《Legends of Anahuac: Eclipse of the Sun God》 Chapter 1 I''m lost. It wasn''t a useful thought. Ones that state the obvious rarely are. But they could be helpful. They could be small compromises in place of the thoughts you didn''t want to get to. So when Lilly thought to herself I''m lost, as she looked up at the clear blue sky, and took a few hesitating steps across the scrubby grass, what she was really doing was trying not to think Wasn''t there a door behind me just now? She looked over her shoulder. There wasn''t a sign of a building as far as the eye could see. This was a very, very impressive level of lost. There was some sense of pride to be taken. Who could ever claim that they got lost between two completely different dimensions? One second she was in a white laboratory, and in the next she was in ... well, where was she? Beyond the scrubby shrubbery, Lilly could see an expansive valley with rolling hills of green. Within the lower lands sat a lake, glistening underneath a tranquil and peculiar atmosphere. She took a step. The world underneath her foot rippled. Ripples in solid ground were not comforting. "Hello." A tiny voice came to her, "What is your name?" Invisible voices were not comforting either. Freezing in place, she wasn''t panicking yet. But she could feel the wave of it cresting on her mental horizon, waiting for the best time to crash. She looked around quickly. Nobody. "Ah..." she began, and immediately winced. Her voice sounded so tiny in the silence as well. "Li- Lilly?" There was a ring of a bell as if to confirm her words. From a bush, that tiny voice made its owner known. Out came a small human, too small to be a human. She had lavender skin, golden hair, and a few flower petals strung around her like a gown. "What race are you?" The fairy-like lady continued, "Here in Anahuac, we know of the Tlacatl, the Chichimec, the Nagual, the Tecuani, the Yahui, and of course - my people - the Tlaloque!" Oh. You''re adorable. Whether she had hit her head and was dreaming or something had gone very wrong with reality, there was at least one solid fact, that the lady was so tiny and pretty and adorable and no don''t touch her! Folding her hands behind her back to resist temptation. She looked down at the little lady with uncertainty, none of the words or sounds striking a familiar chord in her mind. "Race? I''m a human." The little lady tilted her head. "What race are you?" She repeated, "Here in Anahuac, we know of the Tlacatl, the Chichimec, the Nagual, the Tecuani, the Yahui, and of course - my people - the Tlaloque!" She then gestured to herself, "I can help explain the peoples if it will help you find the one you are!" Lilly blinked in response a few times. The sentence had been repeated exactly. The same words, yes, but the same inflections and pauses. ... or was she imagining things? "... s-sure? Please, that would help." The response came without hesitation, as if it had been well memorised, and her words fell on Lilly''s ears like a prompt. ¡°Tlacatl The balanced race of Anahuac. These people take pride in their adaptability and prowess in survival. Chichimec The giants of Anahuac. These people favor their strength and stamina that helps them survive the wilds. Nagual The elves of Anahuac. These people find their powers through animal or elemental magic. Tecuani Jaguar Beastfolk of Anahuac. Strong and nimble, these mystical people find strength in their animal ancestry. Yahui Reptilian Beastfolk of Anahuac. Charismatic and nimble, these mystical people find their power in their demonic ancestry. Tlaloque The water fairies of Anahuac. These people love nothing more than to play.¡± It was almost as if the names popped into her head, floating in the space behind her eyes as they became associated with meaning. But none of them seemed to mean human. At least, not from what she could understand. What would be considered a ''balanced race''? There didn''t seem a way past this conversation without replying properly, and the idea of walking away hadn''t crossed her mind at all. That would be rude. So she decided to take a chance, her tongue stumbling clumsily over unfamiliar territory. "Tla. catl?" "Oh, a tlacatl! Welcome home!" The little lady boasted an excited smile, "You''ll find your home in Xochitlan! That''s right down the road." Before Lilly could respond, the fairy disappeared back into the bush leaving her to the silent winds of Anahuac. These winds, visible with colors of gold and silver, hovered before her to take shape of a ghostly message. Avatar Created. Welcome to Anahuac. Lilly of the Tlacatl. "Thank you?" her response came automatically, however hesitant. Was it appropriate to thank ghostly sky messages? Nothing else had made sense so far. But now she had a direction! That was optimistic at the very least. Right down the road was... home? Or at least what the lady and the ghostly messages considered her home, but at the very least it was civilisation. Buildings! People! And most importantly Information! Surely, surely somebody would know the way back to the lab, if this was real. And if it wasn''t, well, what else was there for her to do? The wave of panic seemed very distant as she put one foot in front of the other on her way down the road, holding onto the hope that things were going to make sense soon. But not, perhaps, right now. As she stepped onto the road, a flash of light consumed her body, beginning from her head and guiding itself down to her toes. In its wake, it left Lilly of the Tlacatl, with nothing but a tribal tunic and obsidian beads as dark as her hair. The flash of light was distinctly unsettling, even without having seen the effects. But far more worrying was the distinct and sudden chilliness around her ankles and toes, and she immediately looked down in confusion. She''d had shoes a second ago, hadn''t she? For that matter- A wicked snarl sliced through her thoughts. Beyond the road, a pair of glowing eyes appeared, staring at the defenseless girl with insatiable desire. The snarl grew louder, hungrier, and from the valley shrubs came the visage of a peculiar coyote. It stood tall and broad with fur that betrayed any natural pattern. Its smokey coat was tainted with runic marks, each baring a brightly colored shine. The snarl bared its fangs and they burned in the same red of its eyes. This was a cursed monster. And this was definitely not the time to test whether this was real or not. The snarl entered her ears and shot right into the primal part of her that screamed run run run with a very small, dazed side-order of that''s a very large coyote. It hadn''t moved yet. Almost as if she wasn''t moving her body herself, she saw herself kneel very, very slowly, her hands closing around a fist-sized rock. And then she realised what she was doing. What if she missed? What if she connected? Praying she was fast enough and that fortune would provide her with something to climb, she ran. The snarl burst into a howl and the coyote burst into a sprint. It gained on her, thirsty for flesh. The sounds of snapping fangs through a powerful jaw only drew closer and closer. She ran into the wilderness in an attempt to confuse the creature but it only smashed through every obstacle she had jumped, and no matter how fast she ran, she put no distance between them. It was fixated on her. She was prey. It sounded closer with every second, but what was worse was that the sound seemed to come from everywhere. And while she knew, logically, that it could only be behind her, ... unless it was trying to cut her off, unless it was- It had to only be behind her. Even if it was somewhere else it was only one. But the rest of her mind did not have time for logic, and sent her into terror at the sensation of being surrounded. Ah yes, the wave of panic had finally crashed. Skidding around a rock, her legs couldn''t keep up and she fell, lungs burning as she gasped for breath and tried to scramble to her feet at the same time. Still riding that same panic, she turned towards the sound of her hunter and flung her rock almost blindly. The thrust of her hand sent the rock flying. An inexplicable force had escaped the palm of her hand and embedded itself into it. Spinning wildly with unnatural essence, the rock impaled itself into the coyote''s forehead, striking its cursed form with sudden purity. The coyote howled in distress as a flash of light consumed its body. Silence. The golden winds swayed once more. Cursed Coyote Defeated. Achieved Level 1 in Shaman Class. Reward: Shaman Chest And where the coyote once stood, a marvellous little chest had materialized. It was a beautiful thing, made of carved stone. Images of ancient nature and animals decorated its surface, intertwining a feathered serpent along its edges. The serpents'' faces met at the middle of the chest, forming a golden lock with an ivory key waiting for the Shaman it sought. Still only halfway upright, Lilly fell back to the ground, somehow even more out of breath than before. There wasn''t even a body. Not that she wanted to see a body but- Had she... killed it? If it disappeared into nothing it couldn''t have been a real flesh and blood animal. Surely. But it had felt so real. She could still feel its hot breath as it got too close, smell the stench. Sense the weight that wanted to drive itself into her throat. Shuddering a little, she took a moment. Just to catch her breath. Just to center herself. Hugging her knees to her chest, she tried to get her heart to stop hammering.