at or below the user''s level.]
That was more helpful than the floating skull, but not by much. She wondered why the language was so imprecise. ¡®More likely¡¯ and ¡®bonus¡¯ didn''t exactly provide a granular experience of whatever this existence was. Maybe there was a skill for seeing the numbers; that would be it. She was the same level as the zombies for now, at least, but did that mean a specific class level - or total level? There must be some difference.
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The star was spun again, and she brought up a party member and their Details screen.
[Zombie]
[Undead Humanoid - ¡°Chuck¡±]
[Health: 100%]
[Monster Level - 0.5]
[Skills: None]
Other than the Monster Level, this one was similarly ambiguous. Being in a Party didn''t seem to give much benefit, so far, other than being a little nosey. With a quick flick-through, none of the other zombies had anything special going on aside from the change in power level.
Humphrey buzzed and shook in the air before the white glow encompassing him returned to the simmering purple of before. He took a moment to attune back to his current surroundings.
¡°Well,¡± he said, eventually adjusting himself in the air to address Sally, ¡°good news and bad news.¡±
¡°Good first.¡± Always go good first; that way, you can not listen to the bad after and pretend it didn¡¯t exist.
¡°I have been forgiven of any err I have made in talking to you-¡±
¡°Including doing so now?¡±
¡°-yes, but the bad news is-¡±
¡°That was the only good news?¡±
¡°-is now,¡± he sighed, regretting ever having started the conversation. ¡°The bad news is now I have been assigned as your personal Observer.¡±
¡°Creepy.¡± Sally crossed her arms. That meant the Architect had some interest in her and was keeping tabs. It reminded her of the first week at the diner when Doris had watched her every move.
Sally rolled her tongue in her mouth - those were memories of her previous life? Doris¡ the name conjured up a rough round shape, but it lacked detail.
¡°It appears you are special,¡± the Observer woke her from trying to piece together that puzzle, ¡°I''m here to watch and make sure you don''t do any¡ damage.¡±
¡°Like Hit Point damage, or irreparably knocking some intangible screws loose in the structure of the System kinda damage?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± The skull hovered slightly higher in the air to avoid her scowl. ¡°The latter, mostly.¡±
She sighed and bit her lip. This was turning into more of a pain than she first thought. The ¡®classless monster¡¯ stomped back over to the diner doorway and yelled at the remaining dead inside.
¡°Alright! Everybody out. If they want me to break the System, then I''ll need y''alls help.¡±
¡°That''s not what I¡¡± Humphrey sighed and decided it wasn''t worth the effort to continue his objections as they fell on deaf ears.
Sally stood and beamed as the half dozen or so remaining undead filtered past her out of the diner. Even the elderly gentlezom in the tweed suit followed despite his sad, but still glowing red, eyes.
¡°Sorry bud, all hands on deck until I leave this little nook of forgotten civilisation.¡± She gave him a pat on the shoulder as he passed. You never knew when an extra pair of hands would come in use when it came down to it.
¡°Hillan. That is what this place is called.¡± Humphrey shuffled down closer to her as a small ping on her wrist star lit up.
¡°Location information? Neat, but I''m not going to stand here and read it.¡± Sally shook her head and narrowed a glare at the skull. ¡°So, now you''re my Beginners Guide?¡±
¡°I have been granted allowance to furnish you with some information. So long as it doesn''t go against my scheduled duties or could affect the System in any way.¡±
¡°Sure,¡± she rolled her eyes as she remained unconvinced, ¡°and we know how much you like sticking to protocol.¡±
Before the Observer could object, Sally turned and pointed towards the supposed Town Hall of Hillan. ¡°Onward!¡±
With sluggish ambition, the horde of zombies began shuffling in that direction, the haunting groans and scraping of feet against dirt signalling the inevitability of their arrival. Or it would if there was anyone else around to hear it.
¡°A little quieter people, please.¡± She rubbed her head as her thoughts bounced around like a bee in a balloon. In response, the moaning volume dialled down a couple of notches. [Command Dead] proving it was worth its weight in gold already.
¡°What are your plans now?¡± Humphrey questioned as they joined the throng in walking to the building. ¡°Not only now, but also long term - let¡¯s say next day, week, and month. Assuming that you aren''t dead by then. Re-dead.¡±
Sally was silent for a few moments. The mass of bodies around them subsided, as they had soon breached the front of the group due to their less-shambling pace. Her party members were also at the forefront just behind them - although their pace was barely any quicker than the rest.
Just as the floating skull was about to prod her again, she spoke up.
¡°As I am, I will be hunted by adventurers and the like. That means I will need to get stronger and get a stronger Party to support me.¡± She looked up to the darkening sky as distant stars twinkled back at her. ¡°For now, just survival is enough. Until I know what this world is, how it works.¡±
¡°Very wise.¡± The Observer hovered higher up and turned to watch the group of zombies following the woman, allowing them to pass him as he stopped.
¡°I will be watching your career with great interest.¡±
5 - Dead Space
Sally slammed the large town hall doors closed behind her and slumped against them with a sigh. The short jaunt across the small village had picked up a few extra stragglers - and now her horde had grown to nearly three dozen, if you included the zombies already waiting for her arrival in the building. Which she did.
¡°Quite spacious in here, is it not?¡± Humphrey hovered idly in the air nearby.
It was spacious. The main portion of this Town Hall building was indeed that - a large hall that could probably seat all the residents of Hillan should it be required. Currently, the mass of tables and chairs had been stacked at the side walls, leaving the main hall space clear. She was thankful for this due to the number of bodies meandering around. Although the under-the-table trick worked once, she doubted it would a second time. Plus, all the zombies would be bumping into everything at this point.
¡°[Command Dead] didn¡¯t have a target limit, right?¡± It was mostly a rhetorical question to herself; she could still remember all the information on the useless tooltip.
¡°What are your plans?¡±
¡°Quit asking me that, Humps,¡± she scowled up at the looming skull, ¡°you are literally the worst Observer.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not usually this talkative.¡± He moved up and down in the approximation of a shrug. ¡°You are just different from all-¡°
¡°All the other girls?¡±
¡°-all other Monsters.¡±
¡°Yeah. Monsters don¡¯t get this star thing either, right?¡± She held up her wrist to show the silver star that seemed to float a few millimetres from her skin.
¡°Only Players do,¡± the Observer nodded and swung down closer to Sally¡¯s face.
¡°Then¡ what is a Player?¡± She scowled at his empty eye sockets, searching for an answer that made sense.
¡°I¡¯m¡ sorry, Sally the Unliving. I am unable to answer that.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t know, or you are not allowed?¡± She sighed and slunk to the floor, burying her head into her knees. Either way, she wasn¡¯t getting an answer, and the depth of what she didn¡¯t know sank in, smothering her.
¡°Nobody really knows much about the world when they come here; you are not alone in that regard.¡±
¡°So people come here? Then they get assigned as a Player usually, but not usually a sentient monster?¡± She raised her eyebrows as the skull tried to back away.
¡°¡¡±
¡°Architect is going be so annoyed with you,¡± she smiled, climbing back to her feet. ¡°Welp, best get our defences sorted, and we¡¯ll see which of us gets vaporised first!¡±
There were two other doors exiting the wooden hall¡ªa small one to the right and a marginally larger one at the back. The side room seemed like as good a place to start as any.
With a creak, the door swung open to the darkness inside.
¡°You¡¯d think I¡¯d have better night vision as a zombie.¡±
¡°There¡¯s only so much light your ocular¡ bits can pick up.¡± Humphrey floated into the room over her head, his purple energy giving just enough dim light to see.
¡°Too busy yapping during anatomy class? This looks like a storeroom,¡± Sally stepped further into the cluttered room, squinting at the dark shapes illuminated by the Observer¡¯s glow.
A few stacked wooden chairs, a couple of cabinets and cupboards, and a broken mop and metal bucket. Sally picked up the wood-only part of the snapped mop and waved it in the air.
She wrinkled her nose and turned to the skull. ¡°What, no ¡®Makeshift Club¡¯ or inventory stats?¡±
Humphrey just stared blankly back at her.
¡°I¡¯m just¡ I don¡¯t have any useful skills to attack with, right? I feel pretty weak and reliant on my friends out there.¡± She jabbed the splintered end of the mop towards the hall.
¡°Players usually start as a Novice and have a [Novice Strike] skill. It¡¯s like a normal attack but has-¡°
¡°Ya ya, either gimmie it or let¡¯s move on. If I¡¯m some kind of necromancer, I should have¡ like a bolt attack or some way of dealing ranged damage.¡±
¡°Necromancer isn¡¯t a class that you can-¡° Humphrey began before the zombie woman turned and began opening the cupboards.
Nothing. Well, not nothing. But just the random odds and ends used for cleaning or repairing the hall. There was a box of candles, some tools, a couple of spare chair legs, and a handful of things that had degraded away to dust and mulch. She grabbed the tools and chair legs and brought them back out to the hall, putting them in a pile.
¡°Candles would be nice, but it would draw too much attention. Let¡¯s check the back.¡±
She pushed through the crowd of swaying corpses, muttering unnecessary apologies until the space at the back was reached. The door here appeared to be locked - on account of the rusty-looking padlock on it. Sally turned and whistled out to her Party, who emerged from the horde over to her.
¡°Reckon you could break down a door?¡± She smiled and flexed her skinny arms to further the point.
As one, the Party lumbered over to the door, Chuck arrived first and slammed his meagre body weight against the wooden entryway. The businesszom stood over him and pushed against the door, as the elderly couple assisted by giving their body mass to the effort.
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¡°Is there like some kind of roll that happens? Invisible dice or stats comparison? My skill says it makes things more likely to succeed.¡±
¡°If there were, it would not be something you would be privy to.¡± Humphrey moved closer to the straining zombies.
¡°But some people can see it? Can you? You can, can¡¯t you? You can.¡±
¡°Y-yes. Well, sometimes,¡± he spun back around to face her, ¡°there are different levels of Observer, which determines how much of the System they can see.¡±
¡°Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to see if there was anything weird going on with the experience gained at the diner?¡±
With a loud groan that reverberated around the tall ceiling of the hall, the wooden door eventually relented, the old hinges cracking and splitting from the wood. The Party collapsed inside the room, landing atop each other and squishing Chuck.
¡°Oh look, a learning opportunity,¡± Humphrey sightly grinned, ¡°check your Party status screen.¡±
Sally booped the star button and read the image that burst forth.
[Chuck - Health (92%)]
¡°Poor Chuck took a little damage, the red part?¡±
¡°Correct!¡±
¡°Fascinating. How do I make it not red?¡± She folded her arms as the screen vanished again.
¡°Beats me.¡±
¡°Is that a request?¡± Sally growled as she stepped through, over her Party trying to untangle themselves.
The space beyond became illuminated by the skull as he came in behind her. It was a long, single room that seemed to serve a dual purpose of both kitchen and office. The closest side had desks and drawers, and a wide window looking out to the gloom of night outside. The far side had a stove and counters for preparing food.
As her eyes adjusted to the shapes coming into focus, she realised there was something in one of the chairs.
A skeleton.
She bounded over to it across the dusty floor and leaned over to look into the empty eye sockets. It sat, head rolled back slightly and slumped in the chair as its arms dangled to the floor.
¡°Anyone in there?¡± She cooed before stepping back and frowning. ¡°How do all the bones stay together in this position?¡±
¡°It¡¯s probably that-¡°
¡°Oh, there¡¯s a note in front of them.¡± She blew the dust away and picked up a sheet of paper before turning it over and then around. ¡°Why can¡¯t I read?¡±
¡°It¡¯s probably that-¡°
¡°Nevermind, it¡¯s not words - it¡¯s a drawing! A pretty terrible one, though. I mean, I¡¯ve heard the term ¡®starving artist¡¯ before, but this is¡¡± She paused and put her hands on her hips.
¡°¡Everything okay?¡±
¡°They should change the skill name to Command Undead if I can¡¯t make the bone-person do things.¡± Sally shrugged and looked over the scrawled map again.
She turned ninety degrees to the left. Tilted her head to the side. Moved the paper close to her face with a squint.
¡°They hid a weapon in the stove,¡± she eventually rolled her eyes. ¡°That does not look like a stove, though, but using deduction and context clues, I was able to- actually, let¡¯s just get it.¡±
¡°Be my guest.¡±
¡°I¡¯m already Mr Bones¡¯ guest,¡± she curtsied before the skeleton and placed the paper back where she found it.
Her footsteps echoed against the wood slightly as she approached the kitchen end, where she knelt down in front of the stove. The small metal door popped open with a squeak of hinges in need of a good oil that revealed a dark pit of ash. Or what she hoped was just ash. She dug around with her hands before a smile lit up her face.
Sally turned around and plopped a rectangular box on the table. Despite the bedding it had just come from, it was in almost pristine condition. Iron bracing ran along the sides and filled out the corners - not particularly ornate, but enough to make the box seem well-defined¡ªa respected box among lessers.
Plus, the white question mark painted on the front was interesting. A small pair of weapons crossed were imprinted below it. At a squint, they looked to be an axe and a sword.
Humphrey sidled along beside her. ¡°A Melee Weapon Chance Box, how peculiar.¡±
¡°Aw, I wanted a ranged weapon.¡± Sally pouted but drummed her fingers on the surface. ¡°Tell me how it works then, Guide-skull.¡±
¡°You bind to it with your STAR, and then it opens, and you receive a random weapon. White box can have anything from the lower tier of rarities - a medium tier would be the rarest drop from it.¡±
¡°Neat,¡± she hissed. ¡°Let¡¯s save the tier explanations until after I somehow roll something higher than possible, yeah?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure that- yeah, alright then.¡± Humphrey resigned, his lack of eyelids narrowing over his lack of eyes.
Sally held her wrist over the box, eyes aglow as the star shone a bright white.
She edged closer as the light spun around the box bracing, the question mark pulsing with a similar white glow.
With a hiss of invisible steam, the lid popped open, and something rose up from within.
6 - Internal Organ-ised
Sally gasped as the weapon rose from out of the box.
¡°A dagger?¡±
The dull-silvery blade hung in the air and rotated as if it was waiting for her to claim it.
Sally stared at it and moved closer. ¡°Not a dagger that can raise my kills as zombies? Or enchanted to do double damage on Tuesday evenings?¡±
She grabbed it out of the air, and whatever magic held the display together dissipated¡ªthe box now just an inert tray of wood on the table. With a few test swings, the dagger cut through the air easily enough.
¡°No stat box for this either? What¡¯s the point of the random chance without tangible stats to compare?¡± She growled as she cut more of the air.
¡°Odd, there should be something. Maybe you need to activate it, like how you had to level up to unlock skills.¡± Humphrey floated further back to be well out of the way of the errantly swung blade.
¡°Makes sense, actually; I¡¯m betting monster equipment doesn¡¯t have stats, correct? So I need to convince the System that I¡¯m a Player?¡± Sally put the dagger carefully into a small leather sheath that had appeared on her belt at some point.
Humphrey was silent for a few seconds before answering. ¡°Most Players aren¡¯t usually this self-aware.¡±
¡°I spent a lot of busy-brain time with Systems in my previous life¡¡± she scratched her head, ¡°I think.¡±
The Observer said nothing further, so Sally shrugged and returned to the main hall. Her Party had managed to untangle themselves and stood awaiting their next task. With a glum smile, she gave Chuck a pat on the shoulder. It was hard to see how hurt he was visually - being a zombie left you with icky-looking patches that would count as injuries on a living person. Finding a way to heal her pals would be a needed step on her journey.
¡°Right!¡± She commanded loudly to all the zombies present. The shifting of dozens of pairs of red eyes to focus on her was briefly unnerving, but she continued. ¡°I expect that miserable Cleric would have gone and whined to some tougher friends about our little dining experience,¡± she nodded to the several diners who still had novice-gore caked across their fronts, ¡°and they¡¯ll probably come back for revenge.¡±
She took a deep breath into useless lungs. Speaking in front of crowds wasn¡¯t something she was used to, but it felt exciting now. ¡°It¡¯s time to put together our next plan for when they do.¡± A big smile crossed her face at the multitude of groans that passed for a response.
Sally felt powerful.
¡°Killing zombies is pretty beneath us.¡± A raspy voice of a figure clad in dark leather bemoaned as their footsteps rang out against the stone road.
¡°As I said before,¡± the Cleric clenched his jaw, ¡°there¡¯s something else there. Some undead monster with some intelligence.¡±
¡°A ghoul, maybe? There wouldn¡¯t be anything high-level like a vampire out here,¡± the third person in the group muttered to themselves, wiping a sweaty hand on their robes.
The Cleric exhaled through his nose. The fact that he had to bribe the Ranger and Wizard to come out so quickly was mortifying. Not only losing the gold from the novices earlier, it had now turned into a costly day. If he could at least kill that zombie woman who had mocked him, it would at least bring him some peace.
¡°You didn¡¯t want a tank, neither?¡± The Ranger pestered, going over points they already had discussed before leaving the nearby village of Yarch.
¡°They¡¯re zombies. We can easily keep out of range between the three of us, especially if they¡¯re still in the diner.¡±
The Ranger shrugged in response and looked out into the forest while idly tapping his fingers on his slung longbow.
Sally peered from a dusty window halfway up the wooden wall of the town hall, atop a stack of chairs. She had heard footsteps, and now that the bobbing globe of lantern light had started to sway up the end of the road, she knew trouble loomed.
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¡°Everyone shush,¡± she hissed down at the horde of zombies shuffling into battle positions, ¡°they''re here!¡±
Three figures emerged from behind the scenery, enclosing to a generous thirty feet away from the diner. She narrowed her eyes to barely pick out the details above their heads. Ranger¡ Wizard¡ and the Cleric from earlier. All level Three. That wasn''t terrible, she considered; just by numbers alone, the zombies had more power to them¡ depending on how levels scaled.
She watched, eyes growing wide, as a small ball of light formed in the distant hand of the Wizard. Then, in a short second, the ball flew out and into the open doorway of the diner.
An explosion of amber and yellow flashed, blowing out the windows of the building and illuminating the whole mini village. Just as soon as the attack had occurred, the magic flames flickered away - surprisingly, not setting the entire structure alight.
¡°[Fireblast],¡± Humphrey whispered from way too close, ¡°slightly different than [Fireball], the latter of which would set the building on fire.¡±
She frowned and watched the small group approach the diner. The Cleric led the way and stopped at the open doorway before he turned to the other two in animated conversation.
¡°Idiot,¡± the raised voice of the Cleric echoed around the town, ¡°what do you mean only once per day?¡±
¡°Low-level casters,¡± the Observer rolled his empty sockets.
The Ranger walked slightly closer into town along the overgrown, patchy pathway. The cloaked figure knelt down and ran their hand through the dirt. He then stood and gestured towards the town hall, the other two cooling off from whatever argument they were having.
¡°Wet biscuits! Alright, they''re onto us, deep breaths now.¡± She breathed in and out slowly, despite not having the mortal need to.
If there was one thing she was thankful for, it was that the lower floor did not have any windows at the front - most of the natural lighting came in through the windows higher up or from skylights in the roof. It probably looked quite pretty in here during springtime, she mused, before shaking the distracting thought from her head. It meant the only natural way in would be the door.
The Ranger drew his bow and notched an arrow, his footsteps approaching the hall until they stopped about forty feet away. The Cleric and Wizard joined him, and they began a murmured conversation.
¡°This is bad,¡± Sally whispered to the skull, hiding away from the window briefly, ¡°three ranged classes against my slow pals?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey confirmed helpfully.
Sally peered back out of the corner of the window. The Ranger had now nocked an arrow that had a very unfriendly blue glow pulsing around it.
Hells! There was no way the horde could cross that distance without being cut down. She was now glad she hadn''t stationed her Party in one of the side buildings - although they would briefly distract the enemy, it would just have weakened the main group of zombies.
She waited for the inevitable impact of whatever skill the Ranger was casting with his arrow¡ but nothing came. Another peek revealed the trio had started arguing again, murmurs, but their body language suggested they were only keeping it down so as not to disturb the zombies.
This gave her a brief moment to think. Perhaps her plan might work; it just needs risk, patience, and sacrifice. Probably a miracle too.
¡°Psst! Everyone to the walls, slowly. You five go meet our unwelcome guests.¡±
The zombies that had been patiently waiting at the back of the hall began to filter to the left and right flanks, hugging against the wall as quietly as they were able. Which, to their credit, wasn¡¯t too loud, considering. The handful of unlucky shamblers moved to the doorway below her and, after a brief amount of effort, pushed it wide open.
A streak of blue flashed across the space between the two groups as the arrow had been let loose. As it struck the first zombie stumbling through the opening, lightning arced from the impact.
Tendrils of white-blue light flickered between the other nearby zeds, and they shuddered and fell to the floor. The smell of burnt flesh and singed clothing filled the hall.
Sally held her breath by instinct, saddened at the loss of her undead thralls, but not wanting to give her position away. A buzzing filled her head, and she winced before a new UI popped up in her vision.
¡°What¡¯s this?¡± she hissed through narrowed eyes as the buzzing pain slowly vanished.
¡°Combat UI when engaging a new foe - most turn it off unless it¡¯s a special battle.¡± Humphrey sidled up against the wall, not wanting to catch an arrow either, despite being unable to be seen by the opponents.
¡°Yes, yes, turn it off.¡± The UI vanished, and she peeked through the window. She could just barely hear the conversation between the trio of level Threes.
¡°Can you see any others?¡± The annoying Cleric asked.
¡°Not from here. You really pulled us out here for a handful of zombies?¡± The Ranger seemed both disappointed and frustrated.
¡°Any others would have come out too.¡± The Wizard was quieter but seemed to agree with the Ranger.
Sally licked her lips. The next part was a long shot but might work if the adventurers were slightly divided. With a sigh, she readied herself.
¡°Oh, help, please! These zombies have me trapped!¡± She tried to sound as much like a maiden needing rescue as possible.
Humphrey raised himself to see through the window. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; they can¡¯t see me. They appear to be arguing again.¡±
She strained her ears to try and pick their voices back up, but they had lowered them as they deliberated. They must not have bought it. Plan B would need to be conjured into her brain sooner than intended-
¡°Oh, looks like two of them are walking this way. The Cleric is just throwing up his hands in resignation.¡±
Sally turned to her Party, who were sat on the makeshift scaffolding of chairs and tables built in an archway high over the door.
With nervous confidence, she gave them the thumbs up and withdrew her dagger.
148 - Life of Slice
Warm morning light flooded through the window of the tavern, illuminating the plain room. Sally groaned and rolled away from the beam scouring her tired eyes, but just ended up slipping onto the floor. She rubbed at her sockets and tried to organize her mass of blonde hair.
¡°Too early to be morning already,¡± she murmured as she sighed to herself and stood to stretch out her back. From the glowing STAR hovering above her wrist, she changed her clothes to black jeans and a shirt, with a red leather jacket atop.
Just because she was part zombie, it didn¡¯t mean she liked feeling half-dead in the mornings. She blamed Theo for that - and speaking of¡
She walked around the room to the large metal coffin laying on the floor beside her bed. With a dark leather boot, she kicked at it a couple of times.
The sound of metal grinding came as the lid shuffled off to the side, and the figure within loomed to a sitting position. His dark brown hair was a mess atop his pale face, and his crimson eyes were bleary.
¡°Morning, Theo!¡±
¡°Is it?¡± He groaned and held his head.
¡°Serves you right for staying up late grinding.¡± She put her boot on the edge of his metal bed and leaned forward. ¡°I¡¯m off to have a coffee with Norah, so we can gossip about you and Humphrey.¡± She grinned.
¡°Isn¡¯t that against the rules?¡± He plucked out glasses from the side of his silk-lined coffin and put them on. ¡°Want me to get the Questing route sorted for later?¡±
¡°Please. Gather the others and we¡¯ll meet you by the Temple, pup?¡±
¡°Sure, it¡¯s a date then,¡± he said with a grin.
Sally rolled her eyes and moved toward the door. ¡°The only thing I¡¯m hungry for is power. Oh, and human brains.¡± She waved him off as she closed the door.
The Wastelands sure had changed in the time they had been in a quasi-coma. Even more so in the week since they had woken back up. At first, they drew plenty of glares and drawn swords from the Players who had never heard of or seen them before. Once they had been told of how the Outsiders had defeated the dragon, Ruben, to save the Wastes, they had been more accepted. Only took killing a handful of Players, too.
She still received glances as she walked through the city - she was technically part Monster, after all. With the Party all together, they looked like a Boss event made manifest. Theo was the only one also part-Player, the rest were Monsters in all but name. They had become a found family. Throughout all the trials and tribulations they had been through so far, they always had her back.
With a quick hop, she leaped into the walled garden of the cafe. Several round tables with chairs were dotted around the patio area, about half of them occupied by now slightly nervous patrons. Some of them were System-created, just fulfilling their routine, acting a role. Narrowing her eyes, she spotted Norah on the other side.
¡°Morning, Norah,¡± she grinned as she approached. The Mummy looked radiant, despite being mostly covered by wrappings. She smiled and her bright yellow eyes lit up at seeing the zombie.
¡°Morning. How are you doing?¡± She gestured to the table where two coffees had already been ordered.
¡°Tired. I¡¯ve been impatient to get to the next area.¡± She cupped the warm mug. Pretending to enjoy drinking coffee was one of her newest favorite hobbies.
¡°Understandable, hun. Theo too, I bet?¡± Norah blew the steam from the top of her held cup.
¡°He was out most of the night farming for items. Relentless, that man.¡± Sally pouted and looked out over the wall at all the people milling about. So many brains going to waste.
The Mummy had a grin across her face. ¡°Regretting having his coffin in the same room?¡±
She snorted in response. ¡°It¡¯s amusing. It¡¯s like being an old married couple. He can be annoying, but it¡¯s comforting having him in proximity. Even if there¡¯s nothing there, you know?¡±
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Norah nodded. ¡°Same for me and Humphrey, really. Undeath certainly changes how you think about relationships.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t tell Humphrey¡¡± Sally leaned across the table to whisper. ¡°But I let Theo try to bite me.¡±
The Mummy gasped. ¡°Do tell?¡±
¡°It was terrible, worse than kissing,¡± she stuck her tongue out to pretend to retch. ¡°The media makes it look so romantic, but it was like having a medical procedure. I suppose it¡¯s the same as me not wanting to eat dead brains.¡± Sally rolled her finger around the rim of her cup and sighed.
Norah watched her for a moment, a smile still on her bandaged face. ¡°Enough of that, hun. What¡¯s really bothering you?¡±
Sally exhaled and sunk in her chair. ¡°Falling behind the curve, and knowing there are a lot of things going on in the third area. Nobody is answering my messages, but I know they¡¯re not dead.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Also, Lucius is hiding the other side of the wall.¡±
An emoji bubble appeared over the edge with a sweat drop within. The figure of the Shade jumped up and waved his hands. Beneath the shadow of his black hood, his crimson eyes were wide with panic.
¡°No! Sorry, I came to find you and then it looked like you were in the middle of something and I didn¡¯t want to interrupt, but then I was already here so it would look weird if I tried to walk away-¡°
¡°It¡¯s fine, Lucius,¡± Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°Your new outfit looks good on you.¡±
¡°Thanks!¡± He stepped back so they could see his leather armor and cloak, now all in deep browns and black. A love heart emoji appeared beside his head.
It had taken them a while to get the emotive and shadowy figure to open up and get use out of more of his skills. He still held a little guilt over originally intending to betray them, but had proved his loyalty ten times over since. If it weren¡¯t for the emoji bubbles, he would be the only one of them not overtly extra.
¡°Want to go find the other two? My hands are warm enough.¡± She grinned and put the untouched coffee back on the table.
Norah shook her head with a smile. ¡°So hard to keep you pinned down.¡±
Sally jumped atop the chair and then onto the edge of the wall. ¡°That¡¯s why they- woah!¡± She wobbled, almost losing balance, before a bandage shot from Norah¡¯s arm and held her up. ¡°Thanks!¡± The zombie held a hand out to help the Mummy over the wall.
They dropped down beside the Shade, who had his arms crossed. ¡°You both paid, right?¡±
¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± Sally beamed, pushing her hair back from her face. ¡°Norah are you any good with hair? It seems to just grow based on my level rather than any conventional means.¡±
¡°It does look like it would get in the way, if it weren¡¯t usually matted back with blood, hun.¡± The Mummy rubbed at her wrapped chin. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do when we get back later.¡±
¡°Neat.¡± Sally led them toward the Temple with a wide smile. Despite hoping they could get to Level Twenty in no time at all, apparently the System actively made it more difficult the higher you got. After the war against the dragon and the week of adventuring since, they had managed to get to Seventeen.
Their friend and now council member, Edward, had assured them that they would be able to travel to area three at Level Eighteen. If they were willing to take the risk of being under-leveled, of course. She had no doubts they¡¯d be able to handle it, given that they took down the dragon at Fourteen.
Two areas in the world saved and fixed, or at least as far as she considered. Unique Monsters that only had one life the same as Players, living in some kind of harmony amongst the System-created. The newer groups that had been dragged into this world knew no differently. There was still violence, sure - but at least things were more balanced between everyone who only had the single life here.
Now the third had a conflict between two factions of Players over whether they should destroy or fix the System. Frankly, the destruction option seemed rather short-sighted, ignoring the fact that was her original plan. If there was no way of ending the System and sending people back to where they had come from, then fixing it to be more fair and a genuine world they could live in was a close second best.
¡°There they are,¡± Norah prompted her from her runaway monologue.
The large plated figure of the Death Knight raised his hand in greeting, his skeletal face grinning as crimson flame rose from the back of his crown-like helmet. Theo stood in his black suit with a red waist-jacket, leaning against the wall of the tall temple.
¡°Hope you didn¡¯t miss us too much.¡± The Mummy wrapped her arms around the right arm of Humphrey.
¡°Yes,¡± he grinned back. ¡°Although it has hardly been an hour.¡±
Theo tilted his head to look at the zombie through his crimson glasses. ¡°How was pretending to drink coffee?¡±
¡°Hush, fangs.¡± Sally kicked dusty sand at his slacks. ¡°I know what you get up to with that mouth.¡±
¡°Well.¡± He stood up straight and brushed down his clothes. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll be happy to hear we¡¯ll be splitting up for the leveling today.¡±
She wrinkled up her face. ¡°Not especially. Have you already picked teams?¡±
He shook his head and looked around the rest of the Party. ¡°No, I figured we could just spend half an hour arguing amongst ourselves about it.¡±
Sally leaned out to the side to catch the empty sockets of the Death Knight. ¡°Classic Sally and Humphrey adventure?¡±
Theo smiled. ¡°I knew that¡¯s be your choice. The rest of us will group up too then. You have elementals, we have giants.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t eat elementals,¡± she whined.
The vampire shrugged and went through his STAR to send them the coordinates. ¡°You want to get to about eighty percent experience and then we¡¯ll meet up at the next point. There¡¯s some level Twenty elites near the coast. We¡¯ll grind them out for the level up.¡±
Excitement burned in Sally¡¯s eyes. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this started then.¡±
149 - In Her Element
Sally slid down the sand dune and stumbled, almost falling on her face. She sighed and stretched out, glaring at their surroundings.
¡°I bet the others had a nice stone path to their Monsters,¡± she grumbled.
Humphrey slowly stomped down beside her, his plated boots sinking into the sand and keeping him stable. ¡°You don¡¯t think Theo would give you the easier task?¡±
¡°Theo knows I¡¯m competent. He would have given himself the one that gives experience more efficiently, though.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°So we have to deal with these.¡± She gestured with her hand out at the elemental creatures roving around.
Seemingly made from random chunks of amber or gray stone and held together with nothing but magic and ill intent, the elementals moved back and forth in set patterns. They were perhaps the most dull and uninspired enemies Sally had faced so far. And to make matters worse, they probably didn¡¯t have brains that she could eat.
¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m being punished for something,¡± she groaned.
¡°The next area is partially jungle,¡± Humphrey grinned. ¡°So it will be humid, but a welcome change of scenery.¡±
Hopefully, it had dinosaurs. She had hoped the Wasteland did, but she hadn¡¯t seen any yet. She even pestered Archie before he had to leave, but the ginger cat was pretty tight-lipped. During the week she had wondered how the other two Archies were doing. The one in the fifth area must be pretty lonely given how unlikely it was that there were many Parties there, if any at all. Humphrey only had knowledge from when the Architect had died.
¡°Let¡¯s get this started, I suppose.¡± She unhooked a skull from her belt and withdrew her [Skeleton Key]. Theo had been a dweeb and farmed up a couple hundred normal daggers. Apparently it tickled him that her bugged weapon ignored more defense with the more of the basic items she had. She knew he was envious, but he was already overpowered enough without allowing him to use it.
The Death Knight ran out towards the first elemental. The Monster turned as he approached and lashed out with a rock-fist. Humphrey blocked and deflected it to the side with a metallic clang, as he spun with his greatsword to strike into the opponent''s body, chipping the stone.
¡°Boring,¡± Sally said with a sigh, and glared over at a second enemy. The skull burst into green flame as she lobbed it as [Mortis Bomb]. Where it struck the elemental, a dark green patch of energy burst around it and four zombies began to crawl from the ground surrounding it.
If only her dagger was ranged. She drummed her fingers on the next skull on her belt. Maybe she could fashion a crossbow to fire it, and have it attached to a string to draw it back. No, that was pretty slow - and if she missed, she¡¯d be out of luck.
She watched the head of one of her zombies burst like a watermelon as the elemental crushed it between floating chunks of rock. With a sigh, she tried to imagine which direction Theo would be adventuring, and she flipped off the dune-blocked horizon, before running over to her undead.
A second one was almost torn in half by the time she got there, and she ducked the swing of stone. Their center had some kind of sphere of energy, perhaps the magical weak spot? She lunged with her dagger out and struck it, and with a cracking pop, it vanished. The suspended stone pieces dropped to the floor immediately, almost taking her arm with them.
¡°Neat.¡± She dusted herself down and turned to the Death Knight.
He was still in the throes of combat. Although he was strong, his sword was doing little but crack off parts of the creature to little effect. Likewise, despite taking a few hits himself, he showed no real damage, as his defenses and regeneration were simply too high.
¡°Hit them in the tummy!¡± She called out. It might be that Theo sent them here because she was able to kill them in one strike. A browbeating for later, perhaps. With a smile, she watched the Death Knight turn into a jab, striking the center magic of the elemental and destroying it.
¡°Kill count challenge?¡± He grinned back at her.
¡°You¡¯re on!¡± Tripping over the feet of one of her zombies, she ran off to the next Monster.
Although they were sparsely spread out, the number of elementals was dense enough and their respawn short enough that the pair of them could effectively almost constantly be fighting.
¡°Seventy-three,¡± Humphrey grinned and placed the end of his sword into the sand.
Sally leaned over with hands on her knees, panting. Although she didn¡¯t need to breathe, something about running about in the sun for ages tired her out still. ¡°Ah. We were meant to be counting?¡± She raised an eyebrow at the Death Knight.
¡°Yes. That¡¯s what¡ never mind.¡± He deflated.
¡°Sorry, Humps. I got distracted.¡± Sally stood up straight and stretched her back out. With Mortis Bomb not doing much damage, she hadn¡¯t bothered summoning more zombies, and after a brief accident, there was only one left. Said zombie was slowly working his way over to them from where she had left it behind.
¡°By what?¡± Humphrey narrowed his eye sockets out at the near empty expanse around them.
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¡°Well, I thought I saw a lizard, but it turned out to be a dried bit of wood. That made me sad about the Forest and how we haven¡¯t seen the goblins or Jackie for a whole year now. Then that made me think about babies - all the Players are adults, right? Even the most of the System-created are. Are there pregnant Players in the world?¡± She tapped a finger on her mouth in thought. ¡°Not that I¡¯m judging, but the healthcare here is dire, and it¡¯s a dangerous place. Then I started wondering if the elementals had babies, and-¡°
¡°Alright, I understand. Now that I have part of the Architect¡¯s memories, I am able to answer some of those questions.¡± He grinned and the flames at the back of his helm flickered.
¡°Yeah?¡± Her eyes widened.
¡°Yes.¡±
They stood in silence for a moment, as Sally¡¯s eyes slowly narrowed into a glare. Just as Humphrey opened his skeletal mouth, a noise came from up atop the nearest dune.
¡°See, told you they were split up.¡±
Five figures loomed up over the sands. Five male Players, in a mixture of different gear to match whatever classes they had.
Sally folded her arms and scowled at them for interrupting her conversation. ¡°What do you want?¡±
A dark-skinned man with bright eyes and brighter plate armor stepped forward and grinned at the pair. ¡°Why? Is it not obvious?¡± His Party all had their weapons brandished or hands ready to cast a spell or ability.
¡°I¡¯m not doing autographs right now.¡± Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m working.¡±
¡°There are some who abide your existence, but we believe you to be a Monsters, and like all-¡°
¡°Blah blah.¡± She interrupted. ¡°Heard this so many times. How do you want to do this? Humphrey likes to duel one on one, but I¡¯m good for either two-on-five or we can take turns or something?¡± A yawn escaped her mouth, but her stomach was starting to get excited.
A portly spellcaster with messy brown hair leaned in toward their spokesman. ¡°They don¡¯t seem worried, Jake - is this a good idea?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just bravado,¡± he glared briefly at his comrade. ¡°You¡¯ll both die either way.¡± He shrugged.
Sally turned to the Death Knight. ¡°Ah, Humps! This would be a neat time to show you my Ultimate, right? You didn¡¯t see it last time. Too busy gawking at Norah, weren¡¯t you?¡±
¡°What? No, I-¡° he deflated. ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯ll sit this one out.¡±
She allowed herself a little fist-pump. ¡°Alright, we decided that I¡¯ll kill you all this time. One question first - did Theo send you?¡±
¡°Who?¡± The plated figure furrowed his brow. ¡°We just received an anonymous message that¡¡±
Sally punched Humphrey on his metal arm with a wide grin. ¡°He¡¯s such a romantic. I really need to up my game.¡± She furrowed her brow. ¡°But what do you get a man who just grinds out whatever he wants himself?¡±
¡°Focus on the fight, Sally.¡± Humphrey managed to look even more morose about having to sit out.
She clicked her fingers and looked up at them. They were standing atop the dune still, and she didn¡¯t feel much like running up it to stab them. Not being able to see Levels or Classes these days was also tiresome, but you could usually make a rough guess on what armor they wore or weapon they held. A knight, a ranger, a mage, a cleric, and some other kind of fighter. Maybe even a thief?
¡°I feel bad,¡± she pouted at them. ¡°You seem like a decent group to have gotten this far. I¡¯ll give you one chance to turn tail and let the System kill you some other time.¡± She licked her lips. Sometimes, she was too selfless.
Their confidence seemed to wane slightly. Of course, their reputation proceeded them. Under the glares of their leader, they seemed to resolve that it was reasonable the five of them could take on one scrawny zombie.
The bow was raised and the start of spells started to bloom in the hands of the two spellcasters. She reasoned that the melee Players would try to maintain the high ground to allow their allies to pick her off. Their first mistake was putting the ranger next to the cleric.
Arrows were usually quickest, but this one wouldn¡¯t hit her.
[Escape Fate]
Her Level Seventeen skill had her vanish from the attack in a puff of dark smoke, four zombies taking her place instead. The System allowed her to jump twenty feet, assuming that in most cases, that backward would be the sensible option. But she could go in any direction. So she went forward.
Appearing in front of the ranger, she lashed up at the shocked cleric and rammed her dagger into the underside of his jaw. It was enough damage to meet the conditionals, so she used [Eat Brain]. A near instant skill when an enemy was on low health, it turned the process into something like taking a quick bite of an apple. Except a lot messier and more traumatic for those around her.
Temporarily empowered by the stats of the fallen, she leaped backward to avoid the swinging attack of the knight - a blaze of blue cutting through the air as she stumbled into the ranger. As he attempted to draw a shortsword against her, she held a skull against his torso. [Mortis Bomb] engulfed him briefly in the green light, knocking him backward as more zombies crawled from the ground.
A shard of ice shot out from the wizard, coring a hole through one of the fresh zombies as Sally weaved around them. The knight slashed out, anger in his eyes now. She kept backtracking along the ridge of the dune as he was solely focused on her. The thief had vanished, presumably going invisible for a surprise attack. Both of them should be watching out for their wizard more.
She grinned as she used her zombies as a shield wall, watching as the dead cleric rose from the ground and started off towards the messy haired man, who was now panicked and in shock at seeing their friend coming for them.
A rush of air and a burst of power came from behind her.
[Share Burden]
The thief¡¯s weapon stopped against her skin and two of her zombies exploded with blood, collapsing to the floor. She spun and grabbed his wrist, turning his arm away and then stabbing him in the gut with [Skeleton Key]. As he buckled, she kicked him down the dune, leaving a trail of blood against the hot sand as he rolled away.
¡°Looks like you¡¯re the only one left,¡± she cooed toward the knight.
He paused and looked around. The wizard had fallen to the undead cleric, and the ranger and thief were too wounded to contribute. When he turned back, his eyes were pure blazing fury. ¡°You bitch!¡±
¡°I gave you a chance,¡± she shrugged and pouted. ¡°No need to be rude. You watching, Humps?¡±
The Death Knight nodded.
As the Player stalked toward her, his sword crackled with amber energy. A cooling wind whipped through the area.
¡°Oh, are we having an Ultimate-off?¡± She winked. ¡°Mine isn¡¯t ready yet. Could you wait?¡±
He drew back his sword, intending to let loose his power.
[Endless Dead]
¡°Phase one - a gal has to have some pals.¡± Sally grinned as fifty-one zombies crawled up from the surrounding sand. She lowered herself into a crouch to hide amongst them.
The knight had no choice but to use his skill, and a giant arrow of burning energy shot out, immolating dozens of zombies as it flashed to where he had last seen her. He began backing away from the horde as they tried to enclose on him, and a shield of blue enveloped him in a bubble with a radiant light that pooled around his feet.
¡°And then Phase two - the actual skill.¡± Her voice came out from somewhere amongst them.
[Quick Death]
150 - Dine and Dash
The knight staggered back in shock. As one, every zombie in the area stopped their idle shamblings or slow consumption of the fallen Players and turned to stare at him with bright yellow eyes.
He ran, bursting through the side of the horde to stomp around on the soft sand, slowing his movements. A buff of pale light flowed down his legs and he increased to his normal sprinting speed.
Sally grinned widely, flame dancing in her red eyes. Watching him gain distance away from her and her zombie pals. Then she gave the unspoken command.
Together as a group, the gathered zombies moved after the escaping man. But not as a slow and awkward shamble¡ they sprinted. Exhibiting speed and mobility unlike their normal selves, the horde began enclosing on the fleeing knight.
She continued to watch. The man was fast, but with over thirty living corpses bearing down on him, he soon made a mistake and stumbled. As the first zombie, eager for a taste of his flesh, leaped into the air and knocked him to the ground, it was all over. With a smile, she turned and hopped to slide down the dune.
¡°Please¡ you-¡° the wounded thief began, before she stabbed him through the head and used [Eat Brains].
¡°Always sours the meal when they beg.¡± She wiped the gore from her mouth and sighed. ¡°I gave them the chance, and followed through with my word. That¡¯s fair, right?¡± She turned to the Death Knight and crossed her arms.
¡°In a manner of speaking, yes,¡±
¡°It¡¯s more a shame that there are so many still against us,¡± she continued, kicking some sand. ¡°After all we¡¯ve done, some continue to see us as evil.¡±
¡°Can¡¯t think of why,¡± Humphrey said with a grin, as he watched the corpse of the thief stand up as a zombie. ¡°Nice Ultimate, though.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not as flashy as Theo¡¯s, but being able to turn my slow pals into sprinting zombies for a few minutes is a pretty big deal.¡± The other options at the time had more pizzazz to them, were either more situational or didn¡¯t fit the theme she was going for. Fast zombies were a whole new horror that was useful both for offence and defense - especially when her horde was larger.
¡°When you get to use [Zombie Apocalypse] again, then you will be unstoppable.¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± She smiled and looked up at the sky with her eyes closed. Even though it was over a year ago, it felt like two weeks given they had been in a coma. Summoning and controlling hundreds of undead had been amazing. The conditionals for the skill weren¡¯t met, and she was pretty sure that the System also had a hand in when she could use it as well. Given to her in error, it was essentially an Invasion Event rather than a normal ability, even greater than a Boss Ultimate.
She worked her jaw as all those proper nouns became harder to chew the more of them her sentence became labored with.
¡°More elementals?¡± The Death Knight gestured back to the roving plain of boring rock Monsters.
¡°I have an even better idea,¡± she said as her eyes twinkled.
A skull of flaming green shot across the courtyard and knocked the guard from the top of the parapet. Zombies rose from the ground in the area as the figure crunch against the stone floor.
¡°Huh, for some reason, I expected the ruins to be abandoned.¡± She rubbed at her chin as her horde clambered around the buildings in search of the rest of the System-created. Sally kneeled down beside one that hadn¡¯t turned yet. ¡°Lizard-people, but these are more like¡ iguanas? Or geckos?¡±
¡°They are reasonably weak.¡± Humphrey wiped his sword off on his red cloak. ¡°What is it you seek here?¡±
¡°Aww.¡± She stood up as yellow light pooled into the large eyes of the fallen guard. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten?¡±
The Death Knight paused, briefly panicked that he had forgotten some manner of anniversary or special occasion. ¡°It¡¯s¡ your birthday?¡±
¡°No! Well, probably not. We were in a coma for a year, so I must have had one at some point, but I have no concept of time past three days either way, sooooo¡ guess again.¡±
He rubbed a plated finger against the side of his face, a metallic scratching in contrast to the groans and yells of combat as the zombies took the area.
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She went through her Inventory and brought out a small piece of paper. Holding it aloft, she cleared her throat to read it. ¡°Within Walls, Lands Afar, Broken Ground, Crimson Mar.¡±
¡°Ah!¡± He grinned widely as his helmet flame rose higher. ¡°The secret note from back in the crypt.¡±
¡°From when you chose to abandon your role as an Observer and saved my life.¡± She grinned and stuffed the paper into her pocket. ¡°Took me a little while to figure out where it could be, but I think this is it.¡±
Humphrey looked around. Inside this small stone outpost of sandstone and pale wood, they were certainly ¡®Within Walls¡¯ as the gathering of buildings were encircled by a tall stone battlements. The second area could be considered ¡®Lands Afar¡¯ compared to the starting zone in the Forest.
¡°We just need to find the broken ground,¡± she said, filling in the continuation of his thoughts. ¡°Even if the reward is trash, I figure this would be neat to tick off before we headed on to the perils of the Jungle.¡±
He nodded and gestured for her to lead the way.
Sally spun the STAR up as she walked around, bringing up her chat with Theo.
[Sally: Thanks for the special delivery, pup x]
[Theo: I don¡¯t know what you mean ;) ]
[Theo: They were snooping about the town for info on us]
[Theo: Unacceptable]
She shivered and closed the Chat down. Theo had always been a bit of a dweeb willing to skirt the laws of morality, but, since becoming a Vampire Lord by accident, he had embraced the main character vibes - and it worked well.
¡°Hey, Humps, who out of us do you think would be the most likely to turn into a proper villain and go rogue?¡±
¡°Theo,¡± he stated without a moment of hesitation.
That would have been her guess, too. ¡°Whaaat? Not Lucius, with how he was going to betray us, anyway? We¡¯ve only known Norah for a few weeks, technically.¡±
The Death Knight said nothing in response, knowing that they both knew the vampire had it in him to become deranged - especially if he didn¡¯t get enough sleep. That he seemed content to follow Sally¡¯s ambitions rather than have a grand scheme of his own was probably their greatest boon.
Sally felt compelled to fill the silence. ¡°I just don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to beat him in a duel if he turned on us.¡±
¡°Could you defeat any of us?¡± Humphrey raised an eyebrow and grinned.
¡°You dare?¡± She huffed and scowled at him. ¡°You forget your station. I have half the mind to - oh! Look over here.¡±
Sally hopped across the warm stone of the street and into a large building with an open doorway. Shaded from the sun, it took her eyes a little while to adjust to see what was inside. ¡°Some kind of temple,¡± she murmured, narrowing her eyes at the floor.
Cracks ran across it, not from age or decay, but seemingly chiseled in some abstract pattern she didn¡¯t understand.
¡°Just need the ¡®Crimson Mar¡¯,¡± Humphrey grinned.
¡°Well, I¡¯m not bleeding on it. Remember last time?¡± She rubbed at her wrist in remembering the bugged Necroblast she had used in fighting the dungeon boss.
Humphrey looked around. The sides of the room had plain wooden benches between and beyond four pillars that held up balconies overlooking this middle area. ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t have to.¡± He raised a plated finger to point at one of the pillars.
Sally walked over to see that one of them had a red marking across it. Not even really like a splatter of blood, but perhaps paint or something chalky. Her gaze turned to the inert torch affixed to the wall. With hand outstretched, she held and pulled it - and with some resistance, it relented to clicking to the right. The sounds of gears turning proceeded with the grinding of stone as a doorway opened up on the back wall.
¡°Neat!¡± She walked over and stuck her head inside the opening. This short hallway leading to some stairs was lit nicely by torches. ¡°Funny how long these can last, huh?¡± Sally raised an eyebrow at the flickering flames.
Humphrey shrugged and followed her down, the edges of his armor scraping down the walls as they descended.
Sally tilted her head at the small chamber at the bottom of the stairs. Perhaps expecting some sprawling subterranean dungeon, she was almost disappointed to find just a small room. Plain and unfurnished, except for a stone slab with a wooden chest atop.
¡°Hmm.¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Check for traps, Humps!¡±
The Death Knight sighed and pushed past her into the room. He stood, waving his arms around, before grasping the wooden container. The lack of any immediate repercussions from his diligent efforts seemed like he had done a good enough job.
He popped open the lid and Sally moved up beside him to look inside.
[Broken Shield] [One of three pieces of a legendary shield lost to time.]
¡°Can¡¯t be that powerful if it lost to time,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Now we have to find two more pieces to complete it, I assume?¡±
The Death Knight shrugged, and then looked up at the back wall, drawing her gaze to it to. In flickering crimson, words began to appear slowly across the stone, until they formed a phrase.
[Deepest Pit, Unending Night, Between Two Worlds, Eternal Sight]
¡°Ah, our next clue. Write that down, Humphrey.¡± She glared at the plated figure still grasping the empty chest. ¡°Never mind, it¡¯s gone now.¡± The last of the letters faded away.
She began to walk back up the stairs as he placed the container back to follow her. At the top, she waited by the torch-switch to flip it so that the Death Knight would have the briefest of struggles to get back through before it closed.
¡°Not the worst adventure,¡± she grinned. ¡°Better than stabbing elementals.¡±
¡°Indeed. Not only did we receive part of a legendary artefact, but we also received experience.¡±
¡°Huh?¡± She looked down at her STAR to see it glowing gold. ¡°We¡¯d best get to the meeting place then, while I decide what to pick!¡±
She ran back outside to start to gather her zombies.
Humphrey stopped to narrow his eyes at the temple, pausing as if waiting for something to happen. His helmet flame illuminated the dark shadows on the peaked ceiling.
¡°Soon,¡± he grumbled to himself, and strode off to rejoin the zombies.
151 - Rat Race
Sally groaned as she trudged through the sand. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that we haven¡¯t picked up mounts yet. This is agony.¡±
Humphrey grinned and looked out at the swirling desert. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡±
She rolled her eyes in response. ¡°I still can¡¯t decide on my new skill. Oh, I¡¯ve seen Lucius¡¯ Ultimate where he can shadow all four of us at once, but what was Norah¡¯s?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a summon. Like the statue we had fought in the Dungeon, but not made of stone.¡±
¡°Neat! Is it undead too?¡± Summons were great if they could share all their auras and buffing abilities.
¡°Yes, I believe so. Do you want to know what my Ultimate is?¡±
She grimaced. ¡°Is it much cooler than mine, like with flashing lights or environmental effects?¡± There might be a little envy there over Theo¡¯s ability to bring about pitch black night and slow things before he used that darkness to shoot people with his finger. Actually, thinking about it too hard made it seem all the more ridiculous.
¡°Yes,¡± the Death Knight said with a grin.
Sally groaned again. ¡°Pass, then.¡± Not that she liked everything being a surprise, but she knew he did - and there was some merit in having a bit of spectacle and tension in a fight. The dry sands tiring out her eyes, she relented to hitting her skill selections to pick a skill.
[Pick One]
[Skull Seeker] [Remains are easier to find from corpses.]
[Tomb Dweller] [Party Buff - Increase Resistances for a short period.]
[Curse: Decay] [Channeled Curse - Target slowly loses health if they are over 50% HP.]
Skull Seeker seemed a little redundant at this stage. Unless there was anything cool she could craft with body parts, she already had more skulls than she could get through. A little bit of foresight went a long way. An Inventory full of remains sounded neat in a macabre way, but it was already cluttered enough with things she didn¡¯t like to look at.
Tomb Dweller would make the Party briefly even more hardy than they were. Didn¡¯t affect her minions, however. Plus, there must be a point where diminishing returns kicked in and any further buffs wouldn¡¯t be worth the opportunity cost. Gross, she was starting to think of these things like Theo. In fairness, with the amount of skills they were accumulating as they leveled, it was a lot to keep track of. She yawned and moved onto the next.
The new Curse had piqued her interest as it was something channeled, rather than having to cast it all the time. Only worked on pretty healthy targets - but even then it gave her something to do from range when Mortis Bomb was on cooldown. She ground her teeth together.
[Curse: Decay]
¡°I went with a draining skill,¡± she said with a shrug.
¡°Figures.¡± Humphrey grinned.
Sally grumbled to herself. Despite the long rest, the fine grains of the System had started to wear at her brain again. Maybe that was just the sand. Archie wouldn¡¯t tell them much about the next area and had absconded as soon as they were settled and properly awake. New problems, as always.
A handful of figures loomed over the next dune, and she licked her lips in hopes that it might be more Player brains eager to jump inside her stomach. Only slightly disappointed, she realized it was the rest of the Party.
¡°Thanks again for the gift,¡± she kicked sand at Theo when they got close enough.
¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± The vampire pushed up his glasses. ¡°Although there is somewhere I¡¯d like to take you?¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes, but shrugged. ¡°Sure. We already leveled up - so Humphrey can help the others?¡±
Agreements were murmured and nodded.
¡°We have a busy day ahead, so don¡¯t spend too long.¡± The Death Knight glared at Theo.
¡°Of course.¡± He smiled back and put his hands in his pockets.
Sally rolled her eyes and then the pair of them vanished in a flash of blue light. A brief moment of vertigo, and then they stumbled out into¡ more sand. There was something familiar about the area, but it was different. Populated and less drained of life.
¡°You didn¡¯t get your zombie dragon,¡± Theo began, going through his STAR, ¡°but maybe this can be a close second?¡±
She tilted her head and caught the item he threw over to her.
[Mount Taming Lure]
She beamed at the vampire, pointing it at him immediately. ¡°Doesn¡¯t work,¡± she said with a pout.
He jerked his thumb over to the side with a sigh, and she turned to see a hole in the ground. As her eyes narrowed, an even wider smile crossed her face. ¡°Not bad, fangs.¡± She kicked more sand at him and then ran for the Warren.
It wasn¡¯t exactly regal or imposing, but there was something about scurrying about the sands atop a giant zombie mouse that felt good. Sally¡¯s mouth ached from smiling constantly as the warm air whipped through her hair.
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¡°We¡¯re going to meet them by the mountain,¡± Theo yelled from his own mount. His had dark black fur, so Sally had chosen one with white fur to contrast.
In the process of turning them undead, they did both get a little dirty and bloodied, but the benefit was they could share all the Party boons. Not that she wanted to throw her new pet into a combat situation - keeping it alive was important. ¡°Okay,¡± she yelled in return. ¡°Then straight to the jungle?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
Teleporting would be much quicker, but taking the scenic route and giving the mice a test drive would allow the others to level up in the meantime. Theo must have gotten to Eighteen already, seeing as he had the experience bonus passive still. It had taken a lot to convince him to not get to Twenty - he was even more raring to go to the next level than she was.
Mostly because it was somewhat¡ worrying. The mouse ride actually gave her a chance to think in relative silence for a while, without having to be a manic mess around the Party. She hadn¡¯t been able to contact any of her friends through the System messages. Chuck, Dent, or Lana. The Chat still worked because she could talk with the Party¡ but from their coma onwards everything else had been peaceful. She was sure Chuck would have sent her something while they were asleep for a year¡
The whole two Player factions fighting over the System seemed like a brain drain too. She would have to hear them out in person to see what their stances truly were - but killing over how to live in the world seemed backwards. The irony tasted weird - although, maybe that was the sand too. What even was her stance on the System these days?
Sally furrowed her brow. It had changed over time. At first, she wanted revenge for her bugged existence. Eat the System, and eat the Architect. Her human side had pushed the nuance of morality upon her. Should she take her anger out on the others brought to this world, even if they were tasty? So the best option was to make the System fair for both Players and the Unique Monsters that were almost the same in this world.
With the Architect being dead, there was a need to try to steer the captainless ship. The Wastelands told the story of what an empowered and unrestricted Unique could achieve, and her task was to make things fair for everyone again. All should have the same chances to live how they wanted.
So what next? Break the thumbs of whichever faction she didn¡¯t ally with, and then try to squeeze themselves to the next area. If anything, she needed to find an end point where they weren¡¯t constantly having to fix everything. She yawned, taking in grains of sand the mice were kicking up as they sprinted through the area.
One step at a time. Perhaps the constant struggle was what she needed, to not sit and panic over the fact she was stuck in this world as a sentient zombie. No use wishing for the impossible. Enemies were a lot easier to chew through than any existential crisis.
¡°You okay, Sally?¡± Theo shouted over to her. He was sitting back, relaxed, with his arms crossed as though he didn¡¯t need to hold the reins.
¡°Soon,¡± she said with a grimace. Too early in the day to get too miserable. ¡°I hate sand, it¡¯s-¡°
¡°Me too,¡± the vampire interjected.
She deflated and looked around. Groups of Monsters roamed through the dry plains. Cacti and other vegetation had sprung up in areas. Small towns and Monster villages had been rebuilt and repopulated. It warmed her heart. As much as she was sad that they didn¡¯t get to experience the area properly. They even thundered past a couple of Player groups working on Quests - their eyes wide in surprise at seeing the pair.
After a short while, the city loomed up on the horizon, the mountain palace just behind. Edward was happy to finally be able to level himself up - but didn¡¯t seem too keen on following into the next area with them. He had a position of authority here, so that made sense. It was good to have an ally that could help maintain control over the Wasteland. He was reluctant to admit he would teleport to her and perform his duty of being her Bodyguard if they really needed it.
She most definitely would. Not just to see him, but trouble seemed to follow them around - especially when they chased it around and jumped in with both feet.
They caught even more eyes as they stampeded straight into the city, down the main road. System-created and some slower Players had to leap out of the way as they headed up toward the palace. As they reached the staircase, Theo clicked his fingers and his mount vanished, leaving him to slide along the floor on his boots.
¡°They can do that?¡± Sally yelled in surprise as she bounded past him onto the stairs. She clicked her fingers and her white mouse vanished, sending her bouncing into the stone steps. ¡°Ow.¡± She slipped down a couple before rolling back up to her feet. ¡°That was fun, though!¡±
The vampire walked up beside her with his hands in his pockets, and she looped an arm around his left. ¡°I bet the others will be jealous,¡± she said with a grin.
¡°If we¡¯re going to be in a jungle, there will probably not be much chance to use them. Due to their size.¡± Theo wrinkled up his nose in an attempt to adjust his glasses without his hands.
¡°Psh, unfair.¡± She rolled her eyes and then brightened up at seeing the rest of the Party already waiting for them.
Humphrey stood with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed at the vampire. ¡°Took you long enough.¡±
Theo tutted as Sally relinquished her grip on him to go talk to Norah. ¡°When are you going to get over it, old man?¡±
The flames behind the Death Knight¡¯s helmet rose higher. ¡°You forget your place, boy.¡±
¡°Are you going to show me it, then?¡± Crimson light flickered across the vampire¡¯s eyes.
¡°Hey!¡± Lucius stepped up beside them, a sweat-drop emoji beside his hooded face. ¡°We¡¯re leveled now. Ready to go into the jungle?¡±
¡°More than ever,¡± Theo said with a grin, pushing his glasses up.
¡°Yes.¡± Humphrey continued glaring with empty sockets at the vampire.
¡°Cool, cool.¡± Another sweat-drop emoji. ¡°Glad we¡¯re all on the same page.¡±
¡°Right then!¡± Sally called from the side with the Mummy. ¡°Edward is waiting on the path. Let¡¯s roll out, corpsegang.¡±
¡°Corpsegang,¡± Lucius murmured to himself, an eye-rolling emoji beside his head.
Sally rubbed the back of her head and yawned. It was nice to have the gang together and all happy. It made things a lot easier when they got on so well. She turned back to the four of them, who were now following behind. Family, in a way. An odd one, but they were hers. She smiled and looked up at the pathway leading around the mountain.
It wasn¡¯t but a few minutes later that they saw the lithe demon looking impatient at the side of the road.
¡°Outsiders,¡± he gave a short bow. ¡°I, uh¡ don¡¯t die?¡±
¡°Well said.¡± Sally grinned. ¡°Glad you came out here for us.¡±
¡°Edward,¡± Theo said, narrowing his eyes.
¡°Theo,¡± the demon responded.
Sally slowly pushed her way in between the two to break off their eye contact. ¡°Worried about us?¡±
He sighed in response. ¡°I just know I¡¯ll be seeing you soon enough¡ and Archie made it clear that you¡¯d be getting into trouble with the factions within the hour, no doubt.¡±
She leaned past him to see the path leading away from the amber sandstone glow of the Wastes and, at a border, moved through trees and deep green vegetation.
¡°Sounds like a challenge,¡± she said with a wink.
152 - Warm Welcome
The dark trees of the Jungle loomed overhead, thick leaves of deep green plunged the abundant vegetation on the ground into a dim shadow as the sunlight fought a losing battle to shred through the canopy.
¡°Whyyyy¡¡± Sally palmed at her eyes. ¡°Why is it even warmer here?¡±
Theo shrugged and looked off into the dense trees. ¡°You want the actual explanation?¡±
¡°I want you to make it stop.¡± She deflated and turned to the rather heated looking undead Party. ¡°That¡¯s an order for you all.¡±
Their response wasn¡¯t too helpful. Aside from the vampire stripping down to his undershirt, none of them had any good plans to assist her in changing the climate of the area. Like the dragon had in the Wastes. Perhaps she shouldn¡¯t be so selfish. Rotating through her STAR, she brought up the Map again. Not too much further.
¡°We can take a shortcut to the first outpost if we go through the more overgrown part.¡± She pointed an extended finger to the right.
¡°What do you think we¡¯ll have to fight?¡± Humphrey deflated, knowing the inevitable.
¡°Dinosaurs,¡± Norah offered.
The Shade cupped his misty chin. ¡°Jungle rats.¡± A question mark appeared beside him.
¡°Each other,¡± Theo said, looking off in the other direction, hands in his pockets.
¡°No time for tussling,¡± Sally tutted. ¡°Let¡¯s go find out who is correct.¡± She hopped off of of the path and immediately tripped and fell over some vines into a dense bush.
The Death Knight went over and picked her up by the scruff of her shirt. ¡°Don¡¯t rush to help the lady then, Theo.¡±
¡°Hmm?¡± Theo turned his head to observe them. ¡°There is someone watching us, but they are either too far or too obscured for me to know where.¡±
Sally spat a leaf out and dusted herself down as Humphrey grounded her. The rest of the Party began to look around the area, but other than the greens and brown of the jungle, there was little else to be noticed.
¡°Alright.¡± Sally turned back and almost got her feet stuck in the same vines. ¡°Keep focused, it might not be an enemy¡ uh, after we decide what side we¡¯re on.¡±
With the shrug of the Death Knight, the Party followed her through. Theo waited for a few more seconds, his eyes slowly looking around the canopy, before he tutted to himself and caught up.
Sally let Humphrey lead the way, his large sword cutting through any vegetation in the way as Norah used her bandages to pull branches and broken foliage out of the way.
¡°Doing okay, Norah?¡± Sally slowed to walk beside the Mummy.
She tilted her head to the zombie. ¡°Slightly envious that some of you can disrobe to some degree to cool off.¡±
Sally frowned. ¡°What happens when you take the bandages off? Aren¡¯t you just a bodacious zombie underneath?¡±
¡°Not that simple, hun. It¡¯s almost like a second skin - part of me.¡± She gave a smile and returned to focusing on giving the Death Knight help.
With a hum, Sally slowed down further to walk beside Lucius. ¡°What about you? Can you take your clothes off?¡±
¡°What?¡± The Shade jumped physically to the side as exclamation marks appeared beside his head. ¡°Oh, you mean in general? Yeah, I could. I¡¯m essentially a shadow underneath, so I could go without¡ but I feel like clothing gives me more form.¡±
¡°That makes sense.¡± She nodded slowly. It was a bit like how Humphrey was just a suit of metal with no actual functional body inside. Still had enough of a heart to be soft on the Mummy.
She slowed again to sync up with the vampire.
¡°No sand to kick at me here,¡± he said with a grin.
¡°Give it some time, pup.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Penny for your thoughts?¡±
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Theo worked his jaw and sighed. ¡°Mostly trying to decide if the arrow is worth dodging or not.¡±
¡°What arrow-¡° she began, before a zip through the air slammed into the vampire, causing him to stumble forward.
He stood back up straight, an arrow protruding through his chest having impaled through his back. ¡°Eh, not the worst.¡± He shrugged, wincing as his muscles moved around the wound.
The Party spun around to look behind them. Sally drew a skull into her left hand and held her right out to use her new curse. There was no target that she could see.
Lucius stepped over to Theo to help him.
¡°No,¡± the vampire raised his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t touch, it¡¯s poisoned.¡±
The Death Knight walked up as Sally continued to look for the perpetrator. ¡°I can remove that for you, then.¡±
Theo looked up at the skeletal face with impassive eyes, hands still in his pockets. ¡°Sure, just pull it all the way through.¡±
¡°Gladly.¡± Humphrey pinched the metal tip of the offending projectile and pulled it slowly from the wound. With a small sucking noise, the tail end eventually emerged from the wound and the arrow was discarded to the floor. The pair maintained eye contact through the whole process.
Sally leaned back and frowned at them. ¡°What are you two¡ do you know who shot you, Theo?¡±
¡°Not exactly,¡± he broke his eyes away from the Death Knight. ¡°It¡¯s a Player, I know that much, but they¡¯re being very cautious.¡±
She rubbed her face and scowled back at the immutable jungle. Being stalked didn¡¯t make the overbearing humidity of the jungle any more fun than it already was. Perhaps this is what they got for being so under-leveled and out of their element. ¡°How did you know they were going to fire at you?¡±
Theo put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°These sorts of things are predictable. They¡¯ll be going for you next, so I¡¯d advise walking directly in front of me.¡±
Sally nodded, slightly intrigued by how assertive and aloof he was being since entering the jungle. Perhaps the mouse ride knocked a few things loose in his head. Still, she didn¡¯t fancy getting an unwelcome gift through the back of her head. Theo might like his chances of it hitting him in the torso, but she was slightly more risk adverse. Which was a concerning realisation.
A sweat-drop appeared beside the Shade. ¡°What if they go for me instead, if you¡¯re blocking Sally?¡±
¡°Then just dodge,¡± Theo said with a grin.
Sally nudged him with her elbow as she walked in front. ¡°That a weak poison you can regenerate over?¡±
¡°No.¡± He stretched his neck out as they started cutting their way back through the jungle. ¡°I will die in three days.¡±
¡°Ass.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Cheer up, pup. This area won¡¯t be all bad.¡±
Theo raised an eyebrow and looked off to the side, but said nothing.
After a few minutes of tense travel through the foliage, Humphrey stopped and held a plated fist up. ¡°Monsters ahead.¡±
¡°Ooh!¡± Sally cooed. ¡°Who won?¡± She hopped ahead of Theo to go see.
The vampire held up his hand, and it was impaled by an arrow en route to the zombie.
¡°Gotcha,¡± he growled, and vanished. Everyone stopped and turned to the empty space behind, as a pained scream rang out. After a few seconds of silence, a body dropped out from one of the distant trees - the dark shape of Theo following soon after. Another couple of seconds and he started walking back over to them.
¡°That¡¯s better,¡± he said with a wide grin, his bloodied fangs exposed. ¡°I hate being spied on. Sorry for being so prickly, Humphrey.¡±
The Death Knight shrugged and grinned at the vampire. ¡°I was egging you on. My apologies, too.¡±
Sally frowned, not understanding the conversation. The heat was obviously getting to her. She yawned again. ¡°Ugh. Anything good on the body?¡±
¡°Some paperwork. It¡¯s nice when the pre-dead write down exposition for us, huh?¡±
She sighed and shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t call them that. We need to work on our public relations. And get that arrow out of your hand already.¡± Her expression turned into a scowl at seeing that his hand was still impaled.
¡°I just didn¡¯t want the poison to get worse.¡±
As she grabbed it and pulled it from him, she rolled her eyes. Too humid and sweaty for this.
¡°Two days now.¡±
¡°Shush,¡± she said as she put a finger to his lips. ¡°No more, only Monster killing now. Okay?¡±
He nodded slowly as she spun back to the pensive Party. They hadn¡¯t even gotten to the Monster type reveal yet, and she had also just slid right past whatever Theo had found. The heat was turning her brain into a soup, and it was violently close to lapping straight out of her ears.
¡°Save the reading for when we are safe,¡± she said as she waved her hand in the air. ¡°Humphrey, what is the Monster, and can we go kill them please?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°They are-¡°
An explosion rocked the treeline over to their right, the groan of trees collapsing amongst the clatter of vegetation causing Sally¡¯s right eye to twitch. The smell of smoke and burned wood washed across the Party as they stood waiting.
¡°This better be good.¡± She ground her sharp teeth together. Or at least, full of brains that she could have. Theo hadn¡¯t even saved the would-be-assassin for her to eat - and a little head-jelly would be the perfect refresher for this humid climate.
Five figures loomed out from the shadows of billowing smoke and broken jungle. A giant of a man in plated armor in the middle, two men in leather armor to his right, and female spellcaster alongside a masked individual to his left.
Each of them wore a red tabard over their gear, a symbol of a triangle in white pointing downward on the front, and golden detailing down the edges.
¡°A Party of Monsters?¡± The man lifted up the visor on his helmet to reveal bright green eyes. ¡°Well, that is certainly unusual.¡± They seemed apprehensive, but didn¡¯t immediately go on the offence.
Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°Yeah, you might even say Unique.¡± She beamed at them for a few seconds as they stood confused, before deflating. ¡°Tough crowd.¡±
¡°You must be new to the area. Who are you allied with?¡± He tightened his grip on his large two-handed hammer. The rest of his group seemed to also tense up. ¡°What do you believe?¡±
¡°Depends,¡± scratched at her chin. ¡°What do you want me to believe?¡±
153 - Red Team
The group in red tabards seemed to relax slightly at her question-posed-as-an-answer. ¡°My name is Lenard,¡± the plated knight introduced himself. ¡°Perhaps I can enlighten you to what our cause leads us toward?¡±
¡°Eh, sure,¡± she glanced at the others, who shrugged their indifference. ¡°Double points if you have anything that can fix the humidity.¡± She wasn¡¯t even supposed to sweat - she was dead! Out of the five of them, she seemed to be suffering the worst. Perhaps she was just complaining the most.
With a quick glance, Humphrey appeared stoic, but the air surrounding him was wavering as if he was a hot grill. Speaking of that, the pale vampire was doused in as much sweat as she was. Norah looked tired more than anything¡ but Lucius hadn¡¯t changed or mentioned anything about the heat so far. Maybe he was immune. Her eyes narrowed at him.
¡°Oh,¡± Lenard continued, ¡°you didn¡¯t do the Acclimatization Quest? It¡¯s supposed to be on the road you follow through to the first outpost.¡± His group started walking over closer.
Sally could feel the glares of the Outsiders, except for Lucius, bore into the sides of her head. Which made her just feel warmer. There was no winning with these guys. ¡°No, we took a shortcut because we were being tracked by someone.¡±
Lenard stopped and was on-guard again. ¡°Are you still being followed?¡±
¡°Noooo,¡± she shook her head. Perhaps not a good idea to explain that Theo was a vampire and drank their blood. That usually got people a bit itchy. Or enamored, she rolled her eyes. ¡°We got rid of them.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think they were wearing a tabard,¡± Theo murmured from beside her.
¡°Impressive.¡± Lenard scratched at the back of his helmet. ¡°There is a small group of assassins that like to prey on those new to the area.¡±
At first, more Player on Player violence sounded draining - but a third neutral party that could easily fit in her stomach without disturbing the balance of the two main factions was a decent appetizer before she decided on the main course.
¡°Let me know if you want me to kill them all,¡± the vampire whispered, now even closer to her.
Maybe the Wastes weren¡¯t so bad. Even the Forest at this point would be a delight. She thought of Jackie and the goblins - it had been a year. Did they even know what had happened? Always having to push forward¡ she did hate to be left behind the curve. They needed to be powerful to not die. Die again.
She slowly pushed the vampire¡¯s abs away. ¡°How about you five lead us through this Quest and we¡¯ll hear you out. We¡¯ll be much more sympathetic to your cause with being able to breathe here.¡± Sally gave herself a handful of points for being able to get that sensible thought out of her melted brain.
Lenard shrugged. ¡°Sounds reasonable to me.¡±
The group then escorted them back the way they came, both sides giving each other glares and odd looks. There was something about the undead that the living had just had a natural inclination to abhor. Likewise, her group had nothing but a dim view of those who would sooner put them back in the ground. Players probably didn¡¯t attack each other that much, but the Outsiders were an exception to this rule more often than not.
It turned out that the Quest had been just around the corner of the path from where they had split off into the wild jungle. Not only that, but it was the simple matter of talking to a System-created guard who remained standing with a smile on his face as if they had vanished as soon as he passed them over the small metal band they had apparently ''earned'' just by talking to him.
Sally sighed and grinned as she slipped the ring on, almost instantly feeling a lot cooler. Nice of the System to know that actual jungle conditions would be hell to fight through for days on end. She turned to see the tired glares of her Party, who weren¡¯t too impressed that they had missed the Quest.
¡°What?¡± She wrinkled up her nose. ¡°Now you¡¯ll appreciate it more, knowing how terrible it is without it.¡±
They grumbled some reluctant agreements, and she turned back to the humans.
¡°We really appreciate your help,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°If you¡¯d like to give us your sales pitch for consideration now, we¡¯re all ears.¡±
All of them except Theo, maybe. He hadn¡¯t said anything, but she could sense that he was back on edge again. Even now that they were acclimated to the temperature of the jungle and he had hidden away his sparkling abs, he seemed ready to make a few Players dead in a moment''s notice. Currently, he stood leaning against a tree with his hands in his pockets, eyes watching the leader of the group.
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¡°Fantastic,¡± Lenard said with a grin. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have had your share of issues with the System in your time here. It is unfair and expects us to live a life scraping for power against uncaring violence and constant conflict.¡±
She nodded her head. That would quite succinctly sum up the majority of her experiences since awaking in this body in the sleepy zombie village. Immediately assailed and then it just continued from there.
¡°Therefore, the goal of our group is to take control of the System and destroy it so that no new Players may arrive and conflict is no longer necessary.¡±
So this was the ¡®destroy¡¯ faction. Handy that they chose a red tabard¡ªthat made it easier to remember. She rubbed her right eye. ¡°So, how would conflict be no longer necessary?¡±
The man shifted in his plated armor. ¡°We intend to remove all System-created, and the Leveling process, so that everyone is equal and there is no danger.¡±
Sally bit her tongue as some anger began to bubble within her. They had her in the first half, she wasn¡¯t going to lie. No System-created meant no Uniques, surely? She worked her jaw in trying to find a pleasant way of getting the clarifications she sought.
¡°Isn¡¯t that us?¡± Theo asked, as he tilted his head to the side. ¡°Aren¡¯t we part of the System?¡±
Even without the rings, the already tense atmosphere between the two groups had cooled. While she and the vampire were probably Player enough to skirt by on the rules, the rest of the Outsiders weren¡¯t. She gave Theo a few points for the camaraderie.
Lenard scratched at the back of his helmet. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the stance on Uniques is¡ ah, you might want to talk to someone higher up the chain.¡±
Sally could perhaps assume. A dangerous thing, to fill in the gaps of a plot promising violence. If it wasn¡¯t clear that Uniques had a place in their post-System world, then that probably led to the obvious conclusion. Monsters weren¡¯t welcome. She would need to put ice on this potential inferno before something flared up with the others. Points to them for holding steady.
¡°Well¡¡± Her smile was more of a grimace as she spoke through clenched teeth. ¡°I suppose we should hear the other side¡¯s point of view before making our choice.¡±
"I¡¯m not sure that-¡° Lenard paused as the female spellcaster leaned forward and whispered something in his ear. ¡°Really?¡± His eyes went back up to Sally. ¡°I suppose that is reasonable, however, I am sure you come around to our way of thinking soon enough. Allow me to give you my contact information?¡±
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine.¡±
Humphrey rubbed at his metallic chin, deep in thought. Norah was a mirror of the zombie¡¯s disdain, her arms crossed and yellow eyes glaring at the humans. Lucius had his hands on his hips but a rather blank expression on his face¡ªperhaps not entirely grasping the history behind Sally¡¯s current ire. Theo remained leaning against a tree, glowering at his potential next meals.
All in all, team red wasn¡¯t that great, Sally decided. She waved them off as they thankfully went a different direction than the outpost. As soon as they were out of sight, she deflated and spun around to the gang.
¡°Thought?¡±
¡°Should have killed them,¡± Theo murmured first.
Norah nodded. ¡°I agree.¡±
¡°They seemed okay, but perhaps misguided.¡± Lucius shrugged. ¡°Maybe they¡¯d see sense if we put the right way of thinking into their heads?¡±
The vampire exhaled. ¡°Yeah, with my sword.¡±
Sally waved them to shush. Perhaps it would have been more pragmatic to kill them now, but until they had their feet on solid ground in the new area, it was better to not step on too many toes. A little leveling and a more nuanced understanding of the area, and then they could eat everything in sight.
She frowned. ¡°Everything okay, Humphrey? What¡¯s your take?¡±
¡°Hmm? Oh.¡± He turned his gaze away from his thoughts and over to her. ¡°Whatever Norah said.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes at Theo as the Mummy grinned. As much as she was happy for the plated ex-Observer, delegating his thoughts was unexceptable, especially when he so obviously had something on his mind. ¡°Humps. I need your thoughts. That¡¯s an order.¡±
He stood straighter and nodded towards her. She didn¡¯t have to push the tough love button often, but it was helpful to remind them who was the boss around here when they started getting loose with their shared brain cell.
¡°Apologies. The rogue Observer I had absorbed had some information about the Jungle.¡±
¡°Spill it then.¡± She tapped her foot on the floor. ¡°I¡¯ve no patience for your secrets now, tin-can.¡±
The Death Knight opened and closed his skeletal mouth, slightly taken aback by the sudden dress down. ¡°In honesty¡ I find it odd that they are so focused on this issue in area three. By my understanding, I would have assumed Players would wait until the last Level and sort things out at the end.¡±
Sally wrinkled up her nose. ¡°So you¡¯re saying they are jumping the gun, but there might also be something pressuring them to act?¡±
¡°Astute, as always.¡± Humphrey grinned.
She sighed and waved him away. ¡°Get down that to the outpost, guys. I¡¯m already tired of this place. I just want a word with Mr Brooding over there and I¡¯ll catch you up.¡±
The three nodded and started off down the road, as she walked over to the tree-leaning vampire.
¡°What¡¯s up, pup? You look like you¡¯re ready to run off and solo the whole area.¡± She crossed her arms as she stood in front of him.
He raised his eyebrows and gave her a slight smile. ¡°If only. There was something I wanted to tell you, but not while the others were here.¡±
¡°Oh, yeah?¡± She beamed at him.
¡°No, nothing like that.¡± He shuffled and stood up straight, looking out to the surrounding jungle. ¡°The ranger I killed, she had a¡ a strange STAR.¡±
¡°Strange STAR,¡± she repeated. ¡°Like¡?¡±
¡°Like the Marius, the Cleric.¡± His eyes shined with a red glow. ¡°Yes.¡±
154 - Blue Team
Sally kicked up dirt as they followed along behind the rest of the Outsiders. They held back to continue the conversation, but didn¡¯t want to let them get too far ahead. She knew they¡¯d get lost somehow, and it¡¯d be like chasing headless chickens around.
¡°We¡¯ll call it Corrupted STAR for now, okay?¡± She linked her arm around Theo¡¯s, as concern covered her face.
¡°Sure.¡± Theo ran his tongue across his fangs. ¡°Someone or something must be able to create them¡ or whatever it is doing.¡±
¡°Why would people even want to?¡± Sally sighed. As if the world didn¡¯t have enough problems to overcome, people were trying to break the System¡ªand for what?
¡°It explains the poison, I suppose. Although not why they were targeting you.¡±
She narrowed her eyes. ¡°What do you mean the poison?¡±
¡°Forty-seven hours, twenty-three minutes. Until I die.¡± He looked down at her impassively.
Sally wasn¡¯t too sure what to make of that. Was he still doing a bit? It wasn¡¯t exactly like him to continue on past the point of being funny. Not with something like this. ¡°You¡¯re being for real?¡±
He nodded.
¡°Ass! Take an antidote, or whatever we have that gets rid of that sort of thing.¡±
¡°Already tried.¡± He looked away from her and into the mess of deep green vegetation they were passing. ¡°Nothing worked.¡±
Nerves worked up inside her, and she let go of his arm. ¡°This is serious, then? You don¡¯t seem worried? I¡¯m worried.¡±
They continued on in silence for a moment, but the vampire finally responded. ¡°I¡¯ve lived a good life here. Well, not really good, and I¡¯m no longer alive¡¡± He stopped, and she turned to pause with him. ¡°I¡¯m not saying I want to leave the System¡ to leave you¡ but there¡¯s some calm to having a timer on my mortality.¡±
Sally pouted and tried to read his face. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know how to process that, Theo.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a lot, I know. My stats are completely broken and I feel like a pup that has caught the van it was chasing. What now? I¡¯m mostly just here for you.¡± He put his cold hand up to the dead flesh of her cheek.
¡°Aw, bud.¡± She smiled as she looked into his eyes. ¡°Are you just working through the dialogue choices to find the romance option?¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± he grinned, exposing his sharp fangs.
She rolled her eyes and adjusted the collar of his suit jacket. ¡°I¡¯m an uncaring monster, but you¡¯ve had my heart since we met by Hillan.¡± With a sigh, she gave him a glum smile. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯d feel a lot more lost without you here¡ªbut if you¡¯re ready to go¡¡±
¡°Not yet. I just need some time to process things.¡±
¡°Well, you have less than two days, dummy.¡± She gave him a brief hug and then punched him on the arm. ¡°We¡¯ll find you a cure and rule the world together, okay?¡±
Theo grinned. ¡°Only time will tell.¡±
¡°Ass!¡± She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him toward the Party, who had stopped ahead. ¡°We¡¯ll continue this later. The conversation, I mean.¡± She glared at him.
Humphrey stood grinning as he watched them approach. Norah was discussing something with Lucius, emojis appearing beside his head. The Death Knight tilted his head. ¡°Everything okay?¡±
¡°Other than Theo is actually going to die in two days? Yeah, just peachy.¡± She let go of the vampire and gave him a half-hearted scowl.
¡°Troublseome.¡± Humphrey said, as he nodded. ¡°It was nice knowing you.¡±
¡°Can you two just kiss and get it over with?¡± she growled and pushed Theo across the ground toward the Death Knight.
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The vampire bumped up against Humphrey¡¯s crossed arms. ¡°It¡¯s just that we are your sword and shield. We are bound to clash.¡±
¡°Until we duel, of course,¡± the Death Knight said with a wide grin.
Sally deflated and caught the gaze of Norah, the Mummy rolling her eyes at their antics. Lucius looked to have gotten his hands stuck to some manner of wild plant, and was struggling to remove it from his glove without it getting stuck to the other. Perhaps she was being too hard on them. Despite no longer feeling like they were melting, the exhaustion had already done enough damage, and she was being a grouch. New Area blues.
¡°Alright, Outsiders.¡± She stood up tall and waved her hands to get their attention. ¡°I¡¯m calling for a time out. Let¡¯s get somewhere safe and chill and recover.¡± She exhaled through her nose before continuing. ¡°If we cure Theo, then you two can have your duel. But! Not to the death.¡± She held a finger up and glared at them.
Humphrey grinned. ¡°Acceptable.¡±
¡°Sure, sounds good.¡± Theo pushed his glasses up to hide his excitement.
Sometimes you had to use the carrot rather than the stick. The result of the duel might have Party dynamic drama in the future, but if she could herd the cats along the right path for a while longer then future Sally could deal with that aftermath. After all, what was the worst they could do? Other than accidentally die, perhaps.
¡°Norah, you¡¯re an absolute icon. Lucius¡ here, let me help.¡± She stepped over and pulled the sticky flower from his gloves and threw it off to the side.
They needed her more than she cared to admit. Why she had settled into a leadership position, she wasn¡¯t exactly sure. Ambition was part of it. She had the big goals to push them forward¡ but she didn¡¯t exactly feel qualified for the position. Well, perhaps that was a valid excuse back in the Forest, but now she had the experience of dragging the empty-headed undead through all the barriers the System had set up.
Something wasn¡¯t sitting right with her, though. She looked around, as if there could be more enemies lying in wait. There probably were, but that- Oh, that was it.
¡°Theo?¡± She grabbed and pulled him back over as the group started walking once more. ¡°What was the ranger like?¡±
¡°Aside from the¡¡± he raised an eyebrow in not wanting to repeat in front of everyone. ¡°Uh, dark skin, curly brown hair. Her clothing was a mix of deep greens and dark grays.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Tasted a little odd, but I figured that was just because of the¡¡±
¡°Okay.¡± She tilted her head and frowned. That didn¡¯t really tell her too much¡ not without jumping to conclusions¡ªand her legs were tired. She doubted she could pull that off. Her clothes either, with how the sweat had glued them to her dead flesh. Too distracted.
¡°We are here,¡± Humphrey announced from the front.
She assumed he meant the outpost, rather than just a general statement about existence. Although, with how she was feeling, she wasn¡¯t too sure.
A miniature fortress loomed out just ahead of them at the end of the path, which now split off into two other directions into the deeper jungle. Made of dark wooden trunks, the arched open gate was flanked by two watchtowers. Two guards in each, and two flanking the gate. All System-created and dressed in the same dull gray plate armor, bright yellow detailing and white tabards. A brave choice for such a mucky environment.
¡°Welcome adventurers. Arberg needs your assistance, should you be able?¡± The line from the closest guard as they approached seemed stilted and lacking context.
¡°Anyone read the lore?¡± Sally wrinkled up her face.
¡°It¡¯s the area to the north of us,¡± Humphrey filled in the exposition. ¡°Researchers and Monster, the usual.¡±
¡°Neat.¡±
They passed through the gate and into the outpost proper. It was muddy and drab. Not exactly a great break from the rest of the jungle, but at least they should be able to avoid most danger and annoyance for the rest of the day. Perhaps if she hadn¡¯t tempted fate by thinking that.
The insides of the wooden walls had a gathering of buildings, short and stocky, made of the same dark wood. A forge, tavern, dorms, and a couple of houses for the System-created to live. Or pretend to. With a click, a small dial turned a notch in her head, and intrusive thoughts wanted to destroy and consume this little slice of civilisation. The elation she had felt when she had caused the zombie apocalypse in the previous area rose up before she shook it away. She must be tired.
¡°Are we going to find some proper Quests?¡± Theo narrowed his eyes and adjusted his glasses.
There was a noticeboard over on the side that looked as though it had a number of pages stuck. Offering rewards for services, perhaps. Hopefully, none of them were Wanted posters for the Outsiders¡ªit had been a year, surely they¡¯d have gotten bored with chasing shadows by now?
Sally rubbed her face. ¡°I think first we should look for-¡°
¡°Outsiders,¡± a voice came from behind them.
They spun to look back at the road. A group of five figures stood, all wearing blue tabards. This one was led by a woman in a long purple robe, flanked by a man and woman in fighter gear with shields at the ready. What looked to be two rangers stood at both ends of the group, and were dressed identically¡ªa mirror image of each other, their faces obscured by dark green hoods.
Sally took a deep breath, not entirely mentally. ¡°You¡¯re the other faction, and you¡¯ve heard there is a new Party in town and want to delight our ears with your stance on the whole fight in hopes that we will join your side and not eat you?¡±
The pale woman with long black hair stepped forward and gave them a brief bow. Their blue tabards had a white arrow facing upward, and silver detailing along the edges. They really did make this easy.
¡°Correct, Sally. It is a pleasure to finally meet you all. My name is Rachel.¡±
Sally raised an eyebrow. That was unexpected. ¡°You know us already?¡±
¡°Of course,¡± the woman smiled warmly. ¡°Our leader has been telling so much about you, we have been awaiting the return of the Dragon slayers.¡±
155 - Time Out
Chuck stared, his eyes narrowing slowly. He exhaled through his nose and drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. It was no use. He¡¯d have to act.
¡°Dent, feet off the table.¡± He glared further at the swordsman.
Dent rolled his eyes, but dragged them back off onto the ground. ¡°You¡¯re stressed, Chuck.¡±
¡°You think?¡± The Druid clutched at his wooden staff. ¡°The reports said the Outsiders are finally entering the jungle.¡±
¡°Rachel is down that way. She is more than capable.¡± The man tilted the edge of his blade-arm in the air, watching it catch the light. ¡°I would have thought you¡¯d be happier to see your friends back after so long.¡±
Chuck clucked his tongue. ¡°Lots of things have changed.¡±
¡°You worried they won¡¯t take our side?¡±
He didn¡¯t reply at first, and just looked out toward the sky outside of the tent. ¡°Either way¡¡± he eventually said, softly. ¡°I know what they will do when they get here.¡±
¡°Chuck!¡± Sally threw her arms up in surprise. ¡°The leader of Blue Team?!¡± Her eyebrows were almost as high and she hopped around to wave her disbelief in front of the others.
¡°We¡¯re¡ not called ¡®blue team¡¯,¡± Rachel began, looked like she was not used to dealing with such overt displays of mania. ¡°But yes, Chuck is our leader. He and Dent have-¡°
¡°Dent too?¡± Sally beamed. It was like the greatest hits of the Wasteland but in the new area. ¡°I¡¯m glad they¡¯re both okay,¡± she said as she calmed down and stood still. ¡°They didn¡¯t reply to my messages. Oh, when you say ¡®he and Dent¡¯¡?¡± She leaned her head forward and raised her eyebrows again.
Rachel returned a blank stare. ¡°Dent is in charge of security, and our second-in-command.¡±
Theo shrugged toward the Death Knight. ¡°I can see that ship.¡± Humphrey nodded in return.
¡°Down to business then,¡± Sally said as she crossed her arms. ¡°Just because Chuck was one of our greatest pals, it doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll blindly follow whatever it is you guys believe.¡±
Chuck was a pacifist, to a degree. Didn¡¯t like the violence of the System. She anticipated his view would be to erase conflict as well, but hopefully in a less detrimental way than the Red Team had wanted.
¡°Of course.¡± The woman nodded, with a smile. ¡°He told us you would be shrewd. Would sooner ¡®eat both factions than bend the knee¡¯. His words.¡±
¡°He knows us well,¡± the zombie said with a grin. ¡°Shall we go occupy this tavern and sit to chat?¡±
With a nod, the two groups moved off toward the building. It was by no means large, but thankfully aside from a handful of System-created, it was empty of any Players. They had the pick of the tables, but they were only made to seat four. Sally tagged in Theo, and Rachel sat with the female fighter. Shoulder length red hair and thick leather armor that made it awkward for her to sit down. Humphrey only pouted a little.
¡°This is Tifa,¡± Rachel gestured as she sat down too. The Fighter nodded, but didn¡¯t look to want to be a verbal participant in the proceedings. ¡°From your greeting, it sounds like you have already met with the other faction?¡±
Sally nodded as she shuffled in beside the vampire. The rest of the Party mingled awkwardly at the next nearest table behind them, while Rachel¡¯s group did the same behind her.
¡°They certainly had some thoughts on things,¡± she said diplomatically.
Rachel smiled softly. ¡°You can imagine why we are so at odds. While they wish to break down the System and remove parts of it¡ªfine people such as yourselves included¡ªour goal is quite different.¡±
Theo tilted his head to the side, eager to hear more. Sally was waiting for the reveal that they were both kinda flawed and there wouldn¡¯t be an easy answer.
¡°The System is flawed, and we intend to fix it. Make it equal for all who live here, but make it so that there is more to life than progression through conflict.¡± She continued to smile at them both.
¡°But¡?¡± Sally narrowed her eyes.
Rachel tilted her head. ¡°There¡¯s no ¡®buts¡¯ as such¡ Chuck said we could be honest with you¡¡± She looked around the room to check they were the only Players here. ¡°Somebody is making a move for the Architect¡¯s position.¡±
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¡°Whaaat?¡± Sally hissed, exchanging glances with Theo. ¡°How do you know? And who?¡±
The woman drummed her fingers on the tabletop. ¡°Even with the trust he has for you, I cannot tell you more without you joining us.¡±
Sally deflated. ¡°You haven¡¯t even told us the catch that makes you secretly terrible yet.¡±
Theo rubbed at his chin. ¡°So you want Players and Uniques to be able to live in peace?¡±
¡°Yes, in our ideal world, violence would only be able to be inflicted on the System-created, but would still be optional. You could live without fighting, should you choose so.¡±
They sat in silence for a moment as this sunk in. On the surface, it sounded perfect. No Players or Uniques could fight amongst themselves. But¡
Sally licked her lips. That meant no more tasty brains. It seemed like a selfish thing to get hung up on in the grand scheme of the world. The part of her not governed by her stomach melted at the thought, however. A world where you wouldn¡¯t need to fear for your life constantly, where you didn¡¯t have to level and get stronger to make sure someone couldn¡¯t punch down at you. Her dietary requirements seemed to pale in comparison.
She wrinkled up her face. ¡°We would¡ need time to discuss.¡±
¡°Of course,¡± Rachel said with a smile. ¡°You need to level up, too.¡± She raised her hand and one of the cloaked rangers brought forth a book, out of which a scroll was taken. ¡°Chuck said you were powerful, so we can give you a teleport further in to the area. The jungle here is especially oppressive.¡±
¡°And filled with assassins.¡± Sally rolled her eyes.
The woman paused and furrowed her brow. ¡°You¡¯ve had a run in the Last Word?¡±
¡°If that¡¯s what they¡¯re called,¡± Theo shrugged as he grumbled. ¡°We had one tracking us until we stopped them from doing so.¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Sally added, ¡°who are they?¡±
¡°Doomsday cult that just sprung out of nowhere. They want the System to fail in its entirety. Plunge us all into¡ nothingness? I¡¯m not sure, but they have been targeting powerful Players in the area, so I¡¯d be wary.¡± Rachel grimaced and passed over the teleportation scroll.
¡°Theo already has a poison that will kill him in two days.¡± Sally took the scroll and rolled her eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t take him anywhere.¡±
¡°I am a walking calamity,¡± the vampire grinned, exposing his fangs.
Rachel paused, either put off guard by the casual nature they had towards the deadly malady, or perhaps other thoughts derailed her train of thought in seeing Theo¡¯s true nature. Sally narrowed her eyes at the woman either way, just to be sure.
¡°That¡¯s¡ not good. I¡¯m not aware of a cure.¡± She exhaled and curled her upper lip up. ¡°I will need to talk to Chuck.¡±
¡°We can¡¯t see him yet?¡± Sally pouted. Ignoring her messages and refusing to see them was pretty rude¡ªafter all this time, too?
¡°He requested¡ only when you get to Level Twenty-Five, I apologize.¡± She did seem to understand their frustration, even if she couldn¡¯t do anything about it. ¡°The scroll will take you to the area for Twenty-Four and up, so you¡¯ll be the underdogs.¡±
¡°Suits us,¡± Theo said with a grin.
Sally nodded. ¡°Better than being over, dogs. What do we do once we have made a decision?¡±
Rachel held out her wrist, her STAR ready to trade contact information. ¡°Send me a message. We¡¯ll take it from there. If you¡¯ve had the spiel from the others, you should know they have a dim view of Uniques¡¡± Her eyes unfocused to look past the pair to the rest of the Outsiders. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how they¡¯d treat you even if you joined them. Not that I¡¯m trying to tip the scales.¡± She gave them another warm smile that reached her eyes.
¡°Our pleasant interactions with Players are few and far between,¡± Sally said with a shrug. ¡°Being allied with Chuck puts you a couple of steps further away from our stomachs¡ but we¡¯re not above villainy, should you cross us.¡±
¡°Villany, meaning we kill and eat you all,¡± Theo clarified.
The woman couldn¡¯t meet the vampire¡¯s glare, but nodded towards the pair. ¡°Of course. We are well aware of what you are, and what you have accomplished in the world despite your¡ questionable methods.¡±
Murderin¡¯ was certainly that. Sally couldn¡¯t fault the woman for her ability to lead a pleasant meeting. It took more than sweet words to sway her desires, though. If possible, she wanted to meet Chuck and hear it from his own mouth before she signed up for what he had planned. Part of her felt that it should be her plan they were following, but if she was honest¡ªshe didn¡¯t have one yet.
The world had moved on without them for a year, and what were they now? Relics of a harder time when the System was more of a mess. She felt older. It might as well have been twenty years for how out of place she felt.
¡°As such, that is all I have to say.¡± Rachel nodded and stood from the table. ¡°We wish you good luck in whatever your future entails.¡±
¡°You too.¡± Sally waved them off as their Party left the tavern.
Lucius and Norah shuffled into the empty chairs, and Humphrey stood at the end of the table with his arms crossed. A brief silence followed as they waited for everything to sink in.
Sally clucked her tongue to break the silence. ¡°Well¡ this is pretty exhausting, huh?¡±
Humphrey nodded. ¡°What are your thoughts?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to the floor first.¡± She deflated and sunk into the uncomfortable chair.
¡°Chuck seemed pretty nice,¡± Lucius began, a lightbulb appearing beside his head¡ªwhich was something odd that Sally didn¡¯t care to think about right now. ¡°Unless something terrible happened in the last year, he should still have a good head on his shoulders.¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°He might be useless for fighting, but he had generally a decent view of life.¡±
Norah tilted her head. ¡°Rachel and her group seemed okay too, for adventurers. I¡¯d hate to think that was an act.¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes at the vampire. ¡°What did you think of Rachel, fangs?¡±
¡°Hmm? Oh, she seemed genuine enough.¡± He absent-mindedly looked off out through the window at the horizon.
She exhaled through her nose. What a dweeb. That was his ''thinking of power-leveling look.'' ¡°So we¡¯re all in agreement that the Blue Team are temporary pals until we make a decision, and Red Team are walking meals?¡±
They nodded and murmured their agreements. Seemed a little callous, but they had to get their villain points before people started calling them anti-heroes.
¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean we¡¯ve basically made the decision?¡± Lucius asked as a question mark bubble popped up.
¡°I¡¯m not signing anything this soon.¡± Sally shook her head. ¡°We can be friends until we know what¡¯s really going on in the Jungle.¡±
¡°After that,¡± Theo said as he pushed his glasses up, ¡°it gets difficult.¡±
156 - Chomp
Sally tapped her finger on the table as the Outsiders languished around the tavern. While they were almost decided on which faction to join, the whole atmosphere of the third area was a bit of a gloomy cloud over their joyous victory lap of the Wastes.
¡°You¡¯re twitchy, Theo.¡± She turned a tired gaze toward him. ¡°You want to go somewhere?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± He sighed and looked out of the window. ¡°You know what I¡¯m going to ask.¡±
She rolled her eyes. ¡°Again? I can¡¯t stop you if that¡¯s what you want. It¡¯s just that you only have two days¡¡±
¡°I just need one.¡± He wrinkled up his nose. ¡°Maybe one and a half.¡±
¡°How are we supposed to heal you if you¡¯re off being a goof?¡± She pressed a finger against a shoulder as if she was pinning him in place. ¡°You leave this to the last minute and you¡¯re getting your coffin rights taken away.¡±
Lucius shuffled on the stool beside the bar and leaned over to Humphrey. ¡°What does that mean? Doesn¡¯t he need that to sleep in?¡± A question mark appeared beside his head.
Humphrey exhaled, his empty sockets facing the System-created barman who seemed to be ignoring him. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s not what she means.¡±
¡°So then-¡°
Norah put her hand on his shoulder. ¡°Best not to overthink things, Lucy.¡± A bandage moved around in the air to wrap around two bottles of alcohol from behind the bar.
¡°Isn¡¯t that stealing?¡± Humphrey said with a wide grin.
The Mummy winked and hovered one over to him. ¡°We¡¯re villains, aren¡¯t we?¡±
Sally deflated. ¡°Fine. Go solo level and meet us at¡¡± She scrunched her eyes up at the Scroll. ¡°Heavy Logs. Wow, that¡¯s a really inspired name. Or I guess we might not be there forever, so find us your own way.¡±
Theo glazed over as he went through his STAR menus. ¡°Alright. I want to find out more about this Last Word group and try to put a stop to them if possible. While leveling. And finding new gear for you guys.¡±
¡°In one day?¡± Sally put her hand on his leg. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard, pup.¡±
He smiled, exposing his fangs. ¡°You¡¯ll barely miss me.¡±
Sally stared at him for a moment, silence filling the tavern. ¡°Oh. Sorry, I was expecting you to teleport after that one-liner.¡±
¡°That would have been cooler, huh?¡± The vampire tilted his head. ¡°But I¡¯m staying here¡ªyou¡¯ll need to teleport to¡ Heavy Log.¡±
¡°Heavy Log,¡± Humphrey repeated from across the room.
Sally raised an eyebrow. ¡°You know much about it, Humps?¡±
¡°No. I just like saying the name.¡±
Lucius cupped his misty chin. ¡°Heavy Log.¡±
¡°Heavy¡ Log.¡± Norah nodded her head slowly.
With a blank expression on her face, she turned back to Theo. ¡°I think it¡¯s the brain cell that you share with us that I¡¯ll miss most.¡±
He grinned and gave her a light kick under the table. ¡°Let me get going then. I don¡¯t have long left.¡±
¡°Ugh, this isn¡¯t going to be a thing, is it?¡± She shuffled out from the table to allow him to exit.
¡°Not for very long,¡± he said with a smirk.
¡°Ass. Serves you right if you die, it should have been me.¡± She crossed her arms as he stood up straight.
¡°I¡¯d say don¡¯t be envious, but green does suit you.¡± Theo gave her a pat on the head before looking at the rest of them. ¡°Stay safe. I¡¯ll be back before you know. It¡¯s¡ inevitable.¡±
With a brief bow, he then spun around and walked out of the tavern, into the day beyond.
¡°I¡¯m not green,¡± Sally said with a sulk.
Lucius shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re green-ish.¡±
She deflated further and turned to the Death Knight, who was now holding the open bottle but had made no attempt to drink it. ¡°He seemed fine with leaving me to be assassinated while he was gone.¡±
¡°No,¡± Humphrey said, as he shook his head. ¡°He sent me a message while you were talking. He trusts me to protect you at all costs.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes and sat back down at the table. All the talking today had ruined her appetite for adventure. Not even the prospect of slightly more acceptable brain-meals caused her to shift from the chair. She didn¡¯t want to lose any of the gang, but especially not Theo. He was a dweeb, but with him around, she could remember her previous life and it gave her some hope that there was something after this.
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Too many stakes in the Jungle. It was easier to punch the bullies, but now they were stepping into something that needed a few more thoughts to figure out. She grumbled to herself as she stared at the worn wooden table in front of her.
Norah shuffled in opposite, putting her full bottle to the side. ¡°There¡¯s a lot going on, hun. You doing okay?¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± she replied with a glum smile. ¡°It¡¯s just new area blues. Once we get on the trail of destruction, then things will sort themselves into order.¡±
If only Chuck wasn¡¯t screening their calls. It was unfair he wasn¡¯t his usual chummy self, but maybe something happened in the year just gone. Perhaps if they started to-
The doors to the tavern opened up, and the Outsiders looked over, expecting to see Theo on the return.
¡°Yeah, I must have left it in here, I was just-¡° the first man began, before the pair of them stopped.
Their eyes looked around the tavern at the present undead, while Sally¡¯s group was more focused on the tabards that they wore.
Red.
¡°Villany?¡± Norah murmured.
Sally licked her lips. ¡°Anything we can help you gentlemen with?¡±
¡°You haven¡¯t joined anyone yet,¡± the second man began, slightly less full of panic than the first. ¡°Care to hear more on¡¡±
¡°No,¡± she shook her head interrupting.
¡°I think this is them, the Outsiders,¡± the first man whispered louder than he hoped to the other. Sweat had started to run down the sides of his round face.
The second man didn¡¯t reply, but his eyes glazed over, as if he was accessing his Chat messages.
Bandages shot out and wrapped around his arms, yanking him immediately toward the table where the two undead women were sitting. Sally stood and leveled her [Skeleton Key] into his eye socket as he stumbled toward them. [Eat Brains].
The other man turned to run but dropped suddenly as the planks of wood beneath him turned into shadow and he fell down into the basement below.
With a grin and blazing crimson light blaring from her eyes, Sally hopped down onto the floor and then jumped down after him. In the earlier areas, she might have expected the Player to have broken a leg or at least been injured enough to be easy prey. No such luck in this area, apparently.
Blue light illuminated the brickwork of the small basement, the stacked barrels and wine racks reflecting the glow of the spear raised and ready toward her. The man seemed prepared.
[Escape Fate]
Sally vanished and appeared on the other side of the underground room beside the stairs, four zombies crawling from the dusty floor where she had been. The Player was already swinging the long weapon around, easily carving through two of the raising dead as she stepped closer to her. A blue circle of carved runes started to build around his feet.
She was starting to consider they should have killed this one first. Then again, they often got lucky with Players who died before really getting into their stances to effectively use their skills. Most were used to fighting the simple System-created Monsters who followed a set routine. It seemed the third area Players had more experience in PvP.
The brick wall pressed up against her back as she ran out of space and the man dove toward her, lashing forward with the glowing spear tip with one hand. Pain flared down her left arm as it split through her collarbone and pinned her to the wall. With a grin, she grabbed the weapon with her offhand and held it there in place.
¡°Now what?¡± She hissed as he struggled to remove it.
He let go and withdrew a sword from his side, another flash of blue as a shockwave blew dust around the enclosed space. The two remaining zombies stumbled back, slightly stunned, and he spun to slash through them with his blade.
Sally pulled the offending weapon out of her as the shadowed floor above filled back in, plunging them into darkness aside from the blue glow of the Player¡¯s skills.
[Curse: Decay]
A dark green tether slunk from her hand before it latched onto the man, sparkles of crimson flickering around where it touched him. She wasn¡¯t absorbing the health as her own, but she could feel his life draining away. So could he.
¡°Monster!¡± He growled, lashing forward with his sword.
Sally grinned and stepped to the side, shoulder barging him as his attack missed. He stumbled away, but an after-image of him blurred through the space.
¡°I am!¡± She chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t even know that you never had a chance.¡±
He spat, and a white sheen enveloped him. ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong.¡± His feet scraped against loose gravel as he got into a stance.
The crimson eyes of the zombie lit up in the darkness. ¡°Drown in your inevitable future, mortal.¡±
[Endless Dead]
¡°Do you think we should go and help?¡± A question mark appeared by the Shade.
¡°No.¡± Humphrey shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just one Player. She would-¡°
The entire tavern shook briefly, bottles and glass mugs clinking together before the vibration settled.
Before any of them could make a note about it, the door behind the bar swung open and Sally stomped out, coughing out dust.
¡°You okay, hun?¡± A bandage went around to support the zombie as she stepped around the bar back to them.
¡°Yeah, ahh.¡± She popped out a healing potion and downed it. ¡°Turns out the System doesn¡¯t really plan where it is going to stick forty zombies when you summon them in a small room.¡±
¡°Crushed and eaten?¡± Humphrey grinned.
¡°Sucks because they got in my way and I couldn¡¯t eat him.¡± She yawned and watched her shoulder heal up under the effects of the magic potion. Was never long until her clothes were ruined and covered in blood or filth. Part and parcel of zombie life.
Lucius kicked his feet back and forth as he sat on the stool. ¡°So I guess we¡¯re killing Red Team on sight, then?¡±
Sally flexed her neck from side to side with a crack. ¡°They knew who we were. Usually, that¡¯s a bad sign.¡±
Humphrey nodded. ¡°Especially after we have been away for so long. Unless Lenard told others about us, of course.¡±
¡°Probably did,¡± she agreed. ¡°I think they could see that we weren¡¯t on board with potentially erasing all others like us.¡±
They stood in thoughtful silence for a moment while Sally went over to loot the man she had eaten. There were no useful documents on him, and no items worth celebrating about. ¡°Rats!¡± She stood and spun back to Humphrey.
¡°Mice?¡±
¡°No. Theo went off with that information from the assassin and didn¡¯t tell us what it said.¡± She rolled her eyes and glared at the door.
Norah stood and stretched out her back. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s why he wanted to go off alone, wants to deal with something before it¡¯s a problem for all of us. He tends to be thoughtful like that, hun.¡±
Sally deflated. The vampire liked to showboat as if he was the star of the narrative occasionally, but he always did what was best for the team. When he had enough sleep, anyway. His portable coffin had been a lifesaver, literally.
¡°No use fussing about that now,¡± she said with a grin, shuffling those thoughts away.
From her pouch she withdrew the Teleport Scroll. ¡°Let¡¯s go level!¡±
157 - Beachside
A wave of blue energy flooded around the four of them, and a sense of vertigo shifted them deeper into the third area.
Sally blinked away the blur in her eyes as she tried to adjust to the new lighting. There was always the lingering thought that it could have all been a trap¡ªthere was no way of knowing whether the Blue Team truly knew Chuck or was just trying to ply some trust onto the Outsiders for the reveal that they wanted to kill them off too. Theo had said Rachel seemed genuine though, and she trusted his judgement.
She furrowed her brow at the surroundings as the other three got their bearings. It certainly wasn¡¯t a trap, but it was unexpected. No longer was a dense jungle surrounding them on all sides, but instead something more tropical in appearance blocked the horizon. Taller palm trees, and more sparse vegetation on sandy dirt. There was even the sound of lapping waves in the background.
Three wooden houses stood on stilts to their right, the pale wood bleached by the warm sun that sat overhead in the blue sky.
¡°Well,¡± she eventually said, ¡°this is a lot more pleasant.¡±
Humphrey grinned. ¡°Yes. To think we were so excited about jungle warfare that we have now avoided.¡±
¡°Excited.¡± Sally rolled her eyes. It was tropical enough, without needing to drown them in thick leaves and tripping-hazard vines. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s plenty of mishap and malady we can smother over ourselves in this area.¡±
Lucius had his hands on his hips and was staring out behind them. ¡°I feel good about this area already.¡±
She turned her head around and looked to where he was indicating. There were Monsters. They slowly clambered around an area of damp sand where it looked as though the tide had gone out some time recently. Four legs and squat bodies. She would have thought they were crocodiles if not for the gray scales and short, round face like a seal.
¡°They almost look too cute to kill,¡± Norah said as she tilted her head to the side.
Humphrey grinned. ¡°Almost.¡±
Sally wasn¡¯t too convinced. Were they supposed to just kill the first thing they saw, or was there a Quest¡ or¡ whatever Players were actually meant to do in this world? It had been so long since they had a normal adventure that the whole process felt foreign. She brought up the Map and wrinkled her nose up.
¡°Let¡¯s mop these up to get our footing,¡± she started, ¡°and then move closer inland. Just try to get as much experience before nightfall as we can.¡±
The Death Knight withdrew his sword and nodded to her. ¡°Agreed. Seeing as we are under-leveled for this area, we should have no issue gaining levels.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t jinx it, Humps.¡± She rolled her eyes, and a screaming face appeared beside Lucius.
She withdrew her dagger and dropped down from the wooden platform they were on, landing on the soft sand. ¡°More sand,¡± she murmured. Although the breeze from the coastline washed away some of the heat from the sun overhead, so she couldn¡¯t complain too much. It was almost pleasant.
Into her left hand, she plucked a skull from her belt and it burst into green flame. As the other three dropped down beside her, she lobbed the attack into the air at the closest animal. With a burst of light, it struck them, leaving a scarred patch across their thick neck and shoulders. As four zombies began to rise from the ground, it turned and immediately mulched one with wide jaws, lashing a tail around to brain a second.
Sally pouted. Her zombies didn¡¯t do too well with the Level difference, even buffed with all their auras. As the weird Monster bit through the head of the last zombie, a sarcophagus smashed down into its skull, the bandages that had swung it going limp and returning to the Mummy.
¡°Sorry, hun. Hate to see a good underling go to waste.¡±
She smiled up at Norah. ¡°No problem at all. It¡¯s more fun when we fight together!¡± Turning her eyes back to the creature, it hadn¡¯t moved, still laying with its head stuck into the bloodied sand. The handful of groups of other Monsters didn¡¯t seem to mind the murder of one of their own.
¡°Humps, what are these called? I can¡¯t keep using generic terms in my inner monologue, and you do not want me to name them.¡±
¡°Snubtaurs.¡±
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Sally exhaled through her nose. That was worse than what she was thinking, but it was too late in the day to question whether the Death Knight was pulling her leg. Either that or the Architect truly didn¡¯t know what they were doing. She turned to Norah. ¡°Launch me.¡±
Bandages wrapped around her and drew her in closer, before she was lifted up into the air. The rush of sudden vertigo washed over her as she was flung overhead and above the group of Monsters. As she went to land, she cast [Endless Dead] again, to bring up her horde of zombies. They may be weak, but they served well as a distraction and bogged down the Snubtaurs to make them easy pickings.
Humphrey stomped through the sand in his heavy plated boots, illuminating through different shades of his combat buffs. His greatsword flickered with a crimson flame as he barged through the throng of zombies to sever the head of a Monster. Lucius vanished as he shadowed Norah, and the Mummy weaved her bandages through the horde to tie up and slow down their opponents.
Within a short minute, they had destroyed the packs. Although Sally had lost a dozen zombies, half of them had been replaced by undead versions of the Snubtaurs. It didn¡¯t do much to improve their appearance, but she wondered if she could use them to travel across water like skis. Probably not.
¡°There¡¯s some more packs further down the beach,¡± the Death Knight said as he tilted his head. ¡°Or we can head further east and into the more difficult parts of the area.¡±
¡°These were pretty easy.¡± Sally wiped the blood off her dagger. ¡°Perhaps we can just be a mini apocalypse and kill our way through everything with the horde?¡±
Humphrey scratched his chin as Lucius popped back out from the Mummy¡¯s shadow. ¡°Yes. That does seem quite efficient now that we are in an area more populated.¡±
While she had been sad that Endless Dead had an apparent cap of fifty zombies, that was still plenty to get the ball rolling. There wasn¡¯t actually a limit to how many she could create, only store away. The Wasteland had been so devoid of anything living that it hadn¡¯t been worth keeping the shamblers around for the most part. But now¡ they ran the risk of becoming a threat to everyone.
And that made her smile.
¡°Onwards!¡± she commanded the undead, and they started walking slowly toward the East.
She would save [Quick Death] for a time it was more important. Slow zombies were a chore, but she didn¡¯t want to get caught unawares with her Ultimate on cooldown. Not until they knew how threatening everyone around here was.
With a short stumble, she paused and spun around to look past her horde. Her eyes narrowed in a glare. She scoured the treeline before the shore.
¡°We are being watched,¡± Humphrey nodded as he came up beside her. ¡°Care to investigate?¡±
Norah followed their gaze. ¡°I could bring the trees down, but it wouldn¡¯t be quick.¡±
Sally shook her head. She couldn¡¯t see anyone there. Perhaps it was someone from Last Word, but perhaps not. ¡°No, just be wary. I don¡¯t want anyone else with a death counter.¡±
¡°About that¡¡± the Death Knight continued as they turned to continue with the shambling undead. ¡°Are you sure he is not making that up?¡±
¡°I am sure. It¡¯s not his kind of humor¡ and we discussed it before the outpost.¡± She gave the sand a glum expression as they walked.
¡°There¡¯s still something I feel you¡¯re not telling me.¡±
Sally looked up at his empty eye sockets. ¡°I can¡¯t lie when you give me those eyes.¡± She sighed. ¡°Remember Marius?¡±
¡°The Cleric¡ there are more like him?¡± Flames flickered around the back of his helmet.
She shrugged. ¡°Seems so. At least that would-be assassin was.¡±
They walked on in silence for a moment while Norah and Lucius exchanged looks.
¡°Is there something we should know, Humphrey?¡± The Mummy placed her hand on his arm.
¡°Yes. It is probably ideal that we are all on the same page?¡± He raised an eyebrow toward the zombie to see if she approved. After she gave him a quick nod, he continued. ¡°In the first area there was a Player who had somehow corrupted their STAR System to allow them access to things that Players shouldn¡¯t.¡±
Lucius rubbed his misty chin. ¡°Not like how Sally and Theo are part Monster, though?¡±
Humphrey exhaled. ¡°It is similar, I will admit. The method to get there is different. Sally and Theo got that way through¡ honest mistakes of the System, where it has smoothed off the edges of their odd existence. The Corrupted have forced the change against what the System would normally allow.¡±
Sally nodded. There were similarities, but ultimately her zombieness and the vampire were accidents that they had to live with. The Corrupted were making the choice to steal some kind of power from the System. Usually, that sort of thing didn¡¯t end too well.
With a shrug, the Death Knight continued. ¡°It¡¯s likely the poison that Theo has was part of that corruption¡ªthere isn¡¯t supposed to be anything that deadly. Not at this stage.¡±
The horde ran into a group of Monsters. Large bird-like creatures with long necks and sharp beaks. While the first zombie into the fray immediately had its brains blown out by the darting mouth of the first Monster, the bird was then surrounded by four others.
Ultimately, it wasn¡¯t that difficult for the group. Even with the level difference, they shredded through three packs of the animals. Zombies were lost, but soon topped up with Mortis Bomb or the fallen Monsters. Sally was growing quite the menagerie now. They swung through the last pack and then came to the mouth of a valley that led downward. Different Monsters moved around down at the bottom, but the sign just at the mouth of the decline caught her attention.
[Quest: Clear the Valley of Gnolls]
¡°Ooh, Quests¡ªI remember these. We used to do things like this for a whole five minutes, huh?¡± She turned to grin at the Death Knight.
¡°Yes. The experience gained should put us over to the next Level.¡±
¡°Great,¡± she returned a wide grin. ¡°I don¡¯t have any good gnoll puns to use as a one-liner, so, uh¡¡±
She wrinkled up her nose and shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s go kill things?¡±
Lucius paused as the other three started down the slope. Turning slowly, he narrowed his crimson eyes at the surround trees. Ellipses trailed beside his head before he turned and went to catch the others up.
158 - Gnoll Pun
Sally shook her hand off as the gnoll clattered back into some loose furniture. She might have hurt herself with that punch more than her target. Although, considering the creature wasn¡¯t getting back up, she might be mistaken about that. Things were going pretty much as expected. After the tide of undead washed down into the valley, the gnolls were easy enough to pick off even as tough as they were.
As Humphrey lopped the head off one of the Monsters, she hummed to herself and brought up the Party Chat, just in case the direct messages weren¡¯t working.
[Sally: how¡¯s things?]
[Sally: fangs]
[Theo: good]
[Theo: currently living]
[Theo: killed another LW¡ will meet u tonight to discuss]
Sounded reasonable enough. He must have gotten more information from the second assassin. Despite her mixed feelings on the System, it seemed shortsighted to want to destroy it without a known way out. Looking at her reflection in a discarded shield, she raised her eyebrows at herself.
¡°Everything okay, Sally?¡± Lucius popped out of Humphrey¡¯s shadow and slipped over some gnoll corpses to stand near her.
She smiled. ¡°Yeah. Theo is going to meet us later.¡± The skull in her hand burst into green flame and she lobbed it into the fray.
¡°Did he find the cure yet?¡± A sweat-drop emoji appeared beside the Shade¡¯s head.
¡°He didn¡¯t say.¡± She frowned and rubbed at her hair. Should they be looking for the cure, or was he going to sort it himself? Where would they even look? If the assassins didn¡¯t have the antidote, then her next port of call would have been Chuck¡ªthe Druid might have gotten something useful from leveling up. Thinking about it, he was probably reasonably powerful now, depending on what skills he chose.
She twirled her dagger around. ¡°I¡¯m sure it will get sorted in time, don¡¯t you worry. Wanna team up?¡±
¡°Sure,¡± a grinning emoji popped up, ¡°but first¡¡± He held out his gloved hand toward the horde fighting the gnolls. A crackle of monochrome lightning arced between his fingers, before a group of the Monsters grew less vibrant in hue.
With a grin, Sally jumped out toward them, and the Shade became her shadow. Slipping in between all the undead, it was simple to sneak up and stab or eat the brains of those otherwise engaged. It was always the bigger plan going on in the background that was their headache, just like in the Wastes.
First the System was in the way, and then a Unique, but now it seemed like Players were the cause of strife. Too busy trying to run the world instead of fattening themselves up for her stomach. Maybe she needed to give them something to actually worry about. She yawned and watched as Norah twisted the neck of a gnoll with her wrappings. The rough snap of its neck overheard over the battle before she dropped the body.
Lucius stabbed the nearby enemy as she took a break to look about. Humphrey was moving slowly and methodically through the remaining Monsters. Occasionally flaring up in blue light as [Decimate] became active. Zombie gnolls clamored around with her own to drag their brethren to the floor to consume. It was calming in a way, melodic. Perhaps Rachel should have given them a teleport to even further through the zone. She had underestimated how tough the Outsiders were, and Theo wasn¡¯t even here.
Around eighty percent of the way through the valley now, the other side that rose upwards into a slope was close by. The Quest hand in was up this side, which seemed mighty convenient. Although the mass of zombies made the process rather carefree, they did also slow things down¡ªwhere the four of them alone could have gotten through the camp quicker but at more potential detriment to themselves. It was kind of nice being queen of the zombies for a little again, though.
She yawned. There was something quaint about the Forest Area life that she missed. Things had seemed so rough then, but so simple in retrospect. With the abilities they had now, they could easily go back and sack the Capital, or murder their way through all the low level Players. It was a wonder nobody had done something similar¡ªor perhaps they had, and she just hadn¡¯t heard of it. Part of her daydreamed about becoming a dungeon boss, having their own lair for Players to throw themselves at. Tasty ones.
¡°Almost done, Sally,¡± Humphrey said with a wide grin from the front, his blade almost hewing a gnoll in half. ¡°Then we¡¯ll have another Level to consider. I¡¯m sure Edward would be pleased.¡±
Up until the point where he teleported to her to save her life and ate a blade, losing a level again. At least he could respawn back in the Wastes. It was a good thing he didn¡¯t have her ambition, otherwise his Unique bug would be a huge problem. If she could come back to life, well, she¡¯d be even more reckless than she was already.
Stolen story; please report.
She placed her blade into the furred head of the last gnoll and kicked them to the floor. No more brains, lest she throw them up. They tasted okay, but kind of plain and bitter. Certainly not as good as a Player¡¯s. Not that there were any at the table, currently...
Her eyes narrowed, and she looked up at the road ahead of them just as five figures rose from the horizon to walk down. Then another five beside them. Maybe she did get what she wished for. Abs, she thought to herself.
¡°Sally,¡± Humphrey nudged her from the side.
Behind them, coming down the cleared side of the valley, was another ten Players. They all had blue tabards on. Her STAR bloiped.
[Chuck: Sally.]
[Chuck: I¡¯m sorry it has to be this way.]
She closed it and growled up at the gathered figures. They were a good eighty or more feet away on either side, more if you accounted for the dead bodies in the way. Lucius popped out of her shadow and backed up into her, sweat-drop emojis running beside his head.
¡°Looks like we¡¯ve caught ourselves a little System error.¡± A man called down from behind her.
¡°They¡¯re not as tough as they look,¡± a second voice crooned.
¡°Dragon slayers, hah!¡±
Norah scowled and crossed her arms. ¡°Aren¡¯t these guys supposed to be our friends, hun?¡±
¡°Friends,¡± Sally pouted. ¡°I suppose only the family truly matters.¡±
¡°Twenty higher level Players,¡± Humphrey noted. ¡°What is your call?¡±
The current terrain wasn¡¯t very advantageous. The Death Knight might be able to block attacks for ten seconds, but if they were still stuck in this valley afterwards, then they¡¯d have trouble avoiding all the potential ranged attacks from both sides.
¡°I don¡¯t suppose absorbing Archie gave you any super powers?¡± She grimaced toward Humphrey while the Player¡¯s jeered on.
¡°Oh. Of course, although I can only use it in my Ultimate form.¡±
Sally exhaled. ¡°Your Ultimate is a new form? What do you think our chances are?¡±
¡°Yes." The Death Knight grinned. "One-hundred percent.¡±
A question-mark appeared beside Lucius¡¯s head. ¡°Of success, or death?¡±
¡°Oh, that was the question?¡± Humphrey raised an eyebrow and scratched the side of his head. ¡°In that case-¡°
¡°Outsiders!¡± The first voice called out again, silencing the murmured plotting of the Players. ¡°Any last words?¡±
¡°Pancakes!¡± Sally yelled, before punching the Death Knight. ¡°Hit it, Humps!¡±
[Soul Knight]
The plated figure burst into bright red flame for a second before it was quickly extinguished with a hiss. His dark crimson and black armor was now replaced by bright ivory and silvers as if he was made of polished bone. He took one step forward toward the northern group of players before tilting his head backward. From his eye sockets, emerald light blossomed.
¡°If I die Norah¡¡±
¡°You¡¯re a big softie considering you''re all metal,¡± the Mummy smiled. ¡°Just don¡¯t die.¡±
He nodded and smiled. ¡°I won¡¯t need shadowing. You three focus on the others.¡±
Sally frowned, but nodded. His new form might be visually stunning, but taking on a full ten Players was some other level of hubris. Plus, she might want those brains they were holding safe for her. She knew he was as tough as Theo was powerful, but he might be trying to overcompensate a little. Ah well, either he would be fine or they¡¯d all die.
¡°Die!¡± The loud Player signaled. It had been nice of them to give the group a few moments to talk before attacking. Perhaps even with the faction war, they were still too used to pulling boss aggro after some prep time.
¡°Can you throw me, Norah?¡± Sally narrowed her eyes at the group ahead. Two of them looked to be some manner of holy classes, based on the ridiculously bright white garb they wore. Some of them were chanting or casting skills. Some of those might even be Ultimates.
Bandage wrapped around her, and she slid backward along the ground before being flung into the air.
As one, they activated their abilities.
[Quick Death]. After a brief pause, the horde of zombies below Sally turned and began to run toward the Players. Sprinting past each other, she could see the surprise in the eyes of her opponents as the skull in her hand blazed green flame.
[True Shadow]. Lucius flickered as he became a shadow for each of the Outsiders. Crimson hue waved behind each of them as he readied shadowed version of their main weapons ready to strike.
[Royal Guard]. From beneath Norah, as the zombies rushed past her, a large figure rose from out of the ground. Thirty feet tall and wrapped in bandages just like a mummy, the undead creature with a bird head had golden bands encrusted with jewels around its wrists and ankles. Norah stood atop its shoulders and gave it the command to move forward.
From behind them, Humphrey activated [Impenetrable Defense] and slowly walked toward his group as their skills and attacks were rebuffed by his flickering blue shield.
Sally threw out the skull just before she landed, an arrow sticking her in the leg and a spray of fire just missing her as she landed atop the most priestly-looking figure. Just as she knocked him to the floor, her horde of sprinting zombies clashed into the group. Half of the Players focused on clearing the undead, either their Ultimates or powerful skills ripping wide holes through the fast corpses in flashes of different light.
She rolled across the body to not break her legs, slashing out with her dagger as her shadow mimicked the action, drawing deep lines of crimson through the bright white robes of the Player.
¡°Turn on us, would you?¡± She seethed as she stood amongst them, her eyes blazing bright red.
Humphrey¡¯s shield dropped, and he ran to cover the rest of the distance. Heavy plated boots thudded on the ground as arrows ricochet from his gleaming body and spells left hardly a scratch. Several Ultimates started to charge as he closed in.
[Endless Knight]
A dozen green arrows struck him, embedding into his metal. A dragon''s head of pure ice rose above him and sprayed him with a cone of freezing air. The surrounding ground turned into a mire of roots and thick mud, but he kept on moving.
With a flourish of his sword, the Death Knight''s eyes burned a bright green. ¡°Now you will know why you should fear the knight,¡± he growled.
159 - Ghosted
Sally stumbled backward as blood ran down the side of her face. The knight was a blur of blue and white light as he spun his blade around, shield covering most of his side. She jumped toward him and stabbed Skeleton Key straight through the metal and into his arm holding it.
¡°The hells?¡± He growled and bashed her away.
A second fighter swung from her side before his arm was stopped by the wrapping of a bandage. As two more shadowed ones circled around the man, he was jerked into the air toward the large bird-mummy. Sally hopped back away from the knight, holding [Curse: Decay] on him as her shadow stabbed him through his plated ankles.
This had been a tiring fight. Two brains eaten and almost lost her own twice over. Only a handful of Players left, but only a handful of zombies too. Many of them had been lost when she needed to [Share Burden] to avoid being run through with a holy lance. Norah had surrounded that woman with bandages, and under the glow of the yellow eye, turned her to sand.
Slightly more insidious when used against Players rather than Monsters, but Sally wasn¡¯t exactly one to judge. Mostly, she was saddened that the potential brain was taken off the table. She hadn¡¯t checked the stats she was getting from all these area three Players, but it was a substantial gain. The knight seemed to be regenerating health, or perhaps one of those remaining was a healer. It was hard to gauge as she tried to use what remaining corpses there were to stay out of sight.
The man glowed with white light as he charged up an attack, and Sally tensed to brace herself. A sarcophagus suddenly enclosed the knight, and she leaped forward, bringing her dagger through the air in a blaze. The trap vanished just as the point met his helmet, carving through it like butter and straight into his skull. [Eat Brains].
Number advantage was now in their court. She looked up to see the thirty-foot summon crunch through the wrapped fighter with its zombie beak as Norah¡¯s eyes glowed brightly. Her beast had taken some beating, but Sally had given it the occasional [Living Dead] to keep it going. It drew attention, and when her horde was still large it was almost untouchable, allowing the Mummy the perfect platform to buff and entangle foes from above.
Norah had been a good fit for the Outsiders in more ways than one, Sally grinned to herself.
She buckled as weakness hit her legs. Adrenaline was wearing off, and the wounds she had earned now burned at her senses. It was hard to see which blood was hers, but most of her clothing was torn, showing patches of green flesh bright red and wet. Next [Living Dead] should be for herself. She rolled to the side on aching muscles as a cleric with a mace swung for her, clocking one of the zombies instead. The burst of radiant light and now headless zombie told her that was a good call. She wondered how the Death Knight was holding up up the other side on his own.
Humphrey grinned as bright flame encircled him. His gleaming armor was filled with silvered holes and dents. Arcs of pale electricity rolled around his plated form as he breathed heavily¡ªnot that he was required to. These Players had been slightly smarter than most. Instead of standing in formation and getting all muddled, they had immediately arranged into groups. The healers and casters retreated away from the melee fighters who had held him back.
His first action had been to cause a rogue to [Kneel] and removing his head hadn¡¯t been something they were able to heal. They had two knights with shields that had been hard to shift, and left him open to the shots of the ranged Players. [Compelled Duel] hit, and they had been confused at their opponent now being untargetable. Skeletons up to force [Decimate] and he made short work of the healer who was unprepared for a one-on-one duel.
Taking on the rest had been a slow process. He couldn¡¯t catch up to the lightly armored Players while the knights were constantly on him. Any time he knocked one of them back, the other would step in. If he managed to wound one, the second avoidant healer would keep them up. It was both aggravating and tiring, and exactly what he deserved for his hubris.
The mage, standing beside the healer, has cast a circle of fire around him so that they may have a moment''s breathing room to recover. They didn¡¯t know he was almost immune to Fire Damage. He stepped through and flourished his sword. The two knights started to circle around to waylay him. Exhausting little bugs.
A sarcophagus flew in from the side, cracking the healer in the head and knocking the pair of casters to the floor. Humphrey turned to see Norah a way off, giving a fist pump toward the accurate shot.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
The two knights paused in seeing their backup clobbered to the floor¡ªat least one of the two was knocked out, if not dead.
¡°Now we can have some fun,¡± the Death Knight said as he flourished his sword.
[Expert Duelist]
The first knight lashed out at him with a long blade of green metal. Humphrey blocked it and then immediately made a counterattack at blinding speed, denting the man¡¯s armor and pushing him back. The second tried the same, but as soon as the Death Knight blocked the blow, there was a split second response, almost disarming the shield with how unexpected the strike was.
¡°This lasts until you can strike me,¡± he grinned, his own helmet flame lapping in the air. ¡°How lucky do you feel?¡±
Sally rolled across the floor and growled, standing to her feet on shaky legs. The cleric had some manner of aura that made it painful to get close to him. She had retreated and used the trusty Crossbow ploy, but they had a reflective shield that knocked the bolts away.
¡°You are very annoying,¡± she admonished the man.
His pale eyes just stared her down. ¡°Your awakening was foretold, I have prepared for this moment for almost a year.¡±
She glanced around at his dead companions. ¡°Did a pretty shitty job of preparing then, huh?¡± The sound of a body being torn in half by the bandages of the Mummy punctuated the brief silence.
¡°Then allow me to use my Ultimate,¡± he smiled sadly, raising his hand. A radiant glow began forming in a swirl around the man.
Sally could feel the power of it. Pure, holy energy designed to eradicate the undead from this plane. He really did go all in on wanting to kill her. She didn¡¯t even know his name.
Lucius popped out of her shadow to stand beside her. With the click of his fingers, the patch of ground the cleric was standing on became shadow¡ªa rough five foot cube of dirt suddenly missing from the terrain. The man dropped abruptly into the pit and then the Shade undid the skill.
¡°That¡¯s kind of broken, Lucy,¡± she said with a grimace. The man was now entombed up to his shoulders, his head looking around wildly in panic.
¡°My Ultimate wore off, so good thing I chose you to continue helping.¡± A smiling emoji appeared beside his hooded face.
The large foot of the behemoth stomped down on the exposed head, shattering the shield and aura, and pulping the man into the dirt.
¡°Sorry, hun!¡± Norah called down from the shoulder of the creature. ¡°I kept this one for questioning, though.¡± The large hand of the bird-mummy gestured forward to show a wrapped individual.
Although she had ruined the meal, that seemed like a decent enough peace offering to make up for it. The handful of remaining zombies milled around her, now slow again since the speed-up had worn off. Aside from the captive, their group of Players had been dealt with, surprised expressions on their faces and dirt and blood marring their blue tabards.
They looked over to Humphrey to see his shadowed figure lift up one of the knights, impaled on the end of his sword, before he slung them to the ground. With the quick flick of his blade, he finished off the remaining few, stabbing through the downed spellcasters. With a flourish of his greatsword, a mist pulsed from his body, obscuring him before waving away. Now he returned to his black and crimson armor, although it was silver in many places due to his wounds. He kneeled down and lowered his head.
Lucius shadowed into Sally as Norah bandaged her up to the behemoth¡¯s other shoulder, and they stomped over to the resting Death Knight.
Sliding down the outstretched arms, the Mummy clapped her hands as they all reached the ground and the large summon started to sink back into the ground.
[Living Dead] Sally cast her healing spell as they ran up to him. ¡°Everything okay, Humps?¡±
He grinned as Norah helped him back to his feet. ¡°Yes. Of course.¡±
Lucius popped out of her shadow and looked around at the dead bodies. ¡°Ten against one, very impressive.¡± A thumbs-up emoji emerged beside him.
¡°I won out due to my immense defensive capability and single target stuns.¡± He flexed out his neck as the silvered and bent pieces of his armor began to reshape.
¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Sally said as she waved her hand. ¡°Tell Norah all about it if you want to impress someone.¡± She narrowed her eyes back to the bound captive. ¡°I¡¯m too annoyed at Chuck right now.¡±
She stomped off away from them to recover the bandaged figure, removing some of the wrappings from their face to reveal a woman with tied back auburn hair. A long gash ran up the side of her face and green eyes full of malice glared at the zombie atop cheeks filled with freckles.
¡°Why did he do this?¡± Sally clenched her teeth as she lifted the woman up.
¡°Fuck you, undead scum,¡± the woman spat in return.
¡°Fine, I¡¯ll ask him myself. But you¡¯re not off the hook.¡± Sally dropped the captive to the floor and put a boot atop her so she couldn¡¯t squirm away. The rest of the Party walked over as she loaded up her STAR, ready to spout vitriol at the supposed Druid.
[Chuck: Sally.]
[Chuck: I¡¯m sorry it has to be this way.]
[Chuck: I wanted to see you sooner - it¡¯s been a tough year.]
[Chuck: If Rachel wasn¡¯t too convincing, well, we¡¯ll meet soon anyway.]
[Chuck: Don¡¯t tell the others, but I¡¯ve missed you all.]
She stared at the messages sent during the fight. Slowly, she turned her eyes away and narrowed them at the woman underfoot.
¡°Everything okay, Sally?¡± Humphrey put his hand on her shoulder and read through the messages still up. ¡°Hmm, interesting.¡±
¡°Chuck wasn¡¯t trying to betray us,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Which means there are two possibilities here.¡±
She removed her boot and grabbed at the wrappings to lift the woman back up to face level.
Her eyes danced with crimson energy as she moved her face closer to that of the enemy. ¡°Unfortunately for you, both answers mean I am going to eat your brains.¡±
160 - System Shock
Humphrey scratched the side of his head, adding a metallic scraping noise to their pensive silence and causing Lucius to wince.
¡°So,¡± Norah said as she tilted her head, ¡°the two options are either these Blue tabard adventurers are going against Chuck¡¯s will, or they are Red faction dressed up to frame the other for what they intended to do to us.¡±
¡°Precisely!¡± Sally raised a finger into the air. ¡°I can¡¯t decide which makes me more angry. Betrayal? I could never accept such a thing.¡±
¡°But what about-¡± Lucius began, before she pointed her finger at him in interruption.
¡°I had misread Chuck¡¯s inconveniently timed messages and thought he was feeding us to the wolves,¡± Sally tapped the side of her head. ¡°Not that it would have really changed the course of our venture, huh?¡±
She glared down at the woman, who they had gagged once more so that she would stop seething at them. Her eyes were still ablaze with hatred. It wasn¡¯t because they had killed or eaten most of her friends either, Sally knew the difference. This was disgust and disdain for what the Outsiders were.
¡°You¡¯re clearly Red team,¡± she tutted, shaking her head. ¡°You wear your prejudice brighter than any tabard.¡±
¡°That¡¯s rather poetic, for you.¡± Humphrey tilted his head at the zombie, then caught the glare of Norah.
Sally waved him off. ¡°I ate a lot of smart brains recently. I can¡¯t remember which, but something gave me some Intelligence. Or Wisdom. I forgot the difference.¡±
The Death Knight nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing.
Lucius crouched down beside the bound woman. ¡°So, are we going to kill her? Not going to do some ¡®good cop, bad cop¡¯?¡±
¡°It doesn¡¯t really work if you tell them that¡¯s what you¡¯re doing.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure she¡¯d tell us anything useful either way, and it feels so sad to murder in the cold light of day rather than in the heat of battle.¡± With a pout, she gave a shrug to the Shade.
He looked up at her with his crimson eyes beneath the dark hood. ¡°I have a skill I¡¯ve never used before. It¡¯s uh¡ weird."
Sally furrowed her brow. ¡°I can deal with weird. What does it do?¡±
¡°It¡¯s like¡¡± ellipses followed in the air as Lucius rubbed his chin. ¡°It¡¯s like a truth potion, but a lot creepier.¡±
¡°I can deal with creepy.¡± Sally nodded for him to go ahead.
[Seek Answer]
Lucius pooled into mist and swirled into the nose and covered mouth of the woman. She tried to squirm away from inhaling the Shade, but after he fully vanished, she relaxed. Her eyes were now a crimson color, staring off at the horizon.
Sally withdrew the gag from the captive''s mouth. ¡°That was creepy and weird.¡±
The woman¡¯s mouth opened but didn¡¯t move as the words came out. ¡°You have three questions.¡±
She blinked in return, before looking back at the Death Knight. ¡°You might wanna take the call, pops. I might waste it with inane quirkiness.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll leave you the last one,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°Although, don¡¯t call me pops.¡±
Norah placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It suits you.¡±
Humphrey deflated and crouched down beside the possessed woman. ¡°Are you part of the Red tabard faction?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Sally clicked her fingers and scowled off at the surrounding valley. They might need to move soon if the respawns were short here. In the Forest they were slow, but it also seemed to be based on how many Players were in the area. Things had been much quicker to come back after their coma where the Wastes were quite populated.
The Death Knight tapped his finger on his plated knee in thought. ¡°Where is your headquarters located?¡±
¡°North of here, near an area known as Thunder Cove.¡±
He raised his eyes to the zombie and gestured for her to continue.
¡°Ahhh.¡± She bit her tongue and tried not to ask something weird or about pancakes. ¡°Who is the leader of the Red tabard faction?¡± She should have paid more attention to what the factions'' actual names were.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
¡°I do not know their true name. They are known as Seven.¡±
¡°Seven?¡± Sally scrunched her face up. ¡°What kind of name is that?¡±
Humphrey rubbed his chin in thought as the mist poured back out of the woman¡¯s mouth and nostrils to form the Shade back on the outside. Lucius pulled his hood back over as the woman blinked a few times and looked back up at the zombie with her bright green eyes.
¡°I¡¯m sorry if that was traumatic or torturous,¡± Sally said with a glum smile. ¡°We¡¯re not barbarians, usually.¡±
¡°No¡¡± the woman furrowed her brow and looked over to the Shade. ¡°It was actually¡ pleasant?¡±
¡°That was my first time,¡± Lucius shrugged. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, but it was fun. Did you want to be friends?¡±
The woman bit her lip. ¡°Sure? Unless you are planning on killing and eating me?¡± She raised an eyebrow at the rest of the suddenly confused Outsiders.
Sally worked her jaw and let her brain catch up to the conversation. ¡°We can let your transgression slide¡ªbut you have to join Blue team and if you try to cross us, it won¡¯t end well for you.¡±
She nodded eagerly. ¡°Charlie. I¡ I¡¯m sorry for thinking you were monsters that needed destroying.¡±
Norah raised an eyebrow to Humphrey, who gave a shrug in return.
¡°Alright then,¡± Sally scratched at her hair. ¡°Lucy, come help me loot for a sec. You two can unwrap our new pal here."
Resigned grunts from all of them, but they did as they were told. She walked up towards the dead Players with the Shade in tow.
¡°What did you do in there, Lucius?¡± She narrowed her eyes at him.
¡°Me?¡± A sweat-drop appeared beside his head. ¡°Nothing criminal. Player brains are interesting places, though. There¡¯s like a¡¡± He rubbed his chin in thought.
¡°Sickness?¡± Sally asked.
¡°Yeah!¡± He clicked his gloved fingers. ¡°Like a System-sickness. Part of their brain that has trouble accepting this reality.¡±
¡°So when you were in there, you cured that?¡± She kneeled down by one of the bodies and started looking through their gear.
¡°Not really cured,¡± he said with a brief pause, a question mark beside his head. ¡°It was more like unclogging a blockage. Or pushing something under the rug.¡±
Sally nodded and looked back up at him. He allowed the woman to suspend her belief and allow herself to be content with what life she now had here. Nearly all Players had zero active memory of their previous lives, but there must be parts lurking in the back of their minds, making them want to reject the status quo here. Marius had been a prime example of that. Other than herself, Theo and Chuck were the only others she knew had past memories they could access.
It probably would have broken them if they weren¡¯t bugged, or didn¡¯t have each other. She felt bad for the Druid being left without them for a year. It was time to reply to his messages.
[Sally: we missed u too]
[Sally: I understand if we can¡¯t meet yet]
[Sally: Reds disguised in blue tabards ambushed us.]
[Sally: We have a turncoat. where can we drop them safely?]
Charlie might be thankful for the Shade unlocking the part of her brain, allowing her to be satisfied with the System, but she didn¡¯t want to drag the woman around. Lucius could have pen-friends on his own time. They had a world to save. Or something.
She looked back up to the Shade again. The System was supposed to pump you full of something when you joined that made you forget the past and accept the new. It obviously wasn¡¯t working as well as intended. It was a difficult thing to shunt a mind to accepting a whole new reality without some consequence. Which made the power that Lucius had more powerful than a lot of things the rest of them had.
¡°Hey, Lucy.¡± She stood and brushed her hands off on her clothes. ¡°Don¡¯t you go dying anytime soon, okay?¡±
He nodded, but a confused face appeared beside him. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, Sally.¡±
He¡¯d have to. That sort of ability would help smooth over the world once she was queen of it¡ªor whatever the plan shook out to be. While filling the populace with the Shade was hardly a step up from the System drugging people itself, there would be a way to do it that wasn¡¯t as predatory as they had just exhibited. She looked over to the woman, who was now unwrapped and looking rather sheepish between the two undead.
Her STAR bloiped, and she checked the messages.
[Chuck: Bastards!]
[Chuck: Sorry, that¡¯s Dent rubbing off on me.]
Sally narrowed her eyes.
[Chuck: Glad you¡¯re okay. There¡¯s a camp South of where you should be.]
[Chuck: Stay safe, keep in touch?]
[Sally: will do x]
She spun the menus around and then brought up the Chat with Theo.
[Sally: Humps just killed ten Players solo.]
[Sally: Hope you¡¯re being just as impressive x]
With a smile, she walked back over to the others with Lucius in tow. ¡°Alright, listen up. We have permission from head office to drop Charlie off at a nearby camp. She¡¯ll join up proper and spread the word of how great we are.¡± She hoped anyway, although the Blue faction might have a dim view of the turncoat, they seemed the more reasonable side.
¡°Charlie,¡± she continued, ¡°we will be killing anything in our path, so best to stay back. My zombies won¡¯t target you unless you annoy me.¡±
The woman nodded. ¡°Thank you, Sally. I¡¯ll be on my best behavior.¡± She smiled, something earnest that was in contrast to how much fury her face had previously held. True magic. ¡°I have some buff skills I could cast, though?¡±
¡°Be my guest,¡± the zombie grinned in return. She could see that Humphrey was rather neutral on the Player, but Norah was still full of her own disdain for the adventurer.
It made sense. Out of all of them, she was the more classic Monster. Defending her home from invading forces, that was the extent of her interaction with Players. Other than Chuck, she hadn¡¯t really met any ¡®good¡¯ Players. Sally knew there was more nuance to it. She was part Players herself, of course.
She wondered what the Shade¡¯s ability would do to her. Perhaps a thought for a better, or worse, day.
¡°Onwards, to the south!¡± She pointed more to the east, before correcting herself slowly, finger moving through the air.
¡°Sally is safe. I¡¯m still worried, though.¡± Chuck deflated in his chair as a ginger cat leaped up onto his lap.
¡°You think she won¡¯t like the plan? Won¡¯t accept it?¡±
The Druid worked his jaw. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of moving pieces. I just want things to work out okay for everyone.¡±
He stroked the ginger fur of the cat slowly, running his hand down their back to avoid the flaming skull it had for a head.
¡°Oh, things will,¡± the cat started to purr. ¡°Things will.¡±
161 - Be Plot
The wooden doorway burst open and a shadowed figure silhouetted the opening briefly, before being engulfed in a blazing torrent of fire.
Fabric burned and crisped away as the man stepped into the room. The flames abated, and his bare torso smoldered as it healed over.
¡°So sorry,¡± Theo said with a grin, ¡°I¡¯m supposed to ask before entering, aren¡¯t I?¡±
The woman clambered backward, knocking into shelves as she drew up a crossbow. ¡°This arrow is imbued with holy power, if I strike you in the heart-¡± Although most of her face was shrouded in some manner of face mask, her eyes were wide with panic.
¡°You won¡¯t.¡± He stopped and looked around. ¡°You¡¯d think your hideout would be harder to find. Planning this for what? A year? Undone within a day.¡±
¡°What kind of Monster are you?¡± Her finger tensed on the trigger.
¡°I could ask the same question. In fact, I did to the last three of you I killed.¡± Theo took a step forward and grinned, his fangs catching the light. ¡°No answer satisfied me, however.¡±
¡°You¡¯ll get no answer from me either, Outsider.¡±
The vampire tutted and shook his head. ¡°See. That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong.¡±
He took another step forward as her finger let loose the bolt.
In all their excitement, Sally almost forgot to hand the gnoll Quest in and receive the experience. After a quick jog back to the hand-in sign, her STAR blazed in the familiar golden shine to tell her the deed was done and she was ready to level up.
¡°Nineteen,¡± she clucked. ¡°Feels like it¡¯ll be forever until we hit Thirty here.¡±
Lucius shrugged. ¡°Well, we are behind by a year. If anything, I¡¯m surprised Chuck and the others are still in this area and not the fourth one.¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes at the horizon, or at least in the direction of it through the terrain and trees. Maybe there was something up with that area too¡ªit wouldn¡¯t shock her. It was surprising enough that the Jungle area was mostly working, if you ignored the pitched battles between Players.
She resigned to bringing up her skill choices.
[Pick One]
[Eager Stomach] [HP threshold for Eat Brains is lower.]
[Hard to Chew] [Increased protection against Beasts.]
[Unyielding Flesh] [Maximum Absorption is increased by 2%.]
If there was one thing she wanted to fix with the System, it would be that she could go back and choose all the skills she didn¡¯t get to pick earlier. Some manner of skill reset or picking system would be grand. Still, it was what it was.
It would even help if it wasn¡¯t so vague. The Eat Brains threshold could be huge if it was a good increase. Useless if it was only marginal. Still¡ the thought of getting food into her stomach sooner easily beat out the other options, and she prodded it before she couldn¡¯t second guess her appetite-led decision.
¡°What did everyone else pick?¡± She grinned. ¡°I can eat brains sooner, apparently.¡±
Lucius rubbed the back of his hood. ¡°I can do this.¡± He walked behind a tree to their left, and a second later, walked out from behind one on their right.
¡°Mine goes like this,¡± Norah said with a smile. She placed her hands together to form a gap that looked like a triangle. Out amidst the horde chewing through bandits, a miniature pyramid about a dozen feet to the peak burst out of the floor, sending bodies all over the place.
¡°Both very neat,¡± Sally said diplomatically. ¡°And you, Humphrey?¡±
¡°Nothing so interesting.¡± He looked away, a wide grin across his skeletal face.
¡°Metal-ass, you just want to keep it secret.¡± She huffed and looked back at the Player following them along.
Charlie smiled and cast a defensive buff on the group of zombies munching on some jungle bandits. ¡°Tell the joke about the pancakes again. I love that one.¡±
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Sally grinned. ¡°I would, but these guys might have heard it before.¡±
Humphrey slowed down to scowl at the Shade, putting a wide plated hand on his shoulder. ¡°Whatever you did to the Player, please undo it.¡±
It was a remarkable change. Even Sally could admit that. The woman had seemed a little put off by the newly raised dead, but otherwise was accepting of the group and their antics. Saw them as equals¡ªwhich made her happy. That¡¯s all she ever wanted from the System. They just needed to line every Player up and have Lucius hop inside them for a moment and then all would be right with the world.
If only things could be that simple. It was hard enough to organize the Outsiders into a straight line without calamity or mischief making a mess of the process.
The Death Knight then walked over beside her. ¡°I am concerned about Theo.¡±
She raised an eyebrow in response. ¡°Softie. What, his poison?¡±
¡°Not exactly, although that is concerning. Archie hid some memories before transferring to me, but I know they were about Theo.¡± He tilted his head as he watched the zombie bandits rise up to join the horde.
¡°Why do you think he¡¯d do that? What could he of known?¡± Sally frowned and cast [Living Dead] on her pals.
Humphrey shrugged. ¡°Nothing good, I¡¯m sure. There is a lot wrong with that man.¡±
She punched him on the shoulder lightly. ¡°Like falling for the wrong type of gal?¡±
He smiled and shook his head, before looking over to Norah. The Mummy was entangling the living bandits to give the zombies an easier deal of overwhelming them. ¡°Part of me feels I should be wary of how¡ human I have become. From unerring servant of the Observer, to patriarchal Knight of a group of oddballs.¡±
¡°You erred plenty before,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Remember back before the Graveyard, I asked you if you were happy?¡±
Humphrey nodded slowly, looking back down at her.
¡°And are you now?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
She grinned. ¡°Then you¡¯re on the right path. Whatever the problem with Theo is, we¡¯ll get past it together. As a group.¡±
¡°Remarkably level-headed for you.¡±
¡°Hey, skull-head! If there¡¯s one thing I am, I¡¯m always-¡± she tripped on a tree root and landed on the thick vegetative ground. ¡°¡level-headed.¡±
A bandage wrapped around her arm to help her up, and she brushed down her clothes. Wasn¡¯t much point at this stage. Covered in all manner of grime and gore. Par for the course as a zombie. While thinking of these goofballs as her new family was first borne of a joke, it was closer to reality than she¡¯d like to admit. Her real family might as well not exist for as far from them as she now was. There wasn¡¯t blood between the Outsiders¡ªnot their own, anyway¡ªbut they cared for each other.
She looked back at Charlie, as the woman smiled and talked with Lucius animatedly. They were Monsters, but that¡¯s all she wanted for the gang¡ªacceptance. Maybe to eat some brains on occasion.
¡°Any other Quests this way?¡± She looked up at the Death Knight.
He shrugged. ¡°Killing our way through mobs isn¡¯t the most effective way of leveling, but it¡¯s relatively easy.¡±
She would be inclined to agree. Between their buffs and the snowball effect of her horde, they were chewing through Monster packs with little need to intervene themselves. Norah seemed to like assisting, but that was more because she was trying to look after the flock rather than act out of necessity. Sally would put [Living Dead] up whenever it was off cooldown and that kept some up too. With enough time and weak enough enemies, she could start growing her own zombie apocalypse without needing to use the skill.
¡°Soooo, your Ultimate? Give me the details.¡± She pestered the Death Knight as she threw out a green-flame skull into the next pack of enemies.
¡°It¡¯s meant to be a Stat and Defence buff¡ but it also draws on the ¡®souls¡¯ that I have absorbed.¡±
¡°So two Archies and the Observers? Thinking of that, we didn¡¯t see any in the Wastes.¡± She tilted her head and cupped her chin.
¡°Edward said that Ruben had them killed off. Saw them as a threat to his eventual rise to power.¡±
Sally snorted. How well did that work out for him? She was still salty that she never got to raise him as a zombie, due to stupid System rules. With a furrowed brow, she brought up her Skill window and then switched to the Passives. If it was possible, it¡¯d be one of the screens that would have cobwebs on it for how irregularly she looked at it. Second only to the boxes with random things in.
[Dragonslayer]
¡°No way, I received a passive for eating the dragon! It must have popped up while we died.¡± She wrinkled up her face. ¡°But it won¡¯t tell me what it does?¡±
Humphrey stood behind her to look. ¡°Interesting. Probably nothing dire. You¡¯ve lived this long without anything bad happening.¡±
¡°So far. Don¡¯t jinx it.¡± She sighed and closed the windows down. ¡°I¡¯d best go loot all these mobs before someone yells at me.¡± The zombie hopped over to find some corpses to sift through.
Norah walked over to the Death Knight and put an arm around him. ¡°Everything okay, my dear?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± He furrowed his brow and looked out at the dense canopy of tropical trees. ¡°Currently.¡±
Theo hopped down from the small house hidden away in the treetops next to a large hill, hands in his pockets. He hummed to himself, his suit fully repaired and a glimmer in his eyes.
When he landed on the ground, he stretched his back out and yawned. Brought up his STAR windows and narrowed his eyes at some information. Gave it a pout and then closed it down, looking instead at his wristwatch.
The hideout above exploded, shaking the canopy and sending flaming debris clattering down to the floor around him. He paid it no attention as burning wood and shattered furniture dropped from above. Instead, he withdrew a sheet of paper and unfolded it.
Edward-? Now unlikely.
Humphrey. Likely.
Lucius. Very doubtful.
Norah. No?
Sally¡ untenable
His right eye twitched, and he folded the paper back up with a sigh. Put it back in the inside pocket of his jacket.
Hands back in his pockets, he wandered off, humming to himself again as dark smoke from the wreckage filled the area.
162- Drop Off
Sally yawned. Not that this was boring, but it was low effort. Her zombie force had increased, and while scores of them died between each grouping of Monster packs, she was maintaining numbers through her other skills. She could really do with another ability that increased their base level again.
They hadn¡¯t come across any other Quests yet, which slowed down their experience gain, but the amount of damage they were doing to the local wildlife population was at least moving the needle¡ªaccording to Humphrey, anyway. Until they respawned, anyway.
¡°Once we drop the Player off, there is a good area to the north again,¡± the Death Knight assured her.
¡°How do you know?¡± She narrowed her eyes.
He grinned in response. ¡°Archie reasons.¡±
That didn¡¯t exactly fill her with much confidence. Aside from the fact that they were probably stuck here for good, he hadn¡¯t labored upon them many more details about what was going on with the world. It stood to reason he might know all if there were five total cats that had been split from the Architect¡ªbut with two of them already, she thought he might be able to¡ well, she didn¡¯t really know.
She wanted to bite into the System and take a bigger piece of it. Making peace with what she was had long passed, and she didn¡¯t expect a miracle cure that would turn her into a normal Player¡ and she wasn¡¯t even sure she¡¯d even want that. Not that being undead didn¡¯t have downsides, but after eating her way through scores of real people, a fully normal Sally might not be able to handle that weight.
Plus, all her friends were undead. They were kind of a package deal.
¡°I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re too heavy, Humphrey¡ªit just might not work as expected.¡± Norah pat the Death Knight on the arm as he deflated, disappointed he wouldn¡¯t get to be flung into combat by her bandages.
Lucius was retelling the fight against Ruben to Charlie, who looked both enraptured and partly in disbelief. He was probably embellishing some of the facts. The big dumb lizard hadn¡¯t been able to shift or escape from a handful of lunatic corpses, served him right for getting what he deserved. Greed had been his undoing.
She brought up her Map. Monsters were thinning out now, and they were getting close to the camp where they could drop the Player off. Despite her definitely tasty brains being held in her skull, Sally didn¡¯t feel much like eating Charlie. Maybe it was because she had accepted her. It was easier to eat a meal that was angry or fearful, perhaps something her Monster side adored.
¡°We¡¯re almost at the camp,¡± she announced, mostly because she wanted a bit of attention. There hadn¡¯t been any sightings of Red Team or the Last Word, so the trek through the wilderness had been pretty uneventful after the gnolls.
Not that she wished for hardship, and she was sure losing twenty Players would put a bit of a dent in the Red¡¯s offensive capabilities. Humphrey had gotten the location of their base out of the woman, so it was possible they could go ruin their day for good. That said, they hadn¡¯t officially joined the Blue Team yet, even if it was a given. She just didn¡¯t fancy wearing the tabard that much¡ªit would totally clash with the rest of her style.
¡°I just wanted to say thank you, again,¡± the Player moved over to her. ¡°I feel much better about everything, like a weight has been lifted from my mind.¡±
Sally waved her hand. ¡°It was nothing. Just try to get along with Blue team¡ªI¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be accommodating once they realize that you aren¡¯t going to double cross anyone.¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± The woman grimaced. ¡°I realize that I might be hard to trust, but I can¡¯t¡ I can¡¯t go back to the others. Not just because the ambush failed¡ªbut ideology-wise it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±
Sally nodded. If things were pretty bad, then there would be a lot the woman would need to prove to be considered a proper Blue faction member after absconding from the other. There was something more than just wanting to save her own skin though. She had been angry enough to die right before Lucius had possessed her. It was¡ strange.
¡°What can you tell us about the Red faction?¡± She raised an eyebrow at Charlie. ¡°Some insider information might be useful if they try anything else.¡±
¡°Oh! Well¡¡± Charlie scrunched up her face in thought. ¡°They know about you five, at least the leader did¡ªand he wanted to make sure you either joined us or died. Knowing how powerful you were to defeat the dragon¡ you¡¯d either be a boon or great threat to their progress.¡±
¡°True and true,¡± the zombie replied with a nod. ¡°Their problem was not accepting me and the gang for what we are. They didn¡¯t even pretend to make up a plan for what to do with Uniques.¡±
Charlie nodded slowly. ¡°It¡¯s a bit shortsighted, now that I really think about it. Unique Monsters are¡ different, but in a way they aren¡¯t so different from a Player.¡±
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¡°We¡¯re people too.¡± Sally smiled. ¡°Live and die the same, have thoughts and dreams.¡± Mostly involving carving out people¡¯s brains and eating them off Theo¡¯s abs, but still.
The woman didn¡¯t respond, but looked off through the treeline sheepishly.
Sally nudged her on the arm. ¡°Best thing you can do is convince people of what we really are, stand on our side of the line when the final battle happens. The Blue faction seems pretty on board¡ªthe leader is one of my longest friends.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll do my best, Sally.¡± She gave her a warm smile.
¡°Looks like the camp ahead,¡± Humphrey announced, narrowing his eye sockets.
Three figures moved from where tents had been partially obscured by the foliage. A man and two women in long robes, blue tabards atop their spellcaster clothing.
¡°Hail,¡± the man called out, raising his hand. ¡°We were told to be expecting you.¡±
Sally grinned. ¡°We have someone Chuck said you¡¯d help look after.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°In a nice way, not in a faux mobster way.¡±
¡°Of course,¡± the man smiled, a slim black mustache raising in tandem. ¡°We have been told what will happen if we upset you in any manner.¡±
This caused her grin to extend even further. Chuck knew them well enough to know that crossing them was an easy route straight to her stomach, and it didn¡¯t matter how powerful the opposition was. In a way, she wondered if the Druid had been swayed on his stance with them in mind.
¡°Off you go then, Charlie. Here.¡± She held out her arm to get her contact information. ¡°Stay in touch, okay?¡±
The woman nodded and smiled back at them. ¡°Thank you all again. I won¡¯t forget this.¡±
With that she turned and went over to the three robed figures, the man and one of the woman escorting her gently back to the camp while the third continued to watch the Party.
¡°Everything okay?¡± Sally asked.
¡°Of course. Are you not planning to join the camp for a short spell?¡±
¡°Mmm¡¡± She looked between the Outsiders and saw their apprehensive expressions. ¡°Nah, we have lots of leveling to do. Maybe next time?¡±
¡°Oh, that is fine.¡± The robed figure gave a brief bow. ¡°I will have to send him out to meet you, then.¡± She turned away and walked back into camp without elaborating further.
Sally shrugged and pulled a face at the rest of the group. ¡°You sad to see Charlie go, Lucius?¡±
He rubbed his misty chin. ¡°Not really. It was nice to make a new friend, but I am excited to meet even more.¡±
She nodded with a smile. It was nice to make friends. No doubt they could find more amongst the Blue faction¡ªcertainly more than anywhere else in the area. Just as she was wondering who their surprise guest could be, a figure walked out from the camp toward them.
¡°Dent!¡± Sally beamed.
The man stepped over closer to them. His right arm replaced by a long blade from the elbow down, he now sported a rough beard that aged him by a handful of years. Chainmail overlayed with dark gray clothing made him look like a lost wanderer more than a great swordsman.
From atop his shoulder, Archie appeared, wearing an eyepatch.
¡°And Archie!¡± She hopped across the muddy floor closer to them.
¡°It¡¯s been a while,¡± Dent said with a grin as he nodded to the rest of them. ¡°Chuck sent me as a bit of an olive branch for being so distant.¡±
Sally nodded. ¡°He must have a reason, I¡¯m sure.¡±
¡°He does.¡± The swordsman rubbed the back of his head. ¡°All in good time, though. You all close to twenty-five yet?¡±
She leaned back and pulled a face at Humphrey, who slowly shook his head. ¡°Nineteen,¡± the Death Knight added.
