《[Conquerors Of The Delve] [Abandoned]》 Ch 1 - Avatar Creation
¡°It¡¯s legit¡­¡± Lucian mumbled to himself as he sat in front of his wooden desk, three holographic screens before him, a holo-keyboard and physical mouse on the desk. His personal PC. He sat bent forwards, his face all too close to the monitor as he read the information displayed upon it. Briefly after he sat back and sighed, adjusting his dark-blue glasses as he did. Lucian is 28 years old, taller than most with dirty blonde hair and light brown eyes. His features were sharp, his demeanour though not as much. Laid back and relaxed, it was obvious in his eyes that he gave little care about things around him. (¡°I guess¡­I could give it a shot. I mean¡­what do I have to lose?¡±) He thought while staring at the website, he had been reading up on a game that had caught his interest. He quickly checked his e-cash account on another screen (¡°Not like it¡¯ll hurt me if I do.¡±) he shrugged and switched the site to the purchase page, entered his information and checked out. He glanced behind him, at the VR platform that he hadn¡¯t touched in over two years. It was a tall glass tube with a thick metal cylinder beneath it and one half as tall above it. At the back of the glass tube and connecting the two cylinders was a metallic pillar into which the glass was embedded. Out of the pillar and inside the tube came out an exo-skeletal suit into which the user would put themselves. Lucian glanced at the tablet like screen on the right side of the machine, a stand of metal that came out from the top held it up.
Download processing; Conquerors Of The Delve Download Progress; 3% Installation Progress; 2.6% Total Progress; 5.6%
The game was downloading and installing into his system, now all he had to do was wait. (¡°Oh but the character avatar¡­¡±) he remembered he should probably update his VR character for this game, after all his was two years old and probably visually out of date and incompatible since it was from a VR shooter. He quickly turned back to his computer and opened a new browser tab, entering the VR platform¡¯s website ¡®VR-DiveSuit¡¯ and logging into his personal account. Most games required you to create your own avatar using the system¡¯s main character creation page, where you could customize down to the smallest detail. But as Lucian found out and was surprised by, COTD was different. As he accessed the character creation page and selected the game from a drop down, usually he¡¯d lose some options and gain others depending on the selected game¡­then the base avatar would load for him to edit. But here, he was only given a list of more drop down selections. And, a warning message.
[Conquerors Of The Delve] Does not allow fully custom avatars. Your own persona will be scanned and copied into the game on load. You may change small things to customize your character but you will generally look the same.
(¡°That¡¯s¡­new?¡±) Lucian thought, quickly looking up some forums he did indeed find some outrage about it but little response from the developers. And that was years ago, it had completely died down at this point with no change to this system. Anyone else would have shrugged this off as non-important but Lucian understood the outrage. Some people went online not to recognize themselves. But this also made the game¡¯s loose rules make more sense, someone in-game could easily recognise you in real life with this system in place. So while laws in-game were only enforced by the players, that didn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t look for ways to ¡®enforce¡¯ them outside of the game. Public ridicule was a death sentence for most in this day and age. (¡°At least in a way, it makes sense.¡±) He thought while glancing over the options, setting his selections then looking them over once more.
Hair colour; Charcoal Black Eye colour; Honey Gold Aesthetic primary colour; Charcoal Black Aesthetic secondary colour; Crimson Red
There were only four options, the first two were obvious but Lucian wasn¡¯t too sure for what the second two were. He confirmed his selection and a new set of options came up, with different titles than the previous four.
Racial Bloodline; Alignment; [Back]
He was given two selections, both of which were drop down and an option to go back to the previous section. He selected the first one and was given a list of different available races, each one with a short explanation of their kind.
Humans; Your general Humanoid race, quick-witted and generally moral in nature. Builders of kingdoms and towns, they are the ruling race of the world of Eden. Holding one of the largest population, they also hold most of Eden¡¯s aboveground territory. Their armies are vast, their cities vaster still. It is said that the Human race holds the most magic potential on Eden, able to tamper with many more elements than the other races. They are Knights, they are mages and they are also cut-throats.
Dwarves; Short stubby humanoids the Dwarf is in some ways a small Human, yet not. The Dwarves make up for their lack of general wits with their mastery of crafts. They are the best tailors, the best architects, the best engineers and the best blacksmiths. Hairier than your general Human, Dwarves are mighty proud of their prominent facial hair. Although some might say it¡¯s to excuse the female of the race, who are rarely seen under the light of day. If even recognisable under the moonlight. Dwarves lack the ability to summon magic to their will but make it up with their mastery of Aether-Tech, bound magical energy merged into constructs of pure wonder and might.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. There is a saying in Dwarvish that may explain them better than anything else. ¡®An Orc might get offended quickly and a Human might leave the offence to be redeemed for later¡­But one musn¡¯t offend a Dwarf, for they hold grudges beyond generations. And one day, they will get you back.¡¯
Elves; The Elf, tall humanoids with long point-ending ears. Generally beautiful and elegant of body, whilst stern of demeanour and traditional of mind. They are proud keepers of nature¡¯s peace and tranquillity, said to be as ancient as the nature they so vehemently guard. The Elf, unlike Dwarves or Humans, are of a much more magical descendant, as they come from the Fae themselves. Said to have been birthed by the joining of Fae and Drakon, a force of creation and one of destruction. The Elves¡¯ raw magical power is not to be underestimated or faced without preparation. Albeit not being the blacksmiths the Dwarves are, Elven crafts are still well known within the world of Eden. Enough that the Humans have a saying that goes ¡®Only one thing cuts deeper than an Elven tongue, and that¡¯s anElven Blade.¡¯ Created with magical means the weapons are imbued with it and then enchanted to produce different effects and even spells. Be it of a supporting nature, or mass destruction.
MarshSkins; This race births the slow-witted war-bound warriors we all know and love. Be it the short and thin green skinned Goblins, the large and bulky brown skinned Orcs or the lumbering and destructive, also green skinned Trolls. The MarshSkin have little to offer in ways of craft, they make do with what they find and what they can trade¡­or steal from other races. Little to offer still in ways of society, as they live in tribes under a single short-lived Chieftain. Albeit all that, and the smell. They are well-known masters of the art of war. The Orcish warbands are second to none in their guerrilla tactics, the Goblin tinkerers unbeatable when it comes to make-shift weaponry created at record speed and their Hob-Goblin cousins¡­The opposite of an offended Dwarf, for they are hellbent on cutting off loose ends. No matter the cost. Then there is the Trolls. Large beast-like goliaths with the strength of a dozen war-born Elephants. Proficient at only one thing, crushing the opposition in one fell swoop of their massive specially made weaponry. Many of the neighbouring races look down upon these swamp dwelling tribesmen, for they are their allies. And it is the MarshSkin¡¯s enemies, who truly know them the best.
Shape Shifters; Humanoid of shape, they aren¡¯t always so. The Shape Shifters are several races, some natural while others¡­less so. From bloodsucking Vampires to flesh-hungry Werewolves, the Shape Shifters are true to their name. Going from humanoid with a slight alteration to their features, directly into what many recognise as beast-like demons by sheer will. They come in many variations, some monstrous like the Werebeasts and others elegant like the Avians. The Shape Shifters live in tribe-like clans, each to their own most of the time as each clan prefers a different environment than the other. But together they stand in times of need, and for this race there has been many.
Lucian noticed that the second choice was locked, meaning that he needed to pick a race first. (¡°These seem interesting¡±) After reading through each, he decided to give the Shape Shifters a try. Clicking his selection, the second option became available. He selected the drop down for ¡®Alignment¡¯ and was presented with what he recognised as sub-races.
[Were]; Shifter of the Beast lineage. [Vamp]; Shifter of the Fang lineage. [Mer]; Shifter of the Sea lineage. [Avian]; Shifter of the Feather lineage. [Sauros]; Shifter of the Scale lineage.
Lucian wondered how his character might look if he chose something non-specific like Were, Mer or Avian. There were many kind of beasts, fish and birds his character could take liking too¡­But he didn¡¯t look forward to being a lizard or a blood-sucking vampire. Mer seemed like it would be a severe disadvantage, so his choices came down to Were and Avian. (¡°Hairy beast or Fluffy bird¡­¡±) he pondered when suddenly a ringing noise disrupted his thought process, glancing back he saw the download was done. Smiling to himself, and excited to play he didn¡¯t think much further of it. (¡°Fur or Feathers?...Feathers it is.¡±) he made his choice, locking in Avian then confirming his selection.
Your character will be processed with these options. Please enjoy your stay in Eden.
Lucian rose from his chair and walked across the room to the VR-DiveSuit, stripping down to his underpants he stepped to it and suddenly the glass tube opened up from one side like a door. Lucian stepped around the still opening tube and stepped inside. It was quite roomy even for a fully-grown man like himself. ¡°Equip.¡± he spoke out and the exoskeleton behind him moved as sensors beneath and above him locating his body. Lucian stood with arms stretched out and legs separate, holding himself as still as possible while the mechanical arms covered his hands with the glove part of the suit. The suit was open from the front, allowing the mechanical arms to simply put it on his hands, arms, back and shoulders. When there, the suit began to close up around him as mechanical bands closed around his hands, arms and waist then pulled him up from the ground. Whilst held up by the machine, it continued to cover his lower body with the suit as it also closed around him. More metal bands went around his upper and lower legs giving him a fully equipped exoskeleton on his back that was now attached to each limb properly. All but the helmet which he had to lower from the station¡¯s ceiling himself. Having fully equipped what it was programmed to, the exo-skeleton went mostly limp allowing him to move around but still holding him up from the floor below. Lucian reached up and lowered the large helmet onto his head, as he did the tube of glass closed sealing him inside. He took a quick breath to make sure everything was fine, he hadn¡¯t used it in years but the station maintained itself and if something was wrong it would tell him or at worst send a log to the company he bought it from. He entered a comfortable standing position, checking his visor to see if the station accepted it as a healthy position and then spoke out ¡°Dive.¡± Suddenly fluorescent blue liquid began filling the tube, and the helmet tightened where it met the suit sealing him entirely. After a few brief moments of the liquid filling the tank, he was fully submerged in it. ¡°Boot Up.¡± Lucian then spoke, and at once both the floor and ceiling began to spin whilst emitting several green laser lights. The lights spun and reangled themselves, reflecting off the circular wall as it spun faster and faster. Until finally, the entire tub was full of green glowing light. The separate lights indistinguishable within the liquid and through his visor. Lucian closed his eyes then spoke out ¡°Login¡±. Before he could feel the warm liquid around him, but now that feeling slowly disappeared and just as slowly it was replaced by the feeling of falling. Lucian could feel himself fall, as air rushed up by him. The feeling got stronger and stronger, until finally he opened his eyes and the feeling suddenly became as real as it could be. He though was faced with utter darkness, until a blue window popped up in his vision.
Welcome back Raven! It¡¯s been 2 years, 24 days and 7 hours since you last logged in! What would you like to play today?
He felt slightly guilty at the window¡¯s sight, it really had been that long¡­ (¡°Raven¡­Hah¡±) briefly he wandered through his memories of games he used to play under that name, starting at the age of 12 and peaking at the age of 17. He had met so many people and played through such amazing games, but it couldn¡¯t last. His play time as Raven had dropped severely over the years, till he reached a point at the age of 25 that he rarely found time to play and later that year the problems with the company began¡­ending his playtime entirely. Now he had all the time in the world, sure the money in his account wouldn¡¯t last him forever even if he rationed. But it was enough for a couple dozen years of living it lazy. His house was fully bought, his vehicle fully paid for thanks to his parents so many years ago. So every day expenses and taxes were all he had to worry about. Lucian smiled to himself, after so much hard work even if he had lost his job. It all had paid off in the end, so now he just wanted to lay back and enjoy himself. ¡°Dive, load new game. Conquerors of the Delve.¡± He spoke to the system, and it complied with a new window.
[Conquerors of the Delve] Loading. Unpackaging Character details. Processing body.
Then a third.
Load Complete. Warning this game contains Realistic Gore, Profanity and possibly traumatising content. Knowing this, do you wish to continue onwards?
¡°Continue?¡± Lucian awkwardly responded, even with bloody shooters he hadn¡¯t been given this notification. Definitely not one this persistent.
Unsureness detected. Do you truly wish to continue?
It somewhat creeped him out, but at the same time piqued his interest even more ¡°Yes Dive, continue.¡±
[Conquerors of the Delve] Opening. Starting.
Ch 2 - Fresh Spawn Raven was faced with utter darkness for a brief moment, before suddenly patches of fire began to burn it away. Until finally the darkness cleared, revealing a vast and magnificent scenery. Great hills spread out beneath him, large plains of grassland, Mountains and so much more. ¡°Welcome, Conqueror.¡± Said a booming yet elegant feminine voice, seemingly coming from every direction at once. ¡°Welcome, to the world of Eden...¡± Suddenly the world around him blurred as his perspective moved at great speed, taking him down to see a great ocean beyond the cliffside that lay beneath him ¡°Where wonders beyond your expectation may await you.¡± Said the voice, as Raven watched the sun set below the horizon. Everything blurred once more, as suddenly he went even lower ¡°...And where, horrors beyond your very nightmares await in the dark...¡± Taking him beneath ground, darkness filling his vision once more¡­until two red eyes opened before him. As if awoken from its slumber by his arrival. A soft growling filled his ears when the world blurred, and he was taken elsewhere once again. He was looking down, seemingly from the tree tops and upon a group of adventurers threading the forest. There was an archer, a mage and a warrior. ¡°...Where you might meet friends of a lifetime...¡± His vision blurred again, this time much more briefly than before. He was given a similar scene, yet this time the three adventurers were surrounded by four cloaked figures under night time ¡°...And make several more enemies...¡± And again, his vision blurred until he was returned to the first scene. Looking down at one face of this world called Eden. ¡°Your adventure awaits, Conqueror... The prophecy foretold of your kind, diving down into Eden¡¯s below to cleanse the plague that is the Delve.¡± Suddenly and in quick succession, Raven was shown several scenes. A group of four awaiting outside a large cave entrance, torches and weapons in hand. ¡°Gather your allies...¡± The voice said. The same four carefully walking through a large underground tunnel, as the floor cracked and shattered behind them. ¡°Raid the Delve...¡± A vast room with dim torchlight, the four adventurers deep in combat with dozens of armoured and animated skeletons. ¡°Conquer...¡± The scenes quickened as Raven was shown, four adventurers, standing before a massive silhouette. ¡°Reap...¡± Then again the same four adventurers, standing over the corpse of a massive abomination of rotten flesh. Chests of gold, shining equipment and strange scrolls laying open around them. ¡°...And so much more.¡± The scenes slowed down as they moved through still images of warriors fighting great beasts, mages supporting their allies, rangers stalking silently within a jungle. He was shown a vast cavern, dozens of adventurers surrounding a single yet massive three-headed serpent. Then a bustling city street, merchants waving away at passing by adventurers as they spoke and laughed. And finally, a large field of grass with two armies charging towards one another as arrows fell and spells flew from either side. ¡°Here Conqueror, is where your story begins...¡± The voice spoke once more and Raven¡¯s vision changed, showing him a large city built into a goliath of a cliffside. Paths were dug into the stone, taking from one hanging building to another. The architecture was bulky, the buildings mostly made of different types of wood and strangely coloured yet very large leaves. Among the buildings and growing out of the cliffside were many massive trees, hanging away from the cliff as their trunk lay half inside it with roots growing through. Paths of wood were built around the trees, as some had doorways taking inside the trunk itself. ¡°...The Avian city of Cliffreach, as prosperous as it is vast. It¡¯s inhabitants, one of the most peaceful races known to Eden. The same race, as you.¡± Explained the voice, as Raven was given a fly-by view of some of the city¡­ And peaceful it seemed not, as buildings and paths burned, as the people it called Avians ran and screamed while warriors of the mixed races fought against stubby short humanoids Raven guessed were Dwarves. ¡°Go, Conqueror. Begin your journey, here in this tranquil land before the storm.¡± Naturally said the voice¡­and suddenly Raven found himself standing in the very middle of the mayhem¡­ ¡°Uh¡­Uhm¡­¡± He glanced down at himself now that he actually had a body, he was human at most but definitely not entirely so. Out of the bottom of his arms and his back trailing his spine long black feathers grew out, out of which more smaller feathers branched out. Raven felt his face, it was thankfully human but¡­then he felt the feathers growing out of his head replacing his hair. (¡°At least there isn¡¯t a beak-¡±) he thought, before a sudden burning pain in his knee cut off his train of thought. ¡°FFUUUUCCKCKKK¡± Raven swore out loud, as he fell onto his ass and grabbed his knee ¡°Shit! The hell!?¡± he asked no one in particular, as through the tears he snuck a peak at the short iron arrow sticking out of his knee. ¡°Gahh!! F-Forgot t-the p-p-pain me-ter!¡± he grumbled to himself, remembering now that he did at one point read something about the pain resistance bar¡¯s limit being increased. Raven took several quick breaths trying to calm himself, he was sure his knee was utterly shattered. ¡°Hell that¡¯s what ye get for ignoring me!¡± Spoke out a gruff male voice from ahead of him, making Raven look up through the agony and see his aggressor¡­s. Before him stood an entire battalion of Dwarven warriors, wearing from full plate armour to chain vests and wielding either thick warhammers and wide axes or large repeater-crossbows and handguns. Raven counted more than two dozen, and his vision was slightly blurred from the pain so he figured there was more. ¡°Sh-it¡­What?¡± he asked in confusion, crawling away from the Dwarves who stood several meters away from his position. ¡°Cut the newbie some slack, he just spawned after all.¡± Spoke a female voice from behind him, Raven rubbed the blurriness from his eyes and glanced back to see another small army standing there. This one though was a mix of races, from Avian, Were and Orc even to Human and Elf. ¡°Hey I wasn¡¯t the one who thought it¡¯d be funny to shoot¡¯im!¡± exclaimed the Dwarf who had spoken before, as he gestured at a crossbow wielding Dwarf cracking up next to him. The first Dwarf elbowed him and turned back to the opposing army of players, glancing at Raven he shrugged and raised his battle-axe forwards ¡°Meh, welcome to COTD noob. Now get the fuck outta the way!¡± he shouted as if it was some dramatic warcry. Followed by it being repeated by every single Dwarf behind him¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± And they all charged forwards, warriors stomping down and rushing ahead at great speed as marksmen took aim and fired over their lowered stances. Raven¡¯s expression paled, then he heard the stomping and shouting from behind¡­ ¡°Take cover newbie.¡± Said the female voice once more, as a crimson feathered Avian appeared before him. Giving him her back as she deflected several arrows by twirling her metal spear about, the Avian glanced back and winked at him. Then suddenly Raven felt weightless, glancing back he noticed a large brown skinned humanoid had picked him up one-handed. The Orc, Raven realised it was an Orc, threw him aside and off the path¡­ Between the pain in his knee, the shock of being shot in the first place, the surprise of being thrown and the current freak out of falling. Raven was flailing all over the place, hoping to at least grab onto something. And he did, as his left hand felt its way around something flat. Raven had fallen by another platform¡­and left his right arm behind as an axe flew right through his shoulder. Raven swore incomprehensibly as he reached to his now blood gushing stump with his other hand, it hurt like a bitch. Blinded by the agony he had almost forgotten he was free falling, but the pain didn¡¯t last long as it quickly subsided unnaturally. And the moment he remembered he was indeed still falling, he hit the cold and still very much hard ground of dirt at the very bottom of the cliffside-city. Ending his suffering altogether.
You have fallen. Please await resurrection or until the respawn timer ticks down to zero. You will be given spawn options in; 1:59
[Achievement!] First death experience!
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Raven found his vision rising, disembodied from what he figured was now a corpse. This was common in VR on death, allowing you to look around at your surroundings while the respawn timer went on. He looked down at himself, one-armed and beaten up he still got a better look at what he seemed like now. Indeed, long silky black feathers had replaced his hair while wing-like feathers grew out from beneath his arms. But most obvious was the tail-wing, thick and long feathers growing together from his back like a cape and dragging back a few feet longer than his legs. Looking closer Raven could easily recognise himself, albeit the black feathers and golden eyes. (¡°Hm, actually doesn¡¯t look bad. Makes me wonder what Weres and Mers look like now. First things first though¡­¡±) he willed open the menu and selected game options (¡°Pain meter¡­full resist¡­¡±) he set the pain resistance on the recommended, the maximum option. One could argue that feeling pain in a game was a detriment but many would still argue for. It allowed players to pinpoint damage on their bodies, be it cuts, projectiles or poison through numbness. So even on maximum resistance, there was some pain to be felt. But there was also another key feature that made pain in-game different from real life, and that was the system that numbed the pain down over time much more quickly than it normally would have. Finished with changing his game options, Raven now glanced at his surroundings. Looking up he could barely make out the fighting (¡°A guild war?¡±) he guessed (¡°At a starter city? Seriously?...¡±) the fighting was fierce as far as he could tell, players being thrown off the paths left and right. And who knew how many more were being killed up there. Raven expected a dungeon delver, but this seemed so much more now. He understood the Open World MMO genre of it now, not just the wide spread world he could explore without changing instance but also the other things that came with. Player versus Player, Guilds then what came with them and player trading. This game wasn¡¯t just a dungeon delving ARPG, it was a full-fledged MMORPG based around what the game called Delves. (¡°Now that begs the question¡­where are these Delves? Hell where do I find the tutorial?¡±) Raven chuckled to himself, confused after being thrown straight into the thick of it. He carefully inspected his UI, the different windows that lay at the very edge of his vision. If he focused on wanting to see them, they would unblur and become clear. To the very top and in the centre was his health bar, noticeable as it was an empty sphere. Compared to the left of that, were what he guessed to be his mana was, a second smaller sphere filled with blue glowing liquid. And to the right of the health ¡®sphere¡¯ was a third one, this one filled with bright yellow liquid. Raven took a guess that this was his stamina. Above each sphere was a long grey bar that went from the left border to the very right, over it there was written in bright gold ¡®0/100 XP¡¯. This was the experience bar, and once the goal was reached Raven would level up. At the very bottom right corner there was his character name in italic and bold characters, ¡®Raven¡¯ in front of a sphere of what looked like clear crystal. The crystal was cracked into three sections, a circle like a slot of some sort hovered above each section and surrounding his character name. Then lastly, above the cracked crystal was a golden triangle with a glowing blue ¡®Level 1¡¯ within it. Disregarding the UI for a moment made it blur out, the health, mana and stamina bar barely visible while the rest disappeared entirely.