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Achieved Level 1. Like a game? Is that what this... place was doing? Given the lab WAS working on video games, it wouldn''t be too far a stretch for it to be uppermost in her mind if she was unconscious. But it had felt too real. There was no way for this to be a dream. She had just opened a door. And now there was no door to open, just... A chest. It really was lovely, and she found herself fixating on the carvings to calm herself down. Reaching out a hand, she ran her fingers over the serpent, following its length as far as she could from where she sat, until she reached the key, and hesitated. It wasn''t the strangest thing that had happened today. Or even in the past hour. Before she could change her mind, she turned the key. The lid flew open and a spectacular ray of light shot into the sky. Once it dulled into a dim glow, Lilly peered into the chest cautiously. Inside she found a robe, a staff, and a conch, with a scroll laid over the lot of them, demanding attention. The sight of the robe made her realise she was still shivering a little, though whether it was from residual fear, adrenaline, or a light chill settling into the air, she couldn''t say. But the simple placement of the scroll made it seem too important for her own curiosity to ignore, so she resisted the urge to immediately drag out and wrap herself in the comfortable looking cloth. Mysterious scroll first, her mind insisted as she unrolled it, to be greeted with a coral blue script. Lilly of the Tlacatl, Blessings for you and your first adventure in the lands of Anahuac. I saw your courageous victory over a cursed being and from that, I sensed the natural power within you. Take the contents of this Shaman chest to aid you on your quest. I hope to see you progress. Wisdom as one''s governance is what binds us to spiritual magic. Regards, A friend Further down the scroll came descriptions for the gifts: Cloth Robe of the Apprentice Light Armor Teotl Restoration x2 +1 Wisdom +0 Armor Bonus Wooden Staff of the Apprentice Simple Weapon +1 Magic Damage to Attack Moon Conch of the Apprentice Totem Ability: When blown, cure light wounds. The scroll disappeared and in its place remained a simple letter. The parchment was grainy and the ink was in a plain black which, after all the mysterious gold and blue messages, seemed to be of markedly less significance. First Adventure Quest Completed! New Quest: Learn a Shamanic Spell A friend. Aid. She latched onto the words, already more comforted, and strange as everything was, she would rather be grateful for extended friendship than be suspicious of the circumstances. There were always good people in the world, she was sure of that. Even smiling a little, misplaced as the optimism might be, she wrapped the robe around herself and lifted the staff in her hands, giving it a small, experimental swing. This wasn''t likely to have given the coyote any more trouble than the rock, but... Come to think of it, what had happened with the rock? She''d felt something and then... what? Looking down at her free hand, she tried to find some evidence of the strange sensation, but it was just a hand. Fingers, palm, lines, all as she''d always remembered them. And yet it had done something. Her eye caught the conch at the bottom of the chest and she lifted it more uncertainly than the other gifts, the last sentence of the letter resurfacing in her head. Learn a spell. More questions. More strangeness. The city had to have answers. Slipping the conch carefully into the waistband, she turned her head about. It wasn''t hard to remember the direction she had come from, the coyote had created a trail of destruction that was easy enough to find and follow. All she had to do was walk it back to the road, and hope nothing tried to eat her again in the meantime. With a goal in mind to alleviate the confusion somewhat and comfort brought on by the words and help of a mysterious friend, Lilly was able to study her surroundings a little more in depth. The world around her was lush in flowers and brush that time and human hands had forgotten. The valley itself lay with earth painted in gold, bronze and greens. The winds brought sweet fragrance from the blossoms on the shrubbery and cacti that dotted the landscape where packs of unusual wildlife roamed. Anahuac was a mystery, but a beautiful, rustic one. A whimsical, fantastical one, heavy with the nostalgia of a place one had never been, but could recognise. The only way she would have been able to describe it, if she was asked, was that it felt like a well-worn passage in a favourite book. She set foot once again on the dirt road and followed its winding path down the valley. The dirt soon gave way to pebbles intricately aligned against one another, and then those pebbles gave way to bricks of sand carved with cubic patterns that both entranced and directed the eye. Along the path and up, to find a banner woven with the image of a gold and crimson marigold, welcoming her to Xochitlan, the Place of Flowers. Beyond the banner lay the modest, clay gate of the city. The wilderness had now grown with crops of maize and the silence was forgotten against the rabble of crowds going about their lives. Two guards stood at opposite ends of the gate. They were Tlacatl men, wearing the traditional tunic of a lesser warrior. A hide helmet toughened in salty brine rested on their heads and a matching shield bearing the marigold was held at their sides. In opposite hands, the men held long spears that crossed in front of the gate, barring entry. The gate brought an immediate interruption to her peace, and she hesitated, holding her staff close like a shield. But she had come this far, she refused to let the worry of being turned away stop her from at least trying. But. What was she supposed to say? "Good morning?" That was a start. "Good Morning." One of the guards smiled at her. A smile was always appreciated, and she responded with a sunny one of her own. "I''m sorry to bother you. I''m very lost. Is this..." her mind grabbed uncertainly for the unfamiliar name. "Xo... Xo..." "Xochitlan." The guard answered, "You are at the southern end of Lake Tezcoco. Where are you trying to go?" An excellent and perceptive question, sir! I wish I had an answer myself. "Xochitlan," she murmured, looking up at the banner as if to fix the symbol and the name in her mind. "I''m afraid I don''t know. I am trying to go home, but I don''t know where that is. Is there anyone in the city who could help me with... a map, or something?" "A map? You can buy anything you need in Cualli''s Corner,¡± he said, as he and his partner moved their spears to allow her access to the gate. ¡°It''s immediately to your left once you enter Xochitlan. Can''t miss." "Ah! Thank you so much!" Her voice brightened with hope, and her smile in proportion, as she stepped through the gate. "I hope your day goes well!" As for her day, she''d taken only a few more steps inside when the inevitable occurred to her. Buy? She didn''t have any money. Suppressing a sigh, she took in a full view of the city proper. It certainly held true to its name. Gardens of marigolds adorned the earthy, adobe homes. From the lake, carefully drawn out streams flowed into the city to bring in a crystal blue color. Precious stones brightened up clay features and flower dyes accented them further. Xochitlan was an artisan''s paradise. The crowds of people were humble, at least the natives were. They wore simple tunics or robes, always decorated with a marigold or two. Besides the natives, there were a number of various foreigners running around. Obvious foreigners. Some were dancing, others jumping about frantically, a few were dueling each other, they were an energetic mess. They wore fancier tunics, robes, even armor. Most striking of all, however, was that they were not all Tlacatl. Tourists? Visitors? People on (the word popped into her mind again) quests? And some of them seemed so strange. Like humanoid animals, or people much larger and much smaller than they had any business being. Here and there she could see little creatures like the lady who had directed her. It was clear that if anyone held information to the lands around the city, it was here, this hub of activity where everyone seemed to be coming and it was accepted as the normal events of the day. A quick sidestep interrupted her musing as she tried to avoid blocking the way to and from the gate as others passed by her, and she remembered why she was here. Immediately to your left once you enter. ''Cualli''s Corner'', a wooden sign proudly boasted in marigold paint. The adobe dwelling was humble but the clutter of odd goods and curious trinkets laid across the shop brought it a personality that beckoned any passer-by. She stepped through its beaded doorway. "Hello!" The greeting was jovial and welcoming. It came from a jolly man behind the brick counter immediately across the doorway. He looked like any other native resident of Xochitlan with the small exception of a jade ring hanging from his nose. That was the mark of the Pochteca, the traveling merchant class. "Come in, come in to Cualli''s Corner! I am Cualli!" he continued, "Trinkets, and totems, and trifles all for a shaman apprentice such as yourself. If you want it, I got it. And if I don''t got it, you probably don''t need it, but I''ll send for it. Cuality customer service from Cualli." Encouraged, she opened her mouth. And halfway through the motion, suddenly thought Wait. What AM I going to do with a map? I don''t know any of the names or the places. The lab door''s not going to be marked with a big EXIT sign. Better to say something about wanting to look around. But what