Dent blinked twice. ¡°Ah.¡±
Archie stretched out and leaned forward so that Sally could take him. ¡°Typical that you would be so behind the curve and yet thriving.¡±
The zombie cuddled the cat up close and turned to walk him over to the Death Knight. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say thriving, Arch. But we aren¡¯t dead yet. Dead, dead.¡±
¡°Big brother,¡± the cat nodded, before jumping from Sally¡¯s grasp and onto Humphrey¡¯s wide shoulder pad. ¡°Just like old times, huh?¡±
¡°Almost,¡± the Death Knight grinned. ¡°I assume this is something more than just a casual visit to ply us onto your side?¡±
Dent coughed and pulled a face. ¡°Let¡¯s walk and talk. You all need experience and standing still too long makes me itchy.¡±
With murmured agreement, they turned toward the north as per Humphrey¡¯s earlier suggestion, and the zombie horde moved ahead of them to clear the path from any Monster in their way. Sally looked out at her group of walking corpses with a sigh. It was nice having Charlie¡¯s buffs. Perhaps the System could give her something similar if she was meant to be partially a support necromancer or whatever.
Dent sidled along in the middle between her and the Death Knight. ¡°It¡¯s actually a matter of grave importance¡ªI believe Rachel mentioned it to you, but wouldn¡¯t say too much.¡±
The cogs in her brain ticked over a few notches. ¡°Ah¡ªshe said something about someone becoming the new Architect?¡±
He nodded. ¡°As far as we know, that is true.¡±
Archie took over after yawning first. ¡°There is a barrier stopping everyone from going to the fourth area and beyond. But it¡¯s not natural, and there are at least a handful that did cross before it was put in place.¡±
Humphrey rubbed the side of his head. ¡°To do that, it would either have to be a Unique or-¡±
¡°Or an ex-Observer with some remaining power.¡± The cat¡¯s tail swished through the air.
Sally narrowed her eyes at the ground ahead to try to focus. So that¡¯s why there was such a struggle in this area. They couldn¡¯t progress and had blamed it on the broken System. So naturally, the only thing to do was war it out until they could come up with a solution. In all this meantime, some bad eggs had crossed through and leveled, and somehow gotten their way to wherever the Architect resided to claim his crown.
Or throne. Or however it worked. It wouldn¡¯t surprise her if it was the same group that had intended to kill off the Architect in the first place. Any Observers that had inside knowledge of how the System worked would be in prime position to enact these plots, that it had taken them this long was curious, but nothing to worry about now.
¡°What worries me,¡± Dent continued, ¡°is that we don¡¯t know when. It could be today, it could be in a week or two.¡±
¡°But it is close?¡± Humphrey questioned, flame licking around the back of his helmet.
The swordsman exhaled through his nose. ¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why we wanted you to level up,¡± Archie said. ¡°In case we need you to kill a god.¡±
163 - A Crack Forming
The weight of the phrase sunk into Sally slowly. Sure, it had been the plan from the beginning, right? Eat the Architect, get revenge on the System¡ but now that it was an actual thing that they might be expected to do¡
Well, she hadn¡¯t brought her best cutlery set, for one.
¡°How could we kill a god?¡± She was surprised to hear this questioning voice was her own. The rest of the gang shared a similar amount of apprehension about what was expected of them.
¡°Just fail upwards,¡± Dent said with a wry grin. ¡°Same way you chewed through an army and killed a dragon.¡±
¡°That was different.¡± She deflated. Now they¡¯d set a precedent that they might be competent there was no avoiding all these side-quests.
Humphrey looked perturbed but tried to keep their moods up. ¡°The Architect, while technically the creator of this world... any upstart wouldn¡¯t be exactly god-like in power should they take the mantle.¡±
¡°So they could be killed?¡± Norah asked.
¡°Yes. Should they allow us the chance, ha-ha.¡± The laugh had a little less heart in it than usual.
While the vague description of their power didn¡¯t give Sally much confidence, it also didn¡¯t surprise her. The original Architect was killed after all, and didn¡¯t have a way of fixing things themselves. Maybe part of the world was just as it was, unable to be changed to such a degree she imagined a god would be able to. She clucked her tongue.
¡°What makes you sure they will be a villain, and not try to fix the System?¡±
Dent and Archie exchanged glances before the cat sighed and turned his one good eye to her. ¡°We don¡¯t know for certain how they¡¯d act. If it is the group that killed the Architect, then there¡¯s a chance they want to change the world to suit their own vision.¡±
¡°Which means there¡¯s a chance it¡¯s nothing good,¡± Dent added, ¡°and we¡¯re preparing for the worst.¡±
Pragmatic. Sally scratched at her hair. All it meant was that the worst was bound to happen. The narrative wouldn¡¯t allow it any other way. ¡°You guys are Level Thirty though, right? What do you expect us to do?¡±
¡°We are¡ but¡¡± the swordsman scratched at his chin idly with the end of his blade. ¡°Chuck has a lot of faith in you. That¡¯s not to say that I don¡¯t, but¡¡±
Archie yawned. ¡°You not being a group of Players makes you somewhat of an anomaly. There are very few actual Uniques that care to run the same gauntlet as Players, if you can believe it.¡±
Sally could. In their adventures so far, all the Uniques they had met had sooner gone to live a normal life rather than put their lives in danger. Present company excepted, of course. That was the crux of it, though, wasn¡¯t it? A normal life. Beyond being a Monster, or having to grind out levels or Quests to stay relevant. She screwed up her face in resignation.
¡°Unless anyone has any objections, I would like us to formally join the Blue team.¡± She paused and crossed her arms. ¡°On one condition.¡±
The rest of them stopped. Dent frowned. ¡°We¡¯re not actually called-¡± he said before stopping, the cat resting a paw on his shoulder.
¡°I stand by your decision,¡± Humphrey said, with a brief bow.
Norah tutted, but gave a nod. ¡°As much as I despise adventurers, having a clear enemy would be appreciated.¡±
¡°I¡¯d like to make new friends,¡± the Shade added with a thumbs-up appearing beside his head.
Dent smiled and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Alright, Sally. What¡¯s your condition?¡±
¡°We refuse to wear the tabards!¡± She huffed and tried to stand taller to make her point.
Archie nodded. ¡°That is reasonable. We accept.¡±
The six of them stood in silence for a few moments before the zombie deflated.
¡°It¡¯s just a verbal agreement then. There¡¯s no actual ¡®thing¡¯ to it?¡±
¡°Correct,¡± Dent said with a grin, before gesturing them forward once more. ¡°Just kill the¡ Red team, and assist us when you see us. Your group is too much of a wildcard, so I won¡¯t bring you into the gears of the machine proper. You can still act as free agents until we have need of you.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°Until the System has need of you.¡±
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¡°Great.¡± Sally sighed. Responsibilities. Not much had changed since the start of the day, except she trusted Chuck a little more and she could eat brains quicker. The fact that the System might need their help was a bit of a wet blanket over their plans. Still, without the System what did they really have?
They¡¯d just have to keep getting more powerful until the new Architect was crowned and then see what happened. Either way, they¡¯d need to be strong as possible. Especially as Chuck had already hit Level Thirty before them¡ªunacceptable. As contemplative silence filled out the group, she narrowed her eyes at the swordsman.
¡°So, Dent, tell us about Chuck?¡± She grinned.
He raised an eyebrow in return, but had an otherwise impassive expression. ¡°What did you want to know?¡±
¡°Well¡ we haven¡¯t seen him since the big battle in the Wastes¡ so anything you can tell us?¡±
Dent tilted his head. ¡°Hmm. Well, after you all rolled through to the Golds to fight Ruben, Chuck and the surviving Players moved up to the battlefield. He healed me up pretty good. Save a lot of lives that day, in fact.¡±
Sally nodded. Enough to turn someone against Uniques after seeing what Ruben had wrought in the area. ¡°Then what?¡±
¡°He tried to heal you all, too. There¡¯s a remarkable amount of care in his heart for you, despite his disagreements with your¡ methods. Between him, Edward, and Archie, they devised the tomb to keep you safe while your souls wormed back into your bodies.¡±
Archie yawned and stretched out atop the Death Knight. ¡°Chuck is a lot calmer these days. More at home in this new world.¡±
¡°Does he know we can¡¯t go back?¡± Sally furrowed her brow.
¡°Chuck does, yes.¡± Archie nodded. ¡°At first it weighed heavily on him, but in time it became motivation to get where he is now.¡±
Humphrey tilted his head to look at the cat. ¡°It is rather impressive what he has accomplished. He always had more¡ tact for these things.¡±
Sally grinned. ¡°Not hard when our default is eating or murdering our problems. You¡¯re right though, Humps. I¡¯m proud of Chuck.¡±
¡°You can tell him that when you see him,¡± Dent said as he grinned, ¡°I¡¯m sure that will get him flustered. He has been melodramatic lately.¡±
Unsurprising. The return of the dragon slayers mixed with the unknown new Architect, alongside the war between the two factions. That was a lot for the little pacifist dweeb. ¡°Tell us how to level quicker then. It¡¯ll take forever to get to Twenty-Five.¡± She gestured out to her zombie horde, who were chewing through packs of what looked like giant insects.
¡°Northeast of here, there are a bunch of large elites and an area boss. You could probably farm that for a few levels before it starts to slow.¡± Dent raised an eyebrow to Archie.
¡°Agreed. You should be tough enough to survive them. If not, then big brother needs to keep the other Archie fragments safe.¡± He pawed at the side of the Death Knight¡¯s helmet.
Humphrey sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll need to absorb all of you at some point?¡±
¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± the cat said with a small smile.
¡°Alright then,¡± Dent stopped and held his good hand out to be shaken. ¡°We just wanted to fill you out on a bit more exposition before you got too far ahead of yourselves. Now you know the stakes¡ I¡¯m glad to be on your side once more.¡±
Sally beamed as she shook it. ¡°Always a pleasure, Dent. You give our regards to Chucky, okay?¡±
The swordsman gave a brief bow and smile before both he and Archie disappeared in a blur of blue teleportation.
¡°Wow,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°Things just don¡¯t stop don¡¯t stopping, huh?¡±
¡°Yes¡?¡± Humphrey shrugged.
Norah moved up and put her arm around the Death Knight. ¡°What would a new Architect mean for Uniques like us?¡±
He slowly shook his head as he looked at the worried Mummy. ¡°Anything from acceptance to immediate death.¡±
¡°They remind me of the giant frog.¡± Sally wrinkled up her face.
¡°Toad,¡± Humphrey replied.
The creatures were definitely large¡ªat least twenty-five feet tall and patterned in green and orange scales. Not quite dinosaurs, although they were similar. Four stout legs and a large mouth filled with sharp teeth. Bulbous in nature, their yellow eyes lazily watched around the area and they stomped about in a pattern.
¡°The Boss is deeper in.¡± Humphrey scratched at the side of his head. ¡°We¡¯ll need to be careful if these are all Elites.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes. Like they were ever careful. The dark brown rocky ground was scoured of most vegetation, as if it was either volcanic underneath and too hot, or the Monsters had eaten it all. Given the length of their sharp teeth, she doubted the latter. ¡°Let¡¯s pull one and find out. I¡¯m not keen on feeding them all my zombies or getting collateral problems heading our way.¡±
Skull in hand, she threw [Mortis Bomb] out over the space into the first Monster. A blaze of green left a small mark on the creature as it immediately stomped out the four zombies with the thrashing of its wide front feet.
¡°Mean,¡± she huffed. ¡°Alright, battle positions gang! The afternoon draws late. Let¡¯s level before it gets dark!¡±
They nodded their agreements as the Monster growled and ran towards them. Lucius shadowed into Humphrey and the Death Knight pulsed with his buffs. Norah shot out two bandages to tie around the legs of the creature. The first snapped off underneath its power, but the second wrapped tight and the Monster stumbled.
Humphrey ran forward to meet them, his greatsword flourishing.
¡°Heard from Theo, hun?¡± Norah asked as she strained against the weight of the enemy trying to pull against her binding.
¡°Nah.¡± She shook her head and held [Curse: Decay] on the target. ¡°Knowing him, he¡¯s probably been killing things non-stop to level higher than us. He¡¯ll drop in at an opportune moment to steal some thunder.¡±
¡°He¡¯s not a bodyguard, though?¡±
¡°No, just has a knack for knowing when I need him.¡± She smiled to herself. ¡°Oh, Humps did say I¡¯d get another Bodyguard slot at¡ Twenty? It¡¯s about every five levels.¡±
Norah smiled and summoned a sarcophagus to fling out at the Monster. ¡°You thinking of asking Lucius?¡±
¡°You think Lucy would accept? He¡¯s settled in well with us, but sometimes it feels like he¡¯d rather be off doing something instead of adventuring.¡±
¡°Won¡¯t hurt to ask, hun.¡± The Mummy shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s get to Level Twenty first.¡±
Sally grinned and flipped her dagger around as her curse could no longer take hold. The Monster growled out as Humphrey blocked a stomp and his shadow sliced out at the extended leg.
¡°C¡¯mon pals,¡± she yelled back to her waiting horde. ¡°Let¡¯s go feast!¡±
164 - Staff Meeting
Another Monster dropped to the floor, and Sally wiped off her mouth. Gross. They tasted like asphalt, which didn¡¯t make much sense. Her stomach gurgled as she slid off the side of the creature before it could raise as a zombie.
Things had gotten easier the more they killed. Whilst most of her normal zombies had been pulped in short order, she now had a handful of these large lizard things at her beck and call. Too slow to be much offensive use, but they could body-block and draw aggro from their target and allow the Outsiders to attack almost unabated.
They¡¯d been through two dozen of them now. [Curse: Decay] helped, but it seemed to drain health slower on the giant Monsters. The System didn¡¯t care to give her a tangible reason as to why¡ªbut she just assumed it was some inane bullshit. She sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow.
¡°Everything alright, hun?¡± Norah moved up beside her as the other two took a brief break to stretch out.
¡°It¡¯s this hair,¡± she said as she deflated. ¡°Half tempted to cut it off.¡±
¡°It suits you, though.¡± Norah tilted her head. ¡°If I may?¡±
¡°Go ahead.¡±
The Mummy moved a bandage around behind her and wrapped the hair around, snaking through to bind it into the shape of a long ponytail. ¡°It¡¯s too matted with gore to do anything with right now, but this should keep it out of your way.¡± The bandage snipped off and Norah tied it off to keep in place.
¡°Oooh, thank you!¡± Sally beamed up at her. ¡°Can already feel the breeze on my back. Maybe if we find a proper town, I can wash it up and we can get it sorted properly?¡±
¡°It would be my pleasure, hun.¡± Between the bandages across her face, she smiled back.
Sally leaned against the body of the fallen Monster as undeath started to bring it back as a zombie. ¡°How are you finding it with us now? It¡¯s only been a couple of weeks, technically, and we¡¯ve dragged you through a lot.¡±
¡°Honestly?¡± Norah looked away to watch the Death Knight limbering up. ¡°It¡¯s been the best time of my unlife. I don¡¯t think I could do this forever, though.¡±
The zombie nodded in return. ¡°It would be nice to have a vacation, huh? Actually enjoy what we¡¯ve fought for. Waking up next to abs and not have to worry about getting more powerful or some calamity trying to kill us¡¡± She shifted away from the creature as it stood back up.
¡°Did you just call Theo ¡®abs¡¯, hun?¡±
¡°No.¡± Sally grinned and pulled a skull from her belt.
¡°Ready when you are,¡± Humphrey called from the front, swinging his sword around as it burst into crimson flame.
Theo spat blood on the ground.
A body dropped from his grasp into the dense foliage. Crimson pulsing down their neck and soaking through their clothing and tabard.
He crouched down and wrinkled his nose up at the dead body. ¡°You are worth no experience. Waste of my time.¡± His eyes glazed over as his STAR menu showed him what he could loot from the corpse.
¡°You¡¯re a hard man to track down,¡± a female voice came from behind him.
¡°Intentionally,¡± he replied, still focusing on the loot. ¡°You move quietly.¡±
¡°Intentionally.¡±
Theo hummed to himself, weighing up the options between two pieces of gear.
¡°Are you so over confident and rude that you do not turn to face me, vampire?¡± The voice was curt, but not overly aggressive.
¡°It must be difficult.¡± He paused and furrowed his brow. ¡°Believing you are the true one, the original, even though you know deep down¡ that it¡¯s a lie.¡±
¡°Face me.¡±
A wide grin spread across the vampire¡¯s face, exposing his fangs. ¡°Just how many of you are left, Lana?¡±
Sally sunk as they stared at the Boss. ¡°I¡¯m feelin¡¯ dino-sore at fighting all these tough Elites.¡±
A question-mark appeared beside the Shade and his crimson eyes narrowed in confusion.
¡°If we kill the Boss, we will Level Up,¡± Humphrey tried to persuade her.
She wasn¡¯t so easily convinced. The Boss of these ball-like giant lizards was one even larger, with predominantly red scales. Surrounding him were five of the Elite Monsters as his Bodyguard.
Behind her, they now had ten of the zombified creatures, along with a token force of normal zombies. She¡¯d need to top them off soon enough¡ although gathering more of these big Monsters would be fun once they moved away from this area. One step at a time.
¡°Alright, I¡¯m convinced.¡± She crossed her arms and tried to consider how to approach the group. ¡°We might have to use our Ultimates, which makes us weak if we get jumped by anything unexpected.¡±
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Lucius turned around and glared at the surroundings. ¡°We¡¯re pretty secluded. They¡¯d have to fight through the respawning Monsters to get to us.¡±
¡°People can do all sorts of bullshit,¡± Sally tutted. ¡°But I think it¡¯s worth the risk. Level Twenty is right underneath our noses, and then it¡¯ll only be five more before his highness will allow us to speak with him.¡±
¡°Usually something that would take months,¡± Humphrey murmured. ¡°When the new Architect could appear at any moment.¡±
¡°Best to get moving, then.¡± She limbered up her shoulders and picked off a skull from her belt. I¡¯ll work getting rid of the guards if you guys focus on the Boss?¡±
[Quick Death] - She commanded her fast zombies as they thundered past her. As soon as they got the aggro of the Monster group, she made them drag the Elites to the side. Before the Boss could join them, the large summon from Norah¡¯s Ultimate slammed into him, a blaze of golden light following the giant bird-Mummy.
Sally ran in beside the Death Knight, as Lucius activated his Ultimate to shadow all three of them. Five Elites for her to kill while the others beat on the Boss. She held her curse on the first and lobbed the flaming skull over into it.
With a hop, bandages lifted her up from the ground so that she could jump atop the Monster. [Skeleton Key] had no issue burying into the thick skull of the lizard, but didn¡¯t go deep enough to give her easy access to the brains. There wasn¡¯t exactly a great deal of stable footing for her to stand on either, and she slid to the side and almost fell off.
Warm air billowed past her as the Boss activated some kind of ability. It wouldn¡¯t be anything Humphrey couldn¡¯t handle. The plated ex-Observer was nigh invulnerable and hadn¡¯t even activated his Ultimate yet. Her shadow stabbed downward, and she did the same, using the wound as an anchor to stay atop her foe. Lucius continued to stab as she held in place until the conditional came up.
[Eat Brains]. Gross. She leaped through the air, shadowed wrappings zipping out to assist her make it to the next. Two of her zombie dinos had been shredded by the living ones, and she dropped [Living Dead] on the remaining. They had managed to down one of their own, and the two fallen slow started to raise on her side. The ground shook and the sound of grinding metal caught her attention.
Humphrey was wedged inside the mouth of the Boss, his armor screaming out as the large teeth tried to chew down on him. Norah had a sarcophagus wedged in beside him and was trying to pry the jaws apart with her bandages.
[Soul Knight]. Humphrey burst into flame that was quickly extinguished to reveal his ivory-bone coloration, eyes gleaming bright emerald. ¡°Chew on this,¡± he growled.
¡°What a goof,¡± Sally grinned and murmured to herself, as she started to stab at the next lizard Monster. It tried to buck her off, but was too pressed in between the zombies to really move effectively. Suited her just fine. [Eat Brains].
The Boss roared out and Humphrey dropped to the floor behind her. In her peripheral she could see the flourish of his sword glowing bright blue with [Decimate]. She yawned and hopped toward the next Monster, hitting the floor as the wrappings didn¡¯t come to save her. Instead, she rolled into stabbing into the leg of the Monster, diving to the side after as it tried to swipe for her. Mortis Bomb and then her curse on it again. It was weakening, but not quite good enough.
Beside her, the last Elite was enveloped by dozens of bandages, assisted by the shadowed versions provided by Lucius. As the beast became fully wrapped up, the flash of yellow from behind her signaled the skill was cast and the Monster turned to sand.
¡°Sorry for interfering, hun.¡± Norah turned to focus on the Boss. ¡°We need you here.¡±
Her zombie Elites took down the last lizard, so she turned to run at the Boss. It looked like it had regenerated some of the damage already inflicted and was slightly too large for Norah to do much to it. Her bird-giant punched it in the side of the head, but other than snarling and starting to charge up an ability, the Boss didn¡¯t have much of a reaction.
The Death Knight fell to a knee as the Monster tried to crush him underfoot, the flat of his sword held up to defend against the attack.
¡°Need a hand, Humps?¡± She held up her curse against the Boss, even if it might not do much due to his regeneration.
¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone, but I miss Theo being here.¡± The flames at the back of his helmet flickered wildly.
¡°Oh, I¡¯m definitely telling him that.¡± Sally grinned and put her hands on her hips. ¡°Hey! Big Monster? Don¡¯t you know I¡¯m the only Boss allowed around here?"
It turned to her and narrowed its large eyes. Steam blew through its nostrils and a glow of red and orange began to pulse around the four large feet.
¡°Don¡¯t get mad,¡± Sally grinned and prepared herself, raising her dagger. ¡°You¡¯ll meet your friends in my stomach soon enough.¡±
The Boss burst forward, waves of heat billowing behind it as it passed Humphrey. The moment of impact drew close as it snapped forward to strike her with a heavy charge.
[Escape Fate]. She popped into the air as the zombies took the brunt of the strike, bursting to pieces in a spray across the dried stone ground. Feet landing on the Boss¡¯s back, she slammed the dagger down into it. The Death Knight had caught up and slashed away at the rear legs, while Norah weaved her bandages all around the underside of the Monster to trip it as it tried to turn. All the forms of Lucius assisted, causing additional damage as the three wailed away at the creature.
This was where the skill to eat brains sooner helped out. On a large boss, especially one with regeneration, getting that instant kill quicker was huge. She couldn¡¯t use Decay on it, so it must be getting low.
She slid off its back as it bucked around, landing on the floor with a roll. Flames burst around it, shredding all the entangling wrappings, and it charged through a couple of the large zombie lizards brought back from the dead. It was a lot stronger than them, but not it had surrounded themselves with bodies. [Living Dead].
Stuck between the thick presence of its own dead kind, and the constant force of the Death Knight slashing from behind, eventually it sunk to the ground. Lethargic and too injured to continue.
Norah flung Sally over to it. [Eat Brains].
¡°Ay, Boss brains aren¡¯t so bad.¡± She grinned and crossed her arms. Still not as good as Players, but it was a step up at least. Not only did her STAR light up a golden color, their Level Twenty skills ready to be chosen¡ªbut something caught her eye in the loot window of the creature.
She gasped. ¡°A legendary item!¡±
Humphrey returned to his usual armor, his Ultimate form wearing off. ¡°Interesting. What is it?¡±
¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I told you,¡± she winked at him and jumped down from the corpse.
Even Lucius popped out to glare at her.
¡°Oh, fine.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°The System must have a thing for me. It¡¯s a staff called [Corpseboon].¡±
¡°For necromancy then?¡± Humphrey raised an eyebrow.
She removed it from her Inventory and held it in her offhand. A twirling dark wood with rough twine wrapped around it. The head of the staff was two sharp horns of deep red, a jawless human skull hung in the circular gap they created.
With a twitch of her eye, the skull burst into green flame.
¡°Now we¡¯re cookin¡¯¡± she said with a wide grin.
165 - Classy
Humphrey grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s how¡¡±
He was interrupted as Sally struck her two weapons together before binding them with all the twine and string she could find. It wasn¡¯t exactly stable. Perhaps the Death Knight was right. She scratched the top of her head and waved her bound ponytail about.
¡°Hey Lucy, come shadow my dagger for a second?¡±
The Shade walked over to the rock she had both her weapons laying on. He rubbed at his misty chin and then shrugged, a similar emoji appearing beside him. With an outstretched finger, he cast his shadow ability on the dagger.
Sally positioned her staff, her tongue sticking out as she tried to judge the distance and positioning. ¡°Alright, end it.¡±
The dagger popped back into existence and tried to escape from the blocked position where the staff now sat. Immediately she was upon them both, holding them in place with her full strength. At first, they resisted and squirmed beneath her hands, but after a handful of angry seconds, they gave up and merged.
She lifted up the staff, which now had her dagger sticking from the bottom. With a flourish, she spun it around, gripping it like a spear before twirling it around and jamming it into the ground. The Skeleton Key slid into the rock easily and the staff remained standing as she crossed her arms in pride to beam at the others.
¡°That¡¯s not supposed to do that,¡± Humphrey said with a sigh, rubbing the side of his head.
¡°Story of my unlife,¡± she continued to grin. ¡°Watch this, too.¡± She took a dozen steps away from the staff and pointed her finger at the inert skull sitting at the head. It burst into green flame, and then with a flick of her wrist she sent the [Mortis Bomb] off to splash against a rock ineffectively.
¡°I¡¯m almost jealous,¡± Norah smiled as she leaned against a rock. ¡°Players seem to get all the fun when it comes to loot.¡±
¡°Maybe that¡¯s something else we can fix with the System.¡± She went and plucked her new item from the ground. ¡°It also increases the damage and healing of any spell I cast with it, and it makes any undead near me extra happy.¡±
¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I can feel that,¡± Lucius nodded, a smiley face next to his head.
Humphrey rolled his empty eye sockets. ¡°What about your Level Up?¡±
In all the excitement, she had totally forgotten about that. Not that she cared for looting at the best of times, but it wasn¡¯t everyday you found a Legendary item that was perfect for your Class. It was almost suspicious¡ unless that was the way it worked. It would be disappointing to get an item you couldn¡¯t use. She sighed, relenting to see what the System wanted her to choose from this time.
[Pick One]
[Hunger for Flesh] [Undead allies have +10% Lifesteal]
[Persistent Curse] [Channelling a Curse for five seconds turns it into a debuff on the target]
[Construct Golem] [Create an undead golem (requires body parts)]
[Class Upgrade: Raid Boss]
"Humps, it now says I''m a Raid Boss?" Her face wrinkled up as she waved the notification away.
"A reflection of our strength." He grinned as the crimson flame behind his helmet flickered about. "A long time coming. Most dungeons and bosses are designed for groups of three to five Players. But Raids are-"
"I''m aware." She waved him away. "For ten Players? Twenty?"
"Essentially we are a group of Raid Bosses that have escaped and are running amok."
Sally pondered this. They had already been over the power curve, and in seeing the Death Knight take on ten Players on his own, perhaps he was right. They were Monsters after all, so that designation made sense. If the Players knew, they''d run a mile before trying to combat her. Or at least gather more groups and treat her like the threat she was.
She clucked her tongue as her mind went back to the upgades. ¡°What did everyone else get?¡± Perhaps she could waste some time while she decided and not feel like the whole show was about her.
¡°We all agreed not to tell you.¡± Humphrey grinned widely and crossed his plated arms.
Sally gasped. ¡°Norah, even you too?¡±
¡°Sorry, hun.¡± She shrugged apologetically. ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, it is something we shouldn¡¯t need. I hope.¡±
She groaned in response. That made her more interested in what it could be if it was a last ditch ability. Something dangerous or desperate. Part of her knew that mean they would have to use it at some point. That¡¯s how the System liked to play these games.
¡°Nothing from you either, Lucy?¡±
The Shade shook his head, and a mute symbol appeared beside him. ¡°It¡¯s tough because it makes me really excited and I want to share, but I promised Humphrey and I wouldn¡¯t want to break a promise. I¡¯m sure you understand, and it probably won¡¯t be long before I get to use it, as it¡¯s a¡¡± He held up his hands over his misty face as the Death Knight glared at him.
¡°Well, that¡¯s fine.¡± She narrowed her eyes back at her options. Interesting ones once more. The golem one would have been nice if she had picked up that body-part skill back in the Wasteland, but as it stood she only really had skulls. Enough to cast [Mortis Bomb] forever, but she didn¡¯t want to split the stack and burn through those reserves.
The Curse one would have been perfect if she had more than one Curse to cast. That was a totally different playstyle than she was aiming for. Focusing for five seconds sounded terrible enough, there would be plenty of times she¡¯d get interrupted before that and she¡¯d get frustrated trying to apply the debuff instead of moving onto other things.
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Keeping her zombies up for longer, though¡ she was growing into the horde-leader role, and it did say allies, too. That meant everyone. Aura stacking won out in the end. Keeping her pals up and alive meant she¡¯d be able to grow bigger hordes with less effort.
[Hunger for Flesh]
¡°Alright, I picked, and I¡¯m not telling you all either.¡± She stuck her tongue out.
¡°Back to fighting, then?¡± Humphrey looked out to the Monsters that had respawned behind them. It was getting into evening now. They wouldn¡¯t be able to get through a whole run through to the Boss again before dark.
¡°Yeah.¡± She followed his gaze and wrinkled her nose up. ¡°Let¡¯s kill our way out of this area and find a place to camp for the night?¡±
¡°As you wish.¡±
She gave her staff a twirl around. It would take some getting used to, but both ends were pretty pointy now¡ªso she shouldn¡¯t have any issue fighting with it. She just had to remember not to put the dagger-end into anything she didn¡¯t mean to.
¡°Oh, first things first.¡± The Death Knight stopped as Norah began taking his crimson cloak off.
Sally watched them with a raised eyebrow, as the Mummy then moved over to her and wrapped the bright red cloth around her. ¡°Are you sure, Humps?¡± A hood folded back as the rest circled around her like robes.
¡°I feel rather exposed without it. The color clash was nice.¡± He shuffled and cleared his throat. ¡°But I think it suits you well now.¡± Norah stood beside him and wrapped her arm around his.
She took her belt off and put it around the outside of the robe so she could access her skulls¡ªeven though the staff could summon them from her Inventory¡ªit just suited the look. A wide smile crossed her face as she gave them a little spin. ¡°Thanks, mummy and big pops. You¡¯re the best.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± he deflated. ¡°But, you¡¯re welcome.¡±
It had been quite the day, Sally beamed as she turned to the roving Monsters. The only thing that could make it better now would be-
The flash of blue light near them revealed the suited vampire, and he hopped down from the rocks he appeared on with his hands in his pockets. ¡°Hey, all.¡±
¡°Theo!¡± Sally waved him over, despite being right there.
¡°Wow, I must have been gone longer than I thought. You look great.¡± He grinned and exposed his fangs.
¡°Productive outing?¡± Humphrey asked, narrowing his eye sockets.
Theo tilted his head back to look at the Death Knight. ¡°I sure hope so.¡± His eyes back to their surroundings, he clucked his tongue. ¡°We fighting these lizard things?¡±
¡°Just killed the Boss.¡± Sally nodded. ¡°Killing our way back to somewhere safe to camp.¡±
¡°Somewhere safe¡¡± Theo clucked his tongue and turned around. ¡°Where does the Boss spawn, in that convenient circular area?¡±
She followed his gaze and nodded along.
¡°Does anything spawn right here? There¡¯s like a small prep area for Parties to get ready to fight them, yeah?¡± The vampire licked his lips and looked at the grouping of rocks they were standing amongst.
¡°That is correct,¡± Humphrey said.
¡°Camp right here then.¡± Theo shrugged and gave the zombie a smile. ¡°I need a bit of exercise. It¡¯ll be like the hell portal, except less stressful for you guys.¡±
Sally raised an eyebrow and looked at the others. It didn¡¯t seem fair to let Theo have all the fun, but then again, this was his type of thing. If they could get to sleep while he was doing his thing, then that would be experience and potential Levels.
They seemed conflicted, but ultimately gave her the nod. ¡°Alright, sounds good, pup. But any sign of trouble, or if you make it too noisy, then we¡¯ll go camp elsewhere.¡±
¡°Very fair,¡± he gave her a bow. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to set up while I begin.¡±
[Endless Sleep]
She put her zombies away as the vampire darted away. Wouldn¡¯t be good if the wandering dead caught aggro from the Boss or any of the Elites. As she watched Theo appear above a Monster and blaze crimson lines through it, she tapped her fingers on her staff. It slowly sunk into the ground. ¡°I suppose this is probably one of the safest places we could be, comparatively.¡±
Norah nodded. ¡°Theo will watch over us, and the Monsters would stop people from approaching us directly.¡±
Sally chose to ignore the fact that the vampire had simply stated he would solo a bunch of the Monsters through the darkness of night. It wasn¡¯t that they had really struggled, but they had acted as a team. With the light of the day waning, she put down a Campfire and rolled out her bedroll.
Lucius was asleep immediately as soon as his head hit the floor. Humphrey and Norah were a little way off and murmured to each other for a while before they were quiet. Sally pulled her cloak around herself and deflated.
¡°Hey.¡±
She looked over her shoulder to see the vampire sitting on one of the rocks. With a smile, she got up and hopped up beside him. Looking out at the open ground illuminated by moonlight, she rested her head on his shoulder.
¡°Tell me something new, Theo.¡±
¡°You first.¡±
¡°We made a Player friend today. Lucius cured her of her anger against Uniques and the System.¡± She kicked her feet back and forth.
¡°Huh? Really? That¡¯s pretty interesting.¡± Theo tilted his head to rest against hers.
¡°Yeah. Actually made me consider Chuck¡¯s vision of the future more. Oh, I asked her about babies, too.¡±
¡°Hmm?¡±
¡°I told her we either didn¡¯t have genitals or they didn¡¯t work, so I asked her if Players can make babies.¡±
Theo was silent for a moment. ¡°Oh.¡±
¡°Short answer, no.¡±
¡°State-mandated infertility?¡±
Sally grimaced. ¡°Sounds a lot more dystopian when put that way, huh? Your turn.¡±
He moved his head away to look down at her. ¡°I met one of your old friends, actually.¡±
¡°Really?¡± She looked up at his crimson eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Which one? Werewolf boy?"
¡°Lana.¡±
¡°No way? How is she doing?¡± She smiled.
Theo shuffled awkwardly and looked out toward the horizon. ¡°Well. You want the full truth or just the sugar-coated bit?¡±
¡°All of it.¡±
¡°The original Lana was killed after Ruben¡¯s influence over the Wastes was ended, made a real mess of the tunnels she was in. Most of her clones survived and would eventually come to blame us for that¡ you especially.¡± He paused to gauge her reaction before continuing. ¡°Some started to delude themselves into thinking they were the original, but the dissonance caused them to hate the System.¡±
¡°They were Last Word?!¡± She hissed, so as to not wake the others.
¡°Yeah. Got themselves corrupted because they didn¡¯t care for their humanity. I met one who didn¡¯t turn, and she gave me the antidote for the poison.¡±
¡°Wow. That¡¯s a lot to take in. So¡ you¡¯re not going to die tomorrow?¡± She grinned up at him.
He nodded slowly. ¡°I no longer have the poison.¡±
¡°Vague answer, but I¡¯ll accept it.¡± She wrapped an arm around him and gave him a squeeze. ¡°You coming to sleep soon?¡± A yawn escaped her mouth just thinking about it.
¡°Not quite yet.¡± He worked his jaw and then pressed his STAR for something. ¡°Sally¡¡±
¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°I know you and Humphrey are worried that one day I¡¯ll be too powerful or lose control¡ so I want you to have this.¡± From his Inventory, he withdrew a slim, rectangular box of polished wood. A metal clasp kept it closed, but there were no other markings or details on it.
¡°What¡¯s this¡ a special stake or something?¡± She grimaced and pulled a face at him.
¡°Just¡ you¡¯ll know when you need it. No opening it before then, okay?¡± He smiled, revealing his fangs.
¡°Melodramatic ass,¡± she said and sighed. ¡°Fine. If there comes a day where I have to kill you off, then we¡¯ve already lost.¡±
He stood up and gave her a kiss atop her head. ¡°Sleep well, my Queen.¡±
¡°Dweeb,¡± she muttered under her breath, a smile across her face as she hopped down to go back to her bedroll.
Not a bad day, overall.
166 - Vacancy Filled
With a yawn, Sally rolled out of her bedroll and slid down the rock she had been on, her face squishing against the dry stone of the ground. ¡°Blurf,¡± she muttered.
¡°Good morning,¡± Humphrey said with a grin as she stood up.
She adjusted her hood and looked around. Norah was sitting up against a rock reading a book, and Lucius was perched atop the tallest jutting peak of their little campground. As she stretched out, she turned to see what the Shade was looking at. A blaze of pink energy darted between several of the large lizard Monsters.
¡°Did that punk not sleep last night?¡± She scowled at the movement and crossed her arms.
¡°No.¡± The Death Knight stepped over to stand beside her. ¡°Just killing all night, I assume. I tried waving, but he didn¡¯t heed my call.¡±
Sally looked at her STAR, which looked normal. ¡°Either he has been slacking, or we will need to move from the area to get all the experience.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Humphrey nodded. ¡°The latter seems most likely.¡±
¡°Easy enough then.¡± She waved out at the blur of vampire. ¡°Theo!¡±
He stopped in place, the beast he was standing on slowly slumping over. Hands in pockets, he hopped down and began to stroll over.
Sally tapped her foot on the ground. ¡°Why did you not sleep, fangs?¡±
Theo shrugged as he got closer. ¡°I can nap while you travel, if that¡¯s okay with Humphrey? The leveling seemed more important.¡±
The Death Knight narrowed his eye sockets. ¡°Isn¡¯t your coffin now made out of metal?¡±
With a smile, the vampire withdrew a small cube from his pocket and threw it into an empty space. It immediately expanded out to a metallic rectangle, which caught the morning light. ¡°If you¡¯re not strong enough, it¡¯s fine.¡±
Crimson flame flickered higher behind the Death Knight¡¯s helmet. ¡°I¡¯m sure I will manage.¡±
Theo gave them all a bow. ¡°Until we next meet, then.¡± As the lid popped to the side, he hopped in, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. The metal cover slid back over him.
With a sigh, Humphrey stepped over and lifted the coffin onto his back, with some assistance from Norah to get it secured in place.
Sally narrowed her eyes out to the horizon. ¡°You¡¯d think the System would consider us out of combat since pup is asleep, but he at least left us a clear path out back into the Jungle.¡±
¡°Best hop to it!¡± Lucius jumped down from the rock and almost tripped over as he landed. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see what we get next and don¡¯t tell each other.¡±
She rolled her eyes. Not that she could complain about some easy levels. The System obviously wasn¡¯t expecting one person to solo these Elites all through the night¡ªplus they were under-leveled, so it probably counted for more. The four of them began walking over the rocky terrain through the gap in the Monster packs.
As tempting as it was to beat up and eat some more of the lizards on the way out, she was tired of them already. Better to get their bearings and see where to head to next after their anticipated Level Up. It looked as though Theo had killed the boss at least once, and she wondered if he got any good loot from it. Words for later.
Eventually, the group made it to the edge of the rocky area and back under the canopy of dense tropical foliage. Sally¡¯s STAR illuminated a golden hue, and she sucked at her teeth. ¡°Two levels! Theo really treated us, huh?¡±
[Pick One]
[Improved Escape Fate] [Increased distance by 5ft]
[Improved Eager Stomach] [Eat Brains threshold is reduced further]
[Improved Share Burden] [Damage absorbed is reduced by 20%]
Some actual numbers for some of that too. The System really tried a little harder for this one. Although the damage absorption was quite a high amount, if the zombies were taking the hit anyway, then she didn¡¯t care too much if they popped in the process. A little cold-hearted maybe, but she was dead so¡
Escape Fate didn¡¯t really need to go much further. That did enough already. Eating brains a little more soon¡ªthat seemed almost unfair. Then again, she was probably the highest level zombie in the world, and the System had no idea what to do with her and the skill progression. Having an instant-kill mechanic seemed unfair when she was so prolific and didn¡¯t have a lot of the downsides a zombie was supposed to have.
[Improved Eager Stomach]
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[Pick One]
[Ignore Pain] [Temporary shield equal to 20% Max HP.]
[Strength In Numbers] [Aura. Undead allies gain +1% Stats per nearby undead ally.]
[Rave Review] [When an undead minion kills a target, nearby undead allies gain STR and Speed boost.]
The STAR faded to a normal silver color¡ªno third Level, but Theo had really excelled. Come to think of it, if they were Level Twenty-two now, then he would be at least the same and have his Level Thirty Ultimate already. She narrowed her eyes at the metal case containing the vampire, wondering what it could be. Something edgy and overpowered, no doubt.
¡°Hey, Lucy,¡± she turned her head back, avoiding looking at more skill choices. ¡°I can have another Bodyguard if you ever felt up to it. No pressure.¡±
The Shade rubbed his misty chin, crimson eyes narrowed. ¡°Let me think on it, and I¡¯ll let you know.¡± Ellipses appeared beside him as he did so.
It would be unfair to expect him to join just because they were in a Party and everyone else had. But there were certainly a lot of benefits to becoming one. Perhaps there was even a way to opt out of being a Bodyguard, but the others¡ªeven Edward¡ªhad never done so. Whatever his decision, it was fine. She might be able to find a different Unique¡ or even eye-patch Archie! She deflated and returned to the skill choice.
Something to keep herself alive, a big boost for when she had a large horde, or a temporary boost that was reliant on her pals killing things. She noted that the last one said ¡®minions¡¯ and not just Undead allies¡ otherwise Theo would pout if she didn¡¯t pick it. [Ignore Pain] sounded like a lot of personal protection, but when was the last time she almost died? Died again?
[Rave Review] would be better if her zombies scaled better, but would pair well with her Ultimate, [Quick Death]. Nothing quite like a domino effect. Still¡ [Strength in Numbers] was another aura that was constant. Even with just the Outsiders that was a +5% buff to all stats, and summoning any zombies would increase that. With [Endless Dead] at full capacity, that would make them +55% boosted. She salivated thinking about a bigger horde¡ªor even [Zombie Apocalypse] if the System allowed it.
[Strength in Numbers]
Something to make her more of a caster would have been nice, now that she had the whole staff and cloak/robes thing going on. Still, that just made appearing amongst the melee and eating people¡¯s brains all the more fun when they didn¡¯t expect it.
¡°I¡¯m all done picking, and you¡¯re welcome.¡± She gave them a bow.
¡°A new Aura?¡± Humphrey asked, raising an eyebrow to Norah.
Sally wagged her finger. ¡°I¡¯m not telling.¡±
¡°Oh,¡± the Death Knight nodded in return. ¡°I just felt several percentage points stronger, is all.¡±
She deflated. They needed to decide what they were going to do for the rest of the day. It was hard to think of anything that was more efficient than the Elites¡ unless there was another area with higher Level Elites, of course. Sally rubbed her hair in thought.
¡°Unfortunately, I do not know the area very well,¡± Humphrey said as he watched her think. ¡°But generally, if we start killing toward the Area Four border, we will run into tougher mobs.¡±
¡°Seems inefficient,¡± she said and shrugged. ¡°But we¡¯re ahead of the expected curve and things usually pick up as we go.¡±
Lucius gave a thumbs-up, accompanied by a similar emoji beside his head. ¡°Worst case, we can always call on one of our friends.¡±
¡°Good point,¡± Sally said with a nod. She spun up her STAR to open her chats.
[Sally: hey Rachel]
[Sally: just in case you didn¡¯t hear, we joined Blue]
[Sally: Dent is pretty persuasive]
[Rachel: Glad to hear it!]
[Rachel: I hope to fight alongside you in the future.]
Some brains could avoid her stomach, after all. Well, just because she was greedy enough to want to eat everyone, doesn¡¯t mean she should. Eventually she would run out of Players, so that was a long-term problem. She pulled her hood over her head to shadow her face. How dire would that be? To be without any proper brains at all?
[Endless Dead] brought back all her zombies from the previous day, the large lizard zombies crashing through the vegetation and trees, unused to the busy terrain and uncaring at how they got through it. They got the whiff of the pack of Monsters ahead and tramped through the area, destroying plant matter and the surprised creatures alike.
¡°Perhaps the System should have more limits on what you can zombify,¡± Humphrey said with a wince.
¡°Don¡¯t give me that,¡± Sally wagged a finger at him as she snarled. ¡°Remember, I never got my zombie dragon¡ªso allow me everything else I want forever.¡±
A sweat-drop appeared beside Lucius.
She pouted back at the terrain being mulched. If she had a dragon, she could fly about and do stuff like¡ probably fall off of it mid-flight doing something goofy and breaking her head on the ground when she met it. There must be other dragons in the world¡ she would just need to pry the information out of someone and then it would be good as done.
¡°If I ate Edward¡¯s brains until he died for real, would he come back as a zombie that could respawn, too?¡± She tilted her head in thinking out in the open, rather than expecting an actual answer.
Humphrey shrugged. ¡°Remember original Chuck?¡±
She shuddered. ¡°I almost forgot. Do you think we should tell him, eventually?¡±
¡°What''s this about Chuck?¡± Norah leaned in, keen to hear the unspoken knowledge.
Sally sucked her teeth. ¡°Aaaah. I¡¯m not sure I should say¡ªbut okay, you have to promise to keep the information to your graves, though. Figuratively, uhh¡¡± She glanced between each of the undead.
Norah and Lucius both nodded.
¡°His¡ Player soul got stuck in limbo when he was brought to this world. It was partly tied to an actual zombie, and then when that zombie died¡ his soul found a place and he was reborn as actual Chuck.¡± She grimaced.
A question-mark appeared beside the Shade¡¯s head. ¡°None of that means much to me, but that explains why he was a good friend if he used to be a zombie, too.¡±
¡°He was a friend in my life before here too,¡± Sally said and sighed. ¡°It all feels so long ago now.¡±
¡°Things have certainly changed.¡± Norah gave her a soft smile. ¡°For all of us, hun.¡±
Lucius crossed his arms. ¡°Well, if you ask me, we¡¯re on the up! I have a super good feeling about today.¡± Stars sparkled either side of his head.
A crack of thunder rolled across the sky, and Humphrey growled as he held his face.
¡°Everything okay?¡± Norah put her hand on his shoulder.
With a deep sigh, he lowered his hand. ¡°The new Architect has been chosen.¡±
They each turned to glare at the Shade, as sweat-drops continued to appear beside his head.
167 - Darkening Skies
They stood in awkward silence for a few moments as it sunk in. There would be no mistaking that what Humphrey said was true or not, out of any of them, he would know.
¡°What does this mean?¡± Sally eventually asked, her zombies now standing still and looking around aimlessly while she processed.
Humphrey rubbed the side of his metal head. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be an immediate process. We have potentially a couple of days before they are empowered and can make changes to the world.¡± He stopped rubbing and deflated. ¡°But this is all new ground, so I can¡¯t say for sure.¡±
The metal coffin on his back popped open, and Theo stumbled out. He adjusted his suit and put his glasses back on his face as he gathered himself. ¡°What happened? I felt something dire occur.¡±
¡°New Architect has been chosen.¡± Sally filled him in and helped him fix his collar. ¡°Short time before potential doom.¡±
¡°Good thing I¡¯m not dying today then,¡± he gave a slight grin back. ¡°Do we have a plan yet?¡±
They shook their heads.
Theo held his hand up to his eyes and sighed. ¡°Alright, I have the location of some Level Thirty Elite humanoids we can go power level on.¡±
Humphrey furrowed his brow. ¡°Even for us, Level Thirty Elite Monsters are¡¡±
¡°Trust me,¡± the vampire grinned. ¡°We don¡¯t exactly have the time to do anything but go all out.¡±
The Death Knight nodded.
¡°How¡¯d you get that information,¡± Sally prodded him in the arm. ¡°And how far away is it?¡±
He shared over the Map details. Near the Southeast point of the map, quite close to the fourth area. ¡°I asked Chuck.¡±
She pouted back at him. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s talking with you now?¡±
¡°Well, you hardly ever check your messages, so¡¡± Theo put his hands in his pockets and turned away from her glare. ¡°We have mounts, but just two, so-¡±
¡°Actually, I have my own transport,¡± Humphrey said with a wide grin, ¡°I can take Norah.¡± He stepped to the side and held out an arm.
[Nightmare Steed]
A large skeletal horse, covered in heavy metal garb, burst into being on the ground in front of him. Crimson flame flickered from the eye sockets of the undead creature¡ªmuch taller and wider than any usual horse. But then, it¡¯d need to be, considering the rider.
Sally whistled. ¡°I hope that lasts longer than the last one.¡± She turned to avoid the Death Knight¡¯s glare. ¡°Lucy, you can pick me or Theo to ride with, either shadow or normal way.¡±
¡°With you would be great!¡± Sparkling eyes appeared beside his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never ridden a mount before.¡±
With a click of their fingers, the giant zombie mice appeared beside the two undead-Players. Sally hopped atop hers and gave it a pet, before holding a hand down to lift the Shade up.
¡°Straight there,¡± Theo said. ¡°No stopping?¡±
¡°Stop only for Red team.¡± Sally pushed her hood back so she could see them all better. ¡°I know that it¡¯s a distraction, but it will be worth it.¡±
Theo and Humphrey both nodded, and then they were away as soon as Sally cast [Endless Sleep] to put away her zombies. Her mount jumped and dodged through the dense trees and overgrown foliage, avoiding all the packs of the Monsters living in the Jungle.
¡°There¡¯s a path to the north, about five minutes,¡± Theo called out to her. ¡°We can follow that halfway there.¡±
Sally checked her Map and gave him a nod. It would be much quicker along the road rather than trying to make it through the vegetation. She saw that she had messages pending from Chuck.
[Chuck: Sorry for everything.]
[Chuck: I have a bad feeling about this.]
[Chuck: Hopefully Theo knows what he is doing.]
[Chuck: We don¡¯t have a tele there as it is¡ rough]
Silly goose had been running an army, practically. Now he was apologizing for things he didn¡¯t need to. She missed him, and the small glimmer of hope within her considered the new Architect might be decent and then they¡¯d all live happily ever after. Actually, now that she thought it in her head, it sounded less likely to be the case.
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[Sally: no worries bud.]
[Sally: hold the fort, we¡¯ll meet soon, okay?]
[Sally: if it¡¯s bad, we stand together.]
[Chuck: If it¡¯s bad, we fall together.]
She smiled and closed it down. Poetic, although he might have been full of pessimism when saying it, rather than it being the motivational line she had read it as. They were all oddities in the System. It was a wonder they had made it this far. Still, that didn¡¯t mean she would go quietly into the infinite void.
¡°This is actually quite nauseating,¡± Lucius groaned from behind her.
¡°Just hold tight, bud.¡± She grinned as the warm air whipped through her tied-up hair. ¡°And try not to vomit on the new cloak.¡± Being covered in dried blood was one thing, but vomit would be beyond the pale. Not that the Shade ever ate anything¡
The three mounts burst out from the greenery and landed on the illuminated road. Shuffling to the right, they began to bound down the clear path.
Lucius leaned against the zombie¡¯s back. ¡°This is better, slightly.¡±
¡°How is it you don¡¯t get motion sick as a shadow, but a little ride atop a giant zombie mouse has you all greener than¡ uh, the Jungle?¡±
¡°Oh, I should try that.¡± He vanished and his crimson eyes appeared from her shadow.
She raised an eyebrow behind her, and her shadow gave a thumbs-up. Riding time was a nice break to really process things. While the Forest was mostly them pushing against the System, and the Wastes was ousting a problem figure ruining the area, the Architect coming back into being was something different.
They were potentially at a disadvantage, and had no control over the when, where, or what. All they could do was get stronger and hope that if there were any problems with the new policies of the Architect, then they could just overpower them like usual. Of course, they could just as easily be erased from existence for being outside the norm. Then all of this would be pointless¡ but they had to try, at least.
Humphrey was vague on what actual powers a new Architect would have. A few days for them to settle into the role, but after that, what could they do? Some of the System was set in place, she was sure he had said at some point, so there were limits¡ but that¡¯s as far as his Observer knowledge could take the conversation. The parts of Archie within him surely knew more, but without all five, there were gaps.
If the Death Knight absorbed all five of the cats, would that make him the Architect? Probably not if there was already one assigned¡ but then that added the question of would the new god accept that there were little shards of the previous owner walking around? Probably not if it was the group that killed the first Architect. How could they keep Archie safe from an entity so powerful?
She missed the days where eating a bully¡¯s brain was the toughest challenge they had to face. Even taking Sanctuary from the System-created would be preferable to having to deal with the handover between the murdered god and potential assailant.
¡°You alright?¡± Theo rode his mouse beside hers and raised an eyebrow.
¡°Long distance travelling let¡¯s my brain do too much thinking.¡± She pouted at him. ¡°That usually makes me sad.¡±
¡°When we get to our destination, I might have something that¡¯ll cheer you up.¡± He grinned, revealing his fangs.
Sally considered it was probably unlikely he had even more abs than currently. The second option of Player brains seemed like wishful thinking, too. Third choice was potentially new items dropped during his kill spree last night.
¡°I look forward to it,¡± she said with a grin. As soon as he rode ahead a little, her smile faded, and she deflated. Not even a cool new legendary item could rouse her spirits. She¡¯d still accept it, though.
¡°Contact!¡± The vampire took her from her thoughts and she looked up ahead in the road.
Three figures stood just to the side, possibly arguing about something, before the approaching undead Party caught their attention.
Red tabards.
They went to run, but the Outsiders were too fast. A twelve-foot tall pyramid burst up in front of them as they tried to escape into the jungle, pushing them back to the road. One of them, an archer, recovered and had an arrow burning with power just as Theo appeared behind them, sinking his fangs in. Sally sent a flaming skull out from her staff toward them, as bandages wrapped around the third.
Theo turned from his victim to stab the one struck by the [Mortis Bomb], grabbing the body and throwing it up into the air as the Party thundered past. Sally leaped up from her seat. [Eat Brains].
Norah threw her captive into the air toward them, as the vampire appeared in the air, striking them through the back before they fell to Sally, who ate their brains as well. Theo vanished again and appeared back in the saddle of his mount.
The last figure stood shocked and bleeding profusely from the neck as the raised zombies overpowered them.
¡°Two out of three isn¡¯t bad,¡± Sally said as she wiped her mouth. It would just take three days for those zombies to catch her up, if they didn¡¯t die before that. Nothing quite like a bit of cavalry to come save the day at the last minute, although they¡¯d probably be stealing Theo¡¯s thunder at that point.
Perhaps she should ask him what his second Ultimate was. Would he even tell her? Probably not. She glared at his back as he rode in front of her. She could understand the spectacle of leaving these things to mystery until they could come in and save the day, but it was also too convenient. They could have anything until the time came up where they exactly needed something. She knew Norah had something like that, and she was just counting the days until they found out what that was.
She yawned. The rest of the trip might be somewhat boring unless they occasionally ran across groups of the enemy faction. Then again, most were unprepared for the Party at full force. Little could be. It brought her brief comfort that together they were stronger than most things. Like a roving natural disaster, they had surpassed the best Players. Not only that, but had been working to make the System a better place¡ªfew could stake a similar claim.
In fact, she had lived a good unlife. Carved her own place out amongst the ruins of a bugged System and gathered a tight-knit group of found family. A weird sense of love and companionship that went against her nature, but felt right. Worries washed away, as she felt rather content with what she had achieved. Optimistic about the future.
She looked up at the sky, which was darkening further. The rumble of thunder shook the distance. Getting closer.
It was just a shame the System didn¡¯t share her positive views.
168 - Ride or Die
The rest of the journey was just about what she expected. Boring. She was tired of the movement of the mount and was thankful for the brief handful of minutes that they took a break to give the creatures some of her [Mount Feed]. No other Players on the road¡ªor really anything else of interest. At a certain point, they split from the main road to head south.
¡°About ten more minutes,¡± Theo called out.
Sally brought up her Map and stared at the little point denoting her position slowly move down the road. Almost as interesting as looking out at the same handful of trees and bushes they had passed a billion times. There had been some points of interests. Buildings further in to the jungle itself. Way back to the west, there had been a large tower that she wanted to investigate, when possible.
If they weren¡¯t in such a rush, it would have been a fun little jaunt¡ªfor sure. It was probably some kind of dungeon. Not that she was particularly fond of almost dying in dungeons, but something had to threaten her existence. She winced at putting that thought out into the world. Dangerous thoughts to be having when you had a potentially malicious demi-god stalking the world soon enough. And she didn¡¯t mean Theo.
Not that she could ever consider using the magic stake, or whatever he had given her, against him. Even if he turned and became something destructive and uncontrollable. Did that make her weak? She exhaled through her nose. He had gotten wild a handful of times and it had been easy enough to bring him back. Mostly, she thought Humphrey was just overindulging on melodrama to think the vampire could become a bad egg. She had even considered opening it up to see what she was dealing with¡ but he had trusted her not to.
She wasn¡¯t sure how she¡¯d handle losing any of them, truth be told. They had gotten away pretty lightly in terms of punishment. Archie had been the closest to a loss, but that was willingly and now they had another Archie¡ which seemed worse to put it that way when she thought about it. This was why she tried not to think too hard. Mania had painted several thick layers over the potential panic of her human side dealing with the horrors of the world. Mostly the violence she committed.
With another yawn, she stretched out her back and then adjusted her cloak. Imagine if the System had worked and people went back to their normal world when they died here. Like an actual video game. To be fair, she only had Humphrey''s word that it didn¡¯t work like that¡ªand the supposed memories of the dead Architect through the cat. What if she was going through all this and he had been wrong? She could have been brained by the Cleric in the diner and then woke up back in her ordinary job like nothing had happened.
After over a year now, it didn¡¯t really matter. This was her new life, and she would deal with the after when it came to be. Hopefully, it would just be erasure and the void, and she wouldn¡¯t have to consider what she had done, or lost, or could have done differently. Not that she was desperate for closure¡ she did enjoy her life, even with the conflict and macabre nature of her broken Class.
¡°Are we there yet?¡± She whined at the vampire, tired of being alone with her thoughts for so long.
Humphrey shook his head from atop his giant steed. ¡°You know you can just check yourself.¡±
Norah gave him a squeeze from where she was sitting behind him. ¡°Sometimes a girl just wants to be heard, not necessarily have a solution.¡±
The Death Knight opened and closed his skeletal mouth before deflating. ¡°I too long for the solid ground beneath my feet.¡±
Sally grinned at the Mummy, before turning her head back to her shadow. ¡°You good back there, Lucius?¡± She had to check he was still there sometimes. Although he seemed content enough to stay shadowed indefinitely, if she couldn¡¯t see his crimson eyes, then she would briefly panic that he had been left behind.
He popped out of his form and sat behind her, grabbing onto her cloak so he didn¡¯t immediately fly off the back of the bounding rodent. ¡°Never been better.¡± No emoji appeared beside this statement.
¡°Thinking of ways we can kill the Architect?¡± She grinned and turned back to looking ahead. Winding him up was perhaps unfair, but it should be on all their minds as a possibility. Mostly, she wondered what the Architect¡¯s brains would taste like¡ªif they had any. Would eating them turn her into the Architect? Part of her had wanted that at one point¡ but now? Responsibility didn¡¯t sit well with her mania, and she¡¯d only end turning things into a mix of paradise and a factory funneling Player brains straight into her maw.
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡°No. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m capable of that, even with my¡¡± the Shade paused. ¡°With the secret skills I¡¯m definitely not telling you about.¡±
As much as she rolled her eyes, Sally also grinned. Bunch of misfits, primed and ready to fail upwards. Or die trying. Die again.
¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Theo called from the front, popping off his mount as it vanished. He hit the ground and slid across the smooth dirt, hands in his pockets, before friction won over and he came to a stop.
¡°Not trying that again,¡± Sally murmured to herself. She slowed her mouse and gave it a pet before it vanished away, Lucius and herself landing on the floor.
Humphrey¡¯s horse whinnied and shuffled to a stop, and he helped Norah down before dismounting himself. He gave the steed a pat on the side and it vanished with a pop of dark smoke.
¡°Did you give it a suitable edgy name?¡± Sally asked, raising her eyebrow and smiling.
The Death Knight deflated. ¡°No¡ Norah named it.¡±
¡°I think Peaches is a perfectly good name,¡± the Mummy grinned, and gave Sally a wink.
¡°Very fitting, I agree,¡± she nodded in return. Allowing the plated figure to simmer in that, she turned to walk over to Theo, where he had stopped to peer off down in the scenery off to the left.
¡°Hmm.¡± He said, then turned to greet her. ¡°This will be tough.¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes out to see a sparse woodland. The trees weren¡¯t exactly tropical and resembled part of the woodland from the starting area. Dry ground, reddish trunks, and a high canopy. In the midst of all these trees and scant foliage were people.
System-created, and possibly human. They looked similar to the barbarians from the Wastes, but more rugged. Thicker muscles, more armor, and their weapons glowed a dim green color.
¡°Looks¡ bad,¡± she eventually said. ¡°Level Thirty Elites¡ I¡¯m not sure I could even damage them.¡± Even having [Skeleton Key] at the end of her staff, it wouldn¡¯t take much to be overpowered in melee.
¡°You¡¯d have to leech at first.¡± Theo tilted his head to the side and looked at her. ¡°Let me do the heavy lifting again. A couple more levels and the whole Party can join in.¡±
Her nose wrinkled up. ¡°Alright, tough guy. You certain you can even kill them?¡±
¡°There¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t do.¡±
She rolled her eyes. ¡°The less I dig into that statement, the better for both of us.¡±
The vampire opened and closed his mouth, before grimacing. He turned as the rest of the Party moved over after having murmured about the horse''s name enough.
Humphrey looked out at the enemies and then back to Theo. ¡°Are you certain about this?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t feign worry on my account,¡± the vampire gave him a wink. ¡°Just be ready to carry my coffin again soon¡ I can only do this once a week.¡±
The Death Knight narrowed his eyes, flame licking at the back of his helmet, but just nodded in return.
Theo stood at the edge of the area and flexed his fingers. Limbered up his shoulders and then tilted his neck from side to side. The pitch black punch-blades appeared in his hands and he hopped on the spot to get some energy built up.
Sally narrowed her eyes as she watched him burn time. Surely he didn¡¯t need to make such a show of it?
[Lord of Crimson]
His suit burst away to be replaced by a set of thick leather armor, bright red in color and buzzing with energy. The full helmet turned towards them and he nodded. Around him, the ground indented and a wave of air buffeted the area before he flexed and then burst away.
A crimson trail was left behind him as he zipped straight into the first enemy like a magnet. [Sanguine Weapon] appeared behind him, and he stabbed out multiple times as the pink energy of [Novice Strike] blurred around the enemy.
As soon as the first Monster fell, [Blood Shift] took him over to the next one and the process repeated.
¡°Impressive, as always.¡± Humphrey relented with a shrug. ¡°I would guess he is already Level Twenty-Five since he has the experience bonus, and that means has the number of skills a Level Thirty-Five has.¡±
Norah whistled. ¡°Plus his stats¡?¡±
¡°You can assume that they are maxed,¡± the Death Knight shook his head. ¡°It is more convoluted than that, but it is safe to say if anyone could win a fight, it would be Theo.¡±
Sally wrinkled up her face. Not because she thought herself capable enough, but because of what she was reading between the lines. ¡°Are you saying we¡¯ll need Theo to kill the Architect?¡±
Humphrey tilted his head and regarded her with his impassive empty sockets. ¡°No. It may not even come to that. But if it does, it will be a great boon to have the vampire on our side.¡±
She shivered. There was something she wasn¡¯t liking about this conversation. The clouds overhead had darkened, although most of the daylight still made it through¡ªand there was no hint of precipitation to cool her mood off. It was as if it was just a malaise that hung over the world, rather than actual clouds.
There was apprehension in her bones, and she hoped to get stuck into fighting these Monsters as soon as possible so she could push any worry out of her mind. Half-focused on the blur of red and pink darting around ahead of her, she brought up the STAR Chat.
[Sally: hey, Lana?]
[Your message could not be delivered.]
Although she was half hoping it would go to one of the living clones, that made enough sense.
¡°Let¡¯s try pulling one,¡± she sighed and looked at the group. ¡°I need some violence in the present to distract me from¡¡±
¡°Violence from the past,¡± Humphrey said with a nod.
¡°Potential violence in the future,¡± the Shade added, shivering as a panicked emoji appeared.
She gave them a glum smile as the skull on her staff burst into green flame.
¡°Yeah.¡±
169 - The Widest Smile
Humphrey staggered backward as the enemy charged into him. A bandage broke off from the leg of the assailant and the armored barbarian smashed through the head of a zombie.
¡°They¡¯re a little overtuned, huh?¡± Sally pouted and spun around her staff.
Norah burst a small pyramid up from the ground, pushing the attacker toward the slashing blade of the Death Knight. A wide gash coursed through thick leather and into flesh, before a shadowed version of the greatsword followed the movement and split through their organs.
¡°So are we, hun.¡± The Mummy smiled and retrieved her spent bandages like homing snakes.
Sally watched the figure slump over on the floor, guts spilling out but brain uneaten. It took all four of them to take down one of the measly human-looking barbarians. Usually they¡¯d mow through Monsters like these. Eight levels higher and Elite, though. Humphrey had mentioned that Elite upped the effective level by a handful or something, but that was some time ago, and now that she thought about it, she might be making that up.
She turned to the side to watch the blur of the vampire streak through a handful of the enemy. They weren¡¯t all dying in one hit, but Theo would quickly [Blood Shift] back over to any that he needed to finish off. As impressive as it was, she didn¡¯t want to just be a passive observer while he got them all experience. She needed to do something.
Plus, the goof had said he had something special for her, and then immediately forgotten as he went off to kill things. It better be something worthy of the wait.
¡°Perhaps we are going about this all wrong?¡± She tapped a finger on the edge of her staff. They were overtuned, and shouldn¡¯t be on the back foot just because the Monster had more health or defense.
¡°I apologize,¡± Humphrey turned his head back to look at her. ¡°I am not feeling my best.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not you.¡± Sally waved her hand and frowned at him. ¡°But, are you okay?¡±
¡°Yes. I am sure it is just the pressure of the current situation.¡± The Death Knight turned back to looking out at the bandits.
More likely, it was a sign of something bad about to happen. He never really got ill or was off his game unless something terrible was afoot. It was enough to make her slightly worried. The new Architect was an unknown, and it had everyone in the know on edge.
¡°Lucius, you should shadow me,¡± she said as she rubbed at her chin. The Shade popped down into her shadow. ¡°My dagger can pierce all defenses, near enough. If I can stab them in the soft parts, we might be able to kill them off quicker.¡±
¡°You¡¯re not really built for taking damage,¡± Humphrey interjected, before she waved him off.
¡°I best be careful then, huh?¡± With a grin, she spun around her staff to hold like a spear. Her shadow did the same, pointing the sharp end forward.
[Summon Zombies]
Four undead rose up out of the ground in front of her. Her eyes narrowed in thought. With a twirl, she turned to behind them and used [Endless Dead] along with the other two charges of [Summon Zombies] to create a small army. They¡¯d die quickly to these Monsters, but that¡¯s not why they were here.
¡°Stay put!¡± she Commanded them, leaving just the four between her and the roving humanoids targets. With a grin, she turned back to the Death Knight. ¡°That feel like a bit more of a percentage increase?¡±
[Strength in Numbers] raised all of their Stats, which should make killing off the Elites a little easier. More the fool of her for not thinking of that before, but she had been distracted by the whole end of the world thing.
¡°Norah, if you could try to restrain their arms? I¡¯m going to stab them in the face.¡±
¡°Sure, hun.¡± The Mummy stepped back a little further to get a better view of the small group.
¡°What would you like me to do?¡± Humphrey asked, resting his sword across the back of his shoulders.
¡°Pull my ass out of the fire when I mess this up,¡± Sally said with a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll only have a few jabs before they mush my zombies, and I don¡¯t intend to follow them.¡± She spun the staff around and the skull blazed a bright green.
With a twist, she flung it out at the next bandit. Another muscled man in thick hides and coarse fur armor. It struck him, and the fire burned a dark mark across his chest. Axe glowing green, he cleaved through two of the emerging zombies and ran towards Sally to leave the last one in the dust.
Bandages shot out and wrapped around his arms, slowing his attacks but not restricting them. The axe cleaved halfway through one of the zombies protecting Sally, but couldn¡¯t make it all the way through.
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She jumped forward, jabbing out with the merged [Skeleton Key]. The Monster attempted to dodge to the side, but was caught by the shadowed version of her attack, piercing him straight through the middle of the head.
¡°Aha!¡± she said and beamed as the figure dropped to the floor. ¡°Can¡¯t dodge a shadow.¡±
¡°I feel like being able to instantly kill things is something we should utilize more often,¡± the Death Knight grumbled, his skeletal face somehow deflated.
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, pops. Go tank them for me and I¡¯ll stab them.¡±
They were never much for Questing or leveling the traditional way. Grinding Monsters was a means to an end, to climb over the gate keeping them from being more powerful. Players and Uniques were usually their biggest hurdles, but even then, working together they¡¯d been able to crumble any opposition that had stood in their way so far.
With the stat-boosting zombies, and their new plan of stabbing things with Sally¡¯s broken weapon, they started to get into the swing of things. Nowhere near as fast as the vampire, but gradually they picked up a pace that could get the extra experience at little risk to themselves. Much better than sitting around and twiddling their thumbs.
[Eat Brains]. Sally wiped her mouth off and yawned. She crouched down and looked at the loot on this fallen enemy while Humphrey readied to pull the next.
¡°Oh, shame I can¡¯t eat normal food.¡± She stood and then frowned at the rest of the Party. ¡°Do any of you eat normal food?¡± Her shadow shook his head.
¡°I probably could,¡± Norah tilted her head, ¡°but prefer not to. Humphrey doesn¡¯t eat at all.¡±
Sally nodded. ¡°Theo¡¯s diet is pretty restrictive, as is mine. Can¡¯t stand anything other than fresh brains. These chumps have a food item that increases health regeneration and some stats¡ªwould have been neat if we could use them.¡±
Humphrey lowered his sword. ¡°We could try?¡±
She smiled. ¡°Sure thing, pops, be my guest.¡± In her extended hand, she held what looked to be a rather packed sandwich.
He narrowed his eyes and took it from her slowly. Lucius popped out beside Sally, and all eyes except for the rampaging vampire¡¯s watched the Death Knight bring the foodstuff up to his skeletal maw.
Silence, except for the sounds of combat in the background, as he took a bite and began to chew. After a few awkward moments, the mashed sandwich vanished from his mouth and the Death Knight tilted his head to the side.
¡°I do not have a tongue, so am unable to taste the sandwich. The texture was uncomfortable. I also do not have a digestive system.¡±
Sally grinned. ¡°But did you get the other benefits from the task?¡±
Humphrey pulled a face and returned the rest of the meal back to her. ¡°Yes. Although I am unsure as to whether it was worth the turmoil.¡±
Lucius rubbed his misty chin. ¡°I don¡¯t even have a proper body, so I can¡¯t even feign the process like pops.¡±
The Death Knight narrowed his empty eye sockets as the red flame behind his helmet rose a little higher.
¡°That¡¯s fair, Lucy¡ªI suppose there¡¯s no point filling up your boot with half-eaten sandwich, right?¡± Sally wagged the food toward the Mummy. ¡°Norah?¡±
¡°I suppose it couldn¡¯t hurt,¡± she shrugged.
There was a pulse of energy as Theo slid over to them. Crackles of crimson lightning arced around his body as streams of blood ran down his leather armor. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s everyone up to?¡±
She beamed. ¡°We¡¯re taking turns biting this sandwich I found on the dead guy.¡±
¡°Okay.¡± The fully covered head of the vampire nodded. ¡°Oh, I forgot to give you that gift.¡±
Sally moved up closer to him, as he looked through his Inventory. There was an aura around him, as though he was a furnace¡ªbut it was just power rather than heat. She had assumed his neat new form was similar to Humphrey¡¯s but perhaps more offensive orientated. That he could only do it once a week seemed unfair, but this was a good of a reason to use it as, anyway.
¡°Here,¡± he passed her a chain with a locket of some kind on the end.
¡°How sweet,¡± she said as she held it up. It was actually a heart on the end, made from a deep red gemstone, and encircled with golden detailing. ¡°That¡¯s thoughtful of you, pup.¡±
¡°You probably saw the tower on the way over? It¡¯s a dungeon, and that¡¯s a key.¡± He looked over to see the odd faces the Mummy was pulling in trying to get the sandwich down.
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t just give a gal some jewelry, huh? You didn¡¯t want to use it yourself?¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t have the chance.¡± He turned back to her and shrugged. ¡°Listen, Sally, I¡ I¡¯ll get back to grinding. You should be close to the next level.¡±
Before she could say anything further, he was off. A blur of crimson and pink as he blazed through the respawning Elites. She looked back at the group as she put the necklace around her neck.
¡°It would be much better if it was made from adventurers,¡± Norah said as she grimaced, handing back the last of the sandwich. ¡°I just don¡¯t have the appetite for it, hun.¡±
¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Sally placed the remnants of the snack gently back on top of the dead body, before it shifted and stood up as a zombie, splaying the entrails of the sandwich across the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s just get back to what we are good at.¡±
Humphrey grinned. ¡°Failing upwards and not dying?¡±
¡°You invite malady on our fair group, pops.¡± Sally wagged a finger at him. ¡°Go stab something and stay out of trouble.¡±
The Death Knight deflated and turned to the next Monster in their area. Despite his visual exhaustion at being called pops, she knew that he secretly liked it. Mostly because Norah had told her as much. It was odd in the abstract, knowing Humphrey had been a floating skull and tool of the System, but now felt comfortable enough to be the head of the found family they had cobbled together.
If anything, it just went to show the depth and vibrancy of life that Uniques could live, just like any Player.
They murdered their way through another handful of System-created baddies, and then Theo slid over to them again.
¡°Alright, that should be a levels worth. We¡¯ll need to get up on the ledge where we dismounted to claim it.¡±
They nodded and headed that way immediately. Theo hadn¡¯t said how long his special form could last, but if it dropped off if he was out of combat for too long, then she wanted to go accept the experience gain so he could go back out as soon as possible.
Helping each other up, they stood upon the dried mud away from the Monsters. A golden glow flooded through the STARs of the two half-Players.
¡°Alright, I¡¯m heading straight back out-¡° Theo began, before pausing.
A deep rumbling drew their attention, and they looked up at the darkened sky.
Sally narrowed her eyes before they widened in surprise. Above them, spanning the sky, a giant skull began to form. Deep pits where the eyes should be, miles wide. A toothed grin bigger than some of the zones. It opened gradually as a crack of lightning flashed across the clouds.
¡°Greetings,¡± a voice boomed out like thunder, vibrating through the floor. ¡°I am your new Architect.¡±
170 - Final Observations
Sally shivered. ¡°A big skull is kind of spooky.¡±
Humphrey looked at her with a blank expression on his face. ¡°This is just a projection, not the actual size of the Architect.¡±
¡°Skull means an ex-Observer?¡± Theo clucked his tongue, right before his Ultimate wore off and he returned to his normal clothing. ¡°Ah, shit.¡±
The Death Knight nodded. ¡°It is likely.¡±
They looked back up again. Another rumble vibrated through the air as the Architect opened the giant skeletal mouth to speak once more. ¡°I am eager to meet all of you, however, my powers are still limited. Just as a warm-up, however¡ it seems nobody is using the fifth area. Such a waste of resources¡ well, no more.¡±
Beneath their feet, the ground shook.
¡°Open your map,¡± Humphrey demanded of the zombie.
With a spin, she brought it up and zoomed out. The Death Knight came and stood behind her. They both held their breath, as there was undeniably a large gap missing where the fifth area had just been.
¡°Surely not.¡± Sally furrowed her brow. ¡°He just said he was low on power, and he deletes a huge chunk of the world? Or at least the continent we are on.¡± She tried to zoom out further, but it stopped when the whole of their large island was fully in view.
¡°It means that he was truthful when he said there was nobody there. The System has a failsafe. If there are no Players the whole of Othea can be¡ removed.¡± Humphrey stepped back away from her.
Theo rubbed at his forehead. ¡°So it would just be an empty sea, or the whole reality would collapse?¡±
Humphrey shrugged. ¡°It is not something I have intimate knowledge of.¡±
Lucius looked practically petrified, his crimson eyes glued to the large, looming skull. Norah just looked annoyed. Her jaw was clenched. They could feel the power, maybe even more than Sally and Theo could. Probably fear it more, being constructs of the System now under control of this unknown entity.
¡°Pragmatic,¡± Sally eventually said with a sigh, ¡°but doesn¡¯t exactly paint him in the best of lights. Especially with the whole skull-face thing.¡±
The Death Knight deflated.
¡°Until I have a proper grip on things,¡± the voice continued to shake the air around them, ¡°I am disabling experience gain. So sit tight and enjoy the life you currently have.¡±
¡°Ass!¡± Sally kicked dirt. ¡°Also, very ominous.¡±
Theo groaned. ¡°Just when we were getting caught up, too. But at least Chuck can change his terms?¡±
¡°Of course, I¡¯ll message him now.¡± Sally nodded. Perhaps it made sense to put a stop to some of the System, especially if you were looking to fix it or find out where things were going wrong. Still, it didn¡¯t settle very well with her and she wasn¡¯t too hopeful that this new Architect had only good things in mind for anyone¡ªespecially her oddball friends.
[Sally: Chuck]
[Sally: you seeing this??]
[Sally: pls advise]
He didn¡¯t reply immediately, so she closed it down. The Level Up was still pending, but she couldn¡¯t focus on it when being watched so intensely from above.
¡°So now what?¡± she asked, to a chorus of shrugs and murmurs. They did look to her for the way forward, usually. Without being able to level, what choice did they have now? A vacation? The Architect wouldn¡¯t allow something that easy for them, she was sure of it.
As if to answer her, the voice boomed out once more.
¡°While I am resting, I will put my errant workers back to use. There are many things wrong with this System, and their assistance is required.¡±
With that, the skull started to fade away, to be replaced by the gloomy, overcast sky. Light rain began to fall, as if to signal their absence.
¡°Rude,¡± Sally huffed. ¡°Didn¡¯t even tell us his name.¡± She turned to the gathered Outsiders. ¡°Well, we¡¯d best take a seat and think about what to do. Maybe head out back toward wherever Chuck is? Consolidate our allies.¡±
Theo pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°I suppose that makes sense. As soon as we can level again though¡¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah. I get it.¡± She waved him off. ¡°What do you think Humps?¡Humps?¡±
The Death Knight was holding his face, but moved his hand away at her verbal prodding. From behind his helmet, the crimson flame petered out and was replaced by a blaze of light blue energy. He stood tall and glared at the gathered Party.
¡°I am not Humps, I am Observer unit HM-3.3.¡± His empty eyes went between each of them. ¡°You are all out of sorts. Submit for correction, or suffer the consequences.¡± Bright blue flame ran down the length of his greatsword.
¡°This is no time for jokes,¡± Sally said, narrowing her eyes at him. He wasn¡¯t usually this good of an actor, though.
Norah shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s been reclaimed by the Architect. That¡¯s really not him anymore.¡±
¡°We will not stand and be corrected,¡± Theo stepped forward in front of the rest of them. ¡°Leave us be until you return to your senses.¡±
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¡°Oh?¡± The flame at the back of Humphrey¡¯s helmet burned higher. ¡°Are you so eager to jump onto the blade of judgement and perish?¡±
The vampire grinned, exposing his fangs. ¡°Nah, I¡¯d win.¡±
¡°We shouldn¡¯t be fighting,¡± Sally interrupted. ¡°If you can¡¯t shrug off the control, then we will leave and you can go do your own thing.¡± She crossed her arms and stared the Death Knight down.
¡°Your presence is untenable under the new order of things. Any bug or error must be corrected.¡± He raised his sword in a ready position.
Theo shook his head. ¡°Can you even see yourself? You¡¯re just as big of an oddball as the rest of us.¡±
¡°Yes. My time of penance will come eventually, but for now, I must deal with things, as is my directive.¡±
Lucius had just been quiet, sweat drops and panicked faces appearing beside him all the while. There was a lot of tension in the Party, as the now Observer-again Death Knight didn¡¯t seem to be able to buck off the controlling influence of the Architect.
Sally seethed through clenched teeth. ¡°Then I guess we¡¯ll have to take you down a notch and knock some sense into you.¡±
¡°No,¡± Humphrey said with a cold grin.
[Compelled Duel]
The vampire tutted. ¡°You know my Stats are too high to¡¡± his brow furrowed. ¡°Oh, it did work.¡±
¡°Ass, Humphrey!¡± The zombie threw her hands up in the air. Her plan was to wail on him until Norah could tie him up, using Theo¡¯s speed to block his attacks and tire him out.
¡°It seemed pertinent to remove the higher threat first,¡± the response came.
Theo grinned. ¡°I knew it would come down to this eventually, old man. Unstoppable attack power against the unmovable defensive abilities.¡±
Humphrey didn¡¯t reply. Instead, he launched himself forward to swing out with the greatsword¡ªa blazing trail of light blue following it. Only, Theo was no longer there.
He had shifted out behind the Death Knight and slashed out with his sword, sparks flying from the struck metal armor but doing no damage.
¡°Pitiful,¡± Humphrey growled as he spun on his heel to swipe backward.
Theo blocked the strike and slid across the ground by a dozen feet, leaving small trails through the dirt. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to kill you. I have to use kid gloves.¡±
¡°I hold no such reservation.¡± The plated figure launched forward, his sword blazing with [Grave Strike].
Norah nudged Sally, as both pairs of their eyes couldn¡¯t move from the battle. ¡°If you kick Humphrey from the Party, he won¡¯t get all our Aura benefits.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right¡¡± she chewed on her tongue. ¡°Seems unfair when it¡¯s a duel, but we have a clear favorite to win, unfortunately.¡±
[Humphrey has been kicked from the Party]
The greatsword struck the empty ground, blowing a cloud of mud into the nearby vicinity. Skeletons rose up around him as he used [Lord of the Damned], before [Adrenaline] and [Dead King¡¯s Court] illuminated his dark armor with magical energy.
Theo hopped backwards a few steps before holding his empty hand out. A ball of crimson energy grew within his palm, then he cast it out toward the Death Knight. The skeletons took the brunt of the attack, which burst into an explosion of bright white electricity that arced between them. Even as they fell, Humphrey jumped through the resulting cloud of energy and swung down at the vampire.
Stepping to the side to avoid the greatsword, Theo received the plated boot follow-up to the thigh, knocking him back.
[Kneel]
The vampire stopped and dropped down, head hung low.
¡°Be at peace, miserable bug,¡± Humphrey seethed as he swung his sword around.
[Dread Counter]
Theo stopped the attack and leaped forward with his sword crackling with critical energy.
[Impenetrable Defense]
Sally sighed and rubbed her eyes. ¡°We might be here for a while. It would be less stressful if we knew what abilities they had chosen. Theo must have at least a handful I haven¡¯t seen.¡±
Lucius shuffled awkwardly. ¡°And presumably only one of them is trying to kill the other.¡±
She nodded slowly in response. ¡°Theo is testing the waters to see what he can get away with. Enough to debilitate but not destroy.¡±
The vampire had become a blur as he slashed out at the Death Knight, the latter¡¯s defensive shield now gone. They went back into trading blows. The sky turned pitch black and a crimson moon rose up behind Theo as he switched to his punch-blades. [Sanguine Weapon] went up to add a third striking weapon to his attacks.
[Expert Duelist]
Theo slid backwards as his strike was blocked and the greatsword swung out at him, cutting through his suit jacket but not his skin.
¡°Evasive worm, you have not damaged me yet,¡± the Death Knight growled.
The vampire grinned, the red moonlight reflecting on his fangs. ¡°I am also unharmed. You talk too much for how little you can do. Now you can parry every block until I damage you, correct?¡±
¡°Correct.¡± Humphrey flourished his blade around into a defensive stance.
Theo rolled out his shoulders. ¡°Interesting.¡± A pulse of energy washed over him and he now had a blurred after image as he moved.
Flashes of light bloomed from where the Death Knight illuminated in light blue blocked the attacks and swung out immediately with his sword against the blur of red that was the vampire. They clashed another handful of times before the vampire slid away from the battle, rubbing the blood from the side of his mouth.
His suit was even more shredded now, some blood soaking through his shirt. The crimson moon remained, however, which meant he wasn¡¯t particularly damaged.
¡°Not bad, old man. I¡¯m starting to learn the pattern of your attacks, though.¡±
The Death Knight shook his head. ¡°You will need far too many attacks to dent me. I only need one good strike. You know this to be true.¡±
Theo darted forward, crimson globules hanging in the air behind him.
[Hard Parry]
As soon as the Death Knight blocked the shot, his greatsword swung out with far greater speed and strength than usual, critical energy arcing along the blade. The vampire spun and rolled across the ground, up to his feet and now sporting a long gash running up his side.
¡°Something new,¡± he grinned, wincing slightly. ¡°An automatic critical counter¡ for three strikes?¡±
¡°Too smart for your own good, for all that will help you.¡±
With a click of his fingers, the blood spheres Theo had left around congregated in one place, swirling up to form a figure made of the sloshing liquid. The crimson homunculi dove towards the Death Knight with a faux blade, attempting to attack him from behind.
As Humphrey spun around to block the attack, Theo used [Blood Shift] to close the distance and try to land his own attacks. With the clang of metal and bright flash of blue, the Observer slashed through the blood-person and then spun to block and leveled the sword through the vampire.
Stumbling again, the crimson mood faded and dull light once again washed over the area. Theo had a second gash up his chest, but a bright smile across his face. ¡°Worth it. Now that¡¯s out of the way¡¡±
His punch-blades burned bright red, hot like the sun before he shot forward in a split second, shifting at the last moment to attack from an unexpected angle.
Only, it was expected.
¡°I lied.¡± Humphrey grinned, as his skill activated one more time. With a near instantaneous flash, his greatsword deflected the intense attack and jabbed out at the vampire. There was a crunch of bones as it pierced straight through his ribcage and heart. ¡°It was four attacks.¡±
¡°Theo!¡± Sally yelled.
Humphrey leaned forward to stare into his pale face. ¡°One less bug in the System.¡±
The vampire slumped forward, sliding further down the blade, closer to the Death Knight. Theo whispered something as close to the skeletal face of the Observer as he could manage, before he dropped back down the sword and collapsed onto the ground.
[Party member Theo has died]
171 - Entombed
The greatsword dropped down to the floor, as Humphrey held up his hands to look at them. ¡°Oh no,¡± he whispered. The blue flames petered out to be replaced with low crimson ones.
Sally slid across the ground, panic on her face. She cupped the head of the fallen vampire and tried to lift it. ¡°Theo? Theo?¡±
¡°Fucking hells,¡± Norah swore through clenched teeth. ¡°It always ends in tears.¡± Her hand raised up.
[Tomb of the Eternal]
Darkness surrounded the zombie as a stone structure burst from the ground and built up around them. Theo¡¯s body raised up on a plinth, pushing her away across newly formed stone flooring. There was the dull sound of a horse''s movement, muffled from the thick walls, before torches burst into flame, illuminating the chamber.
A small room, no more than fifteen feet square, where the centerpiece was the dead vampire laid out on a light gray bed of stone. A throne of similar design sat raised slightly against the back wall across from Sally, where the Mummy went and sat, sighing deeply.
Sally looked around at the pointed ceiling and carvings around the walls that reminded her of the pyramids. She struggled to maintain her breathing and turned to Norah. ¡°What is this place?¡±
¡°Remember how I said I used to be the Ever-Living? This is the process I¡¯d have to undergo every time I died.¡± The Mummy sighed again and rubbed at her eyes. ¡°While I remain here, watching over Theo, his body will not degrade and his soul will not leave this space.¡±
A pained smile crossed the zombie¡¯s face. ¡°So we can bring him back?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, hun.¡± She shrugged in response. ¡°I was brought back using rituals known only to a handful of priests. This just holds him in stasis.¡±
Sally kicked up dust and growled in frustration. Her eyes darted around the chamber. ¡°Humphrey ran off, but where¡¯s Lucius?¡± A closed doorway sat against the wall behind her. ¡°Maybe he was left outside?¡±
¡°If you leave, you can¡¯t get back in.¡± Norah held up a hand. ¡°It¡¯s designed to be as safe as possible.¡±
With a sigh, Sally opened up her Inventory and spun around to the box he had given her. She placed the smooth wooden container on the edge of the plinth by the vampire¡¯s feet. ¡°He gave this to me, said I¡¯d know when to use it.¡± Biting her lip, she popped the clasp and opened up the lid. This was a good a time as any. Hopefully it wasn''t actually a stake.
Inside was a folded note. With shaking hands, she removed it to reveal three vials of blood sitting in a line amidst comfortable black velvet. ¡°Can you read this, Norah? My eyes are super blurry for some reason.¡±
The Mummy¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Of course, hun.¡±
They exchanged the note and then the zombie went to lean against the stone bed again, wiping her eyes and staring at the vials.
¡°Dear Sally,¡± Norah began, holding the note up. ¡°If you are reading this, either I am dead or you are sneaking a look, even after I told you not to. I am hoping it¡¯s the latter.¡±
¡°Ass,¡± Sally smiled, sniffing.
¡°Most likely I am dead. In truth, I knew this day was coming. When we started off in the Wastelands, Archie sat me down and told me that I would die by the hands of an Outsider. That¡¯s part of the reason I was so hostile towards Edward.¡±
She nodded slowly, as the Mummy continued to read.
¡°Turns out he was pretty weak, though. So it was most likely to be you or Humphrey. Maybe I went insane and needed putting down. I can see no other reason why this could happen. Forgive me for keeping this a secret from you all, but Archie assured me it was necessary. Hopefully I didn¡¯t kill anyone important in the process. I am pretty powerful.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes.
¡°Assuming you want to bring me back, unfortunately normal resurrection magic will not work, because I am undead. I¡¯ve already asked Chuck about it and have looked into scrolls or magic that do similar. Honestly, I¡¯m not sure if I can come back from this.¡±
Norah took a deep breath, the weight of his death on her expression now too. ¡°In the case are three vials of blood that might provide a key for my rejuvenation. That is only one part, as I do not know how to put the soul back in my body. I had hoped my higher levels would reveal a skill to allow me to come back, but it seems the System has tired of me.¡±
The zombie rolled the vials around. They had labels around the hidden sides. Her brow furrowed as she read them out. ¡°Bella. Edward. Lana.¡±
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The Mummy lowered the note to raise an eyebrow in question.
¡°Bella has insanely high health regeneration. Edward can respawn at the cost of one of his levels. Lana is a clone, a split Player.¡± These all made some sense, some key to unlocking a way he could live yet again. It was clearly a lot harder than just jamming all three into his mouth or open heart, though. How could they bind his soul back?
Norah gave her a brief nod and continued. ¡°There is a dungeon nearby that I¡¯m going to try to get you a key for. It might hold the answer. It might not.¡± The Mummy bit her lip. ¡°Just know that I love and trust you, Sally. Ah, only read the next part if I am totally dead for good, and preferably not out loud.¡± She raised her eyebrows.
Sally wiped fresh tears from her face. ¡°Is it a bunch of mushy stuff?¡±
¡°So mushy,¡± Norah nodded, reading slightly further down the page. ¡°And then oddly rather erotic.¡±
¡°Oh, pup,¡± she gave the vampire a glum smile. ¡°I¡¯d go through anything to bring you back, rather than read through your cringe attempts at spicy fan fiction.¡±
The Mummy tilted her head side to side, before folding the note back up. ¡°I mean¡ I¡¯ve definitely read worse."
¡°Damn it, Theo.¡± Sally flicked his shoe. ¡°Can¡¯t promise a gal a good time post-post-mortem. You were supposed to rule the world with me, not get murdered by my possessed father-figure stand-in while trying to avoid the ire of a newly formed god.¡± She shuddered as she deflated.
¡°He is a good man. His heart is in the right place.¡±
¡°He was a good man-child.¡± Sally wiped her running nose. ¡°His whole thing is counting, and he died because Humps carried the one. I¡¯m going to need to bring the dumb pup back to life just to chastise him.¡± She shook her head and crossed her arms.
¡°You have a plan then, hun?¡±
A wide grin crossed the zombie¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m done grieving for now. Instead, I''m going to murder and destroy everything in the way of what I want. I¡¯m done playing nice. The System has been living easy ever since I stepped away from my villain era.¡±
Norah smiled. ¡°Good luck, Sally. When the days are darkest, that is when Monsters grow strongest.¡±
¡°You always know how to cheer me up,¡± Sally went up to the Mummy and gave her a hug. ¡°Thanks for looking after my dead husbando.¡±
¡°Of course, hun.¡± She returned the hug. ¡°I knew this would come to pass as soon as the System gave me the blasted skill.¡±
Sally moved back from behind her and furrowed her brow. ¡°You think Humps has been keeping all your skills secret because he knew this would be coming?¡±
Norah shrugged. ¡°He knew something was coming, but not¡ this exactly. He had been apprehensive about the new Architect even before we got to the Jungle.¡±
¡°Big lug.¡± The zombie sighed and rubbed at her face, before looking back towards the inert vampire. ¡°I¡¯ll bring pops back home safe for you too, Norah.¡± She turned to give her a smile. ¡°Once he can forgive himself.¡±
¡°Please do. Hopefully, all wrongs can be righted.¡±
¡°System allowing,¡± Sally snorted, before moving over to the vampire. She gave him a small kiss on the cheek. ¡°You taste horrible,¡± she whispered to him, with a sad smile. ¡°Hang tight, pup.¡±
Standing up straight, she cleared her throat. ¡°Alright, I am going. I¡¯ll keep you updated via Party Chat, and if I die, then¡ you¡¯re on your own, mom.¡± She paused and pulled a face at Norah.
The Mummy smiled. ¡°Kill and eat the weak, Sally, so that we sit upon a throne made from the bones of our detractors.¡±
Sally stepped towards the door, and went to push it open¡ªinstead, just falling straight through it as if it was incorporeal, and landing flat on the dirt beyond. The best start possible.
She stood and dusted herself off, looking back at the plain wall of the small structure, peaked like a pyramid at the top. Dark gray brickwork, and unassuming. It should be safe enough left alone. She would just have to trust Norah to protect the precious cargo.
On the ground, the greatsword of the Death Knight still lay discarded. Dark blood painted some of the grass and dried dirt. With a sigh, she put the weapon in her Inventory.
Eyes blazing crimson, she looked out at the world that caused the death of her Party. Something it would soon regret. Anger welled up within her. The uncaring, all-consuming undead part of her she often squashed away to try to be half-normal. With the tether of her found family severed, the System was about to find out what an error that would be.
As she went to check her Map for the dungeon location, her eyebrow raised as the slew of notifications pending she had to read.
The skeletal horse thundered down the road at full sprint while the rider stared impassively at the horizon. Dust and dirt flew up in their wake, the heavy feet of the steed pounding through the mud as they left the road to travel through a lightly wooded area.
Thinner branches were snapped and torn as they continued through the vegetation, crushing bushes and trampling grass.
Eventually, they stopped, and the horse vanished, leaving the Death Knight to drop to the floor. He rolled out his shoulders and looked behind him. ¡°Why are you following me?¡±
Lucius popped out of his shadow, a sweat drop appearing briefly before his expression hardened. ¡°What gives you the right to run away?¡±
Humphrey sighed and started to walk. As the trees thinned out, they were right before an outcropping. Slowly, he took a seat on the edge. They were high up, and the small cliff they were atop allowed them to gaze over a large swathe of the jungle. The thick canopy of dense greens looked misty in the drab light of the day. Patches of dirt or openings between the leaves revealed structures or places Monsters may be lurking.
¡°I murdered Theo. I have no place in the Outsiders.¡±
The Shade moved up and stood beside him, crossing his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t you think Sally would need you now, more than ever?¡± His foot began to tap, no emoticons accompanying this line of questioning.
The Death Knight shook his head and lowered his gaze. ¡°No. I am not safe to be around. What if I turned again? Killed you, or Norah? Sally?¡±
Lucius sat down on the edge beside the plated figure. ¡°You¡¯re back now, though? Theo used his whispering skill on you to take you out of it?¡±
Humphrey didn¡¯t move and continued to stare at his own feet. A few seconds of silence passed before he spoke. ¡°It wasn¡¯t his skill.¡±
A question mark appeared in the air. ¡°Then what did he say?¡±
The Death Knight turned his head to him, improbable tears running from his empty sockets.
¡°He said, ¡®I forgive you, pops¡¯.¡±
172 - Unchained
Flickering blue flame illuminated Chuck¡¯s impassive face.
Dent hunched over beside him and threw up blood across the thick grass.
¡°No need to be dramatic,¡± the Druid admonished him, before casting a healing spell on the swordsman.
¡°So sorry,¡± Dent said between gasps of air, rolling his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll try to not get impaled next time.¡±
Chuck bit his tongue to avoid further bickering. Instead, he looked down at the solid metal case in front of them. Rounded at the tops and sides, the dark material had a couple of thin slits along it to allow air in. ¡°Messier than I had anticipated, casualty report?¡±
¡°Eleven dead, maybe twice that injured.¡± The swordsman stood back up straight with a groan. ¡°Better than expected.¡±
The Druid looked down at his STAR, seeing that messages were coming through. He tapped it to open it up, turning away from the fire that was consuming their camp to focus on the screens.
¡°Sally says to tell all ¡®Blues¡¯ to avoid her at all costs.¡±
¡°What, why?¡± Dent turned around and stepped up to him.
Chuck grimaced, and his face wrinkled up. ¡°Shit. Theo is dead.¡±
¡°Actually dead this time?¡±
A nod was the only response.
¡°Fuck.¡± The swordsman rubbed at his face with his left hand. ¡°It must have been Humphrey, right? And now she is going on a rampage for revenge?¡±
¡°That¡¯s why I keep you around, Dent. Smarter than you look.¡± Chuck gave him a coy smile before returning to the messages. ¡°She¡¯s going to the Spire dungeon right now. Alone.¡±
Dent nodded. ¡°Then we know what needs to be done.¡±
Sally closed down the Chat. Chuck was updated now, and she felt a little better to have another person to vent to. She meant what she had said, though. Everyone was kill on sight now, whatever faction. She hit [Endless Sleep] on the zombies who were still standing around patiently, totally unaware of what had been going on.
The Party had kept her grounded, given her a reason to make do with her bugged existence. Strive for greater strength so they could all be safe. With Theo dead and the rest of them scattered and threatened with being erased by the new Architect, the gloves were truly off. She walked to the road as she dealt with the other notifications.
[Quest Error]
[Distributing Lost Quest Items]
[Error]
[Broken Shield 3/3 Pieces Found]
She narrowed her eyes. It wasn¡¯t like the System to error in her favor, so she was suspicious about the quest getting completed so easily. With the fifth area destroyed, it looked as though it wanted the task to succeed rather than fail, so she had lucked out.
[Shield Repairing¡ 0.0%]
Her crimson eyes blinked slowly as she stood and waited.
[Shield Repairing¡ 0.1%]
¡°There we go, more System bullshit.¡± She rolled her eyes and turned around, forgetting that there was nobody else to talk to. ¡°This is going to be weird.¡± As she deflated, she brought up the last notification¡ªthe golden glow of her Level Up.
[Error]
She seethed and jabbed it again.
[Pick One.on.ne]
[Error] [Restricted]
[Error] [Restricted]
[Error] [Restricted]
[Overflow] [Stack Error]
¡°Neat.¡± She jabbed at the ¡®overflow¡¯ one, as it didn¡¯t say it was restricted.
[Meat Hook] [Draws you toward struck target.]
Oh¡ªthat didn¡¯t actually look too bad, and the System didn¡¯t break because of it. Perhaps she was getting lucky. Although for a necromancer, you¡¯d usually want to draw the target to yourself rather than the other way around¡ but as a zombie, she could see the use.
With the click of her fingers, her large mouse appeared. ¡°Time to bathe the world in blood,¡± she said as she smiled sadly and gave it a pat on the side. She hopped up into the saddle, and then they were off.
Her mount scrabbled back along the road, the way that they had come. Sally opened up her Map and put a little marker for where the Tomb was, so that she could find Norah if she found a way to bring Theo back. When she found a way, she corrected herself. It seemed pretty sappy to want to burn the world down just because her crush was dead, but he was more than just washboard abs and an affable dork.
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No time for that sort of thinking, though. The small handful of hope could rest at the back of her mind as she ripped and tore her way through the System. As her ride bounded through into the treeline to head straight for the dungeon, she brought up the Party chat.
[Sally: en route to dungeon, report in.]
[Norah: No change here, hun. Good luck.]
[Lucius: What dungeon?]
[Lucius: I¡¯m here with Humphrey¡ :( ]
Sally wrinkled up her face. She wasn¡¯t sure how the Shade made that happen when he could only shadow Party members, but that was the least important question on her mind right now. Thoughts roving around in her mind, she bit her tongue.
[Sally: How is he?]
[Lucius: Miserable, regretful]
[Norah: Tell him I miss him.]
[Sally: tell him that_]
She narrowed her eyes and sighed, ducking beneath some branches as the mouse leaped through the foliage.
[Sally: tell him that he has a duty to uphold.]
STAR spun down as she closed the menus. If he wasn¡¯t going to help her now, then she was done with him. They didn¡¯t have the time for anything but pushing forward as quickly as possible. Not only was Theo¡¯s existence on the line, but all of them faced the same fate if the Architect continued to crack down on problems within the System. More than anything, she was worried about the goblins and Jackie too¡ªnot to mention¡
A flash of blue illuminated the surrounding trees as she slid to a stop.
¡°Edward?¡±
The demon stumbled across the floor, clutching at his blood-soaked suit. ¡°Ah! Sally, I was hoping you were okay.¡± He stretched out straight, pain causing him to wince as his blazing blue eyes focused on her.
¡°Hop on, we don¡¯t have the time.¡± She gestured, and he did so without further delay. The mouse set off again, and the zombie tilted her head back. ¡°You¡¯re injured, Observers?¡±
¡°Correct. We didn¡¯t even know of them, but they just showed up in the city and started hunting down Uniques.¡±
Sally growled and clenched her teeth together.
¡°I escaped, but¡ what¡¯s going on here?¡±
¡°Humphrey turned. Killed Theo. Ran off, now I¡¯m alone.¡±
The demon opened and closed his mouth a few times, before looking off toward the horizon past the treeline. ¡°¡dead?¡± There was an unexpected layer of disbelief, or sadness, in his voice.
¡°He is being kept in stasis, but we don¡¯t know of a way to put his soul back. I¡¯m heading to the Spire dungeon to see if it has answers.¡±
[Edward has joined the Party]
¡°The others?¡±
¡°Lucius followed Humphrey, who is sulking even though he is back to normal now. Norah is guarding Theo¡¯s body.¡±
Edward was silent for a while as they thundered through the jungle. There wasn¡¯t a lot that could be said, and the weight of the situation kept them both quiet.
They burst out of a hedge way to land beside a group of surprised Players wearing red tabards.
[Meat Hook]
Sally leaped from the mount and zipped straight toward the first, a knight, via a beam of swirling pink energy. Her staff spun in her hand as she collided with the plated figure¡ªthe dagger end going straight through their metal armor and into their heart. [Eat Brains].
She then turned as the skull atop of her necromancer weapon burst into green fire, launched off into the next Player who looked like a healer. As a shield flickered over them she clicked her fingers and used [Endless Dead], flooding the area with zombies, including several of the large lizard Monsters.
A red beam of energy burst from one of the opponents, coring two normal zombies, the leg of a lizard, and slicing through the side of Sally¡¯s torso. She gnashed her teeth and cast [Living Dead] on herself. Using the other dead as cover, she slunk up into melee with the assailant and jammed her staff down, the [Skeleton Key] at the end piercing their foot and pinning them to the ground.
As another Player came in to assist, she ducked away and withdrew one of her other daggers, blocking the blow and sliding back behind another zombie. With her left hand she commanded the skull atop the staff to turn into a [Mortis Bomb] and she fired it point blank into the struggling fighter.
[Eat Brains] on a target crushed by the Elite zombie lizards. [Eat Brains] on the overwhelmed Player she had pinned and surrounded by zombies. [Eat Brains] on the last one, lost and without hope.
[Endless Sleep]
She turned and stomped back toward the mouse; her face caked in gore, and eyes burning a bright red. Edward was still sat on the mount, looking rather sheepish.
¡°Sorry, I¡¯m still injured, and it looked like you had a hold on things.¡±
¡°I need more Players to eat,¡± she licked her lips. ¡°No mercy until I get what I want.¡± She climbed up in front of him into the saddle. After a brief pause, she turned her head back to him. ¡°You¡¯re level twenty-three now, better start acting like it. Here¡¯s a Health Potion.¡± She extended her hand back to him.
¡°Rough day, huh?¡± he murmured, taking the potion with a nod of thanks.
¡°You¡¯ll soon see why I prefer to keep people around me and not be alone.¡± The mouse jerked forward as they set back off, causing the demon to spill some of the healing liquid down himself.
He bit his tongue before making a snappy response. There was something about the zombie that was different, an anger in her that he didn¡¯t particularly want to invoke towards himself more than necessary.
Sally seethed as she glared at their destination. At this distance, she could now see the tower looming ahead of them again. Killing the Players hadn¡¯t made her feel any better about how things were progressing. If anything, it made her feel angrier. Clearly, she just needed to kill more Players.
Maybe if the dungeon was a wash, she could turn her focus on wherever the Red team had their base. Listen to the soft tune of their death screams before the Architect could find and put a stop to her. Maybe a defeatist attitude, but it was time to temper the positivity into something sharper that she could jam between the ribs of the System and hope to find some heart.
¡°If you have any bright ideas for bringing Theo back, I¡¯m all ears,¡± she called back to the demon. ¡°When I tear this world in half, I want the dumbass to bear witness.¡±
Edward grimaced. It was bad enough when she had wild aspirations of defeating the dragon, but the fact that she had made her threats of destroying the world have some weight to them. ¡°Nothing at the top of my mind. I will think about it.¡±
She grunted a reply before looking at the notifications pop up on her STAR.
[Chuck: Red team holding dungeon entrance.]
[Chuck: two Parties, estimated.]
Closed that down without responding. Opened up Party Chat.
There were no new messages.
She was going to say something, but bouncing around on her mount was making it awkward. After they reached the dungeon, she would.
The building loomed into their view quickly, the mouse making short work of the cluttered jungle. Easily twenty floors tall, she estimated. Almost circular, but flat edges pickup the light of the day¡ªso maybe a hexagon or similar.
As they burst from the treeline, ten figures standing in a clearing before the structure turned to face her. Their red tabards were much dimmer in color than the blazing fury in her own crimson eyes.
Her sharp teeth formed a wild grin as the Players began to ready their spells and attacks.
Too slow. Too weak.
173 - Tower Team
Fifty zombies rose from the ground as Sally leaped from the mount, casting [Endless Dead]. She landed amongst the rising corpses who shielded her from the volley of skills leveled towards her. A dozen zombies fell, which did nothing but anger her further.
[Quick Death]
Her Ultimate shook the area with a wave of cold air, before all the undead twisted from their positions to sprint at the now surprised Players. A [Mortis Bomb] flung from her staff already burst amongst the figures, raising further zombies.
She no longer cared to differentiate between the Players. Didn¡¯t matter what they looked like. Their Class or Level no concern to her. They had two states. Dead, or in her way. Snaking behind one of the large undead lizard Monsters, she shot out [Meat Hook] at a robed figure moving away from the melee.
They tried to bring up some manner of shield to protect themselves. Not enough. Dagger to their neck, brains now hers to consume. Sally turned, blocking a sword in between the prongs of the top-end of her staff, twisting it to disarm the weapon.
[Greater Demon]
An eruption of green flame came from further back, as Edward had grown to twice the size¡ªnow sporting an exaggerated muscled figure, his horns had extended and curled around the side of his head. While green fire continued to lap around his body, his piercing blue eyes were now ablaze with power.
As her disarmed opponent stumbled away from her and into the grasping hands of her zombie pals, she held a hand up to cast her Decay curse at the figure Greater-Edward was stomping his way toward. His thin rapier had now been replaced by a large sword that almost put Humphrey¡¯s to shame¡ªon fire with a similar color to his eyes.
The elation in her dulled when thinking of the Death Knight. He should be here, they all should be here. An arrow struck her in the shoulder, followed by a volley of three that peppered her back. She sighed, and looked over her shoulder, her dead eyes meeting the culprit of the assault. ¡°Fuck you,¡± she said plainly, as the skull atop her staff burst into green fire.
Edward slashed forward, knocking an armored Player across the floor. His strike continued and cut into the ground¡ªgouging a twelve-foot mark where the figure had been standing. The larger body moved as if he was animated and there were frames missing. Odd jolts in his appearance as he gained ground on the Player, flickering and pulsing around him as the power surged through his ascended form.
Their spellcasters got their act together, and bubbled shields popped up around those that remained, healing spells surging with green and radiant energy throughout.
[Domain: The Inevitable]
The demon held up a hand as the area became awash with color, as if the vibrancy and contrast of everything had been turned up a notch. The garish green of the grass and undead contrasting against his large body, which now appeared purple and blue.
¡°You are weaker,¡± his voice both boomed and sunk through the area like a constant whisper. ¡°Thus you will perish.¡± Like a powercut, the protecive shields and buffs around the Players fickered and went away.
Sally bit through the brains of one Player, before using [Meat Hook] to dive into the midst of the spellcasters, her staff spinning around and spraying the ground with bright red blood that almost glowed under this strange spell.
Edward slammed his sword down into the armored Player, splitting them straight in half, twisting the blade to send the two parts slopping over to the floor. A spell of bright yellow coursed through the air, striking him in the chest and leaving a dark mark¡ªbefore Sally leaped atop the caster and the remainder of the forces were overwhelmed by the presence of so many zombies.
The demon flickered with power as the colors in the area returned to normal and he shrunk down to his normal size. He dusted off his suit where the spell had burned a hole through to his skin, and looked on at the battlefield. Nothing left but the sounds of undead mouths chewing through fresh flesh and bone.
Sally stumbled out from behind the wall of zombies, wiping plenty of gore away from her own mouth. There was still ferocity in her eyes, but also an uncomfortable calm to her.
¡°Alright, I¡¯ll admit your Ultimate is sick as shit.¡± She spat some shards of bone onto the grass. ¡°Reminds me of Theo¡¯s spell.¡±
Stolen novel; please report.
Edward deflated. ¡°Yes, well, it¡¯s different from that. All demons of sufficient power have a domain.¡±
¡°Would look cool if you both did them at the same time.¡± She licked her lips and then deflated. Instead, she turned her eyes up toward the tower.
The demon opened his mouth, as if to reassure her that they¡¯d bring the vampire back, but at this point, he didn¡¯t know. With the Architect hunting for bugs, they might have their own lives to worry about soon enough.
[Endless Sleep]
All but a handful of zombies went back away, and then Sally spun on the spot to glare at two figures now approaching from the treeline to the side. She tensed, ready to [Meat Hook] over and consume the shadowed pair, before they stepped into the light to be revealed.
¡°Chuck?!¡± She gasped and ran over, dropping her staff on the floor.
¡°That¡¯s right, I-¡± the druid was interrupted as she flung herself around him, giving him a hug.
¡°Holy growth spurts, Chucky,¡± she looked up at him, ¡°how are you taller than me now?¡±
He gave her a sad smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a long year, Sally. Also, you smell like internal organs.¡±
She stepped away and grinned. ¡°Hey again, Dent.¡± The swordsman stepped out to be beside them.
Chuck definitely looked older¡ªand not just from the time having passed. Whatever war had been raging on between the factions, it had certainly added to age him. But he wasn¡¯t just taller, but held himself with the weight of the important job he held. His robes were simple, but well made, in a mix of light brown and deep green.
Sally wiped her eyes with the back of her arm. ¡°Things are pretty shitty now, huh?¡±
¡°You could say that,¡± he nodded slowly. ¡°We came to help you in the dungeon.¡±
¡°Really?¡± She looked over her shoulder back up at it. There hadn¡¯t been a doubt in her heart that she could have soloed it, or done it with Edward¡¯s help.
The demon stepped forward to greet them. ¡°Pleasure again, after all this time. Perhaps my energies could be better spent elsewhere?¡±
Sally raised an eyebrow. ¡°Sure?¡±
He nodded in return. ¡°You know how I feel about dungeons, and I¡¯d much rather be on the move and active.¡±
[Edward has left the Party]
She gave him a brief hug, and then with a bow, he vanished in a pulse of blue light.
¡°Feels so apocalyptic,¡± she turned to give them a sad smile. ¡°It should be illegal to keep making me this sad. Oooh, what¡¯s in the box?¡± She narrowed her eyes and crouched down beside the rounded metal container Dent held in his good hand.
Chuck wrinkled up his face. ¡°It¡¯s¡ an Archie.¡±
¡°Time for the vet, huh? How¡¯d he even lose his eye?¡± She tried to look closer through the air holes, but nothing other than a little blue light emanated from within.
¡°It¡¯s not that one,¡± Dent answered, ¡°this is area four Archie, who had fused with an Observer.¡±
Sally frowned and stood back up. ¡°Like the first Archie?¡±
The Druid slowly shook his head. ¡°More like¡ Humphrey.¡±
¡°Ah,¡± she responded. They didn¡¯t need to say much more than that. Even her bloodthirsty mind could read between the lines. This Archie had turned the same as Humphrey, and they had contained it in this possibly magical container that just so happened to look like a cat carrier. ¡°You haven¡¯t been able to change him back?¡±
¡°Correct,¡± Chuck gestured toward the dungeon, and they started to walk. ¡°Only contain him. We were hoping to help do the same with Humphrey.¡±
¡°Oh, he turned back to normal already.¡±
The two men exchanged glances before Dent spoke. ¡°How¡¯d he manage that?¡±
Sally shrugged. ¡°Theo whispered something to him, his last words before he died. Which, by the way, I¡¯m still mad at both of them for. As much as I love pops, Theo was clearly going easy on him. Otherwise he would have won. I think he took the sword to the heart on purpose so that the fight didn¡¯t go on for hours, with how defensive they both are.¡±
She sighed, deflating now that she was about to get that off her chest. As they walked across the trampled grass, marred with the results of the combat with the Players, she picked her staff back up.
Chuck raised an eyebrow at the swordsman, who just shrugged in response. ¡°I can understand your frustration and anger, but why go off on your own?¡±
¡°Hmm? Oh, Humphrey is dealing with his guilt and Lucius followed him. Norah has Theo¡¯s body and soul in safe keeping for if we find a way where we can bring him back.¡±
¡°Really?¡± The Druid frowned. ¡°Where?¡±
Sally stopped by the entrance to the dungeon and looked at them both. ¡°I trust you both, but I¡¯m not telling you where yet. My family is already broken apart. I can¡¯t risk anything else. Not for anything.¡±
¡°I understand.¡± Chuck gave her a sad smile. ¡°I was suspicious when Theo was asking me about resurrection magic, but that¡¯s why we started putting our plans into action.¡±
She nodded. He seemed to have a much more level head on his taller shoulders these days. Definitely more than any of the Outsiders and associated goofballs. ¡°I know that look in your eyes. Broken your pacifist run, haven¡¯t you?¡±
He rolled those eyes in response. ¡°It was never that, and you know it. But yes, I¡¯ve killed. To survive, to protect, to further the cause I believe in.¡±
¡°See, I just do it for fun, so you still have the moral high ground.¡± She grinned and tapped her staff against the dungeon wall. ¡°You want to fill me in on more exposition as I eat my way through the tower?¡±
Chuck worked his jaw and looked up at the tall building as it reached toward the gloomy sky overhead.
¡°Sure,¡± he smiled, ¡°for old time¡¯s sake.¡±
Dent nodded his agreement. ¡°We¡¯ll try to keep up with you.¡±
[Chuck has joined the Party]
[Dent has joined the Party]
The System fuzzed some information on the side of her vision. Twenty floors of challenges, it looked like only one Party had ever made it up to sixteen. None further. From her Inventory, she took out a pen and paper to write something down, before returning it.
Not that it was the right season for looking forward to the future, but she allowed herself to be a little full of hope.
That, and the brains of her enemies.
174 - Rising Steps
Sally stretched out as they stood in the ground floor of the dungeon. It was just a plain open room of off-colored gray brickwork, with a staircase at the opposite end that rose up to join to the next floor above.
¡°This challenge must just be to make it up the stairs,¡± she said as she nodded to herself. ¡°Nice of them to start off pretty easy for us.¡±
Chuck mostly ignored her statement. ¡°Dent can solo the first five or six levels, then we¡¯ll need to assist. That¡¯ll give us time to talk.¡±
She pouted, but agreed. Unless there were some tasty brains, she could put a pause on the murder-spree to get a little exposition.
The swordsman limbered up and put the case holding Observer-Archie on the floor against the wall. Chuck waved his hand, and it turned invisible. Enough to keep it safe from prying eyes without having to drag it floor to floor.
They walked over to the staircase, the dagger at the end of Sally¡¯s staff poking holes in the brick floor. She worked her jaw in thought, wondering how many stabs it would take around the walls to make the tower collapse. Not that the System would congratulate and give her the correct rewards for that¡ªbut it might, so it was worth the brain cell action.
¡°How do you¡ are you doing okay?¡± Chuck began, some of his old awkwardness showing through his current stoic personality. ¡°Like, with Theo and everything?¡±
She screwed her face up. ¡°It¡¯s difficult. On one side of the coin, I¡¯m heartbroken. But on the other side, I¡¯m essentially a mass-murderer and it seems petty to strop over a single one of my own being killed.¡±
He nodded in response. ¡°Both very human and very dissociated at once. Very like you.¡±
¡°If there¡¯s one thing I am, it¡¯s consistent.¡±
They circled up the staircase, neither of the men wanting to touch that statement. At the top of their ascent was a doorway with the number one engraved upon it. Chuck held out his hand and sent some buffs towards the swordsman, green, brown, and gold circles and pulses of energy flowing around his body.
¡°When you¡¯re ready, Dent.¡±
The door opened up and Sally stretched out onto her tiptoes to try to see what was inside. They stepped up behind the swordsman as he entered, his blade-arm illuminated by a sharp blue sheen.
Some kind of floating eel creature, with a head that looked more like a seal than a snake. It swirled and bobbed in the air, awaiting combat to start.
Dent went into a half-crouch, then a burst of air blew dust back against them as he vanished to appear at the other side of the room. After a brief moment, an orange line drew across the Monster, as it split in two.
¡°A little cliche,¡± Sally said as she grinned, ¡°but super badass.¡±
¡°Right?¡± Chuck smiled.
¡°My turn for questions,¡± she pushed him to start moving toward the next stairs. ¡°Soooo you and Dent?¡±
¡°Ah, don¡¯t,¡± the druid tried to wave her away. ¡°You know how these things are. Nurse them back to health, they save your life, you start a warring faction to save the world together.¡±
¡°How did that even come about?¡± They reached the bottom of the next set of steps while Dent waited by the door. ¡°No offence, Chucks, but you used to be a huge dweeb. Now you¡¯re like a warlord.¡±
¡°Eh, none taken, I think.¡± He nodded for the swordsman to continue. ¡°We mostly started in response to the¡ Red team¡ did you want me to start using our actual names, or?¡±
¡°Hell no, if you make this anything more that the simple blocks I have arranged in my brain, I will literally break down into a blubbering mess.¡±
He grimaced. ¡°Really?
¡°You have no idea how much I have to dissociate to maintain this existence.¡± She sighed and rubbed at her face. ¡°It¡¯s either the mania or the bloodshed. It keeps me grounded. The Outsiders keep me grounded. Did. But, continue.¡±
¡°Right.¡± They stepped into the next room as Dent performed the same attack on some kind of stone-based golem. ¡°Red team came up first, angry with the System. Without you being present, I wanted to give a voice to the Uniques, and those who weren¡¯t so full of hate.¡±
¡°I¡¯m proud of you for stepping up.¡± She grinned and punched him on the shoulder as the golem clattered to the floor in chunks.
¡°Definitely wasn¡¯t easy, and Dent kept me on the right path.¡± He returned a glum smile. ¡°Apparently it couldn¡¯t be some democratic forum where the two sides coud decide what was best for the world together. Had to go straight to violence.¡±
¡°If only I was awake then.¡± She shook her head as they walked around the room. ¡°So many of them would be ingested by now. We¡¯d be the winners.¡±
Chuck tilted his head as they reached the next set of steps. ¡°I was a little surprised you agreed to join us, if I¡¯m honest.¡±
¡°Hmm, really?¡±
The next door opened. ¡°You¡¯ve always been such a force of change for the System,¡± the Druid continued, ¡°and I didn¡¯t want to step on your toes, or end up butting heads on what we wanted.¡±
¡°Red team¡¯s plan for Uniques seemed to be kill us off, so you had that going for you.¡±
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Chuck grinned and looked over at the group of sheep made of blue fire. ¡°Well, what is it you want, Sally?¡±
She exhaled and thought about it for a moment, watching the swordsman blaze through the Monsters with little issues, flashes of colored skills pulsing around the drab stone walls.
¡°I want my dork ass vampire boyfriend. My goofy adoptive undead parents. Whatever kind of little wierdo Lucius is. To see Bella and Jackie. Just¡ be accepted and be able to live.¡±
Chuck nodded, some sadness across his face. ¡°I want that for you too, Sally. I¡¯m¡ I¡¯ve been planning things for months. Trying to build that future, eventually. There¡¯s something I need to ask you¡¡± he balled up his hands and relaxed them a few times as if he was trying to build strength.
They stopped by the stairs. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Sally said, tilting her head.
¡°We didn¡¯t know when you¡¯d be back,¡± he sighed, ¡°so we¡¯ve been planning¡ªif it¡¯s even possible¡ªfor me to become the next Architect.¡±
¡°Okay,¡± she nodded and put a foot on the step.
¡°Just ¡®okay¡¯?¡± Chuck furrowed his brow.
She smiled and shook her head. ¡°What, you think I still wanted the job? I¡¯m a complete mess, Chucky. You¡¯re much more qualified.¡±
¡°Oh,¡± he said, at a loss for words as he followed her up.
¡°You¡¯ve been beating yourself up about that for ages, I can tell. Some things don¡¯t change.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I joined Blue team because of your vision. If I have to have some god-like asshole ruling over my existence, you¡¯re the least worst on that shortlist.¡±
The Druid smiled. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m definitely going to sleep better tonight. Assuming we live that long.¡±
¡°Pretty dire, huh?¡± They went into the next room. The ghost of a large dog-like lizard rolled his tongue around as the swordsman charged up a skill. ¡°Part of me wonders if I¡¯m being selfish in trying to bring back fangs rather than working for the greater good.¡±
Chuck shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve done more than anyone else in trying to make this world a decent place to exist. If your heart wants this, then I think it¡¯s a just cause.¡±
¡°Thanks.¡± She smiled and sighed. Somehow, he had managed to temper some of the storm brewing within her. Maybe she could be selfish. She had earned it after all the effort she had put into fixing the System for everyone else. Everyone had a limit, and if she died in trying to bring her family back together, then she¡¯d have no regrets. Briefly, she wondered if it was a spell the Druid had used on her to make her so calm again¡ªor maybe talking through things actually did work.
She tilted her head and leaned against the wall as the swordsman zipped around, having a bit more trouble with the ghost. ¡°What happened to eyepatch?¡±
¡°In hiding, for safety.¡± Chuck rubbed at his eyes. ¡°We might need them all, so that¡¯s why the Observer Archie is being held.¡±
¡°Then Humps has two more¡ªwhere¡¯s the fifth area Archie? Was he destroyed?¡±
He furrowed his brow. ¡°No. At least the others don¡¯t believe so, which is interesting. Presumably that means the last cat had moved somewhere before the fifth area was deleted. We haven¡¯t found them in this last year, however.¡±
Something felt uncomfortable in the back of her mind, as if the hint of something was trying to push forward. An answer eager to find its way into the world. ¡°Oh,¡± she said, furrowing her brow and bringing out the necklace from beneath her cloak. ¡°Where do I put the key for the dungeon?¡±
Chuck raised an eyebrow and looked at the heart-shaped pendant on the chain. ¡°As far as I know, it doesn¡¯t require one. Unless it¡¯s for something higher up? A chest or special door?¡±
Sally didn¡¯t think so. Theo was vague about it, which usually meant it was something she didn¡¯t need to know right away, but the answer would become obvious when needed. How romantic to leave such mysterious clues for her to solve post-mortem. She grimaced in remembering she left his note back with Norah. She wanted to read that mush before she died, at least.
¡°Hey, Chucky. You think if you become the big boss, you can turn me into a¡ normal woman? Maybe remove all the memories of killing and eating people?¡±
He pulled a face and shrugged. ¡°I have no idea. But I¡¯d do whatever I could for you and the Outsiders.¡±
¡°You big sap,¡± she smiled and stepped away from the wall to head to the next floor. ¡°My friend Lana fell to evil and¡ Chuck, do you remember Marius?¡±
The Druid raised an eyebrow and looked off to the ceiling to dig around his memories. ¡°Never met him, of course¡ªbut he was your antagonist in the Forest, yeah? Corrupted STAR?¡±
She nodded. ¡°We found another. You know the Last Word?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You saying what I think you are?¡±
¡°My assumption is that Theo has dismantled most of them, but there might still be someone out there who can corrupt the STARs. Oh, ass!¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
Dent walked over, stretching out his arms, ready for the buffs to be put back on. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±
¡°Theo. He had a poison that he said would kill him and he conveniently died on the same day, so I don¡¯t know how much of that, or if he had even cured it, was bullshit.¡±
The swordsman scratched at the side of his head with the flat of his blade. ¡°Sounds like he knew it wouldn¡¯t matter either way, probably enjoyed holding the secret.¡±
She nodded. That did sound like the vampire. There were a few more questions she had dragging around her mind, but honestly she was tired of talking and thinking¡ªnot to mention watching Dent have all the fun with killing everything. She opened up Party chat.
[Sally: in the tower dungeon with chuck and dent]
[Sally: edward is somewhere, on board]
[Norah: things are quiet here]
No update from Lucius, which made her clench her teeth. She needed that Death Knight back pronto so she could give him a slice of her mind.
¡°Alright,¡± she growled. ¡°I need to warm up, tag me in, Dent.¡±
He shrugged, and Chuck turned his hand to cast the buffs on her instead. ¡°Next few floors are rough, but we have your back.¡±
Lucius fumed. Fire emojis flickered next to angry faces as he pulled on the armor of the Death Knight to no effect.
¡°You need to give up,¡± Humphrey said with a sigh, staring out over the canopy.
¡°You need to stop giving up.¡±
The Death Knight turned his head. ¡°Why are you so intent on me going back to them?¡±
Lucius put his hands on his hips. ¡°What is your purpose?¡±
¡°I have none.¡±
¡°Really? You no longer have a connection to Norah or Sally? Your Bodyguard duties?¡±
Humphrey turned back to the expanse beyond. ¡°There was a time where I was just a minion of the System. Observing errors and bugs, making my reports, until I came across something odd¡ªa Player soul that had merged with a Monster.¡±
Lucius calmed and sat back down beside the plated figure.
¡°It was as if just seeing her detached me from the rails the System kept me on. I shirked my directives. Felt like I had to continue watching to see what this Unique individual could do. She needed to be nurtured like a flower. It was hardly a tough decision to join with this body and save her life.¡±
He sighed and rubbed at his skeletal face. ¡°I tried to be what she needed in this world. A rock. A father figure, despite having no idea what that really entailed. I¡¯m just a creation of whatever this world is, yet I have grown to know how to love and feel emotions. Become something greater than how I was designed.¡±
¡°Happy?¡±
¡°More than anything. Sally is like a daughter to me. Norah lights up something within my metal chest that I never thought was possible. And Theo¡ I just can¡¯t accept what I have done.¡±
¡°Fuck you, Humphrey.¡± Lucius stood up and turned away from him.
¡°What?¡±
The Shade started to walk away. ¡°Don¡¯t sit there, telling me how much you love something, while you continue to abandon it. We need you now more than ever. Theo trusted you to look after Sally.¡± He stopped and turned back to Humphrey, his eyes burning with intensity. ¡°Do you not understand?¡±
Humphrey stood slowly to his feet. Flames burned brighter at the back of his helmet as shadow obscured his face, save for sparks of crimson light in the back of his eye sockets.
¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
175 - Connections
Sally slid across the floor and flourished her staff, placing it down into the stone brickwork with a grin on her face. The armored Minotaur ahead of her slumped over, a large hole in their skull remaining where their brain had escaped from and journeyed into her stomach. Her tongue rolled around her lips as she raised an eyebrow at the two men.
¡°I¡¯m sure you could have soloed that, Dent.¡± She winked and walked towards the next stairs.
The swordsman exchanged a glance with the Druid as a handful of zombies followed the energized woman. ¡°You know I¡¯m not squeamish, Chuck,¡± he began, ¡°but after watching her eat the last five Monster''s brains in a row, it¡¯s getting unsettling.¡±
¡°You get used to it,¡± Chuck said with a shrug. ¡°I think, anyway.¡±
Sally hopped up the stairs to the door marked with a number ten. ¡°Is there anything¡¡± she began, before pushing some of her zombie pals out of the way. ¡°Anything interesting about this floor?¡±
¡°It¡¯s the first reward area,¡± Dent said, trying to look through the corpses struggling to arrange themselves on the staircase. ¡°Most Parties stop here, as it gets much more difficult after.¡±
She rolled her eyes. With the whole gang here, they¡¯d be munching on the floor twenty boss already. If the System was so keen on beating them down, she would be a lot more thankful that they were all overpowered compared to most Players.
¡°It¡¯s basically an ogre, strong physical beater,¡± Chuck offered, from slightly lower down.
Great, she grinned. That was her favorite type, as she could usually beat them in both brute strength and survivability.
The room opened up to reveal the Monster¡ªa large humanoid of deep gray, two pits of golden eyes on their grumpy face. Muscled and clad in leather armor. A stone-headed axe in each hand.
Sally stopped and leaned to the side to see the second figure by the back staircase, leaning against the wall with their arms folded.
A plant person, if she had to describe them. Vaguely masculine form, most of their torso and lower made of dark brown roots and bark. Around their shoulders was a cape of bright greenery, like a canopy of a handful of large leaves. Their head was a sharp triangle shape, and a much lighter brown, the only features being long slits that were possibly their eyes.
¡°Hi!¡± Sally waved. ¡°Are you a Unique?¡±
¡°I am a defender of this tower,¡± the voice hissed through the air from an unseen mouth. ¡°Just seeing how much of a threat you are.¡±
She chewed at her thoughts in response. Her pleasant nature wanted to make friends with the Unique Monster, but her grip on what she truly cared for was slipping. ¡°What level do you usually protect?¡±
¡°Eighteen.¡±
Chuck and Dent pushed through the shambling undead to stand beside her. The swordsman narrowed his eyes, but didn¡¯t ready his weapon to attack.
¡°We are going straight to the top,¡± Chuck spoke out loud. ¡°Relinquish your position and we will not have to kill you.¡±
A pulsing hiss wrapped around them¡ªa laugh.
Sally tilted her head toward the pair. ¡°I¡¯ll give them a second chance once they¡¯ve seen what we can do.¡±
¡°What you can do,¡± Chuck murmured, but nodded. ¡°Call us if you need assistance.¡±
¡°Time me,¡± she grinned. ¡°Less than five seconds.¡±
Dent smiled and raised his blade-arm like a flag. Sally tensed and her boots bit into the stone as she prepared to burst forward.
Norah hummed to herself, running her fingertips along the polished stone of the throne''s armrests. Her eyes moved around the chamber. Even though nothing had changed, she had to remain vigilant.
¡°Such a shame.¡± She sighed and looked toward the dead vampire. ¡°My priests are long gone, if they even existed at all in this reality. If only I had learned the ritual.¡±
She was used to solitude. Her undead life had been full of it. Queen of a Wasteland that had forgotten her name. The spark of meeting the affable zombie was only beaten by the bright illumination of the Death Knight arriving in her life. She hadn¡¯t even thought love was possible.
Nor acceptance.
But they had brought her in without question or hesitation. She had become one of them and it felt as natural as if she had always known them. Now they were scattered, and an odd weight had a grip on her dead heart. Something that shouldn¡¯t be possible¡ªyet she couldn¡¯t deny it.
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Her yellow eyes sunk back to Theo once more and her jaw clenched. If he couldn¡¯t be brought back, she would gladly join the zombie in tearing this world in half.
The torches in the tomb flickered wildly, as an ancient anger burned and swirled within her, waiting for an excuse to burst forth.
¡°Four seconds,¡± Dent said, pulling a face that bordered between respect and disgust.
Sally dropped down from the empty head of the Monster and gave them a bow. She spun around to speak to the plant-person, but they had vanished. ¡°Ah?¡± Instead, she pouted.
¡°Probably going to prepare,¡± Chuck said with a sigh, walking over and pushing some of the zombies out of the way.
¡°Or writing their will,¡± Dent added.
Sally wrinkled up her nose. Player combat was a lot more interesting, but only barely. The problem with System-created was they were too simple and predictable. She ran at the ogre, using [Escape Fate] up above their head as they swung at her. While one of the zombies was turned to paste, her broken dagger went straight into the back of the head of the Monster, and brains could be eaten.
If it wasn¡¯t for the slightly awkward cooldown period on the evasive skill, she could have done the same thing to every enemy so far. Probably all the way to the top, odd plant-person excluded. Things would be interesting then.
¡°What weapon even is that?¡± Dent leaned over to inspect her staff.
¡°It¡¯s two that I merged together. A dagger that ignores any defense, and a staff that makes my necromancy stuff better. As well as acting as a focal point for casting magic.¡±
The swordsman stood back up, a glum expression across his face. ¡°And here I am with a fuckin¡¯ shard of metal for an arm.¡±
¡°And you do wonders with it,¡± Chuck said idly as he walked over to the side of the room where a treasure chest had appeared. ¡°All yours, Sally.¡±
¡°Neat, I love looting,¡± she grimaced as she walked over to it. ¡°You know what would be neat?¡±
Chuck raised an eyebrow. ¡°Hmm?¡±
¡°If I could also summon skeletons and ghosts. Then, when someone died, I¡¯d split them into a ghost and a zombie, and then when the zombie dies, the skeleton could come out.¡± She paused as she placed a hand on the chest. ¡°And then when the skeleton dies, I can take the skull for Mortis Bomb.¡±
¡°Right.¡± He nodded slowly.
¡°You¡¯d better give me a skeleton skill if I let you become the Architect,¡± she narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°That¡¯s a conditional now.¡±
¡°I¡¯m¡¡± he maintained a blank expression. ¡°Sure, I guess.¡±
He might be lying, but she was willing to take that risk. After all, they might be dead soon, so thinking that he could actually become the Architect seemed like more of a pipe dream than a reality. Maybe if she buttered him up enough, he could make her the most powerful necromancer that ever lived.
¡°Thanks, Chucky!¡± She gave him a wide smile.
[Shield Repairing¡ 2.8%]
Annoying message popped up in the way of her loot¡ªand had hardly budged despite the time and violence that had passed. She sighed and closed it down.
[3453 Gold]
[Greater Health Potion (5)]
[Sword of Fables]
[Jungle Token (5)]
[Vine Rope (3)]
[Flameblast Scroll]
[Nature¡¯s Wrath Scroll]
She exhaled. ¡°You guys want this? It¡¯s not¡ I¡¯m already stacked. Seems beneath me if it isn¡¯t helping to save Theo or kill the Architect.¡±
Chuck crouched down to look at the contents. ¡°I get what you mean. With our reality on the line, the gamification seems rather droll.¡±
¡°Exactly.¡± She narrowed her eyes at him and whispered. ¡°Hey, Dent doesn¡¯t remember the old world, right?¡±
The Druid shook his head slowly.
Sally pouted, before a memory jostled its way into her head. ¡°Oh, guess which weirdo in my group has a skill that you¡¯ll find super useful?¡±
¡°Which?¡± Chuck stood back up, and they started over toward the next stairs.
¡°Lucius can erase the part of your brain that finds your place in this world uncomfortable.¡± She grinned.
¡°That sounds¡ like brainwashing?¡±
Sally shrugged and pushed a zombie out of her way. ¡°Well, when the alternative is the way I erase brains, Players should be jumping at the chance. We helped that gal we dropped off with you guys.¡±
Dent stepped forward to join them. ¡°Charlotte? The turncoat?¡± He rubbed his chin as the zombie nodded. ¡°I had a brief chat with her. She seemed earnestly happy, had nothing but good things to say about you.¡±
¡°She was this close to being eaten.¡± Sally put her fingers close together. ¡°Seething full of anger towards us Uniques, and then after, she was our best bud.¡±
¡°We¡¯d have to see it in action, before we agree on the¡ morality on it?¡± Chuck furrowed his brow. ¡°Not that ¡®morality¡¯ holds much weight in this world.¡±
¡°I eat people.¡± She nodded as they reached the next door. ¡°On the regular.¡±
Edward staggered backward, demonic blood dripping across the damp ground. His sword arm hung limply by his side, grip loose on his rapier.
¡°Really?¡± he said, with a wide grin across his face. ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of the new management, if this is his best.¡±
The light blue flame of the skull-faced Observer illuminated the clearing, despite the canopy trying to shadow this area.
¡°Your approval is not required,¡± the figure spoke in return, their voice hollow and deep. Wide wings of radiant white buffeted the air, causing the demon to wince. ¡°You must submit to being corrected or perish.¡±
Edward chuckled before coughing up a mouthful of blood. Couldn¡¯t even teleport under the aura of the Observer, and even then, his respawn point was under guard. The light blue of his eyes dimmed as he stood up straight, twitching painfully. ¡°Killed by an angel? So cliche that it almost seems inevit-¡±
The Observer lifted their large hammer up into the air, radiant light blazing from the weapon, intending to cut off the rest of the demon¡¯s speech. Just before the attack swung down, the skeletal head twisted to the side.
From the treeline, a large figure of plated metal burst forth, slamming into the angel and knocking them to the floor. As they rolled around, shadowed arms held down the Observer, allowing the Death Knight to wrench the hammer into his own hands.
The radiant light of the wide hammer faded away, to be replaced by a blaze of crimson energy.
With a crunch, the blue light illuminating the area dissipated, to be enshrouded by shadows once more.
Humphrey looked over his shoulder at the demon, dark fire blooming in his eye sockets. ¡°Need a ride?¡±
176 - The Peak
Sally rolled across the stone floor, a pulse of healing flowing through her as the Monster slumped over. With a groan, she threw up the last three floors'' worth of brains into a damp puddle.
¡°Is that¡ normal?¡± Chuck grimaced and recoiled even though he was already standing half the room away.
¡°Huh?¡± She wiped her mouth and looked up at him. ¡°Oh, I mean it¡¯s semi-regular these days, so¡¡± She shrugged.
¡°The stomach has a certain limit, I suppose.¡± Dent mirrored her shrug. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem healthy, though.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes, although the expression was ruined by all the zombies shambling around in front of her. ¡°Would you all move, please!¡± she said in a sharp tone.
With zero hesitation, all the undead immediately turned to go stand by whichever side of the wall was closest to them, leaving the central area mostly free, aside from one that had lost its legs against the large insect monster.
¡°Some brains are just gross like that, too.¡± She stretched out and clicked her back. ¡°Tell me about the leader of the Red team.¡±
The other two exchanged a glance. Chuck grimaced again. ¡°What did you want to know?¡±
¡°Who they are, for one. All I got was the name ¡®Seven.¡¯¡± She tilted her head at their expressions. ¡°Is it someone I already know? Is it Jackie?¡±
The Druid shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not-¡±
¡°The werewolf prick?¡±
¡°I¡¯m¡ not sure who that even is?¡± He looked toward Dent, who shook his head slowly.
The name wasn¡¯t much of a clue, unless it was one of the Lana clones, but they were either the Last Word or unaffiliated, according to the vampire. With their dim view of Uniques, it surely had to be a Player, but all the ones she really knew had been accounted for.
¡°Would it be more fun if you didn¡¯t tell me, and I found out by surprise later on?¡±
Chuck shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure ¡®fun¡¯ really cuts it.¡±
¡°Oh!¡± She hopped up and down. ¡°Is it going to be like Lenard or Charlotte and a big reveal that one of the grunts was the big shot themself?¡±
¡°Sally,¡± he rubbed his face. ¡°We didn¡¯t say it was someone you knew.¡±
¡°Why are you wasting my brain-buff time then,¡± she huffed and stomped towards the next stairs.
Edward winced as the skeletal horse thundered through the jungle. ¡°Just because we were at odds on occasion, it doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t want him back.¡±
¡°At odds,¡± Lucius emoted some rolling eyes. ¡°He killed you three and a half times and you were sour about it.¡±
¡°Yeah, well¡¡± his blue eyes looked out into the thick vegetation as they careened past. ¡°I¡¯m here and I¡¯m helping, okay?¡±
Humphrey said nothing, but kept his glare on the way ahead. After the demon had told them that Chuck and Dent were helping the zombie with the dungeon, they had changed course. No point getting there and not being needed. There were bigger fish to fry.
Sally panted as she looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Wow, that was quite painful.¡±
Chuck loomed over her, his face pale. ¡°I¡¯ve¡ never seen legs bend that way. Like noodles.¡±
¡°Right? They¡¯re a little numb still.¡± She shuffled up to a sitting position and exhaled. All the bones had clicked back into place and visually they were fine. ¡°Gravity, huh?¡±
The Druid helped her feet and looked around at the room, the stonework scored by dark lines from the battle. Dozens of zombies lay pulped or severed in pieces.
¡°Perhaps that is my fault.¡± Dent sighed from over by the wall. ¡°I meant ¡®up¡¯ as in move forward, not ¡®jump up¡¯.¡±
¡°We don¡¯t usually shout commands.¡± She wobbled as feeling returned to her legs. ¡°Unless it¡¯s something irrelevant and comical. Shattering my legs was neither.¡± She took a step forward and winced. ¡°Well, in hindsight, kinda amusing.¡±
Chuck held his face and rubbed at his eyes. ¡°I feel like this whole venture has been penance for making you wait to meet me.¡±
Sally didn¡¯t respond, but she smiled to herself as she stumbled forward. It was nice hanging the with pair after all this time, but the dungeon was getting repetitive and boring. As fun as the two were, it just made her miss being with the Outsiders more. She gave the Druid a side-eye, remembering he was a zombie with them one time. Should she tell him? While it didn¡¯t seem fair to hold secrets, it wouldn¡¯t benefit him in any way to know.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
She put a pin in that thought and went up to the next floors doorway. ¡°This is our plant-person now, right?¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Chuck said with a nod.
¡°Hmm. Better stay out here and let me solo it.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°Some Uniques are very against Players, especially dungeon ones. Let me talk to them.¡±
¡°If¡ that¡¯s what you want. Just call us if there''s any trouble.¡±
She nodded and pushed through the door, into the chamber where the figure was sitting on a chair waiting. The room was furnished with basic household items¡ªa bed, cupboards, somewhere to sit and read.
¡°Neat house.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m Sally.¡±
¡°You may call me¡ Fern. It is a shame you have come here to destroy it, isn¡¯t it?¡± They remained seated in the center of the room, branch-like arms folded.
¡°Unless you can just let me have the reward from the top?¡±
¡°My role here is to protect the queen above. That is all.¡±
¡°Boooring.¡± Sally faked yawning. ¡°You know the System is about to try to erase all Uniques, right? I guess you don¡¯t get out much.¡±
¡°My¡ duties keep me-¡±
¡°Listen, I¡¯ll cut to the chase because I¡¯ve wasted enough time here. There¡¯s a new Architect who hates bugs like us and intends to crush them. One of my group is powerful but dead. I want whatever you got hidden away to help bring him back.¡± She crossed her arms and glared at Fern.
¡°Your struggles are-¡±
¡°Plus, if you help me I have a cool Druid friend who you can hang with and actually leave the tower to do good in the outside world. Don¡¯t you want to be happy? Have love and acceptance?¡±
Fern stared blankly at her, which wasn¡¯t too surprising given they didn¡¯t really have facial features to speak of. ¡°I feel that is an unfair question. If I say no, then you will kill me.¡±
¡°Correct.¡±
¡°There is no doubt in my mind that you would win. Do you know how many Players I¡¯ve had to fight in protecting the tower?¡±
Sally shook her head.
¡°Zero. My existence has such a singular focus, but as of yet, I am inconsequential. It fills me with rage to know that after such a long time waiting I could be erased by a manic meat sack only here on a whim because she thinks the tower can bring her dead lover back.¡±
She screwed her face and pouted. ¡°I never gave up all that exposition.¡±
¡°It is written clearly on your face.¡± Fern stood and stretched out their limbs. ¡°You do not even know what you seek. You are just driven by blind anger and desperation.¡±
¡°Correct,¡± she said and nodded.
¡°The invaders may follow us, but they are not to raise their hands in anger. I will escort you to the pinnacle for you to determine if your time has been well spent.¡±
¡°Neat! You should have said that earlier, so I didn¡¯t have to throw up and break my legs.¡± She spun around and inhaled. ¡°Chuckyyyy, you can come in now.¡±
The door opened, and the pair entered, determination on their face in expecting a fight, but soon mellowing as they saw combat wasn¡¯t taking place.
¡°Extra chill from both of you, okay?¡± She raised her eyebrows. ¡°We are taking the shortcut, but no touching the chocolate machines, okay?¡±
Chuck nodded, but Dent didn¡¯t understand the reference.
¡°If you would follow me, then.¡± Fern drew their attention and began walking toward the door up.
Sally hummed to herself as she walked ahead. All the furniture looked well taken care of, and didn¡¯t even have the added flair of vines or leaves she expected from a¡ dryad looking person. They must have been really bored sitting here alone for over a year.
¡°You are unlike most meat-bags, yet you are not quite a Monster either.¡± Fern started up the stairs with the zombie in tow.
¡°The world likes to create oddballs. I have my own tower of them, right here.¡± She pointed to where she was sure her heart was located.
¡°Fascinating.¡± The plant-person stopped by the next doorway. ¡°And you all have acceptance in this world?¡±
¡°Not really?¡± Sally rubbed at her hair. ¡°Some do abide us.¡± She jerked a thumb back at the two following behind. ¡°But we get into plenty of conflict too.¡±
Fern tilted their head to the side. ¡°And you would have me leave to become embroiled in this conflict?¡±
With a grin, the zombie shrugged. ¡°Beats sitting around here doing nothing until someone with more ambition runs you over, right?¡±
A couple of seconds of silence passed before Fern turned and pushed the door open. With a wave of their hand, the Monster ready for battle calmed and fell asleep. A five-headed dragon-looking Monster¡ªmuch smaller than Ruben¡ªwith each head a different color. They circled around the sleeping creature, as she tried to work out if she would have to eat all the brains, or only one to turn them.
Up the stairs to the door marked twenty. Fern pushed through again and the chamber beyond was much larger¡ªthe roof was tall and peaked to a point. In the center of the room a large Monster that looked like a humanoid bee-queen. Powerful wings buffeted the air, as the golden crown glinted in the light, in contrast to her pitch black skin.
¡°Forgive me, my Queen.¡± Fern bowed low, and the Monster vanished.
[Dungeon Complete!]
[No experience gained]
[3453 Gold]
[Jungle Token (10)]
[Spire Medallion]
[Rare Vine (3)]
Sally wrinkled up her face, double checking the items. None of it seemed to do anything, even the medallion was just a cosmetic thing.
¡°Your verdict, odd flesh-woman?¡± Fern crossed their arms.
¡°Where¡¯s¡¡± she took a deep breath, her hands shaking. None of that seemed right. ¡°Where¡¯s the place I put this?¡± From beneath the cloak she brought out the heart-shaped gemstone pendant.
Fern leaned closer and tilted their head. ¡°I have no idea.¡±
Sally clenched her fist around it. No, she hadn¡¯t just wasted time. Theo had said to come here, he wouldn¡¯t have been wrong. Maybe she misunderstood. She started to pace around the otherwise bare room. No chests. No podiums or alcoves. No indentations on the floor.
Nothing.
¡°Balls!¡± she yelled, and threw the pendant to the floor. It shattered, sending shards of red across the drab stonework. ¡°Double balls,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°That was unlike me.¡±
She rubbed at the bridge of her nose before something caught her eye. A small sliver of parchment had been left amongst the rest of the broken item. Crouching down, she lifted it up to read it.
In case of broken heart, break- oh, you did already. Theo.
¡°Ass,¡± she smiled, and wiped her eyes.
The smell of ozone hit her nostrils, and she stood up, clutching the note to her chest. Static hummed around the peaked ceiling before a glowing circle of deep green light started to emerge in mid air. A tunneled portal etched with green lines came into focus, before the dark shape of a figure dropped out onto the floor.
Dressed in a dark suit, the woman took a draw of a cigarette as she moved her long purple ponytail from in front of her face and gave the surprised zombie a wry grin.
¡°Jackie!¡± Sally gasped, her eyes wide.
¡°Heard you had an open Bodyguard job, yeah?¡± She stuck a hand in her pocket. ¡°Oh, brought a little plus one. Hope that¡¯s good with you?¡±
Her hand extended to reveal the contents.
The ginger kitten yawned and looked up at Sally with bright eyes.
177 - Back in Business
With a gasp, the zombie''s eyes widened. ¡°Archie?¡± Sally took him from the mobster and cradled the tiny cat in her arms. ¡°You¡¯re so small.¡±
¡°Mew¡± he replied.
¡°He ain¡¯t much for talking,¡± Jackie shrugged, before turning around to see the others waiting in the room. ¡°Fuck! You¡¯ve grown, Chuck, hardly recognize ya. And Sword-guy. Pleasure?¡±
¡°Not that we aren¡¯t happy to see you,¡± Chuck began, confusion clear on his face. ¡°But how? And why?¡±
¡°And when?¡± Sally added, still cuddling with Archie.
¡°Fangs actually has some brains in him. When he came back to the Forest he did more than level. Turns out,¡± she jerked her thumb back at the zombie, ¡°that¡¯s the area one Archie. The cat that found us last year was originally from the fifth area.¡±
Chuck furrowed his brow, but nodded, exchanging a glance with Dent.
¡°Dumb vampire knew he was going to die, said he¡¯d need us to bring the furball when the time was right. Had the pendant made, which gave a signal back to the goblins. Henkk has been training all year to get my ass over here.¡±
¡°Had to be the top of the tower,¡± Sally said as she shook her head. ¡°So that he could aim you, huh?¡±
¡°I, uh, anticipated you having different company.¡± Jackie grimaced and flicked her cigarette to the floor. ¡°Fangs take out the others?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll update you as we leave this place.¡± Sally swaddled the kitten up in her robes. ¡°Is there a quick way down, Fern?¡±
¡°Back on floor eighteen, yes.¡±
[New Bodyguard: Jackie, Level 23 Mobster]
The Mobster whistled, adjusting the case that was slung on her back. ¡°Missed being powerful. Can tell you that. That¡¯s a lot of new skills.¡±
¡°Fran and the goblins okay?¡± Sally pestered her, starting after the dryad towards the stairs.
¡°Henkk is doing what he can, keeping as many Uniques safe as possible. Couple of Observer attacks, but nothing we couldn¡¯t handle. If we were talking pre-Architect death number of skulls, then¡¡±
¡°We lucked out in a way there, then.¡± Sally smiled, but felt out of place. There was a great warmth in seeing Jackie again, and having a kitten close to her, but it was something else, too. The pressure of the eventual last stand. All her favorite people coming together to do or die one last time. It was remarkably cliche.
Jackie put her hand on her back. ¡°You holding up okay, Sally?¡±
She pouted. How she missed the easy Forest area, they should have just stayed there and not wormed their way through all these struggles to follow her ambition. ¡°Humphrey killed Theo and ran away due to guilt.¡±
¡°Oh, it wasn¡¯t Edward?¡± Jackie took out a fresh cigarette and put it in her mouth. ¡°Fangs kept going on and on about some demon.¡±
¡°Ed and Theo are like best buds. You¡¯ll probably meet him soon enough. He¡¯s another of my Bodyguards.¡± Sally narrowed her eyes at the mobster as she brought out a lighter. ¡°Didn¡¯t you give up smoking for Fran?¡±
Jackie shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m probably going to die. Let a gal have a little fun. I chose this, by the way,¡± she took a drag and blew the smoke out, ¡°before you go thinking I got pressured into it. The last year has been like a dream, and I¡¯ve got your scrawny ass to thank for it.¡±
¡°Thanks, Jackie.¡± Sally gave her a wide smile. ¡°The best is yet to come.¡±
¡°Normally I¡¯d roll my eyes,¡± she replied, ¡°but with you, I believe it.¡±
They reached Fern¡¯s living floor and stood around while the plant-person dealt with something to teleport them down.
Sally checked her STAR, to find there were notifications.
[Norah: everyone doing okay?]
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.[Lucius: ij gote humphersy]
[Lucius: ridifng]
[Lucius: !!]
[Norah: ¡]
She sighed. It looked like the Shade was on the move, and couldn¡¯t type properly while moving. It looked dangerously like he was still with Humphrey, but she didn¡¯t want to get her hopes up.
[Sally: dungeon complete]
[Sally: reward was Jackie and a kitten]
[Sally: lucy get me co-ords to meet up asap]
Closing it down, she worked her jaw around. No closer to bringing Theo back¡ªhis little ploy was just to gather more allies to help solve the bigger problem. He had been acting weird for a while, and it actually tugged at her dead heart to know he had all this weight on his shoulders. Also explained why he was so sure that he would win fights if his death had been foretold.
She was sure to give him a kick when he awoke for keeping all those secrets, though.
¡°Gather around when ready,¡± Fern told them. ¡°This is usually a single person thing, but I can bend the rules a little.¡±
¡°Are you coming with us?¡± Sally asked, as they circled by the dryad.
¡°¡If there is a place for me, I would like to see the greater world.¡±
She nodded and tried to work out the mathematics of it, before a rush of vertigo and green light brought them down to the ground floor room once more. They all wavered and stumbled, apart from Fern. The kitten jumped out from Sally¡¯s grasp and padded over to where the case holding the other was still hidden.
Chuck clicked his fingers, and it came into view.
¡°Away from there,¡± Sally admonished Archie, ¡°dangerous!¡±
Twisting energy pooled out of the empty case and down toward the smaller cat. Before any of them could step forward to interject, the process was complete.
Archie turned back around. ¡°That¡¯s better, although I had hoped to grow to my full size.¡±
¡°Awww!¡± Sally hopped over and scooped him back up. ¡°That voice is only slightly concerning, coming from the tiny you. You absorbed the other Archie?¡±
¡°Let me out of this container.¡±
¡°Yes. With the Observer side activated, it allowed me to separate myself from it. I just needed another me to consolidate into.¡±
Chuck rubbed his face. ¡°So we have two here, Humphrey has two, and then eyepatch is in hiding.¡±
The group stepped out of the tower into the jungle, and overcast sky overhead. There was a figure already waiting for them outside, arms crossed.
¡°Lana?¡± Sally clenched her teeth, the skull atop her staff bursting into green flame.
¡°In a manner of speaking,¡± the woman replied, brushing curly hair away from her face. ¡°I spoke with your boyfriend recently.¡±
The flames of her pending attack petered out. ¡°If he left you alive, then you aren¡¯t part of Last Word?¡±
Lana shook her head. ¡°I am not. See.¡± She raised her arm up to show a normal STAR¡ªalbeit one that was a dimmer gray than Sally had ever seen.
Sally pouted, and looked at her growing group of misfits. ¡°He said he was my boyfriend?¡±
The group collectively deflated or rolled their eyes.
¡°Not as such, but he wouldn¡¯t stop talking about you.¡± Lana frowned. ¡°Took some of my blood, said to look after myself because he was going to die and you needed protecting. Ah, but he told me not to tell you that part.¡±
Sally bit her tongue. On one hand, he should have more faith in her and not go around telling everyone she needed to be saved¡ªbut also, it was sweet he had gathered so many of her pals around when he couldn¡¯t be here.
¡°It¡¯s not just me that needs protecting,¡± she sighed. ¡°You saw the big, spooky Architect, right? People like us are on the list to be erased.¡± The zombie rubbed her face. ¡°Let me go through everything that has happened again, but we can¡¯t keep doing this every time a new face appears.¡±
The skeletal horse vanished, and the trio dropped to the floor¡ªLucius landing on his backside.
¡°A little warning next time,¡± he grumbled.
Edward finished bandaging himself up now that he was on more stable ground. ¡°Are you sure this is an efficient use of time?¡±
¡°No,¡± Humphrey replied, drawing the large mace into his hands. ¡°There are few ways to bring back a Player. Most of those will not work, as Theo is part undead.¡±
¡°A fool¡¯s errand then?¡± Edward stretched out his back and grunted. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve thought about this a lot longer than I have.¡±
¡°The only fool is one who does not try,¡± the Death Knight replied, crimson flame at the back of his helmet.
Lucius nodded and dusted himself off. ¡°Yeah, have some faith.¡±
The demon grimaced, the hulking constructs in front of them illuminating the barren plain in a dim, red glow. ¡°Joy.¡±
¡°And that¡¯s the abridged history of the last year,¡± Sally took a deep breath and sighed.
¡°I see.¡± Lana nodded slowly. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I apologize for the other Lana¡¯s blaming you for the death of our originator. Accidents do happen.¡±
Chuck shuffled forward. ¡°Do you know who is corrupting the STARs?¡±
¡°Yes and no,¡± the woman tilted her head. ¡°Where they are, who they currently work for - yes. But I¡¯ve never met them, or know their name.¡±
Sally flexed her hand. ¡°Details then please, we will need the whole picture if we plan on eating the whole Architect.¡±
¡°After working on the other Lana¡¯s they got picked up by Seven.¡±
The zombie groaned. That meant some of the red team might be corrupted, too. Just what they needed, more problems. She held up the kitten and wrinkled up her nose. ¡°New Architect might not like the corrupted Players, right?¡±
¡°I would assume not,¡± the cat began, ¡°but we don¡¯t know their full intentions.¡±
As she exhaled through her nose, her STAR lit up with messages. Awkwardly trying to press it while the kitten squirmed around, she brought up the Chat window. ¡°Lucy has sent location, here.¡± She pinged it across to Chuck and Dent.
¡°All the way down south?¡± Chuck furrowed his brow and looked at the swordsman, receiving a shrug in return. ¡°With this many people¡¡± he counted heads. ¡°I can get us in off to the east of their location. We¡¯d need to do the rest on foot.¡±
¡°Or mouse,¡± Sally murmured.
¡°Even better than that,¡± Jackie interjected, a wry grin across her face. ¡°You should see the Ultimate I just got.¡±
178 - Shuffle the Deck
The wind whipped at Sally¡¯s face, drying out her wide smile. Even with the metal wheels jostling her as they rocketed over the rough terrain, this was truly quite the experience.
Jackie leaned over the side of the top of the stagecoach to glance down at her, her own wide grin across her face. ¡°You see the weapon I get with this?¡±
¡°A big¡ crossbow?¡± Sally yelled back, a leaf almost choking her as her mouth opened.
¡°Twin-linked dual repeating crossbows! We need to find something to shoot!¡± Her head vanished back atop the coach.
¡°You really should be inside, Sally.¡± Chuck admonished her from within.
She sunk back into her seat and pouted across at the Druid squished in between Dent and Fern. ¡°Killjoy,¡± she murmured.
¡°It will be worse if we turn up to Humphrey with your head detached from your body because Jackie rode too close to a tree.¡± He rolled his eyes and glared at her.
She wasn¡¯t even sure Jackie was driving. After they had been teleported to the nearby summoning circle, she had appeared it out of nowhere. An impressive Ultimate that the mobster was unhealthily happy about getting to use. Even the two horses pulling the vehicle looked like they were wearing black pinstripe suits.
Kitten Archie was sleeping on Lana¡¯s lap beside her. They had all been relatively quiet once they had started moving. Being drawn to¡ well, they didn¡¯t really know what. Theo was no closer to coming back, but she had a couple more allies. She sunk into the red leather bench seat.
¡°Alright, so we¡¯ll need to split into two Parties going forward. I¡¯m going to suggest undead in one, and the others in the other.¡±
Chuck nodded slowly. ¡°So everyone present except for yourself?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± She pulled a face and looked out of the window at the trees flashing past. ¡°The Outsiders are better frontline fighters, so you five can be the backup. I¡¯ll take Edward until¡¡±
Sally sighed. Until Theo could replace him? Until another one of them died? Until the Architect broke something else about the System?
¡°Dent,¡± she said. ¡°Give us the details of potential enemies. My brain is fried.¡±
¡°Architect, for one,¡± he began. ¡°Seven with potentially corrupted Players, the rest of the¡ Red team. Any living Last Word.¡±
She nodded. Not too bad. Most of those were edible.
¡°The Architect, can we even fight them?¡±
Archie yawned and stretched as he woke to join the conversation. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about them appearing and just erasing you with a thought, they aren¡¯t that powerful.¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes. ¡°But¡?¡±
He kneaded Lana¡¯s lap before continuing. ¡°Originally, the System was designed to be mostly self-correcting. It is part of the reason it has been¡ tenable after the Architect¡¯s death. There are certain things the new one can change, but your core existence is not one of them.¡±
She pouted. That sounded like even Chuck wouldn¡¯t be able to un-zombie her if they got to that point. It made the position of Architect sound like less of a god and more of an¡ administrator. A janitor to keep things tidy and make sure it was a pleasant experience. Well, that had worked out well.
Lana shuffled to try to get some feeling back into her legs. ¡°They¡¯ll have to kill us in the more traditional sense, then?¡±
¡°Indeed.¡± Archie looked up at her. ¡°They¡¯ll be able to summon equipment, cast skills, and create System Monsters. If they are smart, they will come nowhere near us and win out with attrition.¡±
¡°If they did show up¡¡± Sally had returned to watch the scenery speed past. ¡°Would I even be able to punch them in their dumb face?¡±
Across from her, Dent smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve long given up underestimating what you and the Outsiders are capable of, Sally. If you want to do it, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find a way.¡±
She smiled, but she wasn¡¯t so convinced. The Architect was a few steps above Players or even a boosted Unique like the dragon. They were at least more grounded in reality, and their capabilities made sense. What if the new Architect turned the ground into soft cheese and she sunk and suffocated in it?
¡°We¡¯re about here,¡± Jackie yelled from the top of the wagon.
Sally opened up her Map, and her little blip was near the mark where they intended to find the others. A weight sunk into her stomach. Maybe she could get the mobster to swing the stagecoach around the area a few times until she felt ready for this.
It slid to a stop, and the horses whinnied from the front. Too late.
Chuck leaned forward and placed his hand on her knee. ¡°We are here for you. You¡¯ve got this.¡± He grimaced. ¡°You¡¯re really cold, even through your jeans.¡±
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¡°I have no idea what the fuck is going on.¡± Fern deflated and tried to work the handle on their side of the wagon.
¡°It gets easier,¡± Sally said, almost believing it. Jackie dropped down in front of the window and opened the door as the zombie leaned against it, causing Sally to fall out onto the floor. ¡°Gotta fall downwards before falling upwards, right?¡± She groaned and righted herself with the mobster''s help.
She dusted herself off as the rest of the group dismounted and walked over to join her. A plain of barren stone went out in front of them. Ruined Monsters lay in piles for a distance until the flash of combat drew their attention further ahead. Familiar shapes. Narrowing her eyes, she stormed towards them.
Humphrey wrenched the large maul from the body of the golem and stepped back. Before turning toward the next opponent, he froze. Lucius popped out from his shadow and stood beside Edward, both slowly moving themselves away from the Death Knight.
He turned slowly, to meet the burning glare of Sally standing nearby. Her eyes were alight in bright crimson, arms crossed as her foot tapped against the floor. Shadowed figures stood a way off behind her, but he couldn¡¯t focus on them with her taking up his full attention.
Humphrey dropped to his knee and bowed toward her. ¡°Sally¡ I¡¯m so sorry.¡±
¡°What for?¡±
¡°For allowing myself to be controlled. Killing Theo¡ and then for running away.¡±
¡°So, what are you going to do about it?¡± Her foot continued to tap on the ground.
