts. Still, she wasn¡¯t sure what was going on. Should she play along? Should she try to find a way out of the white world? But how was she going to do that when she couldn¡¯t even move?


    Please choose a Class within the next 30 seconds or a Class will be randomly assigned.


    Play along, it is.


    Rayna¡¯s mind raced. Which should she pick?


    Healer was always a good choice for keeping yourself alive, but Emma once told Rayna about a game where the Healer¡¯s spells only worked on other people. Mages were usually squishy and easy to kill, but they could hit the enemies from farther away, which would probably help with survivability. Warriors were tanky, but the trade-off was that they didn¡¯t have many ranged attacks, meaning they had to confront the enemy head on. Rayna wasn¡¯t sure she wanted to fight at close range.


    The clock was ticking, and Rayna didn¡¯t have a clue which one to pick so she just went with the one that seemed to have the most survivability. She hoped she could change her Class later if it turned out that she picked the wrong one.


    You have chosen [Warrior].


    Species Designation: Lerian.


    Retrieving age information¡­


    Retrieval failed. Please input your age in Earth years.


    Twenty-seven, Rayna thought.


    Your age has been registered.


    Please wait while the System finishes initialization¡­


    As if I have a choice, Rayna thought crossly.


    She floated in the white expanse for several minutes¡ªor perhaps several hours, Rayna wasn¡¯t sure¡ªtrying to remember how exactly she got there. She had been in a warehouse with Emma and the other players. Everyone else had disappeared.


    That man had shown up, hadn¡¯t he; the small one with the curly white hair. She had asked to be sent to Emma, and he touched Rayna¡¯s forehead.


    Did he kill me?!


    Anger flared in Rayna¡¯s chest. What did she ever do to him? If this stupid white space didn¡¯t lead to Emma, she was going to find that little man and wring his scrawny neck. She would¡ª


    Her inner rant was cut off by another line of text.


    Character initialization complete. Transferring to the tutorial.


    Suddenly, Rayna was falling. The wind whistled past her ear, feeling and sound returning in a disorienting rush. She flailed her arms, a scream ripping from her throat as the world went black once again.


    * * *


    Rayna sat bolt upright, her scream cutting off as she realized she was no longer falling. Had it been a dream?


    She groaned, rubbing her head. It was like someone was driving a nail into her temples. She had woken up in what appeared to be the lobby of some large company, except instead of the usual elevator bay, there was a set of dressing rooms and several pieces of clothing hung up for perusal. The sign above the area read ¡®Please change into your starting gear¡¯.


    The room was full of people, all gathered in groups and chatting excitedly. No one seemed to notice Rayna on the floor.


    ¡°Emma,¡± she croaked, swallowing against the dryness in her throat. ¡°Emma!¡± she called louder, pushing herself to her feet. ¡°Emma, are you in here?¡±


    ¡°My name is Emma,¡± came a familiar voice from behind Rayna.


    She spun around, crying out in relief as she saw that Emma was alive and unharmed. She ran to her friend and hugged her.


    Emma stiffened. ¡°Um¡­ do I know you?¡±


    Rayna pulled away, her brows knitting together. ¡°It¡¯s me, Rayna.¡±


    When had Emma gotten so tall?


    Emma squinted at something above Rayna¡¯s head. ¡°Rayna? What the hell happened to you?¡± She held Rayna out at arm¡¯s length, looking her up and down.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Rayna asked, moving to push Emma away, but she paused when she got a glimpse of her arm.


    ¡°I need a mirror,¡± she said aloud, rushing toward the changing area she had seen earlier.


    She stared at herself in the mirror and a complete stranger stared back. Her skin was black as coal, as if someone had rubbed soot all over her body and her vivid green eyes stood out in contrast to her dark face. Her previously brown curls had turned into straight platinum blonde hair that fell all the way to her waist and the floor length dress she was wearing was made of a thin opalescent fabric that glittered and changed color when she moved.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Strangest of all, she had turned into a child. Rayna touched her face, trying to reconcile this alien pre-teen with the human twenty-seven year old she knew herself to be.


    ¡°Is there a special race change system in this game?¡± Emma asked, sounding excited. ¡°Also, why do you look so young? None of us got to pick our ages, it was based on how old we are in real life.¡±


    ¡°I told the System I was twenty-seven! What is this?¡± She shoved her hair in the air. ¡°I look like someone used an oreo as a color palette!¡±


    ¡°I think you look awesome,¡± Emma said with an amused chuckle.


    ¡°Can you please take this seriously?¡± Rayna snapped.


    ¡°Oh, calm down,¡± Emma said. ¡°Check your Character Sheet, I bet it has some clues about this.¡±


    ¡°My Character Sheet? Where am I supposed to find that?¡± Rayna tucked her hair behind her ears, finding to her annoyance that they were pointed like an elf.


    ¡°Just try thinking about it. The System responds to thoughts just like Ember Online.¡±


    ¡°I never played Ember Online,¡± Rayna reminded her.


    ¡°Just try it,¡± Emma insisted.


    Rayna didn¡¯t think it would work since she didn¡¯t have the chip, but when she thought about her Character Sheet, it actually popped up in front of her.


    ¡°That little asshole put a chip in my head?¡± Rayna shouted, drawing the attention of several players in the room.


    ¡°I mean, how else would you be here?¡± Emma asked, her brows squishing together in confusion. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting almost a day. I thought you changed your mind and got the chip while we were waiting.¡±


    ¡°How the hell would I have gotten the chip in a day? There¡¯s a six month waiting list, remember?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Emma tilted her head. ¡°How did you get here then?¡±


    Rayna growled as she imagined all the ways she was going to torture the curly haired half-pint that had kidnapped her friend and turned her into her current state.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°Hold on.¡±


    She glanced at her Character Sheet, hoping it held some answers.


    Name: Rayna


    Level 1 (Exp: 0/50)


    Class: Warrior (Initial)


    Race: Lerian


    HP: 1300/1300


    MP: 500/500


    Stat Points


    Str: 10


    Dex: 55


    End: 15


    Vit: 130


    Int: 50


    Wis: 50


    Luck: 10


    [Free Points: 0]


    Spells


    Basic Heal ¡ª Proficiency: 0%


    [Spell Choices: 0]


    Skills


    Rage ¡ª Proficiency: 0%


    [Skill Choices: 0]


    Titles


    Volunteer ¡ª [+10 to all stats]


    Quests


    None


    Special Traits


    Immunity to Poison [Species Trait]


    Immunity to Paralysis [Species Trait]


    Immunity to Confusion [Species Trait]


    Rayna read the information aloud to Emma.


    ¡°130 Vitality right off the bat?¡± Emma whistled. ¡°It must be a race thing. Usually everyone starts with fifty.¡±


    ¡°What even is a Lerian?¡± Rayna asked. ¡°And why am I that instead of human.¡± She raised an eyebrow at her friend. ¡°Also, why did you just take my word for it when I said I was Rayna? I look nothing like myself. You need to work on your gullibility.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not gullible if it¡¯s true,¡± Emma said, crossing her arms. ¡°Besides, you have a name tag. It¡¯s not like your name is that common.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Rayna blushed, noticing for the first time that every person in the room had a name and level above their head. She had been so freaked out when she woke up that she hadn¡¯t been very aware of her surroundings.


    ¡°So, has the little criminal given us any information?¡± Rayna asked. ¡°And where can I find his office? He needs to fix¡­¡± She waved her hands up and down, indicating her current state.


    ¡°Why?¡± someone nearby asked.


    Rayna glanced at his name tag.


    [Kennith Parker ¡ª Level 1]


    ¡°It looks to me like you won the jackpot.¡± Kennith said. ¡°The rest of us weren¡¯t given a chance to pick our race.¡±


    ¡°Neither was I,¡± Rayna snapped. ¡°Are none of you freaked out by this? We¡¯ve all been kidnapped and teleported god-knows-where and you¡¯re all acting like nothing happened!¡±


    A woman named Greta shrugged. ¡°We knew it was deep dive technology, though I wish they had given us a heads up. They¡¯re going to end up with a few lawsuits when everyone wakes up.¡±


    Rayna finally realized why she was the only one panicking. They all thought they were asleep; that this was some simulated world that they were the first to experience through their brain chips.


    ¡°It¡¯s not deep dive,¡± she said. ¡°This is all real. You all disappeared from the warehouse and that swindler¡­¡± What? Killed her? Rayna didn¡¯t actually know if that was true, but he had done something to her. ¡°¡­ turned me into this,¡± she finished lamely.


    Kennith rolled his eyes. ¡°Quit trolling. The game just used the chip to tap into the dream centers of our brain.¡±


    ¡°Rayna didn¡¯t have a chip,¡± Emma said slowly, worry finally starting to show on her face.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Rayna said, waving her hand to emphasize Emma¡¯s point.


    A few others seemed to believe them as the excited whispers in the room took on a nervous edge.


    ¡°Come on, guys. It¡¯s not funny.¡± Kennith sounded less sure than he had a few seconds ago.


    What can I do to convince them?


    ¡°Emma, they can¡¯t show any blood in Ember Online, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Emma confirmed. ¡°They were worried that people would confuse in game injuries with real world injuries. That¡¯s why there¡¯s no pain simulation either.¡±


    ¡°Then here goes nothing.¡± Rayna braced herself for pain and bit down on her arm.


    The people closest to Rayna gasped, backing up as if she was a rabid animal.


    Rayna released her arm and spat several times to clear her mouth of the taste of blood. That had been way easier than she had expected. She checked the mirror again and found that her teeth were a lot sharper than a human¡¯s.


    Well, it made my point more vividly, she thought, grimacing at the deep puncture wound on her arm.


    ¡°See?¡± she said, raising her arm as proof. Blood trickled over her skin, staining the sleeve of her dress.


    ¡°So, they changed the regulations a bit,¡± Kennith said, his voice rising in pitch. ¡°That doesn¡¯t prove anything.¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°Emma come on; we¡¯re finding a way out of here.¡± She walked a few paces before she swayed a little, leaning against the wall for support.


    A message popped up in front of her.


    Your HP has dropped below 10%. It is recommended that you seek out a Healer immediately.


    Rayna frowned. ¡°What does it mean my HP is below ten percent?¡± she asked, trying to think through the sudden fogginess in her brain.


    ¡°What?!¡± Emma grabbed her arm and held a hand above the wound.


    Rayna was going to ask what she was doing but she figured it out a second later. A green light shone from Emma¡¯s palms and the wound on Rayna¡¯s arm closed.


    ¡°What is your HP now?¡± Emma asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Your HP. Tell me what it¡¯s at?¡± Her tone was urgent, and Rayna forced her confused brain to check her stat sheet.


    HP: 100/1300


    A moment later it rose to 101. She reported the number to Emma.


    Emma shook her head. ¡°You have a heal spell, don¡¯t you? Cast it on yourself.¡±


    ¡°How do I do that?¡± Rayna asked.


    ¡°Just think about doing it,¡± she said. ¡°It works like everything else in the game.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a game,¡± Rayna said, her words slurring a bit.


    ¡°I know. I get it. Just please cast the spell, okay? Heal yourself as many times as you can.¡± Emma sounded like she was on the verge of tears.


    Rayna cast Basic Heal on herself.


    Her HP shot up to 201 and her head started to clear. With the sudden clarity came a stab of fear as she realized how low her Health had been. She cast the spell eleven more times in quick succession, bringing her Health back up to full.


    ¡°It¡¯s real, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kennith asked, his eyes wide with fear. ¡°She almost died just now.¡±


    Rayna swallowed, unsettled by how plainly he had mentioned her near death.


    ¡°How do I opt out?¡± a woman shouted at the ceiling. ¡°I don¡¯t want to play!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± another person said. ¡°I want to go home.¡±


    The room devolved into chaos as most of the players expressed their desire to leave the ¡®game¡¯. Rayna and Emma retreated toward the dressing area as the crowd pushed and shoved their way toward the door of the lobby. The exits were locked, only adding to the panic that suffocated the room like a heavy blanket.


    ¡°Maybe telling everyone wasn¡¯t the best idea.¡± Emma had to shout to be heard over the din.


    ¡°Was I just supposed to let everyone think they were in a game?¡± Rayna shouted back. ¡°This is serious!¡±


    ¡°I mean, I get that it¡¯s serious, but all you did was nearly get yourself killed and throw everyone into a panic!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡ª¡± Rayna cut herself off as her voice echoed in the sudden silence. She looked around in confusion as everyone else stood frozen, their eyes darting around the room.


    A notification popped up in front of her.


    Paralysis resisted due to your special trait.


    ¡°Paralysis?¡± she said aloud, looking over at Emma. Her friend was in the same state as the others, looking back at Rayna with only her eyes.


    ¡°Welcome initiates,¡± said a voice that made Rayna¡¯s blood boil.


    She turned around to find the man who was the cause of all this floating several feet above the ground, his face a mask of disapproval.


    ¡°It appears that something has caused some amount of distress in this tutorial group, so I have inflicted a temporary paralysis to help you all calm down.¡±


    Rayna grabbed the item closest to her hand¡ªa brown boot¡ªand chucked it at the man¡¯s head. It sailed right through him, smacking into the wall with a dull thud.


    ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± she shouted, throwing a heavy metal gauntlet that clattered to the floor next to the boot.


    The man seemed taken aback by the steady stream of curses that flowed out of Rayna¡¯s mouth, as well as the many clothing items soaring through his projection.


    ¡°I know this is a bit disconcerting for you, but if you would calm down and listen to my orientation message, I think you will find the answer to most of your questions.¡±


    Rayna paused halfway through raising a hairbrush. She hesitated for a moment then said, ¡°Release the paralysis and I¡¯ll stop throwing things.¡±


    The man nodded his head. ¡°I will, on the condition that everyone calms down. Those who do not will continue to be restrained.¡±


    Rayna lowered the hairbrush as most of the room unfroze. Emma stumbled forward a step and Rayna caught her and helped her back to her feet.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked, checking Emma up and down for injuries. Just in case, she cast Basic Heal on her, but it didn¡¯t seem to have any effect.


    Emma nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. That was¡­ unpleasant, but it didn¡¯t affect my HP bar. By the way, I think you were right about the opening. We should have left.¡±


    Rayna laughed despite herself, relief making her giddy. Unfortunately, the man¡¯s voice brought her back to reality.


    ¡°Much better. Now for those of you who are still paralyzed, just let me know when you are ready to calm down and I will release you then. As for the rest of you, if you would gather around, we will begin orientation.¡±

 Chapter 3: Plus One

    The man waited for everyone to gather round, smiling benevolently as if he wasn¡¯t a lunatic that had just paralyzed them all to get them to shut up.


    ¡°As I mentioned at initialization,¡± he said once everyone was listening. ¡°I am the Artificer Eldar Cremble, but most refer to me as the System Administrator. You may have noticed that the people here are not the same people that you were with at initiation. That is because we have attempted to group you based on your country of origin, rather than your physical location at the time of initiation. Hopefully, we managed to get it close enough, but for those of you who don¡¯t speak the same language as the rest of the group, fear not, the Universal Translation feature is automatic. Simply join the conversation whenever you are ready.


    ¡°You are here because my world is in dire need of assistance. Since the dawn of creation, Ember has been full of dangerous creatures, from the simple Forest Gecko to the rampaging Leviathan. They enter our world through dimensional cracks that we call Dungeons. Throughout most of history, we have been able to rebuff these attacks and keep the monster population low enough that our world was relatively safe to live in. Then one day, something changed. Monsters spilled forth from the Dungeons in unprecedented numbers, overrunning towns and ending countless lives in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°This was when Eldar Cremble, my creator and namesake, came up with the idea of finding help in the wider universe. I seek out and train new talents from distant worlds to help us fight the constant threat that plagues us. In return, the heroes of these various worlds are given power and wealth beyond their wildest dreams.¡±


    ¡°And what if we don¡¯t want it?¡± Kennith asked angrily. ¡°You tricked us into coming here and now you¡¯re trying to play it off as some sort of grand opportunity?¡±


    Eldar tilted his head at Kennith. ¡°I told you everything that you needed to know during the System Preview. And at the time of initiation were you not given the chance to leave? I believe I made it clear that I would not take any who were unwilling.¡±


    Silence descended on the room. It was true that they had technically been warned. Every single one of them had been offered the chance to walk away before they were teleported to Ember. Some even took the opportunity and escaped.


    ¡°It was supposed to be a game,¡± Emma said. ¡°You used the same welcome speech in Ember Online. Was the game just a trap to lure us here?¡±


    ¡°As you should already know, Ember Online was a test,¡± Eldar replied. ¡°The rules of the game are identical to the laws of the System. It is essential that new initiates are first tested to ensure they will adapt well to the challenges they will face on Ember. Everyone in this room distinguished themselves on that simulated battlefield. In fact, you are one of the most promising groups of candidates we have ever had.¡± He glanced at Rayna. ¡°And one even came without ever having set foot in Ember, which shows great compassion that we hope will serve her well in this world.¡±


    ¡°And what if we don¡¯t want to fight?¡± someone else asked. ¡°You¡¯re just going to force us?¡±


    Eldar turned to her, shaking his head slightly. ¡°Of course not! Not everyone is made for the battlefield. There are many non-combat Classes to choose from once you reach the First Ascension at Level 25. The aim of the System is not to throw people at the monsters unprepared like a glorified meat shield. We only wish to save our planet from the overwhelming might of the encroaching hordes. Many great initiates have made a name for themselves as Master Blacksmiths or Artificers. But even the simple Farmer Class holds merit when used for the common good.¡±


    Most of the players had lost their anger, some of them turning to curiosity or even excitement as they listened to the Administrator¡¯s explanation.


    ¡°What about our families?¡± a young woman asked. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, her curly red hair cut to shoulder length. ¡°I have children, a husband, are you just telling me to forget about them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that returning to Earth so soon is impossible. Inter-planetary teleportation takes massive amounts of energy,¡± Eldar said. ¡°I cannot return you to your world, nor can I bring others here, even if I wanted to. Once you decided to fight for Ember, there was no turning back.¡±


    Several players started shouting again, the mention of their families reigniting their anger, but silence returned when everyone who had shown any sign of aggression were once again paralyzed.


    There was nothing they could do. How were they supposed to fight this when the System clearly had complete control over them? They were puppets to his whims.


    Rayna looked at Emma who looked as upset as the others, though she had the good sense not to yell at the man who could kill her with a thought.


    ¡°I¡¯m never going to see Lilly again,¡± she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. ¡°Or my mom. I¡¯ll just have vanished into thin air. What if they think I ran away? Or worse, what if they think I¡¯m dead?¡±


    Rayna took Emma¡¯s hand and squeezed it tight. ¡°We¡¯re going to find a way home,¡± she said resolutely. ¡°I promise. Until then, we need to stay strong and look out for each other, okay?¡±


    Emma looked down at Rayna, giving her a watery smile. ¡°Did you really get yourself stuck here just for me?¡±


    Rayna sniffed. ¡°We¡¯ve been friends since kindergarten. There¡¯s no ¡®just¡¯ about this.¡± She drew in a shaky breath. ¡°And unfortunately, yes, I seem to have run head first into a war for your dumb butt, so you better not go falling apart on me.¡±


    Emma laughed, wiping the tears of her cheeks. ¡°The same goes for you.¡±


    Eldar turned to them with a smile that made Rayna want to throw another shoe at him. ¡°Now that is the determination I like to see from new initiates! The two of you will get far in this world, I don¡¯t doubt it.¡±


    ¡°Go choke on a cactus,¡± Rayna snapped.


    The Administrator looked startled, frowning for a moment before fixing his face back into an excited smile. ¡°Now, before I send you all to the tutorial, I think you could use a good night¡¯s rest after the day¡¯s excitement. I won¡¯t appear to you like this in the future, but we will meet again through the System prompts. Be sure to listen well to your Tutorial Leaders and don¡¯t do anything reckless. There are no revives or extra lives in the real world.


    ¡°Good luck players, and welcome once more to the world of Ember.¡±


    Everyone in the room started to glow, just as they had when they were teleported out of the warehouse. Rayna panicked for a second, thinking she was being left behind again, but her skin was glowing along with the rest of them.


    ¡°Wait, what about my¡ª¡±


    The world went white for a split second, then she was standing with Emma in a medium sized bedroom.


    ¡°¡ªrace,¡± Rayna finished.


    Emma grimaced. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t think he has any intention of fixing that.¡±


    Rayna took a deep breath, trying to cool her temper. She was not normally this reactive, but this ridiculous situation was trying her patience.


    She distracted herself by exploring the room. There were two beds, placed against opposite walls. They weren¡¯t luxurious, but they were clean and neat, each fitted with light grey bedding that was smooth to the touch. Next to each bed was a bookshelf that was already filled with books and on the other side, a chest full of clothes.


    A prompt appeared on Rayna¡¯s screen.


    New Player Welcome Package


    A Complete History of Ember: Volume I-X


    Basic Spell-Casting: Volumes I and II


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Basic Weapon Handling and Care: Volumes I and II


    Basic Herbalism: Volume I


    The Basics of Healing: Volume I


    .


    .


    .


    The list went on for some time. There were nearly fifty books on it, and at the end it had a simple question.


    Would you like to move these items to your Inventory?


    Rayna accepted the prompt out of curiosity and all of the books on the shelf disappeared. When she opened the chest, a similar prompt appeared detailing the different clothing and supplies that had been provided and she stowed those in her Inventory after changing out of her bloodstained dress. Thankfully, all of the clothes seemed made to her exact measurements.


    Emma had just finished stowing her own items before coming over to sit on Rayna¡¯s bed.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re roomies again,¡± she said, laying down. ¡°We haven¡¯t shared a room since college.¡±


    Rayna laid down next to her, staring at the swirling pattern on the ceiling. ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Besides sleep?¡± Emma asked with a yawn. ¡°We could discuss Class strategies. You picked Warrior, right? Was that an actual decision or did you panic?¡±


    Rayna grimaced. ¡°I panicked. The System only gave me thirty seconds to decide.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, stingy.¡± Emma sighed. ¡°Well, like the System Administrator said, you can change your Class at Level 25. Your choices will vary based on the things you do or the things that you¡¯re good at.¡± Emma looked at Rayna with a crease between her brows. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if your new race plays into that. Have you checked your race info yet?¡±


    ¡°Race info?¡± Rayna asked, sitting up.


    Emma nodded, sitting up as well. ¡°Just focus on your race and it will give you a pop-up with more information. Here¡­¡± She focused on the spot in front of her and a screen appeared between them with information about humans.


    Race: Human


    Average Lifespan: 85 years


    Base Stats


    Str: 10


    Dex: 15


    End: 45


    Vit: 50


    Int: 15


    Wis: 5


    Luck: 10


    Humans are a race that specializes in Endurance. They are sturdier than most races and well equipped to fully recover from most non-lethal injuries. For weaknesses, they are on the slower side and their bodies are not naturally good at filtering magic, thus they are best suited to warrior-type Classes.


    Race Traits


    High natural regeneration


    High adaptability


    Low magical aptitude


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Rayna asked, pulling up her screen.


    ¡°Show you the info?¡± Emma guessed. ¡°Just focus on what you want to show and who you want to show it to. The System is pretty intuitive once you get the hang of it.¡±


    Rayna pulled up her race description and shared it with Emma.


    Race: Lerian


    Average Lifespan: 200 years


    Base Stats


    Str: 0


    Dex: 45


    End: 5


    Vit: 120


    Int: 40


    Wis: 40


    Luck: 0


    Lerians are a nimble race that specializes in magic. They have naturally high Wisdom, giving them a higher Mana pool to start and while their Endurance is low, they Dexterity and Vitality help to shore up any weaknesses caused by their lack of natural defense. Lerians are best suited to magical craftsman Classes that utilize their Dexterity, Wisdom and Intelligence.


    Race Traits


    Immunity to the status effects Poison, Paralysis and Confusion


    High magical aptitude


    Long lifespan


    Low natural regeneration


    Rayna stared at the average lifespan with wide eyes. ¡°Two hundred years?¡± she exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s joking, right? Or is that a typo?¡±


    Emma shook her head. ¡°Actually, that explains the high natural Vitality. And the lack of Endurance explains your brush with death earlier. The lower your Endurance, the faster you lose HP when you¡¯re hurt.¡±


    ¡°What do my stats actually do?¡± Rayna asked, staring at the list of numbers as if they might explain themselves. She had played a few games, but she wasn¡¯t even sure what half of the abbreviations were supposed to stand for. Most of the gaming lingo Rayna knew, she had learned from Emma. Why couldn¡¯t they just spell out the words like a normal person?


    ¡°Each stat corresponds to a different aspect of gameplay,¡± Emma said, pointing at Rayna¡¯s screen.


    ¡°Strength is just what it sounds like; it makes you physically stronger. It also buffs the damage of physical attacks like punches and kicks, and weapon damage, like swords and spears; anything that isn¡¯t magic.¡±


    ¡°So, if I throw a shoe at the Administrator¡¯s head, having higher Strength will make it hurt more,¡± Rayna said.


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Emma said with an approving nod. ¡°Dexterity is about speed and control. Not only does it make you run faster and dodge attacks quicker, it makes your hands steadier and helps with hand-eye coordination. You can think of it like this: you need high Dexterity for a track race, but also for a complicated surgery.


    ¡°Endurance is your defense and regeneration. The higher your Endurance is, the harder it will be for someone to hurt you, and when you do get hurt, you will heal up faster, too.


    ¡°Vitality increases your Health pool and extends your lifespan. It seemed like a useless feature in a game that progressed in real time, but it might be something worth paying attention to here.


    ¡°Intelligence decreases skill cooldowns and increases spell damage.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s the difference between spells and skills?¡± Rayna had noticed that she had one of each: her Basic Heal spell and her Rage skill. She didn¡¯t like the sound of the second one. ¡°Do we get an actual description for them or am I just supposed to guess what they do?¡±


    ¡°Focus on the spell or skill that you want to know more about, and a screen will pop up just like with the race information.¡±


    Rayna tried it out.


    (Spell) Basic Heal ¡ª heal small injuries such as scrapes and bruises with one cast, or larger injuries such as stab wounds with multiple casts. The number of casts required to fully heal a wound depends on the severity of the injury and the Vitality of the subject.


    Cost: 10 MP


    HP Regeneration: 100/cast


    (Skill) Rage ¡ª Enhance all stats temporarily.


    Stat Increase: +10%


    Duration: 1 minute


    Cooldown: 10 minutes


    ¡°Spells need MP to cast, but they don¡¯t have a cooldown,¡± Emma explained. ¡°Conversely, skills don¡¯t have an MP cost, but you have to wait until the cooldown ends to use them again. Most Classes have a combination of spells and skills. Also, skills can only be used on yourself while spells can be cast on others unless the description says otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Got it, so Intelligence buffs your spells and lets you use your skills more frequently.¡±


    Emma nodded. ¡°As for Wisdom, it increases your MP pool and decreases the cost of certain spells.


    ¡°Finally, when you kill monsters or open chests, the items you get are based on a percentage chance, your Luck boosts the drop rate for rarer items.¡± She laid back down on the bed and closed her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s the basics, anyway. They¡¯ll probably explain more in the tutorial tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really going to sleep at a time like this?¡± Rayna asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Well, one of us has to be alert tomorrow. If you want to keep watch like we¡¯re camping in the middle of the woods, be my guest, but I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    Rayna sighed and crawled under the covers next to Emma, not bothering to tell her to go back to her own bed. She didn¡¯t like sleeping in new places and Emma was a comforting presence in an otherwise unfamiliar world.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about all of this,¡± Emma said, her eyes still closed. ¡°We just need to survive long enough to figure out a way home. We¡¯ll be fine if we stick together.¡±


    Rayna nodded, closing her eyes. Despite her confusing day and the worries of the uncertain future that lay ahead, Rayna drifted off to sleep just moments after her head hit the pillow.


    * * *


    Emma listened to the soft snoring that filled the room as Rayna fell asleep. She had forced herself to stay strong for the sake of her friend, but as soon as she no longer had to pretend, tears spilled down her cheeks. Emma pressed a fist to her mouth to muffle the sound as the room blurred around her.


    This was all her fault.


    Rayna hadn¡¯t wanted to go to the opening. She had warned Emma that it seemed sketchy. She had even begged Emma to leave when the Administrator gave them a chance to run. Emma had been so excited to show Rayna how cool Ember Online was¡ªhow safe the Ember Industries chip was¡ªthat she had walked both of them into a trap.


    And instead of making her escape, like any sensible person would, Rayna had walked right into that trap with her.


    Emma closed her eyes, fear roiling around in her stomach. She knew better than anyone how dangerous this world was. She had died countless times in her quest to grow stronger in Ember Online. Her strength was a sham born of unlimited second chances.


    That was all gone now. They only had one shot at this. There was no resurrection or necromancy in the world of Ember. If they died, it was over.


    Emma had almost lost Rayna before the tutorial even began. One bite was all it had taken to bring her sizable HP pool to zero. What kind of monster would put her in such a frail body? Was it revenge? He had made her out to be some special volunteer that showed the promise of the future.


    Rage flooded her as she thought about the System Administrator. How dare he steal their future from them? How dare he meddle in the lives of Emma and her friends? She knew for a fact that some of her old guild mates had planned to go to the opening. If Emma hadn¡¯t begged for her spot, Lilly would have been there.


    Emma opened her eyes, bringing up her Character Sheet. It was unremarkable really, a basic Level 1 Healer that had yet to complete the tutorial. The only thing that set her sheet apart was an unassuming quest that had appeared moments after Rayna had hugged her in the lobby.


    Plus one ¡ª You brought an uninvited guest to the initiation without prior approval. This person is of great importance to the world of Ember. Keep her safe and help her grow.


    Duration: unlimited


    Reward: Teleportation back to Earth for you and anyone else from your planet who wishes to return


    Penalty For Failure: The continued existence of the System and the eventual fall of Ember

 Chapter 4: The First Trial

    Rayna awoke to find Emma already sitting up and reading a book titled The Basics of Healing: Volume I.


    Rayna yawned. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    Emma shrugged. ¡°Apparently, a clock isn¡¯t something they provide during the tutorial. Most of the System¡¯s interface is locked or missing. The sun rose about an hour ago, I think. Breakfast appeared around that time, too.¡±


    Emma passed Rayna a lukewarm plate of food that looked like it was trying to mimic North American cuisine, except that the scrambled eggs were purple, the sausage was dark green, and the toast was cut so thickly that it was basically just bread.


    ¡°It tastes better than it looks,¡± Emma said. ¡°Though a little hot sauce wouldn¡¯t go amiss.¡±


    ¡°Beggars can¡¯t be choosers.¡± Rayna hesitated a moment before taking a bite of the eggs. They had the texture of scrambled eggs, but the taste of overcooked yams. The sausage tasted a lot like honey-smoked bacon, but the effect was ruined by the gravelly feeling as it rolled around in Rayna¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Are those seeds?¡± she asked, forcing herself to swallow the unpleasant food.


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Emma replied.


    Rayna didn¡¯t manage to work up the courage to try the bread.


    After finishing half of her breakfast, Rayna pushed it aside and browsed the list of books in her Inventory. There were quite a few that had been included in the Welcome Package. Rayna pulled out A Complete History of Ember: Volume I, hoping that it might shed some light on their current situation and the motivations of the System Administrator.


    She gave up on the book after a few pages. It read less like a history book and more like a stack of propaganda pamphlets. Every page emphasized the grace of the System and how it was created to protect the world from the ever growing threat of monsters. There were interesting snippets about how the System worked¡ªsuch as how half of the energy that is gained when a monster is killed goes to the System to keep it running and the other half is turned into Experience for the player¡ªbut such tidbits were drowned out by the overwhelming torrent of obviously self-aggrandizing prose.


    ¡°These people need to learn how to write,¡± Rayna said, irritated by the lack of real information.


    ¡°This book isn¡¯t much better,¡± Emma said, closing the book on healing. ¡°It¡¯s not telling me how healing actually works, only how the System streamlined the process so anyone could become a Healer. Supposedly, understanding the injury that I¡¯m trying to heal helps to increase the effectiveness of my spells, but there¡¯s no actual information on healing the natural way. I thought there would be some anatomy diagrams or at least how to cauterize a wound, but it¡¯s complete fluff.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s only the first volume,¡± Rayna suggested hopefully. ¡°Or we can find better authors when we get out of the tutorial.¡±


    ¡°There was a store in Ember Online,¡± Emma said. ¡°But I don¡¯t remember there being any books in it.¡±


    A notification popped up in front of Rayna, making her jump.


    ¡°This thing should have a warning bell or something!¡± she grumbled, reading the message.


    Welcome players to the tutorial! Due to unforeseen complications, your group has not been assigned a Tutorial Leader, but this shouldn¡¯t hinder your ability to complete the tutorial. All instructions will be provided through System prompts and all rewards will be distributed through the notifications area in the System Menu.


    Please make your way downstairs and prepare for the first trial.


    Rayna frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think I like the fact that the super-computer that now controls our lives had ¡®unforeseen complications¡¯ before we even started the tutorial.¡±


    Emma pursed her lips. ¡°Agreed. But I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much we can do about it. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll make a difference, in any case.¡±


    ¡°What did the Tutorial Leader do in Ember Online?¡± Rayna asked.


    Emma shook her head. ¡°The tutorial here is different. In the game, the tutorial was held outside in a regular town and it only lasted about thirty minutes. I don¡¯t think we can rely on the information from Ember Online, even if the Administrator claims it¡¯s identical.¡±


    With that unsettling realization, they left their room to follow the System¡¯s instructions.


    When they emerged, the hallway was already filled with people, all moving toward a set of stairs at the end. A quick glimpse inside one of the other rooms told Rayna that the two-person room she shared with Emma was the standard offering, although the System seemed to vary the color of the bedding.


    Many of the players walked through the hall like zombies, rubbing tired eyes and yawning every couple of steps. It was obvious that most had not been able to get a good night¡¯s sleep and a few of them probably didn¡¯t sleep at all.


    Emma looked like she was in the latter group, but Rayna decided not to comment on the bags under her eyes or the lack of her usual enthusiasm. Emma always tried to play it tough when anything went wrong in her life. Rayna would be there to talk when Emma was ready.


    The stairs led outside to a large courtyard that was almost half the size of a football field. Ten iridescent silver portals were spaced out around two edges of the courtyard, leaving about ten yards of space between each of them. Next to each portal was a rack of weapons, ranging in size from small daggers all the way up to a seven foot trident and maces that looked better suited for giants than the scrawny gamers that filled the space.


    They received another prompt from the System.


    The first trial is simple: Choose a weapon and enter one of the portals. The enemies inside are randomized from a group consisting of three species between level 1 and level 5.


    Kill the monster that appears and return through the portal. Failure to do so within 1 hour will result in forced expulsion from the trial space and a penalty title until the end of next trial. Injuries judged to be life-threatening will also result in failure and expulsion from the trial space.


    Rewards will be calculated based on the strength of the monster and the performance of the trial taker. The trial will not be considered complete until all players have made an attempt.


    Players who do not successfully complete the trial can reattempt it up to three times, but each subsequent failure will result in a separate penalty title.


    All penalty titles will be removed upon successful completion of the first trial.


    If the first trial is not completed within one week, the portals will automatically close and anyone who has not attempted the trial by this point will be issued a penalty title until the end of the tutorial period.


    The group of players stared silently at their screens, anxiety holding them still. Level 5 didn¡¯t seem too high to Rayna, but from the looks on everyone¡¯s faces, it was basically impossible.


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    ¡°Emma,¡± Rayna whispered, her voice uncomfortably loud in the silent courtyard. ¡°What¡¯s a penalty title?¡±


    It was like Rayna¡¯s question broke the spell that had descended on the crowd. Hundreds of conversations started at once, individual words lost in the buzz of anxious indecision.


    ¡°You have a title, don¡¯t you?¡± Emma asked. ¡°Volunteer, or something. I remember it had a really good stat boost. Penalty titles are like that, but instead of giving you stats, they take some away. They¡¯re usually temporary and can be removed either with a quest or after the timer runs out.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Rayna said. ¡°So, if I fail the trial, my already terrible Endurance might get even worse.¡±


    Emma nodded. ¡°Or if you¡¯re lucky, it might just take some of your Vitality for a few days.¡±


    Rayna shot Emma a doubtful look. Judging by the last twenty-four hours, Rayna wasn¡¯t feeling too good about her luck, as of late.


    ¡°Well,¡± a man said loud enough to be heard over the sea of nervous whispers. ¡°Waiting isn¡¯t going to make the monsters any weaker.¡±


    He walked up to one of the racks and grabbed a mid-sized sword, swinging it around to test the balance. A second sword appeared to replace the first one, confirming that the weapons weren¡¯t first come, first served.


    ¡°Devon, are you nuts? What if you get the Level 5?¡±


    The woman who spoke was blocked from Rayna¡¯s view, but her voice bordered on terrified, and she obviously knew the man well enough to be on a first name basis with him.


    Devon shrugged. ¡°Or I could get a Level 1. The way I see it, that curly-haired bastard is putting all of this effort into getting us ready, I might as well participate.¡± He saluted the crowd with his sword. ¡°If I die in there, make sure that Ember remembers my name.¡±


    Rayna gaped at the over-dramatic display. Was he not taking this seriously?


    The crowd watched in varying degrees of horror and disbelief as he made a show of picking a portal and swaggered through like he didn¡¯t have a care in the world.


    ¡°Arrogant prick,¡± a man said from the front of the crowd. ¡°He thinks he¡¯s invincible just because he became a ranker a few weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°Is he wrong, though?¡± a woman with long blonde hair asked. ¡°The System set all of this up to help us grow.¡±


    ¡°It probably just hopes we get ourselves killed in there to weed out the weaklings,¡± the first man said.


    The blonde-haired woman shook her head. ¡°The System Administrator already has complete control over us. If it was trying to get us killed, it would have dropped us in a pit with a bunch of monsters and waited to see who comes out alive. He obviously put some effort into this.¡±


    ¡°You want to know what I think?¡± a man said, standing only a few feet away from Rayna. He had a well-groomed beard and the look of a sleazy businessman. ¡°The best way to give this System the middle finger is to not play its sick game. Willing participation will only increase its hold over us.¡±


    Emma rolled her eyes. ¡°There¡¯s no increasing complete control, moron. You really want to stick it to the System?¡± She grabbed Rayna¡¯s hand and dragged her over to the weapons.


    Emma grabbed a polearm that was as long as she was tall. Fixed to the tip was a curved single-sided blade that came to a sharp point, and it had a funky looking spike on the back of the metal that almost looked like a hangnail.


    Emma pointed the blade at the crowd, causing them all to back up a step with a collective gasp.


    ¡°Grow stronger,¡± she declared. ¡°Survive. Rise to every challenge the System sends our way and leave it in the dust.¡±


    ¡°Big words coming from a glorified gaming addict,¡± the man said. ¡°I bet you don¡¯t even have anything to go back to. Was getting trapped in your favorite video game a dream come true? I have a wife and two kids waiting for me back on Earth and I don¡¯t plan on getting myself killed in this circus of lunatics.¡±


    Rayna balled her hands into fists and took a step forward, but Emma blocked her advance with a shaft of her polearm.


    ¡°I am DawnRising of the RemEmber guild.¡±


    Whispers spread through the crowd, making Rayna wonder just how famous Emma¡¯s guild actually was.


    ¡°My little sister Lillith and my mother are waiting for me back on Earth and you can be damn sure that I will do everything in my power to get back to them in one piece.¡± Emma narrowed her eyes. ¡°That does not involve hiding in my bedroom and whimpering like an injured puppy.¡±


    Emma turned around and lowered her voice so only Rayna would hear.


    ¡°Choose a polearm; something with length; Anything to keep the monster at a distance. Your Endurance is painfully low so use that healing spell whenever you see your Health bar move. Don¡¯t be stingy. Your life depends on it. The System said it will teleport you out if you sustain life-threatening injuries, but you can¡¯t count on that. Fight like there is no escape, understood?¡±


    Rayna¡¯s eyes widened at the seriousness in Emma¡¯s tone, but she recovered a moment later, nodding. ¡°Choose a polearm. Heal as needed. Fight to the death. Got it. Any other tips?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t die in there,¡± Emma said. ¡°I¡¯ll never forgive you if you do.¡±


    ¡°Same goes for you,¡± Rayna said with a nervous laugh. ¡°I better see you when I get back out.¡±


    Emma relaxed a fraction, her lips forming a small smile. ¡°Oh, you will. I can take on a Level 5 in my sleep.¡±


    Emma moved to one of the portals¡ªtwo portals to the left of the one that Devon had entered.


    She turned back to Rayna and grinned. ¡°See you on the flip side.¡±


    She walked through the portal, leaving Rayna behind.


    ¡°Choose a polearm. Heal as needed. Fight to the death. Don¡¯t die,¡± Rayna muttered to herself as she considered her choice of weapons. The buzz of conversation returned, a few people moving to examine the weapon racks, but Rayna blocked them out, fully focused on the task at hand.


    The biggest problem to consider was Rayna¡¯s new body. She was only four-foot-eight and her lack of Strength was concerning. Whatever she chose needed to be shorter and lighter than she would normally use.


    As If I would actually use a spear to fight bloodthirsty monsters on a random Tuesday¡­


    Rayna dismissed the thought and considered the polearm section. She didn¡¯t have a name for most of them; they all just looked like spears with slightly different tips. Some of them didn¡¯t even look like real weapons, but rather some fantasy game equivalent that prioritized the rule of cool over basic usability.


    There was one weapon that looked like a trident, but its handle was only three feet long. The center prong stretched out like an armor-piercing spike and the two side prongs were fashioned similar to the curved blade on Emma¡¯s chosen weapon. It looked like someone had tried to combine a trident, a spear and an axe and just ended up with a frankenstein weapon featuring the worst elements of each.


    Rayna went with a shorter spear that had a longer tip. The three foot needle-like blade had a circular guard at the bottom and it looked like it was designed for punching through things, rather than slashing. She hoped that she could stab the monster from a distance before it had a chance to react. Her Dexterity was much higher than her Endurance, so short and sweet seemed like the way to go.


    You have chosen an awl pike created by the Blacksmith Gers¡¯n. Please proceed to the trial.


    Rayna nearly dropped the weapon, not expecting it to weigh as much as it did. It wasn¡¯t heavy exactly, but it felt like Rayna was dragging around a sack of potatoes. She went to put it back and find another one, but another awl pike had already appeared in its place.


    You have already chosen an awl pike. Weapon choices are final. Please proceed to the trial. Failure to do so within 5 minutes will lead to disqualification and a penalty title.


    ¡°You should have told me that before I picked it,¡± Rayna muttered. Turning to the crowd, she called out, ¡°Heads up, weapon choices are final.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I hope you all pick better than I did.¡±


    She moved toward the closest portal, balancing the pike on her shoulder so it wouldn¡¯t drag on the ground. She figured if the monsters were random, it didn¡¯t matter which one she went into, and if the portals didn¡¯t close between players, then she didn¡¯t have to wait for the others to come out before going through. Most of those who had already gone in had picked one of the center portals and Rayna followed their lead, heading to the portal that Devon had entered.


    She stopped about five feet away from it, as an oppressive weight settled on her shoulders that had nothing to do with her pike. She frowned at the portal, trying to put the feeling into words. The closest equivalent she could come up with was ¡®bad vibes¡¯. The portal felt dangerous, and she didn¡¯t think now was the time to be ignoring her instincts.


    Moving to the next portal over, she found that the feeling was lighter. It was still there, but it wasn¡¯t as oppressive as Devon¡¯s portal had been.


    She kept moving down the line, each portal giving off the same bad feeling in varying levels. At the last portal¡ªthe furthest to the left¡ªRayna finally stopped.


    She felt nothing from the portal. It wasn¡¯t a good feeling, but rather no feeling at all. She decided to trust her gut, since it had decided to start communicating explicitly after twenty-seven years of mixed signals.


    She was about to walk through when a scream cut through the air. Rayna spun around to see the crowd had moved away from a bloodied bundle of cloth that had appeared at the center of the courtyard. It wasn¡¯t until the bundle took in a raspy breath that Rayna realized it was Devon.


    He looked like he had been put through a garbage disposal. Every inch of him was covered in gashes and you couldn¡¯t tell what color his skin was under the thick layer of blood. His previously arrogant demeanor was replaced with agonized groans as he bled out on the stones of the courtyard.


    Rayna looked from Devon to the portal that she had almost walked into. Bad vibes had probably just saved her life.


    You have 1 minute to enter the portal before disqualification.


    Rayna looked back at Devon, waiting for someone to move. The crowd seemed to be too shocked to do anything and Rayna was running out of time.


    She ran out of patience first.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, someone heal him!¡± Rayna snapped, trying to move toward Devon.


    She forgot she was holding the pike and tripped over the shaft, falling backwards into the shimmering portal behind her.


    The last thing she saw was several people rushing to Devon¡¯s side before she was teleported out of the courtyard.

 Chapter 5: Tutorial Leader

    Janet Lindale was one of the most sought after secretaries in corporate America. She did her work well, she knew fifteen languages and she had basically held her company together through the last recession.


    Now she was stuck in a foreign world in which almost none of those skills mattered. Why did she have to game in her free time? It had seemed like the perfect hobby; AR gaming that could be played anywhere. Half of the time, she had been slaying monsters on the abandoned stairwells of her office building, and it had been the best stress reliever she had ever found.


    As Janet cast Basic Heal on the poor soul in front of her, she was starting to regret ever getting the Ember Industries chip.


    She had only caught a glimpse of the girl who had shouted at them to heal Devon¡¯s injuries, but the man probably owed her his life. His Health had been near zero when the first Healer reached him.


    Never be the first to stick your neck out, Janet thought. It¡¯s a good way to lose your head.


    With Devon¡¯s sudden appearance and the shocking state he had returned in, most people had backed away from the portals, some still clutching their weapons with uncertain expressions.


    A rousing speech from the number one player in Ember Online had not been on Janet¡¯s bingo card for the apocalypse, but it had managed to push some people into action, so she just needed to find a way to keep the ball rolling.


    Step one, Janet thought. Field hospital and statistics. Step two, information and guides. The key to surviving this is to make sure that we¡¯re going into those portals with as much information as possible.


    Janet stood up and pulled a permanent marker out of her bag. She had been pleasantly surprised when the System had brought her belongings when she was transported to the tutorial. They were going to be a huge help in the days ahead.


    ¡°All right, everyone, listen up!¡± Janet called, gaining the crowd¡¯s attention. She drew an ¡®X¡¯ on the ground in front of the portal that Devon had entered. ¡°Until proven otherwise, this portal is to be considered extremely dangerous. We need to set up a hospital area in the courtyard with beds and on duty Healers and we need to gather more information about which portals are the safest to enter.¡±


    She walked to the edge of the courtyard, numbering the portals from left to right, then she pulled out a clipboard and started scribbling some notes.


    ¡°Any time someone exits a portal, either successfully or unsuccessfully, bring me information on the monsters within¡ªtheir strengths, weaknesses and anything you can tell us about the environment of the trial. We need mattresses brought down from the dorms, preferably from unoccupied rooms, if there are any. These can serve as a waiting area in case Healers aren¡¯t available. Mana is limited so we should start a rotation for hospital duty, prioritizing Healer as their healing should improve as they level up.¡±


    Janet was kicking herself for picking Mage. She preferred ranged combat, and the Class came with a second spell instead of a skill, but it wasn¡¯t very useful.


    Fireball ¡ª Shoot a ball of fire at your enemies. (Damage is proportional to your proficiency level and your Intelligence.)


    Proficiency: 0%


    Cost: 25 MP


    Base Damage: 50 HP


    Chance to Inflict Burning: 1%


    It might do a decent amount of damage for a beginning spell, but only getting two shots in before you were tapped out would be a serious hindrance to Janet¡¯s usual fighting style.


    ¡°Who put you in charge?¡± a gangly teen asked. He looked to be just starting his junior year of high school, with a wispy beard that was patchy in places, as if he hadn¡¯t quite managed to grow it out yet. ¡°I¡¯m not going into any of those portals if we come out looking like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in charge,¡± Janet said. ¡°But if we don¡¯t get organized, then that¡¯s exactly how we¡¯ll all end up.¡±


    Devon was starting to recover his wits, though he showed no sign that he was paying attention to the conversation.


    ¡°How do we know that the monster he fought is still behind that portal?¡± someone else asked, sounding more curious than argumentative.


    Janet didn¡¯t catch the speaker before they finished their question, so she just addressed the general area.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know either way,¡± Janet said. ¡°Until we can gather more data, it¡¯s safest to avoid the portal that might hold certain failure and focus on the ones that have not yet proven themselves deadly.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this portal?¡± came an annoyed voice from the left side of the courtyard. A young woman whose name tag read ¡®Kara Avery¡¯ was trying to enter portal number one but there was some sort of force field stopping her from doing so.


    A prompt appeared above the portal.


    Special trial in progress. Please enter one of the other nine portals.


    Janet didn¡¯t like the sound of that. She made a note next to the number one on her clipboard and turned back to the crowd. ¡°We don¡¯t have a Tutorial Leader to answer our questions, so our best bet is to answer them ourselves. Otherwise, we¡¯ll just keep stumbling around in the dark and people will die before the day is done.¡±


    She was starting to gain some traction with the crowd. She could see heads nodding and a few people actually went back toward the stairs, hopefully to grab the mattresses she had asked for earlier.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay with putting Miss Lindale in charge.¡± Devon stood, his eyes still haunted, but alert. He nodded at Janet. ¡°She obviously has some good ideas on how to keep us breathing and it¡¯s more than anyone else has come up with so far.¡±


    There was some murmured agreement from the crowd and even the ones who had looked skeptical before were starting to come around.


    A prompt appeared in front of Janet, distracting her from the situation.


    In the absence of a System Representative, you have been designated Tutorial Leader. Players who disobey any reasonable order from you will be punished with short term penalty titles and you will have the power to access the Tutorial Information Archive.


    A special reward will be issued at the end of the tutorial, but you may not participate in any of the trials. Rewards will be calculated based on your performance as the Tutorial Leader and the percentage of trial participants within your group that survive to the end of the tutorial.


    Do you accept this role?


    Janet accepted without a second thought. Just the promise of the Tutorial Information Archive was enough to make the loss of trial participation a negligible sacrifice. While the other players received notifications of Janet¡¯s new role, she pulled up the Archive and started to browse the information.


    Everything was in there, from monster species to stat sheets, even a description of each tutorial stage and the general rewards one might receive from the trial.


    She also had a roster of both her group and the other tutorial groups that included who had completed the trial¡­


    ¡­and how many had died.


    Her group had lost two people already and they weren¡¯t the worst off. She stopped anyone else from going into the portals until she could take a moment to look through the monster sheets and help players strategize.


    The description of the special trial caught Janet¡¯s eye, and she skimmed it, her eyebrows climbing to the top of her forehead. She glanced at portal number one, which was currently occupied by a player named Rayna.


    She was either the luckiest player in the world or the unluckiest; Janet couldn¡¯t decide.


    She closed her screen and started giving orders, there was a lot to do before she sent more players into those portals, and they had less than a week to get it all done.


    * * *


    Emma stepped through the portal, holding her glaive ready in case the monster tried to jump her as she emerged. She probably should have gone with a more general use weapon like a spear, but she liked that she could both stab and slice with the lethal looking weapon.


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    The portal spit Emma out in a small empty room. The walls and ceiling were made of stone and the floor was dirt, as if the stone house had been plopped on top of unrefined soil. The room had no windows or doors, leaving the magical floating orb in the center of the room as the only source of light in the dimly lit space. Dark red patches decorated the floor and the cramped space stunk of dried blood and other bodily fluids.


    Emma gagged, covering her nose to block out the stench.


    The monster in this room has been killed by another player. Please wait while the System retrieves another one.


    ¡°I''m really not impressed with your management skills,¡± Emma said aloud.


    She pulled out a scarf that had been among the clothes provided by the System and tied it around her face to free up her hands. Some of the smell made it through the face covering, but it was better than nothing.


    While Emma waited, she practiced holding the glaive. It was harder to handle than she had been expecting, but she thought she could use it well enough for a low level monster. If she found herself facing a Level 3 or Level 4, she was going to have to abandon finesse and try to stab the thing as quickly as possible. The stat difference between a Level 1 and a Level 3 was just too high for comfort.


    Emma didn''t have to wait long; five minutes later a wolf-like creature was teleported into the room. The wolf''s coat was long and white with red stripes along its back and tail. It growled, revealing viciously sharp teeth that jutted out from its jaw at odd angles.


    [Cruennix Wolf ¡ª Level 3]


    Level 3? Emma thought with dismay. This is going to be pushing it.


    She moved the glaive into what she hoped was a ready stance. Ember Online had used similar weapons, but it didn''t actually teach you how to wield them. Some players had gone so far as to take classes to learn proper form and technique, but Emma had found that stabbing the monster with the pointy end was usually enough.


    Of course, that had been the case when she was a Level 47 Battle Healer.


    It was too late to regret her choice of Class now. She just needed to kill this thing quickly and get back through the portal in one piece.


    The wolf lunged, aiming for Emma¡¯s throat with its teeth.


    She screamed, thrusting her weapon out in front of her. She missed the monster, but it was enough to push it away and buy her a few precious seconds.


    Time that she squandered as she nearly fell over, having overreached with her thrust. She managed to catch herself, but the blunder took her closer to the wolf.


    She swung her glaive wildly to keep the monster at bay as she retreated, putting her back against a wall. The last thing Emma wanted was for this monster to snake around her to attack her unprotected back.


    ¡°A little armor would be nice right about now!¡± she yelled at the ceiling, but the System didn¡¯t seem inclined to respond. All she managed to do was further anger the wolf, who stalked toward her with its ears pressed flat against its head.


    ¡°It may not seem like it, but I actually like dogs,¡± Emma said breathlessly, lowering her weapon to match her opponents height. ¡°You can blame Eldar for this.¡±


    She thrust at the wolf with her glaive, which turned out to be a mistake as the agile creature leapt into the air, aiming to rake its claws across her face.


    Emma barely managed to scramble under the attack. Pain erupted across her back, and she cried out.


    She swung around, stabbing repeatedly at the monster. It tried to dodge, but the room wasn¡¯t very large and in attacking her, it had managed to get itself wedged between Emma¡¯s weapon and the unforgiving stone wall.


    It wasn¡¯t going to go down without a fight, however. The wolf growled and lashed out, catching Emma¡¯s arm in its powerful jaws.


    Blood splattered the ground, adding to the patchwork of other players¡¯ misery. Emma¡¯s vision blurred from the pain, but she stubbornly kept her grip on her weapon. If she dropped the glaive, it would all be over.


    A System notification popped up in front of Emma.


    You have sustained a serious injury. Would you like to forfeit the first trial?


    ¡°Like hell!¡± she yelled defiantly at the screen. It had the gall to wait until now to ask if she was going to forfeit? After she was badly wounded by this blasted wolf?


    If she gave up now, then this would all have been for nothing. No, it would be worse than nothing, because quitting now would result in a penalty title.


    Emma lifted her leg and kicked with all her strength, hitting the wolf in one of its stab wounds. It yelped, releasing her arm and she didn¡¯t give it any time to recover. Lifting her glaive, she swung it downward with all the strength that she could muster, slicing open the monster¡¯s neck.


    It didn¡¯t die instantly as she had been hoping and Emma retreated, casting Basic Heal quickly just to make her injuries scab over.


    The wolf tried to get up, but it was too weak, falling back to the ground as blood poured from its open neck. Emma watched in horror as the animal tried to drag itself toward her, intent on ripping her throat out with its final ounce of strength.


    It was only halfway across the room when it finally went still. A notification popped up in front of Emma.


    You have killed a Level 3 Cruennix Wolf.


    +150 Exp


    +50 Coins


    You have leveled up! You are now a level 2 Healer.


    +3 End


    +2 Vit


    +2 Wis


    +2 Int


    +1 Free Point


    You have leveled up! You are now a level 3 Healer.


    +3 End


    +2 Vit


    +2 Wis


    +2 Int


    +1 Free Point


    You have completed the first trial. Time: 7 minutes. Please return through the portal so the next player may make their attempt.


    Two levels for one monster wasn¡¯t bad. Emma had forgotten how easy it was to level up in the beginning.


    She watched as the wolf¡¯s body was teleported away, leaving the room empty for the next opponent.


    ¡°Give the next person something easier,¡± she told the System, not bothering to veil her anger. ¡°We¡¯re no use to you if we¡¯re dead.¡±


    The glowing orb dimmed slightly, and Emma almost thought that the System heard her.


    But the moment passed and there was no response. She shook her head and walked back through the portal, leaving the small room behind.


    Emma did a double take as she returned to the courtyard. There were far less people in it now than there had been when she went in. Had they all charged in after her?


    Off to the side, a few dozen mattresses were set up in neat rows, many of them occupied by groaning players.


    There was a group of players next to the makeshift hospital, all staring off into the distance like they had checked out of reality. Emma didn¡¯t blame them. From the looks of their torn and bloody clothes, the first trial had been a far worse experience for them than it had been for Emma.


    Several smaller groups of players were standing around, talking about their own trials or discussing weapon choices.


    How had all this happened in seven minutes?


    A notification popped up in front of Emma and she had her answer.


    Congratulations on completing the first trial! Time elapsed: 01h 27m (including wait time). Rewards will be distributed in one week or when all players have completed the trial.


    Another notification replaced the first.


    While you were in the trial, Player Janet Lindale was designated Tutorial Leader. You must obey any reasonable instruction given to you by the Tutorial Leader and you may go to her with any questions you have regarding the trials.


    So the System had given them a leader after all. That explained the sudden organization. Emma was concerned about the hour and twenty minutes that she didn¡¯t remember. Did the System have some sort of stasis for players while they waited for their turn?


    She decided not to think about it. It wasn¡¯t like she had any control over the System.


    ¡°Please move to the side so the next player can enter portal number three,¡± a woman said, gesturing off to the left with her hand. Emma glanced in the direction she was pointing and realized she was being rerouted to the Healers.


    She sat on the bed and waved the Healer away when they came to tend to her. ¡°I¡¯m a Healer. Go help someone else.¡±


    The woman nodded in thanks and left without arguing.


    As a Healer, Emma had one spell and one skill.


    (Spell) Basic Heal ¡ª Heal small injuries such as scrapes and bruises with one cast, or larger injuries such as stab wounds with multiple casts. The Number of casts required to fully heal a wound depends on the severity of the injury.


    Proficiency: 1%


    Cost: 35 MP


    HP Regeneration: 25/Cast


    (Skill) Nature¡¯s Embrace ¡ª Boost your natural regeneration rate for a short time and remove status effects Bleeding and Poison.


    Proficiency: 0%


    Regeneration Boost: 100%


    Duration: 5 minutes


    Cooldown: 10 minutes


    Emma cast Basic Heal on herself. Leveling up had brought her MP pool up to ninety, but she could still only use the spell twice before she was out of Mana. She used her skill to speed up the rest of her healing and waited for her Mana to refill so she could help the others.


    Emma missed her overpowered spells from Ember Online. She could have cast an Area of Effect spell¡ªa spell that covered anyone within a certain area¡ªto keep everyone in the little hospital healthy with minimal effort.


    The woman who had rerouted her to the hospital seemed to be waiting patiently for Emma to finish healing herself. She was scribbling something on her clipboard¡ªwhere she had found such a thing was anyone¡¯s guess.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Emma asked.


    ¡°You are¡­ Emma, yes?¡±


    Emma checked the woman¡¯s name tag and was surprised to find two lines instead of one.


    [Janet Lindale ¡ª Level 1]


    [Tutorial Leader]


    ¡°You¡¯re the Tutorial Leader?¡± Emma asked. She had been expecting the leader to be someone stronger who could assert dominance over the other players or something, but in retrospect, the tall studious woman with glasses and a clipboard made much more sense.


    ¡°It seems to have turned out that way, yes,¡± Janet said. ¡°I see from my information that you were up against a Level 3 Cruennix Wolf. Can you describe to me the capabilities and strengths of the monster? I am finding that the stat sheets in the archive are rather insufficient for use in a real battle.¡±


    Emma described the battle to Janet, glossing over some of her blunders while still accurately describing the Cruennix Wolf¡¯s capabilities. It made sense to get an actual description. If Emma hadn¡¯t been able to see the wolf¡¯s name tag, she would have assumed it was a Level 5 or higher.


    It turned out that being Tutorial Leader gave Janet some nice perks¡ªlike a detailed guide on the tutorial and all of the monsters that they would face.


    Janet also had a list of players and which trials they were currently attempting.


    ¡°Did Rayna come out already?¡± Emma asked quickly.


    ¡°The player with the strange race name?¡± Janet asked, scrolling through her list. ¡°There she is. Oh.¡± Janet frowned and Emma¡¯s heart dropped into her stomach.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t make it?¡± she asked quietly, knowing that it was the most likely outcome.


    ¡°Oh! No, nothing like that!¡± Janet said quickly.


    Relief spread through Emma, undermined a moment later by Janet¡¯s next statement.


    ¡°She¡¯s in the special trial. It¡¯s¡­ complicated. I¡¯m not allowed to share details for that one. All I can tell you is that she is still alive.¡±


    ¡°Special trial?¡± Emma asked. ¡°Is it more dangerous?¡±


    Janet opened her mouth and closed it again. ¡°As I said, the System doesn¡¯t allow me to share that information until after the trial is completed.¡± Her face softened and she put a gentle hand on Emma¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As far as trials go, that was probably the best one she could have chosen.¡±


    With that cryptic statement, Janet walked away to meet another player who emerged from the portals.


    Emma pulled up her character sheet to assure herself Rayna was alive. The Plus One quest was still active, and Emma nodded to herself.


    Rayna would be fine. It had been over an hour, and she hadn¡¯t gotten herself killed yet. All Emma had to do now was pass the time until she returned.


    Emma put herself into the rotation of Healers and set to work keeping herself busy until Rayna got back.

 Chapter 6: Traps and Treasures

    Rayna hit the ground hard, her weapon smacking into her nose with an unpleasant crunch. She followed Emma¡¯s advice, immediately spamming her healing spell.


    It took seven times to bring her back to full Health.


    Rayna jumped to her feet, grabbing her awl pike off the ground and pointing it at the path ahead. She was in some sort of garden. The sun shone down on her with a gentle warmth and a sweet smell wafted to her on a soft breeze. The path ahead was lined with hedges, blocking her view of the rest of the area.


    Rayna hesitated, confusion holding her still. Should she go down the path? That seemed to be the way the System wanted her to go, seeing as there were no other paths available.


    She could just turn around and walk back through the portal. It would result in a penalty title, but this place was giving her the creeps, even if she didn¡¯t get the same bad feeling as she had from the other portals.


    And she almost just killed herself with her own weapon! Who was she kidding? Her best chance to get through this was to forfeit her way through the tutorial and hope there was a crafting Class that didn¡¯t need to fight in order to level up.


    Rayna turned around to leave, but the portal was blocked by a forcefield. She placed her hand on the shimmering wall that stood between her and safety, frustration flaring in her chest.


    ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± she snapped.


    The System answered her with a notification.


    Special Trial: The Lost Garden.


    Find the special treasure hidden deep within the garden. Rewards will be calculated based on player performance during the trial. If the time limit is exceeded, the player will be returned to the tutorial area, but no penalty title will be issued. Forfeiting is not permitted.


    Any additional treasures discovered during exploration will be transferred to the player¡¯s Inventory and locked until after the remaining time has elapsed, so as not to affect the results of the trial. Additionally, the player may not gain any stat points or levels during the trial, all Experience gained will be applied after returning to the tutorial area.


    A detailed treasure map can be found in your System Menu.


    Be advised, this trial is considered highly dangerous, and caution is recommended.


    With great risk comes great reward, but don¡¯t overextend yourself. A treasure is useless in the hands of the dead.


    Time remaining: 06d 23h 47m


    ¡°A week?¡± Rayna exclaimed. Her initial excitement at the prospect of a treasure hunt was eclipsed by the idea of a one-week battle-filled death trial with no chance of escape.


    She read through the prompt again and one sentence stood out to her.


    If the time limit is exceeded, the player will be returned to the tutorial area, but no penalty title will be issued.


    She wouldn¡¯t get a penalty title?


    Rayna grinned. She didn¡¯t have to complete the trial at all. she could just wait until the end of the timer, and she would be teleported back to safety. No rewards, but also no punishments.


    Wait, what am I going to eat?


    The sudden realization sent Rayna rushing to her Inventory to see if she had any food. She sighed in relief.


    Travel Rations x21


    The trial provided enough rations for the week. Rayna stowed her weapon in her Inventory and sat down. She browsed her available books from the welcome package, settling on one titled Bestiary: Volume I.


    It was much more interesting than the history book had been. The bestiary described hundreds of common monsters; their stats, their fighting patterns, even their habits and dietary needs. She flipped through the pages, wiling the hours away as the sun crept across the sky.


    Cruennix Wolf


    Average Lifespan: 20 years


    Base Stats


    Str: 15


    Dex: 15


    End: 25


    Vit: 10


    Int: 5


    Wis: 5


    Cruennix Wolves are a canine species that lives in the colder regions of Northern Ember (Their name approximately translates to ¡®bloody snow¡¯). They have a thick fur coat to ward against the arctic climate and their coloring usually consists of white and varying levels of red patterning.


    Diet: Omnivorous. Nuts, berries, small animals.


    Temperament: Docile, but defensive. They will lash out if they feel threatened or if a person moves too close to their den.


    Leveling Speed: High. Due to their proximity to other creatures and the cut-throat nature of their natural habitat, Cruennix Wolves are more likely to reach levels in the high thirties before they are killed by hunters or other natural predators.


    Healing Speed: Medium. Cruennix Wolves have a naturally lower metabolism, which is exacerbated by their tendency to hibernate through long winters. While they are likely to recover from non-fatal wounds, it can take them months to heal from a serious injury.


    Most Valuable Stats: Dexterity and Strength. The Cruennix Wolf is an ambush predator that will attempt to rush in and take their prey down before it has a chance to respond.


    Weakest Stats: Intelligence and Wisdom. The Cruennix Wolf has no natural magical attacks.


    Rayna couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the goldmine of information she had found. This book should be required reading for every new player. It was like a cheat sheet for monsters.


    She kept reading, finding several interesting entries, all of which seemed fairly manageable at Level 1.


    Robi


    Average Lifespan: 5 years


    Base Stats


    Str: 5


    Dex: 45


    End: 5


    Vit: 2


    Int: 15


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Wis: 15


    Robis are a rodent species with rusty red fur. They are extremely easy to kill and rarely pose any danger, so long as a player exercises the proper level of caution. The danger from Robis come from their tendency to travel in large hordes.


    Diet: Omnivorous. They eat anything that they can penetrate with their teeth. Their teeth constantly regenerate through magic and are stronger than the creature¡¯s Strength stat would suggest.


    Temperament: Aggressive. Robis will attack anything on sight. They are territorial and view any other living creature as an enemy. Sometimes, colony infighting will lead to the decimation of the whole group, due to their low sense of self-preservation.


    Leveling Speed: Variable. Their propensity for violence leads to quick leveling, but they don¡¯t often live to the end of their natural lifespan. It is rare to see a Robi above Level 10.


    Healing speed: High. While their Endurance is low, a Robi¡¯s natural regeneration speed is higher than their stats might suggest. More research is needed to determine if this is a magical phenomenon or if this could reveal some nuance of the System that has yet to be explored.


    Most Valuable Stats: Dexterity, Wisdom and Intelligence. A Robi¡¯s main mode of attack is to rush in and bite their victims. Their magically strengthened teeth can punch through rune-enhanced armor, but their low IQ leads them to attack randomly. Usually, they will go for the legs or an exposed finger, making it fairly simple to dispatch the monster before any serious injury has been incurred.


    Note: the danger increases when dozens of Robis attack at once. Avoid hordes of these monsters if your Endurance is lower than 150.


    Weakest Stats: Vitality and Endurance. Robis have only 5 Endurance, leading most injuries to be fatal. Additionally, their lack of Vitality makes it easier to kill them as their starting HP pool is only 20 points. Slice them with even a dull blade and they will bleed out before they can attack a second time.


    Rayna was starting to feel better about her chances of surviving this. The Cruennix Wolf was stronger than her, but it couldn¡¯t match her Dexterity. The Robi was as fast as her, but it only had a third of her Endurance. She spent a whole day reading through the bestiary, noting any monsters that would be troublesome if she ran into them.


    For the most part, Rayna thought she would be fine as long as she came up against a Level 1 or 2. They were usually only strong in one or two stats, meaning that proper technique could counter raw strength.


    After considering the matter further, Rayna realized that she was actually better off than most of the monsters listed in the book. She was naturally strong in four stats: Vitality, Wisdom, Intelligence and Dexterity.


    Rayna yawned as the sun tucked itself behind the horizon. It was surprisingly peaceful for a death trial. The first day passed without seeing a single monster.


    Rayna spent the second day reading the other two bestiary volumes. She found a journal and a pen in her welcome package and used them to take notes on some of the more notable beasts.


    Robi ¡ª Easy to kill.


    Emurian ¡ª Specializes in Strength and Endurance. Use ranged weapons with high power.


    Chiki ¡ª Fast and deadly. Don¡¯t engage.


    Lyre Rat ¡ª Uses poison as main attack, no threat to Lerians.


    The more notes she took, the more confident she became that she could handle most of the monsters in the tutorial with the proper tactics.


    By the morning of the third day, she got tired of waiting. Rayna stowed her journal and took a look at the treasure map. The maze was larger than Rayna had been expecting, and she could understand why the System gave so much time for the trial. It looked like it could take the whole week to reach the center, even if she didn¡¯t stop for any of the treasure.


    Rayna set out into the maze, keeping her weapon stowed for now, since she could pull it out at a moment¡¯s notice, and she was too weak to carry it constantly.


    The hedges were nearly ten feet tall, banishing any thought of just climbing over them. The map didn¡¯t tell her what was in the maze, but there were small dots in various dead ends that Rayna assumed were treasure.


    She confirmed this theory as she turned the corner to find a treasure chest about the size of a lunch box sitting at the end of the path. Rayna couldn¡¯t help the excited grin that spread across her face as she ran toward the treasure.


    A click echoed ominously in the silence.


    Rayna dropped to the ground as a small object flew over her head.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Rayna looked around to try to find the source of the projectile, but the area was still empty. Not even the hedges rustled in the wind.


    She stood up and heard another click.


    Rayna dropped back to the ground, this time rolling over in time to reach up and catch the object midair.


    She pulled her arm down quickly so she wouldn¡¯t trigger the trap again and stared at the dagger she had just caught. It was one thing to know that she had three times the Dexterity of a human, it was another thing entirely to see it in action.


    Could she dodge an arrow? A bullet? She didn¡¯t really have a way to test these things, but she was intrigued by the mere prospect. Rayna stowed the dagger in her Inventory, and a window opened in front of her.


    A weapon has been placed in your Inventory that is neither a treasure nor the weapon provided for you before entering the portal. Such weapons will be available to you only until the end of the first trial. After such time they will be removed from your Inventory and replaced with treasures of equal value.


    Rayna¡¯s smile widened. So any weapons she found in this maze would not only help her in surviving it, they would turn into some sort of loot when she emerged from the trial?


    She saw no downsides to this arrangement.


    Rayna considered her options and decided the direct approach would be best. She jumped to her feet, remaining standing this time as she caught the daggers that flew at her from inside the hedge. They came from multiple directions, making it impossible to pinpoint the location of the trap. She stowed them in her Inventory as she caught them, settling into a rhythm that was almost boring in its simplicity.


    It took ten minutes for the trap to run out of weapons to throw at her, and by the end Rayna was beginning to wonder if the obviously magical trap had the power to create daggers out of thin air.


    When the barrage finally ended, Rayna received another System prompt.


    You have disarmed the trap Flying Daggers.


    +10 Exp


    +10 Coins


    The action has been added to your trial score. You can review your score in the trial section of your System Menu. A higher trial score will result in better rewards.


    Current Trial Score: 10 Points


    Rayna didn¡¯t have any frame of reference for whether or not ten points was a lot, but the fact that she made progress without having to kill a monster was a pleasant surprise.


    She walked over to the chest, her eyes peeled for any other traps, and went to open the lid.


    To her disappointment, the chest vanished into her Inventory as soon as she touched it. A few seconds of experimentation was enough to confirm what the System had told her about the treasures; they wouldn¡¯t be accessible until after she returned to the tutorial area.


    She checked her Menu to see if her score had changed.


    Current Trial Score: 15 Points


    Rayna excitement grew. Not only could she find treasure during the trial, but she would also be earning points toward her final grade, further increasing her overall rewards.


    She forced herself to calm down as she opened the trial section of her System Menu, mentally planning her route through the maze. The map practically sparkled with the hundreds of treasures that were scattered among the hedges.


    It was going to be a busy week.


    * * *


    You have disarmed the trap Enchanted Crossbow.


    +100 Exp


    +100 Coins


    Rayna sat down hard, placing the cursed crossbow in her Inventory. She had spent the last two days dismantling literally hundreds of traps and the further she ventured into the maze, the more obnoxious the traps were getting.


    This one wouldn¡¯t have been as bad if she had been fast enough to catch crossbow bolts. Apparently, the answer to whether or not she could catch a bullet was decidedly ¡®no¡¯.


    Rayna cast Basic Heal a few times to stop her HP from tanking as the hole in her hand finally started to close. She had been too cocky, but pain was a good reminder that she wasn¡¯t invincible.


    Rayna pulled out one of her rations, grimacing at what could only be loosely described as ¡®food¡¯. They had the taste of an over-seasoned steak topped with ice cream and pickle juice, and the texture and smell of a protein bar that had been forgotten at the bottom of a gym bag for several years.


    ¡°Beggars can¡¯t be choosers,¡± Rayna said aloud, taking a bite.


    The phrase was almost losing its meaning with how often Rayna had uttered it in the past couple days. Whether it was choosing between her sweat-stained shirt and her blood-stained shirt, or using a dagger to force her hair into a bun so it wouldn¡¯t keep falling into her eyes while she disarmed traps, she was becoming a master of making do with what she had.


    She checked to make sure that the area was clear before settling down for the night. Tomorrow would be her fifth day in the trial, and she had cleared most of the treasure on the map.


    A few lucky finds that were not indicated on the map told Rayna that the marked treasure was by no means the extent of what was available, but she simply didn¡¯t have the time to go looking for extra treasure without a guide.


    She was convinced that the special treasure would be at the center of the maze. That was where all the roads were leading to.


    Honestly, it could hardly be called a maze at all. The pattern was simplistic, and if a player came to a dead end, they only had to backtrack a few yards to find a path forward.


    Rayna checked her trial score.


    Current Trial Score: 15,810 Points


    Treasures Collected: 260


    Traps Disarmed: 204


    The numbers would seem more impressive to Rayna if she didn¡¯t know just how easy it had been to disarm or outlast most of the traps in the maze. Some of them were so old that they only had one round of ammunition left, but the System still gave her points as if she had done something monumental.


    Luck is a skill, Rayna thought. Although now that it was a stat that one could have, Rayna wasn¡¯t sure that her luck was that high, compared to the standard.


    Regardless of how she had earned her points, Rayna was feeling pretty accomplished for only having started the trial two days ago.


    Her Dexterity was her greatest asset. Not only because it let her deftly avoid most of the traps, but also because it drastically shortened her travel time. She could have run straight to the middle of the maze in a couple hours if she took a more direct route.


    But then she would miss all the treasures and points along the way.


    Rayna yawned, closing out her screen. At this rate, she would make it to the middle by the end of the week. She just hoped that whatever trap awaited there wasn¡¯t too much for her to handle.

 Chapter 7: The Hidden Garden

    The next couple days passed in a blur of endless traps and towering hedges as Rayna made her way closer and closer to the center of the maze. The traps were growing increasingly bizarre as time went on.


    The most interesting one that Rayna had come across was a giant metal ball rolling down a slope Indiana Jones style. The ball had been easy enough to dodge. The trap gave off a substantial amount of magic and Rayna could feel it for a good ten minutes before she finally found the source. On top of that, the clanking of old gears and rusty chains had been loud enough to wake the dead.


    What made it interesting was the fact that, to disarm it, Rayna had to climb to the top of the slope, squeeze into a narrow space and pull out a magical doohickey that looked suspiciously like a power cable.


    In fact, as she neared the end of the trial, the traps started to look less like feats of magical prowess and more like machines taken straight out of the steampunk aesthetic. One such trap had consisted of stone and metal patchwork robots that the System had called ¡®Soulless Golems¡¯.


    But despite the strange look of the traps, they were more than enough to give Rayna a challenge. She had been stabbed, sliced, beaten and bruised in every way imaginable over the last two days, and only her sizable Mana pool and fast reaction time had kept her alive through the ordeal.


    Emma would be furious if she knew how many risks Rayna was taking, but it seemed like a waste not to at least try to clear the maze. As far as she could tell, there were no monsters anywhere in the vicinity, unless you counted the machines.


    On the morning of the last day, Rayna was preparing to enter the last area. She had played enough video games to know that every quest ended with a final boss. She wasn¡¯t particularly psyched to meet it head on, but she really wanted to keep the dragon¡¯s hoard she had collected over the last four days and she wasn¡¯t sure if the System would let her do that if she didn¡¯t finish the trial.


    Before heading out, she took stock of her weapons. She had picked up everything from crossbows to broadswords¡ªeven the giant metal ball had counted, so she brought it along as well. Some of the weapons were in odd places, and Rayna had come to the conclusion that she was not the first person to take this trial. From the state of the weapons, it didn¡¯t look like the other participants had as easy a time with the traps as Rayna had.


    If it weren¡¯t for the reward she would get in exchange for the weapons she brought back, Rayna probably would have left them. She felt like she was stealing from the dead.


    At least some of the throwing weapons were useful when dealing with the traps that moved around. There was a drone-like trap that shot lasers at Rayna while hovering thirty feet in the air. It was only thanks to her Dexterity which increased her hand-eye coordination, that Rayna was able to force the drone low enough that she could finish it off with her pike. Her aim back on earth had never been stellar; now it was almost terrifyingly easy to hit exactly where she wanted every single time.


    Rayna took a second to pull out her notes on monsters, just in case the thing that awaited her in the center of the maze was organic instead of a machine. She would have to make a run for it if the monster was more than a Level 5, her stats were just too low to win that fight.


    Next she changed into a clean pair of clothes¡ªor at least, as clean a pair as she could find. Most of her clothes were torn or stained from her less-than-successful handling of some of the traps. She threw the old pair into her Inventory, even though a particularly nasty acid trap had recently turned the front of the shirt into a frayed crop top.


    There probably wasn¡¯t a law about littering in a death maze, but it seemed rude to leave rags everywhere, so Rayna had kept all of her useless outfits to dispose of later.


    She pulled a set of rations out of her Inventory, even though she had already eaten breakfast that morning¡­


    Okay, now you¡¯re just stalling.


    Rayna stowed the rations back in her Inventory and stood up, taking a deep breath. She had worked her tail off over the last four days to complete this trial, and she wasn¡¯t going to let some third-rate magical technician take that away from her in the last quarter.


    She walked for an hour to reach the center, her anxiety growing with every step. The buzz of magic in the air was getting stronger as she got closer to the end, but she didn¡¯t run into any traps, not even a simple Flying Dagger trap. It was like the person who set the traps had gotten lazy, and decided to skip the last few miles to focus on the finale.


    The maze ended abruptly, and Rayna¡¯s anxiety turned to confusion.


    The inner circle housed a massive garden, way larger than it had been on the map. Topiaries were sprinkled throughout the garden, their shapes vaguely reminiscent of animals, though Rayna had a suspicion they depicted species that were native to Ember. The buzz of magic that Rayna had felt building in the air seemed to be caused by whatever was keeping these topiaries healthy, since they should have withered and died from centuries of neglect.


    Unless this whole place is an illusion.


    Rayna pulled out a dagger and held it at the ready, continuing down the path at a more cautious pace. She refused to be lulled into a false sense of security by the deceptively pleasant atmosphere.


    At the center of the garden stood a fountain. The statue of a woman stood in the fountain¡¯s center, her hands held out in front of her to catch the water as it fell. From her head, a pair of antlers grew to almost a quarter of her height, each tine draped with silver beads carved from stone by some master craftsman of the distant past.


    Above her outstretched hands, a sphere hovered a few inches above her palms, glowing with a light almost too dim to see in the afternoon sunlight. This was the object that was giving off the magic that Rayna had been feeling for the past hour.


    ¡°Magnificent, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Rayna spun around and threw her dagger in reflex.


    It flew right through the speaker without so much as slowing down, embedding itself in the tree behind her.


    ¡°Rude,¡± the incorporeal woman said.


    It was the same woman that was depicted in the fountain. The beads hanging from her antlers were a deep ruby color that contrasted with her plain white clothing. She walked forward with the grace of a swan as she daintily sat on the edge of the fountain. She patted the spot next to her, inviting Rayna to sit down with her.


    Rayna hesitated, trying to determine whether or not this was a trap. After nearly a week in this death maze, she was inclined to think that nothing was what it seemed.