she actually said, without asking permission from her brain, was "Do you have any shaman spells, sir? A very easy one?" "You''re in luck. I just brought a collection of spells from the rainforests in Mazatepec and they''re good ones." Cualli shuffled about behind the counter. He brought out a collection of scrolls and set them in front of Lilly, "Here you go, cantrips and rank one shaman spells. As a first time customer, you can have a scroll on the house! You look like you need it." She probably looked like she was in need of a lot of things, including a bath, and accepted the kindness with a delighted smile. "Thank you!" Some of the scrolls seemed geared for making contact with nature a softer one. Who knew how long she would have to be wandering around? One of them could be useful. But it was hard to make a decision when the memory of hot snarls were still fresh, and insidiously trying to work its way back to the forefront of her mind. She didn''t want to be helpless like that again. Running hadn''t worked. Her fingers ran over the scrolls as she tried to work out what she wanted. Obstacles hadn''t worked. If there was just a way to- Ensnare What? Pausing, she quickly went back to the last scroll but one that she had glanced at. A beautifully flowing script said In a targeted area, all manner of plants tangle up creatures within or entering, holding them in place until they break free. And underneath, in much smaller, functional type, Ensnares 1-2 targets within mid-range, duration: 10 seconds, cooldown: 30 seconds, damage: 20hp + Wisdom Modifier (20hp) She poked at it timidly. "This one, please?" Cualli nodded, "That''s a good starting spell for a shaman. I can tell you, the roads are riddled with dangers and being able to delay them a bit goes a long way." "To learn it,¡± he went on, handing it to her, ¡°you must focus on the scroll for a minute. You''ll absorb its energy and the scroll will be consumed." She stared at the scroll, trying not to feel incredibly silly as she stood there. For a minute, and it felt like the longest minute of her life, nothing happened, and she was beginning to feel as if she was too worried about focusing properly to actually focus. And then she realised that the paper had warmed up significantly. It had been so gradual that she hadn''t even noticed it start, and was now a comforting warmth in her hands, that traveled down her arms and somewhere into her chest. There was a brief second where she felt she was in an open space, surrounded by plant-life that almost seemed to have been waiting for her to arrive. And then she was back. The scroll had crumbled, fluttering up into the air like ash, or fragile butterflies, before even the fragments disappeared. And the world was darker. Even as she looked at the jolly shopkeeper, night seemed to fall. But not like a slow, gentle curtain as the sun sank past the horizon, but like a heavy iron door over the sky. She spun to look out the window, perhaps hoping that the learning effects had played tricks on her eyes. Yet the darkness remained. Natives and adventurers alike were looking to the sky. A dark wind blew across Xochitlan The night sky became shrouded in an inky mist and right in the center of this mysterious haze emerged a colossal, silver moon. Learn a Shamanic Spell Completed! Eternal Darkness has Begun Chapter 2 Another chime rang. Another chest appeared at her feet. This one was more elaborate than the last. While it bore the same decorations, the moonlight caught its jade surface in a way that made it seem to glow from within. This time she was more ready for it, and only half-startled. A scroll wrapped in golden tinsel sat on top, demanding attention. Lilly of the Tlacatl Blessings once more. You have learned the foundations of Anahuac. These foundations will aid you greatly in your quests and from them you will develop further abilities. As a final gift for your completion of the tutorial, this chest contains the final key items for your adventures. Regards, A Friend. As always, the functional description followed the letter further down the scroll. Bead Pouch A small pouch made of tanned hide with a drawstring of gold fiber. Contents: 1 Jade Bead, 5 Coral Beads, 10 Cocoa Beans Adventurer¡¯s Journal A sturdy journal fitted with thick leather. Its pages are made from quality parchment and an enchantment prevents it from getting damaged. Usage: Simply refer to the table of contents to find the information you would like to know. The contents are fluid and will change depending on your location. Context-sensitive. Map A map of Anahuac intricately drawn on cured leather. Living markers dot your location, and only further adventuring will reveal all the secrets it holds. The Greenhorn¡¯s Kit A small backpack crudely stitched together out of deer hide perfect for holding an essentials-only survival kit. Contents: 5 rations of dried fruit, 5 torches, 1 Bedroll, 1 Waterskin, 1 Tinderbox. A journal with nearly everything? Just what she needed. She turned the key in the beautiful chest, quickly equipped the essentials, and then began to flip through the journal immediately, looking for Endless Night. She looked up at Cualli hesitantly. "This isn''t. Is this normal? The. The sky, I mean." Cualli snapped back into attention by her sudden words. He had wandered away to look at the sky himself. Concern was evident on his face and a terror had taken root in his body. His fingertips against the counter had turned white with pressure. ¡°No, no it is not.¡± The man confirmed, eyes furiously scanning the sky for their god, ¡°It is not the season for the Eclipse...¡± Lilly looked down at the blank page of the journal. Words began to form. Endless Night (Active) Without the sun, the world has grown dim and lifeless. Flowers remain hidden within their petals and the scarcity of morning dew has left the jungle dry. Fog consumes all and a malevolent mist is spread thin across the water. Friendly Spirits have fallen from the heavens and have turned into demons wandering the earth. Search for the Sun God. Outside, the town had grown restless. Villagers and visitors alike grew into a frenzy. They asked each other questions no one knew the answer to. They asked themselves. Visitors furiously dug through their journal for an explanation of this Endless Night to no avail. Finally, as their distress outgrew their curiosity, players began to send messages into the sky to summon one of Anahuac¡¯s most experienced and powerful individuals, a Game Master. ¡°Alright, alright¡± A thunderous voice drowned out the cacophony of confusion and with it came the avatar of a GM, ¡°The moment the light disappeared I was on it, no need to spam me with tickets and requests. I¡¯ve got an answer for ya.¡± She had chosen the Chichimec race, the giants, and from her roost atop the center plaza, the GM towered over all. She was easily twice the size of an adult man and thrice their strength. Bearing the physique of an athletic goddess hidden behind a tower of stone armor, the GM was an intimidating sight. This, however, never stopped the player base. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Is this affecting my graphics card?¡± ¡°Can I complete the quest in my journal?¡± It was an onslaught of questions from relevant to irrelevant to mindless babble. The GM held up her club, ¡°Order, order in the plaza. There¡¯s no need for alarm. It¡¯s a closed beta, stuff like this is gonna happen. All of your things are safe. It¡¯s merely an aesthetic bug. A world event that is still in alpha stage must have gotten triggered by spaghetti code. It¡¯s there in your journal and in the world, but it¡¯s inactive. We¡¯re gonna figure out how to reverse this without needing to shut down the servers or reverse the patch.¡± The session of repeating questions and alternating answers continued for a while but the GM made sure to emphasize that the quest could never activate in player journals. There were a lot of terms in the back and forth exchanges that Lilly didn¡¯t understand, but it at least solidified her suspicions that this was a game, though how or why were still questions to come to. She spared a brief moment to consider how much better her cousin would be doing in her place, or better yet, could make sense of things for her. But I doubt the game he¡¯s working on feels as real. At least there was one less thing to worry about. The event was a non-issue. ¡­ except it was active, she could see the word right there in front of her. Was the journal broken? She shook it experimentally. No change. Best solution, ask the big person with the answers. The plaza was still crowded which, as she stood in the doorway of Cualli''s, posed two problems. One, she wasn''t likely to get close by herself. Two. There were so many people. If she raised her voice people were going to stare and what if it was nothing and she was just wasting people''s time except the big lady had answers and she needed to ask so many things- Looking up at the giant, she made a complicated, helpless gesture that was trying to be half ''please look at me'' and ''don''t look at me too loudly''. The GM noticed the gesture. Strange. That wasn''t from any animation package she knew of. Maybe it came with the alpha quest? She hopped off the plaza platform into the sea of players who had returned to their grinds. It took her a bit but she made her way through, stopping once or twice to answer a question. "Okay, how''d you do that? That gesture?" Which, all in all, wasn¡¯t the kind of response Lilly expected. "I. What? I just. Moved my... arms?" she said in confusion as if wondering if it was