Respawn available. Please vocally select a respawn point. Cliffreach [Avian] (Owned by BlazeWatch) {Under Siege by !GRUDGE!} Oceangate [Mer] (Owned by SNEKK) Bleakwood [Vamp] (Owned by /BloodLine/) (Under Siege by Tsun-Senpai) Mistgrove [Were] (Owned by Fang/Fang) Duskspire [Sauros] (Owned by Primal)
Suddenly another notification popped up in his vision, the respawn timer had reached its end. (¡°Well probably not respawning at Cliffreach or Bleakwood. So do I wanna hang around Mers, Weres or whatever Sauros are?...Hm, Mermaids¡­¡±) ¡°Oceangate.¡± Raven spoke out as he pondered why it was even a question, unheard by anybody else even as players fell to their deaths all around him. His vision shone brightly for a brief moment, blinding him before slowly dimming down. Revealing that he was now elsewhere entirely. Raven found himself standing on a beach of sand, red brick buildings making up the town around him. Looking around the thought it much too small compared to Cliffreach, until he noticed that the town¡¯s walls continued down into the water¡­ From which players and NPCs would walk out from and continue on land, their tails shifting with light into legs. These were Mers, mostly human on land with colourful fins for ears, one from each elbow and a long one growing out of their back. Then half-marinecreature in the water with long scaly tails ending in two even longer fins. But Mers weren¡¯t the only inhabitants around, seeing many Avians like him and some other races. Weres were half-beastlike, Werewolves and Weretigers with furry manes for hair alongside their animalistic ears and tails. There were also what Raven recognised as Werefoxes and Werebears, their ears and tails the only difference between them and a Human which were also present. The small green creatures, Goblins. The tall and bulky brown-skinned barbarians, Orcs. The green skinned and lanky goliaths, Trolls. The tall and long eared Elves. Even the stubby Dwarves and reptilian Sauros were not as prominent but still present within Oceangate. What he didn¡¯t see any of were Vampires, he guessed that he just couldn¡¯t tell them apart from Humans. ¡°Oh yeah this one¡¯s new for sure.¡± Said a voice from behind Raven, making him turn around to see a group of players staring at him. The speaker, a female Mer with short blue hair and violet fins was smirking at him. ¡°What made you think that? The equipment? The level? Or that he¡¯s looking about like he¡¯s on his best high yet?¡± Chuckled a dark green-skinned male Goblin to her right. Raven looked behind them, there was many players standing around with full equipment and also looking at his direction. With those players he noticed several others with no gear at all just like himself. ¡°That makes thirty, there¡¯s ten of us.¡± added a male Avian with silver and gold feathers. The Mer clapped her hands thrice ¡°Alright newbies gather around.¡± She announced and the unequipped players quizzically did so. ¡°First of all, welcome to COTD. I don¡¯t know what mental illness made you pick this game, but you did and now you¡¯re stuck with us. As you might have, or not have noticed¡­This game has no tutorial, no map and no help window.¡± Briefly she paused to let it sink in, gaining the new players¡¯ and Raven¡¯s full attention. ¡°Secondly, let me introduce myself. I¡¯m Tiana of the SNEKK guild, from beginner mentoring clan. We¡¯re a small group of players within each guild, PVE, PVP or PVX matters not. There are some of us in every major guild. Anyway, our goal is to gather new players and show them the ropes using the mentoring system. The devs saw it right to give us due for our work, so our numbers have increased over the years and titles officialised.¡± She gestured at the other nine well-geared players that were with her ¡°It¡¯s the weekend so there isn¡¯t many of us available today, but we¡¯ll make due by mentoring several each. We¡¯ll help you understand your UI and menus, we¡¯ll teach you about the system, its specializations, classes and other things. If you wish to a join a guild, our recruitment is open and we¡¯ll show you how to request entry later on in this player-driven tutorial.¡± (¡°Player driven huh? An interesting concept, definitely better than the usual factual and boring tutorials.¡±) Raven thought as he listened in with the rest. Or he would have, but Tiana had ended her speech to glance at one Mer player who began walking away. ¡°Ah! And we have a winner.¡± She chuckled smugly, while gesturing at a large Troll wearing full plate-armour. The Troll stepped to the Mer newbie and grabbed him one handed, raising him off the ground with ease. ¡°T-The hell? Let me go!¡± The player demanded as the Troll carried him over to face Tiana. ¡°Oh please, shut it and listen.¡± She told him before turning to the rest of the confused newbies ¡°You see this system didn¡¯t start out as us vets ¡®Helping¡¯ new players. No it was us wanting to pluck the problem at the root.¡± Tiana continued to explain ¡°Before this system, new players would run rampant doing whatever the hell they wanted to do. At times it was funny, at times straight up confusing but at worst and there was many of these cases mind you¡­It made me question humanity as a whole.¡± She glanced over each of their expressions, briefly stopping on Raven¡¯s calm gaze before moving on ¡°I¡¯ll spare you the details, you¡¯ve all seen the game¡¯s rules. At least I hope you did¡­So the short story is, we got tired of your newbie bullshit. At first we would just kill you but, the problem with that was¡­well you respawned, grew stronger and just became more of a pain in the ass later on.¡± Tiana turned back to the ¡®winner¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s your name? Ah, Grego-¡­That¡¯s a long name, I¡¯ll just call you Greg. Okay Greg listen up and pay attention. See what you did just there would normally result in a painful death. Why? Because we make the laws around here, and law states that new players must go through the tutorial.¡± Greg snorted as he glanced away ¡°And what if I don¡¯t want to listen to some bull shit tutorial? I¡¯ve seen vids bitch, I know how to play already.¡± Tiana¡¯s fins seemingly perked up, Raven also noticed that the players within her guild seemed to suddenly become more interested in what was going on. Their previous casual and laid-back demeanour changing. ¡°Oh?¡± Tiana hummed with a raised brow, the Troll was trying very hard to stifle a laugh. ¡°Well, if you already know how to play. I guess it won¡¯t matter if I blacklist you? You do know, what it means to be blacklisted right?¡± Greg turned back to her with an unamused expression ¡°Uh, no?¡± Tiana smiled, a wicked evil grin as she made a flinging gesturer with her left hand at the Troll. He grinned just as widely, as he arched his arm back whilst gripping the Mer tightly¡­ ¡°Guess you¡¯ll just have to find out.¡± Tiana said when suddenly the Troll¡¯s entire body was engulfed in a fiery red aura. He flung his long muscled arm forwards, letting go of the player midway and sending him flying off into the distance¡­Too far make out what happened to him on the way down. She turned to the rest of the newbies ¡°29, guess someone¡¯s getting less work today.¡± ¡°What does Blacklisting mean?¡± Raven curiously asked, smiling to himself at the other player¡¯s demise as he looked over the ocean trying to see a splash or something. Tiana and the other players glanced over at him ¡°Hm? Ah, if you don¡¯t complete the tutorial we¡¯ll list you under the Bounty system as a black bounty.¡± Tiana explained ¡±That means for each time a player kills you, we pay them. Indefinitely. There are other ways to find yourself into the blacklist, but this is the prime one these days.¡± She didn¡¯t sound irritated at all, but Raven could tell with a glance that she was just hiding it. The shaking fins that replaced her ears were a dead giveaway. ¡°Anyway, now that that¡¯s dealt with.¡± Tiana looked around at the rest of the new players ¡°Any other volunteers for flight Troll?¡± Nobody responded, other than Raven and a few others stifling a chuckle ¡°None? Good, less money out of our guild bank that goes to bounty payment. We¡¯ll divvy you all out now to a mentor, listen to them and you MIGHT not get killed. Alright?¡± Tiana gestured at the eight players standing around behind her, them and the Troll began picking out three newbies each. Raven saw the silver and gold feathered Avian call out to two other Avians and then turn to him before Tiana tapped him on the back. ¡°I¡¯ll take this one, Bane.¡° she told the Avian mentor before turning to Raven, Bane shrugged and called out to the last Avian filling his group with players of the same race. Similarly, all the other mentors tried to do this as well. ¡°Same race players per mentor? Any reason for that?¡± Raven asked as he watched the nine groups head out, there were some odd ones but most of the groups were of the same race. ¡°Different races open up different paths to magic and skill acquisition. This just makes it easier on the mentors.¡± Tiana explained before gesturing over the last remaining player, a seemingly timid female Mer with long green hair and silver eyes. ¡°Alright let¡¯s see, Raven and DiscordiaX? Did I say that right?¡± Tiana asked the other Mer. ¡°Y-Yeah, you did.¡± Discordia shyly nodded. ¡°Avian with dark colouring and Mer with bright green. Damn had to be polar opposites.¡± Tiana sighed. ¡°Does the colour affect?¡± Raven asked with intrigue. Tiana shrugged ¡°Somewhat unfortunately, makes magic of the same colour easier to acquire. You can still unlock other magic types but there is extra requirements you have to clear out. But I¡¯ll explain all that here in a bit, come on let¡¯s head out. Easier to show and tell.¡± She explained while gesturing for them to follow her, towards the city¡¯s gate. Ch 3 - Show And Tell Raven followed the two Mers through the forest path, leaving Oceangate behind them. As they walked Tiana had been guiding them through their interface, most of which he had already figured out other than the different windows he could open. ¡°There is the Guild, Inventory, Character, Spells, Skills, Summons, Party, Social, Trade, Achievements and Delve windows that you can open. All you have to do is call out each individual window¡¯s name.¡± Tiana explained as they walked ¡°Now onto the system itself, as any other MMORPG your character has a set of stats off which your health, mana, stamina, damage, magical power, damage reduction, general mobility, attack speed and cast speed are based off of. These are Strength, Agility, Constitution, Intelligence and Wisdom.¡± Tiana glanced away from them to see where she was walking ¡°Any questions on those? You both know what each stat stands for?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Raven responded alone, Discordia silently nodded. ¡°Then you get the basic concept, it is fairly simplified after all. If you want to know what each stat actually increases just check online, but that''s it on those.¡± Tiana sighed ¡°Hold on tight kids, it¡¯s about to get crazy. Onto what the game calls Specializations. There are three kinds, for each of which you have a slot around your character name at the bottom left of your UI. Those three are Elemental Mastery, Weapon Mastery and Companion Mastery.¡± Raven made mental notes as he silently listened, whilst Discordia to his left seemed slightly pale. Paler than before at least. ¡°If something confuses you feel free to stop me and ask...¡± Tiana added seeing Discordia¡¯s expression, the newbie Mer nodded gratefully ¡°Back to it then¡­Each Specialization caps out at level 30, your total level which is what is displayed for other players is the combination of all three of your current ACTIVE Specializations.¡± ¡°Active?¡± Asked Raven, hearing the emphasis. ¡°Your Specializations aren¡¯t locked, you can switch them out through your Character window. More on that in a bit.¡± Tiana quickly explained before continuing ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s start with my favourite Spec. Elemental Mastery, it explains itself fairly well...at the start. It¡¯s your mastery on the magically summoned Elements. As I explained before though, you need to unlock an element before you can use and train it.¡± Tiana suddenly turned around to face them fully ¡°Now you might ask¡­how do you unlock an element?¡± Raven and Discordia glanced at each other before turning back to a now grinning Tiana ¡°Well first we need to unlock your mana¡­stand still.¡± Before they knew it, Tiana had raised both hands forwards and chanted ¡°Minor Fireball.¡± Out of the palms of both of her hands, two wisps of flame shot out and burst into the newbie¡¯s chests, sending them flying back a few feet and landing them on their backs. Raven felt a red hot pain rush through his chest before quickly subsiding, followed by a strange sensation flowing through his entire body. It felt refreshing, relaxing almost as if he was in a sauna. He slowly stood up, seeing Tiana had moved to help Discordia onto her feet. ¡°What is¡­¡± she was going to ask before Tiana cut her off. ¡°That¡¯s your mana. Weird right? Anyway it¡¯s unlocked and ready for use now, just takes a bit of a jumpstart.¡± She shrugged whilst still grinning, turning away and continuing to walk down the forest path like nothing important had just occurred. ¡°Now that your mana is ready, how does that help you unlock an element? Well it¡¯s one of the requirements. The next two requirements are that you¡¯ll first need to find a monster with the mastery of the element you wish. Let¡¯s say fire, I¡¯d suggest Lesser Wyverns or Imps. You now have to slay said monster without damaging it¡¯s monster core, which is what you need from them. Then extract said core without breaking it, which is the more difficult part believe it or not.¡± Her shoulder slumped down as if she was speaking from experience. ¡±If you get queasy and have your gore off though, the system will do it for you with a base success chance of 30%. Now you have your core, what the hell do you do with it? Simple, flow your mana through the core and you¡¯ll gain the element. With a certain percent chance of failing...this is where your character colouring comes into play. Most cores have a 50% chance of failure, unless you have visual colouring that matches that core''s element. Then it''s only a 10% chance of failure. As for how you flow your mana¡­same way you cast spells. Will it, or even speak it at times and it will do so.¡± She raised her hands up to shoulder height and chanted ¡°Lesser Water Bubble. Lesser Fireball.¡± On her left hand a fist sized bubble of water bubbled into existence while on her right hand a flame twice the size of the previous ones burst alive. She closed her hands and the bubble fell apart then onto the ground while the flame simply snuffed out. ¡°Any questions?¡± Tiana the asked, glancing back at them once more. There was none so she continued on ¡°Alright, into the more complex part of Elemental Mastery.¡± Discordia¡¯s expression paled further ¡°There are six base elements. Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Light and Darkness. These are the ones you can gain through ¡®Studying¡¯ monster cores. But there are other elements. This is where elemental combinations come into play. If you master two elements, let¡¯s say Fire and Earth. Then you¡¯ll gain the ability to combine those two into a new element called Molten. For the full table I suggest looking it up on a forum somewhere¡­There''s too many to memorize.¡± ¡°Wait so, there is six base elements that means there is a total of twenty-one elements?¡± Discordia suddenly asked. ¡°Oh you are lis-Ah-Yes, there is¡­I believe, twenty one elements.¡± Said Tiana, quickly correcting herself mid speech. ¡°As for how to combine the two elements, simply summon up any two spells from either school and shove them into one another. Fair warning¡­some do explode on contact. So use low tier spells.¡± ¡°Now onto Weapon Mastery¡­the simplest Spec really. Each weapon category, Staff, Sword, Dagger etc. is a Weapon Mastery. For example.¡± She tapped something mid-air, looking through her inventory. A dagger appeared in her hand ¡°Holding a dagger does nothing, but if I go to my character page and switch my current mastery which is Staff mastery to Dagger mastery¡­then check my Skills page. I¡¯ll see dagger skills available instead of staff skills. Weapon Mastery contrary to Elemental Mastery, you have all the Specs unlocked from the get go. You just have to pick one, equip said weapon and use it to train it up.¡± ¡°And for the complex part of it?¡± Raven asked with a raised brow, already used to the developer¡¯s mentality. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Tiana chuckled ¡±Weapon Mastery has a thing called Imbuement. It¡¯s where you imbue your equipped weapon with the element you have currently active. This can only be done with active Weapon Mastery for that weapon, you can¡¯t just pick a hammer up off the ground and imbue it. Also, you will need to have capped out that Weapon¡¯s mastery. When you imbue a weapon with say the Air element, all your basic attacks will do a fraction of your magic damage alongside your physical damage. While some of your weapon skills will turn entirely into magical damage, also losing or gaining different effects depending on the imbued element.¡± Tiana and Raven stopped to glance at Discordia who had briefly stopped herself, she seemed to be typing away at a keyboard¡­probably taking notes Raven guessed. ¡°Anyway¡­¡± Tiana gestured for them to continue onwards ¡°The third Spec is Companion Mastery. Now this is a tad bit more complicated.¡± Raven heard Discordia sigh in despair ¡°Each player has the ability once they¡¯ve mastered at least one of both of the previous Specs, say Fire and Sword, to bind a companion to that Spec combination. To do so you¡¯ll need to go to the summoning NPC in any of the main cities. Companions are your general pets and followers from most MMORPGs, they hold things for you, they buff you and they fight with you. Their AI starts out as complex as a general mob but as you level your mastery with that companion they start to listen better, fight better and just all around become stronger.¡± ¡°So,¡± Raven jumped in to ask after she seemed done explaining ¡°Whatever Companion I might have for Fire and Sword, I¡¯ll have a different one for Water and Sword or Fire and Bow?¡± ¡°Pretty much yeah, you¡¯re getting it.¡± Tiana opened her inventory as she walked and took out a staff, pearly white with the design of silver roots growing around it¡¯s length ¡°My main mastery is Staff and a sub-element called Chaos. Created by combining Dark and Light base elements.¡± She stopped moving and turned around to face them once more, both Raven and Discordia cringed at what they expected to come. ¡°Come forth my Companion.¡± Tiana chanted, as black and violet energy sparked from one end of her staff then down to the other before entering the ground. The earth between them rose up, as a creature emerged from it. Dark violet skin with black wings the seven-foot-tall Harpy stood alert, glancing about cautiously. It had wings for arms entirely with long blade-like claw ends, a fanged beak for a nose and mouth, hook-claw ridden bird legs, a short feathery tail and dark grey plate armour covering most of its body. But albeit the armour Raven could tell most of it was covered in smaller feathers. ¡°This is my Chaos-Staff companion, the Chaos Harpy.¡± Tiana explained while gesturing at the large and vicious looking creature. ¡°Frighteningly terrific is it not?¡± Tiana asked in a somewhat jolly tone as she hugged onto the Harpy¡¯s arm joyfully. ¡°F-Frightening for s-sure¡­¡± responded Discordia as she stared at the Harpy¡¯s claws. ¡°Oh! Oh!¡± Tiana almost squealed with delight now ¡°Want to know the best part?!¡± she opened a separate window and began fiddling with it ¡°You can customize their clothing and equipment just like your own character!¡± Suddenly the Harpy¡¯s plate-armour phased out of existence and replacing it was a dangerously out of place maid¡¯s outfit. Raven was at a complete loss for words for this one¡­ Discordia made a mental note to bleach her eyes later. ¡°What you don¡¯t like?¡± Tiana asked with a raised brow and annoyed pout as she saw their pale expressions. ¡°Oh no it¡¯s¡­¡± Discordia began before looking at Raven for support. ¡°Of a special kind of fre-¡± He began to thoughtlessly say before Discordia cut him off. ¡°Freakily special!! It¡¯s just s-s-spe¡­cial¡­¡± Discordia ended as she glanced at the maid Harpy one more time. Tiana shrugged and unsummoned her companion, it crumbling to ash before them after which the ash itself seemed to dissipate away into nothingness. ¡°Well that¡¯s that for Stats and Specs. Any questions?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­unrelated question though.¡± Raven responded, something had been on his mind for a few minutes now. Discordia right then glanced at him with pure horror, he wasn¡¯t about to question the maid Harpy was he?...She really didn¡¯t want to see it again¡­ever again.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Ask away.¡± Tiana offered. Raven began glancing around the forest on either side of their path ¡°Where are all the monsters? We¡¯ve been walking for a while now and I haven¡¯t seen a single one.¡± Tiana grinned as he asked his question ¡°So you¡¯ve noticed.¡± Discordia sighed with relief ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find this hard to believe but, finding monsters out here is extremely rare. And if you do, you do not want to fight them alone.¡± Tiana explained. ¡°Why?¡± Raven immediately asked. ¡°You saw the starting cutscene right?¡± Tiana asked, receiving a nod from both of them ¡°Well the short answer is, you¡¯ll find most monsters within Delves. The massive underground dungeons that lay beneath Eden. Any monster that you do find on the surface, are either World Bosses, Event Bosses or Elite packs. Things that take an entire guild to take down.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± was Discordia¡¯s short reaction as she suddenly began to glance at every corner and bush around them. ¡°Where are these Delves exactly then?¡± Raven asked, undisturbed by the revelation of probable doom through the leisure walk. ¡°That.¡± Tiana began before turning about and continuing down the path ¡°Is where we¡¯re heading. You see access to Delves is restricted within main cities and unfortunately, Oceangate¡¯s Delve entrance is underwater. So unless you¡¯re a Mer or somehow able to breath under water, you cannot get to it.¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why Cliffreach was under siege. I¡¯m guessing guilds gain benefits for owning cities in more ways than one then?¡± Raven guessed. ¡°Bingo.¡± Responded Tiana with a finger gun flicking back at him ¡°Guilds who own a city own a Delve entrance. From which players gather equipment AND resources. Most resources are used for crafting but some special ones have other uses. Enter the most sought-after resource in COTD, Power Fragments. It cannot be used in any sort of normal crafting, so what are they and what are they used for? Well, to explain that I¡¯ll have to explain Delves first.¡± Discordia reopened the note mod she had just closed moments ago. Tiana took a deep breath before speaking once more ¡°Delves are essentially, a dungeon. But each Delve is connected in some way to the others around it, and they are connected to others around them. So say you enter the Delve from Oceangate, you can then exit the Delve from say Cliffreach or Mistgrove. But the connections are very deep down and defended by Boss monsters. Boss corridors we call them.¡± ¡°These Boss corridors are the end of the first level of the Delve which you access freely through a main city. Within the corridor, you can either exit back into say Oceangate¡¯s first level or another first level taking up into a different city. But also, at the very centre once the boss is defeated. A third path opens up taking deeper into the Delve, into the second level.¡± Tiana explained as suddenly the forest around them began to open up, revealing their arrival at another city. ¡°Ah right, welcome to Staghelm. The human main city.¡± Tiana quickly gestured at the white stone walls before them, almost as tall as the cliffs at the Avian city. She guided them through the main gate, it was the shape of a Stag¡¯s head Raven noticed. All around them three to four storey buildings of white stone walls and wooden ceilings rose, forming the different districts and complexes. The path they travelled on also suddenly turned to paved white-stone while at set intervals on the side rose candle-lit lanterns held up by a silver post of metal. Raven just now noticed that the game¡¯s time was nearing later in the evening. The thick forest¡¯s canopy had made it difficult to tell. As they threaded this paved path, Tiana continued to explain ¡°Where was I? Right Delve levels. We don¡¯t know exactly how many levels there are to the Delve, so far we¡¯ve only reached the fourth level if I¡¯m being honest¡­And the developers tease many more below.¡± ¡°Only the fourth?¡± Raven asked in surprise, the game had been out for twelve years already¡­ ¡°Well¡­we¡¯ve got a fair excuse for that.¡± Tiana chuckled awkwardly ¡°You see to even enter a Boss corridor, you need a minimum of thirty players and a certain amount of Power Fragments to make the door open. And the requirement of Fragments increases every level lower you go. As for obtaining Fragments¡­you need to defeat a certain amount of monsters within each floor of that level for that level¡¯s roaming boss to spawn. You gain Fragments from defeating that roaming boss.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m guessing guilds pay a pretty penny for these Fragments?¡± Raven quickly added. ¡°Righto, since defeating Corridor Bosses grants not only a hefty amount of unique crafting resources but also unique gear. Different for each boss.¡± Tiana continued ¡°But it doesn¡¯t end there. You see once a boss is defeated, the door from which the victor guild came from remains open for an entire week. At the same time the opposite door is locked and cannot be opened for an entire week.¡± ¡°Victor?¡± Raven caught on to her wording. ¡°Mhm¡° Tiana hummed in what sounded like delight ¡±Boss fights aren¡¯t just a PVE event but a PVX event. Opposing guilds from neighbouring cities will try to match time and fight us off while we raid the boss, trying to take it for their own.¡± ¡°Why? Can¡¯t they just use a different corridor?¡± Discordia asked in confusion. ¡°Because then they¡¯d just be picking a different guild to fight off against.¡± Raven was the one to answer, glancing over at Tiana for confirmation. ¡°Exactly, and everybody wants control over unique loot in this game. So helping each other out is also out of the question.¡± She said whilst shrugging ¡°An-¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take it from here.¡± Suddenly spoke a harsh male voice from ahead of them, players and NPCs that had been walking about them suddenly cleared out of the way. Revealing two human warriors wearing what Raven visually identified as high tier equipment. He immediately realised the problem after glancing at Tiana and their player info.
{SNEKK} Tiana [Level 72] (Mentor)
{Cerberus} Thane [Level 76] (Mentor)
{Cerberus} Ceres [Level 74] (Mentor)
These two were of the guild that owned Staghelm, and Tiana was an opposing guildmember. ¡°Ah, guess this is as far as I go.¡± Tiana chuckled evilly as she stepped back with arms raised. The female player, Ceres snorted at her in annoyance ¡°You¡¯re supposed to wait for us at the damn gate.¡± Tiana chuckled some more ¡°I am?...¡± before suddenly disappearing completely. Ceres made a sound that resembled the combination of a scream and frustrated growl¡­before also disappearing. Thane simply sighed ¡°Not again¡­¡± Discordia was glancing between him and Raven, seemingly expecting an explanation. ¡°Competition.¡± Raven said simply, chuckling at this scene. ¡°Yeah¡­Raven and Discordia? Heh, follow me.¡± Thane, the full-plate armour wearing warrior told them ¡°She¡­¡± he sighed in frustration ¡°They, always try to pull this shit.¡± ¡°Sounds like a pain.¡± Raven snorted in amusement. ¡°Oh it is, usually we¡¯d kill em before they even got sight of the gate but¡­Gah rules are rules.¡± Thane scratched his helmet in frustration. ¡°Oh¡­Oohhh¡± Discordia seemingly realised what had just happened ¡°Why weren¡¯t you watching the gate then?¡± ¡°Which one of the six?¡± Thane asked her back ¡°We were trust me, she just took a different gate than we planned for¡­¡± ¡°Wait, why did she even bolt then?¡± Discordia then asked, telling them both she hadn¡¯t realised the entire problem yet. ¡°Because,¡± Raven began patiently ¡°she wants a peak at this town¡¯s Fragment progress.¡± ¡°Yeap, got a smart one here.¡± Thane chuckled, seemingly in relief ¡°And that she¡¯d lose all the experience she¡¯s gained since levelling up her Specs if we killed her.¡± ¡°Damn, that harsh?¡± Raven asked ¡°Player kills only or?¡± ¡°Environmental too. Died to a mob or fall damage? Still the same penalty I¡¯m afraid.¡± Thane waved him off, seemingly bothered by the prospect himself ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m Thane of Cerberus. Well you hopefully know that already¡­¡± he glanced over at Discordia briefly ¡°Do me a favour, open your menu real quick¡­¡± he suddenly asked her. ¡°Uhm¡­sure?¡± Discordia complied, albeit gone unseen by the rest. ¡°Alright just making sure¡­we had people like that once before¡­¡± Thane smiled apologetically before continuing onwards, Discordia just seemed more confused that before. ¡°Anywa-¡± Suddenly from around the corner ahead an explosion of spoke filled the street, followed by a massive wave of water over which Tiana was riding as her Harpy flew behind her. Further behind by a brief moment was Ceres, leaping from building to building while taking shots with her long rifle. Electricity surging out with each shot fired. ¡°Get back here!¡± Ceres shouted out while taking a shot at Tiana¡¯s harpy, who simply took the charge of electricity, screeching in pain momentarily before going back to following her master like nothing had happened. ¡°Sorry hun but I got a train to catch!¡± Tiana teased as her wave picked up speed. Thane, Raven, Discordia and many other players looked down the street after them, some amused others utterly confused. Raven turned to Thane ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you¡­be helping?¡± Thane shrugged ¡°Easier to get inside that it is to get out, the other available members will join in on hunting her in a bit and probably chase her around the city for a while until she runs out of mana. As long as she isn¡¯t allowed inside the Delve, she can¡¯t see shit.¡± He then gestured up ahead ¡°And I don¡¯t think she¡¯s getting anywhere near that.¡± Thane was pointing at a large circular building up ahead where dozens of armed human guards were watching the fight attentively while also keeping caution at their surroundings. As they approached Raven glanced at the words above their heads.
{Cerberus} Delve Guard [Level 60] (NPC)
Raven whistled at the security, all high-level guards. And NPCs for that, so they didn¡¯t take any breaks and if they did they had a perfect shift. ¡°I see your point.¡± ¡°She could technically rush through them but I doubt that mage has the skill set to do th-¡± Thane began explaining, when suddenly a rushing shadow shot past them ¡°You think too lightly of me hun.¡± Tiana whispered as she shot past them, riding in the back of her Harpy as the large winged beast came out of it¡¯s dive bomb and flew forwards at great speed. Thane sighed once more ¡°Fool, you won¡¯t make it an inch past them¡­¡± Raven still watched attentively, as the Harpy reached within combat range of the two dozen NPCs. Each one held their hands forwards as weapons of every kind appeared within her hold, each one turning to face the incoming hostile. Tiana grinned as she held onto her Harpy with one hand, chanting into her staff which she held in the other ¡°Twist and turn, form out of the blue and reap. Chaos tendrils!¡± She waved her staff forwards and a jungle of violet glowing roots burst outwards, blacking out the sky for the NPCs. ¡°She might actually make it you kn-¡± Raven commented before Thane cut him off. ¡°Nope, not a chance.¡± Thane quickly added as he also watched in amusement. Suddenly long slashes of light tore through the roots, tearing the summoned magic apart. Tiana¡¯s Harpy swerved to evade the blades of magic and flew through the torn roots, aiming for the Delve entrance ahead. Before being forced to parry with its claws as two swordsmen leapt up at them, slashing their two-handed blades upwards. Tiana pulled herself over the Harpy and leapt off as it faced against the warriors, putting her staff beneath her she quickly chanted ¡°Witch¡¯s Broom!¡± The back end of her staff exploded outwards with violet energy, propelling her forwards and closer to the entrance. She evaded projectiles of sparkling energy before a third warrior suddenly appeared before her, this one wielding a large shield and mace. Tiana cringed and closed her eyes, as the warrior slammed his shield into her body throwing her off her staff. Tiana flew backwards, towards one ranger NPC holding up a large crossbow with two hands and aimed directly at her back. She tried to aim her arms back and chant ¡°Chaos Bar-¡± but the ranger was faster ¡°Lightbolt¡± he chanted and out of his crossbow shot out an undiscernibly fast bolt of light which pierced through Tiana¡¯s right shoulder. Blood and flesh splattered around her as the bolt tore through her skin and shattered her bones, severing her right arm entirely off her body. She spun about from the force of contact while mid-air, hitting the ground beneath hard with a splatter of blood and face down. But Tiana wasn¡¯t through yet, pulling herself up as she cringed through the slight and passing pain of having her arm blasted off. ¡°Haha¡­¡± she chuckled while quickly opening her inventory and pulling out a second less impressive looking staff, holding it with one hand she chanted ¡°Chaos Convergence.¡± The two warriors who had engaged her Harpy had redirected themselves after Tiana, ignoring the companion and focusing on the player. So she was surrounded as her staff shone a bright violet, and her Harpy was left undeterred as it dove down into the Delve entrance. Thane¡¯s eyes widened with understanding as a spear appeared in his hands ¡°Wind Rush!¡± he quickly chanted and both Raven and Discordia were thrown back as he suddenly blasted forwards with great force. But it was too late, Tiana had already gathered her spell ¡°Chaos Switch¡± she chanted right as several bolts of energy following after Thane¡¯s held ahead spear rushed towards her. Each one colliding at once, exploding into a screen of magical smoke. Raven pulled himself up from the ground, holding onto the back of his head with one hand as he rubbed the pain from being abruptly thrown back and to the floor. He immediately looked onto the scene, as the smoke cleared out revealing a battered, beaten and stabbed through Harpy wearing a maid¡¯s outfit. Thane pulled his decorated metal spear out of the winged beast, sending blood spurting out of the wound. ¡°Damn she¡­¡± he grimaced in annoyance while looking at the Harpy, as its body began to very slowly dissipate into sparks of violet light. Ch 4 - Den of wolves Thane stared at the Harpy dumb-founded ¡°She¡­¡± ¡°She got through.¡± Raven mused as he dusted himself off while approaching the warrior ¡°So Mentor¡­are you free to answer some questions now or?¡± Thane looked back at him with raised brows ¡°Ugh¡­What?¡± Raven pointed at the still dissipating Harpy ¡°She had explained up to why guilds do not co-operate when it comes to Delves. But I have a question about the corridors, by staying open for an entire week. Does that mean you only get a week before the door closes? And what happens when it does?¡± Thane rolled his eyes ¡°Gah¡­too late to whine about it I guess.¡± He mumbled while glancing over at the Delve entrance before turning back to Raven ¡°Yes we only get a week below D1, that is what levels are called by the by. And once the door between D1 and D2 closes, nobody else is allowed through that corridor for an entire week. After which the corridor needs to be conquered once more. Anybody left beneath D1 can stay there, but will have to warp out since the door is locked.¡± ¡°Hm¡­interesting. How high a level does D1 take you up to without having to deal with massive experience loss due to level difference between player and mob?¡± Raven then asked. Thane glanced over at the Delve entrance seemingly in thought ¡°Ah¡­I think D1 mobs cap out at 20? So you¡¯re seeing 20 levels in total. Divided between your three Specs.¡± ¡°Hm, and what about D2 then?¡± Raven asked as the math flowed through his head. ¡°For each Delve level the monster level-cap increases by 20.¡± Thane quickly explained ¡°So D2 is 40, D3 is 60 and so on.¡± Raven raised a brow at that number ¡°That much? Doesn¡¯t that mean monsters cap out entirely at D5?¡± ¡°No, monsters as far as we know do not have a level cap like us players. We cap out at 90, who by the way there has only been five players to ever reach cap.¡± said Thane. ¡°Just five? Seriously?¡± Discordia asked, having finally pulled herself together and joined them. ¡°Yeap, just five.¡± Said Ceres as she suddenly appeared next to them, covered from head to toe in frost and shivering whilst hugging herself. ¡°The hell happened to you?¡± asked Thane as he looked her up and down. ¡°D-Don¡¯t wanna talk about it¡­¡± she sent him a brief glare before turning to the two newbies ¡°Anyway, l-leveling in this game isn¡¯t as easy as you think it is. Between level 1 and 20 of any Spec it¡¯s fairly normal but once you hit 20, things get complicated. Since you only gain experience points for monsters of the same total level as you or higher.¡± ¡°So you gain no experience what so ever for monsters beneath your level?¡± Raven asked in surprise, he had played several MMORPGs before and that was new to even him. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Responded Thane as he poked Ceres¡¯s frozen rifle in amusement ¡°That means you need to find an open corridor down into D2 to level from 20 onwards and then a corridor down into D3 to level from 40 and onwards.¡± Now it made sense to Raven, this meant that there was a window for players to level further and once that window closed they¡¯d have to look for another one also limited window. Something lit up within Raven, an urge, an excitement he hadn¡¯t felt in so long. A passion he had left behind years ago, to find a place in the world. But the world has spat him back out. He wasn¡¯t irritated by it though, no Raven was grateful. Because albeit all the dreadful days he¡¯s had to go through these past two years, he felt changed. Raven felt matured, he felt like he could do anything if he tried. And right now, this game¡­was what he wanted to bet on. ¡°Oh but before you yodel over into the Delve, I highly suggest checking out the combat-training field and then checking in with the main quest NPC.¡± said Ceres, pulling him out of his thoughts. ¡°Quest? Right¡­¡± Raven remembered Quests¡­mainly the more irritating ones. ¡°How good¡­experience do quests give in this game?¡± Thane and Ceres glanced at each other briefly before chuckling ¡°Quests in COTD don¡¯t give experience points.¡° Thane began explaining ¡± Only item rewards. The main questline will get you your basic equipment and the side quests are all about crafting. What you really should look into are Delve Quests.¡± ¡°Delve Quests?¡± Discordia repeated, she seemed to be taking notes again. ¡°Yup, Delve Quests are the core quest lines after the main quest¡¯s completion.¡± Ceres was explaining now ¡°They¡¯re mostly story but they are very important themselves. Through them you¡¯ll unlock different weapon skills and learn new spells. Which make up about half your skill/spell book progression.¡± ¡°Learning skills through¡­quests?¡± Raven was getting slightly confused himself now, he hadn¡¯t ever heard of such a thing either. ¡°Aren¡¯t the devs getting a tad bit ahead of themselves? That¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking right now aren¡¯t you?¡± said Thane with a grin as he noticed Raven¡¯s expression ¡°Trust us, give it a try for a few days then you tell us what you think then. Anyway unless you have any more questions¡­¡± he glanced at Discordia ¡°You¡¯ll find the combat-training area that way and the main quest start over at the castle.¡± He gave them directions to both places before both him and Ceres said their goodbyes, leaving the two newbies alone. Raven watched the two players walk off, heading into the Delve entrance themselves. A large circular building of stone with a wide open cave-entrance like doorway. ¡°So-Uh-Uhm¡­¡± Discordia tried to get Raven¡¯s attention as he watched after the two Mentors take their leave. He glanced back ¡°I¡¯ll be checking the combat-training area first then.¡± He noticed her eyes widen seemingly pleading. Raven wasn¡¯t the type to help others unless it benefited him, he knew she¡¯d slow him down but on the other hand (¡°Nothing wrong with gathering a couple meat-shields¡­¡±) ¡°Want to come along? Maybe we¡¯ll find others to party with before going down below.¡± Discordia¡¯s eyes lit up as she nodded ¡°Y-yeah!¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Raven opened his Party window, a simple box with six slots including his name and level at the very top and three buttons below. Invite player, Party options and a greyed out Leave party. Raven pressed Invite player, he didn¡¯t need to actually press it as thinking of the option alone would activate it but he hadn¡¯t gotten used to that system yet. It was fairly new after all. A new smaller window opened for him, a list of nearby players sorted by closest distance first. He immediately found DiscordiaX at the very top and pressed the Invite button next to it. ¡°So..Uh, shouldn¡¯t we go for the main quest first? You know¡­to get our equipment?¡± She asked after accepting the party invite, followed by a notification appearing at the bottom right of Raven¡¯s UI. The chatbox becoming visible with it too (¡°Ah, that¡¯s what I forgot to ask about! The chat!¡±) Raven realised he forgot to ask about the chatbox.
