《Guardians Awakened》 Chapter 1 - The Start A black hooded figure sits along at a paper-filled desk writing. The room¡¯s wall is filled with bookcases that reach to the ceiling with many books, scrolls, and a few mysterious items here and there. A small chandelier is hanging from the ceiling illuminating the blue carpet that is riddled with stars and other astral images. One might think this room belongs to a wizard of high rank. Perhaps you are right, perhaps you are wrong. He stops writing but doesn¡¯t look up. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are or where you are from, but I know why you are here. I have been expecting you. Who am I speaking to? That was a question that came to your mind right? Well, I am speaking to you. Don¡¯t look confused. You are here to learn the story of the Guardians are you not? Well, get comfortable and I will tell you their tale.¡± The figure stands and goes over to a bookcase and starts searching its contents. ¡°Our story begins in the year 3025. A virtual reality game called Awakened Life has been out for years now. Its popularity spread like a forest fire. Burning up the world with its unique gameplay and 99% realism. But that¡¯s not where our story begins.¡± He takes out a worn black book covered in gold swirl markings and sits back down. ¡°No, our story begins here. On the last day, Awakened Life will be open to the public. They day the game shuts down and a new one will begin. A game where virtual reality becomes reality¡­.¡± The hooded figure opens the book and begins to read. Year, 1250(In game), Maius 28th, Pralatarra (name of the game world) On the borders of a bustling and prosperous city called Fairwater in the Nafar continent, there is a large stone building surrounded by the most beautiful scenery. A flourishing forest to the back, a hilly grassland on the sides, and a dirt road leading to the city. This building was a guild. And it was called Humanities Legion. It contained a variety of people. From NPC¡¯s to actual players. No matter how weak or how strong, you were always welcome with open arms. All that was required to join was to have a sense of adventure and the will to protect. But above them was the guild¡¯s founders, famously known as, The Guardians. There was AtlasFlame, Guardian of Protection. Mad_JesterJack, Guardian of Fun. Titan, Guardian of Loyalty. Deus, Guardian of Health. MusicalApostle, Guardian of Faith. Saint Knowl, Guardian of Knowledge. Lotus-Samurai, Guardian of Discipline. ArmoredRose, Guardian of Friendship. They were called the best and kept other players in check. Everyone respected them. They were loyal, fair, merciful, honorable, and brave. But now, everything is quiet and empty. No more loud noises or random fights in the training rooms. No more idle chatter throughout the halls. Just¡­.silence. The only noise leftare the still moving NPC. Technology in VR has come a long way. Every NPC has and AI which gives it its own personality and history. Meaning that they are so advanced that you can consider them actual people. Not like in other games where everything they do and say is scripted for them. They can adapt, grow, and make their own mark in the world. At the top floor is a large round room. A grand round table of marble was in the center, surrounded by 10 luxurious seats with somewhat high backs, but most of them were vacant. Only two silhouettes were visible now where all the members once sat. Each seat has its own unique design. In two of these seats sat the last of the Guild¡¯s Guardians. The head chair is made out of a metal that¡¯s black in color. It has a large 12 pointed starthat sits atop of it painted in gold. All over the chair are painted signs of the 12 zodiacs in white, and in a silver gray, multiple lesser known constellations. In it sits a woman in black and red clothing. Her top is a black leather corset with a little bit of a red frilled trim at the bottom and breast area. A bit of gold armor is placed along the edge of her breast and at her sides in a ribcage fashion are golden chains that dangle loosely. She wears long sleeved black gloves that reach inches below her shoulders. On her hands is scale mail gloved armored bracers in a dull gold color with some black mixed in. Her skirt is black with shimmering silver sparkles and reaches a couple of inches below the knees and has a large faded gray astral compass on the back. She also wears black knee high boots with red laces. She has fair skin, long black hair with gold and silver highlights and violet eyes that shows much kindness. On her head sits a golden multi-starred crown embedded with jewels. Her name (username) is Ourania (Her name comes from a Greek myth name of a muse of astronomy, derived from the word ouranios, meaning ¡°heavenly¡±), Guardian of the Stars. The first founder and Guild Master. Next to her is a long green haired male with green eyes a scar that crosses the bridge of his nose along with the body of a lean athlete. He sits in a chair that has three swords carved from wood attached to the back painted in silver and black. Only the hilts and a few inches of the sword