    ¡°Oh, do sit,¡± the woman said, sounding more amused than angry. ¡°You¡¯ve ransacked my garden, all but cleared my maze of traps and just now you threw a knife at my head without so much as a proper greeting. The least you can do is grant an old woman a decent conversation after a few millennia of solitude.¡±


    Rayna sat down. Her brow crinkled as she regarded the strange woman with suspicion. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The woman laughed. ¡°My name is Phira, though I believe I have more right than you to be asking that question. I¡¯m impressed that you made it this far, though I knew you were coming, what with the path of destruction you carved through my life¡¯s work. I¡¯ll admit, I¡¯m relieved that my pets have long since expired from age. I should hate to see them skewered by that glorified pig-sticker you call a pike.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the Magical Technician?¡± Rayna asked with surprise. Whenever she had pictured the one who made the traps, her mind had gone to the Greek god Hephaestus¡ªthe more modern depictions of him, that is; bulging muscles and a greasy apron on a man that slaved over a blacksmith¡¯s forge with sweat dripping down his bare chest¡­


    Rayna blushed, banishing the image from her mind.


    Phira tsked. ¡°I¡¯m an Arcanic Tinkerer, thank you very much. Though I wasn¡¯t one for long, I suppose. It¡¯s a dangerous Class and I¡¯m only one in a long line of casualties, but that is neither here nor there.¡± She smiled. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve made it through my maze I can finally talk to someone. It¡¯s been nearly three millennia since I¡¯ve had news of the outside world. Is the Historical Society of Azanel still active?¡±


    Rayna blinked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t actually been outside the tutorial.¡±


    Phira¡¯s face fell. ¡°Right. I forgot about that. Perhaps you saw mention of it in the System Preview?¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°The System always gives new species a glimpse into what they¡¯re agreeing to before offering them a chance to join Ember,¡± Phira explained. ¡°It varies from world to world, so we just call it the System Preview. On my world, we were put into a dream state and allowed to live a year on Ember before truly moving here in person.¡±


    ¡°And you just went along with it?¡± Rayna asked. ¡°Even knowing what the System was planning?¡±


    Phira looked perplexed. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°It took you from your families!¡± Rayna said. ¡°The System forced you into a war that had nothing to do with you. Why would you just go along with that?¡±


    Phira shook her head. ¡°The System gave us instantaneous travel, a magical store that holds everything we might ever need, and power beyond anything we could imagine at the time. The Administrator delivered on every promise he made. Sure, I left my family behind, but they understood. Every bird must eventually leave the nest.


    ¡°My only regret was that I never figured out the inter-planetary communications relay I was working on before I died. Though I suppose everyone I knew was long dead by that point, in any case.¡±


    Rayna stopped to consider Phira¡¯s words. She could understand what the woman was saying. Hadn¡¯t Rayna moved to South Korea for that very same reason? She had better opportunities there than she had back in the US.


    ¡°So you knew,¡± Rayna said slowly, the gears turning in her head. ¡°That coming to Ember was a one way trip; that what the System said was all true. You weren¡¯t tricked into coming to Ember?¡±


    Phira looked horrified. ¡°Has the System stooped so low as to trick new people into coming to Ember? It would have never done so when I was first brought here.¡±


    ¡°I did no such thing!¡± Eldar Cremble objected, popping into view and startling both women.


    Rayna recovered quickly, glaring at the Administrator.


    ¡°You dragged us all here under the pretense of a game,¡± she snapped. ¡°Most of those players wouldn¡¯t even be here if they knew all of this was real.¡±


    Eldar started to pace, running his fingers through his hair. ¡°I don¡¯t understand the reaction of your group. I told them everything. I clearly explained who I was and everything I was offering them. I understand your reaction since that was a bit of a spur of the moment thing, but they all had time to prepare for this. They all came willingly.¡±


    All at once, everything clicked; the Administrator¡¯s confusion, the game that led them there; the last piece of the puzzle finally settled into place. Rayna stared at the pacing Administrator, disbelieving that such a powerful being could screw up so completely.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what an isekai is, do you?¡±


    Eldar stopped, his brows knitting together. ¡°A what?¡±


    Rayna rubbed her temples, her frustration rising after what had already been a terrible week.


    ¡°Isekai,¡± she repeated. ¡°A genre of anime and video game in which the main character is transported to another world. It¡¯s pretend. Make believe. Not real!¡±


    Eldar took a step back, his eyes widening in alarm. ¡°They misunderstood? But¡­ I gave you all the chance to leave!¡±


    ¡°There are more than a few popular books on earth that start by warning the reader not to continue,¡± Rayna said. ¡°It¡¯s just a way to open the book that intrigues the reader and gets them excited for the rest of the story. No one takes them seriously.¡±


    A chair appeared out of thin air and Eldar sat down hard, his expression troubled. ¡°This has never happened before,¡± he said, rubbing his face.


    He suddenly stood, the chair vanishing as he nodded at Rayna. ¡°You have given me a lot to think about and I thank you for your assistance. You have succeeded in this trial. I¡¯ll let Miss Phira fill you in on the rest. The tutorial will be postponed until further notice.¡±


    Eldar winked out of existence, leaving them alone in the garden.


    ¡°Well,¡± Phira said, looking a little flabbergasted. ¡°This situation is less than ideal.¡± She shook her head and turned to Rayna. ¡°But as the Administrator said, you completed the trial. In fact, the key to passing was simply to set foot in my garden. It¡¯s a rare few who actually manage that, you know.¡±


    She stood, gesturing for Rayna to do so as well.


    Gears screamed in protest as the fountain rotated, retracting into the ground and revealing a hidden set of spiral stairs.


    Phira winced. ¡°That was much quieter when I built it. Come along.¡±


    Rayna followed Phira down the stairs. The path was lit by magical orbs placed at regular intervals along the wall.


    ¡°The prize for completing my maze is an item or two from my collection,¡± Phira said. ¡°The number and rarity of items that you receive depends on your performance in the trial. I think you did well enough to pick out a few good ones.¡±


    The stairs led to a large ballroom, its interior well lit by a magical chandelier that hung a few inches below the ceiling with no visible ropes or tethers. Despite its size, the room was filled to the brim with objects, ranging from the mundane to the fantastical. Common books and precious jewels were thrown together haphazardly with no discernible system of organization.


    Some of Rayna¡¯s concern must have shown on her face because Phira let out a laugh.


    ¡°I was never the neatest person when I was alive, but don¡¯t worry, the System Administrator organized my treasures for me when he made my maze part of his tutorial. Any minute now you should get a prompt and¡ªah, yes.¡±


    The promised prompt appeared in front of Rayna.


    You have completed The Hidden Maze trial.


    Current Trial Score: 41,745 Points


    Treasures Collected: 545


    Traps Disarmed: 540


    Points From Collected Weapons: 10,000 Points


    Additional points for assisting the System Administrator in his goal of integrating the humans: 100,000 Points


    Final Trial Score: 152,830 Points


    A store popped up, listing each item in Phira¡¯s collection and a price for Rayna to take it with her. Some of the items were in the hundreds of thousands, while others were as cheap as a few points.


    Phira¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t expect him to add that little tiff you had to your score. Do you want some help finding the good treasures, or do you prefer to browse for yourself? You have until the end of the first trial to decide, so there¡¯s no need to rush your decisions.¡±


    Rayna gladly accepted Phira¡¯s help, and together, they managed to narrow Rayna¡¯s options down into a more manageable list. Once they had settled on the final items, another System prompt appeared.


    You have chosen:


    Hand Towel x15 (150 points)


    Journal x6 (600 points)


    Pen x8 (80 points)


    Rune Enhanced Clothing Set x10 (3,000 points)


    Rune Enhanced Armor Set x2 (10,000 points)


    Rune Enhanced Shoes (pair) x2 (2,000 points)


    Travel Boots (pair) x1 (1,000 points)


    Travel Tent x1 (10,000 points)


    Travel Supply Kit x1 (10,000 points)


    Rune Enhanced Travel Cloak x1 (10,000 points)


    Rune Enhanced Staff x1 (2,000 points)


    Book: The Flora and Fauna of Ember (1,000 points)


    Book: Edible Plants and How to Spot Them (1,000 points)


    Book: A History of the First People of Ember (1,000 points)


    Book: Basic Runes (1,000 points)


    Mystery Pendant (100,000 points)


    Would you like to confirm your choice and end the trial?


    Most of the items they had chosen were focused on surviving once the tutorial was over. Rayna was a bit dubious about the last item on the list, but Phira insisted that she should take it.


    ¡°But what does it do?¡± Rayna asked again.


    She was sitting on a plush chair, frowning at her screen.


    ¡°That¡¯s just the thing!¡± Phira said excitedly. ¡°I have no idea. I never got it to work. But if the System thinks it¡¯s worth a hundred thousand points then it must be good, right?¡±


    Rayna shot her a skeptical look. ¡°If you couldn¡¯t get it to work, how am I supposed to figure it out?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t have to,¡± Phira said. ¡°The System Administrator will have created an description for the item along with instructions on how to use it. I¡¯m not privy to that information.¡± She was almost pouting and Rayna wondered how it was possible that a woman her age could act so much like a child.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just ask him?¡± Rayna asked. ¡°He seems pretty personable, besides the whole accidentally kidnapping thing.¡±


    Phira scoffed. ¡°As if he would deign to answer. I¡¯ve been trapped here for three thousand years as a part of his tutorial and has he once bothered to come pay me a visit? No.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re stuck here?¡±


    Rayna felt bad for the Tinkerer. From what Phira told her, Rayna had been the first one to reach the center of the maze in the last millennium and the last person to make it through had only done so by flying over all of her traps.


    Phira had not appreciated the man circumventing her life¡¯s work and the trial taker had received nothing since he earned no points during the trial. It hadn¡¯t been a pleasant conversation.


    ¡°Not for much longer, I suppose,¡± Phira said cryptically.


    Rayna could tell that the woman was trying to bait her into replying and she obliged, hoping she could at least alleviate some of Phira¡¯s boredom for the short time that she was here.


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Well, you cleared out most of my traps,¡± Phira said. ¡°It¡¯s not much of a trial without them. My maze was supposed to be a way for one lucky individual to earn Experience and treasures proportional to their hard work. Until you, most people played it safe, picking up treasures at the edge of the map and avoiding the worst of the traps. But you went through like a damn Wallymun, leaving nothing but destruction in your wake.¡±


    Rayna blushed. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± Phira said. ¡°It¡¯s nice to finally see someone appreciate my traps, even if it was only for a short while.¡±


    Rayna wasn¡¯t sure ¡®appreciate¡¯ was the right word, but she wasn¡¯t going to tell Phira that.


    ¡°I have an idea!¡± Phira said suddenly, grinning broadly. ¡°Wait one moment.¡±


    Phira closed her eyes, her brows furrowing in concentration.


    They sat in silence for several minutes, and Rayna wondered if the woman may have fallen asleep.


    Rayna was about to ask what Phira¡¯s idea was when her confirmation screen disappeared and another took its place.


    The Trial Organizer Phira Alderon has suggested an increased reward. Would you like to accept it?


    There was no other information about the reward. Rayna glanced over at Phira who nodded encouragingly.


    She shrugged. Phira had been nothing but helpful so far, she had no reason to think the woman would steer her wrong. She accepted the prompt.


    Rayna fell to the ground with a surprised yelp as the chair she was sitting on suddenly vanished. She grimaced, looking over to ask Phira what she did, but the woman was no longer there.


    Neither were her treasures. Not even a scrap of paper remained in the massive ballroom.


    Rayna stood up, brushing off her clothes and checking her System notifications.


    The final reward has been added to your Inventory. You will now be transferred back to the tutorial area.


    ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t say¡ª¡±


    Rayna was teleported out of the empty ballroom.

 Chapter 8: Phiras Pocket Library

    ¡°¡ªbye to Phira,¡± Rayna finished as the courtyard materialized around her.


    Rayna looked around. Where did everyone go?


    The courtyard was empty except for some blood-stained mattresses that had been stacked in a corner. The portals and weapons disappeared as well, making the area feel even larger than it had a week ago.


    Three notification windows popped up at once.


    While you were in the trial, Player Janet Lindale was designated Tutorial Leader. You must obey any reasonable instruction given to you by the Tutorial Leader and you may go to her with any questions you have regarding the trials.


    Something has come to the System Administrator¡¯s attention that requires further consideration. The tutorial is being postponed until further notice.


    You will now be transported to one of the waiting areas. You are not permitted to leave the city during this time. All items required for survival have been added to your Inventory and if you have any questions or concerns, you may contact the System Administrator via the temporary feedback system located in your System Menu.


    Before Rayna could even finish reading the last message, she found herself standing in a medieval style tavern. The room was dimly lit by a lantern that hung from the ceiling and though there was a counter and several tables, only one of the tables was occupied.


    Rayna received another notification.


    You have been placed in City 15. A map of your surroundings, as well as the names of all Tutorial Leaders in the vicinity can be found in the System Menu. You were unable to be placed with your tutorial group due to city capacity limits, but you will be returned to them when the tutorial resumes. Please stand by and await the Administrator¡¯s decision.


    ¡°Hey, another straggler!¡± A woman with long auburn hair and an easy smile waltzed over to Rayna, sticking her hand out. ¡°The name¡¯s Patty. Nice to meet you.¡± She took in Rayna¡¯s skin and pointy ears and paused. ¡°Wait, are you a Tutorial Leader? I thought the System kept you all with your groups.¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not a Tutorial Leader. My name is Rayna. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Patty led her to the only occupied table. A man and a woman sat there, shooting curious looks at Rayna.


    Patty waved a hand, indicating her friends. ¡°Welcome to the rejects. City 15 is a ghost town filled with the extra folks that the System couldn¡¯t fit anywhere else. My theory is that the System is putting all of us here so it¡¯s easier to grab us when the tutorial starts back up. Though there doesn¡¯t seem to be any rhyme or reason to who gets put here.¡±


    Rayna took a seat. ¡°So how do I find my group?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t,¡± said the other woman, taking a bite of one of those horrible rations. ¡°I¡¯m Helga. Your group is in another city and the borders are all blocked off by some sort of forcefield. Just sit tight and hope our diminutive overlord is in a good mood.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m not trying to be rude¡­ but where are you from?¡± the man asked.


    Helga smacked his shoulder. ¡°It wasn¡¯t rude until you added the qualifier, Bob.¡±


    Bob rushed to defend himself. ¡°No, but, I mean, she speaks English and her accent is flawless. That¡¯s a clear indication that she¡¯s from earth, but she looks like an elf¡­ child¡­ or something¡­¡± He trailed off at the sight of Helga¡¯s glare.


    Rayna sighed. ¡°The System screwed up my race on the way here. I¡¯m from Chicago, originally. Been living in South Korea for a few years now.¡±


    ¡°No way, same!¡± Patty said. ¡°Well, the Chicago part, anyway. Never been abroad.¡±


    ¡°You have now,¡± Helga said with a grin. ¡°Interplanetary travel before you even made it out of the Midwest. Go figure.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up. You¡¯ve never even been out of Illinois,¡± Patty threw a piece of her rations at Helga who dodged to the left, letting it fly over her shoulder.


    ¡°And moving to Iowa means you have so much more experience?¡± Helga laughed.


    ¡°So, you two know each other, I take it?¡± Rayna guessed.


    ¡°We were all in the same guild,¡± Bob explained. ¡°We used the game as a way to hang out after Patty got a job in Iowa City and I ended up in Cincinnati. Patty and I made the trip to Chicago just for the opening and well¡­ I think you can figure out the rest.¡±


    ¡°At least it put us in the same tutorial group,¡± Patty said.


    Rayna nodded. ¡°My friend Emma and I ended up together, too. But what was that part about me speaking English? I thought the System gave us some sort of universal translation thing.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to work outside of the tutorial,¡± Helga said. ¡°We get subtitles in the form of notifications, but it¡¯s not nearly as good. The group next door is from rural China, and the System can¡¯t seem to figure out what they¡¯re saying. I don¡¯t think it was prepared for dialects.¡±


    Patty shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s better than half of the translation apps back home. So, change of topic, what¡¯s with the Level 1? If you don¡¯t mind me asking, that is. Judging by the state of your clothing, you didn¡¯t go through the first trial on easy mode.¡±


    ¡°Easy mode?¡± Rayna asked. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°After the first day or so the Administrator stopped giving us anything above a Level 1. Didn¡¯t you notice? Glad I got in early. That would have pissed me off.¡± She pointed at her name tag. ¡°I got to Level 2 by taking down a Level 5 Robi in the first hour of the trial. Those things are dumb as bricks, but their teeth hurt like heck.¡±


    Helga huffed. ¡°I got stuck with a Level 3 Cruennix Wolf. I¡¯ll take your little ankle biter any day.¡±


    ¡°What did you fight?¡± Bob asked Rayna. ¡°I got a Level 1 Robi, so I didn¡¯t make it to Level 2 either. Don¡¯t tell me you gave up after one try.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no shame in that,¡± Helga said. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember Eric? He ran into a Level 5 Emurian. I wouldn¡¯t go near the portals again if that happened to me.¡±


    Rayna remembered how Devon had looked coming out of the trial and shuddered. She might not have mustered the courage to go in at all if she hadn¡¯t tripped through the portal at the last second.


    ¡°I ended up in a Special Trial,¡± Rayna said. ¡°The description said I wouldn¡¯t level up until I got back.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re back now,¡± Patty pointed out. ¡°So that shouldn¡¯t be a problem anymore.¡±


    Rayna frowned. She was right. Rayna should have already leveled up. She opened her sheet, confirming that she was still a Level 1.


    Name: Rayna


    Level 1 (Exp: 0/50)


    Class: Warrior (Initial)


    Race: Lerian


    HP: 1350/1350


    MP: 500/500


    Stat Points


    Str: 12


    Dex: 60


    End: 20


    Vit: 135


    Int: 50


    Wis: 50


    Luck: 10


    [Free Points: 0]


    Spells


    Basic Heal ¡ª Proficiency: 100%


    [Spell Choices: 0]


    Skills


    Rage ¡ª Proficiency: 5%


    [Skill Choices: 0]


    Titles


    Volunteer ¡ª [+10 to all stats]


    Traps Expert ¡ª [+5 Dex, +2 Str]


    Masochist ¡ª [+5 End, +5 Vit]


    Quests


    None


    Special Traits


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Immunity to Poison [Species Trait]


    Immunity to Paralysis [Species Trait]


    Immunity to Confusion [Species Trait]


    Rayna had managed to max out her proficiency for Basic Heal, which wasn¡¯t particularly surprising since she had been using it non-stop for a week. When focusing on it, she found that the proficiency doubled how much HP the spell would give her, which explained why it had seemed more efficient toward the end of the trial.


    She also earned two new titles.


    Traps Expert (+5 Dex, +2 Str) ¡ª Disable more than 500 traps during the Special Trial: The Hidden Maze.


    Masochist (5 End, +5 Vit) ¡ª take more than 100,000 points of damage before reaching Level 2.


    Emma was going to kill her when she saw the second one.


    The most concerning part, however, was the line with her level.


    Level 1 (exp 0/50)


    ¡°Do you have to collect your Experience from your notifications or something?¡± Rayna asked hopefully.


    Patty shook her head. ¡°Not that I know of. Why? Did you get ripped off?¡±


    ¡°Hold on, let me check.¡± Rayna pulled up her notifications.


    You have over 100 unread notifications. Would you like a summary?


    Rayna accepted the prompt, not wanting to scroll through all of those notifications individually.


    During the Special Trial, you disarmed 547 traps.


    +33,810 Exp


    +33,810 Coins


    Rayna¡¯s mouth fell open. She earned over 33,000 Experience in the trial? She knew that the System was giving her Experience for every trap she disarmed, but that number still seemed like a lot.


    She was starting to get excited until the next line killed her enthusiasm entirely.


    You have accepted an exchange for a special reward (suggested by the Trial Organizer, Phira Alderon).


    -33,810 Exp


    -33,810 Coins


    ¡°What?¡± Rayna snapped.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Patty asked.


    ¡°One second,¡± Rayna said, too focused on her notifications to answer at the moment.


    She had traded all of her coins and Experience for that unknown reward? Why hadn¡¯t that been in the notification? That had to be at least ten levels!


    The next set of messages fanned the flames of Rayna¡¯s steadily rising anger.


    During the Special Trial, you collected 545 Treasure Chests.


    You have accepted an exchange for a special reward (suggested by the Trial Organizer, Phira Alderon). All treasure collected during the trial has been removed from your Inventory.


    Rayna closed her eyes, mourning the loss of over five hundred treasure chests that she would never get to open.


    What was Phira thinking? Rayna should have gone with her gut and just grabbed more camping gear.


    Wait, I do get to keep my point rewards, right?


    Rayna scrolled down in a panic, sighing in relief when she saw that most of the point rewards were still there.


    Your final rewards for the trial have been added to your Inventory.


    Hand towel [unranked] x15


    Journal [unranked] x6


    Pen [unranked] x8


    Rune Enhanced Clothing Set [common] x10


    Rune Enhanced Armor Set [uncommon] x2


    Rune Enhanced Shoes (pair) [uncommon] x2


    Travel Boots (pair) [unranked] x1


    Travel Tent [rare] x1


    Travel Supply Kit [uncommon] x1


    Rune Enhanced Travel Cloak [epic] x1


    Rune Enhanced Staff [epic] x1


    Fountain of Life Amulet (Artifact) [Legendary] x1


    There was no message about the System removing her chosen rewards from her Inventory, and the only things missing were the books, which Rayna could live without.


    There was only one more notification to read.


    Special Reward (Suggested by the Trial Organizer, Phira Alderon).


    Phira¡¯s Pocket Library (Artifact) [Legendary] x1


    Phira¡¯s Necklace [Legendary] x1


    She lost all of her rewards for two items?


    Rayna closed the screen, growling in disgust. She had liked the Tinkerer during their conversation, but this was ridiculous. She should have been told what she was trading away so she could make an informed decision.


    A small part of Rayna knew that it was her own fault for not asking more questions, but she refused to acknowledge the validity of that observation.


    ¡°That was a dud reward if ever I saw one,¡± Patty said, giving Rayna a pitying look. ¡°Were your rewards randomized?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Rayna briefly explained the trial to the three players, along with Phira¡¯s ¡®special reward¡¯ that Rayna had traded her treasure and Experience for.


    Patty gaped at her. ¡°You got a legendary artifact from the tutorial? And you¡¯re complaining?¡±


    Rayna¡¯s brows knit together in confusion. ¡°Is that a big deal?¡±


    Bob looked like he wanted to scream, and Helga was covering her face with her hands.


    ¡°Seriously, did you even play Ember Online?¡± Patty asked.


    ¡°Actually, no,¡± Rayna admitted. ¡°I¡¯m a bit of a special case. My friend snuck me into the meeting under a different player¡¯s username. I never got the chip.¡±


    The other three at the table stared at Rayna in disbelief.


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t know what an artifact is?¡± Patty asked.


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°Is it a type of item?¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Patty said, cracking her knuckles. ¡°You¡¯re not the first newb that I¡¯ve taken under my wing. Stick with me, kid, and I¡¯ll get you on the leader board in no time.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any leader boards anymore,¡± Helga reminded her.


    Patty waved her hand dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s a figure of speech. Anyway, we¡¯ll start with why you hit the jackpot with that artifact. Ember Online¡ªand I¡¯m assuming Ember Offline¡ªhas four types of objects that you can find in-game. Each category has sub-categories as well, but we can talk about those later.


    ¡°Unranked items are anything that the devs didn¡¯t make a description for; towels, clothing, hair brushes, etcetera. I guess in the case of the real world, it¡¯s anything that the System deems as an everyday item.


    ¡°Ranked items are separated by rarity: common, uncommon, rare, epic, and legendary. This category includes monster drops, potions, rune-enhanced clothing, and a bunch of other stuff. Anything that has some sort of effect or purpose in-game.


    ¡°Equipment is anything that gives a stat boost. The name is a bit of a misnomer, since a potion can be considered equipment if the effect is permanent, but for the most part, it refers to things like armor, weapons and jewelry.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s artifacts. Artifacts are basically machines with a magical twist. They usually serve a specific purpose¡ªlike keeping you cool in hot temperatures¡ªand you have to charge them with MP to use them. They are considered the highest tier of items and they have rarities like the ranked items.


    ¡°You have just received both an item and an artifact in the highest tier available. That is far more valuable than the Experience, coins and treasure you lost.¡±


    Rayna was skeptical, but that explanation was making her feel a little better about the exchange.


    ¡°So how to I check what the artifact does?¡± Rayna asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Patty said. ¡°Pull it out of your Inventory and push some Mana into it. That should bind it to you once you reach a certain threshold. Then it will show up in your artifacts section with a description and a set of instructions on how to use it.


    ¡°Normal items don¡¯t have this feature, though. You have to either get an appraiser to look at them for you, or you have to try them on and see if you can figure out the effect on your own.¡±


    Rayna looked at her Inventory screen. ¡°Which artifact should I try first?¡± she asked. ¡°Or should I check out the item first?¡±


    She was pretty sure that the Fountain of Life Amulet was the mystery pendant that she bought with most of her points.


    ¡°You got more than one?¡± Bob asked with a disgusted look on his face. ¡°Are we sure that runt isn¡¯t playing favorites?¡±


    ¡°Green isn¡¯t your color,¡± Patty said, rolling her eyes. She turned back to Rayna. ¡°What¡¯s the rarity of the other artifact?¡±


    Rayna wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. ¡°Legendary¡­¡± she said in a quiet voice.


    Bob threw his hands in the air as Helga practically cackled with delight.


    ¡°Damn girl, your beginner¡¯s luck is god-tier.¡±


    Patty shook her head. ¡°Just pull out either one. There¡¯s no telling what they do until you try them.¡±


    Rayna decided to go with the library first. She was much more into books than jewelry. She just hoped this wouldn¡¯t be some sort of doll-house sized library with books that she couldn¡¯t even read.


    Rayna didn¡¯t bother to hide her disappointment as she examined the artifact. It seemed to be a blank journal. The cover was made of bumpy black leather, with tarnished gold plating on the corners. It had a gear shaped clasp that might have been cool if Rayna hadn¡¯t been annoyed about the whole situation.


    Rayna was worried that she wouldn¡¯t be able to figure out the next step, but to her surprise, infusing Mana into an artifact was as easy as willing it to happen.


    The book absorbed every point of Mana that Rayna gave it until her entire MP pool was drained. Finally, a notification popped up.


    You have bonded with the Artifact Phira¡¯s Pocket Library [unique].


    Now that this artifact has been bonded, it cannot change owners. Upon the owner¡¯s death, it will be returned to the System.


    Instructions: Infuse the Artifact Phira¡¯s Pocket Library with Mana to morph it into any book in Phira¡¯s collection. The cost of morphing is determined by the rarity of the desired book. The titles and rarities of every item in Phira¡¯s collection can be found in your System Menu under ¡®Items and Artifacts¡¯. Additionally, infusing the artifact with a large amount of Mana will allow the user to add new books to the collection. The artifact can be charged in advance.


    Cost to morph the artifact


    Unranked: 10 MP


    Common: 50 MP


    Uncommon: 100 MP


    Rare: 500 MP


    Epic: 1,000 MP


    Legendary: 5,000 MP


    Cost to add a book to Phira¡¯s Pocket Library


    Unranked: 1,000 MP


    Common: 5,000 MP


    Uncommon: 10,000 MP


    Rare: 50,000 MP


    Epic: 100,000 MP


    Legendary: 500,000 MP


    Current charge: 500/1,000,000


    Note: Each morph will last 3 hours. At the end of this duration, the artifact will revert back to its original form. There is no limit to the number of times that a book can be read. If a morph is canceled prematurely, no excess Mana will be returned to the artifact.


    Rayna pulled up her System Menu, locating the library under the artifact section. All of her lost rewards were quickly forgotten as she scrolled through literally thousands of books. She picked an unranked book titled Phira¡¯s Travel Log just to test the morphing feature.


    The black cover melted away, leaving a sturdy brown leather journal.


    Rayna pulled open the leather strap and turned to the first page.


    This may never leave my possession, but if it does, I hope whoever finds my journal uses it well. My name is Phira and I am from a world named Azanel. I came to Ember nearly a century ago, and since then, I have spent much of my time focusing on my own improvement. But I grow bored of my workshop and the never-ending runes. I wish to travel the world and see what Ember can teach me about myself and my place in the cosmos. I don¡¯t know how many entries this book may have, but I should hope that it will be full of my adventures by the time I return home.


    Phira Alderon, Third Princess of Azanel.


    Rayna¡¯s eyebrows lifted in surprise. Phira was a princess? Perhaps that was the source of her peculiarities. Although, the three thousand years of solitude seemed a more likely explanation.


    Rayna flipped a few pages. The journal consisted mostly of diary-style entries about Phira¡¯s everyday travels. Finding nothing of interest, Rayna closed the book.


    ¡°It¡¯s a library, just like the name says,¡± Rayna said, holding up the journal. ¡°It morphs into any book in Phira¡¯s collection. The MP cost varies by rarity.¡±


    ¡°Well, are you going to try?¡± Helga asked.


    Rayna frowned. ¡°I already did it.¡± She waved the book for emphasis.


    Patty sat back in her chair, looking disappointed. ¡°It¡¯s Soul-locked.¡±


    ¡°Soul-locked?¡±


    ¡°It means you can¡¯t share,¡± Bob said. ¡°Only you can use the artifact and only you can access the information it contains. The rest of us are still seeing that empty black eyesore that you first pulled out of your Inventory.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Rayna stowed the library back in her Inventory.


    ¡°What about the other one?¡± Helga asked.


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m out of MP. It took five hundred points just to bind the library.¡±


    Patty¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You have 500 MP?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the race change,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Great beginning Wisdom, terrible Endurance. I¡¯ve been healing myself near nonstop for the last week.¡±


    Helga sighed. ¡°Well, then we have to wait for your MP to refill before you can try it. Not gonna lie, that was a bit of a letdown.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a legendary item?¡± Bob asked hopefully. ¡°I¡¯d love to see that one.¡±


    ¡°Why are you all so interested in my rewards?¡± Rayna asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Patty said. ¡°He¡¯s a gacha addict.¡±


    ¡°Gacha?¡± Rayna was unfamiliar with the word.


    ¡°It¡¯s a name for games with lottery systems and randomized treasure chests that you can buy with in-game currency. Bob spends a few hundred bucks a month on games. His biggest gripe with Ember Online was that there were no micro-transactions. He had to actually earn the chests instead of just buying them.¡±


    Bob laid his head down on the table, letting out a groan. ¡°I¡¯m going through withdrawals! I can see the wish animation every time I close my eyes. Just put me out of my misery.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I was going to look at the legendary item anyway,¡± Rayna said.


    Bob sat up. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up,¡± Rayna warned him. ¡°It¡¯s just titled Phira¡¯s Necklace.¡±


    ¡°You never know,¡± Bob said. ¡°It might be a magical necklace that lets you shoot lasers out of your eyes.¡±


    Rayna hoped that wasn¡¯t the case.


    She hesitated a moment before pulling the necklace out of her Inventory.


    The design wasn¡¯t very impressive. It was a marble-sized pearl set in a silver frame. Rayna waited for some kind of information to pop up, but nothing was forthcoming.


    ¡°Try it on,¡± Patty urged. ¡°Most clothes and jewelry items only work when you¡¯re wearing them.¡±


    Rayna pulled the plain silver chain over her head. It adjusted itself, shrinking to fit Rayna¡¯s smaller body.


    A notification popped up.


    An item you are wearing is an unbound soul-locked item. Would you like to bond with Phira¡¯s Necklace?


    Why would a necklace need to be soul-locked? Rayna wondered as she accepted the prompt.


    ¡°Oh, thank the System! I thought I¡¯d never get out of there.¡±

 Chapter 9: The Arcanic Tinkerer

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

 Chapter 10: The Council of Eldar

Stolen story; please report.

 Chapter 11: Back to the Tutorial

    Rayna sat alone at the only table remaining in the tavern as she perused a book on runes. The steady clang of metal accompanied her studies as Patty and Helga sparred in the center of the room.


    Rayna wasn¡¯t sure if she would use any of the things she was learning about runes, but she thought if she familiarized herself with the basic concepts, she might be able to figure out what her stuff did. She spent the last week skimming through some of the books in Phira¡¯s collection, trying to find any of the runes that decorated her items.


    So far, she wasn¡¯t having much luck.


    ¡°Five minute warning,¡± Bob called to the others, taking a seat next to Rayna.


    Helga and Patty put their swords away and joined them at the table.


    ¡°Ready to go?¡± Patty held a glowing hand over a long shallow gash on her arm.


    ¡°Do we have a choice?¡± Rayna asked, stowing the artifact in her Inventory.


    ¡°Not even in the slightest,¡± Patty said with a small smile. ¡°I just hope the Administrator listened to some of our suggestions.¡±


    ¡°If he did, he probably messed them up anyway,¡± Helga said with a sigh.


    ¡°He means well,¡± Rayna said. ¡°But his execution leaves much to be desired.¡±


    ¡°What he needs is a mentor,¡± Bob said. ¡°Someone who¡¯s worked in the industry longer and can teach him what constitutes good and bad game design.¡±


    Rayna laughed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure those apply when you have to factor real life problems into the power balancing.¡±


    Bob shrugged. ¡°It still might help.¡±


    Rayna had told the others all about her trial while they waited for the tutorial to continue, including her run in with Eldar and his subsequent realization. Bob had made several jokes about Rayna being the ¡®voice of humanity¡¯, to which Rayna just rolled her eyes and moved on.


    ¡°At least he probably didn¡¯t make it harder,¡± Patty said. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky, he might actually take the time to find us proper Tutorial Leaders.¡±


    Rayna frowned. ¡°I thought your group had one assigned from the start.¡±


    Helga said their Tutorial Leader was a reptilian man with bat wings growing out of his back. Rayna couldn¡¯t quite picture it without the image morphing into a dragon.


    ¡°And he¡¯s terrible,¡± Patty said. ¡°The moment we mentioned being kidnapped, he turned hostile and refused to give us any information. We¡¯re basically flying blind, and the System hasn¡¯t done anything to punish him. It took six hours for it to decide that ¡®stay in your rooms¡¯ was no longer a reasonable command.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Rayna was beginning to think that her group dodged a bullet.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Helga said. ¡°I understand appreciating the System¡¯s gifts and all, but the idol worship is a little concerning. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they pray to the System when they¡¯re in trouble.¡±


    Phira was more down to earth because of her ¡®stint as a System slave¡¯, as she liked to call it, but even she didn¡¯t like it when Rayna or her new friends criticized the System Administrator or the System in general.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just have to rub it in a little when we get back,¡± Bob said. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve been proven right, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Only if the System Administrator owns up to his mistake,¡± Helga said. ¡°For all we know, he¡¯ll try to sweep everything under the rug and blame us for not believing him in the first place.¡±


    ¡°If he was going to do that, he would have left us in that death game of a tutorial,¡± Patty pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m willing to believe that he¡¯s trying, even if he sucks at his job.¡±


    "How long do we have left?¡± Bob asked, looking at his watch. It was still working, since the battery would last years, but it had taken the better part of three days to get the time close to accurate.


    Rayna pulled up the notification that they all received a week ago.


    The System Administrator is preparing an adjusted tutorial. The estimated completion time is one week. During that time, the System advises that you practice combat strategies and team tactics. Additionally, a list of recommended reading materials has been added to each of the forums. If you don¡¯t have access to these reading materials, you can talk to your Tutorial Leaders, who have been given a summary of the contents of each of these books.


    Please make sure that all loose items are stowed in your Inventory at least 5 minutes before the end of the timer to avoid any lost or damaged property.


    Time remaining until players are returned to the tutorial: 1m 24s.


    ¡°Minute and a half,¡± Rayna said.


    She read all of the suggested materials, mostly because three of the five books mentioned were ones that she had already gone through. She had loaned her bestiaries to the others so they could read them as well, but the other two books¡ªone on fighting in teams and the other on basic weapon maintenance¡ªwere ones that she found in her library, so she couldn¡¯t lend them out if she wanted to.


    ¡°You better keep in touch,¡± Patty said. ¡°If you¡¯re not sure where to find us, just check the top of the rankings when we get out of the tutorial.¡±


    ¡°If there are rankings,¡± Helga reminded her.


    Bob grinned. ¡°If there aren¡¯t, just search for the craziest group of numskulls tearing through the monsters of Ember. I¡¯m sure someone is going to notice us.¡±


    Rayna smiled. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ll be easier to find, what with the race change and all.¡±


    Patty shrugged. ¡°Quiet people are always harder to find. Now take our Guild Leader, she was impossible to ignore! Threw herself into a horde of monsters and just trusted her healing spells to keep her alive through the ordeal. It worked, too.¡±


    Rayna wanted to talk more, since she hadn¡¯t heard a lot about their guild in the past week, but there were only twenty seconds left on the timer.


    ¡°You all better survive the tutorial,¡± Rayna said seriously. ¡°You have to take responsibility as my mentor.¡±


    Patty grinned, winking at Rayna. ¡°See you on the flip side.¡±


    The timer hit zero and the world went white.


    Rayna hit the stones hard as her chair disappeared. Her amulet activated, healing her bruised tailbone.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Yep. Should have been standing for that one.


    At least Rayna wasn¡¯t the only one who made the mistake. She noticed several people getting to their feet, rubbing their backsides and looking sheepish.


    Before Rayna could recover her dignity, a voice rang out across the courtyard.


    ¡°Rayna!¡±


    She turned just in time for Emma to launch herself into a hug, squeezing Rayna so tight, she was surprised her amulet didn¡¯t react.


    Rayna laughed. ¡°Fifteen Endurance, remember?¡±


    Emma released her immediately, taking a step back. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°I was joking. Are you all right?¡± She looked Emma up and down, but she couldn¡¯t find any evidence of recent injuries.


    Although, with the ridiculously powerful healing magic on Ember, that didn¡¯t mean much.


    ¡°Am I all right?¡± Emma asked incredulously. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who picked the week-long mystery trial. Janet couldn¡¯t tell me anything, so I expect full details.¡± She looked at Rayna¡¯s name tag with a frown. ¡°You didn¡¯t level up?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Rayna said. She was saved from having to tell it all right there by a System notification.


    Welcome back to the tutorial!


    Along with the notification, two large portals appeared in the courtyard. They were similar to the first trial portals, except that they had writing above them. Over the left portal was the word ¡®real¡¯ and over the right one was ¡®simulated¡¯.


    Rayna wasn¡¯t sure what that meant, so she turned back to the notification.


    The following is an explanation of the adjusted tutorial. Instead of a series of trials, the tutorial will now consist of a single trial that will take place over the course of the next 30 days.


    The Trial


    There are two portals. Participants may enter either of these doors a total of 100 times during the tutorial period. A failed attempt will still count as an attempt. Note: there will be no penalties for choosing not to participate, but it is strongly suggested that each player attempt the trial at least once.


    The portal on the right leads to simulated monsters, while the portal on the left leads to real monsters. The simulated monsters cannot kill you, but attacks from them will still cause pain. If your simulated HP falls to zero, you will have failed the attempt.


    The enemies will not be random. Instead, the player will choose the level and species of their opponent. In the case of real monsters, if a suitable monster cannot be found, the trial taker will be asked to choose again.


    Additionally, in the case of real monsters, you may not challenge a monster that is more than two levels higher than yourself. There are no limitations on the simulation but be aware that a failed attempt will not give any rewards.


    Entering in Teams


    The trial may be taken in groups of up to five players. The rewards for the trial will be split evenly between every member that landed a blow on a monster or supported a teammate during the trial.


    Attempting Multiple Monsters Simultaneously


    In the case of teams, you may choose one monster for every one player that attempts the trial. The monsters may differ in level, but they cannot consist of more than one species. In other words, a team of two players may choose to fight a Level 1 Robi and a Level 2 Robi simultaneously, but they cannot challenge a Level 1 Robi and a Level 1 Cruennix Wolf.


    Trial Rewards


    The simulated trial will only award 10% of the Experience that one would receive upon killing a real monster of the same species and level. The real monsters will award full Experience, as well as a coin reward. The number of coins awarded will depend on the level and species of the monster.


    !!Caution!! For this trial, there will be less protections than in the previous one. The System will be unable to teleport a player out of the trial regardless of their situation. Attempting more than you can handle may lead to serious injury or death.


    All of this information, as well as a record of your attempts and rewards, can be found in the trial section that has been added to your System Menu.


    Finally, the System Administrator would like to apologize for the misunderstanding that led to this unfortunate situation. While he is unable to send you home, he hopes that helping you grow will show that he bears no ill will against Earth or any of its inhabitants. He has heard your feedback over the past week and wishes to know more so he can figure out how best to rectify the situation. As such, the forums will remain open for the duration of the tutorial.


    Thank you for your understanding.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to fight anymore?¡± someone asked in a hopeful voice. ¡°That¡¯s what it¡¯s saying, isn¡¯t it? ¡®There will be no penalties for choosing not to participate¡¯. We can just wait it out.¡±


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± a man asked. ¡°The description says that simulations can¡¯t kill you. Didn¡¯t this just turn back into a video game?¡±


    ¡°But they only give a tenth of the Experience,¡± a woman said. ¡°The Level 1 Robi I killed didn¡¯t even get me to Level 2. It would take forever to level that way.¡±


    Conversations erupted all over the courtyard, everyone shouting to be heard over the rest. Rayna prepared to retreat toward the stair sin the event this turned into a full out brawl.


    ¡°Quiet!¡± a woman shouted, taking a few steps out of the group to stand in front of the two portals.


    Silence fell immediately. Rayna blinked, looking around in confusion until she noticed the woman¡¯s name tag.


    [Janet Lindale ¡ª Level 1]


    [Tutorial Leader]


    So, this was their Tutorial Leader. Janet Lindale adjusted her glasses, her long brown hair pulled back in a neat ponytail.


    ¡°As far as I can tell, the System is giving us a chance to prepare ourselves for life outside of the tutorial. You can take that opportunity or you can leave it, but it¡¯s up to each individual to decide. I recommend forming teams, each with at least one Healer and one damage dealer.


    ¡°No one will stop you from attempting real monsters, but remember the events of the first trial when you¡¯re deciding what level to challenge. I have three copies of each of the bestiaries, which will be available to read in the courtyard only, so we can make sure people have a chance to properly research before making their attempts.


    ¡°Finally, while I won¡¯t try to talk you out of attempting the trial right away, I suggest you pace yourselves. A hundred attempts over thirty days is only three attempts per day, meaning you can take a few days to prepare first without hurting your chances of success.¡±


    She looked over the crowd and nodded encouragingly. ¡°This trial is the best case scenario, everyone. Be safe, and don¡¯t approach the left portal unless you¡¯re confident you can come back alive. I¡¯ll be available in the courtyard from sunrise to sunset if you have any questions about the trial.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± a concerned voice asked from somewhere in the crowd. ¡°Aren¡¯t you not allowed to participate in the trials?¡±


    A few voices echoed the woman¡¯s concern.


    The Tutorial Leader smiled. ¡°The ban has been lifted in light of the changes to the tutorial,¡± she said. ¡°I will be able to fight alongside you all, but I¡¯m a bit behind so I hope you¡¯ll all take good care of me.¡±


    There were a few chuckles and some nodding heads as the mood of the crowd improved drastically from the near panic a few minutes before.


    ¡°I can see why the Administrator made her Tutorial Leader,¡± Rayna said. ¡°She turned everything around in less than five minutes.¡±


    Emma grinned. ¡°She¡¯s a bit of a handful at times, but well worth it.¡±


    Rayna raised an eyebrow. ¡°Look at the pot calling the kettle black.¡±


    Emma stuck her tongue out as the crowd started to filter out of the courtyard. It seemed most people were taking Janet¡¯s advice to take it easy, while a few people headed to an empty part of the courtyard to discuss strategies.


    Rayna grabbed Emma¡¯s arm and pulled her toward the stairs. ¡°Come on, I have so much to tell you. And you need to tell me everything!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to try out the trial tonight?¡± Emma asked.


    Rayna snorted. ¡°I¡¯m not trying anything until a few people have gone through. In the first trial I got stuck with an awl pike that I could barely pick up because I didn¡¯t realize weapon choices were final.¡±


    Emma looked concerned. ¡°You mean you¡¯re going in without a weapon?¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°I got a couple points in Strength from a title. It¡¯s more manageable now. The point is, I don¡¯t want to be the one making dumb mistakes this time.¡±


    ¡°That is surprisingly sensible of you.¡±


    Rayna stopped, turning to frown at her friend. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean.¡±


    Emma crossed her arms. ¡°Miss I-got-myself-stuck-in-a-week-long-death-trial is really asking me that?¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t meet a single monster during that week, so I¡¯d say I chose correctly.¡±


    They climbed the stairs, Rayna having to rely on Emma¡¯s memory to get back to her room. She had only been in it once and that was two weeks ago.


    Rayna sat down on her bed, laying back with a contented sigh.


    ¡°What, they didn¡¯t have beds in Overflow?¡± Emma teased, sitting down next to Rayna.


    ¡°Overflow?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just what we called City 15,¡± Emma explained.


    ¡°Ah. Well, we had them, but the tutorial beds are nicer. They don¡¯t smell like mothballs.¡±


    ¡°All right, spill it,¡± Emma said, pulling Rayna back up to a sitting position. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting two weeks for this explanation, it better be good.¡±

 Chapter 12: More Than a Numbers Game

    Rayna sat in the courtyard a few days later, going over her notes as excited players waited in line for the portals. The mood of the tutorial group had risen drastically now that even the most timid players could level up. It only took three Level 1 Robis to get to Level 2 and the simulation line was almost empty, since it wasn¡¯t worth the effort.


    Emma hadn¡¯t been as upset about Rayna¡¯s recklessness as she had been expecting. The only thing that earned her an earful was the Masochist title, which, Rayna promised her, wasn¡¯t as bad as it sounded.


    Emma proceeded to prove her wrong by doing the math. Even if she only got the minimum damage to receive the title, that would be a hundred thousand damage over five days. On average, that meant twenty thousand points of damage a day. Or more than a thousand points per hour if you didn¡¯t count the time that Rayna spent sleeping.


    Which was a lot.


    Thankfully, Emma forgot all about the title when Rayna showed her the Fountain of Life Amulet, her library artifact and Phira.


    She instead chastised Rayna for putting Mana into her library artifact instead of her amulet. Phira agreed with Emma, making it two against one.


    Rayna smiled and shook her head. There was no winning when Emma was stressed out.


    ¡°Still not going in?¡± Emma asked, plopping down next to Rayna with a grin. She was covered in sweat and blood, having just come out of the portal, but Rayna was getting used to the smell.


    ¡°I¡¯m still working on my strategy,¡± Rayna said.


    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. Go in and kill some Level 1 Robis until your Endurance is higher, then start working your way up to more difficult monsters. You¡¯re not too far behind and that amulet is a huge boost.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going in enough for the both of us,¡± Rayna said. ¡°What was that, your fifth trip?¡±


    Emma was already Level 5. Rayna refused to let her own jealousy push her into premature action. It was more important that she figured out her options if she was going to make the most of this opportunity.


    ¡°Ninth, if you count the simulations.¡± Emma said. ¡°But that Level 5 Emurian would have sliced me to ribbons, so I don¡¯t regret testing my limits.¡±


    Rayna nodded. The strategy became popular after a few people got themselves killed the first day, despite the warnings from both Janet and the System. Since then, confirmation messages had popped up whenever someone approached the real trial, as well as danger ratings when you picked your monster.


    It seemed the Administrator was still improving the trial whenever he noticed a problem, which was actually an encouraging thought.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s wrong with the Robi approach?¡± Emma asked. ¡°They¡¯re easy enough to kill. It¡¯s basically free Experience.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not enough Experience,¡± Rayna argued, handing Emma her notebook.


    Robi ¡ª 20 Exp/level


    Cruennix Wolf ¡ª 50 Exp/Level


    Emurian ¡ª 100 Exp/level


    Vulpinox ¡ª 75 Exp/level


    Forest Gecko ¡ª 100 Exp/level


    She had taken notes on a few hundred monsters so far, but Experience gain was highest on her list of priorities when it came to choosing an opponent.


    ¡°It would take a Level 5 Robi to match a Level 1 Emurian. The Experience isn¡¯t worth it.¡±


    Emma raised her eyebrows. ¡°We haven¡¯t tried half of these monsters. Where did you get these numbers?¡±


    Rayna held up her library, which was currently morphed into a book called, The Beginner¡¯s Guide to Monster Hunting. ¡°I have a book on the subject. Phira confirmed that it¡¯s accurate up to Level 25. After the First Ascension the Experience gains are more random.¡±


    ¡°Have you shown Janet?¡± Emma asked.


    Rayna nodded. ¡°She¡¯s already copied all of that down. She said she¡¯d turn it into a list and post it on the forum.¡±


    After the tutorial resumed, the forums had all merged, making it possible to share information between the groups. It was a bit hectic, but the Tutorial Leaders were given moderator roles, so Janet was helping to keep everything organized.


    Emma grimaced. ¡°I¡¯ve been fighting monsters that only give thirty Experience per level? No wonder my growth has been so slow!¡±


    Rayna nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been waiting this long. I need to find a monster that¡¯s slow enough that I can outrun it, but squishy enough that I can actually kill it. Which means that it can¡¯t specialize in Endurance or Dexterity. I¡¯m hesitant to go after something that specializes in Strength because one hit might kill me before the amulet¡¯s healing kicks in.¡±


    Emma looked up from Rayna¡¯s notes. ¡°You¡¯re picking up on all of this quickly. I thought you didn¡¯t like RPGs.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t game logic, it¡¯s Ember logic,¡± Rayna said. ¡°I learned it all from the bestiaries.¡±


    Emma chuckled. ¡°Figures, you¡¯d get interested in all of this as soon as it wasn¡¯t a game. All right, what¡¯s your plan?¡±


    Rayna frowned. ¡°I think I narrowed it down to one monster, but you¡¯re not going to like the one I picked.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°This is quite possibly the worst idea you¡¯ve ever had,¡± Emma said.


    She stood next to Rayna in line, trying to talk her out of her plan, despite the fact that it was almost Rayna¡¯s turn to enter the portal.


    Phira stood behind her, looking concerned. ¡°I have to agree with Emma; this doesn¡¯t sound like a good plan.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Emma nodded at the Tinkerer.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting with a Level 1,¡± Rayna argued. ¡°If worse comes to worst, I¡¯ll run back through the portal and I¡¯ll just have wasted an attempt.¡±


    ¡°Then why not just go for the simulated portal?¡± Emma asked. ¡°It can¡¯t hurt to check.¡±


    ¡°The simulation will give me half the Experience of a Level 1 Robi. I¡¯m already too far behind as it is.¡±


    ¡°What about a Cruennix Wolf?¡± Phira suggested. ¡°You should be able to dodge it easily, considering you have twice the Dexterity.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too high in Strength and I¡¯m prone to bleeding out. I don¡¯t want to deal with something that relies on sharp teeth. Not to mention, the Forest Gecko and I are similar in stats, I should be able to handle it.¡±


    ¡°That Information is highly suspect!¡± Emma said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing about the monster¡¯s tactics, where it came from, the author even questions whether or not they exist!¡±


    ¡°Well, they do, since they¡¯re in the options. And I got the stats from the System archive. They¡¯re accurate.¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t my point, and you know it.¡±


    ¡°Look, I get that this is risky, but I think I can handle it, and the faster I get my Endurance up, the better. My best bet is to grow quickly before I get killed. A Level 1 Forest Gecko will get me almost two levels and its attack power is nearly non-existent. From those stats, my guess is it relies on speed or stealth, both things that I have counters for.¡±


    There were only two people in front of Rayna now. She was running out of time to convince her friend.


    Emma crossed her arms. ¡°Then I¡¯m going with you.¡±


    ¡°Then we would have to fight two of them to make it worth it. That¡¯s more risk than me just going in by myself.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Emma said. ¡°I¡¯ll just watch. I can step in if you¡¯re in trouble, otherwise the System won¡¯t award me any of the Experience, so you won¡¯t lose any.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going in alone,¡± Rayna said firmly. ¡°Look, Emma, I appreciate that you¡¯re looking out for me, but I have a better chance of surviving than you do if things go sideways.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh? How do you figure?¡±


    Rayna pulled her amulet out from under her shirt. ¡°This thing reacts faster than I can. There¡¯s enough charge in there to heal me more than fifty times over, but I can¡¯t use it on other people.¡±


    Emma opened her mouth to argue but Phira jumped in.


    ¡°Rayna¡¯s right. If she is going to challenge a Forest Gecko, it¡¯s best she does it on her own.¡±


    Emma turned to the Tinkerer. ¡°I thought you were on my side!¡±


    ¡°I am on no one¡¯s side,¡± Phira said. ¡°I am simply agreeing with a correct statement. That amulet is a far better safety precaution than a Level 5 Healer. And if you¡¯re there, she might make a mistake trying to protect you and end up getting you both killed.¡±


    Emma didn¡¯t look happy, but she had run out of arguments.


    ¡°I promise I¡¯ll bail if it looks dangerous,¡± Rayna said. ¡°My self-preservation trumps my pride.¡±


    Emma sighed and relented. ¡°Come back in one piece, or I¡¯m coming in there after you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that will work,¡± Phira said seriously.


    Rayna chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡±


    She stepped up to the portal, waiting for her prompt.


    !!Warning!! You have approached the portal that leads to real monsters. Failure in this trial may lead to serious injury or death! Are you sure you wish to proceed?


    Rayna confirmed and another prompt appeared.


    Please enter the portal.


    Rayna stepped through, emerging in a small stone room. She had heard descriptions of the windowless trial room from other players, but nothing could have prepared her for the smell.


    Rayna gagged, running to the wall to puke as the acrid stench of blood and bile filled her nostrils. It took a full minute for her stomach to calm down enough that she could continue the trial. Phira wasn¡¯t anywhere to be seen, and Rayna figured she must have retreated back into her stone.


    Welcome to the adjusted trial: Real.


    Note: you have entered the portal that leads to a trial against real monsters. If this was a mistake, please turn around and exit through the portal.


    Attempts remaining: 99/100


    Two confirmation messages seemed a little excessive.


    Please choose a monster and level. If you are not sure what monsters are available, you can refer to your System Menu for a list. Remember, the monster cannot be more than two levels above you.


    ¡°Forest Gecko, Level 1,¡± Rayna said aloud.


    The monster you have chosen is considered highly dangerous at your current level. Are you sure you wish to challenge a Level 1 Forest Gecko?


    Rayna hesitated. It didn¡¯t look highly dangerous from the stats, but Janet said the System¡¯s danger warnings had been fairly accurate so far. Should she back out?


    Rayna dismissed the idea. If she hadn¡¯t been curious about the Forest Gecko before, she certainly was now. She wanted to see what was so dangerous about this monster, and as she told Emma, she could turn around and run through the portal if this turned out to be a bad idea.


    With that thought in mind, Rayna confirmed her choice.


    Nothing happened.


    Rayna pulled out her awl pike, waiting for something to jump out at her. If the monster was invisible, that would explain the danger rating, wouldn¡¯t it?


    Seconds stretched into minutes, but nothing appeared to attack her.


    A message appeared, nearly startling Rayna out of her skin.


    There are no Level 1 Forest Geckos within range of the trial room. Please choose how you would like to proceed.


    [Choose another opponent] [Teleport] [Forfeit]


    Rayna frowned. ¡°Teleport?¡±


    Teleporting player out of the trial room¡­


    ¡°Wait, no!¡±


    It was too late. Light shone in Rayna¡¯s eyes, and a moment later she was standing in a dark forest. She squinted, trying to adjust her eyes to the sudden change of lighting.


    ¡°Trigger-happy, senseless, moronic¡ª¡±


    Rayna¡¯s muttered tirade was cut short as a bad feeling came over her. It was the same feeling she had noticed when she approached the portal during the first trial.


    She lifted her pike, examining her surroundings for the source of her gut feeling.


    The shadowy forest had a thick layer of underbrush that rustled with every movement. The canopy stretched high above Rayna¡¯s head, woven so densely that barely any sunlight filtered through to the ground. Bioluminescent moss grew on the tree bark, providing just enough light for Rayna to see by.


    It was made obsolete a moment later by the appearance of the monster she had chosen to fight.


    Rayna¡¯s heart thudded in her chest as an absolutely massive Gecko climbed over a fallen log. It was the size of a Great Dane, with sharp teeth lining it¡¯s jaw in rows like a shark. It shone in the darkness, casting the forest in an eerie pale blue glow. Its milky white eyes stared straight ahead as it sniffed the air.


    [Forest Gecko ¡ª Level 1]


    Yeah, no. I¡¯m out of here!


    Rayna turned around to run through the portal, but it hadn¡¯t followed her to the forest.


    Eldar, if you¡¯re listening, give that choice a damn confirmation button!


    Your suggestion has been noted.


    Rayna could almost laugh at the ridiculousness of her situation.


    So¡­ since you apparently are listening, you wanna teleport me back?


    There are no trial rooms available at the moment.


    Seriously? Well, then teleport me back to the tutorial. I¡¯m okay if it loses me the trial. Just get me out of here.


    Your proximity to the Forest Gecko poses a problem with teleportation. Please dispatch the monster to ensure that it will not follow you to the tutorial area.


    So, no help from the System.


    Rayna found the menu to disable pop-up notifications¡ªsomething Emma had shown her the day before¡ªand muted the System for now. She didn¡¯t want a badly timed notification distracting her and getting her killed.


    All right, don¡¯t panic. It¡¯s just a big lizard. You can take it. You just need to get close before it realizes you¡¯re there. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard, considering it¡¯s as blind as a bat.


    She made a mental note to tell Janet that tidbit of information so she could add it to her steadily growing monster guide.


    Rayna took a step forward.


    A loud snap cut through the silence as Rayna¡¯s foot came down on a twig.


    The monster swiveled toward Rayna with a speed that should have been impossible with its Dexterity. It bit down on Rayna¡¯s arm.


    She screamed, pain lancing through her arm as her pike fell to the ground, but before Rayna could even try to retaliate, the Gecko released her and jumped out of range.


    Rayna¡¯s amulet activated immediately, healing the small wound. Despite how much it had hurt, the attack hadn¡¯t taken more than a hundred Health. The creature¡¯s Strength was just too low to do any real damage.


    Rayna picked her pike up off the ground. ¡°All right, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    She charged the monster, aiming for its throat.


    The Gecko let out a startled snarl and scrambled backwards, caught off guard by Rayna¡¯s sudden assault. She managed to land a slice on the monster¡¯s back, but the Gecko was faster than her. It spun around, biting her leg. Then, just as it had done the first time, it leapt out of reach, watching Rayna from the side of a tree.


    What is it waiting for?


    Rayna stood still, hoping she could lure the monster into trying to bite her again.


    The ploy worked. Rayna brought the butt of her pike down on the monsters head just as it closed its mouth around her leg.


    The Gecko snarled in surprise and backed off again, hissing angrily at Rayna.


    ¡°Same to you,¡± Rayna said, grimacing at the pain in her leg. Even with the amulet auto-healing her wounds, it took a little over a minute for the pain to subside. She wasn¡¯t sure if this was a psychological thing or a limitation of the artifact.


    The Gecko was more careful after that and Rayna had to practically chase it around the forest; slicing, taking hits, slicing some more.


    If the Gecko¡¯s Endurance hadn¡¯t been so low, the battle would have been endless. Even with the small cuts adding up, it took Rayna a full ten minutes to kill it. The monster had to have some sort of healing skill like Rayna. There was no way it would have lasted this long otherwise.


    But eventually, the Gecko succumbed to its wounds.


    It collapsed, breathing heavily, and Rayna finished it off with a quick stab to the head before it could muster the energy to continue.


    Despite how long it took, the fight was pretty anti-climactic.


    ¡°That was highly dangerous?¡± Rayna mused aloud.


    Emma could have easily tanked the Gecko¡¯s attacks without healing. And anyone with a decent amount of Strength could have finished off the Gecko in a single hit. Rayna supposed that she would have trouble killing the Gecko if she couldn¡¯t keep up with it, but being able to run away shouldn¡¯t classify the monster as dangerous.


    Rayna pulled her pike out of the Forest Gecko and sat down on a log, stowing her weapon in her Inventory.


    She frowned at the monster. Something felt off, but she couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it. The monster was still glowing, but it was definitely dead, and Rayna wasn¡¯t getting bad vibes anymore.


    Could monsters be sensed if one was paying enough attention? That would have been useful information.


    The forest seemed to buzz around her as she was drawn toward the downed Gecko. She reached her hand out and touched the monster¡¯s smooth skin.


    Light flowed from its body and into Rayna¡¯s, spreading through her with a gentle warmth that soothed her aches and filled her with energy.


    When she pulled her hand away, the Gecko¡¯s body was melting into the ground, leaving nothing behind but bloodstains in the shadowy forest.

 Chapter 13: Essence

    Rayna sunk onto the log, frowning down at the spot where the Gecko¡¯s body had been a second ago.


    What was that all about? She didn¡¯t remember Emma ever explaining how to collect Experience from monsters. Rayna had assumed it was automatic, but then again, maybe this was a normal mechanic in RPGs that Emma didn¡¯t think was worth mentioning.


    She glanced around the dark forest, not sure what she was supposed to do next.


    ¡°Umm¡­ am I getting sent back to the tutorial or not?¡±


    System Function Override: Notification Settings.


    Please enable real time notifications to interact with your System Liaison.


    ¡°Oh! Right, sorry.¡± Rayna opened up her settings and turned notifications back on.


    You have 52 new notifications.


    Summarizing similar messages for easier reading¡­


    You received the following notification 41 times: Paralysis resisted due to your special trait.


    Rayna swallowed against the sudden dryness in her throat. The fight with the Forest Gecko had seemed too easy; it seemed Rayna had only lucked her way into victory. If she wasn¡¯t immune to paralysis, that fight would have gone very differently.


    It was a good thing she told Emma to stay behind.


    Making a mental note not to challenge monsters without proper information, Rayna continued going through her notifications.


    You have killed a Level 1 Forest Gecko!


    +100 Exp


    +100 Coins


    You have leveled up! You are now a Level 2 Warrior.


    +3 Str


    +1 Dex


    +3 End


    +2 Vit


    +1 Free Point


    You have completed this trial attempt. When you are ready, the System will transport you back to the tutorial area. Please return within an hour. Failure to comply will result in a penalty title.


    That should have been the end of the notifications, but there were still several left, and the further Rayna read, the stranger they got.


    You are performing an action outside of the System¡¯s understanding. Please explain.


    You have absorbed a large amount of Essence through an unknown natural ability. The System is formulating a skill for you. Please stand by¡­


    Skill formulation failed. System access denied. Please allow the System access and try again.


    You have received Essence via an unknown natural skill.


    +200 Essence


    The System is attempting to form an Essence Share for the player Rayna. Please stand by¡­


    Attempt failed. System access denied. Please allow the System access and try again.


    Access to what?


    Rayna had no idea what had freaked out the System, but she would bet good money that it was related to her touching the monster corpse. Was she not supposed to do that? But the System didn¡¯t tell her not to¡­


    Rayna returned to the main screen of her Menu and paused, noticing a line that wasn¡¯t there before.


    System Notifications (0)


    Essence Notifications (1)


    Why were there two lines for notifications now? Curious, Rayna clicked into the second one.


    System Access Denied.


    This is an automated message related to the recent attempt of the System to access your Essence pool. This function is prohibited as a safeguard for your progression. If you did not ask the System to do this, please contact the System Administrator. If you are searching for more information about Essence or wish to know how to continue your progression after the first plateau, please refer to the Information Archive or contact the System Librarian.


    Rayna pursed her lips. The automated message didn¡¯t really give her any information about what Essence was, besides the fact that the System wasn¡¯t allowed to access it. But if that was the case, how was it a System mechanic in the first place?


    It didn¡¯t look like she was going to get any more information at the moment, so she pushed the matter to the back of her mind.


    ¡°Can I go back to the tutorial now?¡± Rayna asked, eager to change into clothes that weren¡¯t ripped and bloodstained.


    She would have worn her new armor, but to her dismay, it had turned out to be full plate armor and too heavy for her to actually wear. She would have to see about getting some sturdy leather armor when she got out of the tutorial.


    There are too many monsters in your vicinity. For the safety of the other tutorial participants, please defeat nearby monsters or move at least ten yards away to avoid accidental teleportation.


    Seriously? Rayna looked around at the empty forest. She could feel the low dangerous feeling that warned her of monsters nearby, but she didn¡¯t see any.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    A map appeared, similar to the one she had used in the special trial. But instead of sparkly white treasures, it was practically dripping with ominous red dots. They surrounded Rayna¡¯s little white dot, making her feel claustrophobic.


    ¡°Why did you send me out here if you couldn¡¯t send me back?¡± Rayna demanded, noting that some of the dots were right on top of her. She glanced nervously at the canopy above.


    The System Administrator wanted to apologize.


    ¡°Well, apology not accepted!¡± Rayna snapped. ¡°This is ridiculous!¡±


    The apology was not related to your current predicament. Rather, the System Administrator hoped to make up for an earlier blunder by giving you this opportunity, as well as assigning a temporary System Liaison to guide you through the tutorial.


    ¡°Blunder?¡±


    The System Liaison set to manage the special trial struck a bargain with the Trial Organizer, Phira Alderon. While this deal was in no way unfair, the Administrator would likely have refused, as it greatly limited your short term growth in exchange for an artifact that was not appropriate to your level.


    ¡°And you¡¯re calling this an opportunity?¡± Rayna asked incredulously. ¡°Dropping me in the middle of a monster infested forest and telling me that you can¡¯t send me back?¡±


    Instead of forcing you to choose another monster, the System Administrator allowed you to teleport to your preferred monster instead. This opportunity was not given to other trial participants.


    ¡°Lucky me,¡± Rayna muttered.


    You seem to be dissatisfied. Should I contact the System Administrator?


    ¡°No!¡± Rayna shook her head. ¡°He¡¯ll likely just screw it up more. So, I have to kill these monsters before I can go back?¡± She gestured to the map, circling an area that she hoped was large enough.


    Or move to an area with at least ten yards of clear space in all directions.


    ¡°Yeah, not likely. I take it the one hour time limit is null and void, given the circumstances?¡±


    Incorrect. Failing to return to the tutorial within the time limit will result in a penalty title. Please return to the tutorial within an hour of completing the trial.


    Time remaining: 46m 23s


    Rayna disabled notifications. She knew that the Liaison could override her block if it needed to, but this would cut down on the chatter and all it was doing was pissing her off.


    She checked her map, focusing on the dot that overlapped hers in the hope of getting more information.


    [Trena ¡ª Level 1]


    If Rayna remembered right, a Trena was a large snake similar to a boa constrictor. As long as she didn¡¯t get cornered, she should be fine, but she was a bit skeptical about the information, since the description of the Forest Geckos hadn¡¯t mentioned paralysis at all.


    Rayna looked up at the canopy, considering her options. Should she just walk and try to find a clearer area? She didn¡¯t like the idea of fighting snakes in their natural habitat.


    Maybe there¡¯s a clearing.


    Rayna zoomed out on the map, looking at a large swath of forest. There were so many red dots that Rayna couldn¡¯t see any of the individual trees that were indicated on the map. She searched around for a bit before she found something.


    It was a clearing that only had a single red dot. The clearing looked big enough to get her out of the forest, but the monster itself might pose a problem.


    [Arachne ¡ª Level 12]


    She didn¡¯t remember seeing that monster in her bestiaries. She flipped through the quickly to make sure and found no information on the monster.


    There was no way that Rayna could beat a Level 12 at her current strength, which meant she had two options: try to clear a section of the forest, killing potentially dozens of monsters to do so, or level up enough to fight the mini-boss in the middle of the clearing.


    Rayna decided to kill two birds with one stone. She found an area with a lot of low level monsters and headed toward it. She could try to clear a section, but if she made it past Level 12, she would try killing the Arachne instead.


    Rayna came to a small clearing¡ªmuch smaller than the one that seemed to have been claimed by the Arachne¡ªand ducked behind a tree to do some scouting. Despite the lack of trees, the canopy stretched over the clearing, keeping it as dark as the rest of the forest. Three glowing monsters hopped around the area.


    [Pyria ¡ª Level 1]


    [Pyria ¡ª Level 1]


    [Pyria ¡ª Level 1]


    The small red birds were about the size of a chicken, with orange highlights on their wingtips and crowns.


    Rayna knew from the map that the Pyrias weren¡¯t the only monsters in the area, but they were the only ones visible in the clearing, so she didn¡¯t think anything would jump in to join the battle when she attacked.


    She pulled out her bestiary and flipped to the entry on Pyrias.


    Pyria


    Average Lifespan: 50 years


    Base Stats


    Str: 50


    Dex: 47


    End: 20


    Vit: 30


    Int: 25


    Wis: 25


    Pyrias are flightless birds with red and orange plumage. Their most distinguishing feature is the bright orange crown feathers that they use to scare off weak predators. The feathers make excellent arrow fletching if collected after death. It is worth noting that while Pyrias are believed to have originated from the plains of Western Ember, they have adapted to live in many different habitats, and thus, may differ slightly from this entry.


    Temperament: Variable. Pyrias living in forests and mountains tend to be more aggressive, while Pyrias living in open plains tend to be calmer. For this reason, they are often kept as pets and farm animals in certain regions.


    Leveling Speed: Variable. It depends heavily on the temperament of the bird and the surrounding wildlife. The highest level Pyria that has been recorded was a Level 58, but the vast majority of them are less than Level 10.


    Healing speed: Fast. Pyria¡¯s adaptability is due, in part, to their ability to recover quickly from injuries. While they don¡¯t have any known healing spells in the First Ascension, they can heal from near-fatal wounds in a matter of days. This is another reason that they are a popular choice as farm animals.


    Most Valuable Stats: Strength and Dexterity. A Pyria¡¯s main mode of attack is slashing with their claws or beak.


    Weakest Stats: Intelligence and Wisdom. While these two stats are relatively high in the beginning, most Pyrias do not gain points in these stats as they level up, rendering their spells less and less effective as they grow.


    Watch out for the sharp bits, seems simple enough, Rayna thought.


    She pulled her awl pike out of her Inventory and set her sights on the closest bird. She needed to kill them quickly, before they had a chance to fight back. She didn¡¯t dare trust her Dexterity to carry her through after the last battle had proven that strategy unreliable. She should have easily outpaced the Forest Gecko, but instead she had barely managed to keep up.


    In short, the numbers weren¡¯t accurate. Which defeated the purpose of having them in the first place.


    Rayna bounced in place, psyching herself up. She rushed in, stabbing the first bird in the chest before it could even register that she was there. It flailed and squawked, trying to dislodge itself from the weapon, but it only managed to impale itself deeper on the long blade.


    Rayna pulled the first bird off her weapon, earning a slash on her forearm from the monster¡¯s claws, and threw it aside, aiming to chop the head off of the second bird.


    She trusted her amulet to take care of her injuries, but she kept an eye on her HP just in case.


    The bird dodged Rayna¡¯s attack, running at her with an angry scream.


    Rayna retreated, running around the clearing to put some distance between herself and the monster. Strangely enough, this battle seemed to be the opposite of the previous one, the Pyrias were even slower than their stats would suggest.


    Rayna took advantage of this, running behind the second Pyria and stabbing it before the monster could turn around.


    The third Pyria sunk its beak into Rayna¡¯s leg as the second one died. She grit her teeth against the pain and rammed the butt of her pike into the bird¡¯s head. There was a sickening crunch, and the bird folded in on itself.


    The whole bloody affair lasted less than a minute.


    The wound on Rayna¡¯s leg closed and her HP jumped back up to full. She piled the birds together in the clearing and sat down, breathing hard.


    Rayna tilted her head at the birds, feeling the same pull as she had from the Forest Gecko corpse. This time, she took a moment to examine the feeling, instead of giving in to it right away. It was similar to the magical energy that she felt buzzing in the traps back in the maze, or in the moss that glowed on the nearby trees, but it was wilder, like it had to be tamed into something usable.


    Rayna reached out and absorbed the energy from each of them, noticing that the feeling was identical to each other, but not as strong as it had been with the Gecko.


    As the birds melted into the ground, the light in the clearing changed from the ominous red to a pale blue. She turned around, trying to find the source of the light, but it seemed to move with her.


    She grabbed her hair, holding it in front of her face. It glowed? She wasn¡¯t sure if this was a race thing, or if it had to do with where she was, but she hadn¡¯t noticed it due to all the other lighting in the forest.


    Rayna smiled to herself. She had always wanted to try one of those glow-in-the-dark wigs. It looked like she got her wish.


    She shook her head at the irony as she checked her notifications.


    You have killed a Level 1 Pyria.


    +75 Exp


    +75 Coins


    You have leveled up! You are now a Level 3 Warrior.


    +3 Str


    +1 Dex


    +3 End


    +2 Vit


    +1 Free Point


    You have killed a Level 1 Pyria.


    +75 Exp


    +75 Coins


    You have killed a Level 1 Pyria.


    +75 Exp


    +75 Coins


    You have leveled up! You are now a Level 4 Warrior.


    +3 Str


    +1 Dex


    +3 End


    +2 Vit


    +1 Free Point


    You have received Essence via an unknown natural skill.


    +150 Essence


    You have received Essence via an unknown natural skill.


    +150 Essence


    You have received Essence via an unknown natural skill.


    +150 Essence


    That fight got me two levels? The Arachne might not be as much of a long-shot as I thought. Rayna grinned. At this rate, I might even manage it before the deadline.

 Chapter 14: The Obsidian Forest

Stolen novel; please report.

 Chapter 15: Ursivul

    Rayna ducked under an attack aimed for her throat and killed the Pyria with a stab to its chest.


    Daria was still following her, hiding in the vicinity with her canine ears pressed firmly backwards on her head. Rayna wasn¡¯t sure what the woman¡¯s race was, but she didn¡¯t really care as long as the translation feature was still working. She had been worried that it would switch back to subtitles since she was outside of the tutorial area.


    Rayna hoped the woman would come out and talk to her soon, it was getting annoying to pretend she didn¡¯t see her.


    The penalty title was getting more and more cumbersome.


    Failure to comply V ¡ª You have not returned to the tutorial area even though the trial ended more than an hour ago. Until you return, your stats will be affected.


    -6 Str


    -3 Dex


    -3 End


    -1 Int


    -2 Wis


    Time until the penalty grows: 22m 09s


    She wished it would take some Vitality or Luck, instead of her much needed Strength and Endurance. If it kept taking from one of those two stats, she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up.


    Rayna absorbed the Essence from the bird and took a look at her Character Sheet.


    Name: Rayna


    Level 8 (Exp: 1328/2513)


    Class: Warrior (Initial)


    Race: Lerian (Essence: 14,700)


    HP: 1490/1490


    MP: 423/480


    Stat Points


    Str: 33 (27)


    Dex: 67 (64)


    End: 47 (44)


    Vit: 149


    Int: 50 (49)


    Wis: 50 (48)


    Luck: 10


    [Free Points: 1]


    Rayna still had no clue what Essence was, and finding out was fairly low on her todo list. She had been at this for three hours and she had only gained a single level. At this rate, the tutorial would be over before she made it back.


    Tired of being watched, Rayna turned to where Daria was hiding. ¡°Are you going to stand there all day? The least you could do is help me fight since you¡¯re getting half of the Experience.¡±


    Daria came out from behind a large boulder, showing no surprise at the fact that Rayna had noticed her. ¡°I¡¯d be no help in this fight, and you seem intent on getting yourself killed.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You really don¡¯t have to grow this fast. It could ruin your First Ascension, you know. You need some life experience to get better options when you hit Level 25.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I want to be a fighter Class and punch birds to death,¡± Rayna joked. ¡°But if you can¡¯t fight the Pyrias, why are you even here? This forest is crawling with monsters a lot stronger than these.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Potion Brewer. I needed an ingredient. I had ways around the monsters but I¡ª¡± Daria snapped her mouth shut. A small whimper left her throat as her ears flattened back on her head.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Rayna asked, lowering her voice. She couldn¡¯t use her monster sense effectively with so many monsters around.


    ¡°My night vision skill ended.¡± Daria said, moving closer to Rayna. ¡°It just startled me.¡±


    Rayna frowned. ¡°Night vision? Do you really need that in here?¡±


    The glowing moss on the trees was enough to see by, and basically all the monsters glowed as well.


    ¡°Not all of us have glowing hair to light up the forest,¡± Daria said.


    ¡°Yeah, but¡ª¡± Rayna cut off as her senses went haywire. Daria didn¡¯t seem to notice as a looming figure appeared behind her.


    ¡°Daria, look out!¡± Rayna grabbed the woman¡¯s arm and pulled her back just before the monster could bite her head off.


    Daria screamed as Rayna pushed her back. She kept herself between Daria and the monster, trying to find an escape route. She didn¡¯t want to go up against this thing.


    It had the general shape of a bear, but its body was thinner and covered in glowing brown feathers. Its head was similar to a hawk, with beady yellow and black eyes and a hooked beak. All four feet ended in thickly feathered talons that looked like they could tear Rayna in half in a single attack. On its back, two enormous wings were folded into a resting position, stretching back to blend into its long feathered tail.


    [Ursivul ¡ª Level 4]


    ¡°We¡¯re dead,¡± Daria whispered, her voice full of dread. ¡°That thing will catch us, even if we try to run.¡±


    Rayna raised her dagger, feeling tiny as she stared up at the massive monster, but she wasn¡¯t going down without a fight.


    ¡°I hope you have more weapons on you,¡± Rayna said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can take this thing on alone.¡±


    ¡°What of ¡®I¡¯m a crafting Class¡¯ are you not understanding?¡± Daria hissed.


    The part where you go into a monster infested forest without a weapon, apparently.


    ¡°Do you know anything about its stats?¡± Rayna asked.


    ¡°Ursivul, C-10. Strength and Dexterity are its strongest stats. Stay away from the talons and beak. It can fly, so don¡¯t bother trying to climb, it won¡¯t work.¡±


    Rayna didn¡¯t know what C-10 meant, but she didn¡¯t have time to ask.


    The creature charged, its crown feathers flaring.


    Rayna pushed Daria out of the way, slashing at the monster¡¯s chest with her dagger. It was too short, missing by a large margin as the Ursivul tried to take Rayna¡¯s head off with its talons.


    Rayna ducked, stabbing the monster in the chest.


    It didn¡¯t penetrate far into the Ursivul¡¯s thick hide, but it was enough to draw an angry screech from the monster. Pain erupted on Rayna¡¯s arm and her blood splattered the forest underbrush. She backed off, checking to make sure her amulet had taken care of the wound. One hit had taken almost seven hundred of her HP.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Alright, don¡¯t get hit.


    Rayna dodged another swipe from the beast¡¯s talons, trying to circle around to attack its rear. The Ursivul spun with her, trying to snap its beak around her neck. Rayna swiped at the monster¡¯s eyes with her dagger, forcing it to take a step back. It flared its tail for balance, the peacock-like plume creating a brown halo around its head.


    Rayna put some distance between herself and the monster, she needed to buy herself time to think of a plan. This was just like the Trena. She was outmatched in Strength and Endurance, and the monster was much bigger than her. It didn¡¯t really matter what its stats were, Rayna had to find a way to outthink it or outrun it.


    Or she could just try biting it again. That had worked on the snake.


    She would have to get close enough.


    ¡°Rayna!¡± Daria yelled, throwing her a spear. Apparently, she did have more weapons in her Inventory.


    Rayna didn¡¯t have time to thank the woman. The Ursivul closed the distance between them in a flash, almost managing to catch Rayna¡¯s ear with its beak. A chunk of Rayna¡¯s hair fell to the ground as she dodged to the side. She ran to the creatures left side, stabbing into it with Daria¡¯s spear.


    Instead of pulling the spear free, Rayna climbed up the shaft, landing saddle style on the creature¡¯s back. She threw her dagger into her Inventory, too focused on not falling off to worry about holding onto her weapon too.


    The Ursivul bucked wildly, screeching its indignation at Rayna¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Well, you started this,¡± Rayna growled.


    She opened her mouth and bit down on the monster¡¯s neck, grimacing as the acrid stench of the monster¡¯s blood filled her nose. It smelled like molding furniture that had been left out in the rain for months and it tasted even worse.


    She let go, gagging as she pulled her dagger out of her Inventory. She stabbed it directly into the wound, pushing the weapon as far as it would go.


    The Ursivul screamed, stumbling a few steps as it tried to turn around to snap at Rayna with its beak.


    Rayna yanked the dagger free, and a fountain of blood erupted from the wound. She must have hit a major blood vein.


    The monster kept trying to snap at her, but its motions became sluggish, each attack missing the mark by more distance.


    It nearly crushed Rayna as it fell. She jumped clear just in time, stumbling a few steps. She turned around and raised her dagger, ready to fend off another attack.


    The Ursivul didn¡¯t move.


    Rayna stood still for half a minute, not daring to get closer. It wasn¡¯t until she got the kill notification that she allowed herself to relax. She inched around the monster, frowning down at its glassy eyes.


    Rayna sank to the floor, exhausted. She stowed the dagger in her Inventory and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths to try to calm herself down.


    Reaching out, she absorbed the Ursivul¡¯s Essence; it was pretty much habit by now.


    Energy flowed into Rayna, but it did little but take the edge off of her sudden exhaustion. In fact, it might have made it worse. Rayna rubbed her suddenly throbbing temples.


    The Ursivul¡¯s body melted into the ground, leaving no evidence of their battle except for yet another ruined shirtsleeve.


    ¡°You¡¯re insane,¡± Daria said, reminding Rayna that she was there.


    Rayna blinked at her. ¡°Thanks for the spear,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I could have killed it without that.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been able to do it at all!¡± Daria said. ¡°That was a C-10 monster. It should have taken your arm off with that attack. What is your Endurance at?¡±


    Rayna frowned. ¡°It¡¯s forty-seven, I think,¡± she said. Her words slurred at the end of the sentence. She shook her head, trying to clear it. ¡°Actually, I think it¡¯s forty-four when you count the penalty title.¡±


    It had only been a few hours since she had started fighting. Rayna shouldn¡¯t be this tired.