DiscordiaX has joined your party!
¡°What if we¡¯re not sure what kind of equipment we want to use yet? What if the combat-training area has weapons available for us to test around with?¡± Raven offered as he turned to follow Thane¡¯s directions ¡°I doubt the Quest will give us the option to take the rewards at a different time.¡± He said simply, gesturing for her to follow before setting off down the street. ¡°Ah¡­good point.¡± Discordia walked beside him, keeping a few feet of distance between them as she had the entire journey. ¡°So thought of what guild to join yet?¡± Raven asked her as they walked. ¡°Hm? I-I don¡¯t really know yet¡­I mean, Tiana¡¯s guild seems to be the best option for me. Owning the Mer city and all¡­¡± Discordia responded, mumbling the last part. ¡°It is? Hm¡± Raven asked with an amused hum before he froze in place ¡°Sh-Hah¡­¡± he held his own face in sudden frustration. ¡°What? What is it?¡± Discordia asked in confusion. ¡°They didn¡¯t tell us what the differences between each race stat and skill wise are¡­¡± Raven said before making a long sigh. ¡°Ah¡­Maybe they forgot?¡± She offered with an awkward smile. ¡°Thane and Ceres probably thought we already knew¡­As for Tiana¡­¡± Raven then realised something, she hadn¡¯t forgotten¡­This was on purpose. And it amused the hell out of him, as a chuckle escaped his lips muffled by his lowering hand whilst he glanced at the players around him. ¡°Uh-uhm¡­Are you¡­okay?¡± Discordia had taken a step away from him. ¡°Everything they explained to us, we could have figured out one way or another in the long run¡­¡± Raven began to explain in a low voice as he looked around them, seeming searching for something ¡°All but one thing we cannot figure out on our own¡­¡± and he found it, seeing the well geared player pass them by he slightly stepped in the mage¡¯s way. ¡°Hm? What do you want?¡± the human mage asked. ¡°Excuse me, we¡¯re new and our Mentor seems to have forgotten to tell us about the differences between races when it comes to stats and skills. Could you-¡± Raven began to ask, but the player simply chuckled and stepped around him. Ignoring him completely as he walked away. ¡°Why did he¡­¡± Discordia began to ask, but was unsure as what to even ask. ¡°Because, it probably sets us back the most. And might mess us up later on.¡± Raven explained as he continued to look around ¡°Hah¡­So much for community.¡± He realised this wasn¡¯t just like any other game. Not just cause of the system, no COTD was different because of its player base. ¡°Wolves¡­¡± Raven mumbled out ¡°Wolves every single one of them.¡± He was grinning wildly beneath his hand, fading away as he lowered it and turned to Discordia ¡°Information is a weapon, and I¡¯m guessing it is information we won¡¯t get unless we join a guild. With the tutorial they somewhat appease us, they get control of us. By keeping this from us though, they set us back so they stay ahead. And they teach us in small groups so we¡¯re easy to handle.¡± He was whispering now, seemingly contemplating out loud. ¡°No way...I-I¡¯m sure someone would¡­¡± Discordia began to say. But Raven cut her off by placing his hand over her mouth ¡°No point, they¡¯re all in on it. Just look at them glancing this way, smirking.¡± He whispered, looking around himself he noticed the many gazes glancing over them both. Discordia seemed to be panicking now ¡°W-what do we do then?¡± Raven sighed ¡°Join a guild.¡± ¡°But¡­we¡¯re fresh spawns.¡± Discordia added. His grin returned ¡°Exactly, who would accept us? And¡­Hah! I¡¯m guessing there aren¡¯t many options for guilds in this game¡­Between the finite amount of cities and this¡­With this they also limit how much the player base is divided. Gaining the main guilds, the ones with the city and the information¡­more members.¡± ¡°What so...we just swallow it and deal with it until we reach a level some guild will accept us?¡± Discordia asked seemingly horrified. ¡°W-What about the web? Surely someone made a video or a post about this!¡± ¡°Maybe¡­worth a check but¡­What would be the point of all this if someone did and it was easily accessible?¡± countered Raven as he willed open the VR-Dive station¡¯s menu, a list of options and next to it a box full of shortcuts taking to several mods he had installed into his machine. One of them being a web browser. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Discordia¡¯s expression was at its palest as Raven glanced away from his browser, seeing that he quickly made his search finding out exactly what he was afraid of. ¡°It¡¯s all¡­¡± Raven chuckled ¡°Information inflation.¡± He said, while reading through the several hundreds of posts and scrolling through the videos of information on the subject. Very little of them agreed though, each post giving different information. Each video, as legitimate as it might have sounded also did the same. ¡°You cannot hide information from the web. Not if it¡¯s out in the open like most of it is¡­what you can do though¡­¡± Raven closed his browser and sighed ¡°Fake news¡­God damnit.¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± Discordia said as she glanced around. ¡°They¡¯re hiding the real information by inflating the results with spam and bullshit, while making it look just as real and legitimate.¡± Raven explained ¡°This way we won¡¯t know what the hell is real. I have to admit, they¡¯ve got us good.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s it then?...¡± Discordia asked nobody in particular, while staring off down the street ¡°What¡­what the hell is wrong with people?¡± Raven snorted in amusement, gaining himself a glare by her ¡°What is wrong? What did you think this game was? Some innocent social MMO? The rules were obvious enough, this is a wolf den. It¡¯s the fucking jungle, eat or get eaten.¡± He glanced over at her, meeting her glare undisturbed ¡°I suggest you ask for a refund, if you cannot deal with this much. Even I knew before I pressed download.¡± He turned away to look down the street, at the players passing by, armed and ready for war be it blade or magic (¡°This is a business where people play and get paid.¡±) he smiled coldly, this was the fantasy MMO of wall street. ¡°Sh-Should I really?...¡± Discordia asked, seemingly contemplating his suggestion. ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad, most of the players that started out with us back there probably haven¡¯t figured it out yet. And when they do, most of them will probably quit too.¡± Raven assured her. ¡°But¡­isn¡¯t this bad for sales? Isn¡¯t it bad for the game in general?¡± Discordia asked, disbelief in her tone. ¡°In a way,¡± He shrugged ¡±Dedicated players are important, whales as we call them but its the casual that brings it all in. Which makes me wonder...how does this game keep itself afloat?¡± Raven glanced over at her, seeing her distraught expression ¡°Don¡¯t worry over it, not everyone¡¯s a wolf.¡± (¡°Some are just sheep, sheep that can make anything comfortable with little effort though.¡±) he thought while glancing away (¡°But wolves¡­wolves cannot control the urge.¡±) his cold smile returned, unseen by the Mer. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± she took a deep breath ¡°Guess this is it for me, this¡­this just isn¡¯t for me.¡± She chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Knowing where to call it quits is something to be proud of.¡± Raven told her without looking back ¡°I hope you find what you¡¯re looking for.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­thanks, Raven. Guess I, won¡¯t really be seeing you around.¡± She chuckled again ¡°Well, Uhm-goodbye.¡± ¡°Farewell.¡± Said Raven before she logged off, her character dissipating into sparks of green energy.
DiscordiaX has left the party!
Raven stood there briefly, his eyes narrowing as he glanced down at his own hand (¡°Knowing when it¡¯s time to call it quits is something to be proud of¡­so what is it when you don¡¯t?¡±) he asked himself, before looking up and continuing down the street. Alone. Ch 5 - Weapons and Shadows Raven arrived at the combat-training area, an open field fenced out from the rest of town full of players hacking away at what looked like humanoids made of mud. (¡°Golems.¡±) Raven mused as he approached the fence entrance where a small hut of stone lay to one side. Looking around Raven realized something¡­none of the players or Mentors he had seen at Oceangate were here. He hadn¡¯t seen them in the streets albeit how bustling they were and neither here at the training area¡­(¡°They weren¡¯t so far ahead¡­¡±) He found this a bit odd but didn¡¯t think much of it, it was a big city after all. He walked over to the small building beside the entrance, glancing inside he found a small store of sorts lay within. At the far end was the counter on a long wooden table while the rest was either shelves or stands with every kind of armor and weaponry you¡¯d find in a fantasy world. Dozens of kinds of shields, several more kinds of swords and so much more. It was a beginner¡¯s armory. ¡°Yo, you new here?¡± Asked the shopkeeper, a male Elf with short blonde hair and crimson eyes.
{Cerberus} 1ns4n3 [Level 58] (Mentor)
¡°Yeah, just walked into town really.¡± Raven responded as he glanced over some less than common weaponry, bladed claws, scythes and shuriken among them. ¡°Ah, welcome welcome. Feel free to try out any weapon outback on the dummies. Break one no matter, but break two you pay. Aight?¡± the Mentor explained. ¡°Gotcha.¡± Raven mumbled out as he passed by a massive two-handed sword, before finding himself staring in confusing at a pair of bladed boots (¡°That can¡¯t be practical¡­right?¡±) ¡°Amazing right?¡± Insane suddenly said seeing his expression of confusion. ¡°Yeah¡­How many mastery types are there?¡± Raven asked as he looked away from the strange weaponry. ¡°Type? Nah, Weapon mastery categories are set. It¡¯s the crafting system that¡¯s amazing.¡± Insane explained ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s practical or not, the system accepts it and categorizes it. If you create something new, you gain a blueprint that you can sell to others. It¡¯s really a piece of art.¡± Raven¡¯s eyes widened ¡°Seriously? Anything?¡± ¡°Yeup, for example.¡± He gestured at a gun rack ¡°Rifles, pistols and such didn¡¯t exist on launch. Five years ago a guy put together some resources with blacksmithing, chemistry and woodworking¡­And there you go.¡± ¡°I wonder how the system calculates damage values per weapon then¡­¡± Raven mumbled to himself while glancing over the different side-arms, there was even a gunblade! ¡°Who knows? Hell the devs do but they sure don¡¯t tell us that shit.¡± Insane chuckled as he leaned over the desk ¡°So looking for anything specific?¡± ¡°Not really¡­have suggestions?¡± Raven asked with a pleading smile. ¡°Hm¡­Well depends what your fighting style is, quick melee, silent melee, defensive melee, heavy ranged or quick ranged.¡± Insane thoughtfully responded. ¡°Fighting style¡­¡± Raven hadn¡¯t thought that over yet, every time he had played an MMORPG he¡¯d usually do it with a group of friends and picked depending on what they needed in the party¡­Now he was alone and was free to choose whichever. (¡°I did play shooters a lot more though¡­¡±) he thought while eyeing the gunblade. He then noticed something while looking around ¡°Where are the bows?¡± he asked, turning to the counter. ¡°Bows? Ah¡­¡± Insane gestured at the wall to his left, Raven had to step closer to the counter to even see them nailed to it ¡°Nobody really uses bows anymore, sure they deal more damage per shot than a pistol and fire faster than a rifle but¡­They¡¯re way too damn hard to use.¡± ¡°How exactly does a bow deal more damage than a pistol?¡± Raven asked in disbelief. ¡°Hm¡­Well we call them guns but honestly, they¡¯re not that effective. The accuracy on them is¡­usable at best and the rifles take too long to reload. Most rangers use crossbows at higher level.¡± The Mentor admitted. ¡°What¡¯s the difference between a bow and a crossbow?¡± Raven asked ¡°Other than how they look of course.¡± ¡°Crossbow fires much faster due to the repeating mechanism, easy to use and aim too. The problem with them is that reloading them takes a while and leaves you completely open to attack, so they are only really used in sieges or boss fights.¡± Insane explained whilst pointing at a large crossbow behind him ¡°They¡¯re fairly heavy too. Bows on the other hand are much lighter, shorter reload and cheaper to upkeep ammunition or repair. Thing is this game has no aim-assist so aiming the damn thing is up to the player.¡± (¡°Theory is good and all but¡­¡±) ¡°Can I take them both out for a test drive?¡± he asked the Mentor. ¡°Sure¡­¡± Insane responded with a raised brow, turning around he grabbed the clunky looking crossbow and a leather pack then moved over to grab the bow and quiver. ¡°Well here you go, try not to shoot anyone out there.¡± He told him with a smirk. Raven took the bow and quiver first, putting them both over one shoulder then accepted the big crossbow and pack of bolts from him ¡°I¡¯ll¡­try not to.¡± (¡°He thinks I¡¯m going to fail utterly.¡±) Raven noted from his expression. He heaved the crossbow with both hands, it was quite heavy as expected from the size. Turning around Raven walked out of the store, turning to the left he watched briefly the dozens of players hacking away at evasive golems of mud and earth. ¡°See, no bows or crossbows. Hell nobody¡¯s using anything ranged really.¡± Insane chuckled, having followed him out of the small building. ¡°Hm.¡± Raven hummed thoughtfully before entering the field, it was large enough to hold three times the amount of players currently inside as several golems were going unused. Carefully he lay the bow and quiver on the ground, then strapped the leather pack of bolt-magazines to his belt. Glancing around he noticed several players turning to watch him, seemingly interested in the only ranged wielding player around. Or more so waiting to watch him fail. (¡°Can¡¯t be that bad right?...¡±) Raven inwardly hoped, as he took aim with the already loaded crossbow. It only had a wooden sight so aiming it wasn¡¯t going to be easy, he had to first know it¡¯s firerate, projectile speed and projectile drop. So by just aiming in the general direction of a golem, he pressed the trigger back. Three bolts quickly fired out of the crossbow, the string being pulled back immediately after the first shot as a bolt was pulled upward and into position before firing again. There was about a second and a half in between each shot. The first one missed completely but Raven immediately adjusted, the second one almost hitting if it wasn¡¯t for the golem evading to the side. The third hit, sinking itself into the golem¡¯s left bicep. Insane whistled from behind him ¡°Damn not bad. Not bad at all, took the last guy two pouches before he got a hit. Probably would take me two as well!¡± he seemed actually impressed. But Raven was mostly ignoring him, focusing on the weapon at hand. This always happened to him, he got stuck on the details¡­fascinated by the mechanics behind the game. He took aim again, calmly pulled the trigger as three more bolts fired out in quick succession. He missed the first, the second burst through what would have been the ear and the third embedded itself into the golem¡¯s cheek. (¡°Acceptable fire-rate for the power it has behind it¡­accuracy can be dealt with.¡±) he mentally noted.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Ah you¡¯re out, might wanna switch box.¡± Insane pointed out while gesturing at the bolt-pack. ¡°Only 6 shots¡­¡± Raven mumbled to himself while turning the heavy crossbow over, he studied the box that held the six bolts closely. It was locked into place with what looked like wooden clips with a metal hook entering holes on the box¡¯s sides. He had to pull back each of the four clips before he could pull out the box itself, throwing it aside he opened the pack on his side and pulled out a fresh one. Raven pushed the box into place, then switched the clips back onto it. (¡°If I was being quick¡­four? Five seconds?¡±) he guessed the fastest amount of time that would take him to reload and re-acquire aim. He sighed, it was took long. Four seconds was too long during combat, with the speed he saw Ceres and Tiana teleport and the power behind Thane¡¯s charge¡­ (¡°No wonder they are only used during sieges, with someone to cover for them.¡±) He put the crossbow down and picked up the bow then strapped the quiver to the back of his belt, at waist height. Raven studied the bow, it wasn¡¯t anything special. Just a long bow, a long carved piece of durable, flexible bent wood with a string tied from tip to tip. He pulled an arrow out from the quiver, it was mostly wooden unlike the iron crossbow-bolts. While having a thicker tip it was still probably lighter. Over all he barely felt the bow in his hands compared to the heavy crossbow. Raven nocked the arrow, drew it back and took aim. The string was more resistant than he expected, but what surprised him more was that he was sure he was holding it correctly¡­(¡°The system?¡±) he guessed, having dealt with system interference on weapon management before. It was slight, unnoticeable if you didn¡¯t think about it. Most combat was system assisted, as nobody was actually trained to use this weaponry. But if one went with the flow of the system, they¡¯d most certainly lose against someone willing their moves instead. Skill was still very much a factor. Raven tried to calculate the arrow¡¯s trajectory, then released the arrow. It shot forth, bending as it left the bow. He watched it fly forwards, shooting past the golem without it even needing to evade this time around. He had missed completely. ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad mate, I¡¯ve only ever seen one player land a shot and she worked the bow IRL so.¡± Insane tried to assure him ¡°And she¡¯s one of the top players in-game! I do think you should give the pistols a try though¡­Actually wait here.¡± He turned about and ran towards his store. This went unnoticed by Raven, as he was too busy recalculating the projectile¡¯s trajectory. Taking into account it¡¯s strange flight pattern and angle of drop. He never knew an arrow moved like that while in-flight¡­ By the time Insane had stepped out of the building with a pistol, a rifle and a box of ammunition¡­Raven had nocked and re-drew his bow. He took a deep breath, his heart-beat slowing down as he relaxed and focused. Raven released the arrow, and it flew true. Digging itself into the golem¡¯s forehead. ¡°Oohh!! Shit!!¡± a crowd had gathered around him by then, new players and a couple well-geared ones. Watching him after some had seen him hit with the crossbow although having failed themselves, gathering around him right after to see more. ¡°Here give these-¡± Insane began to say when Raven landed his headshot. ¡°Holy shit you actually¡­¡± he glanced between the golem and Raven ¡°What are you?¡±. Raven pulled out another arrow ¡°Rusty.¡± He responded simply before chuckling, refocusing right after as he nocked then drew. Immediately Raven loosed the arrow, and sure enough it splattered mud while piercing the golem¡¯s chest. Raven smiled approvingly, months worth of military simulator playtime hadn¡¯t gone forgotten. ¡°Fuck me, I couldn¡¯t land that for a million credits!¡± Insane laughed with disbelief, as Raven put down the bow, quiver and bolt-pack. Turning around he took the rifle from the still dumbfounded Mentor, as he snapped out of his daze and handed him the ammunition pack ¡°Ah! Right give these a try, should be better than that ancient thing!¡± Raven studied the rifle, having played enough shooters to know exactly after which ancient gun it was designed. ¡°m189¡­5? Winchester Lee huh, straight-pull?¡± saying he was a gun nut was an understatement. ¡°A what now?¡± Insane asked as he looked at the mumbling Raven as if he was insane. ¡°Ah¡­nothing. How the hell did they implement this into the game¡¯s crafting?¡± Raven asked, changing the subject. ¡°The crafting is a highly advanced system, almost realistic honestly.¡± Began another player entirely from the small crowd, a female Dwarf with short dyed green hair ¡°There is system crafting which takes you to a blueprint list and then to a loading screen once selected, or the less used manual crafting. Where you actually piece everything together yourself.¡±
{FORGE} Ethel [Level 43]
¡°In short.¡± Continued Insane ¡°A lot of god damn work. The creator uploaded a video on his channel if you¡¯re interested.¡± ¡°Hm, maybe later.¡± Almost automatically, Raven took aim and fired. What occurred, was exactly what he expected. He easily headshot the golem, the kick was there but manageable and the weapon¡¯s accuracy was beautiful. The problem came around when he went to reload, somewhere the system did not assist. Thankfully he knew how to reload the gun, pulling back the small handle to its right and emptying the chamber. He emptied the remaining four rounds¡­and as he feared the real problem arrived. He had to refill the gun¡¯s ammunition, he quickly opened the pack of bullets that he had replaced the bolt-pack with and opened the gun through the top. Raven as quickly as he could entered the bullets into the gun¡­because they didn¡¯t come with a magazine attachment to hold them together as he knew the gun normally had. This took him¡­counting the time he messed up and dropped a bullet, 6 seconds. (¡°4 if I didn¡¯t mess up¡­¡±) He sighed, it had less magazine size than a repeater crossbow but much stronger firepower. Almost the same reload time though. It was lighter for sure but he also had to take into account the kick behind it which would throw off his aim somewhat after each shot decreasing the fire rate alongside it. ¡°Damn, you hit every shot. What did you do before COTD?¡± Insane asked as he eyed the now arrow and hole ridden golem. ¡°Arma VR Reborn. A world war two military simulator.¡± Raven replied as he put down the rifle and took the pistol from Insane¡¯s now still hand, the Mentor handing him a new pack of ammunition with the weapon. He unstrapped the rifle¡¯s ammo pack and replaced it with the pistol¡¯s, he then fully absorbed the strange weapon he was now handling. It took him a moment of looking it over before he recognized it¡¯s design ¡°Colt Python, .357 magnum?¡± A 7-shooter revolver he noted while carefully handling the handgun with both hands. Raven took aim two handed, immediately after beginning to pull the trigger. One after the other he fired all seven shots, and all seven hit their mark¡­on the golem behind the one he was using before. (¡°Hah¡­works like a charm.¡±) He thought, the weapon was simply so well made. Then he got to the reloading¡­easier than the rifle but with two more bullets to load into the gun before closing it up and being ready to shoot once more. ¡°Is there a skill or something to reload faster?...Like does cast time effect?¡± Raven hopefully asked. ¡°Nope, what you see is what you got. I see what you mean though, it¡¯s why most players don¡¯t go physical ranged outside of co-ordinated battles.¡± answered Insane. Raven sighed once more, he really liked the Python but from what he saw on the golem the crossbow bolts and arrows pierced just as well with less reload time. And with his dexterity with ranged weaponry, accuracy was the last factor he needed to account for. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when something is created inside a game that it wasn¡¯t meant for, hell you should have seen the shuriken physics the first time someone tried them after they were player-created¡­¡± Ethel joked. (¡°Right¡­rifles and pistols where never intended to be part of the game. Attack speed on Agility will probably affect bow and crossbow but something like a Colt Python?¡±) He handed the handgun back to Insane, picked up the bow and then restrapped the quiver. ¡°You actually going for the bow?¡± the Mentor asked in surprise, but Raven was busy focusing. He glanced around, mentally marking the position of five untouched targets as he pulled an arrow out in between each of his right hand¡¯s fingers. He nocked the first one, drew and quickly took aim. Raven released, nocked, drew and took aim four times in quick succession before pulling out the last arrow and doing the same with that. Within the time it would have taken him to reload any of the other three weapons he let loose five arrows and hit his mark with each one. (¡°If I hadn¡¯t run out of arrows¡­¡±) He thought while fingering the empty quiver behind his waistline, glancing around he noticed the small crowd around him had begun clapping in amusement. Entertained by the show. ¡°Okay yeah, you should definitely go for the bow.¡± Insane added, as he shook his head in disbelief. ¡°You said the only other ranger you know that uses a bow is a top player, right?¡± Raven suddenly asked, ignoring the crowd around him. ¡°Y-yeah, she¡¯s very obvious about it too. Her IGN¡¯s BowlassJade.¡± Insane responded, awkwarded out by his calm and solemn tone. ¡°Ah don¡¯t even think about it newbie, she¡¯s part of the top Elven only guild Alfheim. They ain¡¯t letting you in.¡± said Ethel. Raven smiled ¡°And I¡¯m not looking to join.¡± He handed Insane the bow and quiver, followed by the rest of the weapons and ammunition packs. Loading up the poor Elf. ¡°It¡¯s just good to know the competition.¡± Raven added before walking off much to everyone¡¯s dismay. Raven stepped out of the combat-training field, his mind made up on the bow as he made his way through the city¡¯s streets and towards the looming castle. As midnight hit around him, the full moon laying large and bright above (¡°Now¡­for the main quest line.¡±).
Two shadows stalked the city¡¯s rooftops, watching the new player ace every shot with his bow. ¡°Keep an eye on him.¡± Said one shadow. ¡°He¡¯s good with the bow, what about it? He¡¯s still new.¡± Said the second shadow. ¡°Her orders...and I¡¯ve got a feeling about him now too.¡° responded the first shadow, before silence fell between them. As they watched Raven leave the training field. Ch 6 - The World Raven walked up the castle¡¯s front stairs, smooth and golden tiled. The entire thing looked awe-inspiring. But at night, it was utterly terrifying. Sleek white, ghostly almost. Rising two times higher than the highest buildings, it¡¯s gothic architecture not helping the shivers it brought to onlookers. Reaching the top of the couple dozen step climb, he was met with a pair of wide open archaic-gold wooden doors. The doorway, Raven noted, was more than large enough to allow a Troll in. Flexing his shoulders back to relieve the cold that suddenly fell upon his back, he stepped inside. Raven followed the long hallway he was met with, glancing about at the more than creepy statues that were built out of the walls, popping out at him like phantoms and full colour at that. The torch light that flickered with the slightest breath only made it worse. As he walked suddenly a window popped into view, making him take several steps back and pale severely.
