《Fantasy Online: Hyperborea》 Prologue: Troll Battles At half the length of her body, Tamana¡¯s buster sword is meant to be held with both hands, to be used as both a shield and a weapon, but she¡¯s never been one to do things in a conventional way. She takes to the air, and following a perfect arc, she comes down hard on the enemy troll. -15 HP! She botches the landing, still not used to her buster sword¡¯s weight, and cartwheels to the right. The Klin Mountain troll leaps to attack just as an explosion flings him backwards. -5 HP! Glancing over her shoulder, Tamana watches Ryuk load another black marble into his magic slingshot. He pulls back; a blast at the troll¡¯s hairy feet produces a cloud of dust and a scattering of debris. ¡°Both hands on the sword!¡± Ryuk pops off another black marble at the feet of the troll, causing more dust to obscure the air. Range isn¡¯t an issue with his magic slingshot; it propels the marbles with magic, not elastic and it self-adjusts for range. This is a good thing, as Ryuk is utterly terrible with his new avatar. Tamana is by his side moments later, the strands of her long white hair beating in the wind. ¡°My attack looked cool though, right?¡± she asks. He has to smile at this. A smaller troll, likely the bigger troll¡¯s wench, flanks the two. Dreadlocks cover her face and yellow man-bone jewelry dangles from her neck. She pauses, grunts, and charges. Ryuk loses his footing and muffs his next shot. The marble explodes and a nearby bush bursts into flame. Still holding her weapon incorrectly, Tamana swipes her ironing board of a sword at the she-troll and manages to cut her left arm off at the elbow. The she-troll shrieks as her blood jets into the air. -39 HP! Critical hit! The dust clears. Maddened with rage, the beefy male troll charges at the two with his arms over his head. ¡°I¡¯ve got this!¡± Ryuk procures a clear marble from the pocket on his belt, pulls back, and looses it. The clear marble connects and the troll freezes in place. What the ¡­ ? Ryuk glances back to Tamana, who is also frozen, her awkwardly held sword in the ¡®ready enough¡¯ position at her side. Turning to the female troll, he sees that the blood spraying from her arm is now frozen mid-air. Time stands still, from the grass that was moments ago blowing in the wind, to a bead of sweat on the side of Tamana¡¯s face ¨C everything around him is stationary.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Not knowing how long he has until time returns to its normal pace, Ryuk moves to the side of the alpha troll, takes a few steps back just to give himself some distance, reaches for a black marble and ¡­ Time warp speeds ahead and the troll turns to him. Taken off guard, Ryuk is seconds from being clobbered when the tip of Tamana¡¯s buster sword pierces the creature¡¯s chest, splashing oily black blood onto Ryuk¡¯s face. Instakill! The troll slumps forward and Tamana kicks his corpse off her buster sword. She keeps the troll¡¯s blood on the blade as she turns to his smaller counterpart. One clean swipe and she finishes off the she-troll too. --17 HP! They are each awarded experience points and the guild coffers increase by about a hundred rupees. With a flick of his wrist, Ryuk checks their stats and swipes them away. Ryuk Matsuzaki Level 2 Ballistics Mage HP: 87/115 Def: 5 ATK: 40 MDF: 18 MATK: 51 LUCK: 3 Tamana Nakamura Level 2 White Warrior HP: 85/138 Def: 19 ATK: 52 MDF: 38 MATK: 12 LUCK: 3 ¡°That was crazy ... ¡± Tamana wipes the digital sweat from her forehead. She stabs her bloodied sword into the soil, something she¡¯s grown fond of doing since taking her new avatar. Glittery magic spirals around her hands and a halo forms over her crown as she lifts her arms into the air. A cloud forms over the two; iridescent snowflakes gently settle onto their heads. +45 HP! ¡°What did you do back there?¡± She asks, after they¡¯ve healed up. ¡°How did you freeze time? That¡¯s, like, a level 30 spell or something!¡± Ryuk shows her one of his clear marbles. ¡°It¡¯s these clear marbles. Like I told you, they¡¯re wild cards.¡± ¡°You should have used more of those when we were leveling up earlier.¡± She shoots him one of her knowing smiles that he¡¯s grown fond of over the years. He shrugs her off. ¡°I wanted to play it safe. I knew the black marbles were explosive, and they seemed the way to go.¡± He returns the clear marble to the pocket on his belt. ¡°That was definitely cooler than I thought it would be. Next time, I¡¯ll, um, do something a bit more productive when time freezes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you will.¡± Her smile fades as the thought of real world responsibilities spreads across her face. ¡°I really need to logout now and take care of some homework. I keep pushing it off.¡± He kicks a piece of rubble away. ¡°Same here, but not homework ¨C family.¡± ¡°You¡¯re meeting your brother today?