¡°We are trying to find a way to bring him back, if you¡¯ll forgive me. If you do not, I understand.¡± He continued to look at the dirt before him.
¡°Stand.¡±
Humphrey gradually rose to his feet, his head still low and not wanting to meet her gaze.
¡°Killing Theo was a terrible thing,¡± she began, her voice quiet. ¡°But you broke my heart when you ran and left us alone. Even if you felt guilty, I needed you. Norah needs you. We all do.¡±
¡°I am here now.¡± He lifted his head. ¡°Lucius reminded me of what truly mattered. I wish to atone for my misgivings and earn your forgiveness, and be there for you once more.¡±
¡°Only person you need to forgive is yourself, Humps.¡± She shook her head and sighed. ¡°Ask Theo for forgiveness, and do not rest until you get to ask him. Good lesson teaching, Lucius. What did Edward teach you, Humphrey?¡± She raised an eyebrow at seeing the demon being part of the gang again.
¡°Mostly how to get beaten up by an angel.¡± He turned with a grin as the demon rolled his eyes.
As much as she wanted to dig deeper into how cool that fight sounded, she instead ran up and threw her arms around the Death Knight. ¡°I¡¯m repressing everything too hard to give a genuine emotional response,¡± she whispered, ¡°but I¡¯ll just say wah.¡±
He gave her a pat on the back. ¡°Wah, indeed. I am here.¡±
¡°Good.¡± She released her grip on him. ¡°Also, I brought some friends with me. You know most of them, but I¡¯ll introduce them anyway to set the scene.¡±
Lucius and Edward exchanged shrugs.
¡°Chuck, Dent, Jackie, Fern, and a good Lana. But even better¡¡± she bit her lip as the tiny figure moved across towards them.
¡°Big brother,¡± kitten Archie said.
¡°Very little brother,¡± the Death Knight grinned, kneeling down to pick him up.
Sally spun back to the gathered groups. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s organize into Parties as previously discussed. Chuck, Dent, Fern, Lana, Jackie. Then pops and Edward can join me. Archie, you are too small to-¡±
She stopped as she turned back to see the cat turn into mist and enter the skeletal face of the Death Knight.
¡°Humphrey!¡±
¡°He started it.¡± the Death Knight shied away from her as she deflated.
Chuck rubbed his chin. ¡°Not that putting all our eggs in one basket is a great idea, but this was kind of the plan, eventually. Certainly easier than getting the other two out at present.¡±
[Chuck has left the Party]
[Dent has left the Party]
[Jackie has left the Party]
[Humphrey has joined the Party]
[Edward has joined the Party]
She waved away the notifications. ¡°Ugh, remember when we had actual Class names and loot meant something?¡± She pouted. ¡°Architect needs to fix that.¡±
¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s not like you liked interfacing with that side of things.¡±
Despite the valid point, she chose to ignore him. Instead, she waved a hand toward all the Monsters being killed. ¡°So, what are you even doing here?¡±
¡°Forgetting that we¡¯re incapable of looting,¡± Edward grumbled, his eyes avoiding the glare of the Death Knight.
¡°There¡¯s an item that can be crafted¡¡± Humphrey rubbed at the back of his helmet as he looked down at the zombie. ¡°It¡¯s not so much a resurrect, as it can rewind time.¡±
Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°That¡¯s thinking outside the box, since we can¡¯t use the usual methods.¡±
Chuck came over to join them while Dent and Lana went to loot around the corpses already on the ground. ¡°Still not guaranteed, correct?¡± He grimaced.
¡°No,¡± the Death Knight shook his head. ¡°With his soul in place, we have a greater chance, but I do not know whether it would reset him back an hour¡ or longer.¡±
¡°System damn it, Humps. If you bring my pup back at level one again, I will personally make you power level him twenty-four seven. I still can¡¯t believe you just vacuumed up that Archie without saying anything.¡±
¡°It is too dangerous for them to go alone.¡± Humphrey shrugged and picked up the mace to rest on his shoulders. ¡°They¡¯ll need to take this chance to be safe within me.¡±
She waved him away. ¡°Alright, what do we need from these Monsters? I need to grind my teeth on something that I won¡¯t have to apologize to after.¡±
¡°An item called [Chrono Juice]. We need one-hundred of them to start with.¡±
Dent stood up from a little way away. ¡°I have four.¡±
¡°Two here,¡± Lana added.
Sally deflated and opened up her Inventory to retrieve Humphrey¡¯s greatsword. ¡°Better get going then, we don¡¯t have much t-¡±
¡°Opportunity,¡± Lucius finished, helpfully.
Chuck hummed to himself, eyes focused on STAR menus. ¡°Is the [Timesworn Key of Echoes] craft?¡±
Humphrey nodded.
The Druid murmured something that may have been several curses.
¡°We can look up stuff like that?¡± Sally furrowed her brow.
¡°Yes,¡± the Death Knight grinned. ¡°You never asked.¡±
She flexed her hand a few times. ¡°Alright, everyone!¡± They all turned to pay attention. ¡°Most importantly, Chucky, you need to change your Party name to Insiders. I have mandated it.¡±
¡°¡done.¡±
¡°Secondly, we aren¡¯t putting all our eggs in the Theo deus ex machina. As much as it pains for me to say it, we¡¯ll need to assume that he is dead for good.¡± She wrinkled up her nose. ¡°With the Architect growing in power by the hour, we need at least a Plan B, or some reasonable plausibility for when we eventually fail upwards.¡±
They each nodded, other than Fern, who had their usual blank expression.
¡°So I want the Insiders to focus on gathering stuff for the key with overcooked name. Since you have three Players you can loot more effectively. The Outsiders will go find the last Archie,¡± she turned to look at the Death Knight, who nodded back.
¡°Already notified any capable Blue team Parties to assist with some of the other materials,¡± Dent said, closing down his own STAR.
Sally smiled and looked around at them. The oddest found family you could ask for, but they were hers. ¡°Let¡¯s save the universe!¡± she yelled out to their medium cheers.
Fern shrugged, raising their arms awkwardly after everyone had calmed already.
179 - Brained
Norah sunk down on the throne and exhaled.
¡°Sorry, this is so boring, Theo,¡± she said to the inert body of the vampire. ¡°If only my priests were still alive.¡± It never took this long. Although, she was usually the one dead - so her view of that time might be distorted.
Knowing the System, the ability to summon the priests to complete the ritual would come at her next level up¡ªor maybe at twenty-five. Some guilt about not leveling up quicker gnawed at her stomach, but what was done was done.
The Mummy extended out a bandage, unfurling through the air, before curling it back and into her hand. She repeated this process another handful of times, then her brow furrowed.
As the next bandage went out, it caught the light in an odd way. Instead of being a dull gray fabric, it now appeared to be covered in gold leaf. It returned to her hand, and she raised it to see that it was normal once more.
¡°Curious,¡± she said.
Her eyes went over to the side as Chat messages popped up, the notifications of the Party members switching around. A warm smile emerged beneath her bandages.
¡°Not long now,¡± she whispered, as vibrations through the ground caused dust to fall from the ceiling of the stone chamber. ¡°Not long at all.¡±
The skeletal horse and zombie mouse thundered through the undergrowth.
For all that the day had brought them, Sally was energized. The anger and panic had worn away to leave her with the determination to fix this third area. Fix the whole world. Which appeared to be this singular continent, oddly.
She had given herself enough time to be morose about Theo, but seeing all her pals together again¡ she had to do her best for the System, no matter who fell along the way. It wasn¡¯t her job to do it. She was meant to be a lowly zombie stuck in a diner for the rest of her existence. But the System had let her get away with more and more - it¡¯d be rude to not continue to run with it. Plus, dying and being reset was Theo¡¯s kinda thing and he could keep it.
Edward was a decent enough stand-in for now, if he would stop pulling on her cloak. She glared back at him, to which he returned a sheepish grin. The skeletal horse had much more room on it, but he hadn¡¯t been eager to get back on it for some reason. Probably wasn¡¯t comfortable being sandwiched between the metal Death Knight and the fleshless horse. Lucius was shadowing Humphrey instead.
They were riding back deeper into the jungle, where Chuck and Dent were sure that the eyepatch Archie would be hiding. With him being one of the cats, she had thought he might be able to sense that they were coming¡ and with how he could predict the vampire¡¯s demise they might know the safest place to be picked up from and that the Outsiders would be looking for him.
She had the feeling that there were some other things going on in the background that she hadn¡¯t been clued in on yet. Theo had to die for something else to happen, perhaps. That¡¯s why it had been kept a secret, so as to not interfere with the progression of the¡ end times. A bit melodramatic to call it that, but with the overcast sky and looming threat, it fit well enough.
Before setting off, she had asked Humphrey what joining all the five Archies together would do¡ªespecially if they were absorbed by him. He had just shrugged, which seemed like bullshit. There was no way either he hadn¡¯t spoken to the cat about it, or knew through their memories. Another bad surprise to be mindful of, no doubt.
She looked at the Map again as they bounded over fallen trees and grassy patches. There was a dungeon in the nearby vicinity. It seemed like a good bet. With the world going crazy, people weren¡¯t likely to want to stand around and plan out a dungeon run. The only people who would be trying would be those trying to hunt down something specific¡
Her jaw clenched. There were two Parties of Reds outside the Spire dungeon. Were they waiting for her specifically? What did they know that she didn¡¯t? Other than how to work most parts of the System she had been intentionally avoiding. She had a feeling that the identity of Seven, their leader, might play some part of it.
Nobody seemed to have seen them, or could describe them. Given that their doctrine was especially hostile, those sorts of leaders were usually at the forefront. The big bullies hoping to crush things to rule over the dust. Acting from the shadows¡ just meant that there was something else at play. Another reason for the formation of the faction and mess in this third area.
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It couldn¡¯t be any of the Outsiders, as they were all in a coma. Edward spent all his time doing his part in leading the Wasteland. What about the Insiders? Jackie was safe. She was too low a level to be around here and had made her peace with living a quiet life up until being called upon. Fern was suspicious, but also completely overwhelmed with life outside of their dungeon.
Part of her believed that Chuck could have masterminded leading both factions. Either to ensure he remained on top of the food-chain in this area, or¡ no, there was no real benefit for him. His plans seemed to click with how he felt about the System way back in the Forest area. The fact that he had killed now proved how far he was willing to go for the Blue team''s worldview. Dent had only wanted to be the best swordsman in the world. Would he have chosen Red if not for the connection to Chuck?
Lana was the oddest one out, which was saying a lot. Not really a Player or Monster. A clone of the real one, but seemingly as pleasant as the originator. Currently, anyway. She had helped Theo, where the other clones were part of Last Word and wanted an end to the System.
It was all very convenient that all these friendly faces were together at the right time, to the point that it was hard for her to trust it all. And trusting people was one of her key facets. That and being fine with murder and eating brains.
¡°Contact ahead,¡± Humphrey called out. ¡°Reds.¡±
She narrowed her eyes and gathered her focus on what lay in front. They had reached the dungeon already, her internal monologue making the time pass by quicker than expected. A half-semi circle of stone sat amongst bushes, a gated doorway on the flat side closed.
Two Parties of Red, these ones not just standing around awaiting their demise, however. They had dug in, used logs and rocks to create low fortifications for their casters and ranged attackers to fire from while the melee Classes stood ready at the front with shields up. Either they were camping every dungeon and landmark in this area, or there really was something up.
No matter, perhaps a little eating would help calm her mind.
It was times like these that she missed the Mummy and the ability to be flung into the middle of bad guys. Badder guys? The skull on her staff burst into green flame as she hopped up into a standing position on the mount¡¯s saddle.
[Quick Reversal]
Edward cast a buff on her as the [Mortis Bomb] flew off towards the crowd.
The lights of the Player¡¯s attacks blazed through the area like a terrible disco. [Impenetrable Defense] flared up as Humphrey dropped from the horse as it vanished, his arms wide to attract all leveled attacks.
Lucius popped out from the Death Knight and immediately hopped over and into Sally¡¯s shadow as she jumped from the vanished mouse and shot out [Meat Hook] over the heads of the waiting melee and into a ranger near the back.
The beam of pink energy drew her over their heads, and she stuck her tongue out at them. [Endless Dead]. Dozens of stored zombies began to crawl up around the Reds as she bounced off some kind of spherical shield that was protecting the ranged attackers. Sally fell to her back and rolled away to avoid an attack bursting up earth from where she had been. She slunk behind a normal zombie that burst from a follow-up attack, a wide grin on her face.
[Desecrate Life]
She flourished the staff around, jabbing out on occasion to put holes into random enemies¡ªwhether they were heavily armored or not. All the while moving away and putting undead between her and whoever tried to attack.
At the last moment, she felt the presence of a rogue Class appear behind her, the slight vertigo of their abilities wearing on her before it faded off and the demon¡¯s enchantment activated. She spun near instantly and the intended attack against her was rebuffed. Instead, she hit them with the skull-end of her staff, twirling it around to slice them with [Skeleton Key] at the base. First slash caught their arm, disarming them, second twirl caught them across the collarbone and dug in deep.
¡°Why are you here?¡± she growled at them, pulling the dagger free from the wound, a shadowed version stabbing the opponent in their legs.
Humphrey radiated with energy as his buffs pulsed over him. With slow, methodical steps, he had worked his way in amongst the crowd, blocking and riposting. Every strike perfectly calculated and deliberate. From his side, Edward would dart in to take advantage of every time he would put an enemy on the back foot, making up for the Death Knight¡¯s slower speed by weaving in high spikes of damage as he struck out at vital points.
The Red didn¡¯t answer her question, and was even less talkative once she had eaten the brains from their skull. Anger in their eyes, though, which reminded her of Charlotte. A brief wave of guilt rode through her, and she wondered whether she should try to save some of these misguided souls.
¡°Lucy!¡± she began, turning toward her shadow. Something weighty struck the side of her head, and the world tipped to the side. Briefly she panicked that someone was about to eat her brains¡ªeither the pent up guilt and horror she repressed from her own actions¡ªor something had been knocked loose in her head.
System messages flared up in her eyes as she struggled to get the strength to right herself, and without thinking about it, she selected [Yes] to get it out of the way.
The sounds of battle vanished, and a cold feeling washed over her. Raising her head, she blinked away the brief pain in her skull and observed the inky darkness around her. The STAR, illuminating plain stone beneath her, bloiped as a message came in.
[Ruben: Hey Sally?]
[Ruben: Do you want to go bowling?]
180 - Calm and Collected
She groaned and rolled over into a sitting position. Clearly she had died, and this was some manner of penance for all the evil she had brought to the world. The Chat window closed down and she palmed at her eyes. She didn¡¯t even like bowling and was still lukewarm on the dragon. They weren''t even real notifications; they felt like she had dreamed them.
Opening her eyes to glare at the empty darkness surrounding her, she now saw another pop-up that was behind the faux-Chat.
[Dungeon]
[Solo - Difficulty: Hard]
That started to make some sense. She had accepted entrance to the dungeon in trying to escape getting her skull further broken in. Hand up, she massaged where she had been struck. Bruised, but any other damage had been healed up. Must have been some ability to have hit her so hard.
Her eyes narrowed in trying to see where the exit was, but after a dozen feet or so, there was just pitch black gloom in all directions. Nothing in her STAR allowed her an easy escape, either.
¡°What¡¯s the point?¡± she sighed and asked the empty expanse. ¡°I¡¯ve already done solo stuff recently, and it¡¯s pretty boring.¡±
It only ended up with her amassing a bunch of zombies and chewing through any problem until one of her friends showed up to temper her runaway mania. A dungeon would be no different.
The squeal of a door came from behind her and she spun around, the green flames of a prepared [Mortis Bomb] illuminating the surrounding fog. There was a doorway there now, but it wasn¡¯t open.
She rolled her eyes and went over to it. ¡°Spooky stuff won¡¯t bother me. You really don¡¯t know who you¡¯re dealing with.¡± Might be odd to talk to the dungeon, but somebody had to hear her.
Grumbling, she pushed open the door and stepped into a brightly lit room, causing her to cover her eyes with the back of her arm. Sounds started to filter into her ears as her eyes adjusted.
¡°You¡¯re late for your shift, Sally.¡± A voice came from the side.
Wide-eyed, she lowered her arm to see the diner where she had used to work. ¡°Miss Doris?¡±
¡°Who else?¡± The woman shook her head. ¡°Get into uniform and take orders. It¡¯s about to get busy.¡±
Sally nodded slowly in disbelief. The tables already had several people sitting and eating, or drinking coffee. Warm daylight came in through the windows, illuminating the place so familiar to her. Absent-mindedly, she changed her current outfit back to the white blouse and red skirt. Slowly, she shuffled around to her place behind the counter.
¡°Not bad, System,¡± she murmured. Next to the counter beside the till was a piece of paper. A character sheet for necromancer, a doodle of a very angry looking cloaked zombie at the top. Looked a little like her.
The door opened, and a figure was silhouetted against the bright light, barely any other details of the world visible beyond the entrance.
By instinct, a smile rose up on her face. ¡°How can I help you today?¡±
As the figure stepped forward, she could see that it was a man, younger than the usual clientele. Maybe around her age. Handsome, but looked like he could recite half of the script of¡ that fantasy movie¡ by heart. She couldn¡¯t think of the right reference, which made her brow furrow.
¡°Coffee, please.¡±
¡°Sure thing, Theo.¡± She smiled again, despite the confusion. ¡°Not dead, anymore?¡±
¡°Not here,¡± he replied, as she turned to find the coffee pot. ¡°I can be alive forever, here.¡±
¡°Must be nice,¡± she murmured as she picked up the container of coffee granules. Ratjuice, it said. Disgusting.
¡°You can stay here with me, if you like.¡± His voice was calm, soothing almost. "Be alive forever, too."
She rolled her eyes and turned back around, a mug in hand. ¡°You must really underestimate me. Here¡¯s your coffee.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Theo tilted his head. ¡°It¡¯s not tempting?¡±
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
¡°I¡¯m only playing along for my own amusement.¡± She glared at him. ¡°You think I give a fuck about the diner anymore? I¡¯m the Queen of the Undead you hacky excuse for mental manipulation.¡± Her hands clenched against the edge of the counter, splitting the wood under her tight grip. ¡°Either maintain the illusion or let me proceed with your dumbass dungeon challenges.¡±
The Theo pulled a face, before fading away, the whole diner following suit¡ªblowing away like dust in a breeze she didn¡¯t feel to leave nothing but an empty, stone room lit by a lantern.
Sally deflated and looked over to the side, where a large treasure chest sat beside a closed door. ¡°If that is a mimic, I will become untenable.¡±
The treasure chest faded away like dust.
She stomped forward into the next room. Her feet squelched on soft flooring, as lanterns lit up. A chamber made of writhing and bloodied flesh. Figures sat up against the walls, their heads cracked open and brains missing.
¡°Pass,¡± she waved her hand and yawned. ¡°I¡¯ve got better things to do today if you could just hurry this along.¡±
A few seconds of silence passed before this illusion vanished away too. She had spent every waking minute of her existence on this world trying to come to terms with what she was, what she had lost, and the effect her actions had on the System. Some cheap party tricks weren¡¯t going to dazzle her or shake her to the core.
No door appeared.
¡°If you¡¯re struggling for ideas¡ how about the time that Theo and I tried to smooch under the Crimson moon¡ªbut now he¡¯s dead! What about reliving the time Humps killed Theo, and I was unable to stop it! All the loot I never looked at was secretly useful stuff! Show me that the world would have been better if I hadn¡¯t killed the people that I had!¡±
She clenched her jaw and relented to the silence.
¡°You are no fun.¡± A voice hissed from outside her peripheral vision.
Sally turned, but there was nobody there. ¡°I¡¯m loads of fun, just not in this specific type of Dungeon.¡±
¡°Well,¡± the voice continued, now seemingly on the other side of her. ¡°If you don¡¯t complete it properly, then how can I give you the reward at the end?¡±
¡°I¡¯d rather just leave, thanks.¡± She glared around, but still nobody was to be seen.
¡°Even though it is something that will¡¡± the voice cut off and faded away.
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t decide whether to say it¡¯ll help bring Theo back, or help me defeat the Architect, right? Which one is more important to me?¡±
¡°¡fuck you!¡±
¡°Just let me out and I¡¯ll-¡± she stumbled out into the heat and smells of battle, directly into the weight of someone in heavy armor.
[Eat Brains]
She pushed the figure over and glared around. The Death Knight was withdrawing his sword from a fallen Player, while Edward was patching himself up with some bandages.
¡°Oh, there you are.¡± Humphrey grinned. ¡°We were worried that you had fallen.¡±
¡°As if.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°I just went through the Solo Dungeon.¡±
Lucius popped out of the Death Knight¡¯s shadow and stretched out. ¡°I did wonder why I was forced out of helping you. Almost ate some damage myself for a change.¡±
¡°What Solo Dungeon?¡± Humphrey crossed his arms.
Sally jerked her thumb backwards towards the empty space she had vanished from. ¡°Got a pop up over there.¡±
He raised an eyebrow and stepped over the dead bodies to get closer to her. ¡°There is nothing there. The actual Dungeon you have to enter physically, over there.¡± He leveled a plated finger over toward the clear doorway leading down into the something underground.
She shrugged. Either that Player had a weird skill that stuck her into a space where her mental faculties were tested, or something else was keen to prod around inside her empty skull.
¡°Are you okay? What happened?¡± He put a hand on her shoulder, concern in his skeletal face.
¡°It was somewhere with a lot of illusion magic, to either trap me or cause me trauma, perhaps.¡± She rubbed the side of her head with the staff. ¡°The diner from the old world, bodies of people I had killed. Then I broke it, so it let me out.¡±
¡°That doesn¡¯t surprise me,¡± Edward murmured, as he walked over. He was soaked with sweat and had rips through his bloodied suit.
Humphrey scratched at the side of his head. ¡°Hmm, I am not aware of such a thing. Even with the memories I have absorbed.¡±
Sally pouted. ¡°So that was some kind of bespoke shenanigan? Someone targeting me to take me out?¡± She glared around the area.
¡°Yes. Shame they underestimated you.¡±
She waved him off. ¡°I have plenty of issues, but I¡¯m aware of them. Prodding at my last life, my morals, or what is troubling me at present just makes me angry. And hungry. But I couldn¡¯t see them to eat them.¡± Her head tilted to the side and pouted. ¡°Think it was Seven or the Architect?¡±
Humphrey opened and closed his mouth a few times. ¡°It is too beyond me to say. I could imagine cases where that could be possible, but it is unlike anything I am aware of.¡±
The zombie deflated. Architect could probably do something similar with little issue. Seven could only do it if they had some kind of Unique ability, or their STAR had been corrupted. Those should be the only two currently targeting her specifically.
She turned her head toward the Dungeon. ¡°So I guess we still need to do this, then?¡±
¡°Yes. There might be more Reds in there as well. It is not a ¡®closed door¡¯ dungeon.¡± The Death Knight looked over at the other two, the Shade helping to patch up the demon. ¡°We can¡¯t rule it out as a hiding place for Eyepatch.¡±
Sally nodded. She was glad that the three had no issue finishing the Players off, even if they did look a little more damaged than usual. [Living Dead] wouldn¡¯t help Edward, but she threw it up for the rest of them. She ground her sharp teeth together. There was something stuck in the back of her mind.
A choice to be made. Some weakness to be erased. The illusion dungeon put it all into perspective¡ªhelped her instead of breaking her. With the weight of everything happening in the System, there was a moment of clarity in her aching head.
¡°Lucius,¡± she gestured the Shade over. ¡°I want you¡ nah, I can¡¯t even make that joke.¡± She sighed and shook her head from side to side.
¡°What is it?¡± He slipped over some gore as he tried to get closer.
¡°I want you to use [Seek Answers] on me.¡±
181 - Already Perfect
The gathered three stared at her blankly, although Edward didn¡¯t know what she was asking. She crossed her arms and wrinkled up her face. ¡°What?¡±
¡°Are you¡ sure about that?¡± Lucius winced away, a sweat-drop emoji appearing behind him.
¡°What¡¯s the worst that could happen?¡± She shrugged.
Humphrey shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not like we really know what it does. What if it erases the memories of your old world?¡±
¡°Good. If anything, those memories are a weight on my shoulders. I can¡¯t return there. All it does is make me miss something I can¡¯t have. If Theo is gone, perhaps it will stop the ache over that too.¡± She rubbed at her forehead. "It would be hypocritical to put other through this if I wouldn''t do it to myself, right?"
¡°True. But I¡¯m¡ still not seeing the benefit.¡±
Edward squirmed, his brow furrowed. ¡°Can someone fill me in?¡±
Humphrey turned his head. ¡°Lucius has a skill that forces the target to answer three questions truthfully. It also seems to erase any disbelief and hate they have for the System.¡±
The demon nodded slowly. ¡°Isn¡¯t it your burning hatred of the System what drives you?¡±
¡°Used to be.¡± She shrugged. ¡°But this is my home¡ you are my family and friends. I need to be undivided in that. If I¡¯m too hell bent on bringing the System down, then I¡¯ll lose sight of what truly matters.¡±
Humphrey deflated and rubbed at his eye sockets. ¡°I cannot stop you, but I do not know what the ramifications may be.¡±
¡°I¡¯m on board if we get to ask the questions,¡± Edward said with a wide grin.
¡°One each,¡± she wagged her finger. ¡°I realize what I¡¯m asking could be dangerous, especially at the final hour, but I have faith.¡±
The Death Knight just relented with a gesture, and the Shade stepped closer to her.
¡°Ready?¡± Lucius asked calmly.
She returned a nod.
[Seek Answers]
For a moment, there was a cooling sensation. Like settling into a bed of fresh sheets. Calming and comforting. She could hear her heartbeat, like it was banging on the window, wanting to get in. Her teeth clenched, but before she needed to act, it was over.
The drab daylight filtered into her eyes and she took a deep gasp of the warm Jungle air. In front of her, the three still stood, Humphrey glaring at the demon, who looked sheepish.
¡°Hey,¡± she said, furrowing her brow.
¡°How do you feel?¡± The Shade put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Everything okay?¡±
Sally raised up her hands to view them, pouting as her brow furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t¡ feel any different.¡±
A smiling emoji appeared in front of her vision. ¡°Maybe you were perfect all along?¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± she said as she grinned. ¡°Now let¡¯s go into the dungeon and stop wasting what time we have.¡±
They gathered up, and she put away her undead with a wave of her hands. Being able to drop a horde right amongst people was perhaps her strongest skill, on reflection. Something about suddenly being surrounded by hungry undead spooked most Players, even discounting how much the zombies would get in the way or add their own damage to the battle.
Humphrey stomped up to the open doorway of the dungeon and paused. ¡°You sure that you¡¯re fine?¡±
Sally nodded. ¡°I still have all my memories. There¡¯s just no¡ I don¡¯t feel angry at the System for bringing me here. You remember back at the start how I felt like the Last Word? Now I¡¯m just¡ this is my home and I need to protect it. I feel reinforced. Validated.¡±
He nodded in response and started walking into the Dungeon.
She followed on behind him, pulling the hood over her head. Sure, it had been a risk, not knowing how it would affect her mind, but she knew she needed it. Her human side had been in a panic since day one, and as much as she had been able to drown it out with the zombie side taking the reins¡ things had gotten a bit much as of late.
Now? She felt calmer. More focused. She grinned, before turning a scowl towards the two lurking at the back. ¡°So, what do you guys ask me?¡±
They winced at the question, but the demon and shade exchanged a quick glance.
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¡°You didn¡¯t hear or weren¡¯t aware?¡± Edward raised an eyebrow.
¡°No?¡± She narrowed her eyes further.
¡°Nothing weird, then.¡± The Shade shook his head, a sweat-drop appearing.
Humphrey grunted and turned a glare back at them. ¡°If we could focus on the Dungeon, please.¡±
The pair nodded and Sally shrugged, turning back to watch where they were going with her eyes only slowly moving away from the suspicious two. Dimly lit by lanterns, the chamber they were entering had the broken bodies of whatever Monsters were supposed to be guarding here.
¡°Set dressing, or Reds ahead?¡± She crouched down beside one of the dead. Some kind of bipedal lizard, armor made of bones, and a feathered headdress on their bloodied head.
¡°The latter,¡± Humphrey replied, flames starting to curl down his greatsword. ¡°No experience to be gained here, so their intentions are¡¡± he stopped and furrowed his brow over his empty eye sockets. There was an open doorway ahead of them, but his head turned slowly to the left.
Sally frowned, following his gaze to the plain brickwork wall. ¡°What-¡± she began.
A beam of light shot from the wall, spiking across the room towards them. Catching through the peak of her hood, it slammed into the Death Knight¡¯s shoulder armor, stopping about an inch into him.
¡°Ouch,¡± he growled, crimson flame dancing behind his helmet.
It wasn¡¯t an energy attack though, and Sally looked up at it as it retracted. It looked like a sword, flat and silver¡ªbut weaved through the air, stretched out as it had come from the wall, wiggling as if it was a snake.
Lucius struck a pose and held his hands out to form a triangle. With the hiss of air being released, the whole side of that wall vanished to appear as a soft shadow. In another room just past it, a man and a woman stood, both wearing red tabards. Surprise illuminated their faces in being found, the wavy sword snaking back to the man.
[Compelled Duel]
Humphrey immediately strode towards the man, the duel intending to stop the odd attacker from getting to any of the squishier Party members.
¡°I have to hold this one,¡± Lucius groaned, his hands still extended. It was larger than what he could usually shadow away, so that made sense to Sally.
As she gestured for the demon to follow her, the woman in the room pulsed with purple energy. ¡°You¡¯re on your own Lambert,¡± she said, before sinking away through the floor, bubbles pooling around her.
¡°Damnit!¡± the man growled and thrust his sword toward the looming Death Knight. It shimmered and flowed through the air like a ribbon, almost circling the plated figure before darting down¡ªstriking Humphrey on the side of the head.
He stopped and glared at the man. ¡°You corrupted your STAR for something so pitiful?¡±
Sally slid towards the side of them to see¡ªand the Death Knight was right; on the man¡¯s wrist was a glow of unmistakable red. At a guess, it had allowed him to use his sword like a wiggly worm that could go through walls. She nodded to herself at this astute observation.
Humphrey swung his greatsword around, the snake-like weapon of the Player wrapping around it but doing little to absorb the force.
¡°We do what we need to. The world needs rid of filth like yourselves.¡± He was sweating, and his eyes were full of anger.
¡°Incorrect,¡± Humphrey interrupted, fire blazing along his weapon. With a jolt forward, it tore through the ribbon sword and cleaved straight through the chest and neck of the man. ¡°Giving into desperate power makes you weaker, not stronger.¡±
He looked over at the nearby staircase as the Player slumped over onto the floor. ¡°That makes me the winner.¡± With a shrug, he gestured for the others to come through the shadowed wall. ¡°This might be a good shortcut.¡±
Sally nodded and led the others through, allowing the Shade to let go of his spell once they were all through. The Players must have known that they would be on the way¡ªotherwise they wouldn¡¯t be waiting to stick the sword through the wall. A couple of inches lower, and it would have been quite the assassination attempt.
¡°The other Player probably went to warn the others,¡± she said as they went to the stairwell leading downward. ¡°My assumption is a full Party of corrupted STARs.¡±
Edward rubbed the back of his head and looked back at the wall now blocking their escape. ¡°What¡¯s all this about? If you explained it previously, I probably wasn¡¯t listening.¡±
She narrowed her eyes at him and stopped at the top of the stairs. ¡°We¡¯re all bugged as Uniques, right? Which often comes with an ability. Something the System has given you that it probably shouldn¡¯t have, but knows how to work with it.¡±
Humphrey nodded. ¡°Corrupted STARs are from Players stealing some ability from the System without its consent. There are usually unintended consequences from the usage.¡±
¡°We fought against one in the first area,¡± the zombie continued, ¡°who turned into a fallen angel or something really edgy. Some of the evil Lana¡¯s have a potentially incurable poison. This dude had a wiggly worm.¡±
They looked down at the corpse. His STAR was now colorless, just a shadow of whatever it was before, and his sword looked regular.
Lucius kneeled down to pick it up and check, and swung it side to side to confirm. ¡°The lady sunk through the floor. Some sort of teleportation?¡± A question mark appeared beside his head.
Sally shrugged. ¡°Just some way of delaying the¡¡± she glanced over at the demon. ¡°¡one-way trip into my stomach.¡±
Humphrey started off down the stairs, and they followed suit. With potentially unknown powers expecting them, they were slightly more on guard than they usually cared to be. The Death Knight led the way down into a long hallway, torches illuminating the walls, with the demon in the back to keep an eye to make sure the bubble-woman didn¡¯t try to surprise them.
¡°You think I could fix them?¡± Lucius asked, whispering from behind her.
She shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t want you touching the corrupt stuff, Lucy. We don¡¯t know if it could spread or anything.¡± She wrinkled up her nose. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be fixing people, we¡¯ll want you top form, right?¡±
The Shade agreed. A thumbs-up emoticon appeared beside his head.
Humphrey stopped and raised his hand up, and the rest of them halted. It looked as though there was a doorway ahead of them leading to a wider room.
Sally strained her ears in an attempt to pick out any noise. At first¡ªnothing¡ªbut then there was a grumbling voice.
¡°Told you we should just kill the animal.¡±
¡°You can¡¯t even catch the blasted thing,¡± a deeper voice boomed out.
¡°Well now the undead are here,¡± this one, the woman from before. ¡°What do you plan now? Your skill didn''t work and Lambert is dead, they might already be upon us?¡±
¡°Then Mus here can kill them off, right? Your arrows loaded up, big guy?¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± the deeper voice sounded out.
Sally leaned forward, as close to the Death Knight¡¯s head as she could manage.
¡°Humps! Humps!¡± she whispered.
He turned his head slowly and narrowed his eye sockets at her.
¡°We have to save the cat.¡±
182 - Falling STARs
A bulky man holding an overly large crossbow grunted as he aimed at the doorway raised at the top of the set of stairs. The lowered room they were in held no information about where the supposed cat had gotten to. Radiant light swirled around the thick bolt, ready to be fired. Once the undead Party stepped through, they¡¯d get a taste of his corrupted skill.
If only Janie and Grant would stop bickering. He rolled his eyes and tried to tune them out. More the fool Lambert if he got picked off and killed after Grant''s skill hadn''t gotten rid of the zombie. Seven might be mad about it, because it took a while to get a new Corrupt STAR sorted, but it wasn¡¯t really any trouble for him. Once he killed the undead group, he was sure to be lavished with praise.
A cloaked figure stepped out from the shadowed hall to the top of the stairs. Crimson eyes and a long staff in their hands.
His finger clicked the trigger, and the bolt went out, detonating at the top of the stairs into a burst of divine fire. Lowering his crossbow, he held his hand up, causing the fire to persist and block the passageway beyond.
¡°There we go,¡± he grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll just keep this up as long as needed.¡±
¡°You want us to go ahead and catch Neil up, or assist?¡± Grant asked.
¡°Nah, you-¡±
¡°That was rather rude,¡± a voice whispered from behind his ear.
Lucius rammed the dagger end of his shadowed staff into the back of the man, who stumbled forward. The focus on holding the fire wall up dropped, and it started to peter out quickly.
From the top of the stairs, the large figure of the Death Knight burst forth, leaping from the higher platform down to the wounded man. As his sword blazed bright crimson, he landed, skewering the bulky Player straight through.
¡°Damn!¡± Grant growled. ¡°We need to-¡± he turned to the woman, but only a handful of purple bubbles were in the place she was just standing.
He turned back to see that the room was totally empty, as if everyone else had vanished. As his brow furrowed and his hammer shook in his hand, his boots started to take him down to the exit. Then, pain and a quick death¡ªnot even time to register what happened before he dropped to the floor.
¡°Hah!¡± Edward grinned. ¡°Even your eyes betrayed you.¡± He withdrew his thin sword from the slain Player.
Sally slouched against the wall and rolled her eyes. ¡°On one hand, it¡¯s pretty weak that you all have these abilities you¡¯ve never told me about. But there¡¯s also no way I¡¯m going to learn and remember like¡ way over a hundred skills.¡±
¡°You at least know the basics of what we regularly use, though?¡± Humphrey wiped his sword off and grinned.
¡°The basics, sure.¡± She rolled her eyes again. ¡°You¡¯re invincible, Lucy is invisible, and Edward is inevitable.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not¡¡± The Death Knight narrowed his eye sockets. ¡°What does that make you?¡±
¡°Impatient. Let¡¯s go eat the rest of these Players.¡± She pushed off from the wall and started off toward the door out. ¡°This one didn¡¯t even get to use his broken ability. How mean of you, Edward.¡±
¡°I¡¯m a demon, and it¡¯s not my fault he can¡¯t pass a basic Blindness check.¡± He folded his arms and let her go past.
¡°Don¡¯t start talking like that¡¯s a thing. Any excuse to stab a man through the eye socket.¡± She shook her head as the rest of them followed.
¡°That¡¯s not something I¡¯m known for.¡± He furrowed his brow and then looked back at the others. ¡°Is it?¡±
The Shade twirled his shadowed staff. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get much use of it, but I can store the last three weapons I¡¯ve shadowed to draw from as my own.¡±
¡°You have my sword, then?¡± Humphrey asked, ignoring the demon.
¡°And Norah¡¯s bandages.¡± A thumbs-up emoji appeared. ¡°Those seemed like the most useful three. It uses a Shadow charge to bring out and opening up that wall used a bunch too, but since I¡¯ve never fully explained or expanded on that idea, we¡¯ll continue on as normal.¡±
Sally sighed. When was the last time she got to be meta about her skills or how the System did things? She couldn¡¯t remember, because she wasn¡¯t good at remembering. If only she could remember why that was¡
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The next passage took them to a split in three directions, stone doorways that led to three rooms. From the one straight ahead, amber light pooled out into the open space. Doorway on the left was closed, while the third on the right looked as though it had some kind of lock on it.
¡°Normally, I¡¯d say that was our best bet.¡± She jabbed her staff toward the locked door. ¡°But bubble-girl could probably go through it.¡±
Lucius stepped up beside her and put his gloved hand on the door. It vanished and allowed them to see inside.
Dead Monsters, some kind of storage room that had been looted already. She gave him a nod, and he removed his hand; the door turning back to solid stone.
Sally tapped her chin in thought. ¡°Second guess would be the boss area, right? That¡¯s where I¡¯d go and hide in plain sight, as the boss.¡±
Humphrey nodded, and then put his hand up to his forehead, the flame behind his helmet flickering wildly. ¡°To the left, then.¡±
¡°You have a map inside that head of yours?¡± She grinned and turned to that door. Before entering, she paused and furrowed her brow at it.
¡°Archie has memories of the layout. It is imperfect, but will lead us to the right path.¡± He stopped behind her. ¡°Everything okay?¡±
She tilted her head backward to look up at him. ¡°Usually we aren¡¯t expected in a dungeon, so we are at a disadvantage this time. If Theo was here, he would say we need to develop a door breaching routine for safety.¡±
¡°Are you sure he wouldn¡¯t just push through and solo everything?¡± Edward murmured to himself at the back, still loud enough for everyone to hear.
¡°Here¡¯s my plan,¡± Sally started. ¡°We¡¯ll do it as I explain it, so it¡¯s like one of those¡ no, you wouldn¡¯t get the reference. How sad is it that there¡¯s only two people in this world I can make pop culture references with? And one of them is double-dead, and the other wants to ascend and become god?¡±
Lucius flexed his fingers, his whole body tensed and ready. ¡°Is this part of the routine?¡±
¡°Not¡ no, it¡¯s not.¡± She pulled a face at him. ¡°Humps, you¡¯re going to block the majority of the door, because you do. Have something defensive ready for if we are immediately attacked. Lucius, you¡¯ll shadow the door, squished next to pops so that we get the jump on anyone trying to jump on us.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll scoot down between Humphrey¡¯s legs with [Meat Hook] and [Mortis Bomb] ready to assault any targets.¡±
They stood in position, awaiting her word for the door to be shadowed.
¡°And what about me?¡± Edward asked.
¡°Ah!¡± Sally jolted up and turned back. ¡°I forgot you were still there, bud. You can check our six for any betrayers.¡±
The demon rolled his eyes, but made the effort to look alert.
Rolling her tongue across her sharp teeth, green flame burst across the skull at the top of her staff. Left hand out ready to latch onto waiting enemies, she gave the signal to the Shade. ¡°Hit it!¡±
In an instant, the door became nothing but dull shadow, allowing them to see in. Straight into the shallow cupboard.
¡°Oh,¡± Humphrey said, his posture relaxing. ¡°It was probably the next left, then.¡±
The zombie growled and got back to her feet. ¡°Good practice run. Eddy get that smirk off your face.¡± She stretched out her neck and began walking towards the already-open door.
[Chuck: We have 80% of the time fluid.]
[Chuck: One team has all of the metal bars.]
[Chuck: Rest of the Blues are getting the other parts.]
She smiled to herself. Where was this Chuck with the army of followers back in the other areas? Would have made her life easier and perhaps she would have eventually got that crafting tutorial done if other people got her all the boring stuff.
[Sally: gr8]
[Sally: we are in dungeon hunting Arch.]
[Sally: killed some corrupted players - keep an eye out.]
The elephant in the room was, what do they even do once they have all five of the cats inside the Death Knight? Does he ascend to something powerful? Even so, and if they managed to bring Theo back, how do you even go about fighting something like the Architect?
She rubbed her staff against the side of her head. In some way, she knew already. The same thing that she had been doing since the first day she came into this world. Break things and cause havoc. Eventually the big bad in charge will notice her causing a ruckus and make themselves available for her waiting maw.
They moved through the open doorway into a wider room, well lit by a burning fire in the middle.
¡°Some kind of ritual pyre.¡± Edward narrowed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder they didn¡¯t all die from smoke inhalation.¡±
¡°Maybe they¡¯re immune,¡± Sally murmured, circling around the outside of the flickering flames. Perhaps she was supposed to be more wary of open fire, as she was a zombie. Around the other side of the room were more dead lizard-people. ¡°Dungeons are even less fun when someone has ruined all the uneaten brains already.¡±
¡°Indeed.¡± Humphrey said, stepping behind her. His armor glimmering bright amber as it reflected the fire. He held up a plated hand to his forehead and let out a long hiss.
A question mark appeared beside Lucius. ¡°You alright, pops?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Humphrey withdrew his hand to glare at the Shade. ¡°Architect just gave a new directive to the Observers.¡±
They all turned to watch him.
¡°I have maintained control. Do not fret.¡± His shadowed eye sockets sparkled with crimson light. ¡°They are now unable to break my spirit.¡±
¡°What did Theo whisper to you with his skill?¡± Sally tilted her head.
Humphrey stared at her impassively for a second. ¡°I do not recall. The Architect has told all active Observers to move to this third area for further instructions.¡± He turned his head to see the Shade glaring at him with arms folded.
¡°Looks like we¡¯re running out of time.¡± The zombie turned with a sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s go find this silly cat.¡±
The Death Knight nodded as they moved past him, Lucius turning and walking backward to maintain eye contact.
He then unceremoniously tripped over one of the lizard corpses and fell straight on his back.
¡°Oh,¡± he said, an emoji of a bandaged head popping up. ¡°There¡¯s something written on the ceiling.¡±
Sally stopped and looked up. ¡°That¡¯s not writing,¡± she said, furrowing her brow. ¡°That¡¯s¡¡±
Her eyes opened wide.
183 - Smooth Words
¡°Oh, no.¡± Sally¡¯s hand went up to her chin. ¡°You were right, it is writing. It¡¯s just not something I understand. We¡¯d better check the stoves.¡±
A question mark popped up beside the prone Shade.
¡°Never mind, only Humps would get it.¡± She held out her hand to help him up.
The Death Knight stepped over and looked up. ¡°Hmm.¡± After tilting his head and rubbing his chin, he abruptly turned around and strode straight for the burning pyre in the middle of the room.
Sally raised her eyebrows, but knew better than to panic over such a thing. A couple of seconds after the large plated figure vanished into the flames, he returned with something in his hand.
¡°Nothing like a bit of heat to clean off the muck,¡± he said with a grin, skeletal face shadowed against the blaze.
¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± She gave the righted Shade a pat on the back. ¡°What did you grab?¡±
¡°A key hidden in the flames by Archie.¡±
Sally nodded. Pretty smart of the cat, really. She wouldn¡¯t have expected to find anything of use in the constantly burning pyre - a Player wouldn¡¯t either. Knowing that Humphrey was near fire-immune, and placing the message that only he could read meant that they were expected. Of course, with Humphrey knowing what most of Archie thought, that all seemed to track.
"Where does it go to?" she asked. "A door? A special place in your heart to get the rest of the other Archie souls inside you out? Some treasure for a change?"
"Yes," he replied.
Sally narrowed her eyes and shrugged. "I''m starting to wonder if Theo got the better deal here."
The Death Knight looked a bit sheepish at that statement, some guilt still inside him over the fateful fight he had engaged in with the vampire. "It is for a door, further in. This is the only way of opening it."
She held out her hand. "Well, let me put it in my Inventory. If you walk about holding it in your hand, that bubble girl will come steal it. Or something worse, and we''re not playing that sort of game today." She flexed her fingers as he slowly placed it in her grip. "Ah! It''s pretty hot still." It vanished into her intangible storage.
"Yes. Let us continue. The doorway awaits us."
The Shade rubbed at the side of his head. "Couldn''t we just shadow the doorway, anyway? And they have someone who can go through walls?"
Sally shook her head. "You''re overthinking this, bud. Let''s just go eat puzzles and solve brains."
With no further disagreements, they all gathered to continue on to the next room. The zombie practically hopped over to the closed door in readiness to go through their prepared breaching protocol once more. This time hopefully to something more than a closet. Together, they repeated the planned actions, the demon only grumbling in the background a little as the stone door vanished.
A large room where some monstrous lizard creature had been killed already. Their body lay sprawled across the floor with dozens upon dozens of puncture wounds across their scaled form.
Humphrey went up to it and narrowed his eye sockets. "How strange. These wounds did not bleed."
"Didn''t bleed... or the blood went elsewhere?" Sally clicked her fingers and looked around the room for any clues. She was thinking of something like vampirism, or a weapon that could draw blood, but she also didn''t discount any weirder explanation.
The Death Knight prodded at the corpse. "I actually can''t tell." With a shrug, he started to push the corpse to the side of the room so that they could pass through to the other side easier.
"Handy of them to clear the way," Lucius put his hands behind his back as he strolled about.
"Hmm." Sally wasn''t so convinced. Not only for her selfish stomach reasons, but there was still something else that didn''t sit well with her.
There was nothing immediately untoward about the room, however. Similar stonework as the rest of the dungeon, and the usual torches illuminating the walls. Maybe it would feel less weird if she needed to actually put effort into killing things. Any traps should have been disabled by the Player group too - so all they were left with was chasing shadows in hopes of running into the room where Archie was hiding.
"They have not killed the Boss yet, if that is what you are thinking about." Humphrey returned to her side once the opposite doorway was clear. "Otherwise, the dungeon would make a fuss about it. Whether that is a conscious choice by them or not remains to be seen."
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"I''ll be seeing their remains soon enough," she grumbled to herself. An alive boss meant that they''d be able to take any loot for themselves once they killed it. If she didn''t know any better, she would put money on the cat hiding behind that eventuality.
"Ready breach protocol," Humphrey ordered, turning to her and attempting to wink with his empty eye sockets.
"Hmm," Norah tilted her head to the side and wiped her bloodied hands off on her thighs. "That''s much better."
She stepped away from the body of the vampire, Theo now completely wrapped in golden bandage.
Humming to herself, she went around and sat atop the small rock throne to regard him.
"That is the best I can do," she sadly smiled. "The rest is up to them."
Another vibration shook the tomb, and more dust fell from the ceiling.
Edward stumbled forward, almost bumping into the back of the Death Knight who was preparing to breach the door. "Shit," he seethed, spinning back around.
"What are you-" Sally began, turning her head to see him looking the other way - an arrow protruding from his back. "Are you even watching our backs, you goofball?"
"Clearly not well enough," he hissed, trying to find the culprit. Over near a darkened corner, a couple of purple bubbles popped and vanished into nothing.
"Hit and run tactics don''t work too well on us," Humphrey said to the empty room, although he looked back at the demon with something akin to concern on his face. "Well, on us undead, at least."
Sally clucked her tongue. "Yeah, I can''t heal you, demon-man. Shoulda chosen the dead side."
Edward turned to scowl at her before seeing that she had a healing potion extended in her hand. "Thank you," he nodded. As he downed the liquid, the arrow worked its way out of his back and fell to the stone floor. "That Player is going to be a problem."
She shrugged. "You got a cooldown on your duel still, pops?"
"It will be a little time yet, yes. Perhaps we should change marching order?"
After a suitable amount of squabbling amongst themselves, they arranged into a group so that the Death Knight was at the back, Edward and Lucius were in the middle, and Sally took lead at the front. It would be much harder for someone lurking in the background to drop an arrow that could do high damage to the two undead, rather than the softer pair in the middle. Not that Sally was keen to test if she could survive an arrow to the head, but there was always one of her skills to bail her out.
Into the next room, which had a had a handful more dead lizard-people and two exits. A wider doorway to the east, and a small one to the north. It looked as though the wider doors were locked at some point, and the Players had been through and gotten it open through the method that the Dungeon required - or perhaps the bubble-woman had just gone through and unlocked it from the other side. That seemed unfair, even if Lucius could do even better than that.
"Which way, Humps?" She crossed her arms and pouted at the inert corpses on the floor.
"Boss is through the wider doors," he replied, tilting his head. "I do not believe the other direction is important while this way is already open."
Edward scratched at his eyes. "Why does everything here look so itchy?"
The group exchanged glances.
"Poison or a curse?" Sally furrowed her brow and put a hand on his arm. As he withdrew his hands from his face, his eyes were no longer bright blue, but a strange shade of deep purple.
"Not sure," he grimaced. "How do I look?"
"Not... great?" Her grip withdrew so that she could open up her Inventory. She must have more Antidotes or something? "How do you feel?"
The demon stood up straight and furrowed his brow. "Very strange. I''m not even sure what I am afflicted with. I want to claw my own eyes out and probably continue digging through into my brain. After that, I might be okay."
"Ick," she replied, well aware she did a lot worse. At least her skill turned it into a flash of violence rather than a drawn-out and painful process. "You can resist it, though?"
A sharp-toothed smile spread across his face. "Oh, no. I''m only a few seconds away from a second and most likely more fruitful attempt." He held up his rapier into the air. "However..."
They all tensed, expecting him to impale himself - either at the whim of the curse, or to die and respawn back in the Wastelands. Instead, the light drained from his eyes; the purple shifting back to the bright blue gradually, as a sheen of similar light started to appear on his weapon.
¡°[Exchange Malady]," he explained. "Any negative status effect I am afflicted by, I can transfer over to my weapon to use as an enchantment. Infrequently."
Sally rolled her eyes. "Had me worried for nothing. Just be careful where you point that thing. You''re the only one who can come back from death, remember?"
"Don''t worry, it will be-"
"Inevitable?" Lucius tried to finish, helpfully.
"...safe in my hands." Edward glared at the Shade.
The zombie clapped her hands together. "Okay, now that we have those oddball antics out of the way, shall we go over to these big doors and head on through toward the Boss?"
They all nodded their agreements, and she sighed, allowing a smile across her face. Nearly there.
The wider doors meant that their plan wasn¡¯t as effective¡ªand she wondered whether that meant an ambush would be more or less likely without such a good chokepoint. Then again, the five of them could get through anything more or less.
She turned her head to the man with the strange grin. ¡°I can tell there¡¯s something on your mind, Neil.¡±
¡°Caught me,¡± he grinned. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other too long.¡±
The Outsiders collectively rolled their eyes.
¡°Always interrupting my plans at the last minute with your own ideas, huh?¡± She smiled and crossed her arms. For a Player, he had fit in with them surprisingly well, all the way back when¡ some time ago? An average-looking guy on the surface, with short brown hair and sharp features, only the shark-like mouth gave him away as being different.
¡°I was just thinking¡¡± he rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°They¡¯ll be expecting us to go straight for the Boss. We should head the other way?¡±
¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know.¡± She grimaced and the Death Knight gave her a shrug. ¡°Sounds like it could be dangerous.¡±
Neil grinned widely. ¡°Nonsense. We¡¯re the Outsiders. If you¡¯re that worried, just let me hold on to the key to free Archie?¡± He held out a hand toward her.
That made sense to her.
She opened up her STAR Inventory to track it down.
184 - Unskilled
Sally held the key in her hand and furrowed her brow. One of her best friends in this strange world, Neil, stood close with his hand outstretched, ready to receive it.
Although she had no problem giving it to him - she trusted him, of course - it was just as safe in her own hands. They were all traveling together, after all. Her eyes drifted away from him and toward the rest of the Outsiders surrounding her. Humphrey. Lucius. Edward.
The Death Knight and Shade looked calm enough, just waiting for her to make the transaction. Edward seemed¡ off? Maybe still a little perturbed about almost digging his own eyes out.
¡°Why did you want to hold it again?¡± She raised an eyebrow at the man. Why did he smell so¡ edible?
Neil smiled warmly. ¡°You always have your hands busy in combat. If they¡¯ve set up an ambush, maybe I can open the door while you keep them occupied.¡±
The zombie nodded. That tracked, for the most part. She did usually have hands and stomach full when fighting. Their goal was to rescue Archie, rather than kill all Players.
Edward grinned widely and leaned forward. ¡°I can believe that, Neil. You are known for being sneaky.¡± He stood back up straight. ¡°In this instance, I believe the key is safer with Sally, though.¡±
The Player¡¯s eye twitched, but he didn¡¯t change his expression. ¡°Well, I disagree, but I relent to the group, as always.¡±
¡°Heck yeah you do,¡± Sally said with a nod. ¡°Classic Neil. But now you have piqued my interest towards the second door.¡± She tapped the end of the key in thought before putting it back in her Inventory.
Humphrey sighed. ¡°Well, we are pretty short on time. I¡¯d rather not hang around when there are lots of things to do.¡±
¡°You three are the strongest,¡± Edward said, a wry grin still across his face. ¡°You take the route of danger, and our good pal Neil and I will quickly investigate the cleared side passage.¡±
¡°As much as I dislike splitting the Party, you¡¯re probably the least of us I¡¯d worry about, and Neil is practically invincible for having survived this long with us!¡± Sally beamed.
Neil did not look as enthused, and shot a glare at the smiling demon. ¡°I suppose that is pragmatic.¡±
She clicked her fingers and dragged the other two towards the door, as Edward gestured towards the side entrance. The pair walked over and Neil led them through the stone door, shutting out the rest of the Outsiders preparing to go through to the boss area.
A dozen steps in, the man turned suddenly and threw out a sharp spear that radiated green energy. It slammed harmlessly against the doorframe, as the demon was no longer there.
¡°Who are you?¡± Neil growled, eyes now searching throughout the otherwise featureless room.
¡°You can¡¯t betray the betrayer.¡± Edwards voice hissed around the room.
¡°You could see through my ability, how?¡± The man was sweating now, another spear in his right hand as a flowing white orb began forming around his left.
¡°I am the king of deceit. The lie that weighs heavily in the hearts of the strongest. A mountain of ruined trust gripped tightly by the pained chains of regret.¡±
Neil turned, flourishing his weapon and trying to gauge where the voice was coming from.
¡°Perhaps, worst of all¡ I am inevitable.¡± Edward flashed out and caught the Player in the side with his rapier, before being knocked back away.
¡°That¡¯s all you had?¡± Neil grinned, his mouth contorting in odd angles. ¡°Barely a scratch after all that bravado.¡± He held up his glowing hand toward the demon.
Edward shrugged and slid his sword back into its sheath. ¡°Nobody betrays the Outsiders, except me.¡±
Neil twitched as if pained, his prepared attack faltering slightly. ¡°¡no, what have you done?¡± He looked back up in fear, his eyes glowing purple.
Edward crossed his arms and grinned, his sharp teeth illuminated amongst shadow as the Player dropped his weapon to the floor.
Sally pushed the Shade out of the way. ¡°You really need to use your other skills more.¡±
¡°Do not,¡± Lucius huffed, but relented to her going in front. ¡°My shadowing ability is the most powerful thing I have to offer.¡±
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Humphrey grinned. ¡°So that you are under no threat of taking damage?¡±
¡°Unfair!¡± Next to Lucius¡¯ head, a bobbing angry face appeared.
Sally waved her hands at both of them. ¡°Alright, settle down, you reprobates.¡± Although she had started it, they should know better than to continue. She turned her head to see the demon walk through the wider doors to join up with them.
¡°Well, you didn¡¯t get very far.¡± He tilted his head, a smile still on his face.
¡°Neither did you.¡± She frowned. ¡°Where¡¯s uh¡ where¡¯s¡ things go okay over that way?¡±
He nodded and his grin widened further. ¡°You could say it was an eye-opening experience.¡±
¡°Okay, cool. Come help us breach this next door.¡±
Edward deflated before walking over to take his position and assist them.
Sally raised her hand, kneeling down behind the Death Knight to shoot ahead once the door opened. She felt that something was wrong, and it wasn¡¯t just the rumbling of a potential meal missed. By her approximation, there should only be two corrupted Players left. Or one? She wasn¡¯t sure why she thought that, though.
But there was a danger, like a vibration through the floor. A second Party.
¡°This is the one,¡± she murmured, licking her lips. ¡°Get ready gang.¡±
Although¡ if the bubble-girl had been spying on them, she might have seen their door breaching plan and would have told any potential second Party about what to expect. In which case¡
¡°Wait a sec. I think we need to switch things up.¡±
The tall man stretched out and lowered his bow. ¡°I thought they¡¯d be in more of a hurry than this.¡±
A woman dressed in purple, swirling orbs of light around in a circle, shrugged. ¡°Maybe Neil got them.¡±
¡°Wishful thinking,¡± a third Player in full plate armor grunted as he leaned against the wall.
The other two in the room said nothing. One, a lightly armored man with a blonde beard, kept prodding his glowing red STAR. The last, a figure shadowed by a large blue hood, stared directly at the door, waiting. None of them stood in line of sight of the entrance once opened.
¡°I hear something,¡± the first man said, bringing his weapon back up.
The woman cast the light orbs out onto the floor, and four featureless figures made of pure white light rose up to draw swords from out of the air.
¡°Remember,¡± the knight said, ¡°as soon as the door opens we need to-¡°
¡°Hit it!¡± Sally yelled with a wide grin.
The shadow bandage they had stretched back across the hallway held her back tight, like elastic. Humphrey held her in place as the Shade tried to tighten it. Lucius stood by the wall, a dozen feet to the left of the actual door, with his hand ready to shadow it. Edward mostly looked like he didn¡¯t agree to this plan, but was ready to jump in after her.
As the wall vanished, she shot forth, air flapping at her cloak for the brief change of speed. The merged weapon held like a spear, she almost immediately collided with a Player, the dagger slamming into their side and piercing their lungs.
She dropped to the floor on top of the tall man.
¡°Ah, shit! Cast it!¡± someone in the back shouted.
A cool feeling washed over her even as the blood from her victim soaked through her clothes and warmed her. As much as he was struggling, her attention went up to the others in the room.
Around her, a cage of white light had formed. Just about the exact size of the room. Looking quickly behind her, it had covered the shadowed wall and Edward was currently struggling to push through it.
Most curious, however, was that she was unable to use any of her skills.
With a quick hop to her feet, she spun the staff and blocked the sword swing of the knight.
¡°Oh?¡± She grinned widely. ¡°You think I¡¯m trapped in here with you?¡± She slowly pushed back against his sword, the man shaking as he gradually relented to her strength.
Her eyes blazed bright red. ¡°You¡¯re trapped in here with me.¡±
¡°Now what?¡± Lucius hopped up and down in a panic.
¡°I¡¯m not sure what this does, other than keep us out.¡± Humphrey strode over to the door, flame burning behind his helmet. ¡°This is a corrupted ability. Usually Sally would just use [Endless Dead] and that would be a quick end for them.¡±
He swung the door wide open to see the glowing bars of the cage blocking the way.
Edward and Lucius squeezed in beside him to watch what was going on.
Sally wasn¡¯t really a melee expert. Sure, she had been using daggers for most of her zombie career, but that was usually a short-term deal to opening up skulls to get the juicy bits inside. Still, she was a Raid Boss now. Above an Elite or Champion, and the other designations they had long forgotten about.
Something this knight was learning the hard way. Their silly cage prevented their skill use, too. While the ranger lay bleeding out on the floor, struggling for breath, the rest were somewhat hesitant to engage in melee.
The mage, Sally would leave for last. The light around her hands meant the purple-clad Player was the one holding the cage up. She could already see they were at an impasse.
Keep the shield up and try to whittle her down in melee, which wasn¡¯t exactly going their way. Or drop the shield to allow all their skills, but get immediately swarmed by her stored up zombies.
She blocked another swipe and twirled around the staff, the dagger end slicing across his shin, cutting through the metal armor like butter and drawing blood. The thief now moved in to assist. Two daggers, slick with some manner of poison, perhaps. Rather rude, in her opinion, and she ground her teeth as it reminded her of Theo¡¯s poisoning.
The bearded man swung in as the knight regained his footing, but Sally had already stepped back away and used the pronged end of the staff to divert the attack. She twisted her weapon and his arm tangled in between the jutting parts. With a pull, he lurched toward her. Letting go of the staff briefly, she wound up a quick right hand to punch him straight in the face.
And the result was¡ surprising, even for her. The man flung back, dropping his daggers to clutch at a face beyond broken. Without their skills keeping them together, her strength was able to shatter bone.
The Players paused briefly, in shock and unease. A mistake on their part. Her plan changed, knowing how this would eventually end anyway.
Rolling beneath the slow swing of the pensive knight, Sally launched the staff like a thrown spear.
The [Skeleton Key] found its target in the forehead of the mage, and the cage started to crack and fade away.
¡°Inventive,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°But ultimately, nowhere near enough.¡±
[Endless Dead]
185 - Key Boss Battle
[Endless Sleep]
Humphrey stepped through into the quiet room. Flattened against the walls were the crushed remains of the corrupt Players, along with a handful of dead zombies. Against the side wall, Sally sat, her head in her hands.
¡°Everything okay?¡± Concerned, he stepped over to her as Edward and Lucius filtered into the room.
¡°Yeah.¡± She sighed and looked up at him. With the back of her forearm, she wiped the blood away from her mouth. ¡°It just seems like such a waste.¡±
¡°Their brains?¡± The Death Knight glared around at the fallen to ensure they were actually dead.
¡°No. I mean, sure, I didn¡¯t eat any of them. Corrupt brains are icky.¡± She stood slowly, her joints and bones clicking back into place. ¡°It¡¯s just¡ why do they try so hard, but always fail?¡±
Humphrey stood for a moment, a blank expression on his skeletal face. Eventually, he shrugged. ¡°Isn¡¯t that to our benefit?¡±
¡°Sure, it¡¯s just unrewarding. Where is their caution? One life and they throw themselves at me?¡± Her shoulders sunk in exasperation. ¡°I wanted to be overpowered to stay alive, but it just makes me a magnet, like¡ bugs on my windshield.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± The Death Knight turned and pointed toward the exit door. ¡°Shall we?¡±
She glanced over at the other two, but they didn¡¯t seem keen to weigh in on the issue. Well, one of them could come back to life, and the other could hide away to avoid damage. As much as she loved brains, she was tired of being a killer of the weak. Hopefully, the bubble-girl would have seen what happened, and could tell the others in the Red team not to try fighting her in an enclosed space.
It wasn¡¯t even fun. She took almost as much damage as the Players did, they just didn¡¯t have her level of damage reduction.
From her Inventory, she withdrew the key and stumbled over to the door. It was engraved with a nice pattern and stood out from all others they had come across so far.
¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t just shadow it?¡± Lucius asked from behind, a question mark appearing beside his head.
Sally turned her head and shook it slowly.
Returning to the task at hand, she pushed the key in. It didn¡¯t fit. She blinked, her energy reserves totally spent for the day at present.
¡°I could just shadow the wall next to the door?¡± The Shade offered.
The zombie groaned. ¡°Somebody else is in charge, I tap out.¡±
Humphrey put a hand on her shoulder and then gestured at the door, looking back at Lucius. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day, Sally. The key is to where Archie is, not necessarily to the Boss room or wherever this leads to.¡±
She leaned her head against him, a rather painful experience given that he was made of metal plate. They waited and watched the Shade step up and put his hand on the door.
Norah wiggled her bare toes. Her legs, arms, and half of her face were now uncovered.
¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s the best I can do,¡± she said toward the golden-wrapped vampire. ¡°You have to allow an old lady her modesty.¡±
She smiled and looked around the chamber. The entirety of the walls, ceiling, and floor were wrapped with the dull gray bandages. A cocoon had been built around them both to reinforce the walls.
¡°I am absolutely itching to tear some adventurers limb from limb.¡± She sighed and flexed her fingers. ¡°Let me see how Sally and the others are getting on.¡±
As she worked her Chat messages, a sound came from outside.
¡°This is a strange building.¡±
¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no entrance. Nothing on the map.¡±
¡°What do you think it could be? Treasure?¡±
Norah furrowed her brow and pouted. ¡°Tease,¡± she murmured.
Sally idly brought up her STAR to check the messages coming through.
[Norah: Still safe here.]
[Norah: Hope everything is fine x.]
[Sally: all good. Killed some ppl.]
[Sally: about to rescue arch x]
¡°I feel bad we have left Norah in the middle of nowhere, alone.¡± She pouted as she closed her Chat down, and looked up at the Death Knight.
¡°I know.¡± Humphrey nodded. ¡°I wish things had been different.¡±
Unfair for her to beat him up about killing Theo, as tempting as it was. It was a sore spot for the large slab of metal, and she didn¡¯t want to push those buttons now that he had come to terms with having a figurative heart.
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It was almost a relief that they couldn¡¯t level currently. While new skills were nice, it was one less pressure on them currently, when they already had a time limit. She did need new armor, but otherwise the rest of the Party was pretty on top of things. It helped that they were Monsters with scaling stats, and didn¡¯t have Equipment like Players did.
Briefly, she wondered if she would ever get to see her own stats.
The door became shadow and Humphrey stepped forward to look through. ¡°Staging area,¡± he said. ¡°A room to rest before the actual Boss.¡± With that said, he stepped through, and then broke whatever passed as a locking mechanism on the other side.
Lucius dropped the shadow and then the door opened the normal way, allowing the three of them through.
¡°Dungeons aren¡¯t as fun when they¡¯re already mostly cleared.¡± She stuck her tongue out and she looked around the chamber.
Pleasant and well decorated compared to some of the plainer rooms. Benches of polished sandstone around the edges for people to sit. Enough space for a Campfire, to sit and eat, prepare all your buffs before you faced whatever was on the other side of some double doors.
¡°Did you ever have fun in Dungeons?¡± Humphrey tilted his head.
¡°Sure,¡± she said and shrugged. ¡°When we did the thing, and I summoned the devil, who gave me the broken skill. That was neat.¡±
Edward narrowed his eyes at her, apparently still put out that he didn¡¯t get his turn to put the coin in and get a skill reset.
¡°Are we just going to go in and kill the whatever-is-in-our-way? My zombie summoning is back off cooldown now, so unless they are going to turn the tables and have something I am actually weak against, we can just pop them and move on.¡±
The demon shuffled, looking around. ¡°I am still aware we have one Player lurking in the shadows waiting for us to show a moment of weakness.¡±
Sally looked around, as if she expected to catch the corrupted woman in the act now. ¡°It would be a really bad idea if she tried. I would hope that she had enough brain cells to know when a battle was lost.¡± The zombie sighed. ¡°I really don¡¯t want another life thrown away in vain, thinking I am so easily humbled.¡±
¡°I think you¡¯re very humble,¡± Lucius said.
She clicked her fingers. ¡°I¡¯m not even going to make the obvious joke there, that¡¯s how tired I am.¡± Her eyes narrowed as if her brain wanted to reconsider. Instead, she spun on her heels and strode over to the exit door.
Edward sidled up to the Death Knight. ¡°With all your absorbed knowledge, don¡¯t you know what the Boss here will be?¡±
Humphrey grinned. ¡°Yes.¡± Then he moved forward to step up behind the zombie.
She flung the doors open to reveal a bridge walkway that led to a large, square platform. Stepping out, she could see that there was a moat about a dozen feet wide all around this middle area. Filled with¡
¡°Is that acid or just green flavor water?¡± Her face scrunched up.
Edward sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s assume the former and not try the latter. I feel we¡¯ll know soon enough, anyway.¡±
They all looked over at the figure standing in the middle of the platform, illuminated by light pouring in from the high ceiling. Sally had expected a giant lizard, or maybe even a dinosaur, given the theme. Some Monster of large size with a brain that tasted like algae.
Instead, a lizardman of relatively average size stood with his muscled arms across his chest. Two short horns protruded from his scaled head and his golden eyes glared at the empty wall, as if he hadn¡¯t seen them come in yet.
¡°Not a Unique then,¡± she surmised. ¡°We had gotten a bit too used to that being the default in this sort of situation.¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey agreed, readying his blade.
As overconfident as she usually was, Sally didn¡¯t get this far by using only half of her brain. Oh, maybe that was a lie. Either way, she knew that the smaller the Boss, the more dangerous they were. She was her own proof of such a thing. Still, they were Bosses in their own right, so if five Players were meant to kill this lizard guy, then she should have no problem.
Her eyes narrowed as they stood at the edge of the bridge before it joined the main platform. Although the Boss was mostly bare-chested, he wore a large necklace that looked like¡ yes! It was a lock, with a keyhole.
¡°You see that, Humps?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Ah. We can work it post-mortem, right?¡±
¡°Y- hmm, no, I don¡¯t think so.¡± With a plated hand he rubbed at the side of his head, the metal of his finger scratching out, causing Lucius to wince.
Sally narrowed her eyes. ¡°Are you just saying that to make this more of a challenge?¡±
Humphrey shrugged, a wide grin growing along his face.
With a sigh, the zombie stretched her shoulders out and flexed her arm to ready the staff for combat. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got the key, so I just have to get up close to him. How hard could it be?¡±
¡°At your command,¡± the Death Knight said. The other two nodded their readiness as well.
Sally¡¯s boots dug into the bridge and she launched forward, twirling the staff as the skull at the top burst into green flame. Her hand outstretched, she started to cast [Curse: Decay] on the Boss as he turned to finally notice their presence.
[Mortis Bomb] went out in an arc of green light as the lizardman withdrew a pair of hand axes in the shape of crescent moons.
With a quick sweep, he knocked the necromantic projectile out of the air and it careened down onto the platform floor ineffectively. Pulsing waves of blue energy started to build up around him as his face contorted with anger, his sharp fangs bared towards the approaching undead.
Sally growled. If the boss wanted to play it like that, then perhaps she should just go for the easy option. Now, almost in melee range, her eyes blazed bright crimson.
[Endless Dead]
Over two dozen zombies began to crawl out from the platform floor towards the lizardman channeling his skill. As Sally started approaching from an angle, she ducked and dodged through the rising zombies to give herself a cover against whatever ability the boss was about to use.
And then, just before the Death Knight could get into combat alongside her, the axes both went down and struck the floor amongst the spiraling blue energy. A pulse of power washed through Sally right before a wave of force pushed against her. She dug the dagger end of the staff into the platform and held on tight, gritting her teeth as she avoided being moved back.
Many of her zombies weren¡¯t so lucky, however. Turning her head as the energy whipped through her cloak, she saw a handful of her slow shamblers succumb to the force and fall off the edge of the platform. The waves continued, one after another, keeping her rooted in place.
Humphrey remained in place, unmoving, but unable to progress further. The Shade had become a shadow for him to avoid the same fate, whereas the Demon had been pushed back to the safety of the bridge.
¡°Acid?¡± Sally yelled out towards him.
Edward pushed his head forward and frowned down off the site of the bridge towards where the zombies had fallen.
He said nothing in return, but the slow nod was confirmation enough.
186 - Acid Reign
Sally grit her teeth as she watched the last of her zombies get pushed off the platform into the moat. She had expected the pushing the skill of the Lizard man to have ended by now, maybe only lasting 5 to 10 seconds at most. It had not. And that was really annoying.
¡°Any ideas Humphrey?¡± she yelled out.
The Death Knight slowly shook his head. ¡°He is immune to my duel and kneel skills.¡±
She exhaled through her nose. More the fool them for being a mostly melee party still. Lucius couldn¡¯t use his borrowed bandage skill while shadowing Humphrey, but couldn¡¯t do much else while the constant force was pushing everyone. If only they still had Norah here.
The skull atop her staff burst into green flame as she sent another [Mortis Bomb] at the boss. Now, with his focus being on the skill, he didn¡¯t have the time to block the projectile with his axes. Instead, he took the blast; the skull striking him on the upper thigh and leaving a patch of darkened scales where it had damaged him.
With a growl, he turned his attention to the zombie and dropped his channeled push.
¡°Ah, I get it.¡± Sally grinned. ¡°He keeps on doing that to push away melee players until he is interrupted by ranged players. Simple but effective.¡± It was a good thing that she had her broken dagger, otherwise she would have ended up in the moat like the rest of her pals.
¡°Yes,¡± the Death Knight said, right before he launched himself forward to engage with the Lizard man.
Sally furrowed her brow and turned her glance to the side, just in time to see a large hand clasp at the side of the platform. From below, a creature rose out. Something of pale green skin, large webbed hands like a frog, and two eyes that glowed a radiant gold.
She grinned. ¡°Now, this could be interesting.¡±
The clang of metal rang out through the large chamber as Humphrey brought down his great sword upon the Boss. Despite his smaller size, the lizardman was agile with his attacks and easily blocked and parried the slower strikes of the Death Knight. The shadowed version of the sword flashed out from beneath them, catching the Boss on the leg and causing him to stumble backward.
Sally slid to a halt as she approached the new creature. It opened a large mouth, and she was surprised to see that it had rows of serrated teeth more like a shark than a frog. As it reared back, she could tell what it was about to do before it began. Staff digging into the platform for traction, she spun to the side and began sprinting off in a different direction.
From the monster¡¯s mouth, a jet of corrosive acid sprayed out, vomited across the platform mere feet behind the footsteps of the zombie. Where it struck the stone, it sizzled and darkened it, the attack lasting a good five seconds before it ceased and the creature turned its eyes to see where Sally had gotten to.
As much as she trusted in her ability to sustain damage, she didn¡¯t fancy her chances testing out how an acidic shower felt. Especially, she didn¡¯t want to ruin the cloak that she now wore that Humphrey had given to her. As she circled around the back of the Boss melee, she held out a hand and used [Meat Hook].
The twisting pink beam shot out and struck the Lizard man in the back, his attention fully focused on defending against the dual blades of the Death Knight and Shade combined. She slipped through the air toward him, pulled along by the magical tether, twirling her staff around to use as a spear. The boss twisted at the last moment, unable to fully block her attack but taking the defense-piercing dagger through the shoulder instead of the back of his neck.
From the side there was a flash of purple light, as the demon struck out at the large creature, severing one of its hands. With a hideous screech it tried to swipe out at Edward, his sword piercing through the outstretched hand, but he was still taken up in the grasp of the monster.
Just as Sally turned to think of how to assist him, Lucius had already popped out the back of the Death Knight. From his hands to shadowed bandages shot out and wrapped around the offending arm of the large frog creature. The monster squirmed, intending to drag the demon down back into the moat with it, but now unable. Its radiant eyes turned to stare at the bandages leading over to the Shade.
As it went to yank him away, Lucius dropped his attack. Now free of the bindings, the creature then went to slam Edward into the platform to debilitate him before bringing him down into the moat. The impact vibrated through the floor. Sally could feel it through her boots. She winced and ran towards the creature to try to rescue the demon, but he was no longer there.
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Confusion painted the odd face of the frog-like monster, but instead of trying to find the escapee, it turned its attention to the approaching zombie. With tremendous speed it lurched out and swiped with its good hand, a trail of green blood spattering behind it from where Edward had injured it. Sally watched approach and grinned.
[Escape Fate]
Just as it was about to strike, she vanished up into the air, leaving a pair of zombies to take the brunt of the strike. She dropped down on top of the creature¡¯s head, its slick skin proving to be a struggle for her boots to get a grip on. Her intended stab with the staff didn¡¯t land as she wiggled to try to maintain a balance. With a quick glance behind her, she realized that she could quite easily fall into the moat from here. As the creature lurched around, she only just managed to find purchase with the dagger to give her enough stability to not tumble into the acid.
In fact, this was a terrible idea. She crouched and went to leap down back to the platform, but her footing immediately slipped causing her to fall onto her front atop the beast. One hand still clutched to the staff embedded into the head of the monster like a flagpole, the other one was slick with corrosive slime and started to burn as she failed to grab hold of any leverage.
Dark bandages shot out again, wrapping around her arm and leg, dragging her off the monster to fall onto the platform floor. Her staff cut an inch-deep gash across the head of the monster, not really enough to do it a great deal of damage but paining it, nonetheless. She landed in a heap and rolled across the stone.
¡°Ow,¡± she groaned. Her clothing was thick with the acidic slime, sticking to her body and burning her skin. ¡°I can regenerate against that,¡± she spat as she stood back to her feet. ¡°You will have to do better if you want to-¡°
She dove to the side to avoid being crushed by the falling frog Monster. Edward stepped over and helped her up to her feet.
¡°Thanks for keeping it distracted,¡± he said with a wide grin.
It seemed as though the demon had reappeared and leveled an attack into the throat of the creature while it was busy trying to shuffle her off. A pool of bright green blood was now seeping out from the corpse, sizzling and burning at the stone floor.
She turned her head back to see the combat between the Death Knight and the boss. While Humphrey had every advantage in terms of defense and attack strength, the lizardman was just too quick. Always ready with one or two of his blades to block the great sword. She did notice, however, that he wasn¡¯t using any of his skills.
At first that seems like he was trying to extend the fight and have a bit of fun while they had more important things to do. But in reality, he was most likely trying to wear the boss down without killing him so that they could use the key. Before she joined them, her eyes quickly went around the chamber to make sure there was no second frog or perhaps any purple bubbles amongst the corners. This would be the opportune time to strike at the Outsiders, but she still hoped the Player was slightly smarter than that.
¡°Can you restrain his arms?¡± She called over to Lucius.
¡°Ah, no! I¡¯m getting low on charges for that.¡±
¡°Convenient,¡± she murmured to herself. It wasn¡¯t fair to expect him to replace the Mummy, but it meant they¡¯d have to go for plan B. ¡°Shadow me!¡±
The Death Knight didn¡¯t look damaged at all, despite being overtaken in the melee. He had caused a few superficial wounds to the Boss that looked like the intention was to try to slow him down rather than kill outright. Raising the greatsword high into the air, the lizardman suddenly pulsed with energy and leaped backward.
¡°I am slowed,¡± Humphrey stated, his boot slowly stepping forward.
The Boss began summoning the waves of blue circles around himself once more, axes near the ground.
Sally planted the staff in the ground and slid across the floor away from it so the Shade could jump into her shadow. With the flick of her hand, the skull short forth, the green flames lapping at the air. It was difficult to control at such an angle, and her eyes went wide as it missed her target by inches. ¡°Rats!¡±
A second after, a small knife glimmered in the air as it arced across the chamber to strike the Boss in the arm. His channeled skill interrupted right before the first pulse.
Edward swooped by and helped her up to her feet. ¡°I don¡¯t usually throw those. Lucky us.¡± The splash of dripping liquid came from their right to stop his smile in its tracks, and as they turned, they saw another large frog-like Monster crawling from the moat.
Sally pulled a face, but nodded. ¡°Oh, smart. So interrupting him summons the froggies. Now we have the mechanics down. We can farm him on reset.¡±
¡°What?¡± The demon looked back at her. ¡°Can you just go use the key already?¡±
¡°Fine!¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Lucy, we¡¯re up.¡±
The slow had worn off on the Death Knight and he had reengaged the lizardman, his five skeletons joining the fray to defend against attacks and slowly surround the Boss.
Sally ran and slid between Humphrey¡¯s legs, jabbing upward with the dagger end of the staff into the left forearm of the Boss. Lucius did the same with his shadowed version of her weapon, but in the right forearm.
Arms waylaid by their attacks, the Death Knight struck the lizardman on the side of his head with the flat of the greatsword, disorientating him. That was all it took to buy enough time.
The zombie hopped to her feet and slammed the key into the open lock, twisting it to the side.
With the briefest of panicked looks, the lizardman Boss then exploded.
187 - Unbroken Bond
Sally stood there, stunned, covered in Boss viscera. The frog-monster had vanished, and the group of them just stood there alone, covered in blood.
¡°Ah,¡± she said. ¡°That was slightly unexpected.¡±
¡°I agree,¡± a familiar voice from the floor piped up.
She looked down to see Archie now sitting where the remnants of the lizardman now was. Eyepatch covering one eye, he looked rather amused to see them.
¡°Archie!¡± She crouched down. ¡°I¡¯d pick you up, but I¡¯m covered in gore for a change. Why¡¯d you have to go hide somewhere silly like this?¡±
¡°Just seemed neat.¡± He shrugged.
Humphrey walked around to stand behind the cat, eyeing up the corners of the rooms. ¡°It is not entirely safe here still, little brother.¡±
¡°I know, big brother. It is time, then.¡±
Sally pouted. ¡°So soon?¡±
Archie moved up to her and rubbed himself against her legs. ¡°Trust that this won¡¯t be the last you¡¯ll see of me. Unless you all die, of course.¡±
She gave him a little kiss on the head, before the Death Knight reached down and picked him up. He turned away from the rest of them to absorb the last Archie.
Lucius put his hand on her shoulder, a sad-faced emoji appearing beside his head. Edward remained indifferent, but kept his eyes on the shadowed areas of the large chamber.
Sally stood and brushed the tattered parts of her outfit off. Her diner clothes were ruined now, thanks to the acid, so she changed to her Wasteland black tshirt and jeans. Not the same feel when wearing the cloak like a mage¡¯s robes, but she¡¯d repair her skirt when they weren¡¯t in a such a dire position.
Humphrey turned back to them, his hands now empty. ¡°It is done.¡±
She worked her jaw. ¡°Aaand?¡±
¡°And we should leave.¡±
[Dungeon Complete]
[No Experience Gained]
[No Reward Gained]
[No Gold Gained]
¡°Wow.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°All that avoiding the moat and losing all my zombies, for a cat that immediately died and no money.¡±
A portal sprung into being, leaving them the option of teleporting back to the surface. She narrowed her eyes at it before scratching at her hair. There was nothing left for them to do here. Still¡
¡°Hey Humps, I have a question...¡±
Janie held an arrow at the ready.
One that would explode and scour the area with a constant curse that stacked damage and made affected targets go crazy. Drop to the floor and claw out their own minds. She should have used it inside the dungeon, but didn¡¯t want to poison the area for the rest of them while they still needed to find the cat.
Then she had found Neil¡¯s body. Face down, fingers thick with gore, a pool of blood surrounding his face. It sickened her that these Monsters had killed her Party. They had been together for months, and now¡ they were dead.
This would be her revenge. Arrow trained on the area where the dungeon teleport would spit you out. She already had three more area damage arrows lined up. It would be simple to pin them down and drown them out.
She was smarter. The corruption made sense. Hatred for the System turned to stealing power to fight against it. Players should be in charge.
A flash of light as the first of the Outsiders stepped through.
Arrow went out, a grimace of determination on her face. But no explosion.
Her brow furrowed at the blue light, another blue flash as the attack curved towards the large, plated Monster.
A pink beam shot back and struck her. Panic ran her through right before the zombie did.
Sally dropped down to the ground and watched the body of the woman slump over and roll down the slight decline. ¡°Ooops, almost ate your dirty brain!¡± She turned and beamed at Humphrey. ¡°So I guess the answer is yes. You could teleport with [Impenetrable Defense] up.¡±
¡°You live and learn,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°Well, some of us do.¡±
She turned and wrinkled her face up at the bubble-girl. The ambush wasn¡¯t a bad idea, but still¡ disappointing, she wasn¡¯t smarter. ¡°If you weren¡¯t corrupt, we could have fixed you.¡±
Edward wiped the sweat from his forehead. ¡°I was expecting a bigger change with you Humphrey, considering you have the whole Archie now.¡±
The Death Knight grunted. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. You should know by now that important things don¡¯t happen until they are ready.¡±
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Sally nodded. Archie did like naps, and all the different parts probably needed to get reacquainted. ¡°It¡¯s like my legendary shield.¡±
[Shield Repairing¡ 8.2%]
¡°Shield?¡± Humphrey asked, tilting his head. ¡°The one we were questing for?¡±
¡°Yeah, pops. The System pity-provided me all the parts since area five got vanished. It¡¯s repairing now and taking foreverrrrr.¡±
¡°Curious.¡± The Death Knight rubbed the side of his head. ¡°Did you try assisting the repair?¡±
Sally clucked her tongue. ¡°Now what makes you think I have the first clue about shield repair? It¡¯ll be done when it¡¯s most convenient, like you just said. What¡¯s our plan now that we have all the cats?¡±
¡°Assuming we are leaving the rest of the crafting gathering to Chuck¡¯s group, we should focus on personal power.¡± Humphrey then looked back at the other two. ¡°Although I am not sure what we can achieve when we cannot level or equip items.¡±
She shrugged. ¡°I could do with getting my zombies back, to start with. We can think while we eat.¡±
They murmured their agreements and Humphrey gestured them on which way to go. As she stumbled over the dead Player bodies still hanging around, she brought up the Chat.
[Sally: Archie rescued.]
[Sally: Chuck is working on something for Theo.]
[Sally: Hope to see u soon x]
[Norah: That¡¯s good. I hope so too x]
She spun it around.
[Sally: Chucks.]
[Sally: got cats]
[Chuck: 80% on materials here.]
[Chuck: stay in touch.]
¡°What do you suppose we do once they have all the parts?¡± she asked out loud.
Edward stepped up beside her as they walked and held out a teleport stone. ¡°Dent gave me this. It goes to the main city of Upbranch, where there is a smith or crafting station. Whatever Players use.¡± He stowed it back away. ¡°They¡¯ll meet us there with the rest of the Blues.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve got to hand it to the boys. They¡¯re certainly organized.¡± She grinned and looked up at the tree canopy. ¡°Could certainly do with some of that in our lives, huh?¡±
Luckily for her, there were groups of humanoid System-created nearby. Humans who were part of some expedition or something, based on their gear. She would have complained if it had been insects or mud Monsters, so she took what she was able to get.
Lower level too, so it was almost too easy. [Meat Hook] took her into the first, her dagger finding a place in their neck before she ate their brains. She was struck by a cross-bow bolt, but she just pulled it out and growled at the offending Monster.
In an act that would probably seem cruel to an outside observer, the rest of the Party went through the packs of humanoids debilitating limbs and disarming weapons, to give the ever-growing zombies an easy task of chewing through or eating the brains of the victims. It was just pragmatic.
Sally stumbled and put her hands on her hips, projectile vomiting a warm stew of mangled brains. ¡°Ugh. I swear my stomach is getting smaller.¡±
¡°Perhaps you are just eating too fast?¡± Lucius had his eyes covered, a green, sickly emoji beside his head.
She groaned and rubbed at her stomach. ¡°You guys are just lucky you don¡¯t have to eat.¡±
¡°I eat,¡± Edward said, ¡°just not in front of everyone. Or all over the floor.¡±
Sally hiccuped. ¡°It was only all over the floor after I had eaten it. I¡¯m not¡ I have standards.¡± Placing a hand to her mouth, she was able to avoid a second burst coming up.
Humphrey stood, watching the zombies mow through the Monster packs, his arms crossed and an unimpressed look on his skeletal face.
Now out of the dungeon, it was starting to get dark, although Sally had no proper gauge on how much time they had spent doing things. It had been a long day, it was hard to believe that earlier they were all gathered around the giant lizards Theo had killed. The whole world had changed since then.
¡°Alright, troo-oops.¡± She put her hand back up to her mouth. ¡°Zombies are almost capped, what were your thoughts on what to do next?¡±
The Death Knight turned to her. ¡°Let us get that shield ready for you.¡± Hand outstretched, he gestured over to a flat tree stump.
¡°Like how?¡± She wrinkled her face up.
Inside her Inventory she looked around for the shield. As far as she knew, it had just been a notification, and she would receive it once it was complete. At some point, her Inventory had become a jumbled mess, despite being otherwise super organized. She didn¡¯t even remember looting most of it. ¡°I just have half a sausage taking up one slot? Why couldn¡¯t it stack with the untouched ones?¡±
Eventually, at risk of boring the rest of the group, she found it - [Broken Shield].
¡°Huh, didn¡¯t notice it pop up when it came into my hoard. Thought I was yet to receive.¡± She shrugged and brought it out into her hands. It looked simple at this stage; a round and slightly concave disk of bronze colored metal.
¡°How often do you look at your notifications?¡± Humphrey tilted his head.
She shot him a sheepish grin. ¡°My what now?¡± It had actually been a while since she had checked on the brain bonuses she had received. It might be worth clearing those.
[+1.4% Strength]
[+0.8% Agility]
[+2.2% Wisdom]
[+1.1% Constitution]
[+1.6% Intelligence]
[+18% Melee Damage]
[+3% Melee Critical Chance]
[+15% Physical Defense]
[+12% Magic Damage]
[+2% Magic Critical Chance]
[+24% Magic Defense]
¡°Ah, heck,¡± she winced away from the boxes. ¡°If I knew there would be so much paperwork involved, then I¡¡± She cupped her hand to her mouth again as her stomach growled in protest. She knew she was more wise now, even though that percentage would only be a couple of Stat points even if she was maxed out - and she wasn¡¯t as buffed up as Theo.
She ignored any further introspection on that side of things and stared down into the shallow dip of the shield now sitting patiently on the tree stump.
Humphrey rolled out his shoulders. ¡°Alright, gather round, children. If you all help, then this will go a lot quicker.¡±
¡°Okay, pops!¡± Lucius said, a grinning face appearing beside his hood.
Edward rolled his eyes but stepped over so that the four of them were surrounding the broken shield.
The Death Knight finished glaring at the Shade before he turned back to the group. ¡°It¡¯s simple. Hold your hand over it.¡±
Sally was the first to act, her hand almost immediately hovering over her side of the object.
[Repairing¡]
¡°I¡¯m repairing,¡± she said with a wide grin, watching as the other three did the same.
They stood in silence for a dozen or so seconds before the excitement in her eyes dulled. ¡°This is still going to take forever, right?¡±
Humphrey nodded slowly. ¡°Yes. And when it¡¯s not in your Inventory you cannot see the progress percentage. Haha.¡±
She deflated. Glad at least that her stomach had settled and she wasn¡¯t about to fill the dish shaped artefact with brain slurry. ¡°Is it going to be a good shield at least? Do you know what it does?¡±
¡°It is bound to you, and the Stats and effects are determined by your Class. It is different for all who complete it.¡±
That was slightly more exciting. Sounded like more broken System goodies.
The four of them stood there, staring at the inert shield for what felt like hours, as the sun slowly set.
¡°Well¡¡± Sally deflated for the tenth time. ¡°Who want¡¯s to share neat stories? You have a crush on anyone, Edward?¡±
¡°Ah, look, it¡¯s complete now!¡± The demon grimaced, trying to will the object to be done.
¡°Hah!¡± She grinned. ¡°I¡¯m not so easily fooled. You think I was born yes-¡°
[Broken Shield Repair Complete]
[Receive?]
188 - Against the World
[Aegis of the Fallen]
[Undead raised from Summon Zombies are equal to your Level]
[Nearby allied undead have Minor Regeneration]
[+10% Constitution]
Sally whistled as the shield went into her Inventory. She read over the description again. Then a third time, just to be sure.
¡°What¡¯s the level over Raid boss?¡± She grinned.
¡°World Boss,¡± Humphrey answered. ¡°But those were not implemented.¡±
She withdrew the aegis into her left hand. It looked nothing like the circular bronze shield that they had worked on. It was more oval now, a slate gray wood with a skull design on the front. Tilting her head, she got a better look at it. No, it wasn¡¯t a skull¡ªit was a stylized zombie head, a split line showing the brain from the top. Behind it were waves of golden¡ hair? ¡°Is that me?¡± She puckered her lips.
¡°Spitting image,¡± Edward said with a wry grin. ¡°Aside from the head injury.¡±
¡°About time the army of the Outsiders had a logo.¡± Humphrey grinned, a twinkle of red flame in his empty eye sockets.
¡°Army?¡± Sally whispered, still taken aback by the legendary item.
¡°We¡¯re about to go to war against the System itself, Sally.¡± The Death Knight tilted his head. ¡°We are at forefront of the efforts. Are you the only one who hasn¡¯t seen that yet?¡±
She blinked slowly and looked at the other two.
¡°You¡¯re a people magnet, we¡¯re all behind you,¡± Lucius said, a thumbs-up appearing beside him.
Edward rolled his eyes, but smiled. ¡°Theo once told me; save the diner waitress, save the world.¡±
Sally snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t put all your eggs in this basket, guys. I¡¯m too full of brains. And myself.¡± Her grin turned into a soft smile. ¡°We¡¯ll do our best.¡±
Humphrey nodded and then looked up at the sky. ¡°Might be an all-nighter. The wicked never truly rest.¡±
[Endless Sleep] put all her new pals back away. Her [Summon Zombies] skill now giving Level Twenty-Three zombies was very good. Hardier undead meant more uptime, more chance of conversions, and more Stats from [Strength in Numbers].
Sometimes she did feel like the System¡¯s favorite.
Her STAR bloiped, taking her away from feeling good about herself.
[Chuck: We have everything.]
[Chuck: Meet at Upbranch.]
[Sally: what¡¯s upbranch]
She closed the Chat window down before he could reply. It¡¯d only be a sensible answer, totally missing her joke. Her stomach had a weight in it, but this time it wasn¡¯t due to all that she ate. If this plan didn¡¯t work out¡ well, not point thinking about that just yet.
¡°Alright troops, Chuck has the goods. It¡¯s time to split - if you could do the honors, Edward.¡±
He gave a low bow and then brought out the stone, a sinister grin across his face.
¡°That¡¯s not how you hold a pickaxe.¡±
¡°Sod off, it¡¯s not really the right tool for the job. I¡¯d like to see you do better¡ nob.¡±
Norah sighed and rubbed at her forehead. This was torture.
There were now five distinct voices outside, and they had determined that this must be some kind of treasure trove and were hell-bent on getting inside.
Their ineptitude just made it more frustrating that she couldn¡¯t twist their heads off. They had tried digging at the soil around the tomb. Climbing up atop the roof to see if there was a way in. Touched every stone for the secret entrance button. Now they had finally decided to hack away with tools.
It¡¯d be no use. It would take much greater force to unseat her from this throne and break the magical structure down.
One was coming, of course. That is why she had reinforced it with a bandage cocoon. Was it enough?
It was everything she had, so it better be.
With a flash of blue, the Outsiders arrived in Upbranch. Nothing like the sandstone and blocky buildings of the city in the Wasteland, everything here was made with a rich brown wood or light gray stone. System-created wandered around to make the place populated, and didn¡¯t give the odd group a second glance.
Waiting for them by the teleport circle, was the Insiders.
¡°Chuck!¡± Sally hopped over and threw her arms around him.
¡°Oh! By the Earth Mother, you smell of acid and vomit, Sally.¡± He peeled himself away from her.
¡°Sure do!¡± She grinned. ¡°And blood! Did you really just call upon the Earth Mother to curse me?¡±
He shook his head as Sally greeted the rest of them. Dent gestured for them to follow toward the Forge. Two other groups of Blue faction were present and followed on behind the two Parties.
¡°Ay, Boss?¡± Jackie sidled up to her. ¡°I know I¡¯m not a walking stiff, but these dweebs are cramping my style a bit.¡±
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¡°I hear you.¡± She looked back at Fern and Lana, who were in mid conversation. ¡°No promises, but I feel like some old gang action is overdue.¡±
The mobster grinned and gave her a nod.
That might make things awkward, in terms of Party dynamics. Too many friends and silly five person limit. Maybe the two groups didn¡¯t need to be split up - but if they were able to get Theo back, then that¡¯s the Outsiders sorted. It was hard being the Boss.
¡°Here we are,¡± Dent gestured to the Forge, an open furnace of heated amber light pooling from amongst dark metals where a third Blue faction group was already waiting. A System-created blacksmith stood at the side, arms crossed. ¡°We have a high level craftsperson who can make it for you. We wouldn¡¯t want it to fail somehow and all our efforts be wasted.¡±
Sally nodded as one of the Blue-tabard women stepped forward. She was surprised to realize that it was Rachel. The woman gave her a nod, and Sally returned a wave.
Chuck turned around. ¡°Alright, I want this area contained. Maintain a perimeter and do not let anyone else close. Kill them if you need to. We will not be interrupted.¡±
With a grunt, Dent stepped away from the Forge to stomp after the groups of Blue now moving into positions. ¡°You heard the Arch-druid, no more than a dozen feet between each of you. Eyes peeled, otherwise I¡¯ll peel them for you. Move your ass, Russ!¡±
Sally whistled. ¡°You two actually run a tight ship.¡±
The druid gave her a brief smile before it slipped away, his eyes looking around the area. ¡°While I prefer to be lighthearted, the stakes are too high. We can¡¯t afford to fail at this stage.¡±
She nodded and smiled back at Humphrey. ¡°You really think Theo will be needed to save the System?¡±
Chuck raised an eyebrow, and his smile returned. ¡°That¡¯s not why I am bringing him back.¡±
¡°Sap.¡± Sally shook her head. ¡°And that¡¯s not a tree pun. Well, it is, but¡ thank you, Chucky.¡±
He gave her a nod and then went over to oversee the crafting.
She leaned over and rested up against the Death Knight. It was heading into night now, and the day had tired her. Too much emotional and physical exhaustion when she just wanted to eat people and make silly quips. The dream. Her eyes turned to the side, and he saw Lucius talking with another familiar face - Charlotte.
Maybe this is how Players felt all the time. The community, things being peaceful and everyone helping each other. The unfair lot she had been given no longer angered her. It just made her sad. How things could have been different. But this is what they had now¡ and looking at the Shade and the Player animatedly talking, there was a future there where everyone could get along.
¡°Everything fine, Sally?¡± Humphrey looked down at her and put his hand on her shoulder.
¡°Far from it, pops. But has it ever been?¡±
He grunted. ¡°Have faith. Some things are written by destiny.¡±
Sally pulled a face. ¡°Was it destiny for all the Players I¡¯ve killed? Things can¡¯t just be for my benefit.¡±
¡°I can say no more.¡±
She moved away from him and scowled. ¡°You know something, don¡¯t you?¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°Big metal ass having ass. I¡¯m going to go talk to a different goofball if you¡¯re going to be all cryptic.¡± She walked off before he could respond and found Edward leaning against the side wall of the Forge on his own.
¡°Doing alright, Mr. Sinister?¡± She grinned.
¡°Eh.¡± His glowing blue eyes looked up toward the sky. ¡°I am¡ filled with regrets.¡±
¡°Remarkably open for you. Please share more.¡± She placed her staff into the ground and leaned against it.
¡°Do you think Theo can forgive me, and we can turn a new page?¡±
She snorted. ¡°What? Are you serious? You two are like best buds already.¡±
The demon furrowed his brow. ¡°Really? But...?¡±
¡°You¡¯re as big of a sap as any of us, huh?¡± She shook her head and sighed.
They fell into a brief silence as the sounds of the Forge went on in the background. The murmurs of conversations that she didn¡¯t care to hear a low drone as backup.
¡°I loved, once.¡±
She raised her eyebrow and look back up at him, unsure how to respond to that.
¡°She was¡ she changed me. The first person I never betrayed. A Unique demon. Light rosy skin, eyes like the galaxy, and the softest blue wings. Taken from me by a group of Players before Ruben took over the Wastes.¡±
His blue eyes searched the clear night sky.
¡°Oh, Ed.¡± She pulled him in for a hug. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±
Hesitant at first, he reciprocated the hug and sighed. ¡°The vomit doesn¡¯t really do it for me either, I¡¯m afraid.¡±
¡°Sorry, hah.¡± She pulled away and wiped her eyes with the back of her forearm. ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t do that either, don¡¯t want to get acid or vomit in my eyes.¡±
¡°Thanks for including me in your oddball family,¡± he grinned at her and then stood up straight. ¡°But that¡¯s my emotional allotment for the year, so now I will be off to maintain my reputation.¡±
She beamed at him as he walked away, and then sighed. Just what she needed when she was running thin - everyone coming and giving her their¡
Her head turned to see Lana standing nearby, looking rather sheepish.
Sally smiled softly and gestured her over. ¡°I¡¯ve been vomiting a lot and am rather dehydrated, so if you¡¯re going to make me cry, then I might literally die.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± The woman grimaced and brushed the dark curls away from her face. ¡°That makes me feel pretty awkward about what I was going to say then.¡±
¡°That you appreciate being included and accepted? Thankful and sorry for something.¡± Sally stuck out her bottom lip.
¡°Yeah, you got me. Been one of those kinda days, huh?¡± Lana smiled and looked over at the Forge.
Sally sighed and wrinkled up her nose. ¡°Just my whole existence, really. Aside from the odd week or two between areas, I¡¯ve always been at one end of the blade or the other. I¡¯m a force of chaos.¡±
The clone shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re a force of change. Most of us here have been dragged along by your strong ambition for it. I know you probably think you got the short end of the stick, but in my view you¡¯re sitting atop the tree.¡±
Perhaps. Sally rubbed at her hair. It was itchy being bundled up, and she needed to wash it before she let it be free. She was the Queen of the Dead, sure, but the leader of an army? Over by the Forge, Humphrey was talking with Chuck. In catching her glance, they beckoned her over.
¡°Duty calls.¡± She shrugged apologetically. ¡°But for what it¡¯s worth, you¡¯re just Lana to me. No further qualifiers on that.¡±
The woman nodded and smiled, moving away to allow Sally to go.
Chuck wiped the sweat from his forehead. ¡°Almost done, Sally.¡±
¡°Actually,¡± Rachel''s voice came from further in. ¡°It is complete. Successfully.¡±
Bubbles of excitement rose up in her stomach as the woman brought it out, a soft smile across her sweaty face. A key of bright blue, a pulse of white light illuminating it from within.
With a shaking hand, she reached out and took it. It was warm, and heavier than it looked. Straight into the Inventory so nothing terrible could happen to it. She then threw herself at Charlotte and gave her a tight hug.
¡°Thank you so much. And sorry about how I smell. And also how it might look for a zombie to throw themselves at you suddenly.¡±
¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Rachel smiled despite the overpowering undead woman. ¡°I only hope that it works.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s get moving,¡± Chuck ordered, his voice stern but soft. ¡°Perhaps we¡¯ll sleep tonight after all.¡±
Sally beamed as she released the Player and hopped over towards the druid.
A pain suddenly pulsed through her head, and she grasped at it in surprise. Everyone around her suffered the same malady, confusion and discomfort radiating around the gathered groups.
Then, the notification pop-ups appeared.
[New Event!]
[Defeat the World Boss]
[Target: The Outsiders]
[Proximity Tracking Active]
[Teleportation is Disabled]
[Mounts are Disabled]
[Party and Guild System Frozen]
[Reward: Immortality]
Sally rubbed her eyes and looked up to see every nearby System-created turn to her group and glare menacingly.
189 - One Eventful Day
Chuck held his hand up, his fingertips glowing a pale green light. ¡°Everyone to me!¡±
Outsiders, Insiders, and three groups of Blue faction started to pool towards the druid, pushing back the System-created, who now had murderous intent in their eyes.
¡°Looks like we are finally being targeted,¡± Humphrey growled, stepping up beside the zombie to protect her.
Sally¡¯s head swam, not just because there was now an Event to kill her, but there were still a bunch of notifications pushing themselves into her vision, unwanted.
[Targets Remaining 5/5]
[Class upgrade: World Boss]
¡°Ugh, you seeing this?¡± She ground her teeth together as they became crowded by the press of other bodies.
¡°Yes, ha-ha. An unexpected outcome from their foolish plan.¡±
She rolled her eyes. ¡°Just after you said that they hadn¡¯t been implemented yet.¡±
The Death Knight scoured the surroundings as the last of the Players gathered around the forge. ¡°Then be proud that you are the first, and probably the most powerful living Monster in this world at present.¡±
¡°And most wanted,¡± Edward said from behind them, the stress in his voice evident.
Chuck circled his hand around and a bright bubble of green light surrounded everyone present, roots growing from the ground and following the arc of the dome to encase them all.
[Class Skills Unlocked]
[Death Aura]
[Ruin]
[Continuous Power]
[Brain Drain]
Her mouth opened and closed. ¡°I got new skills?¡±
¡°World Boss privileges.¡± Humphrey nodded. ¡°They have made you a worthy challenge to live up to the threat against you.¡±
Chuck clapped his hands together, as Dent encouraged people to be quiet. ¡°Alright, the plan has changed. First thing, we need to create a moving barricade to get the Outsiders safely out of the city with minimal destruction of the populace.¡±
The druid sighed before continuing. ¡°Then I want you three groups to spread out and act as reconnaissance. I anticipate large groups gathering, so do not engage. Stay safe and stay alive. That¡¯s an order.¡±
¡°Start getting ready,¡± Dent yelled. ¡°Move on the signal.¡±
Sally grinned sheepishly as the druid look back at her. ¡°This is a lot Chuck, everyone is fine with protecting me while I run my fool¡¯s errand?¡±
He nodded. ¡°Our strength lies in our unity. There is little more we can do as Players to resist the new Architect at present. The Outsiders are¡¡± he trailed off as he looked between them. ¡°You¡¯re the antidote for what ails the System.¡±
¡°I¡¯m just full of ambition and empty of stomach.¡± She grinned. ¡°What are the Insiders going to do?¡±
¡°We¡¯re following you. You might be a Boss beyond reproach now, but we don¡¯t know what will be sent after you.¡±
Sally nodded. ¡°Strength in unity. Although having nine oddballs to banter with is going to hurt my head.¡± She tilted to the side and narrowed her eyes at Fern.
The dryad stared impassively at her in response.
¡°Well...¡± Chuck rubbed his face. ¡°Clock is ticking. When you are ready, we are going to head toward the south-east exit and then on toward the tomb.¡±
She brought up her Map. Furrowed her brow and zoomed out. ¡°Fuhhhh-that¡¯s a long way.¡± The Architect really screwed them over by stopping teleports and mounts. Better get her walking legs on. Just as she turned towards her Party to ready check them, her STAR bloiped as messages came in from Norah.
The Mummy¡¯s bare hands clutched tightly at the stone arms of her throne. Knuckles whitening to a pale shade of blue-gray as her jaw worked.
¡°You see the messages, yeah?¡±
¡°Yeah, boss event, I can read.¡±
¡°The tracker is saying we¡¯re red hot here.¡±
¡°¡you mean?¡±
¡°One of the Outsiders must be in this stone box.¡±
They couldn¡¯t get it open. But that didn¡¯t stop them from trying. It just meant they just stood around and talked inanely about such annoying things.
Norah hoped Sally would get here soon, so that she could tear the gathered adventurers to shreds.
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¡°She says there are Players at the tomb, but it is secure.¡± It didn¡¯t do much to comfort her, though. Worry painted her brow as she pouted up at the Death Knight.
¡°The die has been cast,¡± he smiled sadly back at her. ¡°Let us make do with what best we may offer this world.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes at the melodrama of the Death Knight. The Architect had just made her more powerful. Even if there was a target on her back now, Players didn¡¯t have it in them to actually organize and make themselves a threat.
Would it change the odds against her? As much as worry rolled around in her recently emptied stomach, part of it excited her. She wasn¡¯t just a Boss or a Raid Boss now¡ she was a World Boss. A challenge of unequaled strength. Now she had to raise the vampire from the dead just to gloat over him. Technically, he was no longer in the Outsiders, so if he came back he wouldn¡¯t get her new bonuses, but he¡¯d also be outside of being tracked.
¡°I¡¯m ready, Chuck!¡± She turned and prompted the dam to be broken. While there was still plenty to try to process, she was a sitting duck currently. They¡¯d have more chance to avoid danger on the move.
The druid nodded to Dent, and the swordsman strode to the front to yell at the prepared Parties.
¡°Fifth column to the front. Eight on the right. My right, smartasses. Third, you¡¯re on left. Insiders will protect the rear. Maintain formation to keep the Outsiders central. Do not kill System-created unless absolutely necessary. Am I understood?¡±
A chorus of acknowledgement came from the gathered Blues, and the groups started to align themselves, ready in the dome of thick vines.
It was kind of Chuck to keep the System-created safe. She gave her Party a brief smile as they gathered behind Fifth Column. While they could have easily killed and eaten their way through the city to reach the open wilderness, the druid was true to his word in wanting some manner of peace to the System.
¡°On three!¡± Dent yelled, having received the nods from each Party leader as well as Chuck. ¡°Three!¡±
The druid clicked his fingers, and the vines receded, lowering the dome covering them until nothing remained. Flares of light illuminated the dark streets as the groups marched forward. Defensive skills and wards pulsing around, stopping the attacks of the System-created or pushing them back. It was quite the trick for the Architect to turn the whole world against her. It made her feel important.
¡°This is probably a grave error on their part,¡± Humphrey added, almost able to see her inner monologue across her facial expression.
She grimaced. ¡°Do you think there will be grave consequences?¡±
¡°For some.¡± He shrugged. ¡°This will delay their full ascension, but they are keen to get rid of you without having to bloody their own hands.¡±
Sally nodded, but didn¡¯t have anything to add. It was enough that the bad Players were foolhardy and brash in trying to oust her from this world - if the Architect themselves wanting to fall into her stomach due to their hubris, then that would be a bit anticlimactic.
¡°It won¡¯t just be Players and the occasional Monster group we need to worry about.¡± Humphrey continued to fill the silence as flashes of light continued to paint their route through the rest of the city. ¡°There will be set waves of System-created that will test you, and any remaining merged Observers will be coming straight for you.¡±
Rolling her eyes, she then deflated. ¡°Ugh.¡± Sally pulled her hood lower down to her eyes. ¡°So you¡¯re saying the next¡ however long is going to be filled with constant and gradually escalating combat again?¡±
¡°You act like that is a surprise.¡± He grinned in return. ¡°We have some advantage with it being night. It¡¯d do us well to-¡±
[Day Reset]
Blinding them all, the sun started to rise, as if the whole night had been skipped. In fact, as Sally clenched her teeth together, she had no doubt that was the case.
Lucius pushed up between them, sweat-drop emojis at the side of his head. ¡°What happened?¡±
The Death Knight shook his head. ¡°More foolish actions. It does not bode well that the new Architect is a gambler.¡±
The question-mark that then appeared beside the Shade just prompted Humphrey to continue.
¡°Another use of their scant power to reset the day to morning again. It was not likely that many would come for us right before bedtime. Now everyone has the benefit of a good rest, all their skill charges to full, and daylight - so that we may be hunted immediately.¡±
Sally sighed again. ¡°Joy.¡±
They reached the gate of the city and passed throughout onto the open road. Behind them, Chuck raised both his hands into the air and a wide wall of vines and wood rose up to block the exit and prevent any System-created from following them out.
¡°Alright, Dent,¡± he said. ¡°You organize the recon routes.¡±
The swordsman nodded and gathered up the Blues while the druid stepped up to the outsiders alongside the rest of the Insiders.
¡°This is going to be a very long day, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sally asked him, pouting before he could respond.
Chuck shrugged, right before the mobster pushed him out of the way slightly.
¡°Scoot, plant boy. Guess what resetting skills means, boss?¡± She wiggled her eyebrows, her lit cigarette hanging limp in her mouth.
It took a second for it to click, but then Sally¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°Your stagecoach doesn¡¯t count as a mount, right?¡±
¡°Nah. It¡¯s ready and raring to go.¡±
Humphrey grinned. ¡°That is fortuitous. I am glad to have you on our side once more.¡±
Jackie brushed him off. ¡°Yeah, whatever, tin can. We¡¯ll be pushing the suspension to the limit with your heavy ass on board, luckily the rest of yous are bean poles.¡± She glared around the gathered group as she removed the cigarette from her mouth.
¡°No time like the present, then.¡± Sally clapped her hands together. ¡°It will still be a few hours of travel, but we¡¯re much better off.¡±
Chuck nodded his agreements, and the mobster stepped over to the side, raising her hand up with index finger outstretched like she was going to fire a gun. With a faux click of the trigger, an area of plain grass hummed as her stagecoach fizzled into being. A large thing of dark wood and black metal supports. Two horses whinnied, their dark pattern resembling pinstripe suits.
The mobster gestured for everyone to start loading up, and they moved over to the door that popped open.
Fern collared the zombie as they shuffled over. ¡°Sally. I still do not know what is going on in this world. But this whole experience has been interesting. Thank you for taking me from the tower.¡±
Sally tilted her head. ¡°Of course. I knew you¡¯d have a little more fun out here.¡±
¡°Chuck is strange. I am yet to decide if his power over nature is divine or scandalous. But I am keeping an eye on him.¡± The dryad''s impassive eye-holes glared at Sally.
¡°We¡¯re all kinda weird in our own way,¡± she replied, gesturing for Fern to hop on the coach before her. ¡°But we look after each other and live the best we can.¡±
Edward leaned his head into the doorway. ¡°Even if that involves mass murder.¡±
She stuck her tongue out and pushed him out of the way. Sure, she had killed more normal people than many of the actual villains in this world. Eaten because she was greedy, and gotten revenge through cold-hearted bloodshed. Even made sport of it on occasion¡
But she was pretty sure they started it first.
190 - Invasive Species
To say the inside of the stagecoach was cramped would be putting it lightly. Whilst Jackie once again took to the roof to man the mounted dual-repeater crossbows, the rest of them didn¡¯t fancy their chances atop the thundering coach at the speed they were traveling at. Well, aside from the Shade, who was shadowing the mobster up top. Jackie was extremely elated to find out that Lucius could somehow wield his own mounted weapons.
Sally rubbed at the edges of her cloak. She was somewhat nervous, and it wasn¡¯t just because she was now in the limelight. They had put a lot of effort into getting this artefact that only might bring Theo back. But then, it wasn¡¯t even about if he might stay dead - as sad as that may be. They were all together, which was great, but all heading to the same stationary place. Putting all their eggs into the same basket to the extremes.
If the Architect, Seven, or anyone with an axe to grind got wind of the location, that¡¯s where the end times would occur. While Humphrey might be sure the new god was shooting themselves in the foot by forcing the event, it wouldn¡¯t matter if they won out in the end. It wasn¡¯t like her desperate and half-brained ideas hadn¡¯t ever worked out.
She eyed up those in the coach. The Death Knight took up the majority of the other side, with Chuck and Dent wedged in uncomfortably beside him. Sally was next to the window on her side with Lana, Fern, and Edward after her.
¡°Tell us a story, pops,¡± she asked as she pouted toward him. More to break her train of thought rather than to fill the silence.
The Death Knight sighed, but his skeletal face relaxed. ¡°This is the third Architect.¡±
A silence, somehow thicker than the previous one, settled into the wagon.
¡°What?¡± Sally grimaced, confused.
¡°Mmm.¡± He shuffled awkwardly in the seat, while everybody but Fern glared at him. ¡°That wasn¡¯t really much of a story, was it?¡±
¡°Spill it already, otherwise you¡¯re walking.¡±
¡°Very well. The Architect that died just over a year ago was put into place accidentally. There was one before him who was the true creator of this world, this System. Something went wrong when testing how to bring Players here. Instead, they swapped position with someone from your world.¡±
Chuck clucked his tongue. ¡°That explains all the ham-fisted pop culture references.¡±
¡°And to think we are one of a handful that really gets them?¡± Sally shook her head. ¡°So they got here and just tried to make the best of a bad situation.¡±
Humphrey nodded slowly. ¡°Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have the vision of the true creator, which gave rise to the number of¡ oddities and problems the System has.¡±
The stagecoach shook and jolted.
¡°Run straight, ya goons!¡±
¡°So it was probably just some dork like us then?¡± Sally grimaced and looked out of the room. A cobbled together reality. Thankfully, it had been stable enough to get this far. ¡°You know of this because of Archie?¡±
The Death Knight nodded.
¡°So¡ is the cat actually the Architect?¡± Dent asked.
¡°The Architect had a soul, like a Player. When he died, it left this world the same. Every Archie is a split of his memories, a recording he was able to take from himself and apply to a Monster.¡±
¡°Almost like me, then.¡± Lana rubbed at her forehead and sighed.
The stagecoach fell into silence once more. Sally didn¡¯t like that story very much.
Norah hummed to herself and smiled. It was nice and quiet outside now.
It had taken a lot of concentrated effort to do it¡ªespecially while maintaining her bandages¡ªbut she had managed to summon her Ultimate outside. Their screams had been quite delectable. The tearing of their flesh and shattering of their armor as the giant zombie broke them into pieces.
The bloodlust had been sated for a while, but it hadn¡¯t stopped what was approaching.
Seeing the pop-up messages telling her that she was being hunted didn¡¯t even dampen her mood - that just meant more adventurers to add to the pile.
Sally was on the way as fast as she could.
Good. Now they¡¯d have time to prepare for the storm.
Chuck wrinkled up his face as his eyes were unfocused, reading some Chat messages. ¡°Northern team have eyes of two Parties of Red en route on foot. Other two teams are clear.¡±
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¡°If they were smart,¡± Edward began, ¡°they¡¯d all congregate somewhere and attack us as the biggest group they could.¡±
Lana nodded. ¡°Probably when we¡¯re distracted by another threat.¡±
¡°After we¡¯ve used the key,¡± Dent said, ¡°I have a shortlist of locations that might be beneficial to try to hold.¡±
Sally just looked miserable as she watched the Jungle go by out of the window. The first time Players were going to make an effort to actually kill her, and she didn¡¯t even feel up to the challenge. And for what, immortality? That was probably a lie. Not like she would trust the Architect to uphold that end of the bargain, even if they could make that a reality.
For the most part, the Outsiders had always been the aggressors. Now having to be on the defensive to stay safe¡ it felt wrong. But what was the alternative? They could keep moving with the stagecoach, but the Architect would just get stronger and the Event wasn¡¯t likely to end just because everyone got bored and couldn¡¯t keep up with them. The Players had tracking now, the Outsiders couldn¡¯t hide away.
Finding all the Players and eating them could work in the short term, but there would surely be some other way the Architect could put pressure on them. They were the big bad in all of this. Aside from the corrupted, other Players could be converted to being more peaceful here.
¡°Holding up, Sally?¡± Chuck asked her, while trying to get more comfortable pressed up between the Death Knight and the coach wall.
¡°Meh.¡± She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine once I have something to sink my teeth into.¡±
¡°Woah! Contact!¡±
The stagecoach shuddered and everyone shuffled to one side as it turned at an angle, the horses whinnying out loud. As they slid to a stop, the sound of the crossbows on the roof vibrated through the whole carriage.
Sally popped the door open and fell out, pushed by the rest of them. Landing awkwardly, she rolled up to her feet, withdrawing her staff and shield at the ready. A rush of air pushed against her as a thick vine swiped through the air, aiming for the mobster firing off continuous bolts.
A flash of blue illuminated the area as a bubble-shield went up around the stagecoach. Chuck stood just outside the doorway, his staff held up high and maintaining the barrier.
¡°Protect the coach!¡± He yelled, as everyone else poured from the vehicle.
Sally turned to see their assailants. Three giant flowers, their vibrant petals closed to form a faux mouth. They moved around on tentacle-like roots, each with four arm-like vines that were barbed with thorns as long as daggers.
¡°I¡¯ve got one,¡± Humphrey growled, hitting it with a successful [Compelled Duel].
A little hasty, perhaps, without seeing what they could do - but it did lower the threat against the coach by a third. She ran, avoiding the whip of one of the protruding appendages. No brains in these bulbs. Both because they had tried to attack possibly the most powerful group of Players in the System, but also literally, as they were flowers.
The green flame of [Mortis Bomb] was flung from her staff toward the nearest giant plant. A pleasant soft violet color, and over twenty feet tall. As the bomb struck it, it turned its large mouth toward her. With one action, it scooped forward and ate up the rising zombies, into whatever lurked within. That was the opposite of how these things were supposed to go.
Sally held the end of the staff out as she got closer, almost upon her target. A barrage of crossbow bolts peppered the plant before the spray moved across to the other two. From the prongs of her weapon, red light circled.
[Ruin]
Beneath the roots of the Monsters, a circle of red light emerged - twenty feet in diameter, it immediately began to tear away at the underside of the flower. It writhed in pain, as cracks and flakes of its roots started to fall off.
Sally jumped into the air and shadowed bandages came up beneath her feet, pushing her higher into the air. She shot a quick glance down at the Shade below her and grinned. A thumbs up emoji appeared beside his head as she went up higher, right before the plant launched itself forward.
The bandages tore away from her as Lucius was eaten by the bulb. She dropped, crimson energy burning in her eyes as she spun the staff around ready to puncture the petals below her. Vines whipped through the air toward her as she fell. The first missed, swiping over her head, but the second she had to block with her shield. A thorn caught her briefly across the forehead, drawing blood, but most of the damage had been prevented.
She landed on the soft flower, jabbing the [Skeleton Key] side of her weapon into it as drops of her blood flecked onto the Monster. It was so large that the depth of the dagger didn¡¯t do much to it. Sally growled and pushed it across, cutting a line along it.
Another vine swung across and she rolled out of the way, the plant striking itself. In pain and frustration, it moved its mouth up higher, trying to turn vertical. Perhaps to digest the shade. Sally ran, up the increasing slope of the large petal and leaped, staff out to pin herself to the creature before she fell. Shifting her weight, she swung up to the pouting entrance to the plant, faux-lips closed.
Staff jammed in, she created a small gap. ¡°Are you okay, Lucy?¡± He hadn¡¯t died, that was for sure, but it was a terrible position to be in.
¡°I¡¯m stuck, I can¡¯t move!¡±
Couldn¡¯t see her to shadow either, she assumed. Her brow furrowed as she watched a vine sway around, ready to slash out at her again. Either this would work, or it would end poorly. She liked those odds. The long, green appendage whipped out at her.
[Escape Fate]
By using the barest of gaps the dagger had allowed, the System let her vanish downwards inside the plant. It was dark, and the walls were sticky, as if covered in thousands of fibrous hairs.
¡°Is that you, Sally?¡±
¡°Sure is, bud,¡± her staff burst into green flame, illuminating the inside of the flower. ¡°You ready to get out of here?¡±
He nodded and then vanished, shadowing her.
¡°You are not assisting?¡± Fern turned their head toward Edward.
¡°Big monsters aren¡¯t really my thing.¡± He raised an eyebrow in return. ¡°I am watching the stagecoach in case this is a decoy, or we are betrayed.¡±
Fern nodded and looked back down at the combat. Dent, Lana, and Chuck had taken down the one on the left. Humphrey was finishing off the middle one. The last had eaten both Lucius and Sally, but nobody seemed to be panicking about it.
The rotating barrels of the roof-mounted dual repeating crossbows spun down, and Jackie sighed.
¡°Could do that all fuckin¡¯ day.¡± She pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
There was a brief silence, as if all the sound in the area was sucked into a vacuum, and then the third plant exploded.
Parts of the flower rained down in the area in thick, sodden chunks, as the roots and vines collapsed to the floor and shriveled up.
Sally stepped out of the ruins of the Monster, covered in pink gore and radiating with energy.
¡°I think they made a mistake.¡± She licked her lips. ¡°This amount of power is¡ hard to swallow.¡±
191 - Pressure
Sally flexed out her extended fingers. There was still a hum of energy to them. Slowly fading, but the skill had been more than she had expected.
¡°What was that?¡± Humphrey asked, as he stepped over.
¡°[Brain Drain].¡± She turned her head to observe him. ¡°Damage based on how many brains I¡¯ve eaten. It scales pretty well.¡±
¡°Pretty well,¡± the Death Knight repeated, looking back at the remains of the giant flower.
Lucius stepped up to them, trying to rub the plant gore from his arms. ¡°You have eaten a lot of brains.¡±
¡°More than most,¡± she agreed. It had a long cooldown, but it was essentially a kill move at this point. Something to keep in her back pocket, possibly as she throttled the Architect.
¡°Back to the wagon!¡± Chuck yelled out, forcing them all into action.
Sally exhaled. Despite not needing to breathe, or have a pulse, or do anything a living person does, she had settled into doing the motions at some point. Made her feel like a human again, maybe. The System allowed it, or at least didn¡¯t punish her either way. Now look at her.
A plated hand rested on her back to help her along. ¡°That was the first Invasion wave. They will increase in severity for as long as the Event goes on.¡±
She looked up into the empty sockets of her faux-father. ¡°How often?¡±
¡°Unknown. I estimate between twenty minutes and an hour per wave.¡±
That wasn¡¯t terrible. Assuming they could keep the stagecoach functional then they¡¯d still be making better time than anyone else in the area. She looked up to see Edward and Fern drop down from the roof, while Jackie remained leaning against the dual repeating-crossbows, a lit cigarette in her mouth.
¡°Humps, any knowledge on Observer threats?¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± He stopped by the doorway and looked back out into the Jungle. ¡°I believe there are just under twenty remaining. Some will have moved to the other areas under the directive, but the majority might be here, somewhere.¡±
She nodded and gestured for him to enter the stagecoach. The sooner they could get moving, the further they could travel before getting interrupted again. She hopped in last, to be squished against the closed door once more. The faces of those inside looked more strained now.
¡°This plant stuff is gross,¡± she said with a sigh, prodding at it all over her black jeans. ¡°At least it smells nice, though.¡±
¡°An upgrade to what you are usually covered in,¡± Edward agreed, pulling a face.
She wrinkled up her face as most of the others nodded their agreements. ¡°I still feel like we are missing someone, though.¡±
They looked around and counted themselves. All present.
¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Dent said. ¡°I¡¯m keeping an eye on everyone. Just in case there¡¯s a shapeshifter or something, you know?¡±
Edward tilted his head. ¡°You¡¯d be able to tell?¡±
Dent didn¡¯t say anything, but nodded.
The stagecoach lurched forward again as the gangster-adjacent horses pulled them back onto the road. There was a slight breeze that rushed through the open window on Sally¡¯s side, and it calmed her. She needed to save a bit of that rage and energy for the rest of the day.
While the death of the vampire had set her off on the quest to kill and destroy everything, she had been tempered by her friends gathering. Something he had planned, knowing her well enough to keep her on the right track, apparently. If he was lost for good, then she¡¯d rage again, but this whole Event thing was so draining. Maybe it would be better if she fell, eventually.
She was an oddity, an error that had inflicted plenty of wounds on the System. If you put the faction war down to just human nature, then the world had done fine for a year without them. If she had died in the first area¡
Things would be pretty bad for Uniques still. Ruben might still be in power and doing worse things to the Wastes. She shouldn¡¯t be so hard on herself. All that was left now was to fight until either she or the System broke.
The stagecoach shuddered as if prompted by her thoughts.
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¡°Sorry!¡± Jackie called from the roof. ¡°Think I just hit some shmuck.¡±
They hadn¡¯t stopped moving, so it couldn¡¯t have been anyone dangerous. Or with any sort of situational awareness. Either a Player following the tracker blindly, or a system-created Monster wandering onto the path. Nothing exploded or stabbed through the walls, so the danger must have passed.
¡°How are you doing, Sally?¡± Humphrey asked.
¡°Meh,¡± she said, taking her eyes away from the roving outdoors to turn toward the group inside. ¡°I am the villain now. System has made sure of it. To all but those in this coach, I am the big bad evil gal.¡±
¡°You¡¯re not¡ that evil, though.¡± Chuck pulled a face, remembering all her achievements, good and bad.
She idly looked between each of them. ¡°Other than Humphrey, I could kill you all.¡±
Dent shrugged. ¡°Hasn¡¯t that always been the case?¡±
¡°In less than five seconds,¡± she added. Her eyes went back to the Jungle as thick silence filled the stagecoach. Not that she would kill them, of course. She was powerful before and could have taken most of them individually, maybe some of the weaker ones grouped. But now¡ the System had burdened her with the capacity to be something worse.
It would be a simple case of using all of her Event skills at once, then picking off the remainder. Probably key the Death Knight immediately, before he could use one of his many defensive skills. Drop fifty zombies amongst the carnage of whoever remained.
That would make her an easy target for others, though. And alone.
She smiled to herself before looking over at Chuck. ¡°Are there many first wave Players in the Blue team?¡±
He shook his head. ¡°A couple. There¡¯s more in Red team, but even then - not a lot of people made it through both areas.¡±
Dent tried to adjust his sitting position, but had no room to move against the Death Knight. ¡°The ones who have were either lucky, strong, or extra patient.¡±
¡°All four of us are first wave,¡± she nodded, looking over at Lana. ¡°What about the rest of your old Party?¡±
Chuck gave a sad smile. ¡°Anyone who hasn¡¯t pushed this far or fallen is just trying to live a normal life in the other areas. After Ruben fell, they went back to the Forest.¡±
Sally could understand that, to some degree. After being forced to adventure to line the pockets of the dragon, it was no surprise some wanted to give that a break. No doubt another thing that had shaped Chuck¡¯s vision of the future.
¡°I¡¯ve never been to that area,¡± Lana offered. ¡°I mean, this body hasn¡¯t.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll go there once this is all over.¡± Sally smiled and sunk into the seating, closing her eyes. ¡°Big feast and party, all the goblins and all the pals we¡¯ve made along the way.¡±
She didn¡¯t open her eyes, but she could feel the mood in the coach lighten. Although a feast didn¡¯t really mean a good thing for the Outsiders usually, unless there were some naughty Players on the side to munch into. Once Chuck¡¯s vision came to pass¡ there would be no such delights for her.
Well, she was sure the druid wouldn¡¯t make her starve. Maybe he could invent fake-brains for her to eat. Stock her fridge up with them. Live a normal-adjacent life with¡ no, too soon for daydreams. There would be another Invasion wave coming up soon, something to sharpen her teeth on.
¡°Recon, Chucky?¡±
His eyes unfocused as he went through his Chat. ¡°Clear so far, updates are slow from one team, however. Still alive.¡±
That could mean anything, though. The stagecoach vibrated as they went over a rockier part of the road.
¡°Ah, you¡¯re fuckin¡¯ the suspension, tin can.¡±
Humphrey grinned sheepishly.
Even if they lost the stagecoach now, they had saved hours of trekking through the Jungle. Especially if they were meant to be assailed every twenty or so minutes. Instead of being bogged up just outside one of the major cities, they¡¯d be all the way close to the fourth zone. Her brow furrowed.
¡°Anyone know if the fourth area barrier dropped?¡±
They looked at each other, but with shrugs and shaking heads, they had no idea.
¡°Whoever the Architect is, they took someone with them who could create a barrier.¡± Humphrey tapped a finger on his knee. ¡°It is likely any accomplices are still in that area, since the fifth was destroyed.¡±
¡°Then they might have kept it up.¡± She pouted. Eventually, all the gathering forces would push them up against the wall of the area they couldn¡¯t move into. If it had gone and they could continue rushing passed¡ well, it wasn¡¯t as though they could outrun the Architect, unfortunately.
Chuck nudged the Death Knight. ¡°Any closer to knowing what Archie is planning?¡±
¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± He tilted his head from side to side. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. You know how cats are.¡±
¡°I¡ guess?¡± The druid grimaced.
Sally fidgeted. ¡°I can feel the next Invasion coming. Why are they against me? Shouldn¡¯t Monsters be on my side, against Players?¡±
¡°Such a betrayal,¡± Edward said idly, as he stared out the other side of the coach.
¡°Also,¡± she continued, ¡°can we just outrun them?¡±
Humphrey shrugged, pushing the two men sitting next to him against the walls more. ¡°It is possible, but we would be delaying the¡¡± his eyes narrowed at the demon. ¡°We would have to fight them eventually, and it would be better to do so when it is under our control.¡±
¡°True,¡± Dent agreed, while trying to push the Death Knight back away. ¡°Last thing we want is to be fighting Players or worse and have a train of System-created arriving late to the party.¡±
¡°Or worse,¡± she repeated to herself, looking back out of the window but holding onto her staff tighter.
Norah was out of breath. The toes of her bare feet gripping at the armrests of her throne as she stood upon it, her arms extended out and fingers twitching.
Unraveled to the point of being covered by little more than a bikinis worth of bandaging, her deep gray hair covered her face as her head hung low in concentration.
The tomb vibrated again; the wrappings squirming around as if in as much pain as she was.
Small trails of dark blood ran down her arms to gather and patter against the stone floor below her.
¡°Aww,¡± a deep voice boomed from outside. ¡°Why won¡¯t you come out to play?¡±
Another deep vibration shook the air inside the cocoon of bandages, and the Mummy hissed from the pain.
¡°Just a little while¡ longer,¡± she seethed, her yellow eyes aglow, beaming through her hair as she looked down toward the golden-wrapped vampire. ¡°True Monsters never die, they only fade from the memories of the foolish.¡±
She clenched her teeth together as something started to pound on the outside walls.
192 - Flying Coach
Sally rolled to the floor and needle-like shards of chitin stabbed around her, embedding almost a foot deep into the ground. The Invasion had come just as she had expected it - something like a sixth sense warning her just before. Enough time for them to disembark from the stagecoach and wheel it further away.
Chuck, Edward, and Fern remained near it for protection as Jackie pelted the enemy with long streams of bolts from the roof.
Lana seemed to be an odd mix of mid-range fighting. A small crossbow in one hand and a hooked sword in the other. With Dent, Sally, and Humphrey at the front, the clone kept between them and the defending group to ensure nothing started to get ideas.
Not that they could miss the movements of the current foe. Lucius spun a shadowed staff beneath her as she readied her own, looking up to the large figure slowing them down.
Some kind of bipedal porcupine, it was larger than even the plants had been. Singular, thankfully, but it was fast despite its size. Something like this would be a Raid Boss, she assumed, based on no prior knowledge. Despite the blood running down her left shoulder where her shield hadn¡¯t been up quick enough to block one of the long projectiles, she had a wide grin across her face.
This large Monster had a brain.
Debatable, if it was fighting both the Insiders and Outsiders together, but technically, it would have something up in their head. She just needed to get up there once it was on low enough health. This had been proving difficult so far, as it didn¡¯t seem to have an issue battling all three of them in melee. Not only was it a giant of a creature, but it had metal armor across its stomach, a spiked mace and a shield in their hands. Every so often, in between swings, it would shoot out the sharp spines into the air.
[Brain Drain] was still on cooldown, and she didn¡¯t want to lose all her zombies by summoning them around the Monster. They did much better against small groups or weak crowds, so hopefully the next Invasion was something more to their benefit rather than a giant Monster again.
Dent had taken a bit of damage, but was remarkably evasive - she had watched him parry the giant mace of the Raid Boss, where most people would have been flattened. Chuck was keeping him healed and providing the occasional shielding to one of the three in melee range. Although Jackie had been firing at the large creature almost continuously, most bolts had fallen away from the armored parts - only two dozen or so actually finding purchase somewhere that drew blood.
Still, she was used to these sorts of things taking no time at all. Every minute they spent battling this creature was one minute further from Theo, and people could be tracking them down. People were tracking them down.
¡°Grab it, Humps!¡± She ran toward the Monster as it swung the large mace toward the Death Knight.
He dropped his sword and instead caught the metal head that was almost equal in size to the Death Knight. Blue and white light flashed over him as he slid back two feet - and as the porcupine tried to bring the weapon back up, it could not.
Sally leaped into the air and hit [Meat Hook], the spiraling pink line flinging her up onto the extended arm of the Monster. She continued the momentum by running up the arm, [Mortis Bomb] bursting over her staff before being shot off toward the growling face of the Boss.
Spines shot out in reflex. [Escape Fate] moved her away, right onto the long snout of the Monster. The rest was just procedure. Everyone debuffed the opponent, and she stabbed. She grinned. She ate brains.
Sliding down the falling body, her fall was broken by a landing pad made of soft fern and moss. She rolled back up to her feet and bowed low. A few seconds passed, and then up behind the zombie, the Boss began to stand back to its feet.
Sally righted herself. ¡°Back in the vehicle, stop gawking!¡± Turning her head back to the undead porcupine, she gave it the Command to protect the road. The System wasn¡¯t likely to allow her to store something that big away, and she was full already. Slow legs meant they¡¯d soon outpace it - so if it was able to soften up anyone following this route, that would be neat.
Running back to the stagecoach, they filtered and squeezed back in. Lucius popped out of Sally¡¯s shadow and went back up to Jackie¡¯s. With a short pause to light a new cigarette, the mobster gestured for the horses to start dragging them back onto the road. They zoomed past the confused-looking Raid Boss, their arms hanging limply at their side.
Sally hung out of the window and waved bye to them. She then sunk back inside before anyone could chastise her for risking losing her head.
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡°Under different circumstances, this might even be fun.¡± She tilted her head to the rest of the group, who perhaps didn¡¯t share her point of view.
¡°A challenge is good and all,¡± Dent rubbed his chin. ¡°But only if there¡¯s the option to tap out.¡±
Chuck nodded. ¡°There will be a point where we will be outclassed, even if you¡¯re not.¡±
She pouted. ¡°Eh, I¡¯m not sure. There will be a time where the Architect will intervene if I can hold out enough, right?¡±
The druid shrugged. ¡°This is all pretty big and unexpected. Whatever happens, the world is going to be drastically changed.¡±
Sally scrunched her eyes up. There was a connection somewhere¡ even if the Architect was bad news for Uniques and those with bugs and errors, they hadn¡¯t done anything bad toward Players. Whether that was because Players were needed to keep the System going, or the new boss just had better ideas for how to run things¡ it seemed odd.
¡°Dent,¡± she asked, ¡°what defensive options do we have near the area four border?¡±
¡°There¡¯s either a fort inhabited by neutral stone constructs, or a shallow amphitheater type space out in the open.¡±
While a fort might be a traditionally good place to try to defend against unknown Monsters and Players, being trapped in rooms or corridors would be a detriment to them as much as it would for their assailants. The outside area would give them plenty of space for all their skills and to engage threats as they saw fit¡ but they¡¯d also be sitting ducks for certain types of skills.
¡°Ah, let me think on it,¡± she eventually decided. ¡°I much prefer being on the offensive.¡±
¡°That could be an option,¡± Dent tilted his head to the side. ¡°Until we lose the stagecoach.¡±
Walking it wouldn¡¯t work out too well when Players had tracking on them, otherwise it would be ambush time. ¡°Invasions happen at night, Humps?¡±
He nodded slowly. ¡°There is no rest until the Event is complete.¡±
Given that ¡®complete¡¯ meant the Outsiders dying, she wasn¡¯t too keen on that. There went the plan of waiting until night and finding where the Players slept, too. If only the dead could be resurrected, they could just die and then be brought back to complete the Event themselves. Her brow furrowed.
¡°How does the whole soul thing work, Humphrey?¡±
The Death Knight shuffled awkwardly. ¡°How do you mean?¡±
¡°Pretty much the whole process, right? Souls get here, in these bodies, then when people die - where do they go? Is it even a soul thing?¡±
His mouth opened and closed. ¡°I¡¯m unsure what I can tell.¡±
At least four pairs of eyes glared at him, willing for more information. ¡°You know, then?¡± Sally narrowed her eyes.
¡°Not¡ exactly. Even the fully formed Archie does not have the full Architect''s memories, and some part of what you are requesting is part of what the original creator had set up.¡±
Her hand clutched at her staff tighter as her teeth clenched. ¡°So, what do you know?¡±
He sighed and took a few seconds to gather his thoughts. ¡°A soul, as you imagine it, does not exist. There is no ghostly spirit inside you that leaves, or was even brought into this world. It is more of a sequence of data.¡±
¡°Our thoughts, the way our brains work and the like?¡± Her eyes grew tired, but she still glared at him. ¡°So we¡¯re all clones, in a way?¡±
¡°The you from the other world is dead, so it is more a transfer of consciousness.¡± Humphrey had a sheepish look across his skeletal face.
Lana leaned back and closed her eyes. ¡°So, for all intents and purposes, I am the original me. As much as any other Player is.¡±
¡°Then Norah isn¡¯t stopping a soul from floating away, but the data stream that is ¡®Theo¡¯ from what¡ being erased?¡± Sally tapped her foot on the floor.
¡°That is¡ I¡¯m sorry,¡± Humphrey lowered his head. ¡°I do not know what happens after a Player dies.¡±
She wasn¡¯t satisfied with that answer. ¡°Chuck, resurrection magic works here, right?¡±
He nodded. ¡°There are limitations, but yes.¡±
¡°Then there must be some¡ temporary storage of Player data, at the least?¡± She pulled a face. On the surface, it still sounded like it was a soul and they were just arguing semantics. Knowing for sure might guide them into finding a way to¡ do something useful?
¡°At least for a week,¡± the druid unfocused as he brought up his STAR windows. ¡°Under seven days, most of the body present, some material components. Very long cooldown.¡±
She nodded, but didn¡¯t really know what to ask next.
¡°I don¡¯t usually tell people I have it.¡± Chuck looked out of the window. ¡°There¡¯s always more death than chances to use the skill. Lately I¡¯ve been selfish. Saving it for if one of us fell.¡±
It didn¡¯t take much to guess he was talking about Dent. The rest of them were undead or Unique. She couldn¡¯t blame him for it. If she had a special bring-someone-back-to-life skill, she¡¯d only use it for the Outsiders. They¡¯d probably be a lot more reckless if they did, though, not that they currently needed it.
She yawned, the conversation exhausting her emotionally. They still had a little while to go before the next Invasion.
¡°Makin¡¯ good time, boss!¡± Jackie called from above. ¡°Might only be one more Invasion before we get to bats!¡±
With a touch of her STAR, she brought the Map up. The mobster was right. While they could have spent all day getting this far on foot, the stagecoach was making the distance a non-issue, the occasional speed bump of an Invasion notwithstanding. Walking and getting into fights every twenty minutes would have been draining.
She allowed herself a little bit of excitement. Even though she was trying to temper her expectations and know that realistically Theo might not come back with the key, it would be great to see Norah again. She bet the Mummy had been pretty bored just sitting there and watching the dead vampire.
Plus, even if the key didn¡¯t work, Theo¡¯s data might be in the System for a little longer. They could find another way to bring him back, she was almost sure of it.
And if he was dead for good, then she would remember him fondly as she brought the world to its knees.
A crack of thunder sounded out over increasingly darkening skies.
Assuming they all lived that long, of course.
193 - As Foreshadowed
Sally rolled across the rain-slick grass, her shoulder clicking out of place as she landed in a crumbled mess of limbs.
[Living Dead]
¡°Ow,¡± she said through clenched teeth. Just one more Invasion, they had said. They were right, but naturally it couldn''t have been that easy.
She stood to her feet and clicked her back out. Five enemies had popped out of the ground before the stagecoach, and it was only by miracle that Jackie had managed to bring it to a safe stop without ramming into some of the nearby trees. Why she hadn¡¯t gotten the feeling the Invasion was about to happen like last time, she wasn¡¯t sure, but it sure made the start of combat rather awkward.
Both Dent and Edward had almost been crushed to death as soon as the coach emptied. Humphrey became rooted and couldn¡¯t get into melee to draw aggro. Jackie had to hold off on firing so that she didn¡¯t draw the Monsters to herself.
And as for herself. Well, the creatures summoned to best her looked like bipedal rhinos, but their horns and heads were made of metal. Slightly taller than Humphrey, they were quick and strong. Apparently she couldn¡¯t eat their brains, either - something she had just learned the painful way.
Two of them were now dead, and with the Death Knight drawing them in, she raised her staff up and cast [Ruin].
A red circle illuminated around Humphrey, and cracks began to form around the enemies. She had tried not to look at the skill descriptions of the new abilities too much, as they made her feel ill. [Ruin] didn¡¯t affect allies, she knew that much, which made it great for dropping on the big metal man.
Humphrey flashed as he activated his parrying skills, blocking the attacks of the sword strikes and leveraging near-instant critical strikes right back at them. Chuck had cast a spell that slowed their reaction times, so even if they were powerful, they couldn¡¯t react quick enough to prevent the retaliation. She stood back and used [Curse: Drain], occasionally shooting off [Mortis Bomb] when she could.
The extra zombies didn¡¯t do too well, but for the time they were alive they boosted all her undead pals Stats. There was no point getting in the way of the Death Knight in full force, and once Jackie and the others joined in, they made short work of the last three.
Even as the last Monster was still collapsing, she was running back to the stagecoach, followed by everyone else.
¡°Apologies for using my cooldowns so soon,¡± Humphrey said.
¡°Stuff it, pops.¡± She cast [Living Dead] on him. ¡°We got through it a lot quicker.¡±
Doors closed as they were all sardined back inside. The horses struggled for a moment to get the stagecoach out of the ditch they had fallen into, but soon enough, they were back on the road.
After the rocky road, there was the thudding of wooden planks as they crossed a bridge. Rain continued to fall and thunder rolled around the sky. Sally looked at the faces in the coach. They looked tired already. Apprehensive, wet, and weary. Fern looked fine, though. The dryad hadn¡¯t really provided much support during the combat, remaining in the stagecoach defense team - which was fine. She did kinda drag them into this whole ordeal.
¡°Ah,¡± Chuck pulled a face as he stared at his map. ¡°After the bridge¡ I should have guessed where the tomb would be, if I had thought about it.¡±
¡°You did know where we were going, right?¡± She gave him a soft smile. ¡°But thanks for keeping it out of your brain for me. Never know who might be prying.¡±
¡°Haven¡¯t had another dungeon try to snatch you up?¡± Edward asked, raising a tired eyebrow.
¡°Nah.¡± She tilted her head against the side of the coach and felt the vibrations through her skull. ¡°I reckon it was that chap you killed in the eyeball. We didn¡¯t see what his corrupted skill was, and it¡¯d explain part of why they knew we were about to enter.¡±
Humphrey grunted and nodded.
¡°Twelve to fifteen minutes,¡± Chuck said, closing down his Map. ¡°The invasion will come soon after we get there, but there should be enough time to prepare the area, at least.¡±
Sally gave a brief nod, but didn¡¯t say anything further. Now the knot in her stomach was weighing her thoughts down. She felt silly for the worry, but it would be a big change for the gang if they couldn¡¯t bring the goofball back. Exhaling from her nose, she brought up Party Chat. Norah hadn¡¯t sent a message in a while. Hopefully she hadn¡¯t fallen asleep from boredom.
[Sally: on our way.]
[Sally: ten minutes or so x]
Norah couldn¡¯t reply.
Through golden eyes that ran crimson, she saw the messages pop up from the zombie. Perhaps a bit of relief would have sunk through her body, if she could move. Instead, a brief, pained tear dropped from her face to land in the large pool of blood covering the base floor of the tomb.
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¡°I can smell you in there. Can¡¯t wait to grind you beneath my teeth.¡±
The top of the cocoon flexed slightly as the brickwork shifted under the next pounding assault. Although the tomb wasn¡¯t meant to hold up to being under constant siege, she had put her all into keeping it together. Her literal life.
Norah grinned through clenched teeth. How soon the tables would turn. She just had to hold out a little longer.
Bloodied cracks along her skin revealed glowing, radiant light.
Just a little longer.
Sally wrinkled up her face. ¡°So I literally just stab him with it and turn it like I¡¯m unlocking something?¡±
¡°It sounds a bit barbaric, huh?¡± Chuck shrugged. ¡°But it¡¯s like¡ temporal or something, so it won¡¯t damage him.¡±
¡°Just a jump-start then. The whole turning back time thing seems a bit reductive.¡± She looked at the object in her Inventory, but daren¡¯t withdraw it yet in case something happened to it. Something would happen to it, she was sure of it.
Pulling another face, she looked out the opposite window to see the Spire dungeon in the distance past the Jungle. Fern was already looking that way.
¡°Did you want to go home, Fern?¡± She leaned forward to get a proper look at the dryad.
¡°No. I am currently happy.¡± They continued to stare at the dungeon as it slowly left their view.
That was a hard sell, but she took it at face value. Fern wasn¡¯t in the Outsiders and didn¡¯t have any reason to join them on their death-wish journey. They could opt out at any time, well, any of them could really. If Theo hadn¡¯t died, she probably wouldn¡¯t carry these guys along with her, just send them somewhere safe and let the five undead fight until things were done. For better or worse.
But that was the crux of it, really. They wanted to rescue the System from whatever this Architect wanted, run things the way Chuck and the Blue team wanted. In that way, they and hopefully most Uniques were on their side. Players were a harder sell, especially that they now had a homing pointer to come kill the Outsiders - to become immortal.
She tilted her head. ¡°The reward of immortality is pretty transparently ridiculous. Cartoon-villain kinda stuff. How likely is it that I am wrong?¡±
Humphrey tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling and exhaled. ¡°The original intention was that death wasn¡¯t the end. Even in this world, you were supposed to be able to leave. Of course, we know how that has gone.¡±
¡°So there was supposed to be something like Edward¡¯s bug, but without the level loss?¡±
They turned their gazes toward the demon, who just shrugged.
¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± the Death Knight nodded. ¡°Again, not something I have the current details of.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes and looked back out at the miserable weather. They were getting closer now. She could feel it. The pressure of the inevitable point where she¡¯d be sitting there in the rain beside his body, just waiting for it to activate. The not knowing was driving her insane. And then having to deal with an Invasion at the same time, unending waves of¡ she sighed, and the stagecoach lurched onto a muddier path.
¡°Visual!¡± Jackie yelled from up top, soaked from the rain. ¡°There¡¯s contact.¡±
Growling, with eyes burning bright crimson, Sally leaned out of the open window. There it was - the tomb. Currently being assailed by a large figure and surrounded by at least two dozen smaller ones.
¡°Fuck them up, Jackie!¡± She shouted up at the mobster.
Returning to the inside of the coach, she seethed with anger. ¡°Norah is in trouble. Humps I need you on the big guy. Everyone else kill your way through the smaller shits and then help pops. I¡¯m going straight for Theo.¡±
The flames behind Humphrey¡¯s head burst with greater intensity and he clenched his fists tight. Stoicism passed through the rest of them, nods and grunts of approval. The stagecoach rocked as the mobster took it town the embankment, heading straight for the large figure.
[Maximum Firepower]
Jackie revved up the dual repeater-crossbows, beaming out bolts that burned a bright red. The figure turned as the projectiles burst up chunks of damp mud from the ground as they worked their way towards him.
¡°Jump!¡± Sally shouted, and they began to leap out from the coach as it rocketed through the gathered enemies, pulping two of them as it zoomed in a wide arc to start circling the tomb.
She rolled across the wet grass and brought her shield and staff up. The smaller Monsters were pill-shaped. Dark gray with weird faces drawn on them. Humphrey was already aflame and bursting toward the main antagonist, which she frowned at.
A large patchwork teddy-bear, twenty-feet tall, with a wide mouth filled with very real-looking teeth. With mismatched eyes, it looked almost gleeful to be interrupted by the gathered Parties. From her peripheral, she saw the two pulped dolls re-inflate up to being their normal five-foot size.
The combined Outsider and Insider teams worked through the enemy. Hardy and regenerative, but not very offensive at this stage. She didn¡¯t have the brainpower to work through this. Despite being undead, her heart was pounding in her chest.
¡°Norah!¡± she yelled out into the bad weather. ¡°We¡¯re here, open up!¡±
Cracks of golden light started to appear around the brickwork of the tomb as she ran toward it. Even now, she didn¡¯t draw the key, just in case. Nothing left to chance.
[Icon of Eternity]
The tomb exploded in a flash of radiant light, blinding and stunning everyone but one. Sally. From the ruined building, a female figure made of solid gold rose up into the air as bandages swirled around her. Drawing up from inside the tomb, they started to wrap around the golden figure slowly, covering up the shining radiance.
Sally had no time to stop in awe, even if everyone else was dumbstruck. She leaped over some of the ruined brickwork, almost slipping across the wet stone.
There he was. Wrapped in golden bandage, which was odd, but no other thoughts were in her head. Staff sunk into the ground beside her as she hopped up atop him.
Key from her Inventory and into her hand. It was cold, translucent, powerful.
No hesitation, she brought it down into his stomach. It stopped halfway, as though it had fit into something tangible, and she twisted it with a heavy click.
From her hand, the key vanished. Consumed. The attempt made.
As swirls of bandaging slowly dimmed the area around her, she waited.
The rain continued to fall, the sound of it pattering against the stone the only thing audible as the fighters continued to remain stunned. But she waited.
Red eyes wide, she gripped at his shoulders, wanting to shake him and wake him up.
Sally... waited.
194 - Thrice Bitten
The radiant light illuminating the area started to fade as Norah became covered once more. With the number of bandages reducing as they spun back around her body, she sunk down back to the ground. Sally had her hands gripped to the vampire, her unnecessary breath caught in her lungs. Theo also didn¡¯t take a breath, nor did his heart start beating again.
Mostly because he didn¡¯t need to do those things.
¡°Ughh,¡± he groaned. ¡°Who designs something with four charges?¡±
¡°Theo!¡± Sally pulled him up by the golden bandages to give him a hug. ¡°It worked.¡±
[Living Dead]
She let him go so that she could move the bandages to reveal his eyes. Norah settled down softly onto the throne and deflated into it.
¡°Are the bandages necessary?¡± Sally bit her lip as she looked over at the Mummy. ¡°And thank you so much. Also, are you okay?¡±
¡°Can only use that when I¡¯m on less than five percent health,¡± Norah said with an exhausted smile. ¡°A little while longer and I might have just died. Keep the bandages on for now. It¡¯s part of the process.¡±
Sally nodded, confusion in her eyes before she looked down to see all the blood soaked through the broken stone of the tomb. It didn¡¯t really help her confusion, but she realized it might not have been boredom that kept the Mummy from replying.
Before she could say anything, she was lifted up as the vampire stood, carrying her in his arms.
¡°Thanks for bringing me back,¡± Theo said, his smile poking through the dense bandages. ¡°I need to stop dying, huh?¡±
¡°Please.¡± She smiled. ¡°You might want to pop me down for now, though - things are messed up. Like really.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± He placed her down gently and then looked out at the gathered Parties about to fall out of the daze that Norah had placed upon them. ¡°Everyone is here, just as planned.¡±
¡°You¡¯re kind of an ass for doing that in secret.¡± She nudged him. ¡°I forgive you, though. We¡¯ll need to kill this chump before I give you the exposition.¡±
He nodded, his sword drawing into his wrapped hand. ¡°Ah, you didn¡¯t read the bottom part of the letter, right?¡±
¡°Not yet,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes.
Norah cleared her throat. ¡°I did.¡±
The vampire physically winced and turned sheepishly back to the exhausted Mummy. Her attention soon washed away from teasing him as her yellow eyes caught the large shape of Humphrey.
¡°There¡¯s still life in this old gal yet.¡± She smiled and stood. ¡°Only three seconds before they recover. Not enough time for a proper reunion.¡±
Sally looked and nodded toward the vampire. They knew what to do.
And then the ceasefire ended, and after some brief confusion, the battle resumed.
The giant stuffed Monster slammed down onto the Death Knight, but he blocked it with the flat of his greatsword. Edward and Lana slashed through two of the pill-shaped dummies. Jackie had switched to her normal crossbow so as to not pelt everyone with bolts. Chuck supported Dent as he severed through another two of the odd Monsters.
Sally grabbed up her staff, the skull atop it bursting into green flame. Theo¡¯s sword started to glow bright red as he crouched, ready to sprint forward. [Mortis Bomb] went out, and the vampire followed it, striking the first stuffed creature right after the projectile did. As the zombies climbed from the ground, he vanished and appeared by the next Monster to cut them though.
With a grin toward the Mummy, Sally shot off with [Meat Hook] to arrive at the next opponent. The dagger end went into their painted-on face and they started to deflate. They had no brains, which was unfortunate.
¡°Oh, I like that,¡± Theo said with a wide grin as he slid up beside her.
¡°Right? Now I can be both ranged and melee.¡± She gestured to him with her shield, which he took a step back to observe it fully.
He whistled. ¡°I like our logo. Oh, can I get into the Outsiders?¡± He looked around to see who he might be putting out.
¡°No luck, pup. Party System is broken.¡± She flourished her staff and pointed it toward the teddy-bear.
Norah walked up behind them, not engaging in the battle. Her skin looked sore and cracked still, and Sally scowled at the damage she had sustained just by keeping the dumb vampire safe.
The Mummy gestured back. ¡°The little soft Monsters are coming back.¡±
It was true. The first couple they had destroyed had now begun re-inflating.
¡°Must just have to kill the big guy.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s go help pops.¡±
Humphrey was managing to hold his own easily enough. His defenses not taking too much of a beating, yet he had been unable to damage his opponent at the same time. His sword would just bounce or slide off, unable to cut the patchwork pattern of the Monster.
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¡°Maybe I need to find more chewable friends,¡± the creature chuckled to itself.
His wide smile then turned to confusion. Pain flared up his leg, and he looked down to see a small, almost-green woman in a red cloak jabbing him with the end of her staff.
¡°Yes, you look crunchy,¡± he grinned, as he reached his hand down toward her.
A flash of darkness above him and somebody landed on his head. Before he could act, the little green snack shot out a swirling pink beam up to the intruder. She then swung upwards, dragged up his side by the beam and spinning her horrible dagger around inside him along the way.
¡°Nooo!¡± he shouted, a long split running from his knee up to his rib cage before the zombie spun up to his head.
Sally grimaced as she wavered, and the golden-wrapped vampire held out an arm to keep her steady. She had expected the bear to be filled with some kind of fluff or stuffing. But it was just blood and meat. Their skin was just weirdly rubbery, which reminded her of that pigman Unique they had fought in the Wasteland. He had wanted to eat her, too.
¡°You look kindy goofy like that,¡± she raised an eyebrow at Theo. ¡°What you got going on under there?¡±
¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡± he replied.
She couldn¡¯t see his facial expression to judge how he intended that statement. Before she could prod him further, the bear shifted and raised his hands up to grab at them. Stitching worked up his side to repair the gash she had created. This was dragging on longer than she thought - they¡¯d have to contend with another Invasion soon.
¡°What even are you?¡± she growled, stabbing the encroaching hand with the [Skeleton Key].
¡°I¡¯ve come to eat you all for master!¡±
She rolled her eyes. ¡°Let me guess, that is Seven?¡±
¡°Not telling!¡± The other hand grabbed Theo for a second, but almost immediately, the vampire burst out in a flurry of slashes from his black punch-blades. The patchwork fingers of the Monster fell apart, spraying blood and odd chunks of bone down across their head.
Sally was tired of this fight already. ¡°Everything keeps regenerating.¡±
With a shrug, Theo glanced through his STAR menus. ¡°Looks like dying reset all my abilities.¡± The blood around them started to swirl into a spiral before gathering into a dark ball at the tip of his finger.
A grin across his face, the air cooled as he placed his finger at the top of the patchwork leather by his feet. There was a shockwave that cleared the gathered darkness, just as the blast blew a deep hole through the bear¡¯s head, burying straight down to his neck, almost. While the Monster staggered slightly, he didn¡¯t fall.
¡°Gosh.¡± Sally rolled her eyes, before jumping down into the large wound.
A few seconds passed as the vampire watched the head sew itself back up, now with Sally trapped inside.
The Monster grumbled. ¡°Something feels odd.¡±
¡°Now we¡¯ll see who likes being chewed!¡± the muffled voice of the zombie came from within.
Theo hopped down onto the damp grass as the Monster started to thrash around and claw at its own face. Hands in pockets, he walked over to Humphrey.
¡°Theo,¡± the Death Knight said.
¡°Humphrey,¡± the vampire replied.
For a handful of seconds, the pair stared at each other impassively. Then they both moved in and hugged.
¡°You watched over her,¡± Theo said.
¡°I faltered, but together we survived.¡±
They moved away from each other, and both grinned. ¡°You look rather odd bandaged like that,¡± the Death Knight tilted his head.
Norah jostled him from the side. ¡°What does that say about me?¡±
¡°Nothing, ha-ha. It suits you, but I was not expecting a similar look for Theo.¡± He shuffled awkwardly.
Everyone had stopped fighting for the most part. The strange pill-shaped Monsters didn¡¯t really attack back, just regenerated - although now that Sally was doing something to the giant patchwork bear, all the surrounding opponents seemed to be deflating to a degree.
¡°Must be pooled health regeneration or something,¡± Chuck surmised. ¡°Good to have you back, Theo.¡±
The vampire nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve grown. I¡¯m glad that you, Dent, and Jackie are here. Lana and the plant person are a surprise, though.¡±
¡°It¡¯s been quite the day or two of surprises,¡± the druid grinned and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I suppose Sally didn¡¯t have the time to get you up to speed?¡±
Theo shook his head. ¡°Dying took a lot out of me. How long was I out for?¡±
Humphrey looked between the others and furrowed his brow. ¡°Technically, less than a day?¡±
¡°Oh. I thought it would have taken longer.¡± He looked back at the writhing and slightly deflated Monster. ¡°She did say the Party couldn¡¯t be changed. Looks like there wasn¡¯t enough time to win the final battle without me.¡±
¡°Unfortunately.¡± Chuck nodded. ¡°Architect has started a World Event to kill the Outsiders, Players have tracking to their location at all times. Teleportation and Mounts are disabled.¡±
Theo tilted his head and then turned back to the druid. ¡°Oh. Perhaps I can go and lie back in the crypt instead?¡± He grinned, pushing through the wrappings to expose his fangs.
¡°Not only that,¡± Humphrey added, ¡°but there are Invasions of high level Monsters every twenty minutes. We are expecting one imminently.¡±
¡°Out of the frying pan¡¡± the vampire murmured to himself.
Sally cut her way out of the stomach of the near-empty sack that once was the bear and gasped for air. Stumbling out onto the rain-slick grass, she then stopped and threw up.
¡°That¡¯s my gal,¡± Theo said, smiling, as he walked over to her.
¡°Gross.¡± Sally shook her head before standing up to greet him. ¡°If I had known our reunion was going to work, I probably wouldn¡¯t have arrived covered in vomit and gore.¡±
He said nothing, but brought her in for a hug.
¡°It looks as though I left parts of him still inside,¡± she whispered, her eyes going over to the lumpy patchwork bear, ¡°but that¡¯s all vomit, too.¡±
¡°Why was he filled with meat and bones?¡± he whispered back.
¡°Right? I can bear-ly believe it.¡±
Theo sighed and pulled himself away, a smile still on his face. ¡°Thank you for finding a way to bring me back. I wish I could have told you that-¡°
He was silenced as the zombie put a slimy finger on his lips. ¡°Let¡¯s survive the Event, and then you can give me all the mush, okay?¡± As he started to nod, she narrowed her eyes. ¡°And the other stuff.¡±
Humphrey cleared his throat. ¡°We¡¯d best either move to a new area, or get set up here for the next wave.¡±
Sally nodded and prodded the vampire away from her. ¡°Chucky, organize the troops. We¡¯ll take the next Invasion here and then go to the next location.¡±
The druid nodded and immediately delegated the job to Dent, who then turned and started barking orders to everyone. Under the guidance of the swordsman, they started to get into a defensive formation.
¡°Theo?¡±
The vampire turned around to see the demon approaching him. ¡°Edward.¡±
¡°Such a shame you darken our doorstep once more.¡± Edward grinned widely. He gave a brief bow before holding his hand out. ¡°I only wish you could take my place and be more useful.¡±
Theo grinned back and took up the handshake. ¡°You¡¯ve been keeping them safe, so you¡¯ve earned the stay of my blade.¡±
¡°Quit flirting and get ready.¡± Sally stormed in and pushed them apart. ¡°You can be best buds after the world has stopped ending.¡±
As if on cue, a flash of lightning lit up the glum sky. The rolling thunder soon after signaled the rise of darkened shapes coming from the nearby treeline.
Another Invasion to quell, their weapons and spells were drawn at the ready.
195 - Time and Time Again
Cloaked in shadows that obscured their dark metal armor, the only points of light on their new assailants were their singular eyes. Large orbs of pale white light that observed the gathered groups with impassive expressions as they drew nearer. Longswords, spiked maces, and halberds held in their plated hands, all made of black metal.
¡°Cousins of yours, Lucius?¡± Sally raised an eyebrow, but the Shade just shook his head, some slight panic in his emotionless expression.