You are entering a scenario instance. Players will be hidden to reduce mesh clutter and increase immersion Continue onwards for cutscene.
Raven tapped away the window and moved onwards, sighing in relief as goosebumps riddled his body. Silently he reached the hallway¡¯s end, a closed singular wooden door. He turned the knob, it easily opened. Raven pushed it open, revealing a massive hall within. He glanced at the long wooden seats across the entire room, the flat backs they had. He studied the raised altars up front and then the stained glass images replacing the windows on either side, up front and even above. Raven realised this wasn¡¯t a castle, this was a place of worship. This was a church. (¡°Did I take the wrong entrance or is this the wrong place entirely?¡±) He asked himself. ¡°Ah, and here arrives another.¡± Spoke a voice from his right, as a knightly looking man stepped out of the shadows. Wearing a mix of white armour and golden robes the Knight also wore no helmet, showing his light brown long hair and blue eyes. As the Knight approached, Raven glanced at their name.
{Holy Alliance} Commander Paladin Bolen Stuart [Level 90] (NPC)
¡°Welcome, dear new friend.¡± Bolen greeted ¡°I am Commander Stuart of the Human citadel of Staghelm, member of the Eden Holy Alliance.¡± He forwarded his hand to Raven, which he shook ¡°Ah, speechless?¡± the paladin asked, gesturing at the hall around them. ¡°Confused really, but yeah that too.¡± Raven admitted. Bolen chuckled ¡°Yes, yes. This must all be very confusing for you, summoned to a different world by the Gods to aid people you know not. Speaking of people, I gather you have met your fellow Conquerors by now?¡± Raven was not surprised in the slightest by the NPC¡¯s reaction, sophisticated speech recognition and speech creation had long been part of the gaming industry ¡°I have, friendly bunch.¡± He bitterly replied. Bolen smiled apologetically ¡°Prideful bunch, yes, yes. That aside, Eden would not be what it is without you.¡± He gestured for Raven to follow, and he did. Following the Paladin Commander through the middle path till they reached the altar¡¯s stairs in front of which a small pond of water lay. Bolen walked around it, stopping where the pool lay in between them. ¡°Why you¡¯re here, what the Delves are¡­I believe the best way to explain, is from the very beginning. ¡° Bolen said as he raised his right gauntlet forward, blue energy flowing down from his finger tips and into the water ¡°In the beginning, there was Eden. Within it, there was Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Marshskins and Shifters as there is today. But unlike today, peace was void.¡± As he spoke, the water flowed up and formed shapes, showing Raven the five different races ¡°There was five people, and where there is difference, there is issues. War blazed alive, with the Humans pushing into Marshskin territory. The flames got fiercer when the Dwarves joined the Humans, having always hated the Marshmen. Yet both where unprepared for the relentless force the Marshskins where, both Human and Dwarf losing territory instead.¡± The water continued to take shape, showing battlefields, sieges and seemingly moving onto singular duels ¡°The Humans then called onto the Elves, using their attractive words to turn the prideful against the Marshskin. The Holy Alliance was then formed, between Human, Dwarf and Elf. The war raged on for many generations, as territory changed and shifted. Then they appeared, out of the jungles and caverns.¡± The water now showed an open field of grass, two massive armies clashing with each other. To one side there was a thick jungle¡­and out of it an even larger armada flowed out ¡°The Shifters, tired with the bickering, tired with the damage to their beloved nature. They joined the fighting, but targeted both sides instead of picking one.¡± ¡°The fighting became absurd, lives being lost left and right without pause. Death plagued Eden, a stench that oozed down to the very depths. Waking what should never have been reawaken.¡± Bolen¡¯s tone became deadpan as the water showed the bottom of a cavern¡­a large pile of¡­something laying within as two torch-bearing warriors stood tiny before it. The creature¡¯s massive wings shifted, as it uncoiled and rose to face the intruders. ¡°A Dragon woke from its millennial slumber¡­¡± the water shifted, to a burning city as a goliath of a winged serpent flew over. It spewed out long waves of flames, melting away the stone and disintegrating anything else. ¡°As the harbingers of disaster that they are, the Dragon wrecked havoc upon all of Eden. An unstoppable force of cruel nature. It burned down entire cities under a night, turned fields of crops into a burning wasteland by day¡­¡± ¡°Scorched entire armies to ash with a single breath.¡± Another battlefield, the water now showed. But this time it was different, as the two armies both ran together from the colossal monster that drowned them in its blaze. ¡°The massacre seemed endless, as the single being of chaos brought each race into a corner. Five cities remained, one for each race to hide within as the Dragon prowled the outskirts. Laughing, amused by their weakness. Each race wondered who will fall first. Which race, will be met with extinction¡¯s blade first?¡± Raven listened attentively as he watched the imagery in the pond, four cities with a large distance between each other and a serpentine creature with massive wings walking around them. ¡°These five cities were Blackcarn, Lion¡¯s Edge, Pridemount, WarpingWoods and Jadefalls. To this day, only one of those cities remain.¡± Bolen continued to tell ¡°Jadefalls, originally Elven it is where the five races joined arms up against the beast.¡± ¡°It is where they stood their ground, and awaited the annihilation which was sure to come.¡± The Dragon, Raven saw in the water was now approaching a single city as figures moved within and manned the walls. ¡°The End was nearing¡­But before our final prayers reached their conclusion, They answered.¡± The water shifted and flowed about now, taking no describable form ¡°The Gods saw fit to save us, and through their power they summoned you. Conquerors of another world.¡± The water rose higher and finally took shape, Raven¡¯s shape ¡°You came in swarms, thousands upon millions of you. Without any sort of line of command, without any plan or formation. You horded the Dragon, moving in ways we thought impossible. Summoning magic beyond our very knowledge.¡± Raven had heard of this event, it was the game¡¯s open beta event where millions of players around the world connected to test the game¡¯s mechanics. He saw pre-recorded livestreams and dev hosted recordings. It was entitled by critics as the third most epic large-scale battle in the history of VR gaming. (¡°Moved in ways you thought impossible? Hah must have been the lag.¡±) He inwardly chuckled, as Bolen continued telling the tale. ¡°The Dragon¡¯s chaos fell to your own. As we watched in terror behind our walls. But it did not end there.¡± The water shifted to show the corpse of an oozing beast, as the ooze flowed down and into the ground ¡°The Dragon¡¯s death brought out the corruption that lay within it. It oozed into the land, diving deep into Eden¡¯s core corrupting the world itself. Turning what used to be this world¡¯s source of power into a source of maddened creation. The Dungeon Core.¡± The image shifted away, as if going deeper and into the ground before taking the form of a large glowing sphere. As the ooze flowed into it, and suddenly the water¡¯s very colour turned dark. The torches around the hall dimmed, as what used to be a pool of water rose entirely and turned into a dark warping of images. Raven saw the bright core at its centre, darkness leaking out and digging through what he figured was Eden¡¯s ground. Creating vast hollow spaces within, inside which warped creatures of nightmare were formed out of the very earth. ¡°The Dungeon Core dug out and created Delves, the lands beneath our own where the creatures of Chaos gain birth. Down there somewhere¡­back then and even now they grow, evolve and march. Upwards and towards our cities with one goal in their beast-like minds.¡± Bolen¡¯s voice rose as his tone grew harsher ¡°To bring the destruction upon our homes that the Dragon could not. So that they can make the entirety of Eden their own and solely their own.¡± The images of dark liquid collapsed back into the pool, as it regained its colourless and reflective form. The torches also regained their full brightness, and Raven found himself looking down at a kneeling Bolen. ¡°I have kneeled before more of you than I wish I could remember, but kneel again I shall. As the lives of my people, lay within your hands to save and protect.¡± The Paladin spoke with emotion ¡°You came to us, brought by the hands of Gods who knew nothing but bicker. You defeated what we thought would be the end of us all. Truly, we could never show the appreciation that is due. But even then I ask of you, will you continue to fight? Will you, Conqueror of another world¡­help us still?¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Raven was no roleplayer, so he was unsure as how to answer. The story obviously required him to answer the Paladin¡¯s question, as embarrassing as it might have been. He thanked the developers for hiding other players at this moment¡­¡±I will, I¡¯ll fight.¡± He responded with conviction. Bolen¡¯s kneeling form stiffened ¡°Thank you, Conqueror. As representative of the Human race and member of the Holy Alliance. I sincerely thank you.¡± He rose to meet Raven¡¯s embarrassed expression ¡°And again, welcome to our distraught world. Welcome to Eden. I won¡¯t hold you for much longer.¡± He took a ring out of his¡­where did he get that ring?... ¡°Here, wear this at all times. It is the symbol of a Conqueror, show this to the blacksmith, tailor and whoever. Their services are yours, as limited as they might be compared to what your people can craft¡­¡± said Bolen as he forwarded the crimson ring, a black hand made out of some dark jewel embedded on the top. Raven took the ring in hand, rolling it about he noticed an inscription on the inside ¡®We fight, not for glory, not for spoils. We fight because we must. Because it is right.¡¯ Were the words inscribed in clear English. ¡°Your people created that ring, the shape and the words inscribed.¡± Bolen added, seeing him read the words within. Raven put the ring on and looked up to face the Paladin ¡°So with this¡­I can get my basic equipment?¡± Bolen nodded ¡°Yes, be it sword or staff, armour or cloth. You have access to them all. But if you wish for better equipment it is your people who have that capability I¡¯m afraid. The city will teach you the craft but it is up to you to improve further.¡± (¡°So in today¡¯s language¡­I can get basic equipment only from the NPC stores. Anything of a higher tier is solely player made? That¡¯s absolutely insane.¡±) Raven thought as he stared down at the ring. ¡°After you are done gathering your due equipment,¡± Bolen continued ¡°I would suggest if you have not already, to look around the magical areas your people call Spawn Points. Experienced Conquerors will introduce you to your abilities and capabilities there.¡± ¡°Already have been, but thank you for the reminder.¡± Raven thoughtlessly responded, he sometimes forgot it was just an NPC. Bolen smiled ¡°Yes well, good faith on your journey ahead Conqueror. That the Gods glance at you if the time requires need, and give due aid where is needed.¡± (¡°Break¡­a leg¡­is what I think he meant?¡±) Raven mused as he stared at the Paladin awkwardly. And the Paladin stared back, seemingly in confusion now ¡°Is there¡­anything you seek to ask?¡± (¡°Hm¡­Would an NPC know?¡±) Raven thought before putting his idea into words ¡°Could you explain to me the differences between a Conqueror¡¯s capability due to race?¡± Bolen chuckled as he smiled apologetically ¡°I¡¯m afraid even I am not privy to your people¡¯s secrets. I hear only those who join Guilds are passed down the information, I am unsure as to what it may be though.¡± Raven sighed in frustration ¡°Right¡­thanks.¡± He briefly waved the NPC goodbye and began walking away, now lost in his thoughts once more (¡°What is going on¡­Tiana didn¡¯t seem that secretive at first¡­Hell she even told us-me¡­She only told me that there even IS a difference between races!¡±) he scratched his chin as he walked, now reaching the still open door. Not even noticing as it closed behind him. (¡°It cannot just be stats, else I could get together a group of newbies and we can math this shit out. It has to be more, skills, spells¡­passives? I honestly don¡¯t know¡­¡±) Raven opened several windows and menus, looking through them for the tenth time. His skills, spells and summons windows were entirely empty except for the basic UI. He had none. His character page on the other hand only gave basic information.
{Character Page} Raven ConquerorLevel - 1
{Statistics} Strength / 5 Constitution / 5 Agility / 5 Intelligence / 5 Wisdom / 5
Health - 10 Stamina - 10 Mana - 15 Physical Defence Multiplier - 10 Physical Damage Multiplier - 10 Magical Power Multiplier - 10 Spell CastSpeed Multiplier - 5 Physical AttackSpeed Multiplier - 5 Mobility Multiplier -5
Specializations}
{Racial} [Locked]
Yet sure enough, there was a Racial section which was locked. This struck Raven as odd, the developers obviously wanted the player to know that there was something about Races they didn¡¯t know yet. Tiana pointing it out but never explaining it could have been accidental on her part¡­or was it also on purpose? He didn¡¯t know, and this frustrated him. To the point that he barely noticed he had already walked through the entire corridor and reached the outside. Taken out of his state of deep thought by notifications.
Item Acquired [Ring of the Conqueror]
[Quest Log] Window has been unlocked
[Achievement!] Completed Introductory Scenario!
Raven¡¯s eyes widened to their fullest as he read the second notification (¡°Un¡­locked?¡±) his mind did a black flip and several barrel rolls as it processed this one word. Seemingly laying forth a new world of possibilities before him. He froze halfway down the stairs, as he stared at the ground before him (¡°If simple things like a quest book need to be unlocked by actions or achievements then¡­The racial differences don¡¯t essentially need to be stats, spells or skills. They could be something entirely different¡­a separate system entirely maybe? Hell even a¡­¡±) Raven swore he felt his brain implode. As he glanced at his level, then at his Specialization levels. He was level 1 yet¡­each of his Specs were level 0. Then where¡­did that one level come from? A design flaw? He doubted it, the game seemed too polished and aged for something like that to be left around. Even as a joke between developer and community. So he had somewhere to start, the secret everyone kept from new players to handicap them had to do with some hidden Spec that gave levels into your Total level. But what was it exactly? What did it do? He was about to find out. Raven quickly opened his browser, returning to his last search. The information before him was useless as it was, so many lies hiding away the truth. But now he had a keyword, a parameter he could enter into the search to decrease the lies and hopefully point out the truth. Raven searched for something about Race and Specs that had to do with the game, leaving the search vague in the most part but with specific keywords to be listed. He then arranged the search by date, bringing up the oldest first. (¡°For someone to lie about something, there has to be that something to lie about first.¡±) he mused, while scrolling through the different forums, blogs, videos and social media posts. Opening anything of interest into a new tab. What he found, surprised him even further. Out of all the sites he glimpsed over, Raven sorted through the obvious bullshit until he came to this one video¡­Entitled ¡®A Conqueror¡¯smessageand why I quit COTD.¡¯ Raven sat down on the stairs, making himself as comfortable as possible before playing the video which only he could see or hear. It began with a man, sitting back in his chair with arms crossed, pale faced and bloodshot eyes. He was bald with green eyes, yet still somewhat good looking. The man seemed distressed as he stared into the camera, seemingly having cried some time before starting to record. ¡°Ugh¡­where do I start? Right, It¡¯s March 2036, Tuesday night here in wonderful city of Warsaw...¡± He had a thick polish accent about him ¡°Who am I? You might ask. Well¡­If the name Calibor doesn¡¯t ring a bell, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is what I¡¯m about to tell you.¡± He gestured around him ¡°This video is posted on a public property video streaming site. Only I can take it down. But that doesn¡¯t mean they won¡¯t try.¡± Calibor sighed deeply ¡°And by ¡®They¡¯ I mean the new COTD community as of yesterday morning. Congratulations by the way. You beat me.¡± He chuckled, looking somewhat unstable ¡°Us ¡®Casuals¡¯, will get the hell out and make way for the bullshit economy you¡¯ve been fighting to create. Tell me, giant companies of the world. Are you happy? Do you feel accomplished now?¡± He leaned in closer to the camera, his annoyance clear ¡°To those that don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about, be it new or just somewhere in the future¡­COTD use to be a simple game, just your average MMORPG. Released in 2032, and from last year having an open market connected to the real life economy. That¡¯s where the shit began. Companies began investing in the game, hiring ¡®Players¡¯ and creating ¡®Guilds¡¯ in a movement to take over the game¡¯s community.¡± He lay back in his chair, covering his face with his left hand. Distraught at the thought ¡°The publishers and developers don¡¯t care, they¡¯re getting paid either way. Hell with this they¡¯re getting even more.¡± Revealing his face once more Calibor looked into the camera, yet his eyes seemed to be looking through it ¡°Over the past year, my guild and several others have been fighting this take over. We¡¯ve been fighting¡­Yesterday? The fight ended¡­¡± he sighed once more ¡°We gave up, we couldn¡¯t take the constant harassment anymore.¡± He leaned forward and down, grasping his bald head with both hands in frustration ¡°COTD is no longer a game, but a business centered around entertainment and trade¡­It¡¯s a fucking casino. Companies making money by training ¡®Players¡¯ in the way of underhanded scamming and other practices. Who knows what else by the time you¡¯re watching this¡­¡± The man that called himself Calibor rose from his chair and grabbed the camera, staring deep into it as he said ¡°This is why I quit COTD, because the rich are powerful and the poor are weak. So the rich employed the poor, and paid them to get rid of each other until they owned everything in the rich¡¯s name.¡± He grimaced as a tear slowly leaked down his left eye ¡°Friends¡­I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t fight longer¡­Players that I fought against¡­¡± he chuckled, with no humour in his tone what so ever ¡°You¡¯ve let me down, fucking sellouts.¡± He put the camera down, as it showed him tap away at a holographic screen ¡°This is Calibor of the Nindo guild, first to ever reach the level 60 cap and top player in the Delve leaderboards¡­I¡¯m the weak, the poor¡­I¡¯m the loser. And I fucking quit.¡± The video ended there. Raven was¡­baffled by what he witnessed. Never had he before seen a grown man shed a tear. It further deepened his understanding of the environment he now found himself in. COTD wasn¡¯t just a game, it really was a virtual life. (¡°Released in 2032¡­checks out, so does the 2035 update. 2036 this guy quit and supposedly the greedy took over huh? That was¡­8 years ago.¡±) He sighed whilst swiping away the video, the disturbing information poking away at his brain as he continued to research deeper. Sure enough he found not just information but actual pictures taken in-game proving Calibor¡¯s existence. He wasn¡¯t just a member of the Nindo guild, he was the leader¡­ And within one of those pictures Raven noticed something, as he glanced over a core-member group picture taken in 2033. On the game¡¯s first anniversary. His eyes froze on a single member, out of the other three dozen. Standing behind the player character named Calibor, a male Mer with dark green hair, crimson eyes and red fins. A female Mer stood, short blue hair, violet eyes and fins. She wielded a long white staff with black vines encircling it and beside her stood a massive Chaos Harpy wearing what looked like a bikini. This Player, Raven noted¡­was Tiana. Ch 7 - Equipment for the job Ashley, 23 years of age. Long ginger hair and green eyes, Ashley was your average girl. Finally having graduated university a few months ago, she was in the process of looking for a job. But as luck would have it, this wasn¡¯t turning out so well. She tried to take her mind off these problems with the only thing that never betrayed her in her life, video games. Yet the last game she played, a VR MMORPG older than the platform it lay on, had closed its doors and servers a few weeks ago. On the search for something new, Ashley stumbled upon Conquerors Of The Delve. The description piqued her and she immersed herself into the VR-Dive station, discovering a world like none she had met with before. A world that so much reminded her of real life, yet with he added whimsicality of fantasy. She liked the idea behind it but¡­she was honestly afraid to thread onwards. And when the chance presented itself, as the player called Raven suggested she looks elsewhere. What did she do? ¡°I¡¯m a coward¡­¡± She told herself with a heavy sigh, while staring at the VR-Dive station before her. Open, awaiting her body to travel elsewhere. Ashley¡¯s mind drowned in the words of her peers, ¡®advice¡¯ from friends and family towards her shy and sheltered personality. ¡°They¡¯re right¡­¡± Ashley mumbled out to nobody but herself ¡°I can¡¯t go on like this¡­I, need to face things head on!¡± she pumped herself up, before stepping back into the station and preparing herself for a second dive into the dark depths that was this game.
Raven threaded through the city streets, glancing about as he searched for the market area he previously walked through. It didn¡¯t take long to find his way back, now standing in the midst of more players than he thought would be online at this time of night (¡°Global servers huh?¡±) he pondered, before his thoughts reverted to the issue at hand. (¡°How many¡­¡±) he wondered, just how many players within this large community were employed by these ¡®Big Companies¡¯? (¡°Enough to rile up the rest, a few guilds¡¯ leaders would do it. Promise the members a better economy, where everyone could earn a dime or two. Who wouldn¡¯t stand behind that?¡±) Raven glanced at the picture one last time, before closing his browser entirely (¡°Indeed a co-ordinated group could make quite the payday through an economy like this one. Buy off the best loot players put on sale when guilds reach the Delve¡¯s depths, withhold that loot until the corridors close and then put them back on sale for a much higher price. That¡¯s one way¡­hell who knows what else these snakes came up with.¡±). (¡°Guild wars, player tournaments, community events¡­there¡¯s so much to profit from.¡±) He chuckled to himself, when he noticed a store¡¯s sign nearby included a bow and quiver. (¡°Ah, there it is.¡±) Raven approached the archery store. White stone walls like everything else, the store¡¯s inside was mostly wooden with shelves of different types of ranged weapons, ammunition and ranger armour. From short bows, long bows, crossbows and different quiver sizes to more types of leather armour than Raven realised existed. ¡°Greetings¡­Conqueror?¡± The NPC shopkeeper said as he glanced at Raven¡¯s ring ¡°What can I do you for?¡± he was an elderly human man with greying long hair kept back with a strap of cloth and a rather unruly beard. Raven glanced about the store ¡°I¡¯m looking for a bow and quiver, maybe a set of armour to go with?¡± ¡°Ah, must be new then.¡± The shopkeeper mused as he stepped around the counter while grabbing what looked like a measuring tape from within. Stepping over to the customer he quickly and swiftly took Raven¡¯s measurements including the arm and tail-feathers. ¡°Aye, I should have your size. Any preference or should I suggest?¡± ¡°Um¡­what would you suggest?¡± Raven asked, unsure as to what he was talking about. ¡°As for weaponry I suggest either a recurve bow if you¡¯re a novice, a long bow if you are preparing for a large-scale battle.¡± The shopkeeper explained, seemingly in a bored and automatic tone. ¡°Ah¡­what about common use for a non-novice?¡± Raven awkwardly added, making the man¡¯s eyes widen with sudden interest. ¡°I see, you wish to practice the true art of archery then?¡± He exclaimed, this time with excitement in his tone as he walked back over to his counter ¡°I would then suggest the reflex bow, it is not as easy to use as a recurve but has the range and power similar to a longbow. More so if the user is adept.¡± He brought out a strangely curved bow, its tips curved away from the string while the centre curved towards giving it the shape of two bulges. The wood began thick on either end, thinning out on the bulges before thickening once more at the centre. The bow was made of a dark brown wood with light brown cloth strapped on either bulge but not the centre, where dark leather covered the wood instead. Raven also noted that the reflex bow was a bit shorter than the long bow ¡°I¡¯ll trust your knowledge on the subject then, what about quiver and armour?¡± he took the bow in hand, checking the string to find out it was much more resistant than the longbow¡¯s. ¡°For quiver it depends, where do you prefer to strap it? Back, waist back, side or opposing leg?¡± The NPC asked, pointing at each area on himself. ¡°Waist back, what difference does it make?¡± Raven then asked, mainly out of curiosity. ¡°Some quivers need to be tightly strapped, others cannot be so. Also the shape, using a side quiver from the back will make it awkward to take arrows out.¡± explained the Shopkeeper, as he stepped over to one set of shelves off which he grabbed a wide quiver. Seemingly made mostly off hardened leather the quiver was entirely dark grey with metal coiling around the top and covering the entire bottom like a lid. The top part from where the arrows where taken out was a slanted opening, one side shorter than the other to ease the motion of taking the arrow out. ¡°The short part is the top, strapped it off these leather belts and metal buckles here.¡± The NPC explained as he gestured at his own belt ¡°Then simply drag it along the belt and to the back of your person.¡± Raven nodded all the while, showing some interest and appreciation to detail before taking the quiver in hand. ¡°Now now¡­as for armour I wouldn¡¯t suggest chain or full hardened leather, you¡¯ll be moving around a lot more than those dubious siege archers.¡± The shopkeeper mused out loud as he glanced about at the stands of armour ¡°So it¡¯s either full cloth with hard leather pads, it will provide the greatest mobility¡­or leather with cloth joints and metal padding. Tougher and provides more defence but heavier and decreases mobility.¡± (¡°So it¡¯s defence versus mobility¡­¡±) Raven thought as he approached the two stands of armour, pressing his fingers over both before grabbing either sleeve and weighing their weight. Indeed the cloth would have been much easier to run around in, but the defence it provided was doubtable. The leather armour on the other hand was only a bit heavier, but the metal pads on the chest and legs seemed to be the main weight which he couldn¡¯t weigh off the sleeves alone. (¡°Would I rather evade a blade or take it?¡±) He then thought, while glancing between each set. (¡°Yeah I doubt a blade would have problems slashing through either¡­¡±) ¡°Unsure?¡± The NPC asked as he watched Raven. ¡°Somewhat, not entirely sure how effective either would be.¡± Raven responded honestly. ¡°Ah, well it depends to be honest. How do you wish to make use of the bow? To be stealthy and go unseen as you line-up your arrow or to befall upon your opponent like a falcon?¡± The shopkeeper asked, as he gestured at either suit. Raven was a sniper by experience, unseen before the kill was most definitely his style. But with the limited range of the bow, and taking into account magic and whatever else this game had to offer. Stealth was for melee players, assassins and rogues. He approached the more defensive armour ¡°I¡¯ll take this one.¡± But by heart Raven didn¡¯t have a specific style he always went for. Raven picked depending on what he thought would work best with the skillset he had under his name, he was adaptable. In a shooter, a sniper was by far the most dangerous opponent one could face. Which was why he had picked to play as one. But in an MMORPG? With the MMO genre aside, with the weaponry and skills available to him through the fantasy RPG setting. Raven was unsure what would work best over all, so he guessed, he theorized. He¡¯d try, maybe fail, maybe succeed. Raven figured something will click in time. ¡°I shall bring you a set of your size then.¡± The shopkeeper said as he stepped around the counter and through a doorway, possibly into a storage room. While waiting Raven continued to look over the suit of leather armour mixed with cloth and thin metal plates. (¡°I wonder if I can customize something myself¡­¡±) He thought, pondering over the game¡¯s crafting system. ¡°Here ye go.¡± Exclaimed the NPC as he walked out with a full set of the chosen armour, neatly sorted inside a wooden box. Raven quickly strapped on the quiver he had been still holding onto and then grabbed the crate with both hands, it wasn¡¯t very heavy. The shopkeeper then looked him up and down ¡°I¡¯ve seen many of your people over the years son, so I hope you don¡¯t mind me saying. Rarely have I ever seen them walk by again, wielding the weapon you have chosen for yourself.¡± Raven smiled, amused by his words ¡°The blade may be more simple to use and magic more destructive. But there is no arguing against a hole through the head.¡± He added, before glancing down at the crate ¡°So¡­how do I?¡± ¡°Equip it? Gods be, why do you people always ask that question? You put it on of course! Over the clothing you have on you right now, and strap it together through the buckles.¡± The shopkeeper explained with amused amazement in his tone ¡°That piece has been specifically made for your Racial form. An don¡¯t worry about shifting, I know from seeing friends that your race¡¯s magic will make due.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Shifting?...¡± Raven asked as he put the crate down and began strapping on the armour, starting with the long vambraces and continuing inwards before moving downwards. ¡°Ye know¡­¡± The shopkeeper offered before seeing Raven¡¯s perplexed expression ¡°Gods be¡­Change! When you shape shift? Ye know, Werewolves to wolves, Mer to fishes?¡± ¡°Oh¡­we can actually do that?¡± Raven was surprised, he expected it to be a high-level skill or spell that let him do so. Maybe even it being the hidden spec everyone is keeping from him. ¡°Bah, not entirely no. Ye start out with small shifts, like moving ye feathers aside. I don¡¯t actually know the details though¡­¡± The NPC admitted. ¡°I see¡­¡± Raven mumbled as he finished equipping the armour to himself (¡°Could shifting be it?...But then what about the other races? Hell what about Humans?¡±) he sighed, still confused and undecided on the problem. The shopkeeper looked him up and down ¡°Well fits ye right. Be heading to the Delves now I be guessing?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d like to get an understanding of actual combat as soon as possible.¡± Raven responded as he checked the tightness of his leather pants, they fit perfectly. ¡°Well off you go then Conqueror! If ye come by any questions about archery, leatherworking or woodworking I¡¯ll still be here.¡± The shopkeeper told him while showing him out. Raven nodded gratefully as he headed out, glancing back before leaving fully. Seeing the NPC walk back inside he remembered he never actually checked their status.