¡± ¡°Yeah, real soon, actually.¡± Her eyes fill with concern. ¡°Be careful, Ryuk.¡± ¡°You do the same.¡± ¡°My homework isn¡¯t that dangerous!¡± With a laugh, she lifts her hand and the logout button appears. ¡°See you soon.¡± Tamana smiles faintly at Ryuk as her avatar dematerializes. Chapter One: Tamanas great leap of faith The NV Visor powers off. As Tamana has done so many times before, she takes a deep breath and returns to her reality, away from the fantasy dreamworld that is Tritania. Even though her dorm is quiet, she can still hear the techno-mechanical bustle of the Tokyo streets below. There¡¯s an indention on her brow, something she occasionally experiences when she wears a visor for too long. She places the NV Visor on her pillow and takes off her haptic gloves. Tamana sighs as she looks at a Flight Feet poster tacked to her wall. Set in Tritania, the same world she frequently dives to, the anime series reenacts famous quests and looting adventures. She¡¯s followed the show for years, and two summers ago, she went to the annual Flight Feet convention at Tokyo Big Sight as Empress Thun. ¡°Just for a few hours,¡± she reminds herself. Besides, Ryuk is busy, so there¡¯s really no reason to log in. The floor beneath her gently vibrates. Typical for earthquake-prone Japan, Tamana hardly notices the subtle tremor. She opens her eyes and her iNet screen appears directly on her retinae. She smiles as she rereads the last message she received from Ryuk. He still doesn¡¯t like the fact that she¡¯d decided to start over in Tritania with brand new avatars, but he went along with it and she appreciates that about him. She appreciates a lot about him, actually. She¡¯s just about to respond when something outside strikes the wall and bulges it inward. The air conditioner jumps loose and hits the floor, its cord still plugged in. Tamana leaps to her feet and moves for the door; moves as far away as she can get from whatever is bulging the wall. The wall flexes and ripples; a crack forms and grows from floor to ceiling. Bits and pieces of concrete and plasterboard tumble to the floor in a cloud of dust. As the crack widens, a terrible yellow eye peers in at her; a tremendous carnivore¡¯s claw tears at the hole and widens it. Tamana shrieks her surprise and terror, bolts from the room and slams the door behind her. She stops, looks back, listens intently for a moment as her breath comes hard and fast. She rubs her eyes. Whatever she just saw can¡¯t be real. As if to belay that thought, the creature explodes through the wall and collapses into the hallway. It rises to its haunches; snarls, roars, and inflates the sacs around its neck into a monstrous veiny ruff. The monstrosity bellows again, curls its tongue and gnashes the ivory scimitars that are its teeth. It can¡¯t be real. No one else sees it or hears it; there¡¯s no noise, no commotion, no panicked exodus. And then the creature¡¯s stats appear: Gunsyakhai Level ?? HP: 3400/3400 Def: 551 ATK: 294 MDF: 471 MATK: 0 LUCK: 12 ¡°Stats? A gunsyakhai?¡± she whispers, just as her reptilian brain votes overwhelmingly for FLIGHT and propels her to the main entrance of her dormitory. ¡°Run!¡± she shrieks over her shoulder to a girl exiting her room. ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°RUN!¡± She doesn¡¯t wait for her response; she doesn¡¯t wait to hear the impossible gunsyakhai tear her to shreds and snap her bones as it wolfs the girl down. Seven stories worth of stairs make Tamana¡¯s legs rubbery and weak, but she ignores it. Escape is everything; she pushes herself to gain as much distance from the monster as possible. Only when she has burst out to the busy streets of Shibuya does she stop to take a breath.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. A bicyclist whips past her and nearly sends her to the ground. A construction worker in baggy jodhpurs, a hachimaki headscarf, and a hard hat carries his lunch pail to his jobsite. A teen dressed as a maid clicks and clacks her heels against the pavement as she heads to the subway station, bound for Akihabara. A cacophony of bells and whistles chases a cloud of cigarette smoke through the open door of a pachinko parlor. Tamana sucks in great volumes of tainted air, and with hands on her knees she turns her head and looks up at her dormitory building. She rubs her temples for a moment and forcibly exhales. Seven stories above her, the glass siding explodes outward as the gunsyakhai plummets from the building. Its tiny wings flap hummingbird fast to no avail. The creature¡¯s shadow looms over her; she dodges as shards of glass rain down around her. This can¡¯t be happening! She¡¯s already in motion as a shockwave knocks her forward. She refuses to look over her shoulder, refuses to let the creature catch her. ¡°Ryuk,¡± she says the name of her best friend again, ¡°Ryuk!