allowed. My but the giant was even more intimidating up close. She moved her arms again, to demonstrate. "Like this. Um. Am I not supposed to?" "You''re not. No. I mean, technically." The GM answered, "But the sun isn''t supposed to disappear either and here we are. So, what''s up?" "Right!" And here, at the important moment, she fumbled her journal, and it fell face-down with an embarrassing thud. Reddening rapidly, she retrieved it and smoothed out the pages again. "Sorry. You said the... quest. That it wasn''t active. But here," she pointed, "it says it is." The giantess remained still for a moment, studying Lilly''s movements. They were new, sure, but animation that fluid could not possibly be from any work the company was doing. Even more confusing, was this player''s method of communicating. At least that she could chalk it up to a very, very dedicated member of the Roleplayer''s Guild. "So, on your user interface - not the book - the quest says it is active?" She blinked. "My what?" "User interface. You know, the windows and prompts that give you your game information. Press Q and it ought to pop the quest journal." "I''m sorry?" She really was. Her face felt even hotter as she began to fret about looking as if she was causing trouble with so many questions and absolutely no way to comply. "Press Q on what? I don''t have anything?" The giantess stared at her for a moment, and then heaved a heavy sigh, professionally packing away her irritation. "Look, I''m trying to help and I have a situation in my hands. I really do not have the time for this kind of trolling right now, alright? You''ve got one more attempt at telling me what''s going on without pretending to be clueless." "I''m not pretending!" Desperation made it burst out much louder than she intended. "I don''t know what''s happening! I don''t know why I''m here! I need help!" And. And. She flailed her arms helplessly. Under the fretting and the rapidly increasing worry that she wasn¡¯t going to be taken seriously, there was also an undercurrent of offense. She wasn''t lying. Why would she be lying? She was trying to be as polite as possible and she was in a situation and why didn''t she believe her?! That was... RUDE. "Don''t look at me like that. This isn''t my fault. I was in a lab and I opened a door and now I''m here. and I just want to go back!" "Lab? Hold the smartphone..." A pause. "Lilly? Not Lilly of the Tlacatl like your screen name says, but Lilly Teal? Lilly Teal of the ''Was Bringing Darryl Lunch at the Lab''?" "YES wait." Her huffing came to a halt midway as she tried to change mental tracks. "How do you know my..." The giantess placed a hand on her chest, "It''s me, Frankie. What''d you get him for lunch?" Lilly stared. And stared. Frank. Ie? And with a loud squeal, threw herself at the wall of armor. "FRANKIE!!! IT''S YOU! I got him roast beef sandwiches, extra for you it''s youuuuuuu!" The giantess laughed and returned the hug. This was Lilly, alright. No one else could have this energy in their hugs. "Nice. I love me some good sammiches." Frankie giggled, "But seriously, we were wondering what was taking you so long. I think I know what possibly happened... I think, no promises. You stay put right here and I''ll be back in a jiffy, yeah? I got to go accuse my boss of being a mad scientist... again." The giantess stepped back and in a blink of an eye, she disappeared into a cloud of butterflies. As the particle effects cleared, a faint golden message lingered behind where she once stood. Your Friend, ToBeFrank, Has Logged Out Frankie stared at the login screen of the game. She sat in the comfort of the server room, where the low murmurs of the towers broke the monotony of the silence she had been stunned into. She had to process what just happened. Her boyfriend''s cousin was claiming to be stuck in a game. It wouldn''t be too odd for her own oddball boss to be capable of such a feat, but it also falls in line with Darryl''s brand of stupid pranks. She decided to take the accusation road with the least consequence were she wrong.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "Darryl Finnegan!" She swiveled her chair around to face his workstation at the other end of the room, "Did you set up Lilly for some mean prank again?" It took Darryl a moment for the accusation to sink in, but once he pulled his attention away from the screen, the response was immediate. "What? When have I ever- I resent the accusation that I would-" She didn''t seem to be buying it. "No. Not this time. What happened?" Frankie points her thumb over her shoulder, "She''s in Anahuac claiming she''s stuck in there. That she came with lunch, arrived at the lab, opened some door and - bam - she''s physically in the game. Apparently. Should I go accuse our boss of creating a hyper virtual reality console that is now endangering an innocent girl who''s never touched a game in her life? Or is that too silly?" He pushed further back from the computer, leaning back in his chair and he looked up at the ceiling with a concerned frown. "That is pretty out there. But think of the alternative. If it''s not him, and I promise it''s not me, that leaves the possibility that Lilly lied to you with a straight face. That''s even more out there, don''t you think?" "She is incapable of that." Frankie sighed, "Alright, I''m gonna go ask Cornelius. You should log in during your break and see what¡¯s up. I left her outside Cualli''s Store in Xochitlan." Frankie got up and headed down to her boss'' office. She knocks on the door. "Hey, Mr. Tex." She pops her head in, "You got a minute?" A mound of paper on the desk shifted and rose, higher and higher until the top layers parted like a volcano and revealed a dark, curly head. Green eyes glanced briefly towards the door and he gave her a bright "Good afternoon!" before he went back to his scribblings. "Is it very important?" "Depends on whether it''s true or not, sir." Frankie sheepishly smiled, "Is - is there a hyper virtual reality console somewhere in this lab? Asking for a friend." "It''s not ready yet," he said, with all the casualness of someone being asked if it was true he''d put a bag of popcorn in the microwave. "I will have you test it soon Francisca, but you''ll have to be patient, I still have to iron out a few-" Wait. Pausing, he stared at his paper for a moment and then raised his eyes to give her a solemn look. "I should probably lock it." Back to the papers. Wait. He looked back up with more interest. "Hold on, how did you know?" Frankie took this as a cue. She stepped into his office, took a seat at his desk, and very calmly tented her fingers over her lap, "Normally, I would be very excited about your mad-scientist-tier projects, Mr. Tex, but that current excitement right now is suppressed over concern for an unwilling lab rat." Now she had all his attention. His kindly face was all confused concern as he set down his pen. "A rat got in? That''s dreadful. It wouldn''t have the first idea how to play, their training isn''t finished." "Right, you have those too. No, no. You know Darryl? He''s that hardware contract and mostly keeps to the server room. Think of him.¡± Cornelius nodded. ¡°Now think the complete opposite of him.¡± She saw his forehead furrow slightly, and hastily forged ahead before he could get into the technicalities of this imaginative exercise. ¡°That''s his cousin. She came to deliver something he forgot and now... she''s trapped in that room?" She leans in closer, "We can just go get her out of there, right?" Cornelius''s frown deepened as he processed this information, and then suddenly cleared up into a sunny smile. "Oh! Well, I''m sure we can, no reason why not. How did you find out she was in there? How did she find out? Did she activate the program or did it activate when she opened the door? Did she see any noticeable difference in graphics quality?" Diving under the sea of paper as he continued asking his questions, he rummaged around until he unearthed a file, and with a triumphant "Ha!" he re-emerged, picking up his pen with an expectant air as if she was poised to answer every single one of his questions. "This is rather exciting," he went on, flipping to the current page in the file. "An early tester as it were. We could- oh. Yes, I said it wasn''t finished..." Something on the current page seemed to have caught his attention, and he tapped his pen on it thoughtfully. "We can hopefully just go open the door." That last sentence of his immediately sent Frankie''s palm to her face, "Of course, yeah. Say we can''t get the door opened right away. She won''t die of - say - starvation or dehydration? I''m assuming you don''t want to take a battering ram to the door of a multi-million dollar project, right, so I''m asking that now." "Oh goodness no!" He seemed shocked by the very idea. "The food replicators were the first thing I made sure were working.