can be seen unless you are standing behind the chair. Two of the swords are silver and crossed to make an X. The third is painted black and is straight in the center of the others. He wears strong sleeveless leather armor. Under the armor is a soft long sleeved green tunic. Over it are layered plates of leather around his shoulders and chest that continues down a little ways past his waist and is trimmed in brown. His gauntlets are the same in style. Attached to his waist are three blades. He sits with his eyes closed and arms crossed behind his head. His name (username) is Saxen (which means swordsmen), Guardian of Honor and Co-founder of the guild. Ourania looks over at him in appreciation and fondness. ¡°Thank you for being here. It means much to me that you are willing to stay here for this server¡¯s final moments. Although it is unfortunate that the others could not be here.¡± Saxen looks over and gives a small smile. ¡°It¡¯s no problem. I figured since it¡¯s the last day I might as well make the most out of it.¡± ¡°I really mean it. Out of everyone who couldn¡¯t come, I am grateful that you had shown up.¡± He gives a smirk. ¡°I am not the Guardian of Honor for nothing. I will honor my last day as a Guardian with pride.¡± ¡°I might as well start the countdown now.¡± Ourania pulls up a screen and sets a time to 10 minutes. Afterward, it disappears. ¡°Feel like taking a stroll through the guild one last time Saxen?¡± ¡°Why not? Reminiscing isn¡¯t really my thing but, I can make an exception this time.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. She smiles at him in thanks. They both stand and head out a door to a long corridor. A long red carpet covers the floor and unlit golden chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The right wall contains large arched windows that allow the sunlight to naturally light up the place. The left wall has pictures of the Guardians. Some solo, some not. Some even contain pictures of events that have occurred in the past with everyone having fun, Guardian or not. She stops at one of the oldest ones and looks at it fondly. It shows a group of 10 standing together and smiling in front of a new building. ¡°Do you remember this?¡± She asks her friend. ¡°Of course.¡± He replies while looks at the picture. ¡°It¡¯s the day this guild and the Guardians were established.¡± ¡°I remember when this game was first released. It was just me and you at first. Then we met the others later. What a hectic day that was.¡± She smiles reminiscing. ¡°Yeah, Atlas would not hold still for anything. It took forever to keep him still.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Lotus and Titan wouldn¡¯t stop fighting. Even so, it was very fun.¡± She continues to move forward with him following until they reach double doors made of metal and painted gold on the level below the Guardians room. A carving of two elven looking fairies facing each other covers the door. They''ve reached the Throne room. Walking up to the doors, they nod to the two guards that guard the throne room. They salute and open the doors. Upon entering, they immediately face a large room covered in black and white marble flooring. Greek styled stone pillars that form two parallel lines straight to the Throne. A rich red carpet sits between them. The walls are made of stone with banners of all the guilds each Guardian symbol. The roof is made of stained glass, lighting up the place with natural colored sunlight that somehow fits the setting. Chandeliers hang down with unlit crystals. There are some plants and other statues here and there filled the room to give it a royal and fantasia-like feel. The two walk to the front where a black throne chair with grey-white cushioning is placed. The Guild symbol itself is placed above the throne on a large banner. Unbeknownst to them and the guards, when the doors closed they become magically sealed and trapped inside. On one side of the throne stands a mannequin that had a hooded mantle placed upon it. Its color is black with the inside being sapphire blue. On the back is the logo of the guild in white. They stop at the foot of few steps that lead to the throne. They look at it longingly. Ourania looks at the timer and it reads that there are 2 minutes left. ¡°You should go up there.¡± Saxen suddenly says. ¡°What? I can¡¯t¡­I mean, this was only used for certain occasions like planning a large-scale raid or something.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the last day. Just do it. What¡¯s the harm?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­.if feels¡­.off, without the others here.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± He sighs. ¡°I get it. I¡¯m the same. But it¡¯s the last time we get to be here.¡± She looks at him, then at the mantle and throne. She takes a deep breath and exhales before taking the first step. Saxen smiles as she walks up the few steps and turns to the mantle. She takes it in her hands and looks at for a few moments before donning the hooded cloak. It shimmers for a few seconds as it recognizes its owner before fading. Ourania gets a notification.