¡°These are Wraith Knights,¡± Humphrey explained, adjusting his posture into a defensive stance.
¡°Oh,¡± she said. ¡°Like you, but more like a ghost. They¡¯re undead then, right?¡±
¡°Yes, but¡¡± The Death Knight shrugged. ¡°You can try.¡±
Sally strode out in front of the rest of the resistance. They were all primed and ready for the signal. There were¡ eight Monsters. Not terrible odds, but these Invasions were meant to get more difficult as time went on. Now, with Theo on their side, they had a little more power behind them - even if he wasn¡¯t part of the Party at present.
¡°Hey! Kneel down before your undead queen!¡± She placed her staff into the ground and crossed her arms - a difficult thing to do while still holding her shield.
The Wraith Knights paused their advanced and stood regarding her. No response came from them.
¡°Best choose wisely. Otherwise, we¡¯ll do this the hard way.¡± Her grin widened, and her crimson eyes practically glowed through the light rain still pelting the area.
With the sudden pulse of gray energy, the middle Wraith blew a beam of energy toward her from its central eye. The attack burned into the ground, drawing a shallow trench through the mud.
¡°Bad choice,¡± she said from mid air, [Escape Fate] taking her up at an angle toward them. Her own beam of pink energy striking one and zipping her in toward the fray. ¡°Attack!¡± she yelled out.
She spun her staff around as different colored lights bloomed around in the gloom. As she collided with the first one, her dagger impaling through their armor, she spun to block the attack from another. With a sword looming up behind her, Theo slid into position and parried it away from her. Just ahead of them, the wide figure of Humphrey barreled into three of the Wraiths, right as bandages wrapped around their legs, knocking two to the floor.
¡°Reminds me of when we took the Bronze district in the Wastes,¡± Theo said as he deflected another blow before slashing out with his own attacks.
¡°Good memories,¡± Sally agreed. ¡°Our dance of death, the screams of our enemies¡¡± she dodged a mace before blasting the Monster with a [Mortis Bomb]. ¡°Our family all together.¡±
The vampire vanished to appear above his opponent, a third punch-blade of pink energy appearing in the air as he dropped down onto the Wraith. ¡°Now look at the little group we have gathered.¡± He severed the head of the Monster and dropped to the floor, his eyes going over to the gang leveling off spells and attacks towards the melee.
¡°Yep!¡± She slashed the dagger end of her staff, severing off a hand at the wrist, as the pronged end tied up the weapon aimed for her. ¡°Everyone gathered for the end times.¡±
¡°Not sure who the plant person is, though.¡± Theo stepped to the side to avoid the heavy downswing of a two-handed axe as he rubbed at his bandaged head.
¡°They were in the Spire dungeon.¡± Sally¡¯s shadow slashed out, tearing a gash through her opponent''s lower leg and causing them to stumble. ¡°Guardian of one of the higher floors. You didn¡¯t know?¡± As the Wraith dropped, she slammed it with her shield, then twisted round the staff to impale it through the neck.
He shrugged. ¡°All I knew was that the tower was the highest point in the area, so Henkk would be able to find it.¡±
¡°You didn¡¯t even know if I could make it up there?¡± She kicked the Monster over and struck it again in the head.
Theo grinned, his fangs only barely showing through the golden bandages. ¡°You¡¯re Sally Danger, I knew you¡¯d make it to the top.¡±
¡°Aww.¡± She feigned embarrassment. Perhaps he was right, though, even if he was trying to flatter her. Her head tilted to the side as she watched him combat the next Knight. If anyone was going to bash their head against something until they won, then it would be her.
As he flashed around in a blur of pink and crimson, she turned to the rest of the combat. Things had gone their way. A couple of other trenches had scored along the muddy grass, but nobody was too injured. Humphrey and Norah had taken out two, she had taken out three with Theo, Dent had taken one down. The last two were still in combat - but with the assistance of the others in the back, their time was short-lived.
Theo finished off his Wraith and tried to put his hands in his pockets, but the bandages were in the way. ¡°So something like that every twenty minutes?¡±
Stolen novel; please report.
She nodded. ¡°The last ones were a little tougher, but we weren¡¯t as prepared.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°We didn¡¯t have you either, pup.¡±
¡°You want me to stick around?¡±
Sally puckered her lips. ¡°I knew this question would be coming, you ass. Just brought you back from the dead and you want to run off to kill groups of Reds before they can get here, right?¡± She placed her staff into the ground so that she could cross her arms again.
¡°Ah, I¡¯m too predictable now, huh?¡± He shuffled awkwardly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even dead for twenty-four hours.¡±
¡°Yeah, and you¡¯d still be dead if it wasn¡¯t for all these goofballs coming together to help me bring you back.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°I know you like to solve things ahead of time, but I want you here with me. With us all.¡±
Theo tilted his head over to look at all the rest of the gathered group, now done with finishing off the last couple of enemies and regrouping. His face twitched beneath the bandaging.
¡°Look.¡± She stepped up to him and prodded a finger against his chest. ¡°I may have the ambition to take a bite from this world, but you have the practical foresight to meta-game bullshit. Things are going to get rough here, and I need you by my side.¡±
The vampire deflated and gave a reluctant nod. ¡°You¡¯re right, I know.¡±
¡°Otherwise,¡± she continued, ¡°I¡¯m going to ask Norah for your letter and I¡¯ll read the bottom part out to everyone."
He physically recoiled from her words. ¡°Come on, blackmail isn¡¯t necessary.¡±
Sally clicked her fingers before grabbing her staff. ¡°My dear Theo, you forget that I am a villain.¡± With a wide grin, she turned to stride off toward the rest of the Insiders and Outsiders.
Dent rolled out his shoulders and nodded to her as she approached. ¡°Not as bad as the metal rhino Monsters. Perhaps we got lucky.¡±
¡°Or now we are cursed by something,¡± Edward added, idly scowling up at the constant rain.
Chuck rolled his eyes. ¡°More likely, we were better positioned and prepared. Theo¡¯s resurgence is a huge boost to our front line power, and aside from a few beams, the Wraiths were melee focused.¡±
¡°Right.¡± Dent wiped the rain from his forehead. ¡°Now we need to make the decision of where to go before we''re bogged down in even more combat.¡±
¡°What are the options?¡± Theo brought up his map, his eyes frowning beneath the bandages.
¡°Jublia Keep, or the Circle of the Sparse.¡± Dent shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t name them.¡±
The vampire slowly nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve got an even better idea¡¡± he sent the coordinates over to the other Players.
Sally brought it up and tilted her head. ¡°Looks like the middle of nowhere?¡±
Humphrey had already circled behind her to look at the Map over her shoulder. ¡°Hmm. Intriguing. I could not think of a more apt place for us to either fall or rise.¡± He grinned at Theo.
¡°There¡¯s no marker.¡± Chuck frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with the area. What is it?¡±
Theo¡¯s grin was wide, his fangs catching what little light the morning offered. ¡°It¡¯s a graveyard. A big one with lots of mausoleums, crypts, tombs, and the like. Large cathedral at the back.¡±
¡°A bit of all sorts of terrain, then.¡± Dent rubbed his chin. ¡°Not to mention thematically appropriate.¡±
Sally nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the most important bit.¡± She leaned over to ensure the stagecoach was still in one piece - which it was. ¡°Get saddled up, Jackie. Got about a ten-minute ride to our next place of final rest.¡± The mobster shot back a nod and ran over to the vehicle.
Chuck turned his head away, eyes unfocused. ¡°Shit. One of the teams just died.¡±
¡°Southern one,¡± Dent added, before shaking his head.
Sally clenched her jaw and hoped it wasn¡¯t the one with either Rachel or Charlotte in. Seemed silly to be playing favorites now, but perhaps if they came out on top there would be a chance to bring back to life everyone who died today - or even the week, if that was possible.
¡°By foot, that¡¯s still a good eight hours away from the graveyard,¡± Chuck bit his bottom lip. ¡°We can¡¯t assume they don''t have another way of travel, though.¡±
She pulled a face. All these unknowns weren¡¯t too fun. Once again, she preferred being on the offensive rather than defensive. ¡°No point dawdling now. We need to get set up at the ¡®yard before the next Invasion.¡±
The gathered force nodded and grumbled their acknowledgements.
Just before they turned toward the stagecoach, there was a flash of blue light from the side, and they turned.
A robed figure with a high collar, spectral and glowing a bright blue. A skeletal face with a sinister scowl and odd hat atop their head.
[I really need to stop using so much energy, don¡¯t I?]
¡°Architect!¡± Sally growled and her staff burst into bright green. Although they were speaking out-loud, the messages also reflected inside her vision like notifications.
[Now, now. I am currently incorporeal, so don¡¯t waste your energy, bug. I am just here to deliver a short message for the only threat to my ascension.]
The figure hovered around until their eyes focused on Humphrey.
[My most traitorous little pet. Full of old things that need to be erased.]
Shaking his head, some sadness in his empty sockets, the Architect then lifted his hand up toward the Death Knight.
[Goodbye.]
A beam, a couple of inches wide and a foot long, burst from the skeletal hand. Made of pure light blue energy, the very air around it crackled as it shot forth.
Sally turned, the after-image of the beam still in her eyes as she saw that it hadn¡¯t hit Humphrey. Theo stood in front of the plated figure, a burning hole through the golden bandages, right where his heart was. Now there was just a hole straight through his body. The Architect sighed.
[What a waste. Until next time, bugs.]
The illuminating glow of the figure faded away, washed away by the breeze. Sally growled and spun around to the vampire.
¡°Seriously? You¡¯re impossible!¡±
¡°Sally,¡± he said, as blood soaked through the wrappings down his torso. ¡°Hold me close now.¡±
She dropped her weapons and threw herself around him, squeezing him tight against her. ¡°Asshole. Why you gotta do this to a gal?¡±
¡°Just a few seconds longer,¡± he whispered, deflating into her with a long sigh. ¡°Things will be okay.¡±
Sally leaned her head back to look at him, a confused scowl over freshly wet eyeballs. ¡°You¡¯ve got a secret again, haven¡¯t you?¡±
He smiled, despite how tired his eyes looked. ¡°And¡ done.¡± He cupped her ears with his hands and gave her a brief kiss on the forehead before stepping away from her.
She continued to be confused as she saw that the previously golden bandages were now soaked through with crimson, from head to toe. Fragments of glass dropped down from his torso onto the wet grass as the wrappings started to decay and turn to ash, revealing his pristine suit with no sign of the previous wound on him.
¡°Sometimes,¡± he said, taking his crimson glasses from inside his jacket to put back on. ¡°My genius scares even myself.¡±
196 - A Place to Rest
The short coach ride over to the graveyard was rather quiet. Partly due to the apprehension of the struggles that lie ahead and the sudden appearance of the Architect. The fact that he tried to assassinate Humphrey was concerning.
Mostly, however, it was quiet because Sally refused to speak to Theo.
They didn''t have the time to stand around and chat. Not wanting to get caught out in the open or traveling again, they had gone full steam ahead. She had glared at him and told him he had ten minutes to come up with a good excuse for that whole event.
Sally sighed and looked out of the stagecoach window. In truth, she wasn''t that mad at him. Upset that he had almost died again, perhaps. Time had become messy, and she had spent too long sinking into the pit of her feelings. Emotionally spent for the day.
The goof had done it to save Humphrey. Was it necessary? The Death Knight was full of defense and protective skills he could have used, if fast enough. But instead, Theo had offered himself up. It might have even been to show Humphrey that he was forgiven, that the vampire didn''t even hesitate to give up his life for the metal chunk.
She had some idea why. Perhaps. At least, she knew that Norah probably had a decent idea. Once this was all over, she''d really need to find a way to repay the Mummy. Not only had she watched over the dead vampire, but done so almost at the cost of her own life. And it had worked. With the undead not requiring most of their insides to function, turning back time had just wound his soul back inside him instead of having to go through a resurrection that made sense.
Not that it meant that he could survive a blast straight through the heart though - especially as a vampire. Staked through with Architect energy, the vampire almost seemed pleased with the outcome, rather than being a messy pile of bloodied abs in the wet mud.
"I can see it!" Jackie called from up top. "Two minutes!"
Sally wondered why the Architect was so reckless. Already pushing their powers as much as they could, was it important to get the Death Knight killed off as soon as possible? If they knew that he had the full Archie collection that might be the case. She guessed having brains wasn''t a prerequisite to being king of the world - which was a shame for her. Humphrey hadn''t been too clear on what the cat may bring, but it couldn''t be anything good for the new boss if he was eager to off them both.
The stagecoach shifted as it turned off of the main road and onto a rougher gravel path. Leaning out of the window, she could now see the graveyard.
And it was beautiful.
Any grumpiness she still held toward her Party melted away as she was left more breathless than usual. As much as it looked like the biggest cliche going, the graveyard was picture perfect. An eerie mist hung around the dense grays and somber greens of the stone markers in the overgrown grass. Dead trees stood guard between tombs and mausoleum entrances. Shadowed in the distance was the looming cathedral-like structure.
Sally had a difficult time keeping a smile off of her face. It was a good thing the vampire was up top, so that she could regain her composure before giving him a dress down.
She practiced her scowl and just about got it down as the stagecoach pulled up just inside the gates of the graveyard.
"Everybody out," she growled, partly just because she was so excited. "Dent, organize the troops. I just want a quick word with the Outsiders and then we''ll join you."
He nodded in response, his eyes already darting around the scenery before he had exited the vehicle.
Sally gestured with her head to the undead party as they hopped out after her. They all looked rather sheepish, aside from Lucius, who was just perpetually worried.
"Not you, Edward." She sighed and pointed him away.
"Ah," he rolled his bright blue eyes. "You said Outsiders, I thought, and technically..."
Theo started nodding his head before catching the glare of the zombie.
"So help me I will crack your heads together like a pair of badgunk eggs if you don''t stop the shenanigans." She flexed her fingers and watched the demon wander away.
With a deep sigh, she then put her hands on her hips and frowned at them all. As if daring them to speak up. They were silent, and waited for her to ask the questions, which she was more than happy to oblige.
¡°First up. Why are you jumping in front of bullets for a literal tank, fangs?¡± She tilted her head.
Humphrey cleared his throat. ¡°I probably would have died, actually. It was a specific beam designed to be unblockable by any ability, but could disrupt what makes me¡ me.¡±
¡°Like the Observer and Archie bullshit?¡± She crossed her arms, and he just nodded in return. ¡°So the second question is, how did you survive a shot through the heart?¡±
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Norah raised a hand. ¡°That was my fault, hun. While watching Theo in the tomb, I may have messed with his corpse.¡± She blinked her yellow eyes. ¡°That sounded better before I said it.¡±
¡°Messed with how?¡± Any faux anger she had been putting on was slowly eroding, as this was all too much to keep up with.
¡°I moved the position of his heart.¡± The Mummy pulled an awkward face. ¡°Since he doesn¡¯t really use it much, I just shuffled it around and put something else in there.¡±
¡°I thought my chest felt a little weird.¡± Theo nodded along with the explanation.
Sally closed her eyes and took a deep, unnecessary breath. ¡°What did you put in him, and why?¡±
Norah shrugged. ¡°Call it mother¡¯s intuition, but it seemed like a safe place to store those three vials of blood since we weren¡¯t using them at the time.¡±
¡°Like I¡¯m my own inventory space,¡± the vampire said with a wide grin.
The zombie clenched her teeth. ¡°So explain then, Theo. You seemed rather happy and confident about the results.¡±
¡°It¡¯s pretty simple.¡± He clicked his fingers. ¡°The blood didn¡¯t mean much own its own, and I was unlikely to gain much benefit from just drinking it. However, activated with a beam of the Architect''s own power¡¡±
¡°Impressive,¡± Humphrey concluded. ¡°Are you sure that it has taken full effect, though? Clearly, you recovered from the wound.¡±
Theo shrugged. ¡°Want to try killing me and find out?¡±
¡°Enough!¡± Sally stepped over and prodded the vampire. ¡°So what was the ¡®I¡¯m dying again, please hug me¡¯ thing about?¡±
¡°Oh.¡± He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. ¡°I was just setting my respawn point.¡±
¡°I¡¯m your respawn point?¡± While there was a hint of indignation in her tone, that didn¡¯t actually sound so bad. Assuming he could actually come back from death using Edward¡¯s bug, anyway. It would be nice not to have to test that, but in a way, it was comforting to know he had chosen her to come back to. Not that there was any better choice, but she chose to take it as a good thing.
¡°That way I can-¡°
¡°Yeah, yeah. Save the mush for after the apocalypse, please. We¡¯ll even ignore the parts of your story that don¡¯t make any sense. Like you didn¡¯t know you had the vials in you, or that the Architect would strike you there, and what was even with the fancy bandages, Norah?¡± She stomped her foot with impatience, knowing the next Invasion was soon.
Norah shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t actually know. It made Theo¡¯s dead body look nice, though.¡±
¡°Thanks, Norah,¡± he gave her a brief bow. ¡°I appreciate that.¡±
¡°I also couldn¡¯t look you in the face, dead or not, after reading the end of that letter.¡±
Theo pulled a face and turned away from the Mummy, placing a hand over his eyes in shame.
Humphrey narrowed his eye sockets. ¡°Should I be reading this letter?¡±
Sally, Norah, and Theo all turned to say ¡°No!¡± at him in unison.
The zombie sighed once more, but felt content. While they were a constant pain in her backside, these were the Outsiders she knew and loved. What they were all fighting for. She turned her head to see Lucius looking rather out of it. He had been quiet since they had left the site of the last Invasion.
¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°Go see Dent and get your orders sorted out. We are short on time. Lucy, walk with me a second.¡±
They nodded and turned to go and see the swordsman as she gestured for the Shade to follow her through a line of worn gravestones.
¡°Talk with me. You seem a little lost, Lucius. Is it just too many cooks here?¡± She gave him a soft smile.
¡°Not exactly.¡± The Shade looked out into the dense mist of the graveyard. ¡°I am just not sure what my purpose is.¡±
¡°Hmm?¡± Sally stopped and leaned against a large gray plinth. ¡°I think you¡¯ve always been a helper, right? Either through combat, your advice, or with your brain skill.¡±
He tilted his head and put his gloved hands in his pockets. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right.¡±
¡°You helped get pops back too, yeah?¡± She grinned wider. ¡°If anything, Lucy, I¡¯d say you have the biggest heart of us all.¡± And certainly in the right place, unlike Theo¡¯s.
Lucius nodded and thinking emoji appeared beside him. ¡°I think¡ the adventuring life is not for me in the long term. I have a lot of fun with the Outsiders, we are like family¡¡± he looked over at a couple of them in the distance, arguing on where to stand. ¡°But helping people in a non-combat situation sounds less stressful.¡±
She stepped forward and gave him a hug. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re fighting for. I want us to win so that you can have that.¡±
¡°Oh!¡± A shy emoticon beside his head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure how you¡¯d feel if I left¡ especially after not becoming your Bodyguard.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t sweat it.¡± She stepped back from him with a wide grin. ¡°What I want most for you¡ for any of you, is to have a happy and safe life. Acceptance within the world. What you choose to do with that, I support you all the way.¡±
He nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go save the world, Sally.¡±
¡°Heck yeah!¡± She gave him a playful shoulder-push.
The pair walked back over to see Dent and Chuck looking worn out already. She gave them a grin to hopefully energize them. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±
Dent stretched out. ¡°We¡¯re viewing it as three separate zones. We¡¯ll fight in the first and fall back to the one behind as necessary. This first area which is mostly open to start with. Jackie will park the coach at the start of the second area, which is more built up with tombs and crypts. Then if things get real dicey, we¡¯ll fall back to the cathedral at the back.¡±
Chuck nodded. ¡°And if things get bad there, we¡¯ll see you in the afterlife. Not that there probably is one.¡±
¡°Not like I¡¯d go anywhere good if there was,¡± Sally agreed. ¡°Solid plan though. We¡¯re going for the Outsiders up front, Insiders at the back again?¡±
¡°Pretty much.¡± Dent nodded. ¡°Edward, Lana, and myself will be more in the middle to protect the three at the back.¡±
¡°And I¡¯ll switch as required,¡± Lucius added.
Sally turned to look at the entrance. Would be nice if the Monsters came that way and filtered in through the graveyard and didn¡¯t just spawn in behind them.
In saying that, it was odd that there were no System-created Monsters here. There should be hordes already prepped for her to take control and grow an army. Now that she thought about it - the place where Norah had her tomb didn¡¯t fill back up with those Elite Barbarians either.
¡°Has anyone seen any System-created?¡± she asked, raising her voice.
Murmurs and shaken heads - they had not.
How odd. She furrowed her brow in thought. A screeching sound disrupted her thoughts as she turned toward the entrance gates to see them buckle and twist. The shadow of something with more claws than was healthy rose up from the ground, dulling the scenery.
Two large orbs of fiery red opened up and stared down at the gathered resistance. The red dragon opened its long mouth as the two Parties readied up their skills.
[Become Ashes]
197 - Finally
Flame licked at the edge of the graveyard, fighting to take hold of the damp grass still under assault from the inclement weather.
Sally sighed and stretched out, ash falling from her burned and cracked skin. Her fingers twitched as she maintained the grip on her staff, but her shield arm was struggling to hold the defensive item up.
The dragon roared, vibrating the ground around them. Perhaps it served her right for being ahead of the Death Knight. While Humphrey had been able to absorb or deflect most of the fire-breath directed at those behind him, she was closer to the gates. Just her, and Theo.
She turned her head to the side, pain slowly fading as she regenerated some of the damage, to see if the vampire made it out okay. He had. In fact, other than the top half of his suit had burned away to reveal his glistening abs, he looked mostly unharmed.
Funny how he always became such a spectacle.
As the Death Knight launched past her and Jackie spun up the stagecoach crossbows, she popped a Healing Potion and drank it down. A dragon. So far, the Invasion Monsters hadn¡¯t been very edible, but this might be different. Unfair to request dibs on the killing blow, as that might put others at risk. But if she got the chance¡
A flare of light as she sent out [Mortis Bomb]. Her horde wouldn¡¯t do too well against a dragon, so she kept them in the back pocket. Not literally, although she hadn¡¯t questioned how the space she stored them actually worked. Hand extended, she started working [Curse: Decay] on the large opponent. It would be slow, but while her body recovered from the burning, it was helping the others out.
Why Theo¡¯s clothes seemed to burn away but hers remained only singed, she wasn¡¯t sure. Perhaps the vampire had his clothing designed to do just that, a sly gift to her. That was a bit self-abs-orbed though. She grinned.
Theo himself hadn¡¯t begun attacking yet, and she raised an eyebrow at him. Perhaps he was more hurt than he was letting on?
He caught her glance. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m just, uh¡ preparing.¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes. ¡°The rebirth didn¡¯t reset your stuff again, did it?¡±
¡°No.¡± His eyes focused on the large dragon. It might even be slightly bigger than Ruben had been, but this one wasn¡¯t Unique and had no inclination to berate them. ¡°I just¡ when I held you. I felt something.¡±
She snorted. ¡°That¡¯ll be a first, living dead boy.¡±
Theo rolled his eyes. ¡°No, I mean. Your power, it¡¯s not just the cool new shield, right?¡±
Sally beamed and looked over at the dragon. Humphrey had its attention and was holding steady, Lucius providing a second sword to help block attacks. A constant barrage of bolts were mostly bouncing from the tough scales of the Monster, but the occasional one would find a way in between and into the softer flesh. Norah was trying to wrap around a foreleg, while the others were pensive - sending off minor ranged attacks to support the front line.
It felt different from the fight against Ruben. They were slightly stronger now, sure. But even with the Event shadowing them, the stakes didn¡¯t feel so high.
¡°Humphrey said that we''re as strong as Raid bosses now.¡± She tilted her head back toward him. ¡°The event was against the Outsiders, but it also pushed me higher. I¡¯m a World Boss.¡±
Theo whistled and then gave her a low bow. ¡°And here I was thinking you just did something nice with your hair.¡±
¡°Ass.¡± She rolled her eyes, but smiled. ¡°Go flirt with the dragon instead. I¡¯m not wasting my powers on something so beneath me.¡±
¡°Ooh. I just got shivers.¡± The vampire pushed his crimson glasses up and grinned. ¡°Although that might be my state of undress.¡±
Before she could reply, he was off. A blur of pink and red energy as his buffs swirled around him. Black punch-blades appeared on his hands as he vanished into a cloud of dark mist.
Norah stepped up beside her, her hands clutched at the extended bandages that the dragon was trying to escape from. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my deception, hun.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Sally tilted her head, her curse still slowly draining at the Monster. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Rearranging his organs is kinda weird, but I spend half my days throwing up brains or pining after a future that might not be possible, so¡¡±
¡°Things worked out okay¡ but in truth, I was trying to recreate parts of the resurrection ritual that I could remember.¡± Norah looked down at the floor. ¡°After I said his heart was in the right place, it jogged some memories. When I died, they moved my heart and put something in its place until I came back.¡±
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¡°See.¡± Sally smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s slightly less weird than just desecrating his body for fun.¡± Why everyone had to hide these things away from her, she didn¡¯t know. It¡¯s not like she couldn¡¯t be trusted with the truth.
She watched as the vampire dashed his way up the dragon, flickering around with his pink [Novice Strike]. ¡°Thank you, though. You gave it your all, and I appreciate that.¡±
Norah¡¯s face softened, and she gave the zombie a warm smile. ¡°Say nothing of it. I¡¯d die over and over again for any of us. It¡¯s almost a shame things worked out. I was ready to bring the world to its knees in anger with you.¡±
Sally gave her a wink. ¡°There¡¯s always time for that, still.¡± After all, they didn¡¯t know how they¡¯d really get out of this situation.
The curse cut off, signaling that the dragon was below half health. She yawned and sent another [Mortis Bomb] off, although the zombies would only get mushed immediately or be nothing more than a nuisance for their opponent.
What she needed to as a ranged magic attack that did damage based on held weapon. Then she would have a beam attack even better than the Architects one.
¡°You might need to fling me soon,¡± she said to the Mummy. Unlike Ruben, this dragon didn''t have the same amount of self preservation - which made it more difficult as it didn''t have to consider running away or focusing anyone other than the Death Knight.
Humphrey was doing an exemplary job of tanking. He had turned the Monster to the side so any errant flames missed them all, and they were safe from any potential tail swipes. Using his absorption or parrying skills meant that any ability the dragon attempted was mostly thwarted, leaving the rest of the group to level constant attacks against the enemy.
¡°Just say when, hun.¡± Norah smiled. ¡°I''m a little sore, but I can get you most of the way.¡±
That would be perfect, and [Meat Hook] could take her the rest of the way. She turned her head around to the rest of the group.
Chuck and Jackie continued to support from atop the coach. While the druid was casting heals and defensive buffs, the mobster laid out sustained damage with her mounted weaponry. There was the occasional spray of different colored bolts, as she switched between different skills. Fern was watching the rear to make sure nothing came from the cathedral side, while Dent and Edward each had an eye on the dense woods on either side of the graveyard.
Tactics. She grinned to herself. Who''d have thought?
A lot more useful if one of the Invasions was a swarm or something. She was desperate to bring out her horde - the graveyard would be so nice for them. Plus, her level appropriate zombie summoning hadn''t been touched. How unfair that she was made to fight and eat Players, but they found themselves against boring and inedible System-created.
Still, only a matter of time before Seven and the Reds, or maybe an Observer or two, would come knocking. The question was, when would the Architect give up?
She could definitely see the Invasions continuing on and on until her group started to get picked off. Even killing off most of their detractors wouldn''t cause them to be the winners. The Architect just wanted someone else to do the dirty work, and if they were smart, they would just wait out the inevitable.
But they had the cats, a possible ace up their sleeves. The reason they had risked burning up their power to kill the Death Knight off quickly. If Humps knew what he needed to do, then perhaps he was the most important one to save.
Not that she would give up any of them. She watched the dragon writhe around in anger as the vampire continued to draw blood from dozens of wounds. The System-created were getting tougher, but it was hard to contend with what both the Parties brought to the fight. If they had the other three groups of Blue team, they would have an easier time¡ but she wanted them away and safe.
¡°Ready, Sally?¡± Norah¡¯s eyes burned brighter as two more bandages circled out from behind her.
She nodded, and the wrappings whirled around her, drawing her closer to the Mummy. With a grunt, she was launched forward and into the air, spinning a little as the bandages unraveled. Halfway up, she shot out [Meat Hook], latching onto the dragon. Staff spun in her hand as she pointed out like a spear. She rocketed into the side of the Monster, impaling it in the side of their neck, her staff actually embedding way past the dagger.
¡°Darn it,¡± she growled, ¡°it¡¯s stuck now.¡± Sally swung from it, trying to get a purchase with her feet on the large creature. With how the dragon was moving around and trying to dislodge her while batting away the Death Knight, she couldn¡¯t quite get hold of anything.
A flash of dark mist and Theo was above her. ¡°Need a hand, my Queen?¡± He reached down to her, his weapon stowed away.
¡°Dork.¡± She reached up and took it with a smile. Using her staff as a springboard, she jumped up using his help to stand precariously on the back of the head of the dragon.
¡°It¡¯s not quite low health yet,¡± he said with a shrug, helping hold her up so that they didn¡¯t drop down the back of the Monster. ¡°You¡¯re a little early.¡±
¡°Rats.¡± She slid in against him as the dragon tried to turn away from Humphrey. ¡°That means you weren¡¯t doing your job.¡±
Theo shrugged again. ¡°I did die.¡±
¡°Well¡¡± they scrambled up onto the dragon''s head. ¡°If you like being alive, then you¡¯d better step up. I have standards now.¡±
He pouted and gave her a nod, not wanting to argue that point any longer. Punch-blades back onto his hands, they burst into sun-bright light and with a flash he cut a large X along the top of the Monster¡¯s skull.
Sally slipped and fell atop it, a burst of the dragon¡¯s blood spraying all over her. Not the worst thing, and it did get her closer to her goal.
[Eat Brains]
She slid out of the hole carved from her skill, onto an extended bandage that took her safely to the ground. Theo landed beside her as Lucius popped out of Humphrey¡¯s shadow.
¡°Another dragon kill for the Outsiders, huh?¡± She wiped the blood from her mouth. ¡°Now we go in for a hug and fall into a coma again.¡±
¡°Pass,¡± Theo stuck his tongue out. ¡°Thankfully, the System isn¡¯t sending Uniques out against us.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t count your chickens yet.¡± Humphrey rubbed the side of his helmet and looked out at the space beyond the dragon. ¡°We don¡¯t know what could happen.¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes at him. Certainly, he probably knew more than most. They¡¯d just have to keep their position and work through anything foolish enough to come their way.
¡°Anyone smart would wait until we are busy with an Invasion,¡± the vampire said, going through his STAR to fix up his suit.
¡°Well, then¡¡± Sally grinned widely, as the shadow of the zombie dragon rose up behind her. ¡°Perhaps we should start our own Invasion.¡±
198 - Unanswered
Sally watched in awe as the dragon flew up into the air, the large, leathery wings causing gusts of light rain to pelt the area. With little ceremony, it turned and began flying off over the trees.
"You sure?" Theo asked, watching it gradually vanish out of their view.
She pouted, doubting her decision for a moment, before giving him a shrug. "I had a quick fly around on it, which was great fun. We both know if I tried to fly on it in battle, I''d only end up falling off. Plus, dragons are pretty large and unwieldy. I don''t want more of our scenery trampled on." She didn''t mention the part about heights scaring her.
Having the dragon hang around would be a powerful ally. She had spent some time pondering her options. Second best thing was to send it away to hunt down any non-Blue opponents coming this way. At best, the zombie could eat up some stragglers and thin the numbers of their enemies, and at worst, it would still slow down their approach.
Chuck stepped up to them. "Party on the road has reported incoming. Still a few hours away, but moving quicker than expected."
Lucius butted in. "Are they okay?"
The druid nodded. "Took a bit of damage, but they''re alive. Now going to meet up with the northern team. Their safety is more important than what heads up they can give us, I feel."
Sally agreed and told him as such. "It''s fair to say the Reds aren''t playing nice, and we don''t want any more losses." If the Architect just didn''t like the Outsiders, then if they got killed off, then the remaining Players might be able to live on in the world. Even if the System couldn''t abide by Uniques.
Theo looked around, his hands in his pockets. "So, do we just chill out for now until something comes along?"
Sally reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. "I know it''s odd having to sit still for two minutes¡ªtrust me, being defensive grinds my gears too¡ªbut it''s the best chance of not getting caught out."
The vampire squirmed at the thought, but eventually agreed that she was probably right.
"If you want to do something useful," she continued, "you have time to go check out the cathedral."
And he was gone, like an excited child. Lucius seemed to have tagged along as well. "You know..." she clicked her fingers. "If it''s just going to be escalating threats occasionally broken up with quirky banter in the downtime, it might get old real fast."
"We could always try to be quiet for once?" Edward suggested, a wry smile at the edge of his mouth.
Lana rubbed the back of her arm against her forehead. "I was thinking of setting up a campfire and cooking. Some of us eat normal food, right?"
"Mostly the souls of the innocent." The demon rolled his eyes. "But you can''t beat a good stew, either."
The rest of the Insiders murmured their intention to consume normal food, which left Sally feeling a little left out. While she could no longer eat or enjoy normal food, there was a part of her old self that missed it. If Chuck couldn''t turn her normal after he became the Architect, then hopefully he could at least expand her dietary options. That must be the plan if he wanted no Player vs Player combat.
"You feeling okay, hun?" Norah walked over to her and started to adjust her hair again - the bandages having now come loose after all the fighting.
"Yeah. Well, I feel like there''s no driving conflict for this downtime. A new Invasion will come soon, but it''ll probably be rather easy. Then we''ll repeat until when?"
"Worried about Observers or Seven?"
Sally sighed. "Not even that. I''m worried about after that. This can''t go on forever, so how can we stop the event?"
Edward pulled a face. "They didn''t really give us win condition."
"It''s possible..." Humphrey began, "that eventually the Invasions would take up too many resources or meet a condition where if a player hasn''t interacted with the event for a certain amount of time, it would cancel. This is speculation, of course."
"So just kill and eat until we get what we want." Sally sighed. "Nothing truly changes, huh?"
There was a loud groan as Theo opened the large wooden door of the cathedral.
Lucius popped out of the vampire''s shadow, a sweat drop beside his head. "That''s pretty spooky, huh?"
Theo raised an eyebrow. "Aren''t you ghost-adjacent?"
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"It''s more nuanced than that." The shade crossed his arms. "I''m sure ghosts can get scared, too."
With a nod, the vampire accepted the point. Hands back into his pockets, he stepped into the large main room of the building.
The air was slightly cooler in here, and the dim light coming in through the large stained glass windows did nothing but highlight how dusty and abandoned everything looked. Two rows of pews took up most of the floor space, aimed straight toward a tall stone statue that sat just behind a lecturn.
"Odd that the graveyard is so empty," Theo thought out loud, his voice slightly echoing around the space.
"Not even a single System-created zombie or skeleton," Lucius added, but much quieter, lest they disturb something.
Theo grinned, the light slightly catching his fangs. "Oh, I''m sure Sally can fill the place with the dead relatively quickly."
The Shade cupped his misty chin. "How do you keep doing that?"
"Hmm, the fangs thing? A lot of practice in the mirror after I first turned, and then situational awareness of where light sources are coming from. You''ll notice I tend to lift my chin up slightly on occasion."
"Huh, you really do think of everything, don''t you?" The Shade looked down at the dusty wooden pews as they passed down the center.
"No, but I fudge the numbers enough to where I can fake it." He stopped and looked up, taking the peaked ceiling and the gothic carvings hidden by shadow. "I don''t wish for hardship on anyone, but this world... It''s always been a comfortable fit for my personality. Perhaps I can say that because I came out on top, and not at the wrong end of someone''s sword." He shrugged and leaned against one of the pews. "Or stomach."
Lucius looked around. "You were a normal Player when you met Sally, right? You didn''t kill each other because you''d met in your previous world?"
Theo ran his tongue across his teeth. "Can you keep a secret?"
The Shade nodded eagerly.
"In the old world, I had seen Sally around our town a few times, going back and forth to the diner where she worked. I had a big crush on her." The vampire smiled as he looked up at the dimly lit stained glass windows. "Eventually, I gathered the courage to go into the diner.¡±
Lucius crossed his arms. ¡°Bothering a lady whilst they¡¯re working isn¡¯t romantic, you know?¡±
¡°Yeah, I know. I wasn¡¯t going to¡¡± Theo wrinkled up his face. ¡°I just wanted to see what she was like, base my infatuation on more than just the fact that she was cute.¡± The vampire pushed himself back up and started toward the end of the cathedral again. ¡°Of course, when I stepped inside, I totally lost my nerve. She was busy with another customer, so I just went and sat down. Didn¡¯t even order.¡±
The Shade followed along, but didn¡¯t interrupt the story.
¡°Clocked the character sheet on the counter as I passed. We had some things in common. Realized that not ordering anything and just sitting awkwardly was pretty creepy, so gathered myself together to leave. Paid for a meal I never asked for and brought up our shared interest.¡±
Theo stopped as they reached the front and looked up at the statue. Rather sinister in the dim light, the head was obscured by shadows. A robed figure that held a sword in one hand, with a shield at their side.
¡°I couldn¡¯t tell if she was actually interested, or I had blown it with her,¡± he continued. ¡°Somehow I had put on an awkward confidence when talking with her, but as soon as I left the diner, I pretty much collapsed into a pile of mush.¡± He tilted his head and smile. ¡°Of course, then we got brought here.¡±
Lucius ran a gloved finger through the dust on the lecturn. ¡°I can see why you¡¯d think you were the main character. Got the girl and became the all powerful vampire.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± The vampire shrugged. ¡°It was nice being the knight in shining armor for her for a bit. Seeing her now though¡ I¡¯m just really proud. She knows how to drive actual change and cares a lot for people, whereas I just play the System to the extent of the current rules.¡±
¡°You¡¯re relatively reasonable when you¡¯re not brooding or on a warpath.¡± A smiling face appeared beside the head of Lucius.
¡°Knowing you¡¯re going to die puts a bit of a strain on the senses.¡± Theo grinned. ¡°I feel a lot calmer now. That said - I love Sally and would die a dozen times over for her, assuming the stolen blood works. Otherwise, just once, I guess?¡± He turned and started to stroll around the back of the statue.
¡°Romantic.¡± The Shade turned back to the cracked doorway at the start of the cathedral. Almost time to go back, he reckoned. ¡°Theo¡ what was it like to be¡ dead?¡±
Theo circled around the other side of the stone plinth the statue stood upon, now with a wooden case in his hands. ¡°Honestly? It felt as though there was no time between getting stabbed through the heart and waking up in the tomb. Like a brief sleep where I didn¡¯t dream.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± Lucius cupped his misty chin in thought as they started to walk back to the others. ¡°Did Sally tell you I used my System disbelief powers on her?¡±
¡°No?¡± he raised an eyebrow. ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem drastically different, so that¡¯s a good sign. Who asked her three questions?¡±
¡°Me, Humphrey, and¡ Edward.¡±
Theo¡¯s eyes glowed a bright crimson. ¡°And what did the demon ask her? I''ll trade you a secret for the information¡"
Sally practiced twirling around her staff. The stew smelled¡ okay. Normally, that kind of thing should poke at her stomach, but it hardly even registered as food to her senses. There were only so much brains she could eat, even if they were slightly different flavors. Back at the start, she had eaten more than just the special thinking parts, so perhaps she should try chomping on the next meaty morsel that turned up.
¡°Oh, hey Theo,¡± she turned to see him and Lucius arriving back from their little trip. ¡°Find anything?¡±
¡°I certainly did.¡± The vampire gave the Shade a hearty pat on the back before he turned his glare over to the group gathered around the cooking pot. After clocking Edward, he tilted his head back to Sally. ¡°Found a special box. No Monsters or anything, though.¡±
¡°What¡¯s in the box?¡± she asked, with her arms extended out to receive it as the vampire walked forward. Lucius remained in place, almost statuesque.
¡°Hopefully nothing time consuming,¡± Theo said with a smile. ¡°We have a couple of minutes, right?¡±
She nodded and received the box. It was relatively plain in design. A light colored wood with steel framing and¡ the design printed on it was familiar. ¡°Aw no,¡± she said, and pouted. ¡°This is a chance box. Feels like forever since I saw one in person. It reminds me of when I first started out in Hillan.¡±
¡°What a callback,¡± Theo said, putting his hands in his pockets. ¡°Now look how far you¡¯ve come.¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°You planted this here, didn¡¯t you? Ass. You¡¯re just a big softy.¡± She stepped forward and gave him a tight hug.
¡°What can I say?¡± he said quietly, his crimson eyes moving back over toward Edward. ¡°I don¡¯t like leaving anything to chance.¡±
199 - Second Breakfast
Sally ran her finger along the edge of the box before putting it away in her Inventory. "I''m going to keep that as a memento, pup, if that''s okay?"
"Of course." Theo nodded and pushed his glasses up. "You already have two legendary items. I doubt it would give you anything more than a basic dagger."
"My favorite." She prodded him on the chest and smiled. "I''m going to ask Chuck something. Bad guys imminent, so keep those eyes out."
Theo smiled and watched her walk away, before turning his gaze to the Shade standing at the side with his arms crossed.
"You just pulled that from your Inventory, didn''t you?"
The vampire shrugged. "The value isn''t in the rarity, but-"
"Yeah, yeah." A waving hand appeared beside Lucius. "I know how gifting works. It was very sweet. I meant more... why you give the appearance of finding it in the cathedral to me?"
"Oh." Theo turned and started to walk toward the graveyard gates. "Survive the day, and I might tell you."
Lucius sighed, and his crimson eyes turned into a scowl. He walked over to Humphrey, who appeared to be sitting cross-legged on the ground meditating. Norah was resting against a tombstone nearby, inspecting her nails.
"Is pops trying to communicate with Archie?" he asked, stepping over beside her.
"Perhaps, hun." The Mummy turned her tired yellow eyes toward the Death Knight. "Or he is just trying to avoid small talk."
"Ah." Lucius looked over at the campfire. Sally was talking with the druid and Fern, while the others were packing things away. He winced slightly as he felt Norah''s hand press softly atop his head.
"You are worried about more than just the looming battles, aren''t you, Lucy?"
He deflated and turned back to her. "And I''m supposed to be the empathetic one." A smiling face appeared beside his head.
"Mummy knows best." She gave him a soft smile. "My ears are uncovered if you need to borrow one." She made a show of pushing back her bandages so that both her ears were free.
¡°It¡¯s just¡¡± he shuffled around awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯ve never had to deal with loss before. Never cared about anyone enough to where it was a thing¡ and with Theo, I put all my energy into getting pops back so that I didn¡¯t have to think about it.¡±
The Death Knight fidgeted in place, but didn¡¯t act like he was paying attention. It was hard to tell because he had no eyes to keep closed.
"Isn''t that wonderful, though?" Norah crossed her arms and look out at the gathered groups. "We are not alone anymore. Death may come for us, but it is the strength of standing together and how we fight against it that makes our lives so bright."
Lucius tilted his head from side to side, but wasn''t entirely convinced.
"Honestly, hun, I''m not the best person to advise." She gave him a sad smile. "If Theo was really gone, I would have turned to anger and violence. Grief and sadness are valid and healthy after loss. Do not fear those emotions. Destruction is... Well, just try to be true to yourself, okay?"
The Mummy gave him a pat on the shoulder as she moved away, stepping over to the patiently quiet Death Knight and putting her hand on the front of his helmet that wasn''t burning.
"Come on, big guy. Let''s go show these kids how it''s done."
Lucius watched Humphrey sigh and get up, and the pair walked over closer to the front line. While he was deep in thought, Sally came up next to him.
"All good, Lucy? I''m getting anxious about these battles. Chuck thinks the Event ends after twenty-four hours, but I think he is saying that to give me hope." She pulled a face toward the druid, who wasn''t paying attention.
"You don''t have any hope?"
"I''m not hopeless. Although I have been called that by at least a dozen people." She grinned at him. "I just know that some of this is out of my control - and I hate that. We''ve always been the ones pushing forward to take a bite out of the future, but now it feels like we are just waiting around and languishing."
Lucius nodded slowly. "I understand. We need to take back control so our destiny is in our own hands. At least then if we fall, it can be on our own terms."
Sally furrowed her brow. "Sounds like you''ve been doing too much thinking. Theo got you all brooding too now?"
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The Shade shook his head and went to speak - but everyone now turned toward the entrance to the graveyard, all able to feel the building presence of the Invasion about to occur.
"Alright, party time." Sally worked her shoulders out. "I have a bet with Jackie that these ones will have brains I can eat."
She strode forward, spinning her staff around, as everybody started getting into positions and preparing their buffs. Her feet paused, and she looked over her shoulder at the pensive Outsider. "You coming, Lucy? We can''t do this without you."
The road leading up to the graveyard became silhouetted with figures that strode towards the group of eleven. Sally narrowed her eyes to try to pick out what they were, and as they filtered in from the gloom and closer to their combat arena, a wide grin crossed her face.
"I win!" she called back to Jackie.
Familiar figures decked out in rough leathers and furs, their tanned bodies muscular where they weren''t covered. Held in their hands were weapons that glowed slightly. These were the same elite barbarians that they had been trying to grind on before - and more importantly, they had brains.
Theo stepped up beside her. "They shouldn''t be too difficult, but there are quite a few of them. All at once."
"Tell me," she asked, brandishing her staff forward, "what do your vampiric eyes see? "
"Approximately thirty-six, although there may be more out of view," he replied immediately.
"Thirty-seven then," she said with a grin.
¡°Ugh, that¡¯s not going to be a thing now, is it?¡± The vampire deflated as he withdrew his sword at the ready.
[Ruin]
From the end of her staff she cast one of her World Boss abilities, splitting the larger attack into three small circles of red light - set beside each other to create a wall over the ruined entrance to the graveyard. If Humphrey could hold and fight them in there, they would be substantially weakened.
¡°Serves you right.¡±She shrugged. ¡°For holding too many secrets and for losing the duel.¡± Sally stuck her tongue out at him as he went to disagree. ¡°Now be a good pup and go kill things for your Queen.¡±
Her grin widened as he stood up straight before bowing. There was the hint of a smile at the edges of his mouth before he then turned and burst forward at the oncoming horde.
A crackle in the atmosphere drew her attention to behind, where Chuck held a roving circle of lightning. With a gesture of his outstretched hand, it zipped past everyone to strike amongst the barbarians. The blue light arced through a large swathe of them, damaging them further as they struggled to get through the red circles of pain.
The druid tilted his head side to side as he watched Lucius shadow Sally and then the pair swung themselves into the melee using her tethering skill. ¡°Been a while since I used that,¡± he murmured to himself.
Dent grunted and continued to pace back and forth.
Chuck rolled his eyes. ¡°Is the greatest swordsman in the System envious of those able to go punch Monsters in the face?¡±
¡°Not envious,¡± the reply came as he stopped moving. ¡°I just don¡¯t think I¡¯m being utilized well.¡±
¡°Keeping me safe isn¡¯t good enough for you?¡± The druid raised an eyebrow and smiled.
Before Dent could reply, the dryad poked their head down from the stagecoach. ¡°I may be able to assist with your quarrel.¡± They dropped down onto the soft mud and made the movements as if they had taken a long sigh.
The pair gave Fern a little space and watched as their roots began to grow down from their legs to sink into the ground. They crossed their arms and tilted their impassive head to the side. ¡°I can now communicate with the surrounding forest. The trees will tell me if anyone approaches from either side.¡±
¡°Perfect,¡± Edward called from the side. ¡°Then I can watch our backs.¡± A wide grin was illuminated by his glowing blue eyes.
Chuck sighed. ¡°Fine. Jackie can defend us pretty well enough. If I die though¡¡±
¡°That¡¯s simple...¡± Dent limbered up his legs as a blue sheen ran down his arm-blade. ¡°Just don¡¯t die.¡± He sprinted off toward the fight, leaving the druid to roll his eyes.
Norah hummed to herself as the blur of the swordsman flashed past her. She¡¯d much rather be fighting adventurers, but this wasn¡¯t too bad so far. Her bandages intertwined and encircled one of the barbarians. With a short struggle, they then twisted and snapped their neck. As a handful of Monsters began to exit the right circle of red, she brought up a dozen-foot tall pyramid in front of them to knock them back into it.
Humphrey spun around as the pyramid vanished away, his greatsword a blazing blue with [Decimate] cleaved through a handful of the Monsters. Two fell, and blood sprayed across the already damp ground. Despite struggling against just one of these Elites the previous day, they were able to stand their ground this time around. Aided in part by Sally¡¯s new aura and Boss abilities, they were punching well above their weight once again. It was enough to make him grin, so he did.
Sally wiped her mouth as the empty shell of the System-created dropped to the ground. Time to start gathering temporary Stat boosts and chew through the fresh buffet. Theo burst past, slashing out through the neck of one enemy as he continued on to the left group. The warm arterial blood sprayed across her, and she grinned. There was plenty of hardship to come - she was sure of it.
But for now, while they were on top - she¡¯d enjoy it.
Before she knew it, the Invasion was dead. Minimal injuries, but nothing [Living Dead] couldn¡¯t fix. The mood of the group was on the up, despite the odds.
Chuck narrowed his eyes, unfocused, as he looked at his System windows. ¡°Huh,¡± he pulled a face as everyone gathered up. ¡°I¡¯m getting reports in from both the Forest and the Wastes. Players are grouping up with the Uniques to take down the Observer threats.¡±
Sally whistled. ¡°Really? That¡¯s¡ amazing!¡± That just went to show that all that work she had put in to fixing the System was worth it.
He nodded. ¡°Even the remaining Blues have said they came across another Party of Uniques.¡±
¡°Are they on target still?¡± Dent asked.
The druid nodded.
¡°On target for what?¡± Sally narrowed her eyes. ¡°What were we all supposed to learn about secrets recently?¡±
Chuck grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll send you via message. We don¡¯t know if we¡¯re being watched.¡±
She nodded and brought up the Chat window. While he hadn¡¯t gone as far as to say that one of the two groups could be a double agent, it probably wasn¡¯t the worst idea to be cautious. She trusted the undead, and Chuck as much as possible¡ but - no, she shouldn¡¯t let those thoughts cloud her mind.
[Chuck: they are on their way to destroy Red base.]
[Chuck: assuming Seven is on their way to us.]
[Sally: neat]
¡°Neat,¡± she said out loud. That made some sense, although relying on an assumption was never a good idea. She imagined they¡¯d stay safe though and wondered what Uniques they had with them now.
¡°Caution,¡± Fern stated calmly, interrupting her thoughts. ¡°Something approaches through the eastern forest.¡±
200 - A Flag Raised
Sally narrowed her eyes at the dark woods to the side. There was nothing that overly gave away an imminent threat. With an eyebrow raised to the impassive dryad, she licked her lips. ¡°Any more details you can provide?¡±
Fern nodded slowly. ¡°The trees there are not happy.¡±
¡°Okay.¡± She blinked. ¡°Are you communicating with them, or is it like a vibe check?¡±
¡°The trees are not able to speak or think like you and I,¡± the dryad hissed a dry laugh. ¡°They produce signals in reaction to stimuli. At best, I can gather the forces drawing near are ten to fifteen minutes away, and number between four and twenty.¡±
Chuck grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s a wide range.¡±
Sally sighed as Fern just shrugged in response. She considered asking the druid to talk to the trees as well, but he would have already if that was something he was capable of. ¡°Thanks, Fern.¡± She turned and rubbed at her eyes. Corrupt Players or Reds made the most sense, and they were timing their arrival for when the gang would be busy with the next Invasion. They had gotten here a lot quicker than expected.
¡°I know you¡¯re going to say no, but¡¡± Theo stood beside her and grinned.
She scowled at him. ¡°You dare? How could you suggest that when you don¡¯t know if it works?¡±
He pouted like a scolded puppy.
¡°Ugh, fine!¡± She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him in for a kiss, then pulled a face as they parted. ¡°Blegh, I forgot how disgusting that is. We¡¯ll fix that in post.¡± Sighing, she let go of him. ¡°If you die for real again, I¡¯m not bringing your useless ass back.¡±
¡°You will.¡± He grinned. ¡°This isn¡¯t just me getting itchy feet. You¡¯ll have to believe in the me that believes I¡¯ll come back.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± She waved him off. ¡°Died so many times and still full of hubris. Go now, before I change my mind.¡±
Theo nodded, and with hands in pockets, he turned to stroll toward the woods. The mood in the camp was closer to Sally¡¯s thoughts, and Humphrey especially had his eye sockets narrowed at the vampire.
He stopped after passing Edward. Into his hand popped his Demonkiller sword, which he placed into the soft mud. ¡°I know what you asked Sally,¡± Theo said in a hushed tone, before carrying on into the woods.
Edward blinked slowly, his blue eyes looking down at the placed blade, but otherwise remaining statuesque.
Sally clicked her fingers once Theo was out of view. ¡°I¡¯m actually just mad because I¡¯m jealous. Standing around defending is boring as heck.¡±
Norah wiped some dirt from her hands. ¡°You want us to go take the fight to those in the woods, hun?¡±
The zombie rolled her tongue around in her mouth. Tough question. She shook her head. ¡°Let Theo have his fun. Either he kills them, or we get some better intel on who they are.¡±
¡°Or he dies again,¡± Humphrey said, shaking his head.
¡°Ah.¡± Sally grinned. ¡°How likely do you think that really is?¡±
The Death Knight shrugged. ¡°Fifty-fifty.¡±
While he was technically correct, she didn¡¯t believe it was close to that dire. The times that the vampire had died were always oddities rather than him biting off more than his fangs could chew. Selecting an undead class while he was still human was an easy mistake to make and partly the System''s fault. Being held somewhere outside the normal world by Archie was hardly a proper death, even if he did get reset. The fight with Humphrey only went that way because he allowed himself to be sloppy and not hurt the tin can.
It was mostly the question of how far he was willing to believe that the blood had taken effect. He certainly recovered health quicker than usual, even being outside the Party. Theo had even been convinced that he had set her as his respawn point¡ but did that meant the process would succeed? He wanted to find out, and she was sure they¡¯d all know in short order.
With a shrug, she focused on what she could get stuck into. ¡°Jackie, move the coach around so you have an angle on both the gates and that side of the woods.¡±
¡°Sure thing, boss.¡± The mobster crouched down at the edge of the roof. ¡°Hey, Chucky, I need your plant magic up here once I¡¯m all situated.¡±
Sally drummed her fingers on her staff. Something felt off. Maybe it was the next Invasion preparing to darken their already gloomy doorstep. The brains she ate might have not settled well. She cast an eye over to the handful of zombie barbarians. It could just be the fact that Theo was off having fun and she had to stay put.
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She turned to see the vampire¡¯s sword in the ground beside Edward. The demon was deep in thought, which she felt was an invitation for her to go and interrupt.
¡°Hey Ed,¡± she sauntered over to him, and he startled from whatever was on his mind. ¡°Feeling bored guarding the back?¡±
¡°Ah, no.¡± He gave a sheepish smile. ¡°In truth, I wouldn¡¯t be here if I could help it. Theo is obviously a proper Outsider.¡±
¡°Nonsense, you paid your dues. You might not be part of the main team, but you¡¯re still one of us. We couldn¡¯t have defeated Ruben without you.¡± She grinned.
¡°Alright.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°No need to butter me up. I¡¯m not built for this sort of combat, however.¡±
Sally nodded. ¡°I know. Did Theo leave his sword with you for a reason?¡±
¡°No.¡± The demon returned a blank gaze, which the zombie held for a few seconds.
Humphrey looked away from the pair talking and leaned past Norah to level a gaze at Lucius. ¡°You told him, didn¡¯t you?¡±
¡°What!¡± A sweat-drop ran beside his head. ¡°Told who, what?¡±
The Death Knight narrowed his eye sockets at the Shade.
¡°Something I should know?¡± Norah asked.
Humphrey deflated and looked back over at the zombie and demon staring at each other. ¡°Sally let Lucius do the mind wipe thing, and the three of us got to ask her questions.¡±
Lucius nodded. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± His crimson eyes went up to Edward and the planted sword. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡±
The Mummy tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to know anymore, but I take it Edward asked something weird that has gotten Theo¡¯s feathers rustled?¡±
Sally blinked. ¡°Well¡ good chat¡ Edward.¡± The demon continued to look at her with a blank expression as she slowly turned and walked away.
Chuck grunted as he tightened the last vine. ¡°It¡¯s¡ not a permanent solution, of course.¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Jackie took a drag of her cigarette and smiled. ¡°I know, but ol¡¯ Betty was feeling left out, and some of my skills don¡¯t work with the coach ¡®bows.¡± She ran her long fingers down the dark metal of her normal weapon, where it was now affixed between the two larger mounted ones atop the stagecoach.
The druid gave her a nod and hopped down, vines catching him and softening his fall to the ground where the vehicle now sat. ¡°Everything okay, Lana?¡± He turned to see that she was sitting in the open doorway of the stagecoach.
¡°Mixed bag,¡± she said, a glum smile on her face. ¡°I accept who I am. My peers accept me for who I am. There are friends around me who aren¡¯t just evil versions of myself. But¡ I feel like I¡¯m in over my head.¡±
Chuck grinned. ¡°Welcome to the club.¡±
¡°Psh. You¡¯re the leader of the ¡®Blue faction¡¯, have command over Guilds and Parties. Probably one of the most powerful Players going.¡±
The druid leaned on his staff. ¡°I spent most of my time in the Forest area doing all the non-combat Quests after ditching Sally and her group.¡± He smiled softly. ¡°It¡¯s funny how different she is compared to the old world. The zombie part switched off her awkwardness and self-doubt. My excuse for leaving them was due to the violence and Player-killing.¡±
¡°Just an excuse?¡± Lana brushed some curled hair from her face.
¡°Well, that was an issue. I had an odd time getting placed in this world, too. Awoke in a pile of corpses a while after the first wave. Eating people aside, Sally is just very¡ full-on. Like she is overcompensating for being a Monster by trying to fix the System. But it¡¯s all in earnest. A hero for some, and a villain to others.¡±
The clone smiled and looked over to where the zombie seemed to be browbeating the rest of her team about something. ¡°You¡¯re saying, with her there is a chance?¡±
¡°A chance.¡± Chuck followed her gaze back to Sally and the others as he repeated the phrase. ¡°Perhaps the best and only one we¡¯ll really get.¡±
¡°And third and finally,¡± Sally wagged her finger at the group. ¡°No showboating. Absolutely none. Unless it would be super cool. Am I understood?¡±
They nodded.
It was tough being stern with the Outsiders. Despite the fact they¡¯d gladly sass her or wind her up at any given chance normally, once she put her bossy voice to use, they all acted like children with their hands caught in the brain jar. Cookie jar.
She sighed and spun the staff around, inadvertently splattering some mud onto the Death Knight¡¯s legs. Theo should have found the enemy by now and was either fighting or dying. Or just watching them. With a pout, she turned away from the Outsiders and walked back over to Fern. Lots of standing around and talking lately. The eye of the storm, no doubt.
¡°Hey Fern, you still got your feelers in the forest?¡±
¡°The intruders have stopped.¡± They looked up at the zombie with the blank slits that were probably the dryad¡¯s eyes.
¡°Stopped dead, or paused¡ you can¡¯t sense Theo?¡± She grimaced.
Fern tilted their head as if listening more intently. ¡°I can give no further clarification. If it is any consolation, I did not sense the blood drinker when he entered the woods.¡±
Sally stretched out her back. That was a little better, she supposed. Somehow, he could move undetected - either soft footsteps or some other vampire ability. She knew better than to expect the best, even if she hoped for it.
¡°About five minutes,¡± Dent called out to them all. ¡°Start getting into position!¡±
She yawned. What a day it had been already. There was the same kind of feeling she had when they had set off against Ruben. Unprepared, to a degree, but willing to put themselves through constant conflict to reach their goal.
And their goal today? Survive and ensure there was another day where the Outsiders lived, and the System was better.
Was it likely? She gave a nod to Fern and walked over to where Humphrey was positioning himself. Anything was possible. The odds were once again stacked against them. Getting through an unknown number of Invasions would be enough of a test, without having to worry about all the Players that might want to try their luck against her group.
The group in the woods was too small. With how powerful everyone was now, nothing short of a Raid of Players could threaten their position. It was something that gave her a little comfort, even though it meant more danger was headed their way.
She smiled at the Death Knight, before her eyes went back over to the woods.
Two small orbs of bright crimson bobbed amongst the gloom, slowly getting closer.
Appearing back into the graveyard, Theo was soaked through with blood. Hands in his pockets, he hopped over the fence, an impassive expression beneath the gore plastered around his mouth.
¡°Oh,¡± he said, as everyone turned toward him. ¡°Did you miss me?¡±
201 - Tough and Tougher
The vampire stretched his arms out and sat down on the edge of a tombstone. ¡°It was a small group, five Reds. Very red now, hah.¡± He pulled a face, seeing that his audience wasn¡¯t too receptive.
¡°Scouts?¡± Sally asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
Theo tilted his head from side to side. ¡°Hmm. No. Our enemies are often foolish and overconfident, but they wouldn¡¯t send a small group like that, knowing what we were capable of.¡±
She shrugged. ¡°How do they really know what we¡¯re capable of?¡±
With a humorless grin, the vampire tilted his head toward Chuck. ¡°Forgot something in the Spire dungeon, didn¡¯t you?¡±
The druid exchanged glances with Dent. ¡°We left the Observer in containment there.¡±
Theo nodded. ¡°The leader of the Reds isn¡¯t Seven anymore. You might want to call them¡ Eight.¡±
Sally gasped. ¡°They¡¯re just an amalgamation of a bunch of Observers? I was kinda hoping it would be someone more familiar.¡± She rubbed at her hair. ¡°I suppose this was the only way they could be a credible threat, though. A normal Player like Chuck would be too easy to eat.¡± From behind her, the druid pulled a face.
Humphrey rolled out his shoulders. ¡°Hmm. That many Observers in one form is concerning. I would assume that they were powerful enough to resist the Architect''s call.¡±
¡°Certainly,¡± Theo added. ¡°It didn¡¯t make sense to me at the time, but now I understand what the Last Word were trying to tell me. Or trying not to tell me. It was difficult when they died so quickly.¡± His head turned towards the good Lana. ¡°No offense.¡± She pulled a face in response.
¡°Get to the point, fangs.¡± Sally waved a hand at him. ¡°We have a fight in a couple of minutes. We don¡¯t have time for vague exposition to be drip fed to us so you can feel smug about yourself.¡±
He opened his mouth, but deflated upon seeing her expression. ¡°They weren¡¯t scouting, but setting something up. I disabled whatever it was, but it may still had some effect. I couldn¡¯t tell what it was meant to be, however. Either a beacon or area ability. Also, at some point, Seven absorbed the power to make Corrupted STARs.¡±
She groaned. ¡°So there will be more random bullshit abilities to deal with.¡± Turning to the Death Knight, she pouted. ¡°You¡¯d think the Architect would care more about that than us.¡±
Scratching at the side of his head and causing a grating squeal, Humphrey hummed to himself in thought. ¡°This Event might not just be for us.¡±
Theo yawned and stood back up, his suit clean once again. ¡°Architect saw there were four problems and decided to mash them together and deal with the fallout. Outsiders, Seven, Uniques, and Humphrey.¡±
Sally nodded. ¡°Humps is a problem, I agree. Three of those things are on our side already, in a way. Shame we couldn¡¯t convince Seven to join us and take down the bigger threat.¡±
Rubbing at his head, Chuck sighed. ¡°Seven is aiming for more of a ¡®hard reset¡¯ of the System, if not the destruction entirely. So we need to stop both.¡±
There was a rumbling through the floor, signaling the next Invasion was about to begin.
¡°Better be something edible,¡± Sally murmured to herself. She turned her attention over to the ruined gates of the graveyard, where shapes started to emerge from darkness. If Seven had the left-behind Observer then they could be a lot closer than they first thought. She watched the Monsters come into the light.
Large salamander-looking lizards, with spines and long fins down their backs. Wide feet with long claws, and devious grins full of sharp teeth beneath eyes of bright yellow. Green and red scales, either mottled or striped with black. Around¡ two dozen of them, maybe more.
¡°Something moves from the woods,¡± Fern called out. ¡°Singular. Slow. Destructive.¡±
Sally shot a glare at the vampire. ¡°You didn¡¯t leave anyone behind?¡±
He shook his head. ¡°I can go check?¡±
She sighed, looking between the woods and the lizards about to work in toward them. Humphrey was already empowering himself, ready to run in. Splitting their forces at this stage might be a bad idea. Better to focus down the Monsters as quickly as possible before the unknown got to them, so they could face it together.
¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Maintain and destroy.¡±
Theo nodded without further argument, switching to his punch-blades and summoning his [Sanguine Weapon] to trail behind him. Although he seemed happy enough to follow her orders, it didn¡¯t do anything to lessen her worry about what might actually be on the way.
Sally ground her teeth together. Already, she imagined the worst possible scenario. The Reds had summoned something large to soften them up while they dealt with the Invasion - and after struggling through that, Seven would arrive either before they could recover, or with the next wave of Monsters.
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She could be wrong, of course. Maybe it was Seven himself already coming to meet them. It could be anything - but right now she had some lizards to chew.
"Keep us updated," she shouted back to Fern, as she ran toward the Invasion creatures.
Humphrey was already upon them, a flare of light appearing where he struck the first lizard. A sphere of light red encircled his target, a magical shield absorbing his attack.
Sally groaned as she pointed her staff forward. What kind of shield was it? Threshold, damage, hit, or chance based? Ahead of her, the vampire was in the fray too - more spheres of shielding popped up around a handful as he darted through.
[Meat Hook] shot her towards one as she brought up [Ruin] again, thankful that the longer cooldown still allowed her to cast it every Invasion. Also Monsters were generally not clever enough to avoid standing in the red stuff. Her dagger-end of the staff bounced off the red shield off her target, with the rest of her body following suit.
A bandage darted in to assist her in landing back on her feet, now in the middle of the Monsters. Her shield came up to protect against a lashed out tail, and she slid backward across the slick mud. [Mortis Bomb] went out in retaliation, but was absorbed by the magical shield and brought up no dead.
Claws came in from the side, which she hopped away from, almost landing in the wide jaws of the next lizard. With a flourish, her staff brought up the flares of shields again. A couple of them were weaker in brightness than others, but still preventing her from dealing any damage.
¡°Number of hits, refreshes on cooldown,¡± Theo shouted from the side as he mashed the skull of a Monster in, his trio of blows a blur with [Novice Strike].
Ah, if that was the case, then she knew the solution. The vampire might have the best attack speed by far, and so was best at dealing with the creatures one-by-one. She didn¡¯t have that kind of patience.
[Endless Dead]
Fifty zombies began to crawl up around her, protected for two seconds as part of [Death Aura] so that they could get their footing before being mushed. Almost immediately, the area became awash with red light, as all the undead leveled an attack at the nearest lizard.
Sally hopped forward between a couple of her pals and brought down the skull-end of her staff at the closest opponent. The shield was dull now, so she spun around and attacked with the dagger end. Much to the surprise of the lizard that was trying to push away the sudden throng of zombies, a shield did not protect it, and the defense-penetrating blade lodged straight into their skull.
[Eat Brains]
She popped her heal up around her to keep her pals afloat, even if some had already been shredded by the large creatures. [Strength in Numbers] quickly pushed the tide in the favor, even if it was gradually decreasing as her zombies were beaten up. The improved [Desecrate Life] went out, pulsing around her to weaken the foes, allowing some of the undead to hang on and regain health from [Hunger for Flesh].
That felt pretty good. It was nice that the System eventually found a place for her to fit and gave her skills that made sense rather than the random assortment she had started with at the beginning. She still needed a ranged magical attack that she could cast repeatedly for when she was tired of punching things in the head, but a gal had to eat.
Theo had become a torrent of energy, zipping between six different lizards and wearing the shields down with multiple blows every time he switched position. Occasionally, he¡¯d hit one that was open to attack and shredded them with his blades, letting the zombies to overpower them. Allowing her pals to get the curse over to the new corpses so they¡¯d rise to her side. He was always thoughtful like that.
Humphrey was having less fun, being the slowest of the group. His skeletons were out and assisting with getting the shields down, but even with the help of Lucius he was getting through the Monsters at a snail¡¯s pace - mostly on the defense. Then, with the distance whirring noise, the lizards near him were pelted with a spray of crossbow bolts, their shield flaring brightly before dissipating. One of the skeletons was collateral, with a few of the projectiles also bouncing off the Death Knight.
¡°Sorry, tin can!¡± Jackie yelled from the back as her attacks abated.
He slammed his greatsword forward into the nearest lizard¡¯s head, before twisting it, splitting their head apart. A grunt was his only acknowledgement as he stepped toward his next target.
It was a shame Theo wasn¡¯t in the Party. She sidestepped a swipe of long claws, pain shooting up her side as she was caught by the tips. A zombie took the brunt of the attack and fell to the ground. With a step forward, she fired a [Mortis Bomb] nearly point blank and then stabbed her staff through the front foot of the distracted lizard. The rising zombies joined the others in taking down the Monster.
Sally looked around. It seemed as though this Invasion was just about spent. Without Theo or her horde, they would have had a much harder time of it all. The lizards were strong, but their difficultly was due to their protective shields. Without them, they were just hardy beaters - and so far nobody could win a punch-out against the Outsiders.
She plucked her staff back up and started to walk back up through the graveyard. The area surrounding the gates was becoming a detriment to fight in. Already slick from the rainfall, it was now soaked through with blood and corpses. They might have to move further up the area just to avoid slipping over onto the blades of the next Monster wave. Or whatever they had instead of swords.
Other than the inedible Invasions, they had been pretty lucky with the Monster choices the System had thrown their way. Possibly random. But then again, when had a System-created really given them much trouble? Ignoring the fact that she almost died to that dungeon Boss in the Wastes, of course. They seemed to be getting powerful exponentially compared with how Players had more linear growth. It was almost unfair.
She tilted her head to the side to watch Chuck heal up Lana. The woman was being supported by Dent, as it looked like she had taken claws or a bite to her legs. With the brief glow of radiance, she was then mostly fine and able to walk. It reminded her of the Forest and what they had sought to do back there.
Theo walked up beside her, his eyes over at the group of humans. ¡°I can hear your thoughts, Sally Danger. You want to send them away.¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± She looked up at him and pouted. ¡°Not a fair thing for me to ask, and they¡¯d probably refuse.¡±
¡°I understand it. But what greater strength than being willing to put their life on the line to fight to the end?¡±
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°Rich coming from you, pup. I get it though.¡±
¡°Attention!¡± Fern called from the place they had settled into. ¡°Contact is imminent!¡±
202 - Rocked and Rolled
The two groups became tense, half expecting something giant and untoward to suddenly burst out from the treeline toward them. After a handful of seconds of silence and no immediate threat, they gathered their composure and started to prepare.
Sally clicked her fingers. "Fangs, out into the woods and flank. Do not engage until the battle has begun. Understand?"
Theo bowed briefly and then was off, not wasting any time to deliberate further.
She hadn''t wanted to split him off at first, but knowing something was on the way meant they could get an advantage by having the vampire attack from behind. He wasn''t being tracked, so he should be able to do that without issues.
It was a small blessing that they had finished off the Invasion in good time and recovered. No matter what was approaching, it wouldn''t be fun to be stuck between both threats.
"Humps you''re going up in front to absorb everything possible. We want to hit it with any slow or entangle we have. Keep it in place and pelt it from range." She glared around at everyone and received nods of acknowledgement.
Not knowing what it was bugged her, but getting it pinned in place so they could hit it with ranged damage seemed safer from the outset rather than get the melee classes into trouble. The Death Knight could weather that storm with little issue, assuming that it was a Monster or something simple-mined. If it was a Unique or something with some actual intelligence, they might have a step up over the Outsiders.
Worst-case scenario she could use [Brain Drain], but she wasn''t keen on having that on cool down when other things could be on their way in short order. The actual worst-case scenario was that some of them could die.
There was an invisible timer on that eventuality, and she needed to think of a solution soon.
"Insiders, you need to keep Chuck alive, okay? No heroics. Use what you can in range, but otherwise stay safe."
Even if the Outsiders were the actual target, if they were looking at putting the druid in charge of this whole mess once the dust settled, then they¡¯d need him in one piece. She still had half the mind to send them away, but they probably wouldn¡¯t leave even if she asked.
¡°Figure has stopped.¡± Fern said. ¡°No movement.¡±
They all stood in silence.
From within the woods there came a screeching noise. High-pitched and abrasive to the ears, right before a flash of light briefly illuminated the woods in a radiant yellow. A small gust of air wafted out and into the graveyard, carrying with it the smell of burned vegetation.
There was a pulse of energy beside Sally, before Theo burst out of nothing to collapse onto the ground.
¡°Theo?!¡± She stepped away, questions congested in her mind as they fought for an answer.
¡°Yeah.¡± He stood up and dusted his suit down. ¡°Good news and bad news.¡±
She sighed. ¡°You can respawn, but the enemy can detect you and kill you that easily?¡±
¡°Did I ever tell you how smart you were?¡± He grinned.
¡°Enemy back on the move,¡± Fern signaled.
Sally clenched her teeth together, ignoring for the moment that if his blood didn¡¯t work, then he would have been dead again. ¡°Details, Theo. Before they are here.¡±
He nodded and raised his voice, so that all could hear. ¡°Tall golem looking thing. Four arms, each probably with a powerful attack that charges up. Bands of light down the arms so that you can see how charged the attacks are. One of the hands is a powerful radiant beam.¡±
Humphrey nodded. ¡°Were the rest of the attacks charged up?¡±
Theo nodded. ¡°As far as I could see, but it caught me unaware.¡±
¡°I bet you¡¯re happy you came back, huh?¡± Sally narrowed her eyes at the vampire. His casual attitude toward his own mortality was exhausting. Plus, if something could kill him in one hit¡
¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t without¡ complications.¡± He gave her a sheepish grin. ¡°An error, as I can¡¯t lose levels due to the experience lock. So I got a stack of Exhaustion instead.¡±
¡°You¡¯re telling me¡¡± she rubbed at her eyes before sighing toward the woods. ¡°You¡¯re essentially unkillable, but you¡¯ll get more insane each time.¡±
¡°Never a dull moment, huh?¡±
She scowled at him and turned her attention away. He¡¯d get a piece of her mind once all this was over, and if he was really unlucky, she¡¯d get a piece of his mind too. There were no visible countdowns, but there were too many spinning plates now, grinding away at her patience.
A big Monster about to arrive, with overpowered kill-moves. Invasions every twenty minutes that wouldn¡¯t end, just get more difficult. Seven and the Reds. The Architect. Theo¡¯s sanity. She tried to think if there were any Chekhov¡¯s guns they¡¯d left lying around.
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A vibration sunk through the thick mud of the graveyard. Heavy footsteps approaching as trees began to crack and fall in the distance. Her eye twitched.
¡°Jackie,¡± she turned back to the stagecoach. ¡°Got anything to light up the forest?¡± She was normally opposed to such wanton destruction of nature¡ªespecially with Chuck and Fern here¡ªbut it might give them an advantage.
¡°Sure, boss.¡± The mobster spat out her cigarette and grabbed the handle of Betty, her crossbow now affixed between the pair mounted to the roof of the vehicle. The barrels of all three spun as amber light encircled the bolts within.
A wave of warm air washed over the gathered Parties as a trio of flaming bolts zipped overhead in an arc, landing two dozen feet into the woods.
¡°Things are damp. It might not be that easy,¡± Chuck said from the side. He looked tired and withdrawn now, the constant combat a bit more than he was used to.
Smoke began to billow out of the dense woodland, but it hadn¡¯t turned into the raging inferno as Sally had hoped. Humphrey and Theo would have to take care of the damaging attacks quickly, as they were the only ones capable of living on after taking that kind of punishment. She had [Brain Drain] ready if required, but she wasn¡¯t about to run up into its face and get obliterated in the attempt.
Closer still, she could see the trees shuffling and buckling. ¡°Contact,¡± she growled. ¡°Do not hesitate!¡±
A wave of dust billowed out as the nearest trees burst away from the ground, the large figure silhouetted against the smokescreen was almost as tall as the trees. A rectangular body that rounded at the top, like a semi-circle, had multiple glowing runes upon it. Four arms that ended in wide human-like hands, bands of color moving down each arm to the shoulder joints. Their top left arm was dim, aside from two bands nearest their body. Thick dome-shaped feet stomped through the vegetation and small wall of the graveyard perimeter.
As soon as it was in sight, everyone attacked.
Lights flared and flickered around the drab area as skills and abilities pulsed toward the large golem. Roots burst around its legs and a debuff slowed their movement. A dozen bandages wrapped the two right arms and pointed them toward the ground. Tens of bolts clattered from its light stonework body.
The free arm spun forward as the two large white eyes observed the combatants.
¡°Target: Outsiders. Acquired.¡±
A flash of bright white illuminated Sally as the palm faced her.
[Dread Counter]
Theo vanished and appeared in the air above the golem. Dropping down with a punch-blade blazing crimson with critical energy, he struck the shoulder of the top right charged arm. There was a crack as he chipped a dent into the stone, but little else. Immediately, he slammed his other hand into the sliver of damage.
With a terrible screech, his metal coffin expanded within the gap, wrenching the arm apart from the body. A hiss of energy pulsed from the split wound, magical power instead of any sort of traditional blood. Theo dropped to the ground and rolled as the bandages withdrew from the broken limb.
From where Sally stood, she could see the charges quite clearly. It looked like there were ten bands on each limb, so ten percent each. Although the vampire had disabled one of the attacks, it increased the recharging speed of the other two. She was about to yell this out, before the golem tugged sharply on the bandages holding the bottom arm, sending Norah onto the floor.
Theo looked up to see the arm twist away from the restraints and hover over him. He went to use [Blood Shift] before realizing it was out of charges. ¡°I¡¯m getting really bad at count-"
An intense gout of flame blew through into the ground, turning the grass into ash and scorching the area dry.
A brief pop of energy and the vampire returned beside Sally.
¡°Ass, try to take this seriously.¡± She scowled but didn¡¯t look his way. Her zombies were out of the picture, hiding throughout the graveyard. Mostly to maintain their Stat buff, without getting squished, but also as an early warning for anyone trying to sneak up on them.
¡°I am,¡± he whined. ¡°You try dying three or four times in a day. Takes a lot out of you.¡± He yawned and then set off again towards the Monster.
Without any charges left, it had taken to use its large fists in melee. One foot burst from the vine restraints and it lunged down at Humphrey, slamming into the flat of his blocking blade. The Death Knight sunk half a foot into the mud from the impact, waves of color moving over him as all of his buffs came up.
An explosive shot zipped across from the stagecoach and burst on the golem¡¯s face, one of its eyes now partially destroyed. It kicked Humphrey away and turned its glare toward the vehicle.
¡°High Threat. Eliminate.¡±
The Light and Fire arms dropped in charge percentage, as the last two bands of the radiant one completed and that hand was leveled toward the coach.
[Impenetrable Defense]
Against better judgement, the Monster twisted the attack down at the Death Knight. A loud screech pierced through the graveyard as a continuous beam of radiant energy burst out and blazed into Humphrey¡¯s blue shield. Thankfully, the protective skill lasted slightly longer than the attack.
Theo was already back upon it, his [Novice Strike] clattering his weapons against the stone, doing little immediate damage. He looked¡ sweaty and tired. Sally had been holding [Curse: Drain] on the golem, but it seemed to be working slower than normal. That was two of their get-out-of-death free skills used up. Theo might have more tricks, but he was liable to break with a couple more deaths.
The radiant arm stayed inert, trying to swat out at the vampire, as the fire and light ones recharged quicker. Fifty percent or so, and rising fast.
¡°Do we want to remove the arms?¡± Norah called out, her face an angered scowl at being dragged through the mud a little.
Sally grunted. ¡°No, take a leg.¡± The arms sounded good, but the more attacks came their way, the fewer chances they¡¯d have to evade.
A pyramid bloomed up from beneath the golem¡¯s foot, putting it off balance. A yellow eye emerged from above the Mummy as multiple bandages shot out and wrapped up the leg lifted into the air. Faint arcs of white electricity flickered down the long spools of linen before the mummified leg fell away into nothing but sand.
Bandages withdrew as the golem then tilted and toppled over.
Bright sunlight encompassed the weapons of the vampire as he crossed them against the other leg. The crack of stone followed, and the golem fell fully on its face against the thick mud, the remaining leg now also severed.
[Meat Hook] sent Sally over, as vines and roots sprung up to hold the arms down against the ground. She landed on the back of its flat head, spinning her staff around before bringing it down into the stone, over and over.
Unable to right itself, there was eventually a pop of magical power, and a sizzle followed the smell of burned ozone. The runes and glowing charges faded away, as the zombie stood over a foot wide hole in the back of the Monster.
¡°No brain,¡± she panted, ¡°but they still put the important parts in the head.¡±
¡°So dumb,¡± Theo murmured to himself, trying to chisel his name into the back of the golem.
Fern leaned down and put their roots back into the soil. ¡°How inconvenient.¡±
Sally tilted her head and sighed. ¡°What now?¡±
¡°Multiple footfalls en route, close. Maybe a dozen or more.¡±
203 - Eight Nine
Sally wasn¡¯t a huge fan of how things were progressing. The golem was meant to be a shock-troop, softening up the Outsiders before the main group of Reds arrived. She was sure that was who was on their way. Nobody else could have devised a golem aside from either corrupted Players or maybe a Unique. They had used a few of their important skills in the fight, but other than Theo dying twice, they had come out mostly unharmed.
Each death gave him an Exhaustion stack, which she was sure Humphrey told her at some point was equal to a night¡¯s missed sleep. Theo went off the deep end around the third day of lack of sleep. Last time this happened was because of the giant toad curse, which also made him lethargic, for the most part. Now he was amped up, and soon to be uncontrollable.
¡°Everyone fall back to the middle area!¡± she yelled out. Dent nodded and took over organizing people.
With a sigh, she stepped over to the crouched vampire and lifted him up by his shirt. ¡°Listen here, pup. I don¡¯t have time to babysit you.¡± She placed him down and pushed him to go join the others. ¡°I know you think you can just do whatever and mush your way to victory but¡ªyes, grab your coffin¡ªbut I need you with a calm head, okay?¡±
¡°Okay.¡± Theo looked a bit sad for himself. Coffin shrunk down and back into his pocket. He jogged up beside her as they entered the area with more cover.
Mausoleums and crypts dotted the area, surrounded by dead trees and some of the taller or more ornate gravestones. Players would be a little smarter about their ability usage and tactics. Standing out in the open was fine for Invasions, but they needed to play things a little safer now the stakes were increasing. The stagecoach had been moved to park across the entrance of the cathedral, Jackie being possibly the most open to attack but at least the furthest from any danger.
Sally told most of her zombies to find cover. There was something amusing about hiding zombies around in all the shadows and hidden parts of the graveyard - that she would have absolutely loved in a different situation. She kept a few of the lizard and barbarian zombies out in the mushy mud starting area. The reason why became shortly apparent.
With Theo beside her, she looked up into the drab sky as something launched out from deeper in the woods. A small, dark object, which hit an apex before starting to fall.
¡°Take cover,¡± Theo whispered loudly beside her. ¡°Death approaches.¡±
She crouched down and gave a signal to the others before covering her ears. ¡°Don¡¯t start that again, ass.¡±
Light flashed throughout the area, blinding everyone as a deep thunk preceded a loud blast. Air rushed past them as a shockwave of force through wet mud across the more built-up area of the graveyard.
Sally peered back over her cover to see those decoy zombies were now completely gone, a wide crater now replacing them in the wet dirt. ¡°Wow. I¡¯m sure glad we moved.¡± Even the golem had been blasted in half by the impact. Other than the patter of mud droplets falling back to the ground and the burning smoke from the center of the impact site, it was completely silent.
¡°Did I get them?¡± A female voice rang out.
¡°Nah, the counter didn¡¯t change.¡± This one, a soft-spoken man.
¡°Fuck! I hit something.¡±
There was a grunt, and a third voice that was much lower reverberated through the trees. ¡°I told you not to waste it so soon.¡±
Sally raised her eyebrows toward the vampire, but he was practically gnawing at the stone wall they were behind, his eyes bright red. ¡°Get down, you.¡± She whispered, pushing his head down. The last thing she needed was another tactical nuke on their location because his eyes were giving their position away.
¡°Aw, my frickin¡¯ golem, man.¡± A different male voice, scratchy. ¡°Maybe he killed some and the rest ran away?¡±
¡°Counter still hasn¡¯t changed,¡± the smooth voice replied once more.
Assuming these were corrupt Players, it could mean that two of their abilities were now gone. She could hear footsteps across the mud coming from the woods now, but there were too many to count. Her jaw clenched. Players were usually such a walk in the park, but knowing they had corrupt powers, and possibly led by Seven put her on edge.
¡°Looks like you just made a mess of the dirt.¡±
A couple more seconds and they¡¯d see the stagecoach. How were they going to approach this? They all had their Ultimates up, but it was getting to use them without getting mulched first that counted. She tried to bring up the Chat window to send a message, but it was wavy and flickered away.
¡°Oh! Someone is still nearby, trying to use their chat,¡± a different female voice cooed.
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Sally was tired of this now.
The deep voice grumbled. ¡°The tracking says they are still here. Look, up by the cathedral. A vehicle.¡±
¡°No wonder they got so far ahead,¡± the scratchy voice complained.
No point in being stealthy now. She leaned over toward the patient vampire, putting her chin on his shoulder so that she could whisper into his ear. ¡°Do me proud, pup. Go all out and fuck them up.¡±
A wide grin spread across his face, his fangs salivating at the prospect.
She put a hand on his back. ¡°When I let go, you are free to do as you please.¡±
With one last deep breath, she stood.
Immediately, [Escape Fate] took her up into the air to land atop one of the crypts, in clear view of the twenty figures in the lower graveyard. The ability that had nearly killed her had passed through two of her zombies as collateral, before piercing straight into the cathedral walls almost a hundred feet back.
¡°Idiots,¡± the taller figure with a deep voice chastised the shooter. ¡°Two kill moves and you waste them on trash.¡±
Sally grinned down at them, her eyes alight with crimson energy. ¡°Seven, at last we meet.¡±
He was tall, easily over six feet, and encased in bright red armor that almost matched Humphrey¡¯s in terms of being bulky and over the top. Each shoulder pad had a skull on it, while one last sat behind his head like a helmet.
¡°Sally Danger.¡± A wry grin spread across his face. He was pale, with sunken brown eyes, his dark hair shaved close to his head. ¡°I had hoped to get to meet you in person. The legendary dragon killer. Queen of the Undead.¡±
While flattery would get him nowhere, it did sound nice hearing it from someone. He was pretty transparent, though. Not only was he simply stalling for time so that all his little Red friends could get ready to attack, but she could see something else as clear as day.
His corrupted ability was to enable Observers to fuse with him. Normally they couldn¡¯t, with Players. What that actually meant for his skills and abilities, she didn¡¯t care. Now they would die.
¡°I¡¯m going to hit skip on the monologue, Seven. Nice to eat you.¡±
She dropped down and all hell broke loose.
Chuck was surprisingly first off the mark, perhaps eager to get the first advantage over his adversary. His protective dome of thick vines grew not around any of their team, but over Seven, cutting him and a eight other Players off from the rest.
Theo was gone, immediately using his Ultimate to burst into the blood-red armor and snaking off straight for the Reds cut off from their leader. Humphrey wasn¡¯t too far behind, but only activated his normal buffs. She was surprised to see Dent and Edward heading towards the melee so soon - they were going all out for this.
She hit [Summon Zombies] three times to bring a group of equal level pals, before casting [Quick Death]. All the undead hiding away throughout the graveyard stepped out and began sprinting to where the Reds had gathered.
Flares of light and crackles of energy began painting the area as the two groups clashed. To their credit, they seemed better organized than the other groups she had chewed through. A lot of them looked corrupted, or were at least geared for utility. As the first wave of her zombies clashed in alongside the melee fighters, she could see Theo had taken one down at least, but the rest still stood.
A wave of light passed out of the vine-dome, bisecting with a line of amber before the whole thing split apart with a pop of magical energy. Immediately after, a crypt dropped down from the sky, crushing two Players as the others dove out of the way. Behind her, Norah¡¯s giant bird-zombie had grabbed some more of the scenery to use as a projectile.
Vines burst up around the Reds, pinning those now laying prone onto the floor as Fern used their rooting skill - right before Seven was pegged by the entangling shot lobbed from Jackie all the way at the back.
Red energy swirled around the plated leader, breaking the skills holding him in place. Two swords of red light flickered into being beside him, darting out and slicing down the zombies intending to snack on the Players pinned to the floor. Several started to free themselves, and Sally clenched her teeth together.
She had hoped they would be stuck for a little longer to enable the Outsiders to chew through the weaker Players before they could beat on Seven. Now they were outnumbered, if you excluded all the zombies. Different auras, shields, and attack skills flickered around the area, but the boss of the Reds just stood calmly, staring toward her.
¡°You have Chuck here too. What a fortunate battle we find ourselves in. All the struggle and strife to end in one last show of strength.¡± A wide grin crossed his face.
Sally leaped over the wall she had been behind and sent out [Mortis Bomb], running toward the melee as she flourished her staff. Enough undead to give her cover as she approached. The ones at the front were getting cut down by the glowing swords of Seven with ease. [Living Dead] on Humphrey to keep everyone topped up.
As if getting into the bigger battle wasn¡¯t bad enough, if it dragged on too long, then the next Invasion would happen. Even if it spawned in behind the Reds, there was no guarantee that it would be in favor of the Outsiders.
She slid to a stop across the mud and planted her staff down, twenty feet away from the patient leader of the Reds.
¡°Such overconfidence.¡± He smiled.
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine, have your monologue, but I won¡¯t listen.¡±
Theo darted forth, a blur of pink and red. While these Players certainly had better defenses and uses of their skills - they were slowly being worn away. For every strike of his punch-blades that had been blocked or absorbed, another had punctured through. Small damage, some of which had been healed - but he¡¯d taken none in return, and wasn¡¯t even going all out.
Edward had used [Greater Demon] and moved back-to-back with the Death Knight, using him as a shield while he protected his blind side. Dent had found another sword user and was caught up in a duel.
The ranged users weren¡¯t as effective, with Sally and all the zombies blocking the way, until a couple of the Reds broke away from the melee to use their own ranged attacks. Immediately, they were peppered by dozens of bolts as the stagecoach flooded the air with shots in a high arc. Lana held her Ultimate ready for the right moment, while Chuck and Fern kept up heals or entangles on the messy combat.
Sally yawned as the man finished speaking. ¡°Done yet?¡±
¡°Just the one liner to deliver,¡± he said with a frustrated snarl. ¡°Your time here is futile, as you are already dead.¡±
She rolled her eyes. ¡°Duh, that¡¯s kind of our whole-¡±
Before she could say anything further, the land around her split apart, and she fell into an abyss.
204 - Fragments
Rather than fall down into infinity, Sally¡¯s feet landed on a hard surface. In fact, it hardly felt like she had fallen for long at all. Her teeth clenched to see that Seven was still standing ahead of her. But now¡ they were no longer in the graveyard.
Like something that reminded her of Henkk''s ability, the pair of them now stood in a deep gray cube. The walls were near transparent, and she could see beyond into a limitless expanse of darkness that had the slight hint of dark green in the far distance. Surrounding her odd cube were a handful of other similar rooms, suspended in this nothingness at differing heights.
¡°Not bad.¡± She spun her staff around before holding it like a spear. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s now time for my own monologue?¡±
¡°It would only be polite,¡± the man smiled and gestured for her to continue.
Chuck grimaced. ¡°Now what are they doing?¡± He received shrugs from Lana and Jackie, while Fern just looked impassive.
The fighters ahead of them had turned bright green. Frozen in the positions they were just in, but now looked like they had been cut out of the world. He grimaced. The assumption would either be a time limit or killing the right Player would bring them back¡ hopefully that would happen before the next Invasion arrived.
¡°They can¡¯t be targeted.¡± He turned back to the other three who had been left out. ¡°Start setting up to be expecting their return at any notice. If the Invasion comes, perhaps we¡¯ll need to kite it around with the stagecoach.¡±
The three nodded and started bringing things together, while the druid narrowed his eyes back into the odd fray. Dent was in there somewhere, the only Insider to get caught up.
In one of the cubes, the swordsman ran his tongue across his lips and his eyes narrowed at the Red Player ahead of him. ¡°Forcing a two-on-two duel, huh? That¡¯s very risky for you.¡±
Behind him, bandages snaked through the air as Norah¡¯s eyes blazed with anger at the two they had to fight.
The man with a long beard and blue sword chuckled, his eyes blazing a similar color to the weapon he held. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been waiting to fight you for a long time, Dent¡ for I am the greatest swordsman.¡±
¡°Unlikely. But allow me to put to rest your doubts.¡±
A woman behind the Red man rolled her eyes and gestured towards him. Norah nodded, but wasn¡¯t too keen on making friends with an enemy. The sword wielder had a corrupted STAR, but the woman had a regular one.
With a flash, the duelists burst towards each other, the clatter of their swords flickering light and sparks as they clashed. Briefly blinded, the woman then lowered her arm that had been protecting her eyes, ready to defend against the Mummy.
¡°Oh, hello!¡± A smiling-face emoji appeared in the air beside her.
Theo stretched out. ¡°What are the chances, huh?¡± He grinned toward the demon.
Edward deflated. ¡°I¡¯d say it was inevitable.¡±
The pair were in a cube with three Red Players, one of them already injured and trying to heal up. One at the back was a nervous man who seemed to be holding a spell. At the front, a bulky woman with long black hair and two heavy looking maces.
Theo¡¯s Ultimate form wore off, and he pouted. ¡°That¡¯s not fair. I wonder if I get it back when I die?¡±
¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t,¡± Edward shrugged. ¡°It goes by day rather than life.¡±
The vampire brought out his punch-blades and assumed a ready position. ¡°Shame. Never thought I¡¯d die side by side with a betrayer.¡±
¡°Well,¡± the demon said with a grin, his rapier illuminating green. ¡°How about side by side with a¡¡±
Theo looked up at him and relaxed his posture. ¡°Can¡¯t say it, can you, until we settle the matter of the question?¡±
¡°It is time we shed blood and make amends.¡± Edward''s eyes burned a brighter blue as he turned to face the vampire.
The Red Players exchanged glances and shrugged.
Humphrey glared out at the expanse, looking between the different boxes full of the Outsiders.
¡°Aren¡¯t you going to fight us, you big metal bucket?¡±
He didn¡¯t even turn or acknowledge the voice. Sally seemed to be knee deep in a monologue with Seven, buying them all some time. Dent was in the middle of a duel¡ªentirely respectable¡ªwhile Norah, Lucius, and a Red Player were having a polite conversation at the side of the battle. Theo and Edward were squaring off, but hadn¡¯t started fighting each other or the Reds in the room with them.
And as for himself¡ he turned to the pair of Red Players. ¡°Which one of you caused this fracture?¡±
¡°Not telling ya.¡± A man with a scratchy voice and large backpack grinned as he waved a knife back and forth.
¡°Even if we did,¡± the woman behind him cheered, ¡°you can¡¯t get him from here.¡±
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The Death Knight took another glance around. ¡°Well, that narrows it down to that gentleman with the demon and vampire, probably maintaining the spell.¡± The flame on his helmet rose higher as he looked back at them. ¡°And you have used both of your corrupted abilities.¡±
¡°S-so what if we have?¡± The man shifted uneasily. ¡°We still have our normal skills.¡±
Humphrey shook his head sadly. ¡°I am afraid you are well out of your depth.¡± He flourished his greatsword that burst into crimson flame. ¡°Step forward and accept the ruin you have brought unto yourselves.¡±
¡°¡and then I said ¡®Pancakes!¡¯.¡± Sally beamed at Seven.
¡°Right. So that wasn¡¯t really much of a monologue. You just ran your mouth with whatever came into your head, moaned about your hair, and then attempted to tell an anecdote about pancakes that didn¡¯t even make sense.¡± He narrowed his eyes.
She shrugged. ¡°Perhaps you had to be there.¡±
¡°When I heard about the Queen of the Undead who had brought down a dragon, I had expected more of a¡ femme fatale.¡±
¡°I¡¯m both those things.¡± She frowned at him.
¡°I had considered trying to get you to change sides, but now I see that you are nothing but a Monster like all the others.¡± His two swords of red light appeared beside him. ¡°The whole scrawny zombie thing is a huge turnoff.¡±
¡°What?¡± She clenched her sharp teeth together as her eyes burned bright red. ¡°Like you could compete with Theo, anyway. I¡¯m surprised you had enough room in that suit for the Observers with all that ego in there.¡±
¡°Theo? Oh, is that the vampire over there, who looks like he is about to french kiss the demon?¡±
Sally raised an eyebrow toward the pair, currently in each other¡¯s faces talking, while the Reds with them stood awkwardly waiting. ¡°System damn it, fangs.¡± She sighed and glared back at Seven.
Dent stumbled forward, the man passing him and stopping too. Both men paused, their breath held, before a spurt of blood erupted from the Red Player and they dropped to the ground. The swordsman stood up straight and relaxed his sword arm. ¡°A worthy attempt.¡±
Lucius and Norah gave him some polite applause, while the woman grinned sheepishly.
¡°You used your skill on her?¡± he asked, raising an eyebrow.
¡°Sure did,¡± a thumbs-up appeared by the Shade. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to touch the corrupted ones, but Jane here is normal. More normal, now.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve been trying to get through these walls,¡± Norah interjected, ¡°but they aren¡¯t made of any material I¡¯ve come across before.¡±
¡°Oh, you¡¯ll want to kill Vinny,¡± Jane offered. ¡°Or at least interrupt him.¡± Her finger pressed against the side wall, pointing down at the man holding a spell in the room with Edward and Theo.
¡°Just stab me then,¡± the vampire seethed.
Edward glared at him, face-to-face. ¡°I¡¯ll not give you the satisfaction.¡±
One of the Red Players went to step forward before the other stopped them. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt the enemy when they¡¯re making a mistake.¡±
¡°Why else would you ask Sally what my greatest weakness is?¡± Theo bared his fangs. ¡°You seek some petty vengeance just because I killed you three and a half times.¡±
¡°You are not acting yourself. This is neither the time nor the place.¡± The demon stood taller. ¡°Plus, this is what she answered.¡± He leaned forward to whisper in the vampire¡¯s ear.
Theo blinked. ¡°Oh. I mean, she¡¯s not wrong.¡± He stood back away from the demon and scratched the side of his head with the edge of his punch-blade. ¡°That might be a little more awkward than fighting to the death, huh?¡±
¡°Especially in present company.¡±
The vampire turned his glare back to the confused-looking Red Players, before looking to where Sally was. ¡°Alright. If killing these three doesn¡¯t fix the weird box thing, can I trust you to kill me so I can help Sally out?¡±
Edward smiled. ¡°See, now we¡¯re on the same page, blood brother.¡±
Theo grinned, as crimson light started to flicker around him. ¡°Blood brother,¡± he agreed, with a brief nod. Together, they launched towards the Reds.
Blood flicked from Humphrey¡¯s sword as he flourished it around. The head of the second Player bounced across the odd floor.
¡°You died as you lived,¡± he announced to nobody. ¡°Weak and inconsequential.¡±
He sighed. Now alone and trapped in this odd box, the two corpses offering no solution to get out or move around, he turned his attention to the other cubes in this space. Norah and her lot seemed safe. Theo¡¯s one had become a swirling flash of light as their battle had finally gained progress. The fact that the Players had been content enough to sit back and watch the pair bicker proved they were too weak to succeed.
Sally and Seven were squaring up and about to duel, which he wished he could get closer to assist. There were also two other cubes, one with some Reds in but no Outsiders. A larger one still was actually way above them and seemed to contain all of Sally¡¯s zombies. More the fool them, as each one boosted their Stats with Sally''s skill.
The Invasion was now but a few minutes away, he could feel it.
¡°We might need your help soon, little brother,¡± he murmured to himself.
Sally spun away, a gash through her upper arm dripping warm blood down through her top. Why was her blood even warm? Why did it run when she had no pulse? Sometimes she had a pulse, or rather her heart moved, just like any other muscle.
¡°You know he¡¯ll be coming for you next?¡± Bright green illuminated her face as the skull on her staff burst into flame.
¡°Oh? What makes you think I won¡¯t be able to stop the Architect?¡± Seven took a step toward her and his floating swords carved through the air.
¡°First,¡± she said, leaping backward as she shot out [Mortis Bomb], ¡°I¡¯m clearly the main character, while you¡¯re just a terribly overcooked villain.¡±
¡°Are you sure?¡± He blurred to the side to avoid the projectile, the skull just bursting ineffectively against the far wall. ¡°I¡¯m not a monster who eats people but gets a pass because I¡¯m overly cheerful about it.¡±
¡°You just kill for different reasons. So what, you can rule the System the way you think is best?¡±
He rolled his eyes. ¡°I already covered this in my monologue. Were you really not paying attention?¡±
Sally shrugged. ¡°Those kinds of things usually aren¡¯t important when I¡¯m close to eating your brains, anyway. Plus, I was watching to see when the caster of this skill would die.¡± She gestured to where Theo was now fighting with her eyebrow.
Seven turned to glance that way, and Sally pounced.
¡°Nice try,¡± he smiled, lashing out with both swords. She was no longer there, however. A sharp pain sparked in his lower back as he spun to find her there.
Three zombies started to crawl from the perfectly flat floor where she had used [Escape Fate] and jabbed him with her dagger. Sally twirled and deflected the floating swords, backtracking to avoid being impaled.
¡°Curse immune, but you¡¯re pretty stabbable,¡± she said, sticking her tongue out at him.
¡°I¡¯ve wasted enough time here,¡± he growled. ¡°Die, roach.¡±
The red swords spun together, forming a spear of bright light that immediately darted towards her.
With a pop of energy, Theo suddenly appeared in front of her, taking the brunt of the attack - his blood bursting over the gray floor, before he slumped over.
A second pop and he landed beside the zombie again.
¡°Four stacks, fangs? Why you gotta come here and steal my thunder?¡± She scowled at him as Seven ground his teeth together.
¡°Just came to deliver a message,¡± the vampire shuddered as he righted himself. With a finger outstretched, he pointed to where Edward stood alone amongst the corpses of the Reds.
¡°Death approaches,¡± he whispered.
205 - The Long Game
Seven shook his head. ¡°We still have a few minutes before the spell collapses. Plenty of time for me to kill you.¡±
¡°Writing is on the wall,¡± Sally said and tutted. ¡°Your faction is all but dead, and you think you have a chance against all of us?¡±
Theo didn¡¯t add to the conversation, but stood wide a wide grin, saliva running from his mouth and dripping to the floor as his eyes burned bright red.
¡°They were a means to an end. When I am Architect, all will become corrupt and break the shackles of the STAR System.¡±
Sally furrowed her brow, confusion on her face.
¡°I covered all of this already,¡± he sighed. ¡°How do people put up with you?¡±
¡°Hey, Theo.¡± She tilted her head toward the tense vampire. ¡°Would you still love me if I was a worm?¡±
He twisted his head toward her, hardly able to take his gaze away from the corrupt Player. ¡°I would carve a hole through the System until I found a way to also become a worm.¡±
¡°Sweet.¡± She grimaced. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t find a way to turn me back into a woman instead, though?¡±
¡°I have no preference,¡± Theo growled, his head turning back to Seven. ¡°As long as we can be together.¡±
Seven narrowed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that was supposed to prove¡ other than you¡¯re both kind of weird.¡± The spear split back into two swords, and each of these then split again - four swords now hanging in the air beside the man.
¡°Ah.¡± Sally shrugged. ¡°Just wasting some time, really. You seem fine with talking more than necessary. Typical mid-tier villain shit.¡± It was also to try to gauge how far along the vampire was with his sanity taking a hit every time he died. He looked about ready to burst into violence, but his answer was relatively on the level.
Time to put the Sword of the Undead into action. That was a working title.
She clicked her fingers, and that was enough of a cue.
Warmth buffeted her as the vampire burst forward, crimson energy pulsing behind him as [Sanguine Weapon] brought out a floating weapon of his own. He lashed out forward before vanishing to appear behind Seven. Both attacks were blocked with little effort, and Theo slid back across the smooth floor.
¡°Ah, ah ah!¡± He hopped from one foot to the other. ¡°No tricksy parrying skills, right? Better tell me the number of charges.¡±
Seven didn¡¯t turn to face him, but instead raised an eyebrow at the zombie. ¡°Is he always like this?¡±
"No.¡± She was willing to let Theo tie up the odd man filled with Observers. He wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against the whole of them, and Humphrey might be able to recycle some of the skulls within him or something.
¡°Do you let him fight all your battles?¡±
¡°Sometimes.¡± She yawned. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking this, Five. I¡¯m not a monolith with underlings, I¡¯m just the shepherd of oddballs. As long as somebody saves the world, I¡¯ll be happy.¡±
Seven rolled his eyes right before Theo launched back at him. The whirr of swords clashed against the punch-blades, matching the vampire¡¯s speed.
Chuck rubbed at his eyes. ¡°This is stressful. Should I have prepared a speech for this?¡±
With a raised eyebrow, Lana just gave him a shrug.
¡°Like, in an ideal world,¡± he continued, ¡°Sally would have just killed him and then that makes things smoother for me, right? Never seeing or meeting the leader of the opposing faction made things a lot easier to compartmentalize.¡±
Jackie yawned from atop the stagecoach. ¡°So we just whack him and bounce. You don¡¯t have to put on a show.¡±
¡°Regardless¡¡± the druid tapped the end of his staff into the mud. ¡°I feel like a show is coming our way whether we want it to or not.¡±
Fern looked around impassively. ¡°Does this sort of thing happen regularly?¡±
The murmured chorus of indecisive acknowledgements from the group was not too reassuring.
[Curse: Drain] did not work on Seven, and Sally wasn¡¯t too keen on getting in the way of Theo as he sped up and lashed out constantly with [Novice Strike]. She looked up at the cube filled with her zombies, but something was preventing her from putting them away with [Endless Rest]. All in all, it was a very annoying start to the fight with the Red faction leader.
She had expected it to be more dramatic - or even underwhelming, perhaps. A quick brain eaten and then onto their bigger problem of the Architect. He was probably just toying with them, which was pretty boring. If he intended on becoming the big boss, then the supposed immortality reward for killing the Outsiders wouldn¡¯t appeal to him. He was just here to check out who might threaten his attempt at ascension.
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If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that he could not become the Architect under any circumstance.
She looked to the side to see cracks forming along the glass-like walls of their current cube.
¡°Looks like we have had our fun here,¡± Seven smiled. ¡°Are you all ready for round two?¡±
Before she could answer, the darkness shattered away. A burst of light flooded into her eyes before the dull gloom of the outside, followed by the mucky smell of damp earth reached her senses. Blinking away the shock, she realized they had all returned to the same positions as before - and the Players that had been killed in the cubes were alive again.
Her shield went up as Seven¡¯s swords struck out at her, knocking her back through the slick dirt.
Dent furrowed his brow, recovering a second too late to see the impending attack of the duelist he had just won against coming for him once more.
With a flash of darkness, Theo appeared in front of him, absorbing the majority of the blow. He staggered back into the swordman, who caught him.
¡°No, no, no.¡± The vampire tilted his head back at Dent. ¡°Be careful, corrupted!¡± A wide gash spread across his chest and bled heavily through his ruined shirt. Theo shuffled back up to his feet and tilted his head from side to side, his crimson eyes searching the battlefield. ¡°This isn¡¯t perfect, is it? No, no.¡±
[Perfect Dark]
A crimson moon rose up as the sky darkened to near pitch black.
With the flash of blue, the demon stepped in beside him, deflecting the follow-up of the Red Player before Dent gathered himself to renew their fight.
¡°You¡¯re bleeding,¡± Edward said, raising an eyebrow.
¡°Corrupted skill. A wound that cannot regenerate.¡± Wisps of red flame snaked away from Theo¡¯s eyes as he licked around his lips. ¡°It is very rude.¡±
¡°Allow me.¡± The demon placed his hand on the vampire¡¯s shoulder, furrowing his brow in surprise at how warm he felt. A deep red glow filtered down his rapier as the injury healed up at remarkable speed.
Theo looked down and then back at the demon, his eyes wide. ¡°Thank you, brother. Best friend. Buuuuddy¡±
¡°Alright.¡± Edward rolled his eyes. ¡°Save the mania for later. How about we show them what we¡¯re made of?¡±
¡°Guts and bones!¡± Theo grinned widely, his fangs reflecting the red like of the faux moon.
¡°Well¡ okay, I was thinking more¡¡±
[Domain: The Inevitable]
The reds illuminating the area grew more garishly vibrant, contrasting with the shadows which became darker. The pair darted forward towards the Players, their weapons aglow in bright light as some of the renewing buffs faded away from the Reds.
Yellow light bloomed over Norah as a large eye looked down upon her target. Dozens of bandages wrapped around them, and with a pulse of power, that Player was turned to sand.
¡°Shit me!¡± Jane stepped away from the battle. ¡°Now I¡¯m not sure either side is the right one.¡±
¡°Then move or fall like the rest.¡± Humphrey growled and stepped forward, as multiple shots of a magical attack struck him.
¡°What pops means,¡± Lucius began, ignoring the rise in flame behind the Death Knight''s helmet, ¡°Is that this place isn¡¯t safe if you don¡¯t want to fight.¡± Into his hand, he conjured up a shadowed version of Sally¡¯s staff. ¡°All I can do is show you the right path. It¡¯s up to you to take it.¡±
Sally spun her staff around, deflecting one of the swords and blocking another with her shield. She was at least glad that the one thing she actually got around to crafting in this world turned out to be super useful. Not that it was helping to gain her any advantage at present.
Seven still stood with hands behind his back and a smug look on his face. Perhaps intending for her to feel foolish and weak given that she couldn¡¯t get close enough to stab him while still avoiding his four sword technique. She had commanded her zombies to ignore him and focus on the other Players, as he would just calmly cut down any that approached.
¡°I assume you have more skills than just looking like a giant ass,¡± she seethed at him.
¡°Naturally. I have to save some energy for the Architect, however.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°If you manage to land another strike on me, then I might consider using something more than my basic attack.¡±
If he was being powered by seven Observers, then her assumption was that he could delegate tasks to them. Have all of them focus on the attacks and blocking while his Player side could just stand there and gloat over her ineffectiveness. She wasn¡¯t used to having a fight being so drawn out. Usually zombies or a well-placed skull would seal her the brain-eating victory.
As three of the swords lashed out toward her, she used [Escape Fate] to dodge to the side, having to use her shield again as the fourth sword waited until she reappeared to attempt to strike. Some of his confidence was warranted, she relented. Seven was proving near unassailable at present.
Not that it would stop her. If anything, she was growing more determined.
Theo turned, sensing the rising attack power of someone nearby. The man with the scratchy voice that sent off the large bomb. He had now turned and was aiming the corrupted attack off to¡ off to the stagecoach and ranged allies. Unacceptable.
With a burst of dark energy, the vampire dropped down in front of the Player and grabbed him in close with a bear hug.
¡°What are you doing? The shot is primed! Let go!¡±
¡°Hush, little one,¡± Theo whispered. ¡°It¡¯ll all be over soon.¡±
The explosion rocked the area, killing three Players and a handful of zombies as the blast vaporized the attacker. Dust and fragments of bodies washed through the area, giving brief pause to the heated combat.
Theo stood there, stunned. Not dead, somehow, but the darkened sky and red moon washed away to be replaced by the dull gray clouds overhead once more. He looked down at his body, or what remained of it. He couldn¡¯t usually see his ribcage or leg bones as far as he could remember. And although he wasn¡¯t able to move or really process anything, his body clearly knew what it was doing. New muscle and tendons began to regrow, blood slowly swirling around him as he stared blankly at the damage wrought.
As she paused to scowl at the reckless behavior of the vampire, Sally caught the glow of a weapon off to the side. It was the rail-gun type shot that pierced through the whole graveyard, now charging up once more and aimed right at her. [Escape Fate] was on cooldown, so she went to move - but her foot slipped on the mud, causing her to waver in place.
Hands grasped her shoulders from behind, and the demon loomed over her.
¡°At last,¡± he whispered, as the rail-shot finished powering up. ¡°I have my opportunity.¡±
The blast rang out through the graveyard.
[Outsiders Remaining 4/5]
206 - Multiplication
Laying on the slick mud of the graveyard, Sally looked up at the demon standing above her. After two seconds that seemed to drag on forever, his lifeless body dropped to the floor - a fist-sized hole through his chest.
[Party member Edward has died.]
¡°Stupid ass,¡± she growled and shook her head. Sure, he would come back, but now he was back in the Wastelands and unable to help them. The fact that he had possibly saved her life was beside the point.
¡°Edwaaaaaard!¡± Theo yelled out, bursting into red flame and flickering over to the woman who had fired the shot.
Dent wiped his brow as a heal came in from the distant Chuck. His opponent also received a heal from one of the distant Reds. As much as he enjoyed proving to be the best swordsman in the System, he was tiring, and this wasn¡¯t the ideal battleground for proving his worth. Still, he needed to persist.
Sparks flared out as Humphrey slashed across his armored opponent, before he stepped forward and slammed the pommel of his sword into them, winding the man. The Death Knight then kicked out their leg and twisted his sword around to slice through the Player¡¯s neck as he dropped.
¡°We need to prepare,¡± he growled. ¡°Invasion is imminent.¡±
Lucius stabbed a fallen Red with the end of his shadow staff to ensure they were dead. ¡°Theo told me that he had one last favor to call in for when Seven was here, in exchange for me giving up Edward''s question.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Humphrey cast [Kneel] on an approaching Player and then easily cracked their skull with the downswing of his sword. "Must he always be full of surprises?"
¡°He made it sound like a gift for Sally that we¡¯d all benefit from.¡± A question mark appeared beside his head. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t narrow it down.¡±
Norah smiled. ¡°I think I have a good guess, though.¡± She turned her gaze over to the vampire, who was finishing carving through the one who had shot the demon.
Jackie banged her foot on the top of the stagecoach, annoyed that she couldn¡¯t spray into the crowd. Any pot shot at Seven was just blocked, so she had taken to tapping out the occasional bolt at the Players on the outside.
¡°Come on, you goons, it¡¯s time to crack some skulls.¡± She pulled a face and lit up a cigarette.
The stagecoach door opened up and a group of eight bandits clambered out, dressed in dark gray suits and armed with melee weapons. At her command, they power-walked through the midsection of the graveyard toward the fight, looking threatening.
¡°Seems your pals are dying just as quickly as before,¡± Sally grinned. ¡°Even with a do-over the best in the System aren¡¯t able to take down the Outsiders. And assorted allies.¡±
¡°True.¡± Seven shrugged. ¡°Despite the stories, I still underestimated you.¡±
¡°Heck yeah you did.¡± She could feel the Invasion imminent now. A complication. ¡°Now get in mah belly!¡±
¡°I remember the old world.¡±
She stopped, foot sliding in the mud. ¡°You do?¡±
¡°I was a nobody there. Aimless. Downtrodden. This new world gave me a fresh start, and a means to take control.¡± He smiled coldly at her.
Sally raised an eyebrow. ¡°If it¡¯s acceptance you¡¯re after, we¡¯re all about that.¡±
¡°No. I think it¡¯s time your little game ends now.¡± Seven held out his hands, a wave of energy vibrating along his arms.
[Multi-Form]
¡°Oh.¡± The zombie rubbed the side of her staff against her head. ¡°Now there¡¯s seven of you, that was¡ unexpected and kinda sad, actually.¡±
Indeed, in a rough circle, the Red leader had shifted into six more versions of himself. Each was as overconfident and annoying as the last. As much as she would like to have eaten his brain, knowing how weird and corrupt he was - she¡¯d probably get a stomachache.
Through the floor, the vibration of the Invasion turned all unoccupied eyes toward the start of the graveyard. From behind the gates and emerging from shadows came¡ lots of town guards. They looked like the ones from the Gold area of the Wastes city. Dozens soon became close to a hundred, and yet they still didn¡¯t stop spawning.
Theo slid across the wet mud and slammed into the side of Humphrey. ¡°Wah! Happy birthday. Oh, you¡¯re not Sally.¡± He narrowed his bright red eyes between the Death Knight and Lucius. ¡°I got her a little surprise.¡±
Humphrey looked between the onrushing horde and the twitching vampire. ¡°What did you do?¡±
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¡°Simple really, Sally.¡± He scratched the side of his head, cutting himself with a punch-blade. ¡°I tapped in the Living Bug guy we met in the Forest. Had him tweak a little variable. You see, an Invasion has a set power level, and it cobbles together Monsters to make up to it before releasing. So I¡¡± he stopped talking.
Lucius looked at Jane, who just shrugged.
The Death Knight sighed. ¡°So he forced it to pick a lower power Monster, causing it to generate¡ possibly hundreds. And all so that¡ ah, I see.¡±
Theo looked back up at him. ¡°You¡¯re not Sally.¡±
Sally licked her lips. This couldn¡¯t be by chance - the System wasn¡¯t this nice. She could already feel the hum of power inside her. Narrowing her eyes, she scoured the battleground for the pup. Ah, Norah was currently trying to stop him licking the blood from Humphrey.
She smiled and shook her head. ¡°Hey, Seven?¡±
Three of them raised their eyebrows, while the other four were looking at the Invasion force and the remaining combatants.
¡°Hope the stories didn''t downplay this part."
A cold light bloomed in her eyes as wind whipped around the graveyard. A fresh layer of gloomy fog enclosed on all within, darkening the area. Sally held her hand out and the temperature of the area dropped sharply.
[Zombie Apocalypse]
She cackled as she slowly rose into the air atop a small pyramid. This was pure joy. Not only would her zombies easily overpower the Invasion force over time, adding or replacing their numbers lost, but [Strength in Numbers] was now working overtime to give them a Stat boost that was beyond the pale.
[Strength in Numbers] [+174% Stat Bonus]
The rest of the Reds were quickly overpowered as more than one hundred zombies crawled up around them. A spray of crossbow bolts began peppering the Invasion, weakening them ready for the hungry mouths of the undead. The Outsiders turned their attention to the copies of Seven.
¡°You really think you stand a chance?¡± He gnashed his teeth as all copies spoke at once. ¡°Come at me then, useless sacks of ill-gotten power.¡±
Sally grinned and slid down the side of the pyramid, her staff bursting into green flame. It always came down to this. ¡°Shoulda done your homework, Four. Hubris always gets our enemies killed.¡±
¡°Hubris?¡± He yelled back, raising his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll show you hubris.¡± The familiar energy of the rail-shot started blooming down his arm.
Chuck smiled as he quickly flicked through his Guild messages. The rest of the Blues had just confirmed they had destroyed the Red team base and taken anything important. Taken down a token force that remained there. That made them the winners, in his mind, even if they fell-
He was shoved to the ground, to land amongst the loose gravel covering a nearby grave. The crack of a skill punctured the air and Fern stumbled, a fist-sized hole through their chest.
¡°Oh.¡± The dryad looked down at the druid. ¡°I have come to the conclusion that I do not enjoy adventuring and combat.¡±
Chuck raised up his hand and a brief heal pulsed through Fern, as they sat down on the ground softly. ¡°Are you okay? Thank you for¡¡±
¡°I have the option of dying or going into a hibernation for my existence to persist. For several reasons, I am choosing the latter.¡±
The druid got up and put his hand on the bark shoulder of the plant-person. ¡°Do what you need to. We will keep you safe.¡±
¡°Couldn¡¯t even¡ keep yourself¡¡± The end of the sentence didn¡¯t come as Fern fell asleep.
Seven pulled a face. ¡°How strange that keeps happening. If I want to kill someone, do I have to aim at whoever is near them instead?¡±
¡°The inability of the Reds to jump on the swords for their brethren is what makes us strong and you weak,¡± Sally said with a wide grin. ¡°We have the power of friendship.¡±
¡°Gross.¡± Seven spat.
Humphrey used [Compelled Duel] on one of the Sevens, while Norah and Lucius tried to pin one down. Theo had become a human pinball, zipping back and forth between each copy in a blur of red and pink. Each of his strikes blocked, but as he continually sped up, he was starting to keep them busier and more distracted.
The zombies nearest the Sevens were quickly ran through, but were soon replenished by the addition of killed Guards at the graveyard entrance.
A Seven burst toward Sally, quickly followed by another. He dodged to the side to avoid the [Mortis Bomb] but as the second one bore down on her; she used [Escape Fate] to appear just behind them, jamming her staff backwards. The dagger connected with the back of his neck, severing his spine and killing this copy outright.
As they both dropped to the ground, she flourished her staff and turned to the first one, four zombies raising around the dead body as she grinned widely. ¡°Fell for that twice now. Were your brain cells shared around too?¡±
The Death Knight slid backwards across the mud, glowing lines of silver across his dark metal.
¡°Four swords seem to be better than one,¡± the Seven said with a grin. ¡°I feel you are holding out on me, however.¡±
¡°I would not waste my true capabilities on a miserable excuse for a Player,¡± Humphrey replied, raising his sword back up to continue the duel.
¡°He¡¯s just cutting through my bandages,¡± Norah seethed, her eyes bright yellow with fury. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where my summon went.¡±
¡°I can help,¡± Jane said sheepishly, and touched the Mummy on the shoulder. A blue light enriched her, leaving a gray-blue sheen across her whole body.
Norah narrowed her eyes at the adventurer, but turned and shot out a bandage. The wrapping carried the same energy with it, and as a glowing red sword swung to cut it - instead, sparks flew out and the bandage span around the weapon to cover it.
¡°Thank you,¡± the Mummy said. ¡°I will now protect you as one of my own.¡±
Theo spun out and slid across the mud, building a small hill of thick dirt against his foot before he stopped. His left arm hung limp by his side, lacerated in multiple places to the bone. As he caught a few breaths, it regenerated back to full health in a matter of seconds. ¡°Ohhh! Regeneration makes me tired tooooo.¡±
Two of the Sevens were approaching him. He clicked his fingers, trying to start up a tune he couldn¡¯t even hum along to, despite his attempts. ¡°How does it go, again?¡± His tired eyes went up to the globules of blood hovering in the air, most of them obscured by the horde of zombies thick in the area.
Seven lunged for him, a further two swords in his hands, alongside the four floating ones.
¡°Oh, I remember now.¡± Theo smiled, right before the six swords pierced him through. His eyes widened as he was skewered, but his grin remained. ¡°It was¡ like this.¡±
A blood-soaked hand went up as time slowed, and a dark orb burned at the tip of this index finger.
¡°Pop!¡± he said, a pitch-black blast exploding Seven¡¯s head, as the vampire himself succumbed to his wounds and fell down dead alongside the copy.
207 - Carry the Remainder
Theo popped back into existence beside Sally and was immediately impaled by a couple of swords not intended for him.
¡°Ack!¡± he said, as he died.
¡°Pup, you¡ I am totally desensitized to you dying now. I hope you¡¯re happy.¡± She glared down at his corpse, which didn¡¯t respond.
A pulse of energy and he appeared again.
¡°I think,¡± he began, slowly turning his head toward her. ¡°I have reached the limit and circled back to being sane again.¡±
¡°Really?¡± She furrowed her brow. ¡°You do realize you are saying that as you are baring all your teeth as if you didn¡¯t have lips?¡±
¡°I has lips?¡± He jumped away from her, tripping over his own dead body.
She sighed and look back at her opponent, who seemed just as tired of the oddball antics as she was. Getting the vampire immortality had seemed like an easy win condition at the start, where his power and inability to be destroyed turned any obstacle into just attrition at worst¡ but now he was being sloppy and falling down an exhaustive path that he hadn¡¯t gone down before.
¡°Oh! Let¡¯s play a game.¡± The vampire spun to regain his footing and then withdrew the small metal cube from his pocket. Without a chance for either of them to respond, he pitched it like a baseball toward the Seven.
¡°I don¡¯t know what you hope to-¡± the Red leader began, bringing a sword in the way to deflect the small projectile. It then expanded to the full size of Theo¡¯s metal coffin and slammed into him, knocking him to the floor, dazed.
[Meat Hook] zipped Sally over pronto and she slashed up his chest before digging [Skeleton Key] into Seven¡¯s heart.
¡°Not sure why I haven¡¯t done that before,¡± Theo murmured, shuffling over to his coffin. He laid against it, putting his arms around it. ¡°I miss you, sleep.¡±
¡°We¡¯re not done yet, pup. Four big bads for you to mash against, okay?¡± She scowled at him, but felt bad. It wasn¡¯t his fault. Well, part of it was.
She watched as a couple of men in suits sucker punched a distracted Seven in the kidney with knuckle dusters. Pained by the attack, he was tripped by the zombies crowding around. As the undead chewed and bit at him, the thugs started kicking him.
Humphrey was still in a duel with one, while the rest of her group was fending off the other two, but not making much progress. She watched and winced as one wound up a rail-shot, only for it to miss as Lucius vanished to become a shadow for Dent. The three of them, and apparently a Red Player, would be able to take one down on their own, but two was proving too much.
¡°C¡¯mon pup, the family needs us.¡±
Chuck threw out another heal toward Dent. It was difficult getting eyes on him while so many zombies crowded the area. It did mean that he was less likely to be targeted, though, so he couldn¡¯t complain.
He did raise an eyebrow to the side. ¡°Everything alright, Lana?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± She pulled a face and shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not really strong ranged or melee, and I feel bad for not being more useful. My Ultimate, I¡¯ve been saving for the right moment, but what if that passes?¡±
¡°It¡¯s cliche,¡± Chuck said, with a glum smile. ¡°But just go with your heart. Sally won¡¯t hold it against you for staying back and keeping us safe. It¡¯s¡ this kind of thing is more of an Outsider experience. Just hold tight and watch them wreak havoc.¡±
¡°Thanks, Chuck.¡± She smiled. ¡°They certainly are something else.¡±
Humphrey grinned as he activated both his parrying abilities, stepping in close, within the range of all four swords. They came down on him and he reacted with unnatural, almost instant speed. Blocked and then lashed out with critical energy. Two bursts of blood from Seven¡¯s torso, his arm removed, and then his head in quick succession - the Player not even having time to react to what had happened before he died.
¡°Four charges!¡± Theo called out as he ran up.
Sally grinned. For everything that had gone wrong, and for crazy they all were, they had whittled down the Sevens down to the last two. A cautious eye out to the Invasion progress and¡ the guards were still spawning, but the wall of undead were almost immediately killing them.
[Strength in Numbers] [196% Stat Bonus]
They¡¯d even gained more than she started with, despite Seven cutting through swathes of them.
With the fighters in front of them waylaying any progress, and the zombie and vampire running from behind, the two Sevens growled. ¡°So far, you have proven my point that Uniques must be eradicated. Look at your uncontested power.¡±
¡°Your flattery is weak compared to your hypocrisy,¡± Sally yelled back, sliding down an embankment of mud and almost tripping on a gravestone.
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It always seemed to be the way with these types. They wanted all the power and control and would do anything to get it, even becoming what they truly hated. And for what? All Sally wanted was acceptance, and the power she accumulated along the way had mostly been luck or through hard work, rather than a concerted effort to achieve something. Other than survival, of course.
¡°Enough!¡± the Sevens shouted in unison. Closest to their approach, the four swords turned bright green before slashing out at ridiculous speeds. Dent blocked them, sliding back amongst a shower of sparks, before the attack refreshed immediately, striking him again.
Blood bursting from his chest, he staggered a few steps before dropping to the floor.
¡°Dent!¡± Sally shouted, her teeth then clenching together.
Chuck stood with a hand extended. It shook slightly, his muscles tensing and relaxing. It wasn¡¯t allowing him to target the swordsman, which meant only one thing. Dead.
¡°Hold firm and focus on the target,¡± he yelled out, voice calm despite the rising panic in his chest. They had come too far to falter now. What had started must be finished.
¡°How dare you?¡± Sally stomped towards him. ¡°Turn and face your reckoning.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± The Seven with the green blades turned his head to greet the pair. ¡°Just because you have killed five out of seven of us, doesn¡¯t mean you are closer to winning.¡±
¡°But that¡¯s a perfect score?¡± Theo furrowed his brow.
Seven¡¯s eyes dulled and he tensed, ready to burst towards them. As he launched forward, Sally withdrew a crossbow to fire at him. Swords cross in front of his face to deflect it, and then when he lowered them, the vampire was no longer standing beside Sally.
The green swords slashed out.
On the other side, the second Seven had engaged the others. Humphrey blocked the sword swings and kept him engaged in melee. Norah weaved her imbued bandages around and tried to trip his legs. Lucius was not present, probably shadowing someone - as Jane sat near the back, only sending buffs out to the Mummy and trying to not look like a target.
Sally rolled across the floor, blood running down her legs. The shield had stopped most of it, but some of the damage made it through. Now she had even more mud in her hair and was even angrier. Theo appeared beside Seven and started flickering around with [Novice Strike] and [Sanguine Weapon]. Another two blades of dark shadow accompanied him, with the Shade causing the attacks to be a constant flurry.
This time, he was quick enough to get some strikes in.
The blades created small punctures as the red armor became dented, and the man¡¯s attention went solely to trying to deflect all of the leveled attacks. ¡°Stay still, pesky wasp,¡± he growled.
Sally risked a glance back at Chuck to see how he was doing. Stoic and focused. He really had grown to be strong, even if he was putting on an act. Of course, they both knew he had a resurrection saved in his back pocket, which only worked on Dent, probably. It just meant doing without him for the rest of the fight, in case he died again.
[Mortis Bomb] went out and struck Seven on the legs. He was too armored for it to damage him, but it still hit and brought up a couple of zombies. The Invasion looked to be petering out now; the zombies mopping up the last of the groups. If things weren¡¯t so dangerous currently, it would have been nice to join in on that buffet.
A small pyramid burst up, knocking the other Seven forward and into Humphrey¡¯s sword. It scratched along his armor and drew a line of crimson across his face before he could regain his positioning.
¡°Clearly I¡¯ve been going about this all wrong,¡± he grunted, his eyes darting between the Outsiders wildly. ¡°I had hoped to save some trump cards for the Architect, but you all need to perish.¡±
A burst of blue appeared around the Death Knight¡¯s legs as ethereal chains held him in place. Seven turned and a semi-circle wall of flames broke contact with Norah, burning away any of the encroaching bandages. He then held out a hand towards his twin, who was struggling to keep up with the vampire.
The two remaining Sevens merged together in a flash of bright light, briefly stunning everyone - especially the vampire, who hissed at the piercing illumination.
[Hell Shield]
[Reducing Pattern]
[Expanse]
Seven activated several abilities in a chain. Around his body, an oval-shaped shield of energy sprung into place. The air crackled and buzzed before the dirt surrounding him flattened and started to burn away. A couple of zombies caught in the area started to decay, turning to ash as if their atoms were being stripped off.
¡°You may not approach. The area will keep expanding until everything is consumed.¡± He grinned, a drop of blood running down the side of his face.
¡°Nuts to this,¡± Sally growled. She was thankful, at least, that she didn¡¯t have to tell any of her goofballs not to approach. They could see what it did to the zombies and would no doubt have the same effect on them. The fire wall had extinguished, but Humphrey appeared to be stuck in place still.
With a crack, the area of the ability increased by another foot, consuming more mushed foliage and spent corpses. It seemed to be emerging like a large donut from the man, rather than a dome. Time to test that theory.
¡°Norah, up!¡± she yelled over to the Mummy. There was more than one way to skin an avoidant Player.
Norah¡¯s bandages wrapped around Sally and flung her high into the air.
She spun up and cast [Ruin] directly below Seven. As the damage pulsed through the circular area of red light, his shield started to flicker and diminish.
¡°Fool!¡± he laughed, ¡°Now you¡¯re just easier to hit.¡±
Sally fell, headfirst, with the staff pointed like a spear.
Lana held her hand out and cast her Ultimate at Seven. [Premature End]
Seven held his hand up and fired the rail-shot straight toward her, as his floating swords raised up to catch her fall on their pointed ends.
The shot struck her shield, shattering it into fragments, as a line of blood went into the air from her left arm. Sally threw down the staff, a trail of green flame behind it. The next few steps were a blur of movement.
Her staff struck the remaining magic shield, the dagger piercing and bursting his defenses. [Mortis Bomb] went out to strike Seven in the face, blinding him. Before Sally landed, Theo [Blood Shift]ed just below her. He struck the blades, getting ran through and bending them away from her as she landed atop him, impaling him instead of herself.
With a raised fist full of anger and crackling energy, Sally punched a hole through the vampire¡¯s abdomen, reaching through his suspended body. Her open palm went against the shocked head of the dazed Seven, reeling from the weakening skill cast by Lana.
[Brain Drain]
A loud burst shredded the man, pulping his skull and exploding most of his chest. Buckled and bent red armor leaked with dark crimson as the three collapsed down into the mud. His held skills sparked and faded away.
Sally raised from the floor, breathing heavily and clutching at her injured arm. Theo reappeared beside her and sighed, immediately sitting on the floor.
She looked around at the scores of corpses, alongside the zombies still milling around. The Outsiders came over, with Chuck in tow.
¡°Looks like Blue team wins,¡± she said with an exhausted grin.
Right before a light blue glow appeared to their side.
208 - By His Design
The glow of the fifteen-foot tall Architect illuminated the area.
[Well. This has certainly not gone the way I had expected.]
Sally bared her sharp teeth at him. ¡°Trying to get all your problems to work themselves out because you¡¯re too weak?¡±
[Hello, little corpse woman. Your time has run its course.]
The Architect tilted their skeletal head and clicked two boney fingers together.
[Corpse Explosion]
There was a sudden wash of extreme force, and a ringing in her ears.
[Strength in Numbers] [+14% Stat Bonus]
Sally blinked and wiped the gore from the back of her head with her forearm. Over to her side, Theo was making exaggerated chomping motions toward the Architect. Norah¡¯s sarcophagi opened up, and she stepped out. Humphrey and Lucius stood with arms crossed, unharmed, just covered in a bit more fleshy stuff than usual.
The Insiders looked fine. The four team members off at the back were away from all the undead, so weren¡¯t caught up in any damage. Fern was still sitting, but that didn¡¯t mean much.
The graveyard surrounding them was awash with mulched rotten meat and bone fragments. All her pals were dead. More dead.
[Oh. For some reason, I thought that would work on you, too.]
It hadn¡¯t, because she was part Player. Same for Theo. Lucius and Humphrey weren¡¯t really corpses, and Norah had been able to hide away in time. Everything else undead around them had exploded into paste.
¡°Still in the habit of wasting power you do not understand.¡± Humphrey shook his head at the large figure.
[Betrayer. If I wanted your opinion, I would extract it from you.]
¡°You and what army?¡±
[Funny you should say that. There are some loyal Observers that take offense to you abandoning your station.]
With a grand gesture, he motioned toward the forest. The Outsiders stood in silence for a handful of seconds, before the Architect sighed.
[Apologies. My money was on Seven, so I did not think I¡¯d need the others right now.]
¡°Any chance you could talk without bringing up text boxes?¡± Theo rubbed at his eyes, thankfully without his blades present. ¡°It¡¯s giving me a headache.¡±
The Architect narrowed his eye sockets. ¡°Fine. I suppose I wouldn¡¯t want to inconvenience you right before I erase you from this existence.¡±
¡°Thank yoouuu,¡± the vampire replied, melodically, before flopping over backward into a pile of soft mud.
Sally crossed her arms, still sore that her Legendary shield had been destroyed. ¡°Is it your turn for a monologue now? Want to tell us why we have to die and why you want to rule the System?¡±
She wanted to run up and punch him in the face, actually, but she was pretty exhausted. Theo was spent. Too many deaths had him running on fumes. Behind them, the others had moved in closer, Chuck crouched beside Dent¡¯s inert body. Lana looking like she¡¯d rather be anywhere else.
¡°I suppose until the Observers get here, I could fill you in on some exposition¡± The Architect hovered a little closer to the ground and rubbed at their skeletal chin. ¡°But first¡¡±
[Invasion Event Ended]
[4/5 Outsiders Survived]
[Teleportation Allowed]
[Party and Guilds unfrozen]
[Edward has left the Party]
[Theo has joined the Party]
A flash of blue, and the demon returned. He took one look at the battlefield, before turning to face the Architect. With a deep sigh, he deflated. ¡°Shit. Shoulda stayed at home.¡±
¡°Saved you a seat, buddy.¡± Theo pat his hand against the wet mud, splashing it on himself.
[Teleportation Disabled]
¡°Ah, my mistake.¡± The Architect shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t want anyone running away now that you¡¯re all in the same place. Funny how eggs come to roost in the same nest over time. Only¡ one normal Player amongst you.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not a real saying.¡± Sally sighed and looked over at Chuck.
¡°Oh,¡± the Architect continued. ¡°But he is dead.¡±
Half of those present winced and tried to avoid the narrowed eyes of the druid. ¡°What does that mean?¡±
¡°Guys,¡± Theo whispered loudly, ¡°we never told Chuck.¡±
¡°System damn it, fangs.¡± Sally gave the vampire a light kick in the leg. ¡°Go sleep already if you¡¯re going to make things weird.¡± She watched him drop his coffin and then slither inside it like a snake. ¡°Do we really have to do this nowwww? Humps, aren¡¯t you going to start saving the day or something?¡±
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
The Death Knight shrugged. ¡°Seems rude when he hasn¡¯t had his monologue yet.¡±
¡°Sally.¡± Chuck said.
She grumbled and walked over to him, the eyes of everyone else on her. Stopping a few feet away from him, she put her hands on her hips and scowled. ¡°Ready for your mind to be blown?¡±
He gave a shrug, still crouched down beside the dead swordsmaster.
¡°You ever wonder why you woke up here in a pile of zombies?¡±
Chuck narrowed his eyes. ¡°I was¡ undead at the start?¡±
¡°Where I was half zombie, half Player, you were full zombie¡ and then when you died protecting me, you were able to become a full Player, as intended.¡± She pulled a face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t tell you before.¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± The druid furrowed his brow. ¡°I suppose that does explain the weird dreams. And there I was, thinking I was just traumatized by my association with you.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sure you are, in other ways.¡± She grinned. ¡°I just wanted you to be normal and happy after. It was a struggle for you to accept things here.¡±
¡°It probably wouldn¡¯t have been very good for my mental state, I agree.¡± He smiled at her. ¡°Forgiven, Sally Danger.¡±
¡°Boooring,¡± the Architect called out. ¡°The lunatic has gone to bed, and the drama fizzled out to nothing. You¡¯re closer to mundane Players than I originally thought.¡±
Humphrey worked his shoulders. ¡°So why not let us live?¡±
¡°No.¡± The large robed figure shook his head. ¡°You, out of all of us, should know better. Uniques are an error in the System, not designed for the purpose they now currently serve.¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t you in charge now?¡± Sally crossed her arms. ¡°You get to decide what is an error and what things can stay.¡±
¡°Correct.¡± The Architect shrugged. ¡°If you really need the exposition to make your little Player brains feel contented, I am here to enact the original Architect''s vision, not the upstart who ruined the System with their inadequacies.¡±
Sally wrinkled up her face. Not the worst idea on the surface of things. The middle Architect had their troubles and did the best they could, but perhaps if the original one had been able to stick around then things wouldn¡¯t have been messed up. They could have even gone home. But that was beside the point at this stage.
New Architect wanted to kill off her and her friends, that was unacceptable.
¡°We can¡¯t come to a compromise? Accept that Uniques are part of the System now and work around it?¡± She gave the tall figure her best puppy eyes.
¡°No.¡±
She scowled toward the Death Knight. ¡°Daaaad, aren¡¯t you going to do something?¡±
Humphrey winced and gave her a scowl back. ¡°Do you need a coffin, too? I cannot act until the Observers are taken care of.¡±
Norah raised an eyebrow. ¡°And why is that?¡±
His expression relaxed, and he looked away, sheepishly. ¡°Protocol reasons.¡±
Chuck looked down at Dent as the Outsiders bickered amongst themselves. It was strange seeing him dead, when he had been so full of life not so long ago. Even knowing he could bring him back, and the resources and spell just sitting ready to be used at any moment¡ was that a selfish action? To bring him back into this world of conflict when he was now at peace?
Fern came up beside him and sat down. Some of the hole through their body had healed up, but a large indent remained. ¡°You are troubled. Unsure whether to allow Dent to return to the ground yet.¡±
The druid nodded.
¡°Did you discuss potential resurrection, if he should fall?¡±
¡°Of course.¡± Chuck sighed. ¡°The reason for me holding back the ability was specifically for him, and he knew it and was fine with it.¡±
¡°So, what is your issue?¡±
He shuffled uncomfortably. ¡°What if he only wanted that for my sake?¡±
Fern tilted their head. ¡°I think you are both idiots, then. Bring the meat sack to life when you feel it is the right time. I do not want to see your miserable face if he dies again after your spell is spent.¡±
Lana stood behind them both. ¡°It¡¯s kind of pleasant so far¡ which is worrying.¡±
Chuck stood, and brushed off his robe. With a sigh, he raised an eyebrow at the Architect. ¡°It¡¯s like two gods facing off against one another. They know how powerful each other is. When they fight, it¡¯ll be the end of one side for good¡ so they aren¡¯t rushing it. A last meal must be savored.¡±
Sally sat down on Theo¡¯s coffin. Who knew how long he¡¯d have to be in there to sleep off the Exhaustion stacks he had built up. Even a little sanity coming back to him would be nice. Lucius was trying to explain the history of the Outsiders to Jane, while Humphrey, Norah, and the Architect were having an argument over whether everyone should be fighting or not. Despite how domestic everything seemed, everyone was tense - she could feel it.
Edward stood beside her with his hands in his suit pockets. ¡°Theo going to be alright?¡±
¡°Yeah, you big softie.¡± She smiled up at him. ¡°Thanks for saving my life back there, too.¡±
¡°I felt that the best way to betray you was to betray the notion that I¡¯d betray you.¡± He grinned and gave her a shrug. ¡°It was inevitable.¡±
¡°It sure was.¡± She looked back at the Architect. ¡°If only you were undead, huh? And Parties weren¡¯t limited to five.¡± Her head tilted to the side. ¡°Weird how the fate of everything is going to be decided here, isn¡¯t it?¡±
The rest of the Insiders moved over to where she was sitting.
Chuck looked back at Dent¡¯s body before going through his chat messages. ¡°Turns out Seven was cultivating the dissatisfaction within Players. Made them more irrational and angry at the System.¡±
¡°They did act against better judgment,¡± Sally said, exhaustion settling in her face. ¡°Compare them to the two gals Lucius has helped. Most of your Blue faction were pretty sensible, too.¡±
The druid shook his head. ¡°Such a short-sighted plan. Hate as a motivator never works for anything other than self destruction.¡±
¡°Nerd,¡± Sally said with a grin.
The Architect held up his skeletal hands. ¡°Okay, enough. They are here now, although there are less than I had anticipated. Apparently, a dragon went rogue and has killed some of the others before they could take it down.¡±
Sally hopped back up to her feet with a grin. Both Players and Uniques had fought back against the Observers suddenly trying to police them. An imperfect System it may be, but it was currently home to plenty who had grown to accept it.
¡°I¡¯m pretty spent on supers, guys.¡± She then pouted. ¡°Anyone have much left?¡±
Short answer was everyone had used their Ultimates against Seven, aside from one person. Humphrey. Given how that worked, it didn¡¯t surprise her that he had kept it for this fight. She looked past Jackie who was taking a long drag of another cigarette, to see that her vehicle had been destroyed. A victim of the [Corpse Explosion] perhaps, although she thought it was far enough away. Her zombie skills were worn out, and the World Boss skills had been taken away.
Back to being a Raid level threat.
They all turned and brought up their weapons ready, as trees began to crack and collapse from the west.
¡°Less than a dozen, more than five,¡± Fern notified them, their roots buried into the mud. "I must rest further now."
The Architect grinned, and turned to the Death Knight. ¡°You will soon see the folly of your betrayal.¡±
Humphrey shook his head. ¡°My entire existence is to remove problems from the System. Your time is limited.¡±
With the flash of yellow light, a figure burst up into the sky above the woods. A bird of sharp golden color in contrast to the gray skies above. With a crack of lightning, dozens of radiant bolts of energy surged down toward the gathered groups.
The fight for the future of the System had begun.
209 - Count Theo
The ground shook as the radiant bolts fell down around the scarred battlefield of the graveyard. Sparks crackled in the air like electricity where they struck the thick mud, as the gathered Parties tried to avoid the attacks.
¡°They¡¯re not stopping,¡± Sally growled, before leaping to the ground, a bolt buzzing as it flared just behind her.
Theo¡¯s coffin opened up, and he popped out, spinning to land back atop it. ¡°Sallyyyyyy.¡± he cooed. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±
She narrowed her eyes at him as she picked herself up. ¡°Observer fight before we beat up the Architect. Did you even sleep?¡±
¡°I removed two stacks of exhaustion,¡± he replied in an odd monotone. ¡°But plenty still remain.¡±
A bolt dropped from the sky and struck his coffin. The glow of golden electricity pulsed across the shiny metal surface and crackled up the vampire¡¯s legs.
¡°Ah!¡± He said, jolting off of the coffin and into the mud. ¡°Now my bones are extra itchy.¡±
¡°I¡¯m too tired for this.¡± Sally sighed. The fight against Ruben had been a protracted battle too, but at least she had an army behind her and countless brains to consume. She didn¡¯t want to eat anyone that was corrupt, and now the Observers weren¡¯t likely to have anything worth chewing on either.
¡°Allow me, boss.¡± Jackie stepped forward, her repeating crossbow aimed at the sky. Light blue energy waved around the cylinder as she fired a single bolt. It arced through the air and struck the bird-Observer, their body suddenly freezing over and turning a similar light blue.
As they dropped from the sky, the mobster continued to light it up with a continued spray of bolts, her weapon burning a bright orange as it fired at greater speed than normal.
Before Sally could lend her thanks to Jackie, the nearest trees burst apart as nine figures burst forth. Each of them with a skeletal head that burned with light blue fire. Each of them different Monsters. Each of them intent of stopping the Outsiders from attacking their boss.
She flourished her staff, before realizing that the end was normal again. ¡°Shit! My dagger fell off.¡± Hardly any time to dig around the mud for it - it must have broken off when she threw it at Seven to break his shield.
¡°Lucius with pops,¡± she commanded, collaring the vampire to drag with her to the circle of scoured dirt where the Red Player had been.
A green glow illuminated the area, and Dent sat up with a cough. ¡°Oh hells,¡± he shook his head, trying to clear his eyes. ¡°What happened?¡±
¡°Sorry swordsman,¡± Chuck smiled softly as he put his hand on Dent¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Your duty isn¡¯t over yet.¡±
¡°Balls,¡± he replied, getting to his feet. ¡°I won¡¯t let you down this time.¡±
The druid rolled his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t be an ass. Talking time is later, killing time is now.¡±
Sally slid across the dirt, while the vampire hopped up and down at the edge of the area that was burned out around Seven¡¯s corpse.
¡°I¡¯ll thank you later for cushioning my fall, pup.¡± She narrowed her eyes around the gloomy mud for her weapons. ¡°When you can appreciate it¡ and understand it.¡± She briefly raised him a concerned eyebrow.
¡°Fifty-six, fifty-six,¡± the vampire replied.
¡°What?¡± She sighed before spotting the reflective silver of the [Skeleton Key] buried half in the mud. ¡°Aha! Get ready, pup. Choose a target or something.¡±
¡°Seven sevens are forty-nine, eight sevens are fifty-six.¡±
¡°Perhaps you should stay in your¡¡± she paused and let the words sink in. Sane Theo had said that Seven had probably absorbed the Observer they had abandoned near the Spire dungeon. Did that mean there were eight versions of him when they split?
She stepped up at the vampire, who was drooling as he stared down at the approaching Observers. ¡°You need to do me a favor, pup.¡±
¡°Anything for my Queen,¡± he said with a grin, although his eyes remained focused forward.
¡°Track down and kill Seven.¡± She held up a fistful of the previous Red leaders inside meat. Maybe lungs or something.
The vampire sniffed it before giving it a brief lick. ¡°I have his taste. I¡¯ll be back, Edward.¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes at him as the vampire sped off deeper into the graveyard. She spun her dagger in her left hand and sent [Mortis Bomb] off toward the Observers.
Humphrey was at the forefront, a wide grin on his face as he blocked two of the encroaching enemies. One was some kind of warrior with a large axe, and the other was a centaur with a spear. With Lucius adding in a shadowed greatsword, they had no issue in holding their own, even with their slower speed.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Some kind of octopus-Observer was currently being held up by Norah, her bandages tripping the weaker legs and holding the weapon-arms together. Jackie was pinning down a spellcaster, an owl-like Observer in shimmering purple robes.
Chuck was assisting Dent and Edward as they darted into the flank, flickering their weapons through the less armored of the foes. Lana was sticking near Fern, protecting the dryad who was still recovering, but letting off a crossbow or utility skill towards the fray when she could.
Sally tilted her head toward the Architect. He was floating there, watching. Things had been oddly cordial, and she knew in her heart that the gathered Observers wouldn¡¯t really be much of a match for the Outsiders, even if they were tired and powered down.
While not engaging in the battle himself, there was something she didn¡¯t trust about the floating figure. With a scowl across her face, she marched toward him.
Theo slipped into the cathedral on his tiptoes, despite verbally making creaking noises every time he stepped. The spacious interior was just as gloomy and poorly lit as earlier, with a slight chill to the stale air.
There was also a shadowed figure, breathing heavily before the statue.
¡°Helloooo!¡± the vampire called out. ¡°Looks like your number is up!¡±
Seven stood and turned his head towards the large doors. ¡°Didn¡¯t think any of you were smart enough to realize I had another. Laugh it up, though, while you can. I am spent. Weak.¡± He held up his arm to show the previously red STAR. The corruption now faded away, the System button now pale gray and inert.
¡°Boo hoo,¡± Theo said as he rolled his eyes. He clicked his fingers and the candles along the walls burst into flame, illuminating the interior softly. ¡°You¡¯re in my house now. I¡¯m here to judge your sins.¡±
¡°Go ahead, I have nothing left to offer.¡± The man held his arms open. ¡°Your zombie wench all but destroyed me. I am a ghost now.¡±
Theo grinned and started to walk towards him, hands in his pockets. ¡°Any final words?¡±
Seven smirked, his eyes narrowing. ¡°You mean any Last Words?¡±
Shadows flickered behind Theo, and his eyes widened.
Humphrey wrenched his sword out from the torso of the centaur, their skull flickering and fading away as the body dropped to the floor. ¡°Such a shame to see my brothers turn to ruin.¡± He grinned at the warrior who was trying to regain composure as their legs bled heavily. The empty eye sockets of the blue flaming skull narrowed.
¡°You know, your footwork ain¡¯t half bad.¡± Dent slid across the ground, and raised his sword-arm back up and the demon slew the spellcaster.
¡°Don¡¯t get any ideas. I¡¯m not in it for the bravado.¡± Edward grinned. ¡°Combat isn¡¯t my speciality, but when fighting for our existence¡¡±
The swordman¡¯s blade glowed bright red as they ran off toward their next target. ¡°Fair. What is your speciality then?¡±
Edward¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Being an asshole. Subverting expectations.¡±
¡°Being best pals with the vampire?¡±
The demon flashed forward, stabbing at a large elf-Observer currently healing and support the ones on the front. ¡°If I gain his trust and friendship, then it will make the inevitable betrayal all the more sweet.¡±
¡°Whatever you say, pal.¡± Dent lunged forward with his own attack, a wry smile on his face.
Unable to move any longer, the octopus-Observer took the full brunt of a volley of bolts from the mobster, their skull eventually cracking and blue fire diminishing.
¡°Fuck yeah,¡± Jackie grinned, spinning up the cylinder to look for the next target.
¡°We make quite the team,¡± Norah said with a soft smile, bursting up a pyramid amongst the Observers to knock one to the side so that they could repeat the process. ¡°You left the Outsiders back in the Forest area?¡±
¡°Sally and the rest of the shmucks are fun enough, but I was soft on a gal.¡± The mobster shrugged and brought up the sight on her weapon to ready her next shot. ¡°Dropped the adventuring life to run a tavern with her.¡±
¡°If not for love, what greater fight is there?¡±
Jackie fired off a flaming bolt which exploded on the hapless Observer trying to escape from the entangling bandages. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s nice to get my boots dirty again, yeah? But it¡¯s coz the undead gal can keep that little dream safe that I¡¯m here.¡±
Sally stood before the Architect, her arms crossed. ¡°What are you playing at here?¡±
He tilted his head to her. ¡°Huh? Are you not meant to be fighting?¡±
¡°I do what I want. You¡¯re the one who is not acting as expected.¡±
¡°I am a living god. I¡¯m not about to stoop so low as to start punching my enemies because they think they can threaten me.¡± He shook his head and turned back to the battle.
¡°You mean, you¡¯re having trouble accessing actual power, and you¡¯re hoping your goons will seal the deal so that you don¡¯t have to waste what little power you actually have in getting rid of the one and only threat to your ascension?¡±
The Architect stopped hovering, and slowly turned around to face her fully, a deep scowl over his empty sockets. ¡°You know, you¡¯re really fucking annoying.¡±
¡°Duh,¡± she said with a wide grin.
Lana crouched down and swore, fumbling with her crossbow reload. She was tired and stressed, sure, but this was no excuse for being sloppy.
¡°You know,¡± Fern said, tilting their head toward her. ¡°Sally wouldn¡¯t hold it against you if you left.¡±
¡°I know. And I would, but¡ what would be the point?¡± The woman brushed the dark curls from her face. ¡°This is a lot more than I signed up for, but there probably isn¡¯t a greater thing that I could do with my life, right?¡±
She narrowed her eyes back toward the cathedral. Something wasn¡¯t right.
Chuck yawned and cast another heal on Dent, before bringing up a wall of thick bark to wall off another Observer from trying to flank in his direction. Compared to some of their fights, this was comparatively easy. The enemy seemed to have a desire to pulp the Death Knight more than anyone else, and they weren¡¯t having a good time of it.
He raised an eyebrow back at the zombie. She was in conversation with the Architect and they both looked rather tense. It wasn¡¯t like her to miss out on a fight, but then again, it was going rather smoothly compared to the fight against Seven. Too well. Now he was suspicious, as well.
If Seven had the power of seven Observers, or well, eight, then he¡ Chuck furrowed his brow. And where was Theo?
The vampire looked at the floor, which wasn¡¯t too far away now that he was on his knees. It was also covered in a lot more blood than usual. His blood, which was unfair because he liked to keep that in his own body for the most part. He would like to chastise those responsible, but his tongue didn¡¯t feel like moving.
Mostly because it was about a dozen feet away. Which was a lot of feet, for his tongue. It would probably blush if it understood the humor of it, but it was unable to confirm that to him, unfortunately, on account of the separation.
¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you,¡± Seven said, now flanked by two figures. ¡°Don¡¯t want you running back and telling on us.¡±
[Blood Shift] wasn¡¯t working, despite the charges being there, eager for him to attack. His punch-blades lay on the floor, a place they shouldn¡¯t be, in his opinion.
¡°In fact, you¡¯ll be very useful to us once we corrupt that STAR of yours.¡±
210 - Something to Paint Red
The Architect clenched both of his skeletal fists. ¡°You do not understand the amount of ruin the false-Architect has brought to the System. There¡¯s a branch in the data that is labeled ¡®memes¡¯. I do not know what that is.¡±
Sally tapped her foot in the soft mud. ¡°I¡¯m not here to be your agony aunt.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know what that means either!¡±
Trying to get the big bad to see some sense had not been a worthwhile use of her time. He just wanted to complain about how it wasn¡¯t easy to gather up the power he needed to try to smite them from existence, and her insistence that he just abdicate and allow someone more competent to lead hadn¡¯t gone down well.
Over half of the summoned Observers had been slain at no real detriment to the Outsiders and pals¡ although several of them were either missing or she couldn¡¯t see them from where she stood. The vampire hadn¡¯t returned, which might mean an extra Seven had traveled further away or was hidden somehow. Or Theo had gotten lost in his mania and found something else less important to do.
Knowing the vampire, it would be the latter.
Theo didn¡¯t feel too good. Or rather, he didn¡¯t feel too Theo, which wasn¡¯t good.
Which made his constant smile a bit worrying.
His wrist burned and was a terrible shade of red. His STAR pulsed alongside his heartbeat - which was strange, as he didn¡¯t usually have one to note.
Seven held down a hand toward him. ¡°See, that wasn¡¯t such a bother, was it?¡±
The vampire took the offered help and stood on shaky legs. His regeneration had come back, a new tongue back in his mouth. ¡°What do I do now?¡±
¡°Well, I think you should start by killing the Outsiders, right?¡±
Theo ran his new tongue across his long fangs. ¡°Kill? Is that your order, sire?¡±
Seven chuckled. ¡°It certainly is.¡±
The crimson eyes of the vampire looked around the illuminated cathedral. There were four clones of Lana still, what remained of Last Word. As his glare returned to Seven, he smiled. Punch-blades of dark metal burst into his grip.
¡°I¡¯d best get started then.¡±
Humphrey slid across the mud, a gash of silver across his chest. Gradually, he healed up as he regained his footing. A smile went across his skeletal face as bandages came in to waylay the continued attacks of the large Observer with six arms.
¡°Shame my brothers are so weak.¡± He flourished his blade and stepped forward. It had been a concern at first that not everyone present was contributing, but after seeing what little threat the wave of Observers had presented, he didn¡¯t blame them.
He could hear Sally arguing with the Architect, and keeping him busy was beneficial until the right time came up. The lack of the vampire was acceptable, as he had a terrible grip on his sanity right now and needed a break. There had been less support from the back, but he was pretty sure the Outsiders alone could break these opponents with little issue.
Something concerning in the grand scheme of things, compared to how tense the Invasions had been. The worse was yet to come, or the best.
Either way, some end was upon them.
¡°You felt it too?¡± Chuck moved up beside Lana as they approached the cathedral.
She nodded. ¡°Well, I could feel some of my clones were here. You?¡±
¡°Some power, and something Theo had said, yeah.¡±
They stopped at the slightly ajar doors and readied their weapons. With a nervous push, the large wooden door swung open silently.
Lana gasped and covered her mouth.
Blood. All over the walls, floor, and pews. Body parts littered the place as if the figures had exploded. The statue that now ran with crimson rivers in the carved grooves of the tall figure had five heads placed at its feet. A surprised looking Seven and four others that each resembled Lana.
Before the statue stood a figure soaked through in blood and gore. Theo turned his burning red eyes back toward them.
¡°You should both leave.¡±
¡°Theo?¡± Chuck went to move forward before Lana stopped him.
The vampire held up his arms to show his corrupted STAR. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone to see me like this. Especially not Sally.¡±
¡°Is there¡ can we help in any way?¡± Chuck¡¯s voice stumbled as a lump caught in his throat.
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¡°No.¡± Theo turned to look back at the statue. ¡°I¡¯m using all my willpower to not come to kill you both. I am broken. I have¡ fallen.¡±
¡°There¡¯s always a way.¡± Lana grit her teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t you prepare for everything?¡±
The vampire chuckled to himself. ¡°Of course. That¡¯s why I am waiting here. For the one person who has a chance to kill me. Please leave. Please.¡±
The pair exchanged glances, unsure what to say or do. Not wanting to become collateral to the vampire¡¯s bad mood, they turned to step back out of the cathedral.
Just as a figure stepped in to move past them.
¡°Edward?¡±
¡°Yes, Dent?¡± The demon lowered his sword and wiped the sweat from his brow.
¡°You¡¯re bleeding. You can slow down, you know?¡± The swordsman leaned over to get his breath back. Between the Outsiders, the rest of the Observers were now tied up.
¡°I¡¯ve had worse,¡± Edward murmured, drawing a potion bottle from inside his jacket. ¡°We should gather with the others. I am sure the standoff with the Architect is looming now that things are working out for us.¡±
¡°Almost feels orchestrated, right?¡± Dent rubbed the side of his head with the back of his sword-arm. ¡°Weird for things to be so calm.¡±
The demon shrugged. ¡°Either the Architect is confident we aren¡¯t a threat, or they are begging for us to win.¡±
¡°Latter sure would be nice.¡±
Sally threw up her arms in exasperation. ¡°What are you even waiting for? Do you want us to win? Is this a pity fight so that you can feel you didn¡¯t do a terrible job?¡±
¡°I have been in charge for a day and I have achieved-¡±
¡°YAWN,¡± Sally said, exaggerating the faux motions.
A trident of crackling blue energy emerged into the Architect''s hand. ¡°Fine, you want to fuckin¡¯ go, little corpse woman? Let¡¯s GO.¡±
[Auras and Passive Abilities Disabled]
[Stat Bonuses Disabled]
¡°Hey, that¡¯s not-¡± she brought her staff up at the last second, barely blocking the swing of the large trident. Sally bounced across the mud, rolling over a few mounds before coming to a stop. ¡°Ow.¡±
¡°How¡¯s that ¡®power of friendship¡¯ working out for you now?¡± he seethed as he floated closer, bringing back the trident to impale her.
A group of bandages shot out and wrapped around the extended weapon. He turned with a bright glare across his face.
¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯ll work out quite well,¡± Norah said with a wide smile. ¡°Hit it, hun.¡±
Jackie blazed amber as smoke hissed away from her held crossbow. With a flash of light, she fired off a salvo of bolts that shot forth and passed straight through the Architect as he turned translucent for a moment.
¡°Pitiful,¡± he growled, the trident vanishing from one hand to appear in the other, dropping the wrappings. He lashed out toward the Mummy, but instead struck Humphrey as he slid in front of Norah.
¡°My hero,¡± she purred.
¡°The day is still young.¡± He buckled slightly from the pressure of the weapon, before the Architect finally relented.
Sally rubbed at her head as she turned over. Without her bonuses, she was pretty¡ she looked up to see the large blue figure flicker her way and bring the prongs back down upon her.
A large wall of thick vines burst up from the mud, the sharp ends of the weapon cracking through but not reaching her. She glanced over to see Chuck and Lana running over to her.
¡°Back to your feet, soldier,¡± Lana called, looking like she needed someone to tell her that rather than the other way around.
Sally wobbled back up to her feet. ¡°You find Theo?¡± She watched them exchange a glance.
¡°There was another Seven, and Theo killed him,¡± Chuck began. ¡°He said he would catch us up as soon as possible.¡±
¡°Is he hurt?¡± Her brow furrowed. Surely not, as he could regenerate or respawn?
Chuck put his hand on her shoulder as the vines started to sink away. ¡°Trust me on this, okay? Focus on the Architect.¡±
She nodded, but that didn¡¯t comfort the building knot in her stomach.
¡°Huh.¡± Theo held his wrist where the corrupted STAR blinked back at his intense glare. ¡°I had hoped that I¡¯d have more control and be able to just give myself up.¡± He turned his red eyes to the other figure. ¡°But you knew that already, didn¡¯t you?¡±
A shrug was the only given response.
¡°Even you are tongue-tied at the sight of me.¡± Theo lowered his head before shaking it. ¡°To think I could have been so easily tricked, and become a monster, just like they all worried.¡±
The opposing figure, half shadowed by the large pillars in the cathedral, drew their weapons.
¡°Very well. A fight to the death it is.¡± The vampire brought up his gore-soaked punch-blades. ¡°You''d better fucking win.¡±
The trident carved a wide arc through the mud as Edward and Dent dove to the side. Fern thickened the earth, causing the weapon to get stuck part of the way through to the rest of the Insiders.
¡°Playing with insects is certainly tiring,¡± the Architect growled, a glowing orb forming in his other hand.
[Mortis Bomb] struck him in the side, but he didn¡¯t even flinch. Instead, he glared down at the handful of zombies rising from the dirt, and they wiggled themselves back away.
¡°Unfair,¡± Sally growled. Her curse didn¡¯t work on him either, which left her with little to attempt. She had gone for a [Meat Hook] but he had vanished again, letting the skill miss. He wasn¡¯t evading everything, but most of their attempts didn¡¯t seem to even scratch him when they did hit.