¡± There was barely time for her to process that before he started talking again as if she had asked for clarification "You see, the room can convince the brain that everything it sees and touches it real, including the food, but the body wouldn''t be getting any nutrition and it would be an awful mess if the brain thought it had eaten and the player just forgets to take proper lunch breaks so I thought it would be far more immersive if the room actually provided. Her body is confined to the one room, after all, so it''s easy enough to make sure the real food and the virtual image align. Clever?" Judging by his brilliant beam, he seemed to think it was. "It would probably be best to tell her that, I suppose¡­¡± he muttered mostly to himself. ¡°And perhaps it isn''t the best idea to have it a permanent feature the player wouldn''t leave at all maybe I should add little log off reminders..." "That''s insanely clever." Frankie didn''t know how to react to that. Again, she felt like she would be absolutely thrilled for a virtual reality game this advanced in different circumstances. She wanted to take him by the shoulders and shake every single explanation out of him. This was some ground-breaking technology, for Goodness'' sake, and she knew he probably didn''t fully understand that. But this was Cornelius Tex, socially oblivious extraordinaire. Science for science''s sake was his motto. He''d probably parrot out all his work if she gave him the chance and where would that leave Lilly? Well, in Anahuac. So with great reluctance, Frankie stood from her desk. "From the bottom of my heart, Mr. Tex, there''s nothing I want to do more than hear every second about your work since the moment your mind thought to make a hobby out of science fiction, but Lilly is still trapped in a room that''s going to give her some psychological trauma if she''s gonna feel everything as real. Our game isn''t exactly rainbows and lollipops." She started making her way out the door, "I''ll send Darryl so he''s the first thing she sees when you pull her out of there. Meanwhile, I''m gonna go log back in to let her know what''s going on." Before she fully disappeared around the corner, she thought to add, "By the way sir, it''s my day off. I''m just here for the Internet. But if I need to whip out my game dev job title to get her out, I want in on the virtual room stuff. Okay, thanks, goodbyeee!" She broke into a full sprint down the halls. "DarrylDarrylDarrylDarryl!" She stumbled into the server room, tripping over her panic, and bouncing off a tower straight onto Darry''s mop of messy hair, "That madman actually did it. He probably stayed up late watching sci-fi and full-on made a friggin'' holographic deck! By Odin''s Beard, Lilly has no idea how many nerds will kill for her position. I''m one of ''em." ¡°Woah woah woah.¡± He held out his hands to try and catch her before they bumped into each other, more to protect himself than anything else. Still holding onto her shoulders, he tried to process the wave of excited information. ¡°He did not. He did. What is wrong with that man.¡± It wasn¡¯t said with any accusation, on the contrary, it was said with absolute excitement as he got out of his chair. ¡°That¡¯s incredible! Can we try it? Does it work? Wait.¡± The rest of the information finally sank in. ¡°So Lilly is literally in the game? Not like, her brain¡¯s in there but we can unhook her body, Physically trapped inside a holodeck?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid he made it so.¡± Frankie laughed. Her teeny self tried to push him out of the door, ¡°Go on and meet him at his office. I said you need to be there for when he gets her out. I¡¯m gonna go tell Lilly what¡¯s going on.¡± Your friend, ToBeFrank, has logged in. In an explosion of particles, Frankie¡¯s avatar reappeared where she had been standing, ¡°How you holdin¡¯ up, girl?¡± Lilly jumped a little, but her face was nothing but relieved smiles as she looked up at the giantess. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± It was obvious she was, but she was so clearly, warmly happy to be able to make the statement. It was good for her. In the intervening time, she had seated herself on the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees, looking down at the ground, so she had to crane her neck much farther back to look at Frankie, blue eyes full of hope. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine. It¡¯s much better than outside but it¡¯s still...¡± You know. ¡°Did you find out what happened to me? Can we fix it?¡± ¡°Yeah, you just walked into a virtual reality room my boss was working on. I don¡¯t know the exact specifics of it yet but he said he can open the door for ya,¡± Frankie answered. ¡°It definitely has all the amenities a human could need so you¡¯re in no trouble. Hey, and if you get hungry, you always have those roast beef sandwiches with ya.¡± She laughed softly. ¡°That¡¯s a relief. And I haven¡¯t been able to find the sandwiches. They must be in another corner of this room. Disguised as a monster or something.¡± At this point, a small army of vicious beef and bread monsters wouldn¡¯t be too strange. On the other side of the door, still firmly grounded in reality, Darryl scratched the back of his head. ¡°It just looks like a completely normal door. You couldn¡¯t have signposted it or something?¡± ¡°No need for that when the door¡¯s locked,¡± Cornelius said confidently, sliding back a small panel on the wall next to the door, about eye-level. ¡°But you¡­ never locked the door.¡± ¡°A valid point I¡¯ll grant you.¡± Shaking his head, Darryl grabbed the handle of the door, turned, pushed and made a grand total of no progress at all. Once. Twice. Thrice- ¡°Uh.¡± ¡°Ah. It must have locked itself on the inside so that nobody accidentally breaks the virtual fourth wall. How fascinating!¡± ¡°Fascinating,¡± Darryl agreed through gritted teeth, still rattling the handle. ¡°So is she supposed to open it herself?¡± ¡°Ideally yes, but that¡¯s the part I hadn¡¯t figured out yet, I usually kept a block to prevent the door swinging shut while I was in there because otherwise I would have no idea where the exit was, much less how to reach it. It¡¯s really quite a seamless experience. Or it should be, at any rate.¡± Cornelius didn¡¯t seem to be registering any of Darryl¡¯s worry at all, which was par for the course. He was a very kind-hearted man, but even more easily distracted when he was excited about something. ¡°I hope she hasn¡¯t run into anything too painful,¡± he added conversationally, ignoring the splutter to his left as he fiddled with something behind the panel. ¡°Painf-¡± Darryl took a fortifying breath. ¡°Mister Tex. Is this room of yours some ¡®you die in the game you die in real life¡¯ situation?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand the reference.¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking a terrified question.¡± ¡°Aha!¡± With apparently no ear for terrified questions, Cornelius pressed a button. ¡°Testing, testing. Can you hear me, young lady?¡± Midway through their conversation of beef-based monsters, Lilly¡¯s smile fell, confusion flickering over her face as she looked away from Frankie. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°She can hear us, wonderful. Young lady,¡± Cornelius said, leaning closer to the intercom. ¡°On a scale of one to ten, where would you rate the quality of your immers-¡± ¡°Lilly! Lils it¡¯s me!¡± Darryl rudely interrupted, with no respect for the gathering of data. ¡°Darryl!¡± Jumping to her feet, she couldn¡¯t help looking around, even though there was nobody else in the shop. He sounded so close! ¡°Frankie, can you hear them too?¡± Frank emoted a firm no, ¡°Nope. Doesn¡¯t say he¡¯s logged in on my friends list either so it can¡¯t be a private message. Must be a direct line from the lab to the room. Ask him what the situation is. They gonna get you out?¡± ¡°Darryl honey.¡± It felt strange to be ¡®honey-ing¡¯ the empty air. ¡°Have you found a way to get me out?¡± Judging by her face, his response was both not hopeful and not helpful. What she heard was ¡°Uuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhh everything¡¯s great we probably can let me get back to you, Mister Tex-¡± Silence. She gave Frankie a worried look. ¡°He said he¡¯ll get back.¡± And he did. Not five minutes later, maybe less, a lizard in the shape of a person came barreling into the shop so fast it was in danger of going right into the wall on the other side. ¡°Soooooo,¡± it said, remarkably not out of breath. Possibly because it was an avatar. Its player was definitely gasping and clutching a stitch in his side as he collapsed back into his chair. ¡°Sooooo?¡± ¡°I have good news, and I have bad news.¡± ¡°Darryl?!¡± ¡°Hey, y-ooof!¡± The avatar may not get out of breath from running, fatigue systems were still pending another patch, but the sheer force of Lilly¡¯s hug transcended the virtual realm. The lizard woman blinked and smiled at the black-haired human attached to her waist, and then tried to continue the very serious conversation. ¡°SO. The good news is we can totally get you out, Lilly.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s wonderful!¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± said Frankie. ¡°There¡¯s bad news coming.¡± ¡°Right. The bad news is¡­ uh, the room can¡¯t be unlocked from the outside. But the good news is that it can still be opened! ¡­ the bad news is it won¡¯t open until the Endless Night mega-quest is completed.¡± ¡°What, why? It¡¯s just a door, Darryl.¡± Frankie immediately interjected. ¡°It¡¯s just a Cortex Industries door in a Cortex Industries alpha room from Cortex Industries blueprints no other human with common sensibilities has edited. Cornelius Tex isn¡¯t exactly known for that.¡± ¡°Right, we had to tell him about the coffee pot¡­¡± ¡°Shutting down the power is a no go because he has umpteen back up generators who knows where. Shutting down the room is worse because there¡¯s no telling how the calibrations would take it, so we either play through a very sensible and safe quest to disable it or unleash a bunch of machinery loose on Lilly.