Equipped: Cloak of the Guild Master Item Type: Cloth Mantle Rank: Legendary
Description: When wearing this cloak, the user shall have absolute control over the forces of Humanities Legion.
Requirements: Being the guild master of Humanities Legion
Effects: + 20 to all stats Total authority to command all members of the guild. 50% Resistance against the elements
She then steps in front of the throne and sits. She looks around the room once again from her position and recalls the pleasant memories that were created here. ¡°I really am going to miss this place.¡± ¡°I agree. It¡¯s a shame. But what can you do? It¡¯s not like we can be here after the servers stop. I wonder what it would be like if all this was real?¡± ¡°That would be¡­.actually, I don¡¯t know what it would be like.¡± She looks at the timer, 30 seconds. ¡°30 seconds before the force logout. When we leave, let¡¯s meet up with everyone again.¡± 20 seconds. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound too bad.¡± 10 seconds. ¡°It¡¯s a plan. Let¡¯s all go out for karaoke.¡± ¡°And have everyone embarrass themselves? Definitely.¡± 5 seconds. ¡°This is it then. I guess I will see you later.¡± ¡°Yep, see you later.¡± As the timer reaches zero the two friends close their eyes, ready for the logout. Only nothing happens. After a few moments, they look at each other with confusion and a clear question on both minds. What happened? Saxen, being the first to break the silence, speaks. ¡°Maybe there is a lag?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Let me try to log out.¡± She opens up her status screen and looks at the logout button. She presses it and a notification text pops up.
Logout unavailable
She frowns and tries to contact a GM when another pop-up appears.
Attempting to contact a GM is not possible at this time. Sorry for the inconvenience.
She looks at Saxen in worry. ¡°I can¡¯t log out. It says it¡¯s unavailable.¡± His eyes widen in surprise. ¡°The hell? What about a GM?¡± She shakes her head. ¡°Not possible.¡± ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°I¡­¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± He ponders for a moment before letting out a slight smile. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re in Kansas anymore.¡± She looks at him in bewilderment before connecting the dots. She shakes her head smiling at him. ¡°Shut up. I can¡¯t believe you just said that. ¡± He shrugs in response. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s see if we can find out anything.¡± She gets up and starts to head out the room. ¡°Come along Toto. We have work to do¡±. She says while grinning. ¡°Who the hell are you calling Toto!?¡± He shouts after her before quickly catching up. Chapter 2 - The Discovery Ourania opens the doors and notice''ssomething is different. She noticed that the door released a magic seal. Did that always happen? Wait, where are the guards? No time to dwell on it now. As they walk through the corridor with the doors closing behind them, they notice some new things. For instance, the carpet is now a dark blue instead of red. The photos of everyone are gone and are most likely moved somewhere else. Even the windows changed. Instead of the large arched windows, they are now square and paneled. Feeling uneasy, they continue to move forward noticing more and more changes. As they head to the lower levels a few people mill about looking at them curiously before continuing on their way. When they reach the lowest level is when things really set in. A lot has changed. The layout, people they''ve never seen before, even some new races. ¡°Saxen, I have a theory on what¡¯s going on, but I need to confirm it.¡± ¡°Sure thing, I will follow your lead.¡± She looks around for something familiar when her eyes landon a familiar looking person, but different at the same time. They walk up to the counter drawing some more curious gazes. They don¡¯t blame them as they are dressed differently than the current norm. They stop in front of a young elf woman who looks like she is in her mid-20s and sports long scarlet red hair tied in a low ponytail with two long side bangs that frame her face, deep purple eyes and lightly tanned skin. She is wearing an elven style dress. ¡°Excuse me, miss.¡± ¡°Hello, my name is Iona. Can I help you?¡± She asks politely. ¡°Yes. My friend and I got lost on the way to the city. Can you tell me what this place is?¡± ¡°Of course. Right now you are in one of the many branches of the adventuring guild World¡¯s Compass. This particular branch is located on the outskirts of the city known as Springhaven.