¡°Oh, you expected this to be fair?¡± The Architect lobbed out the glowing orb toward her. ¡°You are just lucky I am not at full power.¡±
She went to leap away, and the mud surrounding her suddenly turned into sand. Her feet dug into it and she toppled over onto her face just before the attack landed.
An uncomfortable heal ran through her, sent over by the druid. She stepped back up to her feet, most of the sand now turned to glass from the impact. The last shreds of the smoldering red cloak fell from her to land in a pile on the ground.
¡°Oh, now you¡¯ve done it,¡± she seethed. With a motion, she swapped back to a refreshed version of her diner outfit and threw her staff on the ground to flip her knife into her right hand. It was time to go back to basics.
¡°Healers are such pains.¡± The Architect span the trident around, turning it into a double-ended glaive. With a crack like lightning, he jabbed it out toward Chuck.
Dent was there, sparks flaring from his sword-arm as he deflected the blow into the mud beside the druid. With the arm of the Architect extended, Sally hit it with [Meat Hook] and spun in toward him.
¡°Bug!¡± He yelled, bringing his free hand to swat her away - before bandages wrapped around his raised arm.
Sally jabbed [Skeleton Key] into the torso of the robed skeleton before he vanished to appear a dozen feet back. Bandages then caught her as she dropped to the ground, avoiding the spikes that had risen up to meet her.
The Architect felt themselves and raised his hand up to see a dark blue blood ran from the wound. ¡°How is this possible?¡±
¡°With friendship, anything is possible,¡± Humphrey said, stepping forward.
¡°Betrayer, your use here is limited. Do not bother me while I crush the others.¡± He rose up, a pair of axes appearing in his hands.
A wide grin appeared across the skeletal face of the Death Knight.
¡°Limited? This isn¡¯t even my final form.¡±
[Soul Knight]
211 - Said it from the Start
The sounds of combat were muted from back in the cathedral. While the candles had all been extinguished, the occasional flash of blue light or powerful ability shone brief illumination inside the gray interior.
Atop the base of the statue, five heads continued to stare in shocked awe at the fate that had met them. A macabre display of what someone so powerful could accomplish if truly separated from any chains tethering them to normal morality.
A body, amongst all the blood and gore, lay broken in the middle of the floor. Rivers of crimson ran from two puncture wounds in the neck of the corpse. Broken glasses lay amongst rubble, as some of the structure had not been able to escape the becoming collateral in the intense fight.
Despite the calm now settled in the building, slow footsteps echoed out. Away from the body, towards the door and outside world. Blood dripped down to the floor, decorating the stone amongst red shoe prints trailing behind the victor.
As the wooden door opened silently, a wide grin became illuminated by a flash of blue. Long fangs picked up the light with practised precision.
Humphrey hummed with power. The flames of his ability engulfing him briefly before being washed away by a gust of energy.
Now, no longer in his dark crimson and black suit of armor, he radiated despite the lack of light. He was taller, each of his limbs thicker and gleaming in a reflective white. His new appearance was blockier, and his helmet no longer had the skeletal grin, but instead a flat plate angled into a triangle. Two eyes of flaming green energy blazed brighter than his usual crimson flame ever had.
He flourished his sword and stood to oppose the Architect.
¡°See, told you he was a mecha,¡± Chuck murmured to the zombie.
Sally had been waiting for this. The big metal lug had been keeping his Ultimate to fight against the Architect, and now that he had the full Archie in him¡ well, she didn¡¯t really know what it meant. Only that the cat was the key to winning this battle.
Still, something was not right. She scowled at Chuck again. ¡°Do you know what is going on?¡±
He raised an eyebrow back at her as he prepared a spell. ¡°Like, in the grand scheme of things, or more specific?¡±
¡°You made plans with Archie, right?¡± She winced as Jackie burst out an attack through the air. ¡°What¡¯s actually happening here?¡± She turned and watched the Death Knight burst forward to engage the Architect in melee. ¡°I suppose I feel like I¡¯m a little useless right now.¡±
¡°Nah.¡± Chuck shook his head and smiled. ¡°Everything here is because of you. Anytime one of us attacks or heals, it¡¯s an extension of everything you¡¯ve fought for and put together.¡±
Sally tried to consider this. She had said before that Theo and Humphrey were like her sword and shield, and that in being queen it meant she didn¡¯t need to dirty her hands always. This was like that, but bigger. Over time, she had gathered all the pieces of the puzzle to hopefully take down the Architect and fix the System.
¡°I guess you¡¯re right. I wouldn¡¯t be here without all of you, either.¡± She smiled as she watched the Death Knight.
¡°Even me?¡± a voice came from behind them.
They turned to see Theo standing there, his clothing and most of his chest in bloody tatters.
Humphrey flashed out with his sword, green light following the blade as it burst into flame. He ducked and spun around, knocking back both axes of the Architect and causing him to vanish and appear nearby.
¡°Perhaps I was a fool to not take you more seriously,¡± the Architect growled, his axes switching to maces. ¡°I had hoped you¡¯d get the hint after I tried to assassinate you.¡±
¡°That just renewed my ambition,¡± Humphrey replied, leaping into a downward swing. ¡°Knowing that you were afraid of me.¡±
¡°Afraid?¡±
¡°Theo!¡± Sally grinned at him before her expression sunk away. ¡°You look¡ bad.¡±
He withdrew his hands from his pockets and shrugged, exposing his normal STAR to the extremely tense Chuck and Lana.
¡°Oh, thank fuck,¡± the druid said and sighed deeply. Lana nodded along eagerly with this assessment, but still didn¡¯t feel safe enough to say anything.
The vampire stumbled down the mud and collapsed into the waiting hug from the zombie. ¡°Got some good and bad news, my queen.¡±
¡°What is it, pup?¡± She ran her fingers through the back of his hair to find it was matted with fresh blood.
¡°Killed Seven and the rest of the Last Word. Lost all my special blood powers, though.¡±
¡°Oh, pup.¡± She gave him a squeeze. ¡°Architect just disabled passives, that¡¯s all.¡±
Theo gave a tired look over to Chuck and Lana. ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡±
Sally gave him a pat on the back. ¡°Here, take a health potion. Pops has just gone super-mode. You good to fight?¡± She narrowed her eyes back to the group fighting. ¡°Wait, Lucy hasn¡¯t used his Ultimate either, the little sneak.¡±
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¡°I¡¯ll do what I can. Not quite feeling myself.¡± He worked his jaw. ¡°Or¡ feeling too much of myself. It¡¯s hard to tell.¡± With a shrug, he walked over to retrieve his coffin.
Chuck rubbed his face. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to have to address that later.¡±
Lana shuddered. ¡°I suppose he did have my blood, right?¡±
¡°What are you two murmuring about?¡± Sally scowled. ¡°Let¡¯s go kill the Architect! Hit it Lucy!¡±
Without waiting for a response, she leaped down the from the ridge they had been populating and ran toward the battle where Humphrey was exchanging blows with the large blue figure. [Meat Hook] struck the Architect near the bottom of their robes and she dug her heels into the soft mud, spraying up a wave of dirt on approach to obscure herself.
Lucius popped out of Norah¡¯s shadow to use his Ultimate, a shadowed version of himself appearing under each of the Outsiders.
Another two arms extended out of the Architect, large spikes at the end instead of hands. One darted in toward the zombie, striking just beside her before she was upon him. Her dagger went into where his leg would be, more dark blue blood spurting from the wound as a shadowed version repeated the action. As the second spiked appendage stabbed out at her, a flash of darkness had Theo in the way, blocking the attack with his punch-blades crossed against him, assisted by those granted by the Shade.
The vampire hit the dirt and slid through the mud. Bright red light had given life back to his eyes, a heal from the druid running through him where his passive regeneration could no longer do the job.
¡°More worms wriggle out from the soil,¡± the Architect seethed at the vampire, before turning his focus back to the Death Knight.
Bandages flung Sally through the air, and with a fist raised back, she threw a punch out - connecting with the skeletal face of the Architect.
As Humphrey charged up a powerful upswing, a pyramid burst up from beneath him, popping him up into the air so that his slash went over the prepared defenses of the two maces, a shadowed version of the attack ensuring the first went through unhindered.
The Architect flashed away from the combat, appearing a short distance away to examine the long line of dark blue up his chest. ¡°It seems this is not working. I will return when you-¡±
[Compelled Duel]
¡°Fool, I¡¯m not going to¡¡± The skeletal face of the Architect contorted in weird ways. ¡°No! But how?¡±
Humphrey grinned beneath his mask and held up his free hand to beckon the large figure closer. ¡°I have the power of the old god and found family on my side.¡±
¡°Fool!¡±
Sally rolled her eyes and walked back up to the ridge with Theo. ¡°Necessary evil,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Stops the big boss from running away and blah blah.¡±
Theo shrugged. ¡°I ever tell you that I love you, Sally?¡±
¡°Of course, who doesn¡¯t?¡± She smiled and punched him on the shoulder. ¡°All that death and exhaustion got you feeling sappy?¡±
He looked over at the pensive druid and Lana. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll tell you later.¡±
Edward stepped over and narrowed his eyes at the vampire. ¡°Theo.¡±
¡°Edward.¡± He narrowed his eyes in return before they went in for a hug.
¡°For some reason, I feared something dire had happened to you.¡±
The vampire stepped back away and smiled. ¡°Nah. The only person powerful enough to stop me would be another me.¡± His eyes darted briefly back to the pair of humans, who both held an uncomfortable grimace.
Humphrey danced beneath the blades, twisting away from the attacks to dart in himself. Another brief line of dark blue against the robes of the angered Architect.
¡°How can you even damage me? You are infuriating! It is his power, isn¡¯t it?¡±
The Death Knight activated his parrying ability, blocking the flurry of blows leveled at him. ¡°I do not know what you mean.¡±
¡°Of course you do, betrayer! The false Architect split themselves into fragments after I poisoned them. You hold the powers of the cat.¡± He grew another two arms, these ones also pointed spikes.
¡°Scared of a cat? Such folly unbecoming of the Architect!¡±
Sally rolled her eyes, before looking over at the rest of the group arranging themselves in a certain position. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±
Norah paused. ¡°It¡¯s part of the plan, hun.¡±
¡°Told you that she doesn¡¯t read her messages,¡± Chuck murmured, before shooting her a sheepish grin.
Theo put his hand on her confused shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Humphrey and I had this planned out. Just do what comes natural to you.¡± The vampire took the end of an offered bandage and walked to the other side of her.
The Death Knight dropped his sword, the weapon spinning away to stick into the dirt as he clutched at his injured arm. Green fire bloomed in his eyes as the Architect loomed over him. As one, all six arms turned into large hands, and they grabbed up Humphrey to lift him into the air.
¡°Such a curious waste of resources. All that power, just to be squished like an insect?¡± The skeletal face grinned towards the plated figure as his hands squeezed tighter.
Humphrey winced as his form started to buckle and squeal. ¡°You do not have the strength or conviction to crush me, let alone run the System.¡±
¡°Wrong.¡± The Architect buzzed with energy as he pooled his power into his hands. Sparks and steam hiss out from the joints of the empowered Death Knight as he was crushed further.
¡°Ha-ha,¡± he laughed. ¡°I lose. Making me the winner.¡±
With one last push, the Death Knight broke. The power left him, returning his armor to the small black and crimson design, albeit now twisted and silver in several places. His helmet hung limp, shadowed in the grip of the Architect.
Then, his chest burst open, and a rail of orange energy shot through the air, striking the Architect through his forehead.
He dropped the spent armor to the floor and clutched at the wound with a pair of his hands - a split going straight through his head. He turned his eyes to see a ginger cat drop to the floor on the other side.
¡°You, I am not so easily¡¡± he hissed, before the rush of air caught his attention too late.
[Eat Brains]
Sally bounced off of the empty head of the Architect and fell down to the ground, landing uncomfortably on the wet mud. ¡°Archie!¡± She immediately sat up and vomited, light blue liquid flooding over her hands until a crown was painfully expelled.
¡°How¡ dare¡ you,¡± the tall figured hissed, as he sunk to the floor.
With the flick of her brain-vomit soaked hand, Sally threw the crown out across the battlefield like a frisbee, to land straight into the hands of the druid. With no hesitation, he lifted it up and put it upon his head.
So much had just happened that it was hard to properly parse through it all. Sally looked over at the crushed body of Humphrey, her eyes filling with tears at the sacrifice he had made to allow her that opportunity to attack.
¡°There¡¯s no need to cry. Everything is well.¡±
She looked up at the familiar voice, to see the floating purple skull grinning down at her. ¡°You lump,¡± she sniffed. ¡°Had me worried for nothing. Didn''t even cliffhanger your return.¡± Her eyes turned over to everyone else, all of them currently looking at the druid with apprehension across their faces.
Chuck flickered, his normal appearance turning fully blue before going back to his usual look. Back and forth a handful of times, until he slumped over to the ground as a Player.
Sally slid over and crouched down beside him, concern on her face. ¡°Everything okay, Chuck?¡±
¡°I really hate wearing robes,¡± he complained.
Dent stood over him and scowled. ¡°You¡¯ve been wearing them all year?¡±
Chuck smiled. ¡°Dress for the job that you want, right?¡± He held a hand in the air. ¡°Things are pretty confusing, but how about this for now?¡±
[All combat is disabled]
¡°Enjoy your pacifist run,¡± he murmured, before passing out.
212 - Death of the Party 3
Sally and Dent propped the tired druid up against an embankment of mud and tried to give him some air.
Norah tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯s a new look for you, Humphrey.¡±
The floating skull smiled sheepishly. ¡°I will find a new body in due course, I am certain.¡±
¡°You¡¯re still the big softie I adore even without the shining knight exterior.¡± She smiled. ¡°Do not fret.¡±
Theo clicked his fingers and withdrew something from his Inventory. Into his hands, a flare gun appeared, along with a case of different colored flares. ¡°Gold first,¡± he murmured to himself, before loading it into the sky and firing it.
A streak of radiant sparks followed the projectile before it burst into a ball of bright light.
¡°Goblins have eyes on the area, so they''d know when the day was won.¡± He grinned before loading a second one. As this went up into the air, a trail of purple shot up before blooming like a flower.
¡°What does purple mean?¡± Lucius asked, a question mark appearing beside his head.
Theo winked and stepped a few feet over to the side. Above them, a wide circle of green appeared, before a dark object fell out, crashing into the dirt and spraying mud and pulped zombie parts over everyone congregated.
Humphrey hovered up beside him. ¡°I was going to ask how you knew, but I should know better than that by now.¡±
An almost picture perfect replica of the original Death Knight armor now sat inert in the mud. A smoother metal, constructed to the same precision as the vampire¡¯s coffin, deep black with areas highlighted in a dark crimson.
With a flash of red light, Humphrey fused with it. The crimson areas glowing bright red as a flame flickered up behind his skeletal head.
¡°Ah, I feel like a brand new man, ha-ha.¡± He grinned and turned as the Mummy looped her arm around his. ¡°Your foresight is still slightly concerning, however.¡±
¡°I know.¡± Theo clicked his fingers before putting his hands in his trouser pockets and walking over to Chuck.
Edward was already there, his hands also in his pockets. ¡°Theo. Apparently, the System does not allow any kind of combat.¡±
¡°Yeah? Want to try punching me to see if it works?¡±
The demon narrowed his eyes. ¡°No.¡±
¡°No, because you can¡¯t¡ or no, because you can¡¯t?¡±
Sally scowled up at them both. ¡°Quit bickering for five minutes, you two. Theo, you have some explaining to do.¡±
He nodded. ¡°I agree, although you¡¯ll have to be more specific about what parts exactly.¡±
¡°Killing Seven and taking ages to come back.¡±
Theo raised an eyebrow at Lana, who avoided his gaze. ¡°Well. You know how Bella¡¯s blood gave me super regeneration? And Edward¡¯s blood allowed me to respawn?¡±
¡°Yeah?¡± She narrowed her eyes further, before they opened wide. ¡°You had a clone? Where are they now?¡±
¡°Dead.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Seven captured him and forced him to have a corrupted STAR.¡±
Her mouth hung open. ¡°What? When? What?¡±
¡°When the other me went up to the Cathedral. There were four Last Word members. Corrupted Theo couldn¡¯t be controlled, however, and he killed all five of them before I got there.¡±
¡°And then you killed the bad version of you.¡± She shook her head and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to know how or when the clone came to be, when you switched, or whether you¡¯re the original or not. Okay?¡±
¡°Okay,¡± he gave her a low bow, and rose to find that she was smiling at him.
¡°You did whatever bullshit you had to for us to win, thank you.¡±
Archie yawned and stretched out. ¡°Not quite the reunion I had imagined. I am glad to see everyone is well, however.¡±
Humphrey leaned down to pick the cat up. ¡°And what of you, little brother? Your eyes are still emerald.¡±
¡°I liked this version best. Now that I am whole once more, I feel¡ like I am not as much of the Architect as he would have liked to have saved. While it may have looked like I just cannon-balled through the head of the other Architect, it was actually more akin to a key and lock situation.¡±
¡°Using what you knew, you made it so that he had a vulnerable ''brain'' that I could eat, and the crown that gives the powers comes with it?¡± Sally pulled a face.
¡°Correct. When Humphrey sacrificed his Death Knight life, it left them open for the only one who could immediately extract it.¡±
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¡°It tasted like carbonated blueberry.¡± She nodded in agreement.
Chuck groaned and opened his eyes.
¡°You did it bud, you¡¯re the boss now.¡± She prodded his shoulder.
¡°Ah, Doris retired?¡± He shook a daze from his head. ¡°Oh, hmm. I¡¯m here still.¡± With a raised eyebrow, he looked up at the swordsman and his face relaxed.
Sally prodded him again. ¡°How¡¯s the process? You feel powerful? Can you fix the System?¡±
¡°Ugh.¡± With a grunt, the new Architect stood up to his feet. ¡°Let me have a look.¡±
They stood around and watched him as he closed his eyes and put a hand up to his forehead. The former druid hummed to himself for a handful of seconds before opening his eyes again - a light blue glow fading from them.
¡°I can see why the other guy had so much trouble.¡± He looked over at the cat and furrowed his brow. ¡°Your naming convention and passwords are all pop-culture references.¡±
Archie grinned and waved his tail about. ¡°A last act of rebellion against those that killed me.¡±
¡°It¡¯s interesting, though.¡± Chuck rolled his shoulders out. ¡°It¡¯s a bit like a STAR menu, but different. And it¡¯s not really code or magic, something in the middle.¡± He turned to Dent and gestured him over.
The swordsman stepped in front of the Architect, somewhat awkwardly, as if he was about to be presented with a knighthood.
¡°Calm yourself,¡± Chuck grinned, before putting his hand on the man¡¯s chest. ¡°Mmm. There¡¯s¡ unfortunately, I can¡¯t replace your arm.¡± He gave Dent a glum smile. ¡°It¡¯s like a part of your data has been deleted.¡±
¡°I¡¯m used to it now,¡± he shrugged. ¡°At least it gives me an excuse to try to be the strongest swordsman in the System.¡±
Chuck grinned. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re definitely the strongest.¡± His eyes then went over to the demon, and he gestured for him to replace where Dent was standing.
Hand upon his chest, the Architect furrowed his brow. ¡°Okay¡ I think I see it. This will be useful, thank you. Lana next.¡±
Edward shrugged and moved away, slightly confused.
¡°Is this where you can tell me that I¡¯m definitely a copy?¡± she asked, tilting her head.
Chuck shook his head. ¡°No, there¡¯s¡ your existence isn¡¯t defined like that. This is early days, but your importance to this world cannot be understated.¡± He gave her a pat, and she moved in to give him a hug. ¡°You are Lana," he confirmed.
¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered, before moving away.
Sally was nothing but smiles. It still hadn¡¯t really settled in yet. They had won. Chuck was the Architect, and they didn¡¯t need to struggle any more. Things literally couldn¡¯t get any better.
Chuck swiveled around to face her. ¡°Alright, you and Theo.¡±
They both stood in front of him. He closed his eyes and hummed to himself. ¡°Well¡ bad news is that I can¡¯t turn you back into normal humans. Even knowing how Theo got this way¡ there isn''t a clear reversal or even a way to duplicate it.¡±
Sally pouted, but gave him a nod.
¡°However¡¡± his eyes glowed bright blue. ¡°You can now eat normal food, and¡ well, thank me in the morning.¡± His eyes went back to normal, but he paused before he turned away from them. ¡°Actually, do not do that. Pretend I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± With a grimace, he moved over to look at who was next.
Sally frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. I don¡¯t feel any different, really.¡±
Theo leaned over and whispered in her ear.
¡°Oh¡ ohhh.¡± Her eyes widened.
Lucius was next up.
¡°Another one of the most important members of our little gathering,¡± Chuck smiled as he put his hand on the Shade. ¡°I think this should give me enough homework to start putting the System back together in a better shape.¡±
¡°Eh, what? Rest of us don¡¯t have anything useful for you?¡± Jackie grinned and took a drag of her cigarette.
He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Fight is over, mobster. Want me to have a chat with Fran about making smoking illegal?¡±
¡°Asshole,¡± she shook her head, but smiled wider.
¡°It¡¯s been a while since I saw my home,¡± Archie said. ¡°Perhaps we can go there soon.¡±
"It would be nice to see my new place of work," Chuck said. "But one thing first." He then smiled before vanishing.
A few awkward seconds of silence passed before he returned to the exact same position, earning plenty of raised eyebrows.
"Just had to lower the area four barrier and slay the rest of the betrayers who were part of the usurper''s group." Chuck nodded toward Archie. ¡°Perhaps Sally can give us a speech and then we¡¯ll head off to celebrate our win? ¡Sally?¡±
¡°Huh?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Sorry, miles away. What the what now?¡±
¡°Speech!¡± the Architect grinned, as everyone else started to join in with chanting the request.
¡°Alright, alright.¡± She cleared her throat, suddenly feeling very put on the spot. ¡°Where to begin? I started in this world as a humble zombie, full of anger and violence toward the System. I guess nothing really changed, huh?¡± She grinned before she continued.
¡°Making morally questionable decisions along the way, I happened upon at least a dozen really amazing people. My found family. From my adoptive pops, Humphrey, right at the start, all the way up to Fern, who is probably very traumatized from our interactions.¡±
¡°I am,¡± the dryad noted, sitting on the ground still.
¡°You¡¯re all a piece of the puzzle that makes up my life here. Each of you has done your best and followed me through hell and back, even though I am literally a violent criminal. I¡¯ve done a lot of bad things in the System, but it¡¯s all been toward making this a better world for all of you goofballs, and any goofballs behind our trail of blood and destruction.¡±
She rubbed the back of her hair, now running out of pleasantries. ¡°So, to sum up, thank you all for believing in me, helping me along the way, and putting your lives on the line. We¡¯ve¡ we did it. We won.¡±
Theo started the clapping, and they all joined in. One of them might have even yelled pancakes, although Sally might just have imagined that. She felt like a dog that had caught the van, and although victory was sweet, the speech had made it real and overpowering.
[Teleportation is enabled]
[Mounts are enabled]
[All Skills are enabled]
[Stat Bonuses are enabled]
Chuck cracked his knuckles. ¡°I¡¯m keeping combat off for now. Monsters and Players alike can have a holiday until I have some things worked out.¡±
¡°What do you have planned?¡± Sally asked him.
¡°A way everyone can live here and be happy.¡± He smiled. ¡°But for now, we need to celebrate, surely?¡±
¡°Hell yeah,¡± she shot a glance over at Jackie. ¡°I¡¯d love to go back to the tavern and see Fran and the goblins!¡±
The mobster shrugged. ¡°I would sure like to see Fran, and we definitely deserve a drink or two.¡±
Sally gasped and put her hands over her mouth. ¡°I can drink now.¡±
Chuck hovered up into the air atop waves of blue energy. ¡°Alright, everyone gather around then. I haven¡¯t done this before, so¡ if we all die or something, then that would be amusing, right?¡±
¡°One second.¡± Sally held up a finger and dragged Theo over to the rest of the Outsiders. ¡°I started this because we needed to struggle and strive to rise against all the odds stacked against us¡ so, I am doing this as our first step into our new future.¡±
Humphrey grinned and nodded, as they all came in for a hug.
¡°I love you guys,¡± she whispered.
[Party ¡®Outsiders¡¯ has been disbanded]
213 - Life after Death
Sally groaned and stretched out, hissing as the morning light burned into her waking eyes. She rolled to her side in the bed to move away from the glare and frowned at the figure standing on the other side of the room.
¡°It¡¯s how early, and you¡¯re already leaving me?¡± She pouted.
Theo grinned, exposing his fangs, as he buttoned up his dress shirt. ¡°Big dungeon day today, wanted to get a bit more practice in.¡±
She exhaled and sunk into the bed further. ¡°Which one was it again?¡±
¡°Dark Cathedral.¡± His smile widened.
She whistled. ¡°The Level Forty version? You get all the fun.¡±
¡°You know I live for it. They¡¯re trying hard mode too, but just the east wing. Three bosses, and pops is up first.¡±
¡°Humphrey hates going first in the dungeons. After that one time with the all Paladin-raid.¡± She brought the duvet up over her mouth to hide the grin.
¡°Don¡¯t.¡± The vampire shook his head. ¡°He complained about it for two weeks straight. I¡¯m going to work with him to do all this dramatic goading stuff¡ªI¡¯ll stand in the background and make fun of the Players while he fights. Try to put them off, or at least make my fight a bigger payoff.¡±
¡°You¡¯re up last then?¡±
"As usual." He nodded. ¡°We have Curtis as the middle Boss.¡±
¡°The skull-golem? He¡¯s a doll, such a gentle giant. I get goosebumps when he bursts out into a dozen flaming skeletons. Wish I could be there to watch you fight, pup.¡±
He pulled on his suit jacket and worked the sleeves to be comfortable. ¡°You¡¯re on day five of the Zombie Event later, yeah?¡±
¡°Yeah. Still low level, but it¡¯s fun getting to play about with my pals for a bit. Oh!¡± She scooted up into a sitting position. ¡°There¡¯s this player¡ªKenny, first three nights he died by my hands. Ate his brains each time. Fourth night, he¡¯s got something fierce in his eyes. I could see he¡¯d got new equipment and leveled¡ªand he managed to bash my head in, caught me right off-guard!¡±
¡°Hey, good on him.¡± He walked around the bed to where she was sitting. ¡°Drop me a message later and let me know how it goes?¡±
She held his face as he leaned in, and they shared a slow kiss before he moved back away.
¡°You too, pup.¡± She grinned and looked into his eyes. ¡°But if you don¡¯t wash off and end up soaking the bed with Player blood again, I won¡¯t be as amused as the first two times it happened.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll wash off and brush my teeth, promise.¡± He gave her another quick peck before moving away. ¡°Naturally, I¡¯m hoping for a wipe, but perhaps tonight I¡¯ll take the loss.¡±
¡°First time for everything,¡± she said and rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m surprised Chuck hasn¡¯t given you something low level to humble you.¡±
¡°Ahh, I have a reputation to uphold.¡± He gave her a bow and flourished his hand. ¡°Until we meet again, my queen.¡±
She stuck her tongue out at him as he vanished in a flash of blue that caught the edges of the simple wooden furniture around the sides of the room.
With the place to herself, she deflated and smiled. The Event wasn¡¯t until the night, so she had the day to burn away. It wasn¡¯t like she needed to practice anything, either. She had the whole shambling and eating brains thing down pretty well¡ªeven if she had to hold herself back a little. Well, a lot.
Relenting to greeting the day proper, she slid out from the bed onto the cool floor and switched into a red t-shirt and black jeans. The nice thing about the Event was that it was in the Forest area, so she got to spend time around the places in the world that brought her the most comfort. Not so far from home, which made stumbling back full of Player brains easier.
It did make the visit to Jackie and Fran¡¯s place a little awkward when Kenny had turned up, but he was a good kid. Thankfully, the System took the trauma of dying away now, so his anger against her had been just a healthy determination. She even gave him some more tips for fighting the undead. Secretly, she hoped to foster him into being a vampire hunter to take Theo down a few pegs.
She hummed to herself and tied her long hair back. Chuck had clued her in that the odd growth was due to a bug linking it to her natural progression. It hadn¡¯t moved an inch since they had won. For their part in saving the world, Chuck moved their Stats and abilities about when needed for whatever job they were doing. Which was fine¡ªit was nice to no longer have to struggle for levels or grasp at power to survive.
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Humphrey, with his Observer insight, had taken up a Head of Security role in charge of a new batch of Observers. He still liked to do a dungeon or event on occasion, however, just to keep himself sharp. Lucius had become something of a therapist for Uniques and Players alike. It suited him; he loved to help people and was happy to be outside of a combat role. Norah had little interest in fighting, but had taken up a place on the Wasteland Council alongside Edward.
As the Architect, Chuck had taken the power of the Lucius'' skill to allow all Players to have the comfort of being happy within the System. Then, with a mix of Lana¡¯s and Edward¡¯s powers, he made everyone able to respawn. Apparently, it was the simple matter of making a recording of someone¡¯s ¡®soul¡¯ to come back when the originator died. It worked for both Uniques and Players. Everyone had the chance to live, fight, and die if they wanted, or just hang about and enjoy their time here.
Combat was only allowed against Monsters, unless in a set Event or Dungeon. It was just what the little snot said he was going to do. She knew he could be trusted, and was doubly glad she hadn''t put the crown on herself. Half the reason she had thrown it at him was to avoid the temptation. Queen of a whole world would just go to her head.
She checked her watch and cursed at herself.
[Sally: running late, sorry!]
[Norah: As always, I knew and planned to arrive late myself.]
[Norah: ;)]
Without the pressure of conflict, she had become even closer to the Mummy. The struggle had brought the found family together, but this era of peace had allowed them to settle and grow stronger emotionally. Without the need to grind or over-plan, the time spent with Theo had been a joy, too. Any worries that they were just together out of convenience for the bad times had washed away within the first week.
Now it was what, two months? Things were getting better by the day.
She left the bedroom and hopped down the stairs of their house, down into the living room, to see a familiar ball of ginger fluff sitting on the couch.
¡°Oh, Archie! I didn¡¯t know you were sleeping here."
He stretched out and narrowed his emerald eyes. ¡°No. I don¡¯t usually stay, because of the noise. I came over this morning. Shall we walk and talk?¡±
¡°Of course. I¡¯m off to meet Norah and the gals for coffee.¡±
¡°Acceptable. The weather is nice, at least.¡±
They left the building and stepped out into what was indeed a pleasant day. Despite having the whole world at their fingertips, she wanted their house to be in the goblin village. If they wanted to go down to see Jackie and Fran, there was always a room available - and the rest of the world was just a teleport away.
¡°Tell me, Sally, are you happy?¡±
She looked down at the cat. ¡°That¡¯s an easy question. I¡¯ve never been happier in all my unlife.¡±
¡°Okay then.¡± Archie tilted his head. ¡°Are you satiated?¡±
¡°Hmm? I get to fight and eat brains still, and the stakes are low.¡±
¡°Do you like low stakes?¡±
She stopped and put a hand up over her eyes to block out the sun as she glared down at the ginger interrogator. ¡°What¡¯s this all leading to, Arch?¡±
He sat down on the warm cobblestones. ¡°Nothing. Go enjoy your lunch, Sally. I just wanted to make sure you were fine with the status quo.¡±
¡°Well, thanks? Lucy already does that.¡± She narrowed her eyes at him before turning away. ¡°Adios, Archie. You should go along to the next guy''s night, maybe try to keep Theo and Eddy in line. They need more babysitting than I can provide.¡±
Archie didn¡¯t respond, but continued to watch her leave, a slight smile on his fluffy face.
The door to the round chamber slid open with a hiss, and the blue light that illuminated the edges of furniture faded under the presence of the daylight coming through the opening.
A figure stepped in and sighed.
¡°We were going to go out for lunch, Chuck.¡± Dent entered the room and the door hissed shut behind him.
The Architect looked up from the screens glowing blue and grimaced toward the approaching man. ¡°Ah, crap. Sorry, Dent - lost track of time again.¡±
¡°Of course.¡± The swordsman smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why I brought it here.¡± Held by his mechanical hand, he gently placed a tray down on the desk.
A waft of the warm meat and pastry hit Chuck¡¯s senses, and he melted. He rubbed at his eyes and yawned, trying to separate himself from staring at screens all morning.
Dent sat on the edge of the smooth desk. ¡°Outsiders been behaving?¡±
Chuck nodded. ¡°Pretty happy. I think Sally and Theo might be getting bored soon enough, though.¡±
¡°Oh? Not content with paradise?¡±
He grimaced. ¡°They came to me the other week to request I make their Constitution the max possible.¡±
Dent tilted his head. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±
¡°Same reason that you did.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± The swordsman pulled a face and looked away. ¡°That aside. They¡¯ve always been the type to rise up to a challenge and defeat the odds. They are having fun now¡ but I suppose I could imagine they¡¯d eventually want something more.¡±
¡°Exactly.¡± Chuck picked one of the pastries up and gestured towards the screens. ¡°Look at this, though. It¡¯s something¡ big.¡±
Dent grimaced. ¡°Big? How big are we talking?¡±
¡°Well, you know how it¡¯s super odd that the world is just this one continent, nothing further? Like we are in a bubble?¡± He brought up a screen showing the continent in blue lines, zoomed out to sit inside a sphere. The fifth area restored, it resembled a croissant shape once more.
¡°Yeah. It is odd.¡± He furrowed his brow at the shape. It didn¡¯t even make sense in terms of physics, as far as he understood them.
¡°I¡¯ve been trying to¡¡± Chuck clucked his tongue. ¡°Zoom out?¡±
He gestured with his fingers, and the small globe that showed their world shrank down. While keeping the size set, he then tried to make it smaller still.
¡°Oh,¡± Dent tilted his head. ¡°What are those?¡±
His mechanical hand raised and his index finger pointed towards what looked to be the boundaries of other spheres, just on the edges of the perimeter of the screen.
Chuck smiled. "I think we should find out."
214 - Real Life
The singular groan of a zombie radiated throughout the house as she wiped the remnants of her meal from her mouth. Sharp teeth upturned into a wide grin as her crimson eyes roved around the kitchen. Satiated.
¡°Can¡¯t beat pancakes for breakfast,¡± Sally said, sinking into her chair. By far the best thing about taking over the System was not having to exist solely on a diet of fresh brains forever.
Her eyes turned to the doorway, as the half dressed silhouette of Theo walked through into the living room. Well, maybe the food was the second best thing.
¡°You see the message from Chuck?¡± the vampire called from the other room.
She rolled her eyes. He knew her well enough to know that she most likely hadn¡¯t checked her messages. And indeed, she hadn¡¯t. ¡°He want¡¯s us to come in?¡± she guessed, leaning back in the chair.
¡°Yeah. Have you seen the teleport stone to his place?¡±
¡°Nope.¡±
¡°Just thought you might have moved it¡¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes. ¡°Where was the last place you left it?¡±
There was a brief pause. ¡°It was just¡ with the others.¡±
With a sigh, she got up off the chair and moved her plate over to the sink. Looking at her reflection in the window, she tied back her excessively long blonde hair. Three months of easy living hadn¡¯t changed much about her. Even being able to gorge on actual food for a change hadn¡¯t upgraded her scrawny appearance. Despite her off-green skin tone, she didn¡¯t feel as undead as she used to¡ but that might just be the lack of high stakes violence they had previously lived under.
She adjusted her loose white dress shirt to cover her black shorts and relented to going to help the vampire find the stone that was probably right under his nose.
Striding through the doorway and into the living room, she immediately tripped on something and landed flat on top of Theo, who was lying on the floor.
¡°What are you doing?¡± She pushed herself up and glared down at him. Much like her, their time of relative relaxation hadn¡¯t done much to fill him out. Slim and athletic, with messy brown hair. His red eyes peered back at her from behind round glasses with crimson lenses.
¡°Seeing if it was under the couch.¡± He grinned, exposing his long fangs.
¡°Goofball...¡± She narrowed her eyes and bit her lip. ¡°Have we got time to¡?¡±
He shook his head. ¡°Afraid not, Sally Danger. The request was pretty insistent we not be late.¡±
¡°Shame.¡± She moved off of him, giving his abs a prod along the way. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a red alert, right? Or, however he named them.¡±
¡°Red means we¡¯re under attack. It was a Gray alert, which means important, but it¡¯s not something life or death.¡± He pushed himself up to a sitting position as the zombie stood.
She pouted, and went into her Inventory to bring out the Teleportation Stone that would take them to the Architect¡¯s Tower. ¡°Best get dressed then, pup. Any clues on what this could be?¡±
He frowned at the fact she had the stone all along, but the expression quickly faded. With a glance at his own STAR menus, he stood and switched into his smart burgundy suit. ¡°No. He had been pretty cagey about something for a few weeks, but nobody seems to know.¡±
¡°Other than Dent.¡±
¡°And he¡¯d never give up Chuck¡¯s secrets.¡± Theo pouted. ¡°Even getting him drunk had no effect.¡±
Sally shivered. ¡°Don¡¯t remind me. And I can¡¯t believe we had our alcohol rights taken away after that. Literally 1984.¡±
Theo shrugged and then brushed some of her hair from her face. ¡°Chuck had to invent pressure washers to clean the village off. Not to mention our own house. There¡¯s only so many times I can scrub brain-vomit out of the furniture and fittings.¡±
¡°Must be a few more times than¡ what, five, now?¡±
¡°Eight.¡± He clicked his fingers. ¡°You going like that? He mentioned all the Outsiders would be there.¡±
¡°Really?¡± She grinned and switched her Equipment options around to dress instead in black jeans and a red t-shirt that said ''Player Hater'' on it. ¡°Been a while since we were all in the same room. And you¡¯re sure it¡¯s nothing about danger?¡±
Theo smiled. ¡°You know what I¡¯m like with secrets, but honestly, I don¡¯t know.¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes, but trusted him. Despite most of their time spent together having been bouncing from conflict to conflict, now that they had room to breathe... it turned out they were actually a good match. Thanks to the fixes to the System, they could still have their combat ability tested and kill and die to feel some kind of normality - but now they had an actual life together.
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¡°Let¡¯s go then, fangs. See what new terror threatens to usurp our little paradise.¡± She grinned and held the teleportation device up.
With the flash of blue light and a wave of vertigo, they vanished from their quaint house in the goblin village and appeared in a circular chamber, illuminated by light blue and domed to a peak.
Other than a gray bench that ran around the entirety of the room and a grandiose door ahead of them, there was no other furniture or defining features to make note of. Aside from the man sitting beside the door, anyway.
He lifted his head up to greet them. A light beard of dark brown on his weathered face, in contrast to his light gray suit. His right arm reflected the light, the visible hand made of some manner of metal instead of flesh.
¡°Dent!¡± Sally beamed. ¡°Looking dapper as ever, how is the world¡¯s greatest swordsman doing?¡±
¡°I¡¯m doing just fine.¡± He shot them a soft smile. ¡°Nice to see you both, as always. You¡¯re the first to arrive, could you believe?¡±
She nudged the vampire with her elbow. ¡°See, there was time.¡±
¡°Just the Outsiders due here?¡± Theo said, trying to ignore her.
Dent nodded. ¡°Well, a couple extras you¡¯re familiar with, but I¡¯ll leave that nice and vague. If you want, you can go and see Chuck before it begins? He could do with calming down.¡±
¡°Something big then?¡± Sally asked as they made their way over to the door.
¡°You know how he is.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Imagine having to deal with it all day long.¡±
¡°I couldn¡¯t,¡± Theo said, holding a blank expression across his pale face. ¡°Our domestic life is picture perfect.¡± As they stepped forward, he tried to ignore the glare the zombie burned into the side of his head.
With a comforting creak, the wide doors opened to reveal a similarly domed chamber, but this one was larger. In the center was a round table with at least a dozen chairs around it. White lights pierced through the glowing blue of the odd room, to give a soft natural ambience. At the opposite end of the table, Chuck was already sitting.
Three intangible screens of data hovered in front of him, illuminating his concentrated face in light blue. Also wearing light blue robes, it gave him an almost ethereal look, which suited the fact he was almost literally the new god of the System. In seeing them enter, he dismissed the screens and his furrowed brow melted away into a soft smile.
¡°Ah! Didn¡¯t expect you two to be here first. And not even as unkempt as usual.¡±
¡°The advantages of catching us in the morning before any of our Quests and Dungeons came up,¡± Sally grinned back.
¡°I¡¯ve already canceled your appointments for the day. Apologies, but I didn¡¯t know how long this would drag on¡ or how you¡¯d feel after.¡±
They both exchanged a glance before sitting down. ¡°Aw, I had a graveyard mini-boss job on today,¡± the zombie groaned, deflating onto the table.
¡°Trust me,¡± Chuck waved a hand. ¡°Your mind will be elsewhere once we get settled in.¡±
¡°No hints before the others get here?¡± Theo asked, leaning back in his chair.
¡°Nope. Only that the System is safe. This isn¡¯t about any danger or problems in our world.¡±
Sally furrowed her brow. Maybe she was reading into how he worded that too much. Did that mean it was danger or problems in-
The door opened up behind them, interrupting her thoughts. They turned to see a short figure in drab leathers, a dark gray hooded cloak obscuring their face aside from two eyes of bright crimson.
¡°Hey Lucius!¡± She grinned.
¡°Sally, Theo, Chuck.¡± A speech bubble appeared beside his head with a waving hand inside, before it was replaced by a yellow, smiling face. ¡°Did you know Theo keeps rescheduling his appointments?¡±
Sally turned to glare at the vampire.
¡°What?¡± He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°This isn¡¯t an intervention, is it? I¡¯m fine.¡±
¡°You can be fine at your appointments, then.¡± She jabbed him in the chest with a finger. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this later, fangs.¡±
¡°No pressure,¡± Lucius added as he sat down, earning a narrowed glare from the vampire.
Sally was getting excited now. Although the Outsiders had kept in touch and seen each other regularly now that they were settled and technically disbanded, to have them all back together in the same room had her at the edge of her chair. All that was left now was-
A flash of blue illuminated the side of the room as a figure teleported in. A soft blue suit that matched glowing blue eyes. The demon grinned widely as he brushed his hair past short horns. ¡°Ah! I am not as fashionably late as I¡¯d hoped.¡±
¡°Edwa-¡° Sally began.
¡°Edward!¡± Theo spoke over her.
She rolled her eyes as the demon gave them a bow before taking a seat. Although not part of the core Outsider Party, Edward had been a key player in several of their battles along the way. She should have known it would be inevitable that he¡¯d also show up. The fact that he was close friends with Theo now would be more grating if she didn¡¯t also like the demon.
The door opened up and Dent stuck his head in. ¡°Your teleport is supposed to come out here, Edward. Don¡¯t make me tell you twice.¡±
The demon rolled his eyes as the door closed, before catching the narrowed glare of the Architect. ¡°Alright. Hard to be the grand betrayer these days, when everyone is so friendly and comes back to life anyway.¡±
¡°Jealous that everyone stole your cool ability?¡± Sally stuck her tongue out at him.
¡°Glad I no longer have to worry about any of you dying long term.¡± He smiled and leaned back in his chair in a similar manner that Theo was.
Chuck rubbed at his head. ¡°I forgot how crowded it gets with all your personalities in the same place. Hopefully, once the others-¡±
Before he could finish, the doors opened once again. This time, two figures stepped through. The first almost eclipsing the light coming in from the other room. A large suit of dark metal armor with a skeletal face, crimson flame flickering behind his crown-like helmet. The Death Knight stepped aside to let the slimmer figure behind him step in.
¡°Sorry we¡¯re late,¡± the Mummy said, her yellow eyes warm on seeing everyone gathered. ¡°Somebody couldn¡¯t find the teleport stone.¡± She pushed her gray hair from her face as she gave Humphrey a wry grin.
¡°Norah found it.¡± He shrugged in return. ¡°We have so many of them it¡¯s hard to tell them apart sometimes, ha-ha.¡±
Dent came in behind them as they went to take seats at the table. ¡°That¡¯s all. I¡¯ll be sealing the door and putting wards up.¡±
Sally was practically brimming with energy at being around everyone again. She bounced in her chair a little as she beamed at each of them in turn, hardly worrying about why the swordsman would need to take such precautions. Eventually, her eyes switched to him as he moved around them to sit beside Chuck.
The Architect smiled, some nerves tugging at the edges of his expression.
¡°Thank you for all being here,¡± he said, before sighing. ¡°I¡¯ve been prodding about at the System for a while now, getting things ready to present this proposition to you¡¡±
His smile turned into more of a grimace as his eyes settled on the two half-Players of the group.
¡°What do you know about the simulation theory?¡±
215 - Tutorial Complete
Sally exchanged a glance with Theo as they sat in the quiet, domed chamber. The question posed by the Architect already had a pang of worry blooming in her stomach, making friends with the pancakes consumed earlier.
¡°I¡¯m familiar,¡± Theo offered, and Sally gave a brief nod.
Chuck looked around the room. ¡°For those amongst us who aren¡¯t familiar, the basics of it are that as technology improves in leaps and bounds, any simulation of reality would get more lifelike and frequently created.¡±
¡°To the point where it''s statistically more likely to be in a simulation rather than being in the real world, but also it''s nigh indistinguishable from being real.¡± Theo rubbed the side of his head and frowned. ¡°Is that what we¡¯re in?¡±
¡°Not exactly.¡± Chuck sighed. ¡°Think of it as something along that path.¡±
Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°You¡¯re saying there are other System worlds out there?¡±
He nodded and waited to see what the reaction of the room would be.
Humphrey grunted. ¡°Astute as always.¡±
A question mark appeared over the Shade¡¯s head, and Edward shuffled uncomfortably, but nobody had anything else to add at this stage.
Sally narrowed her eyes. ¡°There¡¯s more to it than the reveal, though, right? You can¡ see them?¡±
¡°I can, but not all of them.¡± Chuck held a hand up. ¡°Our world is like a bubble consisting only of this continent. Imagine more bubbles floating in an empty ocean. They aren¡¯t moving, as such, but there¡¯s distance between them.¡±
Norah tilted her head. ¡°How many are there?¡±
¡°At this stage¡ I can detect around four dozen.¡± There was a mixture of gasps and murmurs of surprise. ¡°But past that, there could be hundreds. That¡¯s only speculation, however.¡±
¡°Are they similar to our world?¡± Theo asked.
¡°To varying degrees. It¡¯s unclear as to whether they had Architects like here, or were formed by different entities in different manners. It takes time, but I can gather information about the closest.¡±
¡°More importantly,¡± Sally interjected, ¡°are they all messed up like ours was?¡±
He shrugged. ¡°Again, it differs.¡±
They all fell into silence as they considered what this meant. Instead of being some weird lone reality, they were a tiny planet amongst a universe of populated worlds like theirs. All part of a network of¡ something trying to create new places to live? Were they all the failures?
Chuck cleared his throat. ¡°Thus, we come to my proposal¡¡± He ran his tongue around his teeth as he tried to draw on the speech he had repeated internally dozens of times.
¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯m in,¡± Sally said and clapped her hands together. It certainly sounded more interesting than eating the same old brains over and over in the Events she was in charge of.
The Architect deflated. ¡°I knew you would be. Right, so. I want to¡ bring some of these other worlds in, and absorb them into ours.¡±
Silence again as they tried to process.
¡°Ah. Power¡¯s finally gone to your head.¡± Edward nodded. ¡°About time for your villain arc.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not that!¡± Chuck waved his hands, despite knowing the demon was just prodding. ¡°There are a lot of broken Systems out there. If we bring them on and give them ours, we can start to build an actual expansive world. Save Players suffering under worse Systems than ours.¡±
¡°There are other Players out there?¡± Sally furrowed her brow and looked at Theo.
The Architect nodded.
Humphrey shifted on the chair that was struggling to hold his weight. ¡°This is all well and good, but how are you proposing we actually do this? Merging worlds seems¡ outlandish.¡±
¡°I can understand the trepidation.¡± Chuck smiled softly. ¡°I thought it beyond possibility at the start as well. But, under the right conditions, I can ¡®recode¡¯ the errant Systems. At present, I can transmit only a small amount of data across the ''sea'' to another world.¡±
¡°Think of it as drawing a line between two puddles,¡± Dent offered. ¡°A faint bridge that needs widening before they can join.¡±
The Death Knight narrowed his empty eye sockets. ¡°It sounds like you are working up to saying you need boots on the ground to improve the connection?¡±
¡°Oooh!¡± Sally stood and waved her hand in the air. ¡°Dibs! I have boots!¡±
Chuck exhaled through his nose. ¡°I knew you¡¯d offer, and of course you were first in mind. You don¡¯t even know the stipulations, however.¡±
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She pulled a face and sat back down, while the vampire pouted beside her at not getting picked.
¡°We have a world in mind,¡± Dent drummed his metallic fingers on the table. ¡°As a way of cutting our teeth and to make sure things go as planned.¡±
Chuck nodded, and with a gesture, a holographic map edged with blue lights bloomed over the middle of the table. A rough blob, hardly a circle of land, in the middle of sea.
¡°Looks really small,¡± Norah said, narrowing her yellow eyes.
¡°It is.¡± Chuck caused the map to zoom in a little. ¡°Barely half as big as the Forest here. From what I can tell, it was abandoned before any Players were even summoned there.¡±
¡°So it¡¯s just been System-created living there?¡± Lucius rubbed at his shadowed chin.
¡°Correct. I''ve not been able to determine whether they have ''Uniques'' such as we do, but it is unlikely given the simplicity of their System.¡±
Sally tilted her head. This was a lot to take on so early in the morning. An empty world full of nobodies, just existing because someone got bored or gave up. She could see why Chuck wanted to make this the test run for his plans. The worst thing for such a venture would be to completely mess up and cause the death of innocent Players. Despite the trepidation and how overwhelmed with information she felt, there was also a burning passion growing deep within.
That ambition to rise up against the odds and win again. Build something better for those under the heavy shadow of a broken or unfair System. She was hungry for it.
¡°Alright Chucky, put it on the line. What am I getting myself in for?¡± She crossed her arms to try to appear dissatisfied with the proposition.
He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be straight with you, because it¡¯s important you understand what this is. Plus, you all have terrible memories and I don¡¯t want to repeat myself.¡±
They all nodded in agreement before he continued.
¡°We have enough power to send one person to the new world. The more powerful you become in that System, the more control we get, and at some point we can take over and join the two worlds.¡±
Sally put her hand up. ¡°What happens if I die on the other world?¡±
¡°Good news is you¡¯ll come back here. Bad news is that it severs our connection entirely to that world. Becomes inaccessible to us.¡±
Humphrey tilted his head. ¡°How are you so sure?¡±
¡°Anonymous test subject,¡± Dent said blankly.
Sally rubbed at her forehead. ¡°So¡ a new world, all alone. Eat and grow until I¡¯m powerful enough for¡ total takeover?¡±
Chuck nodded. ¡°It¡¯s likely that as your power increases, we¡¯ll be able to send in assistance if you-¡±
¡°Dibs!¡± Theo said, sitting upright.
¡°...If you need it,¡± the Architect finished. ¡°Not totally alone, however.¡± He gave Dent a nod, and the swordsman brought out a small box to put on the table, before sliding it across toward the zombie.
She furrowed her brow. A simple rectangle of dark wood. She popped it open to reveal an earring inside. The ornament dangling from it was a stained glass cat¡¯s head. Ginger with emerald eyes.
Sally gasped and brought it out.
¡°So if one of us was going first instead, we¡¯d get the same gift?¡± Theo narrowed his eyes, knowing that Sally was bound to be the first one into the fray, something that almost went without saying.
As she clipped it to her ear, a swirl of amber energy pooled out onto the table. After a couple of seconds, it solidified into the unmistakable shape of the familiar ginger cat.
¡°Archie!¡± She grinned and brought him in for a snuggle. ¡°I wondered why you weren¡¯t sitting in the meeting. You were busy hiding in jewelry.¡±
¡°Indeed. The reveal seemed amusing, and I''ve already helped Chuck with all his work leading up to this decision.¡±
Sally¡¯s crimson eyes glimmered at the thought. Adventuring in a new world with Archie sounded like a lot of fun. She¡¯d be able too¡ no, a thought caught her before she got too far ahead of herself. ¡°Chuck? Will I have my current skills and equipment?¡±
¡°Ah.¡± He pulled a face and leaned back in his chair. ¡°See, that¡¯s the other thing. You¡¯d be entering the System as a new Player. So base stats, no equipment¡ you will, however, remain a zombie and will have a couple of skills based on that.¡±
¡°Depending on how that System was set up?¡± Theo asked, raising an eyebrow.
A nod was the response given. ¡°Sally will have [Eat Brains] and a passive that increases her hardiness in this new world, but you won¡¯t be a ¡®zombie class¡¯ like here.¡±
She worked her jaw. That meant she would be able to choose a proper Class for a change. Like a ranger, or a paladin, or¡ she shivered in excitement.
¡°We¡¯ll also be able to be in contact with you,¡± Dent added. ¡°It¡¯s not as snappy or reliable as it would be here, but it¡¯s something.¡±
Theo nudged her. ¡°You just have to remember to check them.¡±
Chuck removed the hologram. ¡°The reason I brought you all here is that no doubt you¡¯ll all have the option of being dropped in to a new world, should you want to, and if Sally needs you. A wider roster would be nice, but I think the Outsiders stand beyond most in this System. Sally is the primary choice for transfer, as her ability to create zombies can be an easy strength boost at the starter stages.¡±
Sally looked around the room. Most of the Outsiders had gone to living a life of peace. Norah and Lucius especially. She would understand if they didn¡¯t want to get involved in this crazy sounding scheme. In truth, she wasn¡¯t even sure if she believed it herself - or entirely understood the ramifications.
¡°In a way¡¡± her tongue ran across her sharp teeth and she squeezed the cat tighter. ¡°This world is like our heaven? We get one life on these other worlds, but will return here after. Where we are safe.¡±
The Architect nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not without hardship, but it¡¯s less of a personal risk. The stakes are more¡ planetary? That said, I¡¯d hold no grudge against anyone if they didn¡¯t want to be part of this.¡±
¡°I want in as soon as possible,¡± Theo said, raising his eyebrows at Sally.
¡°As long as my duties here allow it,¡± Humphrey began, ¡°I would also like to participate. Second if Theo is not.¡± He narrowed his eyes at the vampire.
Edward groaned. ¡°Might be something to kill the current boredom. Only if Theo is in there, though.¡±
¡°Hmm, if needed I will always lend a hand.¡± Norah smiled at Sally. ¡°Killing adventurers would be preferred.¡±
Lucius had constant sweat-drops appearing beside his head.
¡°You don¡¯t have to, Lucy.¡± Sally shook her head. ¡°You do plenty of good work here, anyway.¡±
The Shade nodded, but didn¡¯t seem any less nervous. ¡°I will join if you need me? Like if everyone dies and you have no other options?¡±
Chuck exhaled. ¡°Technically, if we have the capacity for say¡ three of you, and two died - we would be able to send two different people down. Our connection is only severed once we have no boots on the ground. But yes, you''d each only have one life on a new world.¡±
¡°Awesome!¡± Sally clamped her mouth shut, not meaning to say that out loud. It was almost like how their own System was meant to be, with them returning to their original world after dying here. No doubt Chuck had used part of that¡ code or magic to arrange his current ploy.
¡°Any other questions?¡± He opened up the floor to the gathered Outsiders.
¡°Only about three dozen,¡± Sally grinned at him, her hands clutched at the edge of the table in excitement.
216 - Need Brains, Will Travel
They spent a couple of hours going over questions. Food and coffee brought in for those that could actually eat and drink. Most of the points brought up were inane or something Chuck had already gone over, which is why he called the meeting with all of them, knowing that would happen.
Eventually, their murmured banter ran dry. A difficult task, but once everyone was caught up, the Architect took control of the meeting once more.
¡°Right. I hope that clarifies most things. As things progress, we will keep you all in the loop. We¡¯ll be sending out Guild Invites soon, so that we have a chat channel everyone can view.¡±
A tired grin across his face, he then lifted his hands up. ¡°All of you are dismissed, aside from Sally and Theo.¡±
The gathered Outsiders said their goodbyes, leaving the room via the door before teleporting back to their homes. Archie was asleep on Sally¡¯s lap, but it didn¡¯t look like he needed to scoot away as well. The door closed behind the last of the group, leaving the four plus cat alone.
¡°If this is about the noise complaints¡¡± she began, before Chuck raised his hand up again to quieten her.
¡°Enough, already. I don¡¯t have the time to make a bottle to spray you with cold water.¡± He sighed and looked over at the swordsman.
Dent stood, with a nod, and left to a back room - a door opening in the smooth wall that wasn¡¯t visible before.
Sally pouted and waited for the Architect to explain himself.
¡°The reason why it¡¯s just us three will be clear once I begin.¡± He wrinkled up his face. ¡°I have some¡ answers. About how we all got here.¡±
Theo nodded. ¡°There are a lot of things we¡¯ve just ignored about that whole process.¡±
¡°For good reason, though,¡± Sally counteracted. ¡°We¡¯re not meant to remember the old world.¡±
Chuck took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to check you both wanted to know before continuing?¡±
They both nodded and gestured for him to go ahead.
¡°The method for bringing people over was part of the Creator¡¯s design, and unfortunately neither myself nor Archie have been able to access that part of the System. It¡¯s been the elephant in the room for a few months now¡ but there will be more Player waves. All we¡¯ve managed to do is slow it, so far.¡±
¡°Rats,¡± she said and pulled a face. ¡°And it actually kills people on Earth?¡±
The Architect drummed his fingers on the table, pausing before he answered. ¡°Short answer¡ yes?¡±
Theo tilted his head. ¡°You don¡¯t seem so sure. What¡¯s the long answer?¡±
¡°Depends on your definition of ¡®Earth¡¯.¡±
Sally groaned. ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell us that not only are the System worlds a network of simulated realities, but there¡¯s also alternate realities for our real world?¡±
¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Chuck grimaced. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to tell you that. Hence the short answer. Want the potentially good news, though?¡±
¡°Ehhh.¡± The zombie looked at the vampire. ¡°I¡¯m open to it.¡±
¡°We¡¯re the only ones from that version of Earth.¡± He opened up his arms at the reveal. ¡°The System was taking Players from a different world, and then the ¡®beam¡¯ had an error and hit us.¡±
Sally furrowed her brow. ¡°Theo, didn¡¯t you say a group of your friends came over?¡±
¡°Yeah. That was a lie.¡± He stared at her blankly. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want you to think I was a loner. Or eat me.¡±
She nodded. That seemed reasonable. Certainly, he hadn¡¯t brought them up since that time in the Forest. She just hadn¡¯t questioned it in case they were already dead and it was a sore spot.
Chuck rubbed at his eyes and yawned. ¡°Normally it just takes a single person here or there. Targeted. But this error-beam killed everyone in the diner, hence the zombies that looked like the patrons, and the diner looking identical enough for your muddled mind.¡±
¡°Huh.¡± Sally thought about it for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s pretty sad then. It just copied their appearance, though? No souls?¡±
¡°Correct. Us three only made it in due to being under the right specifications for age. Theo was almost out of the range of the beam. Like I said, it¡¯s usually rather pin-point, targeting one person at a time. Not the wide blast that took over the whole diner area.¡±
She tried to imagine this whole existence without the dorky vampire. ¡°I thought you had left the diner pretty promptly?¡±
¡°Oh,¡± Theo glanced her direction, before averting his gaze. ¡°No, I stopped to tie my shoelaces.¡±
Sounded like a reasonable excuse. She shrugged. This was a lot to take in already, what with already overloading her brain with the new directive of absorbing broken Systems from the network.
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¡°So that is part of the reason why we can remember,¡± Chuck offered. ¡°Also, why our existences here have been pretty odd.¡±
Imagine just trying to build a little slice of life romance amongst a quaint town and then catching a stray interdimensional bullet, causing her to live among a sea of artificially constructed worlds. And she was a zombie, too.
Eventually, she sighed. ¡°Thank you for telling us, Chuck. I¡¯m not sure if that makes me feel any different, but it¡¯s good to get closure on our previous lives.¡±
Theo nodded. ¡°Mostly, I just feel bad for those caught up as collateral. I assume the System hasn¡¯t had issues since?¡±
¡°None that I can see.¡± Chuck tilted his head. ¡°Still, we aren¡¯t too fond of it going around killing young adults to abduct them to this world. We¡¯re hoping that getting more power by absorbing the broken Systems will allow us the control to turn off the faucet.¡±
They were both in full agreement.
¡°Fantastic.¡± He smiled back at their nodding heads. ¡°Well, that¡¯ll be all, Theo. If I could borrow Sally for a little, there are some other things to discuss.¡±
The vampire narrowed his eyes. ¡°Sure, it was great meeting with you, Chuck.¡±
Sally prodded him as he stood. ¡°I¡¯m hungry, pup. Why not go home and heat the ¡®oven¡¯ up ready?¡±
Chuck sighed. ¡°I can see you doing the air quotes.¡±
She glared at him. ¡°You¡¯re not the boss of me!¡±
¡°I¡¯m literally the Architect, near god of the System.¡±
Her eyes narrowed further. ¡°And if that¡¯s gone to your head already, I know where that crown¡¯s kept.¡±
Theo cleared his throat. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be off.¡± He gave the zombie a pat on the head before waltzing out of the room with his hands in his pockets. The door shut behind him.
¡°Just kidding, Chucky. I don¡¯t want to make a habit of killing gods. Sets too much of an expectation.¡± She grinned and placed the sleeping cat onto Theo¡¯s chair gently.
He rolled his eyes and stood up from the table. ¡°Follow me.¡±
She did so, looking over his long robes of brilliant blue. Although she had half expected him to be floating, it seemed he was content enough to walk over to the wall where Dent had gone, the door opening and allowing them entrance.
The swordsman was sitting in a chair beside a desk full of glowing blue panels of information. On the right side of the room was a cylindrical chamber with an open front, a bed and straps on the inside.
¡°I assume that¡¯s for the Quest, Chuck and not-¡±
He raised a hand to cut her off. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s for the Quest. You are honestly ceaseless sometimes.¡±
¡°You know why, though.¡± She put her hands behind her back and gazed at all the odd devices in the chamber. ¡°All safety and no conflict makes Sally insufferable.¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that, but¡¡± Chuck turned to her before gesturing over to the slanted bed. ¡°That is one of the reasons you were the pick for this.¡±
She stepped over and gave it a look over. ¡°We¡¯re not going now, are we?¡±
Dent swiveled in his chair. ¡°No, this is just for calibration. We need to set some ground rules too. Clarify some things.¡±
"Like how this isn''t a problematic colonialism allegory? We''re not interfering with established and working Systems?"
¡°That,¡± Chuck agreed, pulling a face, ¡°and to fill you in on more exposition that would fall out of the other¡¯s ears.¡±
Sally nodded and stepped in to lean against the bed. It was comfortable enough, and the bars going over the top and bottom almost reminded her of the vampire¡¯s coffin. Chuck affixed a thick bracelet to her right wrist. Cold to the touch, it felt like it was vibrating.
¡°We had considered Theo, at first.¡± Chuck stood by a panel just to the side of the contraption. ¡°He is certainly efficient¡ but he often can¡¯t see the forest for the trees.¡±
She couldn¡¯t disagree with that. The guy would meta-game, power level, and grind things non-stop but he didn¡¯t see the big picture. Content enough to exploit the System to the fullness of the rules¡ªor seemingly foresee the impossible and plan for it¡ªbut he didn¡¯t have the appetite for change.
¡°You need my nuanced ambition for changing things for the better?¡± She smiled at him through a gap in the metalwork.
¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d call your methods nuanced, but essentially, yes.¡± He stepped in front of her and leaned against the bars. ¡°How are things going for you?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t complain, honestly. Loving relationship with an accepting equal. Firm friends I can see whenever I like. A job slash hobby that fulfills a lot of my needs¡¡±
Chuck smiled, and his eyes went over the cage. ¡°You need this, though, right?¡±
¡°I do.¡± She looked down and flexed her fingers.
The Dungeons and Events had been so much fun. Fighting against Players, eating their brains, falling to them on occasion¡ with no real stakes. Fun. But it was all an act in a way. She was just playing the Monster. Bad guy for the Event and then sharing stories over ale at the tavern with those she had killed or died to later on. It wasn¡¯t even a bad thing¡ but something in her core wanted more.
¡°Nothing will ever compare to the stakes of fixing this world,¡± Chuck said. ¡°Even on the darkest and most difficult worlds, you¡¯ll return here on death.¡±
¡°Now it¡¯s less about me, but the stakes of other Systems, and the growth of our own world.¡± She accepted that. While she was still the agent of chaos that everything rode on, she didn¡¯t have to worry about her own mortality or losing everything she had already built here.
¡°There¡¯s something I didn¡¯t mention before, in front of the others¡¡± the Architect turned back to Dent to give him a nod, before looking back at the zombie. ¡°The more of these you do¡ the more powerful you¡¯ll become.¡±
¡°Huh?¡± She furrowed her brow. ¡°Some kind of meta progression?¡±
¡°Best way to explain it is¡¡± Chuck looked up for a moment to gather his thoughts. ¡°There¡¯s a certain amount of ¡®you¡¯ that we can transfer to a new world. Like¡ a bucket-full. Doesn¡¯t matter what gear or skills I give you now, only a certain amount of you is what Systems call ¡®data¡¯.¡±
She nodded slowly.
¡°At present, other than your core being, what you take from this world is [Eat Brains] and the ability to bring corpses back from the dead with your kills.¡±
¡°But when I¡¯ve successfully helped absorb a new System¡?¡±
¡°Your bucket is a little bigger. You transfer one of your abilities learned there as part of your core being for future worlds.¡±
¡°That seems¡¡± her eyes narrowed. ¡°Neat. Reminds me of a browser game I used to play.¡±
Chuck smiled. ¡°It¡¯s still early days and we¡¯re playing things by ear somewhat. Oh - so Archie is acting as your tether to us here. He¡¯ll be your access to what we¡¯re calling the Universal System¡ name pending. When you¡¯re in a different world, your STAR will be for accessing that world¡¯s System - so Arch will allow you to tap into chat and such here.¡±
Sally pulled a face. ¡°What if I lose my ear?¡±
¡°You can still get out, even if the earring is destroyed. We have completed testing.¡±
¡°More than you¡¯d expect,¡± Dent mentioned from the other side of the room.
She hadn¡¯t expected any, to be fair, so this was quite the step up. Although it was still a lot of information to absorb, she couldn¡¯t help the amount of nervous excitement bubbling around inside her. Fixing worlds, growing more powerful, eating all sorts of different brains¡ it was almost a shame she¡¯d need to wait for it.
As if hearing her inner thoughts, the Architect loomed in a little closer.
¡°Did you want to take the first world now?¡±
217 - Second System
Sally had been through a lot in her life. Been under the threat of groups of Players. Toppled Dragons. Punched god in the face. But now, getting strapped into this device with the intention of going to another world¡ she was rather nervous.
¡°Theo will flip,¡± she said, knowing that he would not. Worried, sure, and possibly annoyed that he wasn¡¯t part of the process, but he was a relatively calm person when not in combat.
¡°You don¡¯t have to go,¡± Chuck reminded her for the third time. ¡°Literally, you have the choice here.¡±
¡°I do want to.¡± She squirmed in the restraints. ¡°It¡¯s just nerves.¡± What if it went wrong, and she was error-ed in even worse ways? What if dying didn¡¯t bring her back here, and she was stuck forever without her friends and family?
Dent stepped up beside the machine. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I felt like that too.¡±
¡°You were the test subject?¡± It seemed so obvious, yet it shocked her.
Chuck rolled his eyes. ¡°You have no idea how much he had to torment me into allowing him to be a guinea pig.¡±
¡°Turns out I can be pretty persuasive.¡± Dent grinned.
¡°Annoying, you mean.¡± Chuck shook his head. ¡°But yes. Dent has been down to three worlds and back. Just briefly, but enough to test that death returns you here.¡±
Sally whistled to avoid swearing instead. That must have been pretty stressful for the both of them. ¡°So¡ only some of this is still theory, then?¡±
The Architect narrowed his eyes. ¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Okay.¡± She blinked in response. ¡°What are you going to do with the new world once I get it for you?¡±
¡°New tutorial island,¡± Dent offered. ¡°Something more fit for purpose, to ease the unfortunate new Players into the world proper.¡±
She considered this. Although she was just dropped into the diner¡ªlate¡ªdue to her bugged nature, the actual Player experience didn¡¯t seem to be that much better. Theo had mentioned that it was just a place in the forest with Quests delivered through the System. An island devoted to getting people more used to the new world was a good use of the extra resources.
¡°Alright. Earring is on. Nerves have calmed. I have sent you a message to forward on to Theo if I die for good or I''m stranded forever.¡± She paused and pulled a face. ¡°I¡¯d advise not reading it yourself.¡±
¡°Wouldn¡¯t dream of it,¡± Chuck said with a grimace. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to delete it once you return.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no weird time dilatation stuff, right? I¡¯m not going to be gone for an hour here and it¡¯d be months there, or vice versa?¡±
Dent shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s pretty much one for one.¡±
¡°Neat.¡± She shrugged as best she was able to while she was held down. ¡°Hit it when ready, then.¡±
¡°Alright. Follow the new System and Archie best as you are able. He will let you know when communication with us has been established.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
A flick of a switch, and there was just darkness. An intense vertigo feeling like she was falling.
She was falling.
With a sharp hiss, there was a great thud and movement stopped, her legs bending, but most of the impact had been absorbed.
A thunk resounded around her as door panels jettisoned away from her position, her drop pod allowing fresh daylight to flood inside. With an arm over her eyes, she stepped out onto soft grass.
As she allowed the light to wash over her, she took in her surroundings and winced. A forest. Perhaps not unexpected, even if it was a little cliche. Vibrant greens and dark browns. She moved her feet up and down on the spot before looking down. Back in her classic diner outfit. Not the worst thing. A STAR on her wrist was gleaming, awaiting her attention. Her hair was... short-ish again, which actually made a nice change despite immediately missing the longer length.
Sally waited for a second, just absorbing the fact that she was on a different world. Some uninterrupted peace, looking around at the oddly unpopulated woods around her and ignoring the System for a moment. With a sigh, she held it up and pressed the impatient STAR - at least it would delay any building panic.
[Welcome to the System]
[Congratulations on being the first Player!]
[Please select your Class]
She pulled a face. At least they weren¡¯t wrong about no Players ever being here. Wanting a Class right off the bat was a bit presumptuous. Let a gal get settled first.
[Warrior]
[Thief]
[Wizard]
[Ranger]
Four options. She tilted her head from side to side. Given she was here to take away abandoned resources, she figured Thief was quite fitting. She¡¯d need to add Thief of Worlds to her long list of titles she was collecting.
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[Thief Selected]
[Dagger x1 Acquired]
[Shortbow x1 Acquired]
Daggers! Now all seemed right in the world. When you held a dagger, everything was a knife sheath.
She pressed on the earring, hoping to have a little cat to speak to rather than go crazy inside her own head. A faint mist of amber circled down from the jewelry and onto the grass. Eventually a semi-transparent Archie formed and looked up at her with his emerald eyes.
¡°Ah,¡± he said. ¡°That always feels a little uncomfortable.¡±
¡°You are intangible, so I cannot cuddle you.¡± She pouted down at him.
¡°I am intangible so that I cannot be targeted,¡± he corrected. ¡°I am an extension of the Universal System, not a battle pet.¡±
¡°Snarky,¡± she murmured. ¡°I¡¯ve picked my Class.¡±
The cat did nothing but yawn as she opened up the STAR menus. Similar to what she was used to¡ but different. Simple and basic, with fewer options. Into the Inventory tab, she could see the two weapons given to her by the System.
Her brow furrowed. ¡°They¡ didn¡¯t even give arrows for the bow? It¡¯s just the weapon.¡±
¡°You were warned this was abandoned, yes?¡±
¡°Are you always going to be such a grouch?¡± She held out the equipped dagger to observe it. Was pretty basic. A far cry from her [Skeleton Key] back home.
¡°No. I am influenced by several things.¡±
She waved him off, distracted by the fact that she now had a Quest eager for her attention.
[Quest 1: Kill 5 Giant Rats (0/5)]
¡°Now we¡¯re talking!¡± She held out her hand before remembering she could no longer summon zombies. ¡°It¡¯ll take a while for the temporary nerf to settle in.¡± She looked up at the arrow pointing her in the direction of the designated foe.
¡°I have sent back binary confirmation that we have arrived to the Architect. It will take more power to establish basic communications.¡± Archie stood up and followed her along as she stepped off toward the woods.
¡°Neat! I¡¯m in another world.¡± Sally spun the dagger around in her hand. ¡°Away from my vampire squeeze, found family, and everything I fought and struggled for.¡±
¡°This kind of reaction is natural.¡±
She sighed. No stranger to a little mania, it had been a while since she felt this crazy. With a hop over a fallen log, she entered the shaded area underneath the canopy of surrounding trees. Ahead of her was a small furred creature. A long tail and two beady eyes of deep red.
¡°That¡¯s not really giant,¡± she complained.
¡°Compared to a normal rat, it is.¡±
Sally gave no response as she was already off, sprinting toward the creature. Seemingly too busy sniffing at the dirt, the rat didn¡¯t notice her approach until it was too late. With a practiced swing, she buried the blade into the furred neck of the creature.
[Eat Brains]
¡°Ugh, gross.¡± She wiped her tongue across the sleeve of her shirt. ¡°Instead of here, let¡¯s find a world where some thought was put into how brains taste.¡±
Archie didn¡¯t respond, but sat and narrowed his emerald eyes at her.
[Quest 1: Kill 5 Giant Rats (1/5)]
Sally scowled at the notification at the top of her vision, unable to swipe it or otherwise cause it to go away from view. Perhaps it was a good thing this place had been abandoned before being put into use. There wasn¡¯t even a map on her STAR, although she knew from the long, boring meeting that it was a rough circle shape.
Narrowing her eyes, she could see there were further rats dotted about this area of the forest. None of them seemed too bothered that she had just slain one of their comrades. Perhaps it was the black sheep of the family and she had done them a favor.
She looked down at it, as it now slowly rose back up to its feet. One zombie down. Who knew how many to go? A smile crossed her face as her feet bit into the dirt, launching her toward the next victim.
Each rat was killed in the same way, in short succession. She slid to a stop after the fifth and twirled to give them a bow. Her stomach threatened to empty itself from the motion, but she kept it together for now.
[Quest 1 Complete!]
[Level Up!] [Assign Stats?]
¡°I get stats here, that I can see.¡± She clicked her fingers. Perhaps things weren¡¯t all bad, after all.
[Stats]
[Damage: 1]
[Defense: 1]
[Magic: 1]
[Jump: 1]
[Points left to spend: 1]
Sally pulled a face. Her hand hovered over Jump briefly, before she eventually added the stat point to Damage. ¡°This is¡ perhaps my expectations have been too high.¡±
[Quest 2: Kill 8 Giant Rats (0/8)]
She crouched down beside the cat. ¡°Arch, I¡¯m going to need you to be honest with me. Does this place only have ¡®Kill Giant Rat¡¯ Quests?¡±
¡°Are you hoping for a yes, or a no?¡±
Her right eye twitched, and she looked back over at the forest dotted with the rodents. Behind her, a group of five undead ones waited patiently. She stood back up and pointed at the closest alive one. Her small swarm turned and bounded off, quicker than she expected, to pile onto the surprised living rat. Buried beneath her zombies, the group moved away.
[Quest 2: Kill 8 Giant Rats (1/8)]
She smirked. ¡°When life gives you rats, you make rat jam.¡±
Theo walked around the house at a leisurely pace.
It stood to reason that Sally would have more things to talk with Chuck about if she was going to be the one on these missions. He even understood why they had picked her and not him.
Continuing on into the kitchen, it was rather warm in here now. The oven had been heating the space up even though it currently served no purpose.
Was that how he felt? The System was nice enough, but they had both felt drawn to something bigger. What if Sally was doing that right now? Would he be worried? Partially, sure. She could take care of herself, but he still cared about her well-being.
Would he be envious? Certainly. He could only hope she¡¯d tag him in first whenever the opportunity arose.
Whatever she was doing, she should probably hurry up.
Otherwise, he might as well put his clothes back on.
¡°Ugh, gross.¡± Her stomach still hurt from the terrible rat brains.
[Quest 4 Complete!]
She groaned and just ignored the level up, putting the point into Damage immediately. Level Five now. The rats had no loot, but she now had almost two dozen zombie rats. Quests had just been a matter of walking along, pointing the horde in the direction of hapless living rats to be overrun.
¡°Chat has now been established, Sally.¡±
With a raised eyebrow, she looked over at the cat. ¡°At last. I guess even level five isn¡¯t that strong in this world. Are there even abilities?¡±
¡°There are, but that is as far as I know.¡±
They better be good ones. The fact that she could save one to bring home after made chewing through so many damn rats worth it. That and giving Chuck a new plot of land to use, of course. In saying that, she touched the earring to bring up the Universal System Chat.
[Sally: rats!]
[Chuck: Everything okay?]
[Sally: the only enemy here is giant rat]
[Sally: but otherwise fine]
[Chuck: Excellent, keep up the grind.]
[Chuck: Control is expanding, albeit slowly.]
She looked up to see what she had to do next.
[Quest 5: Kill Rat King (0/1)]
Oh. She slowly turned her head to where the arrow was pointing, only now seeing the large shadowed shape that had been hiding in her peripheral.
218 - No Wasted Effort
Sally spun from the large creature. Blood running down her left arm, she stepped back away, her teeth clenched. There had been no healing potions or similar so far, so she had to be a little more careful. Especially considering she had put all her points into Damage and none in Defense.
Whoever created this world had not only made the King Rat ten times the size of a normal Giant Rat, but it appeared as though they did the same to its stats too.
¡°I¡¯d advise not losing your arm,¡± Archie added from the side, very helpfully.
In her eagerness to eat some different brains, she had underestimated the boss monster and taken a bite from the large fangs the creature possessed. She¡¯d walked off worse, however, regeneration or no.
¡°I guess I should have known better,¡± she said as a wide grin crossed her face. ¡°An uprising should be won by those lowest on the rungs.¡±
At her command, the sea of zombie rats swarmed forward to bite and chew at the supposed King. The first couple were stomped or chewed through with no issue, but there were just too many of them. Despite being mindless undead, they started to climb the thick fur of the giant monster, biting and scratching along the way.
¡°See that?¡± She turned to stick her tongue out at the grouchy cat. ¡°Not even been here an hour and committing regicide.¡±
¡°The killer of rats. You truly are a great adventurer.¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes at him and brought up the Chat.
[Sally: Archie is really mean.]
[Chuck: Takes him a while to adjust.]
[Chuck: Depends on the world.]
She knew that already, she just needed a third party to whine to. As much as she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d need another Outsider down here with her, she missed the conversations. Wasn¡¯t really worth asking Archie if they were close to enough power to bring someone down. Maybe killing the King was the end of what this world had to offer?
Said Monster was now struggling against the writhing force of her zombie pals. Lethargy and irritation from the multitude of wounds caused it to sink to the floor, unable to lash out or chomp at any rats clinging to the gradually bloodying fur.
With a few quick steps, she was upon him again. Dagger into a tired eye. [Eat Brains]
Another level up and point into Damage¡ but this one was slightly different. She narrowed her eyes at the text.
[Skills Unlocked]
[Pick Lock] [You are able to unlock doors on a successful check]
[Sneak Attack] [Your first strike after leaving does Critical damage]
She blinked and looked around the surrounding woods, but saw no doors. ¡°Something about this feels like a poor joke at my expense. I don¡¯t even have a stealth ability.¡±
¡°And you never will with that mouth of yours.¡±
Sally exhaled and tilted her head toward the cat. ¡°This Sally and Archie adventure thing is growing stale fast. I hope you¡¯re nicer on the next world.¡±
He didn¡¯t reply, so she just looked up at the next Quest.
[Quest 6: Kill 5 Orcs (0/5)]
She turned to her peripheral. Instead of Giant Rats, the area was now populated by muscular green humanoids.
¡°What manner of purgatory have I signed myself up for?¡± she asked the world, as the zombie Rat King rose up behind her.
Humphrey drummed his metal fingers on the armrest as he stared out across the sand dunes of the Wasteland. While the balcony did give a nice vantage point over a large area, he grew tired of watching the Players fight back against the Wind Elemental Event.
Norah moved away from the balcony edge to face him. ¡°You just missed a guy being thrown almost thirty feet across the sand, dear.¡± She smiled at seeing his distracted expression. ¡°Too busy being worried about Sally?¡±
The Death Knight grunted and looked up at her. ¡°She is more than capable of handling herself¡ this is just quite the undertaking.¡±
¡°New worlds? Bringing Systems together to make this more than it currently is?¡± She stepped over and sat on the throne beside his, putting her wrapped hand on his plated one. ¡°I¡¯m proud of our little zombie.¡±
Humphrey grinned and tilted his head toward her. Somewhere along the line, they had become Sally¡¯s de facto adoptive parents. Part of it was giving her some normalcy in this world, something stable to ground herself with. But¡ it felt right, too. After everything they¡¯d been through together, they were closer than blood.
¡°I trust Chuck,¡± he eventually relented. ¡°It¡¯s just a difficult process to really take in. I hope to be more involved in the proceedings when she starts to travel to these worlds.¡±
Norah said nothing, and the sounds of battle below filled the silence.
Eventually, the Death Knight put a hand up to his skeletal face and sighed. ¡°She¡¯s in another world already, isn¡¯t she?¡±
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Sally watched impassively as her group of orc and rat zombies swarmed over the figures standing idly, just waiting to die. The brains hadn¡¯t tasted any better, so she was rather tired of the physical combat side of things. Not that she really needed to. She could gain four or five new zombies for every one that fell.
Out of all the kills so far, she had looted two health potions, three crossbow bolts, and a dagger that had slightly better base damage. She compared them.
[Dagger] [+1 Damage]
[Sharp Dagger] [+2 Damage]
How damage actually worked wasn¡¯t really explained, but she had given up expecting this world to make much sense. All she had to do was keep grinding at these Quests until she was powerful enough for Chuck to bring this world over into their own bubble.
That process alone made this drab leveling worth it. She had no idea how Theo did this sort of thing regularly without getting bored out of his mind. Perhaps he wasn¡¯t driven by stakes, just the outcome.
Hah, stakes.
Although the two skills she had unlocked so far hadn¡¯t seemed to be useful in-world, having one of those carry over to the next might be helpful for the future. Depending on what Chuck had in mind for a second System to save, being able to pick locks would be a handy skill. Other than being dropped in the middle of a beach or forest, the third most likely beginner scenario was starting in a prison.
That might make her drop-pod entrance a little awkward, however.
¡°Do you know what might be next if this works well, Arch?¡± She commanded her sea of expanding undead to filter through the trees, assailing more orcs as she continued walking.
¡°There are many options, but I do not believe one has been selected.¡± He wagged his tail back and forth as he walked alongside her. ¡°It depends on how well this goes.¡±
¡°Like how competent I am, or how well the world merge goes?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Sally sighed. She understood it - this was the test run to make sure things went fine when they tackled a more difficult System. One that might have serious errors or Players that would need to adjust to their world. The things that could go wrong were beyond her understanding - but then again, that¡¯s why she had Chuck to do all the hard thinking work.
In a way, she was glad for this. Not only had the goofball managed to make the System an almost-paradise for everyone forced to live there, but he was thriving in the role and thinking outside the box. She liked to think some of her ambition-seeking rubbed off on him¡ but she doubted she would have ever considered traveling to different worlds to fix them and make them part of their System.
¡°Give me some hints, Arch. You know I work better when I have something to look forward to chewing on.¡± She pouted and gave him her best puppy-dog eyes.
Archie narrowed his glare and sighed. ¡°Fine. You are not wrong, even if annoying.¡± He chose to ignore her small celebration. ¡°There are three shortlisted for consideration should this go well.¡±
¡°More interesting than this one, though?¡± She turned her gaze back to the orc and rat horde mowing through enemies. Almost time for the boss.
¡°Well, ¡®interesting¡¯ is a subjective observation. More complex, certainly. They are all Systems that are untenable long term.¡±
¡°Right, so, what are they?¡±
He stopped and glared at her again. ¡°You will find out when this mission has been successful, and we form the Guild.¡±
She gasped and put her hands on her hips. ¡°You¡¯re forming a Guild?¡± Sally whistled. ¡°Can I be in it?¡±
¡°Naturally.¡± Archie exhaled deeply through his nose. ¡°This was the Guild mentioned during the meeting. I thought you had paid a little more attention than the rest? We knew we couldn¡¯t keep everyone in the dark about things¡ the Guild was meant to be formed before you even came here.¡±
¡°Chucky jumped the gun because he was too excited?¡± She grinned.
¡°Exactly.¡±
She could understand it. Given the ramifications of the project, it was something huge if it went well. The possibilities it would unlock. Sally was mostly looking forward to becoming more powerful, but exploring new worlds sounded fun, too.
Not this one, but maybe others.
¡°So I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re including pop and fangs in the Guild, yeah?¡±
¡°Correct.¡± Archie stretched out and yawned. ¡°Mostly because neither would shut up or leave us alone if left out of it.¡±
That was very true, but she pouted. ¡°Mostly?¡±
¡°No. Their insights are very useful, of course. Invites will go to all the Outsiders.¡±
Sally rubbed her chin. Norah, Lucius, and Edward were all pretty happy with the lives they currently had¡ but even if they didn¡¯t want to world-dive, they might want an ear on the Guild. Edward definitely would, even if he could just be there to be creepy and seem suspicious about his intentions. In saying that - Jackie hadn''t been in the meeting. The mobster was already settled into a normal life, even more than Lucius had, so wasn''t likely to want a violent vacation from her peace.
¡°Anyone outside of our weird little family?¡± she asked.
¡°Nothing I can confirm at present. Again, a lot rides on how well this and the next mission go.¡± Archie licked at one of his paws and preened his ears.
For the most part, she was just eager to get this done and into a world with different stakes. Necromancy was her bread and butter, but this System was clearly not designed with it in mind. Or much at all, really. It looked to just be repeating quests of kill X Monster until you got to the boss version and then reset and repeat. Without having a pal down here, it was rather droll, but they weren¡¯t even needed.
¡°How close am I to¡ anything?¡± She stretched her back out.
[Quest 10: Kill Orc Lord (0/1)]
¡°You are currently at what we call STAR Level Three. Normally, you¡¯d be able to call in someone from our home world at this stage. And then a second at Level Five.¡±
¡°Neat.¡± She nodded her head as she looked around the area for the boss. ¡°What were the other Levels?¡± Ah, there it was. A scaled up orc warrior with the same crown that the rat king had on.
¡°First is basic communication. Second is tracking and more information back to Chuck. Fourth should be a video feed back home.¡±
¡°Should be?¡± she asked, gathering all of her minions into an organized clump.
¡°Still early days, isn¡¯t it? The technology and magic is there, but Dent only got to STAR Two in testing.¡±
She furrowed her brow. ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t know for sure we can get more boots on the ground?¡± With the flick of her wrist, she commanded her dead to go forth and attack the larger orc.
¡°It¡¯s the same process as sending you down, but just a problem of bandwidth.¡± Archie tilted his head toward her. ¡°I¡¯m sure Chuck went over this in the meeting with you twice.¡±
¡°Probably.¡± She watched her undead chew through the big Monster, only a handful of them dying for good in the process. Another level up and a point in Damage, killing the boss also provided her with two new skills.
[Skills Unlocked]
[Arrow Crafting] [Craft Arrows using basic materials]
[Chain] [Ranged attack that draws opponent to you]
¡°Ohh!¡± Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°Now we¡¯re talking - that¡¯s actually a decent skill, depending on the range of it.¡±
¡°Sally,¡± Archie said.
¡°What is it cat, can¡¯t you see I¡¯m doing skill stuff?¡±
¡°Sally.¡±
She raised her eyebrow and looked up.
[Final Quest: Defeat 50 Troll Monarchs (0/50)]
Turning to the side, she saw three large trolls bound out from the trees toward her.
219 - Medium Stakes
Blue screens illuminated Chuck¡¯s face. Data was working its way in, and his brow was furrowed in trying to parse it all.
¡°We¡¯ve got enough power for STAR Four,¡± Dent said from beside him, the swordsman staring at screens of his own. ¡°That was quick.¡±
¡°Small world,¡± the Architect replied idly. ¡°Percentages or something.¡± His eyes went back and forth over rolling tables of constantly updating figures.
Dent looked over at him, waiting for a few seconds before smiling. ¡°You want me to attempt the feed then, or¡?¡±
¡°Hmm?¡± Chuck managed to draw his eyes away from the information briefly. ¡°Oh sorry, this is just¡ nerves and I want to make sure things are as expected, you know?¡±
The swordsman nodded slowly and watched him return to staring at the feed. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡± He sighed and began pressing some of the boxes on his own screen. ¡°I¡¯ve also been getting messages from both Theo and Humphrey. Seems they have a sixth sense for these sorts of things.¡±
¡°Tell them¡ everything is fine. We¡¯ll call them soon.¡±
¡°Already have.¡± Dent smiled as the progress bar on his screen slowly filled up.
¡°Perfect.¡± A distracted grin went across Chuck¡¯s face. ¡°I knew there was a reason I kept you around.¡±
A cloud of dirt washed over Sally as she slid across the ground, narrowly avoiding the large club of the current troll. She muttered another curse at whoever had designed this world and hoped to meet them one day so that she could eat their brains after giving them a telling off.
While the rats and orcs had been impassive and almost begging to be run down, the trolls were constantly aggressive, pursuing her from quite a distance considering the other mobs had been pretty blind.
In addition to that, they seemed to be much stronger than the orc boss - just judging by how easily they pulped her dead pals. They took out a handful of hers for every one of them that fell.
Only five had died, and there were currently eight running after her. Chasing her into the aggro range of even more trolls along the way. At least the System was saying this was the final Quest. There would probably be a final boss at the end, and then she¡¯d level and get more skills again¡ and that would be it?
Seemed underwhelming, even though it had been pretty dire since her arrival. Still, this was just a test run.
¡°Quick, use your special beam cannon, Archie!¡± She ducked behind a zombie orc as it was split in half by the wide arc of one of the trolls.
The cat didn¡¯t respond, but kept an eye on her as his tail flicked back and forth in annoyance. Three of the undead monsters slammed the alive one with their large clubs, buckling the creature and allowing the rats and orcs to swarm over them.
While another troll was distracted by some of the small undead, Sally ran up and stabbed her dagger in its side. With all her points in Damage, her blade easily slipped through the thick skin and into the lungs of the monster. She withdrew and was skulking behind an orc before her opponent even had the chance to react to her attack.
Chuck had said only [Eat Brains] would transfer over, but all the hard coded skills she¡¯d earned through all the conflict still stuck with her. Where to bury a blade. How to use her horde as cover. Some actual battlefield tactics.
¡°Good news,¡± Archie announced. ¡°Video feed has been established. No pressure.¡±
Sally grinned, stepping to the side to avoid a club before diving away from a second. Although she wasn¡¯t shy about putting on a show of strength, it might be hard to convince them the previous Quests were such a cakewalk when she had to pay attention to the trolls. Then again, it made her look proficient.
¡°Chuck said he is going to work on a way to display Universal Notifications, so that I don¡¯t have to keep you constantly updated.¡±
She rolled between the legs of an opponent, slashing out at the back of their ankles. As they dropped to a knee, a zombie troll slammed them in the side of the head with a loud crack.
Still only nine out of fifty.
As much as she needed to sweat, the world didn¡¯t seem to care about her ability to as a walking corpse - so she just felt overly hot. ¡°They said any Outsider that drops in will be the same level as me, right?¡±
¡°Correct.¡± The ginger cat yawned, his appearance flickering slightly. ¡°You are a trailblazer in more than one way¡ although we would need to test it to be sure.¡±
The Architect had mentioned there might be complications with Theo, much to the vampire¡¯s chagrin. While the Uniques were Monsters and could be accepted by a System as they were, Theo was a Player. That meant there were expectations - he should start at level one. Something they needed to work out through practice rather than theory.
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Would be nice to have fangs here now, actually. She stepped back, zombie trolls moving in front of her like a shield wall. While the Quests hadn¡¯t really called on anyone else being required, having some backup for the more aggressive Monsters would be neat. If only so that she could be a little lazier about things.
She said, having let her zombie horde do most of the work so far. In fairness, all she had to do was avoid dying and things should eventually work out. Her injuries hadn¡¯t really recovered well - those auras the Outsiders used to stack were certainly missed - but she didn''t feel in much danger.
Spinning her dagger in her hand, she looked over her shoulder to see five more trolls heading her way, and a grin rose up on her face.
Theo hummed to himself. The message from Dent wasn¡¯t too reassuring. It was clear that they¡¯d thrown Sally off into the new world already¡ and in a way, he could understand why he had been left in the dark.
Perhaps it wasn¡¯t even intended to happen right after the meeting. But if they had told him, well, he would have been very annoying about it - that was for certain. Just sitting here, now in his battle gear, he was itchy.
Just think of all the different skills or items they could find in different Systems.
Chuck had been pretty polite about creating some of the things that the vampire had drawn up on a list in the months since taking over, but eventually tired of it. Apparently, running the world was more important than designing random objects. Not that Sally and his various Monster roles hadn¡¯t been keeping him busy. It was too easy a life, however. He craved to rise up against odds just as Sally did. There were too many things he had to bury to maintain this safe existence.
That just reminded him of something, and he opened up his Chat.
[Theo: Free, Lucius?]
[Lucius: Sure! I have the rest of the day off, thanks to Chuck.]
[Theo: Perfect, I¡¯ll be over shortly.]
Theo smiled and stood up to stretch out. Even if he wasn¡¯t invited to the other world, it wouldn¡¯t be long before he got to join up to a different one - he knew Sally better than anyone, and if there was one thing that zombie liked, it was taking a bite of something high stakes.
Sally spat out a mouthful of blood and groaned, thankful at least that it wasn¡¯t her own. Not only were their brains gross, but no due care had been taken in making sure their blood was palatable, either. Briefly, she considered the fact that her enemies weren¡¯t meant to be eaten, but that seemed silly. Theo would hate it here.
She couldn¡¯t wait to get back and rub it in his face that she had been to a new world and saved an abandoned System without him. Hopefully, he wasn¡¯t just sitting at home waiting for her still¡ Chuck probably would have said something to him so that he didn¡¯t worry. As much as she hated to waste a preheated oven, there would be time to cook later after she added another accolade to her vast library of achievements.
Twenty-four trolls dead.
By now, there were enough zombie trolls to save her from having to get into melee distance herself. Rats were few and far between, and the orcs were all but gone - but now, every time a new opponent came towards her, she could command at least two undead trolls to get in the way.
Would there even be an end boss? It said that this was the final Quest. What if this was just a tutorial and there was actually something substantial after? Something worse.
¡°You look like you are thinking too hard.¡± Archie had found a fallen log to sit on and watch her idly.
¡°I think by now you should know that¡¯s not possible with me.¡± She stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°Just¡ there are a lot of unknowns, even if this is meant to be simple.¡±
With a yawn, the cat looked back out at the constant melee behind her. ¡°Clearly, the issue is that you aren¡¯t suffering enough.¡±
Sally pouted. ¡°I never said that.¡±
The stakes were high¡ in a way. He was right, though. There was no grounding at present. Kill aimless enemies until her zombies could do the job for her. She wouldn¡¯t class it at suffering that she was lacking. More of¡ a reason to care and put herself at risk. Previously, she had fought to save herself, then her friends and fellow Uniques, and eventually the whole System.
Land acquisition in of itself was pretty dull. Even visceral combat could grow tiresome - especially if it was against low intelligence System-created Monsters. Saving people against the odds was more of her bread and butter. So when she returned, she would¡ oh.
She turned her head back to Archie. ¡°I understand what Dent meant about calibration now.¡±
Archie nodded. ¡°The only unstable variable is you.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes and focused on the trolls fighting once more. It had been a few months since she had accepted that she was a chaotic force of change. Living in paradise had been... nice, but unrewarding. Having all the brains you could eat and not having to worry about you or your friends existing was a pleasant change¡ but part of her tired of it.
Maybe the zombie part? She wasn¡¯t even separate as she once thought she had been, in truth. Just an undead Player that had the benefits of both sides. The other Players in the System seemed happy to exist the way they did - Lucius¡¯ ability and therapy sessions had kept any prospective grumps like Marius or Seven from rising up. She had seen behind the curtain, however, saw the meta layer that the others didn¡¯t really question.
Knowing that there were other worlds with Players suffering made her want to go fix those and rescue those humans she could. Any chump could grind through an empty world - it wasn¡¯t making good use of her actual skills and passions. She sighed, knowing that this was part of the reason she had been sent here on short notice.
They didn¡¯t intend on working her up through the easiest or safest worlds, even if it was the most efficient way of her slowly gaining universal skills. The pair wanted to show her that she wasn¡¯t a tool for reclamation, but a violent force determined to eat or save everyone. Next world would be something more dangerous.
Archie could clearly see her sinking, glum expression, even as the zombies tore into the living. ¡°How about a little exposition while you¡¯re so clearly bored?¡±
She shrugged. ¡°What kind? Today has already been quite the day full of information and gross brains.¡±
¡°Chuck mentioned about how you are from a different planet than the usual Players. He isn¡¯t wrong, but there¡¯s more to it than that.¡±
The zombie paused, not wanting to get too distracted, but her attention was drawn to the ginger cat. He looked amused at now being the focal point, and holding a piece of information that she coveted.
¡°Sally Danger, are you ready for the truth?¡±
220 - Unplanned Downtime
Thirty-six trolls dead.
¡°Once upon a time,¡± Archie began. ¡°There were two worlds. Two dimensions of existence. One of them you are familiar with.¡±
Sally nodded, still keeping an eye on combat. ¡°Earth?¡±
¡°Correct. The second one is called Othea.¡±
She frowned and turned a questioning glare toward the ginger cat. ¡°That¡¯s the name of our world.¡±
¡°Something of a coincidence. No... A holdover, perhaps.¡± Archie tilted his head. ¡°Named after the actual planet of similar name. A world of fantasy and the whimsical, not so unlike our System.¡±
''Whimsical¡¯ was pushing it, but she couldn¡¯t deny that it had plenty of fantasy and adventure. All the stuff you might expect, like magic, dragons, and getting away with mass murder. She nodded for him to continue.
¡°Somewhere along the line, a wizard with more ideas and power than common sense sought to create a pocket-world for himself. Inadvertently, he did something much worse.¡±
Sally paused and sighed, trying to still keep the trolls in her peripheral. ¡°They created the System multiverse, but somehow connected Earth to Othea?¡±
¡°Only in the sense that your ¡®soul¡¯ can be moved through onto one of these worlds, but yes.¡± He tilted his head to the side. ¡°Although, it has a proper name. The Star System.¡±
She groaned and deflated. ¡°Let me guess then. There¡¯s a number of different Earths and Otheas connected through to the ¡®Star System¡¯ where people can be killed and plopped down on one of these half-baked existences?¡±
¡°Big brother always said you were astute.¡±
Grumbling to herself, she turned back to the combat and tried to command the zombies to hurry things up. Forty-one dead. They were at least near whatever the end may be. As to what she truly thought about all the world nonsense¡ it was rather beyond her. Not that she didn¡¯t understand it - but without a way to go back to any of these worlds, they didn¡¯t matter to her in the slightest.
Perhaps this was just background information for something else. She ran her tongue across her sharp teeth. ¡°You¡¯re saying I might meet Players from one of these other worlds in my travels, right?¡±
¡°Yes. From the information I have been able to unlock from the original Creator¡¯s plans, it appears it is actually a very small and finite number of worlds connected. A cluster of six. Or versions of worlds¡ you could say.¡±
She sighed again. ¡°Speak clearly, cat.¡±
¡°Three are different versions of Earth, three are versions of Othea.¡±
¡°Do the other Earths have living Sallys?¡±
Archie paused before responding. ¡°There is no way for us to check, but it is likely.¡±
Now that was more of an interesting thought. Her current existence was just one of who knows how many different worlds - if there were more than what had been connected to the STARs. Did the other Sallys have normal lives? Were they dating Theo and working in the diner still? She raised her wrist up to look at the shape. It would have made more sense if it had six or seven points, rather than five, but perhaps not everything had to be a part of the puzzle.
¡°We don¡¯t know what the other worlds are like, only that they exist,¡± Archie continued. ¡°But yes, you may come across humans, orcs, and elves who weren¡¯t created by the System but are as ¡®real¡¯ as you once were. Probably plenty weirder than those fantasy tropes as well.¡±
She nodded, but didn¡¯t turn back to him. Most of her friends weren''t exactly human, so accepting that part wasn''t too difficult. Forty-four trolls dead. It just meant that she had to be careful who she ate if her goal was to save all Players. Or at least the ones allowed her to be saved¡ there were plenty of Players she had killed and consumed in¡
¡°Hey Arch, we should give our world a new name.¡±
"I¡¯ll float it with the Architect - it might make things less confusing. You have one in mind, I take it?¡±
She shot him a wink. ¡°Of course.¡±
Theo stared at the plain gray ceiling and sighed. Eventually, he turned his head to look at the Shade sitting beside him with a book and pen in hand. Bookshelves lined the walls behind him, and the flickering lantern was unnecessary in the daytime, but added a comforting ambience to the place.
¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± the vampire said. ¡°Saving the world was the worst thing I have done.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not exactly what I said.¡± Lucius waved his hand as sweat-drops appeared beside his head.
¡°I¡¯m motivated by grinding to grasp every ounce of power the System allows,¡± Theo continued, looking back up the ceiling from his laying position. ¡°Once I could just ask Chuck to change my Stats or give me items¡ the lustre fell off.¡±
Lucius nodded. ¡°But you¡¯ve been avoiding expressing these feelings.¡±
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The vampire was silent for a few moments. ¡°I had hoped I could just be content. Sally seemed happy. Things were going well.¡±
¡°Both of you are unlike any other Player or Monster I work with.¡± The Shade tapped his pen at the edge of the page. ¡°Maybe that is because you can remember where you came from - but the three of you including Chuck are just¡ built for more.¡±
¡°More?¡±
¡°No matter how good your relationships or day-to-day are here, you wouldn¡¯t be satisfied long term. Chuck knew this, which is why he was pressing me to get you both in regularly.¡± A smiling emoji popped up. ¡°He is satisfied with running the System, but you two need room to grow.¡±
Theo grunted. It wasn¡¯t even that he disagreed with the assessment. He would like to go and get some actual progression and grinding in. Something to actually achieve and give him purpose again.
¡°I¡¯m a little envious of Sally right now,¡± he admitted.
¡°Just a little?¡±
The vampire turned his head back to Lucius and frowned at him. To his credit, the Shade didn¡¯t look any more nervous than usual. ¡°She is currently in another world, probably having the time of her life.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t know if either of those things are true.¡± He held up a hand before Theo could continue. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what, though. Let¡¯s arrange a meeting with Chuck and Sally, and the four of us can come up with something so you¡¯re not gnawing at the furniture just waiting to be useful.¡±
Theo sighed and relaxed, putting on a bit of a pout. It was only the one time, and they said it was made from bloodwood.
They had lied.
Forty-nine trolls dead.
Sally scowled across through the forest. Where was the last one? There hadn¡¯t been the exact number of enemies in the previous Quests. If anything, the inconsistency was worse than anything else. Other than maybe the taste of the troll''s brains, anyway.
¡°It¡¯s not bugged, is it?¡± She turned, her face glum as she questioned the cat.
Archie shrugged. ¡°Not my clowns, not my circus.¡±
Just when he seemed to be settling into being his normal, affable self, too. Plus, it very much was his clowns when he was destined to be her companion throughout every System they might go and fix. A beep from her earring distracted her from scowling at Archie any further.
[Chuck: Very close.]
[Chuck: I¡¯m putting out a message over here for everyone to prepare.]
[Chuck: Things are going as expected.]
[Sally: neat]
She was about to add to that, before a shadow crossed over her.
¡°Behind you, Sally,¡± the cat said - without the gravity the warning should have had.
The zombie turned as the displaced air rushed past her, and a very large club struck her.
Dagger spun out of her hand as she ragdolled across the grassy ground, rolling into a small embankment to stop. Without hesitation, she was back up to her feet, glaring up at the monster as warm blood ran down her face.
There was no apparent troll boss, but the creator clearly didn¡¯t think anyone should be completing the questline. The last monster to kill for the Quest was easily three times the size of a normal troll. She growled as it turned and stomped one of her zombie trolls flat into the ground.
First off, damage report. Some shattered ribs. Left arm was broken in two places. A head injury that was bleeding profusely, but she could still stand - even if wobbly. From her Inventory, as another of her pals was pulped by the large club, she brought out Health Potion and downed it. Would have been nice if they had given her more than two, but the second would have to wait for an emergency.
The bleeding from her head slowed as some of her bones clicked back into place. Her left arm still wasn¡¯t very responsive. Perhaps she could go without it. It was just one overpowered monster she needed to kill.
¡°To think you almost died then, and your time here would have been wasted.¡± Archie was sitting nearby, a smirk across his face.
¡°You fuzzy menace,¡± she wagged a finger at him as she tried to search for her dagger. ¡°You waited until he was close enough to bop me before warning me, didn¡¯t you?¡±
¡°This is a comparatively barren world. If you truly want to dive into something with higher stakes, you should take things more seriously.¡±
Sally pulled a face and grumbled to herself. It wasn¡¯t that he was wrong, of course. If she was going to be solo for chunks of time, she needed to focus a little without her usual goofballs to rely on. Things would be easy if Theo or Humphrey could join her from the outset. If it had been possible, then Chuck would have set it up as such, she was sure.
Looking over at the boss with tired eyes, she watched as it picked up a zombie troll and threw it clear over the treeline. She sighed.
¡°Best get mulched by this huge jerk then,¡± she said, stepping over to some thick grass where her measly dagger lay. She hadn¡¯t even bothered using [Chain] yet. It worked opposite to how her [Meat Hook] used to - in bringing the target to her instead of her to the target.
Another glance at the creature pulping the remainder of her pals, and she wondered how it worked on creatures that were way heavier or stronger than her. Trying to keep one eye on the enemy, she brought up the skill information.
[Chain] [Single Target. 20ft Range, draws target of equal or small size toward you.]
So it just didn¡¯t work on anything bigger than her¡ which seemed a little unfair, given how scrawny she was. With one last sigh, she narrowed her eyes at the monster standing in her way of victory.
Edward stared at the wall, not really reading the map of the Wastelands hanging there - it just happened to be in his line of sight. Aimless, really, his mind elsewhere. Leaning back on his chair, his feet were up on the edge of the desk in his office. Warm light pooled in through the window. Another pleasant day in the Administrative District.
His eyes went over to the door as it opened near silently. A female figure in white robes stepped in, giving him a brief curtsey. While he didn''t pay attention to most who worked at the building, the woman was easily recognisable for two reasons. The first being that she had the head of a dog - a doberman, if what Sally had said was to be believed.
¡°Chloe,¡± he said, as he tilted his head. ¡°I thought I gave you the rest of the day off?¡± The second reason was that she was paramount to him pretending to get any work done here.
¡°You did, sir.¡± The Unique Monster smiled. ¡°With most of the Council away for the day, it seemed too good of an opportunity, so I though I''d get caught up on reports without distraction.¡± In her hands, a folder, which she stepped forward to place on the demon¡¯s desk.
¡°As much as I appreciate having you as my assistant,¡± Edward began, a grin on his face. ¡°You work way too hard. I expect you to go home now, at least?¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡± She gave him a nod. ¡°Forgive my question, but you¡¯re still here, too?¡±
¡°Oh.¡± The demon hummed to himself, before taking his feet down off the desk to sit properly. ¡°I suppose the same reason as you¡ although less report making.¡± He glanced out at the window.
¡°Not spending time with the Outsiders?¡±
¡°Later.¡± Edward turned back to the woman. ¡°They are currently occupied. Such is life.¡±
As Chloe opened her mouth to speak, they were both interrupted, as messages from the System came through into their vision.
[System Maintenance Enabled]
[Combat Disabled]
[Please return to Safe Areas and await completion]
[Report any errors to your local Observer units]
[Standby for further updates]
221 - Landfall
Humphrey grunted and dismissed the notifications. Down on the sands below, the Players looked confused as the elemental Boss stopped and stood in a passive pose.
¡°I know that grunt,¡± Norah said, fanning herself. ¡°You are feeling left out.¡±
He shuffled on his throne, struggling to accept that she was right. ¡°It seems reckless. What if there is a problem and our very existence is erased?¡±
¡°Well¡¡± the Mummy began, tilting her head to look out at the horizon. ¡°If that is the case, then I¡¯ve had a good life and I love you.¡±
The Death Knight deflated and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not quite so ready to accept oblivion, especially when it is avoidable. And I love you too.¡±
¡°How could you not, when I¡¯m always right?¡± She smiled and reached out to pat his forearm. ¡°Go see Chuck. I am sure you¡¯ll be called in right away, anyway.¡±
Humphrey grinned and stood up to his feet. Patting around his belt, he brought out the recently used teleportation stone. ¡°You¡¯re not coming this time?¡±
¡°I need a soak. Message me if the world doesn¡¯t end, okay?¡± She gave him a wink before standing and heading back from the balcony and into their house.
The Death Knight watched her leave, then turned his empty sockets down to the confused Players who had started teleporting away back to safe areas. Whatever the result of this odd plan, it would change their world. Any apprehension he felt fought against the pride that welled up in thinking about what they could achieve.
With the flash of blue, he vanished to appear in the receiving chamber of the Architect¡¯s Tower.
He turned his head to see the figure already sitting there. ¡°Oh? It is a surprise to see you here.¡±
Sally sprinted around in a wide arc as the large club dug through the ground just behind her, spraying a wave of dirt across the flattened grass.
¡°Shoulda put more points in Stamina!¡± she gasped, overheating. She slid to a stop and spun her dagger around in her hand to face the giant troll.
¡°Perhaps it¡¯s just your cardio that is lacking?¡± Archie said from the sidelines.
¡°Stuff it furball,¡± she murmured, narrowing her eyes at the Boss.
She was a zombie. Maybe not a shambling one, sure, but that didn¡¯t mean she was much for sprinting either. Perhaps she had been spoiled with Chuck being able to change her Stats to whatever she wanted or needed for her work. Killing Players was definitely good exercise, but she got most of her cardio when Theo-
The troll attacked again, and she leaped to the side, a plume of dry earth bursting from the ground where the weapon struck. This was going nowhere fast - and she was so close to sealing the deal here. Chuck had been sending her messages, but there was no way to check them without eating the giant club.
[Chain] shot out and struck one of her few remaining zombie orcs, pulling it towards her as the Boss leaned down to grab out - taking the sacrificial pal instead of her. She used the distraction to launch beneath the monster, jabbing her dagger into the back of his ankle to split the tendons.
Sally flicked the dark blood from her blade and twisted back around to face the troll. It stumbled as it tried to face her, surprised at the pain and numbness in their left leg. While they tried to right themselves, her handful of remaining zombies swarmed in to attack the wounded area. Blood frenzy.
They weren¡¯t doing a lot of damage, but they were a fantastic annoyance. As the Boss growled and tried to stomp around with their injured foot, Sally darted in and performed the same action on the right ankle. The back end of the club jabbed backward and almost pinned her to the ground, but she was able to scurry through the cloud of dust as the weapon scraped past.
You had to weaken the big guys. Slow and humble them, and exhaust them. She couldn¡¯t risk taking a full hit from the monster, as it was likely to crush her completely. Not that she would be forever dead¡ but she¡¯d have lost all the progress made in taking this island for their own.
¡°Chuck is making preparations. No pressure.¡±
She clenched her sharp teeth together. ¡°You and I will be having words later, Archie.¡±
They¡¯d be watching already and could see things were going her way, even if slowly. Would only take one mistake for things to go south, however. Into her offhand she withdrew her second dagger, her arm now functional if not still weak. Without all her normal skills or allies, things were difficult¡ but she was Sally Danger.
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A zombie caught the eye of the troll. [Chain] grabbed them and brought them toward her. The club went high into the air, and then whooshed down to completely obliterate the shambling dead. From within the cloud of misted blood and unsettled dirt, two red eyes gleamed.
Sally burst forth, hopping up onto the extended weapon and sprinting up it as the Boss slowly picked it up into the air. Shadow crossed her as a wide hand came down to squash her like a bug. A loud slap reverberated through the empty woods as it made contact. The giant monster groaned and withdrew his hand, dark blood running from two dagger wounds.
The zombie herself got up to shaky feet, trying not to fall from the troll. That would be certain death, with the wounds she had just sustained. Legs and arms still worked. That would be enough.
A surprised face turned to glare at her, anger sinking in at seeing the small figure who had hurt his hand. She was already closing in, though. She leaped through the air, daggers catching the light as she dove for the eyes of the Boss.
He opened his mouth, and she landed in there instead.
Theo and Lucius appeared in the receiving room, to find Humphrey seated with his arms crossed.
¡°Hey pops,¡± the vampire said, before turning his head to see the woman sitting at a small desk. ¡°Oh, Lana?¡±
She gave them both a smile and shrugged. ¡°I drew the short straw for reception duty, I guess.¡±
Previously thinking of herself as nothing more than a clone of the original Lana, the dark-skinned woman with curly brown hair had settled into the comfort that she was Lana, and she was no different from any other Player or Monster that had respawned now. Having her fill of combat, she had joined Chuck in the Architect¡¯s Tower to deal with the day-to-day running of things.
A waving hand appeared beside Lucius. ¡°I take it things are still in motion and we aren¡¯t allowed to interrupt?¡±
Lana nodded. ¡°Dent is aware that you have arrived, but asks you to sit put and don¡¯t break anything while they focus on this ''super important process''.¡±
¡°His words, or yours?¡± Theo asked, as he walked over to sit beside Humphrey.
¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the message has the same spirit.¡± She smiled before sighing heavily. ¡°I only know some of what is going on, just from picking up idle conversation and the status message¡ but I¡¯ve been offered a place in a Guild?¡±
The Death Knight tilted his head from side to side. ¡°Far from it for me to give away secrets that aren¡¯t mine to share, but I¡¯m sure you can read between some of the lines.¡±
Lana pulled a face. ¡°Some kinda bullshit if it involves all of the Outsiders. No offence.¡±
¡°We¡¯re just waiting for Sally to return,¡± Lucius said, a thumbs up emoji beside him. ¡°Then I¡¯m sure Chuck will fill you in on the details.¡±
¡°Return from where?¡± The woman frowned.
Humphrey narrowed his eye sockets at the Shade, red flames from his helmet illuminating the wall behind him.
Sally bounced on the dry earth, splattering blood and thick saliva around her impact point. She groaned as she struggled to push herself up, immediately vomiting up everything in her stomach instead.
Behind her, the body of the giant troll slowly tipped over backward, their empty skull also painting the ground that shook as he collapsed dead.
¡°That was closer than I¡¯d like,¡± the zombie panted, her eyes closed as her face was covered in gore. With a shaky arm, she tried to wipe it away so that she could see - mostly just smearing it around instead.
"I was preparing to head home empty-handed.¡± Archie yawned from maybe a dozen or so feet away. ¡°It is to your benefit that he tried to swallow you whole rather than chew you.¡±
¡°Oh, no.¡± Sally shook her head before opening bleary, tear-filled eyes. ¡°He tried to chew.¡± She gestured down to her right leg, the blood and gore obscuring the fact that it was pretty clearly broken.
¡°Ah.¡±
¡°Good news though.¡± She slowly laid back on the messy grass and put a hand up to block the sunlight. ¡°The Boss dropped a healing potion and three gold.¡±
¡°Three gold,¡± the cat repeated.
She turned her head towards him and pouted. ¡°Fuck this System. Wah.¡±
[Congratulations on Completing Story Mode]
[Free Play Mode Activated]
[Level Up!]
¡°Story Mode?¡± Sally gnashed her teeth together as she put the one stat point into Damage. ¡°And I only get one skill?¡±
[Master Thief] [ has Level% increased chance of success.]
She sighed and settled in the sticky puddle of mud dampened by blood and saliva. A bleep from her Universal STAR had her eyes bringing up the Chat windows.
[Chuck: Amazing work, Sally.]
[Chuck: You¡¯ve gained enough power for the attempt.]
[Sally: Cool, now what?]
[Chuck: Choose your skill to make permanent and I¡¯ll bring you back first.]
Sally pursed her lips together. She half expected to have the island moved with her still on it, but returning made a lot more sense - and sounded safer than meeting whatever fate befell the transferred land.
[Sally: [Chain] please]
[Chuck: Done. Hold tight, the process is uncomfortable.]
[Chuck: Lots of spinning plates.]
Archie walked over and sat beside her. ¡°I apologize for my attitude. You¡¯ve done us proud.¡±
She smiled, but any words were interrupted as darkness enveloped her vision. An odd, twisting vertigo that felt as though it was pulling her apart vibrated through her body for a couple of seconds before suddenly stopping.
The hum of machinery and distant sounds of voices prickled at her senses before her vision returned. She felt her leg click back into place and her wounds heal over, as she focused to see that she was once again in the cage machine in the Architect¡¯s tower.
Her hearing popped and the dim voices came a little clearer, before there was silence.
A shadow loomed over her, the familiar face of Dent as he stood beside the metal cuff that vibrated on her wrist.
¡°Did it work?¡± she asked, her tongue slow in her mouth.
¡°Check your Map,¡± the swordsman replied, trying to keep a neutral face.
She did so, even if she ached from head to toes. The familiar blue light on her home System burning into her eyes as she switched to Map and then zoomed out from the fifth area where the Tower was located. Scrolled to the side.
And there it was.
Just off the south of the Forest area, a small blob of land.
222 - Planned Purpose
Sally stared back at Dent. There was a joy in his face that she¡¯d rarely seen in the usually stoic swordsman. Looking past him, Chuck was fully focused on the screens in front of him. Sweat running down his face from his furrowed brow, picking up the glowing light from what he was staring at.
¡°Here,¡± the swordsman said, ¡°let me get you out of there. You must be exhausted.¡±
Surprisingly, she was. The travel took a lot out of her, and healing the traumatic wounds didn¡¯t help - even if she had regenerated to a clean bill of health already. With the cuff unclasped, he then opened up the cage hinges to let her out. She immediately stumbled on weak legs and he caught her.
¡°You should have seen me when I returned,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°All but bust my head open trying to get out of that contraption. Cried a little, as well.¡±
¡°It¡¯s¡ a lot,¡± she said, slumping into a chair he moved closer to her. ¡°Plus, you actually died, right?¡±
¡°On two of the worlds, yeah. It¡¯s the same transportation process, but a lot more violent.¡±
She groaned and wiped her face, still dripping troll gore. So it wasn¡¯t just a mind transfer, her actual body went there and back. While she wasn¡¯t the most knowledgeable when it came to how the System worked, that made sense for dying being a rougher journey. On returning here, you were essentially shocked back into life. Unlife.
Chuck swiveled around in his chair to face her, as if he had only just noticed she was back. There was a bright mania in his eyes, as if he was miles away. Elated and relieved, but still stressed. He grinned.
¡°We need to walk and talk, Sally Danger.¡± His eyes went over to the swordsman. ¡°Entertain our guests, Dent? I¡¯ve started the Guild if you could do the honors of filling it.¡±
¡°My pleasure.¡± He gave a nod and pat Sally on the shoulder before heading for the doorway.
The Architect held out a hand to the zombie. ¡°Shall we?¡±
Theo looked over at the doorway as Dent entered. The man looked rather tired and stressed out¡ yet trying to hide some manner of excitement. While the other three turned to greet him, the vampire went straight into his STAR. Map up, and zoomed to the forest.
¡°She did it,¡± he announced, a wide grin exposing his fangs.
Dent deflated. ¡°Not even a hello and you spoil the reveal? Come on into the meeting room and we¡¯ll discuss things.¡±
Humphrey was already behind the vampire, his eyes narrowed at the Map as well. ¡°So it can be done¡¡±
They walked into the other room, followed by Lana and Lucius.
As his metallic hand gestured, they all sat at the round table, while Dent returned to the head to sit as he did earlier that day.
¡°Now, I¡¯m sure you all have plenty of questions.¡±
¡°Lana, more than the rest of us,¡± Theo said.
The woman pulled a face. ¡°Just what am I getting pulled into now? Something that is going to put me in danger?¡±
¡°Far from it,¡± Dent said with a grin. ¡°Let me get you caught up.¡±
With the flash of blue light, Sally and Chuck arrived on a field of plain grass, only somewhat marred by dark blood. Trees swayed in the background under a light sea breeze.
She grinned and turned to look at it. Just the same as how she had left it, other than the corpses were now gone. But it was definitely in the new world. With a gesture, she brought up her STAR menu - her normal Inventory full of junk, her [Skeleton Key], max Stats, and¡ she drew up her skill list.
¡°I have [Chain],¡± she confirmed to the waiting Architect. ¡°It has a different hue on the list, like a soft gold.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a core part of you now. Something even I can''t take away.¡± Chuck held out a hand to signal for them to walk. ¡°Although every System world is different, there¡¯s an underlying fabric they all draw from. Something mostly outside of my reach¡ but we can dip in here and there.¡±
¡°I¡¯m still amazed we pulled it off.¡± She stretched out her sore back as they paced aimlessly through the gentle scenery. ¡°Almost didn¡¯t¡ but I¡¯m sure you did plenty of heavy lifting on your side as well.¡±
¡°You could say that. I like my role and put a lot of my time into improving our world.¡±
Sally turned her gaze toward him and pulled a face. ¡°Big sap. Archie told me what the real test was, though.¡±
Chuck nodded, but didn¡¯t say anything at first. They continued on in silence for a few minutes before finding a fallen log. After they sat in the shade, the Architect turned to her and sighed.
¡°I¡¯m¡ hesitant to send you away for a long time. Slowly gaining permanent skills is the pragmatic approach, but I know you couldn¡¯t stomach that.¡±
She nodded.
¡°You need something with people to save, a wrong to right.¡±
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¡°And much tastier brains, if possible.¡±
He gave her a soft smile before looking out toward the horizon. Just past the treelines there was the ocean, and then the shaded blob of the main continent. ¡°I have something in mind. A System that needs rescuing. But¡ we have a few loose ends to tie up first, and you need time to say goodbye.¡±
Sally rolled her tongue around in her mouth, unsure with how much she liked the reality of that word. She had been able to sneak in this takeover in a couple of hours at most, but any world worth their salt would take her weeks¡ maybe months, to ascend and fix.
So she would need to say goodbye.
Might be a while before she could see Theo again, or any of her family and pals. She¡¯d be gone from her comforting System and safe world, with only [Eat Brains] and [Chain] to get ahead of whatever problems would prevent her from winning.
But¡ this was what she wanted and needed.
¡°I understand,¡± she said, ¡°and accept.¡±
¡°Great. I knew you would. First point of order, then, what do we call this world?¡± He smiled and narrowed his eyes, waiting for something he knew she was going to say.
¡°Cliche and going over old ground, but what about Sanctuary?¡±
¡°Sold.¡± Chuck stood to his feet and lent down a hand to help her stand. ¡°I¡¯m glad that was your line of thinking, because I had planned to name the Guild something a little old-hat, as well.¡±
She grinned and hopped up to wobbly feet.
¡°Makes sense,¡± Theo said.
Humphrey nodded. ¡°Outsiders is still a good name for what we¡¯ll be doing.¡±
¡°Perfect.¡± Dent flexed out his mechanical hand. ¡°Since it¡¯s already been created. Chuck has just invited Sally in and the three of us can add anyone interested either in world-dropping or the functional side of our expansion.¡±
Lana pulled a face. ¡°I feel as though you added that last part so that I don''t feel left out.¡±
¡°On the contrary,¡± the swordsman said, tilting his head. ¡°The retrieved land needs a lot of work on the back end to make it useable for our System. You¡¯re a trusted ally and have been working at the Tower already¡ you might not care who Sally is punching in the face on the day-to-day, but if you want to be part of creating these new areas¡¡±
Lucius leaned forward, exclamation marks popping up beside his head. ¡°I want to join!¡±
Dent furrowed his brow. ¡°Hold your horses. I¡¯ve only made the offer to Lana so far.¡±
The Shade stared at him blankly before sitting back comfortably, no emojis beside him. Theo and Humphrey were also on the edges of their seats, wanting in already.
Lana drummed her fingers on the large table and closed her eyes. After a few moments of silence where everyone was watching her, she sighed. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m in.¡±
With the flash of blue light, Sally and Chuck returned to the room. The zombie wobbled a second, before trying to look heroic, which came off more like she was suffering from something.
¡°Hey Lana!¡± She grinned. ¡°Pleasant surprise seeing you here.¡±
¡°World needs me again, I guess.¡±
[Lana has joined the Guild]
[Theo has joined the Guild]
[Humphrey has joined the Guild]
[Lucius has joined the Guild]
¡°Almost half full already,¡± Sally said and tutted.
Chuck walked around to sit beside Dent. ¡°Ah, if only we knew someone who could change the Guild size limit.¡± He held his hand up to prevent the zombie from replying and instead she went to sit beside Theo.
The Architect stretched out and gathered his thoughts. Thankful that the gathered group didn¡¯t immediately start spouting out quips or non-sequiturs, he focused on his own STAR.
[Maintenance Mode Complete]
[System Functions return in 10 Minutes]
¡°Gives people a chance to get out of dangerous areas if they ignored the first message,¡± he explained to nobody in particular. ¡°Alright, I shall start the first meeting of the reformed Outsiders now.¡±
He cleared his throat and waved his hand, the center of the table illuminating as a hologram of the new area just outside of the main continent came up. It zoomed in a little more, to show the roughly round island now sitting off the coast of the Forest.
¡°If you¡¯re not already aware,¡± he began, ¡°we moved up the test run. Everything went better than expected. Sally was able to rise to enough power that we could complete the process¡ the results speak for themselves.¡± He smiled and looked back up at the map. ¡°It¡¯s off limits for Players until we can make it functional.¡±
¡°Did you get to keep a new skill?¡± Theo asked the zombie, unable to hold the question back any further.
She grinned as he put his hand on hers under the table. ¡°Sure did. It¡¯s like the opposite of [Meat Hook].¡±
¡°It¡ pushes people away from you?¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes at him and moved her hand away. ¡°No...?¡±
¡°Really?¡± The vampire pulled a face. ¡°Because it feels like it¡¯s working.¡±
Dent cleared his throat. ¡°If we could focus, please?¡±
The Architect smiled. ¡°There is a lot to be excited about, and to celebrate, I¡¯m sure. Populating the Guild will be important, as I am only one man and can¡¯t do everything. Dent will be heading up the Developmental side of things, while I keep an eye on the next world drops.¡±
Humphrey shifted in his chair, causing it to groan under his weight. ¡°You¡¯ve already made plans for the next one?¡±
Chuck gave the zombie a quick glance before addressing the Death Knight. ¡°It may come as no surprise that Sally has asked to go as soon as possible.¡±
She gave a sheepish grin at all the narrowed glares received from the Outsiders.
¡°Naturally, this kind of thing needs downtime and proper preparation. I¡¯ll need to get the ball rolling on the Starter Island before Dent and his group take over. Then we can decide on the next steps. Everyone okay with that?¡±
Sally pouted, and Theo looked downtrodden, but the group agreed that was a reasonable proposition.
¡°Your job for the time being is to rest up and look to the future,¡± Chuck said, waving away the hologram. ¡°For now, you are dismissed - I need some rest of my own, and to make sure Archie isn''t back and knocking things off my desk.¡±
They all grumbled their muted goodbyes as they filtered into the lobby once more, while Dent stayed back with the Architect.
As the doors closed behind them, the Death Knight crossed his arms. ¡°Even though I am no longer your Bodyguard, I felt a twinge of something. Was it a tough challenge?¡±
¡°A giant troll almost ate me,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°But I ate him back harder.¡±
Lana sighed and rubbed her head. ¡°This is still processing¡ but I¡¯m glad to be a part of this.¡± She smiled towards the group. ¡°Also super glad to be far away from any of the actual danger.¡± With a wave to the rest, she vanished with a flash of blue light.
Theo put his hand atop the zombie''s head. ¡°I need to run a couple errands. You feeling okay?¡±
¡°Sure am, fangs. I was going to do the same, actually - maybe pops could come with me?¡±
Humphrey nodded and grinned.
¡°Excellent,¡± the vampire gave her a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯ll invite Edward to the Guild and then I have to finish my session with Lucius, if that¡¯s okay?¡± He turned to look at the Shade as he brought his hand back down.
¡°Of course!¡± A thumbs-up appeared beside him. ¡°I have the rest of the day free.¡±
¡°Aw, pup.¡± Sally gave him a peck on the side of the cheek. ¡°Thank you for going. Send a message if you get home before me.¡±
¡°And vice versa?¡±
She nodded, and the two vanished, teleporting away from her.
¡°Where to first, conqueror of worlds?¡±
Sally turned back to the Death Knight, a wide grin on her face. ¡°A time skip to when I can next travel would be boring¡ so let¡¯s do a montage!¡±
223 - Back and Forth
Sally grumbled to herself. Apparently you couldn¡¯t just call a montage and then blip between different events. Hopefully, in the future she¡¯d get a skill that could do that. She sunk into the throne on the balcony and pouted her lips. The constant sunshine was comforting, a soothing warmth than sunk into her fragile form. Full health, but she felt like she¡¯d been rolled down a mountain.
Humphrey had prodded her for information, questioning every step of what she had gotten up to. At first, he didn¡¯t believe such a simple System could exist, or that anyone would make the decisions they had to create an odd series of Quests with little to show for it.
¡°It just shows a deep lack of foresight,¡± he grumbled. Looking out across the Wasteland at the Players preparing to engage the Event again now that things had gone back to normal.
Sally sighed once more. It was over and done with now, and the elation had petered off. Chuck was right¡ she would need a few days of rest. ¡°Think of it like this,¡± she said, turning her tired gaze towards the Death Knight. ¡°When you pick up a creative hobby, you make a lot of simple messes before learning the skills for what looks good or works, right?¡±
¡°Yes. I suppose I can see the similarity. Hopefully, the creator of that world went on to make something better, or quit entirely.¡±
Hopefully, they were tangible, and she could eat their brains. They clearly had misused them, so it was only fair.
Norah stepped out onto the balcony, her hair up and wrapped in bandages. ¡°Hi, hun. How¡¯s my favorite zombie daughter?¡±
Sally gave her a wide grin. At some point, her adoption had become official - or at least as far as it needed to be in this world. The old Sally was dead, and she had been reborn here, so after getting used to it for a month, it now seemed pretty natural. Even though she was an adult, it was nice to have a parental unit. Helped keep parts of her own brain from exploding out.
¡°So tired.¡± She sunk down in the throne to further the point. ¡°I ate a whole world and increased our landmass.¡±
The Mummy moved around as Humphrey stood so the two could sit. ¡°We¡¯ve come to invite you to the Guild, and I¡¯ll update you with all the details.¡±
[Norah has joined the Guild]
¡°I¡¯m going to meld to this throne,¡± Sally began, ¡°but soon I¡¯m going to go meet some potential recruits.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll make us some coffee,¡± the Death Knight offered, before heading from the balcony into the house.
Norah smiled out at the horizon. ¡°I knew you¡¯d have no trouble with it.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± Sally squirmed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say no trouble, but it was a good test run.¡±
¡°And now you want more.¡±
It went without saying. She closed her eyes and felt content. Out of all of them, she felt the Mummy understood her desires the most. In terms of wanting to rise above weaklings, atop a pile of their skulls as the victor, anyway. While not technically royalty anymore, Norah did take her position on the Council seriously.
Sally opened her eyes and looked over at her. ¡°I thought you¡¯d still be at work, even if Chuck gave everyone the day off.¡±
¡°Edward is in and said other than a handful of people, it¡¯s empty.¡± Norah raised an eyebrow at the zombie. ¡°It¡¯s difficult for me to boss around the dust and air.¡±
¡°Not worth going just to annoy Ed?¡±
Norah smiled and shook her head. ¡°Edward is a close family friend, but professionally I can¡¯t stand him. I have zero idea what that demon actually gets up to on the Council.¡±
Edward hummed to himself, leaning back in his chair with hands drumming on the armrests. He had seen the messages saying that Maintenance was over¡ but after that, it was pretty much radio silence.
What had really happened? More importantly, how could he use it to his benefit?
His blue eyes turned toward the bookshelf. Two rows of books with similar amber and gold bindings. Each with a clasp near the bottom that held a white opal. Twenty tomes in total. No text on the spines to give away the contents, yet he knew which was which.
Chloe had been sent home now, and he couldn¡¯t imagine many others would be sticking around. He¡¯d heard two voices moving through the corridor, discussing what the maintenance could have been a little while ago, and then nothing since.
So why was he still here?
With the flash of blue, a figure appeared in his room.
The demon turned, and his blank expression rose into a wide grin upon seeing the vampire standing there. ¡°Theo.¡±
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¡°Edward,¡± he responded. ¡°Just a quick one. Checked your map yet? After the meeting, they sent Sally away¡ and she¡¯s just returned.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Edward brought up his Map as he swiveled back around into a normal sitting position. ¡°So that explains all the System messages. Impressive.¡±
¡°Right? I¡¯m just here to send you a Guild invite, as discussed during the meeting.¡± Theo grinned and stuck his hands into his pockets.
[Edward has joined the Guild]
¡°Excellent.¡± The demon continued to grin. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to be the festering blight that causes the Guild to crumble from within.¡±
¡°Big if true. Sally is probably getting an early night, but you want to hang out tomorrow?¡±
Edward nodded, and the vampire vanished in a flash of blue without saying another word.
He leaned back in his chair again. Things were really starting to get interesting now. Back to being an Outsider again. Perhaps that was why he had been hanging out here still, alone¡ although Theo would have been able to find him at home.
With a sigh, Edward relented to calling it a day. Standing from his desk and stretching out, the untouched report still laying on his desk, his hands went into his pockets. Another day to tally off on the calendar.
Idly, his eyes swept the room before he went to leave. Brow furrowed, he glared at his bookshelves.
One of the opals was now a red ruby.
Sally knocked on the door frame as she entered the building of clean, soft-white tones.
At a small desk was a short goblin girl, a black bob cut hanging over her face as she concentrated on the task before her. A pack of crayons lay inert next to the page being scrawled upon - but the knock caused the eyes of the town healer to rise from the drawing and beam towards the zombie.
¡°Sally! How are you today?¡±
¡°I¡¯m great, Bella.¡± She grinned and stepped over. ¡°What you drawing there?¡±
¡°Drawing? Oh, no.¡± The girl held up the page to present it. ¡°This is a representation of my daily cash-flow. See this dip here?¡± She pointed a short finger at the bottom end of a curved line. ¡°This is when Chuck cancels your events for the day.¡±
¡°Sorry! It wasn¡¯t my choice, if that¡¯s any better.¡±
¡°It¡¯s just bad for business.¡± Bella scowled before the emotion melted away into a smile. ¡°Ever since I renegotiated my cut, I¡¯ve been keeping a close eye on my finances. That ¡®Arise and Shine¡¯ Event you did has been my best earner.¡±
Sally nodded, thinking back at to all the screams. All the brains she ate and bones she broke. ¡°They just couldn¡¯t help throwing themselves at me - even though they knew they weren¡¯t powerful enough.¡±
¡°Mama always says a fool and their gold are easily parted.¡±
¡°You¡¯ll have to pass on that I said hi to her.¡± Sally grinned and looked toward the back of the building. ¡°I¡¯m actually after Henkk, if he is here?¡±
Bella nodded. ¡°Upstairs. Hey, Sally? Could you ask Theo if we can all play ¡®baseball¡¯ again sometime? Jaxk won¡¯t shut up about the last time and I want to take him down a peg.¡±
She clicked her fingers. ¡°Consider it done, little Bell. I¡¯ll see if fangs has the time tomorrow?¡±
The goblin nodded eagerly, excitement brimming in her eyes even as the zombie headed for the stairs.
The top floor of the hospital was mostly empty. When most injuries could just be healed by passing Bella a handful of gold, there was little need for long-term beds - yet here some were. Instead, it had become a pseudo-workshop, for one specific goblin.
¡°Sally, a pleasure,¡± the smooth voice came from across the room, where a pale goblin sat. Eyes of pitch black looked back to her as he smiled.
¡°Henkk.¡± She grinned. ¡°I have a proposition for you.¡±
Chuck swiveled around in his chair to face the swordsman. ¡°Fern said no. Although they used a lot stronger words. Continuously, for a minute or two.¡±
¡°They are happy now.¡± Dent shrugged, his eyes on his own messages. ¡°Tower actually sees some use. Their function and needs are being met.¡±
The Architect stared at him for a few silent moments, before giving up on getting his attention. While the land acquisition had been tiring due to the stress, it had also used up a lot of the power he could wield. It was the main reason they couldn¡¯t jump straight into another world.
¡°What we need is to streamline the process.¡± He tapped at the desk, deflating as his mind tried to come up with solutions. ¡°Perhaps it was only draining this time because it was back and forth on the same day. If Sally was gone for a week, I¡¯d of had more time to regenerate.¡±
¡°Plus, you need a full tank if you¡¯re going to grab for larger or more complex worlds.¡±
Chuck raised his eyebrows at Dent, who apparently was paying attention despite his focus being elsewhere. ¡°You¡¯ve seen the three proposed, right? What do you think?¡±
The swordsman clucked his tongue and moved away from what he was looking at. ¡°You already know which one Sally will want to do.¡±
[Henkk has joined the Guild]
¡°Oh, perfect.¡± Chuck smiled, but tilted his head in thought. ¡°I know which, sure. But¡ what if we put those aside and¡¡± He sent two files over through to Dent.
¡°Hmm. These are¡ both wildly different?¡±
¡°Method to my madness, Dent.¡± Chuck stood up from his chair and stretched out. ¡°We¡¯ve received an invitation for the goblin baseball game tomorrow. But I have another idea for the day after¡¡± A wide grin crossed his face.
Humphrey rolled his shoulders out as he sat at the dining table and read the newspaper, his metallic hands dwarfing the small pages.
¡°You¡¯re allowed to admit that you¡¯d miss her, dear,¡± Norah¡¯s voice came from the other room.
¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I said that,¡± he grumbled. Maybe not in those exact words, but he thought it clearly enough.
After being her personal guide and protector throughout almost her whole life in the System, it was hard for him to allow her the distance she needed as a functional adult. She lived in a different area with her tolerable boyfriend, and seemed happy enough. They could teleport or message at any time.
Yet something about going to other worlds rubbed him the wrong way. Perhaps it was knowing how errors could crop up in a System - in part most of their existence was due to one bug or another. Chuck had been sure things would work out¡ but even if he had full confidence in the Architect, nothing could settle the worry he always had for her.
Human emotions were certainly troubling.
¡°You see the invite to the baseball game? It¡¯ll be nice to spend time with everyone - I¡¯ll pack a picnic.¡±
He¡¯d admit it was fun last time, despite how heated it got. Some time in the village would-
The Death Knight stood from his chair, a wide grin across his face as crimson flame flickered behind his helmet. He closed down the message just received.
¡°Fetch my sword,¡± he called out. ¡°They¡¯ve just announced a competition-"
¡°Is it today?¡±
¡°Well¡ no.¡±
Norah appeared at the doorway, a soft smile on her face. ¡°Then you don¡¯t need it right now, do you? Warms my dead heart to see you so energized. What is the competition?¡±
Humphrey put his hands on his hips, fire sparking deep in his empty eye sockets.
¡°To determine who is the greatest sword user in the world.¡±
224 - Having a Ball
Edward paused in the darkened hallway, his sword drawn. Lantern in his other hand, he scowled at the gloom for being in his way. A couple more steps, and around the corner - and then he was there.
Just as expected. Door Eleven of the Archives beneath the Administrative District was partially open. A slight glow of light emenated from within. Few had the clearance to enter such spaces. Even fewer had a valid reason to.
His eyes aglow with blue light, the demon stepped up and pushed the door open. Inside, a dim lantern sat on an empty desk. A small chamber compared to some of the rooms. The walls bare stone. Nobody in clear view.
Not wanting to trust his eyes, he stepped down the set of stairs into the room proper. His own light illuminated the detailed etching across the floor. Something very familiar to him. The chair by the desk looked disturbed, but there was nothing else to signify that someone had been doing something here.
A wash of blue energy filled the small room, a pulse that went out and then back to the demon. Nobody lurking in the corners with Invisibility. Ceiling was clear. His eyes narrowed back to the staircase and open door.
The invites for baseball and the sword-based championship came in one after the other and he dismissed both with a dull look in his eyes. Of course he would attend and participate in them - both were ample opportunity to find secrets and weaknesses in those who foolishly considered him an ally.
That said¡
Why had someone been here, in the room painted with the runes that had held the Outsiders in safe stasis after the battle with the dragon?
Theo fidgeted to get comfortable on the long couch in Lucius¡¯ office. ¡°I mean it¡¯s set stats and no skills. Pure swordmastery skill. So¡ I¡¯ll join, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll win.¡±
¡°Does that bother you at all?¡± The Shade tilted his head. "Not winning or being the best?"
¡°Not really.¡± The vampire hummed to himself. ¡°There was a time where being the strongest or most prepared was most important to me. Now it¡¯s just¡¡±
¡°You need a hobby, or something else to define your progression?¡±
Theo thought on this for a few moments. He liked when numbers went up, and most of them in this saved world had been arbitrary in nature. ¡°Maybe,¡± he eventually said. ¡°My desires aren''t as ambitious or virtuous as Sally¡¯s, but in a way we have the same feelings driving us.¡±
Lucius nodded and wrote down something in his journal. ¡°Baseball tomorrow? That should be fun.¡±
¡°Exhuasting, but it¡¯s nice to have everyone together.¡±
¡°Oh? It doesn¡¯t look that tiring, compared to some of the things you get up to.¡±
Theo tilted his head to look at Lucius. ¡°It¡¯s not so much the baseball that does it. It¡¯s... Sally.¡±
The Shade tapped his pen on the journal. ¡°She can be quite full on, I suppose.¡±
With a grimace, the vampire returned his gaze toward the ceiling. His muscles tensed up just imagining it - it was like he was already there.
¡°Montage!¡±
Humphrey scowled at the zombie. ¡°Why are you saying that out loud now?¡±
Sally spun around, hands on her hips. Wearing her Wasteland bonnet to keep the sun off her, she was dressed in a white tank top with matching shorts. The weather was beautiful, and had been perfect for playing baseball in - even if the Death Knight was a grouch about it.
¡°It¡¯s like a mental note,¡± she said as she beamed at him. ¡°When I review my memories I can pick up the times I said it out loud and just review those parts.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡ whatever.¡±
Norah grinned and looked back at the seated Death Knight as she fanned herself. ¡°Someone is just grumpy because they aren¡¯t practicing for the tournament tomorrow.¡±
Sally huffed and turned back to the action. ¡°A real swordsmaster wouldn¡¯t need the practice.¡± She ignored the mutterings behind her.
Apparently, after the fifth joke about being at third base, she had been sent to the outfield further away from everyone. It was rather dull as most of the short goblins couldn¡¯t hit the ball out this far. Chuck was somehow even worse, and she grinned wider as she watched him miss the next pitch.
¡°I¡¯m surprised you enjoy this so much,¡± the Mummy said. ¡°You never struck me as much of a sports person. Nor Theo.¡±
¡°Oh, I¡¯m not here for the sport side of it.¡± Sally raised an eyebrow. In truth, the three of them who could remember the old world weren¡¯t really aware of the actual rules of baseball, but they made do with whatever they could make up.
¡°No?¡± Norah followed the zombie¡¯s gaze over to where Theo was kneeled down at the other side of the field, discussing something with Bella and one of the other goblins.
The vampire was wearing a t-shirt that said ¡®I Bite¡¯ alongside a crimson baseball cap with white fangs imprinted on it. Bella seemed to be grumpy over a bad call by the umpire¡ªEdward¡ªand Theo was consoling her.
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¡°Ah.¡± The Mummy smiled. ¡°Feeling broody, hun? I can¡¯t expect little Dangers running around in the future, surely?¡±
Sally shook her head and sighed. ¡°No. Chuck is certain that making babies isn¡¯t something the System can even do for normal people. We¡¯ve discussed adoption¡ but we are kind of messed up individuals, I¡¯m not sure we want that responsibility. Plus now I work on other worlds, so it¡¯s complicated.¡±
¡°It warms me enough just to think about. You have a lot of love to give, when you are ready, I am sure of it.¡±
¡°Heck yeah,¡± she replied, her crimson eyes burning as she stared intently at the vampire.
Edward sighed. ¡°Look, I apologise. But if I go back on my decision it puts into question my validity.¡±
¡°People might think you¡¯re underhanded, unreliable, or self-serving,¡± Theo agreed, raising an eyebrow.
Bella huffed and rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just know that next time you screw me over, you best remember I¡¯m the one holding a bat.¡± She stomped off to rejoin the goblins on their team.
The demon watched her depart and they returned his gaze to the vampire as he stood. ¡°I can see why Sally has such affinity with these gremlins.¡±
Theo shrugged. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you look weird wearing your suit.¡±
¡°It gives me an air of authority.¡±
¡°No, it doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re involved with the spirit of it. It¡¯s disengenous.¡±
Edward rolled his eyes. ¡°You remember who you¡¯re talking to? Plus, I thought we were going to do something afterwards.¡±
Theo grunted and adjusted his catching mitt. His eyes went across to outfield where the zombie was glaring intently at him, hands on her hips with a wide grin. Maybe even drooling. ¡°I¡¯ll be busy, I¡¯m afraid.¡±
¡°All day?¡± The demon started walking back to the where the players were waiting to resume.
¡°Maybe we can tomorrow, after the tournament.¡± He glanced back to outfield. ¡°Unless I win that, I suppose.¡± Walking up to the pitcher¡¯s mound, he shrugged and looked at the dull expression on the demon¡¯s face.
It wasn¡¯t entirely his fault, and Edward was usually chill about these sort of things. Ever since he turned up, he seemed to have something bugging him, though. Normally the demon would play up being the bad guy, and loved to be a harsh umpire. Now he was just being a grouch.
Dent was next up to bat, with Chuck on two strikes. He thanked the goblin who had taken his place pitching so he could chat with Bella.
¡°Knock him dead, Theo!¡±
While he went to great lengths to make sure the zombie was happy, he¡¯d have to draw the line at inadvetedly killing the Architect. He doubted he could throw it hard enough to do the right amount of damage anyway with these current stats. Although¡ if he switched his current outfit to Cosmetic and put on his best gear underneath. Any skill activated would be noticed though - the ones he had prepared the night before were more for hitting than pitching. But then-
¡°Throw the damn ball, fangs!¡±
The thoughts popped away and he wound back.
¡°Honestly,¡± Sally shook her head, ¡°he gets lost in his own world sometimes.¡± She grinned as Chuck missed again and was out with three strikes.
Not that she could complain. His supernatural foresight had saved them a few times in the past. She¡¯d even asked Chuck if there was something weird going on with that - how he could predict or plan for the future. Nothing unusual came back, which would be more suspicious if he wasn¡¯t such a doll. The important thing was she doubted anyone would put up with her for this long if they weren¡¯t genuine.
Especially after some of the things they got up to.
¡°This is wrapping up soon, right?¡± She tapped her foot on the grass and worked her jaw.
¡°We¡¯re about halfway through, hun.¡± The Mummy stretched out and yawned, before looking over at Humphrey. ¡°It will be our turn to bat shortly. Are you going to participate, dear, or just sulk and absorb the sun? You know it¡¯s uncomfortable when you get overheated.¡±
The Death Knight did little but grumble to himself, his empty eye sockets glaring at the horizon past the goblin village.
¡°Did you know I¡¯m joining the tournament, pops?¡± Sally grinned as she watched Dent come up to the plate next.
¡°You are?¡±
She gave him a brief glance. ¡°Oh yeah. I hope we go up against each other. Do you have it in your cold metal heart to kill your own daughter?¡±
Humphrey grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s¡ rather macabre, even for you.¡±
Norah tutted. ¡°I¡¯m not sure killing is mandatory either, hun.¡±
¡°Death or submission,¡± the zombie replied, running her tongue across her sharp teeth. ¡°And I¡¯ve been practicing. I don¡¯t need anyone to treat me with kid gloves.¡±
¡°I accept the challenge then,¡± Humphrey said and stood, crimson flame flickering wildly behind his head despite the heat of the day. ¡°But we both know who we will be aiming to beat.¡±
Dent wiped the sweat from his forehead with his left arm. Replacing his metal hand for a baseball bat seemed like a good idea at the time, but it was somewhat awkward to wield. Given that he had now trained to use his metal hand to hold a sword, instead of having one protrude from his arm, he should have just held a bat like normal.
¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Edward prompted from behind him. ¡°Nervous about tomorrow?¡±
He grunted. ¡°Why would I be nervous?¡±
¡°You¡¯ve staked your whole personality on being the best with a sword. What if you¡¯re not? What would you even be then?¡±
¡°Begone, demon,¡± Dent grumbled, trying to focus on the ball about to be pitched at him.
Sure, he¡¯d been thinking about it a lot¡ It was hard not to. He was sure Chuck picked this for a reason - perhaps to get back at him for twisting his arm about being the world drop guinea pig. The Architect wouldn¡¯t let him fail to become the greatest¡ but he¡¯d have to be the greatest¡
He swung out and struck the ball, an odd angle due to the awkward weapon wielded. The baseball spun out in a high arc, twisting over to near the zombie.
¡°I got it!¡± Sally yelled, suddenly sprinting off to meet it.
Edward cleared his throat. ¡°I think you¡¯re supposed to run at this point.¡±
The swordsman swore under his breath as he started to move toward first base. Everyone¡¯s eyes still on the zombie, she misjudged the catch and instead took the ball to the head, tripped over her own feet and crumpled into the dirt in a pile of limbs.
Norah walked over and rested her arm on the counter of the makeshift hut that had been erected. ¡°Hi hun, how have you enjoyed the game from here?¡±
A smiling face appeared behind Lucius¡¯ head. ¡°Glad I wasn¡¯t running about in this heat! It¡¯s been nice providing refreshments to everyone.¡±
¡°Less demanding than wrangling the family, I¡¯m sure.¡± The Mummy sighed and leaned back against the shack, looking out the field that was now slowly clearing as everyone dispersed.
¡°Humphrey sure takes things very seriously sometimes,¡± the Shade said, as diplomatically as he could.
¡°I gave him some incentive.¡± She smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll be at the tournament tomorrow I take it?¡±
¡°Wouldn¡¯t miss it for anything.¡± He placed down a glass with a straw and chilled fruit juice in. ¡°Say, where¡¯s Sally and Theo? They head off early? Not because she got hit in the head, I hope.¡±
Norah picked the glass up and gave the Shade a soft smile before turning to return to the waiting Death Knight. ¡°Bless your innocence, hun.¡±
The Shade shrugged as she left, and a question mark appeared by his head. They probably wanted to save some energy for all the fighting tomorrow. In silence, he stood and cleaned out some of the glasses with a cloth.
225 - Swordplay
Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°Montage!¡±
She drew the ire of four pairs of eyes in the room.
¡°I do wish you¡¯d stop saying that,¡± Edward said, scowling before looking back out at the open arena. ¡°It¡¯s been what, five times in the last couple of days?¡±
¡°Plenty more than that,¡± Theo murmured, his eyes staring out at the distant horizon.
It wasn¡¯t her fault that she was so excited for these small slice of life segments. She¡¯d need to keep them in her mind when she was out dragging her broken body through dying fields on other worlds. Just tying to them to the word ¡®montage¡¯ made them easier to recover from the depths of her brain.
¡°And I¡¯ll be saying it again when I win this tournament.¡±
This statement was also met with murmured displeasure. Some of them were still sore after the game of baseball yesterday, or perhaps felt they had a better chance. Theo, Edward, Humphrey, and Dent had all signed up from the side of the Outsiders. There were sixteen combatants in total, so the rest were made up of other Players or Uniques.
Dent held a hand up to his ear. ¡°Chuck is about to draw the first pairings.¡±
Information started filling through their screens, and Sally ignored all of them, except for the ones that included one of her pals.
[Edward vs Theo]
[Dent vs Roddick]
[Sally vs Kyle]
[Humphrey vs Bugula]
¡°One of us going out in the first round. Such a shame.¡± The demon grinned at the vampire.
¡°Yeah,¡± he replied, still staring.
Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°The way we are seeded, if me and pops beat our opponents, then we¡¯ll face each other in the next round.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a big if,¡± the Death Knight replied, before realizing that was ruder than he meant. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t want to have the opportunity to-¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah. Save your energy for swinging your oversized sword around.¡± It was rather unfair that a large greatsword counted, but a dagger did not - despite just being a tiny sword.
They all winced as Theo and Edward vanished in a flash of light.
¡°Oh, guess they¡¯re up first!¡± She hopped over to the wide opening at the side to peer down into the arena.
The space which Chuck had created for the tournament was rather impressive. Theo ran his tired eyes around the raised stands. Tiny figures bobbing up and down, cheering and looking forward to the show. Normally he¡¯d have a bit of trepidation about failing in front of such a huge number of the world¡¯s populace, but today¡ it was eh.
There were even groups holding up signs with his name on - some in the shape of bats. It hadn¡¯t been his intention to grow a fan club, but he had built a reputation in the dungeons as a nigh unbeatable Boss. In this wide oval of amber sand and loose sawdust, he would eventually be humbled. Always so reliant on his stats and broken abilities, now just using pure skill, he probably wasn¡¯t in the top five in the world. Well, no, he was being a little down on himself.
One hand in his pocket, and the other loosely holding his Demonkiller sword, he eventually made full rotation and was now facing his opponent again. Having equal stats to everyone was a wet blanket, when he had put in hard work to be more powerful than most Players. If you ignored the errors that helped him along that path.
¡°Too busy having inner monologues to pay me full attention?¡± The demon grinned, his thin rapier-like sword drawn at the ready.
¡°Yeah, sorry.¡± Theo shrugged.
Edward narrowed his eyes. ¡°You are acting unusual. What ails you?¡±
¡°Just really tired. Didn¡¯t get much sleep.¡± The vampire removed his crimson-lensed glasses and put them in his Inventory, the dark circles around his eyes now clearly visible.
¡°Ceaselessly practicing your best moves until you were aching and sore?¡±
Theo ran his tongue across his teeth, and shrugged. ¡°Sure.¡±
The demon flourished his blade. ¡°Well, don¡¯t think I¡¯ll go easy on you just because we are friends.¡±
¡°Friends?¡± A wry grin went across Theo''s face. ¡°This has always been an act to lull you in to a false sense of security, Edward. So that I can inevitably betray you.¡±
¡°W-what?¡± Edward growled. ¡°That¡¯s my line, you-¡±
[Edward vs Theo - Begin!]
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The crowd roared to life as PvP became enabled in the arena. Wasting no time, Edward surged forth, driven by his ire at the verbal prodding of the vampire. His sword drew back and then he lashed forward in a jabbing motion.
Theo stood there idly, and the end of the blade pierced through his suit and into his chest.
¡°Aha!¡± the demon growled, leaning forward into his strike to drive the sword deeper into the vampire. ¡°Too slow without your boosted stats. I win!¡±
With a tut, Theo tilted his head to the side and regarded his opponent with dull eyes. ¡°Submission or death, Eddy. Your aim was too high. Missed all my important organs and arteries. I¡¯ve had stubbed toes more detrimental to my well-being.¡±
Edward stepped back, withdrawing his blade from the wound to deflect the first attack of the vampire. He tutted and took a step back, his eyes incensed. ¡°This is a test of combat abilities, not an excuse to give your tongue a workout.¡±
Jackie whistled. ¡°No wonder fangs looks drained of energy.¡± She turned to the Mummy. ¡°Smart move by Sally though, ay?¡±
Norah shrugged, but gave her and Fran a warm smile. ¡°Two birds with one stone, I am sure. Theo is a resourceful gentleman. A little exhaustion won¡¯t stop him from doing his best.¡±
¡°No doubt he¡¯s gone through this scenario in his head a hundred times before,¡± Fran added. ¡°They¡¯ve fought before, right?¡±
Jackie snorted and shook her head. ¡°If you could call it that.¡±
¡°They are on equal footing now,¡± the Mummy said, picking out a familiar figure in the crowd and waving them over. ¡°The results might be different.¡±
Fran leaned forward, her white hair falling across her face. ¡°Is this a difficult one for you, Norah? Humphrey, Theo, and Sally all competing together?¡±
¡°Oh, no. No matter how they do, they¡¯re all winners to me.¡±
¡°Bullshit,¡± the mobster interjected. ¡°Sals and the big guy might be trading blows in the next round. Who you gonna back?¡±
¡°Hey ladies!¡± Lucius waved to them as a grinning face appeared by his head. ¡°Thanks for saving me a seat. I had to give a pep talk to one of the fighters.¡±
¡°Of course, hun. How kind of you. We were just discussing who I would support in the eventual Sally and Humphrey fight.¡±
The Shade paused, and a question mark appeared beside him. ¡°Oh? You think Sally will actually win her fight?¡±
While Norah narrowed her eyes at him, Fran raised an eyebrow. ¡°You know something that we don¡¯t?¡±
Theo fought the urge to yawn as he stepped back and deflected the swing of Edward¡¯s sword.
¡°What do you think of dismemberment, Ed?¡±
The demon twirled with his weapon, part of his suit dropping to the floor as a line of bright blood ran up his torso. ¡°How so? In general, or as part of the rules?¡±
Although the vampire was still lethargic, there was a crimson light burning at the back of his eyes. Perhaps it was the crowd energizing him¡ or no, it was from the sight of blood. Edward bared his sharp teeth.
¡°More of a personal thing, I guess.¡± Theo lowered his head and drew his sword at the ready. ¡°Like, if I took your arm off, would you relent?¡±
¡°You would never-¡±
Theo darted for him, interrupting his sentence. A wide swing of the Demonkiller sword that he had to twist and block - but then the vampire was already drawing back for a follow-up.
Not very technical or precise with his attacks, Theo was instead just unrelenting with the continuous blows, putting all his strength to continue pressure on the demon. If anything, it looked as though he was using the weapon more like a baseball bat, attempting to bludgeon the demon down with repeated force.
As Theo raised the sword for the next blow, Edward moved his weapon across to block it. Theo paused, instead grabbing at his opponent''s shredded suit and pulling him in closer. A headbutt connected to the surprised demon, blood spraying out from his broken nose.
¡°Asshole,¡± he growled, clutching at his face. ¡°That¡¯s not a sword.¡±
¡°I read the rules as provided,¡± Theo grinned. ¡°Five times over. That was my preparation for this tournament. My head is not classed as a weapon, thus falls under the allowed Grappling rules. Section two-point-five. Article B.¡±
¡°There weren¡¯t that many sections.¡± The demon stood up taller, his blue eyes aglow with burning fury.
The vampire flourished his sword, and readied to approach again. ¡°That¡¯s because as soon as I saw they were delivered in paper format, I found and removed half of yours.¡±
¡°You¡¯re¡ you¡¯re lying.¡±
¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if I am or not.¡± Theo¡¯s foot dug into the loose sand. ¡°You were dead as soon as you stood against me.¡±
Sally grinned ear to ear, wincing only slightly as the head of the demon fell to the ground of the arena away from the rest of his body.
With the flash of blue, Edward appeared back in their little room. They all turned to him and he sighed, deflating onto the couch they had near the back of the chamber. Down in the arena, the cheering increased as Theo flourished his blade and gave the crowd a bow.
[Theo Wins!]
¡°Fair enough - he is better than me,¡± the demon said, as he closed his eyes. ¡°But why does he have to be so extra about it?¡±
Another flash of blue and Theo returned to the enclosed space. After receiving a hug from the zombie, he turned and stepped over to the defeated demon.
¡°I am disappointed, Edward.¡±
He opened one eye to scowl at the vampire. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rub it in.¡±
¡°No. You let me get into your head, and that is where half the battle is won.¡±
Edward exhaled slowly. ¡°Are you still doing that now?¡±
¡°Yes. Want a hotdog?¡±
Sally smiled as the pair made amends and went to nudge Dent. ¡°Feeling any more nervous now?¡±
The man shook his head. ¡°If that¡¯s how he always fights, then no. There¡¯s a couple other fights before mine. I¡¯m more interested in the unknowns.¡±
She leaned against the wall and looked out at the arena. The next two fighters had just been summoned. One was a woman that was wearing a purple veil that covered her eyes, her sword a bright silver. The other looked like a Unique that was half-serpent, his sword was curved like a snake near the hilt before it ran up to a point.
¡°Not done your homework?¡± She raised an eyebrow.
¡°I felt that I was in a position where that would seem unfair, with having the resources that are available to me.¡±
Sally nodded. He was sure to get enough flak for being with the Architect already, without him being able to dig through the history or fighting styles of everyone taking part. Or whatever information they stored about everyone in the world.
¡°Nice of Chuck to give us this private booth, though. I feel like a VIP.¡±
Dent grunted. ¡°It was more to keep the trouble makers in containment, than anything.¡±
She turned her head back to the others. Humphrey looked like he was meditating - although it was hard to tell, considering he just had empty sockets for eyes. Theo was currently trying to direct Edward to places on his chest where he could have stabbed to kill him.
¡°Whaaat?¡± She stuck her tongue out at Dent. ¡°We¡¯re behaving today. There¡¯s a lot at stake.¡±
¡°Be that as it may, you have quite the reputation and-¡±
¡°Montage!¡± she yelled.
226 - Jump Cuts
Sally closed her eyes as she listened to the clash of swords. Sitting next to Theo, she leaned her head against him. ¡°If we have to fight, pup, you¡¯ll let me win, yeah?¡±
¡°No.¡±
She pouted and then playfully bit his shoulder. ¡°Unfair. You would kill me in cold blood?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± The vampire leaned away so he could frown at her. ¡°We won¡¯t be paired against each other, do not fret.¡±
[Dent Wins!]
¡°How can you be so sure?¡± She moved away from him and stood to look out down at the arena better. It hadn¡¯t taken Dent too long to win, and from what she saw, he didn¡¯t look to have had to try too hard to seal the deal.
¡°The way the brackets are organised. I¡¯d have to beat Dent and the winner from group B, and you¡¯d have to beat Humphrey and the winner of group D.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t think we could?¡±
Theo shrugged and gave a tired grunt.
Sally smiled. ¡°You want to go find something fun to do if we drop out early?¡±
He turned his glare up to her and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Depends what kind of fun.¡±
¡°Your pick today. You earned it.¡±
The vampire worked out his neck. ¡°I could really go for a bite to eat.¡±
¡°Snap.¡± She clicked her fingers. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I wanted, too. Assuming that you meant eating people.¡±
¡°Naturally.¡± He grinned, exposing his long fangs.
The flash of blue drew their attention as Dent returned to their VIP suite. He shot them a sheepish grin and went to sit down.
¡°Impressive,¡± Humphrey said, turning his skeletal head towards the man. ¡°Always a joy to watch your technique in action.¡±
Dent grunted. ¡°Thought I¡¯d try out a different sword to warm up, but I¡¯m not a fan of how it is weighted.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes. Such bravado and Chuck wasn¡¯t even here for him to impress. Edward had all but checked out, looking grumpy in the corner while he went through System messages or something. Maybe he had a secret pen-pal. Humphrey had been watching the Dent fight intently, anticipating having to go against the man eventually.
It was all rather boring to Sally. She wasn¡¯t much for competition - at least not without skills and abilities. She was a necromancer at heart, so having to clash blades wasn¡¯t really her idea of fun. Would have pulled out of the competition if it weren¡¯t for Theo encouraging her. Maybe he did want to fight her. They¡¯d never fully clashed before, perhaps this was some coy power struggle he wanted to enact.
She narrowed her eyes at him, as he stared blankly out at the horizon. ¡°Is it my fight yet?¡±
¡°Two more and then you¡¯re up,¡± he replied, not moving his tired stare.
¡°Boring, what if I yell Mont-¡±
¡°No, you¡¯ll just have to wait and be patient like the rest of us. It won¡¯t take long at all.¡±
Sally pouted and spun her shortsword around in her hand. The vampire had been right, after all.
Being in the middle of the arena was certainly an experience. It was odd to be surrounded by so many people who weren¡¯t dead or about to be. Any jealously over Theo having his own fan club had fizzled away as soon as she saw the signs and t-shirts with her logo on. Somehow, being a mass-murdering and slightly unhinged walking corpse was cause enough to be famous.