¡± Something about the coupling of ¡®mega-quest¡¯ with the words ¡®sensible and safe¡¯ didn¡¯t seem right, and neither did the unique crossroads between concern and enthusiasm in Darryl¡¯s voice. The fact seemed to catch up with Frankie at the same time as Lilly, and they both narrowed their eyes suspiciously. The lizard¡¯s eyes opened wide in innocent earnestness. ¡°Darryl.¡± ¡°Darryl.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Very sensible and safe?¡± Frankie asked sardonically. ¡°I really want to play it and I didn¡¯t think Lilly¡¯d agree to it otherwise,¡± Darryl grumbled, earning a smack from his cousin. ¡°Ow. Look I¡¯m serious when I said there wasn¡¯t any other safe way. I¡¯m just kind of excited at the same time, can you blame me? And we¡¯d never let you get hurt if we can stop it, you know that. It¡¯s going to be fine your journal will give you clues on where to go and what to do next, we¡¯ll go with you, all you have to do is collect stuff and build up your stats so you can help the party beat the- you have never played this kind of thing in your life.¡± The perfect time to remember this key bit of information, really. Meanwhile, Frankie had gone silent and her avatar began to loop an idle animation. The Chichimec Giant rocked back and forth on her heels as her owner processed the situation and solutions at hand. ¡°I think Lilly¡¯s MMO-virginity is a blessing in disguise, really.¡± She concluded, ¡°She won¡¯t get tripped up by PC mechanics while she¡¯s running around trying to understand things. I¡¯ll go grab an instruction manual from Cornelius¡¯ desk just in case, either way, and we¡¯re good to go, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Sure?¡± ¡°Lilly,¡± The giantess grabbed her tiny friend¡¯s shoulders, ¡°we are about to embark on a friggin¡¯ sweet journey together. I hope you understand the scientifically important part of that. If I could kill you to take your spot in that room, I totally would-¡± ¡°She would. She told me earlier.¡± ¡°-and from now on, I¡¯m not Frankie. I¡¯m Tepin of the Chichimec, Tank Barbarian, and this is my party member, Izel of the Yahui, Rouge. If we¡¯re going to get you out of this game, we¡¯re gonna get you into it first!¡± Tepin has invited you to their party. Accept? Chapter 3 Yes No Lilly¡¯s hand fell through the ¡®Yes¡¯ that floated in golden dust beneath the prompt without hesitation. It disappeared into the wind and another message took its place. Tepin¡¯s Party has been joined. ¡°Neat, you accepted it.¡± As if she was going to do anything else. ¡°Alright, where, where to start?¡± Tepin looked around and then pointed to her friend, the Yahui Rogue, ¡°This is Izel. She¡¯s a rogue who specializes in dexterity and charisma. If she can¡¯t talk her way out of a situation, she¡¯ll assassinate her way through it. I¡¯m a tank so nearly all my points are in constitution with some in strength. I basically just barge through quests.¡± Tepin gave her a broad grin and for once Lilly could appreciate the world she was thrown into. Tepin, as all her giant-kin, stood tall and broad. Her hair was a pearly white and it sat messily atop her head in a tight knot, a few of these snowy strands fell upon her bronze skin. And there she stood with her wide, fanged smile, casually holding a mammoth club over her shoulder. Every bit of her stone-armored frame fit the role of the Party Tank. At her side, standing a little below her waist, was the Party Rogue. Unlike Tepin who still held the form of a human beneath monstrous qualities, Izel was an entire creature of her own. She danced a line between a salamander and a soft-shelled turtle, sporting a hose-like nose on a lizard-like face. She wore a hooded cloak that hid most of her, and in the faint light of a torch-lit store, only her striking purple eyes could be seen beneath, accented by a sudden flash of silver as her tongue flickered in her mouth as she began to speak. ¡°No comments about the irony of me having dexterity and charisma in the game, I¡¯m warning you,¡± Darryl, or rather Izel said with familiar good humor. It was hard to say if it was stranger to experience him, her, as a lizard or as a cunning female rogue. But it was comforting to have them both there, and Lilly smiled back at both of them, her optimism sparking once more. ¡°Tepin and Izel,¡± she repeated, already anticipating having trouble with remembering to use the new names. ¡°It¡¯s nice to ¡®officially¡¯ meet you, then. Mm. But¡­ where are we supposed to start with this search?¡± Her journal hadn¡¯t said anything more useful than ¡®search for the sun god¡¯, which was important to be sure but needlessly vague. She even flipped back to the page to make sure, and Izel gave her shoulder a friendly pat. ¡°Well usual policy is we wander around until we hit trouble. And then we hit trouble.¡± Eh? Eeeeeh? Lilly giggled a bit, less at the joke and more at the wide, expectant grin, which was all the validation the lizard needed to grin even wider before glancing up at Tepin. ¡°So are we going or are you going to browse?¡± ¡°Neither. I¡¯m going to buy. My supplies are low and this is a survival-heavy game.¡± Tepin slapped her hefty palm on the clay counter, ¡°Cualli, my man, I need some goods and a whole lotta food.¡± Hearing this, Cualli stepped out of his stockroom. He was wearing a traveler¡¯s bag now, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just closed up shop. I¡¯m heading out to my family in the Atl District to make sure they will be safe in this unnatural darkness.¡± Tepin could do nothing but blink in response, dumbfounded by Cualli¡¯s choice. She watched him disappear into the endless night. It seemed like a perfectly normal reaction, until you remember that he was a bundle of code responding to another code that wasn¡¯t even supposed to be active for anyone. Especially if you were involved in writing the code and knew for a fact that Cualli was supposed to be behind that counter any time anyone needed to buy something. That was his whole point. ¡°Huh, we¡¯re down a merchant¡­¡± She finally managed. Before anyone could comment further, the shop trembled. And it was suddenly full of snake. A giant serpent, feathered and grand, wound over itself and coiled around the desk and assorted items as it filled the space. Lilly squeaked and jumped backward. Tepin was less visibly shaken but raised her club in defense. Izel had disappeared into the shadows not hiding just being stealthy in the event that she could take an advantage of a sneak attack that was all As they stared, startled and unsure, the large face turned slowly to look at them, holding them in awe, and the mouth opened to reveal a strikingly familiar voice. ¡°Ah, there you are!¡± From the shadows, Izel gaped. ¡°Mr. Tex?¡± ¡°Indeed! Although I suppose if you meet me out in the world it would be better if you refer to me as Ixeh, God of Knowledge. You really mustn¡¯t bandy people¡¯s names about like that on the internet after all.¡± The snake bestowed a bright smile on all of them, with the air of having shared knowledge he¡¯d only just learned himself (which was highly probable), and then turned to Lilly. ¡°Good morning dear, I hope all is well. I¡¯ve made you some notes about the room so you can understand the ins and outs better as you play. There¡¯s a copy for each of you, let me just...¡± Snakes had, of course, no hands, so he had to rethink his idea of handing the notes to them. Turning to the desk, the scaly, feathered God of Knowledge squinted until three slim slates popped into existence. With another squint and a bit of wriggling, they floated over to the three. ¡°Instruction manuals! There¡¯s an interactive graphic of the room itself, you can tap here and there to see what things do, or search the index for something specific. I¡¯ve even included a handy-dandy little color coding system. Everything marked in red is untested.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of red, sir.¡± Tepin took her copy. ¡°Well, I really hadn¡¯t intended it to be tried out this soon! But that¡¯s alright, I¡¯m sure everything will do fine. See, the floor panels on this side are a lighter red, that means something only might go wrong.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you! Um. When you say might...¡± Lilly asked a little timidly. ¡°There¡¯s a roughly 40 percent chance I would say. But I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ thank. You.¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± Izel was no less grateful, but she had other things on her mind. ¡°Mr. Uh, Ixeh, Xochitlan¡¯s merchant just up and left. Is that something to do with the new quest because¡­ players aren¡¯t going to be able to buy anything now, that¡¯s kind of a big deal.¡± ¡°He walked out on me when we tried to buy stuff for the journey,¡± Tepin confirmed, sounding a little put out. Or was that offended? She¡¯d needed those supplies and here Cualli was worried about his computer family. Ixeh listened thoughtfully, his head resting on one of his many coils before he lit up in recognition. ¡°That will be the patch. It comes with the room. I am glad to see it¡¯s working, let me update the notes to put that in green-¡± ¡°Hold on- so the NPCs have new behavior for this quest?¡± ¡°Broadly speaking, they¡¯ll have new behaviour all the time!¡± he said enthusiastically. Shockingly enough, the trio didn¡¯t share his enthusiasm. They just looked confused. Right, maybe he needed to explain better. ¡°It¡¯s all in the effort to make things as organic and alive as possible. I¡¯ve been working on the AI to begin learning rather than following memorised scripts. That¡¯s what the patch is supposed to do! Cualli, based on his pre-coded knowledge of his family for conversational purposes and the fact that the sky has gone strange, has logically gone to see if they¡¯re alright. They¡¯ll remember if you¡¯re kind to them and respond accordingly, have their own ¡®right¡¯ course of action, that sort of thing.