¡± ¡°Springhaven? Isn¡¯t this city called Fairwater?¡± ¡°Fairwater? This city hasn¡¯t been called that in a long time.¡± Slight panic begins to set in for the both of them. ¡°Sorry, I seem to have forgotten what year it was. Can you tell me?¡± ¡°No problem. It¡¯s the year 1750. It¡¯s also the 28th day of the month Maius.¡± Her and Saxen both pale at the date. The woman looks at them in concern. ¡°Are you two okay? You look sick.¡± Ourania smiles and laughs a bit awkwardly. ¡°We¡¯re fine. Just a bit tired from the trip here. Sorry to ask of this, but do you know someone named Allister Dawnwhisper?¡± ¡°Yes, he is my grandfather. Why do you ask?¡± She looks at them with slight suspicion. ¡°Um, my parents were good friends with him and they told me to come here if we ever wanted to visit. Is he around?¡± ¡°No. He retired working here some years ago. He now lives in Springhaven in a small manor on the far side of the residential area. It¡¯s just past the marketplace.¡± ¡°Thank you for the information, Iona. It was very helpful.¡± ¡°Anytime. Any more questions?¡± ¡°No thank-you. We have all we need. Have a good day!¡± She waves back as she leaves and Saxen nods to Iona before following Ourania outside. Outside there is a dirt road that leads to the city. From here it¡¯s about an hour¡¯s walk. As they go on their way, they discuss what they have learned. ¡°This is worse than we thought. Way worse.¡± ¡°Tell me about it. Supposedly we¡¯ve been gone 500yrs.¡± ¡°Surprised you can do that math.¡± ¡°Hey! I know I am bad at math, but not that bad.¡± ¡°Relax. I¡¯m just kidding¡­mostly. All seriousness, though. How is that possible? It was only minutes since the server shut down.¡± ¡°How should I know?¡± ¡°Wait¡­maybe¡­.¡± Her sentence trails off. ¡°What is it? Don¡¯t leave me hangin¡¯ here.¡± ¡°I forgot about it till now. I didn¡¯t notice it before but apparently when we first entered the room, the doors shut behind us, and when it did, a seal was placed on it. I didn¡¯t notice the seal until we re-opened the door.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.not possible. Especially in the guild.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. And that¡¯s the strange thing. There isn¡¯t a lot of magic out there that I can¡¯t sense. Let¡¯s go see Allister. Maybe he will have some insight.¡± ¡°Roger that. I wonder how the old coot is anyway. How old is he now? Like 615?¡± ¡°Roughly. He never gave us an exact date. He always changed it.¡± ¡°Probably because we kept messing with him, calling him an old man and all.¡± She lets out a short laugh. ¡°No doubt.¡± They reach the town within two hours they reach the town and see a cart at the entrance. Two knights in light blue armor are checking the cargo. They are cleared to go after showing them a pass that shows they are merchants. ¡°Uh, do we need passes? In our time, god that sounds weird to say. In our time we didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s hope we don¡¯t.¡± They soon get to the front after quite a few others had passed. They were waiting for almost 20 minutes. One of the knights holds his hands up to stop the two. ¡°Hold. Identification and reason of visit please.¡± ¡°Um, my name is Ourania and that¡¯s Saxen, we¡¯re adventurers visiting a friend.¡± The knight looks at them a moment before moving on to his next question. ¡°Bring anything with you today?¡± The travelers looked at each other for a moment before shaking their head ¡®no¡¯. The knight looks them over for a bit and finds their clothing choice odd. He shrugs as he sees no weapons or potential dangers from them. He waves them through. ¡°Go on in.¡± They internally sigh and walk into the city. ¡°Kinda reminds you of an airport process, right?¡± ¡°I agree.¡± As soon as they entered the town they pause. ¡°Holy sh-¡± ¡°Saxen!¡± ¡°Sorry, but damn. Look at this place!¡± The two look around. What used to be dirt paths and roughly 20 wooden buildings are now stone walkways and streets as well as stone-carved buildings that increased in size. The only thing that is normal are the bustling towns¡¯ people going to and fro. Following the directions that were given to them, they continue on their way takings in all the new sights. They occasionally stop to looks at a few stalls and sightsee a bit. Soon enough the reach the residential suburbs. The houses are average looking buildings with a mix of stone and wood. ¡°How will we know which is his?