She lifted up her left hand up to look at her forearm. No Biting was clearly written there. Apparently, eating brains in a sword fighting competition was against the rules. Not that she cared about the rules as such, but she wanted to play fair so that it was fun for all involved. Slice of life for the whole System, not her own selfish stage show.
Her opponent was a tall man with some degree of armor, and a zweihander. With the longer blade and his reach, he already had quite the advantage over her.
Deeply tanned, his almond eyes brightened as they stood ready to begin their fight. ¡°Sally Danger, it is an honor to fight against you once more.¡±
She tilted her head and thought. ¡°Oh!¡± Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°The Corpse Bowl battle a few weeks back! You decapitated me.¡±
¡°You remember!¡± He grinned and raised his sword up, two hands on the handle. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can avoid the repeat.¡±
[Sally vs Kyle - Begin!]
¡°I¡¯m not sure how likely that-¡± she rolled to the side as he leaped toward her and slashed downward with his blade.
She twisted around as his follow-up lashed out straight away, her shortsword blocking the forceful swing with the flat of the blade. Stumbling back away back to her feet, she made as if to sneak behind a zombie - before remembering there were none.
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No Biting, her arm reminded her.
As he adjusted his footing, bringing his sword back up for his next attack, Sally threw a handful of grit and dust gathered during her roll from her left hand.
Kyle staggered and tried to shake the blinding cloud from his eyes. Not knowing where the zombie had gone, he made a wide swing. Innacurate, it struck nothing but air. With bleary eyes he blinked away tears to see that she was standing further away, her sword lax by her side.
¡°Sorry.¡± Sally grinned. ¡°I have a habit of fighting dirty.¡±
¡°You have a habit of getting distracted and losing your head.¡±
Before she could respond he darted toward her, leveling another three swings in succession. Each, she blocked, but was on the back foot - unable to gain ground against his longer reach and strong blows. Another two deflected as she tried to encircle him and her arm was starting to get numb.
No worries, as she had a secret plan up her sleeve.
Theo sat with his head in his hands, elbows resting across the wall looking out to the arena.
¡°I would have thought you¡¯d show a bit more enthusiam,¡± Humphrey chastised him.
The vampire gave him a tired look before returning to watch the clash of swords. ¡°Sally will win.¡±
¡°Not that I disagree, but is that confidence borne of more than your close companionship?¡±
Theo exhaled through his nose. ¡°No. That Sally is my partner has no bearing on her ability to win this fight. She hasn¡¯t trained enough to be a true sword wielder, and has only sparred briefly with you, correct?¡±
¡°That is correct.¡± The Death Knight tilted his head.
¡°The attack pattern Kyle employs is somewhat similar to yours. Large sword, deliberate targeted swings, slower, but methodical. Sally would have the best chance of beating him compared to others she has no experience against.¡±
Humphrey frowned at the vampire, before watching the duel more intently to see if he was correct.
He was.
Sally slid across the loose sand and almost lost the grip on her sword. She much preferred daggers, even if it would be even more of a range disadvantage. ¡°Tired yet?¡±
¡°Never,¡± he panted, despite the sweat running down his face.
¡°Your lies are as terrible as your swordsmanship.¡± She winked and took a couple steps backward.
¡°You have hardly attacked, and yet you feel we are equal?¡±
Sally grinned. ¡°Equal? All that effort and you haven¡¯t even scratched me.¡±
His brow furrowed and he worked the muscles in his arm before readying to attack. ¡°What¡¯s all that blood on you then?¡±
¡°Decoy blood,¡± she replied, maintaining eye contact. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what, though. Let¡¯s go all out. One big attack at each other to end this.¡±
Kyle nodded. ¡°As you wish, Sally.¡±
Without overpowered Stats or any abilities, it was a lot slower and less cinematic clash than she had hoped for. Just as soon as their feet dug into the ground and powered them towards each other, it was over. Now a good handful of feet apart, backs to each other, they did the cliche dramatic pause.
Sally looked down at her left arm. No Biting, it reminded her, even though it was on the floor, detatched from the rest of her. She turned to face her opponent, and he turned to look at her too.
His hand was up at his neck, blood soaking through his fingers and dripping to the ground. Expecting him to keel over in short order, he instead prepared his sword, now only wielded with the one hand. ¡°I can still fight. I do not submit.¡±
¡°Fun.¡± Sally grinned as she turned away from her dismembered limb. Crimson fire burned behind her eyes. ¡°Same here.¡±
They dashed back into the fight. Both of them now more sluggish, less accurate, and lower strength. Sally was once again on the defence, but now every time Kyle missed, she found the opportunity to dart around to his open side and exact a jab or two.
She caught a slash across the head - loss of her arm was making her lightheaded. Wasn¡¯t even focusing on the amount of blood covering the ground. Kyle overcommitted to the follow-up and stumbled away from her as she dodged to the side.
He struggled to regain his footing, dropping to his knees as exhaustion and blood loss finally took its toll.
Sally clenched her teeth, ready to take advantage and lop his head off - finish the job¡ but she stopped. As she caught her breath, the man finished keeling over, passing out.
[Sally Wins!]
She turned to the crowd, realising they were there again. Cheers all abound¡ even though she didn¡¯t exactly feel good about it. Or feel good in general, with the blood loss. A bit more visceral than she had imagined. Blood had soaked into the dusty sawdust, or whatever was on the ground here. Now feeling sluggish herself, she dropped the sword to the floor as she spotted some familiar faces in the crowed. She waved.
And then a pulse of healing warmed her as blue light teleported her back to their VP suite. Her arm returned and outfit repaired, she spun around to see the gathered Outsiders. ¡°I didn¡¯t bite him,¡± she said and beamed at them.
¡°You did well,¡± Theo said, without moving an inch to regard her.
Humphrey however, put his plated hand on her shoulder and brought her in for a hug. ¡°Well done. I¡¯m proud of you.¡±
¡°Ah, you¡¯re up next, pops. If you win then you¡¯re facing me.¡±
¡°Good thing I can¡¯t bleed out, then.¡± He grinned and attempted to wink his empty eye socket. ¡°Wish me luck.¡±
¡°Good luck.¡± She grinned as he vanished in a flash of blue, and she walked over to the vampire. ¡°What do you think fangs? Pretty close, huh?¡±
¡°It went as expected.¡± His voice came out monotone as his eyes stared out. ¡°Your training with pops helped with your defence, but when it came to offence¡ well, it was classic Sally Danger. Go all out and put yourself at risk in the hopes that you¡¯d win out anyway.¡±
¡°And I did.¡± She clicked her fingers and leaned against the opening. At the back of their room, Edward looked like he had fallen asleep on the couch. To the side, Dent was browsing through a rack of different swords that he had procured from somewhere during her fight. ¡°I¡¯ll probably fall on pops¡¯ sword so we can go hang out. How tryhard are you going to be in your fight with Dent?¡±
¡°Mmm. I¡¯ll give it my all.¡±
She prodded him. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair. Gotta make Dent work for his title, and give the crowd something to cheer for.¡±
Theo leaned back and turned his gaze up to her for the first time. ¡°It¡¯s not that. You know me, Sally. I always put one hundred percent in.¡±
¡°Quick,¡± she whispered, ¡°pops isn¡¯t here, give me some smooches.¡±
¡°Ugh, could you not?¡± Edward complained from the couch.
¡°Avert your eyes, demon!¡± Sally growled.
Humphrey gave his sword a few test swings. The greatsword cut through the air with the faint whistle of displaced air. His role as Head of Security had left him a little rusty as of late. Not that he didn¡¯t get in as much practice as he could, but it paled in comparison to his time with the Outsiders where they were in near constant conflict.
The woman he was pitted against was a Unique Monster. Six arms and just as many thin swords. Her back was bulbous and reflected the light, like a beetle shell. Probably a quick and nimble fighter - his weakness.
He grinned and hoisted his large sword across his shoulders. Without his skills he was certainly less of an unstoppable force as he used to be, but he was still a large chunk of metal. He¡¯d just have to weather the storm and get a couple strong hits in.
¡°Come,¡± he said, gesturing toward his opponent with his hand. ¡°Let us Observe how capable you truly are.¡±
227 - Blades Clashed
Dent hummed to himself, his eyes watching the Death Knight fight as his fingers tapped at his sword scabbard. It was possible he had to fight Humphrey soon enough, or even possibly-
¡°Hey, Dent.¡± Sally said, leaning against the chair beside him. ¡°Chuck not coming to watch you prove your worth?¡±
The swordsman sighed. ¡°Oh, he is watching, don¡¯t you worry. He felt guilty at having time off yesterday to play baseball, so is catching up on work today.¡±
She groaned. ¡°What could he be doing that is more important than being here supporting you?¡±
Dent grinned. ¡°He¡¯ll show up for the final, and that suits me. I don¡¯t need fussin¡¯ over during these intro fights.¡± He leaned forward. ¡°No offense, Theo.¡±
¡°None taken.¡± The vampire was staring blankly back out into the area. ¡°Your technical skill level is far beyond what I am capable of, even though you were holding back in your last fight. My style is much closer to how Sally fights. High risk, high reward.¡±
¡°We both prefer to be up close and personal with our weapons,¡± she said wiggling her eyebrows at Theo, who wasn¡¯t even looking.
The swordsman nodded. ¡°Very true. It goes to show how good a combatant you both are that you can keep pace with the best sword users in the System. Interesting that you think I was holding back, Theo?¡±
¡°You stay out of the limelight, but I¡¯ve done my research. Dug around in your accomplishments before the fight against Ruben.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Dent shuffled uncomfortably. ¡°So you¡¯ve been able to prepare better for fighting me, then?¡±
Theo shook his head and looked between him and the zombie. ¡°Hadn¡¯t even thought of it, not since that time Humphrey killed me. There wasn¡¯t enough time between¡ baseball and now to really do anything worthwhile. You can just win, I suppose.¡±
¡°How gracious.¡± The swordsman furrowed his brow as the vampire turned back to stare at the fight. His eyes went up to the zombie. ¡°Is he okay? I haven¡¯t seen him this out of it since¡¡±
¡°Last time we played baseball?¡± She nodded. ¡°He really puts a lot of effort in, and it takes a lot out of him.¡± Sally maintained a neutral expression. ¡°Repeatedly.¡±
Edward groaned from the couch. ¡°Terrible day to have a migraine.¡±
Bugula rolled away from the Death Knight like a beetle before popping back up to her feet. Drips of thick ichor fell from her torso as she wavered slightly.
¡°You move quicker than expected,¡± she hissed through her mandibles.
¡°As do you.¡± Humphrey moved his sword into a ready position. While being a huge suit of armor seemed like it might be unfair, Chuck had labored him with an armor reduction debuff so that he would be on a closer level to the other fighters.
While he couldn¡¯t bleed out and losing limbs was unlikely, his normally pitch-black plates were now criss-crossed with dozens of slim silver lines. His opponent was relentless and impressive, using her six swords with practised prescision.
If anything, that just meant he had to win, so that Sally didn¡¯t have to go up against her.
Plus, he wanted to face Dent.
¡°There is no shame in knowing when you are outmatched,¡± he said with a grin.
¡°Save it, rustbucket. Going toe to toe with Head of Security and one of the Outsiders is a win in my books.¡±
Crimson flame flickered around the Death Knight¡¯s helmet as a plated foot slid across the loose sand. ¡°The acceptance of that fact proves you do not have the fortitude to gain true victory.¡±
Dent rubbed the side of his head. ¡°Wow, and I thought you and Theo talked too much during combat.¡±
With a slow nod, Sally couldn¡¯t help but agree. ¡°Pops loves the process of a duel, but that also ends up taking up more time with monologues and showboating. I usually keep it short with a few taunts or amusing anecdotes.¡±
He shrugged. ¡°I suppose that makes it more interesting for the audience.¡±
Watching the Death Knight flourish his blade before giving another one-liner, she was actually dreading their match-up. It had been fun to goad him into having to fight her, but when it came down to it she wasn¡¯t sure how she even felt about it. He was the better fighter with a sword, so he should win - and most likely would. Didn¡¯t mean she would give up and allow him an easy road to the top, however.
She turned her head to see Theo standing right behind her. ¡°Problem, pup?¡±
¡°Just anxious for my fight.¡±
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Dent turned around to face the vampire. ¡°You seemed rather calm earlier.¡±
Theo nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not every day I get to die, however.¡±
The swordsman sighed and look back out to the fight. ¡°I know your strengths. What you might lack in skill, you make up for with your willingness to be reckless at your own detriment. Two peas in a pod, you and Sally.¡±
Sally grinned. ¡°We literally won¡¯t give up until you¡¯ve pulped our heads in.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why I can¡¯t let you fight each other.¡± Dent shook his head. ¡°It would either descend into wanton cruelty as you both maim each other and refuse to submit¡ or you¡¯d probably make out.¡±
¡°Probably both,¡± she agreed, while the vampire nodded behind her. ¡°I suppose that makes it more interesting for the audience.¡±
Theo then shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s in the rules actually. No petting.¡±
¡°Rats. Really, though?¡± Sally tutted. ¡°All this bloodshed and death is fine, but two lovers can¡¯t share a smooch amidst the heat of battle?¡±
There was a groan from the back of the room and they turned to see the demon stand up and brush his suit down.
¡°Well my migraine has suffered all that it is able.¡± Edward gave them a tired shrug. ¡°Best of luck everyone, raincheck on later, Theo?¡±
The vampire nodded and Edward vanished with a flash of blue.
Sally pouted. ¡°Something¡¯s not right with that guy.¡±
¡°No.¡± Theo ran his tongue across his fangs before turning back to the arena. ¡°He is usually quite open about things, but something has been bugging him since yesterday and he won¡¯t say what.¡±
¡°The world dropping maybe?¡±
He gave the zombie a shrug and went to sit back down on their seats. ¡°Not likely, but who knows.¡±
Sally squished up beside him, and leaned closer to his ear. ¡°Hey, pup. You want to¡ bite me before your fight? Get some pep back in you?¡±
¡°Nah, thanks though.¡±
She sat back and pouted. At least she tried to make the looming fight more exciting. Maybe doping the contestants was also against the rules. They seemed too long to read fully, and having them delivered in paper format was an odd choice.
With a loud crack, the crowd then started cheering. Leaning over the window it didn¡¯t take much guesswork to see that-
[Humphrey wins!]
A flash of blue and the Death Knight reappeared in their chamber.
¡°And that makes me the winner,¡± he said, a wide grin on his skeletal face.
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, we can see the announcement. Did you talk her to death and she committed sudoku?¡±
¡°Seppuku,¡± Theo corrected.
¡°Bless you.¡±
Humphrey narrowed his eye sockets, unwilling to allow the rain cloud spewed forth to dampen his win. ¡°So amusing, Sally Danger. This just means we are to battle in the near future.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not worried.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I know you, your true weakness is your heart. So that¡¯s where I¡¯ll get ya. With my sword.¡±
The Death Knight said nothing, but went over to the window to observe the next two fights before Theo and Dent were up.
Theo yawned, leaning forward to touch his toes, before righting himself and flexing out his back. Neither movement provided any satisfying clicks or pops. The magic of the System didn¡¯t seem to heal over the aches in his muscles, or low energy. Removing his glasses again to put in his Inventory, he then bent over to pick his sword up from the sandy ground.
¡°You¡¯re making it look like you¡¯re not taking this seriously,¡± Dent said, already in a ready position with his sword up.
The vampire shrugged. ¡°Far from it, Dent. In fact - I doubt anyone will take you as seriously as I have.¡±
[Dent vs Theo begin!]
Theo closed his eyes, holding his sword loosely by his side.
¡°See, this is what I mean.¡± The swordsman worked his jaw. ¡°Is this one of your mind games?¡±
¡°No. You see, I¡¯ve noticed that you have three main starting strikes for engaging combat. That gives me a base chance of 33% to guess and block which you will use to enable my own counter. However, now that I¡¯ve told you this you may switch up and use a different opener¡ although, you are a stickler for consistency in these things, aren¡¯t you?¡± Theo tilted his head to the side. ¡°If I miss the counter then every subsequent strike has a smaller and smaller chance of success. At our comparative skill levels I determine I have a 5.4% chance of winning this fight¡ rising to 7.9% if I manage to guess the first counter.¡±
¡°And I thought Humphrey talked too much,¡± Dent murmured. ¡°So what? You going to submit already, or shall we get on with the inevitable?¡±
Theo opened his eyes. ¡°Make the first move, cowboy. We¡¯ll see how lucky I am.¡±
Dent flourished his blade around and then launched himself toward the vampire. Sword back, he made the decision on what would be the best opener to use against his lax opponent.
However, Theo wasn¡¯t waiting to prepare a block or counter. As soon as the swordsman had set off he instead leveled the Demonkiller sword back, and then flung it straight toward the approaching man.
Dent slid and tried to dodge away from it, the clang of the blade bouncing off his own as the sword sliced through his clothing and nicked his shoulder. Before he could gather himself the vampire colided into him, a shoulder barge knocking him to the ground.
The vampire rolled off away and grabbed his sword back up from the loose sand. He spun as he drove it back down towards his opponent. Sparks flew off of Dent¡¯s mechanical hand as the Demonkiller slid down his hastily raised weapon and bounced from his metal fist. A kick lashed out causing the swordsman to stumble back as he regained his footing.
Blazing red eyes pierced the clouds of risen dust, Theo¡¯s wide grin exposing long fangs that caught the light as he darted forward with a wide slash of his sword.
¡°You don¡¯t seem too enthusiastic.¡± Humphrey crossed his arms as he stared down at the two trading blows.
¡°Hmm?¡± Sally looked up at him. ¡°Oh. No, Theo will lose. He told me before that Dent has a very structured way of fighting. Almost like a flowchart of well-honed counters and follow-ups for every situation.¡±
¡°I see.¡± He nodded slowly. ¡°That explains why Theo is being both reckless and unorthodox in the way he is attacking.¡±
¡°¡¯Delaying the inevitable¡¯, he had said. He doesn¡¯t have the full picture so it would only be a matter of time before he fell into part of the flowchart and lost.¡±
¡°At least he is making a good show of it.¡± Humphrey turned his head to observe the zombie. ¡°That is not what is bothering you, though.¡±
Sally pouted. ¡°I¡¯m going to miss all this, when I go. It¡¯s been a fun few days, I can¡¯t deny that. Saw all my pals, we had some fun, fought a little, Theo even gave me a smooch¡¡±
¡°What? I thought you said you¡¯d not go further than holding hands this soon.¡± The flame behind the Death Knight¡¯s helmet rose higher.
¡°Special occasion pops. Who knows how long I will be gone for?¡±
Humphrey deflated and looked back out to the fight. Before he had the chance to reply, a bleep interrupted them as they both received a Chat notification.
[Chuck: Come see me tomorrow afternoon.]
[Chuck: We have things to discuss.]
228 - Family Values
Theo slid across the sand, spinning his blade as he ducked the attack aimed for his neck. His abdomen screamed out in pain as his muscles contracted over the handful of wounds he had accumulated. If there was one thing he could say about the swordsman, it was that he was consistent. The rest of his body bore very little damage - as if Dent was solely focused on weakening the vampire¡¯s core with every attempted attack.
Seemed a bit mean, in his opinion. The damage he had managed to land on the man was more varied in comparison, and while nothing to shrug off, it didn¡¯t look as though Dent¡¯s wounds were really slowing him down. With his shirt and suit soaked through, Theo was not only losing a lot more blood, but his movement had become stiffer and less fluid.
¡°Hurry up and finish me,¡± the vampire said with a grin. ¡°Am I not worthy of a quick death?¡±
¡°On the contrary,¡± Dent replied, sweat running down his face. ¡°I cannot make any mistakes against you.¡± He lashed forward before feinting away.
As flattering as it was to have the swordsman think so highly of him, Theo was actually tiring. Whether it was the blood loss, or just starting the day with zero energy, the current battle had him lagging with exhaustion. How boring it was without his usual skills. Couldn¡¯t even bite his opponent, which seemed unfair.
Maybe it was time to call it.
He stepped forward and stumbled down to one knee, resting the point of his blade down into the ground to try to stabilize himself. Although he expected Dent to surge forward and finish the job - he did not. Instead, the swordsman remained at a safe distance, with his sword ready.
¡°Another trick I won¡¯t fall for,¡± Dent said.
Theo chuckled before pushing himself back up to his feet. His legs shook, and he struggled to stand tall with the wounds across his stomach. ¡°Had hoped you¡¯d take me out and save me the embarrassment of submitting.¡±
¡°No shame in knowing when you are beaten.¡±
The vampire ran his tongue across his sharp teeth. Light-headed now. Vision slightly blurry. This was going to be where he¡¯d draw his second sword, but concealed weapons were against the rules. It wasn¡¯t likely he could get any grappling action in without taking another blow to the stomach. With how their positioning had reset again, Dent would be at the start of his flowchart, nearly all options available to him.
¡°Thirty-three percent chance,¡± he said, raising up the Demonkiller to point towards his opponent.
Dent smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll take those odds.¡±
¡°He lasted longer than I expected.¡± Humphrey said.
Sally didn¡¯t respond, but kept her eyes focused on the fight. She then winced as a figure dropped onto the ground.
[Dent wins!]
A flash of blue, and the vampire returned first while the swordsman had some time to bow to the crowd. Theo shrugged and went to sit down beside the zombie.
¡°Nice try, pup.¡± She gave him a pat on the leg. ¡°You got more hits on him than anyone else so far.¡±
¡°Unfortunately, you just couldn¡¯t make the cut,¡± Humphrey said and grinned. He turned as a second flash of blue signaled the return of the winner.
¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Sally whispered, ¡°I¡¯m going to make pops regret going against me.¡±
Theo raised his eyebrow. ¡°You have a plan to win?¡±
¡°Oh no.¡± Her smile widened. ¡°I¡¯m going to lose so hard he will hate calling it a win.¡±
The vampire nodded slowly. While psychological warfare wasn¡¯t against the rules, it seemed unfair to some degree. That said, the Death Knight did need taking down a few pegs. He looked up as Dent came to stand by where he was seated.
¡°Good fight, Theo. I will admit I underestimated you.¡± He held out his hand, which the vampire shook.
¡°I appreciate that. However, I¡¯m pretty sure I was barely holding footing there for the most of it.¡±
Dent shook his head. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯d like to spar more when we have time. You can see my process, so maybe you can help me close up some of the gaps in my approaches?¡±
Theo rubbed his chin. ¡°Yeah - sure. That sounds like it could be fun. I should learn how to actually fight.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes as the swordsman moved away, smiling. ¡°I could teach you how to fight, pup. Here, let me give you my ten top tips.¡±
Dent walked over to the side wall where the rack of swords was still standing. He placed the one used against Theo in a slot and considered the rest.
¡°Not your normal sword?¡± Humphrey asked.
¡°Hmm? No. That one is best for jabbing and small slashes, and I intended to focus attacks only when his core was open.¡±
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The Death Knight nodded. ¡°Intriguing.¡±
¡°How are you planning to approach your fight with Sally?¡± Dent glanced towards the zombie, who was animatedly explaining something to the vampire with her fingers.
Humphrey exhaled. ¡°It will not be easy however I approach it. I think¡ I will have to be ruthless and finish things as quickly as possible.¡±
The swordsman grunted. ¡°She won¡¯t make it that easy, you know?¡±
¡°My sword can be very persuasive.¡± He pulled a face at what he was saying. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be facing her if it were possible, but I can¡¯t back down either.¡±
¡°So eager to lose to me?¡± Dent grinned.
Sally held up ten fingers. ¡°And lastly, half the battle is in their head.¡±
¡°Pretty sure I knew that already,¡± Theo said, as he nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I told Edward.¡±
¡°Yeah, well. You gave him a headache, so you did a pretty good job. Maybe the decapitation helped with that.¡± She sat back in her chair. ¡°One more fight between two Players and then it¡¯s my fight with pops.¡±
¡°Need any last minute pepping up?¡±
She wrinkled up her face. ¡°No, if I just sit here and stare at the clock, it will make the time go slow enough where I will eventually feel ready.¡±
The vampire gave the room a quick glance. ¡°There¡¯s no clock in here, Sally.¡±
¡°Rats.¡± Sally stood once more in the center of the arena, sword in hand.
¡°No hard feelings for anything that happens here?¡± Humphrey rolled out his shoulders before lifting his sword up ready.
¡°Can¡¯t promise that.¡± She stuck her tongue out. ¡°You are a sore loser.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve never lost a duel,¡± he responded. Mostly ignoring the one time that he did.
¡°Yeah, well-¡±
[Sally vs Humphrey begin!]
The Death Knight wasted no time in surging forth and swinging his large blade in a wide arc, aiming to decapitate the zombie.
Sally raised her sword up, bracing the flat of it with her other arm as the impact vibrated down her bones. She slid across the dirt and prepared for the follow-up. Already it had come out - but in the form of an unexpected kick as the plated boot of the large figure shot forth. It connected with her right leg, which cracked under the weight of the strike.
She tried to step away but dropped to one knee with her inert limb. The greatsword was there, pressed gently against her neck.
¡°Submit,¡± he growled.
Sally stuck her bottom lip out, as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. ¡°You broke my leg, pops.¡±
¡°No.¡± He narrowed his eye sockets. ¡°Do not turn on the waterworks for me, young lady. Submit or I¡¯ll remove your head.¡±
She winced as the blade pressed harder against her neck, drawing blood. ¡°What would Norah think of how mean you¡¯re being?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not¡¡± Humphrey raised his gaze up to the stands. A pair of bright yellow eyes were glaring down at him, as the Mummy sat with crossed arms. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¡± He turned his head back to her, to find the zombie no longer there.
A scuffle of dirt and then her sword plunged into the side of his knee as she scurried past him. He spun on his good foot and lashed out at her.
Sally brought up her sword, but due to her awkward movements with her broken leg, she misjudged the positioning. With a clang, the greatsword hit the handle of her blade, severing her fingers from her hand. She rolled to the floor amongst the falling digits, grabbing the sword up with her left, into a crouched position.
Already another attack was coming for her. A darting jab that she barely deflected away, the force knocking her back to the ground. Warmth flooded down the side of her face as she wriggled back into a crouch. Dizzy and numb now, and things looked¡ oh, she had lost an eye. The blow had been deflected and not killed her, but had put a wide gash through the side of her head.
Humphrey thrummed with energy as he took a step toward her and raised his blade. ¡°Submit.¡±
¡°Never!¡± She growled and tried to get up to her feet, barely managing it against complaining limbs, using the sword as a crutch.
¡°Why are you so stubborn? You cannot continue to fight like this.¡±
Sally grinned, blood running down her cheek and into her mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll answer that, but you have to answer my question after.¡±
He nodded, gesturing for her to continue.
¡°Easy. Someone very important to me taught me to never give up.¡± She raised her fingerless hand to point at him.
Crimson flame flickered behind his helmet as the Death Knight sighed. ¡°And what is your question for me?¡±
¡°Why is it your normal duels are all fun and games, but you showed me no mercy or care?¡± She wavered in position, crimson dripping and pattering on the loose sand.
He paused for a moment before lowering his sword. ¡°It is because I know and love you so dearly that I take you more seriously than anyone else in this world. I fight you as though I were fighting the greatest villain in the System.¡±
Sally exhaled through her nose. ¡°I could still take you¡ but since you are my protector and father, I will take your advice on this one occasion.¡± She dropped to her knees and let go of the sword. ¡°I love you, pops, and I submit.¡±
A flash of blue took her away and back into the VIP suite.
¡°Well, swords fucking suck,¡± she said and rolled her eyes, before collapsing onto her seat next to Theo.
¡°That was¡ painful to watch. It went as you had expected?¡±
¡°Thought he¡¯d get sad rather than mushy, but it worked as an emotional outlet even if I did just get repeatedly maimed for no reason.¡± She clicked her fingers. ¡°Oh! Let¡¯s elope before pops gets back.¡±
Without taking a moment to deliberate, the pair vanished in a flash of blue, just as a third teleportation illuminated the chamber signalling the arrival of the Death Knight.
He turned slowly, the rather uncomfortable looking Dent being the only person left in the room. Humphrey deflated. ¡°Was she mad? Perhaps it was unfair of me to be so harsh on her.¡±
¡°I¡¯m surprised,¡± Dent began, ¡°not only that you had that layer of ferocity, but that you would level it at Sally, of all people.¡±
With a grunt, the Death Knight sat down. ¡°Usually I duel for the sport of it, even against the foes we used to go up against. The goal with Sally was just to kill her as quickly as possible and not drag the process out. Of course, I should have known if anyone would avoid death, it would be her.¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± Dent scratched at his beard. ¡°Say, you¡¯re going to go back to the fun-style against me, right?¡±
Humphrey grinned. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡±
Edward paced around his office. He wasn¡¯t even sure why he was here instead of back home resting. The Council was down to a skeleton crew once more, with most people watching the tournament. It would be the perfect time to do some mischief while all eyes were elsewhere.
But that was the crux of it. He didn¡¯t want to get up to any plotting in the shadows.
Instead, he wanted to know who else was doing such - and right under his nose, too. All the books on the shelf were white opals once again, but that didn¡¯t mean much. Perhaps the intruder had already gotten what they wanted from here in the building and had moved on.
But what did they want?
¡°Observer?¡± he said, stopping in place and crossing his arms.
The air shimmered as a floating skull glowing with orange flame appeared on the other side of his desk. ¡°How can I be of service?¡±
¡°Is it possible to get the logs of anyone who visited the Administrative District yesterday?¡±
¡°Possible, yes. It would require higher-level authorization. Shall I make the request?¡±
Edward worked his jaw. ¡°No. You are dismissed.¡±
The demon narrowed his eyes as the skull faded away. There was more than one way to skin a betrayer.
229 - Gnawed From Within
Sally rolled across the soft grass and giggled. Laying on her back, she looked up at the blue sky and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since we¡¯ve eaten some Kurux.¡±
Theo flopped down on the ground beside her and chuckled. ¡°The sky is spinning! Can¡¯t think why they banned us from eating them.¡±
If they weren¡¯t supposed to be eaten, then they shouldn¡¯t taste so good. Absurdly good. It was like inhaling a room full of freshly baked cakes. ¡°It¡¯s a natural high,¡± she complained. ¡°Creator did something right.¡±
¡°Tell me what¡¯s on your mind then, Sally Danger.¡±
She furrowed her brow and propped herself up on one elbow to look down at the prone vampire. ¡°What makes you think I have anything going on up there?¡±
¡°We both know you could have done better against Humphrey. Instead, you wanted to escape the tournament.¡±
Sally prodded him with a finger. ¡°I¡¯m a necromancer that uses minions and daggers. I wasn¡¯t going to beat a knight with a greatsword without any skills.¡± She exhaled through her nose. ¡°But sure, you¡¯re right, as always. I will be leaving soon.¡±
Theo turned his head to smile at her. ¡°And you¡¯ll miss us all?¡±
¡°You especially.¡± She pouted.
¡°We won¡¯t be apart long, whatever happens.¡± He closed his eyes. ¡°Anything you want to do before you go?¡±
She hummed to herself and wiped the Kurux gore from her mouth with the back of her arm. ¡°I¡¯m going to see Lucius in the morning, and then Chuck wants us in. I guess tonight it would be nice to throw a blanket on the roof and sleep beneath the stars.¡±
The vampire grunted. ¡°Consider it done¡ my queen.¡±
¡°Hey you, don¡¯t fall asleep. We¡¯ll get in trouble if they find out we¡¯ve been eating the Kurux again. They¡¯re endangered.¡±
There was no response from Theo, aside from a soft grin on his relaxed face. Sally sighed and put her head on his chest. With a smile, she closed her eyes too. After all, getting caught was half the fun.
Dent staggered backwards, blood dripping from his left arm as he adjusted his positioning. ¡°Not bad. You have an interesting style.¡±
His opponent was the woman wearing a purple veil over her eyes. With a padded purple dress with splits along the thighs to allow her free movement, her attacks had been both elegant and quick. The bright silver sword now had slivers of Dent¡¯s blood running along it. Dark brown hair tied up, pale skin, and a neutral expression on her face.
The symbol of a crescent moon on her veil was familiar to him, if only vaguely. One of the Player guilds. Perhaps he should have done a little more homework.
¡°I am an acolyte of the sword. Through it, I become whole.¡± The woman slid her foot back and readied her blade. ¡°You are testing me at present, to see where my weaknesses lie.¡±
¡°Although I don¡¯t hold as much romanticism for a weapon, I respect artistry when I see it. How much of a disadvantage are you at by obscuring your vision?¡±
A wry smile crossed her lips. ¡°How much of a disadvantage are you at with a fake hand?¡±
Dent grunted. ¡°Touche.¡±
Humphrey sat in the VIP suite on his own, head in his plated hands as he watched the fight in the arena. All the lustre of the competition had worn off, after his tough love against Sally had caused her to run away with the vampire. He could still feel the glare of the Mummy from across the other side of the arena.
But what was he supposed to do?
He knew what she was capable of, and if he had allowed her a moment to breathe, she would have eventually turned the tables on him. It was in her nature to rise above those who didn¡¯t take her seriously enough. He had seen it enough times with Players. They¡¯d monologue, or think she was just like a System-created Monster, or that she¡¯d just be a weak zombie due to her appearance.
Turning his own hand against her, however¡ now that had left a sour feeling inside his metal shell. Right before she was about to go off and not see him for an unknown time, too¡
Once this tournament was over, he¡¯d find her and apologize. Do something to cheer her up. He sighed. Although he had won, it didn¡¯t feel that way.
Lucius fidgeted uncomfortably.
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The Mummy sighed before relaxing. ¡°Sally has messaged me. She is fine.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± the Shade nodded. ¡°We have a session tomorrow, but I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d need to find more things to talk about.¡±
Jackie shook her head. ¡°If anything, Sals probably did a lot worse than the tin can.¡±
¡°How do you mean?¡± Fran rubbed at her eyes.
¡°Think of it like this,¡± the mobster worked her neck out. ¡°The zombie gets beat up all the time doing her Events. Get¡¯s healed up right after. Bet she¡¯s out living it large already. Humps there still has that wound in his big metal heart for what he¡¯s had to do.¡±
¡°It will linger through his next fight,¡± Norah added, nodding slowly. ¡°She always finds a way to win.¡±
Lucius rubbed at his chin and watched Dent fight. ¡°Considering she did well against Kyle, I was surprised how one sided the fight went.¡±
The Mummy shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anyone she¡¯d want to fight less. Without the spark, she had no reason to win.¡±
¡°Lotta history between the pair,¡± Jackie agreed. ¡°Makes you wonder¡¡±
¡°Wonder what?¡± A question mark appeared beside the head of the Shade.
Fran looked between them both, and leaned forward, lowering her voice. ¡°What if the brackets were set a certain way so they would meet?¡±
¡°Oh.¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Like a last test before she goes-¡± he stopped, seeing the intense glare the Mummy was giving him.
¡°Goes where?¡± Jackie asked.
¡°Goes complaining that there should be a dagger tournament, or one where she could eat someone.¡± The Mummy shrugged. ¡°A test to see how she fared in a more controlled environment.¡±
The grumbled acknowledgements didn¡¯t seem to convince the other two very much, so the Mummy gave a renewed glare at Lucius, who sunk lower in his seat.
Dent deflected the silver sword and lashed forward, catching the woman across the arm. She stumbled backward, twirling her blade to deter his advancement.
¡°I must say,¡± she said, between gasps of air. ¡°While you¡ might not be the¡ flashiest fighter¡ you are consistent.¡±
He grinned, only wincing from the pain in his leg where blood soaked through his slacks. ¡°You have a pierced lung, yet you are persistent. I admire that.¡±
The woman nodded, placing her free hand on the place of the wound. ¡°While my power wanes like the phases¡ of the moon, you have remained¡ constant. Unfaltering. I am humbled.¡±
¡°Not going to submit, I hope?¡±
She gave a pained smile. ¡°I am Dextra, Grand Swordmaiden of¡ the Lunar Retreat¡ and I will yield to¡ no mortal.¡±
¡°Then you have met your match.¡± Dent flourished his weapon and prepared to attack. ¡°For I am the Will of the Blade, and no mere mortal.¡±
He flashed forward, and both blades cut through the air.
The two stood opposed to each other, suddenly still after the brief moment. A sword of bright silver clattered to the ground, as the swordsman slowly returned his to its scabbard. As it clicked against the hilt, Dextra toppled over into the dirt, before vanishing away in a flash of blue.
[Dent wins!]
Humphrey looked over as the swordsman appeared back. ¡°Another well-fought match.¡±
¡°Hmm, it was.¡± Dent nodded as he went over to his sword rack. ¡°Another contact I¡¯ll need to make for sparring. Chuck keeps saying I need to make more friends.¡±
The Death Knight did not respond, but continued looking out at the empty area.
¡°Everything okay? Looks like dismembering Sally took the wind out of your sails.¡± Dent placed the sword away and cupped his chin, trying to decide which would be the best to use next.
¡°She has not replied to me. I feel my approach was misguided and a mistake.¡± The flame behind his helmet was low and flickered gently.
¡°It¡¯s a tournament. One I doubt she truly cared that much about. Sally isn¡¯t one to hold grudges, especially not against you.¡± He looked over at the morose figure and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve checked with Chuck, and she is fine. You need to get your head back in the game if you want to go against me in the final.¡±
With a grunt, the Death Knight stood. ¡°Part of me understands that she played into it, so that the guilt lingered on with me through my other matches. A way should could beat me by proxy. Yet understanding does not change how my heart feels. How inconvenient.¡±
A flash of blue took him away to the arena, before Dent could respond. Instead, the swordsman hummed to himself as he made his sword selection.
Humphrey appeared and brought up his greatsword to rest across his shoulders. He recognized his opponent from the starter stages. Although the man looked like he could be a Player, he was actually a Unique Monster.
¡°Aurelius, how ironic that we meet in this manner.¡±
The man smiled in return. His plated armor shone a bright silver, decorated with golden embellishments. Light blonde hair and thick mustache decorated a square-jawed face, as his blue eyes narrowed at the Death Knight. ¡°It seems the Holy Paladins are destined to cross paths with such a blight to all that is good, such as yourself, Sir Humphrey.¡±
Humphrey rolled his empty sockets. The only thing worse than a paladin was the paladin. The leader and Class trainer of all the other such annoyances in the System. Two Knights of different forces was as cliche as it got, and he¡¯d been too focused on his fight with Sally to clock he¡¯d have to fight Aurelius next.
¡°I saw what you did to that poor girl.¡± The paladin shook his head. ¡°I will make you pay for the injustice.¡±
The Death Knight shrugged. ¡°Actually, she is my daughter.¡±
¡°You did that to your own family?¡± He pulled a face. ¡°Were this not a tournament duel, I would erase you from existence for your crimes.¡±
Ah. He understood it now. While the crocodile tears were an overt attempt to cause him to falter, the zombie had been planting the seeds all along. So effective that even a half-wit like the paladin was wearing down on his nerves. Her injuries he had inflicted were all ones she allowed to happen - he was sure of it. He¡¯d seen her fight enough times to know what she was capable of.
Sally did say that she would stab him in the heart, and her words had weighed heavily on his shoulders since his alleged win. Maybe this was a test to strengthen his own resolve. If he allowed his favoritism to weaken his nature, then how could he truly protect over the System?
[Aurelius vs Humphrey begin!]
¡°You¡¯re in luck, supposed ¡®holy¡¯ one. For I am done playing games. Prepare yourself.¡±
¡°Gladly.¡±
They both flourished their long swords into a ready position. Under the blazing sun of a beautiful afternoon, two Knights that couldn¡¯t be any more different squared off to see who would fight Dent in the Finals. Somewhere far away, a zombie was having a well-earned nap.
The System was having a good day, as far as most were aware.
230 - The Pointy End
A fresh breeze rolled around the grassy plains that were only slightly marred with Kurux blood. Sally shifted and wrinkled up her face, before opening her eyes. A shadow was blocking the sun from her, which was rather rude of the tall figure.
¡°Kurux again, huh?¡± Chuck said.
With a sigh, the zombie righted herself into a sitting position and stretched out. ¡°Ugh. Feels like I slept for ten minutes. Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s rude to wake me up?¡±
¡°I feel that it is rather rude to slaughter these poor defenseless animals for your own personal joy.¡±
She rolled her eyes. ¡°And I thought you knew me, Chucky. What did I do to deserve you watching me when I sleep?¡±
The Architect stepped out of the way so that the warm sunlight could wash over her. ¡°Dent asked me to check up on you. Your fight with Humphrey was a lot, and you vanished after.¡±
¡°Eh.¡± She wiped the drool from her mouth and grunted as she stood back to her feet. ¡°I already had a dim view of my personal mortality, even before you had me do countless Events where I get maimed. I barely register most of it these days. Almost like you¡¯ve been training me for hardship.¡±
He shook his head. ¡°That was never my intention.¡±
¡°Remember last month when some gal tore my lower jaw clean off with a hammer?¡±
¡°You were panicked because you didn¡¯t think you would be able to bite people anymore. Or kiss Theo.¡±
She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m such an affable peach it¡¯s hard to remember that I¡¯m a Monster sometimes, isn¡¯t it?¡±
Chuck grimaced. ¡°Not exactly. I still have nightmares over those sounds you made, trying to sing with half a mouth.¡± He sighed and looked out to the soft hills, the grass waving back and forth with the breeze. ¡°Humphrey is finishing off his fight, and then it¡¯s the Final. Want to come watch?¡±
¡°Sure! The final pieces of my plan should be coming together soon.¡±
He raised an eyebrow. ¡°I daren¡¯t ask. What about Theo?¡± They looked down at the vampire, who was still sleeping peacefully.
¡°Pup needs the rest, but leaving out in the middle of a field alone isn¡¯t very fair.¡± She pouted at how comfortable he looked, the edges of his fangs poking from his gentle smile.
¡°Say no more.¡±
Chuck clicked his fingers and the outside world was washed away, dim light covering them as the sound of cheering crowds and metal striking metal filled their ears. They were now back in the VIP suite, Theo still asleep, but now on the couch.
Dent turned from the window to see them arrive, a smile on his face. ¡°Just in time. Although, this fight has been going on much longer than any other so far. I feel like I¡¯m learning so much, however.¡±
¡°Alright, ¡®Will of the Blade¡¯,¡± the Architect said, with a wide grin across the face.
¡°Ugh.¡± Dent pulled a face. ¡°That¡¯s going to be a thing now, isn¡¯t it?¡±
They joined him and watched the flash of bright metal as the two Knights exchanged blows. Moving as if they were in sync and performing a martial dance rather than trying to best one another, every strike was blocked or riposted, and they¡¯d fall into a stalemate once more.
Sally beamed and nudged Dent. ¡°You don¡¯t want to fight boring, normal Humphrey, right?¡±
The swordsman raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Something tells me you know of a way I can get him fired up?¡±
¡°Welllll¡¡± She wagged her finger in the air. ¡°Depends how far you¡¯re willing to go.¡±
¡°I¡¯m¡ listening.¡±
The zombie moved closer and whispered in his ear.
¡°Oh. Ah, are you sure?¡± He screwed his face up. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I could.¡±
¡°Trust me.¡± She grinned wider. ¡°That¡¯s just part one of my two-part plan.¡±
Humphrey had to admit that he was enjoying himself. While the fight against Aurelius had dragged on for way too long, he had found an equal in his opposite. The paladin had a slight advantage in speed and attack, but he had the advantage with defense and stability.
At first, he sought to just outlast the silver-armored opponent. Using his undead fortitude, the man should eventually tire and falter - yet he had not. Bright lines ran up his dark armor where he had caught the blade a handful of times. Aurelius had dents of his own, and a cut across the side of his head where the Death Knight had almost won once.
They¡¯d even tired of one-liners and verbal jabs, now just solely focusing on the art of the sword fight. It was dangerous, however. If he became contented with this, he might not care as much about beating Dent in the final.
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At least, he couldn¡¯t allow the paladin to get that far.
Instead of blocking the next attack, he stepped to the side. The end of his greatsword hit the loose sand as he swung it up, throwing a cloud of dirt up toward the man. Aurelius took a step back and brought his sword into a defensive position while his vision cleared.
Expecting to block an attack, he was actually struck by a metal fist, denting the plate on his arm and pinning it in place. The metal squealed as it tried to move, but it only had the effect of pinching in on his arm underneath.
¡°Bastard!¡± the paladin exclaimed. ¡°I should have known you¡¯d turn to dirty tricks.¡±
Humphrey dropped his greatsword, too close to wield it properly, he grabbed at his opponent¡¯s weapon as it rose into the air. Stopping any force prematurely, the blade still dug into his metal palms, and he tightened his grip.
¡°Let¡go¡¡± Aurelius growled, losing the battle of strength as one of his arms was unable to move and assist.
The crimson flame behind Humphrey¡¯s helmet bloomed higher. ¡°The world has no space for weak heroes. Die for your false superiority.¡±
As the roar of the crowd grew, the Death Knight slowly pushed the raised sword down, towards the man¡¯s face. Sweat ran down Aurelius¡¯ forehead as his arm began to shake. The strength began to leave his body as the weapon inched closer to his face.
¡°I¡ submit.¡±
Humphrey let go, and the man stepped back and dropped to a knee. One arm was still inert due to the broken plating.
[Humphrey wins!]
With the flash of blue light, the Death Knight appeared back in the VIP suite. His wide grin immediately faltered at seeing the zombie back.
¡°Oh, Sally. I did not expect-¡±
She flung herself around him and gave him a hug. ¡°You fought really well, pops. I¡¯m proud.¡±
He rested a plated hand on her head gently, and his smile returned.
Chuck stretched out and yawned. ¡°You guys need a few minutes to prepare? I didn¡¯t know things would go on for this long. Kinda thought Sally would eat everyone.¡±
¡°Biting is against the rules,¡± she turned to him and pulled a face.
¡°Did you... read them?¡± The Architect tilted his head.
She blinked twice. ¡°Oh, no, no. Don¡¯t you go pretending I could have chewed my way through the fights. I asked Theo and he very clearly said I wasn¡¯t allowed to eat brains.¡±
¡°Eat brains, yes. Normal biting would have been fine.¡±
Sally did nothing but screw up her face and scowl at the Architect. It probably wouldn¡¯t have helped her that much, anyway. Her mouth daggers didn¡¯t have much range without the overpowered brain-eating skill.
¡°I¡¯m good to go,¡± Dent said. ¡°Humphrey might need to rest since he just got back.¡±
The Death Knight shrugged out his shoulders and inspected his hands. If Aurelius had the use of both of his arms, the paladin probably would have had the strength to cut straight through his grip. ¡°No. I have recovered.¡± He grinned down at the zombie. As good a reason as any to go give it his all.
Chuck nodded. ¡°Alright then. Best of luck to you both. Not that I have a favorite, but at least this tournament has kept you all out of my hair while I¡¯ve been doing some important work.¡±
Sally agreed. ¡°You''ve only had to tell me off once!¡±
¡°So far¡¡± he rolled his eyes.
Both the fighters vanished in a flash of blue as they went down to the arena.
¡°Shame Theo is asleep,¡± the zombie tutted, as she stepped up to the window. ¡°Things are going to get interesting.¡±
Chuck sighed. ¡°Why do I have a bad feeling about this? You¡¯re not even in the tournament anymore.¡±
¡°Disagree. I¡¯m very much present in spirit.¡± She grinned widely. ¡°I will preface the coming storm to say that Dent agreed to this.¡±
The Architect narrowed his eyes and looked out at the two fighters.
Humphrey stretched out and readied his sword. ¡°Somehow, I knew that we would be the last two. I can only hope that¡¡± He paused and narrowed his eyes at the sword the man was holding.
In Dent¡¯s hand was a basic shortsword, the handle and part of the blade crusted over with dried blood already.
¡°That is¡ Sally¡¯s sword.¡±
¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Dent smiled. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong there.¡±
The Death Knight ground his teeth together. Why would he do this? Perhaps he wasn¡¯t taking the fight seriously, or thought himself confident enough to use a weapon he wasn¡¯t familiar with. Oh, it was all coming together now. Hadn¡¯t even cleaned the blade off, so this must be some plot to shake him. Well, it wouldn¡¯t work.
¡°Your foolishness will be for naught.¡± He grinned and shook his head. ¡°A worthy attempt, but you will soon see the error of not taking me seriously.¡±
Dent narrowed his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. This is as serious as it gets, Humphrey. Not only will I beat you with Sally¡¯s sword, but I am going to plunge it through your cold, dead heart, just as she said.¡±
The flames behind his helmet flickered higher. ¡°You will die trying.¡±
[Final! Dent vs Humphrey begin!]
The swordsman licked his dry lips. ¡°Oh, she had a message for you as well.¡±
Humphrey narrowed his eye sockets as he slid his foot forward into a ready position. ¡°Out with it then, human.¡±
Dent paused as he raised his own sword up. The words caught in his mouth before he gathered the courage to say them out loud.
Sally grinned and gripped at the window edge as she watched the swordsman murmur something to the Death Knight.
¡°What?!¡± Humphrey yelled, his helmet bursting into fire as he glared up towards their VIP suite.
Chuck sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
¡°I couldn¡¯t hear him over the sound of the crowd.¡± Sally beamed. ¡°Did he say it?¡±
The Architect looked at her and pulled a face. ¡°He said that not only had you and Theo been kissing, but that tongues were involved as well.¡±
She cackled in response. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t regret that in the near future. But¡ Dent wanted full beans Humphrey to fight, so now he¡¯s got that.¡±
Theo remained sleeping, blissfully unaware of what was transpiring.
The greatsword lashed forward, jabbing at the place Dent had just been standing before twirling away, kicking up a cloud of dust. Already, the large blade was sweeping in an arc for a follow-up attack, which rang out as the swordsman blocked it.
¡°Now this is more like it,¡± Dent said, a grin across his face as he ducked and rolled from the next attack.
¡°Be quiet and fall, so that I may have words with the vampire.¡± Humphrey went for a heavy overhead swing, narrowly missing Dent, instead striking the ground.
Sparks ran up his blade as Sally¡¯s sword slid up the length of the greatsword. He twisted and presented his shoulder forward, taking a silvered gash through his armor plate rather than leave his chest open.
Dent hopped to the side to avoid the leveled kick, right as the Death Knight pivoted it into a powerful swing aiming to bisect him. Sword up, he blocked it but was sent tumbling to the ground from the force.
The shadow of the Death Knight washed over him, the glint of metal picking up the waning sunshine paled in comparison to the bright crimson furnace billowing behind his skeletal face.
¡°Now perish,¡± Humphrey growled.
231 - Two Folders
Chuck hummed to himself, something tuneless, while his eyes occasionally went into his Architect STAR menu - before back to the fight.
The zombie rolled her eyes and tutted. ¡°The fight of the century, and you¡¯re too busy staring at your phone.¡±
¡°What can I say? I¡¯m a workaholic.¡± He glanced at her and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve honestly never seen Dent on the back foot so much. Refreshing, in a way.¡±
Sally pulled a face. ¡°The more the fight drags on, the angrier Humphrey is getting that he can¡¯t come and tell fangs off for smooching with me.¡±
¡°If only our enemies of the past year or two were worthy of facing his full wrath, rather than him saving his energy for being mad that his adoptive adult daughter has a normal¡ has a stable relationship.¡± Chuck grimaced at using the word normal to describe them, before changing tact. ¡°I don¡¯t know where he gets any of it from.¡±
¡°Strange how the Uniques are vaguely well-adjusted, considering. Like their education and pre-built life experiences must come from somewhere, right?¡±
The Architect nodded as the flash of blades reflected in his eyes. ¡°Uniques are borne from something in the fabric of our System. Despite us having control over most things Monster related, new ones just keep popping up here and there.¡±
¡°Like fully grown babies.¡±
Chuck grunted. ¡°The errors they have are less extreme and varied compared to the ¡®older¡¯ Uniques, but we accept them as they are. As one of us.¡±
¡°Softy.¡± She smiled and nudged him with her elbow. ¡°I¡¯m glad the power hasn¡¯t gone to your head. Archie doing okay? He hasn¡¯t shown up since I got back from our new island.¡±
¡°Hmm? Oh, yeah.¡± He closed away his intangible windows to focus on the arena. ¡°He¡¯s been almost as full on with tinkering as I have. We¡ well, let¡¯s save the business talk for tomorrow?¡±
Sally nodded, but narrowed her eyes at him. If she didn¡¯t know any better, it sounded like they had something new going on - or at least their meeting would be going in a different direction than she had been anticipating.
¡°Just one thing, though. You¡¯re not going to drop us after the meeting, right?¡±
He shook his head. ¡°If you¡¯re eager, then the day after.¡±
She exhaled through her nose until her lungs were fully empty. Just two short days.
Dent had never sweated this much in his life. Fire coursed through his muscles as adrenaline was burning away. Fights were usually long decided by this point, even ignoring the wounds he had sustained.
Yet he was having the time of his life.
Expecting the Death Knight to run out of steam after his initial burst had petered out had been a mistake. For he had not. Like a steam engine, his lack of victory was just adding more coal to the furnace. He didn¡¯t seem to tire, and had all but ignored the damage wrought to his armor.
Dent narrowed his eyes. If he didn¡¯t do something soon, then he¡¯d lose just due to attrition. Sally¡¯s sword was uncomfortable to wield, even in his mechanical hand. He was unused to the weight, and he doubted she had even sharpened it since acquiring it. Still, only a bad craftsman blamed their tools.
This blade had a destiny to fulfill, after all. He was the Will of Blade, and just a courier to deliver it to its final resting place.
Unless he died first.
As their swords clashed and he rolled away from a potentially devastating upswing, he decided it was high time to get this finished up. After all, there was only one way this could end. While Humphrey didn¡¯t exactly have a set routine, there were a number of directional attacks he preferred. Mostly because of the size and reach of the weapon - it was easy to keep Dent far away and on the defensive with the continual strikes.
Their swords rang against each other as clouds of dust gathered around their movements. It was all about movement and expectation. They¡¯d both fallen into a rhythm - a stalemate intended to wear him down. A mistake was more likely than an opening - oh, and there it was.
Dent¡¯s footing slipped on the loose sand, worn thin by their constant movements. The Death Knight saw the opportunity and twisted his blade to bring it down on the swordsman.
A last-ditch attempt to dodge - or so it seemed.
The greatsword bit into his shoulder, tearing through flesh and shattering the bone from the impact. His left arm split and dropped from his body as he slid to a stop, close to the plated figure.
Humphrey looked down at him. ¡°Huh. How very unlike you.¡±
With a smile, Dent took a couple of steps back, leaving Sally¡¯s sword embedded in place in the Death Knight¡¯s chest. A pained look darkened any elation he felt at winning. ¡°Holyyyy shit, this hurts,¡± he whispered, trying to maintain composure. ¡°How the hell did she continue fighting after this?¡±
Humphrey did not reply. Instead, the large, plated figure dropped to his knees and deflated to the ground. His sword gave off a soft thud as it found a place to rest.
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[Dent wins!]
The fanfare was deafening as the crowd cheered. Dent couldn¡¯t really enjoy it as much as he¡¯d like, as he felt cold and wished for the teleportation to take him away already so that he could be healed. Ironic that he¡¯d need to use one of Sally¡¯s moves to fell Humphrey, but it was so out of his normal style that it was the only way to surprise the angered figure.
With one last pained bow, he got his wish and was taken away from the arena.
Theo blinked his eyes and frowned. This was no longer the field that he had fallen asleep in. Perhaps Sally was playing a trick on him - oh, no. He was in the VIP Suite again. The ambient sounds and smells of the place were familiar.
He wondered how the fights were progressing. How long did he even sleep for?
As he turned his head, the wide figure of the Death Knight was sitting right beside him. An intense glare in his empty sockets. The red flame behind his helmet flickered back and forth.
¡°¡Hello,¡± the vampire said, his eyes looking around the room to see if anyone else was still present. Didn¡¯t seem like it. The tournament was perhaps long over, as darkness now seeped in through the window.
Humphrey exhaled through his clenched teeth. ¡°I just wanted to have a little chat with you, Theo. About what you¡¯ve been getting up to with that tongue of yours.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± He pursed his lips together and raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be a little more specific.¡±
The crimson flame rose even higher.
Sally smiled to herself as she stared up at the plain ceiling of Lucius¡¯ office. For the rest of the day yesterday, the Death Knight refused to speak with Theo, and wouldn¡¯t even look her in the eye. She probably shouldn¡¯t enjoy winding everyone up so much, but they¡¯d forgive her in time. Chuck said he would speak with Humphrey, so hopefully the meeting later wouldn¡¯t be too awkward.
The Shade tapped his pencil on his pad. ¡°How did you find the tournament yesterday?¡±
¡°It was fun.¡± She squirmed on the long couch. ¡°I think if the rules weren¡¯t so boring, then I would have won. Maybe I¡¯ll ask Chuck if we can do this every so often, but mix it up.¡±
¡°Good distraction from thinking of leaving? Last time we spoke, you said you weren¡¯t looking forward to missing everyone.¡±
¡°Mmm.¡± It was no secret that she had more fun when she was around her friends and associates. That had been part of their fight - to make a world they could all be safe and live happily ever after. Now she wanted to chew on bigger problems once again. But¡ alone?
She sighed. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s not even working away from home that is getting me blue. It¡¯s¡ well, I don¡¯t do very well on my own. I need grounding, so I don¡¯t act like such a villain.¡±
Lucius nodded and a thumbs up emoji appeared beside him. ¡°That is part of why Chuck wanted you to have Archie, rather than being completely solo.¡±
¡°I suppose he can always point me at worlds that need an anti-hero that errs on the side of villainy.¡±
¡°Has he mentioned at all what you¡¯ll be up against?¡±
¡°No.¡± She sighed and crossed her arms. ¡°Both he and Dent have been tightlipped about what they¡¯ve been up to. All he mentioned was that I have a phrase to bring me back here in an emergency, rather than having to find some way to die.¡±
Sweat drops appeared in the air. ¡°That¡¯s ominous.¡±
¡°Makes sense.¡± She smiled and closed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be going to wild and broken worlds. There¡¯s bound to be things that would make even me tap out.¡±
¡°I shudder to think.¡±
Sally was amused at how Dent had used such an unorthodox attack as to give up his arm to create an opening where he could stab the Death Knight in the heart. Despite losing most of his other arm back in the fight against Ruben, it still shook him to have that amount of bodily harm wrought upon him.
She had been lucky to avoid dismemberment throughout her pre-world-saved career. As a zombie, she wasn¡¯t too sure how it would even work. Could she just staple a new arm on and it¡¯d work? Would she have been stuck without? The new worlds wouldn¡¯t have the luxury of regeneration auras or respawning back whole again, she was sure of that. If she became too maimed, or was trapped, or imprisoned¡ it was nice to have a get out of jail free card. Assuming she kept her tongue, anyway.
¡°Other than that, I¡¯ve been pretty swell, Lucy. The last few days have been fun, and as uncertain as the future is¡ I¡¯m ready for it.¡±
¡°That¡¯s fantastic, Sally.¡± Lucius made some notes on his page. ¡°Now if we could just-¡±
¡°Montage!¡±
The zombie swung her feet back and forth alternatively as she sat in the waiting room of the Architect¡¯s Tower. Theo was beside her, his eyes closed behind his crimson glasses. They had perhaps expected Lana or one of the other employees to be manning the reception desk, but they had arrived and been left to their own devices. While usually this was a recipe for disaster, she was far too distracted by the potential details of the meeting.
¡°Not like them to make us wait,¡± she murmured.
Theo stretched out and put his arm around her. ¡°No doubt they¡¯ve got something interesting planned for us, but aren¡¯t sure if it¡¯s too soon.¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯m antsy.¡± She leaned into him. ¡°I just want to murder and carve open skulls already.¡±
¡°We can go train later?¡±
¡°Ugh, training.¡± She pulled a face. ¡°Let¡¯s see what they say first.¡±
As if they had been heard, the door hissed open and Dent stuck his head in. ¡°Alright, come on in, you two.¡±
Into the larger meeting room with the round table, the pair sat at the closest end. Opposite them was Chuck, with Archie laying about atop the table surface, while Dent walked around to sit beside the Architect.
¡°Morning to you both. Humphrey will be joining us a little later, but I wanted you both in first for a couple of things.¡±
¡°How is pops after your talk?¡± Sally shot the vampire an awkward glance.
Chuck cleared his throat. ¡°He is¡ fine. You¡¯ll find he is less prudish about your¡ relationship. That¡¯s as far as I am willing to discuss that subject. For all eternity.¡±
Sally nodded her head slowly. Leaving it up to her imagination was a bad idea, but thankfully her mind was pretty blank with the actual subject of their meeting about to seep from the lips of the man opposite. The Death Knight would need to learn to accept Theo eventually. The undead side of her found the living gross, and the human side of her found the undead unpalatable. The vampire was the perfect match in that he was just as split as her.
The Architect rubbed his hands together and furrowed his brow, looking between Dent and the cat before back at the undead pair.
¡°One of the hardest decisions about going to other worlds is¡ which are worth it. Not only in regards to... the selfish points about the scale of the land or what we could acquire. We also consider the state of their System and any present Players. Threat level plays a part¡¡±
¡°What Chuck is trying to say,¡± Dent interrupted, ¡°is that there are a hundred and one options, and only two of you.¡±
Chuck nodded. ¡°Instead of laboring with you the decision making, we are just going to present what option we feel is best¡ªall things considered¡ªand you can give us a yes or no.¡±
¡°Sounds reasonable,¡± Sally said and shrugged. Theo nodded along with that statement.
¡°Great. Then we have this for you consideration, Sally.¡± He brought out a folder and placed it on the table, ready to send it across to her.
Dent shuffled. ¡°And also this, for you to consider, Theo.¡± The swordsman placed another folder on the large table.
¡°Two folders?¡± Sally narrowed her eyes.
232 - Tooth Holders
Silence filled the meeting room, the soft blue light built into the ceiling humming slightly as the occupants slowly got onto the same page.
Chuck smiled and steepled his fingers together. ¡°Two folders,¡± he confirmed. ¡°For the two machines we now have.¡±
¡°Whaaat?¡± Sally furrowed her brow. ¡°That means¡ what does it mean?¡±
¡°Before you get excited¡¡± he raised up a hand. ¡°You cannot both go to the same world. Same limitations apply.¡±
Theo adjusted his glasses. ¡°But you¡¯re saying I can also go to a different world at the same time as Sally?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Chuck nodded slowly. ¡°We¡¯ve been pushing our capacity, making some changes to increase efficiency. It comes at a cost, but you can both go at the same time.¡±
The vampire was practically buzzing with energy. ¡°What kind of cost? Blood?¡±
¡°Settle down.¡± Sally put her hand on him to stop him from squirming around. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not blood.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Dent agreed. ¡°Theo would be restricted to STAR Level One. Just basic chat, and that¡¯s it. It will also increase the power required for yours to upgrade by, say¡ ten to fifteen percent?¡±
Chuck nodded. ¡°It¡¯s hard to gauge directly because it depends on the world and their System, but it would extend the time for you getting Outsider help, or the video feed.¡±
The zombie cupped her chin and thought. ¡°Seems¡ worth it. If it doubles the amount of land that we can acquire. Or Players we can save.¡± Her red eyes narrowed. ¡°Does this mean I can¡¯t Chat with Theo, though?¡±
¡°I thought you might ask that.¡± The Architect smiled. ¡°We can reroute messages, so you could¡ but it would be a monitored chat. So nothing weird, please.¡±
She bit her lip and turned to the vampire. ¡°What do you think, pup? It might not be possible for me to call you in eventually because you¡¯re a Player anyway. So this gives you something to do?¡±
¡°Last thing we want is for Theo to sit here and get into mischief without you around.¡± Chuck raised an eyebrow.
He furrowed his brow and adjusted his crimson glasses. ¡°Depends on the world.¡±
Dent slid the folder across the table.
Theo picked it up and flipped the cover open. His eyes ran down the page quickly, and then he closed it and returned it to the table. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±
Sally pulled a face. ¡°That didn¡¯t take much convincing. How about we keep our missions secret from each other? That way we won¡¯t be worrying?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll still worry,¡± the vampire tilted his head. ¡°But sure. I¡¯m okay with that.¡±
She watched as the second folder slid over to her. Running her tongue around her sharp teeth, she picked it up and flipped open the cover. Her brow continued to furrow as she read through the details listed.
Not a very large world again, but this one had actual Players on it. Although¡ since first detected, the numbers of Players had dwindled. Now two dozen or fewer. Chuck had given it the designation Dying System, with the cause being Bad Actor. Reading between the lines¡ªwhich was difficult as there was no text there¡ªit seemed as though a Player had become the Architect of that world and intentionally ruined things.
She¡¯d need to go and tidy up the mess and oust the false god. Save as many living Players as she could.
¡°Normally,¡± Chuck said, as he watched her read. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t put something like this in front of you so soon. With how eager you are, and the urgency of the mission, I wanted to see your thoughts.¡±
With few permanent skills unlocked, it could be a risk going into such an important mission and starting from the bottom again. But¡ that was the reason she was even looking at it. High stakes, with the possibility of saving people. The notes said there hadn¡¯t been a new Player for as long as the world had been monitored.
If they were just after land, then it was a terrible option. Much better to go for lower hanging fruit and come back to this when it was totally dried out and inert. She couldn¡¯t stand another simple world that wasn¡¯t challenging, though.
¡°Alright,¡± she slapped it onto the table. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±
¡°I am not surprised you both accepted.¡± Chuck smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll do individual prep on the day of, since you want some secrecy. We¡¯ll drop Sally in the morning first, and then Theo in the afternoon.¡±
Theo drummed his fingers on the folder. ¡°I suppose I don¡¯t get an intangible creature to converse with during my mission?¡±
Archie tilted his head. ¡°I take offence to being called a creature. But no, I¡¯m afraid not.¡±
Dent placed a small wooden box on the table and slid it across to the vampire. ¡°Design was all me, so if it¡¯s too cringe¡¡±
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The vampire grabbed it up and popped it open, tilting away from Sally so that she couldn¡¯t immediately see what it was. Inside were two cufflinks, shaped like drops of blood. ¡°I almost expected bats,¡± Theo said with a grin. ¡°But these are perfect, thank you.¡±
¡°They¡¯ll be your access to Sanctuary¡¯s STAR System, so mostly just Chat for you, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Dent shrugged, but seemed relieved the vampire liked the functional jewelry.
Archie stood up and stretched out. ¡°Big brother is here.¡±
With the nod of Chuck¡¯s head, the door opened and allowed the Death Knight to eclipse the light from the waiting room.
¡°Morning all,¡± he said, his skeletal face lit up with a wide grin. He gave a nod to Sally and Theo before sitting a few seats away from them. The pair watched him with blank expressions, unsure of what to make of his positive attitude.
The Architect tilted his head. ¡°We had expected a little more discussion over the worlds, but they both want to keep them secret.¡±
¡°Oh¡? Both?¡±
Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°Yeah, the guys have set up a way so we can both go to different Systems.¡±
¡°Oh. Is that safe? I wouldn¡¯t want anything to happen to either of them.¡±
The zombie narrowed her eyes at the Death Knight. He seemed to be earnest, which was an odd change of heart compared to yesterday. Whatever Chuck had said or done to Humphrey clearly had quite the effect. In saying that, she wanted to find out what it was even less, knowing how well it had worked.
¡°I guarantee you it is safe.¡± Chuck looked around at the three undead. ¡°I would not put any of the Outsiders at risk. That doesn¡¯t mean it will be easy, or without hardship. Sally, Theo, if you could pass the folders to Humphrey to get him up to speed.¡±
They did so and he took the two folders up, opening and reading through them one after the other. With a grunt, he nodded and placed them back down. ¡°Both Systems seem like good fits for the two of you. As the Head of Security in Sanctuary, I would be loath to be away from my position for too long, but I would like to assist Sally when required.¡±
¡°Sounds like a plan, pops.¡± She smiled. ¡°That would be fun - assuming I¡¯m not half dead in a ditch at that point.¡±
Humphrey narrowed his eye sockets. ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope not.¡±
¡°Perfect.¡± Chuck clapped his hands together. ¡°Well, if there¡¯s not questions, then you¡¯re free to go¡ I¡¯m assuming you both want to go tomorrow?¡±
They both nodded, the weight of the decision preventing them from making any smart comments.
¡°I will get things prepared. What do you plan on doing with your last day here for a while?¡±
Sally clucked her tongue. ¡°I¡¯m going to go around to every named individual I¡¯ve ever met and say goodbye to them. Maybe even strike up a proper in-depth emotion discussion with each of them.¡±
Chuck stared at her blankly. ¡°Okay. Let me know how that goes.¡±
¡°It was okay.¡± Sally stepped through into the back room the next day, casting her eyes over to the two machines set up on the wall across from the desks with multiple screens. ¡°You should keep an eye on Edward, though. He¡¯s looking rough, and Theo says he is acting odd.¡±
Chuck and Dent exchanged a look as the door shut behind them.
The Architect gestured for her to get comfortable against the bed. ¡°Odd in what way?¡±
¡°Like, he¡¯s bought and installed a large corkboard.¡±
¡°Ah. Dent, if I could leave that with you?¡±
The swordsman nodded and went over to his chair beside the blue screens.
Sally relaxed into the cylindrical machine, and Chuck affixed the thick cuff to her right arm. Already it was humming with energy. He leaned over past the bars to see her. ¡°For real though, you said goodbye and everything?¡±
She nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t see everyone, but some key people. Honesty, the nicest thing was the night before. Theo and I slept under the stars. It was peaceful and... I felt calm for a change.¡±
¡°Did you montage that as well?¡± He grinned and moved away to address some data cycling through a screen behind him.
¡°Oh no. I wouldn¡¯t forget that. Just a memory for me this time.¡± She smiled to herself. The goodbye she had with the vampire this morning was the hardest of all¡ but hardly anything between yesterday¡¯s meeting and now was worth adding to the montage. Those sorts of sad memories she didn¡¯t want to keep in her head.
¡°Alright. You have a minute to relax and calm your nerves. Let us know when you¡¯re ready. Any last questions?¡±
¡°Okay. What were you going to use the world for when I get it?¡±
There was a pause before the response came. ¡°I¡¯m thinking PvP island. It¡¯s almost like a rounded off rectangle shape. The occasional Event is great, but I think having a space where everyone can beat each other up whenever they feel like it is¡ healthy?¡±
¡°I can see that.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°Opt-in is always best. Do you know what I''ll be up against?¡±
He grunted. "I''m afraid not. There''s only so much granuality we can achieve at present. It''s more of a low fantasy world, as far as I can tell. Other than that, you''lll have to use your wits."
And teeth, she thought.
Another silence as the two tapped away at their devices, before Dent finally spoke up. ¡°System¡¯s green on my end.¡±
¡°Same here. Power draw is below threshold, plenty of wiggle room.¡± With the shifting of feet, Chuck appeared back in the window between the bars. ¡°Give the signal, Sally, and I¡¯ll send you away.¡±
She pouted as she exhaled through her nose. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ send it, Chucky.¡±
The last thing she saw was his nod, before she was plunged into darkness. A stretching vertigo that tugged at her core being as she fell through the infinite void. Her body vibrated before she hit something solid.
A hiss rang out as the doors jettisoned from her drop pod, clattering down onto stone flooring. This time, bright daylight did not wash over her. Instead, a gloom barely lit by flickering torches stretched out ahead of her. She rubbed her eyes and some of the roughly carved rock walls gained a little more detail. Inside somewhere, which made her drop somewhat awkward, but perhaps best not to overthink it.
Sally stepped out and put her hands on her hips.
Bars. She was in some sort of jail cell.
¡°Shit. Should have chosen the lock picking skill.¡± She tutted to herself. ¡°Oh, where¡¯s my emotional support demi-god?¡± Hand up, she pressed the earring, and a faint trail began to slither down to the ground to form the cat.
¡°Ah.¡± He shook his head and looked up at her with emerald eyes. ¡°A new beginning - a road unknown and untraveled, yet we must not waver in pursuit of our ideals.¡±
¡°Ehhh.¡± She pulled a face. ¡°Perchance I preferred the grumpy Archie, actually.¡±
¡°You can¡¯t just drop an awkward ¡®perchance¡¯ on me, knave.¡±
As she was about to chastise the cat further¡ªthen politely ask him how she was expected to get out of a prison-start scenario¡ªa shifting noise from further down the chamber caught her attention.
The zombie stepped forward and gripped at the cold metal bars. A doorway lay a good twenty feet at the end of the room. Light flickered and bloomed behind it as a figure approached.
She ran her tongue across her sharp teeth, eye widening in anticipation.
It was time to save a new System the way she knew best.
233 - Truth / Soldiers
An expectant silence fell on the pair as they waited for the approaching figure to show themselves. Amber light pooled in through the arched doorway as a bearded man stepped through, carrying a lantern.
¡°Hey!¡± Sally beamed. ¡°Can you let me out, please?¡±
The man stepped closer, his brow furrowed and confusion on his face. He looked near middle-aged, and was dressed in chain-mail with a dirtied white tabard covering most of his torso. He paused halfway through the room and lifted his light source up to get a better look at her.
¡°What are you? One of His fiends?¡±
She pulled a face. ¡°Not sure I like the way you capitalized that. I¡¯m a Player. Are you a Player as well?¡± If so, he was the oldest one she had ever seen. Must be different rules here.
¡°I am. But you do not look like a Player, and we haven¡¯t had anyone new for months. You are a trick.¡±
¡°Am not. I¡¯m here to help you fight against ''Him''.¡±
She had agreed with Chuck that it was best not to clue in potential worlds that she was there to eventually absorb them. Even if her intentions were for the best and she would be saving their lives, not only would there be people that rejected the notion, but in the case she actually died it would leave people stranded and hopeless. Certainly put a serious coat over the whole venture.
¡°I will let the Baron know a Monster is here purporting to be our savior. He will decide your fate in due course.¡± The man shook his head sadly, and he lowered the lantern.
¡°Do not turn your back on me, pal.¡± Sally bared her sharp teeth. ¡°I do not like being caged up.¡±
He didn¡¯t respond, his tired eyes lingering on her briefly as he then turned to leave.
[Chain] shot out, striking him in the back and yanking him towards the zombie. As he slammed against the bars, the lantern clattering to the floor; she held his head back against the metal cage with his chin while her other hand gripped at his throat.
¡°Say, what¡¯s your name, pal?¡± she hissed in his ear.
He gulped. ¡°Claude.¡±
¡°Oh, as in ¡®the nice zombie woman clawed my throat out¡¯?¡±
¡°N-no.¡±
She sighed. ¡°Go tell the Baron I seek an audience. Let me out or I¡¯ll find a way out. I¡¯m going to be very grumpy¡ and hungry, if I have to do it myself. Nod if you understand.¡±
Claude squirmed against her grip, attempting to nod.
¡°Good.¡± She let him go and he stumbled away.
His hand went up to rub at his assailed throat and he furrowed his brow as he watched the zombie flip a dagger up and down repeatedly. Down at his side, the sheathe for his blade stared back, empty.
Sally grinned to herself as she watched the man scurry away. So few Players and she could have easily started eating through them. A dagger was a good start¡ªsomething familiar¡ªbut hopefully once she¡¯d received her due freedom she could take better stock of what this world asked of her.
¡°Did you see that?¡± Archie asked from beside her. ¡°Damnable reprobate gave me nary a gaze to acknowledge my existence.¡±
She raised an eyebrow at the cat. ¡°Can people actually see you? I don¡¯t need them thinking I¡¯m even crazier than I actually am.¡±
¡°The truth is clouded by the unknown, and I do not wish to risk erring by jumping to conclusions.¡±
With a narrowed glare, she exhaled deeply. When they had said Archie would be different based on the world, she had expected minor mood changes, not an entirely unforgiveable personality alteration. Maybe clicking the earring again would put him away.
Her hand wavered, considering it.
Dent leaned back in his chair. ¡°Got the confirmation back from Archie. They¡¯ve arrived safely.¡± He turned his eyes over to the Architect. ¡°Hells, Chuck. You¡¯re sweating like crazy.¡±
¡°Ah?¡± He looked over at the swordsman. ¡°Oh, yeah. A little more nervous about this one.¡±
¡°How come? All the numbers are coming back as green as spring grass.¡±
Chuck sighed and brought out a cloth to wipe his face. ¡°I know. A troubled world with actual Players is just a step up in terms of stakes? No¡ not only stakes, but responsibility¡¡±
The swordsman gave him a wry smile. ¡°They¡¯d die without our intervention, correct?¡±
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¡°Statistically as close to one hundred percent as possible.¡±
¡°Then let them be mad if they want to. At least they¡¯ll be alive to be pissed at you, right?¡±
The Architect nodded. ¡°Out of the target worlds, this one feels like ¡®meddling¡¯ even if it¡¯s done with good intentions. Still, we knew what we were getting into when we drew all this up.¡±
¡°Having a heart and doubts doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re in the wrong, just means you haven¡¯t lost sight of yourself. Of course, you have me here to bully you into behaving as well.¡± Dent grinned. ¡°Theo has been in the waiting room since Sally got here. How long do you want to leave it?¡±
Chuck sighed. ¡°He isn¡¯t going to get bored and into mischief, is he?¡±
¡°No. I threw out a bag of rice across the waiting room floor, so he should be busy for an hour or so.¡±
¡°Perfect. A couple of hours would be nice. Let me cool down, see if Sally can establish Chat connection before we proceed?¡± He raised an eyebrow at the swordsman.
¡°As you command.¡±
Edward sat in darkness. Curtains closed over the windows, he was glued to the couch in his house and glaring with glowing blue eyes at the corkboard hastily screwed to the side wall. He felt guilty for not sending Theo off with more than a casual dismissal. But the mystery was consuming him. Lack of sleep, and he hadn¡¯t eaten in¡ a while.
A loud knock at the front door drew his eyes briefly away from the wall. He wasn¡¯t expecting guests.
¡°It¡¯s Humphrey,¡± the voice of the Death Knight called out.
Exhaling through his nose, the demon¡¯s expression dulled. ¡°It¡¯s open.¡±
Daylight flooded the living room, causing him to wince, just before it was eclipsed by the plated figure walking sidewards to enter the house. Door closed, Humphrey looked between him and the wall.
¡°Ah. They were correct, then.¡±
Edward rolled his eyes. ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure?¡±
The Death Knight rubbed his chin, the sound of metal scraping together not doing much for the demon¡¯s fragile mind. ¡°First off, you¡¯re doing this all wrong.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡± He slumped back on the couch, ready to give up the ghost already.
Humphrey stepped over to open the curtains, casting burning light across the corkboard. ¡°Well. At present, you only have one thing pinned to the wall. A piece of paper with a question mark on it.¡± He reached out and pulled it down.
¡°Hey, that¡¯s important.¡±
¡°Really?¡± The Death Knight grinned. ¡°Why not clue me in, and I can help you with this mystery?¡±
Edward pulled a face. Having the Head of Security as an ally would make it a lot easier to dig up information and actually progress things. That also made it something official, which felt gross. The fact that it had something to do with the Outsiders made it a conflict of interest¡ but he was tired.
Eventually, he sighed. ¡°Fine. You must swear an oath to me, though.¡±
Humphrey narrowed his empty eye sockets. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±
¡°You accept this as Humphrey, the Outsider, and not as a pawn of the System. No escalation, we keep this on the down-low and solve it ourselves. If it¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s nothing.¡±
¡°And if it¡¯s more than nothing?¡±
¡°Well¡¡± the demon grinned. ¡°Then we fix things, just as the Outsiders always do.¡±
Sally spun the dagger around between her fingers. ¡°Should have asked Claude to give me the sheathe, since he wasn¡¯t using it. Beats walking around looking like I want to stab someone.¡±
¡°Do you not want to stab someone?¡± Archie tilted his head.
¡°Shame you¡¯re intangible,¡± she ignored him, ¡°as you can fit through the bars. I¡¯m about two minutes away from trying to bust the lock.¡±
¡°Diplomacy requires patience, Sally.¡±
She grunted. ¡°Diplomacy requires a knife between the ribs. My STAR is locked and there¡¯s no lore to ignore. I am¡ bored.¡±
Perhaps one of the most dangerous things now in the System. A zombie with idle hands. Every minute spent wasting away in here was another minute not back at Sanctuary, being happy around her friends and family. Time theft wasn¡¯t really punishable by death, but she could maybe be swayed by violence. Perhaps too easily.
The sound of boots across stone came from down the passageway. More than just Claude, if she was any judge.
¡°Funny if this was an execution squad, and they doomed themselves by sending me back.¡± She grinned down at the cat, who didn¡¯t seem to share the humor of the situation.
Claude was indeed the first back into the room, now armed with a crossbow. Two others accompanied him. A female figure in full plate, including a helmet that covered her face. Sword in one hand, the other holding a shield embossed with the depiction of a grumpy-looking lion. The other was a man, scars running across his face. One eye blind, and dark brown hair shaved short. There was a bow and quiver on his back, but a sword was currently in his hands.
¡°A Player that looks like a Monster,¡± he said. ¡°You were right to be cautious, Claude. And you are sure she can be trusted?¡±
¡°She had the opportunity to kill me, but did not.¡±
¡°Hey!¡± She waved at the newcomers. ¡°My name is Sally, I forgot to properly introduce myself. I easily forget my manners when being detained against my will.¡±
¡°Virgil,¡± the scarred man said. ¡°And this is Poppy, although she is not much for talking.¡±
The armored figure nodded.
Virgil put his sword away in his scabbard and crossed his arms. ¡°The way you described her, Claude, I am surprised. She is nothing but a waif, and undead as well?¡±
¡°A zombie.¡± Sally nodded. ¡°I come from a different System where I was split between Player and Monster. I¡¯m something of a problem fixer, you could say.¡±
The three exchanged glances before Virgil spoke once more.
¡°As intrigued as I am, we are only here to take you to the Baron. It is he who will hear you out and decide your fate. Can I trust that you will not attempt to attack us or flee?¡±
¡°Virgil,¡± Claude hissed. ¡°It is protocol to handcuff new Players, and she has stolen my knife.¡±
Sally grinned, her red eyes bright in the gloom of her cage. ¡°I keep the knife, and no restraints. I¡¯ll only get violent if you get violent with me. Oh, can I have the sheath, though? I¡¯d rather not look like I have murderous intent.¡±
Claude scowled at her, before a nudge from Poppy had him unclasping it from his belt. He handed it over begrudgingly, to which the zombie gave him a brief curtsy before attaching it to her own belt.
¡°You¡¯ll soon see why we are so¡ defensive,¡± Virgil apologized. ¡°Despite your appearance I do not believe you are a pawn of Him, as his reach does not extend this far.¡±
¡°Yet,¡± Claude muttered, before receiving another sharp nudge from the plated woman.
¡°Odd question,¡± Sally said, a nervous smile on her face as Virgil unclasped a ring of keys from his belt. ¡°¡but can you see my cat familiar?¡±
Their eyes moved to the bottom of the prison cell, as if only just noticing Archie was even present. Some slight confusion and intrigue washed over their faces, freezing them all in place. Aside from one.
Sword in hand, Poppy power-walked over to the bars.
234 - The Oath
All eyes in the room watched the armored knight stride over to the prison cell that held the zombie. Upon reaching the bars, Poppy kneeled down and placed her sword on the floor, before reaching through to try to stroke Archie.
Although her plated hand just went through the intangible cat, he still smiled and made the motions as if he could feel the pets. He nuzzled into her, as she slightly deflated in disappointment.
¡°We used to have cats here,¡± Virgil offered. ¡°Few¡ niceties remain in this world.¡±
Sally pouted. She half expected the woman to step up and run her through for being a witch, but instead she was just an animal lover who missed the domestic creatures of this dying world. Poppy was her new favorite person.
¡°He can also talk,¡± she explained. ¡°It¡¯s a longer story than I care to tell, but he is more than just a normal cat. Introduce yourself, Archie.¡±
¡°My upmost greetings to all these weary and downtrodden souls.¡± Archie attempted to bow as the knight moved herself out of the way.
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, dial it in.¡±
Virgil stepped over, keys in hand. With little fanfare, he turned the lock with a heavy click and the door set ajar. ¡°You are an interesting character, Sally. I would hate to think your affable nature was a front to betray us. We could use a little hope in these parts.¡±
She smiled at the scarred man and took her first step out of the cell. ¡°My methods are sometimes questionable, but I only act to ensure that Players can live safe and happy lives.¡±
¡°Sometimes questionable,¡± Claude murmured to himself, perhaps still sore about being threatened, despite vouching for her being trustworthy.
¡°Follow behind Poppy, then. As protocol, I will inform you that as you have not been granted your Class, our attacks are guaranteed critical against you. Not that I expect to need to attack you.¡±
¡°Gross.¡± She pulled a face. ¡°When do I get my Class?¡±
¡°All in good time,¡± he replied, with a soft smile.
Humphrey sat opposite the demon on a chair that protested his presence. ¡°Ah. I see. That is concerning.¡±
¡°Right?¡± Edward crossed his arms, still deflated into his couch. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why anyone would need to see the sigil circle.¡±
¡°And they chose the day when we were all off due to Chuck¡¯s meeting.¡± The Death Knight rubbed his chin. ¡°Have you checked the visitor logs for the day?¡±
A shaken head was the given response. ¡°I was going to ask the orange one, but they required higher authorization for such a report.¡±
¡°Hmm. I do not see why you need to keep this such a secret, but I will not break the oath we now share.¡± Sitting up straight, he placed a finger up at his temple. ¡°Requesting C4D-E presence.¡±
Two short seconds, and then the air shimmered as the orange-flamed Observer unit appeared, hovering in mid-air.
¡°What is your command?¡± It asked.
¡°Edward had previously requested visitor logs from you. Could you kindly process this request now?¡±
The Observer gave a brief bow. ¡°As you wish. I will need to dock at the Tower to process the data.¡±
¡°As you require. Report to me as soon as you are done.¡± Humphrey gestured with his hand to let the floating skull know he was dismissed. With a faint shimmer, C4D-E vanished into nothing once more.
The demon pulled a face and scowled at the sunlight still pouring in through the window. ¡°Just twiddling our thumbs until they return?¡±
¡°No.¡± The chair beneath the Death Knight gave a squeal of relief as he stood. ¡°Let us go to the Administrative District. I wish to sniff out the scene of the crime myself.¡±
Even beyond the smell of damp and dust, there was something else that Sally could sense down these narrow brickwork hallways.
Desperation.
This was a place of sadness and clinging on to what life remained for those still present in this world. The occasional dim lantern painted the hallways in a dirty amber, adding to the gloomy effect. When Chuck had said ¡®low fantasy¡¯ she hadn¡¯t imagined a low mood as well.
The trio accompanying her didn¡¯t seem ready to give her an additional exposition as they walked for what felt like a lot longer than it probably was. She wondered why they felt the need to treat new Players this way, and who the bad guy truly was. There were no windows, which was frustrating. Maybe they were underground, but she wanted to see the wider world already.
Not only that, but her stomach was feeling rather empty.
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Eventually, they reached a wide set of wooden doors. Poppy paused, with her hand against the metal struts, as Virgil stepped up beside Sally.
¡°The Baron is a fair man, but we have lost a lot as of late. Do not let your ego turn his caution into a sword of distrust.¡±
She nodded, but said nothing. Any clever comments would have to wait until she had her Class and knew who she needed to run away from after annoying them enough. People here didn¡¯t seem to have the same amount of humor as back at Sanctuary¡ then again, it was a dying world.
The knight pushed through, bathing the group in brighter light as they emerged into a much larger chamber. A hall - something that reminded the zombie of a church or temple. Bright lanterns flickered along the arched grooves running down the side walls. People sat in chairs amongst crates and other cluttered items stacked up. All eyes turned to the group, apprehension at seeing a new Player.
Around a handful each side, mostly in drab colors. Linens and leathers. Grubby and miserable. Some bore lasting wounds or had an arm or leg bound. Down the middle of the space ran a muddied red carpet, leading all the way to a raised area where a throne sat. Or at least, a wooden chair that was higher than the others in the room. Upon it sat a wide man with a large red beard. His deep burgundy robes matched an odd hat on his head. Not really a crown, but clearly denoted his importance.
His eyes narrowed and burned something fierce as the zombie was led up to him.
¡°I am Baron Hercule. Shepherd of those that reside in Bastion Keep, the last stronghold of those who oppose Him.¡±
Sally gave him a curtsy as Poppy and Virgil stood on either side of her. ¡°Sally Danger, your baronship. Undead Player who opposes all that seek to bring ruin to Systems.¡±
There was a murmur amongst the gathered people at the sides, before the Baron held up his hand. ¡°I do not believe you are one of His pawns, yet I am concerned that you are a zombie, and purport to come from a different world.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a tough sell, I agree. Mostly unimportant in the grand scheme of things, however. I¡¯m just here to help you fight back.¡±
He grunted and cast his gaze around the room. ¡°What good can a living corpse bring that the people before you have not tried already?¡±
She gave him a glum smile and shrugged. ¡°In truth, I haven¡¯t seen beyond these walls. I do not know of your plight or struggles. Nor the fate that has befallen these good people.¡± Rats. She had started talking like them too - the Outsiders wouldn¡¯t let her live it down if she came home with an accent.
¡°Yet you are determined and eager to help, nonetheless?¡±
Sally ran her tongue across her sharp teeth. ¡°Such is the life of a Player, m¡¯lord. Perchance you could give me an exposition dump?¡± Beside her, Archie sighed.
¡°Very well,¡± the Baron cleared his throat. ¡°The land of Thrimble was once a joyous place. Not without hardship or conflict, I¡¯ll add - but it had room for both heroes and those less suited to the adventuring life. Almost one year ago, a Player sought out and acquired power that no mortal should be allowed to wield.¡±
She nodded slowly. They had become the equivalent of Sanctuary¡¯s Architect; it sounded like.
¡°Immediately He used that power to wreak vengeance on those who had wronged him. A natural thing... and many rose up to fight the villainy, as that is how the world generally worked.¡± Hercule shuffled on his throne. ¡°The Players that He killed¡ He used the souls of the fallen to create Dungeons. At first, we were able to fight and free those used for such nefarious purpose. Eventually, we were overrun and pushed back.¡±
He glanced up at the wall. Sally now noticed that it looked like there were windows in this hall at some point, but they had been bricked up. She imagined that she had spawned in on the left side of the island, and the big bad was living it large on the right side. Something simple and cliche like that.
¡°Now that we have few adventurers, it has become untenable for us to venture out far.¡± He turned his gaze back to her, some amount of exhaustion now in his eyes.
¡°Party size is five here too?¡± She looked around the room. ¡°Have about fifteen warm bodies. That¡¯s almost a guild.¡±
¡°It is, but only four remain with a Class that is suitable for adventure¡ most are more suited to crafts and trade skills. That is why I have my doubts that you would be able to assist us, despite your intentions.¡±
A System where not everyone was designed to be a combat Class. That was pretty interesting on some level - being a baker in a fantasy world would be less stressful than having to grind and slay to grow in power.
¡°How are Classes assigned then?¡± She wrinkled up her face. ¡°It¡¯s not a choice?¡±
The Baron shook his head. ¡°It relates to your proficiencies and recent experiences before you came to this world. Assigned by the System once you have accepted the oath.¡±
That sounded terrible. Now she¡¯d become a Vampire Smoocher or something. Although¡ that might make taking a skill back home worthwhile. Her fingers drummed against the dagger sheathe. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in. I accept the oath or whatever, give me my introduction cinematic or something.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not¡¡± Hercule raised an eyebrow. ¡°Very well. Normally we don¡¯t forgo tradition, but I am tired of being stuck in this keep. Welcome to the waning flame of Thrimble, Sally Danger.¡±
She looked down to see her STAR now glowing gold. A sure sign that she had leveled up. With the taste of victory on her lips, she clicked it.
[Level 1 Reached]
[Class Assigned: Unholy Knight]
[Growth Stats: Strength, Endurance, Willpower]
[Skill Assigned: Gravecurse]
¡°Sweet!¡± She clicked her fingers. ¡°I¡¯m a type of knight. That means I can go punch dungeons now, yeah?¡±
¡°Not literally, I suggest. Claude, please outfit Sally in whatever we have to spare.¡±
¡°Grab the biggest sword you think you think a little waif like me can handle,¡± she instructed the man behind her with a wink. He scowled as he scurried off, unsure if that was some kind of test to see what he thought of her. It was.
The Baron raised an eyebrow and looked at Virgil. ¡°Before our hopes raise an inkling, perhaps enlighten the girl on how unassailable the wall ahead of us truly is.¡±
Beside her, the man nodded. ¡°Dungeons have a guardian outside them. Once defeated, you can enter and face the challenge inside. Sometimes it¡¯s a further fight, other times it is a puzzle or other such difficulty.¡± He deflated slightly, and his expression was more distant. ¡°Current guardian is right at the end of the valley out of here. No way past. Their ability is¡ well, their Stats increase the lower their health gets.¡±
She nodded. ¡°Ah. So you almost killed them, but now they are ridiculously strong and resist further attempts because they are so low on health.¡±
¡°Very astute.¡± He grimaced and gave her a nod.
Not the easiest tutorial boss she¡¯d ever heard of. And with few tools at her disposal too. Maybe doing a few easier worlds would have been better¡ but then it would be too late for Thrimble. Digging through her STAR menus, she brought up the new skill. [Gravecurse] seemed reasonable. 5% reduction to all Stats and 10% Speed reduction, one target at a time. Usable at thirty feet or under. Not as cool as [Chain] or¡
¡°Oh.¡± A wide grin spread across her face. ¡°What percentage of health would you say they had left?¡±
235 - Othersiders
Archie purred as he continued to pretend he could feel the pets of the armored woman. While Sally stood and swung her sword about, the other adventurers that Bastion had to offer stood by with cautious interest.
¡°Good weight to it,¡± she surmised. ¡°I¡¯ll need to practice and see. Not used to being a knight.¡±
Other than Poppy and Virgil, she had been surprised to learn that Claude was actually an adventurer too. The fourth was a younger guy than most of the rest. Short dirty-blonde hair, and a look like he¡¯d rather be doing anything other than adventuring. Kenny, he had said his name was, while not making eye contact with her.
The outside world was¡ okay. Drab, but familiar enough. After they had led her out of the main keep, they came out into a valley. A path flanked by steep hills dotted with trees and shrubbery. At the end of this path was a bulbous hill of deep amber and burgundy. The first Dungeon.
Virgil tilted his head. ¡°Oh, what were you usually? Your outfit is¡¡±
¡°Not exactly geared for battle, huh?¡± She gave him a grin. Other than the sword, Claude had managed to find armor that fit her shoulder and elbow. Didn''t really protect her most important parts, but she usually made do. ¡°No judgements, but I was more of a necromancer.¡±
¡°Some judgement,¡± Claude murmured, before catching the helmeted glare of Poppy.
The plated woman stood, looking rather crestfallen that she had to stop petting the cat.
[Friend Request: Poppy Lionheart]
Sally turned her head toward her and accepted.
[Poppy: Hey!]
[Sally: Hi Poppy!]
[Poppy: Archie is AMAZING]
[Poppy: Sorry about Claude, he is a grump]
[Sally: Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m used to worse]
[Poppy: ^^]
[Poppy: I know Chat text is awkward¡]
[Poppy: But I had to let you know I believe in you]
[Sally: You can msg me anytime. Let¡¯s see how useful I really am!]
[Poppy: ^^!]
She closed her Chat down and gave the woman a nod. With a deep sigh, she turned to face the rest of the gathered group.
¡°I know there¡¯s five of us, and that¡¯s kind of a Party¡ but I don¡¯t expect any of you to follow me or join up in my crusade.¡± She tilted her head.
Response was mixed.
¡°You say you can get us past the first Dungeon,¡± Virgil offered. ¡°We are parched for the comfort of hope, but we are not willing to lay down our lives at your word. If you are able to get us out of this valley, however, I would be happy to join you.¡±
[Poppy: Same here.]
Claude pulled a face and shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ll need my help. I will not weaken your ascent by being absent from the trials ahead.¡±
Their eyes turned to Kenny, who was trying to sink through the wall. ¡°I¡¯ll never live it down if I don¡¯t,¡± he eventually murmured.
¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Sally clicked her fingers. All she had to do was clear the overpowered guardian from the end of the valley, and her road to success was all but paved. Hopefully.
Dent stepped out from the wider chamber into the waiting room. He pulled a face as he watched the vampire.
¡°I was kind of hoping you¡¯d also pick them up, not just count them.¡±
¡°Almost done,¡± Theo hissed, holding up a finger to stop the swordsman from interrupting his count any further. On his hands and knees, he was working his way through the discarded rice.
¡°¡Chuck is ready when you are.¡±
He waited a handful of seconds to see if that would change the vampire¡¯s tune, but it didn¡¯t seem to budge his concentration an inch. With a shrug, he went back through the meeting room and into the back room, where Chuck was still glaring at the various screens.
¡°Theo is currently determined to finish the job of counting every single rice grain. So¡¡±
The Architect turned and pulled a face. ¡°Well, how many did you throw out there?¡±
Dent shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure he will tell us soon enough.¡±
With a sigh, Chuck turned back to his screens. ¡°Sally hasn¡¯t made Chat connection yet, so we¡¯ll see. I hope we haven¡¯t made a mistake.¡±
¡°You worry too much. You¡¯ll start turning into Edward if you let paranoia dictate your work.¡±
¡°Speaking of¡¡± He raised an eyebrow back at the swordsman. ¡°How did your talk with him go?¡±
¡°Oh.¡± Dent sat down at his desk and pulled out an apple to take a bite. ¡°I delegated that to Humphrey, who is currently babysitting the demon. He hasn¡¯t said it¡¯s anything bad, so¡¡± He crunched the fruit again.
¡°Eh. Well, as long as it¡¯s not something I have to worry about today, then whatever.¡±
Sally stopped and narrowed her eyes. There was definitely a figure at the end of the path now. Humanoid, but she couldn¡¯t work out much more from here. She turned her head back to the reluctant followers.
¡°And you¡¯re superrr sure that he is now less than 5% health?¡±
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Claude nodded. ¡°I have a skill to analyze Monster stats. It has been at 3.4% since the last attempt.¡±
¡°Handy.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°Alright new pals, you stay here and I¡¯ll either be back... or this has been a strange¡ªand rather disappointing¡ªday for us all.¡±
Virgil nodded. ¡°May whatever deity allows your odd existence bless you.¡±
[Poppy: Good luck!!]
She clicked her fingers and gave them a grin before turning and continuing along the path. Once out of earshot, she allowed her smile to sink away, and she raised an eyebrow to the cat walking beside her.
¡°This place is pretty heavy, huh?¡±
¡°Dark times often need the brightness of a fresh candle to bring illumination. The promise of lingering safety.¡±
She just pulled a face in response. Her intention was never to grab up a Party or lead a group towards her goal of eating all the bad guys. Danger didn¡¯t need to drag the innocents along. If they died because of her foolishness, then it would make her doubt the desire to do this whole world-hopping thing.
¡°What do you think of the new squad?¡±
Archie tilted his head from side to side. ¡°Poppy is my favorite.¡±
¡°Right? She seems super sweet. I¡¯m not sure if she is mute or just not very social, but she is a doll through Chat.¡±
¡°The others vary. A heavy weight has stifled their desire to rise above the odds, as good adventurers are want to do. You have become a spark, potentially lighting the powder keg beneath them.¡±
She rolled her eyes. ¡°Assuming I don¡¯t get snuffed out.¡±
¡°Unlikely. You are oft brazen for a good reason.¡±
Mostly because she only had half a working brain, she thought. A world of unknowns before her. It was the lucky happenstance that put her as the prime figure able to unblock the valley that had allowed her confidence to take her forward. She¡¯d seen the faces of the ones she had to save, and couldn¡¯t stomach letting them down.
Closer to the figure now, and she could make them out better. Some manner of armor that was twisted, dark browns and bright red. A curved sword in each hand. In seeing her approach, they got into a ready position. Still a good eighty or so feet away.
Until they weren¡¯t.
With a blast of energy, they rocketed forward, closing the distance three times the speed a normal human would be able to. As their weapons blazed with amber energy, Sally tilted her head.
One step to the side, and... [Eat Brains].
Maintaining momentum, the empty-skulled corpse clattered past her, tumbling over itself as it rolled through the dirt pathway to eventually stop¡ªdead. The two blades spiraled way from the limp grip of the guardian, before they faded away like dust.
¡°Not the worst I¡¯ve tasted. I¡¯m cautiously optimistic for this world.¡± She wiped the gore from her mouth.
[Level 2 Reached]
[Level 3 Reached]
Her mouth upturned into a sharp grin. ¡°Now that¡¯s good eatin¡¯!¡± Narrowing her eyes up to the dungeon ahead, she instead turned back to look at the pensive Party. ¡°Will save System bullshit for a moment and let them know Operation Empty Stomach went without a hitch.¡±
Just ahead of her, the inert corpse of the guardian stood up. Her first zombie pal in this world.
[Sally: Guardian dead, what next?]
[Poppy: Really?? Hard to see from here, but¡]
[Poppy: Okay, stay there! We¡¯ll be over ^^]
¡°Such a ray of sunshine in this bleak world.¡± She looked down at the cat. ¡°I¡¯ve only known Poppy for an hour, but if anything happened to her, I would kill everyone in this world and then myself.¡±
¡°Same.¡± Archie blinked slowly. ¡°Just going off feelings here, but Level Four should get us the power to set Chat up with Sanctuary. Verily.¡±
¡°Is that the mask slipping?¡± Her eyes rolled. ¡°I can get that Level by finishing up this dungeon, no doubt.¡± She grinned before wincing as a powered arrow pierced through the head of her zombie, dropping it to the floor. She sighed.
¡°Are you alright, Sally?¡± Virgil called out as they got closer.
¡°Just peachy.¡± She shrugged and put her hands on her hips until he got closer. ¡°Can you not read body language at all?¡±
He returned a sheepish smile. ¡°Not as well as I use to. Dire Wolf ambush.¡±
While she wasn¡¯t requesting the man give the backstory on how he came to lose sight in one eye and had received the wide scars across his face, she at least appreciated how succinct he made the tale.
While Poppy immediately went over to Archie, Claude kneeled down by the dead guardian and furrowed his brow.
¡°Heavens, girl. What did you do to him?¡±
¡°Firstly, Claude, I not a girl, but a grown woman. I know you weren¡¯t being intentionally pejorative, but I just want to establish that I am a fully functioning adult¡ despite any evidence to the contrary you are likely to see in the near future.¡±
¡°Old enough to drink?¡± Kenny asked, still skulking around at the back.
¡°I¡¯m twenty-one, so I¡¯m sure. Whatever laws this world has.¡± She nodded. ¡°Spent a year in a coma, but that still counts. Not that I can drink alcohol here, anyway. Or eat... normal food.¡± She deflated, remembering the ¡®patches¡¯ that Chuck had given her and Theo. They didn¡¯t work outside of Sanctuary.
Virgil tilted his head to the side. ¡°Can¡¯t eat or drink? Then what do you¡ oh, apologies. Part of my brain is still unwilling to accept that you are a zombie.¡±
The tasty part of his brain, she was sure.
¡°I suppose that answers my question, then.¡± Claude stood and wiped his hands down on his tabard. ¡°I think Kenny is our youngest at nineteen, the rest are mostly thirties and up. Couple late twenties.¡±
[Poppy: 26 here!]
Sally scratched at her head. Interesting how the Systems differed, she was sure mid-twenties was about the oldest Sanctuary had at the start. She relented to giving the new group a little more information - better now than surprise them in the heat of battle.
¡°I have a skill that allows me to eat the brains of an opponent when they are below five percent health. It¡¯s a near instant process, and they will rise back up to be a zombie under my control.¡±
They each gave her a hesitant nod of acceptance.
¡°It¡¯s a lot, I know. Took me a while to come to terms with it myself. I¡¯m something of an anti-hero¡?¡±
Virgil took to one knee and bowed towards her. ¡°For what it is worth, I trust you wholeheartedly, and request to join your Party to rid the world of Him.¡±
[Poppy: I¡¯m in, too ^^]
[Virgil has joined the Party]
[Poppy has joined the Party]
She raised an expectant eye at the other two.
Claude sighed. ¡°You actions so far have been compelling. I am yet to be entirely convinced, but I will follow for now.¡±
[Claude has joined the Party]
¡°I don¡¯t trust you,¡± Kenny said, crossing his arms. ¡°You¡¯re a Monster and wanting to kill and eat people means you¡¯re far from worthy of praise or following. However.. I will come along if only to keep an eye on you.¡±
[Kenny has joined the Party]
¡°Well, don¡¯t stare too hard - you¡¯ll go blind.¡± She stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°I got to Level Three. Everyone else want to tell me their Class and Level before I mash the buttons?¡±
Virgil stood back up. ¡°Ranger-Commander of the Silver Forest, Level Eight. At your service.¡±
[Poppy: Knight of the Shattering Roar]
[Poppy: I know >>;]
[Poppy: Level Eleven]
¡°Arch-Bishop of the Last Light, Overseer of Bastion Keep, and right-hand of the Baron. Level Nine.¡±
Kenny rolled his eyes. ¡°Rogue. Level Six.¡±
Sally nodded slowly. She had expected slightly higher levels, given that she had just gotten to Three from killing one bad guy. The apprehension on her face must have been easy to see, as Virgil clocked it.
¡°We are¡ comparatively new to the System. Most of the higher leveled Players were caught up further on the island. Gaining experience was nigh impossible with the¡¡± He paused as the zombie held her hand up.
¡°The past fades to ashes in the wake of our bright future,¡± she said. ¡°Take me to this Dungeon. Let us destroy it.¡±
236 - Skill and Patience
Theo yawned and stepped through into the back room. He wasn¡¯t even that tired¡ maybe just bored? The counting had been pretty engaging to a point - but after a while he was a bit antsy about Sally and how she was doing. Couldn¡¯t stop counting, though.
¡°It¡¯s all done,¡± he announced to the two men, who hadn¡¯t heard him approach.
¡°Oh.¡± Dent swung around in his chair to face the vampire. ¡°How many were there?¡±
¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡± Theo shrugged. Didn¡¯t seem fair to give out that information since he did all the work for it.
The swordsman narrowed his eyes. ¡°Then how do I know you even counted it?¡±
With a sigh, the vampire rolled his neck out. ¡°36,495. I assume you either lost or hid five more.¡±
His face unmoving, Dent reached out and slowly moved his coffee mug to the side to reveal five grains of rice. ¡°How did you know?¡±
¡°You think this is my first rodeo? Several things in the System are uniform to save on resources. A kilo bag of rice always has exactly 36,500 individual grains within it.¡±
¡°He¡¯s correct,¡± Chuck added, his face still looking at his screens.
The swordsman shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re telling me you¡¯ve counted a spilt bag of rice previously? And that you didn''t need to count this one since you knew already?¡±
¡°Three times, if memory serves. One of them was in a Dungeon raid - pretty clever of the adventuring Party.¡±
The Architect exhaled through his nose. ¡°Yet, you still won.¡±
Theo grinned, exposing his fangs. ¡°I¡¯m ready for my Quest now.¡±
¡°There¡¯s still time to wait,¡± Chuck finally turned his gaze over to the waiting vampire. ¡°Once we¡¯ve connected Chat with Sally, then you¡¯re good to go.¡±
He deflated.
Dent leaned forward. ¡°What about¡ coffee beans?¡±
¡°2,200 in a small bag, 3,500 in the larger version. 500 for the jars.¡±
¡°Sugar?¡±
¡°Now you¡¯re being ridiculous.¡± Theo shook his head.
Dent grinned. ¡°Just don¡¯t see where you¡¯d find the time.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± The vampire¡¯s eyes went over to the two cylinders on the other side of the room, one of them covered by a sheen of reflective energy. ¡°Without the need to grind, I¡¯ve had idle hands.¡±
Sally raised her eyes at the group¡¯s healer. ¡°So¡ a new skill every even level, and the max level is only twenty?¡±
He nodded. ¡°There¡¯s also a second ability tied to your class every five levels, and an Ultimate at max.¡±
¡°Stats are automatically assigned, but you get two Skill Points every level. I¡¯d advise putting them into the combat skills rather than the trade or downtime activities.¡± Virgil grinned. ¡°You¡¯ll already have points in a couple things based on your Class.¡±
New starts were always the worst. All the exposition and unskippable dialogue as you were slow-walked through all the obvious stuff. Sally opened up her STAR menus. She just wanted to rush in and mash stuff to death. Didn¡¯t need to know which button was to jump or how to craft.
[Skill Assigned: Protective Aura]
[Protective Aura: Allies within twenty feet receive 10% Additional Defense and Resistances]
[6 Skill Points to spend]
Couldn¡¯t beat a good aura. This must be how¡ oh! She crouched down beside Archie, who was pretending to rub himself up against Poppy¡¯s leg while the knight struggled to resist acknowledging him.
¡°Arch, I¡¯m a death knight, like pops!¡±
¡°Yes. There are some similarities, I suppose. This System clearly saw your performance in the sword tournament to be worthy enough to daub this existence with such a martial alignment.¡±
She nodded. ¡°Sucks that Chuck had to keep us busy with that. I could have been a Galactic Baseballer, or¡¡± Her eyes narrowed as she tried to remember what she had gotten up to before that.
¡°You¡¯ve always had a differing Class through our adventures.¡±
That was true. After first becoming a zombie, she had been more of a rogue-type character. Sneaking in the shadows with dagger and crossbow. After gaining more abilities she had been like a battle-mage in the Wasteland. A healthy mix of stabbing and casting spells. In the Jungle¡ she had gone full necromancer almost. If it wasn¡¯t for [Meat Hook] she would have been more true to type.
Being a knight wasn¡¯t exactly her forte, but if she received more aura skills then it¡¯d make her pals a lot more hardy. Standing back up, she went back into the menus to look at her the Skill Point screen.
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A large list of at least thirty different things clouded her vision. Everything from weapon proficiencies to shoe cobbling. There was even one for Jump, although she wasn¡¯t even sure which button that was yet. Her tongue ran across her sharp teeth as she filtered the list down to things that she already had a point in.
[Swordmastery +1]
[Heavy Armor +1]
[Determination +1]
She pulled a face. Those seemed¡ perfect, really. While part of her mania wanted to diversify into some of the more ecclectic options... given how drab and dangerous this world looked to be, she¡¯d stick with some of the more sensible things. Gross.
With a short sigh, she assigned two more points into each of the three. It¡¯d tie her down to using swords - each point apparently giving more damage and more control over the weapon.
¡°Alright!¡± She activated her aura, a shimmering circle of white runes appearing beneath her feet. ¡°I¡¯m all up to date with my abilities and stuff. Is there a good reason the System doesn¡¯t give me the necessary things to go along with my Skills? Like actual armor?¡±
Claude stretched his back out and looked back toward Bastion Keep. ¡°There used to be Quest-giving System-created. You¡¯d get the lore back there, some of the world was explained, and somewhere out this way you¡¯d be giving the necessities depending on your Class.¡±
Fair enough. Another broken System with evil demi-god to overthrow. Thankfully smaller than Sanctuary, however. She didn¡¯t want to spend months¡ she sighed, remembering she would be away from home for a while.
[Poppy: Let¡¯s go finish this dungeon!]
[Poppy: Do you know what type it is, Claude?]
¡°No.¡± The man shook his head. ¡°The Guardian had prevented me getting close enough.¡± In seeing the raised eyebrow of the zombie, he clarified further. ¡°There are runic symbols on most dungeons, I¡¯m the last left who can read them - and they usually give a strong hint as to what we will find within.¡±
Sally nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine. One last question before we proceed. You said the souls of the slain Players were freed when the Dungeon is complete. That¡¯s not¡ they don¡¯t come back to life, right?¡±
Claude gave her a brief nod of acknowledgement.
It was a long shot, but worth asking. Chuck had explained that worlds without respawning held their Player data in a constantly refreshing state. Set only for a cycle. Once he had taken control, he had made a permanent backup of the data - so it could be read at any time. It was one of the reasons Dent couldn¡¯t get his arm back, as their System no longer had record of him having two arms after about two weeks of him sustaining that injury.
Once these Dungeons were destroyed, whoever had once lived here would soon be forgotten by the System. It was¡ sad, but the peace of a proper death seemed better than being used as a fuel source for these places of evil.
Of course, she was taking everything at face value currently. The hapless group of downtrodden survivors seemed reasonably eager to follow behind a random zombie that showed up and promised them hope. She had read enough comics and seen the right movies to know that there could be a twist in the works. Either the knife of Kenny in her back, or Chuck had the whole world backwards, and the one creating the Dungeons was trying to keep the Keep residents at bay to save the System¡
¡°Let¡¯s head out,¡± she eventually said, if only to get out of her own head.
The group of five trudged along the path, not taking too long to pass the short distance and arrive at the mouth of the dungeon. It was a bulbous thing. The amber and dark brown hues she had seen looked even more like a bee¡¯s nest now that they were before it. A darkened passageway led down into the ground, steps of the strange wood-like material willing them to enter.
Claude paused and glared at the flat panels of deep brown above the doorway. Engravings of odd shapes that Sally didn¡¯t recognize.
¡°Hmm. It is a battle.¡±
¡°Against giant bee things, I don¡¯t doubt.¡± She rolled out her sword arm. Her shoulder armor was rather uncomfortable since she wasn¡¯t used to wearing it.
¡°Correct. Level Nine.¡±
That was decently within their realm of ability. Sure, she was only Three - but since Theo wasn¡¯t here, she was super sure that she was the main character now. Unless she was just doing a side-quest while he did something important¡
Virgil placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It might be better to let Poppy lead, and avoid danger as much as you can. Not to doubt your skill, but damage is adjusted if you are more than four levels from the target.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°So I¡¯ll get beaten up more, and do less beating on Monsters?¡±
He nodded.
¡°After you then, Poppy. And everyone else more powerful than me.¡± Which was technically all of them, but Kenny hung back, intending to stay far away from any danger.
She waited for the other three to step ahead and start working their way down the steps, before she turned her head back to the younger man.
¡°Caution is not a bad trait to have in such circumstance.¡± Her crimson eyes glowed. ¡°But betrayal is the quickest way of signing your own death warrant. Think about it.¡±
The zombie didn¡¯t wait for a response, and turned to enter the darkness of the Dungeon.
Humphrey put his hands on his hips as he reached the bottom of the stairs into the archive room. ¡°Hmm. Nostalgia.¡±
At the top of the flight, Edward sighed and sat down in the doorway. He put his chin in his hands and watched the Death Knight look around. ¡°Couldn¡¯t find a hair out of place. Nothing invisible, either.¡±
¡°Residual teleportation energy?¡±
The demon shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t recall anything obvious.¡±
With a grunt, Humphrey stepped over to the empty table. There couldn¡¯t have been much time between Edward noticing that the room had been opened, and him getting down here. The Archives had something to stop people teleporting in, but not out. Then again, if they were dealing with a Unique with a certain range of powers, it could be done.
Edward shuffled. ¡°It usually takes this long to get information?¡±
¡°Hmm? No. Some processes are taking a back seat today, due to the off-worlding.¡±
¡°Is it possible someone could come here without making it on the logs?¡±
Humphrey took a moment to consider this. The visitor log wasn¡¯t something that people literally signed as they entered the building - although there was one of those as well. The data saved was the exact System entities that the world registered them as. The area it was accurate to was usually reasonably broad unless it was certain individuals or locations. There would be record of anything and anyone that had appeared or entered the Administrative District as a whole.
But could anyone avoid such tracking¡?
¡°It is¡ unlikely.¡± He tilted his head toward the demon. ¡°I will not discount the thought, but it is not something we should pursue until we have the data before us.¡±
Edward rolled his eyes and slouched back. ¡°Even if it were some ghost who could avoid the very System itself, why come here? There¡¯s much worse things in the other Archive rooms.¡±
¡°Oh?¡±
With a grin, the demon righted himself. ¡°Certainly. Allow me to take you to Archive Room Zero, my own personal storage place that even Chuck does not know about.¡±
237 - Buzz Cut
The gloom of the dungeon was oppressive. While they weren¡¯t too far underground, the lack of light and the rhythmic hum from whatever was at the bottom of the staircase was stifling. Sally had been given a torch to hold¡ªseeing as she wasn¡¯t expected to contribute much to the combat¡ªand the urge to just throw it to burn out the whole place down was tempting.
As soon as they were all fully in the Dungeon, the Party had been apprehensive and on edge. It was very much something she wasn¡¯t used to. The undead Outsiders had a calmer approach to potential death, which made some sense when she thought about it like that.
Up ahead, Poppy stopped. There was a grumbling between the men as Sally and Kenny caught them up.
[Poppy: It¡¯s a dead end?]
Sally peered past them to see what was going on, and in fact, the way forward was blocked as if the Dungeon just ended there. They were now in a rather slim corridor just past the end of the stairs - so it wasn¡¯t as though they had missed a turning or side door. The buzzing here was louder too, so they were close to something¡
She clenched her teeth together as the pieces fit together. ¡°Trap,¡± she growled, ¡°back to the stairs.¡±
Before she could turn away, it began. The first stinger pierced through the wall like a giant steel nail. Virgil went to turn away from it, but it gouged through half of his neck. The air vibrated with the pulsing of wings, Claude chanted a healing spell, and another spike scraped against Poppy¡¯s armor with a squeal.
Sally turned, but Kenny was already off, almost out of view up the stairs. She spun with her sword to avoid impalement as another stinger burst through the wall, sparks shedding from her blade as the force knocked her from it, closer to the rest of the group.
Claude yelped and stumbled back into her as a stinger went through his calf, right before bubbles of white energy bloomed up around the four of them. Flickering blue light came from the far end, where the knight was trying to fight back against the piercing attacks. The ones that had started the assault had withdrawn, probably to ready up a second wave. Best she could judge, there were four or five enemies.
As she pushed the cleric back to stable footing, there was a loud crack. Her eyes darted back to the staircase as a gap ran around the walls and ceiling after the last step. The whole section they were in started to lean and separate from the staircase. Very clever.
Few other compliments came to her mind as vertigo took the Party tumbling into each other, to then squashed against Poppy near the end. The false room bounced from the edge of the true stairs and dropped away into emptiness with a groan.
Chuck rubbed at his eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t think it would take this long.¡±
¡°It was a troubled world. Getting those first few steps might be more difficult.¡± Dent shrugged. "Told you we should have staggered the drops.¡±
¡°Did not.¡±
The swordsman grunted. ¡°Regardless. You have the choice of what to do. Wait, send Theo now, or send him tomorrow.¡±
¡°Eh.¡± The Architect looked over at the patient vampire, who was leaning back in a chair with his eyes closed. ¡°I thought you might be curious about the inner workings of the System. All these numbers we have going on here.¡±
Theo didn¡¯t budge, but pulled a slight face. ¡°Nothing could be further from the truth. It¡¯s already sad that I have every power that I could possibly want. If I knew how the world actually functioned, then it would take any remaining joy out of the process.¡±
¡°Fine.¡± Chuck rolled his eyes. ¡°Get in the damned machine, I¡¯m already on edge - I don¡¯t need Mr. Told You So and Mr. Bored of Existence winding me up.¡±
¡°Neat!¡± The vampire hopped out of the chair with a grin and went to lay in the empty machine.
Dent got up to set him in place, putting the heavy cuff on his right wrist. ¡°Any questions about your mission?¡±
Theo raised an eyebrow. ¡°I just have [Novice Strike] and [Vampire Bite], correct?¡±
¡°Correct.¡±
¡°And I¡¯ll be down there until I die, speak my safe word, or get powerful enough for you to take over their System?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°Just one request then.¡± He smiled, exposing his fangs. ¡°Let me know as soon as you¡¯re in contact with Sally, and set our Chat channel up as soon as possible.¡±
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¡°You have my word.¡± Dent gave him a nod and smiled. ¡°Just spooling up. Hang tight for a minute.¡± He looked over at the Architect.
Chuck sighed. ¡°Not optimal. Everything is within safe bounds, but¡ no, it¡¯s fine - I¡¯m worrying too much. We are green, good to go.¡±
¡°Say the word, Theo, and you¡¯re away.¡± Dent gave the machine a few pats. ¡°Best of luck out there.¡±
¡°The word,¡± Theo replied, and was gone.
Sally rolled up to her feet from the fallen debris, a twinge of pain in her right leg - but it was just a sprain. Their false room had dropped from the staircase, which was actually now an open sided spiral that carried on down into this wide chamber they now found themselves in.
A peaked dome, dark recesses in the walls that were almost hexagons like honeycomb - but not quite. In the air buzzed four large, bipedal insects. More hornet-looking than the bees she had expected. They didn¡¯t look too pleased to have visitors.
Poppy stepped up beside her, some of her plate dented and a huge scrape across her shield where a stinger had been blocked. The knight gave her a nod, but didn¡¯t have the time to type out a plan of action in chat.
¡°I would be wary,¡± Archie said from just behind them. ¡°You are vastly underpowered at present.¡±
Sally glanced behind her to see Virgil still prone. He was pale and his good eye was unfocused and staring blankly at the ceiling. Claude was trying to heal him and stem the constant flow of blood from the man¡¯s neck.
Any joy she had felt for joining this new world cooled away right there.
She flourished her sword and readied herself. ¡°Don¡¯t you die on me Poppy, I¡¯ll never forgive you.¡±
The knight gave her a brief nod before raising up her shield.
Four level-nine giant hornets? Sally seethed at the Monsters. How dare they threaten her? Did they not know what she had achieved? What she capable of?
A hissing screech reverberated around the large room as the first two hornets darted down toward them. Poppy was struck first, a flash of red covering her shield before her own sword lashed out with an amber glow.
Sally rolled to the floor to avoid the descending stinger of her opponent. The hardened spike drew a deep gouge through the flooring before the creature landed on its feet and turned to her. Chittering mandibles and alien eyes tried to make sense of what kind of threat she even was.
She hit it with [Gravecurse] as she got back up to her feet. It lashed out with a thin arm that ended with a hook-like appendage, which she managed to block, before a second one came quicker than she could react to. Pain through her left side, which she ignored.
With a wild upswing she attacked the Monster, drawing her dagger into her left hand as the hornet blocked her clumsy attempt to damage it. As it raised up to counter, it shrieked as a spark of radiant energy burst from its side. It turned its large eyes over toward Claude, who had cast the spell, giving Sally just the opening she needed.
[Chain] struck the distracted bug, bringing it toward her. Both the hornet¡¯s arms crossed to stop her sword, but her dagger came through and wedged into their neck. Foul ichor burst from the wound, and the Monster twitched and tried to fight against it.
¡°Useless stepping stone,¡± she growled, forcing her blade deeper into the thick chitin.
[Eat Brains]
She pushed the corpse away just as the second airborne creature struck her. Long stinger pierced through her upper chest near her shoulder, the wound immediately burning as if it had been set alight. She lashed out with her dagger as the hornet dodged back, withdrawing the sharp appendage so that they could land on the ground.
Sally¡¯s right arm was numb now, the attack either breaking some of her nerves or they held some kind of poison or debilitating goo on their pointy parts. It was difficult to raise the sword up against them. Before she needed to, her zombified one rose up and immediately got the attention away from her.
Poppy bashed her shield three times with her glowing sword and a pulse of energy washed through the area. The knight had slain one, and was now drawing the focus of the remaining two with some kind of taunt.
A heal washed through Sally, alleviating some of the pain. She had started sweating, something uncomfortable for her undead form. [Gravecurse] switched to the one Poppy was attacking. She stumbled forward to join the fray, but her body wasn¡¯t very responsive.
Claude sent out another attack, and her zombie hornet lashed into the remaining two. For some reason she took a step forward and then two back, before deciding to stick in place.
¡°Stay put,¡± Archie said from her side. ¡°Caution is your greatest shield.¡±
She grumbled, but heeded his words. Her zombie was cut down. Poppy heavily damaged one of the Monsters, who tried to back away to recover. [Chain] brought it over to her, the surprised hornet impaling itself on her sword and almost knocking her to the floor from the impact. [Eat Brains] finished them off, and she collapsed with a groan. Tasted like battery acid.
¡°A debilitating poison,¡± Claude said from amongst the debris. ¡°You are under-leveled so it is worse for you.¡±
At the moment, it seemed worst for Virgil. She ground her teeth together and pushed herself back up to her feet. Poppy spun with a flash of crimson, decapitating the last hornet, before the woman dropped to one knee.
¡°Zero out of five stars,¡± Sally said, shuffling herself over to the two men.
The cleric looked up at her. ¡°Monsters are one thing, but the traps are often more deadly.¡±
She nodded. A trap had probably been the closest she¡¯d ever come to dying, although she¡¯d had a few close calls over the year or two. ¡°How¡¯s he looking?¡±
¡°It¡¯s¡¡± Claude looked exhausted as he glanced between her and the prone man. ¡°It will be touch and go. He will need to be taken back to the Keep, and rest there.¡±
¡°For longer than five minutes, I take it.¡±
A nod was the only response.
[Poppy:¡ ]
[Poppy: I¡¯m sorry, I feel at fault.]
Sally looked back to the knight, who righted herself to her feet, but hung her head low. Not willing to look back toward Virgil. Might sound a little cruel to say that he knew what he was getting into. She never asked them to follow her¡ but she¡¯d have died without them, too.
¡°We¡¯ll take him back. The valley is open. It is up to you all what you decide to do now.¡± The zombie shrugged and lifted up her left hand, still clutching the dagger and shaking slightly. A golden STAR returned her glare.
¡°Oh, joy.¡± She rolled her eyes.
238 - Progression Fantasy
Chuck clucked his tongue. ¡°Talk about timing. Archie just confirmed STAR Level One is finally ready.¡±
¡°System''s still reeling from Theo¡¯s drop.¡±
¡°Understood. Slow roll the connection. Hold off if the power peaks into yellow.¡±
Dent nodded, his own eyes now glued to the screens. ¡°Not to worry, we¡¯ll leave nothing to chance. The binary response from Theo is all clear.¡±
The Architect wiped the sweat from his forehead. ¡°Excellent. Hopefully he has no issues.¡±
The vampire stretched out his neck. He had appeared on a small platform floating in the air. All around him was a sphere of slowly swirling light blue and pastel purples. He shuffled his feet on the flooring, which seemed to be made of a soft white tile. Weapon racks lined the left and right side before the drop. Straight ahead was a staircase leading downward.
Hands in pockets, he stepped over to the top of the stairs to get a better view of where they led to.
Another platform, this one a large circle. Similar design. No walls or any real details aside from the tile pattern.
There was a figure, however, standing in the middle. Waiting patiently. Around eight feet tall and masculine in appearance. Stocky dark beard, bald head, and armor of leathers and furs. In each hand, a melee weapon.
Theo grinned and stopped halfway down the steps. ¡°Hey!¡±
Dark eyes turned to him. ¡°It has been a while since I have had a challenger. Defeat me to become the champion.¡±
¡°Champion of the floating disc? Alright¡ I¡¯m in. I just grab a weapon?¡± He withdrew a pocketed hand to jerk a thumb back to the first platform.
¡°Make a choice and become humbled, ant.¡±
The vampire¡¯s fangs glistened in the light. An insect, huh? He was far from that.
¡°I hate bugs.¡± Sally sighed and placed an aching hand on the dejected knight¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t let guilt do more damage than the Monsters. You did everything you could, and we¡¯d all be dead without you.¡±
[Poppy: Thanks, Sally.]
Her plated head rose and gave the zombie a brief nod.
¡°Sally, I have a Cure potion you can use.¡± Claude extended a hand, holding a glass bottle filled with a green liquid.
She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s only got five minutes left. Save it, assuming we are safe here.¡±
¡°We are, but¡ are you not in agony? This isn¡¯t a minor ailment?¡±
¡°Feels like fire ants are having their international meet and greet, and the buffet is all-you-can-eat.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve endured worse for lesser reasons.¡±
The healer shook his head in exasperation. ¡°I¡¯m too stressed to be concerned, but as you see fit, Miss Danger. As to if we are safe¡ there will be a treasure chest in the room somewhere. Once opened, the Dungeon will start to decay. Best we be out of here within ten minutes of that occurring.¡±
She glanced down at her golden STAR again. ¡°If we don¡¯t open the chest?¡±
¡°An hour maybe and the Monsters will come back.¡±
Sounded like if they found a more reasonable Dungeon, they¡¯d be able to farm it out for decent experience. The rewards might be worth continued progression, however.
Archie sat beside her. ¡°STAR Level One achieved and in the process of connecting. A valiant start.¡±
She looked back at the inert Virgil, and wasn¡¯t so sure about that.
[Level 4 Reached]
[Stats Increased]
[Skill Granted: Unholy Fervor]
[2 Skill Points]
[Unholy Fervor - Self-cast buff. Regenerate 1% HP every second, +10% Damage, 10 second duration. 60 second cooldown.]
A little self-healing paid dividends in such a high stakes world. Ten percent wasn¡¯t a lot, but given how short fights usually lasted, it was more of a bonus to be used for the damage buff more than anything.
She cast it on herself now, a purple glow running up her body as the warmth of healing patched up what it could. With tired eyes, she put her Skill Points in [Swordmastery] and [Determination]. The latter appeared to help with resistances to status effects and debilitation. Seemed handy, really.
¡°A little longer and Virgil will be stable enough to be moved,¡± Claude confirmed. ¡°You can see now why we are so few.¡±
Sally nodded. ¡°Honestly, I expected to act alone. The fact that you all joined up with so easily was suspicious.¡±
The healer looked down at his patient. ¡°There is a point where desperation erodes away at your sensibilities. We are¡ we need to escape this torment.¡±
She looked back up to the spiral staircase. Well, one person seemed to have found an escape.
Theo stepped back down the stairs, now with a sword in his hands. ¡°You had no katars or punch-blades. I am underwhelmed.¡±
The figure grunted and brought his own weapons up, ready. One was a jagged sword, the other a studded mace like a thick bat. ¡°A warrior makes no excuses, nor complains about the hand that he is dealt on the battlefield.¡±
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¡°What do I call you?¡±
¡°Borin, the Infinite Blade.¡±
More like Boring, Theo thought to himself. ¡°Theo, although I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t live long enough to make remembering it worth the effort.¡±
¡°My weapons have eaten the souls of those twice as worthy as you. Step forth and be humbled, blood-drinker.¡±
He grinned and burst forward, flourishing the blade which glowed pink in preparation to use [Novice Strike]. Before he got close enough, he spun out to the side, narrowly avoiding the sword of his opponent as the giant of a man flashed toward him with incredible speed.
Already he was on the defensive, as his sword came up to block the large mace. There was a clang and a snap, and he slid back across the white tiles. Blood dripped from his shattered left forearm - brought up to brace the flat of the sword against the attack.
¡°Oh, you¡¯re pretty powe-¡±
Borin didn¡¯t allow him time to talk, the jagged sword slashing across and splitting the vampire¡¯s head in two.
Sally winced and twitched. Must be the venom leaving her body.
[Poppy: You did really well, Sally.]
[Poppy: Someone at your level would usually be useless in such a fight.]
She gave the knight a soft smile.
[Sally: I have a lot of hard skills.]
[Sally: Fighting comes naturally to me these days.]
Probably best not to mention that it was mostly against Players. There was only so much you could learn against System-created Monsters, although the ones here might be a little smarter than those back at Sanctuary. Not only from saving the world, but the months of safety had been filled with Events and Dungeon roles at differing Levels and difficulties.
Systems liked to obfuscate things with health-points and armor values, but a dagger to the neck was nearly always going to put something on death¡¯s door. Arbitrary, really. Something Virgil was finding out the hard way. If she had just tried to duel the Monsters with her sword, then she¡¯d have been on the losing side quick enough.
She looked over at the surviving zombie hornet, who she had told to go stand as far as way as possible, so the movement of their wings stopped grating on her nerves. As it so happened, that is also where the treasure chest had appeared. Something rather basic - wooden in design with iron bracing. There was a symbol on the front, similar to the carvings that had been out the front of the Dungeon.
¡°Thanks for your healing back there, Claude. That and the distraction saved my skin.¡±
He didn¡¯t turn to her, as he finished chanting another heal for the wounded man. ¡°Of course. I did say you¡¯d need me, didn¡¯t I?¡±
She smiled and sat down on the ground beside Archie. ¡°Chat up yet?¡±
¡°Almost. Things are slower than normal.¡±
¡°Everything okay back home?¡±
¡°I am certain of it. If they are sending Theo out today, then they will be being more cautious with energy use.¡±
Sally pulled a face. ¡°Hope fangs is doing fine. What I wouldn¡¯t give to see that goofy confident grin of his right now.¡±
Theo threw up a mouthful of blood and choked, gasping for air. His shaking hands gripped at¡ white tile.
Blinking away the blur from his eyes, he pushed himself up to his feet. Confusion marred his brow, as he was pretty sure he just died. Yet here he was back on the square platform, Borin down on the circle one, looking rather bored.
Death was supposed to take him back to Sanctuary.
His eyes went over to a System message eager to be viewed.
[Sword (+2 exp)]
Curious. He stepped forward, past the weapons, and walked halfway down the steps. ¡°Hey Borin, I did not die.¡±
¡°Shame.¡±
¡°I can just respawn here if I fall in battle?¡±
¡°Until your mind has rotted and spirit is broken.¡±
Theo grinned. ¡°What then?¡±
¡°Eternal rest can be gained from leaping from the edge of the platform.¡±
¡°Neat!¡± He turned back and hopped up the steps to where the weapon racks lay in wait.
Now he understood it - and it was better than he had expected. Weapon experience persisted over his attempts to best the champion. With enough effort, he could level up his skill and have a better chance against the giant of a man.
In which case¡ screw swords. If he was going to become the master of something new, it would have to be something fun. His tongue ran across his lips as his crimson eyes picked through the gathered assortment of martial weapons.
Claude stood and wavered slightly. ¡°Still some numbness in my leg, but I can walk.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll support you up the stairs,¡± Sally offered.
¡°Bless you.¡± He gave her a thankful nod and a slight smile. ¡°Poppy will need to carry Virgil. We will take things slow. Haste will only shake loose whatever thread of chance he has.¡±
[Poppy: Carry my shield, Sally?]
[Poppy: We should be safe enough now.]
Sally nodded. ¡°Sure thing. Give me the word and I¡¯ll go open the chest?¡±
¡°We¡¯ll get to the staircase first, to be certain.¡± Claude dusted down his tabard and stretched his back out.
Sally missed a lot of things about Sanctuary. Teleporting everywhere. Being nigh invulnerable. Her friends that she could rely on. Theo¡¯s abs. Pancakes. She forgot why she started the list. Sure, she¡¯d had a few drab times here and there, but this world was just¡ sad.
¡°How will I progress from here? Is this the weakest Dungeon, and it scales up from here?¡± She pulled a face at the prospect.
Claude shrugged. ¡°Should be a random mix from Level Five all the way up to Twenty, but they trend weaker closer to Bastion Keep, and stronger over where He resides.¡±
She¡¯d have to ask why they didn¡¯t like saying his actual name. Seemed¡ odd. Maybe once they were more settled - it wasn¡¯t clear if the Party would even continue on after this.
The knight passed her the shield, which was heavier than she expected. Poppy must be pretty strong underneath the full armor. She watched as the woman then hoisted Virgil up over her shoulder gently, assisted by the cleric. Archie watched with interest before turning his emerald eyes up to her.
[Chuck: STAR One up and running, Sally. Check in?]
[Sally: Safe and sound.]
[Sally: World is pretty miserable and struggling.]
[Chuck: Just what you wanted, right?]
[Sally: How¡¯s Theo?]
She ignored his question, as the reality of the situation wasn''t quite what she had in mind. Being a powerful and manic zombie hadn¡¯t quite landed yet, and she might snap if she had to play nice and normal for much longer.
[Chuck: He¡¯s dropped to his world.]
[Chuck: Safe, just waiting for his Chat to be up.]
[Sally: Connect us asap, okay?]
[Chuck: Of course. Stay safe.]
Exhaling through her nose, she felt a bit better now. Just having the line through to Chuck was enough. A bit more power and she could have the Outsiders guild Chat on the go¡ but that might be too distracting. Theo and Chuck would be enough until she was more situated in the world.
She stepped over behind Poppy as the three of them walked over to the stairs. Stopping by the chest, she looked over at the others to wait for them to reach the first step. With Claude¡¯s nod, she opened it up.
[180 Gold]
[Unidentified Armor (2)]
[Healing Potion (3)]
[Blank Scroll]
Not terrible. She¡¯d give them a better look over once she was back at the Keep. Getting Virgil back safe was the most important thing right now - so she caught them up. Hit her regeneration again just for the habit of it. Her body ached, but most of the effects of the hornet juice had sunk away. Her zombie one could stay down here.
They ascended slowly, taking each step one at a time so as to not jostle the injured man much. He looked in a terrible state, still pale from the blood loss. But, after a handful of patient minutes, they saw the daylight from the overcast sky and stepped out of the Dungeon.
She allowed herself to relax a little. Odd how the darkness of the Dungeon had weighed so much on her mood, and stepping out into fresh air was rather-
Pain flared in her back, and she took an awkward step forward before stabilizing.
¡°You killed Virgil, you bitch.¡±
She turned an exhausted glare back toward Kenny, who was slowly losing what angered confidence he had assailed her with, letting go of the weapon buried in her back.
¡°Nice dagger,¡± she said, blood running from the side of her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s mine now.¡±
239 - Faced with Reality
Kenny stepped back, his desire for revenge completely drained away.
With a grunt, Sally turned to face him and raised her hand up to quieten the others from interjecting.
¡°What exactly was your plan, Kenny?¡± She stepped toward him and wiped the blood from her mouth with her arm. ¡°You thought a knife could do the job?¡±
¡°I-I was just-¡±
¡°You don¡¯t know me. I¡¯ve been disemboweled, dismembered, and decapitated.¡± She continued slowly toward him as he backed himself up against the dungeon wall. ¡°Burned. Broken. Turned to ashes and frozen solid. I have died hundreds of deaths, and you thought a basic dagger would even faze me?¡±
The young man was silent now, squirming and trying to sink through the wall.
Sally placed a bloody hand against his shoulder, keeping him in place. ¡°But do you want to know why I¡¯m so chipper and friendly all the time?¡± She leaned in closer and lowered her voice, so that only he could hear. ¡°You think me a Monster, but you can¡¯t see the forest for the trees, Ken. Left unchecked, I would not just be cold and callous, but I would be ten times worse that the shmuck making trouble in this world. My life¡¯s work is to save and protect good people, because otherwise¡ I would erase everything in my sight.¡±
She let go of him and stepped back to sigh. ¡°Virgil isn¡¯t dead. Choose which side of the line you stand, because this is your final warning.¡±
Kenny nodded slowly, but was too frozen in fear to reply.
Sally turned to the side, her eyes lingering on Kenny before she looked over to Claude. ¡°Could you pull out my new dagger, please? My back is an uncomfortable sheathe - I don¡¯t know what I was thinking.¡±
Already, healing was slowly ticking up, repairing the wound. It had been a decent attempt on her life, but missed anything that would take her out for good. Neck shot would have been best, as she doubted the man had the strength to sever her spine directly. She winced slightly as Claude withdrew the blade and handed it to her.
Despite the jovial conversation she had with Chuck back then, she was pretty sure she was right on the mark about him pushing her into violent situations to dull her to being hurt. As a zombie, she already had a high pain tolerance and casual attitude toward mortality. Even if their respawning in Sanctuary took away most of the trauma and mental effects of dying, it had still stuck with her. There were few others in the System who so eagerly got mushed into a corpse like her.
She smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s get Virgil back. We¡¯ve delayed enough.¡±
They each nodded, although Kenny seemed less eager. None of them said anything, even Poppy didn¡¯t send her a message. Perhaps she had let the veil slip a little too much, there. If there was one thing the Outsiders did well, it was keeping her grounded and carefree. She didn¡¯t feel like a Monster or a villain when they were around.
Not even a day here and she was a few steps to becoming Bad Sally. With a sigh, she followed the others down the valley path back to the Keep.
[Sally: Hey, fam.]
[Norah: Hi, hun! Everything okay?]
[Humphrey: ARE YOU OKAY?]
[Humphrey: sorry, caps]
[Lucius: :D Sally!]
[Henkk: Hope you are well.]
[Lana: How¡¯s the other world?]
[Edward: hi]
The messages came in slowly, but each one made her feel a little better. Nothing from Theo yet, but she couldn¡¯t help but smile and wipe something away from her eyes. Probably blood. Yeah, she¡¯d say it was that.
Edward tapped his foot on the floor as he stood with arms crossed. ¡°Focus, Humphrey.¡±
The Death Knight turned his attention back to the demon. ¡°But Sally sent a message. I needed to make sure she was okay. She might need me to come help her already. Perhaps it¡¯s too dangerous there and-¡±
¡°Enough. I didn¡¯t bring you to this room so you could whine about the zombie.¡±
Humphrey grunted and narrowed his eye sockets. ¡°You said you had a file here for each of us?¡±
¡°Yeah. Not just the Outsiders, but anyone that is either notable or has something interesting that I could use against them, eventually.¡± Edward grinned and stuck his hands in his pockets.
¡°So¡ can I see-¡±
¡°No.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I did not bring you here to share my gossip.¡±
The Death Knight shrugged. ¡°Then why? I do not see the purpose of not allowing me to see your collection of secrets.¡±
¡°Oh, it¡¯s rather simple, actually.¡± Edward grinned and clicked his fingers.
The stone door behind Humphrey groaned and moved to close as the lanterns dimmed. Blue light tinged the area as the demon¡¯s eyes glowed brighter.
¡°It¡¯s so you can be the first,¡± he whispered, drawing a knife into his hand.
Theo went to clutch at his neck to stop the spray of arterial blood, but found that his arm was actually missing and unable to perform the action. Instead, he went to dive to the side to avoid the follow-up attack coming his way, but slipped on the tiles slick with his blood.
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Darkness took him as his spine broke from the impact.
A second of silence, before he appeared back up at the staging area. He let out a long sigh and worked his shoulders out.
[Warhammer (+5 exp)]
Still slow going. Was he improving on a physical level? Perhaps. He stepped over to retrieve the weapon from the rack once more and went halfway down the steps.
¡°You have a casual relationship with death,¡± Borin stated. ¡°Few are as eager to be crushed beneath my weapons and not start to lose hope.¡±
¡°Lose hope?¡± Theo grinned, exposing his fangs. ¡°You have this all wrong, my friend. Even if I am able to pluck a grain of sand every life, eventually I will form a mountain to bury you.¡±
¡°I see.¡± The giant tilted his head to the side. ¡°You are betting that I will break before your sanity does?¡±
¡°Betting would imply there is a chance I would lose.¡± The vampire tensed up, before bursting down the rest of the stairs and into combat.
Sally sighed and leaned against the outside wall of the Keep. After escorting the others inside, she couldn¡¯t take the odd looks and stifling misery of the place. From here, she could see that the Dungeon ahead had now collapsed, so now she was just biding some time¡ mostly to find out if anyone was going to join her.
She closed her eyes and relaxed. Seemed to only be early afternoon, so there was plenty of day ahead where she could get into more mischief.
¡°Sally?¡±
Furrowing her brow, she turned a tired glare towards Kenny, who was now standing just outside the Keep entrance. ¡°What? Did you actually want your dagger back?¡±
¡°N-no. Keep it.¡± He looked out towards the valley. ¡°I wanted to¡ apologize.¡±
¡°Oh.¡±
Kenny clenched and flexed his fingers. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave the Party¡ but it¡¯s not because of you. I have no idea why the System gave me this Class¡ I¡¯m not built for adventuring.¡±
Sally followed his gaze out to the horizon. Hills, dotted architecture, and mountains further down the island. Adventuring wasn¡¯t just about exploring and finding neat loot - it also involved a lot of deciding how much peril and trauma you were willing to subject yourself and those close to you to.
¡°I understand, and hold no grudge.¡±
He looked back at her. ¡°None at all?¡±
¡°Get in my way again and I will kill you.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m here to save your asses, whether they are dumb or not. It only works if I live, though.¡±
Kenny frowned and gave her a nod, but wasn¡¯t sure what to make of her cryptic message. ¡°I¡¯ll gather up what supplies I have that you can use. It¡¯s not enough to make up for stabbing you, but more useful than my well-wishes.¡±
Before she had a chance to respond, he had darted back inside.
[Poppy: Sally? Where are you?]
[Sally: Just outside getting fresh air.]
[Poppy: Can I borrow you for something? ^^;;]
[Poppy: I need to repair my armor.]
[Sally: Sure, I¡¯ll come find you.]
With one last look at the wider world, she sighed and walked back into the gloomy Keep. After updating the Baron on the partial good news, Claude was now overseeing a couple of people tending to Virgil. The majority of those left had some form of medical knowledge - even if basic. Something of a necessity, he had said.
She caught the knight waving her over to a side passage she hadn¡¯t noticed before and was glad to speed up away from the eyes that were giving her mixed attention from the main hall. Some were way too hopeful, and others still suspicious. Holding some grudge as Kenny had.
This area looked to be some manner of dorms, or at least a place for people to sleep in actual rooms. Sally followed the woman into one and shut the door behind her.
[Poppy: As part of my vow¡]
[Poppy: I¡¯m not allowed to let any living mortal see me without my armor.]
[Poppy: So¡ since you¡¯re undead, it should be fine.]
Sally smiled. ¡°Sure, I guess? That¡¯s a pretty restrictive. Do you lose some of your abilities if your vow is broken?¡±
[Poppy: That¡¯s right.]
[Poppy: I don¡¯t mind it most of the time¡]
[Poppy: But being mute makes it more of a lonely existence, though.]
The woman turned and placed a small hammer on the desk beside her bed. Some of the metal plating on her chest had been dented inward during the fight, and was making some of her movements awkward.
Sally looked down to see Archie by her feet. ¡°You¡¯re not alive too, right? Plus¡ have you been shadowing me this whole time?¡±
The cat nodded, before moving to jump up onto Poppy¡¯s bed. ¡°It is my sole purpose as your guardian angel.¡±
She rolled her eyes. ¡°How can I help you, Poppy? I don¡¯t really know the first thing about armor repairs.¡±
The knight gave Archie an intangible stroke, before she turned her side to the zombie and raised her arm. Where the clasps for the plate connected, the metal had been mashed.
[Poppy: Fair warning - it gets like an oven in here!]
¡°Say no more.¡± Sally grinned and narrowed her eyes at the clasps to see if she could brute force it. ¡°I¡¯ve smelled plenty of things worse than after-battle odor.¡±
Straining her fingers, she didn¡¯t have to try for too long before the clasps popped and the armor hung a little loose on straps. Poppy turned from her and removed her gauntlets one by one, revealing a dirtied, long white shirt and pale hands.
The woman sat on the side of the bed¡ªmaking sure not to squish the cat¡ªand removed her helmet slowly.
Sally raised her eyebrows in anticipation before smiling. ¡°Not sure what I was expecting, but you¡¯re dazzling, popop.¡±
Poppy smiled in return. Her short auburn hair tied up in a short bun was drenched through with sweat. Exhaustion clear, but her light green eyes were still bright. Her soft pale skin was gently freckled, only marred by scars that criss-crossed from around her mouth, down her neck and below the dirtied white tunic she wore.
[Poppy: You¡¯re just saying that ^^]
She averted her eyes and looked back down at Archie, giving him some pets.
¡°Nah.¡± Sally pulled out the chair that was beneath the desk and sat on it. She removed her boots before putting her feet up on the bed beside the cat. ¡°Scars are pretty badass. With eyes like that, and your proficiency in battle, you¡¯d have no trouble finding someone who would treat you like a queen.¡±
Poppy tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.
[Poppy: Honestly, I¡¯ve never been much for courting.]
[Poppy: Back home I had two cats all to myself.]
[Poppy: And that was all I desired]
[Poppy: Socks and Paddy. I miss them dearly.]
[Poppy: Does your heart belong to someone other than Archie?]
Sally grinned. ¡°Yeah, I have a squeeze back home. He¡¯s part Monster as well.¡±
[Poppy: Oh, a zombie?]
¡°Vampire.¡± She smiled and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°I give him a lot of shit because he is a dork with a finely crafted set of abdominal muscles¡ but I guess the best thing about him is¡ he has always accepted me. He makes me feel normal.¡±
[Poppy: It¡¯s important to have a community that makes you feel safe.]
[Poppy: He must be quite the man to be worthy of you! ^^]
¡°Right?¡± Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll have to meet my adoptive pops. He would love you. He is a powerful knight as well.¡±
The woman nodded slowly.
[Poppy: I¡¯d love to - although I¡¯m not sure how realistic that is.]
[Poppy: Our chances seem dimmer by the day.]
Sally furrowed her brow. She¡¯d already grown too attached to some of the people on this world, and success wasn¡¯t guaranteed. If she died¡ the world would be doomed. Something she¡¯d known from the start¡ but now that it was personal, she couldn¡¯t let them down.
¡°Let¡¯s get things fixed up, Poppy.¡± She withdrew her legs to stand up from the chair. ¡°We need to break every rule you know so that I can become disgustingly overpowered.¡±
240 - Into the Shade
Edward looked down at the plated figure now on the floor. With the click of his fingers, the lanterns increased in brightness once more.
Humming to himself, he put the dagger away in its sheath and gave it a little pat. A job well done was worthy of a little praise, after all.
Now all he had to do was wait.
The Death Knight lifted his head up to regard the demon. ¡°Why is it you have to make everything so sinister and dramatic?¡±
He shrugged in return. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±
Humphrey held up the book that he was reading through while sitting on the ground. ¡°That you had to dim the lights and use a dagger as a key for the locked box that held this book. I¡¯m assuming you meant the first, as in nobody else has read this?¡±
¡°Correct.¡± Edward sighed. ¡°Demons... aren¡¯t good people by nature. Even those of us who try to live a pleasant life¡ we have to do some kind of minor evil. For me, it is the constant plotting and inevitable betrayals.¡±
¡°I see.¡± The Death Knight returned his gaze to the book. ¡°Always knew you were no true threat.¡±
¡°Maybe that¡¯s what I want you to believe.¡±
Humphrey ignored him and flipped the page over. He hadn¡¯t thought to question it at the time, but the magic used to create the sigil that kept the Outsiders alive¡ couldn¡¯t have been created by Edward and Chuck. They just didn¡¯t have that kind of ability at the time. The names of those who had truly helped had been obscured and forgotten - save for whatever lay within this tome.
He ran a plated finger down the open page. ¡°So you think that our mystery person may have a connection to one of the sigil makers?¡±
¡°That¡¯s what the question-mark on the board was for.¡± Edward rolled his eyes.
¡°Hmm.¡± The Death Knight paused, his finger wavering in place. ¡°I was not expecting to see this name.¡±
Sally stepped back out into the main hall, with Poppy close behind. All eyes turned to the pair, but they continued straight out into the open air.
¡°Ah, Sally?¡±
She stopped, and they both turned to see Kenny join them. With a neutral expression on her face, she tilted her head and waited for him to speak up.
¡°Got you some items. I¡¯m not sure how useful they¡¯ll be¡ but probably a lot more so than taking up space in my Inventory.¡±
The System prompted her to receive the items, and Sally accepted.
[Health Potion (3)]
[Dungeonering Kit]
[Thieves Tools]
[Bandages (5)]
[Flash Pellet (2)]
¡°Thanks, Kenny. You best keep these people safe while we¡¯re away.¡±
[Kenny has left the Party.]
¡°Will do my best.¡± He gave them both an awkward bow, before slithering his way back into the Keep.
[Claude: Give me 5 minutes and I will join you.]
She smiled. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s nice that he is still up for this. He didn¡¯t give off the best impression at the start, but he is dependable.¡±
[Poppy: He has watched a lot of people die.]
[Poppy: Yet he always helps.]
¡°Let¡¯s make sure he only gets wins in the future, then.¡± Sally smiled and then went to her Inventory to check out all the new items she had received.
Flash Pellets seemed useful - a brief stun or daze to a target when thrown. Probably intended to be used before escaping, but if she knew one thing, it was that debilitating an enemy usually gave a massive advantage in killing them off. Health Potions and Bandages were self explanatory, restoring an arbitrary twenty or ten percent health, respectively. Using her skill and a bandage at the same time could do the same amount, so that was the better use of what little items she had currently.
The Kit and Tools had various different parts for unlocking doors, disabling traps, and general dungeon-useful things. Rope, a small bag of ball-bearings, a hooded lantern, and chalk.
¡°How do I identify the pieces of gear that I received from the dungeon¡¯s chest?¡±
[Poppy: Claude can do that ^^]
Sally was starting to believe that the healer was very important to keep around. She looked down at the cat, who was lying on his back with his tummy exposed to the sky. ¡°Any estimate on what it¡¯d take to get to STAR Three, Arch?¡±
¡°Hmm. While STAR One required Level Four here, I am uncertain if Level Twelve will be the threshold. It depends on your power, and how the scaling curves in this System.¡± He rolled back to his feet and shook himself off.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
She penciled in Ten as the possible level that she might be able to call on some aid. While getting her current level hadn¡¯t taken too much time, she had a feeling that each further level would take a lot more effort. The trio turned their heads as Claude stepped out of the Keep.
¡°Let¡¯s get going, ladies. The day is eager to bury us in nightfall if we meander.¡±
Sally stepped up beside him as they worked their way down through the valley. ¡°Claude, would you be able to identify the two pieces of equipment from the Dungeon?¡±
¡°Of course, kindly hand them over.¡±
She did so, trading them directly from her Inventory to his. After a few moments where his eyes were unfocused, he then looked back at her.
¡°You may keep them both, as you have very little gear. I assume nothing else of value was found in the chest?¡±
[Poppy: I don¡¯t need anything ^^]
Sally nodded at the knight, as she was intending on asking that. ¡°Gold, healing potions, blank scroll¡¡±
¡°Oh? May I have the scroll?¡±
She nodded, and they made the transaction.
[Crimson Cloak] [+2 Endurance, +1 Strength]
[Boots of Stability] [+1 Endurance, +1 Determination]
With a grunt, she put the boots on the old-fashioned way. No cosmetic slots or equipment switching on this world. They were heavy - a polished gunmetal compared to Poppy¡¯s silver armor - but perhaps a lot better suited to battle than her diner flats. After struggling with the cloak, the knight stood behind her to get it arranged and clasped properly.
Sally brandished her sword and stood in place for a second. ¡°Now I feel like more of a knight!¡±
The healer stopped and looked back at her, a soft smile on his face. ¡°Best you find something that protects your torso, and a skirt isn¡¯t terribly practical.¡±
She tutted. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I defeated a dragon in this drip, pal. Or it was jeans, I forget.¡±
¡°A dragon?¡± He raised an eyebrow at the knight.
Sally put her hands on her hips and looked off to the horizon. ¡°Gods, I was strong then.¡± In some ways, she was stronger now. Maybe not as the System saw it¡ but her experiences after crushing Ruben had done nothing but hone her into something even more like a living weapon than she used to be.
It was difficult not to labor her new friends with the full picture. They continued through the valley in silence. Difficult, but she¡¯d endure. No good would come from telling them her full unlife story and having to explain what the real plan was here. Maybe at the end of the road¡ªif they succeeded¡ªit would feel like she¡¯d betrayed them by stealing away their world¡ but she could live with that because they¡¯d be able to live in peace.
¡°I¡ am thankful you did not kill Kenny,¡± Claude eventually said. ¡°Your mercy was surprising, but appreciated.¡±
¡°Eh.¡± She pulled a face. ¡°I¡¯m here to save people, and he wasn¡¯t being malicious¡ just scared and dumb. Don¡¯t get me wrong, though. I¡¯m not afraid to break eggs to make an omelet.¡± Sometimes just break eggs for fun. Just right there on the counter in a big mess. Metaphor aside, she¡¯d need to apologize to Theo when she saw him again.
¡°I take it you¡¯ve killed Players before, then?¡±
She watched his expression. He seemed a little apprehensive, but it wasn¡¯t paranoia that was driving the line of questioning. No sense in lying about it.
¡°Some.¡± She shrugged. ¡°A lot of people saw me as a Monster filled with loot. Something just to kill for experience. I was not so easily put in the dirt.¡±
¡°Clearly.¡± He gave her a nod, but pressed no further.
Although she didn¡¯t care to think about how many people she may have eaten during her time in Sanctuary, she didn¡¯t regret any of them. Some were undeserving¡ especially at the start - but it had taken her a while to understand and accept what she was and what she wanted. Which was currently a hot stack of pancakes and plateful of Theo.
They reached the end of the valley where the Dungeon once stood. Now a ruined mess of dark brown shards that once comprised the walls. No sign that it used to travel underground whatsoever - as if the ground had just eaten it up. Now, rolling fields stretched out in all directions. Some woodland to the right, and potentially another village in the far distance.
What caught her attention, however, were the handful of singular structures dotted around this landscape. More Dungeons.
¡°Any clue which we should head to first?¡± She sighed and tried to stretch out her back.
Claude withdrew a short cylinder from his belt and extended it, holding it up to his eye. He pointed it between the three closest Dungeons, his tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly as he thought. Eventually, he removed it and turned to the others.
¡°We have two combat and one puzzle Dungeon close by. The lowest Level is a Five, and is one of the fighting ones.¡±
Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°I¡¯m down for that. Might as well go for the easy things first, right?¡±
[Poppy: I agree ^^]
[Poppy: Is that the centaur guardian?]
The healer nodded. ¡°He uses a bow, so getting close can be an issue. I believe there was a group who lost two members because they underestimated the range and power of the Monster.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± She nodded and rubbed her chin. With little armor of her own, she didn¡¯t fancy getting an arrow through her chest.
[Poppy: Best if I lead and provide cover?]
¡°Yeah, Claude if you stay as far back and out of sight as you can - I¡¯ll shadow Poppy into combat.¡± She turned to the knight. ¡°You don¡¯t have like¡ a spear or lance you could use, I guess?¡±
[Poppy: I have a skill called [Lion¡¯s Lance] which lashes out like one.]
¡°Perfect.¡± Sally grinned. ¡°Then let¡¯s go kill us a Guardian.¡±
Lucius stepped out of his office and into the sunshine. It was a pleasant day and he had the rest of the afternoon off - so a nice walk sounded like the perfect way to relax.
Even from here, he could hear the waves lapping up against the shore. Having lived his System life purely in the Wasteland, it made a nice change to be so close to the sea. Relaxing, and something his patients seemed to appreciate as well.
Fiddling with the strap of his satchel, he stepped around and down the short stone staircase to the promenade walkway. Tomorrow was the first meeting of the New Environment Research and Development team and¡ oh, he just got the acronym. He wondered which jokester came up with that.
Anyway, with that underway, it gave him a lot to think about. It was going to be the New Player area, and so there were important tasks to consider - how they should be greeted and what could be done to get them integrated into the System as smoothly as possible.
With Lana¡¯s help, he had already sent out surveys to many of his patients, asking them how they felt about their appearance here, and what could have been different to make them feel more at home. Sally had left him a handful of messages before she left, insisting a diner that served pancakes was a necessity, but that-
He paused and turned around. His crimson eyes narrowed back down the promenade. Pretty empty, considering - but this area usually didn¡¯t see much traffic, anyway. The small beach huts lined up against the short stone wall¡ well, he thought he heard movement, but he must have been mistaken.
Turning back to the way he was walking, he paused, bumping into something. Before he could apologise, a cold pain ran through his stomach, causing him to buckle over. Unable to fully process what had happened, he dropped to the warm ground.
And then there was darkness.
241 - Ill Fitting
The wind whipped through Sally¡¯s hair as her heavy boots took her across the grassy plain. This was one of her long practiced skills - although she usually did it at a much slower pace. Using the charging knight as cover, she was an expert in staying out of line of sight. Not that she¡¯d tell Poppy that she was a larger figure to obscure her better than a zombie ever could - that just seemed rude.
She adjusted her pace as the woman in front of her slowed a little to bring up the shield. A loud clang followed by a second, and then they sped up once more. The arrows laying on the grass were longer and thicker than Sally had seen before, and were currently smoldering with some spent energy. If anything, it just drove home a point that she was starting to suspect¡
System-created were more powerful in this world. The hornets had been smart enough to know when to spring the trap, and they had a little more battlefield sense than what she knew from the Monsters in Sanctuary. Perhaps there was a specific reason for it, but she was currently too focused on not catching an arrow to think about it properly.
They were covering good distance, but the centaur would have another two shots at them. She risked a glance behind to see Claude. Much further behind and almost cowering as he trotted after them. Even if the Guardian knew the healer was a higher priority target, picking out the minute figure when the shining knight and hidden zombie were fast covering distance made it almost impossible for them to try to take out the older man.
Shield back up as they slowed. The resounded clang of metal tip against toughened shield. A second strike once more, but this one with a slightly off sound.
Poppy stumbled, but then powered forward once more. With the risk of getting shot lowered, Sally sped up and wavered to the left slightly to see what she had anticipated - the large arrow protruding from the shoulder of the knight. It must have gone barely above the shield. She ducked back into position and gave Claude a hand signal to let him know to heal Poppy as soon as possible.
They were close now - she could see the dungeon looming ahead over the knight. This one was gray brickwork, overrun with vines and intentional abandonment.
Poppy leaped up into the air and landed with both feet parallel, slowing to a halt across the dried dirt and raising her shield up.
Sally slid to the floor, spotting the Monster taking aim just at the entrance to the Dungeon between the knight¡¯s legs. [Chain] shot out, striking the centaur in their chest and bringing them closer, interrupting their next shot. Poppy moved her sword arm back and then lashed forward - a large lance of radiant light flashing out to meet the hapless foe.
There was a hideous crunch, before the impact knocked Poppy backwards on top of the prone zombie.
With a grin, Humphrey snapped the book shut. ¡°Well then, I think we have a good idea of where to start.¡±
Edward pulled a face and held out a hand. ¡°You¡¯re not taking the book with you.¡±
¡°Are you going to stop me?¡±
The demon crossed his arms. ¡°You know, you¡¯re definitely not my first choice for a buddy-cop adventure.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t even know what that is, but I¡¯m sure you would choose Theo for it.¡± The Death Knight grinned and handed the book over. He watched as it was put into the storage box, and Edward utilized the dagger to lock it away.
¡°It¡¯s where two unlikely individuals put aside their differences to solve a case, like detectives. Usually it involves wit and hijinks.¡± He turned away from the stored book. ¡°And yes, I would choose Theo.¡±
Humphrey shook his head. ¡°Well. All that I can promise is that we¡¯ll solve the case, buddy.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t¡¡± The demon narrowed his eyes.
"Ha-ha. As the most interesting name in the book, let¡¯s go talk to Lucius first.¡±
Dent drummed his metal fingers on the table. ¡°Got it - Theo is strong enough for Chat connection.¡±
¡°About time.¡± Chuck sighed and rubbed at his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s an unexpected peak, so take it slow.¡±
¡°Always do,¡± the swordsman murmured, before turning fully to the Architect. ¡°You need a break soon. You look drained. Things are going swell. Let me handle it from here and I¡¯ll do nothing more than get their Chats functional.¡±
Chuck tilted his head and pulled a face. ¡°You¡¯ll wake me if anything happens, of course?¡±
¡°Naturally.¡±
The Architect looked up at the ceiling and deflated. ¡°Fine, you win this time. I can¡¯t watch things every second of the day. Plus, I¡¯ll need to do this solo when you take the nerds out tomorrow.¡±
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Dent grimaced. ¡°Just who came up with that as an acronym, anyway?¡±
¡°Oh, I thought it was you?¡± With a shrug, Chuck vanished in a flash of blue.
Shaking his head, the swordsman sighed and looked over at the transportation machines, both now covered by a sheen of magical energy. It looked like a lot of eggs in one basket.
Sally groaned and got herself back up to her feet.
[Poppy: I¡¯m so sorry, Sally!!]
[Poppy: Are you okay?]
¡°Yeah.¡± She took a deep breath in and then exhaled. ¡°Nothing broken, for a change. Just a little bruised up.¡± Despite the knight wearing a full set of armor, she wasn¡¯t terribly heavy - her falling atop the zombie had come as more of a shock than anything. ¡°But what about you?¡±
Poppy looked down at her shoulder, the large arrow still protruding from a split in two of the plates. Streaks of crimson marred her shining armor. While the woman was typing up a message, the pulse of a healing spell illuminated her and the projectile slowly ejected from the wound.
[Poppy: Not terrible! It looked worse than it was.]