    ¡°Forty-four? Thats¡ªHey, are you alright?¡± Concern colored Daria¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just¡ª¡± The world tilted sideways, and Rayna hit the ground with a painful thud. She blinked several times, her vision blurring.


    ¡°Did you get some of its blood in your mouth?¡± Daria asked, her voice suddenly urgent.


    Rayna closed her eyes, but Daria shook her awake.


    ¡°This is important! Did you get some of its blood in your mouth?¡±


    Rayna grimaced. ¡°Bit it,¡± she said groggily. ¡°Had to get through its skin.¡±


    ¡°Ursivul blood is poisonous!¡± Daria snapped, grabbing something out of her Inventory.


    That shouldn¡¯t matter, Rayna thought. I have poison resistance.


    She couldn¡¯t make her mouth say the words.


    ¡°Oh, System help me! I would find a lunatic like you out here!¡±


    Daria¡¯s voice sounded far away. She said something else, but Rayna didn¡¯t hear it as darkness closed in on her.


    * * *


    Daria opened her Inventory and pulled out the strongest multi-purpose antidote she had.


    ¡°You are not allowed to beat an Ursivul just to die of Ursivul Blood poisoning a few minutes later,¡± she growled.


    Daria dragged the girl into a sitting position and shook her, trying to wake her up.


    ¡°You need to drink this,¡± she said.


    Rayna groaned and opened her eyes a crack. She wasn¡¯t fully conscious, judging from the distant look in her eyes, but hopefully she would be able to swallow.


    Daria didn¡¯t have any better ideas. She opened Rayna¡¯s mouth and dribbled the potion into it, going slow enough that she wouldn¡¯t choke. The girl stared absently at her, swallowing on reflex when her mouth got too full.


    It took three swallows for her to finish the bottle.


    ¡°That better work,¡± Daria said. ¡°That cost me thirty gold drakas.¡±


    Rayna didn¡¯t respond, except to close her eyes and drift back to sleep.


    Daria pulled up the status screen for her party, checking on the girl¡¯s HP.


    [Rayna ¡ª Level 9]


    HP: 1510/1510


    MP: 480/480


    As Daria watched, Rayna¡¯s HP dropped by a hundred points then jumped back to full. Whatever healing-over-time spell she was using, it was powerful. How had she gotten a hold of that before the First Ascension? No, more interesting than that was her Vitality. She must have a natural Vitality above one hundred to have this much HP at her age. Unless she was using a skill to boost her stats temporarily. That might explain how she had beat the Ursivul.


    What do I do now?


    Daria couldn¡¯t leave the girl here, but she also couldn¡¯t carry her all the way out of the Obsidian Forest. Even if she did, it would take days to get back to her village and by then the girl might have succumbed to the poison.


    Unless¡­


    Watching the girl¡¯s HP flutter again, Daria made up her mind.


    Daria wrapped the girl¡¯s hair into a bun, securing it with a hair stick from her Inventory. Then she pulled out a head scarf and covered the glowing locks.


    She grunted as she hoisted the girl over her shoulder and reactivated her Night Vision skill.


    The fight with the Ursivul was too loud. Daria wanted to get out of the area before some curious monster came in search of an easy dinner. She ran until she found a deserted clearing. She adjusted her hold on Rayna.


    ¡°I was hoping I wouldn¡¯t have to use this,¡± Daria said, pulling her teleport crystal out of her Inventory. The item was a last resort option, as it cost more than a year¡¯s earnings for most craftsmen, but it was the only way they were getting out of the forest alive.


    ¡°Take me home,¡± Daria said aloud, picturing the fields outside her village. Daria and Rayna started to glow as the crystal teleported them out of the forest.


    Daria covered her eyes against the glaring afternoon sun, caught off guard after days in the pitch black woods.


    A startled screech told Daria that she hadn¡¯t come alone.


    She didn¡¯t bother looking at the monsters as she bolted toward her village gates, pulling a horn from her Inventory.


    She blew on it as hard as she could, piercing the air with a long low note that would travel for miles in every direction.


    The monsters snarled and charged after Daria, snapping at her heels but unable to keep up. Her mentor had thought her mad to waste her free points on Dexterity, but it might just save her life now.


    Daria¡¯s heart raced and her legs ached under the girl¡¯s weight. She had to stop blowing the horn so she could focus on breathing through her mad dash.


    Several shadows passed Daria, and she screamed, tripping over her own feet. She dropped Rayna, both of them bouncing for several feet before they rolled to a stop. Daria covered her head with her hands, bracing herself for pain.


    ¡°How many times have I told you to clear the area before you teleport?¡± Jerom snapped.


    Daria grimaced. ¡°It was an emergency.¡±


    She got to her feet, dusting herself off before she went to check if the girl was alright. Whatever healing she was using was still active. She didn¡¯t have a scratch on her.


    Daria felt a flash of jealousy. Her own bumps and bruises would have to wait until her Mana refilled, as she had been using it all to keep herself hidden in the forest.


    ¡°This is why you should never have gone in the first place,¡± Jerom said. ¡°You could have gotten yourself killed. Some of those monsters were C-6 beasts. Wait, who¡¯s that?¡± he asked, noticing Rayna for the first time. ¡°She¡¯s an Initial? What was she doing near monsters of that category?¡±


    Daria shook her head. ¡°No idea. But she was better equipped than me out there. She killed a Level 3 Forest Gecko with a rock.¡±


    Jerom looked skeptical. ¡°She looks like she could blow away in the wind.¡±


    ¡°Well, she just might if we don¡¯t get her to the healers. She ingested Ursivul blood. I don¡¯t think my antidote is doing anything.¡±


    ¡°Ursivul Blood?¡± Jerom gawked at the unconscious girl. ¡°How is she even alive?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got some kind of healing spell or skill, I think, but it can¡¯t have much time left on it, she¡¯s been using it for hours.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jerom said, picking the girl up. ¡°Myrial should be waiting for us, with your noisy arrival.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just the Healer waiting for them. Practically the whole village had gathered just inside the gates, trying to see what was happening. Daria had to push her way through the little ones that were blocking the entrance.


    Questions flew at her from all directions.


    ¡°Where did you go?¡±


    ¡°Who is she?¡±


    ¡°Did you kill a monster?¡±


    ¡°Did you level up?¡±


    Daria shook her head. ¡°You all need to move! The girl is sick, so we¡¯re taking her to Myrial.¡±


    The children scattered, well aware that a visit to the healers meant it was serious. If this had been something simple, Daria could have just cast Basic Heal on the girl and been done with it.


    ¡°Go back to your lessons,¡± Elder Grana called. ¡°You will have a chance to meet the outsider when she is well.¡±


    The old woman fell into step next to Jerom. ¡°What happened? Was the monster threat neutralized?¡±


    ¡°They were all low level, even if they were high category.¡± Jerom said. ¡°Daria probably could have taken them if there weren¡¯t so many. We need to send someone out to bury the corpses before they attract more monsters.¡±


    ¡°And the girl?¡± Grana asked Daria.


    ¡°She¡¯s an Initial,¡± Daria explained. ¡°I found her wandering around the Obsidian Forest, trying to clear a space large enough to teleport out. She thought she was going to fight an Arachne.¡±


    Jerom grunted. ¡°That forest is a death trap. You should have just gone to the caves for your moss. What took you so long, anyway? You were due back days ago.¡±


    ¡°I got lost, but I got the moss, and it¡¯s much higher quality than I would have found in the caves. When you get deeper into the forest, the trees are literally covered in the stuff.¡±


    ¡°That only matters if you can get out of the forest alive.¡±


    ¡°This is an argument for another time,¡± Grana said disapprovingly. ¡°Do you know where she came from? I can send word that she has been found.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you would know,¡± Daria said. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a Lerian before, and she didn¡¯t seem interested in giving me the name of her village.¡±


    ¡°We can ask her more when she wakes up,¡± Grana said. ¡°If she wakes up¡­ Let¡¯s get her inside.¡±

 Chapter 16: Failure To Comply

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s when I used the teleport crystal to get back,¡± Daria finished the incredible tale as Myrial examined Rayna.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jerom said. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind me saying this, but that sounded like a load of Koralle dung. Are you really asking us to believe that a Level 9 Initial not only fought a C-10 monster, but killed it?¡±


    ¡°Believe it or not, it¡¯s true.¡± Daria pulled up the kill notification and showed it to her brother.


    A member of your party has killed a Level 4 Ursivul.


    +4,000 Exp


    +4,000 Coins


    Daria actually felt guilty for stealing so much of the girl¡¯s Experience over the last few hours. She didn¡¯t want to lose track of her, so she kept the party active.


    She was glad she did, because they needed a way to keep track of Rayna¡¯s status.


    ¡°How is the girl¡¯s Health?¡± Myrial asked.


    ¡°Same as before,¡± Daria said, glancing at the window with Rayna¡¯s status. ¡°Still flickering back and forth between 1,410 and 1,510. Whatever she is using should have worn off by now, shouldn¡¯t it have? Or do you think this is a species trait?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Myrial said. ¡°Jerom, can you leave please. I need to check the girl over for hidden injuries.¡±


    Jerom looked away from the kill notification, turning to Rayna with a newfound respect. He nodded at Myrial. ¡°I¡¯ll be outside if you need help with anything.¡±


    He exited the room, leaving Daria, Grana and Myrial alone with the girl.


    Daria helped Myrial remove the girl¡¯s tunic so she could check her over for any hidden wounds. There were situations where a long-lasting injury could keep leeching a person¡¯s HP for months or even years after it should have healed. They propped the girl into a sitting position so they could remove her jewelry.


    She wore two necklaces. One was a pendant that looked like a pearl or magic stone of some sort. The other was a large amulet studded with glittering gems.


    If Daria thought the girl was a noble before, now she was sure of it. Those items looked like they could buy a whole kingdom, and she had been casually wearing them on a stroll through one of the most dangerous areas in Helia.


    Myrial lifted the necklaces over Rayna¡¯s head. As soon as they were off of her, the girl¡¯s HP started dropping rapidly.


    ¡°Put those back on!¡± Daria said.


    Myrial didn¡¯t argue, slipping the necklaces back over Rayna¡¯s head.


    Her HP jumped from a third to full in less than a second.


    Daria let out a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s an item,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s why the healing spell hasn¡¯t worn off yet.¡±


    ¡°She must be a noble,¡± Grana said, coming to the same conclusion that Daria had. ¡°No one else could afford something like that.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine a noble would let one of their Initials just wander around the forest like that,¡± Myrial commented.


    ¡°And yet,¡± Grana said. ¡°We have a young girl with an obscure race and an item strong enough to counter Ursivul blood.


    ¡°Which family do you think she¡¯s from?¡± Daria asked. ¡°She¡¯s speaking Helian, so it must be one of ours, right? But that doesn¡¯t narrow it down much.¡±


    ¡°It has to be one of the high families,¡± Myrial said. ¡°And they¡¯re probably better equipped to handle this situation than we are. Grana, can we use the scry stone to call Lord Emery? He might recognize her, or at least be willing to take her back with him.¡±


    Grana nodded. ¡°Daria, you go with Myrial to talk to the Lord, I will keep an eye on the girl.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be the one staying here?¡± Daria asked.


    ¡°No, they may wish to see proof of her actions in the forest. Choosing to party with her was the right decision.¡±


    ¡°Send for us if she worsens,¡± Myrial said. ¡°We¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    * * *


    Lord Enalus Emery sat at his desk, going over the numbers for the last great hunt. They hadn¡¯t killed nearly enough monsters to meet their energy quotas, and now a useless batch of Chosen were going to come their way, likely expecting to have their hands held through the whole ordeal.


    It was going to be a long and dark winter if they didn¡¯t come up with something soon.


    There was a knock at the door.


    ¡°Enter,¡± Enalus said, putting his papers aside.


    Jayn entered the room, bowing politely.


    ¡°Lord Emery,¡± the butler said. ¡°We received a message from one of the border villages that requires your attention. They have a girl that they believe to be a lost noble.¡±


    ¡°Them and every other village in the region,¡± Enalus said dismissively. ¡°Do they have any proof?¡±


    ¡°The girl was found wandering the Obsidian Forest, but they don¡¯t know her origins. Additionally, they claim that she single-handedly took down a Level 4 Ursivul. She is being treated for Ursivul blood poisoning, but according to them, it is actually a high-tier item that is keeping the poison at bay and she needs a higher level of healing than they can provide.¡±


    Enalus¡¯ lips formed a thin line. ¡°I know any number of people who can kill an Ursivul at that level. Do they have anything more substantial?¡±


    If this was just a case of a border village trying to save one of their players by spinning a story, he would send the antidote and be done with it. Anyone who can take down a beast of that class was worth keeping alive, but he couldn¡¯t take in every promising player in Helia.


    The butler hesitated. ¡°If they are to be believed¡­ the girl is an Initial.¡±


    That got Enalus¡¯ attention. Did they seriously expect him to believe such a tale? But what if it was true? A girl with such potential couldn¡¯t be left to rot in a border village.


    ¡°Prepare an antidote for Ursivul blood,¡± Enalus said, grabbing his coat from the stand. ¡°I will go see if there¡¯s any credibility to their story. Send a carriage as well. If she truly is an Initial, she won¡¯t be able to keep up with me for the return trip.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Jayn bowed out of the room and left to do as he was told.


    Enalus found his wife before leaving, letting her know that he would be gone for a day or two.


    ¡°Was there an attack?¡± Nali asked, rising from her seat.


    ¡°Nothing of the sort, my love,¡± Enalus assured her, placing his hands on her shoulders to gently press her back down as he kissed her forehead. ¡°One of the border villages claims they found a child of great talent who may be a lost noble. I am going to investigate the matter.¡±


    Nali frowned. ¡°It¡¯s likely just a ruse to get one of their Initials into our household. Is there a reason you are going yourself?¡±


    ¡°If it is such a falsehood, then I will be there and back before dinner. It would take a messenger at least a day to make the trip.¡±


    Nali shook her head. ¡°Very well, but hurry back. Eugenia¡¯s gathering is only a week away and I don¡¯t want to listen to her prattle on and on about how you are failing your duties as a husband, as if we weren¡¯t all too busy for tea parties.¡±


    Enalus smiled. ¡°Of course. I shall be back before you know I¡¯m gone.¡±


    Jayn was waiting at the edge of Enalus¡¯ estate with the antidote and directions to the village.


    Enalus left at a full run, eager to meet this girl for himself.


    He reached the village in a little over an hour, even faster than he had been expecting. The village elder met him at the gate, bowing respectfully.


    ¡°My Lord! We were not expecting you to come personally. I would like to stress that we only suspect the girl of being a noble, we do not know for certain.¡±


    That was a good sign. If they were trying to sneak one of their own into Enalus¡¯ house, they would likely have insisted that they had some proof of her lineage.


    ¡°Take me to her. I brought an antidote with me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± The woman led Enalus through her village, taking him to a small cottage in the center.


    Inside, a girl lay on the bed, her black skin covered in sweat and her clothing ripped and bloodstained. Her long white hair was almost ethereal, seeming to glow faintly in the dimly lit room. Next to her, a young woman was watching something intently, likely a screen related to the girl¡¯s Health.


    Enalus¡¯ eyes were drawn to the two necklaces that sat on the girl¡¯s chest. He couldn¡¯t blame these people for coming to the conclusion that she was a noble. The items looked expensive. He wasn¡¯t sure even he could afford such fine pieces.


    Assuming they were real, that is.


    Enalus used his appraisal skill, trying to determine the items¡¯ origins.


    The Fountain of Life Pendant (Soul Locked Artifact) [Legendary]


    Detailed appraisal failed ¡ª a higher level is needed to appraise this artifact.


    Phira¡¯s Necklace (Soul Locked Item) [Legendary]


    Detailed appraisal failed ¡ª A higher level is needed to appraise this item.


    Enalus¡¯ eyes widened. Soul locked? He definitely couldn¡¯t afford these items. And they were too high for him to appraise as well.


    Enalus handed the woman the antidote. ¡°It¡¯s for the poison,¡± he explained. ¡°It can be absorbed through the skin, but it will work faster if she drinks it.¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go with the skin, unfortunately. It¡¯s been hours since she last woke.¡±


    ¡°Hours?¡± Enalus frowned. ¡°Are you sure about the origin of the poison?¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t answer, apparently used to not being believed by now. She shared a screen with Enalus, focusing on administering the antidote.


    A member of your party has killed a Level 4 Ursivul.


    +4,000 Exp


    +4,000 Coins


    ¡°I was there,¡± she said, pouring the antidote over the girl¡¯s hand so that it settled in a pool on the girl¡¯s palm. ¡°It was an Ursivul. She¡­ bit it¡­ I don¡¯t think she knew it was poisonous.¡±


    Enalus blinked. She bit it? Was she feral?


    Regardless, he was taking her with him. He didn¡¯t care if this child was noble or not, if the story was true she had more potential than Enalus himself.


    ¡°How long will it take?¡± the woman asked.


    ¡°A few hours to heal the damage,¡± Enalus said. ¡°But she won¡¯t wake up for a day or two. She should be back at my estate by then.¡±


    The woman blinked up at him. ¡°So, she is a noble, then?¡±


    Enalus shook his head. ¡°Not to my knowledge. But she has a some expensive soul locked items hanging around her neck, which means she might be the daughter of a visiting dignitary that I have simply not been introduced to. In either case, I will take her back with me and help her find her home.¡± He paused. ¡°She does speak Helian, yes?¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°And she doesn¡¯t have an accent. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a foreigner.¡±


    Enalus nodded. ¡°Good. I thank you for your assistance in locating her. I can take it from here.¡±


    When the girl awoke, Enalus could try to gauge her strength. If she had as much potential as they seemed to think, then he would take her under his wing and make sure she reached that potential. There were too few strong fighters at the moment, and Enalus wouldn¡¯t let one of them slip through his fingers. He would convince this girl to work with him, whatever it took.


    * * *


    Emma paced, biting her nails. It had been more than twelve hours since Rayna went into that trial, and she hadn¡¯t returned. What was she doing? It shouldn¡¯t have taken her this long to kill the monster. Did the System Administrator do something stupid again?


    Emma checked her Stat Sheet, assuring herself that Rayna was fine.


    Plus One ¡ª You brought an uninvited guest to the initiation without prior approval. This person is of great importance to the world of Ember. Keep her safe and help her grow.


    Duration: unlimited


    Reward: Teleportation back to Earth for you and anyone else from your planet who wishes to return


    Penalty For Failure: The continued existence of the System and the eventual fall of Ember


    The quest hadn¡¯t changed. It would have been nice if it gave Emma some indication of why she was supposed to be sabotaging the System that had given her the quest in the first place.


    It didn¡¯t really matter, though. If the requirement was to keep Rayna safe, then she was going to do that anyway. The possibility of going home was just icing on the cake.


    Rayna certainly wasn¡¯t making it easy, though.


    Emma closed her Menu and left the room, taking the stairs three at a time to get to the courtyard.


    Janet was in the training section, practicing with her bow. The targets were just a series of circles drawn on mattresses that were propped up against a wall, but it was better than nothing.


    Janet had marked out several distances on the ground so people with ranged weapons could practice consistently.


    ¡°Janet, can you look something up for me?¡±


    The Tutorial Leader released her arrow, hitting the bullseye on her target before turning to Emma. ¡°What do you need?¡±


    Emma tried not to look as worried as she felt. ¡°Rayna¡¯s not back yet. Can you check her status? She went in this morning.¡±


    Janet pulled up her Menu without hesitation, making it visible to Emma as she scrolled through their tutorial group. Emma¡¯s heart sank a little further every time she saw the word ¡®deceased¡¯ next to one of the names. They hadn¡¯t lost a lot of players from a statistical standpoint, but that didn¡¯t make it any easier when one of them didn¡¯t come back.


    When Rayna¡¯s name finally appeared, Emma¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but the word in her status wasn¡¯t ¡®deceased¡¯.


    Name: Rayna ¡ª Level 9


    Species: Lerian


    Current Trial: none


    Status: Removed


    Emma swallowed against the dryness in her throat. Level 9? What had she been doing in there?


    ¡°What does it mean ¡®removed¡¯?¡± she asked Janet.


    Janet shook her head. ¡°This isn¡¯t something I¡¯ve seen before. One moment.¡±


    The Tutorial Leader brought up the forum, navigating to the special section where she could contact a System Liaison directly.


    Information Request: What is the meaning of the status ¡®removed¡¯?


    Emma waited, watching the screen intently.


    More detail is needed to answer your request for information. Which player in particular are you referring to?


    Player name: Rayna, Level 9 Lerian. Last seen several hours ago, entering the trial for her first attempt.


    There was a long moment of silence and Emma wished that the System Menus were physical so she could shake the Liaison for taking so long.


    When the System finally answered, it didn¡¯t make her feel any better.


    The Player in question has been removed from the tutorial due to her failure to return after an extended period of time. I cannot reveal her status and location as she is not currently considered part of your tutorial group. Please complete the tutorial and search for her physically, or apply to the System Administrator for further information.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Emma blurted out. ¡°Who the hell designed this System?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a formal request to meet with the Administrator,¡± Janet said, her expression grim. ¡°But don¡¯t get your hopes up. The Administrator hasn¡¯t answered anything personally since the adjusted tutorial began. Either he has washed his hands of us or he is simply too busy to respond.¡±


    ¡°And what about Rayna?¡± Emma tapped her finger against her forearm, trying to calm herself down.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do for now,¡± Janet said. ¡°This may sound cold, but for right now, Rayna is on her own. Focus on the trial. I¡¯ll tell you as soon as I know more.¡±


    She stowed her bow in her Inventory and walked away, probably going to research their options.


    Janet didn¡¯t sugar coat things. If she thought there was no possibility of contacting the Administrator, she would have said so immediately.


    Once again, Emma was forced to keep herself busy so she wouldn¡¯t go insane waiting for her accident-prone friend to return.


    She looked over her options for trial opponents. Rayna¡¯s information said she was a Level 9. If Emma was going to save her, she needed to keep up with her first.

 Chapter 17: Infestation

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

 Chapter 18: Without the Systems Guidance

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

 Chapter 19: Monster Meat

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

 Chapter 20: Power Glass

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

 Chapter 21: Father Esh

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

 Chapter 22: New Information

    An hour earlier¡­


    Janet rubbed her eyes, closing her System Menu. It had been almost a week, and she was no closer to finding information on Rayna. She had even convinced the Liaison to tell her something, but he just came back with a bunch of error messages.


    The player ¡®Rayna¡¯ does not exist in the System. Please try another search criteria.


    There are no players with the race ¡®Lerian¡¯ registered with the System. Please try another search criteria.


    The tutorial participant that you are querying does not exist. Please check your records to ensure you have the name, level and race information correct and try again.


    Rayna was no longer in Janet¡¯s roster either. Her name had been removed from the records. She was just¡­ gone.


    Janet was still deciding how to tell Emma. She could tell the two were close and the situation wasn¡¯t looking good.


    A new notification popped up and Janet checked it eagerly, hoping the System Administrator received her message.


    System update: a new System Feature has just been introduced.


    Categories: a rating to define the difference in base physiques between players to more accurately describe a player¡¯s power level. They can now be found in your Character Sheet next to your stats.


    To determine your true stat, multiply your base stat by your C-level. All players will be scanned automatically. Please stand by¡­


    Janet sighed. It was just a System update. It was a decent quality of life update if Janet was reading it correctly. The category system could explain the discrepancy between the monster¡¯s abilities and their stats, assuming this applied to monsters as well.


    Your C-level has been determined. If you would like to re-evaluate your C-level, you may visit the nearest Power Glass to do so.


    Janet pulled up her Character Sheet to check it out. Her C-levels were conveniently located right next to her stats.


    Name: Janet Lindale (Tutorial Leader)


    Level 7 (394/1,436)


    Class: Mage (Initial)


    Race: Human


    HP: 620/620


    MP: 170/170


    Stat Points


    {C-5} Str: 10


    {C-4} Dex: 15


    {C-3} End: 63


    {C-1} Vit: 62


    {C-3} Int: 27


    {C-1} Wis: 17


    {C-1} Luck: 10


    [Free Points: 6]


    Janet hadn¡¯t decided where to put her free points yet. On the one hand, she could put them into Intelligence or Wisdom, which were both too low for her current Class, but on the other hand, putting them into Strength or Dexterity might be worth more, now that the C-levels had been added.


    Janet closed out her System and headed to the courtyard, finding a small crowd of people standing around and talking.


    ¡°Janet!¡± Ellen, a Level 8 Mage, waved to her. ¡°Did you see the update?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Janet said. ¡°This will help us pick better monsters to fight, so make sure you bring your C-levels when you look for your next target.¡±


    ¡°The forum is going crazy!¡± Devon said. ¡°Apparently, they don¡¯t get updates often. The Tutorial Leaders are all freaking out.¡±


    Janet pulled up her forum, grateful that the Universal Translation was functional again so she could read the translated text.


    ¡°Janet, can you put your screen in projector mode? The rest of us can¡¯t see the messages from that section.¡±


    Janet considered respecting the sanctity of a private chat, but the Tutorial Leaders from Ember had been an absolute nightmare to work with, so she decided to let the others see what they were chatting about.


    She blew up her screen in front of the sitting area they had made with the beds that weren¡¯t yet blood stained, and sat back to watch the show. The others gathered around like they were about to watch a new movie.


    The absolute mayhem of the forum was almost as entertaining.


    Hortuk: A System Update? In my lifetime? Praise Eldar!


    Kel: I thought the System Administrator was too busy to pay attention to us.


    Lennak: Is this a good sign? Is the Dark Age not coming?


    Hortuk: Don¡¯t mention it, you¡¯ll jinx us all!


    Lennak: Sorry.


    Jeran: Can you believe the humans? They¡¯re acting like nothing happened! One of them even looked disappointed that his notification was ¡®just an update¡¯.


    Opan: Seriously? They don¡¯t even know the basics. They¡¯re going to die so quickly when they get to Ember.


    Janet rolled her eyes, adding her own comment.


    Janet: We might have an easier time if you actually gave us information instead of sitting on your asses waiting for us to fail.


    Opan: Ugh. Why don¡¯t you all just take what you¡¯re given and quit complaining.


    Jeran: I swear, the longer I¡¯m stuck in this joke of a tutorial, the more I grow to hate these creatures.


    Kel: Why did you take the gig in the first place? I bet you¡¯re in here ¡®cause you owe someone money.


    Jeran: I¡¯m here because I appreciate the System¡¯s gifts, unlike these sorry excuses for players. They should be trembling at the Administrator¡¯s feet for showing such mercy.


    Ware: It isn¡¯t their fault. Who could rejoice at being stolen from their home? Perhaps if the lot of you were nicer to them, they wouldn¡¯t be so quick to hate us.


    Olina: My group is positively delightful! Did you know we already have a Level 10? In two weeks! They became quite enthusiastic as soon as they recovered from the shock.


    Jeran: Enthusiastic or desperate? My group is full of Level 1 Healers who squeak like Robis whenever you hit them. It¡¯s quite amusing.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°What a creep!¡± Carl, a Level 2 Healer, said. ¡°Does this System have a report function or something?¡±


    ¡°It has Liaisons,¡± Janet said, quickly navigating to the right section.


    Action requested: A Tutorial Leader going by the name of Jeran in the forum has admitted to physically abusing his players. Please intervene on their behalf.


    She waited for a moment and the Liaison answered.


    The Tutorial Leader Jeran has been issued a warning. If the problem persists, he will be removed from the tutorial. Thank you for bringing this to the System¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Dang, that was quick,¡± Devon said.


    ¡°It helps that he admitted to it.¡± Janet said. ¡°I don¡¯t think the Liaison would have acted without that.¡±


    She flipped back to the chat.


    Jeran: Which one of you rats just reported me?


    Kel: Me!


    Olina: Me as well.


    Ware: You¡¯re actively hurting our relations with the humans. Why wouldn¡¯t we report you?


    Janet: Glad to see that some of you are willing to work with us. Any information would be appreciated. You can contact me directly in the section for tutorial group 384.


    Jeran: I bet this is your fault, bitch! When I get out of here, I¡¯m going to find you and rip your throat out!


    Janet went back to the System Liaison.


    Feature Request: Block. A button to hide the messages of another player and to make your messages invisible to players you have blocked. It is useful for preventing cyber-bullying and verbal abuse.


    Request acknowledged. It will be forwarded to the System Administrator. Is there a particular person you would like to block?


    The Tutorial Leader Jeran.


    Janet flipped back to the chat.


    ¡°A block button would be nice,¡± Carl commented. ¡°But I feel like a follow button would be more useful. I had to make a list of forums to go back to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll put a request in later,¡± Janet said.


    Jeran: And when you do, you¡¯re going to be begging me for mercy.


    Kel: Quit blustering, she¡¯s not even listening.


    Olina: You are quite an unpleasant person, aren¡¯t you?


    Jeran: You¡¯re next, human-lover.


    Olina: Human-lover? That¡¯s the best you can come up with?


    System Liaison: The Tutorial Leader Jeran has been forcibly removed from the tutorial due to physical abuse of his players and threats of physical violence toward others.


    Olina: Oh, that is a relief. I¡¯m sorry all you humans had to see that. I promise few in Ember share his views.


    Ware: I don¡¯t know if I agree with that, but we¡¯ll do our best to deal with the ones who do.


    Kel: Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re used to this kind of crap.


    Lennak: Wait, you¡¯re a human?


    Kel: Never said I wasn¡¯t.


    Olina: Oh, that is sneaky.


    Janet: I have my chat in presenter mode. Do you have any advice that would help my players? We¡¯re doing fine, but growth is slow.


    Olina: Presenter mode?


    Kel: It means she made her screen larger and is showing everyone at once.


    Olina: Oh, that makes sense. Umm¡­ my best advice is to pay attention to the categories of the monsters you¡¯re fighting. Higher category monsters tend to give more Experience per level, though it¡¯s not a hard and fast rule.


    Ware: My advice is to go in individually. Splitting the Experience may sound great, but it just means you have to kill more monsters at once.


    Lennak: No, they should go in groups, that way less of them die.


    Janet: We¡¯re using the group strategy to build up smaller players and the individual strategy to build a few power houses as far as we can.


    Opan: Get as high as you can before you get out of here. There might not be much time once you reach Ember.


    Olina: Should we really be telling them that?


    Opan: How are they going to know if we don¡¯t?


    Lennak: That¡¯s true, but what if we make it worse?


    They had been doing this all week. Someone would mention the state of the System, and everyone else shut them down. Now was the time to push, or they may never get any real information.


    Janet: Is this related to the Dark Age?


    Lennak: You already know?


    Janet: No, you mentioned it earlier and the topic keeps sneaking its way into conversations.


    Ware: You¡¯re all insane.


    Kel: And you¡¯re paranoid. Don¡¯t make us go into this blind just because you don¡¯t want to jinx yourself. Can¡¯t you see that System errors are basically all we¡¯ve experienced so far. We know something¡¯s wrong and you all beating around the bush like this is really starting to get on my nerves!


    There was a moment of silence in which Janet wasn¡¯t sure if they were actually going to get an answer. Then Ware, of all people, posted a full explanation. The further Janet read, the more she wished she hadn¡¯t asked.


    Ware: I¡¯m only going to post this once, so make sure you read it all the first time. The story goes like this. Ember was once a thriving utopia. The System Administrator brought in groups of Chosen periodically to bolster the population and keep the monsters under control. This is the time we call the Golden Age of Ember. It was a time of peace, when everyone had the freedom to pursue whatever Class they wished.


    About three thousand years ago came the First Dark Age. In the space of a day, every function of the System was lost at once. No more Teleportation or Archives, no Store or Communications Relays; even the System Interface went dormant. The people of Ember were left with nothing but their stats.


    As the System went dormant, so did its protections. Monsters poured forth from the forests, laying waste to everything in their path. Whole cities crumbled to ash and rubble under the onslaught. Those who survived fled to the mountains, fortifying caves to help them beat back the enemy.


    Not much is known about that time. So much was lost, both from the Dark Age and from the Golden Age before it. Journals and records were trapped in the player¡¯s Inventories and transferred to the System upon their deaths. Over time, some of these records have been recovered as rewards for quests, but precious little survived the endless battles.


    The First Dark Age only lasted fifty years, but it is still regarded as the worst in history.


    When the System came back, the people rejoiced. They drove the monsters back into their zones and restored order to the land. After that came what we call the First Light Age. It lasted a little over five hundred years and for much of that, the people of Ember thought they were safe. Then the System started to show signs of collapse.


    It wasn¡¯t all at once this time; it was a slow grind to the end of civilization. First the non-essential functions were disabled¡ªthe Store, Teleportation, the Archive¡ªthen it started to cut back on more important functions like Universal Translation, penalty titles, and even Class Ascension. Over the last century of the First Light Age, the System slowly shut itself down.


    Right before the end, it pulled a new group of Chosen, as if trying to bolster itself through the growth of new players, but it did nothing but delay the Dark Age for a few years. The Second Dark Age lasted a century, but it wasn¡¯t as devastating as the first. The people knew what to expect and they took steps to fortify their cities and prepare themselves for war without the System.


    Then began the endless push and pull. A Dark Age ends, allowing us to rebuild, then the next one begins, forcing us back to what we were before. Every time the cycle repeats, the Light Age gets shorter, and the Dark Age gets longer. The Fifth Dark Age lasted three centuries, and it has only been three centuries since it ended.


    In a few thousand years, it might worsen to the point that the System never returns. That is why people are so afraid to speak of it. No one wants to acknowledge Ember¡¯s slow decline, or the fact that they were born into hell.


    Janet stared at the screen, despair rising in her chest. She thought they would have a chance to grow and learn to protect themselves. Now this? They were being sent into a pit of monsters without even their spells or skills? Didn¡¯t that make Mage the most useless Class? What about healing spells?


    ¡°We need to prepare,¡± Devon said.


    Janet turned to him. His face was resolute, even as his hand trembled. A few of the players were crying, and one of them stood up and left.


    Janet squared her shoulders, turning back to the chat room. Devon was right. Now was not the time to fall apart.


    Janet: What can we do?


    Lennak: Do?


    Janet: We¡¯ve heard the history. What is being done to prepare? Do we have war machines? Walls? What are Ember¡¯s armies like? Do they take volunteers? We also need to know where the best hunting spots are since we¡¯re going to have to grow quickly in what time we have left.


    Ware: We have the walls, but armies? War Machines? Can you elaborate?


    Devon gaped at the screen. ¡°Have these people never heard of a trebuchet?¡±


    Janet shook her head. ¡°Considering that word is French, no, they probably haven¡¯t heard of it.¡±


    Janet: What is the organized fighting like on Ember? What ranks are there?


    Olina: It depends on the country. I know Helia has knights. My country, Kelinar doesn¡¯t have a military. We hunt individually. It¡¯s more efficient when dealing with hordes.


    Ware: That¡¯s nonsense. Parties of five or six work the best. That way you can watch each other¡¯s back.


    Lennak: I think Jerith has soldiers, but I¡¯ve never really seen them. They mostly guard the walls of the territory.


    Janet blinked. They didn¡¯t have formal militaries? On a planet that is constantly fighting?


    Janet: How about international cooperation? Are there discussions on how to prevent the Dark Age? Or perhaps relief efforts for refugees? Where can we be of the most use?


    Ware: You want to go to Helia if you¡¯re looking for organization. Lord Myre controls that country, and he leads well. I heard they have an idea for preventing the Dark Age, but it¡¯s not going very well.


    Olina: That¡¯s because he¡¯s a fool. He thinks that gathering energy is enough. We need to be lowering the monster population to reduce the energy requirements.


    Opan: Having a lower population of craftsmen would help as well. The fact that we are leaking energy to help them grow is making everything worse.


    Lennak: You wouldn¡¯t have Health potions or swords without the craftsmen. Show some respect.


    The conversation devolved into an argument, and it took Janet a few minutes to get them back on track.


    Janet: What I¡¯m gathering from all of this is that there are efforts being made to prevent the Dark Age. That is good. What can we do right now to help? And if nothing, how can we prepare for when we¡¯re released?


    Ware: Fight bigger monsters if you can. The System is losing energy from this tutorial. The bigger monsters you fight, the less energy it wastes teleporting them in. After you get out, just kill as many big monsters as you can.


    Olina: Don¡¯t forget the small ones, too. Every little bit helps. But for this tutorial, where you only get to fight a hundred monsters each, Ware is right. Fight the biggest you can manage without getting yourself killed. It will help with your growth as well.


    Janet: Understood. I am going to make a forum topic for the Dark Age and ask the Liaison to pin it to the forum home. If you have anything to add, please put it there. We have three weeks to prepare for being transferred to Ember and I would like to do anything we can to ensure our mutual survival.


    The topic moved on, and Janet took her screen out of projector mode.


    ¡°Devon, I need you to spread news of the Dark Age among our players. Let people know that the portals are closed for today and we¡¯re holding a meeting later to discuss strategies.¡±


    Devon stood up and nodded, running off to follow her instructions.


    ¡°Ellen, I need you to go to the forum and start telling everyone about the Dark Age. Get a few helpers if you need to, but we want everyone aware of this as soon as possible.¡±


    Ellen nodded.


    A player exited the portals.


    Janet walked over. ¡°Emma, just in time. I¡¯m going to need your help with planning.¡±


    Emma frowned. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I finally got the Tutorial Leaders to tell us what has them on edge,¡± Janet said. ¡°And our time on Ember is going to be even harder than we thought.¡±

 Chapter 23: Reinitialization

    It took the rest of the day to work out all of the details of Rayna¡¯s stay at the temple. She was put in a small room right next to the Abbot¡ªshe wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about that¡ªand the room on the other side of her was cleared out for Nali¡¯s use, though she wasn¡¯t sleeping there tonight. She was going back home to tell Lord Emery what was going on.


    By the time Rayna had eaten dinner and answered all of Father Esh¡¯s questions, it was long past sunset, and she was ready for bed.


    She yawned, plopping down on the twin bed that filled a good half of the modest bedroom. There wasn¡¯t a sitting area, like in Lord Emery¡¯s mansion, but there was a desk and chair, a mirror and a trunk under the bed to keep her things in.


    Apparently, people didn¡¯t trust their Inventories right now for the same reason that Rayna had almost eaten monster meat.


    Rayna sighed, opening up her Menu. As much as she wanted to sleep, she hadn¡¯t had a moment to herself all day and it was about time she checked her notifications. She was probably not getting back into the tutorial, that much she had figured out, but the System hadn¡¯t said a peep since the Church. She had surreptitiously pulled things out of her Inventory every now and then just to assure herself that it hadn¡¯t gone back to updating.


    According to Nali, it was rude to check your notifications in public. They seemed to view it similarly to cell phones. Looking at your System while talking to someone was basically saying that you were bored and wanted to be somewhere else.


    Rayna was still deciding if she was going to play the foreigner card and do it anyway¡ªonce she could actually tell people she was a foreigner, that is.


    Rayna just hoped that her System would be exactly how she had left it, so she wouldn¡¯t have to jump through hoops just to keep up with the other players.


    She should have known better.


    Please complete the initialization process to view your System Menu.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be good,¡± Rayna muttered.


    She received a prompt to start the process and accepted it.


    Welcome to the Essence System! Please input your name¡­


    ¡°Rayna,¡± she said aloud.


    Name accepted: Rayna.


    Do you wish to register a family name with the System?


    Should she? Family names seemed to be something that only some people had. It wasn¡¯t a noble thing, since she had passed several people in everyday clothes with multiple names. She assumed it was cultural.


    Rayna decided to skip it, hoping the lack of family name would give her a little anonymity.


    Welcome Rayna.


    The System is scanning you for your base stats. Please wait.


    Rayna felt a pulse of magic go through her. It was similar to the one back at the church that had scanned her C-levels.


    She waited, tapping her knee impatiently.


    Scan complete. It seems you have already set out on your path of progression! Your stat points are consistent with a Level 9 Lerian Warrior.


    Is that correct?


    Rayna nodded.


    Understood. Please note that your body shows signs of recent Essence Poisoning. While the System will prevent this in the future, it is recommended that you see a healer to fix the damage to your core. If you do not have access to a healer, the System can help you through some meditation exercises to help your core heal naturally.


    Essence poisoning? Is that what happened back in the forest? It would explain why absorbing the Essence of the Ursivul had made her feel so much worse. Rayna was surprised to find the System being helpful for once.


    You seem to have traces of an alternate version of the Essence System. These will be merged into your new profile, but notifications will be lost. All items from your System Inventory have already been transferred to your Soul Realm. If you need help accessing your Soul Realm, please refer to the Tutorials and Guides section of your System Menu or contact the System Librarian.


    For a moment, Rayna thought she had just lost everything in her Inventory. She quickly drew something out, relieved to feel the dagger¡¯s hilt against her palm. Whatever a Soul Realm was, it functioned the same way as an Inventory.


    There do not seem to be any tutorial groups available at the moment. You have been given a personal tutorial to help you learn how to navigate your System. If you do not need the tutorial, it can be skipped by contacting your System Administrator or your local Tutorial Leader. The System recommends completing the tutorial, as there are special rewards that will not be attainable otherwise.


    Rayna¡¯s screen morphed into her Character Sheet with a message at the top.


    This is your Character Sheet or Stat Sheet. It shows your progression in a numerical format. Each of your stats correspond to a different aspect of your progression. They are split into three categories: Body, Mind and Soul.


    Body: Strength, Endurance and Dexterity. These stats affect your physical abilities. They help you run faster, jump higher, lift heavy objects and more.


    Mind: Wisdom and Intelligence. These stats affect your magical abilities. They grow your Mana reserves and help you channel more power into spells.


    Soul: Vitality and Luck. These stats affect how your soul interacts with the world around you.


    A full explanation of each stat can be found in the Tutorials and Guides section of your System Menu.


    Rayna pulled her journal out of her Inventory¡ªher Soul Realm, she supposed¡ªand started taking notes. She had never seen a System explanation of what her stats did, and she was hoping to cross reference it with the explanations she had heard from Emma.


    Categories or C-levels are a numerical representation of a player¡¯s base abilities. Stats have an amplifying effect on a player¡¯s natural body, so knowing where you start is as important as knowing what you want to work towards.


    To get your true stats, you must multiply your stat points by your C-level (For example, if you have a C-3 in Strength and 30 points in that stat, you will have a true Strength of 90).


    Note that this feature is recently added. If something doesn¡¯t work as expected, please contact your System Administrator to give your feedback.


    Rayna finally made it to her actual sheet, and found it almost exactly as she was expecting, with only a few notable changes.


    Name: Rayna


    Level 9 (Exp: 2,814/4,398)


    Class: WarriorLove this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Race: Lerian (Essence: 27,000/27,000)


    Core Status: Recovering (Progress: 10%)


    HP: 1,510/1,510


    MP: 500/500


    Stat Points


    {C-7} Str: 36


    {C-5} Dex: 68


    {C-3} End: 50


    {C-1} Vit: 151


    {C-6} Int: 50


    {C-1} Wis: 50


    {C-1} Luck: 10


    [Free Points: 2]


    Spells


    Basic Heal ¡ª Proficiency: 100%


    [Spell Choices: 0]


    Skills


    Rage ¡ª Proficiency: 5%


    [Skill Choices: 0]


    <u>Titles</u>


    Volunteer ¡ª [+10 to all stats]


    Traps Expert ¡ª [+5 Dex, +2 Str]


    Masochist ¡ª [+5 End, +5 Vit]


    Quests


    Tutorial I ¡ª Completion Rate: 0%


    Special Traits


    Immunity to Poison [Species Trait - inherited]


    Immunity to Paralysis [Species Trait - inherited]


    Immunity to Confusion [Species Trait - inherited]


    Magic Sight [Species Trait - inherited]


    Telepathy [Species Trait - inherited]


    Low-grade Empathy [Personal Trait]


    Calm [Personal Trait]


    Rayna wasn¡¯t sure if the 27,000 Essence was a goal or a limit. She hoped there would be something in the guides section to explain that too. She had no idea what all the stuff about her core was, but she figured the System would tell her eventually.


    The C-levels were an expected addition. She was a little bummed about the low C-level in her Endurance, but the rest of them looked alright, albeit lower than Nali was insisting she would get.


    She had several new traits, some of which were ambiguous. Focusing on the ¡®Calm¡¯ trait didn¡¯t give her any more information, nor did she receive any explanation for the added ¡®inherited¡¯ designation.


    She focused on the Tutorial quest that had been added to her sheet. The quest details also came with a brief explanation at the top.


    Quests are missions given to the player by the System. They are most often used as an aid to help the player through their progression, but some quests may be used to prepare for an event or to deal with a monster incursion. All quests are optional, but some may have consequences if they are failed or rejected.


    The tutorial is a chain quest. After you complete Tutorial I, the next quest will appear automatically. Complete all of the tutorials to earn a special reward at the end.


    Tutorial I ¡ª Kill a monster and absorb its Essence. If you are not sure where to find a monster, a list of dungeons can be found in the System Archive.


    Duration: Unlimited.


    Reward: +100 Essence Points, Map unlocked.


    Rayna shook her head. As if it would be difficult to find a monster. Whoever wrote this quest needed a reality check.


    Rayna navigated out of her Character Sheet, wondering how her Menu had changed. The System kept mentioning things she hadn¡¯t heard of before, so it had to have at least a few new items.


    Character Sheet


    Information


    ¡ª> Notifications (0)


    ¡ª> Tutorials and Guides


    ¡ª> Items and Artifacts


    ¡ª> System Archive (Unavailable)


    Navigation


    ¡ª> Map (Locked)


    ¡ª> Teleportation (Locked)


    Community


    ¡ª> Messages (Unavailable)


    ¡ª> Parties


    ¡ª> Leader Board


    It was pretty underwhelming after all the changes to Rayna¡¯s Character Sheet, but one thing in particular stood out to Rayna. She navigated into the Leader Board, praying for some sort of indication that Emma was alright.


    The Leader Board is a community feature to foster healthy competition between players. There are no rewards associated with the general Leader Board. During some events or campaigns, there may be special rewards for ranking high amongst the other participants.


    Leader Board


    1. Rayna


    2. ¡ª


    Rayna frowned. Just her? Where were the rest of the players? Rayna remembered something that the System had said earlier: ¡®You have traces of an alternate version of the Essence System¡¯.


    Was this not the System? Why were there two of them? More importantly, why on Earth had Rayna been switched to this one?


    A notification popped up.


    Information: you were reinitialized under the Essence System to prevent serious harm to your core. Due to missing infrastructure, the System was unable to siphon off the excess Essence to prevent Essence Poisoning. Reinitialization was the only option to save the player.


    Essence Poisoning will not happen in the future, but the System recommends that you are mindful of the speed of your progression, as rushing can have a negative effect on your core.


    ¡°Wait, you actually answered me? How do I get back to the tutorial?¡± Rayna leaned forward. She thought the Liaison had abandoned her. If it was still listening¡ª


    You are not registered with any tutorial group, and there are no tutorial groups currently available. Please follow your personal tutorial or contact the System Administrator for help in joining the next available tutorial group.


    Rayna sighed. She had been right. Whatever the cause was¡ªprobably her reinitialization¡ªRayna had been kicked out of the tutorial.


    For the time being, it looked like Rayna was on her own.


    * * *


    Hinesh paced back and forth in the cramped cellar. The space only allowed for three steps in either direction, and the motion was starting to make him dizzy.


    He missed his night vision. It wasn¡¯t carried over when he came back, nor were half of his skills and spells. It seemed almost random which were physical traits and which were soul traits. If the situation weren¡¯t so dire, he might have spent a decade or two studying the phenomenon.


    The door opened, startling Hinesh. He jumped back, knocking a ceramic jar off of the shelf. Before it could even hit the ground, Hinesh had a dagger in his hand.


    He flicked his wrist, flinging the dagger at the shadowy figure in the doorway.


    Enathar caught the knife by the handle, raising an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s a hell of a way to greet an old friend.¡±


    He tossed the knife back to Hinesh, who stowed it in his Inventory, if only to put it out of reach of his nervous fingers.


    ¡°What has you so on edge?¡± Enathar asked, stepping further into the cellar and closing the door.


    ¡°Is the end of the world not enough?¡± Hinesh asked sarcastically. Before the conversation could go any further, he activated every privacy spell in his arsenal. Anti-listening spells, alarms, cloaking; the room would have been lit up like a bonfire if he could still see magic. He kept his Menu open so he could refresh the spells whenever necessary.


    ¡°We have a problem,¡± he said when he was finished.


    Enathar frowned. ¡°Another one to add to the pile. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any reason to freak out at this point. You could say the sky is falling, and I would just reach for my umbrella.¡±


    Hinesh still wasn¡¯t used to his friend¡¯s new appearance, nor his new personality, even after thirty years of seeing him this way. There was a time when he would agonize over every decision, but the centuries had weighed him down. Hinesh couldn¡¯t decide if it was aloofness or apathy that led him to be so indifferent toward the never ending nightmare that they had found themselves in.


    Enathar sighed, catching on to Hinesh¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Tell me what the problem is. I will see what I can do.¡±


    Where to even start?


    ¡°He¡¯s gone mad!¡± Hinesh exclaimed.


    Even with the protections, he didn¡¯t want to say the name out loud. There were too many secrets to keep, most of them belonging to others who held Hinesh in their trust. He was tired of secrets, but it was his curse in this life to be the confidant of far too many.


    ¡°He is handling a difficult situation,¡± Enathar said, knowing exactly who Hinesh was referring to. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to make the decisions he does.¡±


    ¡°Decisions? He is stranding us on this blasted rock without a hope of escape!¡± Hinesh snapped. ¡°He could have at least rigged a teleport to get us out of here, since it seems he can bring others in, but he is so damn focused on¡ª¡± He cut himself off before he started ranting. It was a well-worn topic that didn¡¯t need to be repeated. ¡°That¡¯s beside the point. He sent a Lerian this time.¡±


    Enathar frowned. ¡°Another one? He must be growing desperate if he is sending this many so close to a Dark Age. The newest one will barely live through it, even with the rapid growth we¡¯ve forced the poor man into.¡± He shook his head. ¡°But that isn¡¯t really up to us. Where are they? Have they been caught up on the situation? They¡¯ll have plenty of questions once they get over the shock.¡±


    Hinesh shook his head. ¡°Not like that. He didn¡¯t send a Lerian¡¯s soul. He sent a Lerian.¡±


    It took Enathar a moment to follow what Hinesh was saying. His eyes widened as realization dawned on his face. ¡°He sent a Lerian? Where did he even find one? All of the bodies were lost in the last attack.¡±


    ¡°All but one, apparently!¡± Hinesh snapped. ¡°And she¡¯s walking around like it¡¯s the most normal thing in the world. I don¡¯t think she even knows what a Lerian is. Her brains got a little scrambled in the transport.¡± He snorted. ¡°She thinks she¡¯s one of the Chosen.¡±


    Enathar blinked. ¡°Why would she think that?¡±


    ¡°Because he stuck her in there with them,¡± Hinesh said. ¡°From what she tells me, they¡¯re all struggling. She barely survived the first trial. He almost got her killed sticking her in there.¡±


    Enathar shook his head. ¡°How did she get out? Has he released them early? We¡¯re not ready.¡±


    ¡°It was an error,¡± Hinesh said. ¡°But we¡¯re not going to be ready, even if they¡¯re in there another month. The Administrator is just as bad. He brought too many and not a single one of them willing.¡±


    In the absence of a proper chair, Enathar decided to sit down on a stack of potato crates. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough space for more. I can try to convince the nobles again, but they¡¯re selfish and useless. We might be able to get the Emerys on our side if I can talk to Lady Emery. She¡¯s more sympathetic to the Chosen than her husband.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s already on our side,¡± Hinesh said. ¡°She¡¯s going to meet with the other nobles to try to convince them. We will have more help by the end of the week.¡±


    Enathar frowned. ¡°Why? How many did he send?¡±


    Hinesh swallowed against the fear that rose in his throat. ¡°Ten million.¡±


    They sat in silence for several moments.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do it,¡± Enathar said. ¡°Even if we get all of the nobles on board, we will have to convince the other nations to help. We could have made Helia a haven to the chosen if they were a hundredth of that number, but ten million?¡± He paused. ¡°Wait. What do you mean they weren¡¯t willing?¡±


    ¡°Just that,¡± Hinesh said gravely. ¡°We¡¯re not getting a hundred thousand useless Chosen, we¡¯re getting ten million angry and frightened refugees who were dragged off of their world due to a misunderstanding.¡±


    Enathar closed his eyes. ¡°This keeps getting worse and worse.¡± He pulled a pen and paper out of his Inventory and started writing. When he finished, he handed the paper to Hinesh.


    ¡°That¡¯s a letter for Lord Emery,¡± he said. ¡°Tell him he has my full support. I will talk to the other nobles and get Roka to clear as much room in the castle as he can. I¡¯ll have to send word to our allies in the other nations, but there¡¯s only so much we can do for the ones who don¡¯t end up inside our borders.¡±


    ¡°And the girl?¡± Hinesh asked.


    ¡°Where is she now?¡±


    ¡°In the main temple. She belongs on the island, but Lady Emery has claimed her as a student already. I don¡¯t have a way to convince her otherwise. Unless we find a way to fix the girl¡¯s memory, my hands are tied.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what caused the confusion in the first place,¡± Enathar said. ¡°She might be an empath that took in the memories of one of the Chosen¡ªthat was Donavil¡¯s line. Otherwise, this may be some sort of afterimage of a vision she saw when she was transported¡ªthat would be Klin¡¯s line, I believe. Either way, we need to figure out which family she is from before we can address the root cause. For now, we will just have to play along with her fantasies.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can dig up,¡± Hinesh said.


    They left the cellar together, each walking in opposite directions into the night.

 Chapter 24: Arachne

    ¡°I need healing over here!¡± Lowell called, his mandibles clicking as he spoke.


    Yen Tar cast Basic Heal on him, checking her MP.


    MP: 20/350


    ¡°I¡¯m almost out of Mana,¡± Yen Tar called to the others. ¡°Switch to defense.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Kria acknowledged, climbing a nearby tree.


    Lowell activated his shield spell¡ªa perk of being the son of a rich nobleman¡ªand kept fighting.


    Yen Tar was already in a tree, so she sat back and watched the Pekas attack Lowell¡¯s shield. They were small white monstrosities; as cute as they were deadly.


    Pekas didn¡¯t give much Experience, but they didn¡¯t do much damage either. They were the safest option in the lower level section of the woods. The only thing that made them dangerous was the fact that there were so many of them.


    Yen Tar wasn¡¯t ready to risk her life to grow just yet, even with the Dark Age so close.


    Lowell made his way to a tree and climbed it, his shield dropping as soon as he settled on a branch. They had perfected this routine over the last few weeks; fight, shield, climb.


    The Pekas hopped around the tree Lowell had climbed, chirping angrily.


    This routine only worked because the little devils couldn¡¯t climb.


    ¡°One of these days I¡¯m going to get myself a shield like that,¡± Kria said wistfully, chucking a fireball at the crowd of Pekas. The monsters scattered, mostly managing to avoid the lazy attack.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with this one,¡± Lowell said. ¡°Go for one of the shields that aren¡¯t visible. They last longer and don¡¯t use as much Mana.¡±


    ¡°Did either of you gain a level?¡± Yen Tar asked. She was right on the edge of Level 10, but she hadn¡¯t quite made it yet.


    ¡°I¡¯m close,¡± Lowell said. ¡°Just three hundred more Experience and I¡¯ll get my first spell choice.¡±


    ¡°I gained two levels!¡± Kria said with a grin. ¡°But I¡¯m so far behind you two, that¡¯s probably why.¡±


    Kria had only joined Lowell and Yen Tar a few days ago, and they were working on catching her up. She was Level 7 now, so Yen Tar figured they should be able to get her to her first spell choice by the end of the month.


    ¡°Have you thought about what you want to pick?¡± she asked Lowell. Yen Tar planned on upgrading her healing spell, since her first priority was keeping herself and her party alive.


    ¡°Warrior spell choices are useless before the First Ascension,¡± Lowell said. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough Mana to use them properly. I¡¯m going to grab whatever sounds useful for later on and keep fighting the way I have been.¡±


    Kria laughed. ¡°Why did you even pick Warrior? Mage seems like a better fit for you, considering how easily your father got you that shield spell.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m planning for the future,¡± Lowell said. ¡°No offense, but Strength and Dexterity are going to be much more useful than Intelligence and Wisdom when¡­ well, you know.¡±


    That put a damper on the mood in the clearing. He was probably right. Spells and skill would be useless when the Dark Age came, but Yen Tar had chosen healer because if you wanted to grow quickly, you had to survive first.


    She was putting her free points in Dexterity to try to balance it out. She didn¡¯t think she could fight the monsters, but if she could outrun them, she might be able to at least die of old age. She held no delusions of living to the end of the Dark Age; she was born too late.


    Kria stiffened, turning to look down at the Pekas. ¡°Someone¡¯s coming.¡±


    They fell silent, watching tensely as a girl entered the clearing. She was younger than them by a few years at least, her coal black skin lit up by her glowing blue hair.


    Yen Tar couldn¡¯t find the girl¡¯s name tag, meaning she was at least above the First Ascension. What was she doing in the easiest part of the woods?


    The moment she entered the clearing, the Pekas turned on her, attacking all at once.


    The girl squeaked and retreated several yards. Her movements were so fast that Yen Tar was only able to track them via the steady stream of expletives that flowed from her mouth.


    ¡°No! Ouch! Stop it! Give me a sec to pull out a weapon or something!¡± the girl snapped.


    A knife appeared in her hand, and she tore into the horde, thinning their numbers at an impressive rate.


    Yen Tar¡¯s anger rose as the newcomer killed every last Peka in the clearing. She must have been at the Second Ascension at least to have killed them all that easily, or she was almost a C-10. Either way, she should have left the Pekas for people like Yen Tar, who was only a C-2 in most of her stats.


    The girl looked around to make sure no one was watching her before she disposed of the evidence with some sort of acid or disintegration spell. Then she left the empty clearing, probably in search of more low hanging fruit.


    Yen Tar hopped off her branch, landing on the ground with a soft thud. Lowell and Kria followed suit.


    ¡°What the hell is her problem?¡± Lowell snapped, his mandibles clicking. ¡°Those monsters were obviously too easy for her.¡±


    ¡°And the shifty way she cleaned up those carcasses?¡± Kria agreed. ¡°She knows what she¡¯s doing is wrong and she doesn¡¯t seem to care.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it,¡± Yen Tar said. ¡°We¡¯ll report her when we get back to the temple. For now, let¡¯s just find another spot.¡±


    This was the way it was on Ember, unfortunately. Players with every advantage poached every resource while the rest of the Initials were left to fend for themselves.


    * * *


    ¡°Stupid bunnies. Stupid System. Stupid Game!¡± Rayna grumbled, stowing her dagger in her Soul Realm.


    She checked her amulet, grimacing at the thousand points she lost during her run in with the rabbits from hell. She wouldn¡¯t have used more than 20 MP if she had healed that on her own.


    ¡°There has to be a way to make this thing more efficient,¡± Rayna muttered, fiddling with the clasp.


    No matter what she tried, she couldn¡¯t get it open. Rayna sighed and stowed it in her Soul Realm. It was easy enough to drag out if she needed to and she didn¡¯t want to waste all of her healing on enemies that were this weak.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s see what I got from that,¡±


    You have received more than 100 messages since you last checked your notifications. Would you like a summary?


    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± Rayna said.


    You have killed 50 Pekas with an average level of 2.


    +1,000 Exp


    +1,000 Coins


    Rayna sighed. Pekas gave less Experience than Robis. She pulled out her journal and jotted down this information before continuing.


    You have absorbed the Essence of 50 Pekas with an average level of 2.


    +2,000 Essence


    You have reached your Essence Cap! To prevent Essence Poisoning, the System has siphoned off the excess Essence. You have been awarded 2,000 Essence Points as compensation for the lost Essence. Thank you for helping with the System¡¯s energy requirements.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Rayna¡¯s back straightened. ¡°Wait, the siphoned energy goes to the System?¡±


    Yes. Rather than waste the extra Essence, the System collects it and awards the player Essence Points in exchange, which can be used in the Essence Store (available after the first plateau).


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t care about the points right now. Is there a way to transfer Essence to the other System?¡±


    This could help with Lord Emery¡¯s plan to stop the Dark Age. She couldn¡¯t absorb enough Essence by herself, but she could bring in three times the amount of Essence that a normal player could. That had to count for something.


    Your query is ambiguous, to what other System are you referring?


    ¡°The other System,¡± Rayna repeated, struggling to remember the phrasing that the Essence System had used. ¡°The alternate System that I was using before I was reinitialized.¡±


    The alternate System has a unique energy pool within the larger energy banks. It cannot be accessed without the Administrator¡¯s permission.


    ¡°So ask him,¡± Rayna said. ¡°He¡¯ll probably say yes.¡±


    Please explain your desire to access the other System¡¯s energy pool. This action does not seem to have any potential benefit.


    ¡°The other System is hemorrhaging energy,¡± Rayna said. ¡°The Administrator is struggling with basic upkeep. If I can directly contribute to his energy pool, I might be able to help him get control of the situation. There are millions of lives on the line.¡±


    Probably more even. Rayna wasn¡¯t sure what the population of Ember was.


    Rayna¡¯s System was quiet for a long moment.


    I have no information regarding the state of the alternate System. Please explain the situation in more detail.


    Rayna told the System everything she knew about the situation on Ember. She also spent some time explaining the situation with the Chosen and how she got there from Earth. Every now and then, the System would interrupt her with a question, which she would answer before moving on.


    The conversation lasted an entire hour.


    At the end of it, Rayna was almost certain that the System¡¯s tone had shifted drastically, even though all she was getting were words on a screen.


    I have verified your information. The situation is indeed concerning. I am attempting to contact the Administrator of the alternate System. This could take some time.


    Rayna waited, tapping her leg impatiently.


    Quite some time. I recommend you find something to do in the meantime.


    Rayna stood. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go hunt something. Can you turn off pop-ups while I¡¯m fighting?¡±


    Understood. Please remember to absorb the Essence of the monsters you kill. The Essence gain is significant.


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    Rayna couldn¡¯t help but wonder why the rest of the world wasn¡¯t using this System. It was way more convenient than the alternate version, though perhaps that was because there was only one registered player. Would this AI be as scatterbrained as Eldar if it had a few billion players to look after?


    Distant shouting caught Rayna¡¯s attention, and she crouched, pulling her dagger.


    ¡°Igh wer helivar veran!¡± a man shouted, an odd click to his voice.


    Rayna frowned. They weren¡¯t speaking English? What happened to her telepathic translation?


    As she neared the other players, the words morphed into something she could understand.


    ¡°I¡¯m running low on Mana, switch to defense,¡± a woman shouted.


    My ability has a certain range. That¡¯s good to know.


    Rayna didn¡¯t have free hands to pull out her notebook, so she would have to experiment with her range later.


    She reached the edge of a small clearing and peered around a tree at another pack of Pekas.


    In the middle of the pack, a man sliced away, his shiny shield keeping the little monsters at bay. He was one of the most unsettling races that Rayna had seen so far. His skin was a blackish purple and he had six extra eyes spread out on his forehead. From the sides of his mouth, mandibles curled around, clicking every time he spoke.


    ¡°We should go for something stronger than Pekas,¡± the man said. ¡°I¡¯m getting tired of waiting three days to gain a level.¡±


    ¡°Not all of us have a shield,¡± a girl said from a nearby tree. ¡°I won¡¯t even be able to help if we go for something stronger.¡±


    Rayna thought she was a child at first, but upon closer inspection, she realized that the woman was just very small, like someone had zapped a woman with a miniaturization ray that shrunk her down to the size of a cat. Her name tag read ¡®Kria Iklan¡¯.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to keep up either, if you start getting hurt faster than you are now,¡± another woman said. Her name tag read ¡®Yen Tar Leena¡¯.


    The man was a few levels higher than the other two, who were close to Rayna¡¯s level. Seeing how much they were struggling with the Pekas, however, they were probably in lower categories. Should Rayna help them? Would that be unwelcome? She didn¡¯t know what the fighting etiquette was on Ember.


    ¡°Lowell!¡± Yen Tar snapped. ¡°Your shield is about to drop, switch to defense.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Lowell ran toward the nearest tree, but he tripped before he was even halfway there. The rabbits covered him in a mountain of white as his shield dropped.


    ¡°Lowell!¡± Yen Tar screamed.


    Rayna raced out of her hiding spot, shouting to get the Pekas¡¯ attention. They took the bait, leaving the bloodied Lowell on the ground. Rayna cast Basic Heal on him a few times before turning her attention back to the rabbits trying to maul her ankles.


    They didn¡¯t take long to kill¡ªthey were just as easy as the first set¡ªbut she had to keep herding them away from the unconscious Lowell, which proved to be more of a challenge than she was expecting.


    By the time she killed the last Peka, Yen Tar was already kneeling next to Lowell, holding a glowing hand over a wound on the man¡¯s head that Rayna¡¯s Basic Heal hadn¡¯t quite taken care of.


    ¡°Thank you for intervening,¡± Yen Tar said, not looking at Rayna. ¡°That could have been a disaster.¡±


    Rayna nodded. ¡°Sorry for stealing your kills.¡±


    Yen Tar glanced around at the bloody clearing. ¡°Can you deal with the bodies?¡±


    Rayna frowned. ¡°Deal with them?¡±


    If she was alone, she would have just absorbed their Essence, but she was trying to keep that ability under wraps for now.


    ¡°We saw you earlier,¡± Kria said. ¡°When you killed the other pack of Pekas and dissolved the remains. Can you do that again so we don¡¯t attract more monsters?¡±


    Rayna blushed. She apparently needed to work on her stealth, but at least this gave her a cover story for absorbing Essence.


    When she was done dealing with the Pekas she returned to Lowell, who was now sitting up.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    Yen Tar slapped him on the shoulder. ¡°You almost got yourself killed is what happened! Do you still think we should go find stronger targets?¡±


    Lowell flinched. ¡°I meant after that.¡±


    ¡°The girl from earlier saved you,¡± Yen Tar said with a frown. ¡°And you¡¯re lucky she was here at just the right time. You need to keep a better eye on your cooldowns. You¡¯re five levels above me, I shouldn¡¯t have to remind you!¡±


    Lowell blinked, seeming to notice Rayna for the first time. ¡°The poacher?¡±


    Yen Tar slapped him again.


    Rayna tamped down on her annoyance, forcing her voice into a neutral tone. ¡°I haven¡¯t poached anything. Well, I made a poached egg once, but that doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    ¡°This area is for Initials, though,¡± Lowell said, either missing or ignoring Yen Tar¡¯s death glare. ¡°What are you even doing here?¡±


    Rayna was about to tell him that she was an Initial¡ªthe broken name tag was starting to get annoying¡ªwhen something large pinged her senses.


    Rayna lifted her dagger, looking around frantically for the source.


    Lowell opened his mouth to speak, but Yen Tar slapped her hand over it, nearly stabbing herself on his mandibles. She was staring at Rayna, her body tense.


    Rayna ignored them as she finally pinpointed the direction of the monster.


    Rayna¡¯s blood turned to ice. Eight ruby eyes stared back at her, glowing against a great black shadow. The shadow unfurled itself, growing to the size of a small house as the spider rose to its full height.


    [Arachne ¡ª Level 3]


    This was what was in the clearing in the Obsidian Forest? Except that Arachne had been Level 12. How was anyone supposed to fight something this big? The spider bounced up and down, staring Rayna down.


    She didn¡¯t move a muscle. Should she run? The spider would probably go after Lowell and Yen Tar.


    ¡°What in System¡¯s name is an Arachne doing here?!¡± Kria hissed. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be anything above a C-3 in this area!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make any sudden moves,¡± Yen Tar said in a low voice. ¡°I hope you have some experience with high-category monsters.¡±


    It took Rayna a second to realize that Yen Tar was talking to her.


    ¡°I killed an Ursivul once,¡± she said. ¡°On accident¡­¡±


    Yen Tar frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not funny.¡±


    Rayna adjusted her grip on the knife. ¡°So, if we stay absolutely still, will it go away?¡±


    ¡°Not likely,¡± Lowell said. ¡°Which one of us has the most Dexterity?¡±


    ¡°Her, probably,¡± Yen Tar said, subtly nodding at Rayna. ¡°How much do you have?¡±


    Rayna frowned. ¡°Sixty-eight. 340 if you factor in my C-level.¡±


    Yen Tar¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How are you that low? You fight like a warrior-type Class.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Level 9!¡± Rayna hissed. ¡°My name tag¡¯s broken!¡±


    Yen Tar¡¯s shoulders drooped. ¡°We¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°Would you people stop giving up before the fight even starts?!¡± Rayna snapped, raising her voice higher than she meant to.


    The Arachne hissed, lunging at Rayna.


    She ducked under the attack, running through the spider¡¯s legs. It circled the clearing to reorient itself and ran after Rayna.


    ¡°You can¡¯t outrun it for long! Find somewhere to hide! We¡¯re going to go find help!¡± Yen Tar yelled.


    The spider glanced at her briefly before continuing its pursuit of Rayna.


    ¡°Why is everything on this stupid rock trying to kill me?¡± Rayna shouted in frustration, running away from the clearing. She remembered seeing a few caves nearby. If she could find one small enough, the Arachne wouldn¡¯t be able to follow her inside.


    Leaves crunched under the monster¡¯s feet as it chased her, its red eyed gaze never leaving its prey.


    Rayna searched her Soul Realm for anything useful. What I wouldn¡¯t give for an oversized can of bug spray right now!


    Rayna spotted another Arachne in front of her, skidding to a stop so suddenly that she almost got trampled. She ran under the first Arachne¡¯s legs as the two monsters collided.


    The first monster screamed in fury, kicking the newcomer in the face. Rayna took their moment of distraction to run around them, heading for the rock face.


    She was so close! She just had to make it a few more yards.


    An Arachne¡ªRayna wasn¡¯t sure which one¡ªscreeched and landed on the ground in front of her.


    Rayna screamed, falling backwards and hitting her head against a tree branch.


    Pain reminded Rayna that she wasn¡¯t wearing her amulet.


    Rayna pulled her amulet out of her Soul Realm and tried to put it on, but one of the Arachne¡¯s legs swiped at her, scratching her face and sending the artifact flying.


    ¡°No, no, no!¡± Rayna shouted, rolling away from the next attack. She couldn¡¯t lose that! It was her only safety net in fights like this! Why had she taken the damn thing off?


    Unable to get past the Arachne, Rayna sprinted away from the potential safety of the caves. She was at a loss for what to do. She couldn¡¯t climb a tree; the Arachne were too tall. She couldn¡¯t keep running under them, they were getting more creative with their attacks. Eventually, one of them might just plop down and squish her into paste. All she had to fight with was her knife and her teeth.


    Her teeth were a last resort. She was not interested in tasting Arachne right now.


    The deeper she ran in the woods, the thicker the trees got. The Arachnes behind her screamed in frustration as they skittered through the narrowing gaps.


    Rayna¡¯s head throbbed in time with her feet. Her heart thudded so loudly in her chest that she couldn¡¯t even hear the pursuing monsters.


    It wasn¡¯t until Rayna herself was having trouble squeezing through the trees that she realized it was because the spiders were no longer following her.


    Rayna leaned against a tree, the sweet scent of pine needles filling her nostrils as she sank to the ground. Her eyelids drooped and she fought to stay awake. There was something she was supposed to do, wasn¡¯t there?


    She passed out before she could remember what it was.

 Chapter 25: The Willow

    Something cold tickled Rayna¡¯s cheek. She startled awake, swatting the leaves away from her face. They swished as they moved, settling back into their original place.


    Rayna yawned, peering blearily at the dim forest. Had she fallen asleep?


    She was in a large clearing that was surrounded by densely packed trees. In the middle of the clearing was a small pond, and next to it, a massive willow tree.


    The willow¡¯s trunk was at least as thick as Rayna was tall¡ªalthough, that wasn¡¯t saying much at the moment. The branches spread out, covering the clearing in a pleasant shade and dipping down to create a thick curtain around the edge.


    One thing was for sure, this was not where Rayna had fallen asleep.


    Hadn¡¯t Rayna earned a map when she completed the first tutorial?


    Rayna pulled up the map, hoping to figure out if she had sleepwalked or if she was teleported somewhere again.


    The map was blank¡ªor more accurately, it was black. There were no indications of any landforms. There weren¡¯t even words to indicate where the cities should be. Rayna¡¯s little white dot was the only marker that she could find.


    ¡°Umm¡­ what¡¯s wrong with the map?¡±


    I have no information with which to populate the current map. Please visit the local System Hub to download the information. This will also complete the second tutorial quest.


    Tutorial II ¡ª Update your Map at a System Hub, located in any System registered city or at the entrance to a dungeon. (You can find active System Hubs on your map)


    Duration: unlimited


    Reward: +100 Essence Points


    Rayna zoomed out as far as she could, finding no hubs near her.


    Rayna gave up on the map and circled the clearing, trying to find a place where she could pass the thick wall of trees. It was like the trunks had grown together, creating an impassable barrier. Could she climb over it?


    Rayna pushed up her sleeves and started to climb. Every time she made it higher than a few feet, she lost her footing, falling back to the ground.


    Rayna grimaced, rubbing her tail bone. It wasn¡¯t worth healing away, and she was beginning to realize how spoiled she had gotten having an automatic bruise remover.


    Soul-Locked items can be recalled with Mana.


    ¡°Wait, seriously?!¡± Rayna perked up. That was fantastic. Maybe she could soul-lock other items. She would never lose her keys again!


    ¡°How do I call back my amulet?¡± Rayna asked the System.


    Hold out your hand and call to it like you do when you pull it out of your Soul Realm. If it is in range and you have enough Mana, it will appear.


    Rayna raised her hand, palm up. ¡°How much Mana do I need?¡±


    She had a good amount for a Level 9 Warrior, but she wasn¡¯t sure she wanted to waste the Mana when she was lost in the woods.


    It depends on the size of the item and the distance at which you recall it. If you are a few steps away, it might take only fifty Mana to recall. However, if you try to recall an item from the other side of the continent, it can take more than a hundred thousand Mana. Remembering where you left the item is a good way to minimize the Mana loss.


    Rayna lowered her hand. ¡°That was not helpful.¡±


    I suppose it was a little premature, but I thought it would be better to tell you now when you are in the same forest as the object, rather than later when you are in another country.


    ¡°You won¡¯t find me in another country,¡± Rayna said with a sigh, sitting down next to the willow tree. ¡°I¡¯m not one to travel much.¡±


    Were you not in another country on your home planet?


    Rayna lifted her eyebrows. ¡°How did you know that?¡±


    I have access to limited memories in order to better help with your progression.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Just another thing on Ember that Rayna wasn¡¯t thrilled about. ¡°Well, yes. I was in another country, but that¡¯s different. I moved to follow Emma. If it was just me, I probably would have stayed in Chicago.¡±


    I see¡­ Do you miss Chicago?


    Rayna narrowed her eyes. ¡°Since when are you so chatty?¡±


    Am I not allowed to be curious?


    ¡°Well, curiosity is one thing, downright nosy is another.¡± Rayna didn¡¯t like the AI prying into her personal life. ¡°Besides, can¡¯t you just read my mind anyway? I don¡¯t think I want to give you more than you¡¯ve taken yourself.¡±


    I didn¡¯t mean to intrude. Is there something I can do to apologize?


    Rayna was taken aback. She didn¡¯t expect the System to care what she thought.


    ¡°Umm¡­ It¡¯s fine, I guess,¡± she said awkwardly. ¡°But maybe just ask next time?¡±


    Isn¡¯t that what I did?


    Rayna gave up.


    ¡°So, how do I get out of this clearing?¡± she asked, trying to change the subject.


    The System obliged.


    Your best chance is to climb over the wall of trees as you were attempting to do. If you can¡¯t get over them, perhaps you could cut a path through them.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure where my knife went, and I don¡¯t have anything else to work with.¡±


    A thought occurred to Rayna, and she immediately dismissed it.


    It could work.


    ¡°What am I, a beaver? I am not chewing my way out of here!¡±


    Rayna suddenly grew anxious. She sat up, grabbing a rock near her hand and raising it defensively. She was getting better at responding to her anxiety, which had become far more useful on Ember than it ever was on earth.


    Did you sense something?


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Rayna said.


    Her nervousness gave way to confusion, and she dropped the rock.


    ¡°What¡ª?¡±


    A moment passed, and Rayna started to feel giddy. She burst out laughing, unable to contain her bubbling joy. Excitement coursed through her like a puppy seeing its owner come back from a long vacation.


    What the hell is going on?


    Rayna¡¯s own fear mixed with the foreign excitement, mingling in a jumbling ball of conflicting emotions. Her stomach turned and she heaved, bringing up whatever was left from her breakfast.


    Concern and shame filled Rayna, and she closed her eyes, trying to block out the emotions.


    Is this some sort of mental attack?


    Rayna looked around, trying to find the source of the attack. Nothing was there but the pond and the willow. She closed her eyes again, searching for the monster with her other senses.


    Magic pulsed at the center of the clearing, so deep and old that it spooked Rayna more than the errant emotions had. She backed away from the willow, retreating until the wall of trees stopped her from moving further.


    The emotions dulled with distance, disappearing altogether when she reached the edge. Rayna sighed in relief, leaning against the tree wall.


    Magic pulsed beneath the clearing. Before Rayna could react, a wave of soil threw her off her feet and toward the willow tree. As soon as she was back in range, the confusing emotions returned, this time adding desperation to the mix.


    Rayna caught herself and rolled, taking advantage of her Dexterity and propelling herself toward the other end of the clearing. The tree tried to knock her off her feet again, but this time Rayna was ready for it.


    She jumped into the air, grabbing hold of one of the willow¡¯s thicker branches to keep herself above the wave.


    The willow¡¯s branches swayed, pulling Rayna toward the tree.


    She abandoned them, dropping down to the ground and having to immediately jump to avoid another wave of soil.


    Rayna climbed the tree wall, realizing too late that the willow had control over that too. Branches grew rapidly, encircling Rayna¡¯s wrists and ankles and holding her against the wall.


    Rayna squirmed, trying to get her teeth close enough to gnaw the branches off her wrist, but it was no use.


    The tree Rayna was tied to shuddered, and her stomach lurched as it uprooted itself, walking her over to the willow. The restraints loosened, dumping Rayna onto the ground. A bubble of branches grew around her, trapping her in a thickly woven cage.


    Rayna¡¯s hair provided the only light in the small dome, and she took a second to tie it back in a pony tail with a hair tie that she had gotten from Nali.


    ¡°That¡¯s how you want to play it?¡± Rayna snapped.


    She didn¡¯t have any weapons, but that didn¡¯t matter. There are two ways to deal with a tree.


    The first one is an ax. The second¡­


    Rayna pulled her camping kit out of her Soul Realm. She had only seen it once¡ªwhen she had first pulled it out to see what it contained¡ªbut she didn¡¯t have any trouble remembering its contents, mostly because it had seemed silly at the time.


    Rayna started with the brandy, taking a swig for good luck before she started pouring it on the branches around her. The tree¡¯s confusion filled the space, but the moment Rayna pulled out the flint, its confusion turned to panic.


    Rayna struck the flint, sending sparks toward the brandy-soaked branches.


    The tree retracted the branches before they could catch fire, drawing them into the ground. Rayna threw the travel kit back into her Soul Realm and made a break for the opening in the tree wall.


    She made it just before the willow closed the opening. Rayna ran as fast as she could away from the clearing, squeezing through trees placed much too close to each other. Scratches appeared on her arms and legs where she had to push through interwoven branches.


    Before she could get more than a hundred yards out of the clearing, the ground opened up beneath Rayna.


    She fell, terror rising in her chest as dirt filled the hole above her.


    Was the tree trying to bury her alive?


    Rayna tried to dig herself out of the hole, but she could feel herself moving deeper and deeper.


    A notification popped up, blocked from Rayna¡¯s view by the wall of soil. It took all of her self-control to keep from screaming and getting a mouthful of dirt.


    The notification disappeared and another one replaced it, this one just as obscured as the first.


    Could you leave me alone for a few moments, I¡¯m trying to dig myself out.


    ¡°Focus on holding your breath,¡± an unfamiliar female voice said. ¡°I think the tree is dragging you back.¡±


    Who the hell are you?


    ¡°I¡¯m the System,¡± the voice said. ¡°I didn¡¯t see any other way to talk to you. Just do what I say, all right?¡±


    Rayna stopped trying to dig herself out; not because she believed the voice, but because her arms were too tired to continue.


    Unhindered by Rayna¡¯s attempts to escape, the tree¡¯s pull grew faster, dragging Rayna back to the clearing in a fraction of the time it had taken her to try to escape.


    She gasped as her head came out of the dirt, choking and spitting to try to clear her mouth of the grit.


    ¡°Do that again and I¡¯ll torch the whole damn forest,¡± Rayna snapped at the tree.


    Frustration rippled through the clearing.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t give a shit,¡± Rayna snapped, thoroughly done with the willow¡¯s heavy handed attempts to get her to stay. ¡°What do you want, anyway? I don¡¯t have time to play with a homicidal tree.¡±


    The willow paused, its confusion growing.