¡± An instant message box appears on her iNet screen. Tamana: Help me! Near you! Going to Shinsen Station! He replies instantly. Ryuk: What¡¯s happening!? Tamana: Please, it¡¯s coming! A person in a Kumamon outfit stands outside an electronics store touting a sale. Tamana blazes past and shouts ¡°Run!¡± over her shoulder. Too late. The costumed huckster¡¯s cry of alarm cuts off as the gunsyakhai stomps him flat. Fear makes her swift, so focused she is on escape. Tamana races for the station, her only hope of sanctuary and salvation. She smacks her knee into an outdoor stand in front of a kissaten. Tears stream back across her face as she catches another message from Ryuk. Ryuk: What¡¯s coming? Tamana: Please. Please. Be there in five minutes. PLEASE! Ryuk: What is going on? Are you okay? The entrance to the Shinsen Station is only a few blocks away. Even though her leg muscles are on fire, even though her heart is about to explode, Tamana continues her delirious sprint to the station. She weaves through pedestrians, illegally crosses streets, is almost sideswiped by a lowering aeros taxi, and spins and leaps over a woman pushing a baby stroller. The dragon-like creature relentlessly pursues her, roaring and bellowing and slaughtering all who stand in its way. Another glance over her shoulder and she knows without doubt that her efforts won¡¯t be enough, that there will be no happy ending to this story, that the creature will catch her and kill her. Unless she kills it first. ¡°Come on, come on, come on,¡± she huffs. Tamana skids to a halt at one of the entrances to the Shinsen Station. She hears the terrible monstrosity roar as she begins her descent. Breakneck speed. Her feet are pistons on pavement, her shoulders shovelers of bodies, her gaze aimed and angled downward. The gunsyakhai smashes its bulk through a pillar and a portion of the subway entrance collapses around it. The monster cries out in anger; blood-tinged saliva hurtles from its gaping maw. Tamana hits the bottom of the first stairwell and slaps hers cheek. She rubs her eyes again to wipe away the image that just won¡¯t leave. Is it a glitch? How is this even possible? Something has gone horribly wrong, and other than gouging out her eyeballs to fully disconnect her iNet feed, she has no idea how to make the creature stop. ¡°Come on ¡­¡± A Tritanian gunsyakhai shouldn¡¯t be chasing her, not in Tokyo, not in the real world! The rational part of her mind knows this; the rational part of her mind knows that she logged out of Tritania and took off her NV Visor; the rational part of her mind even suggests that Tamana let the creature catch her; this is the real world ¨C it can¡¯t do anything here, it shouldn¡¯t even exist her. But the monster rips through a manga stand and the salesperson inside. Blood splatters the walls, bits of flesh actually land on her arm. She hears the creature tear into the subway station tearing the ceiling down; hears the death cries of those smashed beneath the rubble. She stops just before the final stairwell and briefly turns to the gunsyakhai. It cracks its hulking tail into an electronic billboard advertising Suntory Whiskey. Tamana picks up the pace ¨C she thinks she sees Ryuk ¨C but the station is too crowded to tell for sure. Down another flight of stairs, Tamana collides with a pair of overworked salarymen in their crisply pressed suits. No time to bow, no time to apologize. She hits the bottom and bolts straight to the edge of the platform, where she stops, hesitates, thinks otherwise for a single, prolonged second. Tamana¡¯s leap induces gasps from those nearby. Her landing, the sound of the train horn, the sickening crack. Tamana is struck by the incoming train. Tamana is struck by the incoming train. The salarymen lift their heads, a woman drops her umbrella, a child reaches for its mother¡¯s open arms, a white-gloved conductor runs towards her at sixty frames per second. ¡°Tamana! No!¡± Ryuk ends his desperate chase and slides to a halt. Face in hand and out of breath, he utters a sharp curse and slaps the flat of his hand against the floor. Instantly embarrassed by his loss of control, he tucks his stinging hand into his pocket. The crowd comes to life all around Ryuk. Alarms sound, bystanders jostle for position, snap their photos and instantly post them on iNet. A pair of conductors produce kawaii cute panda-shaped plastic barriers and urge the crowd back from the platform. Medics in light blue uniforms appear. An older man tsks at the fact that another Japanese youth has just committed suicide. Ryuk swallows hard. He reviews the messages he had just received from Tamana. He reads them again and again, looking for a reason for her actions, hoping to discover why she killed herself. Tamana: Help me! Near you! Going to Shinsen Station. Ryuk: What¡¯s happening? Tamana: Please! It¡¯s coming! Ryuk: What¡¯s coming? Tamana: Please. Please. Be there in five