¡± Saxen asks. ¡°Well, from what Iona told us, he lives in a Manor past the market place on the far side of this area. And we passed the marketplace.¡± ¡°Right, but what if there is more than one manor?¡± ¡°I am sure that we will know when we see it.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± She smiles and says, ¡°Woman¡¯s intuition." ¡°Of course. I shouldn''t even have asked.¡± They continue walking unto they reached the far side. In front of them stands 3 separate cobblestone paths to 3 separate manors. One to the left, right, and middle. All paths are gated by black iron grates. On each grate fence is a crest representing the person or people who live there. Saxen looks at Ourania. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°We go left.¡± She says with full confidence. ¡°How are you sure?¡± ¡°Really? Can¡¯t you see it?¡± ¡°See what?¡± ¡°Look, on the left grate. See anything?¡± ¡°Uh, no.¡± ¡°Look closer at the symbol. It¡¯s well hidden but our guild symbol is in it.¡± Saxen steps closer to the grate fence. ¡°Oh! Now I see it.¡± She sighs. ¡°I thought you were smarter than this?¡± ¡°How many times are you going to insult my intelligence!?¡± He shouts agitated. She scoffs. ¡°What intelligence.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get you one day for that.¡± ¡°You can try. Now let¡¯s go.¡± Saxen grumbles but otherwise follows. The reached the front door of the 2 story, dark green Manor in minutes. Ourania takes the initiative and knocks calling out his name. ¡°Allister! Allister! You there?¡± There is no answer. ¡°Maybe he isn¡¯t home?¡± she questions. ¡°Oh no, he is.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°A gut feeling." "Right." She replies while drawing out the ''i''. Watch.¡± Saxen takes a deep breath and shouts. ¡°Hey, Alice! It¡¯s us! Open up!¡± A loud thump, bangs and a few swears are from inside. Suddenly the door swings open and a fist swiftly lands on Saxen¡¯s face. Ourania easily dodges to the side avoiding the first. Her body instinctively remembered this scene one too many times. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you to not call me that you damn brat!!!¡± Saxen falls backward on his back groaning in pain and holding his stomach. Short of breath and coughing, he still speaks. ¡°See¡­.I told¡­you.¡± Standing before them is a tall golden eyed elven man with handsome features and tanned skin standing at 6¡¯2. He has shoulder length red hair with bangs that frame his face nicely. Some of the hair in the back is put up in a small high ponytail while the rest is let loose down his back. He wears simple black pants with green leather boots and a brown tunic under dark green sleeveless chest plate armor that resembles thin layered leaves. He also wears gauntlets in the same style. ¡°Tch, if you can still talk I didn¡¯t hit you hard enough.¡± He takes a step towards Saxen. Deciding to break this up, Ourania steps into his line of sights. ¡°Allister! It¡¯s been so long!¡± She brings him in for a hug as he hugs back with confusion. Saxen slowly rises as he recovers. ¡°Ourania? Is that really you?¡± She breaks the hug. ¡°Of course it is. Who else would it be?¡± ¡°But¡­.you were gone for 500 years. How?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we came to discuss. Shall we go inside?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Right, come on in.¡± He steps aside to let the two enter. He follows shutting the door behind him and walks to the living room. It has a table in the center with two couches on either side. Hardwood flooring and some paintings and plants littered about. He has small crystals that light up the place nicely. He motions for them to sit. They do and he hits across from them. ¡°Now, tell me what happened.¡± ¡°Well, where to start?¡± Ourania answers. Chapter 3 - The Bomb was Dropped Ourania ponders a moment before starting with the truth. She takes a deep breath before starting. She figures the best way for him to help is to tell him the truth. About the world and us. ¡°I guess I should start with us and your world. I know this will be hard to take in, but your world is not real.¡± ¡°W-what? Of course it''s real.¡± Allister is taken aback by the statement. ¡°It¡¯s real to you, but not us. This world is a virtual reality game called Awakened Life created with advanced technology, no magic, by a company called X-Entertainment. It was created to give us players¡± ¡°Players?