Claude huffed as he caught them up, his face flush. ¡°More the fool me for thinking I could keep up with you both. Been a while since I¡¯d had to move so fast.¡±
She clicked her fingers. ¡°We did it, though, right?¡± Sally turned to look at the dead Guardian. The sudden acceleration into the extended lance skill of the knight had totally cratered through the horse part of the centaur. Which was¡ a rib cage? She narrowed her eyes, wondering how they even worked internally.
[Poppy: We sure did!]
[Poppy: That¡¯s a good combo - we¡¯ll have to do that again.]
[Poppy: Don¡¯t forget to loot!]
Sally kneeled down beside the corpse. ¡°What are we in for, Claude?¡±
[23 Gold]
[Unidentified Armor]
[Mana Potion]
The healer rubbed at his chin as he glanced at the Dungeon. Similar runic symbols ran across the arched entrance. ¡°Hmm. Seems as though we will be dealing with goblins.¡±
¡°A classic.¡± Sally nodded her head, only feeling somewhat guilty that some of her good friends were goblins. ¡°Say, we can¡¯t just smoke them out? Do we need to play by the rules?¡± She looked down at the cat, who was being a patient observer for the most part.
¡°Do you ever?¡± Archie replied.
She stuck her tongue out at him and turned back to Claude. ¡°Got a mana potion and another piece of armor to take a look at if that¡¯s a fair trade?¡±
¡°Of course, Sally.¡± He nodded, and they made the exchange.
[Breastplate of Hardiness] [+2 Endurance +2 Determination]
Sally whistled. ¡°I¡¯ve got determination coming out my ears now. Could you help me with this, Poppy?¡±
The knight nodded and moved over as the zombie got the new armor from her Inventory. How handy for her to find some protection right after the healer suggested she do just that. Maybe the System could just see that she had no items. It was a similar shade of gunmetal to her boots and covered the majority of her torso down to her waist - the upper part clipping together under her cloak. It even had two side plates that covered her hips.
¡°Nothing like some optimisticly shaped metal to make a gal feel uncomfortable.¡± She looked down and pulled a face at whatever the blacksmith had been thinking when he made the armor. Clearly not one size fits all. ¡°Although, usually it¡¯s pointier things like swords and arrows.¡±
[Poppy: I think you look great, Sally ^^]
¡°Yeah.¡± She looked back up at the knight and grinned. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to be too self conscious when I¡¯m a corpse that spends half my time throwing up people, and the other half I have a stud who worships the ground I tread on.¡± Only a little exaggeration there.
¡°There should be an option on your Equipment window to¡ make your armor adjust to fit.¡± Claude pulled a face and kept a wary eye toward the Dungeon.
Sally looked through her screens and found it. Five gold fee - which sounded like a rip-off. The armor should do it naturally, in her opinion. After spending the necessary gold for both the breastplate and boots, she took a few steps around and gave them a test drive.
¡°Much better,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°Still need to get used to wearing armor, but at least I don¡¯t feel like I am inadequately trying to fulfill some odd male-gaze fantasy.¡±
[Poppy: Ah, you haven¡¯t seen the chain-mail bikinis yet.]
¡°Gross.¡± She¡¯d have to take a set home as a souvenir.
Claude cleared his throat, taking her out of a daydream. ¡°Shall we proceed, then? Although it surprises me that you are¡ married? No offense intended.¡±
¡°Not married, no. There¡¯s no tax incentive for it on my home System, and we¡¯re basically life partners already, so¡¡± Sally tilted her head. ¡°Plus, a ring would be a good way to de-glove my finger, given all the things I get up to.¡±
The healer gave her a very slow nod. ¡°I wholeheartedly regret asking. Let¡¯s go kill some goblins.¡±
Lucius blinked his eyes open, the circles of crimson slowly widening to take stock of his situation.
His head felt fuzzy - which wasn¡¯t entirely unnatural, as he was made of shadow. This was different, however. Glass and darkness came into further clarity as he rolled up to a seated position and clasped at the sides of his head with his hands. A ringing in his ears faded away as he frowned at the floor beneath him.
A circle of metal, cool to the touch and barely lit by an odd green hue.
He looked up around him. Glass wall only a foot or so away that¡ curved¡ all the way around him. Some sort of tube? Confused, he looked up to see a similar metal circle stopper at the top. Odd grooves decorated it, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any sense to them.
With a groan, the Shade got up to his feet and clutched at his stomach. Still some pain there, but it was recovering. What or who had stabbed him, though?
He pressed his shadowy face up against the glass to glare out, the darkened room beyond now giving him much detail to pick up on much. The occasional light of an electronic panel or button, but little else aside from the shapes of¡ machinery? Furniture?
Circling his view around, he paused and stepped away from the glass.
Behind his apparent cage were at least another dozen versions of this odd glass tube. Empty, as far as he could tell.
He brought up his Inventory to teleport away, but his STAR wasn¡¯t cooperating. Couldn¡¯t access Chat either. His belt didn¡¯t hold anything useful - and his skills weren¡¯t reacting to his urge to use them.
A brief spark of panic rose up within him before he calmed himself down. He was sure that Chuck or one of the Outsiders would find him missing and track him down.
Lucius froze, and then turned his gaze towards his left, where he now clocked the shadowed figure standing outside his tube, watching him intently with bright white eyes.
242 - Feeling Closer
With a groan that reverberated around the darkened enclosed space, Sally wrenched her sword from the dying goblin. Her arm ached, and she felt overheated in this armor without the ability to sweat. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of goblins,¡± she grunted, turning to see Poppy pulp the last of the group with the bottom edge of her shield.
¡°You cut through them rather effectively,¡± Claude said, dabbing his forehead with a cloth. ¡°Despite us not being a full Party, at least you are a proficient swordswoman.¡± His eyes went over to where three zombie goblins now stood.
¡°Eh, I¡¯ve not used one much, to be honest. I did recently participate in a sword tournament, however.¡±
[Poppy: How did you do??]
She grinned and raised an eyebrow. ¡°I beat my first challenger, but then had to face my adoptive father.¡±
¡°Oh,¡± Claude nodded. ¡°That must have been very conflicting for you both.¡±
¡°He broke my leg, cut out my eye, and removed the fingers on one of my hands.¡± Her grin didn¡¯t waver at all.
The healer, however, twisted his face into a grimace. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡ bad. You look like you¡ recovered well, at least.¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± Sally looked down at the cat, who was stretched on the floor - possibly napping. ¡°How much do you guys know about, like¡ the greater cosmos?¡±
[Poppy: Barely anything!]
Claude exhaled through his nose. ¡°Just as Poppy says. We came from a shared world and were brought to Thrimble by some unknown force. Outside of that, our knowledge is as devoid of light as an overcast night sky.¡±
¡°Bet it was Othea, right?¡±
The pair exchanged a glance before returning cautious nods to the zombie.
Sally smiled. ¡°It¡¯s too early in our partnership to blow your minds with more answers, but there are similar worlds with Systems just like here.¡±
[Poppy: And you¡¯re from one of them?]
[Poppy: An angel from the stars themselves?]
¡°Nothing quite that romanticized.¡± She shook her head in response. ¡°But I like that. I¡¯m adding it to my resume.¡± Sally yawned. ¡°You said two more chambers? Let¡¯s get this finished before nightfall.¡±
Claude shook away his roving thoughts about their world and what everything could mean. ¡°I believe so, yes. One with more grunts, and then a boss chamber is pretty standard.¡±
[Poppy: I always feel bad about killing goblins¡]
[Poppy: They¡¯re like angry green toddlers;;]
¡°I¡¯ve been called that a few times.¡± The zombie put her sword down on a shelf of loose brickwork so that she could stretch her arm out properly. It wasn¡¯t even that the sword was heavy, just the movements she was not used to making with the longer weapon in these tight spaces were awkward. ¡°My world has a bunch of goblins who are friendly.¡±
¡°I suppose a place where a flesh-eating zombie could be so affable would be just as likely to have other monstrous groups not hell-bent on destroying Players.¡± Claude rubbed at his chin.
¡°The Party I saved my world with included a Mummy, Vampire, Shade, and a Death Knight. Sometimes a Demon, too.¡±
Archie cleared his throat.
¡°Oh, and this cat,¡± Sally added. ¡°Of whom I will say no more at this junction.¡±
[Poppy: Traveling with him has been great!]
Emerald eyes looked between each of them, before the cat deflated. ¡°I hope you realize I have not been able to see any Chat messages that Poppy has sent.¡±
¡°That¡¯s really sad.¡± Sally put her hands on her hips. ¡°I can¡¯t invite you to the Party, though. Sorry.¡±
¡°No matter.¡± Archie stretched out. ¡°I have some other good news before we proceed with murdering things.¡±
Theo slid to a stop and put a hand up. ¡°Woah, woah, woah.¡±
Borin paused, his mace stopping mid-swing. His brow furrowed as his opponent started to walk away from him. ¡°I¡¯ve had people begging and pleading before, but none so casually ask me to cease beating them to a pulp.¡±
The vampire grinned to himself as he took a couple of steps up the staircase before turning and sitting. His eyes off up in his STAR after a quick press of his glowing cufflinks.
[Theo: Hey~]
[Sally: Theo!!!]
[Sally: Tell me everything in under seven words.]
[Theo: You first¡]
[Sally: grimdark dungeon crawling double knight gal gang]
[Theo: You¡¯re a knight?]
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.[Sally: Unholy Knight - even got a sword and some actual armor.]
[Theo: Get Chuck to take some pics when you get video up?]
[Sally: Of course, but let me earn a few cool scars first! Okay, your turn, pup.]
[Theo: immortal champion weapon mastering duel with respawning]
[Sally: A respawn world! Lucky punk ass.]
[Sally. Anyway, in the middle of a dungeon. Love and miss you.]
[Theo: Love and miss you too.]
He closed down the window and sighed, leaning back on the steps with a wide smile.
¡°I had thought you were doing well to stave off the insanity.¡± Borin grunted and lifted his mace back up to rest on his shoulder. ¡°Seems you have started losing the plot.¡±
¡°Hmm? Oh, sorry.¡± Theo put his hands behind his head.
[Warhammer (+5 exp)]
[Warhammer Rank 2 Achieved]
[+10% Speed, +10% Damage, +10% Defense]
That was good to know. He didn¡¯t have to die to get the experience from the battle - just be out of combat for a certain amount of time. No skills yet, but he felt that he was only scraping the surface of what could be gained here. His crimson eyes went back up to the waiting champion.
¡°I appreciate the stay of your hand. Emergency, you see - as I just received a message from the love of my life.¡±
Borin narrowed his eyes. ¡°I will not share your delusion, blood-drinker.¡±
¡°Feel that way if you must.¡± Theo shrugged. ¡°Her name is Sally, and she is my world. I could say a lot more mushy things if that makes you uncomfortable or is the true way of defeating you?¡±
¡°No, it is not.¡± The cracks in the man¡¯s disbelief were starting to show on his face. ¡°You are saying you have a way to communicate outside of this world?¡±
¡°Only to her, really.¡± A bit of a lie, but Theo wasn¡¯t too sure how much truth to give out at this stage.
Borin tilted his head. ¡°And you are telling me you willingly left a lover behind to come to this world?¡±
The vampire grinned and stood back to his feet. ¡°You pick things up pretty quickly.¡±
¡°But why? Even if you defeat me, you will be stuck here as the new champion instead. Only death or eternal fighting exists for those unlucky enough to be stolen to this existence.¡±
Theo grinned, his fangs picking up the odd light of the spherical world. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t intend to kill you, Borin. I am going to farm you for as much experience as possible, and let you survive and destroy me so I can continue the process.¡± He licked his lips. ¡°Maybe after I max one weapon out, I¡¯ll just switch to another.¡±
¡°Foolish!¡± The giant held his sword out at him. ¡°Come closer so that I may cut that reckless hubris from your weak flesh.¡±
Sally hummed to herself as she spun to the side of a jabbed spear. An arrow bounced from her breastplate, totally deflected. She grabbed the extended weapon with her left hand and thrust her own sword at the goblin, slicing just beneath their chin through their windpipe. [Eat Brains] and then she flourished the stolen spear to throw at the one with the shortbow.
Her current zombies had chewed through two of the pack, while Poppy left a bloody trail in her wake. The knight was a lot more proficient than she had expected - although, the enemies were much lower level than the mute woman. Thankfully, the goblins didn¡¯t seem to talk. Or at least couldn¡¯t speak the Common language of the System. Screeches and chatterings that were quickly cut short by one of the two of them.
Mostly, she was just glad to have heard from Theo. While she wasn¡¯t dependent on him, he was the biggest contributor to keeping her mind calm. Another day or two here without hearing from him and she might have started gnawing on Claude. She shot him a quick glance as her new zombie rose to its feet. It would be interesting having a few older Players at Sanctuary.
Some of the Uniques were of differing ages, of course. Humphrey¡¯s dubious insistence that the world had only been around for a few months once she had awoken in the diner hadn¡¯t been disproven, even after she bugged Chuck for a solid answer. Theo¡¯s wave of Players was the first - she was pretty sure about that. But many Uniques had deep backstories and life experiences. Norah especially.
Then again, she couldn¡¯t really imagine Edward as a baby either.
[Poppy: That¡¯s this room done ^^]
[Poppy: Being overleveled for an area is niceeee]
[Poppy: How¡¯s the experience?]
¡°Ah, not amazing. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll level up from this one - but the next Dungeon maybe?¡± Sally pulled a face at having a visible experience bar for a change. Sixty-five percent, but each chamber of little green monsters had only given around eight percent in total.
Claude thumbed at his belt. ¡°Something tells me you like to burn the midnight oil and level as quickly as the System will allow?¡±
¡°Not to a fault.¡± She pushed a zombie away that was stumbling into her. ¡°I¡¯m efficient, but I like to sleep.¡±
He nodded in return. ¡°That makes two of us. One consequence of the Dungeons spawning is that there are no wandering Monsters anymore. So we should be able to camp out of range of the Dungeons and not have to go back to the Keep.¡±
¡°Really?¡± She pouted. Perhaps she was more right than she first thought when she told Theo it was a dungeon-crawler type world. ¡°Now that we¡¯re bound by blood and me getting stabbed by Kenny, I think you both owe me some proper exposition when we settle for the night.¡±
Claude looked over to Poppy, and the knight gave him a brief nod. ¡°Very well, Miss Danger. I think that is only fair that you have all the information you could want if you intend to save this world.¡±
[Poppy: And I have some questions for you too!]
[Poppy: Mostly about other worlds and where you come from¡]
[Poppy: Maybe some about Theo too! <<]
The healer rolled his eyes. ¡°Not that I hold any disdain for needed levity, but shall we kill this boss and complete the Dungeon now? I¡¯m getting antsy having these zombie goblins constantly stare at me.¡±
Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°Ah - ah. Cut it out, you little gremlins. Not food. Friend.¡±
¡°Somehow, that makes it worse.¡± Claude pulled a face.
She didn¡¯t need to remind them - it was almost programmed into their nature not to attack those in the same Party as her. The man was just the freshest looking meal in the room as present, and had drawn their attention even if they had no intention of-
¡°Seriously?¡± She pushed away the one that was bumping into her again. Her off-hand grabbed at their skull and held it at arm¡¯s reach. ¡°Your legs are fine, and I didn¡¯t do anything unusual with your brain. Are you just a little silly, or you want hugs from momma?¡±
Archie sighed from behind her. ¡°Don¡¯t infantilize your zombies.¡±
¡°I brought them into this world,¡± she sneered and turned her nose up at the cat. ¡°What happened to your archaic tone?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve adjusted now that we have a better connection.¡± He licked a paw and rubbed at one of his ears.
Sally nudged the clingy zombie away, and it stumbled back to her. She sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll not name you, as that is a recipe for disaster¡ I know how these things play out. If you don¡¯t give me some space, I¡¯ll either stab you by accident or you¡¯ll cause me injury. You don¡¯t want to hurt momma do you?¡±
The zombie groaned and shambled back away from her, falling into the Dungeon wall instead.
Claude sighed and rubbed at his temples. ¡°I picked the wrong month to stop slamming back opium.¡±
243 - Blinding Leap
As the Party stepped into the doorway of the boss chamber, Sally chose to ignore the fact that Claude just admitted to previously being on hard narcotics. At least, that¡¯s what she assumed he meant - the System often had an odd way of translating things. She narrowed her eyes between the two Players. Surely not.
¡°Boss looks like a caster,¡± Claude murmured, breaking her from her thoughts.
¡°Let me get my zombies in as distractions, and Poppy and I can do the old lance trick?¡± She glanced back at the small gathering of undead zombies, one of which was leaning against the door frame.
[Poppy: Sounds good to me, I don¡¯t have a lot of magic resist.]
Sally nodded. ¡°Perhaps I can spec that way? I¡¯m pretty sure I saw Willpower helps with that and it¡¯s one of my core Stats. You can be the phys tank and I¡¯ll be for magic?¡±
[Poppy: Sure!!]
While it sounded like a plan, the thought of being so intertwined with the rules and processes of a System made the zombie grimace. How far she had fallen. Still, two knights and a healer seemed like a decent Party composition so far. If they could find someone with ranged damage, then they¡¯d be pretty well-rounded.
¡°Alright,¡± she said and rolled out her soldiers. Her miniature horde groaned and clambered into the room, stumbling towards the Boss.
Poppy moved to the right flank, while she stepped over to the left. Other than the Boss at the end of the room, this chamber full of small stools and feasting tables had a couple of groups of regular goblins on either side.
The first struck her breastplate with a short dagger, and she grabbed it by the throat - lashing past and skewering the second Monster. As the Boss started to cast something at her zombies, she used [Gravecurse] on him ahead of time. Headbutt to the grappled greenskin and then she threw them to the floor. A zombie leaped atop the fallen opponent.
¡°You again? You¡¯re supposed to be up front, goofball.¡± She shook her head before blocking the swing of a sword. The fact that one of her zombies seemed to struggle with understanding her commands should be more concerning than she was making it out to be, but the middle of combat wasn¡¯t the best time to sort this kind of thing out.
She turned her head at the sound of Poppy¡¯s sword bashing against her shield. Already the goblins on that side had been dealt with, and two of the decoys up front had been killed by the Boss. Other than a little sword-work, she hadn¡¯t even had the chance to sink her teeth into anything yet.
Flourishing her blade to dissuade the remaining goblins from approaching her, Sally then extended her left hand toward the casting Boss. A rough crown upon their head and a tiny red cloak. He looked ready to fill one of her pals with lightning. [Chain] struck him, interrupting his spell and dragging him across the floor towards her.
Or at least, until Poppy flashed forward, striking the goblin at a right-angle with the radiant lance skill. His head burst like a firework, and his inert body slid across the dusty stone ground as Sally¡¯s skill no longer saw him as a target.
Between them both, the handful of remaining Monsters were little effort to dispatch. Seemingly panicked with their leader so easily felled, the small group lost heart in defending their little ruins against the powerful knights. Jabbing her sword through the ribs of the unarmored Monster, she ate their brains and pushed the last one away so that Poppy could interrupt and finish them off.
Sally wiped her mouth off as she watched her clumsy zombie trip and splay out across one of the short tables as it tried to wander back over to her.
¡°I will surely regret asking this¡¡± Claude pulled a face. ¡°But, what do brains taste like?¡±
She grinned in return. ¡°Honestly, I think there¡¯s something up with my skill, because everyone tastes different - which can¡¯t be right, biologically. The hornets tasted like battery acid, and these gobbos taste like old cheese.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± The healer scratched at his chin. ¡°Both more and less macabre at the same time.¡±
[Poppy: What¡¯s the nicest brains you¡¯ve ever eaten?? <<;]
¡°Poppy.¡± Claude scowled at her. ¡°I feel as though we are already skirting with mania by traveling with the walking dead. We shouldn¡¯t encourage dabbling in the darker arts.¡±
[Poppy: You started it! :V]
¡°Players,¡± she answered. ¡°Real living and breathing Players.¡± Her crimson eyes glowed, and she ran her tongue across her sharp teeth. ¡°Although I used to get bonuses whatever I ate, so wasn¡¯t picky. Plus, in my home world, I could eat real food and that is definitely nicer than brains. Sometimes.¡± Sally crossed her arms. ¡°See, it¡¯s the texture of brains that-¡±
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
¡°Okay, point made.¡± Claude waved his hands to shush her. ¡°Let¡¯s get this place looted and leave before I go insane.¡±
Theo stumbled back into existence atop the square platform and began throwing up in between laughing to himself. After both actions seemed to die off, he stood up straight and wiped his mouth.
¡°Wow. Never been bisected vertically before, that was a rush.¡±
¡°I can hear you from down here,¡± Borin called up. ¡°You sound crazy.¡±
The vampire grabbed the warhammer from the racks and walked halfway down the steps to the circular platform.
¡°Compared to a lot of my peers, I haven¡¯t died that many times.¡± He sat down with the weapon across his lap. ¡°Certainly not as many times as Sally¡ so it¡¯s always rather novel.¡± Ignoring the fact he was the only one of them to actually die for real that one time.
¡°You allow your lover to die repeatedly?¡±
Theo rolled his eyes. ¡°She revels in it, and she¡¯s her own person. I always look out for her, but in some ways she is a lot stronger than I am.¡±
Borin grunted, not keen to weigh in any further to the conversation.
¡°Plus, fighting isn¡¯t everything. What would you do if you could give this up and return to a normal world?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll not encourage your delusions, vampire.¡± The giant shook his head and turned away. ¡°No good will come from you trying to fraternize with me.¡±
¡°How so? We¡¯re going to be spending a lot of time together¡ I¡¯ve barely even warmed up!¡± Theo stood and drew the warhammer up over his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve been holding back too, I can feel it.¡±
Borin exhaled. ¡°I have level fifty-six sword, and forty-nine mace. You cannot hope to have a chance.¡±
¡°Tell me what you¡¯d be,¡± the vampire repeated. ¡°And I¡¯ll show you something neat.¡±
Across his back, the head of the warhammer illuminated in the pink glow of [Novice Strike].
Sally rifled through the pockets of one of the dead goblins. ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll ever see a world with more diverse currency than just gold coins.¡± That might make retrieving the scant handful of loose change from the little Monsters more depressing, however. Stealing lunch money.
¡°You expect to go to other worlds after here?¡± Claude was sitting down on one of the small stools.
[Poppy: Of course! Sally is like a System-saving angel!]
[Poppy: Can¡¯t you read subtext?]
The healer rolled his eyes. ¡°I lived too many years under the sun to accept such a grandiose thought.¡±
Sally hummed. ¡°It¡¯s not that far off the mark. Clearly I¡¯m no angel, but my vocation is killing big bads to save the little unbelievers like yourself.¡±
¡°Far too selfless for my liking,¡± he grumbled. ¡°Is there no ulterior motive? You do this solely to gain the title of hero?¡±
[Poppy: Don¡¯t be so grouchy, Claude.]
[Poppy: You prayed for hope and you received it.]
[Poppy: Blessings come in all forms!]
¡°He¡¯s right to be sceptical.¡± The zombie shrugged. ¡°You might not be so trusting of me if I had killed and eaten Kenny back there. Morality is a conscious choice for me.¡± She grinned and jerked her thumb back at the treasure chest awaiting their perusal. ¡°Shall we?¡±
¡°Be my guest.¡±
Archie frowned and tried to lean away from the zombie goblin stumbling around - the Monster just passing through him to slam into the wall behind. ¡°Perhaps a mercy killing is necessary.¡±
¡°No way.¡± Sally wagged a finger at him as she walked away towards the throne area. ¡°I need every mote of strength until we know what this world can offer me. One silly zombie could be enough to save the System.¡± She gave him a wink.
The cat turned his head to watch the goblin slide down the wall slowly and collapse to the ground.
¡°Knock again,¡± Edward suggested.
Humphrey glared at the demon. ¡°I¡¯ve knocked three times already. He is clearly not in.¡±
¡°But he isn¡¯t answering messages either?¡±
The Death Knight grunted and worked his jaw. ¡°Lucius is not a person who leaves a message without a response. I once accidentally sent him something at three in the morning - near instant reply.¡±
¡°Gross.¡± Edward put his hand over his eyes to glance up at the building. ¡°Ready to do some breaking and entering then, detective?¡±
A shaken head was the immediate response. ¡°There are more ways to find the location of someone¡ but I would have to request authorization.¡±
¡°Even as Head of Security?¡± The demon crossed his arms and turned to look out toward the ocean, a promenade of stone not too far off from the office of the Shade.
¡°Privacy concerns.¡± Humphrey flexed his plated fingers as if contemplating knocking the door in anyway. ¡°Not that I¡¯d use it to check up on Sally constantly, but being able to lock on to anyone in the System requires approval so that it isn¡¯t abused.¡±
¡°Boring¡¡± Edward deflated. ¡°I suppose we can¡¯t just keep it between ourselves if it comes to that.¡±
¡°What can I say, other than¡ oh, hang on.¡±
[Lucius: Humphrey! Sorry~]
[Lucius: Was taking the rest of the day off :X]
[Lucius: Anything important? We could meet tomorrow?]
[Humphrey: Tomorrow is fine.]
[Humphrey: Just making sure you are okay.]
[Lucius: Never been better! :D]
The Death Knight grunted. ¡°He is fine. Will talk to us before our nerd meeting.¡±
Edward shook his head and started to walk off toward the promenade. ¡°You¡¯re remarkably soft for being made of metal.¡±
¡°Explain?¡±
The pair walked around and went down the short set of stone steps to the long strip by the beach. It was getting close to dusk now, and the area seemed to be rather quiet as whatever visitors had been here turned in for the day.
¡°Lucius is a habitual people-pleaser. If you tell him to jump, he¡¯ll ask you if he is high enough while still in mid-air.¡±
Humphrey shrugged as they continued walking. ¡°Everyone is entitled to some privacy. Maybe he has something important going on.¡±
¡°Other than his work and odd fascination with his dead insect collection that he keeps secret, he has no life.¡± Edward put a hand in his pocket. ¡°Not that I am disparaging his work - even I have found it helpful¡ but he has no interest in any vice or distraction.¡±
¡°So, you¡¯re saying either he is lying¡ or someone is falsifying the messages? That is quite the jump.¡±
¡°A jump?¡± Edward stopped and crouched down. Eyes narrowed at the stone walkway, he ran a finger across the sand-swept ground. Withdrawing it, he raised an eyebrow at the odd residue now marring the outstretched digit. ¡°Perhaps. But how high?¡±
244 - Grasping at the Past
The early evening brought with it a chill breeze across the fields of Thrimble. Sally pulled a face at the sky, but it remained relatively clear of clouds. The last thing she wanted was for rain to dampen the already miserable world.
As the Dungeon cracked and shifted behind her, finally collapsing now that it had been cleared, she double checked the items she had found from the chest.
[Leather Cap] [+1 Endurance]
[Soft Loaf (3)]
[Bandage (2)]
[Scroll of Earthen Defense]
¡°What are we thinking?¡± She turned to the other two. ¡°Rest now or¡ could we push for the puzzle Dungeon?¡±
Poppy gave a shrug, while Claude rubbed at his chin and looked out in the direction they¡¯d need to travel.
¡°My advice is to continue,¡± Archie said. ¡°Achieving as much strength as soon as possible will help in the long run.¡±
¡°Eh.¡± She looked back to the group of three zombies who had survived the Dungeon, although one was now laying on the floor. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong - and a puzzle sounds a lot easier on the bones than a combat-focused Dungeon¡ but I don¡¯t want to run us all thin.¡±
[Poppy: If it¡¯s just a Guardian, then that isn¡¯t too bad.]
The healer shrugged. ¡°Sounds acceptable. Given that you had little issue with the goblins, I have a decent amount of mana still for healing.¡±
Sally spun up her STAR menus to look at the Map before she turned her eyes to the pair. ¡°Let¡¯s head out. You can give me that juicy exposition while we walk. I refuse to engage with puzzles unless I know what the stakes are.¡± Too few brain cells to waste on such folly.
¡°A fair request. We shall walk and talk.¡± Claude set off, only giving the small trio of zombies a glance before he led the group toward the next Dungeon. ¡°Where do I even begin?¡±
¡°Let¡¯s start with why you won¡¯t say the big-bads name.¡± Sally twirled her sword around before stowing it away in her scabbard.
¡°It started as a way to distance them from the person they used to be. While he wasn¡¯t the nicest of us as a Player, once he ascended, he¡ well, the Dungeons plaguing this land speak for themselves.¡±
She nodded. ¡°So nothing bad would happen if you said his name? Doesn¡¯t make him stronger or alert him to our position?¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°Tell me it, then.¡± She grinned.
¡°Pippy Wooltop.¡±
Sally stared at the man as they walked along. He maintained a poker face too perfect for that to be some kind of joke. It just didn¡¯t sound¡ evil enough. Not that she should be judging people on their names or anything. Actions and intent were more important.
¡°Okay,¡± she eventually said, casting a glance down at the cat. Pippy was close to being Poppy¡ which was a red flag - but again, something she shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions on. ¡°And they turned all Players into the Dungeons, right? Why?¡±
[Poppy: We think it started as something more¡ petty.]
[Poppy: Which spiraled out of control.]
¡°So¡¡± the zombie rubbed the side of her head. ¡°He was sad people didn¡¯t invite him to Dungeons, so he killed them and made them power Dungeons¡ and lost himself in the process?¡±
[Poppy: As best as we understand ^^;;]
Sally hadn¡¯t even faced proper evil before. At first it was the uncaring System that didn¡¯t give Uniques the lives and respect they deserved. Then it was a power hungry dragon who wanted to rule over the world. That wasn¡¯t evil¡ just greedy. With the false Architect, they were trying to enforce the old System design, but didn¡¯t have any malicious intent as such - not like Seven.
She looked back at the collapsing goblin dungeon, and then over to her trio of walking corpses. One of them was a little further behind, seemingly having an issue with traveling a straight line. Didn¡¯t take much to guess which one it was.
It reminded her of something. Or rather¡ someone.
Furrowing her brow, she glared at the building up ahead of them. ¡°The Player souls¡ how are they powering the Dungeons? No wait, let me guess.¡±
She stopped and turned, stepping over to her wriggly goblin walker. Gently, she grabbed it by the head and pointed with her other hand. ¡°Their souls are in the Monsters.¡±
Pink energy blurred through the air in quick arcs, the clang of the warhammer being deflected or parried increasing in ferocity as Theo¡¯s [Novice Strike] sped up his attacks every time he lashed out at the giant.
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Borin turned, knocking the weapon away before jabbing out with both of his - twisting and working against the flurried assault of the vampire. Struck by the shearing force of the attack, Theo¡¯s arms and head were severed and shorn from his body, which collapsed like a doll to the white tile of the circle platform.
He appeared back up at the square platform, a wide grin on his face.
[Warhammer (+294 exp)]
[Warhammer Rank 4 Achieved]
[Warhammer Rank 5 Achieved]
[Warhammer Rank 6 Achieved]
Swiping the notifications away, he was already grabbing the weapon up and running down the stairs.
Borin was standing there ready, a grin on his face. ¡°There¡¯s hope for you yet, it seems.¡±
Theo said nothing, dashing forward as a pink glow illuminated his sharp-fanged grin.
Dent whistled, watching the numbers come up on his screen.
With the flash of blue, Chuck returned to the chamber.
¡°I wasn¡¯t calling you,¡± the swordsman rolled his eyes. ¡°Did you even nap?¡±
¡°Huh? Oh, yeah. Power nap.¡±
He exhaled through his nose. ¡°Right. Since you¡¯re here, though - perhaps you can relieve me for an hour? Be nice to stretch my legs or something.¡±
¡°Of course. Everything been okay, I take it?¡± The Architect moved into his chair and tried to catch up on everything immediately, his eyes darting wildly across three different screens.
¡°Chat is fully connected. Theo just had a spike in power, so I assume he worked out some nifty way to power level.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°Standard fare. Nothing from Sally recently, but no news is good news, right?¡±
Chuck didn¡¯t respond, as his eyes were still checking everything.
Dent watched him for a while, to see how long it would take for him to acknowledge¡ anything else. After thirty seconds, he gave up. With a sigh, he stood from the chair and stretched his back out.
¡°I¡¯ll pick you some food up on the way back. I assume you¡¯ll be up late?¡±
¡°Hmm? Yeah.¡±
¡°Okay.¡± The swordsman looked up at his Chat messages. ¡°Oh, Humphrey wants to talk, so I might be with him. Let me know if anything comes up.¡± Waiting for ten seconds for any kind of reply, he just shook his head and vanished.
With a wave of vertigo and blue light, he then appeared down by the coast. Sun setting in the distance, he turned his head toward the odd pair of the Death Knight and Edward standing on the stone promenade.
¡°What can I do for you, gentlemen?¡±
The demon raised an eyebrow. ¡°How do you feel about oaths?¡±
¡°There¡¯s no time for that.¡± Humphrey sighed. ¡°Although, we are hoping to get to the bottom of something without bothering Chuck, knowing how busy he is.¡±
Dent nodded. ¡°He certainly is. What¡¯s it about?¡±
With a brief pause, the pair exchanged a look. ¡°We think Lucius has been kidnapped,¡± Edward said.
¡°Hmm? That¡¯s not really possible.¡± The swordsman crossed his arms. ¡°Not only is he relatively strong, but there¡¯s no PvP enabled here. Let me just see where he is.¡±
His eyes went up as he worked through the additional STAR menus he had as the Architect¡¯s right-hand man. Well, if Chuck was more of the Administrator, then he would be the Admin Assistant. Something that definitely didn¡¯t annoy him.
¡°Uhhh.¡± Dent furrowed his brow, and his eyes darted through the names on his list even quicker. ¡°Where¡ is¡ Lucius¡?¡±
Archie tilted his head to the side as he watched the zombie discuss things with the others, her arms crossed.
¡°I¡¯m not saying we don¡¯t kill them,¡± Sally continued. ¡°But there¡¯s a chance that they are only partially merged into the Monster bodies - there could be a way they could be fully transferred and-¡±
¡°Out of the question.¡± Claude shook his head. ¡°I would not degrade their lives into being Monsters.¡±
¡°I¡¯m a Monster, you old prick.¡± She bared her sharp teeth. ¡°Better they have an actual existence than be lost to the void."
[Poppy: Let¡¯s not argue >>;;]
¡°Frankly, it¡¯s abhorrent that you are dragging three corpses alongside you. An affront to nature.¡± Claude¡¯s eyes were aflame. ¡°I should smite them for what-¡±
¡°Touch them and I¡¯ll kill you where you stand.¡± Sally¡¯s hand went to the pommel of her sword. ¡°Better you have an actual existence than be lost to the void in my stomach.¡±
The healer flexed his hands out, gripping at the air as if to try to get a hold of his emotions. Working his mouth around, the flickering rage in his eyes died out - washed away with an exhausted sadness. Hand clasping at his face, he turned from the others and sighed.
She relaxed and put her hands on her hips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I called you old.¡±
He waved her away. ¡°No. It is me who is at fault here. I¡¯ve¡¡± he turned back around to look at her. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of good people die to these Monsters. Far too many. My heart has ached for vengeance week after week - but I am a healer. An impotent rage guides my loose tongue, and for that I apologize.¡±
Sally smiled and shook her head. Clearly, she had gotten lucky with the Outsiders. Her undead Party were always happy to follow her lead and go along with whatever madness crossed her mind. Complicated people with their own thoughts and history were a lot of work.
[Poppy: I understand what Claude means¡]
[Poppy: But I think if there¡¯s a way to bring people back or save them¡]
[Poppy: Even if it¡¯s in the body of a Monster¡]
[Poppy: Then that¡¯s a noble goal, is it not?]
The healer shrugged and deflated. ¡°Part of me wants nothing more than to save every soul that we can. It¡¯s just¡ difficult for me to accept. The faces of murderers then being the friends I have lost¡¡±
¡°Well, don¡¯t start counting your chickens.¡± The zombie wagged her finger at him. ¡°This was just a proposition. I have no idea if it¡¯s even possible. And even if it is¡ then we¡¯ve already doomed a bunch of souls to the nether.¡± She grinned and looked down at the cat. ¡°Welcome to my life of gray morality.¡±
[Poppy: Being free of these prisons is still a better fate than nothing.]
[Poppy: There are people I¡¯d love to see again¡]
[Poppy: But knowing they are finally at peace is good too.]
Sally stepped up to the defeated man. ¡°Less painful than my disagreement with Kenny, but are we able to make amends? You know I can¡¯t do this without you.¡±
¡°I will see this through.¡± He gave her a nod, which turned into a brief bow. ¡°I am thankful that you have the patience for me to be an old fool, and have yet to eat my brain.¡±
¡°Gross.¡± She held her hand out to be shaken. ¡°You probably taste like old socks.¡± With a grin, she looked back to see the knight shaking a little - probably giggling.
¡°Let¡¯s not dally longer, then.¡± Claude shook her hand. ¡°A Guardian and puzzle await our attention before the night consumes us.¡±
Archie wagged his tail back and forth as he watched the three start off toward the Dungeon, shortly followed by the three slow goblins. His emerald eyes then went up to look up at the pinging messages between Dent and Chuck in the Admin level Chat.
Probably not a good idea to worry Sally.
There was nothing she could do to save Lucius.
245 - Losing Grip
Under the blanket of fading daylight, Sally narrowed her eyes and drew out her sword. The Guardian ahead looked to be melee focused. Dual-wielding shields, but she couldn¡¯t see their face to determine what kind of Monster they might be.
¡°Defensive-focused Guardian might be a problem,¡± she said and rubbed the side of her head.
[Poppy: Sounds like a slog¡]
[Poppy: Should we wait?]
¡°Nah. Nothing will change by morning.¡± She turned her head back toward her miniscule horde of three. They¡¯d not fare too well in combat against such an opponent. ¡°Either of you have like¡ paint or something?¡±
Claude shook his head, looking rather tired already.
[Poppy: Oh, I do¡ oil paint. White, green, or blue?]
[Poppy: They were a gift¡ but I never used them.]
¡°White please.¡± She held out her hand and received the small tube. Stepping over to the one zombie facing the wrong direction, she turned him around and held his head still. ¡°I¡¯ll not name you, little goof, but I want to keep you around to see what makes you tick.¡± Putting a blob on her finger, she then drew a rough x of white paint over his forehead.
The other two could just get mulched. Rather mean of her, but generally her zombies weren¡¯t anything more than pawns of the System, anyway. She might be way off with her assumption with the whole souls thing, and it would be too much effort to drag around all the corpses she had a hand in raising. This goober was just a little different - and she knew something like that was a clue.
She looked down at Archie. ¡°You alright there? You seem distracted.¡±
Emerald eyes focused on her. ¡°Hmm, yes. Sorry. Being an intangible being is rather droll. You need to start fighting to entertain me.¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes. That didn¡¯t seem like it¡ but he was half right, at least. Three-quarters correct if Poppy was asked. Daylight was soon gone, so breaking apart the Guardian so that they could get this Dungeon finished might be better than standing around prodding her zombies.
¡°I can¡¯t invite him to the Party,¡± she thought out loud. ¡°But I¡¯d like to keep him functional for as long as possible, just in case.¡± Her eyebrow raised as she turned back to Claude.
¡°It is not something I am happy about, but I will allow no harm to come to him.¡±
[Poppy: Same!!]
The knight tilted her head as the marked zombie tripped over his own feet and rolled down the slight incline.
Theo breathed heavily as his legs shook beneath him. His right arm was bent awkwardly behind him - dislocated at the least - so the warhammer was in his left hand. Despite the lethargy, he grinned at the giant across from him.
Borin was also trying to catch his breath, but didn¡¯t share the smile on his own face. ¡°You have yet to actually strike me, you realize?¡±
[Warhammer (+3128 exp)]
[Warhammer Rank 7 Achieved]
[Warhammer Rank 8 Achieved]
[Warhammer Rank 9 Achieved]
¡°Do I even need to? You have yet to kill me, despite that being your only purpose in life.¡±
¡°Insect,¡± the giant growled. ¡°I¡¯ve killed you countless times. Are you now losing your mind?¡±
¡°You¡¯ve defeated me, sure.¡± The vampire ran his tongue across his fangs. ¡°But I still stand before you, living. True death is something you will never be able to inflict on me. Isn¡¯t that maddening?¡±
Borin readied up his weapons. ¡°It is not something that concerns me. Despite your protestations, you are no closer to winning.¡±
¡°Impressed by my improvement, though?¡± Theo spun the warhammer around in his off-hand. ¡°You ready to give up that nugget of knowledge yet?¡±
With a deep sigh, the giant relaxed his weapons slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve always had an affinity for¡ agriculture. I would be a farmer.¡±
¡°Neat. Say, is there a way to get a second warhammer? Using just the one is getting boring.¡±
Dent drummed his metal fingers on the desk. ¡°You need to calm down.¡±
¡°Calm down?¡± Chuck continued to pace around the circular meeting room. ¡°Someone has vanished from the System - or at least the scope of my vision.¡±
¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible. There has to be another explanation.¡±
Edward wrinkled up his face, sitting opposite the pair. He had his feet up at the edge of the table and his hands behind his head. ¡°Definitely not dead, right?¡±
The Architect shot him a glare. ¡°Definitely. I have safeguards for even if someone finds a way around the respawn and restricted PvP systems.¡±
Humphrey pushed the demon so that his feet fell back to the floor. ¡°No longer taking this so seriously?¡±
¡°You broke the oath,¡± Edward murmured. ¡°It¡¯s no fun now that we¡¯re not buddy-cops. Let the gods figure it out.¡± He rolled his eyes.
¡°That¡¯s not¡¡± the Death Knight began, before a gemstone inlaid on one of his fingers bloomed into red light. Immediately, he grabbed the demon by the suit, and in a flash of blue, they vanished.
As soon as they landed in darkness, Humphrey withdrew his greatsword with a flourish - a burst of crimson fire flickering down the wide blade.
The light illuminated familiar shapes. Edges of furniture, long curtains, and the large four-poster bed where he usually slept.
A figure sat near the middle, yellow eyes burning bright with unquenchable fury. The Death Knight clicked his fingers and the lanterns around them bloomed with light, bringing the scene into focus.
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Norah sat, blood soaked through the bandages around her stomach where she clutched at the wound. The bed had absorbed it, a wet circle of crimson around her.
¡°Some motherfucker just appeared and stabbed me,¡± she seethed as she ground her teeth together.
Sally¡¯s sword spun from her hand, bouncing across the muddy ground as she rolled to the side. The Guardian struck empty air as one of their sharp tower shields pierced into the dirt where she had been standing.
Growling, she returned to her feet and spun the dagger up into her grip. What she wouldn¡¯t give to have her [Skeleton Key] or one of the other Outsiders to be here to give a hand. The downside of both her and Poppy being defensive Classes was that they had trouble beating down an equally protected opponent. Two shields were just unfair.
Some manner of humanoid, but not something that resembled any fantasy trope she could recall. The tower shields looked like flesh turned to metal, organic growths that emerged from the ends of their arms. No eyes or face - just a smooth silvered helmet, while the rest of their body was a dark weave of sinewy cables.
It stepped forward over her dropped weapon so that she couldn¡¯t retrieve it at the same time as blocking the sword swing of the knight.
¡°Perhaps we should fall back and attempt later,¡± Claude said, his voice raised to be heard over the battle.
Unacceptable. Sally bared her fangs. ¡°Poppy, charge!¡±
The knight gave her a brief nod before a burst of light surrounded her, her own shield raising and drawing her forth at speed.
As she closed in, the Monster brought both of its shields together to weather the impact. There was a mighty clang as the pair collided, knocking both shields back but not doing any damage.
But Sally was there, sliding through the ground underneath the raised defensive arms of the Guardian. They flashed back down just as she rose to stab it in the thigh, using the purchase of the dagger to pull herself up to repeat the thrust into their chest and then neck, fully within the darkness of the shields brought together.
The Guardian twitched and stumbled backwards, arms going limp as it toppled to the ground.
¡°Couldn¡¯t eat their brains because of the metal hat,¡± she pulled a sour face at the fallen creature.
[Poppy: Sally! Your arm!!!]
Sally looked down to see that her left arm had been severed off near the elbow. Apparently she wasn¡¯t as fully within safe range of the Monster as she had believed. ¡°Oh, balls,¡± she murmured.
To her side, the one remaining zombie with the cross on his head stumbled into her, holding her removed arm in his hands.
¡°Bless you¡¡± She pouted. ¡°You¡¯re making it really difficult not to name you¡ Cross. Damnit.¡±
A pulsing heal went through her as Claude moved up closer. ¡°I¡¯m¡ I¡¯m not sure what I can¡¡±
¡°Eh.¡± Sally turned to the knight. ¡°You have a sewing kit, Poppy? This hasn¡¯t happened before, but I¡¯m a zombie so¡¡±
[Poppy: I do! One sec¡]
The knight stepped over, shedding her gauntlets to the floor so that she could work the needle and thread withdrawn with her bare hands. While Sally stood still, holding her arm in place, Poppy slowly worked around to try to affix it as best she could. The wound couldn''t decide if she should bleed like a Player or stay inert like a corpse, so just compromised by slowly dripping blood to the grass below.
[Poppy: That¡¯s all I can manage¡]
¡°You have remarkably steady hands considering the context.¡± She grinned back at the knight as they both gradually removed their support of the arm.
[Poppy: Trauma will do that ^^]
[Poppy: Not my first dismemberment.]
The attached limb flopped to her side. ¡°C¡¯mon, System.¡± Sally ran her tongue across her lips. ¡°I¡¯m the favorite, remember? Throw me another heal, Claude?¡±
He did as such, the warmth of the power running through her body.
¡°Ouch,¡± she complained, and then her fingers jolted into movement. With a pained expression on her face, she lifted the arm slowly. ¡°All of my nerves are screaming out in agony as they reattach and my muscles and other arm-parts regrow together.¡±
[Poppy: Temporary, I hope??]
¡°We¡¯ll see¡¡± She grinned. ¡°Won¡¯t be able to use it for the rest of the day - but it¡¯s saved. Thank you both. And you, Cross.¡± She looked back down to see the zombie was now holding her sword, albeit in a way in which he was pressing himself up against the sharp edges.
She gestured to the others. ¡°See, this is what I mean. Normal zombies are not like this.¡±
¡°I will spend some time tonight trying to analyze him,¡± Archie offered. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what information I am able to access at present, but he is certainly not acting as expected.¡±
The other two zombies had been pulped, and had not shown any sliver of personality compared to Cross. Sally hummed to herself as the group went over to the entrance of the Dungeon. It would be just like her to somehow stumble into an error in this new System - or create one. Whether it had any bearing on the wider world or the issues in Thrimble remained to be seen.
¡°Guardian won¡¯t respawn, right? If it¡¯s just a puzzle room, we could rest inside?¡± She looked up at the building¡ it was almost like a tomb in design. Dark and dusty stonework, and a barred gate leading down a shadowed staircase. Under the ground once more. Not that she cared to engage in cliches, but it did look like a fitting place for her to catch some sleep.
¡°Guardians respawn every full twenty-four hours,¡± Claude informed her. ¡°So¡ certainly, that seems like a reasonable idea. As long as there are no traps or time-gated parts to the puzzle, then approaching it with a sound mind in the morning seems pragmatic.¡±
[Poppy: Fine with me too, I am tiredddd~]
[Poppy: Been a while since we¡¯ve had to properly adventure.]
The gates of the Dungeon swung open with a satisfying creak, and the trio descended slowly. Poppy brought out a lantern to bathe the short staircase in bright light. No traps that they could easily see. Reaching the bottom, they found themselves in a wider chamber. Gloomy, each wall had an engraved scene upon it on lighter, almost marble, stone.
Narrowing her eyes, it looked to Sally like it was depicting a battle¡ or perhaps something to do with the founding of the world? In the center of the room was a raised square surface, maybe only two feet across. Indented with odd shapes that didn¡¯t seem to form any particular pattern.
¡°Wow,¡± she said, her voiced reverberating through the underground space. ¡°I am definitely not enough brains for to do this right now.¡±
Claude gave her a tired glare, unsure how much she was putting that on with the awkwardy phrasing. ¡°Let us rest for the night, then. Although, perhaps you¡¯d like to tell us more about yourself before we drift off?¡±
¡°Sure! Settle down then, and I¡¯ll¡¡± she paused as Cross fell down the last of the steps behind them and collapsed onto his face. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you all about the history of Sally Danger and how I saved the world using only my appetite.¡±
Archie cleared his throat.
¡°Oh,¡± she continued. ¡°And several years of effort alongside a wide gathering of oddballs and found family.¡±
[Poppy: Does the story have much romance?!]
¡°Eh.¡± Sally rubbed the back of her hair. ¡°Mostly only in the epilogue - and even then I¡¯ll only insinuate things happen through vague contextual clues.¡±
[Poppy: I¡¯m looking forward to that part~]
Claude rolled his eyes and looked around the walls for his designated place to rest. ¡°I¡¯m much more interested in how you defeated a dragon¡ and with this ''greater cosmos'' you allude to.¡±
¡°Spoiler alert. The simple answer is bullshit. For both things. Right, Arch?¡± she grinned and looked down at the cat, who was staring off. ¡°Archie?¡±
¡°Hmm? Yes, to whatever you said.¡±
¡°Having chats without me? Anything I should know?¡± She put her hands on her hips as Poppy went to arrange somewhere of comfort for herself.
¡°Just an update on how the Outsiders are doing. Numbers and such.¡±
¡°Uh-huh.¡± She shook her head, but gave up. ¡°I should prod Theo before I forget. No doubt he is already max level and dripped out in the best gear. I need to get my skates on so I can drag Humphrey here.¡±
Archie continued to watch her as she mumbled to herself, moving out of range to setup her own bed. His eye twitched as he tried to ignore the constant pings of Chat updating.
Things would be fine. They knew this would happen eventually.
But so soon? Hopefully they were prepared enough.
They''d have to be.
246 - Zero Zero One
Sitting in the illumination of the dim lantern, Sally¡¯s voice echoed through the small Dungeon as she told her Party everything. Most things. She left out that she wouldn¡¯t be able to return if she died¡ and that her goal was to absorb Thrimble. Still a good idea to hold some secrets just in case she let them down.
But everything from her appearance in Sanctuary to defeating the false Architect was laid out. They accepted it, even as outlandish as a lot of it sounded. She had to explain the pancake joke three times - apparently they hadn¡¯t heard of them before, which seemed criminal. Claude seemed awkward enough in learning just how many Monsters she was friends with - but he¡¯d just have to come to terms with it, eventually.
Poppy, on the other hand, was enamored with near every exploit and oddball that came into the picture. In some ways, Sally felt bad that the woman was here almost alone - especially with being mute and having a vow to not show her face. Having a wide family that loved you despite your differences probably sounded like a slice of heaven to the knight.
All the more reason she had to succeed. Would certainly be easier to flip the villain switch and just eat and kill her way to the power required to steal the island¡ but if she was truly like that, she¡¯d still be in the Forest, murdering innocents at the behest of Theo. Which¡ was actually pretty cold, now that she thought about it. She shivered. No wonder she fell for him.
Although Poppy wasn¡¯t too interested in a romance of her own, she was absolutely all ears to hear about how she and the vampire got together and grew their relationship. Part of her wondered if it was just morbid curiosity over the undead having hearts or something.
Claude wasn¡¯t entirely buying that she was here for good reason, but then again, he looked like he¡¯d had his fill of everything for the day even before she got into it about the talking rat king or the Dungeon that was all in her mind. Eventually, it got to the point where he had to accept it, otherwise his brain would explode. Something she was almost keen to push¡
But now, with the weight of the long day fully upon them, they had relented to settling down for sleep.
Sally shuffled up against the wall and pulled the blanket up to her neck. Furrowing her brow, she opened up her Chat.
[Sally: Hey, pup.]
She waited a minute for him to respond, and her eyes went over to Cross. While her created zombies didn¡¯t need to sleep, the goblin had accepted being tucked in with a blanket as he lay prone on the floor. Splayed out rather than in a comfortable position, but he put the effort in.
[Sally: we have a son now]
[Theo: My queen~]
[Theo: huh wat?]
[Theo: Sorry, was mid-battle.]
[Theo: Adopted, I hope?]
[Sally: yeah, he is misguided but has a strong spirit.]
[Theo: Sounds like us. Who does he look like?]
[Sally: That¡¯s not how adoptions works, but¡]
Looking back at the zombie, his yellow eyes were staring aimlessly at the wall, and drool was constantly running from the side of his agape mouth.
[Sally: Definitely takes after you!]
[Theo: I¡¯m proud. For real, though, what¡¯s the deal?]
[Sally: zombie gobbo that has some kind of personality]
[Sally: reminds me of how Chuck was.]
[Theo: Odd. Error in your System?]
[Sally: hmmm]
She closed her eyes as she thought about it. If anything, things had been relatively normal and straightforward. Certainly not as bugged as the start of her life in Sanctuary. Maybe that was the problem, though. The vampire might be able to grind out the rules given to him, but she had always shattered her way through expectations and the norm. She needed to think about this more when she wasn¡¯t so tired.
Find a way to exploit the System or gain some undue power to leapfrog the normal progression set out. She didn¡¯t want to stay in this world for too long, being stuck playing by the rules¡
Rules were made to be broken.
[Sally: Oh!]
[Sally: You not turning in for sleep yet?]
[Sally: Do you have your coffin???]
[Theo: oh]
[Theo: ohhhh]
[Sally: Theo!?]
[Theo: gotta go, going through a tunnel]
[Sally: ¡]
Rolling her eyes, she turned over to try to get more comfortable on the stone floor. Although she didn¡¯t know much about the world he was in¡ªand was fine for it to stay that way¡ªhopefully the goof could find suitable sleeping arrangements so that he didn¡¯t start going crazy. Knowing him, he probably thought that he would finish his world before that became a problem. Like her, he had become too accustomed to the patches Chuck gave them, and they had forgotten some of their previous limitations.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Removing the necessity of the vampire having to sleep in the coffin wasn¡¯t the most filling or exhausting of the changes Chuck allowed them, but it sure made things convenient. She sometimes squirmed around a lot in her sleep, and even the prospect of a double-sized coffin seemed too claustrophobic. It only took one time of sitting up abruptly to throw up and almost crushing her skull in on the metal lid for them to decide against that arrangement.
In this new world¡ she just felt plain. Not even able to enjoy food anymore - and not exactly having a buffet of Player brains to chew through guilt-free. The sooner she could get back to Sanctuary and her creature-comforts, the better. Their near immortality was something else she had taken for granted, too.
Being able to reattach limbs was neat, though. Her left arm still ached a lot, but it was functional - a relief, as going without would have made this more difficult. Not impossible¡ªshe¡¯d gone through half an Event without it one time¡ªbut she¡¯d have to be more careful when the stakes were so high.
While her brain was too active to drop straight to sleep, there was also a presence nearby that had her on edge. She turned to see Archie sitting beside her.
¡°I¡¯m going back home for some updates,¡± he said. ¡°Share data and look at the plans for the nerds tomorrow.¡±
Sally stifled a chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re the one that came up with the acronym, right?¡±
Beneath emerald eyes, the cat smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll never tell. Recall me in the morning, when you are awake.¡±
¡°Alright.¡± She closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°Give everyone my love and tell Pops I want to bring him here soon, if he isn¡¯t too occupied.¡±
¡°I will. Sleep well, Sally.¡±
As soon as he had vanished away, she opened up her eyes to glare at the empty space where he had been sitting.
She would not sleep well.
The edge of the meeting room table cracked and threatened to snap under the pressure of Norah¡¯s tight grip. ¡°What do you mean Lucius is gone?¡±
Chuck rubbed at his temple - partly to avoid looking into Mummy¡¯s furious eyes. She had returned with the Death Knight and demon, but even after being healed up, she hadn¡¯t lost an inch of the mountain of anger within her.
¡°Whoever stabbed you,¡± he began, ¡°possibly did the same to Lucius and took him somewhere.¡±
¡°Took him somewhere? Outside of normal places?¡± She narrowed her eyes around the room. ¡°Was it that goblin?¡±
¡°Henkk?¡± Dent interjected. ¡°No. We tracked his movements for the last two days and there¡¯s nothing odd. Even his ability leaves traces - we¡¯d be able to monitor.¡±
The Architect worked his jaw. ¡°Seems like they are targeting Outsiders? Two isn¡¯t much of a trend, but we¡¯ve gone over the logs and there¡¯s been no other disappearances reported. Too much of a coincidence.¡±
Humphrey had been sitting with his hands clenched into fists, staring down at the table. A constant burning of crimson flame behind his helmet. While the others fell into a tense silence, he raised his head to look at Edward.
¡°Lucius was part of the magic circle creation, yet he was saved by it? He was with us? How is that so?¡±
The demon was all but a puddle of exhausted boredom, splayed across the table. His dull blue eyes caught the ire of Chuck¡ªprobably for sharing out the secrets he wasn¡¯t supposed to¡ªbut with a sigh, he sat back up in his chair. ¡°Back when he worked for Ruben and still thought of himself as being a demon, he had a passing interest in ritual circles. He didn¡¯t have a direct hand in the creation of the rite, but bequeathed me his research after breaking away from the dragon.¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± Humphrey nodded. ¡°In knowing this, you still allowed that to be our first stop, even if he wouldn¡¯t have anything helpful to add?¡±
Edward shrugged. ¡°I was feeling lonely, and you seemed to know what you were doing. This is all too real and serious for me to care any further.¡±
¡°The Observer never returned either¡¡± The Death Knight went into his menus to try to recall it.
With his brow furrowed, Chuck turned to Dent. ¡°I want all Outsiders to be equipped as per the Protection: Omni-Orbital Protocol, and turn on CYCLOPS. Ah, if you could start expanding the visualizer for the Interstellar Combined-Universe Plan I¡¯ll join you when¡ oh jeez, who came up with these acronyms?¡±
The swordsman shrugged. ¡°I thought it was you, but alright, I¡¯m on it.¡±
He left for the back room at the same time as a glowing orb filtered into the center of the table to form a ginger cat. Archie stretched out and looked around the room with dull eyes. ¡°Couldn¡¯t leave you alone for one day, could I?¡±
In the darkness, a figure ran their tongue across sharp teeth. ¡°Oh,¡± their low voice echoed around the wide chamber, ¡°this is troubling, isn¡¯t it, pet?¡± A clawed hand reached out to run along the back of a large rat who sat on the edge of an empty table.
¡°So close to collecting the Mummy. I was too eager¡ greedy to claim what I coveted. Now they will make this game all the more difficult.¡±
The rat squeaked and writhed against the touch of the figure.
¡°Oh, you want to know more? I have not been able to grasp at the details, pet. They will be protecting the Outsiders now and keeping a closer eye on any oddities in their little System.¡±
The outstretched hand reached out and wrapped around the rodent, lifting it into the air above their shadowed face. Two eyes of pale white stared impassively at the squirming creature.
¡°Do not fret. Perhaps it was rash of me to go after the more prized collectables in this world first.¡± Lifting the rat higher in the air, they then crushed it in their grip, a brief squeal amongst the breaking bones, before the rodent become limp.
Placing the corpse back on the table, the figure turned around to look at the grouped vats, all but one still empty. ¡°The Vampire and Zombie will become an issue if they return. A gamble, pet.¡± Their head tilted to the side as they regarded the figure of the Shade in the tube glowing a dim green light.
Standing, but remaining frozen and inert, Lucius was like a statue in the container.
A sad squeak came the only reply, as the figure looked back at the rat, who was alive and repaired once more.
¡°I know, pet. But we have ways of getting what we want.¡±
247 - Dawn of the Exploits
With a long groan, Sally righted herself. She rubbed her eyes and glared at the sparse amount of light filtering in down the stairs from outside. Sleeping on the floor had been pretty horrible since she had been out of the adventuring game for so long. After running her dry tongue across her teeth, she looked around the chamber.
Poppy seemed to be asleep still. She had no idea how the knight managed to do it with the helmet on - that must be tortuous. Claude was awake on the opposite side, and reading through a book. Over to her side, Cross was out of his little bed and standing idly watching her, as if waiting patiently for her to awaken.
¡°Momma¡¯s up,¡± she said quietly, but rolled her eyes. Despite the occasional spates of brooding previously, having to lug a tiny zombie about wasn¡¯t her sort of thing. She could be a cool aunt, maybe.
As soon as she had made herself known, the goblin twisted a clumsy one-eighty and stumbled straight into the corner of the room.
She sighed and shook her head. Maybe dragging him along would be more effort than it was worth. Relenting to carpe-ing the diem, she got out of her bedroll and tried to arrange all her items back into their proper place.
The scrape of metal against stone caused her to wince as she looked over to see the knight rise up into a sitting position.
[Poppy: Wow, best sleep in ages ^^]
[Poppy: Bright new day ready to save the world!]
Claude murmured his complaints from the other side of the room, but kept them to himself.
With a stretch, Sally smiled over at Poppy. ¡°Kinda awkward because I¡¯d love some breakfast, but my options are pretty slim.¡±
[Poppy: Ah~]
[Poppy: Perhaps the next Dungeon would be palatable?]
She shrugged in response. Might be gross-tasting brains - there wasn¡¯t much chance of something really worthwhile like a Player brain. Although if Claude didn¡¯t stop¡ oh, that wasn¡¯t him making the noise. She turned her head to see Cross still in the corner, crouched down now and pawing at the walls.
From her Inventory she pulled out the leather cap and stepped over to him. ¡°Promoting you to Corporal Sillybutt now. It also covers up the large hole in your head where I gobbled up your brains.¡±
Cross paused for a second as she placed it on him with a little struggle, but then continued pawing at the lower edge of the wall.
¡°What are you doing, goober?¡± She eased him away from the wall with her arm, and he looked up at her with his yellow eyes as if she was doing him a disservice. Pausing to adjust his hat briefly, she then glared at the stone brickwork before prodding around with her fingers.
Just before she was about to chastise the little goblin further, her finger hit something that made a click. Her eyebrows raised, expecting some manner of trap to be sprung - but all she heard was the gasp of the healer, and the knight hopping back up to her feet.
Sally turned her head, expecting some malady to have befallen them - only to pause in surprise at seeing the treasure chest.
[Poppy: Cross solved the puzzle!!]
¡°Impossible,¡± Claude snapped his book shut and scurried to his feet, glaring at the chest as if he was imagining it. ¡°How could he¡?¡±
With the click of her fingers, Sally stood, lifting Cross up in her arms. ¡°Sometimes you don¡¯t need a brain to use your brain!¡± She gave the goblin a hug and whispered in his pointed ear. ¡°Thank you for solving the puzzles. I hate puzzles. I will die for you.¡±
After placing the confused zombie on the floor, she went over to the treasure chest and tapped it on the top with her knuckles. ¡°May I?¡±
[Poppy: Be our guest~]
Sally never looked horses in their mouths - they were dangerous¡ but a locked box full of treasure had never bitten her, so she flipped the lid with impatient flair.
[198 Gold]
[Unidentified Armor]
[Health Potion (2)]
[Skill Tome]
¡°Ooh, what¡¯s this?¡± She withdrew the book into her hand. ¡°Skill Tome?¡±
¡°Gives you three skill points to distribute as you see fit. Relatively rare, but as you are playing catch-up, I have no issue with you using it.¡± Claude crossed his arms before gesturing to the stairs for them to leave.
[Poppy: Would definitely help you more than us ^^]
Sally hummed to herself as they ascended the stairs and out into the open once more. A pleasant-looking day currently, but clouds off in the distance threatening an overcast afternoon. She waved the book back and forth in her hand as she thought.
Some more stats would be nice. But not necessary. She had made the decision that playing this world straight would be a drag and pretty boring. System needed to be broken and exploited¡ but how? Most of her previous strength was due to her flawed rebirth as a zombie and the undue power she had just stumbled into along the way.
And then - there was the answer.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
She turned on the spot and held the book out to Cross. ¡°You found the treasure, little fella. Only right that you have the rewards.¡±
Claude pulled a face. ¡°I¡¯m not sure a Monster could¡ or even should use a¡¡± his voice trailed off as they watched the goblin.
At first, Cross held the book and put the corner of it in his mouth. Saliva ran down the leather cover as he cradled it in his arms, rocking back and forth slightly.
Then it vanished.
The small zombie stood there, briefly shocked and confused, before he settled into a more neutral and absent gaze.
Sally kneeled down in front of him. ¡°Can you see any blue screens or have any messages popped up?¡±
He returned a blank stare before stumbling forward into her for a clumsy hug.
¡°It¡¯s okay, you¡¯ll get it soon - I promise.¡± She gave him a pat on the back and moved away.
¡°Well, other than wasting rare consumables, what would you like to do this morning?¡± Claude scratched at his chin and started looking through his menus.
She pressed her earring to summon Archie as her eyes narrowed at the healer. ¡°Well, I think it¡¯d be a disservice to start the day with an empty stomach, Claude.¡±
Theo sighed and placed the two warhammers down on the stairs, before sitting beside them himself. ¡°It¡¯s probably late evening now, right? There¡¯s no clock or timestamps i can see anywhere.¡±
The giant across from him shrugged. ¡°The passage of time here is meaningless. There is no day or night. No seasons. I seem to require no sleep. There is only fighting or solitude.¡±
¡°Bleak.¡±
¡°Do you not require sleep, vampire?¡±
¡°Eh.¡± He rubbed the back of his head. ¡°The opposite, in a way. If I do not sleep in a very specific way, then¡ I start losing my sanity. That¡¯s only after two or three days, though - so don¡¯t get excited.¡±
Borin grinned. ¡°Best get your rest, then?¡±
With a shrug, Theo went into his STAR menu to see the latest notifications he had dismissed. ¡°Unless you have a coffin handy, there¡¯s not much point. It¡¯s still the first day, right? Only been five or¡ eight hours, surely? Somewhere between two and fifteen, I''m almost certain.¡±
The large figure just shrugged in return.
[Warhammer Rank 20 Reached]
[Skill Unlocked: Titan¡¯s Grip - Warhammers weigh 50% less]
Theo hummed to himself. ¡°Experience sure slows down in the late teens, huh? I thought using two weapons would speed up the experience, but I think with [Novice Strike] going with the single warhammer would be more beneficial - especially with my new skill.¡±
¡°Only three have made it to rank twenty before you,¡± Borin said, ignoring most of the vampire¡¯s ramblings. ¡°But do not feel that makes you any closer to my equal.¡±
¡°Is there actually any benefit to you killing me?¡±
¡°Hmm? I get to continue living.¡±
Theo grinned, his fangs catching the light. ¡°If I were to remain on these stairs here, you would still live, no?¡±
¡°Some have tried just that. Boredom eventually wills them to act. What good is it that you train against me yet have no desire to kill me?¡±
¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡± He stood and lifted one of the warhammers into the air. ¡°Just know that I will surpass you. It is inevitable¡ because I love the grind. Taking one step is easy.¡± Theo walked down the stairs. ¡°I would walk all day and night for a week, just those easy steps, to get to my destination.¡±
Borin readied his weapons. ¡°To rise above my level would take weeks or even months. You are living on borrowed time, sleepless leech.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s just see if you can keep up now, old man.¡± The vampire burst forward, a blaze of pink energy behind him.
Humphrey stepped out of his house into the arid plains on the Wastelands. He then stopped and turned his head to the side. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±
Edward shrugged and pushed himself away from leaning against the building. ¡°We can still investigate together, can¡¯t we?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you have Administrative duties to uphold?¡±
¡°The Council can survive a day without me.¡± The demon rolled his eyes and stepped up to the Death Knight. ¡°Plus, this is surely more important than whatever I pretend to do on the Council? Being monitored constantly is a bit of a wet blanket for my usual scheming.¡±
A grunt was the only given response at first. ¡°¡Fine.¡± Humphrey waved his hand to dismiss the pestering. ¡°We are going to the new island first as Dent sets up the nerds. No doubt there will be questions, so we need to assure people they are safe.¡±
¡°I¡¯m really good at that,¡± Edward said, and nodded eagerly.
With the flash of blue light, the two vanished, then reappearing somewhere a lot more green. Fresh sea air washed over them as Humphrey turned and narrowed his eye sockets at the surroundings.
¡°The grass and trees don¡¯t look too threatening,¡± the demon began, ¡°but some of these flowers¡¡±
¡°If you¡¯re going to be annoying, you can go back. Sally would like me to join her world as soon as possible, so my time here is limited if we don¡¯t want to let her know our issue.¡±
The demon didn¡¯t reply, but crossed his arms and glared off toward the horizon.
Humphrey sighed. As much as he wanted to go and help her, the unknown danger in Sanctuary was weighing on his mind. If he refused, she would know something was up - not to mention he couldn¡¯t let her down like that.
Another flash of blue to their side signaled the arrival of Dent, along with Lana and Henkk.
¡°Morning.¡± The swordsman tipped his hat. ¡°I was just explaining to these two that Lucius had something come up, but we¡¯d move forward and he can catch up when able.¡±
The Death Knight nodded. ¡°It is great to see you all. I thought I¡¯d pop by to check the island out before it is reformed in your vision.¡± He grinned, despite wanting to move on as soon as possible.
Lana shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s not the only reason, right? Waking up to all the notifications and odd defensive changes was concerning¡¡±
¡°Ah¡¡± Humphrey nodded slowly. ¡°Given that you¡¯ll be away from the mainland, we thought it best to try out some of our protective protocols. Apologies for not getting your consent, but the rest of the Outsiders are enduring the same fate.¡±
Henkk rubbed at his pale chin as his pitch-black eyes scoured the surroundings. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like much danger could befall us here¡ but I¡¯m sure you know best.¡±
¡°I have some matters to attend to with Edward, but Norah will be along shortly to fill Lucius¡¯ shoes.¡± He turned his head to Dent. ¡°Are you staying here or does Chuck require you?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll be sticking around. At least for the first couple of days. Sally and Theo are both stable enough that he won¡¯t need to¡ sorry, hang on¡ he¡¯s messaging me.¡± Rolling his eyes, Dent stepped away from the others to look through his messages.
Chuck drummed his fingertips on the desk as he waited for the swordsman to reply. Once the confirmation came in, he continued dictating his messages.
¡°Visualizer is now up and running.¡± His eyes looked at the sphere of Sanctuary on the universe map. A bright blue circle on top of a near endless grid. ¡°At first¡ it seemed normal enough.¡±
His finger went up to trace across the lines running from their world to a second and third floating orb. ¡°Two connections going from here to the two worlds Sally and Theo are on. The bandwidth of their power joining us to them.¡±
Hand down again, he then typed away at an invisible keyboard before turning a dial that clicked as it rotated.
¡°But if I expand the date range as far back as it lets me¡¡±
Chuck took a deep breath as it came into view.
¡°There¡¯s another line coming and joining with us, from some time ago.¡±
248 - More or Less
Humphrey looked out at toward the beach and shoreline as he leaned back against the stone wall of the promenade. After a few moments of clenching his jaw as he read through his messages, he turned his head to the waiting demon.
¡°Our kidnapper is from off-world.¡±
Edward nodded slowly. ¡°So¡ they¡¯ve taken Lucius to a different System?¡±
¡°Unlikely.¡± The Death Knight shook his head and looked back out to the horizon. ¡°More likely they have some manner of satellite vessel just outside our bubble.¡±
¡°Can¡¯t Chuck just swat it like a fly?¡±
¡°No. While other Systems have been easy enough to locate, that is because they are fixed points - landmarks in the abstract sea analogy. An entity that just floats around us is currently like trying to find a shadow amongst the pitch black void.¡±
Edward pulled a face and sighed. ¡°Clearly, if the great Architect is blind, then what he needs is a Lantern.¡±
¡°Why did you say that as if it was a proper noun?¡±
¡°Hmm? What I¡¯m saying is we need bait, right? If they are coming for the Outsiders, they might know we¡¯ll be on guard¡ but if one of us is a little loose and vulnerable, then we can catch them in the act and find their little base.¡±
Humphrey sighed. It wasn¡¯t even the worst idea, certainly coming from the demon, of all people. The possibility of it going wrong, or them not taking the bait¡ ¡°I assume you are offering up yourself?¡±
Bright light bloomed in Edward¡¯s eyes as he grinned widely. ¡°Of course.¡±
¡°So you can join them and go against us?¡±
¡°Naturally. I¡¯m glad you came up with that idea, so we can blame you when it all goes wrong.¡± The demon clicked his fingers. ¡°Let¡¯s go tell Chuck about our plan.¡±
Sally wiped her mouth with the back of her arm. ¡°Not the worst brains I¡¯ve eaten. I am reasonably contented.¡±
She stepped to the side as another bandit lashed forward at her, their spear scraping across her breastplate. Her sword went up into their arm, causing them to release the weapon. With a growl, the zombie grabbed at them, pulling and twisting the wounded arm so that the leather-clad System-created dropped to their knees. Her plated boot lashed out into the side of their head, and she kept it there.
¡°Here you go, Cross! Mama¡¯s got you breakfast ready.¡±
The goblin stumbled forward from the back where he had been hiding, a dagger held limp in his slack arms. Increasing in speed, he bumped into the held bandit, before crunching through the skull using his own [Eat Brains] skill.
¡°Heck yeah.¡± She dropped the body to the floor and crouched down by the zombie. ¡°Follow my finger now.¡± While Sally jabbed at the air, Cross tried to focus his glare to wherever she was indicating.
[Cross has joined the Party]
¡°Yesssss!¡± She grabbed the goblin up and held him in the air by his armpits, ignoring the globs of bloodied bandit that fell down from his open mouth. ¡°Such a smart boy!¡±
Claude sighed loudly, and for as long as his lungs would allow. ¡°I feel as though I am on a runaway stagecoach. Morally, I should have no issue with the summary execution and consumption of these¡ no, I can¡¯t even finish the sentence. I just want to move on.¡±
¡°Enough complaining for once.¡± She turned and held the goblin out towards the healer. ¡°You can Analyze him, right? See what he had going on now that he¡¯s in the Party?¡±
¡°I¡ suppose I can, yes.¡± Claude furrowed his brow and held a hand out, first putting a heal into the small zombie before using his information ability.
[Poppy: You seemed to deal with these bandits no problem!]
¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Sally grinned and turned her head to the knight, who was currently wiping the blood from her sword. ¡°Can¡¯t beat a classic bandit outpost for a fight. They¡¯re human, too - so easy on the stomach.¡±
[Poppy: About that¡ do you have a limit on how many¡]
[Poppy: Friends (?) you can make?]
¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± A quick glance around and she had made four¡ no, five, more zombies. The one Cross had eaten stood up and looked to her for guidance. ¡°Mom is still in charge, it seems.¡± She grinned at the goblin, before placing him back down on the grass. ¡°It used to be that I''d get more powerful with more, but I''m only limited by how many brains I can get in my stomach.¡±
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Archie flicked his tailed from side to side, observing off at the side of the pair. "And you have no issue venting out that space to make more room."
"Nope!"
Claude exhaled through his nose. "Seems the little goblin is now a Level 2 Rogue. He hasn''t allocated stats... But it seems like using the book has confused the System into thinking he is a Player - or at least adjacent to it."
Sally nodded sagely. "Just as planned. I''m not sure where we''re going with this yet - but we are breaking things and that is the start."
She hummed to herself and looked over at the bandit outpost. This one apparently spawned several waves of enemies instead of being more of a traditional Dungeon. Two more waves to go, if Claude was to be believed.
Poppy kneeled down beside Cross and held out a plated hand to be shaken.
[Poppy: Only proper we get acquainted now.]
[Poppy: Since you might be able to see my messages?]
Cross leaned forward and pressed his face against the outstretched hand.
"His intellect is still an issue." Sally rubbed her chin. "Having him talk might be weird, but having him elevate to being a proper Unique is important."
[Poppy: Unique?]
"Yeah, like all my Monster pals from Santuary. No different from you or I, just a Monster instead of a human." Although, she couldn''t really lump herself in with either of the groups, to be fair.
Before she had the chance to explain further, or convince them that Cross was anything more than an undead goofball, the next set of bandits were spawning. Eight of them, two with crossbows and the rest armed with a variety of melee weapons.
[Chain] went out and struck one of the ranged combatants, drawing them off a ledge and towards her waiting sword. The bandit swung their crossbow around and managed to parry her blow, right before they received a dagger to the thigh from Cross. As their opponent tried to stumble back in surprise, the goblin then bit into the wound to get at the tasty parts.
It was enough of a distraction for Sally to slash them in the throat. She stepped past the struggling System-created, leaving the zombie to finish them up.
The rest of her horde were creating a shield wall with their bodies to ensure Claude didn''t draw the attention of the bandits, while Poppy carved through them with little issue. Sally took a moment to admire how brutally effective the knight was, moving between each opponent and cutting them down in a way that reminded her of Humphrey.
She''d have to get him here soon - the three of them would be unstoppable together.
Narrowing her eyes, she realized something else - Poppy hadn''t been entirely finishing off the bandits. Instead, just leaving them mortally wounded. Enabling her and her pals to get a bite to each and grow the throng of undead.
There was a good reason that the knight was her favorite.
Between the three of them, they made light work of the remaining bandits - and gained another four zombies for her group. Each one added further discomfort to their healer, now far too outnumbered for his own liking.
Sally spun her sword around and then turned back to the cat near the back. ¡°How¡¯s things at home, Arch? You tell pops I want him here?¡±
¡°Things are fine. As expected, really. I certainly did, and he was very receptive.¡±
¡°Uh-huh.¡± She rolled her eyes. It was clear there was something up, although with Chuck in charge, it was difficult to imagine it was anything terrible. ¡°If there was a problem with my mission here, you¡¯d tell me, right?¡±
¡°You have my word.¡±
Good enough. As long as there wasn¡¯t anything directly troubling about her return to Sanctuary or the job here in Thrimble, she could let everything else slide. She might have been the savior of the System, but she couldn¡¯t do everything for them.
[Poppy: Next wave has a boss, but he shouldn¡¯t be an issue ^^]
[Poppy: And that should level you!]
¡°Can¡¯t wait.¡± She grinned and got herself ready for the next wave. Although part of her still wished she had completed a few more easy worlds to get a handful of skills, she was at least glad that she met and got to try to save Poppy and¡ the rest of them, she supposed. If this world saving thing became a long-term career, she would eventually not even care about the leveling part of Systems at all.
Make permanent some abilities that gave passive stats, along with a few more zombie-based or offensive skills¡ hmm.
She wondered if there would be a point where she could be powerful enough to just drop on a world and immediately claim it because it was so small compared to her.
¡°That¡¯s not a terrible plan.¡± Dent shifted in his seat as he looked between the Architect and Edward.
Chuck had his fingers together in front of his face, his eyes remaining closed as they had finished up their pitch. ¡°You understand the risks, of course? You could die?¡±
The demon shrugged. ¡°I thought you said that Lucius wasn¡¯t dead? If the kidnapper is just like one of these other worlds, then perhaps dying just brings me back here?¡±
¡°It might, or you might be lost forever. We don¡¯t know the why or how this is happening.¡± Chuck opened his eyes and deflated into the chair. ¡°Scout from a hostile world? Someone who has something against the Outsiders? There¡¯s just too many unknowns.¡±
¡°Not really something that bothers me.¡±
¡°You¡¯re impossible. I¡¯ll get Dent to load you up with what we can, but they seem to have a way of disabling our normal connection and tracking.¡± The Architect pulled a face. ¡°Having so many of you out of action is going to age me dramatically.¡±
While the demon just grinned widely, Humphrey leaned forward. ¡°How are the pair doing?¡±
¡°Sally is fine,¡± Dent offered. ¡°Power gain has been slow, but that¡¯s expected with the type of world she is on. We¡¯re due to catch up this afternoon, and I¡¯ll keep you posted.¡±
¡°And Theo?¡± Edward asked eagerly.
The swordsman shrugged. ¡°His usual self. Not sure what he is doing, but the rate of power has been steadily increasing. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if we got to take that small world ahead of even our most optimistic schedule.¡±
Chuck groaned. ¡°Just what we¡¯d need - him coming back to what¡¯s going on currently. Even with them both home, I¡¯d have no better solution.¡±
¡°Same residue was found in your bedroom, Humphrey.¡± Dent stood and stretched his back out. ¡°Whoever it is has some manner of teleport that is unlike ours. Even when you¡¯re with other people, you¡¯ll all need to stay vigilant and-¡±
¡°Ah, shit.¡± Chuck stood up, his blue robes glowing. ¡°Fran has been reported missing.¡±
249 - Growing Collection
Edward waved his hand, and the faux boulder obstructing the hidden pathway became visible once more. With a soft sigh, he climbed the rest of the rocky amber steps until he reached the precipice.
A small flattened area of stone, overlooking a large swathe of the Wastelands. The sun overhead warmed the place to a degree that may be uncomfortable for most, but just relaxed the demon. His usual grin faded away as his face became slack and neutral. From within his jacket, he withdrew a white rose.
¡°Been a while, my dear.¡± He stepped forward and kneeled to place the flower in front of a small gravestone. ¡°Seemed only fitting I¡¯d come to the place I was most emotionally vulnerable.¡±
A further sigh, and he moved his long legs around to sit on the dusty ground.
¡°There¡¯s a chance we may be together again soon. Or at least the same state of being, which is good enough for me.¡± A small smile curled at the corner of his mouth. ¡°I know you¡¯d forgive me for carrying on without you. You always believed in my Master Plan.¡±
His eyes went out to the roving sand dunes and small settlements. ¡°You¡¯ll be pleased that I¡¯ve made peace with that fact that you are no more, yet I continue to persist through every attempted death. While it was something I long struggled with¡ I¡¯ve found some rubes who now share my curse. You... would have liked them.¡±
Edward stood once more and dusted his slacks down. Perhaps he should have taken up Chuck¡¯s offer of having a bench installed here¡ but he never came with the intention of staying for long. Wasn¡¯t healthy to dwell on the past, but keeping certain memories alive was important.
The demon gave the gravestone a respectful nod, his eyes closed as he exhaled. Could have just teleported here and away, but the arduous task of walking up and down the mountain was part of the process. Gave him the chance to litter along the way, too. She would have liked that as well.
His brow furrowed, and he spun around, sword bursting into red energy as his eyes met a shadowy figure standing right behind him. Looking down, blood was already soaking through his suit.
¡°You¡¯re quick,¡± he murmured, before there was nothing but darkness.
Dent frowned. ¡°Anything on your end?¡±
¡°No.¡± Chuck shook his head. ¡°Video is clear. Edward is still there paying his respects. Nothing untoward about what I am currently monitoring. Yours?¡±
¡°Hmm. Most are normal, but there was a brief spike in¡ check out screen two point eight.¡±
The Architect swiped his hand through the air to switch around some of the graphs and moving data crowding his vision. ¡°That¡¯s¡ unusual. It doesn¡¯t usually spike like that when¡ wait.¡±
He stood from his chair and swiped away the screens to replace them with a much larger one in the middle of the room. The video feed was at the forefront, with a handful of small lines representing certain information running along the side.
By all appearances, it looked as though Edward was still standing there.
Then the image flickered and started to fade.
The graphs dipped or swerve off course, as different sets of data fell away or vanished completely.
¡°Shit,¡± Chuck said, and vanished in a wave of blue light.
Dent sighed and rubbed at his face. After spending most of the day with either Norah or Jackie chewing him out, it was nice to have a little peace. Maybe he could offer himself up next. His eyes went back to the video feed, which now showed a visibly angered Chuck.
Seems their kidnapper had a way to delay the decay of the System¡¯s data. Clearly, this wasn¡¯t their first rodeo. What a difference it could make when their enemies had more than two brain cells. None of the tracking could pinpoint where Edward currently was, although¡
On the Visualizer, a faint line had started to form. The kidnapper looked to be orbiting Sanctuary. Small answers paid with the loss of another Outsider.
But when was the tipping point?
Edward opened his eyes, blinking away the odd sleep that had overcome him. Hand went to his stomach to find that he had been healed. Standing now, in some manner of tube.
His aching blue eyes went over to the side to see the static figure of Fran barely illuminated by a dim light. Just past her was another tube holding Lucius. He ground his sharp teeth together. Dead? Didn¡¯t look it, but they weren¡¯t moving.
¡°Usually, I would kill them, zero-zero-three.¡± A sharp-edged voice came from the darkness.
As he turned to see the speaker, two orbs of white light stared back at him from the gloom.
¡°But the little magic circle you helped make let¡¯s me keep them alive. Isn¡¯t that right, pet?¡± A hand raised into the air, a squirming rat barely picking up the light from Edward¡¯s tube.
He crossed his arms, eyes blazing with fury. ¡°May I at least know the name of my captor?¡±
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¡°Eck.¡± The held rat lowered back into the darkness. ¡°I don¡¯t like talking to my collection, but very well. In the universal language, I am known as Ash¡¯var.¡±
¡°My thanks. Perhaps I may offer you two nuggets of information in return?¡±
¡°Oh? Maybe it is the joy I feel to have yet another of the illustrious Outsiders in my possession¡ but I will allow it.¡±
Edward grinned. ¡°The first is simple. You will die.¡± He held up a hand. ¡°That is not a threat, but a statement of fact. Going against the Outsiders was a mistake in the same way as building a house on the side of a volcano, assuming it is dormant.¡±
The two eyes continued to stare unblinkingly. ¡°Yawn. I say this as a word as I do not have the capability to do the action. Oh, pet can, can¡¯t you?¡± There was a brief squeak and the crunch of something before silence.
¡°Second thing,¡± Edward continued, licking his lips. ¡°You may take away the Chat and Skills that the System provides, but you cannot take away my birthright as a demon. Let me show you your true folly.¡±
[Domain: The Inevitable]
The greens and pale whites of the shadowed room became more vibrant and garish as the power of the Domain washed throughout the surrounding area. With the extra light, Edward was able to pick out more detail from his captor.
Chitinous armored plates that rose up behind them, giving them an oval shape. Insectoid mandibles and short antennae. The hand that held the broken rat was segmented and a deep brown in color.
¡°Enough talking,¡± Ash¡¯var said, clicking two of his four hands together.
A calming feeling washed over Edward, and his Domain faded away, along with any desire to do anything at all.
Sally buckled down to her knees after blocking the overhead strike of the Bandit Leader. A cool-looking sword that she wanted to loot, but now she just felt tired. She watched it swing back for a second blow, intending to split her head open. The tall man then faltered, as a dagger dug into one side of his neck, right before the sharp jaws of Cross latched onto the other side.
As the Bandit flailed and tried to usurp the goblin, Poppy lashed in with her lance skill, disemboweling the System-created.
¡°Never thought I¡¯d wish for a more Quest-oriented leveling experience,¡± Sally complained, flopping over backwards on the ground with a sigh.
Archie moved up beside her and ran his fur against the side of her face. ¡°Not as fun when the System doesn¡¯t give you broken skills, you mean?¡±
¡°Nothing wrong with being overpowered,¡± she grumbled. There was the thought that the System knew when someone was destined to come save it, so she just had to let this one know that¡¯s what she was here for. ¡°I get a Class Ability this level, right?¡±
¡°Correct, but don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡±
¡°I believe in the me who believes in the System.¡± She grunted and sat herself back up. ¡°Why you all over me, cat? It¡¯s not like you to be needy.¡±
¡°No¡ reason.¡± Archie stepped away and looked coy.
With more grumbling, the zombie turned her gaze over to Cross, who was now sitting amongst the dispensed internal organs of the felled Bandit. Chewing on the end of one of the intestines, if her rudimentary understanding of human anatomy was correct.
[Poppy: Sorry I couldn¡¯t get there sooner!]
[Poppy: Who uses bolas these days?~]
She looked up at the knight and grinned. ¡°You¡¯re fine, Poppy. I had at least three other ways of getting out of that situation.¡±
Claude let his own grumbles out as he stepped over to join them. ¡°Were two of those ways bullshit and luck?¡±
Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°You know me well already, sourpuss. Why don¡¯t you open this chest? I¡¯m feeling lazyyyy.¡±
He rolled his eyes but went off to do just that. As he passed her, he looked down briefly before continuing. ¡°I appreciate that you use your minions to protect me.¡±
She grinned.
[Level 5 Reached]
[2 Skills Points to spend]
[Skill Assigned: Undead Squire]
[Undead Squire: Target undead becomes bound to you and receives 40% of your Stats and Skills.]
¡°Hah!¡± Sally hopped back up to her feet. ¡°Another piece of the puzzle!¡± With an outstretched finger, she pointed right at the goblin gobbling giblets. ¡°Cross, I choose you!¡±
The zombie opened his mouth, the errant end of whatever he was chewing on falling to the ground with a wet plop. He stared at her, but that was the extent of his actions.
Skill points went into Determination and Swordmastery again. ¡°That¡¯s all sorted. What do we have up next, gang?¡±
[Poppy: There¡¯s a level 6, 8, or 10 dungeon. All fighting.]
[Poppy: 6 would be easy experience, but 10 would be more.]
¡°But most dangerous,¡± Claude was keen to add as he walked back over. ¡°Not that it would dissuade you, of course.¡±
Sally hummed to herself and tapped her foot. She had hoped that the big bad of this world would have shown themselves at this point. Given her some threats or hammed up the experience. ¡°Where is¡ Pippy?¡±
¡°In a Dungeon of his own creation, naturally.¡± The healer looked off to the far horizon, where tall mountains clouded the view like dark teeth jutting from the island.
¡°Well, this is untenable.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°We¡¯ll need to be level twenty to attack that, I bet?¡±
¡°To have any manner of chance, yes.¡±
[Poppy: Will be a very tiring month, I¡¯m sure ^^]
Sally didn¡¯t have a month. Neither the patience nor appetite for it. She clicked her fingers and stepped over to Archie, jostling him from wherever his attention had been.
¡°Let¡¯s talk, cat,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s time we show the world what being an Outsider is all about.¡±
¡°You seem distracted.¡± Borin slammed his mace down, cracking the tile flooring as the vampire darted around.
¡°Yeah.¡± Theo slid across the slick blood and flourished the warhammer. ¡°Something isn¡¯t right.¡±
The giant raised an eyebrow. ¡°Perhaps the fact that you are still fighting with half of your head missing?¡±
¡°Nah.¡± He twitched. ¡°Wasn¡¯t using that side of my brain, anyway.¡± With his one working eye, he looked up at the domed sky, still swirling with color.
¡°Your woman?¡±
¡°No. The bond of a brother. Not one of blood, but of kinship.¡± Theo shuddered as a chill took his body.
¡°Painful for you to not be able to do anything about it.¡±
The vampire tilted his head and looked to the side of the platform. One quick leap and he¡¯d have his true death here, respawning back at Sanctuary instead of up by the weapon racks. Edward couldn¡¯t be in trouble, surely? Perhaps they were having another tournament, or an Event the demon actually cared to participate in. Despite the draw of the void¡ well, maybe he should return to be sure.
[Dent: Hey, Theo.]
[Dent: Daily check-in time.]
[Dent: You¡¯re doing amazing, estimated¡]
[Dent: 80% towards acquisition power.]
[Theo: Amazing, salivating at the thought of coming home.]
[Dent: No need to rush - be safe, alright?]
[Theo: You know me :) ]
[Theo: Oh¡]
[Theo: Edward okay?]
[Dent: As far as I know. Thought you¡¯d be asking about Sally.]
[Theo: She¡¯s fine, I can tell. Just had a bad feeling¡]
[Theo: Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m missing half my skull LOL!]
He grinned and closed down the Chat. The head of the warhammer scraped across the tile as he moved it into an arc before bringing it up ready.
¡°Hope you¡¯re holding up, Borin. Things are about to get a lot more sperfly.¡±
¡°¡Sperfly?¡±
Theo opened his mouth to reply, but instead just fell over dead.
250 - Insider Information
With the flash of blue light, Dent walked into the data room rubbing his head. ¡°Putting Jackie and Norah with the nerds was a terrible idea, but at least keeping them together is keeping them safer.¡±
¡°You think?¡± Chuck turned to the swordsman with a scowl across his face, before he deflated. ¡°Sorry, shouldn¡¯t take my frustrations out on you.¡±
Dent sat down and shrugged. ¡°What about if I do this?¡± Turning in his chair, he put his boots up on the edge of the smooth desk.
¡°Asshole.¡± Chuck rolled his eyes, but smiled. ¡°You told everyone what¡¯s really going on now then? Also, please put your feet down.¡±
Boots slid off back to the floor. ¡°I did, yeah - they seemed nervous, and worried about the ones who have been taken. Better that they¡¯re in the know, I think.¡±
¡°I¡¯m in agreement. As much as I hoped we could get through this quietly, it¡¯s a bigger weight than for my shoulders alone.¡±
The swordsman tilted his head. ¡°It¡¯s never been only your burden.¡±
¡°I know¡ it¡¯s just¡¡± Chuck sighed and leaned away from the glowing blue screens. ¡°I wanted this role to feel like I had some kind of control in this world. And I adore it, don¡¯t get me wrong, but now having this threat just outside my range is maddening.¡±
¡°True, I¡¯ve never seen you so angry before. Even back in the cold-hearted warlord phase.¡±
¡°Eh. I see Edward, Fran¡ every Unique as no different from the likes of Sally or you. They may have been created by the System, but it makes them no less real or valid. That this kidnapper is targeting my close friends just adds fuel to the fire.¡±
Dent nodded and turned his eyes to the screens, data continually moving around. ¡°A chance of seeing ¡®fire and brimstone¡¯ Chuck in the future?¡±
¡°I¡¯m just an administrator, not a god.¡± The Architect returned a tired smile. ¡°As long as my people are safe, I am content.¡±
The swordsman shot him a glance, the look on Chuck¡¯s face not exactly pairing well with the calm phrasing of the statement.
Crack.
Sally rolled her arm around, the dislocated shoulder now having found the socket once more. ¡°Much better.¡± She caught the look on Claude¡¯s face and shrugged. ¡°Is a lot worse if it stays out of the socket, I assure you.¡±
[Poppy: How¡¯s your stitched arm holding up?]
The zombie flexed it about a bit. ¡°Honestly, no different from before - other than having some cool stitches that you gave me.¡±
[Poppy: ^^]
Worked with her aesthetic, at least. She glanced around the remains of the level ten Guardian. Not a terrible fight, with the knight taking most of the focus away from her. Only almost lost her head once, and an awkward strike dislocated her arm, but otherwise fine.
She turned her head to the healer, who looked the most tired of them all. Not that she could see herself, or Poppy. ¡°One time I dislocated both legs at the hip. Now that is inconvenient.¡±
¡°I can imagine you didn¡¯t so casually pop them back into place.¡±
¡°No.¡± Sally rubbed her chin. ¡°Pretty sure I got a spear through the back of the head after that. Hard to remember exactly.¡±
She looked away from the grimacing man to see that Cross had started hobbling off on his own. ¡°Where you off to, poppet? Phew, he¡¯s got some legs on him now.¡± She started off to follow him. ¡°Dungeon entrance is this way, you goof.¡±
It didn¡¯t take much to catch him up, and she picked him up like an errant toddler. ¡°You know, I realize now you were probably an adult goblin, and it¡¯s rude to treat you like a child.¡± He squirmed in her grip as she held him in the air. ¡°That said, you can¡¯t just scurry off¡ but is there something important?¡±
She took the constant writhing to signal that he had somewhere to be, so she placed him down. As soon as his feet touched the grass, he was off again, around the side of the Dungeon.
Archie followed alongside her as they chased down the eager goblin, while the other two started preparing to descend into the Dungeon. Claude had said it would be dwarves inside, which explained why the entrance looked like a mine. Last time she had been in a mine¡ was probably way back in the Forest when she was trying to level.
Cross stopped at the back of the rough rock jutting from the earth.
¡°There seems to be some symbols here,¡± Archie said, sitting down and tilting his head.
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¡°So there is.¡± Sally frowned and crossed her arms. Three symbols that looked like there were indentations in each where a hand could be pressed. Each was as ornate and random as the other. ¡°I wonder what they are for?¡±
The goblin started to hop up and down against the wall, his small hand reaching up to the symbol on the right.
¡°You want momma to do that one first?¡± She stepped closer with her hand out.
Archie exhaled. ¡°I¡¯m not sure following the whims of a zombie is the best practice.¡±
¡°Nonsense,¡± she replied. ¡°No more so than following a talking cat around.¡± She pressed her palm into the indentation, and green light bloomed around the design. ¡°See, you¡¯re not telling me which buttons to press.¡±
¡°Button pressing is usually a bad idea.¡±
¡°If you dislike fun, maybe.¡± She watched the goblin then move to the far left symbol and try to clamber up the wall. ¡°Left and then center, it seems.¡±
The left bloomed into green light just the same as the right, and then so too did the center as she moved across. With all three now glowing brightly, she grinned and stepped back. ¡°Well, pretty lights, but what does it-¡±
Before she could finish her sentence, a thunderous vibration shook her boots, the ground clearly unhappy with her flippant attitude to accepting the unknown. Just as soon as it started, the shaking faded away.
Poppy slid around the corner, the healer slightly behind.
[Poppy: What happened?!]
[Poppy: Everyone okay?]
Claude opened his mouth to chastise the pair of zombies, but the Dungeon once again cut off any discourse.
With a deep groan, parts of the rocky exterior cracked and started to collapse inwards. As Sally grabbed the goblin by the scruff of the neck and the group moved away to safety, more and more of the mine fell in on itself.
Claude rubbed at his temples as the constant cracking of crumbling stone abated, to be left with the occasional patter of loose pebbles and smaller chunks of rock.
"I''m not sure I even want to ask," he murmured. "I seem to be developing quite the headache."
Sally pulled a face, the Dungeon that was about to be besieged now laying in ruin. In fairness, it was a fun button to press. The fact that they would now miss out on...
She raised her eyebrows as a treasure chest appeared in the grass, just outside the ruins. A wash of experience had her bar rushing up - almost to the next level already. With a smug grin on her face, she turned to the healer. "That help soothe what ails you?"
He shrugged. "It means less mana spent so that we can adventure for longer, but I feel the damage to my brain is already done."
She shot him a wink. "Well, let me know if you need an expert opinion on that."
[Poppy: Cross sure is pulling his weight!]
[Poppy: Defeated a whole dungeon!]
Two, in fact, if you counted the puzzle one - which Sally certainly did. In fact, that just made things all the more suspicious. She narrowed her eyes at the undead goblin as he ran near full pelt into the chest before collapsing to the grass.
Sighing, she stepped over and hoisted him back up into the air. "Something¡¯s not right with you, lil green. Player soul or not, you clearly have some knowledge in you." Her face scoured his blank gaze. "Chuck was almost the same, and reset to being human after his zombie form died a few times. Knowing what we do now, I''m not sure I want to risk that in case we lose you."
Archie wagged his tail in annoyance as he came to sit nearby. "Does he even understand you?"
"Does anyone?" She shrugged and placed the zombie back on the ground, to which he immediately just flopped against her leg. "Cross, dear. If you understand me, go and give Uncle Archie a hug."
"Uncle?" The cat scowled at her, before both their eyes went down to the goblin.
Aimless at first, he stumbled away from Sally''s leg and turned his empty glare in the direction of the cat. With short steps that increased with speed as he continued, he stumbled through the intangible helper and collapsed onto the ground - earning a mouthful of grass while Archie flinched.
"Basic things then," Sally surmised. "But nothing higher level, like understanding that you aren''t real."
[Poppy: Which is a shame!!]
Sally turned to see the other two move over, waiting for her to take the lead. "Either of you know that some of the Dungeons just have a hidden kill-switch?"
Claude shook his head. "No, otherwise we''d be looking to do that for all of them."
[Poppy: Ditto! That''s way easier than sweating out in my armor.]
Picking up the now calm goblin into the air, Sally brandished the small figure at her Party. "I don''t want to jump to conclusions¡ªeven though my feet are itching¡ªbut that puts some pointed questions towards our little Cross here, doesn''t it?" She shook him gently.
Archie nodded. "Clearly he has a lot of experience with Dungeons or their construction. It might not do us any good to speculate on why, but this is certainly a blessing for our progression."
[Poppy: I agree! ^^]
"Alright, then." Sally placed the goblin back on the ground. "Cross, go find us an easy Dungeon that you know how to destroy." She looked back to see that Claude was looting the chest - which was nice because she would have completely forgotten.
He looked up at her once the lid had been popped. "I have some padded leggings here that may give you more protection than... A skirt.¡±
"I''ll give them a try." She pulled a face as he passed them over. "While my diner outfit is rather old hat, it''s reasonably comfortable to fight in." She''d given jeans a go at one point, but a skirt or cloak always seemed to suit her better.
Kneeling down, she unclasped the sides of her plate boots. "Sure is a pain having to manually dress myself," she grumbled. Back on her feet, she rolled out the brown legging and squished at the padding in them. Would be some help, she reluctantly had to agree. As she undid the belt at the side of her skirt, Claude averted his gaze. "I always wear black cycling shorts under a skirt or dress," she said idly. "Aside from the odd breeze, in my line of work it''s just as likely my clothing gets torn or I end up upside down."
[Poppy: That would be awkward!]
[Poppy: One benefit of full armor, I suppose]
"Somehow, I avoid the worst of it. You should see Theo though, guy can''t seem to keep a shirt on his back once fighting begins."
[Poppy: You think he is topless now?? <<]
¡°I could ask him¡ but no! This is our time in the limelight, and what is more important is that we¡¡± She narrowed her eyes out at the surroundings as she pulled the padded leggings on. ¡°Darn, where has that goblin gone? We need to get a leash for him.¡±
Archie sat and watched the group catching up to Cross. Despite all that was going wrong at Sanctuary, and the figurative and literal mountain Sally had to climb to succeed here¡ he smiled.
For he could see the ball rolling. Some classic Sally adventuring that was only bound to snowball and invite bigger conflict their way.
It was almost enough of a comfort to distract him from a fourth person having now been kidnapped back home.
251 - Free Speech
Chuck watched as the sobbing goblin was led away. While his expression was calm, blue flames flickered around his body. With one last glance around the room, he stepped out of the healer¡¯s building and into the goblin village.
¡°Never thought I¡¯d have to console a distraught mother,¡± he said to the Death Knight, who had been waiting outside.
¡°Conversely, it didn¡¯t have to be you.¡±
The Architect shrugged and gestured for them to walk. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be the guardian of this world. If I hide away in my ivory tower, people will start losing faith.¡±
Humphrey grunted. ¡°Reports come through?¡±
¡°Between Edward and Bella¡¯s kidnapping, we have been able to put together some pieces of the puzzle. Our target isn¡¯t using ¡®System power¡¯ to teleport, but somehow harnessing the empty space of the sea to warp back and forth. We currently have no way of detecting such odd energies.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no way of locking down Sanctuary either?¡±
Chuck shook his head. ¡°You know better than most of us. Sanctuary was barely built to combat threats from within¡ enemies from the STAR system were unthinkable to the original Creator.¡±
¡°So, what is the plan?¡± The Death Knight stopped and looked back at the village. While most of the System-created goblins were going on as normal, there were a few groups of Players and Uniques discussing things amongst themselves. ¡°I¡¯d hate to think we will just be twiddling our thumbs."
¡°No.¡± He stopped too, but didn¡¯t look back. ¡°The plan is actually in motion already, but it¡¯s a¡¡±
¡°Gamble?¡±
Chuck gave Humphrey a tired smile. ¡°Outsiders are all about that going full speed and things working in their favor, right? We will find out tomorrow how lucky I am.¡±
Borin stumbled back, dropping to one knee. Sweat ran in trails down the sides of his head. He looked up to see the vampire just standing there, twirling his hammer around. ¡°Why are you not pressing the advantage?¡±
¡°Just need to cool down - my arms do actually ache from this.¡± How long had he been doing this now? Five days? Three months? Two hours?
The giant stood back up to his feet and worked his shoulders out. ¡°You are progressing at an unprecedented rate. It is concerning.¡±
¡°Yeah. Well, the System gave me [Charged Swings] which increases crit rate and damage based on attack speed¡ and my bugged [Novice Strike] lets me attack faster with every strike. Eventually, I become overwhelming - even for you.¡±
¡°I cannot match your pace. Your win is all but set in stone.¡±
Theo rolled his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t be so melodramatic, Borin. I told you I have no intention of killing you. Let¡¯s just spar until¡ well, you¡¯ll see.¡±
Borin grunted. ¡°As you desire, vampire. Then a short break until we resume?¡±
A bow was returned, and the two parted ways to rest.
[Dent: Just letting you know you¡¯re basically set for power.]
[Dent: Chuck needs time to do the acquisition.]
[Dent: Hold out until tomorrow?]
[Theo: I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find something to do~]
[Theo: There won¡¯t be a problem bringing Borin over too, right?]
[Dent: No - the new player area is WIP still, but we¡¯ll keep him safe.]
[Theo: Thanks dental~]
Theo sighed and deflated onto the stairs. He was pretty sure he was starting to lose it. Judging by his conversational skills, it must only be one missed sleep - so it was day two. One more sleepless night should be fine. He¡¯d be a lot looser around the edges, but mostly put together.
Assuming nothing weird or untoward happened to him, of course.
Sally clenched her teeth together. ¡°Cross! Where in the heck are you going?¡±
The goblin hadn¡¯t stopped at the next dungeon, or even the one after that. Instead, his small legs had enabled him to scurry away at surprising speed, much to the chagrin of those trying to keep up. Every time one of them got close enough, he seemed to vanish amongst long grass or other convenient piece of scenery, to appear further ahead again.
¡°Better not be leading us into a trap,¡± Claude grumbled, his face flush from the exercise.
[Poppy: If that were the case, he could have done it in the mine!]
[Poppy: This is just something important.]
[Poppy: ¡I hope.]
Sally tried to ignore them. She¡¯d had her daily update with Dent, and things seemed fine. Progress was being made, but they were nowhere near getting this System to merge. She was rather homesick already, so the prospect of slowly churning through dungeons for another week or more had been a wet blanket on the joy of having a little zombie breaking things just as she had back in the day.
As patchy grass gave way to loose rocks and gravel, they came up to the edge of a steep hill - two trees clinging to life on the edge providing them some stability and cover. They watched as Cross slid down the steep incline and face-planted a large rock en route to the bottom.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
That wasn¡¯t the most interesting thing on display, however.
[Poppy: GASP]
[Poppy: KRISTOV IS ALIVE??]
Sally narrowed her eyes at the man at the bottom of the hill. Encased in something like amber - he was in some manner of stasis. Sharp features and a pointed blonde goatee, his overt garb gave a hint to what Class he might be. Around the chains holding this block of amber in place were four humanoid guards in dark green armor. Singular red eyes glowed from the center of their full helmets.
[Poppy: We have to go save him!]
The knight stepped down gently, sliding at a controlled place down to where the goblin was still laying prone.
Sally raised an eyebrow at Claude, who put a heal into Cross. ¡°You don¡¯t seem as excited to find another Player?¡±
¡°Mmm. While it warms my heart to know another soul is safe¡¡± the healer turned tired eyes towards her. ¡°Kristov is¡ well, you¡¯ll see.¡±
They went down the hill too - but Sally¡¯s descent was much less controlled than she had hoped. Going too fast to stop by the others, she instead used the momentum to barrel into combat. Sword flashing into her hand, she shot out [Chain] onto the closest Monster.
It dug its heels into the loose gravel, but slid toward her anyway - a long halberd brandished in their hands.
¡°Oh, balls,¡± she said, pulling the large weapon towards her. Releasing the skill, she dropped to the floor to avoid the swipe of the bladed weapon. A loud grinding noise came from behind, before Poppy slammed into her attacker, knocking them to the ground as the other three came towards them.
The pair then worked side by side, supporting each other. Poppy using her shield and wider swings as the main force while Sally covered her weaknesses with more agility. Between them, they made quick work of the guards. No brains to be eaten, but as the last one dropped to the floor, Sally flourished her sword.
[Poppy: That was a lot of fun - you¡¯re good in that role!]
¡°Used to do that with my pops.¡± She smiled. ¡°Usually with a dagger through, a longer blade takes getting used to.¡±
[Poppy: So how do we free Kristov???]
They both turned their attention to the large block of amber. Killing the guards hadn¡¯t seemed to prompt it to melt away or anything. Now that they were closer, she could definitely tell the man was a Bard of some kind. Floppy hat with a large feather in it. Stripes of muted colors down his baggy-sleeved jerkin. It was almost too cliche to be believed.
She looked to the side to see Cross once again going full pelt down the rest of the hill, before stumbling for a comically long amount of time - only to slam straight into the hard surface of the amber prison. Where his dark blood had left an imprint of his face against it, a swirl of amber light formed.
¡°Maybe I should hit my head on things more often.¡± Sally sighed and crossed her arms. ¡°Although, they¡¯d start calling me¡ ah, I don¡¯t have a thing for that yet.¡±
Yellow cracks ran up the chunk of semi-transparent material - and then it burst, sending shards clattering to the rocks below.
The man dropped to his feet and wavered in place as the knight ran up to him. Grabbing him by the shoulders and giving him a little shake, Kristov came to - his head rising slowly as his eyes opened.
His brow furrowed as his brain tried to catch up, before the expression completely melted away, turning to elation. ¡°Poppy! My most knightly friend, I feared this terrible prison would be my end!¡± They exchanged a tight hug.
Sally furrowed her brow. No¡ it couldn¡¯t be¡
The bard¡¯s eyes opened again and went over to the gathered Party. ¡°Still alive, old Claude? Tough as old boots, from what you¡¯ve endured.¡±
¡°No,¡± Sally whispered, as the healer just grunted in response. ¡°No, no, no.¡±
He beamed at the zombie. ¡°And who is this maiden who hath escaped a hearse? I¡¯m afraid dear, my flowered diction is not choice¡ but a curse.¡±
¡°Noooo!¡± Sally crouched down beside Archie. ¡°Quick, switch to the B plot.¡±
¡°What B plot?¡± He wagged his tail back and forth.
¡°You know, with the problems going on at Sanctuary.¡±
He winced. ¡°There¡¯s¡ nothing wrong back home.¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes and exhaled. ¡°Arch, you know that there are two things I¡¯m really good at. Getting distracted, and¡¡± She scrunched up her face, before standing and turning back to the Bard. ¡°How does the rhyming thing work if the System is translating what you¡¯re actually saying?¡±
He shrugged.
¡°And is it always rhyming couplets, or can you switch it up?¡±
¡°While I believe tradition should be tip-top, like an amateur gymnast, I often flip-flop.¡± He gave her a low bow as if it deserved applause.
It didn¡¯t really answer her question in a way that felt reassuring. She caught Claude¡¯s look - now she understood what he meant. A little shared disdain for the wordsmith might give them something to bond over. Looking back at the pair, she relented to giving him an invite.
[Kristov has joined the Party]
¡°Sally,¡± she said. ¡°Long story short, I¡¯m here to save the world. I¡¯m a zombie and I eat brains, but I¡¯m on your side.¡±
The man grimaced, but nodded. ¡°If these two have no issue, then I too trust in you.¡±
¡°Gross.¡± She stuck her tongue out and waved them away so that she could go and tend to Cross.
[Poppy: It¡¯s so good to see you Kris!!]
[Poppy: We had thought you long dead.]
[Poppy: There aren¡¯t many of us left.]
[Poppy: Virgil is injured¡]
[Poppy: Joshua, Lia, Fester¡ all gone.]
¡°Such sad news to my ears. How long has it been? Months, years?¡±
[Poppy: Eight months I think.]
For as much as it annoyed her, Sally couldn¡¯t scowl at the man any longer. If he was truly cursed to talk like that, it wasn¡¯t really his fault. Plus, it looked like he was good friends with Poppy, and it made her feel good to see the woman happy. She hoisted Cross up over her shoulder, carrying him like a sack of potatoes. Poor thing was still dazed.
She opened up her Chat, if only so that she could tune out the Bard.
[Sally: Theo, I¡¯m going to die.]
[Theo: What, why?]
[Sally: new party member talks in rhymes]
[Theo: oh]
[Theo: Your one weakness. Poetry.]
[Sally: I feel you¡¯re being sarcastic, but yes.]
[Theo: Say the word and I will end him.]
[Sally: You always know how to cheer me up.]
[Sally: <3]
She could endure the man for as long as she needed in this world. Maybe even get used to it. Well, no. Miracles were unlikely to happen - perhaps they could find a way to end the curse instead. Despite being a Bard, Kristov was probably tired of talking that way. She wondered if he had to type in rhymes too - or he could just use Chat like Poppy, but she didn¡¯t have the stomach to ask.
Claude was also over by the wreckage of the amber prison now, his brow furrowed as he read through runes that she hadn¡¯t noticed before.
¡°What does it say?¡± she asked, cradling the small zombie and rocking him back and forth.
¡°Hmm? Oh.¡± The healer stretched out, casting an exhausted glare at the Bard having a conversation with the knight. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly clear¡ but I think it details something about Kristov¡¯s imprisonment.¡±
¡°Anything about the curse?¡± She grinned, full of hope.
¡°Afraid not.¡± Claude rubbed at his eyes before sighing. ¡°In releasing him, we have also set something else free on the island.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°A Monster that will track us down day and night until either it or we are dead.¡±
252 - Made for Chewing
Sally yawned as she guided Cross back up the steep slope, holding his hand. The goblin had still been out of sorts ever since mashing his face on the amber that had been holding Kristov silent. Blessed amber. Perhaps the little zombie was also not a fan of the poetry the Bard had been espousing.
After a few minutes of letting the man catch up with Poppy, he agreed to joining their little group in taking out the Dungeons. He wielded a crossbow, which was great for two reasons. First, they had been sorely lacking in the ranged damage department. And second, it should put her as far away from him as possible in case he decided to open his mouth again.
She paused to see that Archie was somehow at the top of the hill already, waiting for her.
¡°Now that you have a full Party, I will take my leave. Call me should you need to, but otherwise we can both assume that everything is fine.¡±
Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Sure. Everything is fine.¡±
The cat vanished with a swirl of energy, not wanting to continue the conversation. With a sigh, Sally turned and lent a hand to Claude, who was having an issue on the steep slope.
¡°Trouble in paradise?¡± he asked, giving her a nod of thanks as she pulled him closer to the top.
¡°That¡¯s not the context that phrasing is usually used for. I have a feeling something is up, but they aren¡¯t telling me, so that I don''t get distracted. It¡¯s the smart play.¡±
¡°Otherwise you¡¯d return to help them, and have to leave us until later?¡± Claude dusted himself down once they reached the precipice.
¡°Ehhh.¡± Sally looked down as the knight and bard helped each other up. ¡°This isn¡¯t really a back-and-forth thing. I¡¯m here. I get one chance to do the job.¡±
¡°A wise decision not to tell you then.¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± Sally looked down at the dazed goblin. ¡°I have a handful of people behind me with useful brains that help point my appetite in the right direction. Used to think my Player and zombie sides were different, but I guess I¡¯m just unstable.¡±
Claude shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re competent at least¡ and don¡¯t speak in rhymes.¡±
¡°Right?¡± She grinned and looked down at the pair, who had almost caught up. ¡°What do we do now? We¡¯ve kinda got lost amongst the weeds here.¡±
The healer looked around, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Either we attempt to backtrack toward the Keep and start picking out Dungeons we can do, or start our progress from here anew.¡±
¡°Shit, you¡¯re rhyming now too.¡± Sally stuck her tongue out of him.
Claude smiled. ¡°A fate worse than death.¡±
With everyone back up the hill, they started off toward the closest Dungeon. Sally continued to hold the goblin¡¯s hand, as otherwise Cross would just fall on his face. An attempt to give him a healing potion just felt like waterboarding gone wrong, and Claude insisted that the small zombie was as full health as he could be.
Now that they had some unknown threat coming for them, she tried to be more alert. Without seeing it¡ it was hard to take the supposed Monster seriously. In their fights in Sanctuary, the Outsiders had always been on the back foot. Trying to punch up at things greater than them. Her time here had felt more like the abandoned System world, just with some social life to it.
Not that she was inviting higher stakes to come kick sand in her eyes.
¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± she complained. ¡°What¡¯s nearby, Claude?¡±
¡°Boss challenge, but it¡¯s Level Thirteen.¡±
She pulled a face. ¡°We could take it, right? With being a full party now? What¡ level are you, Kristov?¡±
The man rubbed at his beard. ¡°Hungry? When¡¯s the last that you ate? I¡¯m ashamed to inform you I am but Level Eight.¡±
That made some sense. Poppy and the others would have leveled up while he was trapped away. She had tried not to listen to his backstory as he had got the others up to date. Not that she didn¡¯t care, but it was like nails on a chalkboard. With a sigh, she brought up her Chat windows. Empty, so she decided to annoy someone.
Her eyes ran down the list of Outsiders¡ who hadn¡¯t she wound up recently? Lucius¡ or maybe Edward? A finger hovered over the options before the desire washed away. She missed home, she couldn¡¯t deny it.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
[Sally: bet you¡¯re close to going home already.]
[Theo: Won¡¯t say. You?]
Her tongue ran against her sharp teeth.
[Sally: Won¡¯t say.]
[Theo: We¡¯ll be together soon, promise.]
[Theo: I¡¯ll take you to that place you like to eat.]
[Sally: We¡¯re banned there!]
[Theo: The zookeepers can¡¯t stop us ;)]
[Sally: Oh, I have a msg from Dent.]
[Sally: smooches.]
Now if only the boys back home could rig up the STARs to use voice activation like a phone call, she could yap to the vampire all day long. Once again, he had put a little spring in her step.
[Dent: Hey Sally, spoken with Chuck about what you discussed with Archie.]
[Dent: It¡¯ll be experimental¡ and imperfect - but he¡¯s willing to try.]
[Sally: Perf. Whenever possible, do the thing.]
[Dent: Will give you two minutes warning.]
[Dent: and Sally?]
[Sally: Yeah?]
[Dent: You¡¯re doing us proud, we miss you too.]
She pouted and closed the Chat down. Dent was one of the last people on the list that she¡¯d expect some sap from. Things must be really bad there. Refocusing her eyes, she realized everyone had been waiting for her.
¡°Sorry, just talking to fangs and home base. There¡¯s more than one way to skin an intangible cat.¡± Sally held up a finger as the bard opened his mouth. ¡°Poppy can fill you in on all my backstory in private messages.¡±
Turning, she leveled that finger at Claude instead. ¡°Let¡¯s hit something a little easier first, and then break for lunch? It¡¯s about that time, right?¡±
¡°Certainly. There¡¯s a lower stakes Dungeon we past, about five minutes down. Humanoids¡¡±
¡°Done deal.¡± She licked her lips. ¡°Let¡¯s walk and talk.¡±
The healer nodded, and the group set off. The knight and bard conversing through Chat, and Cross not keen on being on this plane of existence.
¡°You seem to have something planned, Sally?¡±
She waggled her eyebrows at Claude. ¡°Of course. The thing with Systems is that they are just playgrounds with different rules¡ or like a dollhouse? You can do what they expect of you and have fun, but if you have the gumption, you can make it something that you like.¡±
¡°I see.¡± He tilted his head to the side. ¡°So what rule are you planning to break?¡±
¡°Tch. I¡¯ll not ruin the surprise. Originally, we were going to have one of my pals join the world once I was powerful enough, but since we have a full house, I gave Chuck something else to get his mind around.¡±
¡°And this friend of yours became the god of your System because of you breaking the rules?¡± Intrigue illuminated the healer¡¯s eyes.
¡°Yes, and no. Whoever is the actual creator of these fake worlds has the real control, but until they show their face we can do the next best thing.¡± She screwed her face up at the scenery. ¡°Certainly better than just making loads of Dungeons.¡±
Claude shook his head. ¡°Honestly, if it were me, I wouldn¡¯t have the strength to leave that paradise and struggle in a new world.¡±
¡°I have a hunger that not even the freshest brains can fill.¡± She grinned. ¡°Something to do with my flawed existence. I have to go against the odds and chew my way to the top of the pile. With idle hands, I get up to all sorts of mischief.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t imagine.¡±
The various Events and Theo had kept her busy enough. She had wanted this, so why was she so eager to go back home to the bland safety? Was it because she knew something had gone wrong back at Sanctuary? Not really - if it was dire, then they¡¯d bring her back. It would be good for them to learn to look after themselves if she would be doing this regularly. Perhaps it was just having her friends and family around. They had kept her grounded, and the time spent without at least one of them around was few and far between.
For some reason, Cross was helping her sanity. She looked down at the little goofball at the end of her arm. Her new Party was nice enough, but it was the undead and the companionship with Uniques and others like her that made her feel contented. Even out of the humans she knew on Sanctuary, it was only Dent and Lana who were somewhat normal - and even then¡
¡°You know how Virgil is doing?¡± she asked.
¡°Alive still.¡± Claude nodded. ¡°Some periods of being awake, but he needs rest.¡±
They stopped in place, and Sally put her hand up to her brow to glare out at the Dungeon in front of them. The Guardian outside looked like a large ceramic pot, the Dungeon behind it a wooden shack that could be some manner of shop¡ quite small, unless it was a puzzle?
[Poppy: What do the runes say, Claude?]
¡°It is a Boss fighting Dungeon, albeit only Level Eight.¡±
¡°Seems simple enough.¡± Kristov shrugged. ¡°No need to get too rough.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°On the contrary - does anybody else know what Monster we are facing?¡±
She was met with murmurs and shaken heads.
¡°Cross knows, don¡¯t you, bub?¡± Sally let him go, and he fell into a prone position and gurgled into the grass. ¡°Exactly! What we are up against is a Mimic.¡± Her sword spun around in her hand and she pointed it toward the innocent-looking shop. ¡°Mr. Claude, delete this building.¡±
The healer shuffled awkwardly before holding his hand up. A short zap of radiant magic flew out across the gap between them, striking the side of the structure. Small shavings of wood splintered of the struck beam, to land in the grass below.
A couple of seconds of silence followed.
[Poppy:¡ I¡¯m not sure that]
The message was sent prematurely as the Party tensed up at the shuddering movement ahead of them.
Two lanterns out front burst into bright amber flame, and the shop twisted and buckled. A horizontal crack ran from the front of the building all the way across to each side, splitting apart to reveal a mouth full of hundreds of sharp teeth. The two flaming eyes turned to regard the Party.
¡°You¡¯re grinding your teeth again,¡± Dent noted, as he looked over to the Architect.
¡°Ah. Lots on my mind.¡± Chuck shook his head, the focus lost on the screens in front of him. ¡°Just getting the final parts of Sally¡¯s thing together.¡±
¡°Think it¡¯ll delay Theo¡¯s return more than we are already?¡±
Chuck was silent as his eyes ran over some information that was only visible to him. ¡°Hmm? Oh, no - if it goes fine, then we should keep to our schedule.¡±
¡°Should I be worried that I haven¡¯t been clued in on the plan with the kidnapper? I know you¡¯re not just playing safe with the vampire.¡± His metal hand drummed on the desk. ¡°I¡¯m not usually left out of this kind of thing¡¡±
¡°Dent¡¡± Chuck rolled his eyes and looked over at the swordsman with a wry grin. ¡°You¡¯re smart enough to know what¡¯s going on. Classic Outsiders plan.¡±
¡°Manic quips and eating people?¡±
¡°Gambling everything on a last-ditch bullshit maneuver.¡±
253 - New Game Plus
Sally slashed with her sword as she turned to the side, narrowly avoiding the large tongue of the shop mimic as it struck the earth. Why she had drawn the aggro of the Monster out of all of them was beyond her. Despite Poppy¡¯s best attempts to attract the opponent away, it hadn¡¯t sought to try to eat any of her Party.
Even the annoying bard, who had taken to playing a¡
She scowled as she slid across the dirt. ¡°Is that a kazoo? I oughta feed you to the-¡± The mimic interrupted her threat as it powered toward her again. Dirt churned at the edges as it slid toward her like an ungainly slug. Maybe it was because she could see past its disguise.
What made things worse was the fact that Cross was still prone in the grass. He had crawled forward slightly with his dagger, but seemed unable to right himself. Worrying, as she had to make sure he didn¡¯t get squished in the collateral.
Before playing his infernal instrument, Kristov had put a bolt into the large pot mimic that had been outside of the shop. It had cracked, but the projectile had stopped within the body of the Monster as if it was just flesh beyond the thin outer layer. Not dead, but it had taken a backseat in the combat as everyone focused on the bigger threat.
Perhaps that was the answer to one of her problems¡
¡°Poppy, tag it!¡±
The knight lashed forward with her lance skill, striking the mimic in the side. Wood and plaster splintered and split as dark blood oozed from the side of the faux building. Sally leaped over the tongue as it slid through the grass toward her. Landing into a roll, she immediately sprinted off at an angle.
There the little goober was. As the mimic turned to face her, anger flaring in its lantern-eyes at the attack from the knight, Sally scooped the goblin up into her arms. With a full-circled twist, she spun and launched her sword towards the mimic like a thrown dagger. A rumbled growl came from the Monster¡¯s mouth as the right lantern burst from the impact, sending a splatter of dark gore across the shop front instead of the expected flame.
Dagger spun up into her hand and she hit [Chain] on the smaller mimic trying to play catch-up. With no way of stopping itself against the ground, the ceramic pot zipped across the grass right toward her.
A quick lash of her blade and the top of the mimic smashed and sprayed blood across her. She dumped the goblin inside, and then looked up just in time to see the shop swinging for her. Two slim arms had now grown from the side windows.
[Dent: Two minute warning.]
[Dent: Try not to move much.]
She waved the notifications away, but the damage was done. Long tongue jabbed at her, knocking her back like a spear. Not sharp enough to pierce through her armor, but as she toppled to the ground, it certainly felt like cracked ribs.
As a heal rolled through her, Kristov played a couple of sad notes on his kazoo.
¡°Bard,¡± she growled, trying to find her feet. ¡°I¡¯m about to shove that kazoo right up your-¡±
¡°Ass!¡± Theo took a few steps back, wobbling. ¡°So sorry, Borin. Mania is making me sloppy.¡±
The giant held a hand up to his head, a line of fresh blood emerging from the wound and sticking to his fingers. ¡°You are like a pesky gnat, always buzzing in my ears. It¡¯s getting difficult to keep up with you.¡±
Theo put the head of the warhammer to the floor and leaned on the handle. ¡°You¡¯re not holding back on me, are you?¡±
¡°No.¡± Borin shook his hand out and picked his mace back up from the floor. ¡°You have ten seconds to finish me off, otherwise I¡¯ll heal back up.¡±
¡°Oh, in that case.¡± The vampire turned around and went to sit on the stairs. Getting comfortable, he leaned back and put his hands behind his head.
¡°Why are you toying with me? Can you not finish the job?¡±
¡°Eh.¡± Theo rolled his eyes. ¡°We¡¯ve had this conversation like ten times. I¡¯m not going to kill you. Why are you so eager to die?¡±
There were a few moments of silence before the giant responded. ¡°I tire of this existence. Being a pawn where combat is my only purpose. I¡¯d rather face the infinite void than stand here missing all the things I used to cherish in my old life.¡±
¡°Sigh.¡± Theo exhaled through his nose. ¡°It¡¯s only because my lack of sleep has loosened my lips, but let me let you in on a secret.¡± He sat up straight and furrowed his brow.
¡°Okay¡¡± The giant stared at him blankly, expecting the information to come without his input.
¡°Okay. Oh, ah - yeah. So¡ I¡¯m going to rescue you from this place.¡±
Borin raised an eyebrow, putting his weapons to the side. ¡°Rescue?¡±
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¡°I¡¯m not supposed to say in case I mess this up and you¡¯re left here with more things to be sad about. But if possible, you¡¯ll be coming back to my world.¡±
¡°Oh. So the farming questions¡¡±
Theo nodded. ¡°You seem like a nice enough chap, given the circumstances. We haven¡¯t had a Player from another world join our System before, but if you want that kind of life then we have all sorts of job opportunities.¡±
The giant stood in silence for a moment before sitting down on the floor. Placing his weapons on the white tile, he put his chin in his hands and looked back at the vampire. ¡°This is not a trick?¡±
A slow shake of the head was the only given response.
¡°There would be no requirement to fight?¡±
¡°No.¡± Theo smiled. ¡°Live as you please. You¡¯ll be our first non-human Player. It¡¯s quite interesting.¡±
¡°You have not seen a giant before?¡±
¡°I have, although they are System-created. I¡¯m¡ not sure if we have any Unique giants - but I can guarantee you that you wouldn¡¯t face discrimination for being different.¡±
Borin snorted. ¡°Your paradise has no prejudice? I find that hard to believe¡ then again, if a vampire and zombie are some of the chosen ambassadors for the world.¡±
Theo grinned and pushed his glasses up. ¡°Well, people are people. I find they change their tune after you kill them with kindness. After killing them a couple of times the normal way, at least.¡±
¡°Better than being here and doing nothing but fight forever.¡± Borin stretched his back out and relaxed. ¡°For what it is worth, blood-drinker, you have been the most interesting and pleasant combatant cursed to be pitched against me. Even if your words hold no weight¡ thank you.¡±
¡°Psh.¡± He shook his head and leaned back on the stairs. ¡°Sounds like you need a sleep. I¡¯m done gaining power. You want to just hang out until our fates are decided?¡±
¡°Hang out?¡± The giant grunted and looked around. ¡°Very well, Theo. Let us wait and see.¡±
Theo didn¡¯t reply, as he had already fallen asleep.
Sally wiped the blood and mimic drool from her eyes. This was getting exhausting. Being a near amorphous lump in the shape of a shop, the Monster didn¡¯t really suffer much from the damage they had currently afflicted. Her curse was slowing it, but given that it was ignoring everything aside from her and she clearly didn¡¯t put enough points into cardio¡ she was already at the limit of her patience.
She wasn¡¯t too sure if Kristov talking or playing his instrument was worse. She was even less sure if the musical accompaniment was doing anything other than annoying her. Perhaps that was the point.
Over to her side, the ceramic pot mimic finally split open, and the zombie goblin stumbled out. A fire in his eyes - eating a brain was the proper fix that cured him. The happiness she felt at seeing her little snotbag all perked up was only marred by the realization that she should have a small group of zombies with her¡
¡°When did I lose my other pals?¡± She cursed out into the air. Didn¡¯t have them when freeing the bard¡ the previous dungeon, maybe? Did she outrun them, or did they die? How terrible of her to let them go so easily.
¡°Watch as I give this beast a fright, to allow our weary a brief respite.¡± The bard held up his kazoo and a raspy blast surged out, a flowing energy that swirled through the air and struck the mimic.
The shop deflated slightly and looked dazed.
[Poppy: Ten second stun, cancels if injured!]
Perfect. Sally rolled out her shoulders and stepped back from it a dozen steps. ¡°Allow me to finish this once and for all.¡±
Her empty hand went out to face the shop as Cross stumbled over and grasped onto her leg.
¡°I curse you, weak creation of this failing System,¡± she began. ¡°You are judged unworthy by Sally Danger - Queen of the Undead and Savior of Sanctuary. The gods smite you for standing opposed to me.¡±
There was a moment of silence, her eyes narrowing as she continued to hold her hand out. She slowly exhaled through her nose - Theo probably would have gotten the countdown more accurate. Give or take a second.
And then it happened. A tear opened up in the sky. Only a few feet across - but the bright green was a stark contrast to the blues and grays. With everyone¡¯s attention to this strange phenomenon, Sally grinned.
A small object that reflected the light jettisoned from this hole, cratering down toward the ground. Just as soon as the metallic case left the tear, it sealed back up. Like an interdimensional bullet, the payload struck the mimic who was just about to leave the afflicted daze. With a large crack, the roof buckled inward and blood rocketed into the air.
All in all, not a bad show. Sally clicked her fingers as the Dungeon reward chest appeared to the side of the gurgling shop corpse. She figured Dent would be using her location to drop the care package near, so it was a little bit of luck and guesswork to assume it would land on the mimic.
Not that she would tell the impressed looking Party members.
[Poppy: Holy! What was that!!]
¡°That,¡± she said, ¡°is a special bit of something from my home world. That I am only now realizing I will have to dig out of the big mushy corpse there.¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of your thing?¡± Claude asked, a wry smile at the edge of his mouth.
She rolled her eyes and shook Cross away from her leg so that she could go retrieve whatever it actually was. Something more useful than a whole Humphrey, was her hope. Rolling out her neck, she put her feet on the lower window frame, only briefly annoyed that it was soft and sticky. A few handholds up the broken shop exterior, and then she slid down into the crater formed in its head.
A metal case, just as she thought. Same looking material as the Death Knight¡¯s armor or Theo¡¯s coffin. Not that there was any question of where this had come from, of course. Dent had given her a¡ oh, he was messaging again.
[Dent: Looks like it delivered fine?]
[Dent: Let us know if any issues, oddities, etc?]
[Sally: Will do!]
With a grunt, she dragged it back out to the edge of the roof and chucked it down to the ground - only barely missing the goblin who looked to be anxiously waiting for her return. With the grace of a cat she hopped back down off the Monster, only almost falling into a puddle of bile and mimic slobber.
¡°Are those your friends from the grave?¡± Kristov asked, pointing down the way. ¡°Only they don¡¯t want to return my wave.¡±
She scowled at the posturing bard before looking back behind her. A small group of very slowly shuffling zombies was on their way over. They¡¯d need a good talking to when she was done.
[Poppy: What¡¯s in the box? ^^]
Sally popped the seal and opened it up. A hiss and waft of smoke waved over her, reminding her of the Chance Boxes she used to pale at back in Sanctuary.
Hand went in and then withdrew, holding a familiar blade.
¡°This is how we unlock my true potential,¡± she said with a wide grin. ¡°Using my [Skeleton Key]! Isn¡¯t that right, Cross?¡±
The short zombie stumbled into the metal box and looked up at her.
¡°Puh,¡± he replied.
254 - Puh
Sally put her dagger away and crouched down beside the goblin, who immediately put his face against her knee. ¡°Did you just talk, Cross?¡±
¡°Puh,¡± he replied.
She whistled. ¡°That¡¯s a start, at least. Maybe feeding you brains can help with your word smartness. Mine too.¡±
[Poppy: That¡¯s so sweet!]
[Poppy: Although I expected him to say ¡®mama¡¯ first <<]
Claude grumbled as he went over to the dungeon chest. ¡°Perhaps he is trying to say ¡®please end me¡¯.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes and looked up at the bard. ¡°Anything to add to the conversation, punk?¡±
He shook his head. ¡°I care not for the results of what we¡¯ve slayed¡ I am, however, interested in your divinely delivered blade.¡±
¡°Ah, you want a little exposition, huh?¡± She stood and dusted her padded leggings off. From her belt, she spun [Skeleton Key] into her hand with practiced precision. ¡°This was my weapon of choice back home. It has a broken ability on it, which I should probably check.¡±
Wrinkling up her face, she brought up the item description boxes. Yep - just the same as in Sanctuary. The more daggers she had in her Inventory, the more defense it would ignore.
She twirled it and stuck it out toward the Party. ¡°This is a stick-up, then. Give me all your daggers.¡±
[Poppy: I have three!]
[Poppy: But why do you need?]
¡°It gets more powerful the more daggers I own¡ and I currently have one, which isn¡¯t going to save the world.¡± Sally pouted and looked down at Cross, who was watching the slower group of zombies catch up - his own dagger held loosely in his hand.
¡°Two here,¡± Claude offered.
¡°Seven, no wait! I have eight.¡±
She gathered them all with a nod of thanks. Fourteen wasn¡¯t enough to put it into overpowered territory, but it was marginally better than her sword now - even including the stat points she had used.
¡°I need a billion more, but that¡¯s a start.¡± She smiled and crossed her arms. ¡°Wait till you see me fight with a weapon I¡¯m used to.¡±
[Poppy: There used to be weapon merchants¡]
[Poppy: Before all this - it¡¯s a shame.]
Claude nodded. ¡°We could travel to the area and destroy Dungeons on the way. Perhaps freeing the surroundings could allow the System-created to regenerate?¡±
¡°I¡¯m willing to try it if there¡¯s no disagreements?¡±
There were none, aside from the bard, who raised a finger toward her. ¡°Before we travel too far, you should deal with your glowing STAR.¡±
She pulled a face and brought her write up - indeed; she had leveled up from killing the mimic. ¡°Not bad, I¡¯ll get another skill this level,¡± she said with a grin.
Her finger went up to press at the golden shape before her brow furrowed. Turning her head to the side, she scowled around at the surroundings.
[Poppy: Something wrong, Sally?]
¡°Hmm. No. It just¡ feels like someone is keeping tabs on us.¡± She ran her tongue across her teeth. ¡°Waiting for our guard to be down.¡±
¡°Seven¡ eight¡ nine¡ that¡¯s a good number, pet.¡± Ash¡¯var turned from the filled tubes to look at the rat sitting on the desk.
It squeaked and stood up on its back legs.
¡°True, pet. Not Outsiders, but still worthy of my collection.¡± Clawed hands drummed on the nearest empty container. ¡°Number ten should be special though, don¡¯t you agree?¡±
Another squeak.
¡°I thought they¡¯d be smarter, too. It feels like they have given up already. We¡¯ll bide our time for the next one¡ I want to go for one of their most powerful.¡±
Squeak.
¡°Ha. You read my mind once more, pet. I¡¯ll start the preparations.¡±
[Unyielding Advance] [Deflect all damage from a target for as long as you move directly toward them. 60ft Max Range, cancels once in Melee Range.]
Sally put her hands on her hips. Pretty decent for closing in on ranged opponents. She¡¯d definitely have a struggle with choosing which skill to take back home when they eventually won¡ although that opened up a second question.
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Going back to Sanctuary with this world in tow was based on her personal power. Technically, she didn¡¯t need to go punch the big bad in the face to save the world - the assumption was that they could be moved along with everyone else and dealt with by Chuck.
But was that narratively satisfying?
It would be nice for the people of Thrimble to be able to go and take back their home themselves. That is what she agreed with Chuck - the world-dropping would be to help save broken Systems, not to just be a cold-hearted takeover.
Alternatively, she didn¡¯t want to possibly die and waste the opportunity to save them because morals dictated she go and stab the god in the mountain. In some ways, being back at Sanctuary as soon as they were able was the nicest thing to do for the people struggling here.
Quite the pickle.
She turned her head over to the group of zombies that had finally caught her up.
¡°I¡¯m not used to my undead pals being super slow. This is going to go on your performance review.¡± With a roll of her eyes, she took Cross¡¯ hand, and the Party set off.
[Poppy: Little guy having trouble again?]
The knight kept pace with her and looked down at the little goblin. ¡°Puh,¡± he announced.
¡°Oh, no? I guess I just did it by instinct.¡± She pulled a face. ¡°Not a good idea to get too attached to a zombie.¡±
[Poppy: You¡¯re a zombie ^^]
[Poppy: And I think you¡¯re fantastic~]
¡°Thanks, Poppy. Don¡¯t tell Claude, but you¡¯re my fave too.¡± Sally grinned and looked ahead. The bard was trying to talk to their healer, but the older man was just speeding up - trying to walk ahead even if that put him apart from the rest of them.
¡°Puh,¡± Cross agreed.
¡°Are you trying to say Poppy? Aunty Poppy?¡±
¡°Puh.¡±
[Poppy: I don¡¯t think he is - but I¡¯m a huge fan of pretending!]
[Poppy: Back in my old world, I had a little cousin¡]
[Poppy: Aside from the open skull and point goblin parts, they¡¯re just alike!]
Sally looked down at the zombie. He was staring vacantly ahead as he stumbled forward - not that different from her other pals who were already lagging behind. The fact that he still held onto her hand willingly, carried the dagger, and was trying to talk meant he was definitely different. His ability to disable dungeons too¡
Her glare went back out to the distant trees and grassy hills. A few dungeons within eyesight¡ but¡ There was still the feeling that they were being tracked. A sixth sense developed over way too many Events being hunted and killed by Players.
Poppy put her plated hand on her shoulder.
[Poppy: Don¡¯t worry. Whatever it is, we can beat it.]
[Poppy: I¡¯ll keep you and Cross safe.]
¡°It¡¯s not us you need to worry about - although that is appreciated.¡± Sally gestured with her free hand to the other two, now almost at a jogging pace. ¡°You three are the most important. I want you all to live and survive so that you can¡¡± She stopped her tongue before blurting out the plan to take them to Sanctuary.
¡°Puh.¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± she recovered, ¡°so that you can all be happy. Well said, Cross.¡±
[Poppy: That would be nice¡]
[Poppy: Maybe one day have some cats of my own again.]
If there was one thing Sally would have to do, it would be to make that a reality. Easily enough done in Sanctuary - anything Chuck could imagine up could be created, near enough. Plus, with the near immortality and the lack of need to grind and suffer through life¡ oh, that¡¯s what brought her here.
She remembered what Lucius had said. One of the reasons everyone got to see him or one of the other handful designated therapists for the world was to make sure nobody went crazy from living forever. It hadn¡¯t even been a year yet since Chuck took over, but it was good to lay the foundations for the future. Then he started asking some pointed questions about insects which she found boring.
In saying that, she did miss the Shade¡ perhaps she should catch up with him too?
¡°Hey, Sally?¡±
Her eyes went away from her STAR and over to Claude, who had paused and looked as though he was a couple of seconds away from causing harm to Kristov.
¡°There¡¯s a Dungeon up here that might grant you some of the required blades. Similar to the bandit camp, but higher level.¡±
¡°Oh? My stomach says yes before my brain can ask for more information.¡± In saying that, they were supposed to stop for lunch before the mimics got involved.
She followed the direction he was pointed and spotted the Dungeon. Another outpost, but this one was rougher in construction. They even had a couple of cute watchtowers occupied by¡
¡°Are those orcs? No¡ they have boar-like faces.¡± She rubbed her chin.
[Poppy: Orcs do have boar-like faces.]
¡°Neat, subverting some tropes. Although, are your kobolds like little lizards or like little dog people?¡±
[Poppy: Like lizards!]
[Poppy: Tiny dog people sound so precious though~]
¡°Sanctuary has the little dog ones.¡± She winked and managed to not blurt out an invitation to her world once more.
[Poppy: As much as I¡¯d like a peaceful life¡]
[Poppy: Maybe one day I¡¯ll be a universe traversing angel like you, instead.]
[Poppy: And then I¡¯ll visit you at Sanctuary! ^^]
[Poppy: You¡¯ll have to introduce me to Theo <
Chuck blinked, the data and symbols in front of him changing ever so slightly every second or two. He turned his eyes over to the side slowly, realizing that Dent had been talking to him.
¡°You didn¡¯t catch anything of what I just said, did you?¡±
¡°Not a word.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Was it anything important?¡±
The swordsman exhaled through his nose. ¡°Theo¡¯s progression has stopped. Seems he has tired of growth there.¡±
¡°Excellent.¡± Some life returned to the Architect¡¯s face as his brow furrowed. ¡°And Sally¡¯s weapon?¡±
¡°Delivered fine. Still needs testing, but looks promising. Sent her a follow-up questionnaire, which she immediately deleted.¡±
Chuck smiled. ¡°Sounds about right. We should start getting Theo prepared. Things on my end have¡ they are as ready as we¡¯ll get.¡±
¡°He¡¯s already told me the skill he wants to keep, but hasn¡¯t replied to my last message. I assume he is asleep. Ready as he¡¯ll get, too.¡±
¡°Ugh.¡± Chuck flexed his fingers out across the desk. ¡°It¡¯s difficult not pressing the button right now.¡±
¡°It¡¯s your call.¡±
It was. There were still plenty of options that he could check and make sure everything was aligned as expected. With the addition of a Player to bring over, it was a good test to make sure things would be in place for when Sally came back.
The stress of the kidnappings sure hadn¡¯t helped, but he kept himself busy enough where it hadn¡¯t been a constant drain on his soul.
Plus, his revenge plan seemed more airtight by the second.
255 - Nibbles
A crossbow bolt bounced off of Sally¡¯s dark aura as her boots thudded through the dirt. The orc she had set as her target on approach seemed rather shocked that she had managed to avoid being skewered, and in turn, he suffered that fate. Her dagger lashed across his arm before imbedding itself under his chin, a spray of blood arcing out as she twirled from the opponent, using [Eat Brains] as she passed.
[Chain] went out and dragged the next opponent over - the boar-faced humanoid tripping over Cross just before they reached her. An easy jab into their eye-socket, and then she left them for the goblin to eat.
Arrow bounced from her breastplate with a sharp clank, and she turned her bright crimson eyes over to the assailant. Two others were on their way. Curse went up on the first as she ducked below the swing of a large axe, burying her dagger into their thigh. Stood and kicked out at the damaged leg before blocking the swing of a sword from the next orc.
Return arc of the blade nipped at her head as she grabbed the offending wrist. Dagger went in to disarm them, and she followed up with a headbutt. Kristov struck the other orc with a bolt to the stomach, and as the attacker hunched over in pain, Cross stepped in to stab them in the face.
¡°Puh-puh!¡± He exclaimed, his mouth more bloody than usual.
They both ate well, and continued deeper into the outpost. Sally dodged and weaved throughout the throng of System-created being slowly overrun by the risen zombies. Back to something she was used to - no - something she excelled at. Even with the world as their oyster, she had stuck to using her dagger for everything. Being close and personal had been her favourite, even when she had more spells at her disposal. Made it easy to fill her stomach.
Cross had filtered into the role perfectly as well. While she often acted as a shadow herself, using cover and her pals to dip in and out of combat to hit spikes of opportune damage, the goblin was then her shadow in turn.
Finishing off the wounded and getting in the way of the footwork of the orcs, Cross was making things easier for both her and her gathering horde to gain the advantage. Either his stature or nature as a System-created meant that the boar-headed humanoids barely gave him a glance¡ at least until it was too late.
In fact, she had been having so much fun that she hadn¡¯t even been paying attention to what the rest of the Party had been doing. Only partly because she wanted to ignore the shrill tunes of the kazoo. But as she took a moment to breathe, they were doing well themselves - even if not such a dervish of death.
Poppy once again reminded her of Humphrey in her stoic and methodical approach to combat. Well-honed and deliberate attacks between using her shield to block. Practice that enabled her win to be inevitable against the System-created who were either weaker or just not smart enough to deal with a roving hunk of metal.
Kristov and Claude stayed well away from the danger. It was an interesting experience to have Party members that were truly support focused. In the Outsiders, Lucius was always up front with them fighting and Norah was very aggressive with her ranged attacks. They all had auras to keep them up, and she herself had some healing - but otherwise, they just got stuck into it.
There was some importance to Party composition¡ but she didn¡¯t care for it. In Sanctuary, one of the toughest groups was the all-paladin Party. Although they¡¯d easily stomped through most of the Events and Dungeons available, there were a couple they just avoided due to their weakness - giving them the appearance of having a 99% success rate.
The last 1% being against Theo. Not that the vampire was entirely undefeated in his tenure as a Boss, but he made the extra effort to never fall to the paladins. Something about them trying to game the System tickled him, and he just had to be better than them. And somehow, he was.
Sally paused and allowed the crowd of shambling undead to take the lead. Outpost was all but taken over now. She yawned and stretched out. Maybe they should focus on building an undead army rather than just leveling up.
¡°Puh-puh-puh,¡± Cross said, standing beside her.
She put her hand on top of his head. ¡°That¡¯s right. They didn¡¯t stand a chance against the two most powerful zombies in the world. All shall fall beneath our might and into our stomachs.¡±
[Poppy: I have five more daggers for you!]
Sally turned to see the knight step over, her shining armor now lashed with streaks of crimson. ¡°I picked up six myself! I¡¯ll be popping this world like a balloon in no time at all.¡±
[Poppy: Not literally, I hope!]
[Poppy: <<]
¡°Tempting, but no.¡± She put her hands on her hips and grinned at all the destruction they had caused. ¡°Let¡¯s get set up for lunch. I bet the others are hungry.¡±
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It didn¡¯t take them long to set up a small campfire and chairs from things stolen from the outpost. Sally sent her zombies off down the hill and cleaned herself and Cross off so that it didn¡¯t put the others off of their food. She stared at Poppy, who didn¡¯t seem to be eating.
¡°Can you only eat in private, Poppy? Because of your vow.¡±
The knight nodded.
¡°Oh, you should have said.¡± She stood from her chair and grabbed Cross, sitting the goblin down on her chair instead. ¡°We¡¯ll go to the other side of the outpost then so I can keep you company, and leave the boys to it.¡±
¡°Puh-hp.¡±
[Poppy: Okay ^^]
The small zombie didn¡¯t seem too pleased to be left alone, but remained in place as requested. Likewise, Claude and Kristov were lukewarm on being lumped in with the undead greenskin, but kept any grumblings to themselves.
Sally rubbed at her head and sat on the ground beside a wooden log wall. It had been a long day already. A few hours before dusk, perhaps. After having a proper fight where she felt more like herself¡ she had made a decision on what to do in this world.
Getting the world absorbed into Sanctuary was the main goal. In a way that had been the idea from the outset - she had just gotten too lost in the emotional stakes of the people trying to survive here. If she wanted to save them, then all that mattered was getting powerful enough for Chuck to do his magic.
She watched Poppy take her helmet off after a quick glance around. The woman gave her a soft smile and then removed some food to eat from her Inventory. Maybe there was a way they could meet in the middle¡
[Sally: Hey, Dent?]
[Dent: Here. All is well?]
[Sally: Yeah, got a question for you and Chucky.]
[Sally: If we take this world as is¡ could it be quarantined?]
[Dent: I believe we have something like that planned - why?]
Her thoughts ran around in her head as she typed out the reply. If they could keep an artificial separation for Thrimble while it was on Sanctuary, then Chuck could give the people here the benefits of their System but still allow them to fight against the big bad if they wanted. Those that didn¡¯t could just go to the mainland.
[Dent: I see no reason why that couldn¡¯t happen.]
[Dent: Will check with Chuck, but I see no issue.]
[Sally: Thanks, Dent - you¡¯re a STAR~]
[Dent: Any problems with your dagger?]
[Sally: Seems fine,I don¡¯t have many basic ones to fully test¡]
[Sally: hmmmmmmmm~]
[Dent: Get another level and we¡¯ll talk.]
She grinned to herself and closed down the windows. If they got to the point where they could drop her in with [Skeleton Key] and a ton of normal daggers - well, that would be even better than earning a permanent skill in a lot of ways.
Poppy tilted her head, eyebrows raised.
[Poppy: Something good? Theo???]
¡°Maybe.¡± Sally waved her hand. ¡°But no, not fangs. Just talking with the guys back at base. They wanted to know if my dagger was working fine. They had sent a long list of things to check but I deleted it accidentally. Well, on purpose.¡±
[Poppy: May I see it?]
¡°Sure.¡± That was one of the things on the list, she was certain. Spinning it out of the sheathe, she stretched her arm out to hand it over.
It dropped onto the dried dirt.
[Poppy: Oh? Butter fingers! I thought I had it¡]
The knight leaned forward to try to pick it back up, but her plated fingers just scratched lines through the loose earth.
¡°Huh.¡± Sally grabbed it up with no issue. ¡°Seems as those it¡¯s like¡ bound to me in some way? Only I can wield it because it¡¯s a Sanctuary item? A limitation, but also useful?¡±
Poppy pouted and went back to eating her pastry, while Sally tried to imagine various ways in which to use that new information to her benefit. She¡¯d need to let Dent know as well¡ but he surely had plenty on his plate.
They¡¯d tried to hide that things were fine back home, but she could tell when they weren¡¯t. For one, the Outsiders chat was almost dead - ironic given most of the participants. While she surely got on a lot of people¡¯s nerves, there wouldn¡¯t just be radio silence if things were okay. They just didn¡¯t want her to worry.
Which was nice, even if it did make her eyes roll. No doubt Theo¡¯s world would be claimable before hers, and if the issue was something the vampire couldn¡¯t deal with, then she¡¯d be no help either. Once she was powerful enough to save Thrimble, only then would she squeeze out the information from someone. After all, ignorance was bliss.
[Poppy: Are you sure about this dagger hunting we¡¯re doing?]
[Poppy: Not to doubt your methods or anything¡]
[Poppy: I¡¯m just anxious;;]
[Poppy: Especially if we¡¯re being tracked by a monster!]
Sally nodded. ¡°Trust the process. If I get enough daggers, I can stab through any armor. Even stone. It makes level scaling mean less when I can strike a vital point past any natural or Stat-based defense. That equals faster leveling, as I chew through things with reckless abandon.¡±
Sally the Unholy Knight had been fun for a while. Something different. But¡ the thoughts of going world to world trying out different classes and living the Player experience over and over had already become tasteless, like old gum. She was a zombie who killed and ate anything killable and edible in her way.
Getting back to her overpowered state as soon as possible on a loop was the most effective way of doing this. It¡¯s a Theo line of thinking¡ but she¡¯d admit he¡¯d be right in this circumstance. Not that she would tell him.
Idly, she ran her fingertips over the bumps in her padded leggings. This world was¡ a lesson.
Something to come to terms with the stakes and process of what they were doing. She wondered how big Chuck was planning with this. A handful of worlds to grow larger¡ then what? Keep continuing? There would be a point where Sanctuary was large enough. Maybe they could set up a second world to be a sister planet. Give it the same System but keep it safe, put some smart people in charge.
Then what of planets that were already doing fine? Peace treaties or ways to do trade? What if a System decided to wage war on Sanctuary? What if they weren¡¯t edible?
[Poppy: You okay, Sally?]
[Poppy: You look like you¡¯re about to pop!]
Sally refocused, the whirlpool of thoughts sinking out through the plug hole. All of that didn¡¯t really matter. She just needed to kill and grow powerful right now. That was it, same as it always had been since day one.
Her eyes went up past the sitting knight.
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± Her hand gripped tighter at her blade. ¡°Helmet back on, though. We¡¯ve got company.¡±
256 - Past the Point
Theo opened his eyes. The sky of swirling colors was still above him. He groaned and sat up.
¡°Sleep well, vampire?¡±
He looked over at the giant. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s been less than an hour. Or¡ maybe three days? A nap suits me fine, although it will do little for my waning grip on reality.¡±
He felt slightly disjointed. Not having any sort of idea of the time passing had left him uncomfortable. The sensible part of him knew it must be getting close to two days¡ but the louder voices in his head were convinced it had been far longer - or even shorter? No, couldn¡¯t be that dire.
The giant grunted. ¡°I figured as much, since you spent half the time of your rest attempting to chew through one of the steps.¡±
A small puddle of drool on one of the white tile steps pointed to that probably being somewhat truthful. Before he could respond and try to save face, the beep of his STAR Chat illuminated the side of his vision. He opened it up, hoping it would be Sally.
[Dent: Chuck is ready when you are. Pushing ahead of schedule.]
[Dent: Due to¡ good¡ reasons.]
[Theo: This is text chat, so you don¡¯t need to put ellipses if that makes your sentence look more suspicious.]
[Theo: Just say when.]
¡°Luck¡¯s in, Borin.¡± He looked back over at the large figure. ¡°We¡¯ll be out of here soon.¡±
¡°I am¡ cautiously optimistic.¡± Borin stood and stretched himself out. ¡°Despite your mania, I have grown to trust you, Theo. Let me know what I must do.¡±
The vampire shrugged and looked back up the stairs to all the weapons he¡¯d never get a chance to train with. Well, he could back home, he supposed. Sleep was more important. With any luck, he¡¯d be down on another world in no time at all and getting more permanent skills.
[Dent: Alright, all lights are green here.]
[Dent: It¡¯s something new, with bringing a Player over¡]
[Dent: But it¡¯s safe, you can assure him.]
[Dent: Any problems with his safety and the whole process will cancel.]
[Theo: Super. Let¡¯s go.]
¡°Hang tight, Borin. Things are in motion - you might feel some discomfort or vertigo. Might better to sit again.¡±
The giant nodded, but before he could respond, everything went dark.
Theo felt his whole body vibrate as he tumbled through the void. A thrum of something restless, and a faint weave of blue light swirled out of the eternal darkness toward him. He watched it spiral and gather around him like a constricting snake, admiring the beaty of it.
Then a sudden force jerked him away.
With the flash of blue light, Chuck arrived on the starter island alongside Dent.
A tall figure groaned and stood to his feet, rubbing at his head. His eyes met the two humans, and he pulled a face. ¡°Where am I?¡± Disbelief filled his eyes as he took in the colors of the scenery. ¡°I¡¯m¡ free?¡±
¡°Welcome to Sanctuary, Borin.¡± Chuck smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions. My name is Chuck and I¡¯m the administrator of this world. Dent here will get you acclimated and fill in any blanks you have.¡±
He furrowed his brow as the two murmured their greetings and looked around the area. Nothing but grass, a patch of trees, and a pair of under-construction buildings.
¡°Where is Theo?¡± The Architect¡¯s eyes went up to his menus. Data and lists swirled past his vision as his hands clenched closed. ¡°Where is Theo?¡±
Sally stood and bared her teeth as a pair of trees ahead of them buckled and cracked, clattering to the ground from the heavy approach of something large.
The knight had put her helmet on just as the others rounded the outpost buildings to catch up. Cross overextended and tripped over into the dirt, dropping his knife.
¡°This your pursuer, Kristov?¡± She raised her eye at the bard.
He nodded, but his tongue seemingly had no words to add. Enough panic in his eyes to tell a tale she could understand all too well.
¡°Should we retreat?¡± Claude asked, his fingers idly tapping at his staff.
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°Calm down. We don¡¯t need to run from anything until at least one of us has died. Not dibs.¡±
¡°Puh~p.¡±
[Poppy: Not it!]
The healer sighed and scowled at the two women. ¡°We¡¯re not playing a game here. I suggest we still exercise caution even if-¡±
His words were cut off as another blast sent a handful of trees creaking to a more horizontal position. Leaves scattered and fell around the area as a shadowed shape emerged.
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Sally narrowed her eyes as the light illuminated what had been tracking them. Four legs of a soft brown fur, and strong. A sharp tail that waved in the air, barbed and speckled with bright green near the tip. Flowers and leaves surrounded a large female face, human and very annoyed.
¡°Neat, a manticore.¡± Sally grinned. ¡°But all druidic and pretty. Hey!¡± She waved a hand at the Monster. ¡°Are you a Unique?¡±
The manticore stopped and looked down at the zombie, before her large emerald eyes turned toward the bard. ¡°I have come to kill the annoying one. What are you?¡±
¡°I¡¯m Sally, I¡¯m a System fixer from off-world.¡± Also, a people-eater, but that might come off as more of a threat, despite having that in common with the new Monster.
¡°Hmm?¡± The creature looked back at her, frowning. ¡°Is that so? You certainly have a different data structure than the others.¡±
¡°Data structure?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Are you in charge here? An Architect or something?¡±
¡°Not in the way that you understand it.¡± The manticore smiled, revealing sharp lion-like fangs. ¡°I am a murderer. The destroyer of life. Death incarnate. You can call me Bernice.¡±
Sally nodded and smiled. She could read between the lines, probably just as well as the manticore could. Not really like Chuck, but more like an Observer - only one that also held an executioner¡¯s axe.
She turned and pointed a finger at the bard, who had all but turned into a wiggling pile of paste. ¡°Let me guess. Kristov isn¡¯t cursed to speak in rhyme, but something with his speech is bugged. His imprisonment was to quarantine him while the world circled the drain, and you are only hunting him to protect the System rather than to be a spooky big bad?¡±
Bernice raised an eyebrow as her tail lashed side to side. ¡°That¡¯s¡ rather astute.¡±
¡°Not my first rodeo. Any chance we could not kill the bard, though?¡±
¡°He might end the world.¡±
¡°Eh.¡± Sally put her hands on her hips. While she was far from Kristov¡¯s biggest fan, he was still a Player that could be saved. ¡°Are you saying that just because you think any bug has the chance to be a worst-case scenario, or do you know for sure something specific about his condition that has such dire ramifications?¡±
Bernice pouted. ¡°I didn¡¯t come all this way from the mountains to be called out.¡±
Claude groaned and rubbed at his eyes. ¡°I am getting far too old for this.¡±
¡°So, what is your purpose here, Sally?¡± The manticore took a couple slow steps from the woodlands before sitting down on her hind legs. ¡°You say you have the ability to fix Systems?¡±
She gave the knight a quick glance. Poppy had been quiet as she had no way of communicating with the manticore anyway, but she looked tense. Probably not a good idea to blurt out her real purpose here still, so she¡¯d have to tiptoe around the reality of it.
¡°A chap from my world spotted that the System here was¡ dying, so I was sent over to see if I could help fix it.¡±
¡°In return for what?¡±
Sally clucked her tongue. ¡°A gal can¡¯t just be a good samaritan? Fine¡ if I am successful, then I get a small power boost in the form of one of the skills I learn here becoming permanent.¡±
¡°Interesting. You are able to change your core data?¡± Bernice rested her chin on folded forelegs. ¡°I¡¯m willing to see where this leads, but you¡¯ll also have to convince my sibling who represents Life. And I haven¡¯t seen him since¡ well, it¡¯s been a long while.¡±
Possibly one of the reasons there had been no new Players here in an age. Sally turned to look at the others to see if they were onboard with this deviation to their plan. Ideally, it would cut down on the time needed to get powerful, with Life and Death themselves helping out.
The awkward Party gave their nods of approval.
¡°Alright, we¡¯ll find and convince them.¡± She grinned and spun her dagger back into the sheathe. ¡°Then it will be no time before we¡¯re punching Pippy in the mouth and saving the world.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± The manticore smiled. ¡°Why wait, when you are traveling with him already?¡±
Any joy was sucked out of the area as the gathered group iced over, glaring at each other with suspicion.
Cross stumbled over, colliding awkwardly with Sally¡¯s leg.
¡°Puhh-pip-eee,¡± he said.
A heavy thud woke Theo as his fall broke through something wooden, and he rolled by instinct to hide amongst the debris of what he had hit. Mud and gloom, as his brain tried to catch up with his predicament. The smell of death and damp. Something familiar that scratched around inside his memories.
He lifted himself up slowly, peering over the wreckage of¡ in his hands the piece of wood he was using as cover looked to be a stagecoach wheel. Just over the collapsed vehicle were a group of people¡
The Outsiders. Talking with a floating skeletal figure in blue robes. His heart did a little flip in seeing Sally there, but it looked like a terrible time to interrupt whatever they were doing.
His eyes then went over to his right. A very familiar cathedral.
Theo ran his tongue around one of his fangs, and crept his way over there. Eyes through his Inventory and menus, it seemed as though he hadn¡¯t properly reformed. Punch-blades were back, but most of his skills and abilities hadn¡¯t returned. That made sense, if what he assumed was true.
Well, currently his mania had doubled - so there were a handful of solutions jumping around in his mind for why he was reliving this part of his story. Perhaps this was the film adaptation? He was glad he got the part of playing himself - he had always been his favorite character.
He slipped into the cathedral on his tiptoes, despite verbally making creaking noises every time he stepped. The editors could dub over that in post. Amongst the gloom and stale air was the shadowed figure of none other than Seven.
To go against such an important antagonist, a clever one-liner was required.
¡°Helloooo!¡± the vampire called out. ¡°Looks like your number is up!¡±
He even ignored the ¡®hidden¡¯ members of Last Word. Waiting in the wings, anticipating the required stage direction. Seven bumbled through his lines, a sad tale that fell so flat that he couldn¡¯t even muster a fake tear. Performance was everything, and he was the best actor upon the greatest stage. He deserved better than the gross incompetence from the man.
¡°Boo hoo,¡± Theo said as he rolled his eyes. He clicked his fingers and the candles along the walls burst into flame, illuminating the interior softly. ¡°You¡¯re in my house now. I¡¯m here to judge your sins.¡±
He grinned and walked toward Seven. Another one-liner to seal the deal? Sure, why not? It might be cliche, but tropes were the backbone of media. Or no - perhaps now it was the time to set the antagonist up to say something cool? Architect knew the man could use a helping hand. Clearly hadn¡¯t read the script.
¡°Any final words?¡± Theo prompted.
Seven smirked, his eyes narrowing. ¡°You mean any Last Words?¡±
Shadows flickered behind Theo, and his eyes widened with excitement.
257 - Bat and Ball
With all eyes on the goblin, Sally reached down and plucked him up into the air. He hung loosely in her grip, and didn¡¯t seem to want to beat the allegations.
¡°Cross is actually Pippy?¡± she asked, pulling a face.
¡°If so, that makes ending him even easier.¡± Claude narrowed his eyes at the limp zombie.
¡°Nuh-huh.¡± She sighed and brandished the tiny figure like a scrap of evidence. ¡°He¡¯s done nothing but help us so far - there must be more to the story. Bernice?¡±
Despite the Party clearly intending to pulp the goblin for his supposed transgressions, they at least had the patience to hear the conversation out before their revenge took control. Not that she would hold them back if he did turn out to be the big bad, but things weren¡¯t often that simple.