minutes. PLEASE! Ryuk: What is going on? Are you okay? Ryuk: I¡¯m here. Where are you? Are you okay? Chapter Two: Home is where the killer droid is Ryuk quietly and unobtrusively exfiltrates the crowd gathered around the subway platform. He retraces his steps like a hebereke artist. Dash to the flat, backtrack to the place from whence he came. His real world spawning location, he likes to joke. Sumeba miyako, home is where you make it. He hardly notices anything along the way, so focused is he on Tamana¡¯s final message and what all of this could possibly mean. He needs to log in to Tritania and figure out what happened to Tamana. He needs to know why she did it, and so suddenly¡­ As usual, Ryuk doesn¡¯t say a word to the two thugs in the lobby of his apartment building, nor does he make eye contact with the two on his floor. His guards are ever-present, stereotypical Yakuza muscle from the latest Jollywood flick. Ky¨­aku-han. Clean-cut suits with the top two buttons open, shiny materials, polished Italian boots, thin gold chains around their necks, the works. And that¡¯s not the scary part. The scary part is inside, Hajime, his humandroid bodyguard. Ryuk has been around these types of droids his entire life and nothing really bothers him about Homo machina, aside from the fact that Hajime, who wears a traditional Japanese robe and considers himself a student of Zen Buddhism, could kill him in more ways than Ryuk can count. ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± Hajime the humandroid says instead of hello, ¡°that was fast. Did you happen to meet Tamana?¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Is he reading my iNet messages again? Ryuk stares the humandroid down for a moment. ¡°Your vitals indicate that you¡¯ve experienced a recent trauma. There are comfort foods good for hyper-stress. Would you care for one?¡± ¡°Not now, Hajime, not now.¡± Ryuk feels tears come and he sucks them down. He kicks off his shoes near the door and exchanges them for a pair of brown slippers. ¡°What happened?¡± Hajime is in the kitchen, behind a black marble countertop imported from Spain. Marmol negro. ¡°Tamana.¡± Ryuk says hurriedly. ¡°I watched her jump in front of the train. I saw her do it with my own two eyes. She did it ¡­ ¡± He¡¯s suddenly confused. ¡°Yes, she did it. She jumped.¡± ¡°She killed herself?¡± Hajime¡¯s cadence and inflection sounds like any other Japanese man; still, Ryuk can hear that he hasn¡¯t quite mastered the art of human empathy ¨C his tone is off. ¡°Just give me a minute to process this Hajime. I ¡­ I need to log in.¡± Ryuk slams his bedroom door with unnecessary vigor and sits on the edge of his bed. His room is clean, minimal, aside from a black hooded sweater tossed onto his haptic chair. The sweater goes flying with an impatient sweep of his hand and he plants his ass in the custom molded seat. He leans back and the haptic chair comes to life after he¡¯s placed the sleek, gunmetal NV Visor over his head. A familiar tone plays, letting him know that the system is starting up. As it does, he dons a pair of haptic gloves with the ease of long practice. The chair reclines and once his feet are settled on the footrest, the cushioned calf rests gently massage his gastrocnemii to indicate that the physical response system is ready to go. Wavelengths appear on the inside of his NV Visor. Chapter Three: Digital Hallucinations Even with his NV Visor on, Ryuk senses a presence in his room. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± He selects the ¡°standby¡± option on his logon screen. His haptic gloves loosen, allowing him to slip them off and he takes off his visor. ¡°I hate it when you do that,¡± he says as soon as he spots Hajime standing in his doorframe. For some damn reason, the Humandroid now has a straw basket over his head. ¡°And I said not now. And why are you wearing a basket on your head?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a meditative practice,¡± Hajime explains, ¡°I have just started it.¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°Five minutes ago.¡± ¡°You really need to get out more.¡± ¡°My orders are to guard and take care of you.¡± He taps his finger on the side of his basket head. ¡°This is the only way to get out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m nineteen; I¡¯m a man now. I don¡¯t know why they are so concerned for my safety.¡± ¡°I think you know why. Regardless, we need to leave soon.¡± He pauses just long enough to make Ryuk twitchy. ¡°Your brother is waiting.¡± A clawed hand tears the door from its hinges. ¡°Hajime!¡± Ryuk scrambles to the ground. Another glance and he sees a Thulean warrior ¨C a dragon-descended humanoid ¨C grab Hajime by the back of the neck. The image twitches and Hajime is suddenly standing there, normal as ever as he approaches Ryuk. It cuts back and he¡¯s now being choked again. ¡°Hajime!