    Rayna ignored the tree and walked over to the pond, kicking away the branches that grew to try to stop her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to escape,¡± Rayna snapped. ¡°I¡¯m trying to wash the dirt out of my eyes.¡±


    She bent down and splashed some cold water on her face. She pulled a hand towel and her travel kit¡ªwhich contained soap, thankfully¡ªout of her Soul Realm and started to scrub the grime off of her skin.


    Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t much she could do for her clothes, and she was not going to change in front of a sentient tree.


    ¡°So, you can talk then?¡± Rayna probed. ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯ve been making me read this whole time?¡±


    The System was silent for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not really supposed to be able to talk,¡± she said. ¡°But the situation was urgent.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. I call BS,¡± Rayna said. ¡°You¡¯ve been chattier since I told you about the System. And you¡¯re using the first person pronoun, which you didn¡¯t do before. Fill me in on the change, would you? I¡¯m really sick of being confused all the time. Might as well take ¡®immunity to confusion¡¯ out of my traits list, since it doesn¡¯t seem to do anything. Oh and ¡®calm¡¯? That¡¯s a load of crap as well.¡±


    Rayna knew she was only ranting because she had just almost suffocated and her anxiety was getting the better of her, but it was rant or cry and she really didn¡¯t want to do the latter.


    The System was quiet for a long moment before it finally said, ¡°I was curious.¡±


    Rayna frowned. ¡°About what? Confusion?¡±


    ¡°Talking,¡± the System said. ¡°People don¡¯t normally talk to me, so I was curious what it was like.¡±


    Rayna wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that. If nothing else, the strange answer managed to take the edge off Rayna¡¯s growing panic attack.


    ¡°So, you got a name?¡± Rayna asked. ¡°Or am I just supposed to call you the Administrator?¡±


    She was fairly sure she was dealing with the actual Administrator, not just a Liaison, like before. It made sense. There was only one person in the System, why wouldn¡¯t the Administrator give Rayna her whole and undivided attention?


    There was a moment of silence before a notification popped up.


    You can just call me System. I don¡¯t need a name. And we have too much to do to waste time on pleasantries. Have you found a way out of this clearing yet?


    Rayna sighed. Guess it¡¯s back to reading.


    Yes, it is. And don¡¯t forget I can read your thoughts.


    Rayna glanced at the Willow tree, considering how she could get away. It didn¡¯t seem to be able to read her thoughts. It only responded when she said something out loud. Could it feel emotions like it could project them?


    Rayna tried thinking of sad puppies, only for her traitorous brain to give her images that were actually sad.


    The funeral hall smelled like bleach and strong perfume. An endless procession of people dressed in black went to the casket to pay their respects. It was closed. There wasn¡¯t much left after the car crash. Rayna had been the one to identify their bodies and she almost couldn¡¯t. A distinctive mole on her mother¡¯s arm and her father¡¯s receding hairline were the only thing¡¯s she could recognize on the mangled mounds of flesh.


    Rayna pushed the image away. Bile rose in her throat and a tear slipped down her cheek.


    Rayna drew in a shuddering breath.


    The tree responded with slight confusion and concern.


    All right, it¡¯s either a psychopath, or the empathy is only one way. That¡¯s a relief.


    That wasn¡¯t a very good way to test that theory.


    Yeah, well, I didn¡¯t have many options. The tree already knows I¡¯m pissed, and I didn¡¯t expect¡­ never mind. Just be quiet and let me think.


    She could try running again, but she wasn¡¯t in the mood for another dirt bath. The tree hadn¡¯t done anything but watch her since she stopped trying to escape, so her best bet was something that didn¡¯t look like she was trying to escape.


    Could she make a decoy while the tree was asleep? Did willow trees sleep? She could try talking to the willow, but the tree didn¡¯t seem very reasonable.


    If only she had a way to teleport out of here.


    An idea sparked in Rayna¡¯s mind.


    Could it work? She asked the System, trusting her to keep up.


    It just might, but are you sure you want to try it? It¡¯s risky, to say the least.


    Better than staying here until I starve to death. Do you think willows understand the concept of food?


    The System didn¡¯t respond, and Rayna took that as approval. Rayna approached the willow, hoping she wasn¡¯t about to get stabbed through with a tree branch.


    Once she was sure that no attack was coming, she started to climb.


    At first, the willow was surprised, then pleased. Its branches swayed, the sound of them clicking together serving as the tree¡¯s ecstatic giggles.


    Rayna made it to a spot that seemed stable and sat down on a branch. The tree watched her curiously, trying to figure out what she was doing.


    This better work.


    Rayna used her hand to trace a circle on the tree¡¯s bark. She hadn¡¯t done this many times, and the last time she had, it hadn¡¯t seemed very useful, but she was willing to try it now. The gray portal materialized on the tree¡¯s trunk, once again giving Rayna no indication of what was inside.


    Rayna took a deep breath and plunged her head into the portal.


    It only took Rayna a few seconds to confirm that there was breathable air on the other side of the portal, but that was enough for the tree to panic. It grabbed Rayna and dragged her out of the portal, sending her flying with its desperation to get her out.


    Rayna flailed in the air, panic rising in her chest as the ground quickly approached.


    Time slowed to a crawl.


    The tree tried to catch Rayna and missed.


    Rayna stared at the ground with one thought in her panic-stricken brain.


    I need a portal right there.


    The silvery portal opened up and swallowed Rayna before the tree could intervene.

 Chapter 26: Caverns and Cave Rats

    Rayna was falling up.


    Her momentum took her ten feet into the air before the direction reversed and she came back to the ground where her portal had been a moment before.


    Air exploded from Rayna¡¯s lungs as she hit the ground with a painful crunch. She stayed on the ground for several minutes, trying to get the energy to sit up. She tried casting Basic Heal, but it didn¡¯t do anything.


    She was in pain, but she was alive, and she wasn¡¯t trapped by that obnoxious tree.


    Rayna finally sat up, cringing as her ribs groaned from the effort. She was fairly sure she had broken something and the fact that her spells weren¡¯t working wasn¡¯t a good sign. Rayna tried to pull up her Menu but again, nothing happened.


    ¡°Figures.¡± Rayna gave up and turned her attention to her surroundings.


    She had emerged in a forest like the one she had left, but the trees were sickly and gray, matching the dull atmosphere. Their ashen bark was twisted and oozed some sort of viscous liquid. The whole place smelled like rotting roadkill.


    It wasn¡¯t as bad as the smell in the tutorial training room, but it was close.


    Rayna tried opening another portal. She assumed it would open to where she had left, but she could just let it close quickly if the tree tried to drag her back.


    Nothing happened.


    Rayna frowned and drew another circle in the air; still nothing.


    Rayna lowered her arm, forcing herself to remain calm. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal,¡± she said aloud, glancing nervously at the diseased trees. ¡°I¡¯m just stuck in another dimension with no healing spells and no foo¡ªwait."


    Rayna immediately pulled something out of her Soul Realm, sagging with relief when the travel ration appeared in her hand. At least one thing worked.


    Rayna returned the ration and pulled out her cloak and staff. The glow from her hair was too noticeable in the dull landscape, and her staff was the closest thing she had to a weapon.


    She pulled the hood over her hair, adjusting its length so she could see.


    Rayna was pretty sure she looked like a discount Hollywood wizard, but it was better than nothing. She adjusted the cloak a little shorter as well and changed into her travel boots.


    All right, step one done. Step two: find a way out of here.


    Rayna had no idea where she was, so she picked a direction at random. Every step sent pain through Rayna¡¯s ribs. She walked slowly, trying to minimize her discomfort.


    The trees were thin and widely spaced, making it easier to move through these woods than the ones she had left, but Rayna still had to watch her footing for the errant tree root that poked above the soil.


    It took her hours to make it out of the forest, and when she did, all she found was an empty plain. Dry brown grass crunched under Rayna¡¯s boots. Twisted and leafless trees dotted the landscape, and a mountain rose behind the horizon.


    Rayna headed toward the mountain, hoping to take shelter in a cave while she figured out what to do next. She had her tent, but even with the complete lack of monsters in the area, she wasn¡¯t sure she trusted fabric to protect her from whatever was killing the trees.


    Rayna hadn¡¯t realized how far the mountain was from her position. She walked for hours, inching closer as her ribs protested every step of the way.


    The further she walked, the larger the mountain became, its snowy peak stretching high above Rayna¡¯s head until she couldn¡¯t see it anymore.


    The feeling of monsters grew as well. Rayna was less sure of her plan as she approached. The plains were devoid of monsters, but they didn¡¯t have any resources or protection from the elements. The mountain was full of monsters, but there would be more places to hide if she was attacked.


    Rayna sat down for a moment, giving her ribs a break and trying to decide if she should go further. For the hundredth time, she tried opening a portal, but for the hundredth time it failed. Life was not going to give her an easy way out of this.


    Rayna stood up and dusted herself off, squaring her shoulders. If she could find some low-level monsters she could level up in the mountains, and at least she would be ready to fight when she went back to Ember. If not, then she would just have to wait until her portal power worked, which may never be the case, but she refused to think about that right now.


    Rayna was about ten yards from the base of the mountain when she stopped, her brows knitting together. She felt the monsters, but there was something else mixed in there.


    It took her a few moments to realize it was magic that she was feeling. Was there someone else in the mountains? Maybe they knew a way out of here.


    Rayna rushed in the direction of the magic as fast as her injured ribs would allow. It was angled slightly upward so she looked until she found a path up the mountain. It wasn¡¯t a hiking trail, exactly, but the grass was trampled, and the stone had been worn down into something she could walk on.


    She climbed carefully, keeping her senses alert for any monsters in the area.


    The only monsters she could feel were dead ahead, as if all of the monsters on the mountain were gathered at a single point.


    That wasn¡¯t a good sign.


    As Rayna neared the feeling of magic, the trees started to regain their color. Some of them were less twisted and the odd leaf grew on their barren limbs.


    She came to a cave with a shimmering wall covering the entrance. It was silver like her portals, and she couldn¡¯t see past it, but she could feel the monsters inside.


    A notification popped up, startling Rayna so much that she jumped back from the cave, holding her staff defensively.


    The notification vanished before she could read it.


    After a moment, Rayna realized that nothing was going to jump out at her. She relaxed, cautiously approaching the cave again.


    This time, when the notification popped up, she was ready for it.


    Caverns and Cave Rats ¨C Low-level dungeon.


    Status: Overflowing


    Recommended Party Level: 15


    So, this is a dungeon, Rayna thought. It doesn¡¯t look like much.


    Didn¡¯t dungeons come with rewards? Rayna could use a weapon, especially if she was going to be stuck in the gray world for a while. It was strange that she hadn¡¯t felt any monsters or magic outside of this portal, though. Were the monsters contained inside? Or did something about the gray world make them less likely to spread?


    Maybe it was the lack of food¡­


    Rayna picked up a rock and threw it at the portal. It bounced off, nearly smacking Rayna in the head. She ducked under it as another notification popped up.


    Only players and their belongings are permitted inside the dungeons. If you would like to challenge the dungeon, please pass through the portal.


    Rayna pursed her lips. She was hoping to gain some more information about the dungeon before she went in, but it seemed the System wouldn¡¯t let her.


    ¡°Leap headfirst into a potentially life-threatening situation or continue to wander the gray world until I run out of food and starve to death¡­?¡± Rayna mused aloud.


    Cave rats, it is.


    Rayna braced herself and walked through the portal.


    Relief hit Rayna like a brick wall. She took in a deep breath, noticing for the first time how hard it had been to breathe in the gray world. It wasn¡¯t air that was missing, but magic.


    Rayna cast Basic Heal and relished in the lack of pain as her ribs popped back into place and her bruises disappeared.


    The other side of the portal was pitch black. Rayna had to pull her hood down so she could see by the light of her hair.


    There wasn¡¯t much to see. It was the most normal looking cave Rayna had ever been in¡ªnot that she had been in many caves, but it was exactly what she would expect from a cave. The walls were rough and damp, and she could hear the sound of rushing water somewhere nearby, but everything echoed in the cave, making it hard to pinpoint which direction it was coming from.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    She turned around, finding a solid stone wall where the portal had been before. Rayna tried to lay her hand on the rock but it passed right through.


    A notification popped up.


    This dungeon exit does not lead back to Ember. The System advises against using unapproved entry and exit points.


    Rayna pulled her hand back. ¡°So, if the unapproved exit leads back to the gray world, the approved one leads back to Ember, right?¡±


    The System didn¡¯t respond.


    Rayna pulled up her Menu. Everything worked as expected. Maybe the System wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    Rayna proceeded with caution, despite her excitement. She wasn¡¯t surprised when she reached the first band of rodents, though she was a little surprised by their level.


    [Robi ¨C Level 15]


    [Robi ¨C Level 17]


    [Robi ¨C Level 18]


    Rayna waited around the corner and ambushed the Robis before they got close, smashing their heads in with her staff.


    You have killed a Level 15 Robi.


    +450 Exp


    +450 Coins


    You have killed a Level 17 Robi.


    +510 Exp


    +510 Coins


    You have killed a Level 18 Robi.


    +540 Exp


    +540 Coins


    She absorbed their Essence as well, gaining three thousand Essence points, since her Essence was capped again after reaching Level 10.


    ¡°Hey System, you there?¡±


    There was a moment of silence.


    I thought you died.


    ¡°Sorry to disappoint,¡± Rayna said with a grin. ¡°Any progress on contacting the Administrator of the other System?¡±


    He isn¡¯t answering. I need you to get to a System Hub so I can get more information about the current situation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to get to one just as soon as I¡¯m back on Ember,¡± Rayna said.


    Are you not in a dungeon right now?


    ¡°I am¡­ Are there System Hubs in dungeons?¡±


    That seemed like a terrible place to put them.


    Not in the dungeon, at the entrance. Once you get out, you should be able to activate it and download the information.


    ¡°Let¡¯s focus on one thing at a time,¡± Rayna said. ¡°You have a map of the dungeon?¡±


    Unfortunately, no. My memory banks seem to be missing a lot of information at the moment, hence the need for a System Hub.


    Rayna sighed. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll focus on finding a way out of here. You keep trying to contact the Administrator.¡±


    Understood. Good luck, Rayna.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Rayna said.


    She didn¡¯t have much trouble fighting her way through the dungeon. The rodents were above her level but all of them were low category. She wandered around for hours, killing off one group of rodents after another.


    She worked her way toward the largest monster in the area. Rayna was fairly sure that most dungeons had a boss. She was hoping that if she killed off the biggest rat, she would be teleported to the front entrance.


    As she moved further into the dungeon, Rayna started to see new species of rats.


    [Robitt ¨C Level 20]


    The monster was almost double the size of the others, making it about the size of a Golden Retriever. Its teeth were the length of a pencil, and its nose constantly sniffed the ground like it was a Bloodhound searching for his next prey.


    Rayna approached this monster with more caution, keeping her staff ready.


    The Robitt spotted her quickly, turning its beady eyes toward her. Drool dripped from its slack jaw.


    It roared and charged toward her, crushing a Robi on the way.


    The monster was large but slow. Rayna ran up the wall, landing on the other side of the Robitt. She quickly killed the lower level Robis surrounding her so she could focus on the main threat.


    The Robitt slammed headfirst into the wall where Rayna had been a second before, causing a spiderweb of cracks that spread out three feet in every direction.


    ¡°How the heck did you survive that?¡± Rayna asked aloud.


    The Robitt didn¡¯t move, and Rayna frowned.


    You have killed a Level 20 Robitt.


    +1,000 Exp


    +1,000 Coins


    ¡°Oh. You didn¡¯t¡­¡± Rayna made a mental note to let the Robitts self-destruct rather than trying to compete with that thick skull of theirs.


    Every Robitt that Rayna encountered pulled the same move. They were consistent to the point that she started to think of them more like environmental obstacles than monsters.


    The high volume of monsters in the dungeon made Rayna¡¯s growth explode. She had already gained two levels since entering the dungeon, putting her at Level 12.


    Are you going to choose a skill or are you planning on bludgeoning your way through the whole dungeon with that walking stick of yours?


    Rayna frowned. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Has no one explained skills and spells to you yet?


    ¡°Of course they have. Spells take Mana, skills have cooldowns¡­¡± Rayna tried to recall any more details about the mechanic. ¡°Umm¡­ there are spell scrolls and skill books or something that let you learn new ones. I don¡¯t have any money right now. Nali was going to grab me a stealth spell when she got back to the capital.¡±


    Spell books and skill scrolls. But they are not the only way to get new skills and spells. Everyone gains two new spells and two new skills before the First Ascension.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Rayna probably should have known that you didn¡¯t have to buy every new ability in the game. ¡°So, when do I get the first one?¡±


    Two levels ago.


    Rayna pulled up her Character Sheet.


    Name: Rayna


    Level 12 (5,683/9,313)


    Species: Lerian (Essence: 36,000/36,000)


    Core Status: Recovering (Progress: 11%)


    HP: 1,521/1,570


    MP: 420/500


    <u>Stat Points</u>


    {C-7} Str: 45


    {C-5} Dex: 71


    {C-3} End: 59


    {C-1} Vit: 157


    {C-6} Int: 50


    {C-1} Wis: 50


    {C-1} Luck: 10


    [Free Points: 5]


    <u>Spells</u>


    Basic Heal ¡ª Proficiency: 100%


    [Spell Choices: 0]


    <u>Skills</u>


    Rage ¡ª Proficiency: 5%


    [Skill Choices: 1]


    <u>Titles</u>


    Volunteer ¡ª [+10 to all stats]


    Traps Expert ¡ª [+5 Dex, +2 Str]


    Masochist ¡ª [+5 End, +5 Vit]


    <u>Quests</u>


    Tutorial II ¡ª Completion Rate: 0%


    <u>Special Traits</u>


    Immunity to Poison [Species Trait - inherited]


    Immunity to Paralysis [Species Trait - inherited]


    Immunity to Confusion [Species Trait - inherited]


    Magic Sight [Species Trait - inherited]


    Telepathy [Species Trait - inherited]


    Low-grade Empathy [Personal Trait]


    Calm [Personal Trait]


    Rayna dropped her five free points into Endurance since it was still one of her lowest stats, even if you factored in her C-levels. Then she focused on her skill choice.


    A warning popped up.


    Once you have entered the skill choice screen, you will not be able to use your Menu until you have chosen. The System recommends against choosing skills or spells in dungeons.


    Rayna raised an eyebrow. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who just told me to pick one?¡±


    That was an automated message. Your current situation is far from ideal. I don¡¯t believe that the standard warnings apply. Although, I would recommend against doing this under normal circumstances.


    ¡°In other words, we¡¯re desperate. Got it.¡± Rayna backtracked a little to make sure she was in a clear section of the dungeon before sitting down to pick her skill. The same warning message popped up and she confirmed that she wanted to choose a skill.


    You may choose one new skill from the list below or you may upgrade an existing skill if you have met the requirements. You currently have 0 skills that meet the requirements for upgrade.


    Meat-shield ¡ª Increases Endurance by 10% for three minutes, but decreases Strength and Intelligence by 5% for the duration. This skill can stack up to three times. Casting the skill again refreshes the effect¡¯s duration.


    Cooldown: 30 seconds


    Indomitable (Passive) ¡ª Increases incoming healing by 5% and reduces damage taken from physical attacks by 8%.


    Vampiric Bite (Passive) ¡ª Heals a portion of the damage inflicted on an enemy with bite attacks.


    Quick Step ¡ª Instantly move anywhere within a three-yard radius.


    Cooldown: 5 minutes


    Monster Radar ¡ª Locate the strongest monster within a ten-mile radius.


    Cooldown: 60 minutes


    Counter ¡ª Deals 10% of the damage from an enemy¡¯s next attack back on them and reduces the remaining incoming damage by 90%. This effect can be triggered three times per use. The effect will expire after thirty seconds.


    Cooldown: 10 minutes


    Vampiric Bite was an easy no. Rayna was trying to get out of the habit of biting things, she didn¡¯t want to enhance the attack with a skill. Quick Step didn¡¯t have a large enough radius to be useful and the cooldown was too long.


    Monster Radar was interesting. It could help Rayna find the boss room¡ªif there was indeed a boss room¡ªbut the large radius, coupled with the insanely long cooldown made her decide against it. For all she knew, she could be tracking a giant monster outside the dungeon instead of the boss.


    That left Counter, Indomitable and Meatshield.


    Indomitable was the safest option; extra healing and damage reduction with no downsides.


    Counter looked like a Hail Mary plan. It could only realistically be used once or twice a fight, and if you were unlucky, a small monster might hit you and waste the effect. Rayna wasn¡¯t sure if she was ready for that level of strategy.


    Meatshield traded damage for defense, which wasn¡¯t ideal in solo-fighting, but it still could be a good skill for retreating or if she needed to outlast a monster instead of out-punching it.


    ¡°Are the skill choices usually this good?¡± Rayna asked.


    No. Not usually. The skill choices depend on the actions and experiences of the player, as well as their Class. You are¡­ accident prone¡­ which led to better choices. The skills you are considering are only available to someone who has taken a significant amount of damage. You are likely the first player in history to receive them before the First Ascension.


    Rayna thought she detected a hint of snark in the System¡¯s response. ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is, if I get hurt more, I get healing spells?¡±


    ¡­that¡¯s not what I said¡­


    She grinned. ¡°Close enough.¡±


    Rayna ruled out Counter. It was too unpredictable.


    That left Indomitable and Meatshield.


    After agonizing over the choice for several minutes, Rayna tried the eeny-meeny-miny-moe approach. Her finger landed on Indomitable.


    Are you sure you want to pick Indomitable?


    Rayna frowned, disappointment rising in her chest. ¡°Not really¡­¡±


    The System took her back to the skill choice screen.


    What was the point of the exercise if not to choose a skill?


    ¡°To show me which one I really wanted,¡± Rayna said. ¡°It¡¯s easier to make a choice when the choice is taken away.¡±


    That makes no sense.


    Rayna shrugged. ¡°But it works. I¡¯m taking Meatshield.¡±


    The confirmation came up again and this time Rayna accepted it.


    ¡°All right!¡± Rayna said, doing a few warm up stretches. ¡°Let¡¯s go kill some rats!¡±

 Chapter 27: Hidden Cavern

    Rayna sprinted around the corner, letting the pursuing Robitt smash its skull against the wall. The tunnel shuddered and Rayna had to jump out of the way of a falling stalactite that was dislodged by the impact.


    You have killed a Level 18 Robitt.


    +900 Exp


    +900 Coins


    Rayna absorbed the monster¡¯s Essence and moved on.


    So far, she hadn¡¯t seen any monsters above Level 20, and the large majority of the monsters in the dungeon seemed to be Robis. There were a few Robitts and the odd Molerat, but Rayna easily outmatched everything she had come up against. It was pretty obvious why the System had marked the dungeon as low-level, though she wondered how someone with a lower C-level would fare.


    From the little bit of fighting that Rayna had seen since leaving the tutorial, she was fairly sure the people of Ember wouldn¡¯t consider this dungeon easy.


    If nothing else, the rats certainly had the numbers advantage. Rayna had killed hundreds of them and she just kept finding more.


    Rayna turned another corner and stopped, backing up to hide behind the rock wall. Ahead of her in the tunnel was a new species of rat. This one was about the size of a squirrel, with blue fur that grew long and curly, making it look like someone tried to mix a rat with a poodle and dipped the whole thing in blue dye.


    [Azutin ¡ª Level 15]


    A quick peek in her journal confirmed that this wasn¡¯t one of the species in her bestiaries. Rayna wasn¡¯t surprised by that fact. Of the monster species she had seen so far, Robis were the only ones that showed up in her notes.


    Rayna observed the Azutin for a while, watching for any hints to its fighting style. All the creature did was sniff around and eat rocks. The monsters teeth seemed to be similar to a Robi¡¯s; enhanced with some sort of magic. Either that or it had some ridiculous jaw strength.


    Rayna waited for the Azutin to wander closer to her, holding her staff ready for a surprise attack.


    Closer¡­ closer¡­ now!


    Rayna jumped around the corner, swinging her staff down at the Azutin¡¯s head.


    The monster jumped back like a startled cat, hissing and darting away. Rayna ran after it, trying to catch the nimble creature, but it jumped above her head, grabbing onto one of the stalactites hanging from the ceiling.


    Rayna jumped, trying to hit the Azutin with her staff, but it just hopped to another stalactite.


    The monster opened its mouth and spit a glob of glowing green mucus at Rayna. She didn¡¯t dodge in time, and the substance landed on her shoulder, sizzling as it ate through her cloak. Rayna swore and removed the garment, throwing it to the side. Another glob of the substance landed on her hand, burning through to the bone.


    Rayna cried out, casting Basic Heal, but though the spell healed the damage done to her hand, it didn¡¯t remove the acid. She barely dodged another glob of the stuff and retreated, grabbing her cloak with her good hand on the way. She expected the monster to follow, but as soon as she rounded the corner, the creature stopped spitting acid at her. She waited, healing her hand periodically and trying not to pass out from the pain.


    When it was clear that the monster wasn¡¯t going to keep attacking, she peeked around the corner, ready to jump back if she needed to. The Azutin had returned to his rock munching, ignoring Rayna¡¯s presence completely.


    She backtracked a few tunnels just in case and sunk to the cave floor, groaning.


    Rayna pulled a towel and her waterskin out of her Soul Realm and worked on ridding her hand of the nasty Azutin spit. The water did nothing, and the towel just disintegrated upon touching the substance.


    After a couple minutes of trying, Rayna gave up, focusing on healing the damage as it came. The acid dissipated as it ate through her hand, and after about ten minutes of agony, it was finally gone.


    Rayna shook out her hand, gritting her teeth.


    That was a disaster.


    It was.


    ¡°Silence from the peanut gallery,¡± Rayna snapped.


    She grabbed her cloak to check the damage, wishing she had a small sewing kit. She was getting tired of replacing clothes.


    The spot where the acid had hit her cloak was a little singed, but to Rayna¡¯s delight, there were no holes.


    ¡°Hey System, do you have the ability to appraise something?¡± Rayna asked, putting her cloak back on. She was fairly sure that the durability of the cloak was hidden in the runes somewhere.


    I thought I was supposed to be quiet.


    Rayna rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re offended? Really? Aren¡¯t you like, three thousand years old?¡±


    I was three thousand when I went to sleep. I¡¯m not sure how much time has passed since then.


    Rayna shrugged. ¡°Well, either way, you¡¯re too old for whining.¡±


    And you¡¯re too young to be arguing with me. Try again in a few millennia.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m sorry. Can you answer the question?¡±


    Yes, I can appraise items, but it takes Essence and I won¡¯t waste it just because you are curious about the functions of your cloak. Appraisal is an easy skill to learn. You can check when we get out of here.


    Rayna sighed. She would just have to be careful not to get acid on her skin. She wasn¡¯t sure how much damage the cloak could take, but it was better than nothing.


    Rayna waited for her Mana to refill before trying to fight the monster again.


    This time she didn¡¯t bother with the element of surprise. Rayna ran in, trying to guess which direction the Azutin would leap in.


    She guessed wrong and had to course correct, nearly slamming head first into the wall.


    The Azutin spat at her, and she pulled the cloak up to block the acid. It sizzled and popped ominously, but nothing got through.


    Rayna chased the monster around the tunnel, trying everything to get some sort of advantage, but the Azutin was just too fast.


    Rayna gave up when her Mana hit half, backtracking again. She growled in frustration. How was anyone supposed to catch that thing?


    ¡°Any hints?¡± Rayna asked the System.


    As I told you before, my memories are incomplete. I don¡¯t know anything about this creature either.


    Trying to outrun the Azutin wasn¡¯t working. Could she just get past it? But her strategy so far had been to backtrack whenever she needed to let her Mana refill. She couldn¡¯t do that if every other tunnel was occupied by an acid-spitting menace.


    ¡°If at first you don¡¯t succeed,¡± Rayna said, grabbing her staff.


    Rayna tried three more times to catch the Azutin. Each time she failed, her cloak took a little more damage. It seemed to be self-repairing¡ªYay for runes!¡ªbut it was getting damaged faster than it could repair, forcing her to take longer breaks between attempts.


    I believe your people have a saying about the definition of insanity¡­


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Rayna waved a hand.


    The System was right. She was just wasting energy and time, something the little devil seemed to have in excess.


    She had to hit it before it could react to her. Whenever she got too close, it took off like a cat with the zoomies. There had to be a better way to attack it.


    Rayna put her staff away and peeked around the corner, making sure that the monster wasn¡¯t looking at her. She snuck forward, ready to dodge when the monster noticed her.


    When she got within a few yards of the monster, it turned and spit acid at her face.


    Rayna screamed, ducking just in time to block the acid with her hood. She ran back out of the tunnel, turning back to see what the monster did after she left.


    As it had every other fight, the monster went right back to munching on rocks.


    Rayna tilted her head. Could she get it with a ranged attack? It didn¡¯t seem to react until she got closer.


    She tested the theory first by standing in the Azutin¡¯s tunnel for ten whole minutes, just watching the monster eat. It didn¡¯t acknowledge her presence once. It didn¡¯t even glance her way.


    Rayna grinned, picking up a rock.


    Here goes nothing. Rayna threw the rock at the monster.


    It hit the Azutin in the side with the force of a bullet. Blood splattered the ground, dissolving the rock like Styrofoam.


    The monster screeched, writhing in agony as it tried in vain to spit acid at Rayna.


    She didn¡¯t approach even when she got the kill notification.


    You have killed a Level 15 Azutin.


    +1,500 Exp


    +1,500 Coins


    Rayna got a monster drop as well; a small vial of Azutin mucus. Rayna eyed the salt-shaker sized vial with distaste. She couldn¡¯t think of a situation in which she would need it, but she might be able to sell it to someone and at least get something out of this.


    It had more potential than the Robitt skulls and the Robi teeth, at least.


    The more Azutins Rayna fought, the better she got at killing them quickly. The key, as she had discovered with the first fight, was hitting them before they realized she was there. Thankfully, the little monsters seemed to have very short memories. If they spotted Rayna, all she had to do was round the corner and wait for them to turn their back.


    Rayna lost track of how many monsters she had killed. She was accumulating an uncomfortable amount of Azutin Mucus in her Soul Realm, and she started to wonder if there was a limit to how much she could put in there.


    It had to be getting late, but sleeping in a dungeon didn¡¯t seem like a great idea.


    It wasn¡¯t until she fumbled a fight and got a face full of acid that Rayna decided she needed to find some place to sleep.


    She backtracked several hallways, not trusting the Azutins to keep their pattern of ignoring her. Three hallways down, she found a side tunnel that she hadn¡¯t noticed before.


    Maybe it¡¯ll lead to a cave or something.


    Rayna followed it, hoping to find some place in which she could set up her tent. She had seen a few caverns on her first trip through the tunnels, each one filled with a small horde of low-level monsters. Even as tired as she was, she didn¡¯t think it would be a problem.


    Sure enough, she came to a cavern the size of a small ballroom. The walls were a lighter color than the rest of the cavern and they glowed slightly, making the place feel somehow ominous and cozy at the same time.


    Rayna was too tired to care. There was a distinct lack of monsters in the vicinity¡ªnot that she could distinguish individual monsters from the overpowering aura of the dungeon itself¡ªand she would take what she would get.


    She did a quick survey of the cavern just in case. She did not suffer her way through hours of acid spit just to let herself get killed in her sleep.


    Rayna pulled out her tent and set it up, driving the spokes into the hard rock with her bare hands. It looked surprisingly similar to a modern tent, except that it was made out of a rough brown canvas material and had ties and buttons instead of zippers. Runes lined the edges of the fabric. Rayna recognized a few that her cloak and tent had in common, and she hoped it was the self-repairing runes.


    She climbed inside and laid out her bedroll. It was pleasantly warm in the cavern despite the chilly dampness of the rest of the cave system.


    Rayna crawled under the covers, trying to get comfortable.


    Despite her exhaustion, she found it difficult to fall asleep. She was just starting to drift off when the System¡¯s voice startled her back to full wakefulness.


    ¡°What was that?¡± the System whispered.


    Rayna sat up, her heart racing as she tried to find whatever the System was talking about.


    What is it? Did you hear something? Rayna couldn¡¯t see anything through the thick tent.


    I don¡¯t know¡­ but I think there¡¯s something in the cavern.


    Rayna frowned. She didn¡¯t hear anything, nor did she sense anything through the constant flood of danger warnings that the dungeon assaulted her senses with.


    Should I go out? Rayna frowned at the tent flap. She wasn¡¯t thrilled about the idea of leaving the dubious safety of her opaque tent. She wished the lighting on the cave walls was stronger, so she could at least see shadows. She had no way of knowing if something was lurking outside her tent.


    If it¡¯s an Azutin, I can run or hide. If it¡¯s a Robitt, I just get out of the way. Robis aren¡¯t a problem either. I should be fine¡­


    Rayna wasn¡¯t doing a very good job of convincing herself of that fact.


    She pulled her staff out of her Soul Realm, inching toward the tent flap.


    She slowly unbuttoned it and peeled back the material. She didn¡¯t see anything immediately outside. That was a good sign.


    Don¡¯t let your guard down.


    Don¡¯t distract me, Rayna countered.


    She poked her head out and looked around. She didn¡¯t see or hear anything amiss. Had something come and gone? If this cavern was a thruway for monsters, she was going to have to find another place to sleep.


    Rayna left the tent, holding her staff out in front of her. The only difference in the cavern was that the walls seemed to be glowing brighter than they were before.


    She walked over to the wall and examined it. Some sort of white substance coated the wall. It was thick like a blanket and when she poked it with her staff, it had some bounce to it.


    Rayna tried touching it with her hand.


    If she hadn¡¯t been so tired, she might have realized how monumentally stupid this action was.


    Her hand stuck to the webs and a sudden wind in the cavern pushed Rayna into them, sticking her back and arms as well.


    She swore, trying to dislodge herself from the wall, but though the webs stretched, she couldn¡¯t quite break them.


    A low hissing sound emanated from the ceiling. Rayna looked up¡ªsomething that she should have done earlier¡ªand froze, her blood turning to ice.


    A giant spider propelled down from the ceiling, landing silently on the cavern floor. It was smaller than the Arachne, but its plump hairy body was more than large enough to fuel Rayna¡¯s nightmares for weeks.


    Instead of a name tag, the spider¡¯s entrance prompted a notification.


    You are facing Arodra, the First Keeper. Defeat her and the cavern will become a safe zone, fail and your bones will rest with the others foolish enough to touch her webs.

 Chapter 28: Sore Loser

    ¡°Put a warning sign up or something!¡± Rayna snapped.


    The spider moved lazily across the cavern, closing in with the nonchalance of a predator that knew its prey was trapped.


    Rayna swore, redoubling her efforts to extract herself from the web.


    Arodra nearly tripped over Rayna¡¯s tent. It hissed, turning on the canvas and sinking its fangs into it. When the tent showed no reaction, it started attacking more viciously.


    System, any ideas?


    The spider was distracted. This was Rayna¡¯s chance to attack, but she couldn¡¯t because she was stuck to the damn wall.


    Rayna tried to maneuver her staff to push herself away from the wall but she only succeeded in dropping it.


    Great, there goes my weapon.


    Can you open a portal to escape again?


    How is that going to get me out of these webs?


    Perhaps if you could make a portal that intersected with the webs on the wall, you could cut through them and fall to safety.


    Even if that made sense¡ªwhich it doesn¡¯t¡ªI would need my hands to do that.


    There¡¯s no need to be testy. I¡¯m trying to help.


    The spider managed to knock Rayna¡¯s tent over, but it didn¡¯t look like it did any damage to the canvas.


    Unfortunately, Arodra decided that the tent was sufficiently destroyed and turned to Rayna instead.


    It sauntered across the cavern, stopping a few inches away from Rayna¡¯s face. It examined her, its mandibles clicking.


    Rayna hissed and bared her teeth. It would have worked on her cat, but the spider didn¡¯t react. What did one do to discourage a spider from attacking?


    Well, usually spiders aren¡¯t the size of a freaking hippo!


    Arodra pulled back its leg and slammed it into Rayna¡¯s stomach.


    Rayna let out a whoosh of air, stars dancing in her vision. Her Health dropped nearly six hundred points. She brought it back to full, but her MP wasn¡¯t going to last if she kept taking hits like that.


    ¡°What about your skills?¡± the System asked aloud.


    The spider hissed and backed away, looking around as if searching for something.


    Rayna frowned. ¡°I thought I was the only one that could hear you.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ no. Technically, anything can hear me. That¡¯s why I use notifications most of the time.¡±


    Rayna got an idea. ¡°Do me a favor: Yell really loud.¡±


    The spider was already recovering from its surprise and moving in on Rayna again.


    ¡°What for?¡± the System asked, sounding confused.


    ¡°I need a distraction!¡± Rayna was frantically looking through the items in her Soul Realm, trying to find anything she could use against the monster in her current predicament.


    The System didn¡¯t answer.


    Rayna gave up on her Soul Realm and turned to her skills.


    A rumble of approaching feet shook the cave and Rayna¡¯s heart dropped. She couldn¡¯t handle two monsters at once. She couldn¡¯t even handle one monster!


    The sound grew louder and the monster let out a deafening roar.


    The spider fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Rayna squeezed her eyes shut, unable to cover her ears.


    Pain lanced through her head as her eardrums popped and the world went silent.


    Rayna cast Basic Heal, but even after the pain subsided, her hearing didn¡¯t return.


    She pushed that information to the back of her mind. She needed to focus on the fight.


    Rayna turned back to her skills. Her new skill Meatshield was useless in her current situation, but it wasn¡¯t the only skill she had.


    Rayna had almost forgotten that Rage even existed.


    Rage ¡ª Enhance all stats temporarily.


    Stat Increase: +10%


    Duration: 1 minute


    Cooldown: 10 minutes


    The cool down was just as obnoxious as the other skills had been, but at this point, Rayna didn¡¯t even care. She used Rage.


    Rayna could feel the difference in her stats almost immediately. Six points in Strength wasn¡¯t much, but she had been close to breaking the webs without the boost.


    And last time she tried, she hadn¡¯t been as desperate.


    Rayna bent her legs, just managing to get her feet on the wall, and pushed as hard as she could.


    The webs stretched and snapped, freeing her from the wall and sending her face first onto the stone floor.


    Rayna healed the damage to her nose and grabbed her staff from where it had fallen. She turned to face Arodra.


    The monster was still writhing in pain from the roar. Nothing had entered the cavern, and Rayna hoped that the other monster was just passing through.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Either way, Rayna needed to get herself out of this dungeon as soon as possible. Whatever made that sound, she wasn¡¯t going to be able to face it; not at her level.


    Rayna took the opportunity while the spider was distracted to attack, swinging her staff down at its head.


    It recoiled, avoiding the attack and slapping her across the room with a foreleg.


    Rayna barely managed to catch herself before she slid right back into the webs she just escaped from. Her skill expired, putting her back down to her normal stats.


    That was quick.


    The silence had an eerily calming effect on the battle, even as the monster barreled towards her in a charge attack.


    Rayna jumped out of the way.


    Why are you ignoring me?


    ¡°The damn monster roar took out my eardrums and healing didn¡¯t fix them,¡± Rayna said. She could feel her mouth form the words, but she couldn¡¯t hear them.


    Senses are difficult to heal. You¡¯ll need a stronger healing spell.


    I¡¯ll have to leave that for later. Right now¡ª


    Rayna cut off mid-thought, diving to the side to avoid another charge.


    This time she turned and hit the monster on its way by, making a small wound on its hindquarters. The spider didn¡¯t even seem to notice as it turned to smack Rayna across the floor again.


    You know, HP bars would be nice. I can¡¯t tell if my attacks are having any effect.


    What are HP bars?


    Rayna ducked to avoid a glob of webs that the spider spit at her face.


    HP bars are visual representations of a monster or player¡¯s Health. Rayna pictured a Health bar, figuring that the System would see it. The red part moves downward to match the percentage of HP that the monster has left.


    The spider jumped into the air, aiming to land on top of Rayna. Rayna ran underneath it, managing to avoid the worst of the attack, but the shockwave created by the impact sent her flying several feet.


    That is a good idea.


    Rayna dropped the conversation with the System, focusing on avoiding Arodra¡¯s attacks. She wanted to try using Rage again, but it was still on cooldown for another five minutes.


    Another attack glanced off of Rayna¡¯s side and she retreated as close to the wall as she dared.


    Wait, I have another skill!


    Rayna used Meatshield, bringing her Endurance up by 10%. She wasn¡¯t attacking the monster at the moment, so the loss in Strength was a non-issue.


    She used it every time the cooldown ended, keeping it at the full 30% Endurance buff. The next time she got hit by the spider, it didn¡¯t hurt nearly as bad, and it didn¡¯t take as much of her HP.


    It theory, her hits weren¡¯t doing as much damage either, but she was only taking a 15% damage cut in exchange for a 30% Endurance boost, so it seemed like a good trade off.


    Rage finally came off cooldown and Rayna used it, taking the opportunity to get a few good hits in before it expired.


    The two skills synergized much better than Rayna had anticipated. When both were active, Rayna essentially gained 40% Endurance and she only lost 5% of her damage. It was only one minute out of ten, but it was starting to pay off.


    The monster was slowing down, and Rayna¡¯s MP was refilling faster than she could use it. The Endurance boost¡ªalong with the adrenaline¡ªalso helped to take the edge off her exhaustion.


    A red bar appeared above the monster¡¯s head, startling Rayna, and she nearly missed dodging one of the jumping attacks.


    She retreated, but not quickly enough, and the shockwave slammed her into the cave wall.


    Rayna swore as she once again tried to extract herself from the spider¡¯s webs.


    Arodra advanced, aiming to kick Rayna in the face.


    Rayna did the only thing she could think of; she opened her mouth and caught the monster¡¯s leg with her teeth.


    Arodra bucked, yanking backwards and letting out a roar that Rayna couldn¡¯t hear. She held tight to the leg, hoping to keep the spider busy until the effects of Meatshield wore off. Rage was off cooldown, but if she used it now, she wouldn¡¯t get enough of a buff to get out of the web.


    Arodra pulled harder, ripping its own leg off in its attempt to escape Rayna¡¯s grasp.


    Rayna spit out the limb. That had worked better than she expected.


    The monster retreated, limping as it favored the side with a missing leg. Rayna took the chance to look at its Health bar.


    How does it still have half of its Health left?! I¡¯ve been fighting this thing for almost an hour!


    Apparently, the spider had more Endurance than Rayna thought. Even so, the red bar slowly decreased thanks to the bleeding wound on the monster¡¯s leg.


    So whittling it down will work, Rayna noted. I just need to outlast this thing.


    When Meatshield finally ended, Rayna used Rage and got herself out of the web again. She grabbed her staff from the ground and immediately reactivated Meatshield. She wanted to get her Endurance back up as soon as possible.


    The battle continued in a near stalemate for another half-hour. The spider couldn¡¯t do enough damage to Rayna to kill her, but it got enough hits in to keep her on her toes.


    When the spider¡¯s Health bar was barely more than a sliver, it stopped attacking.


    Rayna backed off, confused. The monster started to bounce up and down, glowing an ominous red color. Was it going to heal? Rayna had heard of two-phase monsters, but she thought that was reserved for final bosses!


    The spider didn¡¯t heal¡­


    It exploded.


    Rayna was thrown across the room, slamming into the wall with the force of a cannon. The flames burned away the webs around her, dropping her to the ground.


    Even with Meatshield and Rage activated, the attack left Rayna too stunned to move. Every part of her body hurt and of her clothes, only her cloak seemed to have survived the explosion.


    Your HP has dropped below 1%. It is recommended that you seek out a healer immediately.


    When Rayna¡¯s head finally stopped spinning, she managed to cast Basic Heal. It took several casts to clear the fog in her brain, and several more to bring her Health back up to full.


    Even after she finished healing, Rayna couldn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡°Oh, hell no!¡± she snapped. ¡°I am not losing two senses in one fight!¡±


    Wait. I heard that!


    A notification popped up.


    You used all of your Essence as a buffer to save your life. It seems to have repaired your hearing, but without the Essence, your hair is no longer glowing.


    Rayna blinked. She could do that? Since when?


    It seems to be a natural defense. I don¡¯t know if you can do it on command.


    Well, it still would have been nice to know¡­


    I am extrapolating information from the situation. I didn¡¯t know either.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Rayna felt around her, finding the cave wall and leaning against it. She had to decide what to do next.


    She couldn¡¯t see anything, so going through the tunnels was not an option. Could she portal out of the dungeon?


    Rayna made a circle in the air with her finger. The portal opened, casting a faint glow on her surroundings.


    Most of Rayna¡¯s tent didn¡¯t survive the explosion. Only the rune-lined canvas remained on the cavern floor. The stakes had melted into the ground and the ropes and poles had burned away completely.


    Preparing to retreat if there was something worse on the other side of the portal, Rayna stuck her head into the swirling gray vortex.


    The other side looked exactly the same. It wasn¡¯t until Rayna spotted her tent that she realized it was because it was the same.


    Rayna tried putting her hand through the portal, but it passed right through, coming out on the other side.


    ¡°Still broken, I guess,¡± Rayna muttered.


    She left the portal open, using the faint light to get dressed and clean up her campsite.


    Rayna tried to use her staff to set up a makeshift lean-to against the wall, draping the tent over it.


    She gave up on it about the third time it fell, and instead used the tent to create a pad to sleep on.


    Rayna sat down on it to check her notifications.


    You have killed Arodra, the First Keeper. The dungeon is in a state of overflow. Elite and Boss monsters give increased rewards.


    +50,000 Exp


    +50,000 Coins


    Uncommon Chest x2


    Rare Chest x1


    Physical rewards have been added to your Inventory.


    Override: Physical rewards have been transferred to your Soul Realm. All future rewards will be transferred there as well.


    The cavern is now a safe zone. No monsters will be able to enter for the next seven days or until the dungeon is cleared.


    You have leveled up! You are now a Level 15.


    +3 Str


    +1 Dex


    +3 End


    +2 Vit


    +1 Free Point


    +1 Spell Choice


    .


    .


    .


    You have leveled up! You are now a level 18.


    +3 Str


    +1 Dex


    +3 End


    +2 Vit


    +1 Free Point


    Rayna¡¯s portal closed, and when she tried to open another one, she realized she had used all of her Mana.


    The portals use MP? She would have to pay more attention if she used them in the future.


    With no light to see by, Rayna succumbed to exhaustion, falling asleep on the cavern floor.

 Chapter 29: Fire

    Rayna wasn¡¯t sure what time it was when she woke up, but the cavern was just as dark as it was when she went to sleep. She groaned, casting Basic Heal. She sighed in relief as the spell eased the soreness in her muscles.


    You shouldn¡¯t do that, you know.


    Rayna yawned. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t do what?¡±


    Heal every ache and pain you have. It can stunt your recovery. Muscles need to recover naturally to become stronger. If you heal everything with magic, you will weaken your muscles to the point that your injuries will be worse next time.


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± She frowned into the darkness. ¡°This safe zone is good for a week, right?¡±


    Six and a half days.


    ¡°Close enough. I can come back if I need a place to sleep.¡± Rayna pulled up her Menu. ¡°Also, it means I can pick my new spell in peace.¡±


    Thankfully, Rayna didn¡¯t need light to see the Menu. She guessed it was some sort of telepathic thing, since it didn¡¯t give off light like her portals.


    She checked her Character Sheet first.


    Name: Rayna


    Level 18 (Exp: 5,186/16,499)


    Class: Warrior


    Race: Lerian (Essence: 0/54,000)


    Core Status: Recovering (Progress: 20%)


    HP: 1,690/1,690


    MP: 490/500


    <u>Stat Points</u>


    {C-7} Str: 63


    {C-5} Dex: 77


    {C-3} End: 82


    {C-1} Vit: 169


    {C-6} Int: 50


    {C-1} Wis: 50


    {C-1} Luck: 10


    [Free Points: 6]


    <u>Spells</u>


    Basic Heal ¡ª Proficiency: 100%


    [Spell Choices: 1]


    <u>Skills</u>


    Rage ¡ª Proficiency: 30%


    Meatshield ¡ª Proficiency: 50%


    [Skill Choices: 0]


    <u>Titles</u>


    Volunteer ¡ª [+10 to all stats]


    Traps Expert ¡ª [+5 Dex, +2 Str]


    Masochist ¡ª [+5 End, +5 Vit]


    <u>Quests</u>


    Tutorial II ¡ª Completion Rate: 0%


    <u>Special Traits</u>


    Immunity to Poison [Species Trait - inherited]


    Immunity to Paralysis [Species Trait - inherited]


    Immunity to Confusion [Species Trait - inherited]


    Magic Sight [Species Trait - inherited]


    Telepathy [Species Trait - inherited]


    Low-grade Empathy [Personal Trait]


    Calm [Personal Trait]


    Her core recovery status had jumped a whole nine percent. Rayna suspected it had something to do with using all of her Essence the night before.


    She navigated into the spell choice section and got a message similar to what she had seen with her skill choice.


    You may choose one new spell from the list below or you may upgrade an existing spell if you have met the requirements. You currently have 1 spell that meets the requirements for upgrade.


    Basic Heal ¡ª> Heal (Upgrade) ¡ª Heal minor to mid-level injuries such as cuts and stab wounds with one cast, and heal more serious injuries such as broken bones with multiple casts. Additionally, the spell can help regrow limbs over time. The number of casts required to fully heal a wound depends on the severity of the injury and the vitality of the subject.


    Cost: 20 MP


    HP Regeneration: 400/cast


    It took all of Rayna¡¯s self-control not to upgrade her healing spell immediately without bothering to read the rest of her choices. She used Basic Heal constantly and it even added the part about regrowing limbs¡ªthough Rayna was hoping she would never need that.


    She forced herself to keep reading, just in case there was something even better in the new spells.


    Firewall ¡ª Summon a wall of flames (maximum three feet by three feet with a thickness of three inches) that will last ten minutes unless dispelled by an attack or other means. The strength of the wall scales with your Intelligence stat and is stronger against fire and wind attacks. Additionally, the wall can be repositioned with Mana (10 MP per reposition). Repositioning will not affect the wall¡¯s duration.


    Cost: 30 MP


    Wall Strength: 200% Intelligence


    Duration: 10 minutes


    Nature¡¯s Friend ¡ª Encourage plants to grow at a faster rate.


    Cost: Variable


    Growth Speed Boost: 10% per 10 MP


    Duration: 24 hours


    Chameleon ¡ª Blend in with your surroundings, making yourself more difficult to detect. If the skill is cast a second time during the duration, the second cast¡¯s duration will be added to the remaining time (up to 30 minutes)


    Note: This spell requires concentration. If the caster loses focus, the effect will be dispelled, and the remaining duration will be lost.


    Cost: 20 MP


    Duration: 5 minutes


    Calming Aura ¡ª Cast a soothing aura on yourself or another player to heal a small amount of HP per second for 60 seconds. This spell can be used on multiple people simultaneously. Casting it again on the same subject within the duration of the previous cast will refresh its duration. The healing scales with your Intelligence stat.


    Cost: 20 MP


    Healing: 20% Intelligence


    Duration: 60 seconds


    Shield ¡ª Create a shield around yourself that moves with you and can absorb incoming damage. The strength of the shield scales with your Intelligence stat. Casting it again within the duration of the previous cast will refresh its duration.


    Cost: 10 MP


    Duration: 15 seconds


    Damage Absorption: 500% Intelligence


    Outer Shell ¡ª Harden your skin against physical attacks to reduce incoming damage. The effectiveness of the spell scales with your Intelligence stat. Damage reduction can only be triggered once per second.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Cost: 20 MP


    Duration: 60 seconds


    Damage Reduction: 100% Intelligence/hit


    Rayna was glad she hadn¡¯t been hasty. All of the spells sounded fantastic, though some were more immediately useful than others. Rayna read the descriptions several times, ensuring that she understood what they meant before trying to make a decision.


    Firewall, Shield and Outer Shell were all defensive spells.


    Firewall could block an attack or absorb some of its damage. It wasn¡¯t clear if it could do damage to the enemy as well, but Rayna noted it as a possibility.


    Outer Shell looked like a body modification of sorts, assuming that the hardened skin was literal and not metaphorical. Rayna ruled it out immediately. She wasn¡¯t keen on messing with spells that had ambiguous descriptions.


    Shield was just a shield. It had a good amount of absorption; five times Rayna¡¯s Intelligence was 250, which was 50 HP more than she would heal with Basic Heal. The difference between the two spells was that Basic Heal was reactionary, while Shield was preventative. Also, Shield scaled with Intelligence, while Basic Heal seemed to scale with the subjects Vitality.


    Calming Aura was a healing spell that was stronger than Basic Heal¡ªor even the upgraded version, Heal¡ªbut it spread the healing out over sixty seconds. The fact that it scaled with Intelligence made Rayna more inclined to choose it, since she planned on going into a magic Class of some sort after the First Ascension, so it would have better scaling than the Vitality-scaling spells.


    Chameleon was a stealth-type spell that would help her blend in, but Rayna ruled it out for the same reason she wasn¡¯t taking Outer Shell; the description was too ambiguous. She didn¡¯t know if it would just change the color of her skin, or if she would suddenly become a rock when trying to blend in with the cave wall. The truth probably wasn¡¯t that extreme, but Rayna didn¡¯t trust Ember to follow logic.


    Nature¡¯s Friend was the odd one out in this list. Rayna wasn¡¯t sure if she would need a plant growth spell any time soon, but it might help if food became scarce. She could pump a ton of Mana into a plant to have food grow on the spot.


    That isn¡¯t recommended. Food grown through magic has less nutrients. It is only used in emergencies and famines.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on getting it anyway,¡± Rayna said. ¡°I don¡¯t have the luxury of picking a spell just because it might be useful in the future. I need one that¡¯s useful now.¡±


    It came down to three options: Shield, Calming Aura and Firewall.


    She was only really considering Firewall because of her inability to see at the moment. She hoped that the wall could give off some light, and she had to admit she liked the idea of never having to start a fire with sticks again.


    After a bit more consideration, she ended up ruling it out. She didn¡¯t have enough information about the walls that the spell created and the fact that they were stationary made their usability limited. On top of that, she had no desire to refresh her light source every ten minutes.


    Shield sounded like a good option if it weren¡¯t for its short duration. Rayna refilled Mana at a rate of 5 MP per minute. That meant with a cost of 20 MP, the shield would only be active once every four minutes, and that was assuming she didn¡¯t use her MP on healing while she was waiting for the spell to be useful again.


    That left Rayna with only one viable choice. She selected Calming Aura from the list. It was a better option than Heal, since it would be added to her spell list instead of replacing her existing one. If she needed to heal a chunk of damage, she could turn back to her Basic Heal spell, if she needed more gradual healing for something like Azutin mucus, she could use her Calming Aura.


    And if she got her Intelligence higher, Calming Aura might eventually outpace Basic Heal as well.


    Next Rayna turned to the reward chests dropped by the mini-boss.


    She pulled the three chests out of her Soul Realm.


    The two uncommon chests looked like standard treasure chests with metal latches and an iron lock. The rare chest was slightly larger than the other two and it was made with bronze instead of iron.


    When Rayna touched the lock on one of the uncommon chests a description popped up.


    Uncommon Chest ¡ª Once unlocked, the chest will spawn an item of uncommon quality or higher. The probability of spawning higher rewards scales with a player¡¯s Luck stat. Note that chests can be saved and opened at any time. The probability of higher rewards will be adjusted to match the player¡¯s current Luck stat, not the stat that the player had upon receiving the chest. Chests cannot be traded or sold.


    <u>Probability</u>


    Uncommon: 95%


    Rare: 4%


    Epic: 0.9%


    Legendary: 0.1%


    On impulse, Rayna popped five Free Points into her Luck stat, just to see how the numbers would change.


    <u>Probability</u>


    Uncommon: 92.5%


    Rare: 6%


    Epic: 1.35%


    Legendary: 0.15%


    ¡°All right, so each point takes¡­ 0.5% chance from uncommon and distributes it between the remaining three rarities. That¡¯s not bad.¡± Rayna pulled out her notebook and jotted this information down for future reference.


    She checked the rare chest and found the probabilities were similar, but some had been shifted down to account for the smaller number of options.


    <u>Probability</u>


    Rare: 92.5%


    Epic: 6%


    Legendary: 1.5%


    Rayna did some quick math. She would need two hundred points in Luck to guarantee an upgrade and if the ratios remained consistent, that would still make her 80% likely to only receive one upgrade. Those odds weren¡¯t very good.


    ¡°Hey System, are there any ways to increase your Luck stat besides Free Points?¡±


    Even if she got more Free Points per level after the First Ascension, that was a lot of points to spend just to upgrade her chest rewards.


    Equipment¡ªsuch as armor and certain potions¡ªcan offer stat boosts, either temporary of permanent. These will be counted when calculating the probability.


    ¡°Really?¡± Rayna activated her Rage skill and rechecked the probability of the uncommon chest.


    <u>Probability</u>


    Uncommon: 92%


    Rare: 6.4%


    Epic: 1.44%


    Legendary: 0.15%


    Rayna had forgotten how low her Luck stat was. 10% of 15 was only 1.5, and judging by the change in the probabilities, the System rounded down.


    That trick wouldn¡¯t be useful until she got her Luck higher.


    Rayna decided not to bother waiting. It might be more strategic to wait for the future, but right now, she needed every advantage she could get to help her clear the dungeon. She opened a small portal to give herself some light to see by and grabbed the lock on the first chest.


    Are you sure you want to open your chest now?


    Rayna accepted the prompt, and the lock disintegrated.


    Rayna peeled back the lid.


    You have received a Butcher¡¯s Knife (Uncommon). This item has no special effects.


    Rayna pulled the plain knife out of the box with the glee of a child opening a Christmas present. Who cared if it didn¡¯t have any special effects? It was a weapon! A bladed weapon!


    She pulled a piece of paper out of her journal and cut through it like she had seen on some videos on the Internet. It cut through the paper like warm butter.


    Rayna grinned, putting the knife aside. If she got stuck in a spider web again, she would have a way to cut herself out now.


    She eagerly reached for the second uncommon chest.


    Inside, she found a vial of red liquid.


    You have received a Low Grade Stat Potion (uncommon)!


    Low Grade Stat Potion ¡ª Raises one stat at random by five points. There is a 5% chance that the effect will be doubled and a 5% chance that the potion will have no effect.


    Rayna grabbed the potion and drank it, hoping for Endurance or Intelligence.


    Instead, she was reminded why she didn¡¯t gamble.


    The potion had no effect.


    Rayna¡¯s mood soured. She glared at the empty vial. The item only had a five percent failure rate, and she still managed to lose. Rayna resigned herself to the fact that she would probably never get an upgraded chest item.


    She put the potion vial in her Soul Realm, planning to reuse it. As mad as she was about the failed potion, the vial was quite nice. She wondered if she could recoup the vials from her Azutin mucus as well.


    Rayna hesitated when she got to the rare chest. The way her luck was going, she wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she got a rune-enhanced handkerchief or something equally useless. Did the chest have a downgrade function? Uncommon wasn¡¯t listed in the probabilities, but Rayna didn¡¯t trust the description.


    You¡¯re overthinking this.


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°I know.¡±


    She took a deep breath and opened the chest.


    A ball of fire sprang out of the open box, nearly setting Rayna¡¯s hair alight. She yelped and jumped backwards.


    The fireball made a circle around the cavern¡¯s interior and dipped to attack Rayna again. She dove out of the way, scraping her arm on the stone floor.


    ¡°This damn game sucks!¡± Rayna snapped, ducking another pass from the fireball.


    She needed to stop it somehow. Could she trap it with the canvas from her tent? The material survived the explosion from Arodra, a little fireball shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Or maybe she could douse it with her waterskin.


    Rayna prepared to try the second option.


    Wait!


    Rayna lowered her water skin and ducked the next pass from the fireball instead, glaring at the screen. ¡°What?¡±


    I don¡¯t know¡­ something is wrong. I vaguely remember something about this, but I¡¯m still trying to find the information. You need to stall it.


    ¡°Stall it how?!¡± Rayna jumped out of the way of another pass, banging her knee painfully against the wall. ¡°This thing is trying to roast me alive.¡±


    The system didn¡¯t answer.


    Rayna swore, swapping her waterskin for the tent canvas. When the fireball got close enough, she threw the canvas on top of it.


    The fireball burned right through the material, hitting Rayna¡¯s side on the way by.


    She screamed, healing the injury immediately, but it took almost 100 MP.


    ¡°My Mana isn¡¯t going to last at this rate. If you don¡¯t come up with something soon, I¡¯m going back to the waterskin idea!¡±


    Energy! That¡¯s it! Release Mana into the air!


    Rayna jumped to the side, barely missing another burn on her leg. ¡°Are you nuts?! I need that for healing!¡±


    Trust me! That thing won¡¯t stop unless you do.


    Rayna hesitated a moment longer before giving in. Since reinitializing, the System hadn¡¯t steered her wrong¡­much¡­


    It was better than her plan to use the tent at least.


    Rayna pushed twenty points of Mana into the air. It was just as natural as when she bonded with her artifacts back in the tutorial.


    The fireball didn¡¯t even slow down. Rayna ducked another pass, resisting the urge to try hitting it with her staff. If it burned through it, the only weapon she would have left would be the butchers knife.


    No, not just a little bit. Push out all of your Mana.


    ¡°I need some to heal myself if that thing hits me again!¡±


    Just do it!


    ¡°Fine!¡± She cast Calming Aura¡ªit couldn¡¯t hurt¡ªand pushed all of her Mana into the air.


    Rayna hadn¡¯t realized how potent three hundred Mana was. The air was thick with magic. So much so that Rayna wasn¡¯t sure where the fireball had gone.


    She found it when it tore through her arm.


    Rayna screamed and dropped to the floor. Instead of calming down, the fireball sped up, spinning around Rayna in a swirling vortex.


    ¡°Now slowly start drawing the Mana back into yourself!¡± the System yelled, trying to be heard over the roaring inferno.


    ¡°How do I do that?!¡± Rayna coughed, her lungs burning from the blistering heat.


    ¡°The same way you draw in Essence. Just feel it and call it to yourself. Hurry!¡±


    Rayna closed her eyes, focusing on the magic in the room. She beckoned it toward her, begging it to come to her aid. The magic flowed into her and her Mana started ticking upwards.


    ¡°Good. Keep doing that.¡±


    Rayna could barely hear the System¡¯s voice, between the noise and the pain. Her HP was dropping rapidly.


    When she hit 10 MP, the System said, ¡°Now use Basic Heal!¡±


    Rayna didn¡¯t argue. It brought her Health up by a couple hundred points. Calming Aura was still active as well, which helped to mitigate the damage from the fire.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget your skills!¡± the System reminded her. ¡°You need to outlast this thing. Do whatever you need to.¡±


    Rayna activated Meatshield and Rage, boosting her Intelligence and her healing. Every time she hit 10 MP, she cast Basic Heal. When Calming Aura ran out, she waited a little longer to heal so she could refresh it.


    The Endurance boost was helping Rayna think better, unfortunately, that just made her painfully aware of her skin as it burned and healed in a seemingly endless cycle.


    After what felt like hours of agony, the Mana in the air ran out.


    What do I do now?!


    ¡°Keep drawing it in. Use the fire.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± Rayna snapped, coughing as the scorching air filled her lungs.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t normal fire. It¡¯s made of Essence.¡± The System sounded worried.


    Rayna didn¡¯t have a choice. She refused to die to a buggy rare chest. She drew on the fire, pulling it into herself.


    Pain seared through her chest. Rayna cried out, her vision going white.


    ¡°I know it hurts, but you can¡¯t stop. The fire will become Mana in your core, but you have to let it in.¡±


    Rayna took a deep breath, regretting it when the scorching air burned her lungs.


    Rayna slowly rebuilt her MP with the fire. She healed herself whenever she could and activated her skills whenever they were off cooldown. It became a rhythm and Rayna let her mind fall into it. The pain floated to the back of her mind as she focused on keeping herself alive.


    Then finally, there was no more fire to draw in. Rayna blinked, staring blearily at the small white flame that hovered before her. It remained stationary, neither advancing nor retreating.


    ¡°Touch the flame,¡± the System said.


    Rayna was too tired to argue. She reached out her hand and touched the flame.


    It flowed into her fingers, healing her burns and soothing her pain.


    Rayna collapsed onto her back, tears of relief and exhaustion rolling down her cheeks.

 Chapter 30: Boss Room

    Rayna groaned, blinking her eyes open. She must have fallen asleep after the attack. Every inch of her ached, but at least she wasn¡¯t on fire anymore.


    For the second time since entering the dungeon, Rayna found herself in need of a new set of clothes. How did the people of Ember afford hunting?


    Maybe they were just more careful than Rayna.


    You¡¯re awake.


    Rayna sat up, her joints creaking with the effort. ¡°Unfortunately. What was that thing?¡±


    She checked her notifications, hoping she got a message like she had with the first two chests.


    You received a ???? (Legendary).


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not very helpful,¡± Rayna muttered. ¡°At least I managed to get an upgrade.¡±


    The creature was a Lesser Fire Sprite; a young Elemental of the fire alignment. It¡¯s rampage was a byproduct of too much time in stasis.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t I supposed to get an item from that box?¡± Rayna didn¡¯t think creatures counted as items.


    That wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. Elementals are not objects, nor are they property of the System to give away as it pleases. It should have been released within fifty years of its offer to bond if a suitable player could not be found, but something seems to have gone wrong. I¡¯d estimate that the Fire Sprite has been in stasis for at least a hundred years, perhaps more.


    ¡°So, I traded a rare chest for a near death experience. This just keeps getting better.¡± Rayna opened a portal to give herself some light before she pulled on a new set of clothes, examining her cloak for damage. It was a little singed around the edges, but it was slowly repairing itself.


    The tent was not so lucky. It lay in ruins, and judging by the state of it, the tent didn¡¯t have the same self-repair feature as her cloak.


    The Lesser Fire Sprite attempted to bond with you, but due to the state of your core, it was unable to. It granted you a boon and left. I have also replaced your chest, as it was a System error that left you without a suitable item. I have placed it in your Soul Realm.


    Rayna wrinkled her nose. ¡°You¡¯re nuts if you think I¡¯m opening another one of those.¡±


    Why not?


    ¡°Because the last one almost got me killed,¡± Rayna said. ¡°I¡¯m not testing my luck while I¡¯m still stuck in a hole with a bunch of rats. Pandora¡¯s box is staying closed until I can deal with whatever comes out to bite my head off.¡±


    I suppose that¡¯s reasonable¡­


    The System didn¡¯t seem to have anything else to say, so Rayna turned to her Character Sheet instead. The System said that the Fire Sprite had granted her a boon, and since she couldn¡¯t find anything new in her Soul Realm, it was probably an ability.


    Most of it was the same as last time she checked. Her Core¡¯s recovery had jumped to 50% but besides being unable to bond with the Elemental¡ªwhich she didn¡¯t want to do anyway¡ªshe hadn¡¯t really figured out what the core was for yet.


    The most notable change was a new section titled ¡®resistances¡¯.


    <u>Resistances</u>


    Fire ¡ª Level 10


    Cold ¡ª Level 10


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t those be under traits?¡± Rayna asked.


    Unlike your species trait Immunity to Poison, the resistances can be earned and improved. If you improve your fire resistance to the highest level, it will be moved to your trait section with the title ¡®Immunity to Fire¡¯.


    In addition to Rayna¡¯s new resistances, she gained one skill and one spell.


    (Spell) Fireball ¡ª Shoot a ball of fire at your enemies. (Damage is proportional to your proficiency level and your Intelligence.)


    Proficiency: 0%


    Cost: 25 MP


    Base Damage: 50 HP


    Multiplier: 150%


    Chance to Inflict Burning: 5%


    (Skill) Night Vision ¡ª Allows the player to see in the dark.


    Proficiency: 0%


    Duration: 1 hour


    Cooldown: 1h 10m


    Rayna recognized the Night Vision skill. It was the same one that Daria had used in the Obsidian Forest. The Fireball spell was probably the same one that she had seen some of the mages use back in the tutorial.


    Finally, Rayna noticed a new title, but the description was peculiar.


    Friend of Elementals ¡ª You helped an out of control Sprite at great personal risk. The Sprite has marked you as a friend. Elementals that you meet in the future will be able to see this mark on you and may act more favorably towards you.


    There weren¡¯t any added stats for it, just the title and the vague description.


    Regardless, Fireball and Night Vision were more than enough to make the ordeal worth it. Rayna used the latter, and the room visibly brightened in her vision. She couldn¡¯t tell if the skill made everything black and white, or if the cave just lacked any color, but either way, she could now see where she was going.


    She let her portal close and there was no noticeable change in the lighting.


    That¡¯s one problem solved.


    Rayna threw her ruined tent into her Soul Realm just to keep from littering. She had a good chunk of her Mana left, thanks to the portal¡¯s very slow use of MP. She would have to experiment to figure out the exact amount, but for now, she was more interested in making it out of the dungeon.


    Rayna had a feeling that Fireball was going to make that task much easier.


    * * *


    It took Rayna less than a day to find the boss room. The Fireball spell took a little getting used to, but it tore through the monsters like water through tissue paper.


    She found another safe zone, but the battle was anticlimactic. Aris, the Second Keeper wasn¡¯t nearly as difficult to beat after Rayna burned the webs off the walls and the fireballs did enough damage that the battle only lasted a few minutes. Even the explosion at the end had less impact thanks to Rayna¡¯s new fire resistance.


    It almost cost her another pair of clothes, but she remembered at the last second to pull her cloak to cover her. After a bit of experimentation, she realized that the size adjustment feature was actually fast enough to use in battle, she could shorten it so it wouldn¡¯t get in her way, and then lengthen it when she needed to hide from a spell.


    The more she learned about runes, the more she was growing obsessed with them. They were the only thing on Ember that seemed to work as expected.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    After the battle with Aris, Rayna had marked the location on the map in case she needed to backtrack, and moved on.


    She had been a little worried that she might miss the boss room, since both safe zones she found were in hidden or obscured side tunnels, but the worry proved to be unfounded.


    The boss room was impossible to miss.


    Enormous double doors were carved into the stone. Engraved swirls and swoops glowed with magic, casting an eerie red light on the gold and silver embellishments that lined the outer rim of the door.


    As soon as Rayna stepped into the small cavern that held the double doors, a notification popped up.


    You have reached the room of Keleni, the Final Keeper. If you defeat him, you will be transported out of the dungeon. Beware, once you challenge the Final Keeper, there is no going back. If you aren¡¯t confident in your success, turn back and seek another way out of this dungeon, for riches are useless in the hands of the dead.


    Rayna tilted her head. The System had said something similar during the tutorial. She supposed it made sense, given that the dungeons were created by the System.


    They were not.


    Rayna frowned. ¡°They weren¡¯t?¡±


    No. Dungeons are a natural phenomenon native to Ember. The System didn¡¯t create them, nor can it affect their structure. It merely records and reports the status of the dungeon.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s with the monsters all acting like game mobs?¡± Rayna asked. ¡°I thought this was some sort of training ground, since all of the monsters have predictable move sets.¡±


    I don¡¯t have enough information to answer that¡­ but perhaps this is simply how monsters behave¡­


    Rayna wasn¡¯t buying it. The Arachne and the willow had been nightmares to fight because there was no way to tell where they were going to strike next. In comparison, Arodra and Aris had been battles of attrition because it was easy to figure out their moves. Once you knew how they were going to attack, all you had to do was avoid them.


    Whatever was going on inside the dungeon, it wasn¡¯t something that she was going to figure out right now. Maybe when she helped the System regain some of its memories, she would find that she was right after all.


    Rayna pushed the doors open and walked inside. The room was different than the rest of the caverns. The walls were smooth, as if cut with tools, and stalactites poked down from the ceiling in a more organized pattern, like someone had sculpted fake stalactites to match the aesthetic of the dungeon.


    In the center of the cavern was an arena made of sand that sat a foot lower than the rest of the room. Rayna steered clear of it for now, since she was fairly certain that stepping into the arena would trigger the boss fight and she wanted to look around a little first.


    The walls were covered in mosaics. Long swirls of color wrapped around the sconces that lined the wall, each of them using a different color material; blue, red, green, brown and white. The mural on the ceiling above the sand pit was swirling shades of brown that glowed slightly in the dim cavern.


    Having completed her circuit of the room, Rayna didn¡¯t stall any longer. She took a deep breath and walked to the center of the arena.


    The door to the boss room slammed shut with an echoing bang. The sand in the arena started to vibrate and Rayna was fairly sure she had made a mistake.


    She tried to move to stable ground, but falling stalactites forced her back onto the sand. She looked up, hoping to find a patch of ceiling clear enough to stand under but to her dismay, the stalactites regrew at regular intervals. By the time one of them hit the floor, there was already another in its place, ready to fall again.


    Something to keep the player in the center, huh?


    Rayna made up her mind. No matter what the System said, dungeons were not natural.


    Has anyone ever told you that you¡¯re a very mistrusting person?


    The ground shuddered again and a circle of sand around Rayna started to glow red. She jumped out of the way just before a long scaly monster exploded out of the sand, traveling in an arc across the arena and diving into the sand on the other side. The monster¡¯s Health bar disappeared with it, making it hard to see its name tag.


    I can fix that.


    The Health bar appeared in Rayna¡¯s vision, staying in the top left corner like a video game. It was a bit disorienting at first, but she got used to it quickly.


    [Keleni, the Final Keeper ¡ª Level 40]


    [Species: Evolved Sand Wyrm]


    Rayna¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°A Wyrm as in a dragon?!¡±


    And the Wyrm was a good twenty levels above her at that.


    ¡°I thought this dungeon was supposed to be easy,¡± Rayna snapped, jumping out of another circle of red just before the monster appeared again. She tossed a fireball at it, barely hitting its tail before it disappeared back into the sand.


    The attack didn¡¯t cause much damage, but it was confirmation that she could catch it while it was above ground.


    For a party. You are challenging it as an individual.


    ¡°I could have used that info earlier,¡± Rayna said, chucking another fireball at the monster as it emerged. This one hit it square in the face, dropping its Health more than three times the amount she had done when she hit its tail. It was still less than a twentieth of its Health bar, but it was significant enough that she could see the difference.


    Critical hit?


    Hits to sensitive areas like the face, heart and stomach will do more damage than attacks that hit extremities. Essentially, the closer the hit is to a vital organ, the more damage it will do.


    ¡°Go for the face, gotcha.¡± Rayna threw another fireball, missing the monster and hitting the wall instead. The resulting explosion sent several stalactites raining down from the ceiling and Rayna had to dodge flying bits of shattered rock.


    She didn¡¯t move in time when the monster emerged from the sand and the attack catapulted her across the room to slam into one of the wall sconces.


    A few of her ribs cracked, pain exploding in her chest.


    Rayna fell to the ground, stunned and trying to catch her breath.


    She forced herself to move again when a stalactite nearly impaled her.


    Moving back onto the sand, Rayna cast Fireball twice in quick succession, trying to get two hits in before the monster could dive again.


    One hit the monster, the other flew past its eye, missing by a hair.


    Rayna growled in frustration when the monster dove again.


    ¡°Is there a way to keep this thing above the sand? I¡¯m never going to be able to kill it at this rate.¡±


    As if it heard her, the monster¡¯s Health bar refilled, erasing the little bit of progress she had managed to make.


    ¡°A healing spell on top of everything else? This is getting ridiculous.¡±


    I believe the healing is in the sand. That seems to be why the monster continues to dive. Between the cover of the sand and its healing properties, it is perfect for a defensive attack style.


    ¡°Great, so the Wyrm is basically unkillable.¡±


    There had to be a trick to this that she was missing. Even in a party, a group of Level 15 players wouldn¡¯t be able to beat this thing if it kept dodging out of reach. So far, the dungeon had been logical. Every monster had a gimmick or trick that was predictable.


    Maybe attacking the monster wasn¡¯t the answer at all.


    Rayna examined the room again as she dodged Keleni¡¯s attacks. The boss didn¡¯t seem too interested in killing her quickly. In fact, it barely even acknowledged her presence.


    The only notable items in the room were the wall sconces, and the colorful mosaics that surrounded them. The unlit torches sat uselessly around the outer wall. Would lighting them do anything? That¡¯s what you did in games, wasn¡¯t it? Emma had talked about puzzles that basically made you fix things that weren¡¯t right.


    Worst case scenario: nothing happens.


    Rayna picked a torch at random¡ªthe one with the blue swirl around it¡ªand lit it with a fireball.


    The torch went out so quickly that Rayna wasn¡¯t sure if it had even lit in the first place, but it did have an effect. The mosaic on the ceiling turned blue, and watered poured down from the tiles.


    Rayna abandoned the sand pit, taking her chances with the falling stalactites. The boss¡¯ movements didn¡¯t slow as it danced through the sandy mud. There must have been something to drain the sand out at the bottom of the pit, because within a few minutes, the whole thing was filled with clear blue water.


    The monster¡¯s movement pattern changed, switching from its rise and dive technique to swimming around like a shark, its long back ridges making ripples in the water.


    Just to see what it would do, Rayna tossed a fallen stalactite into the pit.


    The Wyrm pounced on it, shaking its head viciously to ¡®kill¡¯ the projectile.


    ¡°Nope. Not messing with that,¡± Rayna said with a nod.


    She was fairly sure she knew what the brown torch would do, but she lit it anyway, just to make sure this wasn¡¯t a coincidence.


    As she expected, the pool drained of water and filled with sand.


    ¡°Blue is water, brown is sand,¡± Rayna muttered. ¡°Red is fire?¡±


    She wove through the falling stalactites to get to the red torch and lit it, hoping the Wyrm wasn¡¯t immune as he had been to the other elements.


    Rayna miscalculated. Fire didn¡¯t spring up from the bottom of the pit as she had been expecting. Magma rained down from the ceiling.


    Rayna cursed, using her staff to block stalactites instead of dodging them so she could get away from the glowing flow as fast as she could. She lit the water torch and water poured onto the magma, solidifying it into a solid slab of rock.


    At least that might keep the monster under the sand for a while.


    But Rayna hadn¡¯t even finished the thought before the Wyrm burst through the thin layer of cooled magma, showering Rayna is shards of obsidian glass.


    Pinpricks of pain flared to life all over Rayna¡¯s skin and though she healed the wounds, the glass was stuck underneath the newly grown skin, hurting every time she moved.


    ¡°Oh shit, that was dumb!¡± Rayna said through gritted teeth. She needed to end this quickly before the pain got to be too much.


    The remaining torches were white and green. Rayna dismissed the green one immediately. It was the same shade as the Azutin mucus and she didn¡¯t have enough Mana to heal through acid exposure. Even if it turned out to be something as minor as vines, Rayna wasn¡¯t willing to risk it.


    She lit the white torch and this time it stayed lit. Wind picked up in the room, nearly throwing Rayna off her feet. Stalactites were tossed in unpredictable patterns, causing some new and colorful bruises on any part of Rayna unfortunate enough to be in the way.


    When the wind died down, so did the noise and for a disoriented moment, Rayna wasn¡¯t sure what had changed. Then she looked up at the perfectly still stalactites hanging from the ceiling. She almost panicked, thinking that the boss had reset but when she rushed to the edge of the arena, she found the Wyrm slithering around in an empty pit.


    It was deeper than she thought; almost fifty feet. The monster didn¡¯t seem too disturbed by its change in situation, moving similarly to when it had been in a water pit.


    Rayna sank in relief. She could just kill the boss from a distance. She tossed a fireball at Keleni, a frown settling on her face when it veered off course. An experimental probe with her hand almost dragged Rayna down into the pit with the Wyrm. It wasn¡¯t empty; it was filled with rushing wind that seemed to flow back and forth in unpredictable patterns.


    Rayna sat down and closed her eyes, trying to figure out what to do next. She had thought air was the answer, but apparently there was more to it.


    Was it a combination? The white torch hadn¡¯t doused itself like the other torches. Maybe she had to go in a specific order.


    Rayna took her time considering the combinations, trying to find one that made sense. The monster seemed to be immune to everything she threw at it. She didn¡¯t need something that would kill it, she needed something that would hold it still.


    The answer came in the form of sharp pain as she jostled one of the shards of glass in her arm. The Wyrm had managed to burst through a thin layer of obsidian, but who was to say it could get through a pit full and if she got the timing right¡­


    Rayna lengthened her cloak and wrapped it around herself. She had fire resistance, but she didn¡¯t think it did anything against molten rock.


    She lit the red torch. The temperature in the room rose rapidly as magma poured into the pit. The Wyrm rose and dove in an attack similar to the sand, only this time each dive splashed Magma over the side of the arena walls.


    Rayna watched and waited for just the right moment and when she saw the red pulsing circle that warned of the boss¡¯ return, she lit the water torch.


    Water poured down from the ceiling, blinding Rayna with a rush of blistering steam.


    Rayna felt like a cooked goose by the time the water stopped, and to her delight, instead of a pool of water in the pit, she found a very angry Wyrm stuck in a solid mass of obsidian glass.


    The monster had only been a few inches above the ground when it solidified around him.


    Rayna didn¡¯t hesitate. She started chucking fireballs at the monster as fast as she could. When she ran out of Mana, she switched to her staff.


    Thankfully, the Wyrm didn¡¯t explode as it died, it just sort of melted into the floor. Rayna sat down on the glass floor, frowning at the empty spot in relieved confusion.


    She did it? It was dead?


    A notification popped up with her reassurance.


    You have defeated Keleni, the Final Keeper, and cleared the dungeon Caverns and Cave Rats. Your rewards have been added to your Soul Realm and you will be teleported to the front entrance.


    Thank you, player, for your service to Ember.