¡± ¡°So what, we¡¯re supposed to ¡®nice¡¯ at them because only she¡¯s qualified to do that 100% of the time.¡± Izel pointed at Lilly. It was definitely an exciting development. Amazing. But it would be great to know if being rude to somebody meant getting immediately stabbed in the chest. Tepin¡¯s grin had just gotten wider and wider at the sheer depth of absolute mad science that they had been dropped into the middle of. How long had Cornelius been working on this and none of them had had any idea? ¡°Just treat them as you would people. They have a lot to learn, but from now they won¡¯t just be existing. They¡¯ll be living!¡± Ixeh said brightly. ¡°Maybe we should put that in the next promo, sir.¡± ¡°Excellent idea Tepin, I¡¯ll make a note of it. Oh dear, I should tell the rest of the staff so everyone is forewarned¡­ well, best of luck to you three. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be popping in to make sure things are alright. Don¡¯t hesitate to leave me a message if you get stuck, I¡¯m relatively sure I remember where all the story notes are!¡± And with that reassuring last statement, he blinked out of their reality. ¡°You know,¡± Tepin turned to Izel, ¡°he asked me about machine-learning algorithms in Python a few weeks ago.¡± ¡°And he¡¯s a python.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Tepin laughed. She shook her head at all of this nonsense and pressed onward, out of the shop, ¡°Let¡¯s go check on Cualli, then. It could be the next hint. Follow the source of problems, I always say.¡± The Party leader waved them forward into the darkness. Xochitlan had become a ghost town. Visitors and natives alike were no longer populating the streets, but every once in awhile, a curious, little head could be seen poking through the windows of some buildings. ¡°Looks like all the NPCs sought refuge from the Eclipse.¡± Tepin said as she maneuvered the Party left and right through the isolated districts of Xochitlan, ¡°But where are all the players?¡± It wasn¡¯t long before they reached Atl, the water district. It was located in the outer ring of Xochitlan, where the shore of fertile volcanic soil met the fresh waters of the lake. Here lived the farmers of Xochitlan that provided players and natives alike the plentiful crops grown on floating gardens in the lake. Tonight, they were empty. Murky water washed over the wooden blocks of broken soil and a group of players stood over this unfortunate sight. The gardens being devoid of NPCs was worrying, but explainable. What was more concerning was the fact that between fifteen and twenty was not at all the usual number of players. It was still better than none at all, but it was cause for concern nevertheless. Izel approached them. ¡°Hey, guys. What¡¯s going on? Where¡¯s everyone else?¡± ¡°Oh, hey, more people.¡± One of the players noticed them, he waved them all closer, ¡°We are everyone else.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. A Tlaloque sorcerer speaks up after his Tecuani friend, ¡°Yeah, everyone was forced to log out so a patch could be updated. Not everyone was able to log back in after that.¡± ¡°And after that, all the NPCs disappeared, saying stuff about the Atl district,¡± A third player, a Tlacatl Warrior, added, ¡°We rounded up a few of us who could get in and came to check out the waters.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here too¡­¡± Tepin answered. She looked back at the lake. The water began to pulse as if rain was falling on the surface from underneath, little jolts with the regularity of a heart beat. And with every other beat, a pulse-point would burst into a ripple, spreading across the water as a malevolent head rose from the center of it until the entire surface of the lake seemed to be violent motion and evil, staring eyes. ¡°Well, Cualli was right.¡± The giantess took a step back from the shore, lifting her mammoth club from her shoulder. Her stance broadened, ¡°Lilly, I hope you know how to fight.¡± A cold wind blew across Xochitlan and with it, the screeches of the water demons. Moonlight pooled in their vicious eyes, and the shards of glass that made their teeth glistened in it. They stormed the shores, howling and roaring in eternal wrath. The tanks, from the smallest Tlaloque to Tepin herself, immediately rushed into the frontlines to absorb the sudden ambush. Everyone else took a step back to stay out of range as they readied their own attacks. Everyone seemed to know exactly what they had to do. Everyone except. Well. She hadn¡¯t even had a chance to answer Tepin¡¯s question before the giantess had rushed forward. Tightening her grip on her staff, Lilly didn¡¯t have the first idea of how to help. Her spell would be useful. If she actually knew how to use it. All she really felt capable of doing at the moment was taking a few steps back so she was out of the way. There was no point in being a distraction by needing to be saved. As the water demons advanced throwing themselves on the firm wall of bodies like the waves they had come from, spells went flying, and they screeched and snarled all the louder as they connected. Izel seemed to be everywhere, darting between legs and over shoulders, daggers drawn. A distracting pain here, drawn blood there, and then she melted away to another position, giving the monsters much more to worry about than just breaking the barricade. A few began to make their way through, wriggling bonelessly through the merest gaps, already half dead but with single-minded determination to cause carnage. Frantic spells reduced their ranks further as they advanced. In a panic, Lilly swung her staff and whapped one between the eyes, mid-lunge. It fell back half a step, a confused and very offended expression on its horrible face, which was just long enough for Izel to jump on its back and land blade-first. ¡°Shoo, out of the way.¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m trying!¡± The waves of monsters began to dwindle and Tepin saw a chance to finish them off. She signaled to her compatriots, ¡°Giants and anyone else with a shockwave, send it off on my signal!¡± She raised her mighty club into the air and others followed suit. On the third count, the giants sent their clubs crashing against the ground. Wind and water spells alike shot out from between them. A tremendous wave of pure energy shook the waters, launching the onslaught of water demons into the air. Rangers leaped into action and released the final blow. An avalanche of arrows pierced the skies. A cold wind blew across Anahuac and with it, silence. Sparkles of moonlight swayed in the breeze. A high-level Nagual sorcerer, marked with the ancestry of the sea, came forth from the crowd. He knelt before the lake and placed a hand in it. ¡°Detect Magic.¡± He whispered. The crowd gathered behind him. Seconds seemed like hours as they waited for the sorcerer¡¯s spell. His hand melted into the inky black waves. A beam of light flowed through his veins as he tapped into his power to answer the lake¡¯s plea. ¡°There¡¯s something down there,¡± he confirmed. ¡°It says it feels like a concentrated force of evil. It¡¯s spawning these monsters and it will continue to do so unless we destroy it.¡± ¡°Hm,¡± A Tlaloque stepped up, ¡°Suppose we send a group of deep-water divers down there to check it out? All the other races don¡¯t have the lungs for it besides the water-based Nagual and the Yahui.¡± Izel nodded, stepping forward. ¡°I¡¯m ready. Who¡¯s with me?¡± If it hadn¡¯t been for the problem of oxygen, there would have been many more volunteers, so many of the group seemed keen to pursue the source. The capable volunteers were less than she would have liked but as ready as anybody could wish. ¡°Alright then. You, you and you get your spells ready. We¡¯ll need to cut through them as fast as we can if we want to make any progress at the rate it¡¯s spewing monsters out. Tepin, keep an eye on the lake in case anything slips by us, we might not get the time to chase it down.¡± Tepin made a brief noise of assent, shouldering her club with one hand and gesturing with the other, encouraging a few of the giants to keep their position around the edge of the lake. ¡°Lilly, you can come keep a watch too. As long as you get out the way if something comes up,¡± she said, not unkindly. The girl nodded and took a position near her friend as Izel took a running jump right into the water, leaving hardly a ripple as she cut smoothly through the surface and disappeared. The others followed with varying levels of grace, and before long the disturbance on the water settled, leaving the watchers free to try and track the others¡¯ progress through the murky water, squinting as the shadowed figures disappeared into darkness. All seemed calm. The lake was as still as glass, but much less revealing. ¡°Hey.¡± One of the Nagual broke the silence in sudden recognition. ¡°You¡¯re one of the GMs, aren¡¯t you? I thought you said this was just an aesthetic bug. What¡¯s going on with all the NPCs? I was trying to get some healing herbs and the lady just went screaming out of her corner and knocked me over on her way out of the city.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Frankie sheepishly laughed, ¡°Uh, turns out it was more than aesthetic. A prototype patch was sent out automatically by the system that no one approved. It was an AI overhaul that was to debut with that ¡®Endless Night¡¯ quest everyone got on their journal.