¡± A hand presses over his eyes; a dazzling burst of light flickers across the inside of Ryuk¡¯s eyelids. He kicks his feet and struggles to free himself from the steely grip. He tucks his chin into the crook of the elbow that encircles his neck; his teeth find purchase and he bears down hard. The arm tastes like ¡­ Nothing. Cloth maybe, or some sort of skin-like plastic, but that¡¯s about it. ¡°Relax.¡± Why is Hajime¡¯s voice behind me now!? Ryuk swallows hard and struggles to master the overwhelming terror that surges through him. He realizes that he¡¯s sitting on the floor and someone is behind him, holding him as a mother would comfort her child. He tries to stand, but the arms restrain him. ¡°You¡¯re hallucinating something,¡± the voice says into his ear. ¡°Hajime?¡± ¡°Open your eyes slowly. Remember, whatever you see is not real.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here, nothing can hurt you. I¡¯m removing my hand now.¡± Ryuk does as instructed and the Thulean¡¯s stats appear on his iNet screen: Thulean Warrior Level ?? HP: 5309/5309 Def: 2960 ATK: 867 MDF: 2116 MATK: 131 LUCK: 311 Ryuk stares in horror as the Thulean brandishes a Bohemian earspoon and tests the weapon¡¯s balance with a flashy whirl-parry-thrust. His grin is pointed teeth and forked tongue; painted on his forehead are three blood red lines under a half crescent moon. ¡°What do you see?¡± Hajime whispers, still behind Ryuk and holding his face forward. ¡°He¡¯s ¡­ he¡¯s ¡­ ¡± Coming for me! The Thulean casts a fanged grin and steps into a ready position. His armor clinks as he charges at Ryuk. (0)__(0) The Thulean¡¯s spear passes through Ryuk¡¯s body, followed by his hand, his arm, his shoulder and his chest. All of him seemingly disappears right into Ryuk¡¯s chest. He blinks his eyes rapidly as he tries to comprehend it all.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The Thulean is suddenly gone; he¡¯s in his room on the ground with Hajime behind him, who still holds tightly onto him. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± Hajime relaxes his grip on Ryuk¡¯s body. ¡°Relax.¡± ¡°What ¡­ was that?¡± He breathes heavily for a moment as he rubs his eyes. Suddenly visible on his pane of vision are a few minimized chat boxes, including Tamana¡¯s final real world message. He reads it again as he catches his breath. The thought strikes him: I was unable to save her, I failed her. ¡°I¡¯m going to let go now.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Ryuk says, suddenly ashamed by his actions. Hajime adjusts the straw basket on his head and sits onto Ryuk¡¯s bed. ¡°I¡¯ve scanned your vitals, and they are all within normal limits. Tox scan is negative, and I can find no cause for the hallucinatory episode you¡¯ve just endured. May I tap your feed?¡± ¡°Please do,¡± Ryuk pulls himself to his feet and paces for a moment with his arms crossed over his chest. A prompt appears on his vision as Hajime accesses his feed. ¡°I would like to review your feed from when you followed Tamana into the train station. You did actually see her, correct?¡± ¡°I did,¡± he gulps, ¡°before she jumped.¡± Hajime¡¯s straw basket masks his face from Ryuk, who continues to pace. His stomach still churns from his unexpected encounter with a Thulean, in Tokyo. If he hallucinated a Thulean warrior, what could Tamana possibly have seen. ¡°She was seeing something too!¡± ¡°Clearly,¡± Hajime¡¯s eyes flash, ¡°but what I was checking was in regards to your feed.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Let me show you.¡± Hajime approaches the Holoscreen attached to Ryuk¡¯s wall. Ryuk rarely uses the thing ¨C why watch anime on a screen when you can simply lie back and watch it on the inside of your eyelids? Still, it is helpful, or at least it was helpful, when he was enrolled at Waseda University. As soon as the screen comes to life, the Waseda Bear mascot does a little dance in the bottom right corner. Ryuk has been meaning to fix that, but he still entertains the possibility of re-enrolling. ¡°Give me a moment to arrange the videos.¡± Hajime stands for a moment in front of the screen and the volume icon appears. It adjusts itself, and once it is at a low level, two iNet feeds come up in split-screen. On the left is Ryuk¡¯s view of Tamana as he caught sight of her at the subway. On the right is his view of what just happened here. ¡°This may be a bit disorienting,¡± Hajime warns as the videos start up. Sure enough, Ryuk can actually see the Thulean on his most recent feed, big as life and twice as ugly in his black scaly armor. All he can see on the left is Tamana running and leaping and ¡­ Ryuk turns his head away at the very last moment. No sense in seeing her do that again. ¡°Now observe the same timeframe from my perspective.