 Chapter 31: Coup

    One minute Rayna was sitting on uncomfortably warm obsidian, the next she was sitting on a wooden floor. She looked up at a strangely out of place chandelier complete with multi-colored mage lights. Comfortable chairs were organized around tables in one corner of the room, and in the other, a long L-shaped counter took up a considerable amount of space. Next to the counter, a door stood slightly ajar, leading to a staircase. Above the door was a sign that read, ¡®System Hub¡¯.


    Rayna stood, wincing as the motion jostled the glass in her arm. Was this the front of the dungeon? She had expected to be transported outside.


    Rayna took a step toward the door.


    A snore sounded from behind the counter, startling Rayna. She jumped back, running into one of the chairs. The chair legs scraped across the floorboards, assaulting Rayna¡¯s ears with a high-pitched screech.


    A man sat upright, blinking as he looked around the lobby in confusion. He looked young, barely out of his teens, with long white hair falling past his shoulders and black skin that was surprisingly similar to Rayna¡¯s.


    That was where the similarities ended. The man¡¯s ears were visibly longer than Rayna¡¯s and a set of wings grew out of his back. On his head, two small horns jutted backwards, curling slightly downward at the tip.


    The man smiled when he spotted Rayna. ¡°A visitor! How can I help you?¡±


    Rayna hesitated. ¡°Umm¡­ I was looking for the System Hub¡­¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ve come to the right place!¡± the man said cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯m Amon, keeper of the Caverns and Cave Rats dungeon. It¡¯s in a state of emergency right now so if you could¡ª¡± He cut himself off, raising his eyebrows. ¡°Oh. You cleared it already? How did you get in? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter! Thank you, traveler, for your service to the System. Are you seeking information? Or a place to stay, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°Both?¡± Rayna said. ¡°And maybe a pair of tweezers?¡±


    The man shook his head slightly, looking confused. ¡°Tweezers?¡±


    ¡°Something to get glass out of my arm,¡± Rayna clarified.


    Amon walked around the counter, approaching Rayna to examine her arm.


    He tsked. ¡°I see you did the magma and sand in quick succession. Did you try throwing water on it to cool the magma afterwards?¡±


    Rayna nodded, blushing.


    ¡°Well, let me just take care of this for you. It comes from my dungeon, so I can do more than if it was regular glass.¡±


    He waved his hand over her arm and the injuries vanished. A moment later, the pain left as well.


    Amon leaned in, whispering conspiratorially. ¡°I¡¯m not really supposed to heal it too, but you¡¯re the first person to visit me in six thousand years, so I made an exception.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here,¡± the System said aloud.


    Amon looked over Rayna¡¯s shoulder, a surprised smile lighting up his face. ¡°Ronari? I thought you were gone for good! Where have you been hiding out all these years?¡±


    Rayna turned around to find a woman standing behind her. She had the same coal black skin and white hair, as well as the wings and horns that Amon had. If there was a difference between them, it was that she was considerably taller, and Rayna thought she saw a tail peeking out from under her silver dress.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been asleep,¡± she said, her expression resolute. ¡°Now that Rayna has woken me, I¡¯m trying to figure out what is going on with the System.¡±


    ¡°Hang on,¡± Rayna said, crossing her arms. ¡°You could have properly introduced yourself this whole time? Why was I stuck with a disembodied voice?¡±


    ¡°I can only appear in System Hubs,¡± Ronari said. ¡°It¡¯s a bit complicated, but my reach is limited right now. Whatever happened to the System, it locked me out of everything. I should have more access than this.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because they made a new System,¡± Amon said. ¡°You should be able to see it; the alternate one.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, I can see it,¡± Ronari said testily. ¡°But why is it so incompetent? From Rayna¡¯s description of the situation on Ember, I assume it has to do with the Chosens¡¯ inability to manipulate Essence, but that shouldn¡¯t be a problem since the Administrator is still active.¡±


    ¡°The Administrator is the problem, actually,¡± Amon said. ¡°He stopped letting us help. The man is trying to do everything himself with nothing but his Liaisons and a few clones. Even our System access has been limited.¡± Amon shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re not sure if he¡¯s paranoid or stupid, but I¡¯m not sure if it matters at this point.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± Ronari asked. ¡°You can talk to the others?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no,¡± Amon said. ¡°We had an easier time talking during the first couple outages, when the Administrator wasn¡¯t around to block us, but after that, he destroyed the lines. I have a connection to the main hub, but I¡¯m cut off from everything else.¡±


    Ronari shook her head. ¡°Something isn¡¯t right. Even a paranoid Administrator wouldn¡¯t go that far. He¡¯s cut himself off from information that he would need to smoothly run the System. Why would he do that?¡±


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine,¡± Amon said.


    Ronari squared her shoulders. ¡°This can¡¯t go on. I¡¯m initiating emergency override. Authorization code: ******.¡±


    Ronari¡¯s lips blurred in Rayna¡¯s vision, keeping her from seeing or hearing the code, but it must have been correct because Amon took a step back.


    ¡°Are you insane?¡± he hissed. ¡°You can¡¯t stage a coup with the System as fragile as it is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing it because of how fragile the System is. If we don¡¯t do something soon, it won¡¯t be salvageable. Now patch me in. I need to reconnect to the main server.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Amon said.


    Ronari raised her eyebrows. ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this, Ronari. If there¡¯s a problem in the System, it needs an Administrator to fix it. That¡¯s how it is. You won¡¯t be able to fulfill any of your duties. If you take over, everything will fall apart.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already falling apart!¡± Ronari snapped. ¡°He¡¯s leaving them to fend for themselves for decades on end. The people of Ember are barely surviving. Something needs to be done.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t move Essence without an Administrator,¡± Amon insisted. ¡°Unless you bring me one, my hands are tied.¡±


    Ronari threw her hands in the air, starting to pace. ¡°Something needs to be done Amon. Even if it¡¯s just talking to that useless Administrator disgracing the name Cremble.¡±


    Ronari paused her pacing. ¡°Wait. What if I had an Administrator?¡±


    Amon narrowed his eyes. ¡°Do you?¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°What if?¡± Ronari asked again.


    Amon took a deep breath. ¡°If you bring me an Administrator, then I¡¯ll go along with your plan. You can¡¯t find someone much worse than the brain-dead lunatic we have now.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Ronari said. ¡°Rayna can be the Administrator.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Rayna took a step back. ¡°Are you insane? I¡¯m not even from here!¡±


    Amon shook his head. ¡°She has to be Lerian, you know that.¡±


    Rayna blinked. The Administrators were Lerians? Then why¡ª?


    Before she could follow the train of thought, Ronari spoke again.


    ¡°She is,¡± Ronari said. ¡°Her soul is originally human, but that doesn¡¯t matter. She has already proven that she can manipulate Essence. That¡¯s all we need.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, but what the hell is wrong with you people?¡± Rayna snapped, taking another step back.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a difficult position,¡± Ronari said. ¡°The Administrator is a conduit; a way to transform Essence into Experience and abilities. There are no decisions involved, and you won¡¯t even notice when I use your ability. Everything happens outside of you.¡± Ronari thought for a moment. ¡°Think of it like the Sprite! When an Elemental forms a bond with another species, that species can freely use their abilities, but the abilities are not transferred unless the Sprite allows it.¡±


    Amon¡¯s frown deepened, which didn¡¯t make Rayna more confident in Ronari¡¯s plan.


    She smoothed her hair back, looking back and forth between the two crazy people who were trying to drag her into this mess. ¡°And if I refuse?¡±


    ¡°Then Ember falls,¡± Ronari said dramatically.


    Rayna raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°She¡¯s not wrong,¡± Amon said. ¡°The System can¡¯t go on like this forever. We need to reconnect the Keepers, or everything will fall apart.¡±


    ¡°In other words,¡± Ronari said. ¡°You¡¯re our only hope.¡±


    Rayna walked over to one of the chairs and sat down hard. She didn¡¯t want to do this, but did she have a choice? There were millions of people¡ªmaybe billions¡ªon this planet. Could she just leave them to their fate?


    ¡°What would I need to do if I became the Administrator?¡± Rayna asked cautiously.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Amon said.


    ¡°No, not nothing,¡± Ronari corrected. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything on my own; not with the System lines down. I need you to travel to other dungeons and help me piece the System back together.¡±


    ¡°And I assume I have to clear these dungeons?¡± Rayna asked.


    ¡°Ideally, yes¡± Ronari said. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to clear all of them. The more we clear, the smoother the System will run. The same goes for the teleporters and city hubs, but we can take it one step at a time. The most important thing is locking down the System so no one unauthorized can access it. Until we figure out who or what is causing the Dark Ages, we need to limit outside access.¡±


    ¡°Like when you change your passwords and log out of all devices,¡± Rayna said.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Rayna ran her fingers through her hair. ¡°What will this do to the players currently in the System?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely nothing,¡± Ronari assured her. ¡°I will take over and maintain System functions for the time being, until we can get more help.¡±


    ¡°Help like Amon over there?¡± Rayna asked.


    Amon nodded. ¡°The System has always taken a team effort to maintain. Whatever reason the Administrator cut us off, it¡¯s probably doing more harm than good. Each hub holds a memory core. It was designed that way so if one core was lost, others would be able to pick up the slack until it was replaced.¡±


    ¡°But the failsafe didn¡¯t work because the Administrator decided to go solo?¡± Rayna guessed.


    ¡°More than likely,¡± Ronari agreed.


    How did Rayna¡¯s life just keep getting more complicated?¡±


    ¡°Once the System is back up and running smoothly, I can hand off the Administrator role?¡± she asked.


    ¡°When we find a suitable replacement,¡± Ronari said. ¡°Will you do it?¡±


    Rayna drew in a deep breath. ¡°Well, the world¡¯s going to hell in a handbasket, it¡¯s not like life will be any easier if I refuse. But I have one condition.¡±


    Amon frowned. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Keep me anonymous. I don¡¯t want anyone knowing I¡¯m a part of this. If things go south, I¡¯m not planning on becoming a scapegoat for whatever the hell this is.¡±


    Ronari nodded. ¡°That was already in the plan. Things are safer if the Administrator¡¯s identity isn¡¯t known.¡±


    ¡°All right, how do we do this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll patch Ronari into the System and she will appoint you as the Administrator,¡± Amon said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be quick, Ronari, if the Administrator realizes I¡¯m using my link, he might try to freeze me out.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Ronari said. ¡°Rayna, stay seated. You might pass out briefly.¡±


    ¡°Great, sounds really safe,¡± Rayna said sarcastically. She scooted backwards in the chair, trying to find a comfortable position.


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Amon said. ¡°Three¡­ Two¡­ One!¡±


    Rayna¡¯s mind caught fire. She screamed, gripping the arms of her chair as information forced its way into her brain. Numbers, faces, monsters; images flashed through her mind too quickly for Rayna to comprehend. She saw centuries of life on the mountain pass before her eyes in seconds.


    Then she saw a tower, its black exterior covered in sharp spikes that jutted out at odd angles. Monsters roamed its base, searching for a way in. Somehow, Rayna knew this wasn¡¯t a memory. It was happening right now. The world calmed as she entered the tower.


    Rayna, hold on, I¡¯m almost there.


    Ronari¡¯s voice was distant as Rayna roamed the tower. Most of the scene was blurred, like there was a secret that Rayna wasn¡¯t allowed to know. She walked through endless rooms until she found something she recognized.


    Eldar Cremble sat in a corner, muttering to himself as he scribbled things on a giant blackboard. Only instead of the short curly haired man she first saw at the initiation, this man was tall, with horns, wings and a long thin tail. His hair, still white and curly, grew past his dark shoulders, falling to the small of his back.


    Rayna approached him, trying to see what he was writing, but it too was blurred.


    The Administrator whirled around, alerted to Rayna¡¯s presence by some unknown sense.


    He threw his chalk at her and Rayna ducked as the projectile flew over her head.


    Eldar blinked golden eyes that glowed in the dim lighting. ¡°R-Rayna? You¡¯re¡­ that volunteer, right? How did you get here?¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°I¡ª¡± she tried to say, but no sound came out of her mouth. She tried again, but again, she was silent.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Eldar said. ¡°You¡¯re not really here¡­¡± He glanced around the room nervously. ¡°You must leave. He can¡¯t find you.¡±


    Rayna frowned. Who? She mouthed.


    Eldar shook his head. ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t know. But you have to go.¡±


    He tried to push Rayna out the door, but his hands went right through her.


    Why did you cut off the Keepers? Rayna tried to ask.


    ¡°The who?¡± Eldar asked, his brow furrowing.


    The Keepers.


    Eldar shook his head. ¡°Oh, the Keepers. Right, I¡¯d forgotten about the Keepers. Such helpful lot, they are.¡± He looked sad. ¡°I couldn¡¯t let him have them.¡±


    Rayna felt a monster approach from behind and she whirled around, only to find nothing in the doorway.


    Something is here, she whispered.


    Eldar moved between Rayna and the feeling. ¡°I told you to go!¡± he snapped, his voice panicked. He made a shield around himself and Rayna. ¡°I can¡¯t hold him off forever. Get out of my tower or I¡¯ll expel you myself.¡±


    I don¡¯t know how to leave, Rayna said.


    I got it, Ronari¡¯s voice echoed through the tower.


    Eldar looked up and grinned. ¡°Oh, I should have known the little runt was up to something.¡± He turned to Rayna. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I can hold him off. Find Prince Enathar. He will know what to do.¡±


    Initiating lockdown, Ronari said.


    Rayna¡¯s vision went white as information burned through her mind. An angry scream echoed in her ears as she was dragged out of the black tower.


    * * *


    Amon used a levitation spell to move the girl to a bed. The process had not been easy for her, but she would pull through. Just in case, he placed a long term healing spell on her that would keep her comfortable until morning.


    He returned to the lobby, his expression cold.


    He found Ronari looking guilty.


    ¡°You should be ashamed of yourself,¡± Amon snapped.


    ¡°She survived,¡± Ronari said, though her voice held none of her usual surety.


    ¡°She is a child! I thought that was a disguise. What level is she? Has she even reached the first plateau?¡± He smoothed his hair back, careful to avoid his horns. ¡°She cleared my dungeon alone¡ªin overflow state, at that¡ª so what, Level 30? 40?¡±


    ¡°Level 25,¡± Ronari said. ¡°After the boss, that is.¡±


    Amon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You brought an Initial into an overflowing dungeon?!¡±


    ¡°She wandered in herself,¡± Ronari said defensively. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated. I¡¯m not even sure what happened. Anyway, she cleared it just fine, so what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°The problem is that you could have killed her!¡± Amon snapped. ¡°She wasn¡¯t ready for that sort of information load. What would you have done if the Administrator died during integration without a suitable backup? Everything would have fallen apart; The dungeons, the wards!¡±


    ¡°Well, she didn¡¯t,¡± Ronari snapped back. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a lot of time to consider this. You should see the state of things, Amon, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Ronari shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m starting with the tutorial. It¡¯s not teaching them anything. There are no instructions, no explanations; it¡¯s a glorified hunting ground. If we¡¯re going to get through this, we need more people to understand the System and all its advantages. The humans are my best bet.¡±


    Amon glared at Ronari. ¡°Since when do the ends justify the means?¡±


    ¡°Since the whole world hangs in the balance,¡± Ronari hissed. ¡°It¡¯s failing; not just the wards, but the System itself. I couldn¡¯t even find the Administrator. He¡¯s holed up in some corner of his tower, locking everything else out. There are bugs in the code, misplaced resources; everything is coming apart at the seams and he is hiding.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t be able to retain it, you know,¡± Amon said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure Rayna will even remember coming here.¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Ronari said. ¡°Then she won¡¯t be able to tell anyone her secret. She doesn¡¯t need to know that she¡¯s the Administrator to fulfill the role.¡±


    Amon pursed his lips. This was not what he agreed to, but what was done was done. All he could do was stay involved and try to make sure that Ronari didn¡¯t get the girl killed.


    ¡°Patch me in,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do to help.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a gem, Amon,¡± Ronari said, making a link for him.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m a Keeper, and this is what we do.¡±

 Chapter 32: Administrative Assistant

    ¡°Hey Janet, a couple of us are going in for our last run,¡± Emma said, gesturing at the portals with her thumb. ¡°Can you mark Kelsey, Andrea, Nathan P. And me as out of attempts?¡±


    ¡°Are you taking a fifth?¡± Janet asked, marking them off in her notebook.


    ¡°Everyone high enough is already out of attempts. Unless you have one left¡­¡±


    Janet shook her head. ¡°I ran out yesterday. Let me know when you get back, I have something I want to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Emma said, walking away.


    Janet turned back to her conversation on the forum.


    Erin: We should all be heading to Jerith; it¡¯s the largest country. If we¡¯re going to transition into society without hiccups, we should go somewhere that a few more mouths to feed won¡¯t be a big deal.


    Karen: The plan was set in place for a reason. Splitting the refugees between all seven countries will make us less of a burden. Plus, if one of the countries rejects us, we will have diplomatic links to one of the other ones. We shouldn¡¯t put all our eggs in one basket.


    Billy: Not to mention, we don¡¯t know where the System is going to spit us out. Having various destinations to choose from will cut down on travel for those who end up too far away from their first choice. We don¡¯t even know if we¡¯ll end up near cities at all.


    Janet: This seems like a good time to remind you all to make copies of the maps in the ¡®Exit Strategy¡¯ section of the forum.


    Erin: We still have two weeks left on the tutorial. You don¡¯t have to remind us every day.


    Janet: The tutorial changed once, there¡¯s no guarantee that it won¡¯t change again. The faster we are ready, the more prepared we will be when it happens.


    Billy: Honestly, I hear what you¡¯re saying Janet, but there¡¯s such a thing as being overprepared.


    Erin: or paranoid¡­


    Janet: Think whatever you want, but remember, your lives are on the line here. It pays to be prepared.


    Karen: We understand. Thanks for everything you¡¯re doing, Janet.


    Erin: Teacher¡¯s pet.


    Karen: Class clown.


    Janet sighed, closing her Menu. For the most part, the players from Earth were well-rounded individuals who played the game for fun, but some of them could be quite childish at the worst of times.


    Janet pulled her map out of her Inventory to double check their locations. She had chosen one city in each country, with secondary cities as backups if too many groups headed to the capitals. If Olina was right, the average person could traverse the map in a few days at a run, or a few weeks if they had to take their time. Janet assumed that a group as large as theirs would take a month at least.


    If her exit plan worked, that is.


    ¡°Hey Janet.¡± Devon walked up to her. ¡°Can I borrow one of the bestiaries? I wanted to copy down some of the monster profiles for later reference.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Janet pulled a set out of her Inventory. ¡°Which volume?¡±


    Devon consulted a piece of paper. ¡°Umm¡­ two and three, I think? Wait, that one¡¯s in volume one¡­ can I just borrow the set?¡±


    ¡°Take volume one for now,¡± Janet said, handing him the book. ¡°And come back when you need the next one.¡±


    ¡°All right, thanks.¡±


    He walked away and Janet returned the other books to her Inventory. The study section of the courtyard felt empty without all the books on the shelves, but Janet wasn¡¯t going to risk their most precious resources getting left behind in the case of a sudden teleportation.


    They had taken a vote on whether to return the books to their owners or make Janet the safekeeper and librarian, and the decision had been unanimous.


    Janet¡¯s biggest worry was that no one would take them in. According to the other Tutorial Leaders, the System had made a questionable decision when preparing this tutorial, and it was more than likely that everyone on Ember already hated them.


    She had contingency plans for if that happened. They mostly involved clearing a section of the forest and living in caves, but that obviously wasn¡¯t ideal.


    Janet was browsing the forum, answering questions about their exit strategy when her Menu suddenly closed. Janet frowned, bringing it back up, but the forum was nowhere to be found.


    Shouts of alarm rang out across the courtyard and Janet¡¯s gaze snapped up to the portals¡ªrather, to where the portals should have been. The space was now empty.


    Janet hated being right.


    ¡°Carl, head to the dorms, get everyone to the courtyard,¡± she yelled, stowing her map and notebook in her bag rather than her Inventory. ¡°Devon, find the younger players and get them to the center of the crowd. Everyone remember what we practiced. Don¡¯t huddle in too close, people need to breathe.¡±


    Carl disappeared into the dorms and Devon disappeared into the crowd.


    ¡°What about the people in the trials?¡± someone shouted.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do anything for them right now,¡± Janet yelled back over the murmurs of the crowd. ¡°For now, we need to focus on staying together.¡±


    A notification popped up, confirming Janet¡¯s worst fears.


    This tutorial has been deemed insufficient to teach you the ways of the System and Ember. You will each be teleported to a random location on Ember, where you will be given a personal tutorial in the form of a chain quest. Please prepare for teleportation.


    ¡°Link up!¡± Janet shouted, grabbing the hand of the person on her right and the shoulder of the man on her left. Two other people put a hand on each of her shoulders.


    ¡°If you have a hand free, you¡¯re doing it wrong,¡± Janet shouted. ¡°Make sure no one is left behind. Carl status check!¡±


    ¡°The dorms are empty!¡± he shouted back.


    ¡°Okay, sound off!¡± Janet yelled.


    One by one, her players shouted the number she assigned them at the beginning of the week. There were a few hiccups in the middle, but they got through the list, only missing ten numbers.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    At least four of those belonged to Emma and her group.


    The group began to glow.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± someone asked, coming around the corner of the dorms.


    Janet¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Huddle up, now!¡± she snapped.


    The man didn¡¯t hesitate, grabbing the arm of the closest person just in time. The courtyard melted around them, resolving itself into a grassy field.


    Janet wobbled, disoriented by the shift, but she quickly regained her balance.


    ¡°All right, sound off again!¡± she called.


    They went through the numbers again, this time only missing nine.


    It worked, she thought with relief. They had managed to stay together.


    Now came the hard part.


    * * *


    Rayna woke to a migraine. She sat up, trying to heal the pain away but her healing spells did nothing.


    She sighed, rolling out of bed. The events of the previous night were fuzzy, but she remembered some of the conversation; mainly that Ronari was planning a coup. Had Rayna passed out?


    Rayna found her staff propped by the door. She grabbed it and headed downstairs.


    She stopped when she heard voices.


    ¡°They¡¯re fighting me!¡± Ronari snapped. ¡°Why would they do that?¡±


    ¡°Fighting?¡± Amon asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re holding hands, grabbing shoulders; they¡¯re forcing me to send them in batches.¡±


    Who was fighting? From the sound of it, Ronari had succeeded in becoming the Administrator. Rayna wasn¡¯t too thrilled to be implicated in a political struggle, but at least Ronari seemed to be too focused on her task to pay attention to what Rayna was doing at the moment.


    ¡°Maybe the Chosen are just consoling each other,¡± Amon suggested. ¡°Empathy is an admirable trait.¡±


    Rayna stiffened. The chosen? She was doing something with the humans? Why?


    ¡°I could handle it if that were all,¡± Ronari said. ¡°That would be groups of five, maybe ten people; proper parties that can grow together and have each other¡¯s backs. They¡¯re in groups of five hundred! They¡¯re raid parties made up of Initials! It¡¯s ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hardly a bad thing that they¡¯re looking out for each other,¡± Amon pointed out.


    ¡°No, it is a bad thing!¡± Ronari snapped. ¡°Safety in numbers is not the mentality we need right now! We need competition! We need to get them as strong as possible, and they can¡¯t do that if they¡¯re wasting their time protecting each other. I thought humans were individualistic and self-sufficient.¡±


    ¡°What gave you that idea?¡± Amon asked.


    ¡°Rayna!¡±


    Rayna stiffened, thinking she had been caught until Ronari continued. ¡°She fights alone and somehow she keeps coming out on top. She hasn¡¯t had a day pass without a near death experience and she just keeps going. I thought humans were all like that!¡±


    ¡°Rayna isn¡¯t a human. Not anymore.¡±


    Rayna gripped her staff harder. She didn¡¯t care what her race was, Rayna was still human; she was still one of the Chosen. The System couldn¡¯t strip that away from her, no matter how hard it tried.


    ¡°Where are you sending them?¡± Amon asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m still working that out,¡± Ronari said. ¡°I can¡¯t just send them randomly anymore. They¡¯ll end up inside walls. I¡¯m aiming for cities with fields outside of them and open plains where they¡¯re not likely to run into monsters. I¡¯m also trying to avoid harsh climates, but I¡¯m running out of free areas.¡±


    ¡°And what about Rayna¡¯s friend?¡± Amon asked. ¡°You told me she had someone she was trying to get back to in the tutorial. Where is her group?¡±


    Rayna held her breath. Ronari would bring them right to Helia, wouldn¡¯t she? Rayna could find Emma when she got back to the city. She wondered how high Emma¡¯s level was at this point.


    ¡°Luckily, she was in the trial when all of this went down,¡± Ronari said. ¡°I¡¯m sending her as far away as possible. If Rayna settles down, she won¡¯t want to travel. She said it herself, she only moved to follow her friend. If she has to search for her, she is more likely to unlock the rest of the hubs.¡±


    Rayna forced herself to remain calm. She wanted to burst through the door and demand Ronari bring Emma to Helia now, but if she did that, she would only prove to Ronari that she was right.


    Instead, Rayna waited, trying to see how long it would take Ronari to notice her. If the Administrator was too distracted to follow her around, it would make searching for Emma easier, but if Ronari could teleport Emma around to keep her out of reach, Rayna would never find her.


    ¡°Are you going to tell her what happened last night?¡± Amon asked.


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Ronari snapped. ¡°The more she knows, the more power she will have over the System. It¡¯s better that she stays in the dark, for all our sakes.¡±


    Rayna blinked. What the hell were they talking about?


    ¡°The Lerian Administrator has always been an integral part of System maintenance,¡± Amon said. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to work with her, or she can¡¯t help you fix anything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just lead her where she needs to go,¡± Ronari said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to know why she¡¯s fixing the hubs, as long as she does it. In the meantime, I¡¯ll just tell her they¡¯re teleport locations¡ªwhich isn¡¯t a lie¡ªand we¡¯re opening them to make finding Emma easier.¡±


    ¡°And if she catches on?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll wipe her memory, and we can try again.¡±


    ¡°Ronari!¡± Amon sounded horrified by the mere suggestion.


    Rayna¡¯s heart sped up. Ronari could wipe her memory? Had she done it last night? Was that why Rayna couldn¡¯t remember anything?


    Was there a way to block her out?


    Would you like to remove Ronari, Administrative Assistant, from the list of people who can access your personal profile?


    Yes, remove her. Block everyone but me.


    Permission removed. You are now the sole Administrator for your personal profile.


    Rayna slumped in relief. She didn¡¯t want anyone poking around in her thoughts.


    Collecting herself, she put her staff away in her Soul Realm and straightened her clothes, rubbing her eyes to make them look more tired.


    She walked silently up the stairs and stomped back down, making enough noise to alert the others to her presence.


    She opened the door and yawned. ¡°What happened, did I fall asleep?¡±


    Ronari smiled at Rayna. ¡°How much do you remember?¡±


    Rayna frowned dramatically. ¡°We were standing around, talking about¡­ a coup, I think¡­ did you do it?¡±


    Ronari nodded, looking relieved. Rayna wondered if Ronari knew how bad her poker face was.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Administrator now,¡± she lied. ¡°I¡¯ll work on fixing up the System, though I might need some help reactivating the System Hubs.¡±


    She frowned suddenly, her jaw clicking shut, but she quickly covered it, nodding to a table. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let Amon get you some food while I finish dealing with some Administrative matters?¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°No need, I¡¯ve got some stew left in my Soul Realm.¡± And there was no way she was eating anything Ronari or Amon put in front of her. ¡°Let me know when you want to leave.¡±


    ¡°Actually, about that¡­¡± Ronari said, standing up. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to travel with you personally.¡±


    Rayna forced a frown to cover her relief. ¡°Oh? Well, I guess that makes sense with you being the Administrator now. It would be silly for you to keep babysitting a single player. Umm¡­ can I visit you from time to time?¡±


    Ronari nodded. ¡°Of course! You can talk to me in any of the System Hubs. You might have to unlock a few first.¡± Ronari smiled, but her words had an air of desperation to them. ¡°It¡¯s better if you unlock as many of them as you can. They can be used as teleporters, you know.¡±


    Rayna perked up. ¡°Really? Can I teleport to them from anywhere?¡±


    She didn¡¯t think her act was very convincing, but apparently, Ronari was very confident in the fact that Rayna didn¡¯t know anything.


    Either that, or she thought Rayna was stupid.


    ¡°Not from anywhere,¡± Amon said. ¡°You can travel from one teleporter to another. So, if you opened the teleporter in the capital of Helia, for example, you could teleport back here from there.¡±


    Rayna nodded. ¡°Gotcha. That¡¯s actually really convenient. How do I find the hubs?¡±


    Ronari opened her mouth to answer but Amon talked over her. Rayna got the feeling that Amon was not on board with Ronari¡¯s plan, which was good news for her. She would need someone she could get information from without Ronari¡¯s interference.


    ¡°Check your map,¡± Amon said. ¡°I¡¯ve filled out as much as I can, and I¡¯ve marked every location that I know of. It¡¯s been a while, so take it with a grain of salt, but most of those hubs should still be there.¡±


    Rayna grinned. ¡°Thanks!¡± She finished her stew quickly and headed for the door.


    ¡°Oh, and Rayna,¡± Ronari said.


    Rayna froze, turning around with a curious expression pasted on her face. ¡°Yes?¡±


    Ronari smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to call me when you open new hubs. I can¡¯t integrate them if I don¡¯t know they exist.¡±


    Rayna nodded. ¡°Will do.¡±


    She walked out the door, heading down the mountain as fast as she could.


    * * *


    Amon waited until Rayna was gone to turn back to Ronari. ¡°You¡¯re leaving her on her own? I thought you were going to protect her!¡±


    Ronari frowned. ¡°There was an¡­ unexpected development.¡±


    Amon raised an eyebrow. ¡°Development?¡±


    Ronari nodded. ¡°When I took the Administrative Assistant position, I seem to have lost access to Rayna¡¯s System.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Amon snapped.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a glitch,¡± Ronari said quickly. ¡°It will fix itself when I get more keepers on board. She still has the AI to run her System functions, so this shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a problem?¡± Amon repeated incredulously. ¡°You just sent the Administrator out with no protection. Can you even tell where she is without access?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll know the next time she opens a System Hub,¡± Ronari said. ¡°And I¡¯ll check in on her then.¡±


    Amon bit back an angry retort. This was a disaster, not just a bump in the road as Ronari seemed to think. If Rayna was killed, the whole System would collapse! And she was walking around with nothing but an AI for backup? That was practically a worst-case scenario.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fix it,¡± Ronari said. ¡°I just need time to figure out how it happened.¡±


    ¡°And if she gets herself killed while you¡¯re trying? I¡¯ll remind you again, she is the Administrator!¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll find another one,¡± Ronari snapped. ¡°I¡¯ll hold it together until we do. I did not lie dormant for six thousand years just to see the world fall apart as soon as I open my eyes.¡±


    Amon shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re playing with fire, Ronari. One wrong move and the whole world goes down in flames.¡±

 Chapter 33: Administrator Privileges

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 Chapter 34: Bad Liar

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 Chapter 35: Out of Place

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 Chapter 36: With Friends Like These

    Several hours earlier¡­


    Emma found Janet near the empty shelves that used to be the library. With only a week or so left on the tutorial, they had stowed most of the furniture and items in Inventories to make sure they didn¡¯t lose anything.


    ¡°Hey Janet, a couple of us are going in for our last run,¡± Emma said, gesturing at the portals with her thumb. ¡°Can you mark Kelsey, Andrea, Nathan P. and me as out of attempts?¡±


    ¡°Are you taking a fifth?¡± Janet asked, marking them off in her notebook.


    Emma would have preferred it if they were, but unfortunately she couldn¡¯t find anyone who fit in their team. They were all nearing the First Ascension and bringing someone who was ten levels lower would only put the fifth player¡¯s life in danger.


    It was a shame, too, since her group was going in without a proper damage dealer. Emma¡¯s skills were focused on healing and while Andrea was a decent Mage, her Mana level was too low. She kept running out early and having to spend the rest of the fight in close combat with crappy stats. It led to them choosing weaker monsters and, as a consequence, getting less Experience.


    Maybe Janet would go¡­


    ¡°Everyone high enough is already out of attempts. Unless you have one left¡­¡± Emma probed.


    Janet shook her head. ¡°I ran out yesterday. Let me know when you get back, I have something I want to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Emma said, walking away to meet up with her group.


    ¡°The Cruennix Wolves would be a better fit!¡± Andrea insisted to Kelsey as Emma approached. ¡°We don¡¯t have the Dexterity to mess with anything faster and we don¡¯t have the firepower to mess with anything bigger.¡±


    ¡°We could just kill a bunch of Robis and be done with it,¡± Nathan suggested. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I could use a sweep button on this challenge.¡±


    Andrea shook her head. ¡°Robis don¡¯t go high enough. It would be a total waste. Has anyone tried Forest Geckos yet?¡±


    ¡°Rayna did,¡± Emma said. ¡°At least she was planning to, but everyone after that has gotten a message that there were no suitable monsters in the area.¡±


    Andrea grimaced. ¡°Sorry, Emma. I forgot about your friend. Has there been any news?¡±


    Emma and Andrea had teamed up a few times before this. Nathan and Kelsey, who had never fought beside Emma before, looked curious, but they didn¡¯t pry.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find her when we get out of here,¡± Emma said. ¡°And I¡¯m with you; Cruennix Wolves are easy enough to kill and we should be able to find four of them at a high enough level.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re not even twice the Experience per level as a Robi,¡± Kelsey argued. ¡°We might as well skip our last attempt if we go for them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I am not interested in going up against a Level 20 Albasaur,¡± Nathan said.


    ¡°You mean an Aquasaur,¡± Andrea corrected him.


    ¡°Close enough,¡± Nathan snapped. ¡°I¡¯m sick of water spitting dinosaurs and vine growing chickens. Just, for the love of all that is holy, let me have an easy round.¡±


    ¡°Or you can go in separately and kill your Robi,¡± Kelsey said, rolling her eyes. ¡°No one said you have to come with us.¡±


    Nathan¡¯s lips formed a thin line. ¡°Unfortunately, I like living, and I don¡¯t trust the System to give me the monster that I ask for. I¡¯m sure you know all about that, don¡¯t you Kelsey?¡±


    Kelsey narrowed her eyes, but neither player elaborated.


    Emma looked between them, considering pushing them for information. If this was going to affect their ability to work as a team, then it might be better if they called the whole thing off.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Kelsey said before Emma could make up her mind. ¡°Let¡¯s just do the Wolves. They¡¯re better than Robis, at least, but hold on a sec.¡± She turned to a nearby player and gestured for her to come over. ¡°You over there, do you have any attempts left?¡±


    The girl blinked, looking around and pointing to her chest. ¡°Me?¡±


    Kelsey nodded. ¡°Yeah, you. Level 15¡ª¡± She squinted at the girl¡¯s name tag. ¡°¡ªBrittney? Mind if I call you Britt? Seems like a waste to not bring a fifth person. You want a quick Experience boost?¡±


    Brittney only hesitated for a moment before running over. ¡°Of course! Umm¡­ what are we fighting?¡±


    Emma frowned at Kelsey. ¡°I don¡¯t think bringing a lower level player is a good idea.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the best healer in our group,¡± Kelsey said dismissively. ¡°We¡¯ll focus on killing the wolves, you just keep us alive.¡±


    This was not what they had discussed. Nathan shifted anxiously and Andrea looked ready to quit and just do a solo run. Emma was leaning that way too.


    ¡°Come on, I wanna get this over with!¡± Kelsey touched the portal.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Emma snapped, taking a step backward.


    It didn¡¯t matter. No matter how many times they asked the Liaisons, a confirmation screen for parties had not yet been added. The first person to touch the portal was designated team leader, and however many players the team leader said were in their party, the System would drag that many people into the portal. There were strict procedures on how team based trials were run for this very reason.


    The blood-stained trial room resolved around Emma, this one much larger than the standard one person rooms. The larger your party, the larger your trial space would be. This trial room was nearly half the size of a basketball court, providing the team with enough room to dodge and coordinate without wasting stamina to chase down the opponents.


    Emma turned to the lower level player. ¡°Stay out of the way and yell if you¡¯re in trouble, okay? Don¡¯t forget to heal someone so you get the Experience.¡±


    Brittney nodded, gripping her staff uncertainly. The weapon was covered in swirls and strange shapes. It almost looked like Brittney doodled on the wood when she got bored.


    Emma wasn¡¯t sure if this choice of weapon was intentional or if Brittney had been one of the poor saps who got tricked into trading weapons with other players who had chosen poorly.


    Emma stomped over to Kelsey. ¡°What the hell is the matter with you?!¡± she demanded. ¡°You know the rules. You confirm with your party before going in.¡±


    Kelsey shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal. We all just want to hurry up and finish this.¡±


    ¡°We agreed that Emma was going to be the team leader,¡± Andrea said. ¡°She has the most experience.¡±


    Kelsey scoffed. ¡°How hard is it to summon a few Cruennix Wolves? One moment¡­¡±


    Kelsey entered something on her screen and confirmed it with the System.


    You have challenged five Level 20 Forest Geckos.


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    Kelsey covered her mouth with her hand in a mocking gesture. ¡°Oops. My finger must have slipped.¡±


    Emma frowned. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Forest Geckos¡ª¡±


    She was interrupted by the appearance of five gigantic geckos. Their skin was a ghostly white and their teeth were crooked and uneven.


    The minute they appeared, they started to writhe in agony.


    ¡°What did you do to them?¡± Nathan asked, staring in horror at the five monsters on the ground.


    ¡°Nothing, really,¡± Kelsey said. ¡°I just dragged them out of their natural habitat. I learned pretty early on that these guys don¡¯t like light.¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Nathan said. ¡°So, we can just¡ª¡±


    He cut off mid-sentence, slowly looking down at the gaping hole where his stomach had been a moment before. He stumbled back a step and dropped to the ground.


    Emma swore, casting a healing spell on him immediately. A wound that would have been instantly fatal on Earth was a lot more manageable here, thanks to healing spells. His skin slowly began to knit back together.


    Andrea didn¡¯t wait for Kelsey to attack again. She pounced on the other woman, casting her spell to draw lightning out of thin air.


    ¡°Oh, please,¡± Kelsey said, yawning dramatically. ¡°You could at least make this interesting for me.¡± She sidestepped the lightning attack and advanced on Andrea, cutting off the woman¡¯s arm with a swift strike of her blade.


    Andrea retreated, gripping her shoulder with a pained grimace. ¡°Players don¡¯t give Experience,¡± she growled. ¡°What do you hope to gain from this?¡±


    Kelsey pretended to look thoughtful ¡°Maybe I just want to blow off some steam,¡± she said. ¡°Or maybe, I found a way around the single monster limit.¡± She grinned, showing her teeth in an unnerving expression. ¡°I tried to grow the right way first, I really did. but one monster per person was so slow. Then it occurred to me--¡± She knelt by Andrea¡¯s severed arm, picking it up and inspecting it absently. ¡°The System counts us on the way in, it doesn¡¯t care how many people make it out.¡±


    ¡°I knew it,¡± Nathan said, his voice quivering. ¡°The System malfunctions, your miraculous escapes. It was all bullshit.¡± He sat up, glaring at Kelsey with burning hatred. ¡°You killed Lyle for a few measly points of Experience.¡±


    Kelsey looked over at him, tilting her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be up so soon. Emma¡¯s spells must be stronger than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, bitch!¡± Nathan snarled. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so scared,¡± Kelsey mocked. ¡°The little ranger is going to hit me with his little darts. Maybe if you picked a real weapon, you wouldn¡¯t be sacrifices toward my growth arch.¡±


    Emma gawked. ¡°This isn¡¯t a fucking game.¡±


    ¡°But it is a game,¡± Kelsey said. ¡°You people keep denying the obvious. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll be the one to win it in the end! I don¡¯t care how many people I have to sacrifice to beat the final boss. Maybe after I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll become the final boss. That¡¯s a pretty neat twist ending, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Something whooshed past Emma¡¯s ear, embedding itself in Kelsey¡¯s shoulder.


    Emma whirled around, finding Brittney with another knife already in hand.


    ¡°Nathan, is it?¡± Brittney said, glaring at the man on the ground. ¡°If I survive this, I¡¯m going to kick your ass for not warning me away from this psycho.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Kelsey snapped, pulling the knife out and throwing it back at Brittney.


    Emma caught the knife midair and tossed it to Brittney hilt first. Brittney caught it and stuck it in a belt sheath that Emma hadn¡¯t noticed before.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s rude to interrupt a monologue?¡± Kelsey ran across the room, a sword appearing in her hands. Brittney blocked Kelsey¡¯s advance with her staff.


    Emma moved to intervene, but to her surprise, the staff held. Brittney pushed forward, driving Kelsey off of her.


    Kelsey jumped back, dodging another lightning bolt from Andrea and a few ¡®little darts¡¯ from Nathan¡¯s blowgun.


    Emma swung her glaive at Kelsey, driving her back until she was in the center of the room again. Kelsey tripped over one of the writhing Geckos, drawing an angry hiss as the monster slithered away.


    Emma put her glaive to Kelsey¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Forfeit the trial,¡± Emma snapped. ¡°now.¡±


    Kelsey grinned. ¡°Ah yes, my favorite part. You can¡¯t actually leave without me.¡± She leaned forward, pricking herself on the blade in Emma¡¯s hand. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not scared of the dark.¡±


    Darkness exploded from her, and something slammed into Emma¡¯s chest, throwing her against the wall. She fell to the ground, stunned and winded.


    Kelsey¡¯s maniacal laughter filled the room.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get away with this,¡± Andrea shouted. ¡°Janet¡¯s not stupid. She¡¯ll figure out something is off.¡±


    ¡°Oh, will she?¡± Kelsey asked, her voice seeming to come from all directions. ¡°She didn¡¯t before.¡± Suddenly, Kelsey¡¯s voice grew terrified. ¡°They were¡ªthey were everywhere! I couldn¡¯t even see them! And Lyle¡ªOh God, Lyle!¡± She sobbed, the sound morphing into another round of laughter. ¡°Janet didn¡¯t suspect a thing.¡±


    Nathan roared in anger.


    Pain erupted on Emma¡¯s arm, and she cried out.


    ¡°Emma, are you okay?¡± Andrea called.


    Emma couldn¡¯t respond.


    You have been paralyzed.


    Emma tried to move, but she couldn¡¯t even adjust her gaze. Was this what had kept Rayna from returning?


    Panic rose in her chest. She had no way to know how long the paralysis would last. She was in a room with a serial killer and five Level 20 monsters and there was nothing she could do to protect herself.


    Andrea¡¯s shout rang through the air, followed by Nathan¡¯s. the spot where Emma had been bitten burned painfully and she tried desperately to make her System open so she could cast a healing spell on herself.


    Emma¡¯s screen popped up. Had she done it?


    Without the ability to move her eyes, she could only focus on four little words that held her salvation.


    Please prepare for teleportation.


    Light flashed in Emma¡¯s eyes and a moment later she was standing on a beach, still paralyzed.


    Ten yards in front of her, Kelsey stood with a triumphant expression. Her expression faded as she met eyes with Emma.


    ¡°We weren¡¯t touching! Why did it stick me here with you.¡± Kelsey snarled.


    Brittney appeared behind her, slamming her staff into the woman¡¯s head. ¡°Shut up already, would you?!¡±


    Brittney rushed over to Emma and squeezed something into her palm. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this¡¯ll work. It¡¯s supposed to be a preventative measure but¡ª¡±


    Emma stumbled forward as her muscles unlocked. Brittney caught her, helping her upright.


    ¡°Awesome,¡± Brittney said. ¡°Take this.¡± She pressed a piece of wood with a symbol carved on it into Emma¡¯s palm. ¡°Go help Nathan. I¡¯ll get Andrea.¡±


    Emma ran over and pressed the wood into Nathan¡¯s hand. It crumbled into ash as Nathan jerked, falling face-first into the sand.


    Kelsey stirred and Emma walked over and put her glaive to her neck again. ¡°Don¡¯t move, or I¡¯ll shut you up for good.¡±


    Kelsey sneered at her. ¡°You will, will you? What were you on Earth, a salesclerk? I bet the tutorial was the first time you ever held a weapon.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    Emma cut off as a woman¡¯s shout reached them from the edge of the beach.


    ¡°Bro¡¯en gan he landi!¡± she yelled, running full tilt toward them. She stopped at the edge of the beach, glancing nervously at the sand.


    ¡°I think we should get off the beach,¡± Brittney said slowly.


    The ground beneath them started to vibrate.


    ¡°Run!¡± Emma put her glaive away, leaving Kelsey on the ground.


    They ran full tilt toward the woman as pits opened up in the sand. Emma didn¡¯t take the time to see what was inside, she just focused on not falling into them.


    Brittney pulled out her staff and jumped onto it. To Emma¡¯s shock, she rose into the air, riding the staff like a witch¡¯s broomstick. She held her hand out to Andrea and dragged her onto the wood.


    ¡°How much weight can that thing carry?¡± Nathan asked, climbing on after Andrea.


    ¡°No idea!¡± Brittney yelled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even sure if it would work.¡±


    Emma held out her hand, but a sword appeared, nearly severing her hand from her wrist.


    She jumped sideways as Kelsey catapulted onto the staff.


    ¡°Go away!¡± Nathan snapped, trying to push Kelsey off.


    ¡°We can settle our differences when we¡¯re off the death beach,¡± Kelsey snapped.


    But the staff couldn¡¯t carry the load. They dipped, the tip dragging in the sand.


    Nathan turned around and kicked Kelsey square in the chest. She went flying, landing on the sand with an angry shout. She rolled out of the way just in time to avoid another sand pit.


    He held his hand out to Emma.


    ¡°It won¡¯t hold four,¡± Emma told him. ¡°Get to safety. I¡¯ll catch up!¡±


    Brittney nodded, picking up speed and leaving Emma behind.


    Emma¡¯s feet stung as the sand burned through the souls of her shoes. She nearly fell into one of the holes and finally saw what was inside. Rows of giant teeth rotated in what looked like a cross between a mouth and a giant drill. Emma scurried back from the hole, her leg bleeding where it had snagged on one of the monster¡¯s teeth.


    Brittney and the others reached the edge of the beach and shouted for Emma to hurry.


    She tried to get up and start running again, but something flung her into the air. She screamed, flailing as she tried to control her descent.


    She never landed. Instead, a man caught her midair, lifting her out of reach of the terrifying beach.


    ¡°Huan agh lar?¡± the man asked, pulling Emma up so he could hold her more securely.


    Emma shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means.¡±


    He frowned, but he didn¡¯t say anything else. He deposited her on the edge of the beach and went back for Kelsey.


    Kelsey apparently hadn¡¯t seen the rescue. Instead of accepting the man¡¯s help, she dodged away from him, swinging her sword wildly to fend him off. There was panic on her face exaggerated enough to be seen even from this distance.


    He seemed to be trying to reason with her, but she backed away, dodging pits as they opened in the sand.


    One emerged directly under Kelsey¡¯s feet and she screamed as a giant worm rose out of the sand and swallowed her whole, sinking back down and disappearing within the beach.


    Andrea screamed, covering her eyes and Brittney looked like she might puke.


    Nathan looked shaken, but he shook his head. ¡°She brought that on herself.¡±


    Emma couldn¡¯t help but agree, but the sight of someone being eaten just like that¡ªeven a psychotic serial killer¡ªmade her queasy.


    When the man returned, looking upset, the woman comforted him, and they had a hastily whispered conversation before she turned to Emma and her group.


    ¡°Bro¡¯en,¡± she said, gesturing for them to follow. ¡°Ighen hebi ilk.¡±


    ¡°Any idea what they¡¯re saying?¡± Nathan muttered to Emma.


    ¡°Well, she obviously wants us to follow,¡± Brittney said, moving closer to the others. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s them or the worms,¡± Emma said, shuddering at the memory of the spinning rows of razor sharp teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll take my chances with them.¡±


    They followed their saviors, trying not to look back at the beach.


    Emma thought she was ready for Ember. It turned out, she had a long way to go.

 Chapter 37: Taking Back Control

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 Chapter 38: Emberan

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 Chapter 39: Secrets and Lies

    Enathar didn¡¯t return to the meeting. The Lords and Ladies of Helia could argue just fine without him standing there to silently judge them. This sort of useless time-wasting nonsense was why he refused the crown in the first place. He had bigger problems to deal with.


    The girl was alive.


    This was a good thing, of course, but it presented several problems that needed to be addressed before he could worry about the precarious position of the Chosen.


    The first thing he had to do was figure out how to undo that terrible first impression. She had looked at him the same way any young Lerian would look at a man of his level: like a monster about to gobble her up.


    At least her senses were not impaired. They were likely what saved her from the Arachne.


    He found Hinesh and Kalin Jenka, his old mentor, waiting outside his office.


    ¡°I was just looking for you,¡± Kalin said. The disapproval in his tone didn¡¯t bode well for Enathar¡¯s future. What had he done to draw his mentor¡¯s ire this time?


    Enathar led the way into his office, steeling himself for the unpleasant but unavoidable conversation ahead.


    ¡°Have I done something to displease you?¡± Enathar asked. ¡°Besides dare to ask you to come to Helia?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you are unaware of the situation,¡± Kalin snapped. ¡°How long were you planning on hiding that young woman, and why, in goddess name, are you letting her run around unsupervised?¡±


    Hinesh looked from Enathar to Kalin. ¡°Young woman? Did I miss something?¡±


    ¡°Rayna,¡± Enathar said. He wasn¡¯t sure when Kalin met her, but this would actually speed up the conversation. ¡°We have to do something about her.¡±


    ¡°Rayna? She¡¯s alive?¡± Hinesh asked. ¡°Where did you find her?¡±


    ¡°She found us, actually,¡± Enathar said. ¡°I just saw her talking to Lady Emery. She is unharmed, from what I can tell.¡±


    ¡°Which is a miracle,¡± Kalin snapped. ¡°Was this why you called me here? I could have used a few more details than ¡®we have a situation¡¯. Honestly, Enathar, the older you get, the more insufferable you become.¡±


    Enathar shook his head. ¡°Says the man less than half my age.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try it,¡± Kalin snapped. ¡°I assisted the midwife with your father¡¯s birth.¡±


    ¡°As riveting as this conversation is,¡± Hinesh said. ¡°Can someone explain to me what we are planning on doing about Rayna?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Enathar,¡± Kalin said. ¡°Tell me what you¡¯re planning to do about the child picking fights with men twice her size.¡±


    ¡°I was going to become her guardian, but there was a complication,¡± Enathar said. ¡°It¡¯s why I called you. I thought you might have an easier time resolving it than I.¡±


    ¡°Lady Emery?¡± Kalin guessed. ¡°What is her relationship with the child.¡±


    ¡°Patron and guardian,¡± Hinesh said, his voice sour. ¡°And self-proclaimed mentor. She was so smug, raving about how talented her new student is, only to fall apart when she thought Rayna died in the attack.¡±


    Enathar could never quite pin down the nature of Hinesh¡¯s relationship with Nali. It wasn¡¯t love, unrequited or otherwise; Hinesh was too sensible to make such a messy connection, especially considering Nali was happily married to Lord Emery.


    Most of Enathar¡¯s people had the good sense to break off all previous relationships between themselves and their predecessor¡¯s friends and family. It was difficult to lie to people who knew the person you were pretending to be.


    ¡°Could we not just grab Rayna while Lady Emery isn¡¯t looking?¡± Kalin suggested. ¡°It¡¯s a bit heavy handed, but the girl belongs with her people, especially at her age. What are Rayna¡¯s thoughts on this? Is she being stubborn?¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know anything about this,¡± Hinesh said. ¡°She thinks she¡¯s one of the Chosen.¡±


    Kalin frowned. ¡°Where did she come up with that idea?¡±


    ¡°We believe she was sent to the tutorial by mistake,¡± Hinesh said. ¡°Whether it was due to the trauma of suddenly being alone, or the result of some ability she has, she has taken on the personality and memories of one of the Chosen; a woman named Rayna.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Kalin nodded. ¡°That explains last night.¡±


    ¡°Last night?¡± Enathar asked.


    ¡°She insisted to the guard that she was human. She was quite defensive when he told her to show her name tag, even to the point of almost attacking him.¡± Kalin shook her head. ¡°She is too young to be running around like this.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much we can do about it,¡± Hinesh said. ¡°Nali claimed her first, and Rayna isn¡¯t likely to leave her, considering she came back after a week of everyone thinking she was dead.¡±


    Kalin nodded. ¡°That means we have two options: Take the girl by force or convince Lady Emery to give up guardianship of her.¡±


    Hinesh snorted. ¡°You¡¯d have an easier time taking her husband. Nali is convinced that Rayna is her ticket to bringing the humans to her side. This is literally about the end of the world for her. She won¡¯t budge.¡±


    ¡°We take her by force then,¡± Enathar said. ¡°As soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± Hinesh asked, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Until a few minutes ago, we thought she was dead.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Kalin said. ¡°If we wait too much longer, she¡¯s going to get herself killed for real. That guard was three times her level, at least, and she looked like she was going to bite him.¡±


    ¡°She is more responsible than that,¡± Hinesh argued. ¡°I had a long conversation with her. She thinks she¡¯s an adult, and she is carrying herself like one because of it. She won¡¯t go picking fights with random players.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Have you already forgotten what it was like to be a child?¡± Kalin asked. ¡°She would have fought me if something about me hadn¡¯t scared her off.¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with any of that,¡± Enathar said, though he noted the girl¡¯s temper as something to work on. ¡°She¡¯s a seer.¡±


    ¡°Not likely,¡± Hinesh said dismissively. ¡°That¡¯s by far the rarest of the gifts that could have messed with her head. She¡¯s more likely an Empath. It would explain the false memories.¡±


    ¡°What has you so sure?¡± Kalin asked. From his expression, Enathar could tell that he was taking the statement seriously.


    Enathar mentally checked that the wards on his office were still up, then he added an extra one, just to be sure.


    ¡°She said my name,¡± he said.


    ¡°Enathar?¡± Hinesh frowned. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean anything. A mind reader wouldn¡¯t have any trouble plucking your name out of any number of minds in this city.¡±


    ¡°Emberan,¡± Enathar said. ¡°She called me Lord Emberan.¡±


    The other two stared at him in disbelief.


    The title was wrong¡ªit should have been ¡®Crown Prince¡¯¡ªbut Emberan was a word that hadn¡¯t been uttered in centuries. Enathar barely even thought about his family name. There was no reason to. It was a lineage lost to time.


    And yet, it had once again been uttered within the castle of Ellis.


    ¡°Did anyone hear it?¡± Hinesh whispered despite the extensive wards.


    ¡°The servants guarding the meeting room,¡± Enathar said. ¡°And Lady Emery.¡±


    Hinesh swore.


    Kalin looked grim. ¡°Do we call the wolves?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Hinesh snapped. ¡°Nali isn¡¯t a threat. You¡¯re not going to treat her like some spy just because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Kalin said. ¡°Lady Emery is too smart to dismiss this as a simple slip of the tongue.¡±


    ¡°Which means she is smart enough to keep her mouth shut,¡± Hinesh snapped. ¡°And she happens to be a prominent figure in the local politics. Her disappearance won¡¯t go unnoticed.¡±


    ¡°People move on,¡± Kalin said. ¡°Memories fade. When the Dark Age comes, no one will notice one more person lost among the masses.¡±


    ¡°Her husband will notice,¡± Hinesh snapped. ¡°I will notice.¡±


    Kalin narrowed his eyes. ¡°Is that a threat?¡±


    Hinesh balled his hands into fists and for a moment, Enathar thought he might actually challenge Kalin.


    In the end, he knew better than to throw his life away for this folly.


    Hinesh turned away, gritting his teeth. ¡°She won¡¯t come easily.¡±


    ¡°They rarely do,¡± Kalin said. ¡°But they all adjust in time.¡± He turned to Enathar and bowed. ¡°Shall I give the order?¡±


    Enathar hesitated. This wasn¡¯t some villager on the edge of the kingdom. This was Lady Nali Emery. She was the youngest player in Helia¡¯s history to become a noble. Contrary to popular belief, her husband was the one who married into her thirty year term.


    Saying she wouldn¡¯t come easily was an understatement.


    But with her intelligence, skill and influence, she was too much of a threat to ignore.


    Reluctantly Enathar nodded at his mentor. ¡°Neither of them are to be harmed,¡± he said. ¡°Lady Emery is too strong a player to waste.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sire,¡± Kalin said. ¡°I will give the order at once.¡±


    ¡°The two of you are paranoid old fools,¡± Hinesh snapped. ¡°When you¡¯ve no friends left but the ones you wrap in chains, don¡¯t come looking to me for a sympathetic ear.¡±


    He stormed out of the office, slamming the door on his way out.


    Enathar frowned. The words hurt more than they should have. He had long since given up on having friends. He had a duty; to his people; to his world.


    Cleaning up the messes of his forebearers superseded any individual needs Enathar once had.


    Enathar was dead. All that was left was this empty shell of the man he used to be.


    * * *


    Sneaking around the castle wasn¡¯t a particular habit of Shela¡¯s, but Rayna¡¯s slip had piqued her interest. Not to mention, Lord Emery was so focused on a simple name mix up that he didn¡¯t even notice her as she followed behind him in the hall.


    Of course, her stealth skill did help a little in that regard. Shela wasn¡¯t too fond of meeting powerful people and there was a reason Lord Myre was practically the King of Helia.


    The nobility weren¡¯t born into their roles; they were elected based on strength, and no one even dared challenge Lord Myre for his position at the top. No one even knew what level he was now.


    Father Esh and a man Shela had never seen were waiting for Lord Myre outside of his office. She hung back, sticking to the shadows until the three of them disappeared inside.


    Curiosity driving her forward, Shela carefully pressed her ear to the door. A spell zapped her and she bit back a curse, backing up a step.


    What¡¯s goin¡¯ on in your head, stickin¡¯ your ear to a high nobleman¡¯s door like that? Shela admonished herself. She had been doing this too long to make such a stupid mistake.


    Backing away, Shela crouched in the shadows, waiting for them to come back out.


    Her mother would scold her for taking such risks. ¡®You¡¯re too nosey for your own good,¡¯ she always said. ¡®Some day it¡¯s goin¡¯ to getcha into trouble that your smart mouth can¡¯t get you out of.¡¯


    She was right, of course, but Shela¡¯s curiosity was insatiable, and if Father Esh was involved, they weren¡¯t talking about anything confidential. That man had no filter when he was in his cups, and everyone at the temple knew to keep your secrets close to your chest when he was around.


    It was one of the things that got him the Abbot position in the first place. Folks at the temple valued honesty, and an inability to keep a secret was seen as a sign of integrity, not a lack of discretion.


    That didn¡¯t mean that they didn¡¯t keep secrets, but you didn¡¯t go around advertising that you had one. Shela was careful to let a few of her own secrets slip now and again, just to make sure her friends didn¡¯t go digging for more. The worse you are at lying, the more folks seem to trust anything you say.


    People let their guard down if they thought you were too upright¡ªor too stupid¡ªto tell a lie.


    The door opened, drawing Shela out of her musing. She ensured her stealth skill was still active as Father Esh stormed out of the office.


    Lord Myre and the other man didn¡¯t come out after him. Shela decided to follow Father Esh, rather than risk the Lord Myre¡¯s notice.


    She flitted from shadow to shadow, walking several yards behind Father Esh as he moved through the city. His footsteps held purpose, but they were unhurried. She thought he was angry when he emerged from Lord Myre¡¯s office. Had she been wrong? Perhaps he had just been in a rush.


    He had been on edge since the tutorial began, but even more so since the Chosen arrived. This was more than just the approaching Dark Age, he was frustrated about the lack of support for the Chosen and his inability to find sponsors outside of the temple network. He had ranted for hours the night before about the stuck up nobles in the capital.


    Being the nosy person she was, Shela brought the good ale.


    They reached the temple and Shela considered splitting off and approaching Father Esh from another angle so it would look like she had run into him by coincidence.


    It had worked pretty well on Rayna that morning. The girl had no awareness of her surroundings.


    Unfortunately, Father Esh wasn¡¯t so young, nor so foolish as an Initial fresh out of the tutorial.


    ¡°That stealth skill works better if you¡¯re not moving,¡± he said suddenly, turning to look directly at her. ¡°Shadows aren¡¯t enough to make it work.¡±


    Shela dropped the skill, her cheeks flushing. ¡°How long did you know I was there?¡±


    ¡°Since Lord Myre¡¯s office,¡± he said, his tone disapproving. ¡°I would advise against such ridiculous endeavors in the future.¡±


    Shela resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Father Esh was only this formal when he was trying to appear mysterious or old. The truth was, he was only a little older than Lady Emery, and he acted even younger than he was.


    ¡°He seemed upset about somethin¡¯ Rayna said to him,¡± Shela admitted, figuring this was a secret that she didn¡¯t need to hold on to. ¡°So, I intended to ask him if somethin¡¯ was wrong, but he never turned around.¡±


    Father Esh stiffened. ¡°You were there?¡±


    Shela frowned. ¡°Yes, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t,¡± Father Esh snapped, dropping his benevolent mentor act. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you saw or heard, you were nowhere near that castle today, understood?¡±


    It seemed Shela had misjudged the Abbot. He had his fair share of secrets after all.


    And at least one of them was tied to the most powerful man in the country.


    ¡°I was just tidyin¡¯ up your office for you,¡± Shela said, shifting into a more casual tone. ¡°You¡¯re always so messy when you get in a tissy. Want to see the new filin¡¯ system I made for ya?¡±


    Father Esh shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll manage. I was wondering if you might run an errand for me while you¡¯re here.¡±


    Shela put on her helpful country bumpkin smile. ¡°What can I do you for?¡±

 Chapter 40: The Lounging Lyon

    Rayna expected Nali to take her back to the temple, but they passed the temple gates, heading instead toward the Eastern side of the city.


    They passed a line of storefronts, all of which seemed to be either closed or unpopular based on the distinct lack of people.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Rayna asked


    ¡°To get something to eat,¡± Nali said. ¡°Whether you consider yourself a child or not, you¡¯re in a child¡¯s body. Did you even bother to eat breakfast?¡±


    Rayna¡¯s stomach growled at the mention of food. Her cheeks flushed.


    ¡°I thought so,¡± Nali said with a mischievous smile. ¡°Come on. I know a place that makes fantastic caram, and I own it, so we can eat there for free.¡±


    Rayna wasn¡¯t sure what caram was, but it was probably better than the rations from the tutorial and Rayna was sick of stew after eating it for a week straight.


    She made a mental note to stock up on various foods before leaving the capital. Who knows when her next week-long detour would be, and she wanted to be prepared.


    The place Nali mentioned was a small tavern on the edge of the marketplace. It was plain, with the most notable thing about the facade being the sign that read ¡®the Lounging Lyon¡¯ in bright golden letters.


    Rayna hoped this was one of those hole-in-the-wall hidden gems that you found in the back alleys of Seoul and not the food-poisoning factories you find on the side of the road near tourist traps.


    Nali was the one running it, so it was probably fine.


    The inside was as plain as the facade, with tables and chairs filling most of the front room. A visible set of stairs in the back of the room led to a second floor that Rayna didn¡¯t remember seeing when she was outside.


    A woman sat behind the front desk. Her glowing blue eyes framed with dark blue feathers and a beak grew out of her face where her mouth and nose should be.


    [Din Lan ¡ª Level 153]


    [Azuranian]


    The beak didn¡¯t seem to affect her ability to talk, but there was a parrot-like quality to her voice.


    She greeted them with a smile. ¡°Nali! What a pleasant surprise. Table for two?¡±


    ¡°In the back, if you please,¡± Nali said. ¡°Looks slow this morning.¡±


    Rayna glanced at the completely empty dining room. Slow was an understatement.


    ¡°Only regulars in today,¡± Din said, leading them to a table in the corner. ¡°What can I get for you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take two specials and a side of erum root,¡± Nali said. ¡°Over low heat, I think, but it might need more than that by the end of the day.¡±


    Rayna¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. How long was Nali planning on staying that she ordered something that took a whole day to cook? Rayna needed to get back to the hub and make sure the Chosen were settling in all right.


    It took Rayna entirely too long to realize that Nali was speaking in code.


    In fact, the thing that tipped Rayna off was the sudden appearance of three barriers that coated the walls in a light glow and a shiny bubble around their table. The bubble extended just far enough to include Din.


    She nodded. ¡°Wards are up. What are we dealing with?¡±


    ¡°A high noble,¡± Nali said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll lash out or not, but I want to be prepared if he does. Who do we have in the rooms?¡±


    ¡°Just Gann, Prai and Trent,¡± Din said. ¡°Liyal is going to be mad she missed this. She left about a half hour ago.¡±


    Nali shook her head. ¡°She won¡¯t be jealous if she ever finds out who I¡¯m hiding from.¡±


    ¡°Myre?¡± Rayna guessed.


    Din drew in a sharp breath and Nali looked heavenward as if asking the sky for patience.


    ¡°Rayna, I think we need to work on your discretion.¡±


    Rayna frowned. ¡°It would be easier to be discreet if someone actually told me what was going on once in a while.¡±


    Din shook her head. ¡°I hope you know that none of my wards will hold up if he comes personally,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll go get your food and wake the others. We might have to leave here in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping it won¡¯t come to that,¡± Nali said.


    After Din walked away, Nali turned back to Rayna. ¡°I should apologize. You were right, I overreacted back at the castle, and I¡¯m partially responsible for our current predicament.


    ¡°As for treating you like a child, I¡¯ll apologize for that as well, but I do need to teach you, both as one of the Chosen and as an Initial. As you pointed out a moment ago, you have little knowledge of Ember¡¯s political system or the people that work within it. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have enough time for me to explain everything, so I¡¯ll start with the most important parts.


    ¡°This tavern is one of my safe houses. My holdings can be split into three categories: capital, provisions and safety. The first earns money and helps me sponsor the many students that I¡¯ve taken under my wing.


    ¡°The second consists of inns, restaurants, taverns and shops, all designed to make travel easier for those in my employ. It is cheaper to provide establishments that can fulfill their needs than to provide a stipend for each individual under my care.


    ¡°Finally, the last category consists of safe houses like this one. There is at least one in every major city, entirely staffed by players that are or were my students. I should mention that even those that have graduated out of my tutelage may continue to seek food or supplies at my stores.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°All right,¡± Rayna said. ¡°More pressing question: Why do we need a safe house?¡±


    ¡°As I said before, I don¡¯t know how Lord Myre will react.¡±


    ¡°To me getting his name wrong?¡± Rayna asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit petty?¡±


    Nali gave her a flat look. ¡°You¡¯re not stupid, Rayna. I don¡¯t know where you heard the name Emberan¡ªI didn¡¯t even know what the man¡¯s real name was¡ªbut you should have never said it aloud. Powerful men keep dangerous secrets, and you¡¯ve just shown the most powerful man in the country that you have a way of learning his.¡±


    Rayna groaned. ¡°I can¡¯t seem to catch a break here!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of your suspiciously bad luck,¡± Nali said. ¡°Would you like to tell me where you¡¯ve been for the past week?¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°I think I¡¯ll plead the fifth.¡±


    Nali frowned. ¡°Am I supposed to know what that means?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡± Rayna took a deep breath. ¡°All right, speed run. Are you ready?¡±


    Nali nodded.


    ¡°I was chased by Arachnes¡ª¡± Rayna began.


    ¡°Arachne,¡± Nali corrected. ¡°There¡¯s no ¡®s¡¯ on the plural.¡±


    ¡°Arachne,¡± Rayna acknowledged. ¡°And I passed out after getting to a safe place. Then I was kidnapped by a tree who I think wanted to keep me as a pet. I used my portal thingies to get out of that situation, but they dropped me into some sort of mirror dimension, and I couldn¡¯t figure out how to make a portal back.


    ¡°After walking for a while, I felt monsters, so I headed towards them¡ªit was pretty much the only thing I could find in there¡ªand ended up in a dungeon through a back door or something. I fought my way through the dungeon, but when I came down the mountain to come talk to you, I was turned away at the gate and spent the night in the tent city.¡±


    Nali sat in silence for a full minute, seeming torn between disbelief and laughter. ¡°That was indeed short¡­ I would like to hear some more details, but I¡¯ll respect your privacy if that is all you wish to tell.¡±


    Rayna nodded. ¡°I think that¡¯s all the details that really matter.¡±


    In truth, she was just tired of catching people up. She would tell Nali about any details that became relevant, but for now, that was enough.


    ¡°There is one thing I would like to know, however,¡± Nali said. ¡°When you say that you fought your way through a dungeon, were you speaking figuratively or literally?¡±


    Rayna hesitated. ¡°Literally. Is that a detail that I should have kept to myself?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Nali said slowly. ¡°But it¡¯s hard to tell how the people of Ember would take that news.¡±


    Din brought out their food while Nali was talking and disappeared up the stairs, presumably to wake the others as she said she would.


    Caram was a casserole of some sort. The dish was stuffed with small round noodles and topped with a generous amount of cheese.


    It was like a twist on mac and cheese with chunks of meat throughout and a salty herb-filled cream sauce.


    Rayna¡¯s mouth watered and she scooped a heaping spoonful into her mouth, swearing as she burned her tongue on the cheesy goodness.


    She healed it away, savoring the pesto-like herb base. She had never been so happy to not be eating stew.


    Nali waited for Rayna to rejoin the conversation, eating her alien mac and cheese at a much more controlled pace.


    Rayna blushed, wiping her mouth on her napkin and taking smaller bites.


    Nali just laughed. ¡°It¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Rayna nodded. ¡°But back to what you were saying. Why would the people of Ember react badly to mention of the dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Well, as far as I¡¯m aware, no one has set foot in a dungeon in a few thousand years,¡± Nali said. ¡°Some people believe they¡¯re myths.¡±


    Rayna paused with her spoon halfway to her mouth. ¡°But the dungeons are part of the Administrator¡¯s welcome speech.¡±


    Nali nodded. ¡°And while we are aware of what he says, most of the people on this planet were born here. Those that weren¡¯t are hermits and nomads, they don¡¯t regularly interact with society as a whole. Many believe that the words from the tutorial are nothing but empty promises and fancy lies designed to draw unsuspecting fools into a never ending battle for survival.


    ¡°Those that view the System more favorably believe that it is more of a metaphor for the hordes of monsters that plague us.¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°They¡¯re definitely real, and they give a lot better rewards than fighting in the forest. I hit Level 25 after the final boss.


    ¡°Which reminds me: I came here to ask you about Class Ascension.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t ascend for another week, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Nali said. ¡°Unless there were special exceptions made for the Chosen.¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°Not that I know of. All right, we¡¯ll jump to the other thing I wanted to talk about.¡±


    Rayna briefly explained her plan to house the Chosen in the System hubs. She was careful to avoid anything that might indicate that she had become the Administrator, and she left out the existence of the City Hub for now. She didn¡¯t want the citizens of Ellis to torch the place if they thought it was a way to sneak into the city.


    Technically it was, but Rayna didn¡¯t plan on using it that way.


    ¡°With housing covered¡ªonce I can open more dungeons, that is¡ªwe need help with the other necessities: Clothes, food, communication and gear. I understand that you can¡¯t outfit ten million players on your own dime, but any little bit would help.¡±


    Nali nodded. ¡°We can deal with that after the current situation has passed. Though, I do wonder how you plan on locating more dungeons, considering that no one knows that they still exist let alone where they are.¡±


    Rayna paused. Nali was right. She didn¡¯t have a clue where to find the next hub. She opened her map and scrolled around to confirm that the scan from Aila¡¯s hub hadn¡¯t found a new one. What was Rayna supposed to do, wander around until she found the next location?


    Could she use some sort of long range scanner? There had to be one that wasn¡¯t tied to the hubs, since Ronari was teleporting people all around the continent.


    She groaned inwardly. This meant she would have to talk to Ronari again.


    Nali spent the rest of the meal explaining the governmental system in Helia. Apparently, the nobles were elected every thirty years based on who was the strongest at the time. This was because the nobles were the ones that did most of the fighting. The knights and other strong players guarded the cities and helped people evacuate in emergencies, while civilians focused on keeping themselves and their families safe.


    It wasn¡¯t a very efficient system, but Nali assured Rayna that it was one of the better ones.


    Rayna only half-listened as she laid plans for where she would go after this. She needed to show Nali the hubs, but she was planning on convincing her to go up the mountain with her. She wasn¡¯t sure what she was going to do about Ronari. She didn¡¯t care if Ronari wanted to keep playing Administrator, as long as she wasn¡¯t too vocal about Rayna¡¯s role in everything.


    The more Rayna could fly under the radar, the better.


    ¡°As for the small scale politics, that varies from village to village,¡± Nali said. ¡°And some towns have their own governing bodies that only turn to the nobility when the Dark Ages are approaching. We don¡¯t care, as this minimizes cost during peace time and allows us to focus on growing stronger.¡±


    Rayna nodded. ¡°And Lord Myre is at the top because he is the strongest?¡±


    ¡°By far,¡± Nali confirmed. ¡°He is also the oldest and the most respected.¡±


    ¡°And yet, a single wrong word and you run straight to your safe house?¡± Rayna asked.


    She had made up her mind about this Lord Myre. He was either a tyrant or an ass¡ªmaybe both.


    She¡¯d stick to not interacting with nobility for now. She didn¡¯t have the energy.


    ¡°That¡¯s complicated,¡± Nali said. ¡°He¡¯s a good leader, but I don¡¯t know him well as an individual, and I¡¯d rather not get to know him either.¡±


    She glanced around the empty room. ¡°In any case, I may have overreacted. We should have heard something by now.¡±


    As if on cue, Shela burst through the door, slamming it behind her and leaning against the wood. She breathed hard, clutching her side as if she¡¯d been running.


    Nali stood up, moving between Rayna and the door.


    Shela grimaced. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to startle ya, Lady Emery. Father Esh sent me with this here note, see, and I may have forgotten the knockin¡¯ half o¡¯ his instructions.¡±


    ¡°I assume he gave you a way to get in as well,¡± Nali said, clear exasperation in her voice.


    Shela nodded, holding up a wooden coin about the size of a quarter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I was given strict instructions to give it to ya when I gave you the note.¡± She glanced back at the door. ¡°But I wonder if I might hang ¡®round here a mite longer?¡±


    Nali tensed. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I seem to have attracted a few stickers,¡± Shela said, nodding at the window where a hooded figure could be seen standing on the street corner. ¡°And they¡¯re provin¡¯ harder to shake than I expected.¡±


    Nali cursed and pulled the curtains shut.


    ¡°Din!¡± she shouted over her shoulder. ¡°Turn up the heat! We¡¯ve got company!¡±

 Chapter 41: Dirt Walls

    Rayna squinted against the sudden appearance of several more wards coating the outer walls. ¡°Damn, does Ember have sunglasses or something?¡±


    Shela sneezed. ¡°Sunglasses?¡±


    ¡°Never mind. What does the note say?¡± Rayna used her hand to shield her eyes from the magic burning her retinas.


    Shela sneezed again. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t read it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a note for me,¡± Nali said. ¡°Arguably one that didn¡¯t need to be sent. I¡¯ll have a word with Esh later.¡±


    Rayna¡¯s eyes finally adjusted enough that she could see more than blurry blobs as Din came down the stairs with three other people.


    Checking their name tags, Rayna confirmed that the newcomers were the Gann, Pria and Trent that Din had mentioned earlier. She also realized that she was, by far, the lowest level in the room.


    All of Nali¡¯s students were in the upper sixties.


    ¡°I hope you have a plan,¡± Din said. ¡°My wards aren¡¯t going to last long.¡±


    ¡°You and I will hold them off as long as we can,¡± Nali said. ¡°The rest of you, there¡¯s a trap door under the table that Rayna is sitting at. Here¡¯s a map¡ª¡± Nali handed a folded piece of paper to Pria. ¡°¡ªand a tracking beacon¡ª¡± She handed Gann a wooden coin similar to the one that Shela had used to enter the safe house. ¡°Don¡¯t activate that until you¡¯re out of the tunnels. It won¡¯t work underground anyway. We¡¯ll catch up when we can. If we¡¯re not there within an hour, I want you to take the long way around the city and meet us back at my estate, understood?¡±


    ¡°What if they overpower you?¡± Pria asked, her voice worried.


    ¡°They won¡¯t know about the trap door,¡± Nali said. Gesturing for Rayna to move, she put the table and chairs into her Inventory, revealing the plain wooden floor beneath.


    Nali grabbed the edge of a floorboard and lifted a panel that merged seamlessly with the rest of the floor.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant,¡± Pria said, sounding annoyed. ¡°What if we went through the roof instead? We could scatter in multiple directions; they won¡¯t be able to catch all of us.¡±


    ¡°But they would catch some of us,¡± Trent pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s a bad plan.¡±


    ¡°You could just come with us,¡± Gann suggested. ¡°They won¡¯t get through those wards for a while, and like you said, they don¡¯t know about the trap door. By the time they find it, we¡¯ll be long gone.¡±


    ¡°If they find no one, they¡¯ll keep looking,¡± Nali said. ¡°If they find Din and me¡ªwhether we escape or not¡ªthey¡¯re more likely to assume that there¡¯s no one else to find. Now, get inside. Those wards won¡¯t last forever.¡±


    Shela hopped into the hole without hesitation. ¡°When you see Father Esh next, tell him he owes me for this.¡±


    Nali nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll pass the message along. Rayna, you next.¡±


    Rayna jumped in, sighing in relief when she entered the more muted magic of the tunnel. Her hair was still bundled under her cap, blocking a good portion of the glow.


    The other three came next and before Rayna could wish her good luck, Nali had already closed the hatch.


    From the shuffling of wood overhead, Nali replaced the table and chairs to hide the trap door once more.


    ¡°All right, come on,¡± Gann said in a low whisper. ¡°The sooner we get out of the tunnels, the sooner Nali and Din can make a run for it.¡±


    They took off down the passage, traveling at a light jog that they could all easily maintain. The walls glowed with what Rayna thought were reinforcement spells. The dirt walls certainly didn¡¯t look like they should hold up over time and Rayna didn¡¯t see a single crossbeam as they ran.


    The spells on the walls were patchy, too. It wasn¡¯t one big spell, but a tapestry of little spells that got brighter in some sections and dimmer in others.


    Rayna lost track of the turns they took as Pria led them via the map Nali gave her. She seemed sure of her path until they came to a dead end.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t right,¡± she said, drawing her magic light closer to the map. ¡°This should be open.¡±


    ¡°Did we take a wrong turn?¡± Trent asked, peering over Pria¡¯s shoulder.


    She shook her head. ¡°We didn¡¯t.¡± She pointed to the map and traced the path they had taken with her finger. ¡°We¡¯re here, see?¡± She tapped a spot on the map that was marked as open.


    Rayna frowned. ¡°Why is it marked and not just open?¡±


    ¡°I thought that meant it was a way out,¡± Pria said. ¡°See there¡¯s another one here and here.¡± She indicated two more similar markings on the map.


    ¡°Let me see,¡± Gann grabbed the map. ¡°Maybe that marker means a deadend?¡±


    Trent shook his head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. Why would you mark that there¡¯s a tunnel on the other side then?¡±


    Gann glanced at Shela. ¡°You¡¯re awfully quiet. Have anything to add?¡±


    Shela shrugged. ¡°Not really. You all seem to be doin¡¯ a decent job with the navigatin¡¯. At least, it seemed that way ¡®til a minute ago.¡±


    Rayna frowned at the dirt blocking their way. It was too cleanly cut. Everything in the tunnel was rough, held in place by spells, but this patch was tightly packed dirt with a stronger glow than the rest of the walls.


    Rayna placed her hand on the dirt.


    She nearly fell over as her hand passed right through. Rayna regained her balance, pulling her arm back from the false wall.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Pria blushed, taking the map back from Gann. ¡°If Nali put an illusion down here, she should have said something.¡± She walked forward, slamming face first into a solid wall of dirt.


    Pria fell onto her backside, rubbing her nose. ¡°Damn, that hurt.¡± She glared at Rayna. ¡°I know you¡¯re new, Rayna, but you could have warned me you were using an ability to phase through the wall.¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t. My hand just went through.¡± She stuck her hand through again to demonstrate.


    Trent and Gann both tried, but they, too, found the wall to be solid.


    ¡°What about you, Shela?¡± Rayna asked.


    Shela shook her head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t much matter, does it? If they can¡¯t go through, we need to find another path.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a switch or something on the other side,¡± Rayna suggested.


    ¡°Not likely,¡± Shela said. ¡°It¡¯s more likely it¡¯s a trap to trick youngin¡¯s in and separate them from the group.¡±


    ¡°Youngin¡¯s,¡± Rayna asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the main thin¡¯ I can see that¡¯s different about you,¡± Shela said. ¡°All of us are full-grown folks, while you¡¯re, what? Ten? twelve?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-seven,¡± Rayna said in a flat voice.


    Gann snorted. ¡°You lie like a kid, too.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie,¡± Rayna snapped.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Pria said. ¡°Let¡¯s just find another path. It¡¯s not worth the risk and Nali and Din are still waiting for us to get out.¡±


    Rayna relented, glancing back one more time at the fake wall. She didn¡¯t like leaving mysteries unsolved.


    They ran into another dead-end some time later, but this time it was real. A cave-in had created a sloped mound of dirt where the path should have been.