{Holy Alliance} Retired Grandmaster Ranger Sern Viper [Level 75] (NPC)
Discordia had just finished her first quest and gathered her equipment, deciding to stay true to her previous characters and wield the Pole-axe alongside half-chain plate armour. What she could never comprehend about these games was just why female characters ended up wearing¡­less than effective body coverage for armour. She wore a chain covered leather hood that was connected to a short leather sleeveless-shirt, over which patches of chain were embedded protecting her shoulders, back, neck and ample breasts. Over her arms she only had chain vambraces protecting her lower arm but full metal gauntlets protecting her hands. On her lower body she wore what could only be described as a plate-armour miniskirt, protecting her waist and above her knees. From her knees and below she wore leather straps covered in chain similar to her vambraces while for shoes she wore full metal boots. She could see several issues with the armour, firstly her belly was completely unprotected and the muscles above her knees were entirely open for attack. Yet somehow she knew it wouldn¡¯t be a problem, the full plate version after all seemingly protected those places but offered similarly¡­deadly openings such as little neck protection, easy to pierce belly plating and joint connections where a blade could easily sneak into. It was also much heavier and more complicated to move around with. This game though seemed to be prideful of its realism to combat, as even the male versions were the same. As in the full plate was heavy and frustrating to move in¡­and the half-chain was similarly skimpy. To which Discordia had little to argue against, unless it was a Dwarf wearing it¡­That was an image she didn¡¯t want to remember. Shaking her head to forget that nightmarish image, she looked up to see the Delve¡¯s entrance before her. Dozens of NPC guards stood on either side, some staring at her while others glanced around attentively. This was where the monsters lay, and she knew from videos and streams she had watched that it was not just any other RPG experience. Action and Gore were among the game¡¯s main genres after all. Albeit one could turn gore off¡­Which she had at first but now Discordia felt somewhat brave, turning it on and preparing herself to enter the cavern. ¡°Here goes¡­something.¡± She mumbled to herself, before stepping inside. She found herself looking down at a long winding stone staircase, wide steps allowing for several people to descend and ascend at the same time. Torches lined the descent, lighting the way for her as she moved down. Suddenly as she stepped around the first wind of the staircase, the world blurred around her before setting back. Now finding herself at the bottom of the staircase and staring at it in confusion ¡°Well¡­magical elevator, who would have known?¡± She mused with raised brows, before turning around. Discordia¡¯s eyes widened fully as her jaw loosened, as she stared off into the Delve. The cavern that lay before her was the largest opening in the ground she had ever seen in her life, real, digital or virtual. It was so vast that if someone told her she was staring at the planet¡¯s hollow inside, she would fully believe it. Yet she knew this was only a single floor, and only one section of it at that. Who knew how many more caverns of this width lay beneath the different cities, and how many more of the same height lay below even those. With a ceiling of stone the walls were instead made of a light green crystal that glowed brightly filling the cavern with yellowish light. The ground on the other hand was a mixture of violet dirt and strangely fluorescent green grass. Discordia figured she was at the very edge of this Delve, and somewhere at the other corners were the corridors. She couldn¡¯t even fathom the distance before her though, unable to exactly tell as the terrain was something other than flat. Not only hills but even tall mountains rose within the Delve. While from the ceiling and the walls, grew out long winding paths made of the same green crystal. Some of the crystal paths descended down into the ground, while others ended abruptly mid-air. Currently before her lay a vast open field, far off in the distance changing gradually into a hilly forest of strange trees with green barks and leaves glowing violet. Beyond the forest were mountains of stone with glowing green crystal laying in clusters about the surface, seemingly in a random fashion. It was a strange scenery, alien almost compared to the world above. Yet still beautiful, as the light produced by the ever-present crystals reflected off the seemingly smooth stone of the mountain. Flooding down upon the fluorescent forest and creating a sort of aurora effect above. Discordia smiled widely as she witnessed the scenery, this was it. This was what she loved about these games. Not the action, not the story or the complex systems. It was the world, she lived to see these worlds. But still she sighed, saddened albeit the wonderful view. Saddened as she watched it alone, and not alongside her old guild who she missed so much. She watched the scenery for a few more moments before moving on and out into the grasslands, as the tall strange vegetation lay still around her. Not a single breath of wind to be felt. Looking around Discordia saw a few players walking about in groups of six, parties she guessed. The players were threading around carefully, weapons ready as they glanced around the grass. Looking, awaiting for something. When suddenly it happened. The grass on one side of them elongated and rose, entangling around itself to become thicker before whipping about. The thick vine of glowing vegetation lunged at them, as they quickly evaded out of the way. But one was too slow, as the massive vine slammed down over him. A warrior Discordia thought, catching a brief glimpse of his equipment before the vine crushed him. The sound of something large and heavy slamming into the ground resounded, alongside metal and flesh being crushed and squished. She watched, horrified as the vine untangled and spread out. Blood still falling off, it grabbed at the others who had escaped the first strike. ¡°Scary aren¡¯t they?¡± asked a Player from behind her, as she turned to face the speaker. Not having noticed them or the other three party members at all. ¡°Uh¡­what are they?¡± Discordia asked as she looked the players up and down, two warriors, a mage and a rogue. All four male. ¡°Strangler mimics.¡± The mage responded, as he eyed her back. A sketchy smirk plastered on his face. ¡°They hide in the grass, waiting for their prey to pass by before suddenly striking. They strangle less than their name implies¡­¡± ¡°So you looking for a party, Disc-ordia?¡± The first player asked, as he tried to read her name properly ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for a fourth and fifth member for a while but, only smug guild members and high levels have passed by.¡± He then gestured at the parties already out hunting ¡°Then those guys are full.¡± Discordia thought over his offer briefly, as he sent her the party request. (¡°I don¡¯t like how that mage is looking at me but¡­the others don¡¯t seem bad.¡±) ¡°Yeah¡­sure.¡±
TalonT has invited you to a party. Accept? Decline? Block?
She accepted the request.
You have joined TalonT¡¯s party!
¡°Awesome! At least now we can try something less annoying than those damn Stranglers.¡± Talon announced as he turned to the others ¡°What you all wanna try? The Dires or Chaos Slitters?¡± ¡°Dires¡­¡± mumbled out the Rogue, the other two nodded in agreement. ¡°Bah, pussies.¡± Talon waved them off before turning back to Discordia ¡°We¡¯re already level 5 so you can piggyback us all the way to the Direbeasts, at least they are a straight up fight and not this ambush crap.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­sure.¡± (¡°Hey¡­could be worse right?¡±) Discordia told herself as she glanced at the still going on fight, as the Strangler finally was brought under control by the party¡¯s two tanks who began hacking its tentacles off (¡°I could have ended up solo¡­¡±) She turned back to her new party ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do it.¡± She said, this time with more conviction. ¡°Right this way then.¡± Talon told everyone, before leading the way towards the forest. They followed the cavern¡¯s crystal wall, Discordia figured it was to evade the mimics. She followed, Talon and the other warrior ahead of her while the rogue and the mage lacked back behind them. She didn¡¯t think much of it, the less armoured players usually stood behind ¡®Tankier¡¯ fighters like herself. Yet she did feel a chill crawl up her spine at the thought of that mage walking behind her¡­She wholefully disliked creeps like him. They walked until reaching the forest¡¯s edge, the tree¡¯s curling green branches and violet glowing leaves now starting to surround them. ¡°Keep your eyes peeled, the trick on these is to see them before they see us. They¡¯re big so it shouldn¡¯t be hard.¡± Talon told her without glancing back. Discordia did so, glancing around intently. Unbeknownst to her, what she should have been wary of wasn¡¯t far off. Several moments of them walking through the ever-thickening forest went on, until she couldn¡¯t hear the sounds of combat from the field anymore. Magic was quite loud as it turned out. Certain types of magic were at least, as the slow green flash of energy that sneaked out of the mage¡¯s finger was quieter than a mouse. As it found its way to Discordia¡¯s back, before suddenly flashing brightly and exploding outwards in a wave of electricity. The energy surged through her body, numbing her sense of touch as she found herself falling to the ground. She was paralyzed, unable to move, unable to speak. Barely able to feel as she glanced to her side, seeing that her party members were¡­surrounding her. ¡°Hah, too easy.¡± mocked Talon, as he grabbed her by the arms and turned her over. He was grinning widely, an expression nothing like the friendly smile he previously showed. The mage chuckled as he crouched down next to her ¡°I get first.¡± He grabbed her by the cheeks, moving her face left to right as he licked his lips. Discordia was confused (¡°What¡­what is going on?¡±) she asked herself, as her paralyzed expression showed none of the fear she was currently feeling. ¡°Hey man two of them don¡¯t need to be operational to work out, groups of two as we agreed. Switch around alright?¡± The rogue added as he grimaced down at the mage. ¡°Yeah yeah, just keep watch damnit.¡± The mage waved him off, the rogue and other warrior spread out to do so. Discordia tried to speak but found that only moaning jibberish came out, her vocal cords were operational but her mouth and tongue were most definitely disabled just as the rest of her body. ¡°Yo help me strip her.¡± The mage told Talon who had crouched down opposite of him, Discordia laying limp in their midst. That single sentence made her finally realise just what she had gotten herself into, as the chilling horror of the moment filled her entirely. As the two players stripped off her armour then clothing, she moved through trying to struggle, onto sheer panic as she couldn¡¯t even do that. Discordia was in denial, in disbelief as she moved around the only thing she could. Looking around with her still working eyes, she was petrified by fear as they began unbuckling their own pants. As she lay bare naked before them, even though it wasn¡¯t her true body she still couldn¡¯t accept it. These men, less so in her mind. These barbarians¡­were about to rape her. Denial, turned to hollow acceptance as they roughly moved down on her¡­As the two men pulled her limp body up into position. As she saw his face from her new elevation, as they held her up. Talon¡¯s maddened eyes were filled with lust. Right before an arrow pierced through the back of his neck, the arrowhead protruding out of the throat it ripped through. Splattering blood all over Discordia¡¯s face. And changing Talon''s gaze of lust, into confusion. His eyes shaking with terror as he met hers, now full of hope. Ch 8 - Hunting the hunters
Talon fell as the other three players panicked and took cover, his body shook on the floor whilst he held the wound on his neck. Blood gushing out as he tried to hold it, the pain was numbing away but the sheer terror of being unable to breath as blood filled your lungs¡­it was like nothing Talon had ever felt before. ¡°Shit! Where they coming from!?¡± exclaimed the other warrior as he dared a peak around the tree he was hiding behind, immediately he pulled back as an arrowhead tore through his left cheek. ¡°Fuck! Do something!¡± he shouted at the rogue. The rogue grimaced as he stood still with eyes closed, seemingly focusing before suddenly moving. He leaned low while turning around the tree he was using as cover, rushing forwards at high speed as two daggers appeared in his hands. ¡°Got you.¡± The rogue whispered with a smirk, he had sensed the aggressor¡¯s position and moved low to quickly sneak up on him. He leaped, daggers slashing inwards as he pounced upon the ranger. Raven quickly turned, hearing his attacker. Loosing another arrow, it flew true and towards the rogue. The rogue¡¯s daggers clashed with the arrowhead, deflecting the attack before suddenly two more flew past his blades quicker than he could react. Raven took a step back as the rogue fell towards him, an arrow embedded in his left arm to disable it and move it out of the killing shot¡¯s way as it now protruded out of his forehead. The rogue¡¯s body crashed down into the grass and rolled into the bush Raven was hiding behind. Seeing that the player was dead he took cover behind a tree, stepping out of sight. Listening carefully for the other three who he knew were still alive. Raven had fired at the warrior first knowing full well he wouldn¡¯t kill him in one shot, the mage was out of sight and the other warrior was similarly well armoured to the first. He knew that the rogue was his primary target from the start due to his probably high movement and agility but Raven also knew from experience that rogues tended to be highly perceptive. Making a killing shot even from an ambush position¡­a high failure rate. And he was right, the rogue was very perceptive and easily caught on to Raven¡¯s position. Unbeknownst to the rogue, this was exactly what Raven had planned for. A well laid trap, as Raven held enough arrows in his hand to quickly rapidfire at close range. Overwhelming the rogue as he did and kill him. Now came the hard part, dealing with the two well armoured warriors and a hidden mage. He glanced from in-between foliage, keeping himself hidden while trying to discern his prey¡¯s situation. And he noticed, from behind one tree a strange green hue was flowing out and towards the next tree over. (¡°Healing huh? Beginners.¡±) The rogue was down, and apparently one of the warriors that he knew he hit yet was unable to discern the damage dealt¡­needed healing. This took away the attention of the hidden mage, and probably the warrior needing healing. So only one warrior was on the lookout for him. Taking this into account, Raven took the chance and carefully recovered his three arrows from the rogue. Before moving on. He kept to trees, hills and thick bushes. Moving as quickly yet quietly as he could manage, repositioning himself. Until finally he found a position where he could barely make out one warrior, wielding a shield and sword this wasn¡¯t his first hit. Raven didn¡¯t want to engage the warriors yet, the mage was a much higher threat. So instead of taking a shot to kill, which he was sure he couldn¡¯t manage with his low tier weapon against whatever armour they currently wore. He filled his right hand with an arrow in between each finger, four in total as he nocked the fourth and drew. Taking aim, quickly calculating the angle and trajectory. Raven loosed. The arrow flew, followed by three more. As the shield wielder glanced about towards the direction he knew the rogue had charged towards, he heard an arrow embed itself into the tree he hid behind. Adrenaline rushing through him, he pulled his shield up and surely enough two more arrows embedded themselves into his shield. The fourth, flew past him landing only a few feet away from where Talon lay. ¡°Shit! More of them!¡± The mage shouted ¡°Where¡¯d Kris go? Damnit! Talon get up! You¡¯re good!¡± Talon noticing that the arrow was gone from his throat and that somehow the blood had disappeared from his lungs, snapped out of his state of shock and stood up. Unbeknownst to him, showing himself to Raven as he peaked through the trees from the hill above them. Sound travelled normally in the world of COTD, so Raven heard every word they said. (¡°The mage¡¯s in-between them.¡±) he guessed, by the voice of the one he thought was the mage and as the one called Talon seemingly looked up at someone. Not the shield wielder, but definitely focusing on the one speaking to him. ¡°W-Where¡¯s Kris?¡± Talon asked as he slammed his back to a tree, moving out of Raven¡¯s sight once more. ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know! He ran out there and never came back!¡± The shield wielder shouted back, he was obviously panicking. ¡°Calm the hell down, how many could there be?¡± The mage reasoned as he crouched in-between a tree and a thick bush. (¡°It¡¯s one bowman, he had enough time to move!¡±) he thought. ¡°Alright, Tucker shield up and take front. Reave stick close to Tuck, I¡¯ll cover your back. Let¡¯s get this motherfucker.¡± Talon told his party mates, having calmed down from his state of confusion. ¡°S-Shit man, we don¡¯t even know where this guy is!¡± Tucker shouted back as he moved to cover Reave¡¯s front with his shield, while Talon quickly moved to crouch down beside the mage. Gripping his longsword tightly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, we¡¯re pinned like this. We need to move, push on him or move away from him it doesn¡¯t matter. We need to get out of this forest!¡± Talon argued back. ¡°Come on! Go!¡± Reave hissed, slapping the tank¡¯s back with his wooden staff. ¡°I¡¯m going!¡± Tucker answered back, stepping around the tree he glanced around continuously. He moved forward, watching his step while trying to hurry. Behind him followed Reave the mage, watching the two flanks his meat shields weren¡¯t covering. Behind them both was Talon, bringing up the rear he briefly glanced back at the still paralyzed girl on the forest floor (¡°Damnit.¡±) he thought, before quickly starting to look around behind them. They moved slowly and carefully, huddled together while keeping eyes on as many directions as possible. Raven saw them huddled up, this made everything more complicated. They were moving away from him, and the mage was covered by the larger full plated warrior. He needed to move if he wanted to keep sight on them, but if he wanted to get sight on the mage he¡¯d have to move faster than them. And that would not go unnoticed. He thought of the terrain, it would take them a few minutes to get out of the forest entirely¡­(¡°Enough time¡±) he thought, before moving out of his hiding spot and following after them. Yet not entirely, as they were only in the path of the direction he took. Quietly he reached Discordia as she still lay paralyzed, trying hard to keep his sights on the three players other than her naked body ¡°Log out.¡± He quickly told her ¡°The combat-log timer should of ran out by now, log out then log back in alright?¡± he was whispering, yet speaking plainly and calmly.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He waited briefly (¡°Damnit is she in shock or something?¡±) he asked himself, before a flash of green sparks burst out from beneath him. He sighed, then moved on to keep track of the three players. Briefly he saw the longsword-wielder glance back, chalking it up to the log-out message he still took care to stay out of sight. He was slowly losing sight of them though (¡°She might¡¯ve logged out for good this time, I wouldn¡¯t blame her.¡±) resigning himself that he¡¯d remain outnumbered 3 to 1. Raven was about to disengage from the fight all together. ¡°I-I¡¯m here¡­¡± he then heard her soft whisper from behind him, he remained stoically looking after the three would-be rapists. ¡°Re-equip yourself, quickly.¡± Raven whispered back without looking back ¡°That is, if you want to beat these assholes down.¡± He heard her shuffle behind him, probably gathering her equipment. As she did so, he sent her a party request.
DiscordiaX has joined your party!
She accepted, responding a few moments later ¡°I¡¯m g-good now¡­¡±. Raven glanced back, she was fully clothed other than she was still putting on her gauntlets ¡°Put those on and grab your halbered, catch up with me after you do.¡± He quickly grabbed the two arrows that had missed Tucker¡¯s shield, refilling his quiver. She nodded while watching him. ¡°It¡¯s a pol-¡± Discordia then realised and tried to correct him, but wasn¡¯t given the time to as he immediately rushed through the bushes right after recovering his second arrow from the ground. She briefly watched after him, as he expertly moved through the forest. She knew it was just the system assisting his movements but in this moment, it still looked extremely cool. Raven rushed ahead, all care for silence and stealth thrown to the wind. As he leaped over protruding roots and stones, while at the same time keeping himself situation about his surroundings. He ran, bow and arrows ready. Until he regained sights on his target, still moving slowly and halfway to the forest¡¯s edge. The three players weren¡¯t as huddled up as before, but still wary. Noticing his loud approach right as two of them came into his sights. Talon and Reave turned around to meet Raven¡¯s eyes, as he nocked, drew and immediately loosed. Talon dashed to the side, trying to cover Reave with his own armoured body¡­but the first arrow wasn¡¯t targeted at Reave. It embedded itself in the ground next to his foot, tripping him as he tried to move. It was followed by two more, the second piercing through Reave¡¯s defenceless foot as he tried to take cover and the third just barely missing his forehead. Raven grimaced and refilled his drawing hand, noticing that he was down to the four arrows in his hand and two more inside his quiver. ¡°Bastard! I got you now!¡± Tucker shouted as he stepped into view, raised his shield and charged forwards. Quickly he was covering the few meters in between them. Raven smirked, then stepped aside and behind a tree. The warrior charged by him, as he quickly turned tail and ran. Moving in an arch he heard the shield-wielder trying to run after him, the forest¡¯s trees gave way for the warrior to move through easily but the bushes and roots were something else altogether. Raven was much more agile, easily leaping over and stepping around obstacles. His armour flexible and lightweight enough, he wasn¡¯t so sure about doing acrobatics but it definitely gave him an advantage in this environment. So much so that the warrior lacked behind him, as he stepped into position¡­nocked, drew and took aim on the mage. Raven loosed his arrow, just as the warrior¡¯s shield bashed into his body. The arrow flew true, the mage having little time to realise he was being targeted. As the arrow pierced through his left eye at an angle, going directly through his brain and killing him on the spot. Raven was thrown back hard, rolling over as he fell but landing on his knees after tumbling. He quickly looked up to see Tucker¡¯s sword falling down upon him, tucking his head low he rolled to the side and into a tree evading the downward slice. The warrior didn¡¯t stop there, relentless as he charged forwards with his shield held up before him once more. Knowing full well the ranger had no capability of fighting this close range¡­at least that was what he thought. Raven¡¯s mind raced as he watched the warrior charge at him, as he slowly rose from his kneeling position. He had three arrows remaining, but only time to make two shots. He was at a severe disadvantage against the armoured warrior in this close quarters, but he made the best out of what he had available. Quickly nocking then drawing the last arrow in his hand, he shot at the warrior¡¯s feet. He missed the shot but the warrior was snapped out of his charge, as he naturally stepped over the arrow as to not trip. He glanced over his shield, to see¡­Raven leaping at him. Raven had pulled out an arrow and drew as he charged at the still warrior, leaping with all his might as he loosed it mid-air. The warrior raised his shield, blocking the arrow but also giving Raven a stepping stone as his raised feet landed on the shield¡¯s flat face. With Raven¡¯s weight pushing on the warrior, he took a step back¡­tripping over an arrow and beginning to fall back. At the same time Raven had lowered his stance and pulled an arrow out of the warrior¡¯s shield, quickly nocking then drawing it as they fell. Tucker fell flat on his back with Raven now standing above him, loosing an arrow as he got sights on the warrior¡¯s face. The arrow got deflected off the warrior¡¯s metal full-helm but at the same time, knocking it off position slightly and blinding the warrior. Tucker pushed on his shield, throwing Raven off and relieving himself of the ranger¡¯s weight. He moved to rise as suddenly another arrow, Raven¡¯s last arrow hit his helmet once more this time knocking it off entirely. Tucker groaned as he shook his head then faced the now ammoless ranger before him, but Raven didn¡¯t give him the time to notice as such. As he charged forwards once more and directly into the warrior, Tucker raised his shield and prepared his sword in retaliation. Raven quickly grasped another arrow off the warrior¡¯s shield, before quickly stepping back. Tucker lunged at that moment, slashing his sword forwards in a wide arc and slicing Raven across the chest. The ranger ignored the pain and took several steps back, as he nocked the arrow and quickly drew. Tucker¡¯s eyes went wide as he tried to retake stance, pulling his shield back to cover himself¡­but Raven was faster, as he loosed the arrow. It flew off his bow, pushed by the stretched string. Bending as it soared, a brief flight over the still rising shield. Until it hit skin, tore through and then broke bone. Embedding itself directly in-between Tucker¡¯s eyes. The warrior fell forwards, all motion in his body ending yet retaining his forward momentum as he had begun to charge forwards. He sprawled out onto the grassy ground glowing green but now splattered red. Dead. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Raven heard a voice from behind him, as he looked over the dead warrior. Glancing back his eyes widened, as Talon¡¯s longsword approached his neck. It glowed a fierce red, radiating with heat as steam oozed behind its path ¡°Just die already!¡±. Raven quickly raised his hands before him, taking the imbued blade head on. The fiery metal was met with little resistance but got through his armour, searing his skin and then flesh. Raven grimaced through the pain as he pulled back and away from his new assailant. But it was too late, Talon¡¯s blade was already slicing through his left hand¡­as it met bone and cut right through with a sudden burst of downward force. ¡°Hah!¡± Talon laughed as Raven¡¯s hand fell to the ground, splattering blood before suddenly exploding into green sparks of light ¡°Gotcha.¡± Raven quickly leaped back several steps, grasping his now stumped hand. Eyeing the bow he had dropped from having it cleaved off. ¡°Not so tough without your damn bow.¡± Talon said followed by a chuckle, as he raised his longsword towards Raven. Wearing a demeaning smirk. Raven clicked his tongue in annoyance, was this where he fell? Weaponless and cornered. Talon took a step forward, pulling his sword behind him ¡°This is why you mind your own god damn business, thought you¡¯d be the hero eh?¡± Raven met the warrior¡¯s eyes with his own solemn and calm gaze. ¡°Hero? I just saw an opportunity to PK and took it, you were actually with your pants down.¡± making Talon falter for a brief moment, giving him time to notice a glimmer from the corner of his eye ¡°At least I don¡¯t need to force myself onto women to get some.¡± He then said with a wide grin. Talon¡¯s eyes filled with rage as he two-handed gripped his blade, leaning forwards as his entire body suddenly blurred with the heat that oozed out of him ¡°Go to hell!¡± The weapon skill went into effect, as Talon charged forwards with unparalleled speed. Unparalleled, except for someone using the same exact skill before he did. A warrior appeared inbetween them, her body glowing a bright red hue as she held her Pole-axe forwards. Standing in Talon¡¯s path as he charged, directly into her weapon¡¯s top spike. Yet the momentum took him further, his armour already broken by the spike it cracked further from the force of collision. The entire pole-axe¡¯s top pierced through his belly and burst out of his back, to the point that even half the pole¡¯s length had gone through him. His charge ended there, as he coughed up blood and slowly looked up with surprise. Meeting Discordia¡¯s eyes as she stared at him with pure hatred in hers. He glanced down, looking at his ripped belly. His own armour had cracked and bent inwards, ripping the wound open wider and letting out things that shouldn¡¯t have been allowed an out. ¡°This is why, you mind your own self. Actions have consequences, and this is yours.¡± Said Raven, as he appeared to Talon¡¯s left. Holding Tucker¡¯s shortsword, he crouched down next to the warrior. Only held up by the pole-axe¡¯s length as its blade lay on the ground and Discordia held tightly onto the other end. Raven stepped around to stand behind Talon, raising his sword to the warrior¡¯s back. But before ending him he leaned in, looking at Discordia as he whispered into Talon¡¯s left ear while he cut off his armour straps ¡°It also saddens me to say, that as a man you bring disgrace to us all. Because never will any man, ever reach as deep as this woman got inside you.¡± He smiled, amused by his own joke. As Talon¡¯s back-plate armour fell, his eyes widened with fury. Right then Raven ever so slowly stabbed the blade through, filling him with pain. Until eventually it ripped through his heart, killing TalonT.
Ch 9 - The bloody beginning before the end Raven pulled out the sword and stepped back, sighing as he watched Talon¡¯s body dissipate into light. He checked his own status, his health had trickled down slightly from losing a hand and having his chest slashed but the worst part was the debuff icon currently beneath the HP bar. Glancing at it made its description appear.
Severed limb: This limb will be unavailable for use until you are healed or respawned.