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what we call ourselves. A player, in gaming terms, is a game character controlled by a real person. In this world, we are called Voyagers, so it¡¯s easier for your world to understand. Did you ever hear Voyagers use the term ¡®NPC?¡¯ ¡°Yes, quite often in fact.¡± ¡°NPC stands for Non-Player Character. Meaning, someone who isn¡¯t controlled by a living person.¡± ¡°So what you''re saying is, our world and everything we knew¡­.is a lie?¡± ¡°Yes, but also no.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not understanding. What do you mean?¡± ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that even though this world was created for the enjoyment of others, your world is real.¡± ¡°But you said¡­¡± ¡°Let me try it this way. In our world, society created an AI, or artificial intelligence, called EVA. She was the first complete AI to be created. Over the years, she created a digital world on her own to call her domain. That world became what is now called Pralatarra. She immersed herself as the goddess Eve, The Creator. Impressed by her advanced capabilities, humans negotiated with EVA to let us humans come to her world. When she agreed, she input a prophecy foretelling the appearance of Voyagers to limit world panic. Then, X-Entertainment developed a headset, helmet if you will, that scans the brain and creates a digital version of yourself in your world. It¡¯s the reason why we suddenly appeared one day. Do you get it now?¡± ¡°Sort of. I get the gist of it. Kind of like a parallel world or another dimension?¡± ¡°Exactly. This world of yours was created by an AI from our world to have a home to call her own and to give us not only a game to playbut a new reality. A new life. Did you ever notice that the Voyagers would often randomly disappear for lengths at a time, then come back?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve noticed. But isn¡¯t that an ability that Voyagers have?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you were programmed to think so it doesn¡¯t affect your world in any way. Every person in this world is an advanced lesser AI created by EVA, designed to grow and adapt to its surrounding. But it is also restricted so it can¡¯t realize it¡¯s in a game. Unless told directly or authorized to know. We¡¯re sorry to keep this from you. But you can see why.¡± Allister impassively remained silent throughout the whole explanation, going through everything that was said. ¡°You were right. This is hard to accept.¡± Saxen pipes in for the first time in a while. ¡°It¡¯s not like you are just a program. You are a real living being. You have emotions, you can adapt to your surroundings, and you can grow as a person. You have family and history. The only difference between us is that you are digital.¡± Ourania looks at Saxen with wide eyes, completely surprised. ¡°What¡¯s that look for?¡± ¡°I am just shocked. I didn¡¯t know you can be so¡­¡­sentimental. It¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°Hey! I resent that! You make it sound like I¡¯m apathetic!¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t? Who knew?¡± He stands and goes into a fighting position. ¡°I will hit you!¡± She does the same. ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try. You¡¯ve never beaten me before and you certainly won¡¯t now!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it! It¡¯s on!¡± ¡°Bring it!¡± Just as they were about to attack, Allister whacks them upside the head knocking them to the ground. They groan in pain.¡°Enough! This isn¡¯t the time to fight! You just dumped a load of heavy information on me, but do you see me getting angry!?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re angry now¡­¡± Saxen says. ¡°Boy, don¡¯t make me knock you out.¡± He glares at Saxen with a frown. ¡°Chill. I was kidding.¡± He puts his hands up in surrender while he and Ourania get up to sit back on the couch. Allister sighs, letting go of his anger. He sits back down with his face in his hands. ¡°Alright. I believe you. But only because we¡¯ve been through thick and thin. So I¡¯ll help you wherever I can.¡± They look at Allister in gratitude and thank him. They¡¯re glad he took things well and are willing to help. ¡°So, what can I do for you two?¡± Saxen speaks this time. ¡°Can you tell us what happened 500 years ago?¡± ¡°Alright. Well, as you know, around the year 1250, the Voyagers slowly started to dwindle in numbers. It wasn¡¯t noticeable at first, but then they were all gone. Just vanished and never to return. People started referring to the event as The Exodus Incident. It was recorded as one of the strangest moments to ever go down in the history of Pralatarra.