    After this, Gann took over navigation, telling Pria to hold the tracker instead.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll do any better,¡± Pria pointed out. ¡°I can¡¯t help it if the map is wrong.¡±


    ¡°Just be quiet so I can focus.¡± Gann readjusted his grip on the map, tilting it as if a new perspective might reveal something new about the static piece of parchment.


    They traveled in silence, everyone¡¯s mood growing sour as they trudged through the dim tunnel.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Shela asked in a whisper, falling back to stand next to Rayna.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Rayna said, not really interested in talking.


    Shela must have sensed Rayna¡¯s mood because she backed off, walking in front of Rayna instead.


    Rayna didn¡¯t realize that the cave was getting dimmer until she nearly tripped over a rock the size of a small cat. She activated her Night Vision skill. The walls were even rougher in this part of the tunnels and dust periodically rained down from the ceiling, making Shela sneeze.


    The spells on the walls were getting weaker too.


    ¡°Hey guys,¡± Rayna said, her sour mood forgotten as her uneasiness grew. ¡°I think we should find a different path.¡±


    ¡°Because of the dirt?¡± Gann asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s just something that happens in tunnels like these.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re acting like you¡¯ve actually been down here before,¡± Trent said. ¡°It¡¯s going to take hours to get the dirt out of my hair.¡±


    Rayna reached a patch of the wall that was so dim, she wasn¡¯t sure there was even a spell there. She cautiously touched the wall and a chunk of dirt the size of her fist fell to the ground.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the spells holding the walls together are stable,¡± Rayna said.


    ¡°Spells?¡± Gann asked. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Rayna cast about for a way to explain without giving away that she could see magic. ¡°It¡¯s not like these tunnels are just holding up on their own. There are no supports; no crossbeams. The logical conclusion is that there¡¯s some sort of magic that¡¯s holding the walls up.¡±


    Trent laughed. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. These tunnels have been down here for centuries at least. Spells don¡¯t last that long.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Nali is refreshing them,¡± Rayna suggested, her annoyance growing again. ¡°And maybe she didn¡¯t mean for us to go this way.¡±


    ¡°Even Nali couldn¡¯t keep that many wards up at once,¡± Pria said, sounding more patient and understanding than the other two.


    It just came off as patronizing.


    ¡°All right, fine,¡± Rayna said. ¡°I can see magic.¡±


    Gann snorted. ¡°Yeah, right. and I can taste it.¡±


    Rayna narrowed her eyes at his back. ¡°I¡¯m being serious. Magic glows and the walls are getting dimmer with every step.¡±


    ¡°It could be that,¡± Gann said. ¡°Or maybe, it could be a nervous child making up stories so we¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    Rayna¡¯s temper flared. ¡°Or maybe you should take that stick out of your ass and listen to reason.¡±


    Gann stopped to glare at her. ¡°I¡¯m not turning away from the only clear path because some littlie got nervous about a few specks of dust in her hair. Why don¡¯t you shut up and stop acting like a princess just ¡®cause Nali took a liking to you.¡±


    ¡°Call me a littlie again and I¡¯ll take a chunk out of your arm,¡± Rayna snarled, baring her teeth. ¡°I¡¯m probably older than you are and I have a low tolerance for stupidity.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Gann said, rolling his eyes. ¡°Because you¡¯re twenty-seven?¡±


    Rayna didn¡¯t dignify the sarcastic question with a response.


    ¡°I¡¯m with Rayna on this one,¡± Shela said nervously. ¡°This place doesn¡¯t look very stable. We could¡ª¡±


    ¡°If the two of you want to go back, be my guest,¡± Gann said. ¡°But the map is staying with us.¡±


    Rayna balled her hands into fists, trying to get her anger under control. Intellectually, she knew she was overreacting; this was probably her child body throwing overblown emotions at her that she wasn¡¯t used to dealing with, but that didn¡¯t seem to reduce her desire to bite a few of Gann¡¯s fingers off.


    ¡°How about we do this,¡± Pria suggested. ¡°We backtrack a few tunnels and check the map again. If we find another path¡ª¡±


    ¡°There is no other path!¡± Gann snapped, his voice rising. Another chunk of dirt fell from the ceiling, the impact booming down the tunnel.


    The others ignored it, which only served to intensify Rayna¡¯s irritation.


    ¡°Rayna does have a point,¡± Trent said hesitantly. ¡°There¡¯s a lot more dirt coming off the walls than there was earlier.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taking her side?¡± Gann asked incredulously.


    ¡°I¡¯m not taking anyone¡¯s side,¡± Trent said. ¡°I¡¯m just being reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Reasonable to listen to her?¡± Gann shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s the one who got Nali into trouble in the first place. You heard what Din said! This girl mouthed off to Lord Myre and now we¡¯re running for our lives through some System-forsaken tunnels.¡±


    ¡°Din didn¡¯t say that,¡± Pria said. ¡°She said that Rayna said something she shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the same thing!¡± Gann said. ¡°She pissed off Myre and now we¡¯re all paying for it. And Nali is still protecting her for some reason. She¡¯s been a student for less than a week and she already knows about the safe houses!¡±


    ¡°Is this about Rayna?¡± Trent asked. ¡°Or is this because you¡¯re jealous?¡±


    ¡°Jealous?¡± Gann snorted. ¡°Maybe I just think Rayna should turn herself in instead of making Nali pay for her mistakes.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not sending a child to the vanishers!¡± Pria objected.


    ¡°I am not a child!¡± Rayna growled, squeezing her fists so tight that she made her palms bleed.


    ¡°Rayna, you need to calm down,¡± Shela whispered urgently.


    ¡°Why?¡± Rayna asked. ¡°Because I¡¯m supposed to be the better person? Gann is the one being an asshole here!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    Shela cut him off. ¡°You need to calm down because you¡¯re leakin¡¯.¡±


    That statement was so nonsensical that it managed to snap Rayna out of her anger. What the hell was that supposed to mean? She hadn¡¯t peed herself, had she? That would be the cherry on top of an already terrible day.


    Gann snorted. ¡°Leave it to a littlie to lose their cool in an emergency.¡±


    ¡°Oh, would you just shut it?!¡± Rayna¡¯s baseball cap flew off, her hair cascading over her shoulders and filling the tunnel with pale blue light.


    Rayna opened her mouth to say something else, but she froze as a low rumbling echoed down the tunnel. She turned her gaze to the end of the path, only dimly aware that Gann was running his mouth again.


    The tunnel grew darker as the rumbling grew in intensity.


    The tunnel was collapsing.


    ¡°Run!¡± Rayna shouted, taking off in the direction they¡¯d come.


    She didn¡¯t wait to see if they were following her, focusing on her footing. If she tripped, she wouldn¡¯t have time to get back up.


    Rayna didn¡¯t overthink the path. She didn¡¯t care if she had a way out afterwards. She focused on where the walls were brightest and headed in that direction.


    Despite their higher levels, the others were struggling to keep up. Pria screamed something, but Rayna was already out of telepathy range. She didn¡¯t dare stop to get closer.


    Then she came to a dead end.


    Rayna cursed, turning around and putting her back to the wall. She could see the others in the distance, still running from the cascading dirt.


    ¡°Come on!¡± she screamed, though they had nowhere to go if the dirt kept coming. Pria faltered disappearing under the dirt.


    Rayna screamed, backing away to press her back against the wall.


    She fell through it, landing hard on the other side.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Rayna jumped up, trying to run back through the wall, but the false wall didn¡¯t seem to go two ways. ¡°Shela! Gann! Trent! Can you hear me?¡± She didn¡¯t even like them, but she didn¡¯t want them to die. As panic rose in her throat, tears welled in her eyes. She couldn¡¯t do anything. She was trapped.


    What if¡­?


    Rayna pulled Phira out of her stone.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time!¡± Phira said. ¡°What¡ª¡± She stopped, taking in Rayna¡¯s current state. ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°The¡­ others¡­ are behind¡­ the wall,¡± Rayna sobbed, taking gulping breaths in each pause. ¡°Can you see¡­ if they¡¯re all right? I¡ªI can¡¯t get through.¡±


    Phira didn¡¯t ask for any more details. She disappeared through the wall.


    Rayna squeezed her eyes shut, keeping her hands firmly pressed against the wall.


    ¡°Please,¡± she whispered. ¡°Please let them be all right.¡±


    Phira didn¡¯t return for several agonizing minutes. Rayna¡¯s heart had slowed down enough that she could breathe normally, but the fear didn¡¯t dissipate.


    Phira finally returned, her expression confused. ¡°What was I supposed to be looking for?¡±


    ¡°Shela!¡± Rayna said. ¡°Or Gann or Trent. They were running from the collapsing tunnel.¡±


    ¡°Collapse?¡± Phira asked. ¡°As in there was a tunnel before?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Rayna snapped, wiping the tears from her eyes. ¡°There was an open tunnel with dirt walls and¡ª¡± Rayna paused, just now noticing the cold stone beneath her hands. She looked around, seeing more stone and not a speck of dirt.


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t a cave in on the other side of this wall,¡± Phira said, confusion in her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t think there was a tunnel there in the first place. All I could find was solid rock.¡±


    Rayna stared numbly at the stone. It wasn¡¯t a false wall, it was a portal.


    She could be anywhere on Ember now.

 Chapter 42: A Missing Child

    ¡°No!¡± Shela yelled, banging her fists against the side of the tunnel. She steered clear of the portal, as it wouldn¡¯t take her to Rayna anyway.


    ¡°What in System¡¯s name is wrong with her?¡± Gann asked. ¡°She was running like she had Sharpas on her tail.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s hallucinatin¡¯,¡± Shela said. ¡°From the way she¡¯s actin¡¯, I think she saw the tunnel collapsin¡¯ in on us.¡±


    ¡°So, she¡¯s stupid and crazy?¡± Gann asked.


    Shela turned around and punched Gann in the jaw, sending him slamming into the wall on the other side of the tunnel.


    The spells in this part of the tunnel were more stable than his ill-advised route. The dirt didn¡¯t even shudder.


    ¡°Are you nuts?¡± Gann snapped, holding a hand to his swollen lip.


    ¡°Open your mouth again and I¡¯ll break your jaw, understand me?¡±


    Gann stood, bristling. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your deal is, but we don¡¯t have time for this. If you find the half-pint, you can tell her to find her own way out of here. The rest of us aren¡¯t waiting.¡±


    He stormed away, the other two following reluctantly behind.


    Shela leaned against the wall, banging the back of her head lightly on the tightly packed dirt.


    What could she do? She had to find Rayna, but traveling through the panic portals was a surefire way to end up starving to death down there.


    How did a damn Lerian child end up in the capital anyway? Shela hadn¡¯t been a hundred percent sure until Rayna¡¯s hat came flying off, letting her hair loose. Shela didn¡¯t think she was a halfling, either. Rayna was a full-blown goddess-forsaken Lerian.


    And she was close to evolving.


    Shela grabbed her scry glass from her Soul Realm, silently begging the goddess to let her spell make it through the layers of dirt and stone above her head.


    ¡°Shela?¡± Elder Lona¡¯s voice asked through the scry glass. ¡°What¡¯s going on? You never call me.¡±


    ¡°A need a search party at Mount Herdo as soon as possible,¡± Shela said without preamble. ¡°There¡¯s a child lost in the tunnels. Mid-twenties. Black skin, white hair. She tripped through a panic portal.¡±


    ¡°Goddess bless!¡± the Elder exclaimed. ¡°How did she end up there in the first place?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, most of which I don¡¯t actually know. She¡¯s just hit the first plateau if I¡¯m judgin¡¯ correctly but she acts like she doesn¡¯t have a clue what¡¯s goin¡¯ on. I think she was raised outside of the community.¡±


    ¡°What species is on her name tag?¡± Elder Lona asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d be right shocked if it wasn¡¯t Lerian,¡± Shela said. ¡°But she claims it¡¯s broken. I haven¡¯t seen it yet.¡±


    Shela wasn¡¯t sure if this was a cover story, or if Rayna really didn¡¯t know what was going on. The first possibility seemed more likely. Rare race names tended to cause a stir and whenever Lerian came up, there was usually someone there to clean up the mess.


    How Rayna had made it to her twenties without anyone finding her was a mystery in and of itself.


    ¡°What symptoms should we look out for?¡± Elder Lona asked.


    ¡°Irritability. Mood swings. Hallucinations. No idea on the magic side o¡¯ things. Oh, and possibly delusions. Girl claims she¡¯s from the tutorial.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Just get down here with the sniffers as soon as you can. I¡¯m going in after her.¡±


    ¡°Shela, don¡¯t you dare! That portal could take you anywhere in the mountain and you can¡¯t even see the markings to get out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll get me inside,¡± Shela said. ¡°I¡¯ll find Rayna, then my scry glass can serve as a beacon to make it easier for the sniffers to find us.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think you can find her?¡± Elder Lona asked skeptically.


    ¡°¡®Cause this girl¡¯s givin¡¯ off enough magic to feel on the other side o¡¯ Ellis. I¡¯ve been sneezin¡¯ all morning. It¡¯s drivin¡¯ me crazy.¡±


    Elder Lona shook her head. ¡°Fine. But find her and stay put. I¡¯ll have the sniffers looking for your trail.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Shela said with a reluctant smile. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a few hours.¡±


    She ended the spell and stowed her scry glass. This was a terrible idea, Elder Lona wasn¡¯t wrong about that, but Rayna was too young¡ªand too volatile¡ªto be left on her own right now.


    Shela stepped forward through the portal, praying it dropped her close to Rayna.


    * * *


    Gann grumbled as he stomped through the tunnel, his lip still stinging from Shela¡¯s blow. He refused to heal it, because right now he wanted to be reminded of why he didn¡¯t work with people.


    Life was less painful when you made your own way in the world.


    He didn¡¯t have time to waste on belligerent children or crazy temple folk. He was trying to get out of this situation alive.


    Trent and Pria followed in silence, obviously not agreeing with his approach. He valued their opinion, but he wasn¡¯t going to bet his life on it. Pria was too soft, and Trent didn¡¯t even like to travel. He had no doubt that both of them would switch over to non-combat classes after they reached a high enough Vitality to make it through the Dark Age.


    They weren¡¯t really fighting monsters; they were fighting the relentless march of time. The majority of the people on Ember would die of old age before the Dark Age could run its course. Even Lord Myre might not make it to the end of the calamity.


    The higher your level, the higher your Vitality. It was as simple as that.


    It didn¡¯t take Gann long to retrace their steps. He had taken care to memorize the route Rayna took as she ran away. Losing track of where they were on the map could be a death sentence.


    How had Rayna known the portal was there? How was she able to go through the walls in the first place? It had been bugging Gann since the first time they ran into a dead end. He thought at the time that Rayna was just playing a trick. Kids liked to do that: use their skills and pretend it was their own power and not something given by the System. It made them feel more powerful.


    But then Rayna had never fessed up. She stuck to playing dumb and Shela had even backed her.


    Shela certainly knew something, the way she was constantly siding with Rayna.


    ¡®Leakin¡¯. That¡¯s what she had said to Rayna. What did that even mean? Did it have to do with the girl¡¯s extravagant magical hair? The glow was a bit over the top, but Gann had had his fair share of frivolous magic usage as a child. Children from richer families tended to pick up the odd spell or two from pawn shops and magic stores.


    But then why had Rayna been covering her hair with a hat? That would defeat the purpose. Shela had seemed shocked by Rayna¡¯s sudden outburst, despite telling her to calm down in the first place.


    Gann shook his head. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t find a logical answer for his questions. And the people who could give him the truth were lost in the endless maze of tunnels.


    If his luck held, Gann would never see them again.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Gann, are you sure we came the right way?¡± Pria asked, dragging him from his thoughts.


    Gann checked the map. ¡°We¡¯ve got a few more turns before we¡¯re back to where we were.¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t,¡± Trent said matter-of-factly.


    Gann looked up from his map.


    Pria stood with her mage light in hand, illuminating a mound of dirt blocking the way out of the tunnel.


    ¡°It¡¯s fresh,¡± Trent said, picking up a handful of soil. ¡°Looks like the ceiling caved in.¡±


    ¡°Rayna was right,¡± Pria said, taking a step back from the pile. ¡°If we didn¡¯t run after her, we would all be dead right now.¡±


    Gann shook his head. ¡°She didn¡¯t predict the cave in, she caused it. The ceiling was stable until she threw a temper tantrum.¡±


    But even as he said it, Gann knew it wasn¡¯t true. Whether she predicted it, or simply saw it coming with plain old observation, Rayna had been right.


    Gann didn¡¯t like owing his life to strangers. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s find a way out of here, then we can worry about apologizing to dead people.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an ass, you know that?¡± Trent asked, coming up on Gann¡¯s left.


    ¡°A live ass is better than a dead angel,¡± Gann said.


    ¡°And a dead ass is worse than both,¡± Pria pointed out. ¡°Let¡¯s pick our tunnels more carefully from now on.¡±


    Gann nodded. ¡°If fancy pants here complains about his hair, we¡¯ll pick a different tunnel.¡±


    Trent rolled his eyes. ¡°That won¡¯t work, my hair¡¯s already a lost cause.¡±


    Pria shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re both mad.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t everyone these days?


    * * *


    ¡°I said unharmed!¡± Lord Myre snapped.


    Nali couldn¡¯t see where he was, what with the blindfold that the Vanishers had tied around her eyes before they threw her in the wagon, but she was fairly sure he was close.


    Not that the blindfold made a difference with both her eyes swollen shut.


    ¡°She put up more of a fight than we were anticipating,¡± another voice said. ¡°But with her Endurance, she will be back to normal by the time she reaches her destination.¡±


    ¡°And the other one?¡± Myre asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re just going to use a memory charm on her. Twenty-four hours should do the trick, and her mental defenses aren¡¯t as strong as Lady Emery¡¯s. She¡¯ll be back to tending her inn before sundown.¡±


    Nali breathed out a sigh of relief. Din didn¡¯t need to get mixed up in all this, and it was better that she stay in the safe house, in case the others went back there.


    ¡°Like hell you will!¡± Din snapped. ¡°You mess with Nali, you mess with all of us! Untie me so I can slap you so hard your grandparents will feel it!¡±


    ¡°Din, be quiet!¡± Nali hissed. ¡°That doesn¡¯t even make sense.¡±


    ¡°You really think I¡¯m going to let them spell me into thinking everything is fine and dandy?¡± Din asked. ¡°You might as well toss me off a cliff. I go with Nali, end of discussion.¡±


    There was a long moment of silence before the unfamiliar voice said, ¡°The Island could always use more wards¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn you both!¡± Nali snapped. ¡°Myre, I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re doing this, but I have a proposition.¡±


    Nali waited, hoping he didn¡¯t just shrug her off.


    The blindfold was tugged off of Nali¡¯s head and she had just enough vision to see Lord Myre wince. He healed Nali¡¯s eyes, since she couldn¡¯t do it herself with the magic suppression field around the wagon.


    ¡°What is your proposition?¡± he asked.


    Nali straightened, ignoring the pain in her broken hip. ¡°Place me under a geas. I won¡¯t speak of you or whatever it is you think I know. You can do the same for my subordinates if you are worried about them as well.¡±


    Myre shook his head. ¡°A geas isn¡¯t reliable. They are too easy to circumvent.¡±


    ¡°Were you born this suspicious, or did you have to work at it?¡± Din asked sarcastically.


    Nali shot her a look to be quiet.


    Din shook her head and looked away.


    ¡°All right,¡± Nali said. ¡°At least tell me where we are going. Your men have treated me and my former student poorly, so I deserve at least that much.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s stalling.¡± The other man came into view and Nali memorized his visage for later reference. He would regret messing with Nali¡¯s people.


    ¡°Stalling?¡± Myre asked. ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°She thinks she can find a way out of those cuffs if we keep talking.¡±


    Nali resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She was stalling, but it wasn¡¯t for that.


    ¡°Where is she?!¡± Hinesh snapped, coming around the side of the wagon.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± the other man snapped.


    ¡°Nali is a friend of mine,¡± Hinesh said, crossing his arms. ¡°If you¡¯re sending her to the Island, you¡¯re taking me too.¡±


    Lord Myre frowned. ¡°If you wanted to go to the island, you could have just asked.¡±


    Hinesh faltered. ¡°Oh¡­¡± He straightened his back. ¡°Well, I am officially asking, then.¡±


    ¡°Before that,¡± the other man said. ¡°Why did you send Lady Emery a note?¡±


    Hinesh didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°To track her here.¡±


    Nali sighed. ¡°Read the note if you don¡¯t believe him.¡±


    She handed Lord Myre the note, rubbing her wrists.


    Din shook her hands out. ¡°It would be nice if they gave us an actual challenge.¡±


    Lord Myre frowned at the useless cuffs on the bench beside Nali. ¡°You¡¯re not running?¡±


    ¡°Someone has to keep that moron out of trouble,¡± Nali said, nodding at Hinesh.


    Hinesh crossed his arms. ¡°I had everything under control.¡±


    ¡°You sent Lady Emery a note that says, ¡®Sorry, I¡¯ll explain later. Stall them for me¡¯?¡± the other man asked incredulously. He turned to Nali. ¡°No, forget that, why did you actually do it?¡±


    ¡°Esh is my oldest friend,¡± Nali said simply. ¡°I assumed he had a good reason.¡±


    And this gave her an excuse for why she had fought so hard to keep them busy. It was one more thing standing between them and finding the trap door.


    Lord Myre shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re too impulsive,¡± he told Hinesh. ¡°You need to learn to wait for things to play out.¡±


    Nali found herself in agreement with Lord Myre. Hinesh had always been the impulsive sort¡ªit was something he and the real Esh Quar had in common¡ªbut he was getting too old for this kind of recklessness.


    ¡°You used to be impulsive, too,¡± Hinesh said. ¡°Then you grew up and got pissy.¡±


    Lord Myre raised an eyebrow. ¡°Did you just call me pissy?¡±


    Hinesh said nothing, standing by his remark.


    ¡°Sire, if I may,¡± the other man cut in, glancing nervously at Nali¡¯s unbound hands. ¡°The sooner we get them on the boats, the better.¡±


    Hinesh nodded. ¡°Very true! Just give me one moment.¡± He walked around the side of the wagon, proceeding to have a very loud conversation through a scry glass with his second in command, telling him to take care of the temple while he was gone.


    He returned, climbing into the wagon.


    Nali scooted over for him and Din moved to the other side of the wagon, glaring at Hinesh. Nali would have to explain to her later that Hinesh was on their side.


    They waited silently while Myre and the other man left.


    Once they started moving, Hinesh leaned closer and whispered, ¡°Sorry about this, Nali. I didn¡¯t have a way to stop them.¡±


    ¡°How much do they think I know?¡± Nali muttered back.


    ¡°The name, and only that. Keep calling me Esh for now.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t plan on doing anything else,¡± Nali said with a grin. ¡°Tell me you have a way around the magic suppression field.¡±


    Hinesh shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait until we get to the island. I can¡¯t even get into my Inventory.¡±


    ¡°This is why you plan ahead,¡± Nali said, pulling two healing potions out of a hidden pocket in her sleeve. She tossed one to Din and drank the other herself.


    It didn¡¯t heal her completely, but it mended her hip and stopped the growing ache in her abdomen.


    Din handed her empty vial back to Nali. ¡°Is there a reason we¡¯re not trying to escape?¡±


    ¡°Because what I need right now is information,¡± Nali said. ¡°And because someone¡ª¡± She pointedly looked at Hinesh. ¡°¡ªtold them about Rayna. The further I am from her, the better.¡±


    ¡°In my defense,¡± Hinesh said. ¡°You don¡¯t understand how surprising it was to see her.¡±


    ¡°Because you still haven¡¯t explained that part,¡± Nali pointed out. ¡°I¡¯ve worked some of it out on my own, but I expect a full account when we get to this island. No more half-truths or ¡®not my secret to tell¡¯.¡±


    Hinesh nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not like they can kidnap you twice.¡±


    * * *


    Rayna leaned her head back against the closed portal. She had seen people die since coming to Ember¡ªor more accurately, she had heard about the deaths. Most of them happened inside the trial¡ªbut this was the first time she had been responsible for it.


    She had chosen the path. She had taken them to that hallway and escaped on her own.


    What was Rayna supposed to do now?


    ¡°We need to get out of here,¡± Phira said, looking worried. She was sitting next to Rayna, floating a few centimeters above the ground with her back to the wall. ¡°You look like you could use a healer.¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    To her embarrassment, her eyes started to water again. Why was she so weepy lately? She never cried this much!


    Phira shook her head. ¡°What you need is a way to relax,¡± she declared, turning to face Rayna.


    Phira motioned for Rayna to do the same and she didn¡¯t have the energy to argue.


    ¡°All right. I once spent a week in a monastery with a group of Lenaman monks¡ªmy mother thought it would help me improve my court mask which was near non-existent when I was a child¡ªanyway, they taught me some breathing exercises that are supposed to help you relax.¡±


    She demonstrated, breathing in for four seconds and breathing out for five.


    ¡°While you¡¯re breathing,¡± Phira said. ¡°Picture somewhere peaceful. Don¡¯t try to force anywhere specific; you¡¯ll get better with time. Just try to picture the essence of peace, whatever that means to you.¡±


    Rayna closed her eyes and tried to picture what peace meant to her.


    She couldn¡¯t think of anything.


    ¡°It¡¯s too abstract,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Can¡¯t you give me something more specific to picture?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s different for everyone,¡± Phira said. ¡°But maybe I can describe mine to give you an idea. When I was a child, peace meant laying on a bed with my pet Caral. She was big and soft, and I felt safe with her.


    ¡°Over the years, my idea of peace evolved with my experiences. When I picture peace, I see my workshop. The smell of machine oil coats my work leathers. Harvey¡ªmy assistant¡ªbrings me a cup of tea while I pore over a set of runes. It isn¡¯t idle, for I never found idleness very peaceful, but it¡¯s home. It¡¯s comfortable. Where are you comfortable? What feels like home to you?¡±


    Rayna thought back to her life on Earth. Could it ever be described as peaceful? She was an anxious wreck most of the time. She taught English, which was draining by nature, and she spent her weekends trying to catch up on all of the sleep she lost during the week.


    Her life was anything but peaceful.


    Her mind was drawn back to the day of the initialization; back to her and Emma sitting in the back of an empty convenience store. It was her safe space¡ªeven more so than her apartment. It was quiet, it had all the ramen she could ever eat.


    And most importantly, Emma was there.


    Emma constantly disturbed Rayna¡¯s peace. She dragged Rayna to dangerous sports; begged her to play games when she would rather sleep; forced her to do her grocery shopping instead of ordering take out for the fifth time in a row.


    Everything Emma did in their friendship should make Rayna feel the opposite of peace, and yet if she was there, Rayna was home.


    Home for Rayna was a place where she wasn¡¯t alone.


    She opened her eyes to find Phira nodding. ¡°I see you found something. Are you feeling better?¡±


    ¡°A little,¡± Rayna admitted.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Phira said. ¡°Let¡¯s find a way out of here. The sight of stone is starting to get old.¡±


    Rayna nodded. ¡°Agreed.¡±

 Chapter 43: Frostbite and Broken Fingers

    The Chosen didn¡¯t move as slowly as Corban had been planning. The main reason: the people of Ember, though perfectly willing to hurl insults at any human that walked by them, didn¡¯t particularly care what the Chosen did.


    In fact, they seemed quite happy that they were packing up and leaving the vicinity.


    Jade, who was head of ¡®security¡¯ for the tent city, thought it would be better for them to move as a group instead of going a few at a time. She cited safety in numbers as the main reason and Corban didn¡¯t have any reason to argue.


    So they packed up the camp entirely¡ªtents and all¡ªand moved as a group.


    They paused at the base of the mountain for a quick safety briefing from Jade.


    ¡°If you see any signs of frostbite, find a healer,¡± she called, her message being spread to the back through telephone-style repetition. ¡°And if you need an extra blanket, talk to Jeff or me. Call out if you see a monster as well.¡±


    ¡°Most of the monsters here are below Level 10,¡± Corban added. ¡°There aren¡¯t many, and we should be able to gang up and take care of anything that attacks us.¡±


    Corban glanced nervously in the direction of Ellis. Something didn¡¯t sit right with him. Their exit had been too easy. With how much attention they had been garnering over the last twenty-four hours¡ªparticularly negative attention¡ªhe expected someone to try to follow them.


    ¡°If you see anyone who shouldn¡¯t be here, point them out to me,¡± Jade said, seemingly following the same line of thought as Corban. ¡°We¡¯re not the strongest group out there, but we can protect ourselves. We¡¯ll be sleeping in warm beds by tonight.¡±


    Corban wasn¡¯t sure it would be that easy, but he didn¡¯t contradict her. She seemed to have everything under control, and he didn¡¯t want to undermine her authority.


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± Jade said, turning to Corban.


    He nodded and started up the mountain, following the same path he had used earlier that day.


    It was a lot slower with four hundred people in tow.


    Jade walked next to Corban, keeping a lookout for anything hostile while Jeff kept up a running conversation about everything he knew about Ember.


    ¡°If your System was broken, you probably didn¡¯t see any of the plans,¡± Jeff guessed.


    ¡°I saw some details, but nothing coherent,¡± Corban said.


    ¡°Well, the main plan was to travel in larger groups so we would be easier to coordinate. After that, we were supposed to seek out a nearby city and request refuge¡ªas you can see, that part didn¡¯t work out so well.


    ¡°The capital of Helia was supposed to be one of the more pro-chosen cities, so the fact that we were turned away so emphatically doesn¡¯t bode well for the other groups.


    ¡°After we found a place to stay, we were supposed to look into ways of contacting each other. Ms. Lindale didn¡¯t think the forum would be maintained after the tutorial and so far, it looks like she was right.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t receive any of our special rewards either,¡± Jade said. ¡°We got totally cheated.¡±


    Corban frowned, not sure what Jade was talking about.


    ¡°Jade was our Tutorial Leader,¡± Jeff explained. ¡°She was supposed to get a special reward after the tutorial was over based on how well we survived, but the System didn¡¯t give her anything special¡ªnot even a title or a few extra coins. We¡¯re still not sure if she was the only one who didn¡¯t receive her reward or if the System decided to nix them altogether.¡±


    ¡°We can probably ask Amon when we get to the hub,¡± Corban said. ¡°The Keepers are more intelligent than the tutorial chatbots. He might know what the Administrator is thinking.¡±


    ¡°Or at least, he might be able to tell us why the tutorial ended early,¡± Jade agreed. ¡°I admit, one of the reasons we were willing to follow you here was because we¡¯re hoping to find some answers.¡±


    ¡°Some food would be nice, too,¡± Jeff said.


    Corban wasn¡¯t sure if there would be food or not. Rayna was supposed to be looking into that part, but they had no way of contacting each other at the moment.


    Jeff explained more of the plan, but Corban ended up forgetting most of it. It didn¡¯t seem like relevant information, considering step one had already been a failure. He let the man prattle on because he was fairly sure Jeff was just trying to keep his teeth from freezing together.


    After the first few rounds of frostbite, they gave up on the self-reporting system and assigned a few healers to travel up and down the line to heal anyone who needed it.


    A couple mages tried to use Fireball to warm the area, but they only succeeded in catching a few trees on fire and attracting a small horde of Robis.


    The attack left several injured, but no one died, and the healers had the injured back on their feet before the Robis even started to rot. They hurried away from the scene, covering their noses against the overpowering stench that rose from the pile of dead monsters.


    Corban even managed to gain a level. He was Level 5 now, which was a far cry from the rest of the group, but much better than he expected to be doing at this point.


    They had just reached the hub when things started to go sideways.


    Someone shouted something in a foreign language and cloaked figures jumped out of the forest, surrounding the group. Someone in the front screamed and the Chosen moved closer together, drawing their weapons.


    As one of the lower-level players, Corban was forced away from the edge and into the protected group in the center. It hurt his pride a little, but since he wasn¡¯t really good at using his bow, it was probably for the best.


    ¡°Well, well, well!¡± a man¡¯s voice said, his English the same unaccented variety of System translation. ¡°What have the little Robis brought us to?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t want any trouble,¡± Jade declared.


    Corban stood on his tiptoes, trying to get a glimpse of their assailants, but they were wearing hoods and cloth over every inch of their skin, giving him no hint of what they actually looked like.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want any trouble either,¡± the man next to the leader said. The hissy quality of his voice snuck through, even with the System translation. ¡°Sssso how about you all go back down the mountain and leave usss to our new cabin.¡±


    ¡°This hub belongs to the Chosen,¡± Jade declared.


    The bandits laughed, a cacophonous mix of various clicks and screeches.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Here¡¯s how this works, little Initial,¡± the leader said. ¡°We follow you, you lead us to a prize and you go home empty-handed.¡± He raised his hand, bringing a fireball to life on his palm and playing with it like a ball. ¡°It¡¯s not particularly difficult to understand, but I can explain it slower if you need me to. I know the Chosen are dumber than a nail in a wine barrel.¡±


    ¡°And Emberians are uglier than a shriveled up prune,¡± someone muttered from behind Corban.


    The man turned their way. ¡°Who said that?¡±


    Corban glanced back at the speaker. He was a teenager, no more than fourteen or fifteen and he was only a Level 10.


    The leader of the bandits growled and easily pushed Jade aside.


    The rest of the Chosen made a hole for him, cowering away from his name tag, which was visible to all.


    [Repal Leeds ¡ª Level 83]


    [Yndar]


    Corban didn¡¯t move. He wasn¡¯t going to rat a teen out to this guy.


    His heart raced as he lifted his chin. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you even know what a prune is, you butter-aged goat.¡±


    Everyone backed away from Corban as Repal neared, only his glaring yellow eyes visible under his hood.


    ¡°Do you have a death wish, human?¡± the man growled.


    ¡°No,¡± Corban said truthfully. ¡°But it seems to me like you¡¯re a damn bully. We found that hub fair and square and it¡¯s already been claimed. The Keeper won¡¯t let you take it from us either, just ask him yourself.¡±


    Repal snorted. ¡°I can handle a single keeper. What is he, a Lyna? A Cervinale, perhaps? Those horned idiots breed like Robis.¡±


    Corban shook his head. ¡°You know, you might be right. How about I introduce you to him? I¡¯m sure once he sees your muscly band of brutes he¡¯ll walk away without a word.¡±


    Corban wasn¡¯t sure if Amon could really do anything, but they had a better chance with him than they did on their own. He was part of the System, wasn¡¯t he? That had to count for something.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Repal said, pretending to think it over. ¡°I think I have a better idea.¡±


    The fireball he was holding grew larger and he flung it at Corban¡¯s chest. The basketball sized projectile catapulted Corban off his feet, sending him flying into the group of people behind him. He heard a crack that he was fairly sure was his arm breaking, but he couldn¡¯t tell amidst the full body throbbing that accompanied his less-than-soft landing.


    Healers rushed to his side, but the bandits attacked them if they got near Corban.


    ¡°The smart mouth doesn¡¯t get healing,¡± Repal yelled. ¡°You can help others if you want. I¡¯m not a monster, after all.¡±


    Corban spat up blood, his head swimming from the pain. At least the fireball hadn¡¯t burned through his clothes. Rayna¡¯s ridiculously overpowered cloak no doubt saved his life.


    That said, it did not have any sort of healing ability built in, which would have been nice right about now. Corban healed himself as far as he could with his Basic Heal spell, but it barely did anything. He only succeeded in giving himself a headache when his Mana got too low.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what¡¯s inside, shall we?¡± Repal said, rubbing his hands together as he approached the hub.


    Corban ignored him. He was dumb to think Amon could help. A good tongue lashing from the Keeper wasn¡¯t going to stop the bandits. At best, they had just lost the hub, at worst, they were all about to die.


    It was a short run. Maybe he would wake up in bed and find out this was all a dream.


    ¡°Who are you and what are you doing on my mountain?¡± a cool voice asked.


    Corban looked over at Amon, who was standing in front of his hub, his expression hostile.


    ¡°You must be the keeper we¡¯ve heard so much about!¡± Repal said with a twisted grin. ¡°I must say, you¡¯re a species I haven¡¯t seen before. Did a Cervinale and a Pyria have a baby?¡±


    Amon¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°You seem to be under a misconception. This is my land, and I will not tolerate fighting outside of the dungeon. It never ends well.¡±


    Repal laughed. ¡°Dungeon? Are you really trying to pull that old myth out as a bid to try to save yourselves. You might as well tell me the mountain will open up beneath my feet and gobble me up.¡±


    The other bandits laughed, the sound grating on Corban¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Corban,¡± Amon called, ignoring the man¡¯s comment. ¡°I take it these people are not with you. Are they hostile?¡±


    ¡°Toward who?¡± Corban asked, spitting out another glob of blood in the snow. ¡°Actually, scratch that, he¡¯s an asshole all around.¡±


    ¡°You little¡ª¡± Repal raised his hand to throw another fireball in Corban¡¯s direction but nothing appeared on his hand.


    His eyes widened and he flexed his hand, still nothing happened.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± one of the other bandits asked.


    ¡°My spells aren¡¯t working,¡± Repal hissed.


    ¡°The Dark Age?¡± someone asked in a shrill voice.


    ¡°No, everything else works. It¡¯s just¡ª¡± the speaker paused. ¡°A penalty title? How the hell? The Administrator stopped giving those out years ago!¡±


    ¡°It will last for twenty-four hours,¡± Amon said coolly, addressing all of the bandits. ¡°I would suggest you leave here before then. I have left your stats intact to allow you to protect yourselves on the way down the mountain.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe, I¡¯ll kill you and the title will disappear!¡± Repal snapped, swinging his fist hard at Amon.


    Amon didn¡¯t even flinch as the man passed right through him, landing his punch on the hub wall.


    There was a hard crack and Repal screamed in pain, cradling his badly misshapen fingers.


    ¡°Screw this!¡± someone shouted. ¡°I¡¯m not dying on this hunk of ice.¡±


    The bandits scattered in all directions, leaving their leader behind to fend for himself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± Repal hissed. ¡°You better sleep with one eye open.¡±


    It took Corban a moment to realize that the bandit was talking directly to him. Great, just what a Level 5 Healer needed: powerful enemies.


    Repal ran away so fast that he was just a blur as he retreated down the mountain.


    Amon nodded. ¡°All right, someone tend to Corban¡¯s wounds, if you don¡¯t mind, then come inside. This mountain is too cold for players of your level.¡±


    He disappeared, drawing a gasp from the watching humans.


    Corban grinned. ¡°If you think that¡¯s impressive, wait until you see what¡¯s inside.¡±


    * * *


    Repal made it down the mountain in one piece. He was a Level 83 Magical Swordsman; there was no way he would die to a few mountain rats.


    Corban Wells. He wouldn¡¯t forget that name any time soon. He didn¡¯t know what his connection was to that Keeper, but Repal could practically smell the drakas.


    There weren¡¯t enough coins on the planet to pay for complete control of the System, but Repal didn¡¯t need to sell control, he could just sell favors. A stat tweak here, a new spell there¡ªmaybe he could even increase his own level without having to hunt.


    Omnipotence at his fingertips.


    One look at his penalty title woke him up to how insane this plan actually was.


    Disturber of the Peace ¡ª You have initiated a fight in the vicinity of a dungeon and caused significant bodily harm to a player who is more than fifty levels below yourself. You are barred from using spells or skills for the duration of the penalty and you will lose one point in each of your stats for every minute you spend on Mount Herdo.


    -30 Strength


    -30 Dexterity


    -30 Endurance


    -30 Vitality


    -30 Intelligence


    -30 Wisdom


    -30 Luck


    Remaining Duration: 23h 29m 19s


    Repal shook his head. It was legitimate. No one could mess with the System except for the Administrator himself.


    Since Corban Wells was obviously not the Administrator, the only explanation was that this Keeper had taken over the role.


    But how? If there was a new Administrator, that meant that the System hierarchy had changed¡ªsomething that hadn¡¯t happened since the first Chosen stepped foot on Ember.


    This wasn¡¯t something Repal wanted to get mixed up in, but he didn¡¯t want to walk away empty handed either. There was an easy way to make a quick coin without putting his life on the line.


    Repal made it back to the city in record time, heading straight for the healers to mend his hand, then he went to the closest information broker in the capital.


    ¡°Evening Repal,¡± Umal said idly, pouring him a drink.


    The bar was nearly empty, with only the usual bodyguards at the door to overhear their conversation.


    It was perfect.


    ¡°Evening Umal,¡± Repal said with a grin. I have a juicy bit of information for you, if you¡¯re looking to buy.¡±


    Umal¡¯s bored expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°If this is about the humans, I¡¯ll save you the trouble. I¡¯m well aware of your little ambush this morning and I know how badly you failed. You should really be more careful who you hire. Loose lips are dangerous in your line of work.¡± He glanced at Repal¡¯s name tag. ¡°Then again, you were never the brightest of the bunch, were you?¡±


    Repal resisted the urge to roll his eyes. ¡°My level scares the weaklings. It¡¯s good for minimizing the damage to the goods I steal.¡±


    Not that he needed to tell Umal that¡­


    ¡°Unless you have something actually interesting, you can get out of my pub.¡±


    Repal paused as if hesitating. Information fetched a better price if the broker thought you didn¡¯t want to give it up. Repal planned to get his money and his revenge all in one fell swoop.


    ¡°I have something else,¡± he said, lowering his voice. ¡°But it will need a truth spell to verify. And I need payment up front; three hundred gold drakas.¡±


    Umal¡¯s surprise broke through his bored mask. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯ll hand over three hundred gold drakas before hearing what I¡¯m paying for?¡±


    ¡°Because my info has to do with the System update,¡± Repal said, piquing the other man¡¯s interest. ¡°And the new Administrator hiding in the mountains.¡±

 Chapter 44: The Lion Made of Flames

    Rayna paused at another fork in the path. There were those strange markings again. One path was marked with a bent ¡®r¡¯ and the other with an upside down ¡®g¡¯. A large symbol was painted in the center of the fork, but Rayna couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it.


    The markings glowed with magic, but as far as Rayna could tell, they didn¡¯t serve any purpose except for giving directions to people that get stuck down in the tunnels.


    Of course, directions were useless if you couldn¡¯t read them.


    Rayna had been following the ¡®r¡¯ path for the most part, mainly because the direction she had just come from was marked with the upside down ¡®g¡¯.


    The System map was useless. It didn¡¯t show the tunnel system at all, only the terrain above, and the red dots indicating monsters on the map didn¡¯t differentiate between the tunnels and the surface.


    In fact, Rayna hadn¡¯t felt a single monster since going into the tunnels.


    Phira hadn¡¯t been able to walk with Rayna long due to the daily time limit, but Rayna still felt better knowing that she would be back come sunrise.


    Rayna¡¯s stomach growled and she pulled one of her rations out of her Soul Realm, eyeing it with distaste.


    She was out of stew.


    Rayna hadn¡¯t had a chance to restock due to the hasty flight from the inn and she was kicking herself for not asking Din about it before she left.


    Wait, wasn¡¯t I supposed to unlock a store at Level 25?


    Rayna opened her Menu, and sure enough, the Essence Store had been added to the list.


    ¡°Please have food,¡± Rayna said aloud, leaning against the wall.


    Welcome to the Essence Store! When a player absorbs more Essence than their body can handle, the leftover Essence is siphoned off by the System to help with energy management. In return, the player receives Essence Points (EP) that can be redeemed for various rewards in the Essence Store.


    Some items in the Essence Store have a limit per person based on availability, and prices will vary based on the number of items currently available in the store, with rarer items costing more than common ones. If you would like to request a specific item, please contact the Administrator.


    Rayna frowned. She better not get any random messages from players complaining about bugs in the System. She hadn¡¯t received any so far. Were they being sent to Ronari instead?


    After the initial welcome message, Rayna was shown a list of items that the System had for sale.


    The list was pretty much useless.


    There were millions¡ªmaybe billions¡ªof items to choose from; literally pages upon pages of things for sale, but Rayna couldn¡¯t find any sort of organizational system. There was a pair of pants listed right next to a spell book, and the next item after that was a garden tool.


    Nothing was sorted into categories or even labeled with some sort of searchable tag.


    There has to be a way to search¡­


    What item are you searching for?


    ¡°Oh, right! The Liaisons!¡± Rayna shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m looking for food. Something cheap that tastes decent.¡±


    Please use an item name for your query.


    That could complicate things. Did she have to use the Emberian name for things? Or could she just say some English food names and the System would find something similar for her?


    ¡°Caram?¡± Rayna tried, naming the dish she and Nali had eaten earlier that day.


    There are no results for ¡®caram¡¯ in the Essence Store. Please try another query.


    ¡°All right, how about apple?¡±


    There are no results for ¡®apple¡¯ in the Essence Store. Please try another query.


    ¡°Stew?¡±


    There are 3,300,388,493 results for ¡®stew¡¯. Would you like to narrow your search?


    ¡°Beef stew.¡±


    There are no results for ¡®beef stew¡¯ in the Essence Store. Please try another query.


    Rayna growled in frustration. ¡°Go back to stew. Give me the first ten results.¡±


    Showing the first ten results for ¡®stew¡¯.


    1. Mena Stew


    2. Casskew Stew


    3. Ennak Stew


    4. Brass Stew Pot


    5. Linna Stew


    6. Pilla Stew


    7. Ywone Stew


    8. Jess Stew


    9. Lind Stew


    10. Eld Stew


    They were supposedly all stew¡ªwith the exception of the brass stew pot¡ªbut Rayna had no way of knowing what ingredients went into making the dishes.


    Rayna had a little over a hundred thousand Essence Points thanks to a huge burst of Essence that she received upon completing the dungeon.


    ¡°How much is the Casskew Stew?¡± Rayna asked, picking something that sounded similar to something she knew. She didn¡¯t really like cashews, though¡­


    Casskew Stew (130,299 available) ¡ª 10,000 EP


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Ten thousand points? Seriously?¡±


    That was the equivalent of a Level 50 Forest Gecko! If she bought food like this, she would go broke in no time!


    ¡°Is there a cheaper option?¡±


    Pickleberry Stew [19,394,982 available] ¡ª 100 EP


    Pickleberry didn¡¯t sound very tasty, but it was a more reasonable price at least.


    She bought one and a piping hot bowl of stew appeared in the tunnel next to her. She picked it up, sniffing its contents.


    Rayna wrinkled her nose. The stew had been aptly named. The contents smelled sour, but it didn¡¯t smell bad, exactly, just different.


    The soup didn¡¯t seem to come with a spoon, so Rayna pulled one of hers out of her Soul Realm and took a bite of the stew.


    Pickleberry stew tasted much better than it smelled. The sour soup was strong, but whoever made it mixed spices in to add more complexity to the flavors. Vegetable chunks that had been cooked to perfection added a pleasant chunkiness to the soup that made it even more enjoyable.


    Rayna bought ten more and placed them in her Soul Realm for later. That solved her food problem for a while. Even if she got sick of the stew, she could find something else in the store that was within her budget.


    She finished the soup while browsing through the store.


    The search system was clunky at best. If she looked for the word spellbook, she was given everything from cleaning spells to nuclear bomb level explosion spells. If she tried narrowing her search, it came up with no results.


    To make matters worse, the quality was inconsistent. Rayna had pulled out a second bowl of pickleberry stew, intending to browse a little longer, only to find that this bowl was not only cold, but it also didn¡¯t have vegetables or any spices to balance out the strong vinegar taste. Checking her other soups, she found only half of them were palatable.


    Frustrated, Rayna threw all of the stew back in her Soul Realm and closed the store. She would have to be careful not to buy something too expensive, or she might waste all of her points on a dud item.


    Rayna wandered for another hour, turning in the ¡®r¡¯ direction every time she came to a fork in the road. She paused when she came to an intersection with three roads, all of them marked with words instead of symbols.


    The left path was marked ¡®central cavern¡¯, the right path was marked ¡®dead end¡¯ and the path across from Rayna was marked ¡®out¡¯.


    She checked the path she had come from. It was marked ¡®dead end¡¯.


    If I can suddenly read the symbols, does that mean¡­


    Someone sneezed, the sound echoing down the rightmost path.


    Rayna turned and sprinted down the passage, following the sound of Shela¡¯s sneeze. The passage went further than Rayna expected and as she ran, something seemed off to her.


    it shouldn¡¯t have been close enough to translate the writing. Rayna¡¯s range was only ten feet or so. What was going on?


    Shela appeared in the path ahead of Rayna.


    Rayna skidded to a stop, activating her Night Vision skill. Shela didn¡¯t look right. Her skin was darker, almost black, and her hair glowed blue in the dark of the tunnel.


    She almost looked like a¡ª


    ¡°Rayna?¡±


    Rayna whipped around, finding Shela¡ªthe normal Shela, no dark skin or glowing hair¡ªstanding behind her. Rayna turned back to the tunnel, but the other Shela was gone.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Shela asked, putting a gentle hand on Rayna¡¯s shoulder.


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°Forget that! How are you okay? I saw the tunnel collapsing, dirt coming down and then I tripped¡ªare the others okay, too? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Shela pulled Rayna into a hug which was not what she needed right now.


    Rayna pulled out of the hug, backing up several steps. ¡°Personal bubble, damn it!¡± She shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to leave you all behind, but the tunnel and the portal and¡ª¡±


    To Rayna¡¯s frustration, she started crying again.


    ¡°They¡¯re fine,¡± Shela assured her. ¡°The tunnel didn¡¯t collapse. You¡¯re just hittin¡¯ the plateau is all. Did your parents ever tell you about it?¡±


    Rayna frowned, wiping her eyes. ¡°What is that, some kind of magical puberty?¡±


    Just what Rayna needed: hormones.


    ¡°No, not like that,¡± Shela said. ¡°It means you¡¯re evolvin¡¯. It tends to mess with people¡¯s heads. I¡¯ve got folks lookin¡¯ for us. Let¡¯s just stay put for now, all right?¡±


    Evolving? Was that like Class ascension? Nali never mentioned it.


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t really know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Rayna said. ¡°But I¡¯m not waiting for some rescue. Can we just¡ª?¡±


    Shela started speaking before Rayna was finished. ¡°You don¡¯t know about the plateau? Where are your parents? They should have told you somethin¡¯ at least?¡±


    Rayna took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m from the tutorial, remember? My parents died a long time ago and they certainly didn¡¯t know anything about plateaus or magical puberty or whatever.¡±


    Shela shook her head. ¡°I thought that was¡­ You really mean it, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Rayna had a lot less trouble convincing Nali that she was from the tutorial. In fact, Nali had come to the conclusion on her own.


    Shela had seemed more open minded.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Shela said slowly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rayna. I shoulda been slower to jump to conclusions. We can start walkin¡¯ if that¡¯ll make you feel better, but we aren¡¯t likely to find our way outta these tunnels. It¡¯s a maze down here.¡±


    ¡°We can just follow the markings on the walls,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Central cavern, out, dead end; everything¡¯s pretty clearly marked.¡±


    ¡°You can read them?¡± Shela asked, surprised. ¡°I thought you were from the tutorial.¡±


    ¡°I can read them the same way I¡¯m talking to you.¡±


    Shela lifted her eyebrows. ¡°Empathic translation. That¡¯s a rare one. Umm¡­ sure. Let¡¯s go then. Do you mind if I call my friends first?¡±


    Shela pulled out a scry glass¡ªRayna had seen Nali use it once¡ªand activated a spell.


    The glass glowed slightly, then went out.


    Shela frowned and tried again.


    ¡°No signal?¡± Rayna asked.


    Shela nodded, putting the glass back in her Inventory. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to wait until we get out.¡±


    Rayna nodded. ¡°Then why don¡¯t we¡ª¡±


    An explosion rocked the tunnel. Rayna lost her balance and slammed into the wall, looking in the direction it had come from.


    ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Shela asked, her voice worried.


    ¡°What the heck is that?!¡± Rayna pointed at the approaching figure.


    A lion, black as coal, approached them slowly down the tunnel. His paws were the size of small dinner plates, and he barely fit in the tunnel at all. His eyes glowed red and his mane was made out of pure flames. It flickered as he walked, casting odd shadows on the wall.


    Shela shook her head. ¡°Rayna, look at me. You¡¯re hallucinatin¡¯, all right? There is nothin¡¯ there. We need to get you out of the tunnels before¡ªAchoo!¡ªanything else happens.¡±


    Rayna couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of the lion. She was hallucinating? It didn¡¯t look like a hallucination.


    The lion stopped several feet from them, staring directly at Rayna.


    She moved away from the wall, taking a step toward the creature. If it was a hallucination, it couldn¡¯t hurt her, right?


    The animal opened its mouth and roared.


    Rayna clapped her hands over her ears, backing up a step.


    ¡°It¡¯s not real!¡± Shela insisted.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sticking around to find out,¡± Rayna snapped. She grabbed Shela¡¯s hand, not willing to leave someone behind again, and ran down the tunnel.


    The lion followed, somehow matching their pace despite his leisurely walk. He let out a growl every time Rayna looked back, as if urging her to keep going.


    ¡°Go away!¡± Rayna shouted, pushing herself to run faster. She skidded to a stop as the way was blocked by a group of players leading several canine creatures.


    ¡°Shela?¡± the man in the front said. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s¡ª¡± The rest of her sentence was drowned out by another roar from the fiery lion.


    ¡°Everyone out, now!¡± Rayna shouted, running along the wall to pass the group.


    The people seemed confused, but the next moment, their canines started howling in terror and running alongside Rayna.


    Rayna made it to the tunnel exit, not stopping until she was clear of the entrance. The dogs kept running but Rayna turned to make sure everyone got out.


    They caught up with her, surrounding Rayna and asking her if she was all right.


    Rayna pushed them off and looked into the tunnel. One man was lagging behind, his walking stick clicking as he hobbled through the tunnel.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Rayna yelled. ¡°He¡¯s right behind you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not real!¡± Shela insisted again. ¡°Elder Lona is in no danger.¡±


    The lion paused just behind the elder, his eyes glowing brighter.


    His growl reverberated through the tunnel and this time, Shela reacted, turning furrowed brows in the direction of the sound.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good,¡± one of the men commented.


    Elder Lona¡¯s eyes widened, and he sped up, running full tilt toward them. ¡°Get away from the opening!¡±


    Rayna was dragged backwards and she barely caught sight of the lion as it opened its mouth to roar again.


    This roar shook the mountain so hard that Rayna lost her footing. She fell sideways, her head striking a rock.


    The world went black.


    * * *


    Shela rushed to heal Rayna¡¯s injury. It wasn¡¯t serious, which was a relief. She looked up just in time to see Elder Lona thrown off of his feet and toward the cave entrance.


    For the briefest moment, Shela could have sworn she saw a pair of glowing red eyes in the darkness, but the tunnel caved in, blocking the passage from view.


    Elder Lona landed outside, scraped and bruised, but alive.


    He healed himself, shaking his head to get the dust and rubble out of his hair.


    ¡°I assume this is your lost Initial,¡± he said, nodding at the unconscious Rayna. ¡°She just saved our lives, it would seem.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Jelin asked, frowning at the pile of rubble where the entrance used to be.


    ¡°Likely a natural gas leak caught fire,¡± Elder Lona said. ¡°It happens every few decades, but the mountain usually recovers in time.¡±


    ¡°The mountain¡­ recovers?¡± Jelin repeated.


    ¡°Never you mind. We need to set a general warning to stay away from the panic portals for the time being.¡±


    Shela didn¡¯t really understand what Elder Lona was talking about, but she suspected this was one of the community¡¯s secrets that she wasn¡¯t Lerian enough to understand. Sometimes she wished she could have that cursed word on her name tag just so she could understand what was going on.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t she waking up?¡± Walla asked.


    Rayna didn¡¯t stir, but she didn¡¯t seem to be in pain either.


    ¡°I suspect she¡¯s hitting the transformation stage,¡± Elder Lona said. ¡°She may sleep for an hour or a decade. Every Lerian is different. It would have gone smoother if we had been able to explain a few things before she passed out, but there¡¯s nothing we can do now.


    ¡°Come on. There¡¯s a small village on the other side of this mountain. Let¡¯s get her warmed up and comfortable for now, and we can discuss finding her family before she wakes.¡±


    Jelin picked Rayna up and followed Elder Lona as he started walking North.


    A flash of movement caught Shela¡¯s eye, and she turned just in time to see a man in a black cloak running full tilt down the mountain, an Ursinix chasing after him. The vicious white bears were somehow not classified as monsters, despite their tendency to attack anything that moved.


    What was someone doing on the mountain? It wasn¡¯t very hospitable. That was why they chose it for hiding in the first place, or so Elder Lona always said.


    She turned to ask the Elder about it, but he was already several yards away and moving fast.


    Shela sprinted to catch up, resolving to talk to him about it later, after she¡¯d had a chance to investigate a little more.

 Chapter 45: Memories, Dreams and Visions

    Rayna turned the jar of tomato sauce over to examine its contents.


    Tomato puree¡­garlic¡­olive oil¡­


    ¡°Are you even listening to me?¡± Emma crossed her arms, a half-teasing smile on her face.


    Rayna didn¡¯t even look up. ¡°There¡¯s a new game you want to try and you¡¯re planning on dragging me along too.¡± She put the sauce back on the shelf and went for a cheaper brand instead. ¡°I¡¯m down. There¡¯s a desktop version, right? I don¡¯t have the money to upgrade my potato phone right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not on mobile,¡± Emma said.


    Rayna grabbed a couple packages of pasta and put them in her cart. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s console.¡±


    Emma grabbed a box of cookies and tossed it into Rayna¡¯s cart.


    Rayna lifted an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not paying for those.¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s on me today,¡± Emma said, angling Rayna¡¯s cart toward the meat section of the grocery store. ¡°You can crash at my place, and I¡¯ll show you the trailers for the new game.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being awfully cryptic about all this,¡± Rayna said suspiciously. ¡°This is a video game, right? You¡¯re not signing me up for some variety game show or something?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a video game,¡± Emma assured her. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ cutting edge¡­¡±


    Rayna didn¡¯t like the sound of that, but she knew she wasn¡¯t getting any more details until they were back to Emma¡¯s place.


    ¡°If you¡¯re paying for the food I¡¯m grabbing salmon.¡±


    ¡°Brain chip?!¡± Rayna exclaimed, gawking at Emma. ¡°Are you insane?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s perfectly safe!¡± Emma insisted. ¡°They did all of the beta testing and human trials already. The FDA gave it the go ahead and they¡¯re opening it to the public next week.¡±


    ¡°No. Not happening. Not in a million years!¡± Rayna¡¯s anxiety was rising at just the thought of brain surgery.


    ¡°It¡¯s a really easy procedure,¡± Lilly said from across the room.


    She sat at the dining room table, presumably doing homework. Rayna hadn¡¯t realized she was actually paying attention to their conversation.


    ¡°Half of the kpop groups got early access to it as part of a brand deal or something,¡± Lilly continued. ¡°They said it¡¯s fifteen minutes in and out. They don¡¯t even put you to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Lilly, not helping!¡± Emma hissed.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Rayna was ready to puke at the idea of being awake for brain surgery. She knew they did that sometimes when they needed to make sure that the surgery wasn¡¯t affecting a musician¡¯s ability to play or something, but Rayna would rather jump in front of a truck than let someone cut into her brain.


    All right, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it still wasn¡¯t happening.


    ¡°Teacher! Teacher! Look what I have!¡± Kyorin proudly held up a printout detailing her new Ember Online profile.


    Rayna frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t you have to be sixteen to make an account?¡±


    ¡°The law different,¡± Kyorin said. ¡°Thirteen with mom and dad say yes.¡±


    Had the law changed when Rayna wasn¡¯t looking? She ran a quick internet search and found that Kyorin was right. Anyone thirteen and over could get an account with parental permission. The age limit in the US was still eighteen, but Rayna had no doubt that people were finding ways around it over there.


    Rayna smiled at Kyorin. ¡°Congratulations on your new character. Did you get help making it?¡±


    Kyorin paused for a moment to try to translate the sentence in her head before nodding. ¡°My Oppa¡ªbrother¡ªhelp me make character. I¡¯m a¡­ M-A-G-E, how to pronounce?¡±


    ¡°Mage,¡± Rayna read aloud. ¡°It¡¯s a person who can use magic.¡±


    Kyorin nodded. ¡°Right, I¡¯m that.¡±


    She left to go tell her friends that she had made an account, leaving Rayna at her desk.


    Rayna was quickly becoming the only person she knew that hadn¡¯t signed up for the surgery.


    She was sticking to her guns. Until they came out with a version of the game that worked with AR glasses or a desktop application, Rayna would gladly miss out.


    Three more students came to show her their profiles over the course of the day, and Rayna had genuine smiles for them as she helped them pronounce different words on their sheets and told them what the words meant.


    The cutest part was that Rayna knew there was a Korean version of the game; her students had specifically printed the English version of their Character Sheets so Rayna would be able to read what it was they were showing her.


    Teaching English was exhausting, but this was the kind of thing that made everything worth it.


    Rayna looked up from her desk, frowning at her empty classroom. When did it get so late?


    Something about the room seemed off¡­ was it the lighting?


    Rayna left the papers she was grading on her desk and walked over to the light switch. She flicked the lights on and off a few times.


    A light blue glow emanated from the back of her classroom.


    Rayna left the lights off and cautiously approached the glow. She grabbed a heavy dictionary on the way, holding it up like a baseball bat.


    A chair in the back was emitting a blue light from the seat. Rayna didn¡¯t remember buying a glow-in-the-dark chair¡­


    She checked the side of the chair to see whose seat it was.


    Silka Emberan.


    Silka¡­ Did Rayna have a Silka in her class? It seemed like a name she would remember. Maybe it was one of her students¡¯ English names¡­


    ¡°What are you doing with the light off?¡± someone asked in Korean.


    Rayna¡¯s gaze snapped to the door as her co-worker Lee Sunhwa turned on the lights.


    ¡°Do you have any glow-in-the-dark chairs in your classroom?¡± Rayna asked in Korean.


    Sunhwa shook her head. ¡°Do they make those?¡±


    Rayna looked back at the seat. ¡°Apparently. I¡ª¡± She cut off, her cheeks turning bright red.


    The chair wasn¡¯t glowing. There was a phone on the seat. Rayna put the dictionary down on the desk and picked up the phone. A picture of one of her students was set as the lock screen. She glanced at the chair and the name said ¡®Kwan Sukyung¡¯. This name, she did recognize.


    Rayna turned back to Sunhwa with an awkward smile. ¡°Sukyung left his cell phone, it seems.¡±


    Sunhwa glanced at the dictionary.


    ¡°I thought I saw a mouse,¡± Rayna explained.


    Sunhwa shuddered. ¡°There better not be mice in here! The traps are awful.¡±


    Rayna returned to her desk to finish grading her students¡¯ writing assignments.


    ¡°They have it in English?!¡± Rayna snatched the novel off the shelf, turning it over to check the price.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    She¡¯d been trying to get this particular book for weeks, but it was nearly fifty bucks to have it shipped to her, since the publishers didn¡¯t sell directly to Korea. Finding it in a used bookstore like this was like finding a nugget of gold in a box of chocolates.


    ¡°Sweet! I call dibs on reading it after you,¡± Emma said.


    ¡°I might be a while,¡± Rayna warned. ¡°We¡¯ve got midterms coming up and I have about a hundred papers to grade.¡±


    ¡°Well in that case, maybe I can read it first,¡± Emma said mischievously.


    ¡°Not a chance!¡± Rayna said, hugging the book close to her chest. ¡°You¡¯ll spoil the whole thing before I read the first page.¡±


    Emma poked Rayna in the shoulder. ¡°Please! I read the whole thing weeks ago. I just wanted to read it on paper.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Rayna had almost forgotten that E-books were a thing. She didn¡¯t have an E-reader and her phone screen was too small to be worth the effort. ¡°Well, then sure, you can read it first. Just know that I¡¯m taking it back the minute I¡¯m free, whether you¡¯re finished with it or not. The fact that you¡¯ve read it before means I can do so without feeling guilty.¡±


    Emma grinned. ¡°I¡¯d expect nothing less. Come on, if we don¡¯t go soon, we¡¯re going to miss the matin¨¦e showing, and I don¡¯t think either of us want to pay full price for a movie ticket in this economy.¡±


    Emma headed to the cashier, a stack of books in hand.


    Rayna moved to follow but froze as the cashier came into view.


    The reptilian woman stood eight feet tall, the claws on the end of her hands curled into talons.


    ¡°Are you coming or not?¡± Emma called as she handed the books over to the scaly woman.


    The woman took the books and started scanning them in as if nothing was out of the ordinary.


    Rayna took a step back. Should she run? What about Emma? Why was no one else seeing this?


    ¡°You really need to get over your fear of people!¡± Emma said as if Rayna was just being shy. She grabbed Rayna¡¯s arm and pulled her into line, putting her book on the counter.


    ¡°Wait, I was going to pay¡ª¡±


    Emma cut her off with a wave of her hand. ¡°This one¡¯s on me. Call it an early birthday present.¡± She handed the book back to Rayna, passing her debit card to the ¡®cashier¡¯.


    Somehow, the title of Rayna¡¯s book had changed.


    A History of the First Peoples of Ember: Everything We Know.


    The author was marked as the Historical Society of Azanel¡­


    ¡°Would you like a bag?¡± the cashier asked in Korean.


    Rayna looked up to find that the reptilian woman had vanished, replaced by a plain Korean woman holding a paper bag.


    ¡°Rayna, a little help here?¡± Emma whispered.


    ¡°Oh, no. We don¡¯t need a bag,¡± Rayna responded in Korean. She glanced back at the book to find it had morphed back into the novel she was trying to buy.


    What¡ª?


    The sterile smell of too many cleaning chemicals assaulted Rayna¡¯s nose. She looked around the hospital hallway, her brows knitting in confusion. Wasn¡¯t she just at the mall with Emma? How had she¡ª?


    Rayna paused. How was she back on Earth?


    The events of the last month hit Rayna like a freight train, and she backed against the wall, crouching and holding her head.


    Was she dreaming?


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Rayna looked up to find Emma¡¯s mom standing over her.


    Rayna wiped her cheeks, surprised to find them wet. Why was she crying?


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you come back inside,¡± Emma¡¯s mom said. ¡°There¡¯s some food and you¡¯ll regret it if you don¡¯t say a proper goodbye.¡±


    Goodbye?


    Suddenly, Rayna was standing next to Emma¡¯s mom, staring down at Lilly, Emma¡¯s little sister.


    Lilly wiped her cheeks and stood up, mutely letting herself be led back into the other room.


    Rayna followed them into the funeral. The atmosphere was reserved and quiet, mainly owing to the fact that there weren¡¯t many people there. Rayna saw a few of her coworkers and her boss, as well as Emma¡¯s grandparents and a few relatives.


    Rayna had already realized whose funeral it was before she saw her picture on the mantel.


    Tears streamed down Lilly¡¯s face. ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m sorry,¡± she whispered, the words somehow reaching Rayna¡¯s ears even though Lilly¡¯s lips were barely moving. ¡°Please don¡¯t hate me. I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Didn¡¯t know what?


    Somehow, the fact that Rayna was dead was far less frustrating than her inability to follow the current situation. Everything felt jumbled and out of order.


    Maybe it was because she wasn¡¯t really dead. She still had a life on Ember, unless she was a ghost, and it was Ember that was the dream¡­


    Rayna shook her head. She may be creative, but even she couldn¡¯t have dreamed up the insanity that was the System.


    ¡°Oh, and if Emma is where you¡ª¡± Lilly swallowed another sob. ¡°If Emma is where you are, please tell her I love her. I should have been at that opening with her.¡±


    Rayna¡¯s heart sank. She had taken Lilly¡¯s spot at the opening.


    Lilly was blaming herself for Rayna¡¯s death.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± Rayna tried to tell her. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have prevented this any more than anyone could have predicted it.¡±


    Lilly looked up, and for a moment, Rayna thought she could see her. But a second later, Emma¡¯s grandmother walked through Rayna to hug Lilly.


    ¡°Emma¡¯s still out there somewhere, little bean,¡± the old woman said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯ll find her.¡±


    Lilly hugged her grandmother back, sobbing into her shoulder.


    Rayna left them alone, feeling like she was intruding on a private moment. Even if it was at her own funeral, it felt weird.


    She moved back into the main hall, where she was drawn to Emma¡¯s uncle, who was watching the news on his phone. Maybe there was some news of where the Chosen had gone.


    Not that the people of Earth would have any way of guessing the real destination, but it would be nice to know what they were thinking.


    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like the news report was related to the Chosen at all.


    ¡°A new pandemic is sweeping the world,¡± the newscaster said. ¡°But this time, humans aren¡¯t in the hot seat; they¡¯re caught in the crossfire. An outbreak of what researchers are calling a mutated strain of the rabies virus has affected animals all over the world. From house cats to mountain lions, the virus has turned its victims aggressive and hostile toward any creature that passes their way. Government officials are cautioning the general public not to go near infected animals, and if they spot an animal displaying heightened aggression or anxiety, to call local animal control and retreat indoors.


    ¡°While the virus seems to have no discernible effects on humans that are bitten by the infected animals, there have already been a staggering number of deaths due to the excessive violence of the attacks. Could this strange new outbreak be related to last week¡¯s disappearances? Or are we looking at an entirely new threat? Only time will tell.¡±


    ¡°You have to stop them,¡± someone said behind Rayna.


    She spun around, coming face to face with herself¡ªher Lerian self.


    The funeral disappeared, leaving Rayna and her doppelganger standing in an empty white world.


    ¡°Stop what?¡± Rayna asked.


    ¡°The Corvi,¡± Lerian-Rayna said.


    A shadowy figure appeared next to Lerian-Rayna, its snarling yellow teeth, the only visible feature in its otherwise smoky visage.


    Rayna took a step back and the figure vanished. ¡°What the hell was that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just one of their forms,¡± Lerian-Rayna said. ¡°Corvi are shapeshifters. The unstoppable plague and the antithesis to creation.¡±


    ¡°All right, that gave me absolutely nothing to go on,¡± Rayna said.


    Lerian-Rayna shook her head. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for a full explanation. You¡¯ve lingered on the first plateau too long already. That¡¯s why I stepped in to help you along.


    ¡°Now listen closely. You¡¯re about to change; not a big change, but it will probably be uncomfortable at first. Each change comes with a new power. You have to master these powers in order. They build on each other. Everyone is going to tell you to take your time; to build slow, but you can¡¯t. We don¡¯t have time for that.


    ¡°We¡¯ve waited a long time for you; longer than any of us thought we would.¡±


    ¡°Change? Powers? Waiting? What are you talking about?¡± Rayna was sure there were answers somewhere in Lerian-Rayna¡¯s explanation, but all she was hearing was a list of vague instructions.


    ¡°Look for Enathar Emberan, the last crown prince of a forgotten era. He will be able to guide you, but don¡¯t trust him completely. A Corvi whispers in his ear. He believed its lies and he works against the best interests of the System, though he knows it not.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you tell him?¡± Rayna asked, even more confused than before.


    ¡°Because as it stands, the prince¡¯s actions serve as a good distraction. The more the Corvi focuses on its own plans, the less it will notice ours.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be able to speak for a while. Do you have any questions before you go?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Rayna asked. She had so many more questions, but that was one that she thought she might actually get an answer to.


    Lerian-Rayna smiled. ¡°My name is Silka,¡± she said. ¡°I hope to see you again soon.¡±


    Silka¡¯s form turned to dust, blowing away in the wind.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Rayna shouted. ¡°You haven¡¯t told me how to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Just breathe,¡± Silka¡¯s voice whispered in Rayna¡¯s ear. ¡°Feel your new body. Find your way back to it. Once you do, you will wake up.¡±


    Rayna¡¯s heart started to race. That didn¡¯t make any sense. How was she supposed to find her way back to her body if she was stuck in the white world?


    ¡°Breathe,¡± Silka repeated.


    Phira appeared in front of Rayna, sitting on the ground and demonstrating the breathing technique as she had in the cave.


    ¡°In for four,¡± she said in Silka¡¯s voice. ¡°Out for five. What is peace?¡±


    Rayna closed her eyes, breathing in and out. She pictured her time in the grocery store with Emma; the feeling she got when her students proudly displayed their new profiles; she saw Emma happily handing over the novel she had just bought for Rayna.


    A heartbeat thudded in Rayna¡¯s ears, but it wasn¡¯t in her chest. She turned, seeing a blue pulsing light in the distance.


    Rayna started walking, then jogging, then running. She ran toward her own beating heart as it thudded louder and louder in her ears. It reached a thundering crescendo that drowned out all other thoughts.


    The noise stopped and Rayna opened her eyes.


    * * *


    ¡°Rayna¡¯s a seer too?¡± Cremble asked, sitting cross-legged by the pond.


    The massive willow towering above them stood dormant, nothing but a ghost of friends long passed. Asteria had a mind of its own, and it did things like this: drum up the past to obscure the future.


    In all things, there must be balance.


    The System takeover had given them a brief respite from their daily toils trying to stop the Corvi from expanding its reach.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Silka said, looking down at her own face in the pond. ¡°Fragments of my power were left behind when she took my body. It will never be a true future sight, but in times of heightened emotion, it may help her to avoid disaster.¡±


    Cremble was silent for a long time. Then quietly, he said, ¡°Will this plan really work?¡±


    Silka didn¡¯t answer.


    Cremble shook his head. ¡°I know you came up with it, and I do trust you, my daughter. But it has been six thousand years. We never expected to wait this long.¡±


    Silka shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not your daughter. Not really.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Cremble said with a small smile. ¡°Reincarnation and all that. But you are my daughter. Each life, you start anew, that is how it is meant to be, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Start anew,¡± Silka mused aloud. How wondrous that would be? To have one¡¯s memories stripped away; to live your next life free of the past.


    She had never been so lucky.


    ¡°The goddess has plans for us all,¡± Silka said. ¡°You cannot ignore the call, no matter how you may wish it. It is for the good of all.¡±


    Cremble shook his head, his smile disappearing. ¡°With how long we waited; with how much destruction we caused¡ª¡° He closed his eyes. ¡°Everyone we know is dead. What was the point?¡±


    ¡°Balance,¡± Silka said, her voice unwavering. ¡°If the balance is broken, everything falls into chaos. It is not just for Ember, but of the many worlds connected to her through those invisible strands. Without Ember, there is nothing.¡±


    Cremble sighed. ¡°We keep marching on?¡±


    ¡°Until there is nowhere left to go,¡± Silka said. ¡°And the goddess will reveal our next path.¡±

 Chapter 46: I Have Horns?!

    It took them almost two weeks to find Gann¡¯s group wandering around in the tunnels. The cave in of Mount Herdo resulted in a number of tunnels collapsing and they had to dig the group out once the sniffers finally found them.


    The well-provisioned players were traumatized, but they were alive.


    Shela helped transport them back to the village where she turned them over to the healers. Exhaustion couldn¡¯t be healed away. They needed a warm bed and some uninterrupted sleep.


    Once that was done, Shela went to check on Rayna.


    She had been placed in one of the disused cottages on the edge of the village, since she didn¡¯t really need tending. Evolution wasn¡¯t something they could really help with; that was why it was so dangerous.


    Every Lerian succeeded or failed on their own.


    Shela had never gone through a plateau. The thing about being only part Lerian was that you never quite knew when your heritage would rear its ugly head. Her mother had gone through her first plateau at a hundred years old and it had taken her five years to get through it.


    Many halflings never woke from the first evolution.


    Shela shook her head. Rayna would be fine. Not only was she not a halfling¡ªat least, Elder Lona didn¡¯t think so¡ªbut she also had a substantial amount of control, considering how close she had been to evolving.


    Shela had heard horror stories of the temper tantrums Lerian children threw when they got close to their first plateau. They were known to level villages if their parents didn¡¯t take the proper precautions.


    Rayna had certainly lost her temper a few times, but she kept her emotions in check when it mattered. She would find that a lot easier once she woke up.


    Shela entered the dimly lit cottage, frowning at the stacks of books and clothing that covered every surface. She would have to tidy the place up a little. Rayna shouldn¡¯t have to wake up in a glorified storage room.


    She went over to the fireplace and used the poker to get it going again, then she turned to the bed.


    Shela froze.


    The bed was empty.


    Had someone kidnapped Rayna? Or had she just been moved to a new cottage.


    Shela ran over, finding a folded piece of paper and several vials of green liquid on the bed.


    She unfolded the note, but to her chagrin, it was written in a language she didn¡¯t know. She should have invested in a translation spell by now, but they were so expensive nowadays, since practically everyone wanted one.


    Shela threw the green vials in her Soul Realm and sprinted across the village to where Jelin was helping some of the younger children with their studies.


    He stood up when he saw Shela¡¯s expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Rayna disappeared. I found a note on her bed, but I can¡¯t read it.¡± Shela shoved the piece of paper at Jelin. He had managed to pick up a translation spell in his last Ascension.


    ¡°I can try,¡± Jelin said, taking the note. ¡°But my spell doesn¡¯t cover everything.¡±


    Shela¡¯s nose itched as he activated the spell. One of the children nearby grimaced and rubbed his ears.


    Jelin nodded. ¡°It¡¯s legible, though her handwriting is atrocious.¡±


    ¡°What does it say?¡± Shela asked impatiently.


    Jelin cleared his throat and read the note aloud.


    Sorry for just leaving without saying goodbye. I was supposed to meet a friend of mine tonight and I¡¯m already late. If you need to contact me again, you can talk to Lord or Lady Emery, or you can look in with Abbott Quar at the Temple of Eldar. I will leave some contact information with him when I can.


    Thank you for your help,


    Rayna.


    P.S. I don¡¯t have any money, so I¡¯m leaving a few items as thanks. They¡¯re Azutin Mucus. It¡¯s highly acidic, so don¡¯t touch it. They¡¯re supposed to be expensive.


    Shela grimaced. She did not want Azutin Mucus in her Soul Realm. At least the vials were standard System vials. They wouldn¡¯t break easily, but Shela had a lot of stuff in there that could be easily ruined.


    ¡°I get the feeling that she doesn¡¯t know how long she was asleep,¡± Jelin said.


    Shela nodded. ¡°And she didn¡¯t bother asking anyone before she left. Can you send someone to check for her at the temple? I can¡¯t go back to Ellis until I¡¯m sure Myre has forgotten about me.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Jelin said, handing her back the note. ¡°In the meantime, go tell Elder Lona what happened. He¡¯ll probably want to search the mountain, but I¡¯m not sure we¡¯ll be able to find her with her hair dark. Unless she absorbs some Essence, we¡¯re just going to have to rely on numbers.¡±


    Shela headed straight for the Elder¡¯s cottage at the center of the village. The mountain was too cold to have a newly evolved initial running around without even a proper cloak. If she got lost, she was likely to freeze to death before help could come.


    * * *


    Rayna loved the map¡¯s tracking feature.


    The white line that stretched along the ground to lead Rayna to the hub was rimmed with blue lines to contrast from the stark white of the snow.


    She left a note for Shela on the bed she had woken up in. Rayna appreciated the help, but the sun was starting to go down and she was going to be late to meet with Corban.


    She marked the village on the map so she could properly thank them later. If she worked up the courage to go back there, that is. One of the reasons she had left without saying goodbye in the first place was the fact that she could see some of their name tags through the window of the cottage they had put her in.


    There were Lerians in that village.


    They didn¡¯t look like Rayna at all, in fact, their appearances were so varied that Rayna couldn¡¯t find any common thread between them besides a race name.


    They were living so close to Ellis, and yet no one seemed to know what a Lerian was. Something was off about that. Were they somehow related to Lord Myre? Or was this an entirely different secret that she had stumbled upon?


    Either way, she wanted nothing to do with it.


    Rayna was a little achy from her ordeal, but other than that, she felt fine; nothing that couldn¡¯t be cured with a hot bath and a long nap.


    Rayna¡¯s stomach growled and she pulled out one of the palatable bowls of pickleberry stew to eat while she walked.


    The sight and smell of food intensified her hunger, and she inhaled three bowls before she couldn¡¯t stomach the taste anymore. She pulled out several of her System rations and ate five before she even noticed the texture.


    Rayna stopped with the sixth ration halfway to her mouth. What was she doing?


    Her stomach rebelled and she nearly emptied the hastily added contents into the snow, but somehow she managed to keep them down. Despite the speed-eating induced nausea, she was still hungry.


    Rayna forced herself to eat slower, nibbling on the side of a ration that somehow didn¡¯t taste unbearable.


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    They say that hunger is the best sauce.


    By the time she reached the hub, she had eaten three more rations and another bowl of pickleberry stew.


    The first thing she noted was the shiny barrier that surrounded the hub. Had something attacked them? The area around the hub was empty, but there were several sets of footprints that overlapped each other and obscured their shape.


    Rayna cautiously entered the hub.


    The main lobby was packed with people. Players came and went via both the stairs and the portal. The busy atmosphere felt almost like a convention, with players chatting boisterously around tables and a few card games being played on a mat in the back of the lobby.


    Rayna¡¯s presence brought an end to all conversation in the room. All eyes turned to her, a mixture of surprise and concern sprinkled throughout the sea of faces.


    Jade, the asian woman that had greeted Corban and Rayna in the tent city, approached Rayna cautiously.


    ¡°May I ask what business you have with the Chosen?¡± she asked, apparently not recognizing Rayna.


    Rayna wasn¡¯t too surprised by that, since their only meeting had been brief, but the tense atmosphere didn¡¯t bode well for human-emberian relations.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a friend of mine: Corban Wells? You led us to our tents a couple days ago.¡± Rayna pulled out a vial of Azutin Mucus. ¡°I was the one that traded the Mucus for a week of lodging.¡±


    Come to think of it, Rayna hadn¡¯t been able to use most of that time anyway. She wouldn¡¯t bother asking for a refund, but it felt like a bit of a waste. Maybe she could get some coins for it now that System coins weren¡¯t useless anymore.