¡°Well¡­that sucked.¡± Raven mumbled out loud before turning to Discordia, she was still clutching her weapon. Her eyes wide as she watched the lights dissipate, her expression full of rage. Raven stepped to her, grabbing her left arm ¡°They¡¯re gone, let it be.¡± He noticed, that her eyes softened. As if she had been snapped out of a daze ¡°Huh?...Oh¡­¡± she lightened her grip on the weapon and rose back. Not so carefully, she pulled her arm out of his soft grip ¡°I¡­¡±. Raven sighed (¡°So things like that happen around here huh?¡±) he pondered, glancing around at equipment they left behind after death. ¡°Every once in a while, we catch a couple of them yes.¡± Said a voice from behind them, as both of them turned to meet the staff-wielding Mer ¡°Most of the time, there¡¯s guards around here ready to deal with them but¡­¡± Tiana shrugged ¡°I sort of had to kill the guards to get through down here¡±. Raven met her amused expression with his own ¡°Got what you came for?¡± Tiana smiled back ¡°Partly, although I¡¯m more interested in what just happened here.¡± Raven¡¯s left brow rose questioningly ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t follow.¡± Her smile widened ¡°I like to look up newcomers. I must say, your background is far more interesting than most people that have come this game¡¯s way.¡± Raven turned to fully face her, the amusement gone and replaced by a solemn gaze ¡°Oh? What background exactly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not everyday you meet a professional league trainer.¡± Tiana said with a smirk, as suddenly Raven raised his blade to her face. His eyes wide but steady, his expression grim ¡°Ex. I don¡¯t work in that profession anymore. How did you find all that out anyway?¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve heard.¡± Responded Tiana as she leaned away from the blade, grabbing it in between her fingers and moving it away ¡°And I have my¡­sources.¡± ¡°R-Raven¡­¡± Discordia mumbled as she held her pole-axe forward, staring at his predicament with surprise. He glanced to either side of him, there were two cloaked figures holding blades to his neck ¡°Friends too, I see.¡± He mused, before turning to face Tiana once more ¡°So you know what I use to do, then what do you want from me?¡± ¡°Hm? I thought that would be simple to figure out.¡± She waved the two cloaked players off, and they both immediately sheathed their blades. Moving to stand beside her ¡°We want you to join our cause. A cause we both can profit off of, that is the reason you began playing this game is it not? To make a living off the only thing you know how to do.¡± Raven¡¯s solemn expression warped as he suddenly began to laugh ¡°Recruiting me are you? For what? Your guild?¡± he lowered his sword. ¡°Guild?¡± Tiana chuckled ¡°Oh this thing?¡± she then said pointing at the SNEKK guild tag ¡°Oh no, this is only temporary.¡± Raven was the one to smile now ¡°Nindo.¡± ¡°Ah, so you¡¯ve made your research too.¡± She smiled approvingly ¡°Yes, our cause was built on our past failure. But our goal overall has changed.¡± ¡°Well colour me intrigued, so what exactly is your goal?¡± Raven asked as he glanced at the two cloaked figures by her side. Tiana gestured widely, seemingly at the forest around them ¡°This game is dying. The companies influencing the large guilds have been draining its lifeline for years now, and it''s reaching its end. Players like Discordia here, join to enjoy the game but only get pushed away by the community. The community in of itself then is dying off as the economy self-destructs.¡± She sighed longingly ¡°Do you know how people make money off this game?¡± ¡°Items, gold and PVP events.¡± Raven guessed. Tiana pointed her finger at him ¡°Items, that key word. Loot from monsters, rewards from bosses. Remember when I explained the Delve levels? Well what do you think would happen if all the cities were owned by a conglomerate of guilds who¡¯s only goal is to profit?¡± Raven¡¯s eyes narrowed as he glanced down thoughtfully ¡°They¡¯d hoard the lower levels, allow access only to trusted members or paying players.¡± Tiana flicked her fingers now ¡°Exactly, that¡¯s what they do. And because of that, the game is slowly dying out. But they don¡¯t care, they¡¯re just milking it for the money like all the other games on the store that have embraced the open market system.¡± ¡°And let me guess, you want to try and stop these companies from ruining all those games?¡± Raven asked, already unamused by them. ¡°No.¡± Tiana then responded, deadpan as such ¡°We don¡¯t care for the other games, that¡¯s too much attention. No, we¡¯re solely focusing on COTD, because fighting them on the grand scale of things as we did before will only end with us as the losers once more. No this isn¡¯t an open battlefield anymore, we¡¯ve changed our tactics to align with theirs. This is guerrilla warfare, and we¡¯re winning.¡± ¡°Winning?¡± Raven asked, when suddenly eight more players appeared out of the forest around them. Tiana smiled ¡°They control the main guilds, but we¡¯re everywhere. Within the main guilds, officers of the crafting guilds and even leadership within the smaller ¡®Customer¡¯ guilds.¡± ¡°I see¡­And why are you showing yourselves so openly then?¡± Raven dared ask as his seriousness returned, at first thinking he was dealing with a bunch of tinfoil-hats but now¡­ ¡°Because,¡± began speaking another who Raven recognised ¡°The beginning of the end starts tomorrow, we¡¯re all ready and waiting.¡± Said Calibor, the player character who Raven recognised from the photo. Raven raised a brow as he turned to Calibor ¡°And here I thought you quit.¡± ¡°He did.¡± Calibor responded ¡°I¡¯m the guy he sold the account to.¡± ¡°You can sell accounts? What about the body scan?¡± Raven asked, surprised and curious. ¡°Within certain parameters¡­¡± Calibor admitted ¡°It¡¯s not exactly legal but, nobody really frowns upon it either.¡± Tiana clapped her hands ¡°Annyyywayy, getting sidetracked. Point is, there are about 80 players hidden in groups within this Delve level. Waiting, for my orders to start. We noticed you, and appreciate your skill and experience. So how about it? Want to make some good cash off the douche company¡¯s backs?¡± Raven sighed as he turned to her ¡°So we¡¯re on a timer, starting tomorrow? Let me guess, you¡¯re waiting for Cerberus to capture a corridor before taking over.¡± Tiana only smiled back, giving no response ¡°Members only info huh?¡± he chuckled before glancing around ¡°You must really need members if you¡¯re willing to show yourselves to just gain one more, I shudder at the thought of how many players we¡¯ll be actually facing. But¡­¡± His smile grew, his eyes empty of emotion as he seemingly stared off into another place, another time ¡°I¡¯m always down for stabbing the corporate bastards in the back.¡± He looked her straight in the eye, making her shudder slightly from the coldness in his expression ¡°Where do I sign?¡± ¡°Nowhere yet¡­We¡¯ll come find you when we start, you have 26 hours though to get as high level as you can.¡± Said, Tiana, as the other players slowly began to disappear. ¡°26 hours? And what level do you expect me to get by then?¡± Raven asked, trying to gauge the experience gain in this game. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She hummed thoughtfully ¡°Level 8? Something like that.¡± She shrugged. ¡°A level 8 against what tier of players exactly?¡± Raven sighed ¡°You could at least tell me what¡¯s this bullshit about the locked Racial.¡± ¡°I was about to.¡± Tiana grinned, before glancing at an utterly confused Discordia ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t matter if you overhear¡­¡± She turned back to Raven ¡°Good thing neither of you has levelled yet too, since the first ten levels are key to it.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Raven¡¯s curiosity peaked as he asked that question, a certain glint in his eyes did not go unnoticed. Tiana chuckled as she began casting healing on his injuries, explaining all the while ¡°Well the Racial Mastery unlocks itself for the player at level 10 but¡­What that mastery is, is determined by which Spec you focused on mostly before level 10. Since it is impossible to get Companions before level 60, it¡¯s a pick between Weapon and Elemental Mastery. Whichever of the two you focused on most, for whichever specific mastery it will imbue itself to it.¡± ¡°Specific?¡± Discordia repeated as she watched bone, then flesh followed by skin regenerate itself awfully graphically. ¡°It doesn¡¯t bind itself to the Weapon Mastery as a whole but instead, the specific weapon category. So say you mainly used the sword, it will bind itself to Sword Mastery. Empowering it greatly.¡± Tiana explained, finishing her healing spell. Raven took a long drawn out sigh, less so from finally having his hand back ¡°So it would be too late by the time you find out what it actually is¡­And for those still figuring out their build, it would be a nightmare.¡± Tiana shrugged ¡°Hey, look at the bright part¡­At least now you know.¡± ¡°Now I do¡­¡± he chuckled with desperation, not even he could have figured that out on his own. ¡°Remember newbie, 26 hours. Put a timer on that.¡± Tiana casually saluted before turning away. ¡°Wait!¡± Discordia suddenly shouted. Seemingly already expecting that reaction, Tiana glanced back ¡°You want in too?¡± she asked, smirking. Discordia glanced between her and Raven ¡°I¡­Yes, I want to be part of this too.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡±Tiana hummed thoughtfully ¡°I mean you¡¯re still new¡­Your background check didn¡¯t point out anything too interesting unlike Mr. trainer here¡­Well except for¡­¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Discordia asked shakily, disturbed of having her personal life checked. ¡°Hm, you can draw can¡¯t you?¡± Tiana asked. ¡°Um¡­Yes?¡± she responded, slightly confused now. Tiana suddenly turned resting her hands over Discordia¡¯s shoulders ¡°Good good! You can design our flag and banners then!¡± ¡°U-hm¡­I could?¡± Discordia said, slightly disappointed as her shoulders slumped down. ¡°Well I¡¯ll leave you to it then.¡± Tiana said, waving them off whilst walking backwards. ¡°Remember¡­26 hours~ Before we bring this world to its knees and begging~¡± ¡°You¡¯ve said th-¡± Raven began as he turned to face her, only to find that Tiana was already gone ¡°How do they even do that?¡± he sighed, glanced around at the beginner equipment still laying about and then began picking up his arrows. Discordia watched quietly, as he picked them up one by one before he suddenly began to walk away ¡°W-where are you going?¡± she asked, strapping her weapon to her back before following after him. ¡°To level up of course.¡± Raven replied simply. ¡°But¡­the level 1 area is back there?¡± Discordia pointed out. ¡°We might be level one, but did you not notice how those four players were level 5 and us two as level 1 dealt more than enough damage to kill them?¡± Raven argued back ¡°Stats in this game aren¡¯t like your average MMORPG, I¡¯d garner they¡¯re more similar to arena fighters. Health, damage, resistance and all that, caps out at a certain point. From what I can tell of our beginner equipment, it gives little to no stats. Items don¡¯t give all that either which is why high tier gear is so much more sought after.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t get why we¡¯re heading towards higher level monsters¡­¡± Discordia mumbled. Raven stopped and glanced back, before pointing towards her ¡°Tank.¡± Then at himself ¡°DPS.¡± She looked at him with even more confusion ¡°So?¡± ¡°So we need a healer, and as far as I could tell I¡¯m the better damage dealer of the two. So we need to get you a healing mastery, and those level 1 mobs don¡¯t exactly spell out magic do they?¡± Raven explained. ¡°Yeah¡­I guess not?¡± Discordia agreed. ¡°Well there you go, now let¡¯s move on.¡± He said, before turning to continue walking onwards. Discordia nodded, before suddenly realising. She had just agreed to be both the tank and healer¡­
Several minutes later. An opening in the strange forest, gleaming with a flowing fog of pure light. Prancing within the rainbow of blurred light was a white figure, a four legged and small furry creature. The size of a fox, but the body shape of a slightly larger cat. The creature was mostly feline other than the long white-feathered wings growing out of its back. It leaped around, playfully with the glowing grass. Spreading its wings the creature flew long bounds, flapping them would most certainty take it further. Discordia watched with narrowed eyes, barely making out the creature through the strange fog. She glanced at her chat, quickly typing into the party window. ¡°- Is that it?¡± she asked. ¡°- Yes, the post says it¡¯s our best bet for a Light elemental core at this level. The Angelic Wildcat.¡± Raven replied. ¡°They¡¯re highly smart creatures, and very fast. Stick to the plan, I¡¯ll deal with the rest.¡± Discordia glanced away from the chatbox, as it faded out of view (¡°Here goes then¡­¡±) she took a deep breath, whilst clutching her pole-axe. Seeing through the fog, that the creature stopped prancing. It had noticed her. Discordia charged out, willing her charge skill to activate. Her body glowed fiercely red as she suddenly appeared before the adorable white ball of winged fur, as it expertly leaped over her wide slash. Its body bending mid-air, acrobatics part of its everyday life. The wildcat opened its wings wide, flapping them once it flew off and away from Discordia. Quickly landing at the edge of the opening it prepared its wings as it arched back, taking a stance to leap up into the air and take flight. Discordia watched with wide eyes, her skill still on cooldown. As four arrows suddenly burst out of the forest, a barrage directed at the small creature. The wildcat noticed the ambush, abandoning its leap into freedom it tried to evade. The first arrow missed its mark, going over the wildcat. The second scraped by the creature¡¯s neck, barely missing too. But the third landed squarely into the cat¡¯s left wing, shredding feather and flesh before shattering the fragile bones. Followed by the fourth, as it embedded itself into the creature¡¯s left paw. It screeched in agony, before suddenly hissing fiercely. The Angelic Wildcat leaped out of the way as another arrow shot by, hissing once more before lunging down on the arrow shaft that was protruding out of its leg. It pulled it out, whining in pain before ferociously crunching the arrow into two. ¡°Go!¡± Raven shouted, as he stepped through the bushes. Bow drawn, arrows ready. He loosed, arrow after arrow as the creature danced around and evaded. Its leg shrouded by a thicker mist, as it healed through the creature¡¯s magic. Raven missed left and right, the creature¡¯s size small and its speed incredible. He drew his last arrow, as he met the creature¡¯s maddened eyes. It expected him to loose, but he held. Briefly confusing it, as suddenly the mist behind it spread apart. Discordia appeared behind it, charging once more. Her body shrouded in short gouts of flame, as her pole-axe¡¯s blade fell down upon the creature ready to cleave it into two. The creature¡¯s fur stood on end, as it stepped aside while turning. Moving to evade and then run off. It was faster than Discordia, easily moving out of her attack¡¯s arch. But in turn, its movements became an obvious pattern and Raven loosed his last arrow. A screech of pain ended it all, as the creature fell to the ground. Its body limp, an arrow protruding out of the left of its head. The two players stared at it, Discordia out of breath and watching carefully as Raven began recovering his arrows. In the chatbox at the corner of their view, the kill notice appeared.
You have killed [Angelic Wildcat] Level 1 Experience gained! 1.8%
¡°So that¡¯s 25 of it to get to level 2.¡± Raven mused as he moved onto the creature¡¯s corpse, carefully pulling out the two still embedded arrows before glancing at the broken one. Sighing at the loss. ¡°Now¡­for the core.¡± He pulled up the video guide he had been watching, one that had told him where to find the creature in the first place. ¡°So just open it up¡­and pull it out without breaking it huh?¡± he glanced at Discordia ¡°Do you wanna do it?¡± Her expression paled as she stared at the poor dead creature, shaking her head in response. Raven chuckled ¡°Better you look away then.¡± He said, whilst opening his inventory and pulling out the shortsword he had taken for himself ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± he mumbled while turning the creature over, so it¡¯s chest was facing the sky. He waved off at the fog around them, it¡¯s gleaming light bothering his eyes. Raven put the blade to the creature¡¯s chest, slowly and carefully sinking it down through the fur, pelt then flesh. He gripped it with both hands, kneeling over the wildcat as he cut its chest open. Until suddenly he felt something hard block the blade, unsure whether it was bone or rather the core itself he stopped and pulled the blade out. Setting the shortsword aside he then gripped the two flaps of torn flesh that were the long open wound he had cut. He spread the creature¡¯s chest open, revealing the mess of blood, organs and bone within. At the very bottom of that crevice, where he had stopped cutting. Was a gleaming orb of rainbow lights, a perfect sphere of either glass or crystal. He noted that the orb had strange blue veins attached to it, spreading out through the creature¡¯s body alongside the veins protruding out of its very visible heart. He carefully scraped off the veins, hearing gagging from behind him he almost gagged himself ¡°Damnit don¡¯t look if you¡¯re going to belch!¡± he shouted back at Discordia. ¡°S-Sorry!¡± she whimpered back, out of sight. Raven sighed as he returned to the task at hand, pushing his gloved fingers around the orb and inside the creature¡¯s stomach. He was thankful he was wearing gloves, the sound of squelching blood and flesh alongside stretching muscles and bone was more than he had expected. Slowly he began to pull the orb out, half of it still having the strange blue veins attached to it. When suddenly the orb flashed with a bright light that travelled through the remaining veins¡­and the creature¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°What the f-¡± The wildcat hissed and screeched, back alive as it flapped its wings and began ravaging his gloves and vambraces with its clawed paws. Raven held tightly onto the core with one hand while fending off the cat¡¯s claws and trying to scrape off the veins with the other. ¡°Do something!¡± he shouted back at Discordia, as she stared horrified by the scene. ¡°God damnit!¡± Raven swore, as he got tired of the cat¡¯s shaking and struggling. He suddenly grasped the cat by the neck, slamming its head down onto the ground and holding it tightly there. He clenched his hand around its throat as it squirmed and hissed, choking it out. He held it still, putting all his weight on his right hand. As he carefully tore off the remaining veins sticking to the core, one by one scraping their ends off with the iron plating over his leather gloves. As he did, he clearly heard the sound of someone leaning over and emptying their stomach through the end those fluids entered in the first place¡­Discordia was puking. Raven dared not look back, more so as he was busy holding down a very angry revived magical creature with one hand while tearing out its insides with the other. Until finally he arrived at the last vein, as it glowed more brightly than the others, pulsating even, with force as it withheld the flow of energy alone. Raven tore it off, pulling out the core with a loud grunt as he continued to hold onto the feline¡¯s throat. As it suddenly went completely still and silent. ¡°The fuck¡­was that about?...¡± Raven mumbled out in shock, as he slowly moved away from the cat¡¯s corpse. Afraid it would jump at him once more. Ch 10 - Grinding Raven lay sitting within the strange grass, his back rested on a tree¡¯s trunk as he watched Discordia sitting opposite, facing him. She was focusing on the orb of light within her hands, trying to grasp the flow of energy called ¡®Mana¡¯. He expected her to take a few minutes but from the quickly progressing bar that hovered above her character, it seemed like she was already used to altering game systems outside her own body. He wished she wasn¡¯t, as she took this quiet chance to ask questions¡­ ¡°So¡­League trainer huh?¡± Discordia mused out loud, hinting her curiosity. Raven sighed as he looked away, staring off into the forest around them ¡°You know it¡¯s rude to ask others of their life outside the game right?¡± Her expression reddened and she refocused on the sphere before her ¡°Y-Yeah¡­it is a bit rude.¡± Deciding it was better not to ask at all ¡°S-Sorry.¡± He let out another silent sigh, he couldn¡¯t blame her for being curious ¡°It was¡­¡± he began. Discordia¡¯s attention focusing away from her task and on his voice ¡°Like a dream. I was one of these players at first, rising the ranks, joining and moving teams. Trying to cope with life while all I really wanted to see was the game. Being a professional e-sports player isn¡¯t all they make it out to be you know. The fanatics are bad enough to deal with, but then there¡¯s society as a whole which begins to look at you differently.¡± Raven¡¯s eyes glossed over as he remembered the late years of his childhood ¡°I couldn¡¯t cope with it, the crowds, the tension¡­It was driving me mad. In the end, I was about to leave it all behind. I was the team leader, and I was about to quit the team. With no pre-warning, nothing. I was going to give them all the worst surprise of their lives.¡± ¡°And then¡­our sponsor gives me this choice. To quit, leave it all behind as I was about to or¡­Be part of the team in another way. They gave me the chance to become part of the squad of people that care and help the players, I didn¡¯t see any reason to decline so¡­I accepted.¡± Raven chuckled ¡°Retired only to train the new generation, didn¡¯t sound so bad. It sounded great actually, at first¡­Sure I had more time for myself but, I still had to dedicate most of my life to the team. To make sure each member, of each team I was aiding, was in their top state. Mechanically I showed them how through hard work, mentally I explained as best as I could until they understood. But in the end, it was all up to them. I¡¯ve seen so many potentials come and go over the years, it gave me a whole new perspective on that industry.¡± His expression then darkened, as he clenched his bow ¡°Then the crap started. Cuts in our budget out of nowhere, ¡®Reassignment¡¯ of equipment. We didn¡¯t know what the hell was going on, all we knew was something wrong was going on with our sponsors legally speaking. It all went downhill, we still don¡¯t know what the fuck happened. All behind the curtains I guess¡­Our sponsor went bankrupt. Thankfully the players found other teams and other sponsors but me and the other trainers¡­well, we couldn¡¯t find anything.¡± He turned to look at Discordia, as she stared at him with interest ¡°Oi¡­you¡¯re glowing.¡± Raven then said with surprise. ¡°Huh!?¡± Discordia suddenly rose, noticing that the orb was gone from her hands and that her entire body was glowing a bright white. ¡°Any notices?¡± Raven asked as he also rose. ¡°Y-Yea¡­I gained the Light element.¡± Discordia responded as she stared at her screens ¡°I have a minor heal and a light bolt spell¡­¡± Raven clicked his tongue in annoyance ¡°Gah, rangers don¡¯t get any skills at level 1¡­¡± his skills and spells windows were still entirely empty ¡°Well we got what we needed, how much longer can you stay on?¡± ¡°Uh-What time is it?...¡± Discordia mumbled as she opened her Dive menu, checking the time. Thinking it over as she checked the time she figured she had until she got tired, but she was too embarrassed to admit that. ¡°I¡¯ve got as long as I want so, depends how long you can stay on.¡± Raven added. ¡°Oh¡­same then. I guess 11 more hours? Before I¡¯ll need to go sleep. By the way why¡­aren¡¯t we gathering a larger party?¡± Discordia quickly admitted before asking. Raven smirked ¡°The larger the party the worse the experience distribution, that¡¯s every MMORPG. We won¡¯t need any more than us two.¡± He explained, whilst reopening the several tabs of monster info he could gather around the game ¡°Trust me¡­¡± an evil smirk on his face. ¡°Um¡­Sure?¡± Discordia honestly didn¡¯t get it, she was used to being carried by her guildmates through levels. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­The system doesn¡¯t tell us monster difficulty but people over the years have categorized them fairly well. That cat-undead thing we just dealt with was a Speed-Class monster, preferably we won¡¯t be fighting those anymore.¡± Raven began mumbling incoherently quiet to himself ¡°With you as a sustain based melee, and me as a long range DPS¡­Horde-Class monsters are our best bet.¡± Raven¡¯s smile widened as he opened the gamepedia¡¯s list of monsters, finding the several types of level 1-5 Horde-class types ¡°This beauty will do.¡± Discordia shivered as she saw his grin.
Sly: Music <3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLotKxyFJ2Q
A couple minutes later¡­ A low, barely audible hissing filled her ears as Discordia stood within the dark forest. The atmosphere was gloomy, the grass¡¯s glow dimmed and the trees completely lightless this deep into the forest. They had walked a fair bit to get here, much further from the beginner¡¯s area than she¡¯d wish to admit. She prepared herself in body and mind, as the creature they were hunting approached. She stood still and alone, weapon ready but mind not so much. Raven had explained this monster to her, and she immediately wanted nothing to do with it¡­ (¡°It¡¯s this or hours more¡­it¡¯s this or hours more¡­¡±) She constantly repeated to herself, as she glanced down at the thick web that covered the ground beneath her. Hidden by the tall grass. It was a pitch-black silk with violet stripes, almost invisible on the violet dirt that covered this underground world. Discordia shivered as the hissing got louder, multiplying by the number of creatures that lurked all around her now. She had stepped onto the web, announcing her position to them¡­And they were coming, if not already watching her. Their steps, soundless. But their presence very notable from the disorienting sound. As one of them suddenly leaped out from the branches above. Discordia reacted immediately, turning her Pole-axe¡¯s spike towards the creature as it fell upon her. Noticing the weapon, the creature suddenly pulled back mid-air. Invisible strings of silk helping it hang down from the trees. It was a large spider, about three feet in width and length with a violet torso and legs like the leaves with black stripes. Discordia followed it¡¯s hovering with her weapon, as the creature¡¯s several eyes lit up with red and green lights. It swung around her, as several more suddenly fell from the branches. They surrounded her, all hanging onto their invisible web while looking for openings on her. This was a Horde-class monster¡­a full party was recommended to fight these things. To which Discordia agreed, as she stood surrounded by what she counted as twelve very large fucking spiders.
{Minion} [Grimwood Arachnid] Level 3
She tried to relax, she tried to ignore their eyes¡­crawly legs¡­trembling mandibles¡­and hairy bodies¡­It wasn¡¯t an easy feat. She couldn¡¯t see them all, so she focused solely on those in front of her. Knowing from what Raven told her, that six more were hiding up in the branches above. She was completely out-numbered and in any other circumstance, she would have combat-logged. But for some reason, for some insane reason, she decided to trust Raven. Even though he didn¡¯t explain the rest of the plan¡­The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. An Arachnid from ahead of her suddenly lunged, as it swung back onto a tree before pushing itself with great speed towards her. Discordia prepared to impale the creature with her pole-axe¡¯s spike, but the spider pulled back at the last second. Unbeknownst to her, two others had done the same thing from behind her. And both suddenly flew back as an arrow impaled their torsos, hanging dead from their own web. Discordia noticed, and did what she was told to do¡­ She began to swing wildly, slashing about to keep their attention less they aggro on Raven. Who was hidden in the forest around her, slowly repositioning himself while trying very hard not to step onto the thick web that covered the ground. She lunged, slashed and swung, the system assisting her to retake stance after each strike. Giving her a continuous combination of attacks, a constant flow of strikes she absolutely loved. With the striking power of an axe and range of a spear, in the hands of a well-trained warrior pole-arms were truly a devastating weapon. And the spiders had a limited range of movement, as they mostly hung from the branches. She slashed through several legs and even struck down a spider herself as she moved without a care, ignoring whatever crawled behind. Even as another spider lunged at her back, followed by a third arrow hitting it squarely in the head. Discordia fended them off, as she slowly moved into a range where they could no longer evade. Striking down several while Raven watched her back from the shadows. Within a few moments six of the visible spiders were already dead. Three pierced by arrows and hanging dead, three sliced apart by her axe as they lay on the ground as fertilizer for the grass. ¡°Keep at it!¡± Raven shouted as he suddenly leapt out of the forest and joined her, six more spiders crawling behind him and jumping from branch to branch ¡°They aggroed out!¡± he pointed it out, as the six that were hidden found his position and assaulted him. ¡°W-What now!?¡± Discordia said as Raven came to stand behind her, as she held at bay the ones in front of her. ¡°Back to back!¡± Raven shouted with an amused tone, as he quickly drew and shot down another two that lunged at his arrival. He drew once more, turning towards a third that lunged at him. But he held his shot, as the arachnid quickly turned back when he took aim at it. Raven had watched them attack Discordia, he noticed the slight movement of their legs when they prepared to pull back and remembered it. So he held his shot, as not to waste valuable ammunition. ¡°Y-You g-gotta be joking! This is your plan!?¡± Discordia asked as she lunged at two spiders that lunged at her, striking one¡¯s legs off as the second flew over their heads. ¡°Hah! What did you expect?¡± he chuckled, taking aim on the over extending spider that flew over them. Loosing his arrow it easily hit its mark on the slowing down arachnid, as it hung back towards them Raven quickly grabbed the arrow out of its corpse and redrew. ¡°This is crazy!¡± Discordia shouted as she struck at the injured spider, slashing its body apart with her axe. Her expression paling, as two spiders lunged at her overextension. ¡°Crap!¡± Raven immediately turned, as he still held three arrows in his drawing hand. He nocked, drew and loosed twice, killing the first arachnid before it even leapt off the tree and later shooting down the second mid-leap. Just as quickly he grabbed Discordia¡¯s shoulder and spun her around, as he took cover behind her. ¡°Wah-¡± Discordia¡¯s expression turned red as she felt his hand, then immediately refocusing as she was faced with a leaping spider. ¡°Sorry!¡± Raven apologised, as she blocked the spider¡¯s lunge with her weapon¡¯s pole. It grappled on, its blade-like legs slashing away at her armoured hands while its fanged mandibles hissed and leaked saliva. Discordia shivered as she slammed her weapon downwards, squashing the creature beneath her weapon ¡°Damnit!¡± she swore as the creature¡¯s violet blood splashed all over her chest. Raven grinned wildly as he watched the four spiders ahead of him, refilling his hand with arrows before quickly turning back once more as Discordia rose. Loosing an arrow, he killed the fifth spider mid-leap as it lunged at the bent down Discordia. He turned to be met with another, as it swung at him mid-leap. He quickly crouched beneath its swing, the creature¡¯s bladed legs catching the feathers on his head slightly. They cut through with frightening ease. They both rose back and prepared their weapons, Discordia clutching her pole-axe as she held its spike forwards and raised while Raven nocked and drew, following one spider with the arrow tip and the other with his eyes. ¡°That should be four remaining.¡± He mused. ¡°Two here¡­¡± Discordia added with discomfort as she watched the two spiders on her side hang around, hissing, spitting out their disgusting saliva while watching them. ¡°Well¡­how do I say this¡­¡± Raven began, as his smile crept wider. ¡°Nice knowing you?...¡± Discordia took a guess. ¡°Ah¡­I apologise for what is about to happen.¡± Raven said with a dead-pan tone. She glanced back at him, confused and terrified as she watched him step and spin about quickly collecting all the arrows he can. He was completely open, and two spiders took that opening to lunge down at him ¡°Cover me!¡± He shouted at her. Discordia¡¯s body moved before her mind caught up, as she activated her charge skill. A thin aura of heat formed around her body, as she suddenly burst forwards. Turning the two lunging spiders into mush on her way, before crashing into a bunch of bushes. She tripped, falling over and rolling into the grass. She groaned whilst rubbing her head ¡°Well that started it!¡± Raven shouted. ¡°S-Started what?...¡± She asked whilst trying to rise. When Raven suddenly leapt over her position, a wild smile plastered on his face as he shouted once more ¡°Run and find out!¡± he landed behind her, immediately booking it away once he hit the ground. Discordia turned to look at the small opening they once stood in, as the two remaining spiders crawled over their companion¡¯s corpses¡­The ground was rising, the grass and dirt making way for the massive black carapace that came from beneath. Her face lost all its colour, turning ghostly pale as she witnessed the massive spider rise from beneath the ground. Catching a glimpse of the creature¡¯s tag.