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°That was probably around the time X-Entertainment announced the game shut down and everyone started leaving the game permanently,¡± Saxen explains. ¡°Right. The people were thrown into disarray for a long time. And since the sudden decrease of people, many businesses started failing. Even your guild, Humanities Legion started to fall. The people who worked there lost jobs, including me since I was an adventurer and advisor of sorts. When you Voyagers disappeared, the guild and many other places became desolate. When you arrived, the people of the land were overjoyed that there were people to go to their shops and help them with things they don¡¯t have the power to do. Like defeat monsters for example. But when you went away¡­.well you get the idea.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that had to happen. None of knew that would be a consequence. We¡¯re deeply sorry.¡± Ourania apologized as the both bow their heads. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a good time, I¡¯ll admit. But we got through it, so it¡¯s okay. Soon after though is the weird part. The world started to forget you existed after about 50-100 years. Which is odd as that is too soon for a phenomenon as big as yours to be forgotten in such a short time frame.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right about that. Perhaps something was altered?¡± Ourania questions. ¡°Maybe. But it wasn¡¯t just the memory. Everything about you guys we''re disappearing. Clothes, records, weapons, buildings, shops, you name it. If you were involved, it disappeared. Over the years, because there was nothing left of you, people naturally forgot you existed generation after generation. In order to keep your memory alive, we elders of the older races told your stories to each generation that was born. Then that generation told the next until you guys became legends. A myth. It was the only thing we could do. You guys were respected in almost every race. How could we just forget and move on?¡± ¡°We appreciate that.....elder¡±Saxen snickers but was quickly cut off when Ourania elbowed him in the side. He grunts in slight pain. ¡°I wish we could do something to repay you for the trouble we¡¯ve caused.¡± ¡°Trouble? Guys, this is you we¡¯re talking about here. Everywhere youor another voyager went, trouble followed. So, it was no trouble at all. If anything, we should be grateful you even appeared. There are a lot of us who enjoyed that excitement.¡± The three smiled at the various memories that passed through their heads. Snapping out of it first was Allister. ¡°Anyway. Is there anything else you want to know?¡± Ourania immediately asks ¡°What¡¯s the world like now?¡± as Saxen asks ¡°And had anything changed?¡± as a follow-up question. Expecting these questions, he responds.¡°The only notable things worth mentioning are that the Humans and the Beastmen are on the verge of war and that the peace between the beast races is dwindling thanks to the increase in monster activity. Also, a new race appeared called the Pheom, or spirit folk as some prefer to call them. Anything else is things like the normal change of kings and such for individual countries that happen from time to time.¡± ¡°Why are the humans and beastmen at war? Wasn¡¯t there a peace treaty between them?¡± Ourania asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know much as elves remained neutral, but according to rumors, one side apparently attacked the other. During a collaboration between the two to defeat an SS class monster, once the monster was killed and they were heading back, once side went rouge and started to attack the other. Although it¡¯s not clear who started it. Normally this wouldn¡¯t do much, but similar occurrences kept happening until the point they are at now.¡± Saxen pipes up with the next question. ¡°And the monster increase?¡± ¡°After The Exodus Incident, the people realized they were too reliant on Voyagers and decided to take matters into their own hands. Sadly, they weren¡¯t up to par. The only ones who even stood a chance at most were ranks A and above. But rankers A and higher were a minority and couldn¡¯t do much. The monsters took advantage of that and increased in population to expand. The people can¡¯t keep up with all this conflict.¡± Ourania thanks Allister for all the information given and ponders on it. A message appears for the players.