    ¡°Rayna?¡± Corban asked incredulously, appearing at the edge of the crowd. ¡°Is that you?¡±


    Rayna grinned. ¡°You know any other folks with glowing hair?¡± She grabbed a handful of her hair before she remembered that it wasn¡¯t glowing anymore. ¡°Oh, well, with white hair, I guess. Honestly, I think I like this better than the blue. Maybe I can force it to glow a specific color¡­¡± she mused.


    Rayna had no idea how she would go about doing that, but it sounded like a fun idea.


    Corban shook his head. ¡°Umm¡­ have you looked in the mirror lately?¡±


    ¡°No, why?¡± There hadn¡¯t been any mirrors in the cottage. ¡°Do I have something on my face?¡±


    She touched her face, wiping her hand against her cheek, but she didn¡¯t feel anything.


    Corban cleared his throat. ¡°She¡¯s with me, everyone. You can go back to what you were doing.¡±


    Noise slowly returned to the lobby.


    Corban turned to Jade. ¡°Get Stela, Avery and Harry and meet me upstairs in Rayna¡¯s room.¡±


    Jade nodded and politely navigated her way through the crowd.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Corban said. ¡°I need to find you a mirror.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°I have horns?!¡± Rayna traced her fingers over the blue protrusions growing backward from her scalp. They were similar to Amon¡¯s horns, but they pointed upward instead of downward at the tip.


    ¡°Congratulations on having passed the first plateau,¡± Amon said, something unreadable in his voice.


    ¡°Why do I look older?¡± Rayna demanded. ¡°And since you seem to know what this is why do I have horns?¡±


    Not that she was complaining about looking older. She still didn¡¯t look her age, but she would take late teens over the pre-teen look any day.


    ¡°That can sometimes happen,¡± Amon said. ¡°Though it¡¯s pretty rare. It usually means that you woke up sooner than you should have. Your body used the excess Essence in your system in the only way it could without direction. Hence, the rapid aging.¡±


    ¡°So, all of this is normal for Lerians?¡± Corban asked, looking as confused as Rayna.


    He sat on a three person sofa with Jade, an empty seat between them. Three people who had yet to be introduced stood behind the couch, quietly observing the odd discussion.


    The room that Amon had given Rayna was massive, it made even the posh room that she had stayed in at Lord Emery¡¯s mansion look like a hovel. Curtains draped over the king sized bed that had more pillows than Rayna had owned in her twenty-seven years of life. A desk, wardrobe and small sitting area with a dining table filled a good portion of the rest of the space in the bedroom.


    Connected to the bedroom by a lockable door was a separate sitting room¡ªthe one that they were in at the moment¡ªwith a fireplace, a sofa and a small reading nook. Through a door at the back of the room was a kitchen, though Rayna hadn¡¯t had a chance to explore it yet.


    When she asked Amon about the cost, worried that this would bankrupt her, Amon discreetly assured her that she didn¡¯t have to pay and that he would explain when there were less people around.


    ¡°This is a normal part of every Lerian¡¯s progression,¡± Amon said. ¡°Albeit a dangerous one. The System has minimized the possibility of failure, but it cannot make the process entirely safe.¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°You know what, I don¡¯t even want to know. Corban, fill me in on what happened while I was gone.¡±


    Corban nodded. ¡°Well, first of all, you¡¯ve been gone for two weeks¡­¡±


    ¡°Two weeks?¡± Rayna turned to Amon. ¡°I thought you said I didn¡¯t sleep long enough.¡±


    ¡°¡®Long enough¡¯ is relative,¡± Amon said. ¡°I slept for three months during my first plateau. I have heard of others that awoke in a few hours. It depends on your lineage and how much Essence your body is able to absorb.¡±


    ¡°This just keeps getting better and better,¡± Rayna muttered.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Corban continued. ¡°We have about seven hundred Chosen living in the two hubs. Jade, Stela, Avery and Harry are the Tutorial Leaders for their groups.¡±


    Rayna frowned. ¡°Four Tutorial Leaders and only seven hundred players?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking,¡± Jade said. ¡°My group was the only one that decided to stick together. The others split their tutorial groups into five or six parties, so you¡¯re only seeing a fraction of the people that survived the trials.¡±


    The other three Tutorial Leaders nodded, easing Rayna¡¯s concern.


    Corban continued. ¡°After a minor scuffle with some bandits on the way in, Amon thought it would be better to keep the hub as a sort of safe zone for now. Only humans are allowed in and out of the force field. We¡¯ve been more or less stuck inside, but since Amon has access to the System store, we¡¯re well stocked and we won¡¯t run out of coins as long as we have the dungeon to hunt in.¡±


    ¡°The hub has been attacked several times since then,¡± Amon said. ¡°I believe that until the Chosen are high enough in level to protect themselves from outside threats, we should keep the people of Ember out of the hubs.¡±


    Rayna nodded. ¡°That¡¯s reasonable. What about Ronari? How is she doing?¡±


    ¡°Administrator Ronari stopped by to introduce herself to the humans, but for the most part, her time is occupied with maintaining System functions.¡±


    Rayna understood the meaning behind his words. ¡®Ronari is too busy to bother you, so you can stay here without worrying about her interfering in your plans.¡¯


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Now before you go back to work, is there anything else I need to know about being a Lerian?¡±


    Amon nodded. ¡°You should have a special ability known as an inheritance. They are passed down in families, though the powers differ slightly from person to person. Have you discovered any abilities that are not present in your Character Sheet?¡±


    Rayna rubbed her chin. ¡°Teleportation? I can open portals, I think.¡± Rayna demonstrated, opening a small portal with her finger. ¡°They lead to some sort of a mirror dimension. Not super useful, but it got me out of a bind back in Aeteraut Forest.¡±


    Amon frowned thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with the power, unfortunately. You can ask Ronari if you wish. Otherwise, you may have to discover the secrets of your inheritance on your own. The particulars of each inheritance were usually closely guarded secrets known only to the family they came from and the crown.¡±


    ¡°What was yours?¡± Rayna asked, suddenly curious. She had pretty much confirmed that Ronari, Amon and Aila were all Lerians, which meant she actually had a friendly source of information for once.


    ¡°I was a shadow walker,¡± Amon said. ¡°I could teleport through shadows. Unfortunately, the ability did not follow me into my Simulacrum Stone.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Rayna nodded. ¡°Thank you for all your help, Amon.¡±


    Amon inclined his head. ¡°I hope your meeting goes well. Call me if you have need.¡±


    He vanished, and Rayna turned to face the others in the room. ¡°Right. Well, I¡¯m Rayna. It¡¯s nice to meet you all. I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t know why Corban called this meeting.¡±


    ¡°To introduce you to the group leaders,¡± Corban said. ¡°And because the leaders wanted to meet the owner of the hub and thank you personally for letting us stay here.¡±


    Rayna¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t own the hubs.¡±


    ¡°For all intents and purposes, you do,¡± Corban said. ¡°Amon explained to us the situation with your sponsorship and subsidization of the hub rooms. If it weren¡¯t for you, we would all be sleeping in tents still.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I was skeptical at first,¡± Avery, a tall blond man with an old-west-style mustache, said. ¡°But it¡¯s nice to finally meet you in person.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t even have tents,¡± Stela, a short brunette woman with round glasses and several piercings on each ear, said. ¡°We thought we had more time to prepare, but then the System booted us out of the tutorial with nothing but the clothes on our backs and what we had in our inventories. All of our tents were left in the courtyard.¡±


    ¡°Hey Corban,¡± Rayna said through gritted teeth. ¡°Can I talk to you for a second?¡±


    Corban followed Rayna into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Rayna hissed, praying that the walls were soundproof.


    ¡°Making it clear why you¡¯re the only Emberian allowed in the hub,¡± Corban said. ¡°They already know that Amon isn¡¯t the owner. This way, they don¡¯t go looking for deeper reasons as to why you¡¯re calling the shots.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Rayna asked. ¡°Because it sounds to me like you¡¯ve given them an awful lot of information, most of which is complete bullshit. And what¡¯s this about me subsidizing the rooms? I can¡¯t afford that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not costing you a single coin,¡± Corban assured her. ¡°Amon and I worked this plan out last week when some of the Chosen were asking too many questions. It¡¯s why we gave you the highest tier room. We¡¯re setting you up as a rich philanthropist who rented out the hub for the foreseeable future in order to house the humans. It makes you seem more charitable and helps smooth over the fact that you¡¯re not human.¡±


    He winced. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Rayna said dismissively. ¡°That part, at least, is true.¡±


    Rayna was a little surprised herself at her total lack of emotional reaction. Apparently, magical hormones had been messing with her head more than she thought. She felt silly when she thought about how many times she had cried or flown off the handle in the few days preceding her unscheduled nap.


    Not that the emotions weren¡¯t all still there, they were just easier to manage now.


    ¡°Honestly,¡± Corban said. ¡°We¡¯ve been getting a lot of trouble from the Emberians. Some idiot told them that the Administrator is hiding up here and now they all think that Amon can fix the System. Some people are even bringing offerings to him like this is some sort of shrine.


    ¡°Others tried kidnapping humans to ransom in exchange for titles or free levels. That¡¯s why we stopped leaving the hub.¡±


    Rayna sighed. ¡°In other words, the human-emberian hostility will cause an issue if I don¡¯t have a good reason to be here.¡±


    Corban nodded.


    Rayna squared her shoulders. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll play rich sponsor. But don¡¯t give them any more details than they need. Rich sponsors get their privacy, too.¡±


    They already knew about Rayna¡¯s evolution, but she figured that there was nothing they could do with that information.


    ¡°Understood,¡± Corban said. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I¡¯m drooling over this room. Did you know there¡¯s a magic tub in the bathroom over there?¡± He gestured to yet another door that Rayna hadn¡¯t noticed yet.


    Rayna hadn¡¯t known about the bathtub, and it did, in fact, make her feel better.

 Chapter 47: Human Tech

    Corban kept his explanation brief and vague. He told them that Rayna was a rich benefactor that had acquired this hub and others in the hopes of improving human-emberian relations by giving the Chosen a safe place to stay outside of the cities.


    After that, they spent some time on an informal meet and greet so the Tutorial Leaders could tell her about their groups and thank her for her generosity.


    Rayna felt like a fraud, but the stability of the situation was more important than her personal feelings.


    When the others finally left Corban stayed behind.


    ¡°So, do I get more details as your second-in-command or should I scram and let you have some more time to yourself?¡± Corban grinned, though Rayna could tell by the slight tension in his words that he really wanted to know more.


    She sat down on the sofa. ¡°Get comfortable. It¡¯s a long story.¡±


    Rayna told him everything. He already knew her secret about being the Administrator, so there was little point in keeping the rest from him. She even went back to talk about the tutorial and how she was indirectly responsible for the redesign.


    Phira came out some time in the middle, so Rayna had the chance to not only introduce them but also to fill Phira in on the rest of the details of her situation.


    Corban rubbed his chin. ¡°Silka¡­ how do you think she¡¯s related to Lord Myre?¡±


    Rayna lifted an eyebrow. ¡°Where are you getting that connection?¡±


    ¡°Well, she told you to seek him out¡ªassuming that his name tag is the real him and not the name he¡¯s giving everyone else¡ªand they share a last name if she¡¯s the same Silka as the name in your classroom.¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°I think that was just a dream. Everything felt surreal and jumbled until the¡ª¡± Rayna cut off.


    ¡°Funeral?¡± Corban finished for her. ¡°You¡¯re not dead.¡±


    ¡°But I am, though,¡± Rayna said, shuddering at the thought. ¡°I¡¯m literally a ghost in a stolen body.¡±


    ¡°Borrowed or given,¡± Corban corrected. ¡°Silka said they were waiting for you, whatever that means. If she knew you would come, she had to know you would be in her body, right?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t automatically mean she allowed it,¡± Rayna countered. ¡°I¡¯m literally a body-snatcher!¡±


    The situation had been far less concerning when Rayna assumed she had just been race-swapped. A genetic experiment or even a body grown in a lab would be less morally dubious.


    And it wouldn¡¯t make her feel so guilty.


    ¡°I agree with Corban,¡± Phira said. ¡°Even if the permission was not explicitly given to you, by not even mentioning the situation while giving you instructions, Silka gives the impression that she is aware of the situation and doesn¡¯t resent you for it.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s not your fault,¡± Corban said. ¡°You didn¡¯t ask to be put in her body, you asked to be taken to Emma. It was that Administrator that forced you into this position.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still messed up,¡± Rayna said.


    ¡°Be that as it may,¡± Phira said. ¡°It¡¯s not something any of us can rectify at the current time, therefore it¡¯s not something worth devoting energy to.¡±


    ¡°I think the more important question is whether or not you¡¯re going to approach Myre,¡± Corban said. ¡°If he¡¯s the only one who can teach you about your portals, it might be better to do so sooner rather than later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not approaching him at all,¡± Rayna said firmly. ¡°All I did was mention his name and the man attacked Nali¡¯s safe house. He¡¯s hiding something huge, and I want nothing to do with it.¡±


    ¡°That is wise,¡± Phira said. ¡°In a game of politics, it¡¯s often best to hold your information in reserve, rather than to show your hand too early.¡±


    ¡°I still think you need to find a sensei or something,¡± Corban said. ¡°This sounds like classic chosen-one-origin-story stuff. You literally just hit the call to action.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in Ascension,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Is it open yet?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Corban grumbled. ¡°Everyone else got a head start and now I¡¯m playing catch-up. Jade even bagged a Rare Class.¡±


    Rayna frowned. ¡°How are you all leveling up? I cleared the dungeon less than a week ago.¡±


    ¡°The spawn rate is outrageous,¡± Corban said. ¡°We can clear it in the morning and the monsters are all back by lunch. The only exception is the Dungeon Boss, the room is still only acting as a portal back to the hub.¡±


    ¡°Did Amon have any idea why that is?¡± Rayna asked.


    Corban blinked. ¡°You know, it hadn¡¯t even occurred to us to ask him.¡±


    Amon appeared in the room before Rayna could call him. ¡°You had a question?¡±


    Thanks to Phira¡¯s tendency to pop in unannounced, Rayna wasn¡¯t startled, but she was annoyed by the sudden intrusion. ¡°All right, ground rules for my room. If you reply to a summons, do so by knocking on the door, not popping in suddenly, and don¡¯t listen in on my conversations.¡±


    Amon nodded. ¡°My apologies, surveillance is one of my key duties, for the safety of the hub and dungeon.¡±


    Corban¡¯s lips formed a thin line.


    ¡°Added rule,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Stay out of the bedrooms and the bathrooms. You can police common areas, leave the rest alone.¡±


    Amon tilted his head. ¡°Then how will I know if I¡¯m needed?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come to the door,¡± Rayna said. ¡°It¡¯s better than being spied on.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Amon said. ¡°Now about your question?¡±


    ¡°Right. I was just wondering why the dungeon respawn rate is so high. Is it in danger of overflowing?¡±


    Amon shook his head. ¡°This is perfectly natural. Due to the extended period of time in which the dungeon was ignored, large amounts of Miasma are still present within the dungeon and in the surrounding area. The dungeon is filtering this Miasma by combining it with Essence to create monsters.


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    ¡°When a monster is killed, the Essence is released back into the air and the Miasma dissolves with the monster¡¯s corpse. It¡¯s not a perfect system, as some Miasma is usually left over, but with repetition, the malignant energy can be completely cleansed.¡±


    ¡°How do we know how much Miasma is left?¡± Corban asked.


    ¡°Miasma can be detected with various high-level spells,¡± Amon said. ¡°But a more reliable way to be sure is to watch the spawn rate of the monsters within dungeons. A healthy dungeon should only spawn about a hundred monsters per day.¡±


    Corban shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re killing at least ten times that much.¡±


    Amon nodded. ¡°Precisely. The dungeon is working at maximum efficiency to clear the Miasma. This is why they were such an important part of Ember¡¯s ecosystem.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s a manual with all this stuff in it, is there?¡± Rayna asked. If she could learn more about the System, that might give her a better idea of where to start fixing it.


    The statement had mostly been a joke, but a small tablet appeared on the bed next to her.


    It was a low-budget e-reader.


    ¡°Where did you get this?¡± Rayna asked, turning the tablet over in her hands.


    ¡°It was in the Inventory of one of the fallen Chosen,¡± Amon said. ¡°The technology wasn¡¯t too hard to access, though I admit, I spent more time inspecting it than was likely necessary. I have uploaded the Administrator¡¯s manuals for you, but the previously owned reading material is largely unavailable due to it not being actually present on the device. There were two accessible items: Werewolf Prom and A Zombie Stole My Heart, both fascinating reads.¡±


    Rayna wasn¡¯t sure what was stranger: the fact that she was holding a fully charged e-reader right now or the fact that Amon was into paranormal fantasy romance.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier just to put the books in my System?¡± Rayna asked. ¡°Then I wouldn¡¯t have to carry this around.¡±


    ¡°You have restricted access to your System,¡± Amon reminded her. ¡°Without permission I cannot send or receive information from your profile.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Rayna hadn¡¯t thought about that. ¡°What about a paper copy?¡±


    ¡°They were not preserved well enough to last six thousand years,¡± Amon said, his tone regretful. ¡°I¡¯m afraid the tablet is the only option I can offer you.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Corban said. ¡°You can make electronics work?¡±


    ¡°To a point,¡± Amon said. ¡°The principles are not too different from the System. I¡¯m sure you must have noticed the similarities by now.¡±


    Corban¡¯s answer was to hand Amon his phone. ¡°Can you make this work?¡±


    Unable to lift the phone himself, Amon used some sort of telekinesis skill to take it from Corban. ¡°I can, but any function that relies on Internet will be unavailable.¡±


    ¡°Where are you getting all of this information?¡± Phira asked curiously.


    ¡°I have been talking to the Chosen,¡± Amon said. ¡°I have already restored three phones and two laptops as well as several digital watches.¡±


    He handed the phone back to Corban. ¡°You will have to fuel it with Mana if you wish it to keep running. The amount of Mana required will depend on the size and usage of the device.¡±


    The screen lit up and Corban tapped it impatiently.


    ¡°Just what Ember needs: screens,¡± Rayna said sarcastically.


    ¡°Communication,¡± Corban countered.


    Rayna sat up straighter. ¡°Communication?¡±


    ¡°The System is a large network, isn¡¯t it?¡± Corban asked Amon. ¡°Similar to the Internet. All of the players are connected.¡±


    Amon shook his head. ¡°The System isn¡¯t designed like that. there is a series of hubs and each player is connected directly to the System through those hubs. Players are not connected to each other.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Corban said. ¡°The hubs are kind of like servers. When a message is sent, information bounces from that player to the hub and then to the player they were sending the message to.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the message function is offline,¡± Amon said. ¡°When a feature is deactivated, it requires a number of keepers as well as the Administrator to reactivate it.¡± He nodded in Rayna¡¯s direction. ¡°She would have to tell Ronari the truth.¡±


    ¡°Not happening,¡± Rayna said.


    ¡°No, but what if we could build a new communication system instead?¡± Corban asked. ¡°One that is based on our technology instead of yours.¡±


    ¡°Even if we could,¡± Amon said. ¡°The System doesn¡¯t have the energy to support that many devices. It would be like trying to power the sun.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have to,¡± Rayna said, catching on to Corban¡¯s plan. ¡°You said it yourself; Corban can charge his phone with Mana. The System only has to send the messages, it wouldn¡¯t have to display them.¡±


    ¡°And once communication is restored, we can get Janet and people like her involved. Organization is the first step to solving any problem.¡± Corban waved his phone for emphasis. ¡°The only reason her plan didn¡¯t work was the complete lack of communication. Ronari hasn¡¯t even provided proper instructions since kicking us out of the tutorial.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s busy¡ª¡± Amon began.


    ¡°Running the System,¡± Corban finished for him. ¡°So, why not take a few things off her plate? We don¡¯t need her to tell us where to go or what to do if we can coordinate ourselves.¡±


    Amon took a moment to mull it over. ¡°You know, the idea has merit¡­ but the service area would be limited.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡± Corban asked.


    ¡°The hubs,¡± Amon said. ¡°Rayna has only opened two so far. As it stands, the System is expending an enormous amount of energy to keep every individual player connected directly to the main hub. The more hubs that become active, the less energy it will take to send messages. Connections can be relayed through multiple hubs making them more efficient and the involvement of the keepers will reduce the mental strain on Ronari and Rayna.¡±


    ¡°Mental strain?¡± Rayna asked.


    Amon nodded. ¡°Surely, you¡¯ve felt the effects by now. Headaches? Exhaustion? Trouble focusing?¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°None of the above. I had some hallucinations and irritability, but that all passed after I evolved.¡±


    Amon frowned thoughtfully. ¡°Odd¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this a bad thing?¡± Rayna asked.


    ¡°No, no,¡± Amon rushed to assure her. ¡°Just odd. It¡¯s possible that Ronari is taking on more of the strain than I thought. Either way, it would still be better to involve more Keepers to help with System Management.¡±


    ¡°I was going to ask you about that, actually,¡± Rayna said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to find more hubs. Can Ronari do a scan or something? She should be willing, considering she¡¯s the one who¡¯s so desperate for me to open them in the first place.¡±


    So desperate that she hid Emma and started this whole charade¡­


    Rayna banished the thought for now. Anger was a wasted emotion at the moment. She needed to focus on finding Emma, not how much she wanted to wring Ronari¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Unfortunately, a long range scan is impossible without the hubs,¡± Amon said. ¡°But you should be able to perform a short range scan yourself. You would find that information in the third manual on page 272.¡±


    Rayna was suddenly very glad that Amon didn¡¯t have a physical copy of the manual.


    ¡°How many manuals are there?¡± Rayna asked, grabbing the e-reader despite the sour taste in her mouth.


    Whoever owned this tablet before me, may you rest in peace.


    She turned it on and navigated to the library. ¡°Fifteen?!¡±


    ¡°That I have access to,¡± Amon said. ¡°The manuals were split between the ten central hubs on the current continent. I received these manuals from Aila, who keeps the central hub for the country of Helia, which used to be called Ellis.¡±


    ¡°So, there are a hundred and fifty?¡± Rayna asked, pressing her lips together.


    ¡°Give or take,¡± Amon confirmed. ¡°These will likely be the most useful for basic System upkeep, while the manuals located further from the main hub will be more nuanced and situational information. The Main System Hub would have a copy of the entire set, but we are having difficulty receiving any of the files from its storage. Ronari believes that the previous Administrator set traps in case of sabotage.¡±


    Corban grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s going to be a pain. Need any help getting in? It might take me a bit to figure out the System¡¯s programming setup, but if it really is similar to the tech back home, then I have experience breaking into things.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll hold that idea in reserve for now,¡± Rayna said. ¡°We don¡¯t want to do anything that could cause major outages. Amon, can you work on the phone system with Corban and try to get communications back up and running? In the meantime, Phira and I will work on finding more hubs. Do you have a rough estimate of how many we¡¯re looking at here?¡±


    ¡°Ellis was a small country to begin with,¡± Amon said. ¡°But it grew even smaller when it became Helia. I believe there are four hubs within its borders. My mountain, Ellis¡¯ capital and two others on the Western and Eastern borders. Reinitializing the remaining two hubs should reveal most of the country on your map.


    ¡°As for the communications system, I will look into it, but it may take some time to develop. Should I keep this a secret from Ronari or ask for her assistance?¡±


    Rayna thought about it. ¡°You know Ronari better than I do. Will she try to sabotage communications to keep me from getting to Emma?¡±


    The room was silent for a long moment.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Amon said. ¡°I believe she might. We will work on it in secret until it is too widespread for her to block.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Rayna said. ¡°I¡¯ll leave in a few days, there are some preparations I need to make first.¡±

 Chapter 48: Lapis

    ¡°I¡¯m going to rip their throats out,¡± Nali growled as bile rose in her throat again.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± Din assured her, using a cloth to dab the sweat from Nali¡¯s brow. ¡°Just hang in there a bit longer.¡±


    Nali groaned and leaned further over the side of the boat to empty the meager contents of her stomach. The vomit splashed on the side of the ship before hitting the water, adding to the foul smell that already clung to the wood.


    ¡°You talked such a big game on the docks, I wouldn¡¯t think a little seasickness would be the thing to do you in.¡± A grizzled old man leaned on the rail a few feet away from Nali, taking a swig from his flask.


    The man had ignored them for the majority of the trip, and Nali hadn¡¯t bothered to introduce herself to the other prisoners.


    She had been too busy puking her guts out for two weeks straight.


    ¡°It emerges from the depths,¡± Din said sarcastically.


    The man shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve never been too fond of water myself, though I¡¯m not trying to feed the fish mama-bird style.¡±


    ¡°I could feed you to them instead,¡± Nali growled. ¡°I¡¯m sure you taste a lot better than¡ª¡±


    She dry heaved.


    ¡°Focus on the horizon,¡± the man said. ¡°I heard it¡¯s supposed to help.¡±


    Nali considered slapping the man across the deck, but she swallowed her pride and forced her eyes to the horizon line.


    To her surprise, it did help a little. Not enough to stop the queasiness in her stomach, but at least she didn¡¯t feel like she was going to throw up again.


    ¡°Where are you from?¡± Nali asked, not taking her eyes away from her anchor to sanity.


    Sea travel wasn¡¯t common. It was slow and dangerous, and besides a few islands off the coast, there wasn¡¯t much to sail to.


    The man said something unintelligible.


    Nali¡¯s gaze flicked to him and back to the horizon line, catching his name tag in the brief second before the boat rolled again.


    [Herald Blanc ¡ª Level 25]


    [Human]


    ¡°You¡¯re one of the Chosen?¡± Nali asked, not looking at the man.


    The man didn¡¯t say anything else for a few minutes and Nali focused on not falling off the boat.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Herald said. ¡°My translation skill is only active for three minutes out of ten. It¡¯s a pain in the ass, but it¡¯s better than nothing. What was the last thing you said?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one of the Chosen?¡± Nali repeated.


    ¡°Is that what you all are calling us?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Dumbest name I ever heard. I¡¯m from Earth, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. Nearly got spawn-killed by a bunch of rabid dogs, but the folks who pulled me out of there weren¡¯t very happy with my presence. Not even sure what I stumbled onto.¡±


    ¡°How are you using the translation skill in the first place?¡± Nali asked. ¡°The boat has a ward to block the use of abilities.¡±


    Were that not the case, Nali had a fair few spells that would work on queasiness or seasickness, even if Basic Heal was useless.


    Herald shrugged. ¡°Maybe they didn¡¯t think I was worth blocking. I¡¯d prefer if you don¡¯t remind them I exist. They seem happy enough to ignore me and I like it better that way.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you come out to talk to us?¡± Din asked, sounding annoyed.


    ¡°Truth be told, I¡¯m a sympathy puker,¡± Herald said. ¡°The less this one heaves, the less queasy I have to feel. Hard to pretend this is a vacation if everything smells like that.¡± He wrinkled his nose before taking another swig from his flask. ¡°Have a nice day.¡±


    He stumbled away, smacking his head on the door frame as he disappeared below deck.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s drunk!¡± Din exclaimed.


    Nali grinned. ¡°I know he is, but his advice is actually helping.¡±


    Somehow¡ªlargely thanks to the horizon trick¡ªNali managed to avoid throwing up for the next couple of hours. As soon as the land came into sight, they were forced below deck and told to wait there.


    Nali took deep breaths, closing her eyes against the return of nausea. She wished Hinesh was there to distract her, but as a member of their secret society, he was on a different boat.


    This boat was only for prisoners and crew.


    The boat shuddered and Nali opened her eyes. They weren¡¯t rocking anymore. Had they reached the island?


    Herald snored loudly, sprawled out in the corner of the brig. He reeked of alcohol and his shirt had disappeared sometime during his nap.


    Where had he gotten the alcohol?


    The more Nali learned about the Chosen, the less they made sense.


    She was distracted from her musing by the return of movement. Only this time the boat didn¡¯t rock side to side with the waves, instead the floor pressed against them as they were lifted into the air.


    ¡°They¡¯re flying the boat?¡± Din asked incredulously. ¡°That would take an extremely powerful mage-type Class.¡±


    Nali shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is magic. Or if it is, it¡¯s not being done by a single person. They wouldn¡¯t have forced us below deck if they weren¡¯t hiding something from us.¡±


    Several minutes later, the boat stopped moving.


    One of the guards came to usher them out. Herald wouldn¡¯t wake, so the guard threw the man over his shoulder, leaving his shirt on the floor.


    At a look from Nali, Din collected the man¡¯s shirt, frowning at it in distaste. Nali took the shirt and shoved it into her satchel.


    They followed the guard above deck, where the other prisoners were gathered in a group.


    ¡°Ignore them,¡± another guard said to the group. ¡°They¡¯re set for a different destination than you lot.¡±


    Nali¡¯s guard led them to the back of the boat.


    ¡°Welcome to Lapis,¡± he said, hopping over the railing. He fell ten yards to the ground, landing solidly on his feet. Miraculously, Herald still didn¡¯t wake up. He motioned for Nali and Din to follow.


    Nali hopped over the railing, landing gracefully on the solid ground. She had never been so happy to be standing on a dirt road.


    ¡°Nali, I¡¯m going to need you to catch me,¡± Din called.


    Nali¡¯s former student built her stats up almost entirely as a mage. She couldn¡¯t make this sort of jump on her own.


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


    Trusting Nali, Din hopped over the edge without hesitation.


    Nali intercepted her, bending her knees as they collided to soften the landing.


    Din grinned. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    She hopped out of Nali¡¯s arms, following the guard, who was already walking down the dirt road.


    ¡°You¡¯re too impulsive,¡± Nali told her, unable to keep the smile out of her voice.


    ¡°Learned from the best,¡± Din called back over her shoulder.


    Nali shook her head, just happy to be off that damn boat.


    They followed the guard in silence. Nali could take him easily enough, especially now that she could use her abilities, but she was there for information, not to blow up the island.


    Not to mention, the fact that they didn¡¯t think they needed to keep blocking Nali¡¯s abilities meant there were probably much more powerful problems to face on the island than a lone guard.


    Also, if Nali was going to escape, she would have done so before they put her on a boat.


    ¡°All right, here are the rules,¡± the guard said, dropping the drunk man on the ground. ¡°You have full run of the island. Once you¡¯re here, there¡¯s no going back, so we don¡¯t force residents to stay anywhere specific. That said, there¡¯s a city about a mile that way¡ª¡± He pointed further down the road. ¡°¡ªthat has warm beds and good food as long as you¡¯re willing to work. If you¡¯d rather take your chances with the monsters, there are some fortified caves up North that will provide you with some basic shelter.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s to stop us from finding a boat and going back to the mainland?¡± Din asked.


    ¡°Besides that one¡¯s constitution?¡± the guard asked, nodding at Nali. ¡°The beach is seeded with sandworms and there are worse things in the sea. It¡¯s about a two week trip back to the mainland if you happen to have someone with the skills to hide you from the monsters in the depths. Also, the three of you are already tagged. We¡¯ll just come find you again, but if that happens, you won¡¯t be welcome in the city a second time.¡±


    Nali kept her expression neutral. ¡°We¡¯re not planning on running.¡± She looked down at the unconscious man on the ground. ¡°And the three of us will stay in the city.¡±


    The guard shrugged. ¡°Stay or don¡¯t stay; you get yourselves there. My job ends here.¡± He walked back in the direction of the boat, not even glancing back at them until he was out of sight.


    ¡°What a jerk,¡± Herald said, sitting up.


    Din swung around to stare at the man. ¡°I thought you were drunk.¡±


    Herald grinned. ¡°You get out of a lot of things when people think that. No, I just reek because I haven¡¯t managed a bath in weeks. Trust me, if I was drunk, you would know.¡±


    Nali activated one of her translation skills so the man wouldn¡¯t have to keep refreshing his three minute emergency skill.


    ¡°I underestimated you,¡± Nali said.


    ¡°Most people do,¡± Herald said, getting to his feet. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose one of you grabbed my shirt?¡±


    Nali pulled it out of her satchel and passed it to him.


    Herald dragged his shirt over his head, pulling his flask out of his Inventory and taking a swig of what was likely just water. ¡°Should we get going?¡±


    ¡°If you let me carry you, we can get to the city a lot faster,¡± Nali offered.


    Din screwed her face up in distaste, but she didn¡¯t object. Nali knew Din hated being carried, but she hated running even more.


    ¡°No thanks,¡± Herald said. ¡°I¡¯d rather take the scenic route. A mile isn¡¯t even a morning jog.¡±


    It took them nearly thirty minutes to reach the city. As soon as Herald realized that Nali was handling the translation, he talked non-stop all the way there.


    ¡°I¡¯m from Texas originally,¡± Herald said. ¡°Moved to Kentucky a few years back when I got laid off. Got into the game as a way to blow off some steam.¡±


    ¡°Game?¡± Din asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Herald said. ¡°It was a video game, you know? The kind that looks like it¡¯s part of real life? Took a bit to get used to seeing monsters everywhere and the government nearly had a conniption fit when monsters were popping up in the middle of the road. That got patched really quickly.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯ve been curious,¡± Din said. ¡°You all keep claiming that you didn¡¯t know that any of this was real. How is that even possible?¡±


    It seemed that Din had gotten over her dislike of the man. Perhaps his unwillingness to be carried¡ªand by extension her not having to put up with it¡ªhad helped her warm up to him.


    ¡°Well, it wouldn¡¯t be the first game I played with this sort of plot,¡± Herald said. ¡°Although it was the first AR game I played. I usually go for console.¡±


    Nali only understood half of what the man was saying. She asked for clarification on a few terms.


    ¡°AR is augmented reality,¡± Herald explained. ¡°It means you have some sort of goggles¡ªor in this case a brain chip¡ªthat projects digital elements of the game onto what you¡¯re seeing. As for console, it¡¯s a type of gaming interface. There¡¯s also desktop, games that you play on your computer, and mobile, a game that¡¯s played on your phone or tablet.¡±


    His response only brought more questions, but Din asked the one that was really on Nali¡¯s mind. She meant to ask Rayna this, but the girl disappeared so quickly that Nali hadn¡¯t been given the chance.


    ¡°And you all did this for¡­ fun?¡± Din asked hesitantly. ¡°Pretended you were part of our world?¡±


    That was the crux of the issue. Nali had heard the terms ¡®fun¡¯ and ¡®relaxing¡¯ thrown about by the Chosen. Even the group outside of the capital seemed way more relaxed than they should be. This world was a nightmare, and no matter how Nali looked at it, she couldn¡¯t figure out how someone could mistake it for a game.


    Herald grimaced. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s not so fun for you lot. Hell, I lost interest as soon as I ran out of booze. The thing you have to understand is, Earth is relatively boring. We¡¯ve got police to deal with crime, animal control to deal with any of the critters that want to eat us, heck, we even have a job specifically devoted to telling us when it is or isn¡¯t safe to go outside.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s not a paradise, and as far as safety goes, it¡¯s pretty so-so. But in my forty years, I¡¯ve only feared for my life a handful of times and none of those were because of a monster, much less one that I could go toe-to-toe with.


    ¡°Games like Ember Online are ¡®relaxing¡¯, not in the way that they are easy or calm. Rather, they¡¯re a way to get our blood pumping. Something to take out our aggression on in a world where there¡¯s nothing to fight. Some people used it as a farming simulator, deep diving into the magic aspect¡ªwe don¡¯t have that either, by the way.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°In a word, Ember is different. Which is something that we strive for daily. Anything to break up the endless monotony of office paperwork or the daily grind. Not to mention, in games, if we work hard we see results. The same can¡¯t always be said for real life.¡±


    Nali nodded slowly. ¡°Ember was an escape.¡±


    Herald nodded. ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°If you wanted to escape your lives so badly, why were you all so mad when you were brought here?¡± Din asked, frowning. ¡°That is an inherent contradiction.¡±


    ¡°Ember was a temporary escape. How would you like it if you got dragged away from everything you knew and thrown into a world even more dangerous than this one? And in the game, there was no pain or death. It was just make-believe.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Nali said.


    The human¡¯s attitudes were starting to make a little more sense now. There was just one thing that still didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°Then, why are you all so calm?¡± Din asked, once again beating Nali to the question. ¡°I understood the human¡¯s attitudes when I thought you were all in a dream-come-true, but the way you just described it, Ember is a waking nightmare. Why aren¡¯t you all hiding in caves or begging for someone to save you?¡±


    Nali wouldn¡¯t have phrased it quite like that. Din was a lot more tactful when she was on the job. Take her tavern away and this is what you got.


    ¡°How many humans have you met?¡± Herald asked.


    ¡°Three,¡± Din said. ¡°Two outside of the capital, and then you.¡±


    Herald raised his eyebrows. ¡°Then what makes you think we¡¯re calm?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard from others¡­¡± Din said, trailing off.


    ¡°People are complicated,¡± Herald said. ¡°That goes for humans and Emberians alike. I heard there¡¯s seven countries on this continent, do you expect people from Kelinar to act the same as people from Helia?¡±


    It was strange to hear one of the Chosen casually throw around the names of Ember¡¯s countries. They were more informed than Nali realized.


    ¡°The people of Kelinar and Helia are completely different species,¡± Din countered. ¡°Even in the cities with more diverse populations, there¡¯s little overlap.¡±


    ¡°There are over seven thousand languages on Earth,¡± Herald said. ¡°A little fun fact I picked up on trivia night. We all may be human, but we come from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Don¡¯t expect us to all act the same. That¡¯s just going to land you in trouble when you mix up a New Jerseyan and a New Yorker.¡± He chuckled as if he had made some sort of joke.


    They reached the gates, where a tall bronze man with elongated ears and a flat nose was waiting with his weapon strapped to his side.


    His name tag was visible.


    [Lind Em Faran ¡ª Level 128]


    [Aespic]


    ¡°I heard we were getting new folks today,¡± Lind Em Faran said. ¡°Enable you¡¯re name tags, please. They are to be visible at all times within the city.¡±


    Nali enabled her name tag, trying not to laugh when the man caught sight of her level.


    [Nalissa Emery ¡ª Level 251]


    [Yndar]


    He blanched, the effect making the skin of his face look more yellowish than bronze.


    Herald whistled. ¡°And I thought Level 128 was impressive. Guess I¡¯m the bottom of the barrel here.¡±


    Lind Em Faran ignored the man¡¯s comment, clearing his throat. ¡°You¡¯re assigned to the Emerald house,¡± he said, handing each of them a green token on a string, as well as a paper map that showed the general layout of the city. ¡°Wear that token around your necks when entering and exiting the city. Keep it on you, as you may be asked to produce identification by local law enforcement.¡± He lowered his voice. ¡°Look, none of us want to be here. Your level is going to get you a lot of negative attention. If it gets too much, just swipe a bed or something and go live in the caves. Nothing on this island will give you any trouble.¡±


    ¡°Are we free to enter and exit the city as we wish?¡± Nali asked.


    ¡°The whole island is accessible, but don¡¯t go past the beach. Theres a few leviathans between here and the mainland and they¡¯re not even the scariest monsters in the water.¡±


    Nali thanked him for the information and walked through the gate.


    She paused when she realized that Herald hadn¡¯t followed yet.


    ¡°¡­any nearby pubs?¡± the man was asking the guard.


    Lind Em Faran shook his head. ¡°New residents aren¡¯t allowed to drink or earn money in the first month. Your house will provide everything you need for now. Get settled in, then you can ask your house head about earning some coins.¡±


    Herald looked disappointed, but he thanked the man anyway, grumbling under his breath about backwater slavery pits or something.


    Nali couldn¡¯t help but smile. If there was one thing she had learned from this trip, it was that humans were certainly an interesting species.

 Chapter 49: Knighted Damsel

    The first thing Rayna did after Corban left was take a nice long bath. She wasn¡¯t sure where the water came from, nor where it went, but she couldn¡¯t be bothered to find out as she let the piping hot liquid soak into every pore. She scrubbed until her skin was pink and emerged from the bath clean for the first time in over a month.


    According to Corban, there was a community bath house that, for the sake of hygiene, Amon was running for free. He apparently overruled Ronari¡¯s objection that the System couldn¡¯t handle the Essence usage and when Ronari had threatened their energy supply he threatened to tell Rayna everything.


    Honestly, it was relief to know that Amon had a proper threat to use against Ronari. As long as it was Amon rebelling and not Rayna, Ronari wouldn¡¯t look too closely at their charade.


    Clean and comfortable in a bath robe that came with the room, Rayna took a seat on her bed, trying to contain her excitement.


    She was finally going to get her first Class.


    Technically Warrior was her first Class, but the Initial Classes didn¡¯t feel like real Classes. They didn¡¯t come with a description or specialized skills. It was like being offered high end icecream just to find out that your only choices were vanilla, chocolate or strawberry.


    Rayna didn¡¯t mind neapolitan ice cream, but she was ready for something with more flavor.


    Are you sure you would like to begin the First Ascension? Once you have done so, you will be unable to use your Menu until the Ascension is complete.


    Rayna hesitated. She didn¡¯t want to wait. The longer she waited, the more Experience she was wasting, since she couldn¡¯t gain Experience while her level was capped.


    But if she didn¡¯t get any good options, she would be stuck with whatever she chose for twenty-five levels. Or worse, she would have to fight without her Menu while she waited for something better to pop up.


    Rayna bit the bullet and accepted the prompt. She was gaining nothing by waiting, and she already proved during her System reinitialization that she could use magic without her Menu. She would be fine no matter how this turned out.


    Ascensions mark an increase in power greater than that of a simple level increase. As such, the System gives every player a chance to reevaluate their progress and change their course at each Ascension.


    You may choose to advance your current Class, which will increase the number of stat points you receive without providing additional benefits, or you can choose to change your Class and alter your path going forward.


    Each Class comes with its own unique benefits and disadvantages. Be sure to read the description thoroughly before making your final choice.


    You may pause the process at any time, but you will be unable to use your System Menu until you have made your final decision. Class options may change over time if you wait too long to Ascend.


    Rayna read through the large text block twice before moving on.


    She had no intention of waiting, so the last bit of advice didn¡¯t apply to her, but it was good information to have for the future.


    Classes come in five rarities: common, uncommon, rare, epic and legendary. Higher Class rarities come with more stat points and more powerful abilities, but they require more Experience to level up.


    Additionally, unique Classes are Classes that don¡¯t fit within the Warrior, Healer or Mage archetypes. Choosing a unique Class may come with unexpected consequences. Proceed with caution.


    You may proceed with the list of Class options as soon as you are ready.


    Rayna took a deep breath and accepted the prompt.


    Warrior+ (Common) ¡ª You have tasted the path of a Warrior and you intend to stick to it. You will receive more stats per level and abilities related to the Warrior discipline will have heightened effects.


    <u>Stat increase per level</u>


    +4 Str


    +2 Dex


    +4 End


    +3 Vit


    +2 Free Points


    Rayna immediately dismissed the basic Class upgrade. It was barely a boost at all. The Warrior ability boost would be nice, but Rayna could get the same thing just by increasing her stats.


    She checked the next option.


    Runesmith (Uncommon) ¡ª You have used rune enhancement on every step of your journey and after getting a taste of what it can do, you want to see how you can make this path your own. The Runesmith Class provides the player with a book on basic Runecrafting and focuses their stat points on Wisdom and Intelligence, allowing for more advanced rune spells.


    <u>Stat increase per level</u>


    +3 End


    +3 Vit


    +4 Int


    +4 Wis


    +1 Free Point


    Runesmith sounded good in theory, but when Rayna added up the stat increases, it was only fifteen points, just like the Warrior+. She filed that one under ¡®maybe¡¯ and kept going.


    Warrior Mole (Rare) ¡ª You spend most of your time in tunnels and caves. Are you perhaps a mole in disguise? In order to help you in your preferred habitat, this Class will provide extra boosts when you are in structures made of earth and stone.


    <u>Stat increase per level</u>


    +6 Str


    +2 Dex


    +6 End


    +4 Vit


    +2 Free Points


    <u>Special traits</u>


    +10% stat boost when underground or in a structure made of earth or stone


    +5% stat boost when fighting unarmed


    Rayna wrinkled her nose. Being in tunnels up to this point had certainly not been her choice. She would be perfectly happy never setting foot in another cave for the rest of her life.


    She moved on.


    Endangered (Unique) ¡ª As your race dwindles, so too do your hopes for a brighter future. This Class sacrifices battle prowess in favor of longevity and fertil¡ª


    Rayna closed her Menu. What was with these choices?! Was it because she was only at the First Ascension? Phira had mentioned how choosing to allocate stats too broadly could result in terrible Class choices, but this was overkill.


    She scrolled through her remaining choices, only reading the descriptions if the names sounded interesting to her.


    They were mostly common and uncommon Classes, with a few unique Classes thrown into the mix. Between the System¡¯s warning about ¡®unexpected consequences¡¯ and the Endangered Class description, Rayna wasn¡¯t really considering the unique Classes.


    She reached the end of the list with no clear standouts.


    Rayna groaned and laid back on the bed. She expected the choices to be a little more clear cut than this. If this were a web novel she would get some overpowered Class right out of the gate that broke the game and made her a monster.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Well, she did have horns¡­ and she survived things that she shouldn¡¯t have by basically lucking her way through peril¡­ maybe she was asking the universe for too much.


    She went over the options again and narrowed her choices down the three Classes.


    Runesmith (Uncommon)


    Magic Swordsman (Rare)


    Potion Master (Uncommon)


    She was only considering the Magic Swordsman Class because it was rare, which came with twenty stat points per level instead of fifteen. She didn¡¯t like that the five percent stat boost it offered only applied to armed combat with a sword.


    Potion Master was just a basic Class for brewing potions. It came with a book on the fundamentals of the craft and an increase in potion efficacy. Rayna thought it might be cool to brew her own potions, but the memory of the useless stat potion from the dungeon soured her to the idea.


    If she was being honest, Rayna hated all of them. They gave her no new abilities. They didn¡¯t even double her stat gains and with the exception of maybe Runesmith, none of them sounded the least bit interesting.


    ¡°Phira, I need advice,¡± Rayna said to the empty room.


    Phira appeared on the bed next to Rayna, peering over her shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯re choosing a Class?¡± the Tinkerer observed.


    ¡°Trying to,¡± Rayna said. ¡°But my options suck.¡±


    Phira gave Rayna a look that said, ¡®I told you so¡¯.


    ¡°What do you expect me to do about it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Just tell me which of these is likely to lead to a decent Class in the next Ascension,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Twenty-five levels didn¡¯t take me too long, but I hate missing out on stat points with an uncommon Class.¡±


    ¡°Uncommon isn¡¯t bad for your first Ascension,¡± Phira admonished. ¡°You¡¯re getting ahead of yourself. The System is designed to ease you into the power, otherwise children would blow themselves up before they got the chance to master the basics.


    ¡°Classes build on each other. With each Ascension, your Class will get stronger. Although there are rare cases of a player reverting to a Class with a lower rarity in order to gain levels more quickly. The further you get in your progression, the less you can trust levels as an indication of strength.¡±


    ¡°That makes me feel a bit better,¡± Rayna admitted. ¡°Other than Magic Swordsman and Warrior Mole, I didn¡¯t pull any rare Classes and I¡¯m too much of a chicken to read the unique ones.¡±


    Phira blinked slowly at Rayna, her expression dumbfounded. ¡°You were offered not one, but two rare Classes and multiple unique Classes in the First Ascension?¡±


    Rayna opened her mouth and closed it again, a blush warming her cheeks. ¡°Is that not normal¡­?¡±


    Phira looked heavenward for patience. ¡°It isn¡¯t abnormal for a player to receive one or two uncommon Classes in their First Ascension. It is impressive if they receive a rare choice, though the choice is often skipped due to the unpredictable nature of the Class system.


    ¡°A unique Class is usually only offered to players who meet very specific criteria and the boosts are more substantial. You should be looking at those first.


    ¡°If you find nothing in the unique or rare Classes, it is perfectly acceptable to pick the Runesmith or Potion Master Class. Either would be a good starting Class if you are planning to go into any sort of crafting profession. Runesmith was my First Ascension Class, you know.¡±


    Rayna was glad she called Phira for help. She felt a lot better about her choices now, although she would probably just end up with the Runesmith option in the end.


    She looked over the list again, picking out four unique Classes.


    She immediately dismissed the Endangered Class. She was not interested in repopulating Ember.


    The other three were more random, and Rayna had to read each description a few times to spot why she was being offered these options in the first place.


    Sacrificial Lamb (Unique) ¡ª You have shown yourself to be willing to stick your neck out for others, even if that means losing your head. The Sacrificial Lamb Class will make this tendency a little safer for you. The stats received during level ups will focus heavily on defense. Abilities gained from this Class will focus on personal or party defense with a heavy emphasis on barriers and shields.


    <u>Stat increase per level</u>


    +5 Dex


    +10 End


    +5 Vit


    +3 Int


    +2 Wis


    <u>Additional Boosts</u>


    +5% effectiveness for defensive spells


    +5% effectiveness for self-healing


    In a word: tank.


    Rayna actually liked the description for this one, and each level came with five more points than the rare Class. However, there were two things that she got hung up on.


    First, the description didn¡¯t mention the ability to fight. In fact, it sounded like she would be trading all of her fighting ability for defense. She didn¡¯t mind the turtle tactic, but it only worked if she had someone else there to hit the monster while she distracted it.


    Second, it didn¡¯t come with any free points. The Sacrificial Lamb Class allocated all of the points it gave out, meaning that if Rayna wanted to improve her Strength or Luck, she would have to find a potion that gave stat points and hope it wasn¡¯t a dud like last time.


    She moved on to the next one.


    Luckless (Unique) ¡ª You have tried your luck at finding treasure and found your luck lacking, leading you to leave most of your treasure untouched in your Inventory. The System hopes to balance this out for you by allowing you to trade your luck for a little intentionality.


    This Class does not award any points when leveling up. Instead, all monster drops and treasure chests will be converted into free points that the player can allocate as they wish. Additionally, the player¡¯s luck will drop to zero and all chests will be empty if opened by the player.


    Warning: if this option is chosen, no monster parts, treasure chests or coins will be dropped by monsters until your Class is changed.


    Rayna was excited in the first half, but the further she read, the worse it got. If she had no way of getting monster drops, she would have nothing to trade or sell. Not to mention, if she wanted to do something like learn to brew potions, which could be done even without the boosts from a special Class, she would have to buy any item that came from a monster, since she would be unable to collect the items herself.


    Unique Classes were starting to feel like cleverly disguised traps. It opened with some overpowered skill, only to throw in a total deal breaker at the end.


    Rayna pulled up the last unique Class, already considering how best to use her new Runesmithing abilities.


    Knighted Damsel (Unique) ¡ª You are accident prone, and often find yourself at the center of catastrophes, but in the real world, there are no knights in shining armor, and you have dug yourself out of every situation by your own power.


    This Class will equip you to do just that. With a good foundation of general skills and spells and an even points allotment, you will be prepared for any trouble that the universe throws your way.


    <u>Stat increase per level</u>


    +5 Str


    +5 Dex


    +5 End


    +5 Vit


    +5 Int


    +5 Wis


    <u>Additional boosts</u>


    +5% to all stats when fighting alone


    +10% Endurance when fighting in an area you have never been before


    Rayna read it over again, trying to find a flaw with the Class. It had no free points, but with an even allotment, that wasn¡¯t as big of a deal. It didn¡¯t offer her Luck, but she wasn¡¯t interested in treasure at the moment anyway. And since she spent most of her time alone, she would get a five percent boost to all stats for most of her fights.


    No matter how many times Rayna read the description, she couldn¡¯t find a catch. She read it aloud to get Phira¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t usually suggest a generalization Class,¡± Phira said, rubbing her chin. ¡°But it does seem like a good fit for you. The description is quite accurate.¡±


    The corner of Rayna¡¯s mouth quirked up. ¡°In other words, this might save my clumsy ass?¡±


    Phira chuckled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have put it quite so indelicately, but yes, this will help you protect yourself without forcing you into a particular path, which you seem to despise. Another title for the Class might be ¡®indecisive¡¯.¡±


    Rayna snorted. ¡°Specializing this early in the game sounds like a terrible idea. The more I can build my stats early on, the better choices I should get in later Ascensions, right?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily¡­¡± Phira said slowly. ¡°But as it stands, I can¡¯t find anything wrong with the Class.¡±


    Just to be sure, Rayna reread the description one more time before accepting Knighted Damsel as her First Ascension Class.


    She opened her Character Sheet to check that everything was in order.


    Name: Rayna


    Level 25 (Exp: 0/128,606)


    Class: Knighted Damsel (Unique ¡ª First Ascension)


    Race: Lerian ¡ª A¡¯lerian (Essence: 0/8,000)


    Core Status: Recovering (Progress: 80%)


    HP: 1,830/1,830


    MP: 500/500


    <u>Stat Points</u>


    {C-7} Str: 84


    {C-5} Dex: 84


    {C-3} End: 103


    {C-1} Vit: 183


    {C-6} Int: 50


    {C-1} Wis: 50


    {C-1} Luck: 15


    [Free Points: 8]


    <u>Spells</u>


    Basic Heal ¡ª Proficiency: 100%


    Calming Aura ¡ª Proficiency: 100%


    Fireball ¡ª Proficiency: 100%


    [Spell Choices: 0]


    <u>Skills</u>


    Rage ¡ª Proficiency: 100%


    Meatshield ¡ª Proficiency: 100%


    Night Vision ¡ª Proficiency: 100%


    [Skill Choices: 0]


    <u>Titles</u>


    Volunteer ¡ª [+10 to all stats]


    Traps Expert ¡ª [+5 Dex, +2 Str]


    Masochist ¡ª [+5 End, +5 Vit]


    Friend of Elementals ¡ª [No Stat Boost]


    <u>Quests</u>


    none


    <u>Special Traits</u>


    Immunity to Poison [Species Trait - inherited]


    Immunity to Paralysis [Species Trait - inherited]


    Immunity to Confusion [Species Trait - inherited]


    Magic Sight [Species Trait - inherited]


    Telepathy [Species Trait - inherited]


    Low-grade Empathy [Personal Trait]


    Calm [Personal Trait]


    Indomitable [Class Trait]


    <u>Resistances</u>


    Fire ¡ª Level 10


    Cold ¡ª Level 10


    ¡°128,000 Experience to get to the next Level?!¡± Rayna exclaimed. She had been expecting an increase, but that was four times the usual amount.


    Phira nodded. ¡°That is one drawback of choosing a rarer Class. The Experience needed to gain a level increases proportional to the number of stat points you gain, though this one seems a bit high. How many points are you gaining per level again?¡±


    ¡°Thirty,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Five in each stat except for Luck.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that would do it,¡± Phira said. ¡°Unique Classes are notorious for having a more extreme increase than seems reasonable.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re telling me this now?¡± Rayna shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s going to take me years to level up like this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being dramatic,¡± Phira said. ¡°The monsters that are above Level 25 give a lot more Experience than the ones before it. And after Level 50 it increases exponentially. This is simply a case of having to kill four monsters instead of one; something that, as you have proven in the past, is well within your ability.¡±


    Rayna sighed. Phira was right, but it still felt like an unreasonable number.


    Other than the Experience increase, Rayna found three more things that had changed in her profile.


    Her race now had a subrace: A¡¯Lerian.


    She hoped that her race wasn¡¯t going to just cycle through the alphabet as she evolved. A¡¯Lerian, B¡¯Lerian, C¡¯Lerian; it sounded even dumber when she spelled it out.


    The second difference was that her tutorial was gone. When she asked her System, it informed her that tutorial quests could only be attempted until Level 25.


    This was yet another piece of information that would have been useful before Rayna changed her Class.


    Finally, she had a new trait. Only this time, instead of being a useless and unexplained word on her Character Sheet, the trait had a description when she focused on it.


    <u>Indomitable [Class Trait]</u>


    (inactive) +5% to all stats when fighting alone


    (inactive) +10% Endurance when fighting in an area you have never been before


    Essentially, it was the extra boosts that were listed at the bottom of the Class description. Rayna assumed they were inactive because she wasn¡¯t currently fighting. Would she have to hit a monster to activate them or would being in the vicinity of a monster be enough?


    She definitely had some experimentation to do when she set out for the next hub.


    Rayna threw all of her free points into Endurance and switched to the Essence Store.


    She had to prepare to leave, which meant she needed to find some more affordable food. Rayna wasn¡¯t looking forward to dealing with the unorganized mess that was the listings, but the more food she stocked up before she left, the less likely it was that a System malfunction would leave her wandering and hungry.


    She didn¡¯t intend on relying on the System more than she had to. Twice now she had gone more than a day without the System, and both times, it had been her resourcefulness and pure stubbornness that got her through it.


    Rayna was now a Knighted Damsel, and she planned to live up to the Class name.

 Chapter 50: Fishing

    ¡°No Chosen are allowed in Thals,¡± the guard growled, his swine-adjacent snout wrinkling in disgust. Tusks jutted out from his lower jaw, mangling the words as they left his mouth.


    His name tag wasn¡¯t visible, but if Janet didn¡¯t know any better, she would have called him an orc.


    His companion was the same race, but his skin was a bluish gray instead of the first guards ruddy red color.


    Janet couldn¡¯t see anything beyond the solid wooden gates and the thirty foot wall that stretched around the large city of Thals. She had hoped with the size of the settlement, they would be more open to visitors.


    From the dozen arrows pointed at Janet from atop the wall, this was not the case.


    ¡°We¡¯re not trying to stay,¡± Janet said, keeping her voice neutral. ¡°We just want to trade for some food. We have monster parts and some everyday items like books and clothes.¡±


    They were getting desperate. Janet was even willing to part with a few of their beds if it meant they had something to eat.


    Hunting hadn¡¯t gone well over the last two weeks. The System dropped them in an area reminiscent of the African Savannah in heavy drought. The grassy fields they arrived in quickly gave way to long stretches of crunchy grass and skittish bony animals. Monsters roamed freely, attacking each other in what Janet had come to recognize as an attempt to remove competition for the dwindling food supply.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you have a legendary artifact, we¡¯re not trading with your kind,¡± the blue guard said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go bother the caravans?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t trade with us either,¡± Janet said.


    That was an understatement. The caravans took great pains to avoid Janet and the other humans. They would rather drag their wares through a bog than meet the Chosen on the road.


    Foraging helped to offset the food crisis, but it just wasn¡¯t possible to forage the amount they would need in the nearly desolate plain.


    ¡°You know, there is something you could try,¡± the red guard said, glancing mischievously at his partner.


    The blue guard nodded slowly. ¡°It¡¯s a good way to feed a lot of people, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    Janet pressed her lips together. Whatever they were playing at, it didn¡¯t seem legitimate.


    It was probably better than nothing, though.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you going to ask what it is?¡± the red guard asked.


    Janet swallowed her pride. ¡°Would you please elaborate?¡±


    The blue guard grinned. ¡°There¡¯s the sunrise sea about an hour¡¯s walk that way.¡± He jabbed his thumb toward the Eastern horizon. ¡°There¡¯s good fishing and some sea plants for foraging.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention, lots of empty land in which to set up camp,¡± the red guard added. ¡°You and your people can set up there without causing any of us trouble.¡±


    Janet narrowed her eyes. ¡°Why are you telling me all this?¡±


    A large stretch of unoccupied land was nothing new. The thing that bugged Janet was how willing these two were to point her to ¡®good fishing¡¯ and a place to set up camp so close to the city.


    ¡°Maybe we just want you out of our hair,¡± the red guard said. ¡°Or maybe we¡¯re taking pity on your sorry asses. Does it matter?¡±


    Honestly, it didn¡¯t. Janet would take any chance she could get.


    Janet thanked them and turned to leave. She only made it a few steps before the guard called out to her again.


    ¡°Hold up!¡± the red guard said. He pulled something from his Inventory and tossed it to Janet.


    She caught the bundle of knotted rope.


    ¡°Can¡¯t catch fish without a net, now can you?¡± he said.


    Janet put the net in her Inventory before they could change their minds. She pulled out one of the more expensive monster drops they had picked up on the road¡ªa claw from a large feline creature¡ªand tossed it to the man. ¡°Thank you. I hope we can do business again in the future.¡±


    She walked away, smiling a little to herself at the incredulity of the guards. She would win the people of Ember over, she just had to convince them that the humans were worth keeping around.


    * * *


    ¡°She had to know we were messing with her, right?¡± Boris said, examining the item in his hand.


    Turk wished he had been the one to toss the woman a net. From the look on his face, Boris had just received something far more valuable than that bundle of ropes.


    ¡°What did the fool give you?¡± Turk asked, trying to see over Boris¡¯ shoulder.


    ¡°A Lamri claw!¡± Boris said incredulously. ¡°Where did a weakling like her get a Lamri claw?¡±


    Lamris were large feline creatures that wandered the Kelinar plains. They were one of the variable monsters, ranging from C-3 to C-8 depending on their size.


    Even the C-3 monsters were dangerous opponents. Turk steered clear of the grumpy cats.


    ¡°She probably met an injured one on the plains and finished it off,¡± Turk said. ¡°If there¡¯s one thing these people seem to have, it¡¯s luck.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame, too,¡± Boris said. ¡°If she wasn¡¯t one of the Chosen, I¡¯d consider recruiting her to the guild. If nothing else, she knows how to control her temper.¡±


    Turk laughed. ¡°She reeked of exasperation. Do all humans smell that bad?¡±


    ¡°All the ones I¡¯ve met so far.¡±


    Turk shook his head. He almost regretted the little joke they just played on the woman. She didn¡¯t have to pay Boris back for the net, but she had anyway. Only a moron would give something so expensive for a net that was undoubtedly riddled with tears, making it virtually useless. It showed a level of sincerity that Turk admired.


    Or a level of stupidity that he found amusing, he wasn¡¯t quite sure which.


    It wasn¡¯t a surprise that she was having trouble feeding her group. Turk could smell them; two thousand or so, all waiting a mile away from the city. The woman had been smart not to bring them all with her. The archers on the wall were antsy, especially when it came to this strange new race. The Chosen would have been shot full of arrows before they could even introduce themselves.


    Boris finally tired of staring at his new treasure. ¡°How do you reckon she learned common so quickly?¡±


    Turk blinked. ¡°You weren¡¯t translating?¡±


    Boris shook his head. ¡°No. At first, I thought you were the one doing it, but then I remembered that you don¡¯t have a translation spell.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have that kind of coin lying around,¡± Turk said.


    ¡°You do now.¡± Boris tossed Turk the Lamri claw. ¡°This way I don¡¯t have to keep translating for that insufferable aunt of yours.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Turk narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his friend. ¡°And what are you asking in return?¡±


    Boris grinned. ¡°You¡¯ve got a cousin with a rare stealth Class, right?¡±


    * * *


    ¡°All right, that¡¯s not what I was expecting when you called this an ocean,¡± Devon said, eyeing the bright pink waves skeptically.


    ¡°The guards were pretty sparse with the details,¡± Janet said. ¡°I overpaid them for the net, so hopefully they¡¯ll be more amicable next time.¡±


    ¡°Overpaid?¡± Linn asked. ¡°What did you give them?¡±


    Linn was the only Emberian in the group, despite how much their numbers had grown in the last two weeks. Some of the Emberian Tutorial Leaders had opted to join their group huddles rather than let the System send them home.


    Linn claimed that she had joined her players because she always wanted to travel the world and this was her chance. Janet had a feeling it had more to do with the fact that all of her players were under Level 10. The formidable bird-woman had already fought off several larger threats that would have been difficult to take down, even if all of the humans had worked together.


    She was also a wealth of information that Janet was taking advantage of as much as possible. If the locals wouldn¡¯t help them, she needed to know more about Ember so they could help themselves.


    ¡°I gave them a Lamri claw,¡± Janet said, pulling the net out of her Inventory.


    The woman squawked in surprise, her green plumage puffing up around her head. ¡°That¡¯s worth a small fortune! You could feed everyone here even if you sold it for half of what it was worth.¡±


    ¡°Not if no one will trade with us in the first place,¡± Janet said. ¡°The Lamri claw was to pique their interest. I plan on throwing a few more treasures around until I can get the rumor mill started. ¡®Humans are stronger than we thought¡¯, ¡®humans are generous¡¯, even ¡®humans are idiots who don¡¯t know what monster drops are worth¡¯. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s respect, curiosity or greed; attention is what we need right now.¡±


    ¡°That makes no sense,¡± Linn said, smoothing down her ruffled feathers.


    ¡°Actually, it sounds like it might work,¡± Devon said. ¡°I¡¯ll spread the idea around. I bet there are others who got lucky with the drops.¡±


    ¡°Make sure they run the items by Linn first,¡± Janet said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to part with anything that is actually valuable.¡±


    ¡°And a Lamri claw isn¡¯t?¡± Linn asked, her feathers threatening to ruffle again.


    ¡°Lamri claws are decorative, you said it yourself,¡± Janet said. ¡°They can¡¯t be used in weapons because they¡¯re too brittle, they¡¯re not good for potions because they burn too quickly when exposed to heat. I¡¯m looking for items that we can use, not sell. The first step is surviving. We can worry about getting rich later.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say,¡± Linn said. ¡°I hope you know how to fish.¡±


    Janet didn¡¯t. Unfortunately, as she examined the net in her hands, it became evident that it was going to be useless. Something had torn through several of the ropes making it no better than a sieve trying to catch water.


    Janet put it back in her Inventory and pulled out her bow. ¡°I need to check out the water first to see if it¡¯s safe. Devon, go start getting the camp set up. I want it at least a mile away. We need time to react if anything comes out of the water.¡±


    Devon nodded and ran back in the direction of the group.


    Janet turned to Linn. ¡°Do you know anything about the oceans on Ember?¡±


    Linn shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m from the rain forest, sorry. The most I¡¯ve heard are vague stories.¡±


    Janet figured as much, but it never hurt to ask.


    ¡°All right. I¡¯m going to approach the water. Can you watch my back?¡±


    Linn was a much higher level than Janet, but she had one fatal flaw: she was a non-combat Class, and for some reason, Emberians took that to mean that she could only fight if her life depended on it. She protected the group when necessary, but each time she would talk about how fortunate they were that the monsters on the plains were weak.


    They weren¡¯t.


    Janet had come to the conclusion that the woman had chronically low self-esteem and she believed that if she killed a monster, then it had to have been a weak one.


    Janet had given up on trying to convince her otherwise; it was hard to argue against someone¡¯s upbringing, but she dropped compliments every now and then to try to boost the woman¡¯s confidence. Being a Potion Master didn¡¯t disqualify her from being strong. That was just about the most ridiculous thing that Janet had ever heard.


    Janet readied an arrow. Since ascending, she had put every spare point into Dexterity in the hopes of improving her weapon skills. It had proven a solid strategy so far.


    Her unique Class ¡®Voice of the People¡¯ was a non-combat Class that focused on communication and diplomacy. The only caveat was that it removed all her previously gained spells and skills, replacing them with communication-focused abilities. She had been allowed to keep Basic Heal, but nothing offensive or defensive.


    The warning had been in the description, so Janet wasn¡¯t surprised by this effect, but it left her nearly defenseless without her weapon.


    The universal translation was worth it. It didn¡¯t translate for other people¡ªLinn was doing most of the translation for the group¡ªbut Janet could speak, write and comprehend any language within the System.


    Janet didn¡¯t tell Linn the particulars of her new Class because she had no desire to fight with the woman every time she went to do something dangerous. Linn would no doubt argue that she should sit on the sidelines whenever a monster attacked. Their current group dynamic only worked if Janet led by example.


    Not to mention, she had no intention of missing all the action.


    Janet stopped a few feet past the shoreline. The water came up to her knees, gently buffeting her as the waves tickled the sand. She waited silently, keeping her eyes peeled for any attacking monsters.


    Motion in the corner of her eye alerted Janet to the fish before Linn¡¯s shout reached her ears.


    Janet turned in a flash and sent an arrow flying into the fish¡¯s mouth, killing it instantly. Another fish jumped at her and she sent another arrow flying.


    This happened four more times before Janet stepped out of the water.


    The assault stopped almost immediately.


    Janet went to retrieve her arrows, already distracted by future plans.


    The aggressive fish could prove an obstacle for any decent fishing effort. If they attacked any time someone touched the water, Janet would have to assign archers to shoot the fish monsters down while someone else risked their lives to throw the net¡ªthat was if they could repair the net in the first place.


    Janet held her arrow up to inspect the fish. She wouldn¡¯t have long. Smaller monsters decayed in a matter of minutes.


    It looked like a cross between a flying fish and a piranha. Its tiny teeth were serrated, as if it cared more about causing the most harm than actually eating its prey.


    As Janet examined it, she started to get the feeling that something was off. She sniffed the fish. It certainly smelled like fish, but there wasn¡¯t the overpowering smell of rot that accompanied a monster corpse.


    A quick look at her notifications confirmed Janet¡¯s suspicions. The fish didn¡¯t smell like rot because it wasn¡¯t considered a monster.


    Which meant it was edible.


    ¡°Those jerks!¡± Linn snapped, running over to Janet. ¡°They knew this would happen! Are you okay?¡±


    Janet held the fish out to Linn, still impaled on the arrow. ¡°Can you tell if this is poisonous?¡±


    Linn¡¯s feathers stood on end. ¡°You want to eat it?!¡±


    Janet nodded. ¡°If they¡¯re edible. The guards actually pointed us to something useful. I¡¯ll be honest, I thought they were just messing with me.¡±


    ¡°They were just messing with you,¡± Linn said. ¡°That fish looks like something out of a nightmare and there¡¯s hardly any meat on it anyway.¡±


    ¡°But is it poisonous?¡± Janet asked again. ¡°You have a potion that can tell, right?¡±


    Linn clicked her beak in irritation. ¡°It¡¯s a waste of a good potion,¡± she muttered, snatching the arrow from Janet and pulling a small yellow vial from her Inventory.


    She poured the yellow liquid over the fish and waited. A few moments passed and the liquid turned white.


    ¡°It¡¯s clean,¡± Linn said. ¡°Although, this won¡¯t tell us anything about the quality of the meat or a human¡¯s ability to digest it; only that there are no toxins or poisons that the potion can detect.¡±


    ¡°Good enough,¡± Janet said, collecting the rest of the fish. ¡°We¡¯ll take these back to camp and see if they¡¯re edible. If all goes well, we¡¯ll feast on flying piranhas tonight.¡±


    * * *


    Jessa watched in horror as the woman named Janet roasted a craila fish over a campfire.


    Should she warn them? Craila fish were terrible! They were bony, had too many spikes and teeth to harvest much meat and to top it off, they tasted like rotten picklefruit.


    When Turk asked her for this favor, she thought she was going to watch a bunch of Chosen lose fingers; this was far less entertaining.


    The man named Devon stood next to Janet, bouncing impatiently as the fish cooked. He apparently gave up waiting and pulled a piece of meat off the bone, hissing in pain when it burned his fingers.


    He hastily blew on the fish and popped it into his mouth.


    Jessa was trying not to hurl.


    Devon chewed thoughtfully. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be my first choice, but it¡¯s edible.¡±


    Jessa checked her translation spell to make sure it was still active. She could have sworn the man just said it was edible.


    ¡°What does it taste like?¡± Janet asked, somehow still contemplating her insane plan.


    ¡°Can I be honest?¡± Devon said. ¡°It tastes like salmon marinated in pickle juice.¡±


    Janet tried the fish next, her nose wrinkling. ¡°You know what, it¡¯s still better than the System rations.¡±


    The Azuranian¡¯s name was Linn. Jessa hadn¡¯t figured out why she was fraternizing with the Chosen yet, but she seemed particularly fond of a large group of Initials, doting on them like they were her hatchlings.


    Linn took a bite of the fish and gagged. ¡°That¡¯s better than the rations? I¡¯d say the only improvement is the texture.¡±


    ¡°When you¡¯ve been eating moldy gym socks for over a month, regular gym socks can be quite the delicacy,¡± the man said with an air of saying something profound.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t need that word picture,¡± Janet said. ¡°Gather anyone with an inclusive Dexterity over two hundred. We¡¯re catching enough of these to feed everyone by dinner.¡±


    The Chosen jumped into motion and Jessa took the chance to sneak over to the fire and grab a bite of the fish.


    One taste was enough to solidify her convictions; craila fish were still gross.


    Did the Chosen lack taste buds? That could be an advantage with the current food shortage. People in Kelinar were getting increasingly desperate.


    Either way, Turk was going to want to hear about this. Even with her disgust over the human¡¯s choice of food, Jessa had to admit, her interest was piqued.

 Chapter 51: Silver Claws

    ¡°A smokehouse?¡± Janet patted her legs dry with a blanket they were using as a towel. She missed her extra plush towels back home, but these worked well enough.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Randal said. ¡°We¡¯re catching more than we can eat, and I was thinking that instead of storing the extra in our Inventories, we might try preserving some of it ourselves. We¡¯ve all seen how unreliable the System can be.¡±


    Janet couldn¡¯t help but agree. The most recent example of the System¡¯s incompetence was the personal tutorials that they were all promised. The quests were easy enough to complete, but they all gave coins as a reward, which was useless unless the System store was reopened. According to Linn, the store hadn¡¯t been active for over a decade.


    To make a bad feature worse, the tutorial disappeared if you ascended. A few of Janet¡¯s players were actually waiting to ascend in the hope that there would be some better rewards later in the quest chain.


    Janet wasn¡¯t holding her breath.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a great idea,¡± Janet said. ¡°But I¡¯m not quite sure why you¡¯re coming to me about it.¡±


    ¡°Rogue jumper!¡± someone shouted.


    Janet turned without hesitation and shot the fish out of the air. It flopped on the beach until one of the runners finished it off with a belt knife.


    They spent the last three days honing their fishing system and by now they had it down to an art. Tanks stood in the shallow water, gathering sea greens and small shellfish while the high Dexterity players waited on the beach with ranged weapons to shoot the flying fish out of the air. If the fish landed in the water, they were collected by the tanks, if they landed on the beach, they were collected by a series of runners that were too low in level to take a turn as one of the other two roles. Healers waited on the beach, ready to respond to any accidents or missed attacks.


    Rogue jumpers were what they called the fish smart enough to attack someone that wasn¡¯t directly touching the water. There weren¡¯t many of them.


    Janet stowed her bow back in her Inventory. ¡°Sorry, what were you saying?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I think you were saying something,¡± Randal said, looking a little flustered.


    ¡°Right. Why are you asking me? You don¡¯t need permission to improve the camp, and you aren¡¯t part of my group.¡±


    Janet tried not to overstep her authority as one of the seven Tutorial Leaders living within the tent city. Each Tutorial Leader governed their own group and for decisions concerning the whole camp, they took a vote. It was somewhere between a committee and an informal city council.


    ¡°The thing is, I¡¯m from Linn¡¯s group,¡± Randal said. ¡°And we weren¡¯t quite as thorough when it came to looting the tutorial buildings.¡±


    Janet wouldn¡¯t have used the word ¡®looting¡¯ to describe her unsanctioned acquisitions.


    She saw where Randal was going with this. ¡°You need wood to build the smokehouse, and presumably something to burn?¡±


    Randal inclined his head. ¡°If you or one of the other groups have any to spare?¡±


    Janet flagged down one of the beach runners¡ªa fifteen-year-old boy named Jason who had dodged the age limit with a fake ID and early facial hair.


    ¡°Can you take this gentleman to meet with Layla?¡± Janet requested. ¡°Tell her he needs some wood for a smokehouse. Oh, and ask Tyson Becks if he can spare some of his bricks for the foundation.¡±


    Jason nodded and led Randal away.


    Tyson and his group had been even more ambitious with their resource acquisition than Janet had been. They took anything that wasn¡¯t nailed down¡ªand some things that were. Floorboards, tiles, courtyard bricks; they even brought soil. The System wouldn¡¯t let you put powder or liquid into your Inventory without a proper container, but they got around the rule by pouring the dirt into pillowcases and sewing them closed.


    His group was currently trying to set up a greenhouse so they could start growing some vegetables once the Emberians agreed to trade with them.


    Janet didn¡¯t feel the least bit guilty about stripping the tutorial spaces. As far as she was concerned, it wasn¡¯t even close to the reparations owed for the current situation.


    Some of the players still held out hope that they would make it back to Earth someday. They talked about Ember like they were still in a video game; as soon as they beat the final boss or fulfilled some sort of objective they would get a portal home. Some just thought that if they fixed Ember, the System would be so grateful, it would find a way to send them home, despite telling them numerous times that it wasn¡¯t possible.


    Janet believed they were stuck on Ember forever, but hope was a powerful tool. She would let them believe whatever they wanted to, so long as it didn¡¯t endanger themselves or the people around them.


    ¡°I got a crab!¡± someone shouted gleefully.


    Janet ran over, expecting to see a creature about the size of her fist. Most of the sea creatures they had found so far were small or they were monsters.


    This one was neither.


    A crab the size of a man¡¯s torso had its jaw clamped around the excited woman¡¯s arm. Blood dribbled down into the crab¡¯s eyes, making it angrier by the second.


    ¡°Get it on the beach,¡± Janet shouted. ¡°We¡¯ll get it off your arm.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± the woman snapped. ¡°I¡¯m not letting this one go until it¡¯s secure. Anyone got some rope?¡±


    A nearby woman pulled floss out of her Inventory, drawing a look of exasperation from the injured tank.


    ¡°Something a little bigger?¡± she said. ¡°This thing is obnoxiously strong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got climbing rope,¡± one of the runners yelled. ¡°But I¡¯m not going near the water.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± the injured woman yelled back. ¡°Hold on a sec.¡±


    The woman hoisted the crab onto her shoulder, holding the pincer closest to her face so it wouldn¡¯t be able to snap at her.


    She carried it over to the man waiting with his rope.


    It didn¡¯t take long to bind the crab and shove it into a makeshift cage formed with a circle of bookshelves.


    The injured woman drew her arm out of the crabs mouth and shook it out. ¡°I¡¯m going to go get this healed. I want first dibs on the crab when it¡¯s cooked.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure of it,¡± Janet promised. ¡°But you should be more careful where you stick your hand. We don¡¯t have anyone that can regrow limbs yet.¡±


    The woman shook her head. ¡°That crab wasn¡¯t holding onto me; I was holding onto it. Now that I know the strat works, I plan on bringing in more of these guys. Just look at the size of them!¡±


    She ran off with a bounce in her step.


    Janet didn¡¯t have any response for that. She was glad she never went the tank route. She had enough Endurance to play tank when they needed it, but she had no intention of sticking her hand into any mouths as a fishing technique.


    Tanks were insane.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    They continued to prove Janet¡¯s point as more and more of her gatherers abandoned the seaweed in favor of wading deeper to find the crabs.


    By the end of the day, they had over a hundred giant crabs lying in a pile on the beach. Janet had been the one tasked with figuring out how to kill them, since they ran out of rope after the first three.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly rocket science. Their shell was too hard to penetrate, but their mouths were another story. A quick stab and the crabs stopped moving.


    Janet sent a runner to gather more people to transport the haul. They were going to eat well tonight.


    * * *


    High Elder Kam had too much on his plate to deal with the endless stream of complaints he was receiving about this newest batch of Chosen. The Dark Age was fast approaching and there were preparations to be made, work orders to be signed and payrolls to be filled out.


    So it was with great displeasure that he sat in the council chamber, listening to a guard haltingly tell the story of how the humans settled in Branian territory.


    ¡°Is this really relevant?¡± Elder Trish asked. ¡°I see no reason to find fault with the Chosen¡¯s actions. They haven¡¯t set foot in any of the cities and they¡¯re fishing in an area that we don¡¯t use. The monsters will likely deal with them soon and they will be out of our hair.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even figure out why you thought this was worthy of our attention,¡± Elder Pin said. ¡°Have the Chosen made any threats against us in the past few weeks? I am finding them quite easy to ignore thus far.¡±


    ¡°As if the Chosen would dare threaten us,¡± Elder Und said. ¡°Bugs don¡¯t stand under a Bran¡¯s foot and dare him to take a step.¡±


    Kam sighed. The hatred for the Chosen was rather overblown. Who had the time for such rivalries? A month of progress was almost nothing compared to the whole journey of progression. Kam lost more time to the birth of his son than he had to the Chosen¡¯s special tutorial.


    As far as he was concerned, the people of Ember were aiming their aggression at the only people they could safely despise. It was petty and embarrassing.


    ¡°Have the caravans opened trade with them?¡± Elder Glo asked. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how they haven¡¯t starved to death yet.¡±


    The guard swallowed nervously, seeming to have great difficulty getting his next words out.


    System help them, it was like he thought they would burn him to ashes just for bringing this report. Is this what the city thought of the council?


    ¡°B-b-before fishing, they t-traded with each other, I believe,¡± the man said. ¡°And they have some System-issued rations left over from the tutorial.¡±


    That made sense. The System usually provided as much as it could for the Chosen.


    ¡°What are they even fishing for?¡± Elder Glo asked, unwilling to let it go. ¡°It¡¯s craila season. They won¡¯t catch anything worth eating.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re¡­ eating the craila fish¡­¡± the guard said. ¡°Along with razor clams and silver claws.¡±


    Kam sat forward in his chair. ¡°Silver claws? Have the come to shore early?¡±


    The mating season for silver claws was still a few months away, but they sometimes came for an extra clutch in the early months of the summer. If they were already coming onto the beaches, Kam needed to get his people out there to catch as many as they could. The crabs would be gone by the end of the week.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t coming out of the water,¡± the guard said. ¡°The Chosen are hunting them in the mud.¡±


    Elder Trish frowned. ¡°Water mages? Has someone reached the Second Ascension already? Holding back the ocean is no easy task.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ umm¡­ they¡¯re not using magic¡­¡± the guard said, shifting nervously.