¡± ¡°Well, when is it going to be fixed?¡± ¡°After we finish the Endless Night quest. We don¡¯t want to shut down the servers or go back two patches now. If we complete the quest, the AI overhaul will disable and everything will go back to normal.¡± ¡°Mm, that doesn¡¯t sound like proper computer science¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot going on over here and if I sit here to give you the entire spiel you¡¯d believe me even less. Point is, this girl right here is the only one who has the quest and we gotta finish it.¡± Tepin jabbed her club towards Lilly, ¡°There¡¯s more than water demons going our way. You can doubt my explanations all you want or you can jump in to play an alpha version of a world-event quest.¡± And who could argue with that? There were a few grumblings and mutterings of course, but nobody really wanted to be denied the chance to get in on the ground floor of a new quest. A few curious glances were shot Lilly¡¯s way, not just because she was the only one with the quest, but because by now she was sitting on her heels looking straight down into the water, frowning thoughtfully. A few players near her glanced down as well, but it was as dark as ever. In fact, there was no indication at all of where the others were, or if they were doing alright, or if they had any intention of coming back. The silence stretched to the edge of uncomfortable. ¡°One more question,¡± said a giant suddenly. ¡°Why¡¯s she the only one with the-¡± The lake seemed to boil. Lilly fell back with a start, and the giants immediately readied their clubs in preparation for another attack. Yahui and Nagual heads broke the surface all at once, gasping as they paddled back to the edge. ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of them,¡± Izel wheezed, less from the lack of oxygen and more from all the fighting. ¡°We tried to get as far as we could but it¡¯s way too dark.¡± ¡°None of our illumination spells are working either. The darkness just sucks them up and they disappear.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you reach the lights?¡± Lilly asked innocently. Izel and a few others stared at her as if she¡¯d grown a second head. ¡°What¡¯re you talking about, I just said it¡¯s pitch-black down there. What lights?¡± She seemed surprised and pointed towards where she had been looking. ¡°There. There¡¯s a lot of them. Little ones.¡± As others leaned over her, she tried to show them that, from her point of view, the lowest and darkest portion of the lake looked as if it was filled with stars, a reflection of the night sky if the sky itself hadn¡¯t been completely overcast at the moment. But from their point of view, they couldn¡¯t see a thing. ¡°That must be part of the quest. She¡¯s seeing something we can¡¯t.¡± Tepin knelt beside her, trying to catch sight of what Lilly was talking about, ¡°Hm. How far down is it, Lilly? Do you think you can swim down there without your avatar running out of breath?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ they¡¯re very deep down.¡± ¡°I can help. Stay still so I can click you and channel it.¡± The Nagual sorcerer stepped up again. He placed his hand on her forehead, ¡°Cast ¡®Temporary Gills Three¡¯.¡± That familiar flash of light took over her body again. It traveled from the palm of his hand to the depth of her chest, granting her avatar a steady breath underwater. ¡°That should give you five minutes down there, just as long as the others.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cut your need for it, giant style.¡± Tepin hauled Lilly over her shoulder without warning, ignoring the startled squeak, and stepped into the waters, ¡°Alright, point in the direction of the light and I¡¯ll Babe-Ruth you down there as far as I can. Izel-babe, hop on, you know the drill.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t slam us into the lake-bed, Muscles.¡± The Yahui scrambled up her side until she was perched on Tepin¡¯s arm, grinning down at Lilly. ¡°Nice weather up here, eh? Now, where are they?¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­ oh, there!¡± ¡°HOLD on.¡± Tepin had to readjust her grip to keep the girl from falling right into the water from the enthusiastic force of her own pointing and peered along her arm. ¡°There?¡± ¡°Yes, there there, it¡¯s the closest one.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Tepin leaped into the air and plunged into the dark waters. A powerful kick propelled them all deeper in the direction of the outstretched arm. Izel quickly latched onto Lilly, holding on tight as Tepin pulled them back and flung them with all the force of a submarine torpedo, before quickly directing herself back to the surface before she ran out of air. The others shot down, down into the gloom that deepened and closed in around them as they tried to keep up with Lilly and Izel¡¯s momentum, but it soon became so dark that they could only hope they were still continuing in the same direction. The star twinkled as they got closer. Only, the more she looked at it, she realized it wasn¡¯t really twinkling, but fluttering. And it wasn¡¯t a bright point of light but- A butterfly underwater? It didn¡¯t seem bothered by the water at all, though it fluttered in place as if it wasn¡¯t very sure where it was supposed to go, beautiful and bright, very bright in fact, its wings a shimmering sunlight gold that somehow couldn¡¯t seem to pierce the darkness. Lilly swam closer and hesitantly reached out to touch it. It was warm. She instinctively, gently, cupped her hands around it and her palms turned into a pool of gold before a ray of light shot out between her fingers, leaving her blinking away after-images. Everything seemed just a touch lighter. The butterfly was gone. Oh. Oh. Hoping she had the right idea, and ignoring Izel¡¯s what was that expression, she quickly kicked out towards the next fluttering point of light, reaching out to catch it carefully. And another, and she could finally see more than the barest outlines of her companions. This was exciting! She was practically breathless with excitement! Or she was just running out of breath. She looked up worriedly, trying to gauge just how far they were from the surface. They hadn¡¯t even found the source yet. How much deeper would they even have to go? Izel nudged her, breaking her worried reverie, and gestured downwards and a little ahead of them. There, in the newly returned half-light, looked like a cave entrance. She seemed to judge it close enough that exploring it as an option would make no difference to their already minimal oxygen reserves, so the Yahui urged the group to follow her, swimming swiftly into the opening and gesturing again with more excitement as the water seemed to lighten significantly. They followed as fast they could, angling up until they broke the surface. The cavern was much larger than they had expected, but that was for the best. There was more space for them to crawl out onto relatively dry land and pull air back into their lungs. One by one, Yahui and Nagual alike sprawled out on the cavern floor, trying to recuperate some stamina. Again, the high-level sorcerer approached Lilly and Izel. ¡°I guess I should introduce myself,¡± He gave them a bow, ¡°I¡¯m Juul, Sorcerer under Tlaloc¡¯s domain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the rain god, Lilly.¡± ¡°Yeah, I liked the spells available to you under his guidance. Are you guys heading in there?¡± ¡°In where?¡± Izel turned, ¡°I don¡¯t remember anyone working on that.¡± Behind them, settled tightly between the cavern walls, rested an ancient temple. A soft flare from the lake moss illuminated the cavern and the sea itself reflected an aurora of blues across its rocky walls. And yet, the temple stood in a golden tarnish. Centuries had worn at the artistry of the stone temple, washing away what was once mighty back into the lake. And what had survived the blade of the water¡¯s crash, would instead find itself at the mercy of the lively, hungry critters that had made the temple their home. Algae and moss rounded the hard corners of the temple. Streams of fresh water ran down its columns. Its destruction and survival culminated into a masterpiece of what once was and what it is. In the center of this lovely, stone shell was a grand door bearing the grace of a serene maiden. And right in front of it, fluttering in a sunlit glow only Lilly could see, was another one of those mysterious butterflies. ¡°That¡¯s where we need to go!¡± Lilly pointed at thin air, ¡°I see another light. Let me just-¡± A familiar screech rang through the cavern. ¡°They¡¯ve respawned.¡± Juul hissed. He whipped back toward the waters. A turbulent whirlpool roared underneath. ¡°We¡¯ll hold the front. Go.¡± ¡°Godspeed, you water-elf you.¡± Izel saluted. She grabbed Lilly¡¯s hand and jolted up the massive steps toward the temple entrance. The butterfly wisp vanished at the touch of Lilly¡¯s fingers. Golden shimmering rivers flowed down her palm, dancing into the cracks of the rounded door. Slowly they seeped into the lips and eyes of the stone maiden and in a spectacular gleam, woke her from her ancient slumber. Two orbs of white light stared at them, thinking. Waking. ¡°Enter, those who wish.¡± Her voice echoed across the cavern, seeming to come from everywhere at once. ¡°But beware of The Guardian. Tlalocan is only for the worthy.¡± Her eyelids fell back into everlasting sleep. A chime rang. That particular wind, the kind that was all too familiar to Lilly, gave way to the stone door. A message appeared. You have found the Temple of the Guardian. Proceed?