¡± Hajime¡¯s feed comes up ¨C Ryuk screams and scrabbles for no reason; Hajime surveils the whole room too fast to follow, moves behind Ryuk and pulls him into his arms. His viewing pane focuses on the open doorway in which looms ¡­ absolutely nothing. Ryuk drops his face into his hand. ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°I think something just hacked your iNet feed, and apparently this very same something also hacked Tamana¡¯s feed,¡± Hajime concludes. ¡°Based on the message you received and the feed, whatever she saw chasing her at the time of her death was real to her but to no one else. She leapt to avoid it; I don¡¯t think she intended to kill herself.¡± ¡°What about my feed?¡± ¡°This appears to affect only the individual who experiences the digital hallucination, and is apparently quite subjectively real. I¡¯ve collated some data about apparent Proxima dream world intrusions in the real world environment that caused lethal results.¡± Several charts spring to life on the holoscreen. They morph and merge into one chart, and one of the many graphics of Ryuk that Hajime usually uses for their correspondence takes shape. ¡°This chart shows the number of dreamworld users who have experienced an unexpected or unusual death within seventy-five minutes of logging out, beginning in 2070. As you can see, the chart spikes from no reported cases in 2070 to fifty-six for just the first two months of this year. If I include the number of users who were non-fatally injured, or who merely reported disturbing hallucinations, the numbers quadruple.¡± Magazine and iNet articles flash on the screen in various languages with Japanese subtitles. ¡°The mainstream outlets are not carrying these stories,¡± Hajime points out, ¡°most of these come from Proxima fan sites and Proxi-blogs. Based on what you have just experienced and what happened to Tamana, statistical probability indicates that some thing is coming through from the digital dream worlds and manifesting itself through the users¡¯ iNet feeds, and this is causing people to do terrible things to themselves and those around them.¡± Ryuk shakes his head as he tries to take in everything Hajime has just said. ¡°Are you telling me that there are killer NPCs?¡± ¡°No, you are saying that, but something is happening, and it¡¯s manifesting from the Proxima network.¡± ¡°Fuck ¡­ ¡± Ryuk plops into his rig and settles back into the seat. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hajime asks. ¡°Logging back in,¡± he says hurriedly. ¡°I need to get to Tamana. If killer NPCs are really escaping from dreamworlds, Tamana will know the right people to talk to and the right questions to ask. I just hope that they aren¡¯t on separate continents.¡± ¡°What difference does that make?¡± Ryuk explains the basics in a two breaths. ¡°Tritania is a fantasy MMORPG dreamworld that consists of three floating continents, Hyperborea, Polynya, and Ultima Thule. All players start on Hyperborea. To travel to Polynya you need to be at level 15. To travel from Polyna to Ultima Thule, you need to be at level 35.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have a high level avatar?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Ryuk sighs deeply. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Tamana happened. She was getting bored, so she and I became resetters ¨C we started back at level 1 for a new challenge. Now we¡¯re back on Hyperborea, the first continent.¡± ¡°So you can¡¯t get to these other continents to meet the people you need to talk to.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just message them?¡± Ryuk scratches the back of his head. ¡°Our guild ¨C well, former guild now ¨C has a ¡®no communication clause¡¯ with resetters to deny them any in-game advantages. Sounds stupid, but our previous guild¡¯s leader doesn¡¯t want someone to be able to call on their powerful friends. I may able to get messages to them, but Tamana would know how to do that.¡± Hajime nods his basket head. ¡°Perhaps you should notify the proper Proxima authorities.¡± Ryuk considers this for a moment. The Proxima company was incorporated in the early 2040s and it revolutionized VR technology by integrating it into an induced REM sleep-like trance ¨C a lucid dream state of consciousness. ¡®Diving¡¯ to a Proxima VR Dreamworld requires a neuronal visualization visor to tap into shared dreamworlds, of which there are thousands upon thousands for every taste and proclivity. Ryuk lets the thought die. ¡°I don¡¯t see that happening. At least not at the moment. Look, I know we need to leave soon to meet my brother, but give me like an hour to check on things at my guild and to get my avatar auto-leveling.¡± ¡°You know how much Kodai hates waiting ¡­ ¡± An image of Ryuk¡¯s older brother flashes before his eyes, almost as if he too were hacking his iNet feed. Everything Ryuk isn¡¯t ¨C that¡¯s the best way to describe Kodai. Good-looking, athletic, incredibly smart, unbelievably successful at the age of twenty-eight. Ryuk was nothing like his brother. ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± he finally decides, ¡°this is more important.¡± Fantasy Online Hyperborea is out now! "Harmon''s Fantasy Online is an absolute masterpiece!With incredible depth and lifelike characters, this book had me breaking out inlaughter on more than one occasion! Drop whatever you''re doing and buy thisbook! You won''t regret it!" Luke Chmilenko, author of the Ascend Onlineseries. "This is one of the few LitRPG novels where I thoughtthe real world storyline was as interesting as the game one." -- Ramon Mejia, author of Adventures on Terra and host of the Geekbytes Podcast. "The futuristic, adult-rated, JPRG universe gamers have been waiting for;sure to take the LitRPG genre by storm!" Apollos Thorne, author of Codename:Freedom. It''s here, readers, 570 pages of JRPG buenoness with a new intro!A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. here''s the link: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B06XXXHJY2 Nineteen-year-old Ryuk Matsuzaki and his best friend Tamana decide to start over with new avatars. When Tamana is suddenly killed right in front of him in a Tokyo subway, Ryuk knows there is only one place he can search for answers ¨CTritania, the world¡¯s most popular online fantasy world. Standing in his way are a mysterious guild known as the Shinigami, and his older brother, a Yakuza crime lord hell-bent on squashing his dreams. As a lowly Ballistics Mage, Ryuk must quickly recruit guild members, level up, loot and shoot his way across Tritania to discover the dark and sinister secret behind Tamana¡¯s untimely death. Joining him in his quest are a famous Swedish gamer, a powerful half-dragon half-human female assassin, and a devious ax-wielding goblin. Get started on this action-packed, coming of age LitRPG saga from the author of The Feedback Loop series now! Have you checked out Fantasy Online Hyperborea yet? "Harmon''s Fantasy Online is an absolute masterpiece! With incredible depth and lifelike characters, this book had me breaking out in laughter on more than one occasion! Drop whatever you''re doing and buy this book! You won''t regret it!" Luke Chmilenko, author of the Ascend Onlineseries. "This is one of the few LitRPG novels where I thought the real world storyline was as interesting as the game one." -- Ramon Mejia, author of Adventures on Terra and host of the Geekbytes Podcast. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "The futuristic, adult-rated, JPRG universe gamers have been waiting for;sure to take the LitRPG genre by storm!" Apollos Thorne, author of Codename:Freedom. "Harmon Cooper delivers again with a fantastic LitRPG fantasy adventure.Revisit the world of Hyperborea or you are going to fickin'' regret it!" Jay Taylor, LitRPG community leader. "If the movie Inception and LitRPG had a baby, her name would be Hyperborea!" Paul Campbell Jr. of atqne.com, writing for SciFan Magazine. ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï "let''s face it: Noobs need to level up to get anywhere." Liquid Frost, Amazon top 500 reviewer. Have you picked up Fantasy Online Hyperborea yet? Kindle Unlimited! Luke Chmilenko, author of the Ascend Onlineseries. "This is one of the few LitRPG novels where I thought the real world storyline was as interesting as the game one." -- Ramon Mejia, author of Adventures on Terra and host of the Geekbytes Podcast. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit."The futuristic, adult-rated, JPRG universe gamers have been waiting for;sure to take the LitRPG genre by storm!" Apollos Thorne, author of Codename:Freedom. "Harmon Cooper delivers again with a fantastic LitRPG fantasy adventure.Revisit the world of Hyperborea or you are going to fickin'' regret it!" Jay Taylor, LitRPG community leader. "If the movie Inception and LitRPG had a baby, her name would be Hyperborea!" Paul Campbell Jr. of atqne.com, writing for SciFan Magazine. ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï "Let''s face it: Noobs need to level up to get anywhere." Liquid Frost, Amazon top 500 reviewer. Chapter 69: Fantasy Online Hyperborea SURPRISE! Fantasy Online Hyperborea is half off to celebrate the release of the audiobook narrated by Jeff Hays! Grab it now! Nineteen-year-old Ryuk Matsuzaki and his best friend Tamana decide to start over with new avatars. When Tamana is suddenly killed right in front of him in a Tokyo subway, Ryuk knows there is only one place he can search for answers ¨CTritania, the world¡¯s most popular online fantasy world. Standing in his way are a mysterious guild known as the Shinigami, and his older brother, a Yakuza crime lord hell-bent on squashing his dreams. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. As a lowly Ballistics Mage, Ryuk must quickly recruit guild members, level up, loot and shoot his way across Tritania to discover the dark and sinister secret behind Tamana¡¯s untimely death. Joining him in his quest are a famous Swedish gamer, a powerful half-dragon half-human female assassin, and a devious ax-wielding goblin. Get started on this action-packed, coming of age LitRPG saga from the author of The Feedback Loop series now! The Last Warrior of Unigaea