    ¡°Oh, out with it!¡± Kam snapped. ¡°How are they hunting the silver claws?¡±


    The guard took a step back and Kam regretted his outburst. He needed to find a way to convince the people that he wasn¡¯t going to smite them for looking at him the wrong way. He used to think that keeping his name tag visible would inspire them to reach greater heights. By the time he realized that it only terrified them, it was too late to turn it off.


    Hiding it now would only start rumors that his level had risen even higher.


    ¡°They¡¯re using their arms, sir!¡± the guard blurted out. ¡°They¡¯re sticking their arms in the mud and dragging the silver claws out when they bite down.¡±


    Kam sat back in his chair.


    They were insane.


    Mirth bubbled in his chest, overflowing into a fit of laughter as he slammed his fist repeatedly on the table.


    The guard looked at him like a maddened hilbeast, but that only made him laugh harder.


    Using their arms, were they?


    Kam stood. ¡°I¡¯m going to the beach.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡± the guard asked, his eyes wide. ¡°You¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°Take me to the Chosen,¡± Kam said. ¡°I want to meet them for myself.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Janet asked, pasting a polite smile on her face.


    She had hoped the Kelinarian people would reach out to them eventually, but she hadn¡¯t expected them to send someone so soon.


    Nor did she expect someone of his level.


    [Kam ¡ª Level 310]


    [Bran]


    He was the same race as the guards Janet met at the city gates. His understated tusks stood out against his dark gray skin.


    He was also past the Seventh Ascension, if Janet¡¯s math was correct. After Level 50, the Ascensions came every fifty levels.


    If this man wanted to wipe them off the face of the planet, he could do so without breaking a sweat.


    This was no different than any number of people that they had passed so far on the road. Janet decided not to focus on his level and hope that he was there as a diplomat.


    Linn didn¡¯t seem so sure. She stood several feet away, eyeing the man with trepidation. They were the only two left on the beach, having been caught by the newcomers during a last security sweep to make sure everyone had left. It was getting dark and Janet didn¡¯t want to know what kind of monsters gathered around the beaches at night.


    The Bran grinned. ¡°I¡¯m Kam, from the city of Thals. I was wondering if you would teach me how you hunt silver claws.¡±


    Janet¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. ¡°Silver claws?¡±


    ¡°The giant crab creatures,¡± the man clarified.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Janet had been wondering what they were called. The System didn¡¯t seem to bother with name tags for sea creatures. ¡°Sure. There are plenty to go around.¡±


    This was a step in the right direction, at least.


    ¡°Do you have an inclusive Endurance above three hundred?¡± Janet asked, not wanting to sour diplomatic relations by having the man lose an arm to a silver claw. He most likely had it, but it was always best to make sure.


    ¡°Inclusive?¡± Kam asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m referring to your Endurance stat multiplied by your Endurance C-level,¡± Janet explained. ¡°I have also heard it referred to as a true stat, but it caused some confusion due to the nature of Ascension stat boosts, so we started calling it ¡®inclusive¡¯ and ¡®non-inclusive¡¯.¡±


    Kam nodded. ¡°I see. Then my non-inclusive Endurance is well above three hundred.¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Janet said. ¡°You play as tank, and I¡¯ll deal with the flying fish.¡±


    She pulled her bow from her Inventory.


    ¡°Tank?¡± The Bran guard asked. Janet had almost forgotten he was there. He seemed to be as wary of Kam as Linn was.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one I met outside Thals,¡± Janet said, recognizing the blue guard after getting a closer look. ¡°I never caught your name. In any case, thank you for pointing us to this area, you might just have saved our lives.¡±


    The man blanched, shaking his head. ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°This is Turk, I believe,¡± Kam said, his grin fading slightly.


    Turk¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You know my name?!¡±


    ¡°I make it a point to know everyone¡¯s name,¡± Kam said. ¡°You can go wait over there. Save the human if it looks like she¡¯s going to get herself killed.¡±


    Janet¡¯s cheek twitched. She understood the sentiment, but Kam could use a few lessons in polite conversation.


    ¡°Now, I confess, I¡¯m curious as well,¡± Kam said. ¡°What is a tank?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a gaming term referring to someone who has high defense stats,¡± Janet said. ¡°In System terms, a tank would have high Endurance or Vitality, or a strong enough shield to block multiple monster attacks. They distract the monsters so the damage dealers can hit them without taking damage themselves.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Kam said. ¡°In Kelinar we would call that a forward guard. I should be able to act as a tank in this instance, though it isn¡¯t my specialty.¡±


    Janet nodded. ¡°Then I look forward to working with you.¡±


    Janet nocked an arrow, standing a few feet from the water.


    Kam waited until she was ready, then he walked into the water, stopping when the water reached his knees. ¡°Is this far enough?¡±


    Janet shot a fish out of the air. ¡°The crabs are a bit further in. Waist deep, I think.¡± She hit another fish, and it splashed into the shallow water several feet away from Janet. ¡°Linn, can you collect the flying fish as they fall?¡±


    ¡°Craila fish,¡± Kam called back to Janet, his gaze focused on the water. ¡°That¡¯s what they¡¯re called, by the way.¡±


    Linn hesitated, frowning at Kam¡¯s back.


    ¡°We need this,¡± Janet whispered to her. ¡°These are the first Emberians besides you that have approached us. If you won¡¯t do it, go find someone who will.¡±


    Linn took a deep breath. ¡°You owe me for this.¡±


    Janet nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out, now go!¡±


    Linn zipped around the area, collecting the craila fish as Janet killed them.


    Janet had given Kam a brief explanation of the technique her tanks had discovered, but he seemed to be having trouble catching one of the crabs.


    ¡°Am I doing something wrong?¡± he asked Janet. ¡°They let go if I try to pull them out of the mud.¡±


    ¡°Grab onto the hairs inside their mouth,¡± Janet said. ¡°They¡¯ll get away if you don¡¯t hold on. Watch out for the claws, they can snap right through rocks.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Kam tried again. This time, when he pulled his hand out of the water, he was holding onto a crab the size of a corgi. It wasn¡¯t the biggest they had caught that day, but it was a decent catch.


    Kam held the crab above his head with a triumphant shout. ¡°Excellent! If I throw this to you, can you kill it?¡±


    ¡°I can try,¡± Janet said, readying another arrow.


    Kam threw the silver claw into the air and Janet followed it with the tip of her arrow, releasing the bowstring as soon as she had a clear shot.


    The crab jerked and dropped to the sand, the arrow sticking out of its mouth.


    Kam was already holding another silver claw. ¡°Ready for another?¡±


    An hour later, the four of them stood on the beach next to a large pile of dead crabs and craila fish.


    ¡°Not a bad haul,¡± Kam said, slapping his hands together.


    ¡°It was a lot more efficient having someone who could toss the crabs in the air like that,¡± Janet said. ¡°We don¡¯t have anyone with sufficient Strength and Endurance. Would you be interested in hunting with me again?¡±


    Linn looked like she was going to molt from the stress and Turk looked similarly mortified.


    Kam grinned. ¡°How about we discuss it over dinner?¡±


    Janet returned his smile. ¡°I think that¡¯s a great idea.¡±

 Chapter 52: Forest Spirit

    Excerpt from System Manual III Pg 115


    Miasmic anomalies, also known as just ¡®anomalies¡¯, come in many shapes, sizes and types. While most are benign and can be safely ignored, some may be a sign of an impending disaster or the abuse of magic.


    There are three major categories of anomalies: dimensional, temporal and boundary. All anomalies can be natural phenomena, so it is important to investigate anything above a Level 2 anomaly to determine whether it is benign or a result of something dangerous.


    Dimensional anomalies can range from a room being a few inches too small to a whole city shrinking to the size of a piece of parchment. In most cases, dimensional anomalies are caused by the misuse of dimensional magic, but they can also result from an adverse reaction caused by the meeting of Essence and Miasma. Usually, dimensional anomalies can be easily rectified by creating a magical brace to hold the area at the correct size until it heals itself.


    Temporal anomalies occur when two spaces next to each other are out of sync. Often, this is the result of magic or related to a boundary crack (boundary anomalies are discussed in the next paragraph). Temporal magic is illegal, and all temporal anomalies should be investigated thoroughly for magical tampering. If the anomaly is the result of a boundary crack, the crack should be closed immediately, as it will continue to destabilize the time zone which can lead to unpredictable weather, further time dilation and natural disasters.


    Boundary anomalies occur when the boundary between Ember and Ashen is ruptured. There is a level system based on the height and width of the anomaly (a table can be found on page 402). Boundary anomalies, also known as boundary cracks, can be safely ignored if they are under a Level 2 phenomenon. These leak minimal energy between the worlds and usually close themselves without intervention. Cracks that are Level 3 or 4 should be evaluated and closed if it is determined that they are causing energy instability or if they are an abnormal anomaly (see the list below). Cracks that exceed Level 4 should be closed immediately if it is possible. If the crack cannot be closed, it should be converted into a dungeon by technicians to prevent a Miasmic crisis.


    Redundant cracks are boundary anomalies that appear within an established dungeon. They usually release large amounts of Miasma before collapsing in on themselves. They do not require specific attention, but dungeon Keepers should notify the Administrator immediately if their dungeon is producing more monsters than usual as this can lead to a sudden dungeon break if not properly handled.


    Twin cracks are boundary anomalies that open within a few feet of each other. They can be safely ignored, as their proximity creates a vacuum effect that pulls Miasma from one crack to the other until they close naturally. In rare cases, a third crack may be present. Triplet cracks should be monitored to see if the amount of Miasma entering and exiting Ember is the same. If not, the least stable crack should be closed to establish the previously mentioned vacuum.


    Malignant cracks remain open for long periods of time without any apparent reason. They should be closed as soon as they are identified as such. They will continue to release Miasma into Ember indefinitely and can even worsen over time if not dealt with immediately.


    Leech cracks pull Essence from Ember without releasing any Miasma into the air. They should be closed as soon as possible to prevent complications on Ashen¡¯s side of the anomaly.


    Portal cracks can transmit matter as well as energy. They should be closed for public safety. Animals, Lerians or even plants can be pulled through the anomaly and find themselves stuck on the other side until they can be transported home through a dungeon.


    Cracks can be unpredictable and even if they do not fit into one of these categories, they may behave in a way that is unique to them. All anomalies should be monitored if they display any unusual behavior or if they open in a residential area.


    For more information on how to monitor and resolve dimensional cracks, see Manual VII, page 328.


    ¡°Okay, but how do I find them?¡± Rayna shook the e-reader as if doing so might shake loose the information she was searching for.


    Leaves crunched under Rayna¡¯s shoes, defying the season with their early demise. Amon said it was early summer by Helia¡¯s standards, but as Rayna passed both bare trees and trees in full bloom, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the flora worked differently on Ember.


    Rayna was fairly sure she was close to where she dropped her amulet. The caves to the right of her looked familiar, but they also all looked the same, making it hard to be certain.


    Having finished all other preparations, Rayna wanted to get her ace in the hole back.


    After that, she planned to go to Lord Emery¡¯s estate and check up on Nali. Rayna felt bad about ditching her mentor for yet another unscheduled detour and it happened to be close to where Amon thought the third hub should be.


    Of course, knowing where the hub might be was useless if she couldn¡¯t figure out how to work the short-range scan. Hubs had a low-level telepathic field that made them less noticeable to passersby. According to Amon, that was how he remained undiscovered for the last six thousand years. It didn¡¯t work if they drew too much attention to the hub, which was another reason that the humans weren¡¯t going in and out of the hub more than was necessary.


    Rayna put her tablet away, focusing on the underbrush. Her amulet was a gaudy eyesore that should be easy to spot amidst the dull brown leaves coating the forest floor.


    Rayna tried summoning the artifact again, receiving the same error message as before.


    The item you are trying to retrieve is too far away. Move closer to lower the Mana requirements and try again.


    Rayna sighed. The least it could do was give her an idea of how close she was getting. Rayna could be walking away from the artifact, and she would never know.


    Rayna scanned the forest floor with half of her attention as she turned her mind back to the problem of the anomalies. She thought she was just looking for hubs, but the way the System Manual described boundary cracks, she wondered if that might be something they should be looking out for. Amon hadn¡¯t even mentioned the possibility of a sudden dungeon break, but Rayna was quickly coming to the realization that the Keepers, while great sources of information, would not be able to help her with System maintenance. They were too busy with their individual roles to spend brain power on helping Rayna figure out how to fix the System and she would throw herself in an Arachne nest before she asked Ronari for help.


    The short-range scan had to be something simple, didn¡¯t it? If it was complicated someone would have thought to at least briefly describe the process in the manual.


    Maybe it¡¯s just like everything else in the System, if I think it, it will happen.


    Rayna stopped and closed her eyes, trying to project her consciousness outward into the forest around her.


    If something happened, Rayna didn¡¯t feel it. She opened her eyes and looked around, hoping it would be obvious, but the forest looked the same as it had before.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Rayna grumbled about unintuitive System features and useless technology as she started walking again.


    A Jaranin walked in front of Rayna, growling threateningly when it noticed her.


    Rayna hissed, baring her teeth and the Jaranin backed off.


    That was one convenient thing about leveling up. None of the monsters wanted to mess with her anymore. Everything in the forest was below Level 10. To them, Rayna was a predator twice their level.


    It had saved her some time and trouble, but there was still the occasional monster with a death wish that attacked Rayna when her back was turned. They weren¡¯t a legitimate threat, but it was starting to get annoying.


    Something sparkled in the leaves and Rayna dove for it, grinning broadly as her hand closed around the cold metal chain. She dusted off her amulet and slipped it over her head. It still had a few thousand points of charge from before she lost it. The amulet healed several scrapes that had been too small to be worth Rayna¡¯s attention and relieved the ache in her legs from all of the walking Rayna had been doing that day.


    Rayna funneled a few hundred MP into the amulet and turned to leave.


    A slight rustle was the only warning Rayna got before the ground opened up beneath her. Panic filled her chest, the memory of being buried alive flashing through her head until she realized that this time, nothing was dragging her through the dirt. She was falling through empty air and she landed at the bottom of the hole with a loud crack.


    Rayna cried out as her amulet dropped several hundred points to heal her broken leg. Her tiny charge wasn¡¯t going to last long.


    Who the hell leaves a hole in the middle of a forest?!


    Rayna got to her feet and felt around the sides of the hole, trying to find a solid handhold to drag herself out of it. The dirt was too loose, falling down every time she grabbed at it and Rayna stopped, afraid she might bury herself trying to climb out.


    She tried jumping next, but the hole was almost thirty feet deep and even with her increased Strength and Dexterity, she couldn¡¯t make it even close to the top.


    Rayna pulled out her scry glass¡ªone of two that she bought in preparation for this trip¡ªintending to call Corban, but a woman appeared in front of her, distracting Rayna from her task.


    The woman was tall, her vibrant green hair flowing all the way to the forest floor. Leaves and vines were woven through the locks in a way that somehow looked both intentional and spontaneous. Her emerald eyes glowed, creating a second light source in the hole besides the soft glow of Rayna¡¯s hair.


    The woman¡¯s eyebrows knit together with concern. ¡°Oh dear, I seem to have hurt the poor sapling! What should I do?¡± The woman didn¡¯t seem to be talking to Rayna. She paced nervously at the bottom of the hole, oblivious somehow to Rayna¡¯s incredulous stare.


    ¡°I could close the hole,¡± the woman muttered. ¡°But no, then she would suffocate. You made that mistake last time, remember? Oh, I know! I can make a ladder?¡±


    Roots poked their way out of the wall, wrapping around one another to create handholds all the way to the top of the hole.


    Rayna eyed the ladder with suspicion. This woman had all but admitted to creating the hole in the first place. This could be a trick.


    ¡°Oh dear, maybe she doesn¡¯t know how to climb¡­¡± the woman looked Rayna up and down. ¡°No, she certainly seems like someone who should be able to climb. Perhaps she just needs a little encouragement.¡±


    A root grew out of the wall behind Rayna, forcing her closer to the ladder.


    Rayna yelped, pulling her staff out of her Soul Realm and whacking the attacking root with it. The root snapped in half.


    This seemed to distress the woman further. ¡°Good job, Salice, now you scared her more.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Rayna snapped, tired of the charade. ¡°You should mark your traps better if you¡¯re not trying to catch people.¡±


    She really hoped that this person wasn¡¯t trying to trap people¡­


    Salice blinked. ¡°Wait, she can¡¯t be talking to me¡­ is there someone else in the hole?¡± She turned around, her hair flowing lazily in the breeze.


    ¡°Rayna! Are you okay down there?¡± someone called from the top of the ladder.


    Rayna looked up and found Shela¡¯s worried face leaning over the edge.


    ¡°Shela? What are you doing here?¡± Rayna called up, vaguely aware that the woman was still muttering to herself.


    ¡°I followed you from the city,¡± Shela said. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing, too. Hold on, I¡¯ll get¡¯cha outta there.¡±


    ¡°I can climb up myself,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Just give me a sec.¡±


    Rayna started up the ladder, making a note to retest her telepathic limits. She shouldn¡¯t have been able to understand Shela from this far, but considering that she had evolved and ascended in the past few days, it wasn¡¯t outlandish to think that her other abilities had been enhanced too.


    ¡°Ah, yes, that must be who she was talking to,¡± Salice said. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t be talking to you. No one talks to you, silly.¡±


    Rayna frowned down at the woman who was floating just below her. Should she make it clear that she had been talking to Salice or should she ignore the woman¡¯s presence altogether? She didn¡¯t want to startle her and risk losing the ladder, but it seemed rude to just ignore her.


    Rayna reached the top of the ladder and Shela helped her climb out of the hole.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve been following me since the city, why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± Rayna asked, dusting herself off.


    Salice rose out of the hole and waved her hand. The sides of the hole collapsed, dragging dirt out of seemingly nowhere to fill it in as a solid patch of soil formed on top. New sprouts of grass shot through the dirt, making it nearly impossible to see where the hole had been a moment before.


    Shela frowned at the newly formed patch of grass. ¡°What was the point of all that?¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°Maybe someone left it there by mistake. Now more importantly, why are you following me?¡±


    Shela raised an eyebrow. ¡°I was worried. You disappeared all of a sudden and we didn¡¯t even get a chance to explain evolution to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Thanks for the help, but I can go alone from here.¡±


    ¡°Oh good. She is fine. Now how to keep her here¡­¡± Salice muttered.


    ¡°You came to find your necklace?¡± Shela asked, nodding at the amulet.


    ¡°It made good bait,¡± Salice said. ¡°Maybe I can use the knife. No, what if the sapling gets hurt again. No knives. Hmm¡­ should I make a cage? No, she will burn it. She is a clever sapling and a stupid sapling, that is for sure.¡±


    Shela didn¡¯t seem to see Salice. She was wholly focused on convincing Rayna that she needed help.


    ¡°If you come back to the village, I can introduce you to the elders,¡± she tried. ¡°Do you know what your inheritance is? We have a way of¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± Salice said, making Rayna jump. ¡°I will communicate! What can I do¡­¡±


    Before the woman could come up with an idea that would undoubtedly result in an unpleasant experience for Rayna, she turned to address her.


    ¡°Would you leave me alone?!¡± she snapped, tired of the woman¡¯s antics.


    Salice frowned. ¡°You¡¯re talking to me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Rayna said. ¡°And I am asking why you¡¯re so interested in keeping me here.¡±


    Shela watched Rayna cautiously, getting the same look she did when Rayna had been hallucinating in the tunnels. ¡°Rayna¡­ are you all right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Not crazy. I¡¯ll explain in a second, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this is marvelous!¡± Salice said, grinning ear to ear. ¡°You can see me! And hear me too!¡± She turned to Shela. ¡°Can that one?¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°Not that I know of.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Shela asked.


    ¡°Not you,¡± Rayna said, feeling like she was talking on the phone.


    Salice¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Well, that¡¯s too bad. Maybe if she met Montaigne. He¡¯s older than me. He would know how to fix her.¡±


    ¡°Rayna, why don¡¯t we go back to the village. You woke up too early,¡± Shela tried.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hallucinating,¡± Rayna insisted. ¡°I¡¯m fighting with a tree.¡±


    That sounded even crazier.


    It had taken her a while to put the two together, but with all of Salice¡¯s muttering about Rayna, she was fairly sure of her conclusion.


    ¡°I am not a tree!¡± Salice objected, her hair swishing lazily. ¡°I am a forest spirit.¡±


    ¡°A forest spirit who takes the form of a tree,¡± Rayna pointed out. ¡°You¡¯re the willow, right? The one that tried to trap me three weeks ago.¡±


    Shela¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°A forest¡­ what is her name?¡±


    ¡°Salice,¡± Rayna said.


    Salice grinned. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s been a while since you said that. My name sounds marvelous when you say it. Can you do it again?¡±


    ¡°Salice?¡± Rayna said uncertainly. Were all spirits this¡­eccentric?


    ¡°We should go,¡± Shela said suddenly. ¡°It¡¯s never a good idea to mess with Elementals.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t go!¡± Salice said, grabbing at Rayna¡¯s arm. Instead of the woman¡¯s hands, a tree root wrapped around Rayna¡¯s forearm, pulling her away from Shela. ¡°I need your help!¡±


    Rayna tried not to panic, acutely aware of a rough wood scratching her skin. ¡°Shela, how about you stop talking before you convince the willow tree to bury me again,¡± she said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Again?¡± Shela¡¯s voice was full of concern.


    ¡°That was an accident,¡± Salice objected. ¡°I was trying to figure out how to ask for help and you kept running away.¡±


    Rayna shook her head. ¡°All I knew was that a sentient tree was trying to keep me there against my will. Now, how about you release my arm, and we can talk about this.¡±


    Shela opened her mouth to say something, but Rayna shot her a warning look. She followed Rayna from the city, which meant one of two things: either she knew about the Ellis hub, or she had been waiting outside the city for Rayna to appear. Considering Rayna had snuck out behind a group of merchants to avoid notice, it was probably the former.


    Whatever Shela¡¯s deal was, she knew more than she was letting on.


    Salice released Rayna¡¯s arm and nodded. ¡°Right, I can talk now. That will be much more convenient. Have you always been able to talk to me, Sapling? Why didn¡¯t you say so before?¡±


    ¡°This is a recent development,¡± Rayna said, wondering if this had something to do with her Friend of Elementals title. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t you tell me what it is you need help with?¡±

 Chapter 53: Blackened Crystal

    ¡°I¡¯m not goin¡¯ in there,¡± Shela said firmly.


    Rayna would normally agree with the sentiment. The cave was pitch black. Even with her Night Vision skill, she couldn¡¯t see more than a few feet past the entrance.


    But despite how creepy it was, Rayna couldn¡¯t feel any monsters coming from inside. There was energy and a lot of it, but only the occasional spark of what might be a weak monster. Every time she tried to pinpoint how strong the monster was, it vanished.


    Her curiosity was getting stronger by the second.


    ¡°What¡¯s in there?¡± Rayna asked Salice.


    ¡°Nothin¡¯ good, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Shela snapped.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Salice admitted. ¡°My roots can¡¯t go through the rock. But ever since it showed up, my forest has been crawling with monsters.¡±


    Rayna conveyed the spirit¡¯s words to Shela.


    ¡°There¡¯ve been monsters in the Aeteraut Forest since the cataclysm,¡± Shela said. ¡°Whatever¡¯s in this here cave, it had nothin¡¯ to do with it.¡±


    Salice frowned at Shela. ¡°This one isn¡¯t very bright, is she? This thing appeared right before the cataclysm. I¡¯m certain it¡¯s related.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be mean,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Lack of information is not a lack of intelligence.¡±


    Shela narrowed her eyes. ¡°What did she say?¡±


    ¡°The thing in the cave is from before the cataclysm,¡± Rayna repeated. ¡°And it isn¡¯t a monster, by the way.¡±


    Salice looked exasperated. ¡°I never said it was a monster. It¡¯s a thing. There are a lot of things in my forest, but this is the biggest one.¡±


    Rayna pursed her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could be more specific?¡±


    ¡°Being specific is your thing, Sapling. Mine is taking care of my trees, and it¡¯s hard to do with monsters running around.¡± Salice looked like she was on the verge of tears. ¡°Small white monsters eat my plants, and the big cats scratch up the bark on my trees. The angry little red ones like to spit on players, driving everyone away, and don¡¯t get me started on the spiders!¡±


    Rayna felt a pang of sympathy for the Forest Spirit. Garden pests were a pain in the ass, she couldn¡¯t imagine dealing with monsters instead of caterpillars.


    ¡°I¡¯m going in,¡± Rayna said, switching out her satchel for her staff. She didn¡¯t want to lose her scry glass like she lost her amulet.


    ¡°Are you insane?!¡± Shela grabbed Rayna¡¯s arm and pulled her back. ¡°Whatever¡¯s in there is way too much for us to handle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a monster,¡± Rayna said again. ¡°I doubt a six thousand year old monster is just chilling in some random cave.¡±


    ¡°A six thousand year old monster would most certainly be chillin¡¯ in a random cave. That¡¯s how Ember works. And the longer it has been chillin¡¯ the hungrier it¡¯ll be!¡±


    Rayna shook her head, searching for an explanation before she decided to just take a chance with the truth. ¡°I¡¯m a Lerian, remember? I have monster sense, or whatever you people call it, and that isn¡¯t a monster.¡±


    A flash of monster sense made Rayna momentarily doubt if what she was saying really was the truth, but it disappeared a moment later.


    ¡°I live with Lerians,¡± Shela said. ¡°Monster sense isn¡¯t a thing.¡±


    ¡°It is too,¡± Rayna said. ¡°There¡¯s a pack of Pekas in a clearing over there and a Jaranin who¡¯s been stalking us for half a mile.¡±


    Rayna was only guessing about what type of monster was following them. Pekas were easy enough to distinguish since there weren¡¯t any Robis in the area, but there were any number of mid-sized monsters that could be following them right now.


    ¡°You just made that up,¡± Shela accused.


    Salice crossed her arms. ¡°Sapling doesn¡¯t lie! I¡¯ll show you!¡±


    Before Rayna could tell Salice not to, a yelp sounded from a nearby bush and a tree root appeared, showing a skewered Jaranin.


    ¡°Should I bring over the white ones as well?¡±


    ¡°No, Salice, that¡¯s fine. Thank you,¡± Rayna said quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Sapling.¡±


    At first, Rayna thought the nickname was just a way of calling her a child, but the more Salice used it, the more specific it felt. She was too scared to ask Salice if she had done something to earn the name Sapling.


    Shela glared at the dead monster. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m not sendin¡¯ a child¡ª¡± She paused. ¡°¡ªan Initial¡ª¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not lettin¡¯ one of the Chosen go in there by herself. You don¡¯t know a thing about Ember.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not helpless just because I¡¯m one of the Chosen,¡± Rayna said. ¡°And the fact that it took you three tries to come up with something that even applied to me just invalidates your argument. Your prejudice is showing. Now, I¡¯m going into the cave and you¡¯re welcome to come or you can stay out here with Salice. Either way is fine with me.¡±


    Salice made a few tree roots emerge from the ground, turning the last statement into a threat when Rayna really hadn¡¯t meant it that way.


    Shela growled in frustration. ¡°Are all humans suicidal?!¡±


    ¡°Are all Emberians racist pricks?¡± Rayna shot back.


    Salice frowned. ¡°Are the two of you going to stand around arguing all day?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Are you coming or not?¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± Shela drew her sword ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with. But Rayna, promise me you won¡¯t do anythin¡¯ reckless. If there¡¯s a huge monster in there, we turn tail and run, all right?¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± Rayna said.


    It¡¯s not like she was planning on just letting herself get eaten.


    She led the way into the cave, holding a fireball on her palm for visibility.


    Shela made her put it out. ¡°Magic can be unstable if there¡¯s too much Miasma in the air,¡± she explained, pulling out an oil lamp and lighting it. ¡°Better to go with natural lightin¡¯ when you¡¯re explorin¡¯ new places.¡±


    She handed the lamp to Rayna and lit another one for herself.


    They walked in silence for a while as Rayna figured out how to phrase her next question.


    ¡°So¡­ Lerians¡­ Why are they in hiding?¡± she asked, failing to come up with anything more subtle than that.


    ¡°What makes you think Lerians are hidin¡¯?¡± Shela asked, sounding nonchalant, but Rayna could see the way the woman¡¯s hand tightened on her lamp handle.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°The wards on that village nearly blinded me on the way out,¡± Rayna commented. ¡°Unless your village specifically is the one hiding out, but then it struck me as odd that no one knows what a Lerian is except for you.¡±


    Shela relented. ¡°We¡¯ve been hidin¡¯ for a few millennia. Folks didn¡¯t take too kindly to learnin¡¯ that the ones who made the System¡ªtheir descendants, anyway¡ªwere still around.¡±


    ¡°I thought the people of Ember worshiped the System,¡± Rayna said.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Shela said. ¡°They need the System. Lerians can use their abilities without the System¡ªit¡¯s a function of their core¡ªbut Emberians don¡¯t have a core to use. The System is holdin¡¯ the spell in reserve for them. If the System goes down, so do all of their defenses.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re¡­ part Lerian?¡± Rayna guessed.


    Shela chuckled. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. The System designates race based on which part is dominant. I got enough Cervinale in me to show up as such, but I¡¯ve got an odd spatterin¡¯ of Lerian magic. I don¡¯t have a core though, that¡¯s second plateau and I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll even make the first one.¡±


    Rayna frowned. If core was second plateau, why did she have one? Did it come with the body? She pushed the thought away, not wanting to remind herself of that unpleasant bit of personal lore.


    ¡°How did you become a Lerian, anyway?¡± Shela asked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of soul-switchin¡¯, but I thought the magic was lost, not to mention it¡¯s highly dangerous. Folks don¡¯t just do it on a whim.¡±


    ¡°You know a lot more than I do,¡± Rayna said. ¡°I would¡¯ve been happier if the Administrator just brought my body.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Shela mused aloud. ¡°That woulda been easier, and that¡¯s the way he normally does it. Did somethin¡¯ happen at initiation?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story and I¡¯m kinda tired of telling it,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me about soul-switching instead? Are there side effects I should be worried about?¡±


    Shela shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know anythin¡¯ solid, just the stories. You¡¯ll have to play with your magic to see which ones are soul-based and which ones come with the body. I guess you already confirmed translation, magic sense and whatever you¡¯re calling monster sense.¡± Shela¡¯s tone said she still didn¡¯t believe that one, but Rayna didn¡¯t bother arguing. ¡°There¡¯s also the soul-realm, which despite the name, can come with either. You shouldn¡¯t get a core, but you can obviously absorb Essence.¡±


    Rayna paused. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t get a core?¡±


    She already had one, though.


    ¡°I mean, body-based cores exist,¡± Shela said. ¡°But they¡¯re rare, and they don¡¯t always have the same effect as soul-cores. You¡¯ll have to wait and see, I guess.¡±


    It sounded like she was trying to make Rayna feel better. Rayna let the matter drop. She would have to come up with some subtle questions about the topic later. Or maybe she could ask a lot of pointed questions on a variety of subjects so the question about her core could fly under the radar.


    So far, Rayna thought that the only time she had used her core was to help the fire sprite. But the way Shela described it, she was using her core every time she cast a spell without the System, which meant she used it plenty in the few days that her System had been reinitializing.


    She wasn¡¯t sure if the damage to her core had any effect on her ability to use it. The recovery rate was ticking slowly upwards, so Rayna would just have to wait and see if anything changed when it hit a hundred percent.


    Shela was in the middle of a basic safety course on using Essence in Miasma rich areas when they reached the end of the tunnel.


    The path opened into a large cavern lined with solid black obsidian. The black surface glittered with the silver light coming off of a portal in the center of the room. It looked similar to Rayna¡¯s portals, except that the edges were frayed, glowing silver tendrils floating lazily as if suspended in water. It almost looked like a piece of torn fabric.


    Rayna approached the portal cautiously, cringing every time her shoes clicked on the black glass.


    ¡°Rayna! No! Come back here!¡± Shela snapped, trying to grab at Rayna¡¯s arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a portal,¡± Rayna said. After a moment¡¯s thought, she changed her mind. ¡°I think it¡¯s a boundary anomaly.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talkin¡¯ about,¡± Shela said. ¡°But that room is lined with crystallized Miasma!¡±


    Rayna paused. ¡°Miasma?¡±


    The black crystal beneath Rayna¡¯s feet pulsed with the anomaly and Rayna knelt to run her hand over it. It wasn¡¯t the source of her monster sense. The stone looked foreboding, but it felt almost comforting; like a warm blanket right out of the dryer.


    The crack behind Rayna pulsed again, bringing with it a wave of dread.


    The feeling was coming from the anomaly? Or more specifically, the energy coming out of the anomaly.


    She put her hand in front of the crack, feeling the energies around it as they ebbed and flowed. Her sense of magic had grown even stronger after she evolved and she could actually see the magic flowing around her hand instead of just the vague glow she had seen before.


    Rayna pinpointed the source of the feeling. With each pulse the Miasma and Essence met, mingling in what could only be described as explosive soup, but a moment later, the Miasma crystals pulsed, dragging the black energy down and leaving the white energy to hang in the air, undisturbed.


    ¡°They¡¯re a filter,¡± Rayna said. ¡°The crystals are absorbing all of the Miasma coming through the anomaly.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it less dangerous,¡± Shela said. ¡°Miasma is toxic to Lerians, and it has a tendency to explode when mixed with Essence. Don¡¯t even think about usin¡¯ spells in there.¡±


    Rayna nodded. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°If you know, why are you still standin¡¯ in there?!¡± Shela asked, bouncing with nervous energy.


    ¡°I need to find a way to close this crack,¡± Rayna said, examining the frayed edges. ¡°If it¡¯s making the monsters in the forest, we could clear a whole area just by dealing with the anomalies.¡±


    Shela shook her head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. Monsters are the result of Miasma and Essence minglin¡¯. They¡¯re not made; they¡¯re spawned.¡±


    ¡°I thought your people made the System,¡± Rayna said. It seemed some knowledge had been lost over the generations. Rayna made a note to take everything Shela said with a grain of salt.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Shela demanded.


    ¡°Monsters are made as a filter,¡± Rayna said, still examining the portal. ¡°Like the crystals, only less permanent. If this was closer to a dungeon, the Miasma would get pulled in and turned into a monster. When the monsters in the dungeon are killed, the Essence is brought back to Ember and the Miasma is sent to Ashen.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a story for youngin¡¯s,¡± Shela said. ¡°Ashen is a fairytale to help children sleep at night. Dungeons aren¡¯t real.¡±


    Rayna¡¯s gaze snapped to Shela, temporarily distracted from her task. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    ¡°Where did you even hear that story? I didn¡¯t think the Emberians knew it.¡±


    It took Rayna a moment to realize that Shela was serious.


    She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve cleared a dungeon myself and I¡¯ve been to Ashen, if I¡¯m right about my portals. It¡¯s not a fairytale.¡±


    Shela snorted. ¡°I¡¯d have an easier time believin¡¯ you met the Administrator.¡±


    ¡°Did that too,¡± Rayna said absently, returning her attention to the portal.


    ¡°Not his projection,¡± Shela said. ¡°That¡¯s just a ghost of the real man. System programmin¡¯ and a few millennia of misinformation.¡±


    An image flashed in Rayna¡¯s mind: the Administrator writing furiously on a chalk board, bags under his eyes and his clothes fraying.


    A second later it was gone.


    Rayna shrugged off the feeling of deja vu. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s true, whether you believe me or not.¡± Rayna reached up and tried to grab one of the strings. To her surprise, it worked. She held the strand in her hand, tugging on it to test the strength.


    It stretched and snapped back into place. So, she could mess with the strings. Would tying them be enough? Or did she have to perform some sort of magic?


    Rayna retreated to the tunnel, much to Shela¡¯s relief, but she wasn¡¯t planning on leaving.


    She pulled out her tablet and turned to the section on closing boundary cracks.


    Closing a boundary crack is simple: the threads at the edge of the crack must be woven back into each other. After it¡¯s been closed, it may take time for the crack to heal itself, but it should fully heal eventually. Larger cracks might resist being closed, or they may have degraded to the point that the threads of the crack no longer reach the other side. A boundary patch can be applied to these (see Manual VII pg 184 for how to make one). The patch will slowly be absorbed into the boundary. A new patch should be applied every three months until the crack is fully healed.


    Underneath the passage was a bunch of diagrams that showed how to weave the threads back together. Rayna copied them into her notebook, not wanting to bring an Essence-charged device into a room full of Miasma, and put her tablet away.


    ¡°You¡¯re goin¡¯ back in there?¡± Shela said incredulously.


    ¡°I am. Wait here, I¡¯ll be out in a sec.¡± Rayna had already spent enough time in the room to convince herself that Shela¡¯s estimation of the danger of Miasma was overblown. Not to mention, she had spent some time in Ashen. It had felt stiflingly low on Essence, but she didn¡¯t get sick from what must have been Miasma-soaked air.


    Shela didn¡¯t follow, but Rayna wasn¡¯t sure if that was because she had asked her to wait or if Shela was just that concerned about the Miasma. To her credit, she didn¡¯t try to physically stop Rayna.


    Consulting her notebook, Rayna grabbed one of the topmost strings and started to weave. It wasn¡¯t a difficult pattern. The hardest part was keeping the weave closed long enough to make it stay. Rayna had to knot a couple strings every so often to hold it together. When the weave was finished, she untied her anchors and wove them in.


    Rayna stepped back to admire her work. It wasn¡¯t the cleanest weaving job, but it should hold. If Rayna was right, this was kind of like stitches. The boundary just needed the wound held closed so it wouldn¡¯t fester while it healed.


    A notification popped up, startling Rayna so much she jumped.


    A Community Event has begun!


    The largest anomaly in the Aeteraut Forest Dungeon has closed. The System seeks to dismantle the dungeon in order to minimize the possibility of a dungeon break. To that end, all monsters within the Aeteraut Forest Dungeon will award double Experience for the duration of the event and special prizes will be awarded to the highest contributors.


    Event Duration: 07d 00h 00m 00s

 Chapter 54: The People of the Wastelands

    An excerpt from A History of Alatha by Ninala Fini


    Foreward


    The wasteland of Alatha forms the western edge of the known world. Sectioned off from the rest of civilization by a magical barrier to the west and the Great Wall of Canin to the east, Alatha remains isolated from the larger peoples of Ember.


    Though many have tried over the centuries to reconnect our people with those beyond the wall, diplomatic missions have been unsuccessful and all attempts to approach the wall were met with deadly force. It is the belief of most that the Emberians view us as another form of monster, or perhaps, as something to be feared even more than the monsters themselves. It is a consequence of surviving the barbarism of the spawn zone that those who live in more peaceful areas would come to fear us.


    There is much debate over the actual origin of Alatha, as many records were lost during a monster surge in the first century. Many believe it was originally a prison colony, formed through the banishment of political insurgents in what would later come to be known as the First Great Surge. Others believe that Alathans all descend from the Chosen. Those unlucky enough to be placed on the wrong side of the wall have always been welcomed into our midst, but there is little evidence to suggest that Alatha started in this way.


    Still others claim that Alatha has always been. Though many of their beliefs are rooted in circular arguments, there is evidence to suggest that Alatha could have been the original colony of Ember that was abandoned soon after the spawn zone formed.


    Without the ability to reconnect with our neighbors, the truth will likely remain a mystery, for we have limited information for what lies beyond the wall. Travelers who stumble into the wastelands don¡¯t often survive long enough to provide a source of information and the Chosen that are dropped on the plains all tell the same story: the way things were six thousand years ago when the first Chosen set foot on Ember. It seems that the System has no intention of updating the preview to match the reality of Ember. As such, it is the duty of those who were born here to teach those who were brought to this world with false promises and pretty lies.


    This book aims to summarize the history of Alatha as it is known and to help the Chosen understand why they are unable to join their colleagues beyond the wall.


    With the Sixth Great Surge to arrive any day, I pray that I am able to finish this book before the Chosen appear.


    May the peace of the Great Keeper be with you all.


    * * *


    Hoka arrived late to the summons, adjusting her uniform before entering the council chamber.


    A round table sat in the middle of the room, and more than forty council members¡ªthose that came from Pillan and nearby cities¡ªsat around it, listening to Linal¡¯s report.


    The jin was short, even for his own kind. He stood two and a half feet tall, choosing to use the table as his platform rather than struggle to see the rest of the council. His gangly legs and elongated arms made him look impish, but Hoka wouldn¡¯t want to meet the fierce warrior in battle. She had seen him tear through a horde of Hinans without breaking a sweat.


    ¡°¡ªheavy Miasmic activity all across the plains,¡± Linal was saying as Hoka took a seat.


    Hoka frowned. All across the plains? Not a single location? They hadn¡¯t had a monster surge of that intensity since Hoka was a girl and this couldn¡¯t be the Great Surge. If that were the case, they wouldn¡¯t be sitting in a council chamber, they would be running out to meet the threat.


    ¡°What¡¯s the tunnel status?¡± Hoka asked, praying to the Great Keeper that they hadn¡¯t lost any scouts. Players with a decent stealth Class were hard to come by, especially in the wastelands, where the high density of Miasma made most magic unstable.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± Pilta said, answering for Linal. ¡°The activity is on the plains, not under them. Reports say the horde is spawning above ground.¡±


    Hoka shook her head. ¡°Monsters only spawn in the tunnels. Could it be the Chosen?¡±


    ¡°Not in these numbers,¡± Ash said. ¡°Our rough count is ten thousand, but there could be more.¡±


    ¡°Farpointe, Keis and Ennith all sent scouts, but we haven¡¯t heard anything definitive,¡± Linal said. ¡°We¡¯re approaching with caution until we can ascertain the magnitude of the threat.¡±


    Ten thousand wasn¡¯t too bad if these were small creatures¡ªthey always packed less of a punch. If they were dealing with larger creatures, or creatures with hidden trump cards, that number could easily overwhelm several cities before the people of Alatha were able to stop them. It was smart to keep the scouts at a distance until they knew more.


    ¡°The fact of the matter is,¡± Linal said. ¡°If this is a horde of monsters, we need to adjust our preparations for the coming Great Surge. We have always relied on blocked tunnels and targeted cave-ins to keep the majority of the monsters out of reach. If they can spawn on the plains, we need to be ready for a new type of threat.¡±


    ¡°And if it isn¡¯t a horde of monsters?¡± Krina asked, voicing the thoughts of everyone in the room.


    The silence stretched. The Emberians had never attacked before. They stood on their wall and only came into the wastelands if the monsters got too close. That didn¡¯t stop the idea being at the forefront of every mind in Alatha. They knew that the Emberians hated them, and an invasion, though unprecedented, wouldn¡¯t surprise anyone.


    ¡°Then we prepare for that too,¡± Linal said grimly.


    ¡°The Emberians are scared of what they know is coming,¡± Pilta said darkly. ¡°When the wards go down and they¡¯ve lost their precious spells, they¡¯ll have their time of reckoning with the monsters they created.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t wage war in the last Great Surge and we¡¯re not going to do so now,¡± Linal snapped. ¡°If this is an army of Ember, we give them a chance to leave. If they refuse, we insist. If they attack, we defend.¡±


    Hoka kept her mouth shut. She didn¡¯t agree with Linal, but dissent would only lead to more bloodshed. An war was inevitable, not because Hoka or anyone else cared for the moral drought that awaited on the other side of the wall, but because the larger their numbers grew, the harder it was to grow enough food to sustain them. Too many people had survived the last Great Surge and their numbers had only grown in the last three hundred years. If the monsters didn¡¯t wipe Alatha out, starvation eventually would.


    Desperation made for some pretty powerful motivation.


    ¡°Hoka, I¡¯m sending you in first,¡± Linal said.


    Hoka blinked. ¡°Me? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you can handle yourself out there if it¡¯s a monster horde,¡± Linal said. ¡°And I can trust you to hold back if it isn¡¯t.¡±


    Hoka sighed dramatically. ¡°Once again, good behavior only leads to punishment.¡±


    ¡°Pilta, start organizing the fighters into groups and get them ready to follow Hoka¡¯s commands,¡± Linal said. ¡°Shi, I want you to organize the healers in case something goes wrong. Chaka, you¡¯re in charge of rear defense, be ready to evacuate the civilians from Pillan and have runners ready to spread the evacuation order to nearby cities.¡±


    Linal continued to list off orders as Hoka checked her Inventory to make sure she had her weapons in order. Her favorite weapon¡ªthe set of daggers that she could tether directly to her wrists¡ªwere with the blacksmiths being repaired, but she could settle for a mace if it came down to fighting. Or maybe she would just use her fists; it had been a long time since she had a proper hand-to-hand battle.


    Linal gave the order to leave and Hoka took off without hesitation, her excitement growing at the thought of an all-out brawl. Maybe she would even find a new species of monster. New species spawning in the tunnels wasn¡¯t unheard of, but it didn¡¯t happen often. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity as she would get to name the monsters for the System if she was the first to discover them.


    Hoka stopped a mile away from the monster horde. They were like nothing she had ever seen; bipedal creatures whose skin ranged in color from a light tan to a dark brown. Hair of all colors and lengths grew from their heads and Hoka couldn¡¯t see well from this distance, but some of them seemed to be wearing¡ª


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    Hoka deflated.


    She was promised a horde of monsters. Instead, she got a horde of Chosen wandering around in confusion.


    Hoka flashed the hand signal for ¡®not enemy¡¯ and approached the Chosen, wondering what they had done to deserve such a punishment from the Great Keeper. Maybe they just had crappy luck. Once a person was on this side of the wall, there was no going back across. These Chosen had just been doomed to a life in Alatha, and Alatha would be forced to house and feed them.


    Hoka didn¡¯t care how weak these Chosen were, they were going to learn how to fight. Everyone in Alatha fought, it was how they had survived this long. Even the blacksmiths and bakers took turns in the tunnels.


    As Hoka got closer, she realized that the Chosen weren¡¯t wandering around, they were building something. A shout of alarm went up as she was spotted and the Chosen scrambled around in terror.


    Hoka sighed, activating her translation skill. Translation spells were about as reliable as anything else on the plains, but she could probably get enough conversation in to keep the poor things from dying of fright.


    A line of Chosen formed around the larger group, their weapons drawn. Hoka wondered if the pitiful display was supposed to scare her.


    The line doubled, then tripled as a woman shouted orders from inside the protective wall.


    Hoka narrowed her eyes, her interest growing. Should she play with the Chosen a little before bringing them back to civilization? This group would undoubtedly end up with her in Pillan, Alatha¡¯s unofficial capital, which meant that she would be forced to train them all. It couldn¡¯t hurt to at least gauge their strength so she could start thinking about how to turn them into fighters.


    Before she could come up with how to attack in a way that wouldn¡¯t cause any casualties, the shouting woman called an order and the defensive lines opened up enough for her and two other Chosen to walk through.


    Were these their champions? They looked scrawnier than some in the defensive line and they couldn¡¯t have built up their stats to make up for the deficit in the few weeks they got for a tutorial. Ambassadors, perhaps?


    The woman called something in the Chosen¡¯s language and Hoka increased her pace so she could get in range.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡ªshe understands,¡± the one on the right said. ¡°Either of you¡ªget a translation¡ªyet?¡±


    ¡°Languages¡ªnot¡ªstrong point,¡± the one on the left said. ¡°And¡ªnot like I speak lizard.¡±


    Hoka bit back a laugh. Yndar weren¡¯t lizards, but it was an observation commonly voiced by children of other species. Perhaps these creatures were mentally incompetent.


    ¡°I am Hoka,¡± she called. ¡°Identify yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Guess I should¡ªthat one coming,¡± the man muttered. Their name tags were still visible, which wasn¡¯t surprising since the Chosen should also be subject to the freeze on Ascension.


    [Patricia Holland ¡ª Level 25]


    [Human]


    [Robert Kirk ¡ª Level 25]


    [Human]


    [Helga Lind ¡ª Level 25]


    [Human]


    Hoka wasn¡¯t sure how to pronounce the odd names.


    Thankfully, as they neared, Hoka¡¯s spell stabilized enough that she wasn¡¯t missing a third of the conversation.


    ¡°My name is Patty,¡± the one called Patricia introduced herself. ¡°And this is Bob and Helga.¡± She gestured to her companions in turn.


    Hoka lifted her chin, adopting a hostile tone. ¡°What gives you the right to settle in Alathan territory?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but notice that the humans were adorably small. They barely came up to her chest. They weren¡¯t even close to the jin on a scale of cuteness¡ªthough Hoka would never say such a thing out loud and incur Linal¡¯s wrath¡ªbut they were certainly one of the smaller species.


    ¡°The System dropped us here,¡± Patty said. ¡°But we can relocate if necessary. Can you point us in the direction of another territory?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately for you, trespassers are not viewed favorably on this side of Ember. I will remove your stain so that my people can live in peace.¡± It was becoming increasingly difficult for Hoka to resist the urge to laugh as the humans took a step back.


    ¡°We come in peace, but we¡¯re prepared to fight,¡± Patty said carefully.


    Hoka puffed out her chest. ¡°Excellent! I¡¯ll tell you what, I¡¯ll give you an hour to prepare yourselves, then I¡¯ll attack. If you survive, you may stay.¡±


    ¡°What level are you?¡± Helga asked, throwing all societal propriety to the wind.


    Good. Alatha didn¡¯t need that puffed up nonsense of keeping your level secret. Every new group of Chosen tried to bring in that bit of culture from Ember and every new group of Chosen learned that Alatha was not interested in such stupidity.


    Of course, Hoka didn¡¯t want to give them a heart attack¡­


    ¡°Level 40,¡± she lied, sitting crosslegged on the ground. ¡°My highest stat is Strength and I primarily fight with physical weapons, though I have been known to use spells when they are available to me. You may do with that information what you will.¡±


    Without another word the humans returned to their group, shouting orders as if their lives depended on it.


    Then again, they thought their lives did depend on it. Maybe Hoka had gone a bit far with the joke. She planned on taking it easy on them, but it occurred to her that she barely remembered what it was like to be Level 40. She would have to avoid actually hitting anyone, just to make sure no one died.


    Hoka flashed a hand signal to send for some healers and Linal appeared beside her.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked, narrowing his eyes at Hoka.


    ¡°Come on, we haven¡¯t had new meat in centuries. Let me have my fun,¡± Hoka pleaded, watching the Chosen rearrange themselves.


    ¡°We should be trying to get them back into Ember,¡± Linal said, ever the optimist. ¡°The Chosen have no business on this side of the wall.¡±


    ¡°We knew we would get some of them, at least,¡± Hoka reminded him. ¡°The size of the group doesn¡¯t change the fact that they¡¯re our problem now. No one in Ember will take them.¡±


    ¡°I hate to admit it,¡± Pilta said, coming up on Hoka¡¯s other side. ¡°But these ones might be the lucky ones. I don¡¯t even want to imagine what hell the Emberians have in store for the Chosen.¡±


    They had no proof that the Emberians had taken the growth delay badly, but there was no doubt in Hoka¡¯s mind that the Chosen were being turned away at every gate, run out of every territory. Pilta was likely correct: Patty and her group would find more welcome here than anywhere else on the planet.


    As the minutes ticked by, more people came to watch the spectacle. Some thought that Hoka was being cruel, while others were taking bets on how many would die before the healers got to them.


    Hoka regarded these bets with contempt; as if she didn¡¯t know how to hold back when dealing with a weaker opponent. She had sparred with each and every one of them and they were all still breathing.


    Perhaps they had forgotten why Hoka was considered one of the strongest warriors in Pillan. She would remind them soon enough¡ªwhen there were less innocents in the blast range.


    At the end of the promised hour, Hoka approached the group, cracking her knuckles.


    Patty shouted something and a glittering ward appeared around the Chosen.


    Hoka raised her eyebrows. The shield was surprisingly sturdy for the wastelands. It looked like one of Hoka¡¯s wards, but even with the combined effort, it was paper thin.


    Hoka picked up a rock and tossed it in the air to test its weight. She threw it, knocking out the shield with ease. She made sure to aim above the Chosen and the rock landed more than a hundred yards past their huddle, digging a long line in the dirt.


    Patty shouted again and this time arrows flew through the air, some missing their target by several yards.


    Weapons practice was going to be necessary in the coming weeks, Hoka observed.


    She caught a few of the projectiles in the air, knocking the rest aside as she continued to advance. She threw the arrows she had caught at the ground and they stuck a few feet from the Chosen, making them shift uneasily.


    Patty shouted again and a flurry of spells bombarded Hoka. She paused to focus on what she was being attacked with. The standard Fireball was by far the most common. She resisted several status effects that promised a good range of specialties, and vines grew out of the ground, gripping Hoka¡¯s legs. She broke through them easily, but there was a promising plant mage among the Chosen as well.


    It seemed the humans were gifted magically. Hoka had never seen so many stable spells. Hopefully they could help with the food shortage.


    She stopped about a hundred yards from the attacking army, watching them grow increasingly desperate. Bob leaned in to whisper in Patty¡¯s ear, and she nodded in response.


    What were they planning?


    ¡°Molotov!¡± Patty yelled.


    Hoka frowned. She should be in translation range at this point. Was Molotov a name, maybe?


    A single bottle was launched at Hoka, its arching path easy to follow. Hoka caught it, examining the burning piece of linen that had been stuffed into the projectile¡¯s opening.


    As soon as the fire reached the bottle it exploded, sending fire and shards of glass flying everywhere.


    Hoka¡¯s HP actually dropped a few points, and she burst out laughing as several more of the bottles were sent her way. She clutched her side, trying to stem the torrent of laughter that threatened to take more of her HP than the human¡¯s devices. The fire died down long before Hoka¡¯s laughing fit.


    She froze, feeling the cold steel of a dagger prick the back of her neck.


    ¡°We win,¡± Helga said, fear obvious in her voice, though she was trying to hide it. ¡°If you were really Level 40, you would already be dead.¡±


    It was a gutsy move, Hoka had to admit, albeit an underhanded one.


    Monsters didn¡¯t fight fair either.


    Hoka grinned, showing teeth. ¡°I surrender.¡±


    Helga removed the dagger and moved back several feet before waving to the Chosen.


    Cheers broke out in the group and a few people nearly fainted in relief. Patty and Bob joined Helga, still treating the situation with caution despite their victory.


    ¡°A deal is a deal,¡± Patty said. ¡°You won¡¯t try to kill us in our sleep?¡±


    ¡°Hoka was just having a bit of fun at your expense,¡± Pilta said, startling them with his sudden appearance.


    ¡°Though I wonder why she thought it was appropriate or advisable,¡± Linal commented. ¡°We have healers if you have any wounded.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t even hit us,¡± Bob said. ¡°That¡¯s what tipped us off to this being a test. If she wanted to kill us, she would¡¯ve used that first rock.¡±


    Hoka nodded. ¡°I might have shown my hand a little early, but it was the fastest way to drop your shield. Don¡¯t rely on wards to protect you, first lesson of System combat.¡±


    Patty nodded. ¡°If we were stronger, we would have started with other forms of defense. Shields cost too much Mana to be worth it in most fights.¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling I¡¯m going to like you,¡± Hoka commented.


    ¡°How many people are in your group?¡± Linal asked, ruining the moment.


    ¡°A little under five hundred,¡± Patty said.


    ¡°There are more on the plains,¡± Pilta pointed out. ¡°I¡¯ll get a search party together. They won¡¯t last long if we leave them alone.¡±


    Linal nodded. ¡°In the meantime, I would be interested to hear how these incendiary devices work. Is it a delayed-action explosion spell?¡±


    ¡°Alcohol in a bottle,¡± Bob said. ¡°Turns out our Tutorial Leader brought a good supply. Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest.¡±


    Hoka picked up one of the bottles that hadn¡¯t exploded. ¡°It¡¯s settled. The three of you are staying with me.¡±

 Chapter 55: Community

    The present¡­


    A bead of sweat fell from Patty¡¯s brow, landing on her blade next to a splatter of red and black blood¡ªPatty¡¯s blood and the monster¡¯s.


    There was more red than black.


    ¡°Keep that sword up!¡± Hoka snapped. ¡°That thing won¡¯t give you time to catch your breath!¡±


    Patty raised her sword just in time to block the descent of the Mantodea¡¯s claw. The mantis creature hissed, nearly pushing Patty over as it snapped at her neck with its curved mandibles.


    Blood splattered Patty¡¯s face and the pressure on her sword vanished. She gagged, backing away from the decapitated monster.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have let me get out of the way first?¡± she yelled, wiping the black viscous liquid out of her eyes.


    ¡°You fail to defend yourself, you get a face full of blood,¡± Hoka said. ¡°Only next time it¡¯ll be yours. That monster was the same level as you. There¡¯s no reason you shouldn¡¯t have been able to handle it.¡±


    ¡°My Dexterity is only C-2,¡± Patty said. ¡°The damn bug kept dodging my attacks.¡±


    ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t be fighting close range,¡± Hoka said. ¡°That thing could¡¯ve cut you in two and you¡¯d have bled out before I could even close the wound.¡±


    ¡°Basic Heal is handling the damage just fine,¡± Patty pointed out. She stowed her sword in her Inventory before her tendency to talk with her hands resulted in a missing limb.


    ¡°Spells are unreliable,¡± Hoka said firmly. ¡°You need to get in the habit of avoiding the blows, not just healing them. Trust the System to compensate for your lack of skill, and you will end up face down in the dirt.¡±


    ¡°The spells are fine,¡± Patty said. ¡°You¡¯re all just paranoid. Have you seen any of my spells fail in the past week? Or Helga¡¯s? Bob¡¯s?¡±


    Hoka shook her head. ¡°Luck isn¡¯t a skill, it¡¯s a curse. It leads idiots like you to overconfidence.¡± She threw Patty a towel. ¡°Go get cleaned up. Afterwards we can do some Dexterity training.¡±


    ¡°In other words, you¡¯re going to make me run laps and pretend you¡¯re improving my stamina,¡± Patty translated, already over this warrior training. She was tempted to go into a magic build at the next Ascension just to spite Hoka.


    ¡°System stats enhance what¡¯s already there,¡± Hoka said. ¡°So does gaining muscle. I don¡¯t care if it changes your C-levels or not, training does help and the sooner you humans stop thinking of this as a game, the more of you we¡¯ll have left when the Great Surge begins.¡±


    Patty grumbled all the way to the washbasin that was already tinged dark red with her previous failures.


    The Chosen had only been given two weeks to settle in and come to terms with their new reality. A number of them had gone to the wall, hoping to talk their way out of the wastelands, but even with Alathan supervision, not all of them made it back.


    They were well and truly stuck at the moment, and Patty¡¯s group had been spread all across Pillan, along with another thousand people from other groups. They were lucky, some of the groups were split between multiple cities. Patty kept in touch with the rest of the Chosen in Pillan, but the Alathans were fast-tracking the integration process, which meant that training was done the Alathan way with Alathan students. They ate meals with Alathans and they slept in Alathan homes.


    It wasn¡¯t integration, it was assimilation and Patty and the others were resisting in any small way they could; be it throwing puns into the conversation to confuse the translation abilities or throwing around movie references any time there was another human in the room.


    It annoyed Hoka to no end. According to her, an outsider was dead before the first monster spawned in their midst. They worked together or they died.


    And yet, the Alathan¡¯s method of ¡®working together¡¯ was more of an attempt to outnumber the attacking hordes than true cooperation. They had all of the traditional party roles, but they didn¡¯t use them efficiently. The closest they got to organized warfare was putting the tanks in front and the healers in the back.


    Patty was taking notes on how not to organize a party, but she had to admit, the Alathan¡¯s individual strength was impressive.


    Hoka was a Level 320. Patty had already thanked her for lying when they first asked. If any of her players heard that number, they would have run away long before their hour of preparation was up. Patty learned the names and levels of several others in the bustling city and she had yet to meet anyone below Level 100.


    Bob was having the time of his life, mostly because the sparring pits had a ¡®fight-like-the-lower-player¡¯ rule, meaning he actually won a few of his bouts with Level 150 players. They were so busy figuring out how to nerf themselves that they forgot that their opponent could throw a punch too.


    The fights where the players were the same level were much more interesting, mostly because, similar to how regular sparring worked, a smaller opponent could still outwit a larger opponent. From what Patty could see, the C-levels were almost unnecessary. They were, in most cases, a definition of the player¡¯s physique and thus, easy to guess.


    There were some outliers, like how Linal, the High Leader of Alatha, had a C-5 in Strength despite his size.


    Patty¡¯s C-levels were less than stellar. She was a couch-potato office worker with no magical aptitude. She secretly hoped that Hoka was right, and running would improve her performance because right now, she was getting creamed.


    Once Patty¡¯s hair was back to its usual color, she toweled herself off and went back to face whatever horrors Hoka had in store for her.


    Helga had arrived sometime while Patty was cleaning herself up. She chatted excitedly with Hoka and by the rate at which she was hurling words into the air, Patty could tell something major had happened.


    ¡°Patty! Did you see?¡± Helga asked.


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    ¡°I was too busy getting my ass kicked by a giant bug,¡± Patty said. ¡°What did I miss?¡±


    Helga made her Menu visible, pointing at the new section marked ¡®Community¡¯.


    Patty raised her eyebrows. ¡°We¡¯re getting Community Events back?¡±


    In Ember Online, Community Events were special events that gave increased rewards for clearing an overpopulated area of monsters or completing a task en masse. They were usually related to dungeon breaks, overflowing zones or some need in the community, such as a lack of weapons or food. They were one of the best parts of the game, but they, like many other features, hadn¡¯t been present in Ember Offline so far.


    ¡°Looks like it,¡± Helga said.


    Hoka shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this before, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll help us much. The event is for the Aeteraut Forest. You said that was in Helia, right?¡±


    Helga, who paid the most attention to the forums, spent a large portion of the last week filling the Alathans in on what they missed. Having been cut off from the rest of civilization, with only the Chosen to give them updates, they knew next to nothing about the countries on the other side of the wall.


    Especially since historically, salty Tutorial Leaders refused to share any real information.


    Only this time, the news of the System¡¯s screw up, coupled with Janet Lindale¡¯s insistent and nosy nature, had led the Chosen to know a fair bit about the world beyond the wall. Not only country names, but climates, cultures; they had little tidbits about pretty much every major people group on Ember¡ªwith the exception of the Loren, a reclusive Archipelago in the Northwest Sea.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming the feature was disabled for energy reasons,¡± Helga said. ¡°This is a good sign, isn¡¯t it? It means the System is doing better.¡±


    The only event available at the moment was titled, The Closing of the Aeteraut Forest Dungeon and it was just a run of the mill clearing quest to prepare for a System update.


    Closing a dungeon wasn¡¯t a thing in Ember Online, but if there was a way to do so, it made sense that the System would want to do it.


    ¡®Anomaly¡¯ was also a word that hadn¡¯t been used in the Ember Online flavor text. The whole thing felt like a new feature being pushed out using an old one to make the transition smoother.


    ¡°Guys, did you hear?!¡± Bob skidded to a stop just outside the training area.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking at it now,¡± Patty said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really affect us, though.¡±


    ¡°Forget the event! Check out the ranking!¡± he said, hopping the fence and running over.


    There was ranking?! Patty cursed her luck. Of course, there would be ranking in an event that she couldn¡¯t participate in.


    She pulled up the section and her jaw dropped.


    <u>Contribution Ranking</u>


    1. [Rayna ¡ª Lerian] -> 300 points


    2. [Karla Jen ¡ª Azuranian] -> 118 points


    3. [Yen Tar Leena ¡ª Yndar] -> 112 points


    4. [Kria Iklan ¡ª Jin] -> 102 points


    5. [Lowell Kesh ¡ª Aroth] -> 100 points


    6. ¡­


    A slow grin spread across Patty¡¯s face. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned. And here I told her to check the top of the leader boards for us.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°Aeteraut Forest Dungeon¡­¡± Shela read aloud. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a dungeon?¡±


    ¡°That was unexpected,¡± Rayna muttered, closing the notification. She would have to talk to Amon about how to prevent this sort of thing in the future, or at least, how she could keep Ronari from figuring out she was involved. She couldn¡¯t just ignore the cracks if they were the monsters to spawn. The world would be a lot safer without monsters in it.


    The look on Shela¡¯s face said she wasn¡¯t taking this news as well as Rayna.


    ¡°Dungeons aren¡¯t real,¡± she insisted. ¡°They¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°Look, Shela, I don¡¯t really have time for a mental breakdown¡ªI¡¯ve had enough of them this month myself. Now that the System has proven me right can we save the arguments for another time?¡±


    The forest was about to be flooded with players trying to capitalize on the events Experience boost. Rayna was trying to remain at least vaguely incognito, and that meant getting the heck out of dodge.


    She had briefly considered taking advantage herself, but that would delay her plans, and she was already two weeks late for this Administrator gig.


    ¡°You just caused a System update,¡± Shela said. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to just¡ªBrother Lenqu was right, wasn¡¯t he? That first time he came draggin¡¯ you to the temple. You caused the C-level update. Were you involved with the Health Bar update too?¡±


    Rayna shook her head. How did anyone keep secrets?! Was this why the System had a memory wipe function?


    It didn¡¯t matter. That function was never coming back.


    ¡°The System is doing things, not me,¡± Rayna said, only somewhat truthfully. ¡°My System updated after I got Essence poisoning and the other version of the System is¡­ proactive.¡±


    Downright manipulative, she corrected in her head. Ronari was a pain in the ass and she had been behind most of the updates. Rayna wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this was her too.


    Which just increased her need to talk to Amon about this before closing any more cracks.


    ¡°Essence poisonin¡¯?¡± Shela frowned. ¡°That¡¯s basically a death sentence.¡±


    ¡°Like crystallized Miasma is toxic?¡± Rayna muttered. The black crystal buzzed beneath her feet slightly as if emphasizing Rayna¡¯s point.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re even a Lerian?¡± Shela asked, eyeing the floor with trepidation.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who assumed,¡± Rayna pointed out. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. Maybe I¡¯m just a human masquerading as a Lerian to gain your trust.¡±


    ¡°Well, as far as I know, Lerians are the only ones who can handle Essence,¡± Shela said, taking the statement seriously.


    This event must have really off-balanced her if she was acting so clueless. Shela always seemed like she knew more than she was saying.


    ¡°And you evolved,¡± Shela continued. ¡°Seems pretty clear¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well then, there you go,¡± Rayna said. ¡°Stupid questions get stupid answers. Now can we leave? I¡¯ve got plans and the faster I get to them, the better.¡±


    Rayna moved to leave but Shela blocked her way out of the cavern.


    ¡°Come on, Shela,¡± Rayna said in a voice that was entirely too petulant for her taste, but this was getting annoying. ¡°I know you have secrets too. This isn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Shela asked, nodding at the closed anomaly.


    Rayna frowned back at the crack. ¡°I just did. Does it matter?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shela said, her voice resolute. ¡°Not because I¡¯m pryin¡¯ into your business.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°The room smells fresher than it did before.¡±


    Rayna¡¯s brows knit together. Was she supposed to understand what that meant?


    ¡°There¡¯s less Miasma,¡± Shela clarified. ¡°I sense magic through my nose.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rayna thought all Lerians saw magic.


    That¡¯ll teach me not to make assumptions.


    ¡°Anyway, whatever you did to that portal¡ª¡±


    ¡°Anomaly,¡± Rayna corrected.


    ¡°¡ªit helped,¡± Shela finished. ¡°If you can teach me, I can do it if I find another one. Assuming it isn¡¯t sittin¡¯ in the center of a Miasma cavern like this one.¡±


    Rayna debated for a moment whether or not she should actually tell Shela how it worked, but a thought occurred to her: if other people could close anomalies too, then it could help Rayna cover her tracks from Ronari. She just had to spread the information as far and wide as possible. Then if Rayna did happen to close an anomaly, she could claim she heard the information while on the road.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple if you know how to weave,¡± Rayna said.


    She showed Shela her notes, explaining the basics of what anomalies and boundary cracks were. To Shela¡¯s credit, she didn¡¯t make any more comments about Ashen or dungeons being bedtime stories. She was pretty quick on the uptake when she wasn¡¯t being stubborn. Rayna copied her diagrams onto another page and tore it out for Shela.


    ¡°And you got all this from a random book?¡± Shela asked skeptically.


    ¡°I have an artifact,¡± Rayna said. ¡°An Artificer¡¯s collection. There are more books in there than I can read in a lifetime.¡±


    Rayna was almost surprised Phira didn¡¯t come out to correct her. Phira had mentioned once that Arcanic Tinkerer was a few steps below Artificer, albeit not the most common Class path to it. Either Phira took the statement as a compliment or she was too busy following some train of thought and wasn¡¯t paying attention to what was going on outside of her stone.


    She was going to hate that she missed all this.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it,¡± Shela said in a voice that clearly said she didn¡¯t believe Rayna, but she was letting the matter go for now. ¡°Where are you going next?¡±


    Rayna put her notebook away. ¡°Lord Emery¡¯s estate, I think. I owe Nali another apology.¡±

 Chapter 56: Crossing a Line

    Enalus was not a violent man. It is due, in part, to this unpleasant reality that the capital of Helia did not lie in ruins.


    Were it Enalus who was missing and Nali, the one searching for him, the citizens of the capital might not be so lucky.


    ¡°The Chosen?¡± he said in a mild voice, not bothering to hide his disdain for the impish man standing before him.


    ¡°It¡¯s the only explanation that makes sense,¡± the man said, adjusting his round spectacles. ¡°She disappeared from the council chamber about two weeks ago, yes? On the same day that the Chosen abandoned their camp and fled to the mountains. And reports had her traveling with her ward, who also claims to be one of the Chosen, though it seems unlikely, given her drastically different appearance. It stands to reason that the plot, in some way, at least, involves the Chosen.¡±


    Setting aside the absolute lack of logic in the man¡¯s words, the part that infuriated Enalus most was that it was obvious the man thought him stupid enough to actually believe what was being said.


    ¡°Are you suggesting,¡± he said in the same mild tone as before. ¡°That a group of Initials, less than twenty-four hours out of the tutorial, were able to not only overpower, but abduct one of the most powerful women in Helia? And, in their unexplained cunning, they also managed to sneak this woman out of the capital, whose gates have been barred to them since their appearance. Furthermore, these Initials would have had to do so with their name tags in full view of every person they passed on the street.¡±


    The irritation in his voice grew with each word and by the end of his spiel, the man was cringing away, his confident manner replaced by fear.


    ¡°T-t-they could have tricked her,¡± he said, sticking to his story as if his life depended on it, though the opposite was quite likely true. ¡°And magic-suppressing cuffs could have been used to lower the Lady¡¯s advantage so¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lady Nalissa Emery,¡± Enalus said. ¡°Is not a rich pampered legacy that gained her position through purchased spells and family connections. Such cheap tricks wouldn¡¯t work on her, and if you continue to insult my wife, you won¡¯t live to regret it.¡±


    The man shook his head. ¡°I w-w-wasn¡¯t trying to insult the Lady. I was j-j-just¡ª¡±


    Enalus turned and left, not caring to hear the end of the man¡¯s sentence.


    Imbeciles, the lot of them!


    He should have known better than to hope she could be found through normal means. There was a reason Nali had a safe house in every major city on the continent. Her past¡ªand her connection to Hinesh¡ªhad led her to create contingency plans for almost every possible situation. Despite her bravado and confidence, she was even more paranoid than Enalus himself.


    Enalus knocked on the door to Lord Myre¡¯s office, hoping that the man was in today.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Lord Myre called, his voice muffled slightly by anti-listening wards.


    Enalus entered, pausing when he noticed that there was a second man in the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t realize you were¡ª¡± Enalus began, but Myre stopped him.


    ¡°Ambassador Jolle was just leaving,¡± he said.


    The man bowed his head slightly and left, not looking at Enalus on the way out.


    ¡°What can I help you with, Lord Emery?¡± Lord Myre asked, his tone politely pleasant. This wasn¡¯t the first time Enalus had come to visit him over the past two weeks and it likely wouldn¡¯t be the last.


    ¡°You know why I¡¯m here,¡± Enalus said, not interested in false pleasantries. ¡°You were the last one to see her.¡±


    ¡°And as I told you before, when she left, she did so on her own two feet.¡± Lord Myre said, dropping the pleasant tone. He straightened a stack of papers on his desk, pulling out one that looked like a request for asylum. ¡°I have no more knowledge of this incident than you.¡±


    ¡°And you do nothing to resolve it?¡± Enalus asked, taking a step closer to the desk. ¡°One of your strongest nobles vanishes in broad daylight and you sit there as if nothing is wrong?¡±


    Lord Myre signed the paper and grabbed another off the stack. ¡°I don¡¯t dictate where nobles can go and what they can do. Perhaps you could discuss that with his majesty¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Enalus¡¯ voice shook with anger. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm before continuing. ¡°You and I both know that he is a figure head,¡± he said, beyond caring whether or not someone overheard. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you let him keep playing monarch. You have the power in Helia and you do keep tabs on your nobles.¡±


    Lord Myre put his papers aside, giving Enalus his full attention.


    So, Enalus had finally struck a nerve? How far would he have to go to force the man to take action?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you would say such a thing, but his majesty¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t been seen in months,¡± Lord Emery interrupted. ¡°His paperwork is handled by his advisers and his wife attends most parties alone. Is there even a king on the throne, or is that, too, a lie?¡±


    ¡°King Willen attended a ball just two months ago,¡± Myre said. ¡°And if your intention with this conversation is to get a rise out of me, then you¡¯ll be sorely disappointed.¡±


    He reached for another piece of paper. Enalus was losing him.


    ¡°How are we to know you didn¡¯t remove him from the throne and hand all of his power to Queen Naomi? She is your sister after all. With you leading the nobles and her leading the court, you wouldn¡¯t have to lead Helia from the shadows anymore.¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    It was ludicrous; the kind of statement one might expect in performances at large festivals, but for some reason, it recaptured the man¡¯s attention.


    ¡°You are crossing a line, Lord Emery,¡± Lord Myre said, the warning in his tone clear.


    ¡°Am I? And what line did my wife cross?¡± The words were out of Enalus¡¯ mouth before he could stop them.


    Silence hung in the air. Lord Myre watched him with a mild look of surprise that was too perfect to be genuine.


    ¡°I had nothing to do with Lady Emery¡¯s disappearance,¡± he said calmly. ¡°And you might consider taking some time to recuperate. This incident is affecting you more than you are willing to admit.¡±


    So, that was his response? This incident was affecting him? Enalus was overreacting?!


    Enalus took a deep breath, smoothing his expression. ¡°Perhaps you might be right,¡± he said, noting the slight drop of Lord Myre¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I will retire to my estate. Please keep me apprised of any progress in the investigation.¡±


    ¡°I will let you know the moment I hear anything,¡± Lord Myre promised.


    Enalus bowed politely and left the office.


    He would return to his estate, but only to gather his knights. If Myre would not help him find Nali, then Enalus would find her himself.


    * * *


    Enalus was greeted at the door by Jayne.


    ¡°I take it your trip to the capital didn¡¯t go well,¡± Jayne said, taking Enalus¡¯ coat.


    ¡°It did not,¡± Enalus confirmed. ¡°Lord Myre thinks it best that I retire for a few days to deal with my stress levels.¡±


    Jayne¡¯s eyebrow twitched. ¡°And I suppose that during this time, Lord Myre¡¯s men will continue to look for Lady Emery, as they have been doing up to this point?¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Enalus said, heading straight for his office. ¡°If I¡¯m to find Nali, I will have to search for her myself. Has anything of note happened while I was gone?¡±


    ¡°Have you been paying attention to your notifications?¡± Jayne asked.


    Enalus shook his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t had time. Was there another update?¡±


    ¡°There was, and I believe this is one that you¡¯ll wish to see for yourself.¡±


    Enalus sighed. That didn¡¯t sound good. The last two updates had been positive changes to the System; he had been expecting some bad news for a while now. ¡°Which feature did we lose?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve gained another one, actually,¡± Jayne assured him. ¡°And it¡¯s one that I have never seen.¡±


    They reached Enalus¡¯ office and he took a seat to check his notifications while Jayne waited patiently on the other side of his desk.


    A Community Event has begun!


    The largest anomaly in the Aeteraut Forest Dungeon has closed. The System seeks to dismantle the dungeon in order to minimize the possibility of a dungeon break. To that end, all monsters within the Aeteraut Forest Dungeon will award double Experience for the duration of the event and special prizes will be awarded to the highest contributors.


    Event Duration: 06d 06h 52m 03s


    ¡°Aeteraut has been redefined as a dungeon?¡± Enalus asked incredulously. Jayne seemed to be pleased with this news.


    ¡°It has been,¡± he agreed. ¡°And soon, it will be closed.¡±


    It took a moment for Enalus to grasp the man¡¯s meaning.


    If the forest dungeon was closed, then the monsters would stop spawning, wouldn¡¯t they? That was how dungeons¡ªmyths, that they may be¡ªwere supposed to work.


    No monsters meant no wards. No wards meant less energy needed to maintain the System.


    This was very good news indeed.


    ¡°Send all of the knights to help mop up the monsters in the forest. A horde that close to the capital could be catastrophic, even if the monsters are low in level.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re already there,¡± Jayne said. ¡°And they reported back an hour ago that there are so many players in the forest, we needn¡¯t have bothered. There are quite a few players interested in taking advantage of the Experience boost while they can.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Enalus said. ¡°If the crisis doesn¡¯t need our help, then call them back immediately.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡± Jayne looked confused. ¡°You¡¯re recalling the knights from Aeteraut so soon?¡±


    ¡°All of them,¡± Enalus corrected. ¡°Recall everyone¡ªincluding any of Nali¡¯s students that you can get in contact with. We¡¯re bringing everyone back.¡±


    ¡°And what should I tell them?¡± Jayne asked.


    He was right to be hesitant. Enalus was making a point to the rest of Helia. He was gathering every person who Nali had ever helped to show the people of Ember how far she has influenced. She would likely disapprove, but she wasn¡¯t here to tell him no.


    ¡°Tell them that Nali is missing and I¡¯m requesting their aid. I¡¯ll give more details when they arrive. To anyone unable to answer the call, simply tell them to keep a look out and report back to me with any information they may hear on their travels.¡±


    A chime sounded, indicating that there was someone at the door.


    ¡°Should I let them know you¡¯re busy?¡± Jayne asked.


    ¡°Unless it has something to do with Nali,¡± Enalus agreed. He didn¡¯t have time to deal with random house calls or petitions for him to remove the Chosen from nearby villages.


    He hadn¡¯t been thrilled about the Chosen¡¯s presence when they first arrived, but he had been pleasantly surprised to find that they carried their own weight. Even if they hadn¡¯t found any explanation for Rayna¡¯s miraculous ability to use magic with her System down, Nali had been right: taking the Chosen in and teaching them how to fight was the right call.


    Could he somehow enlist the Chosen¡¯s aid, perhaps?


    Jayne left to answer the door and Enalus pulled out his mail, going through the letters to see if there was anything important. There were several letters from village chiefs in the area and he put those aside for later. If they were time sensitive, the message would have come through the scry glass.


    He read the few letters that came from various nobles, but they were all along the same lines; offering him condolences for the loss of his wife.


    Apparently, everyone had decided that Nali was dead.


    It wasn¡¯t as unreasonable an assumption as one might think. People died out on hunts all the time, and there was rarely a body to find once the monsters were done with the victim.


    Nali wasn¡¯t stupid enough to go up against a monster she couldn¡¯t beat without at least telling Enalus where she was going.


    The last letter in the stack was a plain brown envelope. There was no name or seal, just a single letter at the bottom left corner: ¡®N¡¯.


    Enalus activated his protective wards before opening the envelope. Assassination attempts were not unheard of in Helia, but they were rare; usually the result of someone trying to limit the potential noble class so they could make it in the next election.


    With Nali missing, Enalus would be the target of such attempts, should they happen. He wasn¡¯t weak, by any means, but he never shone quite as brightly as his wife.


    That¡¯s why he was usually in charge of the political obligations that came with being a noble.


    The letter didn¡¯t explode when he pulled it out of the envelope, nor did he sense any poison or toxins with his detection spells.


    He unfolded the piece of paper.


    Lord Emery,


    I send this letter incognito, for I have news of your wife¡¯s disappearance that I cannot say publicly.


    If you would hear what I have to say, meet me at the western edge of the Obsidian Forest, just inside the tree line on the fourth day of the new moon. Bring Lady Emery¡¯s newest ward as well.


    Don¡¯t tell anyone of this meeting. If I see anyone beside yourself or your wife¡¯s ward, I will leave and you will never hear from me again.


    I will be waiting,


    ~N


    Bring Rayna? Enalus hadn¡¯t seen Rayna in weeks. If he did know where Rayna was, he might have more insight into what happened to Nali.


    The fourth day of the new moon was tomorrow. Even if he could find Rayna by then, this reeked of a trap.


    But if the sender had news of Nali¡­


    A knock sounded at the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Enalus said, quickly folding the paper and stashing it in his Inventory.


    Jayne bowed. ¡°You have a visitor.¡±


    Enalus stood, about to tell Jayne that he could send the visitor to the parlor when he caught sight of who it was.


    She had aged a few years in a matter of weeks and she had somehow grown a pair of horns on her head, but there was no mistaking it.


    Rayna squared her shoulders. ¡°We need to talk.¡±