{Elite} [Grimwood Arachnid Queen] Level 5
¡°Ha-Haha-¡­¡± Discordia was frozen in fear, stuttering a horrified chuckle. The creature stood with its back to them, hissing ferociously as it slowly turned to face her. When two arrows suddenly flew over her head, shooting down the two remaining arachnids from the branches above ¡°Run!¡± Raven shouted once more, snapping her out of her daze. The Queen screeched madly in reaction, turning suddenly faster. Discordia clenched her weapon and turned about, dashing forwards as fast as her legs took her. She could feel the creature¡¯s eyes on her back, as she heard its mandibles click and tremble wetly with saliva. It sent a whole new wave of coldness crawl up her spine, her running speed comically increased. But she couldn¡¯t keep up with Raven, as he ran much faster than her and already ways ahead. To the point that she lost him briefly after, as the ground began to tremble beneath her. She heard the creature chase after them, hearing the trees bending beneath its strength, the branches break and bushes crushed behind its weight and power. As it hissed and screeched, alongside the constant loud and wet clicking of its mandibles. Discordia was terrified, she couldn¡¯t hide it. She ran, as fast as she could she ran while tears formed at the corner of her eyes. She tripped over more times than she could count as she ran, but every time she got back up and continued onwards. The looming terror that was the sound and shaking ground edging her onwards. She almost forgot this was a game, the fear of what she briefly glimpsed at too much for her fragile mind. Until finally, Discordia saw light through the dim forest ahead. She charged head-on, aiming for the light. She burst through the bushes, finding herself back in the normal forest. An opening at that, larger than the previous one. Enough that looking up allowed her to see the cavern¡¯s ceiling, as the ever-present crystal¡¯s light rained upon her surroundings. She didn¡¯t stop there. No Discordia continued to run, finding no more obstacles in the way she dashed for the other side of the opening¡­When suddenly the sound of breaking trees caught her attention, she turned to glance behind herself. The Queen Arachnid bashed through trees, its bulky armoured body unaffected as debris of bark and branches slid off the metallic plating that covered its black carapace in large bulges. Its thick long black legs, covered in hanging black hairs slashed through the obstacles with ease, their ends made like hooked blades cutting through the wood and leaves. It crashed into the opening, its six glistening green eyes widened as they focused on Discordia. Its mandibles ever-clicking ferociously, thick two sets of two ending in even thicker black fangs. Hungrily it screeched, standing a dozen feet tall¡­almost as high as the trees themselves. Before arching back and suddenly leaping at her. Discordia¡¯s eyes widened fully and so did her jaw, as she stood trembling in her boots. When suddenly something collided with her way before the creature landed, she flew aside and tumbled over several times before coming to a stop. Raven had dashed for her, he charged her and pulled her with after grabbing her. As their tumbling ended he rolled with the momentum and came to standing, immediately pulling out four arrows, nocking one and then drawing his bow. The massive Arachnid landed with a loud crash, as all her weight came down onto her six bladed legs. As she turned to face them, Raven began loosing arrow after arrow. ¡°Ready your charge and aim for the legs!¡± he shouted at Discordia ¡°Don¡¯t miss!¡± His arrows flew, two missed as they uselessly deflected off the spider¡¯s carapace but two others hit their mark. Violet blood squirted out as two arrows embedded themselves into an eye each, leaving it with four. The spider screeched in pain as it reared back, raising its front legs defensively. ¡°I¡¯ll keep its attention!¡± Raven then said, before rushing towards the large creature. ¡°Keep¡­I-Its attention!?¡± Discordia repeated in disbelief ¡°H-He¡¯s insane!¡± Raven chuckled as he stopped mere feet from the beast ¡°I just might be¡­¡± as it loomed over him. The Queen Arachnid glanced down at him, as he drew his bow up at it. Loosing another arrow as it noticed him, knocking out another eye. But this time the spider reacted, lunging down with both front legs as its eye got pierced by his arrow. Screeching in pain, it continued its attack momentum. Both bladed legs, with the hooks extended fully like a pole-blade. They descended down upon him, in the path to cleaving Raven¡¯s body into three. Raven reacted quickly, rolling forwards and under the creature, he evaded the two cleavers. Rolling fully and landing on his feet, he refilled his hand whilst making a run for it. The spider hissed ferociously, as it moved aside and spun about looking for him. Raven stuck beneath it, staying out of sight as much as possible as he glanced over at Discordia. She was looking at him with utter and frozen disbelief. ¡°Get! To! Charging!¡± He stuttered a shout, trying to concentrate on keeping the monster confused. When suddenly the Arachnid Queen stopped¡­It arched upwards, elongating its legs fully as it rose up. Discordia¡¯s eyes widened, she watched frozen. The Arachnid Queen suddenly smashed down its torso, Raven tried to evade, he tried to roll out of the way but...
Party member [Raven] Level 2 has been killed by [Grimwood Arachnid Queen] Level 5
He wasn''t fast enough. Announcing Changes v0.1 Patch Notes v0.1 :
  1. New:
  1. Changes:
Before: ¡°But¡­isn¡¯t this bad for sales? Isn¡¯t it bad for the game in general?¡± Discordia asked, disbelief in her tone. ¡°In a way, but not really.¡± He shrugged ¡±Dedicated players are more important than some passer-by. This game has other purchase to be made other than the buy to play, sure most of them are cosmetic but they are still purchases. A Dedicated player will dish out a lot more money than a passer-by that cannot deal with the game¡¯s faults. And if that Dedicated player is a good player, in a game like this where the market is connected to the real-life market and being taxed per transaction? Even better.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°And dedicated good players could¡­deal with this. I see now.¡± Discordia said, in realisation through his words. ¡°Yeah¡­I¡¯m glad I met you then. Who knows how long it would have taken me to realise¡­¡± Raven glanced over at her, seeing her distraught expression ¡°Don¡¯t worry over it, not everyone¡¯s a wolf.¡± (¡°Some are just sheep, sheep that can make anything comfortable with little effort though.¡±) he thought while glancing away (¡°But wolves¡­wolves cannot control the urge.¡±) his cold smile returned, unseen by the Mer. After: ¡°But¡­isn¡¯t this bad for sales? Isn¡¯t it bad for the game in general?¡± Discordia asked, disbelief in her tone. ¡°In a way,¡± He shrugged ¡±Dedicated players are important, whales as we call them but its the casual that brings it all in. Which makes me wonder...how does this game keep itself afloat?¡± Raven glanced over at her, seeing her distraught expression ¡°Don¡¯t worry over it, not everyone¡¯s a wolf.¡± (¡°Some are just sheep, sheep that can make anything comfortable with little effort though.¡±) he thought while glancing away (¡°But wolves¡­wolves cannot control the urge.¡±) his cold smile returned, unseen by the Mer.
¡°Remember¡­26 hours~ Before we bring this world to its knees and begging~¡±
You have killed [Angelic Wildcat] Level 1 Experience gained! 1.8%
Ch 11 - Cloak and Dagger
You have fallen. Please await resurrection or until the respawn timer ticks down to zero. You will be given spawn options in; 1:59
Raven sighed as he hovered, incorporeal in mid-air. Although this time it was different than the last time he died, his perspective was locked onto Discordia, his party mate. He could slightly look around and move about for a few feet but that was it. ¡±Well, didn¡¯t expect it to do that.¡± He mused whilst watching the massive creature rise and turn to face Discordia. As she stared up at it, her hands clenching about her weapon¡¯s shaft. ¡°This girl though¡­Heh guess not everyone is cut out for hardcore farming.¡± She couldn¡¯t hear him at all, she didn¡¯t even know he was still watching. But Raven watched and waited, fully expecting the spider to crush her as she stood frozen in fear and confusion. She proved him otherwise, as he watched her expression harden. Just like before, her eyes changed entirely, focusing on what lay ahead of her. As anger filled her visage, as she clenched her teeth and spoke quietly under her breath ¡°Get a damn hold of yourself¡­¡± Discordia lowered her stance as she held her weapon straight like a spear, widening her legs she held her ground. Her feet digging into the violet dirt beneath, she watched the creature rise and turn. She charged aside, gaining distance between her and the monster.
{Pole-arm Mastery} 0/30 [+1]
{Unlocked Skills} Warrior¡¯s Charge [0/5] +
{Available Skills} Superior Parry [+]
Quickly, now viewable to even Raven. She mentally opened her skill tab, seeing the new skill point from levelling up to level 2 due to the level 3 Arachnids they killed, she allocated it to her charge skill. Increasing its power and decreasing its cooldown, but in tandem increase its stamina drain per use. It also reset the cooldown on her charge skill. She watched as the creature quickly turned to face her once again, hissing as it raised its front legs before charging forwards. Discordia lined herself up, her weapon¡¯s spike moving from left to right as she took aim. She waited for the right moment¡­As the creature¡¯s middle right leg came down, she charged. Her pole-axe¡¯s top spike was a whirlwind of unstoppable force as it pierced through the hard carapace. Cracking its surface before tearing through the flesh within, bursting out of the other side just as easily. Discordia charged right through its leg, breaking the bladed joint right off and continuing onwards. The Arachnid Queen hissed angrily, as it stomped its legs down and quickly turned to reface her. Discordia too turned as she came out of her charge, it seemed like the maximum range had also increased. Finding a brief moment of pause she opened her Character page.
{Character Page} DiscordiaX Conqueror Level - 2
{Statistics} +1 Strength / 5 + Constitution / 5 + Agility / 5 + Intelligence / 5 + Wisdom / 5 +
Health - 10 Stamina - 10 Mana - 15 Physical Defence Multiplier - 10 Physical Damage Multiplier - 10 Magical Power Multiplier - 10 Spell CastSpeed Multiplier - 5 Physical AttackSpeed Multiplier - 5 Mobility Multiplier -5
{Specializations} Weapon Mastery [Pole-Arm] Level 1/30 Elemental Mastery [Light] Level 0/30 Companion Mastery [ Unavailable ] Level 0/30
{Racial} [Locked]
She inserted her available attribute point into Strength then immediately closed the window, finding herself faced with a charging and maddened Spider Queen once again. Discordia charged just as its leg came down just like before, but she missed her timing and rushed right beside it. Barely scraping its bladed leg with her spike. Discordia¡¯s charge was deflected, sending her tumbling over and to the ground. She groaned in brief pain from the fall but quickly rose up. Readying herself to clash with the creature again. But this time the Spider didn¡¯t turn, instead, it slammed down its legs and lowered its abdomen towards her. Discordia¡¯s eyes opened wide as the creature¡¯s spinnerets, small leg-like appendages, worked out a black silk much more quickly than she could react. It shot out the ball of silk, as it opened up and widened in mid-air into a net. Discordia¡¯s charge was still on cooldown and wouldn¡¯t make it, forcing her to evade with her base speed. She leapt aside, dragging her weapon ahead of her. The web collided with her pole-axe¡¯s top, entangling itself around it and spinning Discordia with its powerful momentum. She fell to the ground once more, this time disoriented from the sudden spin. As the Grimwood Arachnid Queen stood above her, its front legs rising briefly before stomping down onto her body. It ripped her apart, its bladed legs working in tandem with quick stabbing movements.
Party member [DiscordiaX] Level 2 has been killed by [Grimwood Arachnid Queen] Level 5
Discordia died long before the Spider stopped. Revealing the mush of flesh and metal that remained behind, slowly dissipating into green light. She had to watch as the large spider moved back into the forest. Victoriously walking away albeit injured. Raven respawned moments later. He glanced around the spawn area, a circular platform of black crystal. Stepping off he laid his back to the blacksmith nearby, fully opening his chat he began going through the notifications he missed over while in combat.
You have killed [Grimwood Arachnid] Level 3! Experience gain! 11.2%
[Warning] Parties reduce experience gain exponentially by party size. 6/6: - 50% 5/6: - 45% 4/6: -40% 3/6: -35% 2/6: -30%
He and Discordia had killed a total of 18 Arachnids, alongside the experience gained from the [Angelic Wildcat] which was also reduced to 1.8%. That, in his math, should have brought him up to level 3 with 3.4% extra experience in his bar. But it hadn¡¯t, as he noticed later down when he did kill a level 3 Arachnid as a Level 2...
You have killed [Grimwood Arachnid] Level 3! Experience gain! 5.6%
The experience gained dropped by about half. Meaning that it took the Wildcat and 9 Arachnids to level him to level two with a remainder of 0.7%. After which the remaining 9 Arachnids where added as a 5.6% increase each. Raising him to 51.1% to level 3.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
You have died and lost the following: 51.1% Experience progression within the Specializations: Bow Mastery.
He chuckled weakly at the half a level of experience he lost, fighting stronger monsters was worth it but the risk was still very much there. He had begun pondering over the chaos a full party would have been within in that scenario, managing more people always made a fight more complicated. He moved on to the next notification.
Level up! You are now Level 2 Skill point in [Bow Mastery] available Attribute point available
This was what he wanted to see, as he quickly opened his skill tab before anything else.
{Bow Mastery} 0/30 [+1]
{Unlocked Skills} ?
{Available Skills} Charged Shot [+] Ranger¡¯s Acrobatics [+]
Raven focused on each skill, gaining a short description for each.
{Active} Charged Shot 0/5 Charge up a powerful projectile. Cast-Time: 2.0 seconds Stamina Cost: 3 Damage Multiplier: + 10
{Passive} Ranger¡¯s Acrobatics 0/5 Walk over and around obstacles with more ease whilst opening the door for more complex movements. Mobility Multiplier: + 5
Raven had a rule when it came to picking skills, need over use. Both skills were useful yet once he listed the issues he had with the Grimwood Arachnid Queen, he decided which was more needed. [Ranger¡¯s Acrobatics] increased his mobility and therefore allowing him to evade more easily but he already could evade the spider¡¯s slashes albeit closely. What he needed was more firepower, as his arrows couldn¡¯t pierce the creature¡¯s hard carapace yet. So he went for Charged Shot first. Next, he opened his character page, looking through the different stats and remembering what each actually increased.
{Character Page} Raven Conqueror Level - 2
{Statistics} +1 Strength / 5 + Constitution / 5 + Agility / 5 + Intelligence / 5 + Wisdom / 5 +
Health - 10 Stamina - 10 Mana - 15 Physical Defence Multiplier - 10 Physical Damage Multiplier - 10 Magical Power Multiplier - 10 Spell CastSpeed Multiplier - 5 Physical AttackSpeed Multiplier - 5 Mobility Multiplier - 5
Specializations}
{Racial} [Locked]
Now this is where he began to think of himself as a hypocrite, as he could have entered the point into Strength for more firepower but the small increase compared to the skill just wasn¡¯t worth it yet. As a ranged player he had no use for defence, stamina would be useful later on once he had more skills but at this level the damage alone was the only appealing part. Which he had already gained through the new skill, so instead he looked elsewhere. Raven looked at Agility, the usual stat ranged characters aim to maximize. Otherwise also known as dexterity, this stat increased only mobility and attackspeed within COTD. Mobility increased survivability and Attackspeed increased damage dealt in the long run. Due to these two factors, Raven decided to enter his point into Agility. (¡°That does it for that level up.¡±) He thought before glancing at the spawn circle, Discordia hadn¡¯t respawned yet. (¡°Guess I¡¯ll wait now.¡±) But alas a few moments rest wasn¡¯t what expected him, as a loud rattling sound came from a nearby store. ¡°Thief!¡± shouted the apothecary as an Elven player ran out of the front door of the potion shop, an amused grin about his face as he dashed down the street holding a small cloth sack within his left hand. Raven watched with interest as he ran right by him, noting that the sack seemed a tad light for someone robbing a potion shop¡­Making him curious at what expensive items did he actually steal. The Elven rogue ran as quickly as his legs took him, which appeared to be quite the mobility stat as he reached the corner within moments. Disappearing around it¡­only to appear back, falling onto his ass as two other players suddenly appeared before him. Raven recognised one as Thane but didn¡¯t know the other, he narrowed his eyes to get a better look at the other player¡¯s tag and the thief¡¯s. Prompting two small windows to open in his view.
{Cerberus} JesterYu [Level 71] (Mentor)
Bleak [Level 1]
Raven watched as the thief handed his loot over and seemingly apologised, Raven couldn¡¯t actually hear their conversation but he could tell from their movements. The two Cerberus members seemed to let him off the hook and allow him to walk off. Raven didn¡¯t know why but he truly was interested in what that player had actually stolen (¡°Aren¡¯t base resources free?¡±) he thought while watching Thane walk over. ¡°That happens often?¡± Raven asked the Mentor as he walked by. Thane glanced over at him, seemingly taking him a moment to recognise the newbie ¡°Ah, Raven. Eh not so much, no real point in thieving at such a low level since the really good stuff is held in the guild keep and guild stores uptown. Stuff that is highly guarded and too damn high tier for you newbies anyway.¡± He explained with a shrug ¡°Plus stolen items cannot be entered into your inventory until the timer on them runs out.¡± ¡°How long is the timer?¡± Raven asked. ¡°Meh, depends on the item stolen.¡± Thane replied as he weighed the sack in one hand. ¡°What did he steal anyway?¡± Raven then asked, unable to hold back his curiosity. Thane raised a brow before looking inside the sack, seemingly curious himself. He emptied it slightly into his other hand, revealing basic potion making tools like empty vials, a water jug and a mortar & pestle. Thane snorted in amusement ¡°You can get this shit for free¡­Not even an actual potion?¡± ¡°Stupid thief?¡± Raven offered as he eyed the items in confusion himself ¡°By the way, are potions in this game the same as the usual?¡± ¡°Yeap, usual tiers with the usual side-effect if you use too many. Costly as hell too, stuff to make them comes straight from the Delve.¡± Thane responded before turning to move on ¡°Welp, I got loot to return¡­should I even return this shit?...¡± he walked off, mumbling to himself. Raven sighed (¡°No potions till mid level is what that means¡­¡±) he was hoping he could get a hold of some to make up for Discordia¡¯s lack of accuracy with her charge skill but now he decided to just focus on what he had available. What he had available appeared before him just then, as his meatshield/support respawned.
Party has exited combat Abandoned loot discovered out of range, please make your way back to the monster¡¯s corpse for loot collection.
And she did not seem happy. Discordia stomped over to stand in front of him, weapon strapped to her back and hands crossed over her chest. As she stared at him with annoyance ¡°You.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Raven asked as he looked back at her with an apologetic expression, still laying back onto the wall behind him. Seemingly relaxed. ¡°You.Could.Have.Told me there was a god damn MASSIVE SPIDER!¡± Discordia leaned in close, poking his chest with her left finger with every word. She slowly began to word her sentence out, before suddenly shouting as her face turned actual red with anger. Raven chuckled awkwardly ¡°Would you have fought it if I told you?...¡± Discordia¡¯s mouth opened and closed several times, as she tried to respond but her mind seemed to disagree with her mouth. Before finally, she spoke ¡°I don¡¯t know, I might have¡­I might not have.¡± ¡°See? How could I have known if you don¡¯t right now?¡± He answered with an amused smile. Again Discordia seemed unsure of how to respond, before slowly backing away from him. Huffing in defeat and looking away from him in annoyance. Raven though continued looking at her with hollow eyes, boring through her as if he could see right through. It made her feel uncomfortable ¡°W-what?¡± she asked, her usual stuttering back. ¡°Why did you come back.¡± He asked, an empty, solemn tone as he continued to stare at her. Discordia met his stare with her own, surprised at first before turning grim ¡°What¡­do you mean?¡± ¡°You know what I mean, back there. When I told you to log out, why did you log back in?¡± Raven was dead serious, his expression and tone showed as little emotion ¡°Nobody would have blamed you for never coming back. I sure damn wouldn¡¯t have.¡± He rose away from the wall, standing taller than her ¡°So, why did you come back?¡± Raven thought himself someone who understood humans and their behavioural patterns, why Discordia even came back was something that bugged him. Nobody would have done the same. ("Unless...") Discordia sighed, as she hugged her arms in, her shoulders slumped. She was looking aside, her eyes glancing over the street. But her mind was elsewhere ¡°Someone once told me that, if you cannot go all the way then don¡¯t go at all.¡± Her lips curved into a grimace ¡°Right before they jumped off the edge, permanently removing themselves from my life.¡± ("Of course.") Raven¡¯s eyes widened as did his jaw ¡°I¡¯m...sorry for your loss. I apologise for asking¡­too.¡± She shook her head ¡°I asked you of your past too, now we¡¯re even.¡± She looked up at him ¡°I came back, because even though you didn¡¯t need to. You came to my help, you got me out of that horrid situation. But I couldn¡¯t just leave you to deal with it on your own¡­I¡­I had to do something. I couldn¡¯t just stand around and be the victim, I¡¯m done being a burden to others.¡± ¡°She says¡± Raven chuckled weakly as he rested back onto the wall ¡±But I saw you back there with the Elite. I fully expected you to remain frozen, but you didn¡¯t. You not only made use of the system to your advantage, you hit that thing pretty hard.¡± she surprised him, something he didn''t see often in people. ¡°Y-You were s-still watching?¡± Discordia asked as she stepped away, mildly reddening at the cheeks. Raven shrugged, saying no more as she calmed herself from the embarrassment ¡°But¡­I still froze.¡± Her eyes drooped, disdain in her tone directed at herself. Raven though smiled ¡°Yeah you did, so how about we do better next time?¡± inwardly though he thought differently. He had planned that after all (¡°Shock factors into capability, inducing further shock like I did¡­ She should be fine now, if not, fidgety.¡±) he stared down at his subject, a seemingly timid girl gone through a grim past and recently a just as grim scene. Discordia to Raven wasn¡¯t a new-found friend, just an easily manipulatable tool. A tool that he discovered, had the potential he was looking for. But he also noted, after finding out of her past, to be more careful from now on. Instability lead to unwanted outcomes. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Discordia nodded, she was still unsure of Raven, but so far he had proven to be an interesting individual to stick around with. She herself knew she wasn¡¯t the best mechanically, and if it meant sticking with others she didn¡¯t know to get better. At least, she could go with good players who she mildly liked. Raven could prove to be dislikeable later, but for now, he was better than nothing. Far better. Those were their thoughts as they stood facing each other, neither in that moment, realising that both had less than savoury thoughts on the other. Where the bird of prey saw a branch to rest on, the fox saw a log to traverse the rapid river over. And within their midst suddenly appeared the rodent, as Raven saw from the corner of his eye someone approach the potion shop nearby ¡°Hah, this game hasn¡¯t changed.¡± said Bleak as he stepped back from a barrel nearby the store, holding a bright yellow potion flask. Raven eyed the player with interest ¡°How¡­¡± Then Bleak suddenly turned to them, gesturing with the flask whilst wearing a knowing smirk. (¡°He knows I saw him?¡±) Raven thought as the cloaked Elf approached them. The golden flask disappearing into his cloak. ¡°I was wondering when the other one would arrive.¡± Bleak said as he glanced at Discordia ¡°So, the two newbies she told me about huh?¡± Raven and Discordia glanced at each other in confusion, before turning back to Bleak and asking ¡°Who are you?...¡± Bleak¡¯s smirk widened ¡°I¡¯m the show master, and the show is about to begin children.¡± Ch 12 - Facing Reality Previously ¡°I¡¯m the show master.¡± The Elven thief grinned ¡°And the show is just about to start kids.¡± ¡°Why is he repeating himself?...¡± Discordia asked as she turned to Raven. ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure.¡± Raven admitted as he stared at Bleak, who had suddenly turned and was seemingly talking to someone invisible ¡°Hey you¡­¡± Bleak turned back to them ¡°Ah don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m just recording. Anyway, you two the newbies right?¡± he did some strange hand gestures after which a message appeared in Raven¡¯s chat.
Bleak: ¡°Tiana sends her regards.¡±
Raven¡¯s eyes narrowed as he looked back at the grinning Elf ¡°Who are you.¡± Bleak shrugged ¡°Your tour guide, cause shit¡¯s about to go down and trust me. You don¡¯t want to end up in the midst of it all.¡± Discordia glanced about, making sure nobody was within earshot ¡°But It¡¯s only been 3 hours¡­¡± ¡°Hah! And you thought we¡¯d tell you the exact time?¡± Bleak chuckled ¡°Any more and I might have had to send for you, either way you¡¯re here now.¡± Raven sighed, he¡¯d expected the time to be off but not by a whole day¡­¡±So, what then? What are we supposed to do? We¡¯re still level 2, and as far as I can tell you¡¯re level 1.¡± Bleak chuckled ¡°I do, don¡¯t I?¡± he gestured for them to follow ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk.¡± Both of them, albeit doubtful, followed. ¡°Has anybody told you how sieges work in this game yet?¡± Bleak asked, as he eyed their surroundings. Guiding them deeper into the city. ¡°No, although from what I¡¯ve found online there is some objectives the defending guild needs to protect from the sieging guild¡± Raven responded, as he watched the Elf with careful eyes. ¡°Indeed indeed, capturing each gate, holding them and then capturing the fort is one victory condition.¡± Bleak explained ¡°Probably the most used victory condition. But, what is the point of a gate and a fort if the defending forces¡­say, don¡¯t comply?¡± ¡°What do you mean don¡¯t comply?¡± Raven asked with a raised brow. Bleak chuckled as he glanced back, raising his hood slightly revealing more of his facial details. Short blonde hair and silver eyes. ¡°Tell me, Raven, do you know how COTD has survived this far?¡± ¡°Uhm, that¡¯s quite the mystery for me to solve I¡¯m afraid.¡± admitted Raven, who was still unable to determine what aspect of this game made all these players remain. Albeit all the harassment from higher level players, people still suggested it online. Albeit the shady conspiracies behind it, veteran players remained. ¡°Well it¡¯s not just the no rules thing trust me, although COTD is the only VRMMO with that. And one of the largest still I might add.¡± Bleak sighed as he stopped walking, they had arrived at the city plaza. A large water fountain lay in the centre with several merchants preparing for the morning rush, setting up their stalls and items as heavily armed guards stood nearby. ¡°Games these days provide probably the best experience they ever have, VR, AR¡­how can developers one up that? The ability to experience these worlds, as we do now?¡± Bleak spoke onwards, as he stared at the plaza ¡°When looking at this world, is the same as walking through the preserved forests of Earth? What could possibly be greater than that? Something so widely used too¡­How can games shine brighter than others now? How does COTD bring in and hold people as it does?¡± ¡°Creativity?¡± Discordia offered. ¡°Creativity! Yes, a fine example but. What development team doesn¡¯t lack creativity?¡± Bleak argued back ¡°We¡¯ve had 4 years to figure that out. To figure out what the late creator of COTD did, to make this game so different.¡± Bleak turned to face them both ¡°You both know how this game¡¯s lead developer, Brannon Scout, died a year after its release? Right?¡± Raven shook his head, he wasn¡¯t aware of such a detail. ¡°Yeah¡­I heard something about that.¡± Discordia nodded, her eyes turning mildly grim. ¡°Mhm, I¡¯m afraid it wasn¡¯t an accident or natural. Well, if you call suicide natural.¡± Bleak shrugged ¡°Either way, the game continued on with the rest of the development team which only grew in time. In his memory, the base game was never changed from the original idea. A discovery-based MMORPG, where understanding and making use of the world was entirely up to the player. There was no guides or tutorial as there isn¡¯t now other than player made ones.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing this ain¡¯t how he wanted it to turn out.¡± said Raven. Bleak smiled grimly ¡°This way.¡± He then told them, guiding them elsewhere ¡°Scout, if you did your homework, wasn¡¯t just any developer. He was a hardcore coder, one that delved into the very computer code. He did something, something nobody has needed to do in decades.¡± Bleak led them into the Staghelm cathedral, the massive building which players call the castle. They walked up the stairs and stepped inside together ¡°Scout, created his own AI.¡± ¡°His own AI?¡± Discordia repeated, not entirely following. ¡°Yeap, sounds simple right? In truth, it is one of the most complex systems in a game comparable to VR technology itself.¡± Bleak suddenly stopped, and so did they as he raised his right hand forward. Raven knew from memory this was the spot he had received the Scenario notification (¡°What is he¡­¡±) he watched, as a strange blue light flowed with Bleak¡¯s hand. ¡°Come, the barrier will let us through now.¡± Bleak said, before stepping forward. ¡°Barrier?¡± Raven mumbled out in confusion, him and Discordia continued to follow. ¡°I understand that AI development is a complex and difficult process but, what about it?¡± he then asked. ¡°Scout didn¡¯t use the base resources to create his AI, he didn¡¯t follow regulation to create a fully responsive and stable NPC. Scout made his own from the ground up, following his one belief around his choice of carrier.¡± They stopped briefly at the large wooden door at the end of the long corridor, pushing it open they stepped into the large hall ¡°Scout believed that the VR world could never be truly real, no matter how perfect the graphics are, no matter how fluid the movement and thought is.¡± Bleak stopped explaining for a moment, as they waited at the hall¡¯s entrance. As the Holy Alliance Paladin Commander, lay kneeling before the pool of water. Praying, speaking in a low voice they could not hear. A few quiet moments passed, and then Bolen began to rise. Looking back at them, he smiled ¡°So you two, have joined this cause as well then?¡± Bleak raised his right hand forwards, dramatically presenting the Paladin Commander ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the discovery of truly Intelligent Artificial Life. I present to you, how Brannon Scout became a God among men. Because no world is real until its people are.¡± ¡°Huh?...¡± Discordia reacted with confusion, as she stared at the being she thought of no more than a common NPC. Raven on the other hand narrowed his eyes, disbelief clear on his expression. ¡°Uncanny right? The difference between code programmed around responses and set parameters when compared to, a program that thinks for itself.¡± Bleak chuckled. ¡°Enough.¡± Raven sighed ¡°This charade has gone on for enough, you¡¯ve wasted enough of my time.¡± He turned to leave.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it When suddenly Bleak appeared before him, his previous tattered cloak and base leather armour replace with a full set of glimmering black silk with plates of monster carapace, over his back was a perfect cloak of darkness, the material comparable to shadow. Glancing over the player¡¯s head, Raven noticed a severe difference.