????????????????????????Quest: Mysteries of the Land
You have discovered that 500 years have passed since your last visit and the status of the world and its inhabitants. Search for clues to solve the mystery.
Rank Difficulty: ??? Rewards: ???
The players look at the notification in surprise. After reading, they dismiss it. The two males look at Ourania expectantly. ¡°What? Why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Saxen responds. ¡°Why do you assume that I have a plan?¡± ¡°Because you are the leader and always have a plan.¡± Allister points this out like it¡¯s obvious. Ourania opens her mouth to deny that factbut closes it a moment later knowing she can¡¯t refute it. ¡°I hate you. Both of you.¡± Allister and Saxen high five each other with a smile as she sighs in exasperation. She stands and starts to pace, thinking on what to do next. She paused 2 minutes later. ¡°I got it.¡± The boys both respond with a ¡®what¡¯. ¡°Our first step will be to go to the Beastkin and get their side of the story, as well as gather intel on the war and monsters. What¡¯s the status of the beast clans?¡± ¡°The Wolf, Fox, and Cat clans are losing territory in the Eastern Woodlands. The Undynes are struggling against the monsters in the Southeast. The centaurs requested help in the Northern plains. And the RattleTail clans in the south are losing people and requested help. The monsters that were normally relatively easy to keep in check are now wilder and stronger. Some are even gaining intelligence. ¡± ¡°And the Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Fairies?¡± ¡°The elves are holding strong for now with the help of Treants and Druids. The fairies are fine as they are hidden. And the humans are holding strong since they have fortresses and such to protect them. But it won¡¯t last for long. And lastly, the Dwarves. Something in the mountains is keeping them on edge. Which is weird since dwarves normally don¡¯t fear anything.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s help the clans in the Eastern Forest first, then the Undynes, then RattleTails. After that, we will help those in the North after resting for a bit back in town or the guild. For now, let¡¯s head back to the guild and gather some things from the treasure room.¡± Everyone agrees with the plan, form a party with Ourania as party leader, and prepare to move out. But before they leave, two notificationsappear before all three.
Quest: Saving the Races
Due to the sudden disappearance of the Voyagers, the world has been thrown off balance and dangerous monsters and rising to power. Travel to the distant lands to help the different races survive.
Rank Difficulty: A++ Success: Survival of the Races Failure: More than two races are wiped out. Rewards: Varies upon actions. Quest cannot be refused
Races Saved:Races saved: Wolf Clan - (0/1), Fox Clans - (0/4), Undynes - (0/1), Cat Clan - (0/1), Basilisk - (0/1), Centaurs - (0/1)
Quest: Dwarves Afraid?
Something has been unsettling the Dwarves in the northern mountains. Investigate.
Rank Difficulty: C+ Do you accept this quest? Yes/No
The trio looks at the screens in surprise before selecting ''yes'' to the Dwarf quest. ¡°Gentlemen. Let¡¯s get to work.¡± The group leaves the manor and head to the guild to prepare for a long and treacherous journey. Authors Note. Not a chapter. Hello readers, Echo here. I am posting this to apologize for suddenly disappearing for a while. I am not going to lie and give you some bullshit reason. I am going to be honest with you. I don goofed. I underestimated LitRPG. I didn¡¯t realize how much research and planning I skipped over when writing Guardians Awakened until now. So now I am working on balancing out weapons, armor, and skills for the characters you already know about, and future characters that have yet to be revealed. I am also working out on timing. For example, how long it takes to get from the guild to the forest or how far are each clan away from each other. So these things have pushed me back behind schedule. More than I would have liked. But hey, like Confucius once said, ¡°It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.¡± So once again, I am sorry for not updating like I planned and I am sorry for not telling you sooner (It slipped my mind, I am very forgetful).This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Now that apologies are out of the way, some notes to keep in mind.