Reviews are in!

My new LitRPG about a PKer and his big bad wolf is out now on Kindle. This book is related directly to Fantasy Online Book Two, DON''T MISS IT! Here''s the link:http://amzn.to/2wdmC5j (Audiobook narrated by Jeff Hays!) ---- Praise for Last Warrior ---- "Yet another home run for Harmon! With his typical flare, Harmon has added another layer in his Proxima Universe that proves to be very bit as exciting as all his works before it. I can''t wait to see what happens to Oric and Wolf next!" --Luke Chmilenko, author of the Ascend Online series.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. --- "A good guy goes bad for the best of reasons--blood-drenched player-killer revenge. Harmon Cooper doesn''t disappoint with his most captivating yarn in the Proxima Universe to date. Don''t miss it!" --Eric Nylund, New York Times bestselling author of HALO: The Fall of Reach, and Hero of Thera. --- "Exciting, tight, and brutal. It jumps right into the action and never lets up. This is LitRPG at its finest!" -- Matt Dinniman, author of Dominion of Blades. --- "Harmon delivers again with a nonstop action-packed ride for revenge that strikes deep into occupied territory. The world is new and exciting without losing anything you love in the Proxima Worlds!" -- Jay Taylor, LitRPG community leader. --- "I''ve been waiting for a PKer Litrpg with a complex main character for a long time. The Last Warrior of Unigaea is finally here! Now where''s book 2?" -- Apollos Thorne, author of Codename: Freedom. Fantasy ONLINE 2 is out now! The Mitherfickers are back and ready to bring the fight to the Shinigami! But before they can do that, they need an audience with the Knights of Non Compos Mentis, the most powerful guild in Tritania. Luckily for them, Ryuk used to be a member of the famed guild, and to get to the guild headquarters, they¡¯ll need to level up and figure out a way into a city heightened tight security. Along their journey to Polynya, the second floating continent of Tritania, the Mitherfickers are joined by a high elf, whose village is being terrorized by a big bad wolf. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. High jinks and violence ensues as they attempt to rid the village of this wolf, the results of which end up opening their guild to new members from a different Proxima world, something Hiccup the goblin isn¡¯t too happy about. Things heat up after the motley guild adventure through the catacombs beneath the city of Porthos, where they are framed for attempted murder and placed in the Empress¡¯ dungeon. With no way out, one of the Mitherfickers reveals a secret the likes of which will change the guild¡¯s standing in Tritania forever. In Tokyo, evil Kodai gets a new android and plans his revenge against his younger brother, Ryuk. He also plots his revenge within the online world of Tritania, guiding the new members of the Shinigami as they wreak havoc on the city of Porthos. Level up, recruit, loot and scoot! Fantasy Online Polynya has all the comedy, mayhem, intrigue, crazy fun characters, and epic world-building you''ve come to expect from this popular LitRPG series! Fantasy Online Polynya audiobook! The Mitherfickers are back and ready to bring the fight to the Shinigami. But before they can do that, they need an audience with the Knights of Non Compos Mentis, the most powerful guild in Tritania. Luckily for them, Ryuk used to be a member of the famed guild, and to get to the guild headquarters, they¡¯ll need to level up and figure out a way into a city heightened tight security. Along their journey to Polynya, the second floating continent of Tritania, the Mitherfickers are joined by a high elf, whose village is being terrorized by a big bad wolf. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. High jinks and violence ensues as they attempt to rid the village of this wolf, the results of which end up opening their guild to new members from a different Proxima world, something Hiccup the goblin isn¡¯t too happy about. Things heat up after the motley guild adventure through the catacombs beneath the city of Porthos, where they are framed for attempted murder and placed in the Empress¡¯ dungeon. With no way out, one of the Mitherfickers reveals a secret the likes of which will change the guild¡¯s standing in Tritania forever. In Tokyo, evil Kodai gets a new android and plans his revenge against his younger brother, Ryuk. He also plots his revenge within the online world of Tritania, guiding the new members of the Shinigami as they wreak havoc on the city of Porthos.