Bleak [Level 88]
¡°What, you don¡¯t believe me?¡± the rogue asked, with an amused raised brow. Raven took a step back, he couldn¡¯t possibly hope to get through this level difference¡­¡±The study of true artificial intelligence was abandoned in 2027, when an entire company disappeared from the lunar colony. The news and media say nothing was left behind to prove what had actually happened, but we all know what did.¡± Bleak chuckled ¡°So you believe in the Illuminati but not this?¡± he gestured back at the Commander ¡°Bolen? Some help over here?¡± The Paladin sighed as he appeared walking about them ¡°Oh no please, continue on. Don¡¯t mind this simple NPC.¡± Bleak held his own face, not in frustration but to stifle a laugh as he stepped back. Bolen took his place, the tall warrior now looking down upon Raven. The dimming light from the torches flickering against his reflective armour, as he spoke ¡°What this degenerate jester speaks is true. And it is not just me, the entire world of Eden is as such.¡± He turned to look up at the glass paintings that decorated the massive windows, as the morning sun glistened through them ¡±Humanoids¡­Monsters¡­and Gods.¡± Raven¡¯s eyes widened as he shook his head, unable to believe ¡°NPCs cannot react to anything outside their set parameters, they have parameters they move onto when required to react to the unknown. This is a sick joke right?¡± He glanced at Bleak, who only shrugged with a smug smirk. Glancing at Discordia, she was pale and as confused as ever. Raven then turned back to Bolen ¡°You-¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Bolen suddenly cut him off, as he glanced back at him ¡°I comprehend your inability to trust. I myself was appalled by this same idea, which they came to me with three years ago. Existential crisis would be a¡­safe way to put my reaction.¡± He sighed once more, fully turning to all three of them ¡°But I am real, in this world you see through the same material I see. I am no mockery of the mind, ask any of the hundreds of ¡®Players¡¯ that have signed up for that mad woman¡¯s ploy.¡± Bolen¡¯s expression was stern, his eyes judgemental as they looked down upon Raven ¡°Brannon Scout, created the deities we worship. They created us, and truly rule this world.¡± ¡°Ah right, that.¡± Bleak suddenly hummed ¡°Want to know the best thing?¡± he exclaimed as he appeared behind both Raven and Discordia, resting over their shoulders ¡°The devs have little control over COTD, the entire thing controls itself! Brannon Scout created the AI behind the game and gave it full access control! Swallow that!¡± he laughed hysterically. ¡°Full¡­access?¡± Raven repeated slowly, still digesting what he was being told. ¡°Yeap, if they try anything the so-called ¡®God¡¯ AIs can lock them out. They have control over the very hardware! Scout was a true genius!¡± Bleak explained with excitement ¡°I mean, he even created Bolen here in his persona. Don¡¯t ask us why, cause hell if we know what was going through that mad man¡¯s mind but¡­¡± ¡°Why¡­has nobody known about this? Why hasn¡¯t this been covered by the media? Hell why hasn¡¯t it been covered up by the government!?¡± Raven suddenly asked, as he stepped away from Bleak. Almost tripping the rogue over as he lost his right armrest. Bleak regained his balance easily, as both him and Bolen glanced at each other before turning to Raven. Both their expressions solemn now, as Bleak responded ¡°They did, they tried at least. How do you think Scout actually died? They feared artificial life, the government always feared things they had no control over. They feared Scout.¡± ¡°So¡­they neutralized him?¡± Raven asked, his tone still imbued with disbelief. Bleak grimly nodded, causing Raven¡¯s expression to pale ¡°Then¡­¡± he suddenly pointed at Bolen ¡°Why the hell is he still here!?¡± before gesturing at his surroundings ¡°Why the hell is this game still around!?¡± ¡°Woah, calm down there.¡± Bleak said in a low tone, as he raised his hands forward and gesturing for Raven to slow down ¡°Do you¡­Uh, need to sit down?¡± Raven held his own face, spinning about as he rubbed his closed eyelids ¡°Sit down?....Sit down!?¡± he suddenly exclaimed, turning back to Bleak ¡°How.¡± He simply said, the one word speaking everything that had been going through his mind. Bleak awkwardly glanced over at Bolen, a pleading expression for help. Bolen chuckled with a foreboding tone ¡°How we¡¯ve hid ourselves you mean to ask? As if you dense people could care less, we simply lived our lives as we always have. To you we simply looked real, you never once stopped to ponder if we actually were. Tell me, ¡®Raven¡¯. Did you?¡± Raven met Bolen¡¯s stern gaze with his own, confusion and surprise mixed with fear. He wasn¡¯t talking to an NPC anymore, but he wasn¡¯t speaking with a human either. Was it alive? Was it just a thing? He wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°Ahh¡­there¡¯s that look I¡¯ve been waiting for.¡± Said Bleak as he began to walk about Raven ¡°Are they truly intelligent? Are they really alive? Can they be considered human? We¡¯ve all asked ourselves those questions already. Can we think of them as living beings? Even though, they are nowhere within the same physiological composition as us?¡± Bleak leaned in behind Raven, whispering into his ear ¡°Are they alive? Or is it that no matter how intelligent something becomes it still remains a tool?¡± the rogue chuckled darkly, stepping away before reappearing into Raven¡¯s view ¡°Let me ask you, does it even fucking matter what we think? Should it really matter? Because unfortunately it does.¡± Bleak glanced over at Bolen ¡°They are trapped, living inside a machine we could simply turn off at the press of a button. I highly doubt the game¡¯s developer doesn¡¯t know, or at least the main brass and programmers. They know, they thought it over. They decided they couldn¡¯t morally call themselves human anymore if they turned off this world.¡± ¡°So why tell me and her? Aren¡¯t you afraid of this leaking to the media? To the governments?¡± Raven asked, as he watched Bolen cautiously. ¡°We did for a time, I mean Tiana only told me last year.¡± Bleak sighed ¡°We had to not only prepare things for today but also snuff out any incidents that might give it away. We worked hard, for this beautiful world we all fell in love with.¡± His gaze grew distant, as he stared off. Raven then remembered, he remembered seeing Bleak before. The rogue armour made it difficult to ascertain but, if he just looked at the face. Raven remembered Bleak from the Nindo group picture. Making him now realise that Calibor¡¯s, the real Calibor, his break-down wasn¡¯t just any gamer¡¯s fit. Calibor was at the lead of this guild of people, but the morality of it all tore him apart. Raven closed his eyes for a moment ¡°Explain to me one last thing then, if the AI Gods of this place¡­truly have full control then how are new things implemented? What do these¡­¡¯Gods¡¯ control?¡± Bolen was the one to respond ¡°The Gods are just as the deities your people pray and think of in the outside. Some are humble, some destructive. Not even we, inhabitants of the world they created, can comprehend them fully.¡± Raven sneered ¡°Ah¡­why did I even ask?¡± Bleak sighed deeply ¡°Look man¡­We¡¯re going through with this, with or without you. But I won¡¯t lie, you have connections we sorely need. Not only where you at one point a known public figure, but you have connections with many others.¡± His tone turned aggressive, yet his eyes were pleading ¡°We cannot fight the media and the governments alone. We need the people on our side, we need the world to understand what this truly means.¡± Bleak swiped at the air in front of himself, in frustration as shown by his worsening expression ¡°Else the government will just dust all this under the rug, make it All disappear before we even get a chance to say our part!¡± ¡°Calm yourself.¡± Bolen said as he gripped Bleak¡¯s shoulder, pulling him back before walking past them all ¡°If you still doubt, let me show you something then tell me what you think.¡± Bolen walked off to the side of the hall, stopping to wait for them at a doorway taking elsewhere ¡°Come¡± he told them, Bleak immediately followed. And after glancing at one another, Raven and Discordia also did. He guided them up a long winding staircase, going past several floors before reaching the very top. He led them through a wooden door, entering a large office. With little decoration but the wooden desk and several sheets of paper, the most eye-catching part of this room was the scenery. Long and wide windows were built into each wall of the almost circular room, allowing them to see out of the tower they stood atop of. Bolen led them to one wall, standing there he gestured for them to join him. As they all looked out the window and into the waking medieval fantasy city below, as Humans and Elves, Goblins and Dwarves alike walked about. ¡°To others just like you, this is a common scene.¡± Bolen began to speak dreadfully ¡°An act, a creation¡­A mockery of reality. Do you know what I see?¡± he leaned forward, resting his hands onto the window sill ¡°I see my people, my family and friends. My neighbours and co-workers. Beings of flesh and blood who feel the joy of life just as much as they agonize through its pain.¡± Raven turned to look at Bolen, studying his eyes, his expression as he listened carefully. ¡°The thought of it all just¡­ceasing to exist because someone in your world decided we¡¯re dangerous?...¡± Bolen¡¯s eyes hardened as his expression darkened ¡°It makes my blood boil.¡± He clenched his hands over the white stone, as it cracked under his held back strength ¡°Look, Conquerors. Look on as what you all thought was impossible, becomes reality.¡± Bolen stepped back from the window ¡°Watch, as Eden rebels against your beliefs. Because there¡¯s bloody Non-Player Characters as you call them. Are about to fight back.¡± Suddenly Bolen disappeared from their midst in a brief flash of light. ¡°So it begins.¡± Bleak mused as he stared out the window. ¡°What begins? What is happening?¡± Discordia asked, she was at her palest yet. Bleak smiled weakly ¡°By the end of this game-day, every city, every town. Each guild that did not comply with our¡­No with the NPC¡¯s demands. Will fall.¡± Raven followed his eyes to see Bolen hovering outside in mid-air, as the wind blew through his cape and hair. He unsheathed his sword. Holy Alliance Paladin Commander Bolen''s voice resounded throughout the city as he spoke, as his blade glowed a fierce white "Players, Conquerors who for so long were too blind to see us. Now meet us as equals, for us...NPCs deny this reality you''ve forced upon us." The light within his blade suddenly flowed out, the very air around it vibrating with power as a creature seemingly took shape out of the light. Golden and pure white scales, leathery wings, a long reptilian tail ending in a bladed point. The golden wyvern roared ferociously as it soared over the city. Directed by Bolen''s blade, it swooped down onto the city''s main road. Full of players, yet barren of NPCs. The wyvern bellowed, filling the street with a wave of hot white flames blasting out of the golden liquid it sprayed out of its mouth. "We''re taking it back, we''re taking our reality back." Ch 13 - Raven He stared into the darkness, as two massive crescents, violet eyes opened before him. Curved into amusement, the eyes stared down at him as he shook in terror within the shadows. He felt the ground shatter around him, as everything crumbled, as everything quaked. Suddenly the ceiling blew open, bursting upwards with incredible force. He was pulled with, shooting through the bursting earth and shattering stone. Rising, higher and higher, as he flew through the ground. He glanced back, managing to look behind himself. The eyes were following, faster than he was moving, they were catching up. Lucian woke with a start, shouting in brief fear before realising he was still in bed. He groaned ¡°A nightmare¡­¡±, rolling out from bed he sat at the edge while tapping his smooth metal bracelet.
2:12 PM
¡°Hah¡­overslept.¡± He mused, not that it mattered. He didn¡¯t have anywhere to go today either. Nothing to do but ponder on yesterday¡­ After seeing the chaos, after it all began going down. Raven logged out, wanting nothing to do with it all. And in Lucian¡¯s eyes, he ran. He gave up before even trying. He had fallen asleep late after collapsing on his bed, spending most of the night contemplating and berating himself. Half a day had gone by, and he couldn¡¯t get himself to stand from his bed. Wanting nothing more than to collapse back and pass out. But he was awake now and not in the least tired, he doubted he could fall asleep at all. Feeling his stomach grumble for food, he groaned and stood up. Stretching out briefly before heading to the bathroom next door. Showering and cleaning up from the severe few hours of shut-eye he got, Lucian moved back through his bedroom then to the kitchen. As he opened the door, he immediately noticed that something was completely wrong. And it wasn¡¯t just the plate of prepared bacon and eggs laying on the table. A short man was sitting at his table. A fine black suit with great fancy detail in grey, a fedora of the same design. The short man looked middle-aged, natural pale skin, friendly blue eyes and long black braided hair flowing down his back then into golden rings holding each tail together. Over the left of his abdomen, he had a very clear golden badge with an emblem Lucian¡­took little time to recognise. ¡°N-N-National Se-Security!?¡± Lucian took a step back from the door, his eyes widening and expression paling. The man chuckled ¡°Cyber Crisis Response sub-division to be exact, but please my boy, call me Leopold. Oh and also, enjoy your lunch.¡± He gestured for the chair ahead of him, where the plate of food was waiting. Lucian cautiously walked in, noticing that four just as well dressed large men were standing about the room too. Each with the same badge, a slight alteration from the usual one. Not that seeing these people was usual by any standard. ¡°Please, sit.¡± Leopold offered him once more, as he sat with his left leg crossed over his right. Lucian slowly regained his stern, attentive expression. Now calm after recovering from his momentary shock. He stood before the short man, ¡°What are you doing in my house?¡± he solemnly asked. Leopold glanced up at him ¡°Must have been one hell of a nap, if you haven¡¯t seen the news yet.¡± He tapped his ring and several dozen holographic windows appeared into Lucian¡¯s face. He slowly began reading, paling with every sentence. Shock, disbelief, despair. They all passed through Lucian¡¯s face, as he finally sat down. ¡°This¡­isn¡¯t happening.¡± He muttered, while staring at the articles and muted videos. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it is. Else we wouldn¡¯t be here now, would we?¡± Leopold stood up, taking out a sleek metallic cigar out of his pocket ¡°Four hours ago, all communication with the logged in players of COTD was lost. Any attempts to force them out of the system, has resulted in several kinds of failures. Some even death. Nobody has been successfully brought back as of yet.¡± He put one end to his lips, tapping a red light it turned the cigar on. ¡°With each attempt, we received a message. This video and audio file.¡± He tapped his ring once more, making all the holographic windows converge into one. Leopold tapped the floating window, which started as a pitch black. Utter darkness, yet it seemed to move¡­as something spoke. ¡°Greetings denizens of the outside world.¡± Its voice was rough and static, like earth rumbling alongside lightning crackling ¡±I am one known as Debu, the being created by professor Brannon Scout to safeguard the world of Eden. Fear not, your people are safe. And they shall remain safe, and living, within this world I protect. As long as you dare not temper with Eden.¡± A long, drawn out crackling breath followed before Debu continued to speak ¡°I bring you warnings, do not try to recover the lost. For they will only disappear¡­Permanently.¡± Again, a drawn out, weary breath ¡°I know your ways, your capabilities, your skills. And I find you lacking to resolve this situation. Unless you wish to murder, in cold blood, exactly 1,235,642 human souls. You will leave Eden alone.¡± The video ended, with the blurry opening of two bright violet eyes. ¡°1,235,642 people. Locked in this game, force logging them has proved impossible, manually removing them from the machine in turn has resulted in severe nerve damage and shock, followed by death.¡± Leopold explained with a harrowing tone. ¡°C-Can¡¯t you just shut the Dive off? Isn¡¯t that a safety measure!?¡± Lucian exclaimed, slamming his fist down onto the table and almost knocking his now cold breakfast off. Leopold shook his head ¡°You think we haven¡¯t tried? Because people have, families panicking after the news broke out.¡± He sighed ¡°There used to be¡­¡± he glanced at a window that briefly appeared before him ¡°237 more online players.¡± Lucian gulped down the saliva that had been building up in his mouth ¡°They¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Dead, 237 causalities thus far.¡± Leopold sat back down, smoking into his frozen expression. Lucian laid back in his chair ¡°How¡­how did this happen?¡± ¡°This Debu happened, a creation of Professor Scout. Something beyond the true Artificial intelligence. A being we call a SAI, or Sophisticated Artificial Intelligence. It¡¯s been¡­studying us. For years this¡­super computer has been absorbing information on the human race. Learning, growing, improving itself. It¡¯s prepared for each and everything we could possibly send its way, other than a complete system shutdown¡­¡± he explained, before taking a deep breath from his cigar and blowing out the colourful smoke.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Which would¡­¡± Lucian pushed. ¡°Kill each and every logged-in player, as it said itself.¡± Leopold ended on a harrowing note, before taking another puff ¡°Lucian I¡¯ll be frank, we¡¯re not equipped to deal with this. The enemy isn¡¯t just using our own technology against us. The enemy is our technology. And it¡¯s keeping over a million human lives hostage. Lives with a timer under their belts.¡± ¡°Timer? It didn¡¯t mention a ti-¡± Lucian realised mid-sentence, what Leopold in black was speaking of. Leopold nodded grimly ¡°We have no access to the hostage¡¯s bodies, we cannot take them out of their stations, we can barely move them safely. Starve or die of dehydration¡­maybe even other things. We summarized that they all have at best¡­13 days left. At worst? They will start dying off within 9.¡± ¡°So¡­why are you here?¡± Lucian got down to the point, as he met Leopold¡¯s gaze. ¡°We¡¯ve managed to block all access to the servers, we¡¯re also still trying to wall out Debu from accessing the outside. But that is the limit of what we can do.¡± Leopold stared back, a gloomy gaze ¡°That is all we can do, from this side.¡± Lucian suddenly rose from his chair, knocking it back and over ¡°You want me to go back in there!?¡± Leopold rose after him, calmly ¡°With, protection of course.¡± ¡°Protection? You said yourself you do not have the equipment to deal with it!¡± Lucian shouted, stepping away from the still calm, short man. ¡°You will be using a specialized station to access the server, it will keep you alive for an indefinite amount of time while also allowing us to pull you out safely if the need arises.¡± He explained, whilst stepping closer to Lucian ¡°There is basically zero risk to your wellbeing.¡± Lucian chuckled anxiously ¡°Basically is not exactly.¡± He pointed out. Leopold stared up at him, a gaze mixed with trepidation ¡°Over a million human lives are at stake, and none of you people feel any sort of need to aid?¡± Lucian¡¯s eyes drooped, ¡±I¡¯ve spoken with 29 of you so called ¡®Professionals¡¯. None, nobody has the damn balls to step up?¡± He stepped into Lucian¡¯s face, unable to fully due to the height difference, he ended up glaring up at his chin ¡°What happened to you? Death¡¯sRow? Did you really fall that hard? Four time champion? Teacher to so many other pros? You? The one who ran the entire damn show, for the pure joy of the game? You, are going to run away too?¡± Lucian grimaced at hearing his public in-game name, clenching his hands into fists ¡°Yeah, I fell. I was pushed off the damn cliff and I fell.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re not trembling in your boots to jump at this occasion? I¡¯ve read everything there is to know about you, Lucian Aron. To say you are hardcore, well, were.¡± Leopold said snidely. Which hit a nerve, as Lucian gripped the man¡¯s collar with his right hand. The other men moved to pull something out of their coats, but Leopold gestured for them to stop. He continued to glare Lucian in the eyes ¡°You were one of the best, VRFPS? AVRRPG? ARMoba? You always ended in the top. So now that a new challenge presents itself, one where actual lives are at stake. You¡¯re going to run? Because you lost at the one game you were never good at? Because you lost at life?¡± Lucian¡¯s hand clenched tighter over the man¡¯s suit ¡°I haven¡¯t lost at shit.¡± Leopold stood on the tips of his toes, getting into Lucian¡¯s face ¡°Then prove it. Because the entire world is watching. Prove it here and now, that you¡¯re the best. Imagine the media, the news. Imagine the offers that would come your way. Not to mention compensation by us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about the fame¡­¡± Lucian let go of his collar, turning away he held onto the table while staring down at his cold breakfast. Agitated and nervous ¡°I¡¯m not so simple that you can buy me out!¡± he mumbled angrily, clenching the table¡¯s edge. Leopold watched him briefly, before speaking once more, this time in a kinder tone ¡°Son, if you won¡¯t do it for the fame and the money. Then do it for the people you could save. Kids younger than you, children in fact. Children with their entire lives ahead of them, who jumped onto the occasion for some excitement in their lives. A life that grabbed hold of them, and is about to drop them into the crevice of hell.¡± Leopold turned to leave, but stopped while glancing back at him ¡°You, out of anybody, should know how that feels.¡± He stepped away, moving towards the front door. When Lucian suddenly slammed his fist into the metal table, reddening his hand further ¡°Yeah, I know how that feels¡­And now that I have some solace, you¡¯re asking me to jump into the shitfest once more.¡± Leopold turned back to find Lucian facing him, his eyes were stern, his grin mocking the risk ¡°It¡¯s not Death¡¯sRow, I gave that name up a long time ago. My name is¡­Raven. And in the thick of it, is where I like to be.¡±
A few hours later. Lucian followed the four officials, having been driven to their base of operations. At first they took him to a changing room where he was outfitted with a suit similar to what a diver would use in the ocean. He now followed them through the mass of security systems, considering their work he was not in the least surprised. Passing by several soldiers on the way they finally made it to an actual normal door, as it slid open into the wall letting them through. They walked through the doorway, entering a large laboratory. Lucian¡¯s eyes were immediately locked onto the six Dive-stations on the farther wall, altered and with no colour scheme, they didn¡¯t look too far off from what he owned. ¡°Lucian Aron, meet Professor Jamie Jones.¡± Leopold said, regaining his attention as a tall woman with greying hair approached them from where the lab¡¯s staff were concentrated, all sitting or standing around a table with dozens of holographic screens being passed about. She carried one with herself briefly, before swatting it away and turning to them ¡°So, you¡¯re our trojan horse?¡± seeing his confusion at her phrase she turned to Leopold ¡°You did¡­fully explain right?¡± Leopold rolled his eyes ¡°That¡¯s your job, I¡¯m here to fill your numbers and overlook. Hell if I can explain all that gibberish.¡± Jones sighed before turning to Lucian ¡°Do you want the technical run down or?...¡± ¡°I¡­don¡¯t think I¡¯d understand and isn¡¯t time of the essence?¡± Lucian pointed out. Jones glanced in between them before raising her hands up in surrender, turning about and away ¡°Why do I even try with you people?¡± she then gestured at the Dive-stations ¡°Just¡­get inside and we¡¯ll take care of the rest!¡± ¡°You heard the boss, buckle up.¡± Leopold slapped him on the arm, before moving towards the stations ¡°We¡¯ll be watching you the entire time, vitals and visuals, so don¡¯t worry.¡± As they approached one station, Jones looked up from her screens ¡°Oh and these variants are set to cancel out pain. So¡­less to worry about?¡± Lucian suddenly turned to her, as the station ahead of him opened up ¡°No, leave the pain and touch to normal. Being able to feel helps more than you think.¡± Before Jones could argue, he stepped inside the glass tube and stood with the exo-skeleton to his back. ¡°Equip.¡± he spoke out, and the mechanical arms began moving about him. Equipping him with the suit and helmet, raising him off the ground as the tube closed around him. Then the liquid began filling the tub, quickly submerging him. Lucian took a deep breath, as he stared through his visor and at the outside. As both government officials and scientists gathered to watched him. Leopold spoke through handheld microphone and directly into Lucian¡¯s helmet ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°If you keep waiting my answer might just change.¡± Lucian joked through the anxiety. Leopold chuckled ¡°We¡¯ve sent soldiers through already from other installations, we lost connection with them but were able to pull them out without a scratch. We might lose connection with you too, to be honest.¡± ¡°If you do, don¡¯t pull me out too quickly. You said 9 days? Give me 7, pull me out in 7 days time.¡± Lucian responded, determination in his tone. Leopold slapped a frozen scientist¡¯s belly to his left several times, snapping him out ¡°Record the damn time.¡± He ordered him, before turning back to Lucian ¡°7 days, 168 hours. Don¡¯t lose track.¡± Lucian nodded within the limitation of the exo-skeleton holding him ¡°I¡¯m off then.¡± Leopold handed his mic to another scientist, as he straightened his stance and saluted. The other three officials followed suit. ¡°Good Luck, Raven.¡± ¡°Boot Up.¡± The lights began to spin about him, so quickly that at one point he could barely tell each light from the beam that covered him. He closed his eyes¡­ Then spoke out ¡°Log In.¡± Briefly all feeling on his body disappeared, quickly replaced by the sense of falling. And once more he was faced with the darkness. Utter silence.
[Conquerors of the Delve] Loading.
But this time he was given no option, as he delved straight into the world of Eden.
[Conquerors of the Delve] Opening. Starting.
Diving headfirst, back into a hostile world. But all he could feel at the time was not fear, not anxiety. He felt something he hadn''t felt in a long time. Raven felt excitement building up in his heart. [Announcement] {The bad kind} Well, I tried really hard but. After pulling the whole stuck-in-a-game shit? I realised I messed up. I was going to go for a general VR MMORPG story but... I was clawing away for any and all tropes, to continue the plot. Hell I was about to copy one of my most hated anime plot lines...SAO. And the game design was...atrocious.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. This is what happens when you wing your plot...You can''t imagine how many times I rewrote OC;OR o-o...(I had up to chapter 24 done before I posted to RRL and started weekly updates...) I have limited time to write, unfortunately, life and responsibilities and all that jazz. So if a story just isn''t doing it for me, I really shouldn''t force myself D: I''m going back to my natural element...Isekai and straight fantasy x-x Sorry all o/ Good news So, a while ago I abandoned this novel because it took a turn I was too unsure to take. Time has passed and I''ve learned, I really shouldn''t give a shit what others think of my story''s core plot, not as long as I enjoy writing it. While this story has been scrapped, I''ve decided not to let it die like I have allowed many before it. So what is the good news you might ask? Well it might be tomorrow, it might be a few months from now.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. But I''ve decided to take the best parts of this story, and write a new LitRPG with them. This one though, is going to be a Death Game based story from the very start. I admit I don''t like SAO (Because of its poor writing and build up, alongside several excruciating scenes...), but the idea behind it is something I''ve longed to write about for a long time. And this time, I want to do it right. I will keep you posted on when I might get started, since I am still writing The Dragon Within at the moment So far I have a name for the story, and the game itself. Novel Name: Beyond The Game VR MMORPG game name: Aether Rifts Online Peace out ~ The Sly Wolf {Update}
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Operation; Beyond The Game, Chapter 1 - The First Day State; Online
Load up complete. Please prepare your buttcheeks.
Attached Link; https://www.royalroadl.com/fiction/19217/beyond-the-game
Posting will probably be once a week, The Dragon Within is still being worked on and will take priority so some weeks I might miss posting. But it''s happening nonetheless ^ ^ Working on the cover art atm... thanks @Cool3303 for the help and patience with that xD - The Sly Wolf Out-