The manticore shook her head, sending a few rustling petals to the ground. ¡°All I know is that I was created by him, alongside my sibling, to ensure the world continued to function.¡±
Sally looked over at the bard, before back to the large creature. ¡°Did you create the Dungeons?¡±
Bernice smiled. ¡°The answers that you seek are not so easily given. I understand you want to save this world, however?¡±
She nodded.
¡°Then I will help you to destroy the Dungeons.¡± Bernice stood up to her four feet and looked back towards the fort. ¡°You must press forward, and I will release the ones you have passed.¡±
[Poppy: This doesn¡¯t explain Cross!]
[Poppy: Pippy wasn¡¯t a goblin before!]
[Poppy: Didn¡¯t he do all this??]
Despite the full plate helmet, Sally could feel the burning glare of the knight. They were confused and angry. Smashing the little goblin might not change anything, but perhaps they¡¯d feel better after. There was also the chance that Cross might be the key to fixing the System - considering he had apparently put his soul into this zombie.
Still¡ in some ways, it was none of her business.
She put the goblin back down on the ground, and he immediately flopped over onto his face. ¡°Well, this fight is between you all. If you believe he is entirely at fault for the situation in this world, then do what you need to.¡± She took a few steps back and crossed her arms.
Claude ran his tongue across his lips and looked at the goblin, before turning to the knight. ¡°A few minutes to convene?¡±
Poppy nodded, while Kristov was still frozen in shock at the sight of Bernice. With a little encouragement, they stepped to the side and gathered around to murmur amongst themselves.
¡°Other than you and¡¡±
¡°Bernard.¡±
¡°Bernard¡ are there any other Uniques or odd entities in this world?¡±
The manticore grinned, exposing her sharp teeth. ¡°That depends on how much you like spoilers, Sally.¡±
A rush of vertigo flooded Theo, before he bounced off of a soft surface. A bed. He then promptly fell off onto the floor, splattering blood everywhere he impacted.
With a groan, he righted himself on shaking limbs, crimson still leaking from his body. A hand came up to his neck, where he gingerly felt at the two puncture holes in his neck. Still sore, but regeneration had kicked in and they were healing.
¡°It¡¯s true what they say,¡± he spoke out loud to himself. ¡°It does feel more like sucking yourself.¡± He stretched out and fought the urge to empty his stomach.
This was his bedroom. Brow furrowed, he dismissed the notifications on the side of his vision, telling him about all the new skills he just received. Although¡ it should just be the one.
Stumbling, he turned to face a large figure silhouetted against the light standing right behind him.
¡°Humphrey?¡± he asked, before looking down.
No. The mandibles were certainly unlike the Death Knight - and the dagger now in his stomach wasn¡¯t his usual way of greeting him. Hardly any flames either.
Another wave of darkness washed over Theo.
The empty but bloodied bedroom of Sally and Theo¡¯s house sat empty for nearly a handful of minutes. No sound or movement. Gradually, the splatters of crimson faded away as the self-cleaning spell took effect.
And then, with the flash of blue light, Chuck and Dent appeared.
The swordsman shuddered. ¡°Feels awkward just appearing in their bedroom like this. Breach of privacy.¡±
¡°If they were both on world, then I¡¯d not risk it.¡± Chuck pulled a face and cast his eyes around the room. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how he died, or even where he died - given that the land transfer was near instant¡ but at least he came back.¡±
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¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to explain to Sally that we lost the vampire.¡±
The Architect tensed up. ¡°Might be easier to leave her on Thrimble if that were the case.¡± With a grim smile to let Dent know he was joking, he stepped around the room and narrowed his eyes at the place Theo had been standing.
¡°As expected?¡±
Chuck grunted. ¡°Yes. You were able to transfer the skills over to him first?¡±
¡°Correct.¡±
¡°Good.¡± He stepped over to the window and clasped his hands behind his back. ¡°Keep the starter area clear for now. I¡¯ll entertain our guest there first.¡±
Sally yawned and stretched out. She had a bad feeling about something, but didn¡¯t think it was related to her current scenario. In fact, with the rest of her Party taking a lot longer than expected, the day had become mentally exhausting.
She was tempted to put her boot through the head of the zombie just so that they could move on.
With a sigh, she sat down on the grass beside him. ¡°Wish we could get more sense out of you, goober. I¡¯m sure you weren¡¯t the goblin before I ate your brains, so you got in there somehow. Based on what the others think of you, you¡¯re either a dumbass or an evil dumbass.¡±
¡°Puh.¡±
¡°At the end of the day, it¡¯s their world. Your world. I¡¯m not the universe police¡ yet, so things have to happen as if I wasn¡¯t here.¡± She raised her eyebrow at the goblin, who had managed to get into a slouched sitting position to look back up at her.
¡°P-puh-ee.¡±
¡°Yeah, well. Who am I to judge? I¡¯m just one bad day away from eating those three instead of helping them. I¡¯m the least qualified to be passing judgement. Could go back to the fort and eat my way through the survivors.¡± Her brow furrowed. ¡°But I like to think the fact that it would be so easy, yet I do not do that, makes me a good person. Or at least a tolerable one.¡±
She wouldn¡¯t want the universe police to come arrest her for the sins of her past. That¡¯s why she needed Chuck to get organized and be first in that position - be in power so that she was above the law.
Bernice leaned forward, stretching out to be part of the conversation. ¡°If I may interject? I think you¡¯re a terrible person.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± Sally turned to the manticore and pulled a face.
¡°I know what you¡¯re really here for, and it¡¯s a crying shame that someone could be so selfish.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not¡¡± she looked over at the rest of the murmuring Party. ¡°They¡¯ll all die eventually otherwise.¡±
¡°Is that not the natural process of all things?¡±
Sally rolled her eyes. Easy enough for the living embodiment of Death in this System to say. It wasn¡¯t about taking control over people or extending their lives unnaturally - but stopping the suffering that these worlds left unchecked could fall to. They had all been plucked from their versions of Earth or Othea, and placed in a System against their will.
Although the main goal of her coming here was to absorb a dying System, it was to be done with saving as many people as possible.
But to truly be satisfied with her work¡ she needed answers.
¡°C¡¯mon, Cross.¡± She gave him a light pat on the head as she stood. ¡°Let¡¯s see what fate has in store for you.¡±
Theo¡¯s eyes darted open. Trapped. A tube of glass surrounded him, illuminated with a dull glow. He ached all over and clearly hadn¡¯t fully recovered from beating himself up in the past. Maybe this was the future? Had Chuck finally put together the STAR Force they¡¯d been planning in secret?
Was he just waking up from cryo stasis?
He pressed his face up against the glass. There were others here. Lucius. Bella. Other people who he knew but couldn¡¯t¡ EDWARD was there.
¡°Hey, Edward! Edward! Edward!¡± He ran his tongue across his teeth. It had been years now. Decades maybe. And the demon was right there, he just had to¡
Slowly, he moved his head around on his neck, his glasses sliding down his nose as he tilted. Someone outside of the tube. An insectoid face with mandibles and¡ oh, this was the person who put him here.
¡°Never thought we¡¯d get the chance to capture the vampire, did we, pet?¡±
Theo watched as the creature held up a rat to observe him. ¡°Let me out, please.¡±
¡°Oh no, we can¡¯t do that.¡±
¡°You will die if you do not let me out in three seconds.¡± A coldness swept across the vampire¡¯s features. Normally crimson eyes went several shades darker as small arcs of red electricity sparked around his body.
¡°I thought he¡¯d be better than this, pet.¡± Ash¡¯var tilted his head. ¡°Threatening behavior from someone so great?¡±
¡°Two.¡±
¡°Shame. Time for you to go to sleep zero-zero-ten.¡±
¡°One.¡±
Ash¡¯var held up a keypad in one of his clawed hands and pressed a red button.
¡°Now you¡¯ll die,¡± Theo said, grinning widely. The life back in his glowing eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll die and be dead and you will never come back.¡±
¡°Pet, something is wrong with¡¡± he pressed the button again and again.
¡°Time to die, time to die, time to die,¡± Theo continued, pressing his face against the glass.
Chuck took a deep breath in and then exhaled through his nose. A light breeze washed through the grass around him on the empty starter island, his blue robes rippling slightly.
Those with ill intent were always so confident in themselves. Get away with murder enough times and you¡¯d start believing yourself untouchable. That had been in part why he had made Sally do so many Events where she died. She¡¯d never underestimate the stakes of something, knowing how easily she¡¯d come undone. It was cruel, but he knew she understood it, too.
Breaking into the wider universe was always going to be dangerous.
Theo, on the other hand¡ well, the vampire liked to win and be on top. Bullying him with repeated losses would temper that and only make him bored. He liked to have his strength tested in a way that allowed him to design a way to come out on top. While Sally had the ambition and soft skills to be the underdog that rises up from the mud, Theo liked to guarantee his victory long before even drawing his blade.
One a fast-growing seed to be planted. The other a pair of sharpened shears. Not that he saw either of them as tools, as such. They were his friends, and he cared about them. He understood the roles they needed to play, however. What they brought to the table¡
And in defense of Sanctuary, he would utilize them to their full extent.
It was his job.
Head tilted up toward the empty sky, he raised up his right hand. Eyes narrowed as sparks crackled around his extended fingers.
The air high above started to warp and thrum as if a storm had started in the clear sky. Muscles tensed as he scowled at the distortion while rows of data streamed past his vision.
He clenched his hand into a fist, and the sky erupted with thunder.
A shape emerged in the space above him. Dark gray metal with glowing green stripes and dull flashing lights. Sharp edges as if it were made to pierce through space. The design was alien¡ but in some ways it was about as cliche a look as a spaceship could have.
Chuck wiped the blood running from his nose on his sleeve and smirked.
258 - Bug Fixing
Chuck hummed to himself as a fresh breeze swept through the area. Looking up at the alien spaceship high in the air, he brought one of his hands up.
A notification pinged up in the side of his vision, and he clicked his fingers together.
The rounded shape of a figure in dark clothing appeared and bounced across the ground in front of him, rolling up to two sharp feet.
¡°A space-cockroach, how original,¡± the Architect said, shaking his head.
¡°Who are you, that you think you can pluck my vessel from the great sea without paying the price?¡± Ash¡¯var clicked his mandibles together. Four blades of dark metal spun into his hands from his belt.
Chuck smiled. ¡°For you, I am death. An exterminator, if you will.¡±
¡°Fool. You¡¯ll be number eleven for my collection, once-druid.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t have anywhere to put me, though.¡± He tilted his head and raised his right hand fully extended toward the sky.
Up above them, the dark metal of the large ship bloomed into light as a criss-cross pattern of amber lines spread across it. They brightened to a piercing bright white, before the whole ship exploded. Dark clouds erupted from the fiery inferno as the shockwave thundered throughout the area.
With the swipe of his hand, any debris, smoke, or evidence the spaceship had even been there was erased - leaving a plain blue sky once more.
¡°My¡ ship. Pet? PET?¡± Ash¡¯var shook, his dark eyes ablaze with fury. ¡°How? In all my life, I-¡±
¡°Easy, really.¡± Chuck yawned and relaxed. ¡°You were using the magic ritual we had designed, so I just gave Theo a skill that made him immune to the effects. Something that prevented his skills being removed, and then a group teleport. The last one was more of a failsafe really, originally I was just going to blow the ship up with everyone on it.¡±
¡°You show more contempt for your people than even I!¡±
The Architect tilted his head. Maybe respawning on this scale wasn¡¯t common in the greater cosmos? Or this bug hadn¡¯t come across it often enough to assume his friends wouldn¡¯t come back if he killed them off. Still, some dramatic flair sounded nice right about now.
¡°Certainly. Now imagine how much contempt I hold for you.¡± He raised his hand toward the collector.
Who promptly vanished in a burst of black energy.
Chuck looked at his watch. Seemed he had some time to bide.
Sally stood with her arms crossed. ¡°And those are the ten reasons I think we should let Cross live for now.¡±
¡°That was a list?¡± Claude pulled a face. ¡°It sounded like you just started rambling about whatever first came into your head.¡±
¡°Convincing, right?¡± She grinned.
[Poppy: We¡¯ve already come to a decision.]
Kristov nodded. ¡°Things may be dire, but the goblin will not expire. At least... while we stand, it will not be by our hand.¡±
¡°While we do not trust him,¡± Claude explained, ¡°we would like an explanation before justice is served. More the fool us if we were to destroy him when he had an easy way for us to progress.¡±
[Poppy: We don¡¯t want to be murderer murderers¡]
[Poppy: Because then someone might murder us!]
¡°Violence is an endless cycle,¡± Sally agreed, partly wondering when she would get her just deserts. More than usual, anyway. Plenty had tried to murder her, some even because she was a murderer. On this world¡ well, she was just glad they hadn¡¯t tried to kill Cross.
She kneeled down beside him and put her hand on his head. ¡°Hear that, bud? As long as you¡¯re helpful and don¡¯t get us killed, then we¡¯ll let you live on.¡±
¡°Puh.¡±
With a sigh, she stood back up and looked at her gathered Party. ¡°Must be late afternoon, but I am exhausted.¡±
[Poppy: It has been quite the day.]
Easily six encounters, Sally was sure - although she wasn¡¯t really counting. They¡¯d just had a short rest, so it would make sense to press on. She turned to see that the manticore was no longer there - clearly way too convinced by her long list of Cross-saving points to need to stick around.
She wondered why Bernice was okay with destroying Dungeons if she had been part of putting them in place¡ but perhaps they still needed the full picture.
¡°Alright, let¡¯s get back to finding more daggers.¡±
Ash¡¯var flashed into being, now somewhere dark - in the caverns of a mountain. Cursed the overconfident human for destroying the spaceship and sending pet to ashes. Without his vessel, he¡
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His dark eyes turned to further down the pitch black hallway he was in. A small flame of crimson bloomed in the distance, followed by the sound of¡ metal hitting the stone ground.
Torches surrounding him suddenly bloomed into life, burning at his eyesight. He lowered his arms to see the noise was a figure approaching him at great speed. The flames behind a crown-wearing skull bloomed brighter, as the Death Knight brought his large sword up to use.
Ash¡¯var cursed under his breath again. Without the ship, his teleportation had a much longer cooldown, and there was nowhere off-world he could target. With few options, he used [Dome of Silence] to create a bubble encompassing the rocky cavern so that Humphrey couldn¡¯t use any abilities.
Still, the force from the first strike of the greatsword almost knocked him to the ground - and the Death Knight was already moving to follow-up. He darted to the side to avoid the blow and lashed out with his own blades.
They bounced harmlessly, and without sound, from the metal plating of Humphrey. He went to move again, but wasn¡¯t able to. Looking down, his legs had become wrapped by lengths of linen - his eyes darting behind saw the Mummy that he failed at collecting, her eyes blazing with anger.
The greatsword struck him just as his teleport activated.
Vertigo through darkness, and then he was rolling across something cold and bright white. His black blood leaving an inked picture behind his journey.
¡°Cursed Outsiders,¡± he growled, righting to his feet as his hands clasped at the wound through his shoulder. He blinked his eyes as the snowy surroundings grew brighter and more garish.
¡°Do you think we are cursed, Theo?¡± A voice came from behind him. ¡°This seems more like a blessing.¡±
Ash¡¯var spun to see his previously collected demon and vampire standing together.
Crimson light bloomed within Theo¡¯s eyes as he lifted up a large warhammer to his shoulder. ¡°Waiterrrr, there¡¯s a bug in my soup.¡±
[Poppy: Two more here, Sally!]
¡°Hmm? Oh, thanks - sorry, I just got another notification.¡±
[Theo: Guessss who¡¯s ba-acck!]
[Theo: At Sanctuary. Job DONE.]
[Sally: Show off! Sounds like you need sleep though, pup.]
[Theo: yess yess y]
[Sally: Anything exciting going on there?]
[Theo: my lawyer has advised I make no comment]
[Sally: ¡]
[Theo: ¡]
[Sally: Edward is your lawyer, I assume?]
[Theo: Everyone you know is safe.]
[Sally: Go sleep!]
She sighed and shook her head. Getting the messages had both tugged at her undead heart, but filled her with some confidence. His words might have been oddly put together, but she felt reassured. When she settled down for the night, she¡¯d give the Outsider Chat a prod.
The thought of being back home¡ it would be nice to be among her usual friends again, and away from the random spikes of damage and struggle here. She bet it was so nice and peaceful back there. Oh, to see the goblin village again...
The collector dropped out of teleportation to land on wooden floorboards. Splatters of blood fell from his torso as a shaking hand brought up the last of his healing items. One broken arm, this wouldn¡¯t do. How unlucky for his teleport to take him right in the way of¡
He raised his head to see a small figure standing ahead of him. The little goblin. His mandibles clacked back and forth - perhaps things were going his way now.
Then a heavy boot slammed into his side with a crack, sending him sliding across the floor. The collector struggled to get into a sitting position as a dozen other figures had been waiting in the shadows. More goblins - led by one almost the size of a man and packed full of muscle. Each of them was armed with an assortment of small weapons.
¡°Do you realize how much money you¡¯ve lost me?¡± The small goblin hissed, bringing out her own knife. ¡°Break his kneecaps, Jaxk.¡±
Chuck exhaled through his nose. Eyes closed, he enjoyed the peace of the empty starter island. Wasn¡¯t long before it would be bustling and thriving - but for now, it was a place of solitude and calm.
He opened his eyes to look at his watch. Well, at least for the next twenty seconds it would be quiet. Maybe that¡¯s what he could use the island Theo had acquired for. A small slice of being away from all this. Everyone needed a holiday, after all.
And a way to blow off steam.
With a pop of dark energy, the collector appeared and dropped to the ground, gasping for air. Right back into the place he had left from.
His pained eyes looked up at the Architect. Anger and confusion welled up and looked for a way to explode. ¡°But how? Why?¡± he hissed.
¡°Everyone thinks of me as a good leader. Pragmatic and good natured. I¡¯ve created a near paradise on this world, and constantly strive to make it the best place possible for all who have the misfortune of being placed here.¡±
Ash¡¯tar struggled to get up on unresponsive legs, instead just leaning back as he tried to shuffle away.
¡°You had the audacity to come here and try to ruin that. To hurt my friends and undo everything I had worked for.¡± Chuck put his hands behind his back. ¡°Honestly? I just wanted you to suffer. You are not a part of this ecosystem and never will be.¡±
¡°Your threats are w-weak,¡± the bug hissed, blood running from his mouth. ¡°I will show you the might of the Ll¡¯akro.¡±
With a pulse of energy, his back carapace groaned and then split open, large wings blooming out, covered in sickly mucus. A wash of air and he pushed his broken and bleeding body up into the air. ¡°I shall bring a plague on-¡±
The ground cracked and a large hand of pure blue light surged out and gripped the body of the escaping insectoid. He struggled against it, but in front of him the Architect started to grow as flickering blue-green flames lapped around his robes.
Chuck towered over the captive, now almost a hundred foot tall, his body shimmering with blue light. He tilted his head and thin vines of blue energy whipped up around the summoned hand and encircled the wings of the bug like constricting snakes.
With a sickening burst, the vines went taut and pulled the wings from Ash¡¯var, tearing them from his back so that they dropped inert to the ground below.
¡°Any last words?¡± Chuck asked, his large hand rising into the air.
¡°It¡¯s too late for you,¡± the collector spluttered. ¡°The beacon has been sent. My brethren will find your world and come in droves.¡±
The Architect loomed forward, his face getting closer to the held bug. ¡°Let them. They will burst against our walls and become ash and forgotten. You think vengeance is possible? You have just offered up a feast for those of us hungry to beat out all odds.¡±
With a shake of his head, he stood back up straight. ¡°I would tear the universe in half to keep the Outsiders safe. To keep everyone in this world safe. To be the Architect of such a community is like tending to a garden. Warmth and soft nourishment to those who need nurturing to flourish. Unrepentant destruction to those who threaten to undo all that we have bled for.¡±
He held out a giant hand, palm facing Ash¡¯var. ¡°You might be the first, but nobody will remember you. This world will hold no record of your existence. You failed.¡±
Red lines circled around his hand as the captive squirmed and tried to free himself from the grip of the magic restraints.
[Erase]
259 - Adhere/Solve
Chuck watched the ashes of the bug faded away. Completely deleted from the System here - he hadn¡¯t allowed a backup of his life to be formed, and there was no other world Ash¡¯var had been tied to. For his greed and folly, he no longer existed in any form.
With a sigh, the magic hand and vines faded away, and he shrunk down to his normal size. Brushing off his robes, he then turned his head to the side to see the other figure now present.
Dent. Sitting on a chair and eating his way through a bucket of popcorn.
¡°How long have you been sitting there?¡± Chuck¡¯s eyes narrowed.
¡°Long enough.¡± Dent grinned. ¡°What do I have to do to get you to talk to me like that?¡±
The Architect rolled his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t. I am pretty close to passing out right now. Two acquisitions in one day is taxing enough. Anything more than frank business talk might just fracture me in two.¡± He sat down, his own chair appearing beneath him.
¡°Can¡¯t even enjoy the sweet taste of victory? Or some popcorn with the greatest swordsman in the world?¡±
Chuck leaned back and closed his eyes, a smile forming on his face. ¡°Let me tend to my flock first, then maybe. How is everyone doing?¡±
¡°Reasonably well, considering. Lucius is with Norah and Humphrey right now. Everyone else is gathered at the meeting hall in Julipa for debriefing and any after care required. Seems as though they were put to sleep with the ritual pretty promptly after being taken¡ so there shouldn¡¯t be too much lingering trauma.¡±
A grunt was the only given response at first, as a soft breeze rolled across the starter island. ¡°Everyone else is gathered there?¡±
¡°Ahh.¡± Dent put his popcorn bucket down and brushed his hands off. ¡°Aside from Theo and Edward.¡±
¡°Dare I ask?¡±
¡°Just the usual. Theo is eating away his insanity, will probably collapse and sleep soon. Edward is encouraging him. To eat, that is - not sleep. Currently working their way through the Order of the Sun encampment in the fourth area.¡±
Chuck sighed, but his smile remained. They had managed to pull it off. It was a risk to allow Theo to be captured, but as the most powerful Player it was the only way he could tether a connection to the alien spacecraft. It was a little different than taking over another world, but similar enough that he just needed a way to get his fingers wrapped around it. Where Theo had been between vanishing from the combat world and appearing back in his bedroom could be answered tomorrow - although he didn''t seem any worse for whatever transpired.
With all the other Outsiders on the ship, it had made it even easier to pinpoint where the elusive vehicle had been traveling. If the bug had been smarter¡ well, not worth worrying about that just yet.
Dent shuffled in his chair. ¡°He mentioned a beacon. Is that true?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Oh. That¡¯s¡ fun.¡±
Chuck shrugged. They had discovered immortality in this System, which made them both a target as well as a tough nut to crack. A conventional boots-on-ground assault on Sanctuary could never work. He could just make everyone in the world max level, full stats, and any overpowered ability he could dream up - and they¡¯d all respawn still.
It meant they¡¯d be attacked in other ways; he was sure. Setting out into the universe had unlocked so many possibilities, but had also made his job ten times more complicated.
¡°We have time¡¡± he eventually concluded. ¡°Let¡¯s just enjoy the rest of the day and not let any worries cloud us until tomorrow.¡±
¡°Got a request from the goblin village. They want to turn this into a holiday, celebrating the defeat of the bug.¡±
¡°Sure,¡± he replied, standing up from his chair. Thinking over the history of Sanctuary, he liked the humor in that. ¡°To killing bugs, then.¡±
Sally withdrew her blade from the stomach of the lizardman, before fading away so that one of her zombies took the brunt of the swing from the second. Slashing forward, she stabbed them in the extended arm, cut across their chest, before she drew the blade back and then pushed it into their stomach.
[Eat Brains.]
Up to thirty-four daggers now. Now that they were looking out for them, it was surprising how many were just lying around. Often in the pockets of Monsters, but they weren¡¯t really using them after she carved their skulls out.
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¡°Wol!¡±
She turned to look at Cross, who had a mouthful of scaled meat in his mouth.
¡°That¡¯s a new one, goofball. What does that mean, I wonder?¡±
¡°W-wol!!¡±
Sally sighed and looked around the rest of the gloomy dungeon. ¡°I¡¯ve fed you three lizard-people and all I get is a ¡®wol¡¯? We¡¯ve run out of Monsters now.¡±
¡°There is still a boss to come,¡± Claude interjected, looking as tired as ever. ¡°Or at least, this doesn¡¯t feel like quite enough of a challenge.¡±
¡°Eh, that kind of becomes the norm once I¡¯m powered up. Get me to 100 daggers and hope the System grants a couple of defensive skills and we¡¯ll be mowing through these weaker dungeons with zero issue.¡±
The healer didn¡¯t seem too convinced, so she turned her attention back to the goblin. He was still looking up at her expectantly. How strange that this was Pippy, the one they thought killed everyone and turned them into these dungeons. He had helped them solve a few, and also led them to freeing Kristov - which didn¡¯t seem like an evil thing to do¡
Ignoring the bard¡¯s rhyming curse, at least.
So what was his goal? She didn¡¯t think her Party was secretly the bad guys, as they had been affable enough and willing to spare Cross. Wouldn¡¯t make sense for them to follow her along and destroy the dungeons - risking their own lives - if he had created them. So perhaps at some point in history somebody had gotten a hold on the wrong end of the stick.
Only way of finding out would be to get Cross talking again.
While Poppy finished off the last of the lizards, she pressed at her earring.
A fuzzy shape flickered before the cat gradually formed.
¡°Ah, hello, Sally. How goes things?¡±
¡°Missed you, Arch. So much has happened in the last few hours, right?¡±
¡°Yes, I¡ I mean no - like what?¡± Archie shuffled uncomfortably.
She narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me the details, okay? But at least let me know if the B plot has concluded or not?¡±
He pulled a face and tried to avoid her burning glare. ¡°Fine. Matters have been resolved.¡±
¡°Neat!¡± She clicked her fingers. ¡°So, exposition dump for the main plot here. Cross has Pippy¡¯s soul in him, and there are two Monsters that represent Life and Death that might have created the Dungeons. We met Death, and she agreed to destroy the Dungeons so that we can save the world.¡±
The cat nodded slowly, his emerald eyes going between the goblin and Sally. ¡°That is certainly¡ a pickle. How does destroying the Dungeons help you save the world?¡±
Sally blinked at him slowly. ¡°It might not bring people back, but it is making things safer for those already here.¡± He just meant in terms of her gaining power for their acquisition, but she had to use her poker face.
[Poppy: Oh, Archieeee!!]
The knight clattered over, immediately putting her hand straight through his incorporeal head to stroke him.
¡°Poppy is happy to see you,¡± she translated, given that the cat couldn¡¯t see their Party Chat.
¡°Tell her, the feeling is mutual.¡±
[Poppy: I can hear you, silly~]
Sally sighed and found somewhere to sit. Amber tones had started to grace the entrance to this shallow dungeon, as the sun hit dusk and was just as tired from living through the day as she was. ¡°Stay with us until the morn, Arch?¡±
The cat hummed to himself. ¡°I will check that I am not required for anything back home, and if not, then I shall.¡±
[Poppy: yayyy!]
Cross waddled over toward Sally, before flopping over on his front beside her. He stayed in that prone position, his yellow eyes glaring at the wall she was leaning up against. Other than drooling a little, he didn¡¯t seem to care to move or say anything further.
¡°Sometimes,¡± she began, ¡°I feel like saying ¡®oh, what has my life become?¡¯. But then I remember I¡¯ve had a lot worse and weirder than this.¡±
Claude leaned against the wall and rubbed at his face. ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine, really. I don¡¯t see how you have the energy for it after so much.¡±
Sally shrugged. ¡°Just broken in the right ways. The part of me that was supposed to be a Monster helps with the mental strain, and I probably have that side to thank for my relentless energy. Oh, that reminds me.¡±
[Sally: Asleep yet, punk?]
[Theo: Yes! Wide asleeeep.]
[Theo: edWard sayS Hi]
[Theo: He didn¡¯t actually¡ but you know how he is.]
[Sally: Is he meant to be taking care of you?]
[Theo: oh HE IS~]
[Theo: He took me to the zoo¡]
[Sally: You¡¯re eating all the animals again?]
[Theo: ¡]
[Theo: too smart for your own good SALLY MIDDLENAME DANGER.]
[Sally: If you¡¯re not in bed within the hour, I¡¯m coming home to kick your ass.]
[Theo: understood. Just finishing my fight with three grizzlies, then I will. Promise.]
[Theo: can you guessss what I¡¯m fighting them with?]
[Sally: ¡your bear hands?]
[Theo: NO - A GIANT WARHAMMER!!]
She closed down the Chat and rubbed at her eyes. Not her circus for a change, but still emotionally exhausting. Maybe she would hold off on messaging the whole Outsiders group until the morning, when she had more energy. If they had just finished up whatever nonsense had been troubling them, then they¡¯d be tired anyway - she assumed.
Funny how it had been solved as soon as the vampire went home. She smiled. That was her pup - she couldn¡¯t wait to get home and find out what he had done. Looking over at the group, it seemed as though their energy was spent for the day as well.
¡°No Boss?¡± she asked.
Claude shook his head. ¡°Seems I was wrong - however, I can¡¯t see that the chest has spawned yet.¡±
¡°Screw the chest.¡± She grunted as she stood to her feet. ¡°Let¡¯s find somewhere to set up camp.¡±
They agreed to the plan and gathered up their things to leave the dungeon. The fresh air was comforting, even if it did tire her out further. She stood at the entrance and smiled at them as they each left, the last of the pack a very morose looking Kristov.
¡°Against my better judgement, what¡¯s up?¡± Out of the group of them, the bard was the one she¡¯d hardly interacted with, due to his need to rhyme everything.
He exhaled through his nose and looked at her with tired eyes. ¡°I never desired to need to talk this way - it¡¯s often difficult to think what to say.¡±
Sally furrowed her brow. ¡°You mean you actually have to come up with the couplet to be able to speak? It¡¯s not some magic that does it for you?¡±
He nodded.
¡°Oh, bud. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s better or worse. How do we get rid of your curse? Like, we''ll make that a priority."
¡°While many of our problems are solved with a slash or hack, my curse comes from something stolen that I can¡¯t give back.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± She ran her tongue across her sharp teeth. ¡°A riddle.¡±
As the fading sunlight bloomed in her crimson eyes, she grinned and readied to take a good stab at what the answer might be.
260 - Nightcap
Claude rubbed at his tired eyes and gave the zombie a shrug, the freshly set campfire illuminating his right side. ¡°I was perhaps expecting you to say ¡®pancakes¡¯ or something equally as outside the box.¡±
¡°No, you know as much as anyone that I like to have fun...¡± Sally tutted and rolled her eyes. ¡°But he is a bard - clearly the thing he stole was the heart of someone.¡± As much as it was a cliche - those sorts of things did tend to play out just as expected. Life imitated art... and sometimes life imitated pancakes, too.
The healer looked over to Kristov, who gave a nod of acknowledgement. His eyebrows then creased as he looked back at the zombie. ¡°Wait. You¡¯re not speaking in rhymes now, are you? Not sure I can handle two of you doing it at the same time.¡±
¡°What? You didn¡¯t think that was where this was heading? To find out finally that the curse is spreading?¡± Sally beamed at the man, putting her hands on her hips.
[Poppy: Don¡¯t bully Claude, Sally - that¡¯s not okay.]
[Poppy: We¡¯re all tired, it¡¯s been a long day.]
[Poppy: >>!;]
¡°Puh¡ puh!¡±
Claude sighed and resigned himself to bringing out his bedroll to prepare for the night. ¡°I¡¯m not sure which hellish existence is worse anymore. Things truly have become odd since you arrived here.¡±
¡°Never mind that.¡± Sally looked through her Inventory for her own bedding. ¡°The question is, whose heart did Kristov break, and how can we get that fixed?¡±
Her question was met with silence as they all turned their attention to the bard. He looked rather sheepish and wasn¡¯t willing to give up the information.
¡°Well, it was probably a Monster, I bet. Keep your secret if you want - I¡¯m too tired to argue this tonight.¡± She sat down on the ground and sighed. ¡°Cross, dear. Would you watch the Dungeon while we sleep and wake us up if anything happens? We might be inviting danger by leaving it incomplete, but maybe some excitement would spice things up.¡± She turned her head to look at Archie.
¡°Still feeling out of sorts, Sally?¡±
She pulled a face at the cat. ¡°Kinda, yeah. Not sure what it is¡ I thought a new world with actual stakes would be right up my alley, but there¡¯s something missing.¡±
¡°Chuck did warn you there would be nothing quite like Sanctuary.¡±
She watched him stand up and walk over to where Poppy was settling down. The problem was the power disparity. Although she had been fine going back to level one¡ she missed the uncontrollable power she used to wield, even in the early stages of her adventure. With no Players to chew on, she¡¯d become stagnant like their time in the Wastelands.
Of course, the only person who could shake things up was herself¡
As she laid down to sleep, her eyes stared into the low flame, the waving amber illuminating her sharp-toothed grin. Time to get devious.
¡°Are you not coming to bed?¡± Dent stood in the doorway and yawned loudly. ¡°I thought you were beat.¡±
Chuck raised an eye away from the screens in the control room to look over. ¡°Hmm? Yeah, soon. There¡¯s¡ well, come over and look.¡±
The swordsman shuffled over in his slippers to peer at the screens in front of the Architect. ¡°What am I looking at?¡±
¡°I made the very clever decision to give the spacecraft a full scan before I blew it up.¡±
¡°Ah. So these are the blueprints.¡±
¡°In a manner of speaking. There are certain things I¡¯m having to change as it doesn¡¯t use the technology or materials we have here. The end result is something slightly worse, but mostly equivalent.¡±
Dent stood up straight and grunted. ¡°Are you saying what I think you are?¡±
¡°I¡¯m too tired to consider the options.¡± Chuck pushed himself away from the desk. ¡°All this power and I can¡¯t just go without sleep. It¡¯s maddening.¡±
¡°I feel like if you had that, then I¡¯d never see you - unless I sat here working all day long as well.¡±
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The Architect waved him off. ¡°Alright, I get it. We could both use a holiday. Let¡¯s get Sally home soon, and then we¡¯ll review current operating procedures.¡±
¡°Noted.¡± Dent gestured toward the open door. ¡°After you.¡±
The door slammed open and two figures stepped in from the darkness. The hallway light flickered on and illuminated the pair covered in blood. With one arm over the demon giving him support with walking, the vampire struggled to enter his house.
¡°Sorryyyy for the mess, Eddy.¡±
¡°Not the first time I¡¯ve been soaked through with blood on account of you,¡± he grumbled in return.
¡°Yes. Yes. Yes. Usually your own blood.¡±
Edward sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s just get you up to bed, alright? This has already been as nauseating as I can handle for one day. I can¡¯t believe you went through the whole zoo.¡± They fell into a wall before righting themselves toward the stairs. ¡°Sally must have to keep you on a leash.¡±
¡°Sometimes. You think she¡¯ll like the bunny I saved for her?¡± Theo held up his clasped left hand, bloodied, but holding a gray, fuzzy creature.
¡°First off, that¡¯s a rat. I don¡¯t even know where you found it, because the zoo didn¡¯t have any. And¡ probably? Would she eat it?¡±
¡°No. Yes. I have my ways.¡±
They reached the landing, and the demon kicked open the bedroom door. With a surge of effort, they stumbled forward and he ejected Theo onto the bed, spatters of blood going everywhere.
¡°My work here is done.¡± Edward sighed and crossed his arms. ¡°I have half a mind to betray you right now and¡¡± He stopped talking as the vampire just returned a light snore.
So instead, he shook out his head and walked towards the door. ¡°Don¡¯t know why I bother, really.¡± He paused at the threshold and turned an eye back to the vampire. The rat was now freed from his grip and sitting in his hand, peering around at the new surroundings.
Sally stumbled down a hill, catching her shin on a rock. She bit her tongue to avoid cursing out loud. Two dungeons down, but it was getting pretty difficult to find them in the darkness of night. Despite his insistence, she had made Cross stay put to watch over the others. Archie had already returned to Sanctuary as soon as he thought everyone was asleep.
But she wasn¡¯t. A simple act of deception that had her roving through fields of dark gray grass, guided only by the dim glow of nearby dungeon entrances. Her torso stuck to her clothing where blood had soaked through the fabric. Right arm ached from blocking one of the Guardians¡ but this was delightful.
Up to the north - another Guardian holding a torch out on watch. Bandits again? No¡ similar, but better armed. The flickering glow illuminated a metal helmet and breastplate. Guards or a militia of some kind? Usurpers or rebel forces? Didn¡¯t really matter. She licked her lips.
Some basic human brains would get the gross taste of the last sour Monsters she had chewed through. STAR was begging to give her the level-up rewards, but she could wait for after her midnight snack. Then maybe turn back for some sleep - going too far would leave her lost in the morning.
Dagger twirled around in her hand. Any zombies she had created were far back now - but that was fine. She¡¯d soon have more. Gathering them all at the end would give the Party quite the surprise when they woke up in the morning.
She sneaked through the shadows and worked her way in a wide arc. Guard posted outside looked tired, his half-closed eyes barely focused on the part of the darkness he was facing. Sally was low in the tall grass, approaching from his back left like a big cat eyeing up their prey.
Too easy.
[Chain] shot out and hit the man, immediately dragging over to her hidden patch. As he struggled in surprise, her blade came around and went through his neck. Helmet didn¡¯t help, and she had forty-four daggers now.
[Eat Brains]
She gasped. The best brains she had tasted in this world! The rich flavors and depth of experience within the soft, juicy folds. Elation and dopamine ran through her.
Straight before a chill of realization.
There was only one type of brain that could taste this morish. A Player¡¯s.
She looked down at the spent corpse of the man she had just murdered. Wouldn¡¯t be the first accidental death she had caused, but this one weighed on her with guilt a little more than usual.
How would she explain this to the others?
Maybe she didn¡¯t have to. Her crimson eyes went over to the Dungeon entrance. Were there¡ people who lived outside of the main fortress?
If so - they could be important allies, assuming they could forgive her little mistake. But if they still held a grudge, maybe they¡¯d be a tasty treat instead. Her tongue ran across her lips by instinct.
Bad idea.
She tried to think of someone with some degree of moral compass she could message. They could talk her down from this. At this time at night, though? Lucius would, but¡ then she¡¯d definitely be dissuaded from something she wanted to do. For the first time since landing here, she felt like herself. Dangerous, sure... and a little villainous... but her happiness was important, right?
Dagger flipping around in her hand, she walked over to the entrance.
Somewhere in the depths of the STAR System, an impossibly large vessel of dark metal and dull lighting hummed its way through the infinite sea.
On a dashboard filled with hundreds of lights and buttons, one inert bulb flickered into crimson illumination. On and off, on repeat.
A clawed hand reached forward and flicked a switch, before a second and third arm moved in to adjust dials.
Above the control panel, a monitor bloomed into life, painting the mandible-laden face of the figure in dull blue. Across the dark screen dotted with small green circles, a line of red started to form. From a small planet far away, the dots eventually joined up to a small box representing the vessel itself. A considerable distance, but not unthinkable.
The fourth hand picked up a receiver and clicked a button, a hissing noise squealing from the device before silencing.
¡°Emergency beacon in sector H8-R. Adjusting course.¡±
¡°Confirmed,¡± a crackling voice returned through a speaker. ¡°Vengeance shall be ours, brother.¡±
261 - To Be Held
Sally took one last look at the drab night sky, before telling her newly created zombie to stay put out in the shadowed grasses. Last thing she needed was someone coming in and making things awkward. Well, more awkward than they were about to be.
With a short hum to herself, she spun the blade around in her hand, and stepped into the dimly lit Dungeon. Brickwork of reasonable quality, the entrance opened up to a small room currently devoid of much other than a chair and table, perhaps where the guard would have sat in worse weather - or during the day.
How odd for there to even be a Player out this way. It was confusing and brought questions riding just above the level where she wanted to carve out the rest of the place for any other scrap of tasty brains. Barely.
Down a narrow staircase where lanterns lined to walls, their lights turned low, and then into a wider chamber with two doors on either side.
Some manner of living arrangements, with all the usual clutter you¡¯d expect. Most importantly, there were a few occupied bedrolls.
People sleeping and unaware of her presence.
Heartbeat bounced around in her ears as her grip tightened on the dagger. Quietly, she plucked the nearest lantern from the wall.
With a twist of the nozzle, it bloomed into brighter light.
¡°Wakey-wakey, very friendly face here!¡±
Havoc broke loose as the gathered Players tried to clamber from their bedding, unsure as to what was going on. The first few who clocked what was standing at the doorway immediately drew weapons.
Looked like four in total - which she should have guessed. A whole Party.
Young man on the left, messy hair and glasses. The wand he was holding tightly and long robes made him look like a spellcaster.
Tall woman back corner, who she almost confused for being an elf. Long blonde hair tied back, a stern expression on her face, but also a caster - healer, maybe?
Back right had a buff man with short red hair, the patchwork leathers missing the metal plating he¡¯d probably usually be wearing. Scar across his forehead like someone had already taken his brain before she had arrived. Shame.
Last was another woman, younger and shorter, with black pigtails and hands gripping at a large axe that seemed too big for her. Still looked half asleep, and not wanting to be at the forefront of whatever this new drama was.
¡°Sally, I¡¯m a Player - before you ask.¡±
Their healer caught hold of her tongue first, and her eyes narrowed. ¡°An undead Player? Sounds unlikely. This is some trick.¡±
Warrior grunted and got into a more ready position as if he was going to charge at her. ¡°If you are a Player, then where did you come from? No games.¡±
Sally clucked her tongue. ¡°Dropped in at the fort at night, then battled through the pass.¡± Had it been nighttime? Her memory was cloudy with the joy of eating well for once.
He rolled his eyes in response. ¡°Mind crafting a better excuse?¡±
¡°Those from the fort haven¡¯t been seen for months,¡± the one with glasses explained. ¡°We thought them lost.¡±
¡°And hoped they¡¯d stay that way,¡± the warrior once again grumbled.
Sally licked her lips and realized she should have cleaned up before engaging in conversation. ¡°Bad blood between you and those at the Fort?¡±
¡°Nothing that concerns you.¡± The healer shook her head.
¡°On the contrary, I happen to be friends with some of them¡ so I want to know if you¡¯re enemies or not.¡± She was secretly hoping they were.
Pigtails tilted her head. ¡°Who are they?¡±
Crossing her arms, the zombie shrugged. ¡°Why should I tell you?¡±
The warrior was clearly losing his patience. ¡°You woke us up first! And where is Brian? He didn¡¯t see you on guard?¡±
Ah, the inevitable question.
¡°He¡¯s dead!¡± The healer opened her mouth in shock, now unfocused and seeing their Party was a member short and the notifications sitting there giving the game away.
Sally pulled a face. ¡°He was already like that when I got here! C¡¯mon I didn¡¯t want to turn this into a bloodbath.¡±
Energy washed over her as the healer cast a skill. Nothing¡ painful. Not even awkward, really. She tilted her head to the side and waited for an explanation.
¡°Should just kill her,¡± the warrior grunted, stepping forward with his sword to eye her up. ¡°Player or Monster, she is still a murderer.¡±
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Glasses shook his head. ¡°Opal will want to see her. This could be an opportunity to learn something¡ assuming she cooperates.¡±
¡°Can I just go back to sleep?¡± The younger girl yawned and placed her axe against the wall. ¡°Maybe this is just a weird dream. If it is, then you stink, Jason.¡±
¡°Hey!¡± Glasses rolled his eyes. ¡°This is serious if Brian is dead. She could be an assassin sent from the fort¡ or worse.¡±
Sally wrinkled up her nose. ¡°If I were an assassin, you¡¯d all be dead already. You think a killer wakes you up to chat before eating your brains?¡±
Perhaps she had walked into this one, though. People tend to be rather prickly after you kill off their friends. She could understand that - if someone threatened the Outsiders, she¡¯d be all teeth and stabbing¡ but there was information in these four tasty heads that was more important than a buffet.
Plus, how could she explain to the others that she had met more Players still living, then ate them all? Some of their trust wasn¡¯t exactly rock solid already.
¡°Suspicious, sure, but we can¡¯t discount your crimes.¡± The healer stepped up with the warrior. ¡°I suggest you tell us all you know, and we might spare you so you might meet our leader.¡±
¡°Oh! There¡¯s even more Players out here.¡± Sally drummed her fingers on the side of her belt. Now this was getting interesting. Those in the Fort had thought themselves the last remnants, but that must not be the case.
¡°How did you find yourself to be here, zombie?¡± The woman tilted her head.
But Sally had her mind elsewhere. She was building blocks, but wasn¡¯t sure if the foundations were stable yet. Something about how Sanctuary had been settled was making a noise in the back of her mind, but she needed a smarter opinion on the matter. That said¡ everyone would be asleep right now.
Sanctuary originally had a temporary memory for remembering Player data - the true power of that world was Chuck able to convert that into something permanent. That¡¯s what allowed people to come back to life¡ but the temporary memory lasted a week. If that was the case here too, Chuck might be able to resurrect the people killed seven days before the world transferred over.
A huge leap of an assumption there - she¡¯d have to prod the man tomorrow and see what he thought.
¡°Huh?¡± Her eyes went back to the conversations he was ignoring. ¡°Oh, I came from a different System world.¡±
The group exchanged glances but the verdict looked to be they didn¡¯t believe her. Which was a shame as they were looking more like cartoon versions of food than people the longer they kept her here.
¡°We¡¯ll leave you to Opal tomorrow. He can decide what to make of you.¡± The warrior bared his teeth, clearly more inclined to try his luck.
¡°Nah. Boring.¡± Sally shrugged. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to talk, then I¡¯m going to go back to my friends.¡±
Glassed shook his head. ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡±
She flipped him off and turned to walk back to the stairs; her face instead pressing against an invisible wall half a foot behind her. ¡°Oh. I hope for your sake this is a fully encompassing containment, and you haven¡¯t just trapped me down here with you?¡±
¡°Correct.¡±
Her stomach thought that was a shame. ¡°And you can keep this up indefinitely, even while you are sleeping?¡±
The healer exhaled through her nose. ¡°Also doesn¡¯t allow damage in or out, nor does it allow you to communicate with the STAR Chat.¡±
A pout. Even Cross was too far away now to use her zombie-connection to prompt him to do anything. Without being able to contact Poppy or Claude¡ she truly was at their mercy.
She turned and shrugged again. ¡°Guess I might as well get some sleep then.¡±
¡°Be thankful I didn¡¯t cleave your head off,¡± the warrior said, scowling at her as he slowly returned to his corner.
¡°You¡¯ll die first,¡± she murmured. She¡¯d make sure of it. While the others stood around with apprehension, not quite willing to go back to bed that soon, Sally went and sat in the corner of her magic cage and rested her face on her knees.
Was worth it, she couldn¡¯t lie to herself. Even if she had lost control and killed them all in a burst of furious hunger¡ she probably wouldn¡¯t feel bad about it. The only thing more satisfying than a Player brain was one from a Player who wasn¡¯t going to come back.
Lanterns dimmed, but her crimson eyes glowed and continued to watch the group as they settled back down in silence. Clearly communicating with each other using their Chat.
[Skeleton Key] didn¡¯t have enough normal daggers to be able to cut through stone like butter yet, so digging her way out the bottom wasn¡¯t on the cards. They¡¯d let their guard down soon enough, she was sure of it. Couldn¡¯t keep her locked away forever¡ and as soon as it dropped, she¡¯d send a message to the group and try to kill her way out.
[Sally: Hey, pup.]
[Sally: Hope you¡¯re getting the sleep you needed.]
[Sally: Ate some brains and have been arrested.]
[Sally: Probably get out of it at some point, but¡]
[Sally: Non-zero chance I die and come home.]
[Sally: Something I want¡ but I¡¯d never forgive myself.]
She puckered her lips and sighed. There was the answer for why it didn¡¯t feel right here. Where were the Outsiders? Her family and friends were what made fighting for Sanctuary such an important battery for her ambition. The people she had befriended here were great and grounded her desire to save worlds¡ but it just wasn¡¯t the same.
A last glance at the figures tucked in, and she gave in. Sleep would be a good idea if she needed the energy tomorrow.
With a semi-happy stomach, she found no issue drifting off. Level up could wait until she knew what they planned to do with her - it was always good to pull a last-ditch new skill out of nowhere to save the day.
Darkness filled the small Dungeon for a few more hours before the sun rolled around and the light of morning filled the cracks.
Birdsong woke Sally before the shuffling of metal and leathers drew her dreamless mind back to the reality of her situation. She groaned and turned to see the four suiting up in their armor.
¡°Judgement day, murderer.¡± The warrior had a wry grin on his face, and an itchy sword finger.
¡°I actually have a pretty full schedule.¡± She yawned and pushed herself up to her feet. ¡°So if we could wrap this up quickly, that¡¯d be neat.¡±
¡°You have no say here.¡± The man stepped up to the outside of the invisible prison, his face contorted in anger. ¡°Wretched worms like you should grovel. Be thankful that I will soon put you out of your misery, undead bitch.¡±
Sally narrowed her eyes. The man had clearly woken up on the wrong side of his bedroll. She wouldn¡¯t instigate him further - it might make his brain taste worse. Before she could give him a more neutral response, a sound made her pause.
The eyes of the group went over to the doorway, and she turned at the sound of slow footsteps coming down the stairs. They drew their weapons and started to prepare spells. Sally¡¯s breath caught in her throat.
A darkened figure stepped into view, backlit by the sunshine pouring through the top of the Dungeon. Crimson electricity arced around his body, as two pits of bright red bloomed behind round glasses.
¡°I heard someone talking shit about my queen,¡± Theo said, lifting a large warhammer down from his shoulder.
262 - Re:Union
Sally¡¯s eyes widened as the vampire continued to the bottom of the stairs. Had he always looked so cool? Probably - but having him turn up here unexpectedly had her undead heart aflutter.
¡°Who are you?¡± the fighter asked, some confusion across his face.
¡°Looks like a vampire,¡± the wizard murmured. The rest of the Party had all but stopped dead in their tracks, unwilling to make any movements that might draw the ire of the newcomer.
With a wide grin, his fangs catching the light, Theo swung his warhammer at the trapped zombie. The invisible cage shuddered before bursting, before sending the smell of spent magical energy through the chamber.
The fighter took a step forward, his weapon raised. ¡°You can¡¯t just-¡±
¡°Ah-ah.¡± Theo tilted his head. ¡°Raise that blade against us and I will be force-feeding your pulped remains to the rest of your group.¡± The crimson electricity still sparking around his body added sincerity to his threat.
The group exchanged glances, but didn¡¯t follow as he didn''t wait around to start leading the zombie back up out of the Dungeon. Both of them were quiet and tense until they reached the outdoors, the morning sunlight bathing them with uncomfortable warmth.
¡°Theo!¡± Sally immediately jump on him and drew him in for a kiss. ¡°Eurgh!¡± She pushed him back away. ¡°I forgot how gross that is.¡± Arm out, she tried to rub the taste of his undead lips off onto her sleeve.
¡°It is a pleasure to see you, too.¡± He grinned and put the warhammer over his shoulder. ¡°Thank the Architect they bought the intimidation act, as I am still only Level One.¡±
She stood back up straight and stretched out. ¡°Really? Then explain¡ all the things. How are you here? What¡¯s with the killer hammer? How did you find me?¡±
¡°You have friends here, right? Let¡¯s walk and talk.¡±
¡°Gladly!¡± She looped her arm with his and she pointed them off in the direction of last night¡¯s camp.
¡°Chuck has received a little bit of a power boost, you could say.¡± Theo grinned. ¡°Classic stealing alien technology for our own purpose kind of deal.¡±
Sally pulled a face. ¡°Aliens? Was there an invasion whilst I was away? That sounds pretty fun.¡±
¡°No. Just the one. He was kidnapping powerful people on Sanctuary for a living museum of sorts.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± She wrinkled her nose up. ¡°Just the one baddie? I figured that¡¯d be dealt with rather quickly. Guess you showed up and kicked their ass?¡±
¡°I had a hand in it, but Chuck did most of the work. You know how he gets if someone threatens the Outsiders. Didn¡¯t see it myself, but Dent said he went full wrathful god on the cockroach.¡±
Sally whistled. ¡°So now he has more bandwidth to send us both to the same place?¡±
¡°Better than that. Once his current project has finished, he¡¯ll be able to send a full five-person group down to worlds.¡±
¡°A¡ whole Outsiders Party¡¡± Her eyes went up to the blue sky. That was the dream, really. She had been feeling so empty without her pals around her, but being able to relive their greatest hits as a full team again would make taking worlds so much more fun.
Theo watched her as the excitement rose in her expression. ¡°I saved a guy from my little world. Giant named Borin who had been stuck having to fight people forever. Dent set him up to manage a little plot of farmland a slight way off from the goblin village. Big guy was all tears. Makes this feel¡ worthwhile.¡±
¡°Soft sap,¡± she said, jabbing him with her elbow. ¡°Wait till you meet my bunch of weirdos here. Explain the hammer now, Mr Punchblades.¡±
¡°We didn¡¯t really have any blunt force damage sources in our Party, so wanted to diversify. My new permanent skill is overpowered when combined with [Novice Strike].¡± He lifted the warhammer down to hold it out for inspection. ¡°About time I got a broken weapon, so I had Chuck make me this. It has an enchantment that dispels magic.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why you could break me out of jail, huh? Does it strip magical buffs from people?¡±
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¡°You know it. It¡¯s the most broken he could get it without it being rejected by other Systems.¡±
She rolled her eyes knowing how much he must have pushed the Architect to get something like that made. Was difficult to wipe the smile from her face though - not only was the vampire here, but he had arrived to save her in such a cool way. Definitely earned a few points there.
¡°Oh, my messages are coming in now. Perhaps don¡¯t mention that I ate a guy just yet.¡± She raised her eyebrows, not seeing where that zombie had gotten to. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to explain that.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll take the blame.¡±
¡°Hush already.¡± She nudged him again.
[Poppy: Sally??]
[Poppy: Where are you?]
[Poppy: Messages aren¡¯t delivering¡]
[Sally: I am here.]
[Poppy: !! Are you safe?]
[Sally: On my way¡ will talk soon.]
[Sally: And Theo is here!]
[Poppy: !!!!!!!!!!!~]
¡°Ah nuts.¡± She deflated. ¡°I forgot that I had leveled up, but have been saving it.¡±
¡°What for?¡± Theo tilted his head.
Sally shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t even know. Sometimes the process is just¡ it¡¯s nice not to be governed by numbers and stuff, right?¡±
¡°Is it?¡±
¡°What Class did they give you, fangs?¡±
¡°Class?¡± He pulled a face. ¡°I just ran from the open cage all the way here, pretty much.¡±
¡°You¡¯re supposed to¡ there¡¯s like a whole ceremony thing where you get assigned a Class. Back at the Fort?¡±
Theo shrugged. ¡°There were a lot of people shouting at me, so I just ran. Was difficult not to eat them up.¡±
She gave up. It was enough that he was here. They could work out the finer details of things soon enough. With Theo, it would speed up the process of taking over the world by a lot - even if he had to catch up or go off solo. A long sigh escaped her nose as she considered the potentially tiring day ahead.
¡°Let me catch you up on all the exposition for what¡¯s happened here while we have a montage of walking through these grassy fields.¡± She pulled him closer and began to do just that.
Claude stood with his arms cross as he watched the two approach. ¡°We were starting to get worried about you. Well, some of us were.¡±
Sally grinned as Cross ran over to her, tripping on a clump of grass and landing heavily on his face. ¡°Puh,¡± he murmured into the ground.
¡°Is this our adopted son, reincarnated arch-nemesis, and key to fixing this world?¡± Theo asked, plucking the undead goblin from the ground and holding him in the air.
¡°Puhhh,¡± Cross responded as the vampire twirled him around.
¡°Everybody, this is Theo, my undead soulmate.¡±
[Poppy: Hi! >>]
The knight sunk back, her hands clasped together, while the bard and healer gave their pensive greetings.
¡°Oh, Poppy can only talk via Chat, but she says hi. That¡¯s Claude, and that¡¯s Kristov - who can only talk in rhymes. Hmm. Does your hammer remove debuffs and curses too?¡±
The vampire shrugged and sat the goblin on his hip. ¡°It¡¯s worded as ¡®dispel magical effects¡¯, so if the curse is magical in nature, maybe.¡±
She nodded and narrowed her eyes at the bard. A quick knock to the head might cure him of his malady, or just give him a cracked skull. With no Class or levels, Theo was just asking for trouble following them around - but his hammer had a lot of uses. They just had a full Party already.
They were probably too far to send the bard back to the fortress on his own. Poppy and Claude were both important parts of the team composition, and Cross needed to stay put so that she could keep him safe.
¡°I can see that look on your face, Sally Danger.¡± Theo placed the goblin back down on the grass. ¡°I¡¯m going to go level to catch up anyway, so don¡¯t worry about me just yet.¡±
¡°Always leaving me, punk.¡± She screwed her face up in response. ¡°Bet you didn¡¯t even bring me any normal daggers.¡±
¡°Sorry. Could only bring my hammer and a ring.¡±
¡°Oh, yeah?¡± Sally narrowed her eyes. ¡°Something magical or you planning on proposing?¡±
¡°A little of both?¡± Theo grinned. ¡°Did you want to get System-married?¡±
¡°Yeah, sure.¡± She clicked her fingers. ¡°Claude, you can officiate it, right?¡±
¡°Ah, okay? Yes, I suppose so.¡±
Sally yawned. ¡°Cool. That was relatively painless.¡± She pulled the vampire in for a hug before releasing him with a pat. ¡°Go level up, husband. Bring me and little Cross some daggers home, okay?¡±
¡°Consider it done, dear.¡± The vampire gave them all a low bow before turning and running off.
She watched him for a few seconds, before looking back at the quiet Party.
[Poppy: Was I just a bridesmaid??]
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°Let me hit this level, and we¡¯ll get back into saving this world.¡±
The rat sat by the corner of the building, watching the footsteps of others move across the street. Shadows washed over his gleaming eyes as he waited for the right opportunity.
There - a break in the crowd.
He scampered over the cobblestone road, glancing back behind to check nobody had seen his movement. Back into the shadows of the next alleyway.
An interesting smell radiated from the house to his right, but he had to avoid distractions. There was only a limited amount of time he could perform his duty, and it had almost come undone when the wretched vampire had grabbed hold of him.
But now he was forgotten. Assumed dead when the alien ship had blown up. Ash¡¯var was gone now. He could sense it. But, he didn¡¯t feel sad - this was just the nature of things. Perhaps it would be his own turn to scatter to the void soon. Well, hopefully after he had completed his function, at least.
Next house along seemed good enough. A back door with a slight gap that he could squeeze into - his whiskers twitched in smelling out a storeroom. Not a larder, but something old and dusty.
Perfect for lying low.
The rat squeezed through the gap before shaking himself off. No light in here, save for the barest illumination from a small and clouded window near the ceiling of the right wall. Damp wood filtered in through his nose.
Small paws took him across the cold stone floor in search of an open box or small hole he could nestle up in for the day.
A flash of bright light froze him in his tracks as the small storeroom burst into daylight. He blinked his eyes to adjust, before noticing the figure dressed in blue robes sitting on one of the boxes to the side.
¡°What?¡± Chuck said, a tired expression on his face. ¡°You thought that I wouldn¡¯t find you?¡±
263 - Groundwork
Sally wiped the blood from her blade.
The recent development of Theo¡¯s arrival, paired with knowing that future world drops could be a full group of her friends, had sharpened her focus. With the vampire here, it would take much less time to power up on this world, which meant going back to Sanctuary - even if his presence did dull the draw to rush home.
So she had dragged her group to more Dungeons almost immediately, ignoring most of their attempts to engage her in fruitless conversations. Poppy had one hundred questions in regards to the vampire and the sudden marriage. Cross kept looking in the vague direction that Theo went to say puh. Claude wanted to know more about the world that was sending these odd characters to fight here. She completely blanked out Kristov.
She¡¯d much rather kill and grow.
The level up had even been underwhelming. Something to hit things a little harder and some stats and skill points that vanished and didn¡¯t really change her life all that much. It was getting to the stage where she wanted to ask Chuck if he could re-write their System so it wasn¡¯t such a number grind. Something more¡ natural?
But what of her Party and their questions? She looked at the sluggish zombies trying to catch up as she eyed the Guardian of the next Dungeon.
The marriage had been as official as any such thing could be in these strange worlds. She had never been much for ceremony, and being with Theo was the one constant she knew wouldn¡¯t change. He hadn¡¯t given her the ring, so it wasn¡¯t a done deal - but knowing the vampire, he was waiting till they got home so they could have a big party about it. Now that sounded fantastic.
Why the knight was so interested in Theo was beyond her, but didn¡¯t seem suspicious. Just earnestly awkward and prying.
Cross could probably tell that fangs would be powerful, so was keen to have him around. Perhaps he could sense that Theo came from the same world or had the same ambitious drive for change. It was hard not to pair the goblin¡¯s pouting with the faux-fatherhood the vampire had immediately jumped into, but it was rather cute - if not distracting for the small zombie.
Claude was rightfully concerned about everything that had come to pass. There was nothing she could say to him that she hadn¡¯t already. It was weird enough that an undead Player from another world came to save their System, but the fact that it had happened twice was¡ weird. Perhaps the real problem was that she was more used to people just accepting oddities in life and moving on.
Even with Theo here, she couldn¡¯t give them the truth or promise victory.
[Poppy: You okay, Sally?]
[Poppy: Sorry if I¡¯ve been annoying.]
¡°Hmm?¡± The zombie turned her head. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re fine, Poppy. Had a rough night, so I¡¯m a little out of sorts.¡±
¡°Something else you¡¯re keeping tight-lipped about,¡± Claude added.
She sighed. Eating everyone was still an option, and slowly becoming a more realistic way of getting out of this social quagmire.
¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± She turned and crossed her arms. ¡°But you¡¯re not going to like it.¡±
Theo pulled a face. ¡°You must be Death?¡±
The manticore waved her tail back and forth. ¡°Correct, but you may call me Bernice. What manner of new creature might you be? You have the smell of the zombie on you.¡±
¡°We only hugged.¡± The vampire adjusted his glasses before relaxing his hammer. ¡°I¡¯m from the same world, here for the same purpose. Theo.¡±
¡°Intriguing, Theo.¡±
¡°Did you want any help to break through these Dungeons?¡± He looked past the large creature at the ruins behind her. ¡°I¡¯d like to level while the others go find Life.¡±
¡°I am fully capable myself¡¡± The manticore tilted her furred head. ¡°But sure, classless blood drinker. Let us see what is so special about those from a different System.¡±
Dent pulled a face as he walked around the glass case, his eyes narrowed at the rodent within. After a few moments of silence, he turned back to look at the tired Architect.
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¡°You¡¯re not going to kill it?¡±
Chuck shook his head.
¡°But you said it is acting as a beacon for more of those bug-people?¡±
Chuck nodded.
¡°Well¡¡± the swordsman crossed his arms, ¡°give me some clue as to what is going on in that head of yours.¡±
¡°I¡¯m taking some manner of gamble. The signal has been sent for a while now, anyway. But in ensuring that it remains in place, they will be able to find us for certain.¡±
¡°I¡ get that.¡± Dent tapped his foot on the floor. ¡°Why do you want them to find us?¡±
Chuck pulled a face and sighed, before gesturing for them to leave the room. The door slid to the side and allowed them access to a balcony. High up in the Architect¡¯s tower, the view across the surrounding land was unprecedented. An unnatural clarity that allowed a patient observer to track the whole island in miniature.
¡°Ever since we set forth away from this world, it was inevitable.¡± He leaned against the wall and idly looked out to the ocean. ¡°The amount of other Systems¡ once we made ourselves known, others would be taking an interest in what we have.¡±
¡°Respawning? And a Player in charge?¡±
¡°Essentially.¡± Chuck gave him a slow nod. ¡°As our power increases, the more we can do - but the more juicy a target we are. You saw the report ran this morning, right?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± Dent closed his eyes to recall the information. ¡°There are odd blips on some of the worlds, similar signals almost to Sally and Theo. You think those are bugged or powerful Players?¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± With a wave of his hand, two chairs appeared on the balcony, allowing them both to sit. ¡°If you excuse the poeticism, I think it¡¯s actually something more abstract. Players who are destined to rise to the surface of the endless ocean, like bubbles. Whether through ambition, a glitched existence, or other forces, they are in some way fated to become more than their peers.¡±
¡°Main character syndrome, you mean?¡±
Chuck smiled and rolled his eyes at the swordsman. ¡°Every world has a story to tell. In some ways, every System knows this. I¡¯m not saying there always has to be a chosen one or literal destiny to fulfill, but nature recognizes a good narrative.¡±
Dent didn¡¯t seem to agree entirely, as he wrinkled up his face. ¡°I always saw nature as more of a force of chaos.¡±
¡°Have you met Sally? Chaos and order¡ Systems are meant to bring structure to a world, which gives rise to chaotic elements, which work to restore the order. A cycle.¡±
Silence settled between the men for a minute as they looked out at the distant lands.
The swordsman eventually raised an eyebrow to his other half. ¡°So after spending all this time creating order in the System, you¡¯re inviting chaos in the form of an alien invasion¡ so that the Outsiders can bring about order once more?¡±
Chuck closed his eyes and laid back, a smile across his face. ¡°You give me too much credit. Plus, there¡¯s one thing you have incorrect there.¡±
¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±
¡°We¡¯re going to need a lot more than just the Outsiders to win this.¡±
¡°Other people?¡± Claude looked aghast at the prospect.
[Poppy: And you ate one!]
Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°In my defense, it was really dark. I wouldn¡¯t have done it if I had known.¡± That said, she didn¡¯t regret it - the man had been the best meal she¡¯d had in ages.
She tuned out the rest of their arguing. Poppy wanted to go find them and Claude couldn¡¯t understand how a group had survived out here for so long. After giving them the descriptions of the group of four, it seemed as though they knew each other to some degree. As Kristov tried to get involved with deliberations, she turned her attention to Cross.
The goblin was still staring blankly off in the rough direction Theo had gone, so she placed her hand atop his leather helmet.
¡°I miss him too, stinker. He¡¯ll be back soon, but we need to press forward and do plot relevant stuff.¡± Her fingers drummed on his head. ¡°Momma will go without having an overpowered weapon, and we¡¯ll go find that Life chap instead of farming daggers, okay?¡±
After that, she wasn¡¯t so sure. Bernice was off destroying the Dungeons, so they had to convince the other semi-God-like entity to do something similar. Make the world more normal and then¡ get powerful and steal it.
¡°You mentioned the group was going to take you somewhere else - where there were other Players?¡± Claude¡¯s question popped her thought bubble.
She nodded. ¡°Sounded that way, although I don¡¯t know anything more specific¡ other than their name was¡ Brian.¡± Which was too close to Brain for her liking.
¡°We know a Brian.¡± Claude exchanged a nod and glance with the other two. ¡°He was¡ not a friend of those at the fort. Figured he could carve his own place out in the wild.¡±
[Poppy: We thought he had died!]
[Poppy: Nobody could get a message through to him.]
¡°They did have a spell that could block that kind of thing.¡± Sally rubbed at her chin. It was a bit late in the day to have a new antagonist crop up, but her stomach did yearn for fresh brains.
¡°Perhaps we must find their location if we are to engage in communication,¡± Kristov offered.
¡°You guys fancy your chances of talking with them without it descending into violence? Player against Player fights aren¡¯t as simple as against Monsters.¡± Sally tilted her back from side to side, stretching out.
[Poppy: It¡¯s unlikely they will want to be friends¡]
[Poppy: Especially after you ate one! <<;]
[Poppy: But it would be nice to know what their motivations are.]
Claude rubbed at his eyes, tired of the day already. ¡°All the same, I hear Sally¡¯s warning loud and clear. If they are hostile, then we could soon find ourselves imprisoned¡ or worse.¡±
¡°Super worse,¡± Sally agreed. ¡°If you want to make contact, then we should at least wait until Theo catches up to our level. He and I have plenty of experience in this sort of thing.¡±
¡°Ben-b¡¯ren.¡±
They turned to the goblin, who was now staring in a different direction.
Sally rolled her eyes as she caught sight of the shadowy figures moving towards them through the nearby tree cover from the direction Cross was indicating. A dozen, at least, in various different outfits. No points for guessing who they were.
¡°I guess we won¡¯t have to wait, huh?¡±
264 - Table for One
The tension of the groups increased as they gathered together to watch the unknown throng of Players move toward them. Standing just outside the reach of the nearest Dungeon¡ªsomething that looked like a prison¡ªthere wasn¡¯t really much choice but to wait for the inevitable interaction.
Sally had a dim view of the situation. While normally some antagonistic Players were a good excuse to fill her stomach, knowing that they could be saved soon put some rain over the buffet. Then again, she could only warn them so much. More than her potential meal going awry, she was more worried about Cross, who was now trying to hide behind her legs.
¡°Probably best you take the lead in conversation,¡± she told Claude. The other three of them weren¡¯t exactly geared toward easy talking.
¡°Agreed, I trust then you¡¯ll take the lead if anything becomes¡ heated?¡± He needn¡¯t ask, really.
¡°Naturally. What¡¯s the limit, though? Bad words? Arrest? Them attacking first?¡±
The healer¡¯s tired eyes went between her and the approaching group. ¡°I could not stand being imprisoned. Our wings are becoming too wide. We live free, or we die.¡±
[Poppy: I agree! I¡¯m just about ready to beat them up straight away!]
¡°Our cause is just, so continue, we must.¡± Kristov fiddled with his belt nervously.
Sally was impressed, but cautious. Outnumbered, so the strength and confidence of the Party was nice - but they were at a heavy disadvantage. Depending on what Classes the other group had, it could make an actual fight very deadly for her pals. And her.
Now that they were closer, she could see that four of the Players were the ones from the Dungeon last night. By now they should be over the murder of their fifth, surely?
¡°Hail!¡± the man at the front called as he got closer. Black hair with flecks of gray at the sides, a soft and round face with color in his cheeks, and a wide smile. Bright eyes as round as his stomach.
[Poppy: That¡¯s Brian.]
¡°Unforeseen greetings to you,¡± Claude replied. His voice was calm, but his hands were gripping his staff tight enough for his knuckles to whiten.
¡°Indeed!¡± Brian stopped about fifteen feet away from them, his group a handful further behind him. ¡°We thought those from the fort would have withered away by now.¡±
¡°Likewise.¡± Claude nodded. ¡°We couldn¡¯t have imagined some of the groups lost to the outside would be thriving.¡±
The man continued his wide smile, and his eyes went between each of the party, lingering on the zombie for a second. ¡°It seems our overdue reunion is blighted by a singular dark cloud, however.¡±
¡°Perhaps it would be beneficial for you to speak clearly, Brian. Save the gracious pandering for someone who doesn¡¯t know you like I do.¡±
Brian¡¯s smile faded away. ¡°And here I was, hoping you¡¯d have learned your place by now.¡±
Sally barely managed to prevent herself from yawning. Not that the situation wasn¡¯t starting to sour, but she¡¯d gone up against enough people over time to be able to get a good read on the man. Overtly friendly, as long as you were playing by his rules. If you weren¡¯t¡ then it would probably be a tantrum that often led to violence. Despite her usual confidence, she wasn¡¯t too eager to leap into a brawl.
There were fourteen Players. Three full Parties, except for the chap she ate. Gone were the days where the Outsiders were a group of wandering Raid Bosses with stacks upon stacks of passive buffs to make them near invincible. Other than her powerful dagger and learned experience, she didn¡¯t feel like this was a safe match up.
Against a handful of them, sure. Maybe more if they were indoors or had some more beneficial terrain to fight over. Out here in the open¡ and needing to keep Cross and the others safe. Couldn¡¯t even rely on Theo popping out of nowhere to assist.
¡°I assume then,¡± Claude continued, ¡°that this isn¡¯t just a polite homecoming. A gathering of those still living in this world.¡±
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¡°You seem to be traveling with a Monster.¡± Brian turned his glare now back to the zombie. ¡°One who has murdered our friend.¡±
The healer paused, giving her a glance to see if she would interject - but Sally remained silent. ¡°I have been assured it was an accident.¡±
¡°That doesn¡¯t bring him back now, does it?¡± He tilted his head. ¡°There was another, a vampire, who prevented justice from coming to pass. Hand these two over and we will let the rest of you go.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes and went to step forward - before Claude held his arm out in front of her. She gave me a soft smile. ¡°Very sweet, but don¡¯t worry. They do have a point.¡±
[Sally: Go find Theo and help him. Take Cross. I¡¯ll be fine.]
[Poppy: Okay!!]
The healer lowered his arm and let her pass, even though his eyes didn¡¯t agree.
[Sally has left the Party]
Cross was already hiding behind Poppy before she had started walking forward, but she held her arms up to distract them anyway - show them that she was no threat.
¡°I only hope you have an eye-for-an-eye worldview,¡± she said, ¡°and you¡¯re going to eat my brain in return?¡±
Brian worked his jaw. ¡°The less you speak, the better. Although archaic, we do have a process for upholding the laws we follow. You¡¯re to come back with us to stand trial.¡±
¡°Joy. You need to cuff me up or anything?¡± She stepped up closer to him, slowly.
¡°Are you planning on running or trying to attack us?¡±
Sally leaned to the side to look at the gathered people behind him. It would be rather rude to leave Theo alone in this world after he had just arrived. One group looked much higher level than her, just based on their gear alone.
¡°Nah. I¡¯ll behave.¡± For now, at least. Couldn¡¯t rush a good meal.
Theo wiped the blood from his mouth, crackling electricity flowing around his warhammer. With a yawn, he adjusted his glasses and looked over at the manticore who was regarding him with a raised eyebrow.
¡°Was there a particular reason you didn¡¯t choose a Class?¡± she asked, stretching out on her forelegs.
¡°Worked out pretty well for me in the past.¡± He grinned and stepped over to kick open the treasure chest that had appeared. ¡°Lightning always strikes in the same place.¡±
Bernice tilted her head. ¡°Your strength isn¡¯t that great, but you have unnatural speed with that weapon. I¡¯m surprised that the zombie is the leader, and you are the backup.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Theo rifled through the contents of the chest. ¡°We¡¯re just strong in different ways. I¡¯m much more of a blunt instrument.¡±
¡°That doesn¡¯t fill me with much hope after the conversation I had with her.¡±
¡°Sally is¡¡± he stood up and looked at the newly equipped boots. ¡°She is more of a big picture person, and better with the social side of whatever bad news we have to fight against. I¡¯m a mechanics person. I see the stats and the path to put me ahead of whatever plans she draws up.¡±
Bernice looked over at the next Dungeon at the edge of a steep hill. ¡°I see. You are not worried about her current predicament?¡±
¡°Worried? No.¡± He put the warhammer over his shoulder as they started walking. ¡°You have to understand, the reason she is so manic is because there are two sides to her. She tries to keep them balanced, or at least let the normal side of her control most things.¡±
¡°Other side? That doesn¡¯t explain why she is in any less danger now that she is captured.¡±
[Party invite from Claude received]
Theo didn¡¯t reply, but grinned widely, his fangs reflecting the light. Her name wasn¡¯t Sally Danger for nothing.
¡°She doesn¡¯t look dangerous,¡± a lanky man shuffling along with the group posited.
The lack of response from the others told Sally that he perhaps didn¡¯t hold much sway, and they were taking things a little more seriously. In fact, even Brian had been silent as they had strode off into the wood, her in the middle of the gathered flock.
Leaving the others behind had been tough, but was for the best. There was a high chance she would die here, so best they didn''t follow her too closely into the grave. Not when they couldn¡¯t come back like she could. With Theo here, there was a lot more chance that Sanctuary would win out - especially if Chuck thought he could get a full Party down here, eventually.
If anyone could hold out here, it¡¯d be Theo.
[Sally: Hey, Chuck.]
[Sally: Met up with Theo, thanks for sending him down~]
[Chuck: Of course - how are things?]
[Sally: Peachy. I actually had a question.]
[Chuck: Oh? Go ahead.]
[Sally: Any way you could replace the convoluted way our System does stats and abilities?]
[Chuck: A total overhaul of¡]
[Chuck: Ah, it has been on my mind. With the whole becoming a central hub and all.]
[Chuck: Something more bespoke to make life feel more¡]
[Sally: Natural.]
[Chuck: Natural.]
[Chuck: Give me time, we¡¯ll talk about details when you¡¯re back.]
[Chuck: Play safe.]
[Sally: You too.]
The way in which abilities were granted on Sanctuary were okay for a half-baked RPG-analogue, but there was no reason to be tied to that. Based on personal experience, there was no way anyone was going to remember or use more than twenty skills, which made the leveling process bloated. She had some ideas for it already, just based on how she interacted with the different worlds.
If she had to go to a dozen or more after this and have to repeat the same process of deciding a Class, choosing skills every level, and then forgetting them¡
Well, she liked saving people and worlds, but the process needed to be streamlined. Carve reality to how she wanted it to act.
She looked at those walking alongside her. The conversation with Chuck had a second purpose. A sign off, somewhere to leave her cheery persona behind.
The villainous monster replaced it.
As the wooden walls of a wide outpost came into view, she smiled.
There were bound to be a few daggers in there.
265 - Life and Law
The small fortress was a decent construction at first glance. Built in a clearing amongst the woods around two cleared dungeons, wooden walls had been erected into a rough rectangle covering the area. Small tents, a couple of modest huts, and a traditional campfire paired nicely with this little outpost the group had put together to survive out here.
Not that Sally particularly cared about any of that. It was just another prison for her - or perhaps a place of execution. Brian and his lot had every right to be mad at her for the murder of their friend, and she couldn¡¯t blame them for whatever justice they cared to decide on. Even if it meant her death.
Of course, that didn¡¯t mean she would take that result laying down. If she had to murder the rest of them to escape and continue her mission, then that was a reasonable option. She still might die in the process. It wasn¡¯t nighttime, and she didn¡¯t have a horde of pals for assistance, so her usual advantages weren¡¯t available.
Maybe she could leave this for Theo to sort out and go home.
Ah, but Cross. Although she was keen to count her chickens, she almost forgot that egg she wanted to crack. Just to see who Pippy really was and get his side of the story.
It was highly unlikely that Brian would be receptive to that request, and most likely would end up hunting down the undead goblin. But, then again, it was a beautiful day. She could relax and worry about those bridges before she crossed them. As they approached the gates of the outpost, Brian raised an eyebrow at her.
¡°You¡¯re probably wondering how we survived out here.¡±
¡°Farming out incomplete Dungeon respawns for resources?¡±
He turned up his nose. ¡°That was a rhetorical question.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°Wasn¡¯t much point in saying anything then, unless you¡¯re after validation.¡±
Brian grunted but didn¡¯t respond.
A couple of the more melee orientated Players pushed the wooden gates open, and the rest followed in. Sally was truly trapped now, as she heard the gates closed behind her once everyone was in. It seemed¡ quaint enough on the inside. No torture cages or heads on spikes. They were out here living and doing what they could. Shame one of them fell into her stomach.
The leader took her over to an empty space that must be their town square, where a small stage of dark wood sat. As the three Parties filtered out into a small crowd, she followed Brian¡¯s lead in stepping up on to the stage.
¡°If you want me to do any tricks, I¡¯m going to need a nice hat first.¡± She beamed at the gathered people.
¡°Best you just remain silent unless asked. I''m sure you can appreciate the gravity of the situation.¡± The leader ran his hand through his hair and sighed.
¡°Is that also a rhetorical question? Are all your questions going to be rhetorical?¡±
His eyes narrowed. ¡°Do you believe being annoying will grant you any reprieve?¡±
Sally fidgeted, but remained silent. That was probably rhetorical. Bugging people often got them angry and off-guard. Reckless. Possibly not the best idea when her fate was in their hands, but it sometimes paid to have the advantage of having the cooler head when things started to go sour. Would be nice to lean on the random appearance of her created zombies, but the ones in this world were so slow it would take them hours to show up.
¡°Right then, if you have no more smart comments to make, we will start the trial of¡¡±
She raised her eyebrow in silence.
¡°What is the name of the defendant?¡±
¡°Can you still hold me accountable if you don¡¯t know my name? Perhaps you have the wrong gal?¡±
Brian rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, we can. Unless you are keen to be referred to by something bordering on derogatory.¡±
That seemed rather unfair - although they had been rather accepting of her considering she was on trial for murder, and she definitely did it. ¡°Sally Danger.¡± She saw the mage from the previous evening and waved eagerly at her.
¡°Ms Danger, you are-¡±
¡°Oh, it¡¯s probably Mrs now. I guess? Still not sure how that really works in these different worlds. I am figuratively married, if you¡¯ll allow me that.¡±
Any fervor in Brian¡¯s eyes had all but faded away. He hadn¡¯t accounted for the accused to have the special power of being aggressively exasperating. ¡°Fine, Mrs Danger. You stand before us today on trial for the murder of-¡±
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¡°Yeah, I did it. It was an accident, though.¡± She grinned.
The crowd didn¡¯t seem to share the same nuanced view of the situation, and were quickly souring to her presence. Probably looking to vote to have her turned into fertilizer, by the amount of glares and murmured conversation grown from her attitude toward the murder.
¡°Well, we had planned to bring up witnesses¡¡± Brian looked out to the remainder of the victim¡¯s Party as Sally waved to them again. ¡°But your admission is proof enough, I suppose. You are a monster who consumes the living, an outsider to this world that could hold no good intentions for our continued existence. A killer showing no remorse at taking one of our own. How do you plead?¡±
¡°I feel like there¡¯s more nuance to it, but let¡¯s just go with guilty to get this over with.¡± Sally narrowed her eyes at the man. Other than an immediate fourteen versus one revenge murder, she still had options of getting out of here alive.
¡°Very well. You are hereby sentenced to imprisonment until we can decide on your punishment as a community.¡± Brian turned to the crowd and raised up his arms. ¡°If there is anyone here who disagrees with this judgement, please let it be known now.¡±
Sally tapped her foot on the stage, but her glare was up over the walls to the distant land. She mostly hoped that the others were getting along fine. Theo needed to protect Cross and guide the other weirdos into helping save this world, even if she was locked up or they decided to¡
¡°I object!¡±
All eyes turned to the side of the crowd as a figure stepped forward. An elven man with bright blonde hair, soft blue eyes, and a smile that was so positive it almost repelled Sally off the stage. He wore a simple outfit that had a blue flower in the pocket.
¡°Who¡ the fuck are you?¡± Brian scowled and put his hand to his side to draw a weapon.
¡°You can call me¡ Bernard.¡± The man stepped up to the stage, his eyes alight with pleasant confidence.
Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°What a coincidence. I¡¯ve been looking for you¡ but I wouldn¡¯t have expected you to look like¡ that.¡±
¡°Oh, let me assure you, Sally, my actual form is grotesque and inhuman - this is merely a projection.¡±
Bria mirrored the tension in the crowd. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be more specific. You¡¯re not someone that I know, and if you¡¯re siding with this criminal, then you¡¯re just as much as a threat.¡±
Bernard tilted his head towards the man and gave him a warm smile. ¡°Oh, well, you see, you might also call me the aspect of Life for this world.¡±
Theo rubbed the side of his head with the edge of the hammer. ¡°Well, that¡¯s convenient. Saves these guys from having to hunt him down.¡±
Bernice nodded, before looking out to the horizon. ¡°My brother is fickle and might not free the zombie from her fate, but he will tip the balance towards a better outcome.¡±
¡°So¡¡± Claude pulled a face. ¡°He is here to preserve life, so he probably wouldn¡¯t want her to be killed?¡±
The manticore shrugged. ¡°Unless killing her would save more life in the long term.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± Theo deflated. ¡°That might not work out so well for us then.¡± He of all people knew when push came to shove, the zombie would gladly commit whatever evil was necessary for her to meet the ambitions she had fueling her.
¡°Nothing is guaranteed.¡± She smiled down at the vampire. ¡°Both of you have already been a huge boon in shaping the course of this world. From stagnant and dying, to active and dying.¡±
Theo leaned over to pick up the zombie goblin, who had been pressed up against his legs.
¡°Puh-pip-pipee,¡± Cross announced.
¡°That¡¯s right, you are Pippy. A dead goblin is an odd choice for you to resurrect into, but who am I to judge?¡± The vampire looked at the hammer held in his other hand. ¡°Say, it¡¯s not a magical effect that is preventing you from speaking, is it?¡±
¡°Puh, puh!¡±
[Poppy: I think that¡¯s a no!]
[Poppy: Perhaps a terrible idea to pulp him and find out <<]
¡°Perhaps.¡± He put the goblin down on the ground again. ¡°Sally asked me to protect him, and I will give my life to do just that."
[Poppy: ^^!]
[Poppy: You¡¯re not tempted to run off and try to save her? I am¡]
¡°No.¡± Theo grinned, the light catching his fangs. ¡°She only gets one of those a day. I¡¯d die being so underpowered anyway, so it¡¯s more important to follow her instructions.¡±
¡°Mm-mah, puh.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, Cross. I¡¯m sure momma is already out of there and on her way back to us already.¡±
¡°Perhaps we¡¯d better lock you both up then.¡± Brian stood with his jaw clenched, hand still on his weapon. ¡°Unless you have any proof of such a wild claim?¡±
¡°Of course!¡± Bernard stepped up onto the stage beside Sally. ¡°Please allow me to demonstrate.¡±
He tilted his head forward slightly as his hand rose up, palm facing the tense leader opposite them. Bright eyes narrowed as the constant smile faded away briefly.
¡°Now, breathe and continue living.¡±
Brian paused for a couple of seconds before his brow furrowed. ¡°I was planning on doing that anyway¡¡±
¡°Oh!¡± Bernard relaxed and smile widely again. ¡°How fortuitous that our goals are aligned! I can take the zombie away now, right?¡±
There was a shuffling in the gathered Players as the fighter from the previous day pushed forward. ¡°If you are Life, then can¡¯t you bring our fallen friend back?¡±
He tilted his head to regard the man. ¡°Unfortunately, while my sister and I are the arbiters of Life and Death, our roles are more nuanced. Just as Death did not personally end your companion, I cannot bring them back.¡±
¡°Then what good are you?¡±
¡°Oh, I¡¯m the best.¡± Bernard now turned fully to the crowd and raised his arms wide. ¡°In fact, I am about to save all of your lives by taking the zombie away.¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡ not¡¡± Brian grimaced as he tried to find a response that didn¡¯t involve threats. ¡°We can¡¯t just let a murderer roam free.¡±
¡°If I leave her in your possession, she will kill you all.¡± The light in Life¡¯s eyes dimmed. ¡°It is because she is a murderer that you can¡¯t be trusted to keep her safe. Tell me, my good sir, would you continue to fight if your eye had been plucked from your head? How about if you lost an arm and broke a leg? Were bleeding to death? Would your desire to continue wane?¡±
¡°Well, I don¡¯t¡ I mean¡¡± the leader fumbled for his words, put off by the sudden change in tone from the previously affable elf.
¡°Sally would use her last undying ounce of strength to tear your throat out. Isn¡¯t that right, Mrs Danger?¡±
She nodded eagerly.
¡°Your only options, Brian of these wayward Players, are to keep her and perish, let her leave with me, or kill her on the spot right now. What fate will you choose?¡±
Brian eyed the zombie before looking into the crowd. The group was a mixed bag of anger, confusion, and apprehension.
Hand still clasped to his belt, he looked at Sally and made his decision.
266 - A Plan in Three Parts
The sunlight danced between the shifting canopy of the trees above, the light breeze rustling the nearby foliage. A pair of footsteps trudged through a dry pathway of dirt, meandering through the woodland.
¡°I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d look more cheerful,¡± Bernard said, his bright eyes turning to the zombie.
Sally paused and looked back at the fortress slowly moving out of view. ¡°Eh. It¡¯s not like I wanted to suffer and struggle for survival, but they deserved some manner of justice.¡±
¡°You think?¡± The aspect of Life tilted his head. ¡°Is it not enough of a blessing that you won¡¯t be killing any more of them?¡±
¡°That seems like the kind of detached and demented thinking I¡¯d come up with.¡± Sally grinned and continued following the elf.
¡°I saw your arrival. A force of nature in a way, from off-world. An oddity, and at first I detested your presence.¡± He gave her a warm smile. ¡°Part of my purview is creation, and you are very much unlike the normal Players and their arrival.¡±
¡°I¡¯m very much unlike normal in many ways.¡±
¡°Indeed. So tied to death, but yet also life, in some ways. Not just the assumed mission of wanting to save this failing System, but the raising the undead thing. Necromancy has a place in the world, but it is not a power granted to any Player Class.¡±
Sally nodded. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it was similar in my original world too, but I didn¡¯t exactly have a normal rebirth into the System there, either.¡±
He smiled, but Bernard didn¡¯t respond immediately. Instead, he looked out to the surrounding woodlands. ¡°How has your mission been so far?¡±
¡°Honestly?¡± She pulled a face. ¡°It¡¯s been a little more of a drag than I¡¯d hoped. Part of a failing System I guess is it not being an entirely joyful experience. Going from Dungeon to Dungeon occasionally getting a random skill is kinda¡ I feel like I¡¯ve outgrown such a process.¡±
¡°I see. But you persist to save everyone?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
They stepped out of the shade of the last of the trees and into a field of grass. Sally wrinkled up her face at the sun glaring in her face and put her hand up over her eyes to shade her vision. Turning to the other side of the island, she furrowed her brow.
¡°What is that?¡±
Over in the distance, dark clouds - near pitch black in hue - hung over the mountains, swirling in their direction like tendrils.
¡°Oh.¡± Life grinned. ¡°That¡¯s the death of the System.¡±
¡°What does that mean?¡± Claude pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his head.
The manticore shrugged. ¡°Pretty simple, really. The System is ending and will be erased in due course.¡±
¡°What does that mean for us?¡±
Bernice smiled. ¡°Probably a permanent state of death. No existence left for you.¡±
The vampire adjusted his grip on the warhammer. ¡°But¡ destroying the Dungeons is helping, right?¡±
¡°Helping it along, yes.¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± Theo narrowed his eyes out at the dark swirls of pitch black in the distance. ¡°You are helping to weaken the current System, at the same time as making me stronger?¡±
¡°I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t need to spell it out for you, little blood-sucker. Burning the candle from both ends to get to the middle is more risky, but there is no sense delaying the inevitable.¡±
[Poppy: How will we save the world in time??]
¡°Poppy is asking how we plan on saving the world before it is too late.¡± Theo translated.
Kristov was busy amusing Cross with sounds from his kazoo - or perhaps the zombie was trying to stop him from playing it - while Claude had turned into a pile of stress and sweat.
Bernice sat down and licked at her right paw. ¡°I suppose you can simplify it down to three trials, if that is easy enough for you to understand. I will help you with one. Bernard is helping Sally with the other. The last trial you will have to complete on your own.¡±
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¡°What odds do you give us?¡± Theo grinned.
The manticore shrugged before looking back out to the mountains. ¡°About fifty-fifty.¡±
Sally wrinkled up her nose. ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with worse.¡±
¡°But it¡¯s not just your life at stake, is it? Or rather, even if everything fails, you¡¯ll persist.¡±
She raised an eyebrow at the elf. ¡°You know a lot about what¡¯s really going on then, huh?¡±
¡°Enough. I wouldn¡¯t have saved you otherwise. While there is no place for me in your home world, I still wish for the inhabitants here to live and flourish.¡±
¡°No place for you?¡± Sally pulled a face. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can work something out?¡±
¡°Bridges can be crossed after they¡¯re built, Mrs Danger.¡± Life gave her a warm smile. ¡°Let¡¯s continue toward your first trial by finding the key to open Pippy¡¯s mind back up.¡±
¡°What can you tell me about him?¡±
¡°A fool, and a flawed person, same as any other. The cause of the calamity that has ruined this world¡ but the rest of his story is his alone to tell.¡± Bernard tilted his head as they worked their way up a rocky hill. ¡°That he is trying to help you and the vampire out is a point worth noting.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t really get evil vibes from him.¡± She paused at the precipice to look around the area, but couldn¡¯t see any of her friends. ¡°A misguided mistake that he wants to correct, maybe?¡±
¡°Or the key to unlocking lost power so he can become the monster he once was?¡± Life grinned and gestured to continue. ¡°One of my greatest joys is not only seeing the branches and routes that a life can take through their choices, but how the pattern of their existence can be viewed differently by outside observers. A kaleidoscope, that you cannot personally enjoy yourself.¡±
¡°Ah, I¡¯ve always been a villain to some, hero to others.¡± Sally returned the grin. ¡°I break a few eggs to make omelets. I break a few more just for fun. Sometimes I break them by accident.¡±
¡°And although you never regret a broken egg, you still try to do right by the chickens in the long run?¡±
¡°It¡¯s the¡ effort from the normal side of me.¡± She ran a hand through her hair. ¡°I know I can¡¯t save everyone, but I could kill everyone. Guaranteed, it would take less strength and hardship to murder everyone in this world rather than save them. But I do my best¡ because my heart is in the right place, even if it¡¯s relatively close to my stomach.¡±
Life gave her a nod, and they continued on in silence. It gave her a chance to really reflect on what she had learned from this world, and how the Outsiders needed to go forward in saving other Systems and growing Sanctuary. She wasn¡¯t a fan of the leveling process anymore, so Chuck needed to find a way of baking in her necromancy powers.
That might just end up being running multiple easy worlds until she could make enough skills permanent to drop in being overpowered from the outset¡ or he could rewrite how the greater STAR system read her Class and take away the crunch from the normal way things seemed to be done.
Rather than how they currently applied themselves to the native System of wherever they dropped, they needed to be above it somehow. The same way her STAR Chat to Sanctuary worked, but for skills and equipment. She couldn¡¯t wait to figuratively pick the Architect¡¯s brains when she got back.
[Sally: How are all my fav peeps doing?]
[Humphrey: SALLY]
[Norah: Great hun, missing you.]
[Humphrey: HOW ARE YOU ARE YOU OKAY]
[Lucius: hey Sally!]
She smiled to herself as the rest of the messages came in from everyone else. They all seemed to be fine, and she was glad. After Theo had told her about the kidnappings, there had been the lingering guilt in the back of her mind that she hadn¡¯t been there to help. But they seemed in good spirits now - and missed her.
With her smile becoming somewhat bittersweet, she closed the Chat window down after saying her goodbyes. She missed them too, of course. It had been easier to deal with their absence when the world-hopping was completed within a day¡ but she had been here for several with the threat of¡ well; she didn¡¯t quite know.
Whatever happened, it wouldn¡¯t be long before she saw everyone again - and that gave her enough hope even if they failed to bring the world in and save everyone.
[Sally: Head¡¯s up, pal.]
[Sally: World is weakening and coming to a close.]
[Chuck: I can see - how are things on the ground?]
[Sally: We have help and should be able to bring things under control.]
[Sally: On your end?]
[Chuck: Bringing over all the Players even with the weakened System¡]
[Chuck: I¡¯ll be ready, trust in me.]
[Sally: 100% you dork.]
Closed that down as well, and let out a long sigh.
¡°Tell me, Sally Danger, what is your world like? I may know your intentions, but it would warm my heart to know where the Players here will be headed.¡± Bernard gave her a calm smile.
¡°It¡¯s a place of safety. Our System had issues too until we took control of it. It¡¯s¡ a paradise in a way, even though no life can be perfect.¡± She bit at her lip.
¡°They can live a good life? Without struggles or imperfections?¡±
¡°Life always has struggle, isn¡¯t that a big part of existing?¡± She grinned and was glad to see the elf¡¯s expression warm further.
¡°Very true. To exist, despite how unlikely those odds are, is truly life itself. I am glad that was your answer, Sally. Your plight and the hardships you¡¯ve endured resonates from your very being. Undead or not, you are alive and continue to live in violent vibrancy.¡±
Sally raised an eyebrow. ¡°Sure I can¡¯t keep you around? I could do with that amount of ego boost every so often.¡±
¡°There is a place for me somewhere. My duty to this System, however, is drawing to a close.¡± Bernard lowered his gaze. ¡°Let us focus on your trial before blithering over such nonsense.¡±
¡°Sure thing, Life.¡± She put her hands on her hips as he led her over to the edge of a plateau. ¡°Just what is my first trial?¡±
They stopped, and Sally looked down at the valley below them. A teeming, writhing carpet of green, gray, and brown moved aimlessly back and forth. Groans rose up from the scores of figures as their eyes turned up to see her.
At least a hundred - maybe more. Her mouth opened in surprise and she gasped.
¡°First task, Mrs Danger. Take control of this zombie army.¡±
267 - Trial of Life
Sally stood atop a small rock and crossed her arms, a wide grin on her face. ¡°Well, that was easy. Next trial?¡±
The large throng of zombies surrounded her, milling around in a slow circle, eager for her next command.
¡°That wasn¡¯t the trial.¡± Life stood amongst the zombies, although they kept a respectable distance away from him. ¡°I was more interested to see if you could. Control and mastery of the rising dead is rather¡ interesting.¡±
¡°Where¡¯d you even get all of these? It¡¯s a lot of undead to just be hanging around a hill ominously.¡±
The elf smiled and tilted his head. ¡°I guess Life finds a way.¡±
¡°How do you even know that reference?¡± She narrowed her eyes.
¡°What reference? The true trial is a little way off. We should get moving, since your new companions are rather slow.¡±
¡°Tell me about it.¡± Sally hopped down from the rock and made her way through the small forest of zombies. ¡°Back home, I had all sorts of boosts, so mine were quicker. Even had a skill that made them able to sprint.¡±
¡°A horrifying concept.¡±
¡°Right?¡± She looked around. ¡°I suppose that is me in a nutshell.¡±
There weren¡¯t really any dungeons close by, nor any sign that the zombies had been created or lived their System-created undead lives in this particular area. Other than the churned earth at the bottom of the valley where they had been hiding, it looked as though they had just appeared here. Curious, but she wasn¡¯t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Following the aspect of Life around was one thing, but she wasn¡¯t entirely convinced he had been honest with her about what was going on.
Still, with the world apparently ending - she¡¯d take a small army of fresh pals over having to walk around punching things herself. Losing her Sanctuary abilities was a chore, and this System was really stingy about giving out new ones that weren¡¯t dull.
¡°I hope the trial isn¡¯t a puzzle,¡± she eventually said, stopping so the zombies could organize themselves behind her.
¡°Isn¡¯t all life some manner of puzzle?¡± the elf replied.
In some ways, maybe. She certainly approached them the same way - with a sharp knife and a hungry stomach. ¡°But why the secrecy? Is there a reason you don¡¯t want me to know what the task is?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± He smiled warmly.
¡°That¡¯s¡ not fair. No doubt you¡¯re making us enact some end-times on the world to force the issue and speed up the weakening of the System so that we can save it quicker.¡±
¡°Have you ever been told you¡¯re very astute?¡±
Sally rolled her eyes.
Humphrey scratched at the side of his metal helmet. ¡°How are things looking?¡±
¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± Dent looked up from the monitor at the Death Knight. ¡°We hadn¡¯t expected a System could be weakened to be absorbed easier, so we¡¯re dealing with some new parameters. That said, it is potentially bringing forward the transfer date¡ by a lot.¡±
¡°Ah. That explains why Chuck looks so stressed then.¡±
The pair of them turned their heads to observe the Architect, face almost buried amongst glowing monitors, his brow furrowed.
¡°Eh.¡± The swordsman shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s pretty much his default state lately. He was hoping to work more on a revised System, but now he¡¯s scrambling to ensure he can actually bring both the world and Players over¡ and not make a mess of things. You heard about Theo?¡±
Humphrey shook his head. ¡°No? His transfer was complete, I thought?¡±
¡°Yeah, it went by fine.¡± Dent pulled a face. ¡°World came over fine, the Player on his world arrived fine. Theo¡ went missing for a short period of time.¡±
¡°Missing?¡±
¡°Turned up delayed, which is concerning. Edward said he was ranting about¡ going back in time.¡±
The Death Knight shook his head and sighed. ¡°When he is in a manic state, his word cannot be trusted.¡±
¡°Normally, I¡¯d agree. But the time and place of his apparent detour makes it¡ well, it gives the notion some credibility. We don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s due to his other bugged rebirths, or this is just some bullshit that can happen if we aren¡¯t careful. At least it was a closed loop.¡±
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Humphrey stood up straight and rolled out his shoulders, his empty eye sockets looking idly around the room. ¡°Hmm. I understand now. He had told us that Lana¡¯s blood gave him the ability to clone himself, but her cloning power was due to the errors in the underground tunnels - not a part of her Class.¡±
¡°So he went back to the cathedral and got corrupted so that the past him could kill him off - his death triggering the normal resurrection thing we have now, so he respawned in the present once more.¡±
¡°Convoluted, but tidy enough, I suppose. I can only imagine if it was Sally or someone with less foresight.¡±
Chuck roused from his concentration. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t. I¡¯m currently worried about sending close to thirty Players scattered through time - or worse. If I don¡¯t acclimatize them to our System then they won¡¯t respawn here if they do go who knows where and die.¡±
Dent sat back and smiled. ¡°At least if that happens, then it¡¯s already happened, and everything must have worked out fine, right?¡±
The glare that the Architect shot him was probably answer enough.
¡°I¡¯m happy to report at least that the new starter zone is almost complete.¡± Humphrey crossed his arms. ¡°The wonders you can do with god-like powers and a handful of almost-competent people. Any news about the rat situation?¡±
The swordsman shook his head. ¡°The signal is traveling too far for us to pinpoint any useful data. From our basic binary ping, we estimate the recipient of the beacon is¡ six months'' travel away.¡±
¡°That seems rather far in the scheme of things.¡±
¡°System sea is large. Very large.¡± Chuck turned back to them, his tired eyes focusing on the pair. ¡°I don¡¯t know enough to say that it is infinitely expanding, but there¡¯s the possibility that new System worlds are continuously being simulated. There¡¯s only one thing that has me waver on that assumption.¡±
¡°Population?¡± the Death Knight asked.
¡°Yeah. Even with six worlds of however many billion people on each, it seems¡ I don¡¯t know. The numbers are there, but the circumstances don¡¯t add up. Whether beams or portals or other ways Players get to the STAR System, it seems like it would go very wrong in the long term.¡±
Humphrey nodded and looked up to the ceiling, as if the rounded blue room held any answers for the three of them. ¡°I suppose, being a product of the System I do not have the same pairing to these other places.¡±
Chuck nodded. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. We save who we can. Uniques and Players. When the alien invasion arrives, they¡¯ll be in for a big surprise.¡±
¡°And then she¡¯ll say ¡®pancakes¡¯,¡± Theo explained.
The end of his story was met with blank stares from the rest of the Party. With a shrug, he threw the injured monster to the floor, allowing Cross to eat its brains. ¡°Perhaps you had to be there.¡±
[Poppy: Maybe she just tells it differently~]
[Poppy: Comedy is all in the timing!]
¡°That¡¯s the thing. I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s even meant to be funny.¡± The vampire tilted his head in thought.
¡°Well,¡± Claude sighed, ¡°it certainly succeeded in that respect. Should we continue to clear this Dungeon?¡±
Theo shrugged and looked at Bernice.
¡°We¡¯ll finish this one as you seem to have no issue punching above your Level. After here, we¡¯ll need to head toward the trial.¡±
¡°Hear that?¡± He gave the goblin a pat on the head. ¡°You¡¯ll soon have your brains back and can chastise us for being condescending and treating you like a child. Isn¡¯t that right, little one?¡±
¡°Puh, pumpa-ha.¡±
¡°Sure thing, buddy.¡±
[Poppy: You do seem good with kids!! >>]
[Poppy: I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t have any of your own >>;;]
¡°Eh.¡± The vampire lifted up his warhammer and gestured for them to head down to the next chamber. ¡°On my original world, I had a couple of cousins I was close to. Babysat a lot. In some ways, it¡¯s a shame there are few children in our worlds, but I also wouldn¡¯t want to bring new life to places so dangerous and unstable.¡±
¡°Rather level headed,¡± the healer murmured. ¡°I can barely stand it myself.¡±
¡°Hard to imagine a life where I¡¯d settle down and be at peace. Always some problem going on in the System. That¡¯s why both of us are doing this - we have the compulsion to be in the thick of things.¡±
The manticore yawned and stretched out as she ducked below into the cave system. ¡°Yet how interesting that you also differ so wildly.¡±
¡°You think so?¡±
¡°Of course. You are a destroyer. Someone who takes calculated risks and puts in an unnatural amount of patience to gain whatever strength you are able to grasp. You seek to be uncontested and above all others. Safety through power.¡±
Theo grinned, exposing his fangs. ¡°But Sally is strength through willpower. Her safety is from her ambition drawing people together. She cultivates those who follow to be something greater, and part of a whole.¡±
Bernice returned the smile. ¡°What a joy that you are so self-aware. It will make the coming trials easier. For one of us.¡±
Sally spun to the side, pulling her dagger from the neck of the beast, right before her tide of corpses washed past her to drag the next three to the ground.
¡°How does it feel to be in control of such a force?¡±
She turned and pulled a face at the elf. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t get me wrong - I appreciate the help, but this isn¡¯t close to my biggest army.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Bernard actually looked somewhat surprised as he stood amongst the roving undead. ¡°Perhaps I have underestimated you, Mrs Danger. You must have been truly powerful on your other world.¡±
With a twirl of her blade, she walked over to him through the horde - the zombies surging around her just as they avoided the elf. ¡°I¡¯ve had over a hundred of the goobers at a couple of points.¡±
¡°And they follow your every command?¡±
¡°Sure, they¡¯re designed to. My commands are usually ¡®eat something¡¯ or ¡®wait a sec before you eat something¡¯, but I¡¯ve had a sway over them since my bugged existence started, really.¡±
He nodded slowly. ¡°There¡¯s no limit?¡±
¡°None that I¡¯ve come across - although I suppose there would be. Don¡¯t tell me you want me to eat up this world and turn everything into zombies?¡±
¡°Oh, no. Nothing like that.¡± He smiled and clasped his hands behind his back as they walked. ¡°Just for someone to have such control over things the System creates, it is interesting. Although, maybe not as interesting as¡¡±
The pair stepped past the zombies and around the edge of the Dungeon to see a wide open plain of short grass. In the middle of the area was a tall building - not too dissimilar to the cathedral back home, but made from a brilliant white marble.
¡°Neat.¡± She looked up at the tall spires and winced from how bright the building was.
Bernard stopped, and his smile widened.
¡°There we are then, Mrs Danger. You just have to go in and defeat my champions, and then you¡¯ll have one of the two keystones to kick-start the end of the world.¡±
268 - Real Life
The bright marbled cathedral stood out like a sore thumb. Not only for the radiance of it, which burned into Sally¡¯s eyes, but also the construction of it was unlike anything she had seen in this world so far.
A temple of creation, she assumed. Given that Life had said his champions resided within, it was a reasonable guess. Probably nature and holy element System-created within. Her weakness, sure - but she never let a bad time stop her from having a good time.
That said, she didn¡¯t want to get all her new pals nuked by some golden-hued spell. There wouldn¡¯t be another chance to gather up an army of this size, not half because they were so slow in catching her up. She sighed and spun her [Skeleton Key] around in her hand.
¡°Cold feet, Mrs Danger?¡±
Sally turned her gaze back to the elf, who was standing a little further back with hands behind his back. ¡°Just considering my options.¡±
Bernard had been rather suspicious from the start. Whether that was due to his odd existence as a core component of the System, or he just didn¡¯t know how to interact with real people¡ she wasn¡¯t sure. After spending too much time around Edward, she was used to odd characters sounding more sneaky and underhand than they truly were. She might be walking into a betrayal here, but she didn¡¯t see the angle.
Unless he wanted the world to die off, but then doing nothing would be more effective than pushing her towards her demise.
She stepped over to the large doors of the building. All the windows were thin slits covered with silvered glass framing. Most likely there was something just on the other side of the door ready to clock her around the head. That was the assumption based on the weird feeling she had this close - although it could just be the aura of the building itself, which was an uncomfortable thought.
Without a word, she gestured for five of her undead companions to move over and stand by the front door, while she walked across and started to circle the side. Nothing of much interest here, but being in the shade of it was nice. Some slightly bigger windows higher up, but no real way of getting up there. Unless¡
No, she wasn¡¯t in the mood to attempt a tower of undead. How she missed her broken abilities from back home. She left five zombies on this side, too.
Bernard followed her around at a distance, and she left another handful of zombies at the back, before again repeating the same process at the side lit by the sun. Returning back to the front of the building, she crossed her arms and sighed.
¡°Everything okay?¡±
She shrugged and gave the elf a scowl. ¡°This seems like a trap, and I¡¯m not entirely convinced there is a special key we need to retrieve from there.¡±
¡°Oh? You¡¯re basing this just on a gut feeling from a quick stroll of the perimeter?¡±
¡°Nah. If it¡¯s some silly key that you need to save the world, then why don¡¯t you go in there and grab it, since it¡¯s your followers?¡± Sally raised an eyebrow.
¡°This was meant to be a test, I thought?¡±
¡°But why?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a trial.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
Bernard sighed and gestured toward the building. ¡°Alright, so it is not a literal key you have to retrieve, but something more¡ performative.¡±
¡°A key process, then?¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just lead with that and quit with the goofy mixed messages? I¡¯m here to help, right? Or are you planning to doublecross me?¡±
Life smiled and shook his head. ¡°I dare not even single cross you, Sally. It is a lot to ask you to trust my word without any guarantees, but this is the path forward to the world being saved.¡±
While her eyes narrowed at him for a few seconds, she eventually gave up. ¡°Fine. But if this is some alternate plan you¡¯re tricking me into, I will find a way of eating you.¡±
Sally stepped up behind the group she had told to guard the door and put a hand on one before leaning forward.
Knock-knock.
She slunk back behind her pals to wait for any response, dagger up at the ready. A handful of quiet seconds passed before she guessed that nobody was going to come out.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Shame, as getting an early [Chain] and pulling someone into her crowd sounded like the best way to use that skill yet. Now she wasn¡¯t sure which to make permanent on her return - if that rigamarole was even necessary after Chuck fixed the System for her so that she could always win. She did like winning.
¡°Maybe they didn¡¯t hear you,¡± Bernard added, in an attempt to appear helpful.
¡°Perhaps I should have tried my luck with the Players at the outpost,¡± she grumbled in return. At least then her stomach would be more full, even if she might have fewer limbs.
Not wanting to wait for his reply, she stepped forward and kicked out at the door with her boot.
Theo furrowed his brow as he continued to bandage his knee. ¡°So you¡¯re saying I have to go into this temple thing to fight your champion for a key?¡±
¡°You¡¯ll find it¡¯s more of a figurative trial than a literal battle,¡± Bernice smiled as she confirmed.
[Poppy: Should we be worried Sally is doing the other trial alone??]
The vampire pulled a face, only gingerly putting weight on his right leg as he stood back up. Mostly his own mistake for forgetting he wasn¡¯t as invincible as back at Sanctuary. Regardless of how dangerous the trial might be, without a coffin and suitable vessels to drink from, his time as a sane and rational person was limited.
¡°Is this a single person or group trial?¡± he asked.
The manticore looked around the gathered group. ¡°Only one must compete. I would prefer you, blood-drinker.¡±
¡°Prefer me as in I have the most likely chance or success, or is your preference toward something you¡¯re not telling me about?¡±
Death¡¯s smile widened. ¡°As much as I enjoy a sharp mind, you will have to trust that what I am getting you to do is the way to save the world and people on it.¡±
[Poppy: But CAN we trust her??]
[Poppy: She is DEATH after all - maybe she wants the end of the world?]
[Poppy: <<;]
Claude looked at the knight, who the manticore couldn¡¯t hear, before sighing and rubbing at his head. ¡°If this is a solo thing, it is up for the young Theo to decide for himself. At this stage I am just hopeful for any manner of resolution.¡±
Bernice nodded. ¡°See, that¡¯s the spirit.¡±
Crouching down, the vampire had a good look at the goblin. Despite the increase in attempts to speak, Cross¡¯ eyes were still glazed over and often staring someplace else. Not exactly too useful to try to get his opinion on what he should do. Would the goblin even be trusted to do what was best as well?
He stood back up, wincing as he remembered he had just injured his knee. Best thing to do would be to mirror Sally¡¯s choices. Having to fight champions to get a key to save the world definitely sounded like what she would be doing.
¡°What¡¯s Life like? Your brother, I mean.¡± Theo hoisted the warhammer over his shoulder so they could start moving away from the Dungeon.
The manticore tilted her head before standing. ¡°Bernard has a certain way with words that makes him sound as though he is untrustworthy.¡±
Just like Edward¡ but it was probably too late to switch now. Shame.
Claude allowed the bard to help him up some of the steep steps out. ¡°But¡ is he trustworthy?¡±
¡°Only as much as I am,¡± she replied, a sharp-toothed grin illuminating her face.
Sally flared out her nostrils and exhaled.
The doors had flung open, relenting to her kick - which was satisfying enough, considering she thought something like giant cathedral''s doors would have a little more resistance to them. She wasn¡¯t that strong here.
Instead of paladins of light or holy priests bursting forth - or even waves of radiant energy as a trap was sprung - she had been greeted by¡ nothing.
An empty room, barely lit by the ambient sunshine outside. Only a few beams of light showing off the patterned tiling on the floor, or the carvings along the interior pillars. Some manner of fountain or altar sat at the end of the chamber.
She sighed again, and glared at the elf - who had a neutral, if not pleased, expression on his face. ¡°This isn¡¯t exactly passing the smell check, bud.¡±
¡°The champion is inside.¡±
¡°I can see inside, and there¡¯s nothing but my future regret in there.¡± Or maybe treasure. There was a non-zero chance that even something edible could be hiding in the shadows.
Unfortunately, her stomach had more sway than she would like to admit, so her feet took her forward.
She commanded her zombies to come back around and follow her inside. Her boot landed on the first shadowed tile beyond the threshold.
And she continued.
Darkness enveloped her as more details around the scenery came into shape with her eyes adjusting to the dimmer light. Some benches. Alcoves where books and statues were kept - some annoying latent hum of radiant energy coming from somewhere¡ but she couldn¡¯t quite place it. Atmospheric, almost.
The center of the room, approaching the altar at the end, was indented and slightly lower that the rest of the tilted floor. She stepped down; her face wrinkling up at the expected trap that never came. Looking up at the peaked ceiling, there didn¡¯t seem to be any monsters hiding away up there.
With another long, exasperated sigh, she stopped in place and let her horde of zombies clamber through and catch up. No point in them being far away from her - seeing as they were so slow they needed a bit more time. With a command, they started to filter out through the open space of the cathedral interior, roughly a dozen feet apart - or as close as the undead could approximate.
Sally started to hum, now just waiting for the supposed champion or key to show up.
And then the doors slammed shut, taking away with it some of the remaining light in the place.
Her red eyes, amongst the sea of bright yellow ones, turned to the altar. Almost too cliche.
Writhing tentacles began to crawl out from within. No, they were more like roots - barbed and dry. They continued to slither around the area as if in search of water. From the center, a wide blob of darkness emerged and slowly came into view on a thick stalk like a terrible sunflower.
Sharp petal-like hair of a dirty golden hue. Pointed ears and bright blue eyes sunken into dark recesses.
A wide grin of needle-sharp teeth emerged from the darkness.
¡°I did say that I was more grotesque, didn¡¯t I, Mrs Danger?¡±
269 - In Prospective
The creeping vines extended out further from the looming plant-like Life as he rose from the altar. Roots crept up along the back wall, covering some of the light from the windows.
Sally shrugged. ¡°Eh. I¡¯ve seen a lot worse. You forget that most of my friends are Monsters. Probably could have just led with this.¡±
The flat sunflower face lost some of the lustre from the wide grin across it. Bernard tilted his head. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think the other Players would have been so accepting of my true form. The elven appearance was meant to give off a more trustworthy guise.¡±
¡°Well, you failed at that, too.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°The only way you could have been more suspicious was if you kept hiding away a dagger every time I looked at you.¡±
The grin returned to Life¡¯s face. ¡°Ah, so you didn¡¯t see that.¡± After a few seconds of silence, he tilted his head. ¡°That was a joke.¡±
¡°Cool. So what¡¯s the deal here, then?¡± She waved her dagger at the roots along the walls of the darkened cathedral. ¡°Unless the trial is to put on the best undead rave on this side of Sanctuary, I doubt you¡¯ve done this for any good reason.¡±
Despite the change in appearance, Bernard seemed to have the same affable¡ªif slightly weird¡ªpersonality. Drawing her into the building with all her zombies didn¡¯t sound like a particularly effective plan for killing her off, if that was his intent. Even if there was something about the building that made her weaker, or could damage her zombies¡ but he had just given them to her.
¡°What more good a reason than to save the world?¡± He raised an eyebrow - or at least his sunken eye-socket changed shape to give that appearance.
¡°Either you have the wrong end of the stick, or are speaking in riddles again.¡± Sally crossed her arms. ¡°I was hoping for something to eat, but it looks more like you¡¯re preparing to have me for dinner.¡±
¡°Quite the contrary.¡± Bernard shifted and looked over to the wall, as if he could see through it. ¡°Just waiting for my sister to get in place so we can do the big reveal. She is always late for things, you know.¡±
The zombie tapped her foot on the floor. ¡°Bernice is luring Theo in to a similar building over wherever they are, I assume?¡±
¡°Correct.¡±
¡°And then our ¡®trials¡¯ can begin? We have to fight you both and win?¡±
Life rolled his eyes. ¡°You have no patience, Mrs Danger. Does everything have to be a life and death battle with you? Oh, I see the irony there.¡±
¡°Just some answers would be nice.¡± She took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know why everything has to be secretive. Either you¡¯ve got a good thing going on and I¡¯m all aboard, or we have a problem and I¡¯m going to have to stab you.¡±
¡°Very well. You¡¯ve managed to put up with me this long, so¡¡± Bernard loomed a little closer to her. ¡°In order for you to ascend and save this world, you are going to have to absorb me.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± Her face wrinkled up. ¡°Like eat your brains? That is kinda my thing¡¡±
¡°No. Nothing so simplistic. I will be sacrificing myself and granting you the position of Life in this world, with all the power and responsibility that comes with it.¡±
Sally stared at him blankly for a few seconds. ¡°So Theo gets to be Death?¡±
The large plant grunted and looked toward the ceiling. ¡°That is your one take away from this?¡±
¡°That just sounds like a lot of commitment, and you¡¯re self-sacrificing for that? What if I fail?¡±
¡°As a System-created being, there is little I can do to shuffle away the inevitable. The System is failing and I am just a domino in that eventuality. If I can pass on my power to you - as a mix of Player and Monster - then you might have a chance of changing the fate of this world.¡±
¡°Aaahh.¡± Sally rubbed at the bridge of her nose. ¡°Let me phone a friend real quick and get a second opinion.¡±
Lucius tapped the pen on the side of his notepad. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, this has been a point often repeated in our sessions, Edward.¡±
The demon rolled his eyes and adjusted his position on the long couch. ¡°If people can¡¯t accept me the way that I am, that is their issue.¡±
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Valid, but you¡¯re the one complaining that you are deemed too suspicious, are you not?¡± A floating question-mark appeared beside his head.
¡°I suppose I just want to eat my cake and eat others¡¯ too.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not¡ oh hang on - I have an important message coming in.¡±
Edward sat up. ¡°Is it Theo?¡±
The Shade shook his head, but wrote something down on his notepad. ¡°Sally.¡±
[Sally: Hey Lucy!]
[Sally: Feels like forever, miss u]
[Sally: Have a quick question¡]
[Lucius: Sally! Missing you too - shoot!]
[Sally: How do you think it would affect me mentally to become the living aspect of Life?]
[Sally: Like on a potentially long-term basis.]
[Lucius: o_o]
[Lucius: Life, huh? Not Death?]
[Sally: RIGHT?]
[Sally: But no, that¡¯s my lot. Power, but some responsibility.]
[Lucius: You have made progress in the latter.]
[Lucius: And never had issues with the former.]
[Lucius: Without sitting you down, I would ask you to reflect on the benefits¡]
[Lucius: And any particular pitfalls with the role.]
[Lucius: Then see if that pairs up for the life goals we had visualized.]
[Sally: Thanks, Lucy - I needed a level head to point me in the right direction.]
[Sally: Talk soon x]
Lucius closed down his chat and looked back at the demon, who was trying to not look interested in what the conversation might have been. ¡°Doctor-patient confidentiality.¡±
¡°Bull.¡± Edward sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not even a real doctor.¡±
A dark raincloud appeared over the shade as he pointed the end of his pen up at the certificates hung on the wall. ¡°Can¡¯t argue with the receipts, my friend.¡±
¡°Those are made up.¡±
¡°Edward.¡± Lucius shook his head slowly. ¡°Everything in the System here is made up, including you. So let¡¯s circle back to why you have such an issue with trust.¡±
¡°I¡¯m a demon.¡±
¡°Well, whose choice is it to let that define you?¡±
Edward ground his sharp teeth together. He should have never let the vampire talk him into this.
Theo shrugged. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in.¡±
Bernice tilted her head to the side, the flickering flames of the candles in the dark building illuminating her mane. ¡°Really? Without any further clarification needed?"
¡°I mean, I¡¯ll still be me and everything, right?¡±
¡°You will. No changes to your personality. Just certain powers and control over things here.¡±
The vampire nodded. Becoming the Aspect of Death just sounded too good to pass up. He was willing to risk whatever the cost was, plus he might be able to save the world, too. The only thing was that he¡¯d need to be careful not to brag in front of Sally about it - she was sure to be sore about being the Aspect of Life.
¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready, then.¡± Theo worked out his shoulder and relaxed the warhammer to the ground.
¡°Just waiting for my brother.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Always has to yap more than necessary.¡±
¡°¡and then I said, may creation guide you.¡± Bernard smiled widely.
¡°Yeesh.¡± Sally pulled a face. ¡°I sure hope I don¡¯t inherit your sense of humor.¡±
¡°Unlikely. It is mostly the title and boons granted.¡±
¡°Mostly.¡± She sighed. ¡°So there¡¯s still a trial, right? It¡¯s not just a signature I have to write on a contract or something?¡±
¡°I¡¯m afraid not, Mrs Danger. Are you ready to begin?¡±
She looked around at the rather bored looking zombies just staring off at the walls with their glowing yellow eyes. Although she would much rather be out punching things with Theo, or trying to crack open the secrets in Cross¡¯ skull¡ she did have a job to do here.
¡°Yeah, fine. Let¡¯s get this over-¡±
Bright white light flooded her vision, and she held up her arm across her eyes. ¡°A flashbang, really?¡±
She growled as her vision slowly cleared, and a¡ soft breeze rustled through her hair. Still wincing, she turned to see that she was no longer in the cathedral. Instead, it was a garden.
Vibrant plants, flowers of all colors of the rainbow in full bloom. Rich and healthy greens of trees and bushes. The chirping of birds and the soft sound of a stream in the background. She looked down at the lush grass beneath her boots.
¡°Bit cliche, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked the empty air. Bernard wasn¡¯t hanging about somewhere, and her zombie pals hadn¡¯t made the same journey alongside her.
Perhaps her knife was all she¡¯d need. After a big stretch, she sighed and looked about for some landmark to travel to. Over to the right there were some hedges arranged in an arch as if they were the start of a maze or hid a reclusive house.
Spinning the [Skeleton Key] around in her hand, she hummed to herself and strode off toward whatever the potential trial might be.
Theo looked down at the pile of bones he was standing in before glancing at the streams of blood running down the cavern walls. Full skeletons were pinned to sections of the ruddy rock, in various positions that they may have died in.
A faint mist of ash rained down from a small opening in the high ceiling that barely let in enough dim light to see the fresh horrors he had arrived at.
¡°Huh. Had expected a graveyard, so I wasn¡¯t too far off.¡± With a grin, he held his hands up for form a rectangle with his fingers, one eye narrowed as if he was trying to take a good photo. ¡°Sally would love this, though. Very atmospheric.¡±
Stepping out of the miscellaneous bones, the ground itself was soft and damp. Mossy, perhaps? An inquiring glare made it out to be something more organic looking than first anticipated. The waterfalls of crimson trickling all around this almost circular chamber gathered at a central point and formed a shallow stream.
Warhammer back into his hands, Theo stepped into the blood and shivered with a little excitement. ¡°I hope I get to keep this¡ like Edward¡¯s demonic Domain. A date night here would be¡¡± he paused as his voice echoed around the walls. ¡°Very noisy.¡±
The vampire pulled a face, wondering why he was talking out loud to himself. That was generally more of a Sally thing to do. Briefly, he thought about how she was getting on, and if the area she was in was remotely as creepy as this. He shrugged and focused on his own troubles for now.
Hoisting his weapon over his shoulder, he started off downstream, on the way to whatever the potential trial might be.
270 - Hungry for Life
Amongst verdant leaves and lush grasses, the grumbling of a zombie could be heard. Despite the vibrant flowers dotting the landscape, and the pristine breeze that carried with it butterflies alongside the gentle rustling of trees - Sally was annoyed.
¡°This place is far too nice,¡± she said, stopping for the third time to look around. ¡°I¡¯m talking out loud in the hopes that either I¡¯ll get ambushed or there¡¯s some jerk out there actually listening. Like¡ you, Bernard?¡±
Her scowl aimed toward the bright blue sky went unanswered.
She had a sixth sense for these kinds of things. After walking through the hedges that looked as though they might be the start of a maze, it had just brought her into another field. In full spring bloom, just like the previous one. But she would have to fight something here despite the pleasantness.
It was only a matter of time.
Sally stepped over to a cluster of bright red flowers. Bringing down her knife, she cut one of the heads off and affixed in it in the side of her hair. Had to look nice for seeing Theo later once this was all done with. Would be a relief to get back home and enjoy some creature comforts. Like smooching.
Footsteps. The inevitable fight that she always knew was coming. She didn¡¯t turn just yet, just closed her eyes. Relaxed and enjoyed the brief amount of peace now that she knew it had come down to this.
Could it have been anything else? The trial of Life was to keep on living. Simple.
She exhaled through her nose and turned. Three knights in moss-green plate armor. Gnarled brown in the gaps instead of skin, their faces just large blank sunflowers sticking out from beneath the helmets. Each held a sword engraved in bright, glowing runes.
¡°Neat. Is there some significance to the number three? Or are you just triplets? Labor market could only provide three plant-knights to beat me up?¡±
More silence was the only response. What she wouldn¡¯t give for the Outsiders to be behind her to act as an audience. Even if it was just rolled eyes and groans - that was half the fun. That just drove her forward to win this, now that she knew they¡¯d be able to be back together soon. Further adventures on different worlds would be the five of them once again.
[Skeleton Key] spun in her hand as she launched forward, the knights getting into defensive stances in response.
Oh, how she missed a good combat sequence.
Blade lashed out at the closest, the metal ringing out as she continued into a slide between the knight¡¯s legs. Jammed the dagger into the back of their ankle as she stood back to her feet. Blocked the heavy swing of the second combatant and kicked out at their lowered arm, shifting their sword away from her.
Dove toward them and stabbed them in the arm, before the sunflower-face, rolling herself across their back to avoid the jab of the third knight.
She ducked the wide swing of the recovered first, only to get kicked by the third. Rolled backward up to her footing again, only barely able to block the follow-up. The force vibrated down her arm. Three swords versus one dagger wasn¡¯t exactly fair. Still, she was only just getting warmed up.
Her defensive skill flared up as she ran toward the third knight, his next jab just bouncing off of her ineffectively. Dagger went forward into the sunflower¡¯s face, tearing a gash through it. The knight dropped their sword to clutch at the odd liquid that started spraying from the wound.
¡°Hope you¡¯re not actually real people that I¡¯m imagining looking like monsters,¡± she said, baring her teeth as she deflected the attack of the next knight.
[Chain] struck the second knight, putting them on awkward footing. Her dagger flashed forward, catching the sun before burying into their chest through the plate armor. Spun away and caught a slash across her arm, biting through her flesh. The wound immediately burned, the glowing lights on the weapons clearly more than just theatrics.
¡°Holy life energy or something?¡± she asked, not expecting the knight to respond. Now just down to the single opponent with the other two collapsing, she backtracked slowly, waiting for an opening.
They probably wouldn¡¯t be very tasty, even if they had brains. The skill choice had come up for the first, but she didn¡¯t want to risk it. There was a chance that was part of the test¡ or maybe making zombies was part of the test?
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Bernard hadn¡¯t been very clear.
Blades clashed again twice as the knight moved towards her, stepping forward with an unexpected flurry of the sword pommel that caught her in the face, breaking her nose.
She growled as warm blood ran down to her mouth. Grabbed onto the sword and pulled her weight into it briefly - just so that the knight would try to oppose her. She then immediately shifted her weight forward into them, hooking her foot just behind theirs.
The knight collapsed, and she landed on top of them - but she was much quicker to recover. [Skeleton Key] up and down, two stabs to their torso before the large flower. A couple more for breaking her nose.
With a sigh, she rolled from the figure and stood up to her feet. Nose was easy enough to correct, with her eyes closed she clicked it back into place. Blood wiped off on the back of her arm, and then she made sure the flower was still in her hair.
Eyes back to the slain knights, they had sunk into the ground and were decaying away. Crusting over and turning into mulch as if time was speeding up on their corpses. She had taken their Life, after all - making sure to capitalize that in her head.
Now the plan was to¡ she turned and narrowed her eyes out around at the surroundings. That wasn¡¯t much of a trial, so the true test must be elsewhere. What a pain.
Oh.
She paused and pulled a face. There was now a house in the near distance. Part of the view of it was obscured by the garden, which could be described as overflowing. With sunflower-people. These ones weren¡¯t as well armored, and either had no weapons or very rudimentary ones. Garden tools, perhaps.
Sally drummed her fingers on her side. Fighting through two dozen sunflowers to get to the mysterious house might be the right thing to do. Maybe she was failing this trial really badly. Then again, she usually failed upwards.
Stretching her head from side to side, she approached them slowly.
[Sally: Hey fangs, you in your trial?]
[Theo: Yeah, think I¡¯m crushing it.]
[Sally: is that a hammer pun]
[Theo: Isn¡¯t everything?]
[Theo: Race you to the end!]
That settled it - killing her way through the otherwise pleasant looking flower monsters was the way forward. Unless the weird pocket dimension she was in decided any different, it was clearly the path to take.
[Chain] agreed, dragging the first opponent her way as the others finally noticed her intention to attack.
The sunflower attempted to take advantage of the reposition by swinging a blunt mace around. Sally ducked it, placing her blade into their stomach as they collided, slashing through to their flank. Opponent dropped to their knees as she spun and stabbed into the back of their head.
Sure, what did she have to lose?
[Eat Brains.]
Tasted like¡ living.
Her eyes blazed bright crimson as she turned to grin at the approaching crowd. Sally picked the club up in her left hand and dug her boots into the ground. She had to get to the end before the bloodsucker finished whatever his trial was.
She burst forward as the throng of monsters met her. Blocked the swipe with her blunt weapon and slashed across a throat with her dagger. Ate whatever classed as brains. Felt even more alive. Hyper-focused.
Ducked down, sprung up, and twisted. She left an after-image as the [Skeleton Key] danced between several opponents. Another eaten brain and she felt on top of the world. Taller too. [Chain] brought one of the flower-people over and they couldn¡¯t even react in time with how things had sped up. Quick two jabs to the face. Eaten brains.
Sally became a blur, drooling whatever classed as blood from the creatures, as her dagger cut sharp arcs through the air. Third arm picked up a rough spear and now she was thrice as effective. Chewed up some more sunflower brains. A jagged sword struck her back, but vines grew around the blade, holding it in place as she spun to retaliate.
Entangling roots shot from her outstretched hand, binding up two monsters. A third looked up at her and paused, their flat flower-face tilted back to look up at her face.
Vines gripped and snapped the wooden bones of her foes, lifting the limp bodies up in the air to drop into her wide maw. Whole monsters chewed up and swallowed into her mass of writhing roots and sprouting leaves. Delectable.
There were few remaining now. What had started as a rough melee against a larger force had become a banquet of pure existence. What personality the constructs seemed to have had been trying to get the last few to turn tail and escape.
But they could not.
They had been planted in place by extended vines. Sally¡¯s large hand came down and plucked their heads off one by one like they were weeds, tossing the gathered treats into her hungry maw.
Probably the best snack she¡¯d had since landing in this world¡ although the Player had been good. As the last of the sunflower monsters dropped over to the floor and started to disintegrate away, she considered that a pretty good outcome to the fight. All targets eliminated and barely any damage taken herself. None of her arms were cut, and the pulsing mass of roots that were now her legs were only wanting for one thing.
To get into that house.
There was probably more to the trial than just eating a few flowers, but she couldn¡¯t wait to rub her expediency in the vampire¡¯s face with her dozens of fingers.
Even better - the house had seemed to scale up to the exact size she needed to get through the door. The success of the fight had her feeling a little big-headed and full of herself, so it was nice for the terrain to accommodate that.
She pressed her wide face against the side window, looking in at what appeared to be a shaded kitchen. ¡°Yes¡ ha ha, yes,¡± she hissed.
Vines wrapped around the door handle and swung the opening wide.
Sally slunk through, not into an actual house, but into a domed chamber. A large circle raised by almost a foot sat in the middle, inscribed with various runes and engraved shapes.
More important, however, was the abomination made of bones continually leaking blood from every surface standing at the opposite side of the chamber.
¡°Took your time,¡± their deep voice growled, echoing around the room.
271 - Cycle Paths
Theo hummed to himself as he walked along the small stream of blood. The tunnel continued - a rocky cave occasionally dotted with a trickle of fresh blood or jutting bones. Splashing along had been fun enough at first, but after the route hadn¡¯t really changed much, he now found that his feet were just wet.
It didn¡¯t annoy him however - he just thought he should have known a little better. Wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d been ankle deep in the crimson stuff.
¡°This place is far too macabre,¡± he said, pausing to look up at one of the monstrous skulls half-emerged from the walls. ¡°Perhaps rude for me to insult the decor out loud, but I¡¯m sure somebody will be along to admonish me in short order.¡±
He tilted his head to look down the gloomy tunnel, but the only response was the pattering of red liquid to the slick stone floor.
It was only a matter of time.
The vampire stepped over to a different skeletal amalgamation. A small humanoid skull that had an odd spiked spine behind it. With his hand, he bent and snapped it from the wall. It would look rather nice in Sally¡¯s hair, so he¡¯d save it for her.
From behind him, the soft splash of footsteps came from where he had traveled from. Quicker than he had anticipated. Some part of the trial, no doubt, but what did he need to do exactly? Wouldn¡¯t be very good if he messed up his end while the zombie aced hers. Sally always failed upwards.
Hmm. But it was probably something simple. Kill the monsters. Bring Death to those unworthy.
With a grin, he turned around to face his assailants. Three ghostly warriors. Other than boots, gloves, and a helmet, their only other physical facets were metal bands around their knees, elbows, and waist. Oh, the jagged spears were real too. The rest of their body was thick black mist. Singular white eyes stared out from within the face-guard of the deep blue headgear.
¡°This is all you sent against me?¡± Theo twirled the hammer around as he got into position. ¡°I thought this was a trial?¡±
The armed shadows didn¡¯t respond. How droll. Although he often spent time adventuring alone, he was already missing being back on Sanctuary. The time between rescuing the giant¡¯s world, helping defeat the space cockroach, and then coming here to assist Sally was far too short.
Still, the sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could go back home.
Hammer spun in his hand again as he darted forward. He may have no Class, but the broken abilities carried over from Sanctuary were enough to fight against most things. Especially after all the practice on the small island against Borin.
Struck the first in the waistband and twirled away from the strike of the second. Theo kicked up a spray of blood from the floor at the third, before bringing down the hammer on their head - crushing the helmet.
The black mist composing their body faded away as their metal armor pieces dropped to the rocky floor. He turned to block the swing of the next shadow with the length of the hammer shaft, alongside the next two follow-ups. On the last strike in the sequence, the vampire stepped to the side and allowed the sharp weapon to pass by his side. Hooked the weapon behind his own and spun, wrenching the spear from the shadow¡¯s grasp before the turning motion allowed him to strike the opponent in the back of their helmet.
With a flourish of his magic hammer, he turned to the last of his assailants. They paused, briefly surprised at his efficiency. Terrible decision.
Theo lashed forward with inhuman speed and swung his hammer around like a baseball bat. Shadow reacted too slowly, their armor buckling just as their held weapon snapped from the force. As the slumping group of metal parts slammed against the back wall, the vampire looked down at his forearm.
Broken. The sharp end of the split bone had ruptured through his skin in eagerness to be noticed. Perhaps he had struck a little too hard - his body here clearly not as durable as back in Sanctuary.
¡°Not great, but¡¡± His eyebrow raised as he flexed his arm back and forth. ¡°No pain or restriction of movement. System here must be worse than I had thought.¡±
He shrugged to himself. Although he wasn¡¯t as mentally immune to self injury as Sally, he was sure that he should feel a little worse about snapping his dominant arm - especially with a trial to complete, but he just felt¡ okay.
Head turned back to the endless tunnel ahead, only now it wasn¡¯t endless. It had an end - an opening to a large cavern. At the back of this cavern was a house. Something rather odd to find in such a place. Even odder still, there was a group of Shadows blocking the view of the lower floor.
Naturally he would have to go in the building - that seemed obvious, even if Bernice hadn¡¯t been clear about what the trial actually was.
He grinned, his fangs catching the light, as he stepped toward the monsters. Hammer spun in his grip, even if it did make his jutting bone click. A message coming in to his System distracted him for a moment.
[Sally: Hey fangs, you in your trial?]
[Theo: Yeah, think I¡¯m crushing it.]
[Sally: is that a hammer pun]
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.[Theo: Isn¡¯t everything?]
[Theo: Race you to the end!]
His grin widened. A little friendly competition was perfect to fill his empty stomach. She hadn¡¯t mentioned a house, so maybe he was ahead already. Just had to kill his way through the unpleasant shadows that didn¡¯t have drinkable necks.
Boots stopped, sloshing around more blood.
¡°Dear enemies, I come to you with some good news.¡± He pushed his glasses up his nose, the lenses glowing as bright as his fangs. ¡°I¡¯m here to offer you a quick Death, as a gentleman can¡¯t keep a lady waiting.¡±
Or rather, he intended to be waiting for her - as he would win the race.
The shadows didn¡¯t care much for his speech, the two dozen odd amalgamations of smoke and metal armor turning to glare at him with their single eyes. These ones had more of a mixture of melee weapons, but each was as dark and jagged as the next.
Theo rolled his neck out. Didn¡¯t really matter.
[Novice Strike] illuminated his weapon in a bright pink glow.
He burst from his position, spinning the hammer around, leaving a glowing trail before the movements. Just before he reached the mass of enemies, he slid across the slick rock floor, getting blood soaked through his suit. Hammer went through the knee-joint of the closest shade and he rolled to his feet - allowing his skill to slash into the next Shadow almost immediately.
Theo twisted again, the head of his hammer seeking a new target to pummel. He slightly overdid it, and his leg snapped, bone piercing through his calf. Didn¡¯t¡ seem to hinder his movements, though. Second and third Shadow blown backward by the force of his attacks. Every time Novice Strike connected, he got a free follow-up and attack speed boost. As his attack speed increased, so too did his critical strike chance.
Apparently, it also increased the amount of damage he did to his own body, too.
Left elbow erupted from the skin. As did the forearm, and then the right thigh. His body contorted to allow the hammer to attack at the cost of his own structural integrity. Theo¡¯s weapon cleaved through two Shadows and struck the rocky floor, the reverberations running through his torso - causing his ribs to stretch out and pop through his chest and clothing. Blood soaked through his wounds and dripped down to the stream below him.
He paused to catch his breath. Novice Strike wasn¡¯t usually this potent - and he didn¡¯t feel any worse considering how mangled his body now looked. Probably part of the trial, though. That¡¯s what made the most sense.
As blood and sweat ran down his face, he looked up at the remaining opponents. They parted to allow a larger Shadow through holding what looked to be a backpack fed cannon.
Theo clenched his teeth together. ¡°Absolutely not, go fu-¡±
Before he had the chance to finish, the weapon didn¡¯t blast a projectile his way, but instead sprayed him down with a viscous gray liquid. Just as soon as it covered him, the stream stopped.
The vampire looked down at his jutting bones as the liquid seeped into his body and dripped to the steam of blood on the ground. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to be? Some kind of bone hurting juice?¡±
An answer came in no time at all, as he watched his skin melt off. Thick slabs of his flesh dropped from his body as his clothing fell slack against his exposed skeleton.
¡°Now you¡¯ve done it.¡± Theo grinned, his whole skull gleaming in the low light. ¡°That was just holding me back.¡±
[Novice Strike] bloomed up again, and he flashed forward. Every time he struck, another of his own bones would crack, but instead of falling apart, more bone was growing from the splits. Blood ran from these newly fused parts, flicking through the air as he lashed between each of the remaining shadows.
He leaped on his hind legs, and brought the hammer head down on the larger Shadow, destroying them. Eyes scoured the cavern, but that had been the last of them. Sharp claws took him over to the house, his long skeletal arm grasping at the door handle.
Stepping through the threshold, there was no house interior as expected. A domed room where the center had a wide raised circle of stone. Odd runes and inscriptions on this higher up part. He took a short step up on the side of it to get a better look, when there came a shuffling noise from the opposite side of the room.
A mutated creature of writhing roots and green vines came crawling through. A large head that resembled a sunflower, wide mouth filled with dozens of sharp teeth grinning. Deep set eyes that were pits of glowing red.
¡°Took your time,¡± Theo growled out, a grin of sharp teeth amongst his own bleeding skeletal parts.
¡°I assume the strong desire I have to smooch you,¡± the plant-monster hissed, ¡°means that you are Theo.¡±
¡°Seems so, Sally.¡± He gestured to the central dial. ¡°The next part of the trial looks to be a puzzle.¡±
¡°Gross,¡± she hissed, her tentacle-like fingers wiggling in the air. ¡°Were we supposed to fight? Maybe we¡¯re supposed to bleed on it?¡±
Theo shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m already doing that.¡± There seemed to be no end to the light pattering of the red stuff continuously running from his joints.
¡°What if¡ we¡¯re meant to smooch, huh?¡± She made the attempt to wiggle her eyebrows, which didn¡¯t do much for her current appearance. ¡°Or worse¡ get to sixth base?¡±
¡°You¡ never really got how to play baseball, did you?¡± The once-vampire stepped up onto the raised platform fully.
¡°That¡¯s because you kept me far away in the field for the most part!¡± Her roots squirmed in indignation, and the once-zombie also moved up onto the engraved surface.
¡°Well, you were a little aggressive and overeager with the bat.¡±
¡°Some things never change.¡± Her tendrils rose up and caressed around his skeletal face. ¡°You¡¯ll have to imagine that I¡¯m winking right now.¡±
Theo attempted to sigh, which was difficult without any lungs or throat. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I feel smart enough to solve puzzles.¡±
The creature that was now Sally nodded her head. Even on a good day, having to use their brains was never their strong suit - and the vampire was meant to be the smartest of the bunch. Being transformed into aspects of Life and Death was one thing, but having to make a decision on what this big circle wanted of them was true torture.
¡°It¡¯s not a language I understand,¡± she offered. ¡°But I don¡¯t feel much like bleeding. Is that a Life thing?¡±
¡°In a way.¡± Theo tilted his skeletal head. ¡°But then, everything is life and death in some way or another. That¡¯s just like¡ a cycle that persists, right?¡±
Sally grinned. ¡°In that case¡ I have a proposition for you.¡±
¡°Go on¡¡±
¡°I think we should continue to exist. Life and Death together.¡±
The once-vampire grinned. ¡°We had just married, but this can be our binding vow?¡±
Standing near the center of the disc, Theo held the hammer up into the air, the head pointing downwards. Sally came up in front of him, her own writhing vines wrapping around the handle to join him.
They pressed their odd faces together, before parting.
As one, they brought the weapon down, striking the floor with their combined strengths.
The loud clang vibrated through the chamber, ringing through their ears, before tapering off. Just the creaking of Sally¡¯s roots moving, and Theo¡¯s blood dripping remained against the fresh silence.
And then a crack tore through the floor, light shining from the split.
Before they could act, the seal exploded, bathing both of them in impossibly bright white. Arms clinging to each other, they fell.
272 - Aspect Ratio
A cool breeze whipped around Sally¡¯s body. Nothing but a wall of deep green met her eyes as she blinked them open. Grass. On an aching neck, she turned her head to the side so see the vampire also laying down on his front looking a little dazed.
¡°Do you think that was actually the trial, or we just broke it with your dispel hammer?¡±
Theo closed his eyes and exhaled. ¡°Knowing us, it doesn¡¯t make much difference either way.¡±
¡°Falling upwards,¡± the zombie murmured to herself, groaning as she pushed up to her elbow to realize that yes - she was actually a zombie once more. Her hand went up and felt the red flower she had taken for her hair. It had been real, at least.
¡°Got something for you.¡± He rolled over onto his back and started to feel for his pockets - before remembering it was in his Inventory.
¡°Is it a way to turn back into the bone construct? It was kinda cute.¡± Sally stretched out as she made it to her feet and she looked around.
Rolling fields, woodlands, and potentially a stream if her ears were correct. Wasn¡¯t¡ super vibrant and colorful like the trial area, so it could just be the normal world. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to pick out any Dungeons or landmarks.
¡°Here.¡± Theo stepped over to her and brought out the spined skull.
¡°Aw, that¡¯s sweet and thematically appropriate.¡± She smiled and allowed him to put it in her hair beside the flower. ¡°Now I feel like a princess.¡±
¡°That¡¯s troublesome,¡± he replied, putting a hand up to the side of her face as he furrowed his brow. ¡°As you look like a queen.¡±
She rolled her eyes and brought him in for a hug. ¡°You relentless flirt. Let¡¯s get finished up in this world so I can take you home and do unspeakable things to you.¡±
¡°We must be close now.¡±
¡°Duh, we¡¯re hugging.¡± She kept a grip on him as he tried to move away.
¡°No, to the, uh¡ what was it we were supposed to do now?¡± He wrinkled up his face and frowned at the scenery.
Sally let him go and put her hands on her hips. Bernard had said to complete the trials so that they could get the key to unlocking Cross¡¯ memories and save the world. Or something like that. It wasn¡¯t very clear, and perhaps she should have asked a few more pointed questions before accepting the prospect of either fighting the giant sunflower or¡
Her brow furrowed, and she held out her hand. Mostly normal. At least, in appearance.
¡°Maybe what we need,¡± she began, slowly, ¡°is a few helping hands.¡±
Hand clenched together and the ground ahead of them shook and writhed as if it was water. Arms burst from the shaken dirt, and a group of ten zombies began to crawl out of their imagined home. Her normal undead looking pals all but for one difference - their heads were the broad sunflowers. Each with two glowing yellow eyes and a wide toothed maw.
¡°Interesting development,¡± Sally mused. That didn¡¯t even feel like a spell. She had just willed them into being. Oh¡ she had become Bernard. Her eyes tried to go through her System menus to locate more information and paused at the first window.
[Sally Danger][Human, Zombie, Life Aspect.]
¡°Oh.¡± She pulled a face, trying to understand it and what the long-term implications were. ¡°What does your profile information say now, Theo?¡±
The vampire tilted his head to the side before raising his hand up to the created zombies. ¡°It says two heads are plenty better than a dozen.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not a saying.¡±
Theo¡¯s hand clenched closed, and there was a brief tension in the air. The group of zombies paused and then their necks burst open, spraying blood in unison. They each dropped over to the ground as the light vanished from their deep-set eye sockets.
Sally pulled a face. ¡°That¡¯s mean. I guess you¡¯re Death Aspect now, as well as being a Human, and Vampire.¡±
¡°I actually have Human twice, but that has never been a plot point, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He put his hands in his pockets and grinned.
She ignored him and glared out at the surroundings. So they were sort of demi-gods in this System now. As neat as that sounded, it didn¡¯t appear to really solve their issue of saving the world. Were they even in the proper area? Eyes narrowed as she scoured across the sky this time. There was no sign of the darkness that was consuming this world.
¡°We¡¯re still in a trial,¡± she concluded.
¡°So, we need to find the key, perhaps?¡± Theo raised an eyebrow and looked over at the woods. ¡°Unless we did break things and are in a run-off area. An inert and disconnected part of the System.¡±
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
¡°Can it, fangs. We¡¯re sorting this good and proper.¡± She exhaled through her nose. ¡°Oh, a message from Chucky.¡±
[Chuck: Not to alarm you, but what just happened?]
[Theo: You can see the changes to us?]
[Sally: wE BECAME ASPECTS OF]
[Sally: sry caps]
[Sally: we are now Life and Death.]
[Chuck: ¡]
[Theo: It¡¯s just a temporary Class for this System.]
[Theo: Right?]
[Chuck: I¡¯m¡ not entirely sure.]
[Chuck: It has changed your core, the same part that makes you semi-Monstrous.]
[Sally: But how does that work when we come back to Sanctuary?]
[Theo: I¡¯ll be Death of the Party?]
[Sally: And I¡¯ll be the Life of the Party??]
[Chuck: ¡]
[Chuck: Perhaps I should have gotten some answers before contacting you both.]
[Chuck: Try not to turn into eldritch beings before coming home.]
¡°Been there, done that.¡± Sally rolled her eyes, but grinned at the vampire. He seemed to be lost in thought. ¡°Got some worries in you, pup?¡±
¡°Hmm. Is it weird that we¡¯re now the Aspects that used to be siblings?¡±
¡°Why are you saying that kind of thing out loud?¡± She scowled at him. ¡°Get your ass moving or I¡¯ll Life you to death. We¡¯re not literally them, you punk. Just have their powers.¡±
He nodded. ¡°Convincing enough for me. Where are we headed to then?¡±
Sally turned her glare back across the dull scenery and sighed. Where would she be if she was a key? Probably¡ in a tomb. That made enough sense. She turned toward the woods and pointed. ¡°That way until we find a graveyard.¡±
Theo grinned, his fangs catching the light. ¡°Say less.¡±
Humphrey paced up and down the light blue room, while Dent and Chuck watched him.
¡°It¡¯s probably nothing bad,¡± the swordsman offered.
¡°Probably.¡± The death knight stopped and crossed his arms, crimson flame flickering behind his helmet. ¡°You just said their retrieval to this world was now more difficult, even if they died.¡±
¡°I did.¡± Dent shrugged. ¡°But that¡¯s not¡ back me up here, Chuck.¡±
The Architect looked between the angered plated figure and the rolling screens of numbers and symbols. ¡°I do like a challenge.¡±
¡°That does not comfort me.¡± Humphrey sighed. ¡°Do we not have similar functions as the Aspects in Sanctuary?¡±
Chuck shook his head. ¡°Systems generally have what you¡¯d call Administrative roles. Sometimes it¡¯s an Architect or the sole creator. Others can have several Monster-based entities that run some of the System. I¡¯ve even seen a world that has basically a pantheon of gods that watches over their world.¡±
¡°So the issue is¡¡± Dent pulled a face. ¡°It¡¯s simple for you to take over the big boss position from a smaller or abandoned world, but bringing back two ¡®Admin¡¯ classes into this world where we don¡¯t have the precedent or capacity¡¡±
¡°Challenging,¡± the Architect confirmed.
Humphrey narrowed his empty sockets. ¡°Our time is further limited, as the world itself is already dying?¡±
The swordsman nodded. ¡°Seems you got everything figured out.¡±
A growl was the given response. ¡°What can I do to help?¡±
Chuck sighed and gave them both a glum smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t want to have to do this so early, but this would free up a lot of resources and processing power. Unfortunately, you know what that means, Dent. Ready the launch.¡±
With a sad shake of his head, Dent turned around back to his monitors and controls. Hitting a few buttons which turned a bright red, he glanced to the Architect for final confirmation. ¡°May the great sea be gentle with our souls,¡± he murmured.
¡°Really?¡± Sally hopped over a fallen log and raised an eyebrow at the vampire. ¡°But she seems so sweet.¡±
¡°Yeah. It¡¯s that type you always have to watch out for betrayal. Makes more sense than your suspicions over Claude.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sweet, and I¡¯ve never betrayed you.¡± She paused as he stopped, and they both maintained silent eye contact. ¡°That was more of a trick than a betrayal. Be fair.¡±
¡°I almost lost my leg.¡±
She rolled her eyes. ¡°Almosts don¡¯t count for anything, pup. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ve almost killed me more times than that.¡±
He wrinkled up his face, and they continued walking. ¡°You literally killed me to attack Seven, remember? Put your hand right through me.¡±
¡°That was pretty badass.¡± Sally grinned. ¡°How odd though, with all the fighting and deaths since, that¡¯s the only time we¡¯ve killed each other.¡±
¡°I still haven¡¯t actually killed you.¡±
¡°Details, details.¡± She waved him away. It would be easy to pass it off as just their love that had kept that off the table¡ but now that he had brought it up, maybe she¡¯d give him a little stabbing once they got finished with this adventure.
They fell into a silence as they continued through the woods; the sunlight passing through gaps in the canopy. No Monsters or any landmarks, which lent to her theory that they were still in a trial.
¡°I tried messaging Poppy, but she didn¡¯t respond.¡± She looked over at the vampire. ¡°You think they¡¯re okay?¡±
¡°Should be. It¡¯s probably just a trial restriction.¡± Theo flexed his fingers. ¡°I told them to stay safe and protect Cross while I was gone.¡±
Sally nodded. ¡°Without Bernice and you there, they¡¯re much weaker. I¡¯m partly worried Brian¡¯s group will turn up and do something.¡±
Another silence fell between the two as they rounded the crest of a hill. The vampire turned his eyes to her. ¡°If they hurt any of our friends, we¡¯ll murder them all.¡±
¡°Goes without saying.¡±
She could definitely eat.
The pair paused at the apex of the raised ground, and Sally pointed down to the left. ¡°That look like a graveyard to you, pup?¡±
¡°I¡¯m somewhat of an expert, and yes - it does.¡± He grinned as they changed direction.
While she was eager to stand about and test out what a Life Aspect could really do, they didn¡¯t have the luxury of time. Hopefully the key was easy enough to grab, and getting some sentences out of Cross would guide them to how to really save the world.
Worst-case scenario, they¡¯d have to wait until the system was weak enough and Chuck could just pull it¡ if he had the strength and ability. He hadn¡¯t said he was ready¡ and in fact, seemed rather put off with their new job roles.
Nothing worth worrying her own head over at present. Her time in Thrimble hadn¡¯t been super great. Some nice new pals, but the actual progression part of the world hadn¡¯t scratched the right itch.
Maybe the next one would be better with the full group of Outsiders.
The tree thinned out, revealing more of their destination.
Rows of small gray gravestones, arranged in a modestly sized area penned in by metal fences. In the middle was a large tomb, a gate at the front - probably leading to an underground part.
¡°Rather romantic,¡± Sally said, ¡°shame we don¡¯t have a picnic.¡±
¡°Or the capacity to enjoy our usual picnic activities.¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Reminds me of that little one near the end of the fourth area.¡±
¡°Ha! You were coughing out powdered gravestone for a week.¡± She looped her arm around his.
¡°Let¡¯s go knock on the door and see if the key is home.¡±
273 - Rest Well
With a clunk of heavy metal, the gate to the tomb creaked and groaned as it swung open. A wave of cold, stale air wash up from the darkness below, the smooth stairs descending into an unnatural gloom.
¡°I like it, very classic.¡± Sally nodded at the fare presented by the tomb.
Theo rubbed at the side of his head. ¡°Certainly can¡¯t beat a good groan and ominous depth.¡±
Her red eyes went back to him. ¡°I¡¯m too apprehensive to make a joke about that.¡±
¡°Worried about the key being another puzzle?¡±
The zombie exhaled and looked out into the gloom below. A puzzle would be pretty dire, actually. It was more the fact that she could feel the end coming - although she wasn¡¯t sure whether that was her natural adventuring sense, or the passive abilities of being tied to Life on this world. The System was dying, and it was up to her and this knucklehead to save it.
¡°You think you could use your Death powers on anything?¡± She gestured for him to lead the way.
¡°Probably not. There¡¯s a certain order to things.¡± He gestured for her to go first. ¡°I could only pop your zombies because you had created them from nothing.¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± She furrowed her brow. Maybe he could only do it on Monsters. It would depend on lots of factors that needed testing. Her eyes went back out to the empty graveyard. Would be nice to stop and practice, but the tomb was right here.
Theo gave up before she did and started out down the steps slowly. Hammer in his right hand, his left up ready to cast instant-death on anything rude enough to give them a jump-scare.
Sally spun her dagger around in her right hand, left up ready to see if she could bring back to life anything amusing enough to give the vampire a fright. It felt weird to her that given the pair of them, all their experience and skill, and now with the addition of being demi-gods - they were still being cautious.
Would be foolish to fall at the last hurdle and have to go home with their tails between their legs. Leaving all these nice people here to suffer the death of their world.
¡°I prefer it when a tomb already has torches lit waiting for us,¡± she murmured, wrinkling her nose up at the gloomy stone.
¡°Think I picked a lantern up when looting earlier.¡± Theo paused, and she bumped into him gently. ¡°I have darkvision, so-¡±
¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to tell me every time it¡¯s dark.¡± She put her hand on his shoulder - more for balance than because she couldn¡¯t make out much more than him in the gloom.
She winced as the withdrawn lantern bloomed into a light amber glow, bringing out the details of the surroundings. A simple staircase, plain white-gray, smooth and well-maintained, considering the location. Peering over his shoulder¡ oh.
¡°That¡¯s quite the staircase,¡± Theo confirmed her thoughts. Way beyond the reaches of the held light, the staircase seemed to go on at least another sixty feet into the ground.
¡°You got like¡ a bobsled or something?¡± Sally licked her lips, briefly remembering the pyramid and the fun slide that might have ended with deadly traps.
Theo sighed and turned his head back to her. ¡°Not keen on shattering both my legs today, I¡¯m afraid.¡±
She rolled her eyes in response and they started to continue down the otherwise featureless passageway leading downward. Back on Sanctuary he would have done it - she was certain. While the vampire was a total dork when it came to power leveling, he wasn¡¯t averse to fun. Especially when she was the one trying to peer pressure him.
He paused again and took out an empty potion bottle, turning and placing it on one of the stairs. ¡°Just to make sure this doesn¡¯t turn into a loop.¡±
¡°Smart thinking, man-bat.¡± She looked behind to see the small rectangle of daylight quite a distance up in the background. If it got to a point that she couldn''t see that, then she might worry a little more. No doubt this wasn¡¯t just an ordinary tomb - given that they were so deep underground already.
¡°Maybe it¡¯s like a metaphor,¡± Theo mused as he continued, slowing slightly so she could catch up. ¡°Whatever this key is¡ being this far from the surface, it sounds like it wants to be hidden.¡±
¡°Curious enough that I wanted to find a graveyard and went in a random direction and we found one.¡± She shrugged to herself. The narrative often liked to grease the wheels of her odd machinations, but this was just a little too convenient.
There was clearly an element of intent here. Just being the Aspects¡ they should clearly have some influence over matters of the System. Nothing wide-reaching, she was sure, otherwise the siblings could have fixed the world themselves¡ but they had wanted her and the vampire to take over, so they could live on in a way, even after the System was erased.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°Whatever happens,¡± she concluded out loud, ¡°our priority is saving the Players here.¡±
¡°Agreed. I¡¯m sure Chuck would accept giving up the land if he could only protect the people here and bring them across.¡±
For all that you could say about the Architect, he had certainly filled the role well enough. She smiled, knowing what Theo said was quite likely. Might just be her taking a leap of faith, but she assumed that once Sanctuary was big enough, Player-only grabs would be what they¡¯d aim for.
A world could only get so big after all.
Her brow furrowed as she tried to consider how the Aspect Class would affect their work going forward. The staircase continued. Given that they didn¡¯t really know what anything did just yet, it might be too early to start speculating.
¡°I¡¯m wondering if walking is the answer here.¡± Theo stopped and rolled his neck out.
Looked as they had traveled no further, but a glance back up to the exit had it smaller now. Barely a speck.
¡°Maybe it¡¯s a secret we have to unlock using our powers together again?¡± Sally sat down on her step, feeling rather tired at having to use her brain more than twice today.
Theo turned and set the lantern down beside her. ¡°Two similar tests in a row, though? Assuming we did the first part correctly, anyway.¡±
¡°We could try smooching?¡± She gave him a sad pout.
He ignored her and rubbed at his chin. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s like a riddle?¡±
¡°Oh.¡± The zombie sunk and deflated against the steps. They were nice and cool, even if not as nice as some smooches. ¡°Like¡ what goes into a tomb?¡±
¡°The dead go down, the living dead go back up¡¡± the vampire raised an eyebrow at her.
Splitting up was usually a terrible idea in situations like this. That said¡ it was a simple staircase, so it wouldn¡¯t be hard to find each other if something went wrong. Or it just didn¡¯t work.
¡°Let me go up, then. Can you message me through the Sanctuary STAR?¡±
[Theo: Test?]
[Sally: Seems good.]
The zombie stood back up and stretched her arms out. ¡°Right then. I¡¯ll go all the way to the top to be sure, and then I¡¯ll message you so you can tell me if anything changes?¡±
He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll continue downward and let you know if anything changes. Once you message me that nothing happened, I¡¯ll stop so you can catch up.¡±
Sally grinned and leaned forward to kiss the vampire on the forehead. ¡°Gross. Alright, let¡¯s get our cardio in.¡±
With a nod, they parted. Sally took the lantern with her and stomped back up toward the small mote of light at the top of the near endless staircase. Took her a good thirty steps before she realized she had the short end of the stick here, where it came to how much effort they needed to put in. Once she saw that there was nothing different up here, she¡¯d have to catch the vampire back up again - and he could be twice as far away.
She continued to grumble to herself as her pace slowed slightly. There was no immediate signal that they had gotten the right end of the stick - or that there was even a stick at all.
What would the rest of the Outsiders have done? Probably argued for a good ten minutes before they either made this very same decision, or they¡¯d have fallen into some manner of violence that would have led to success somehow. Maybe she should have challenged Theo to a duel¡
Although, being Life and Death, there might be repercussions for any injury or worse that they suffered.
She¡¯d just have to keep going up these stairs then.
Light up ahead was getting closer. Maybe she could use one of the gravestones from outside to surf back down¡ although, again - that sounded like imminent violence for one of both of them.
[Sally: How stressed is Chuck right now?]
[Dent: ¡]
[Dent: He might actually start losing his hair.]
[Sally: That dire?]
[Dent: All new ground. How are you both doing?]
[Sally: Traversing a potentially infinitely deep staircase.]
[Dent: Oh.]
[Dent: You haven¡¯t surfed down it, I hope.]
[Sally: Never considered it. I¡¯m actually going the opposite way to Theo.]
[Dent: I see. How are you feeling with your new¡ Aspect?]
[Sally: Haven¡¯t had a chance to really do much with it.]
[Sally: Getting to this key to save the world or something.]
[Dent: Alright, well keep me updated.]
She closed down the chat window and pulled a face. Although the former druid had a tendency to over worry about these things, the attempted rescue of Thrimble had a lot more issues than anyone had perhaps imagined. What had started as a simple power grind was now¡ all this. Tiring, to some degree.
Maybe chilling out in Sanctuary wasn¡¯t the worst thing.
Still, all this griping was keeping her mind from getting bored with ascending the stairs. Almost able to ignore the hunger in her stomach for fresh brains. Doorway was close now, so at least she¡¯d be able to go back and annoy the vampire again soon.
Oh, speaking of which¡
[Theo: There¡¯s a doorway here.]
[Theo: A lit room, slight blue tone to it - almost there.]
[Theo: Shall I wait?]
Sally rolled her eyes. Typical that going down was the right option, and she was now too far away. She was about to confirm and turn around when the doorway up ahead of her caught her attention.
Her eyes narrowed¡ the hue of the outside world was remarkably blue.
[Sally: No, go ahead. Let me know what¡¯s inside.]
[Theo: At your command.]
She grinned and continued upwards. While she wasn¡¯t much of a completionist, sometimes it was good to check all available paths just in case there were secret goodies hidden away or a nugget of lore to ignore.
No - the light coming down from above was definitely blue. Not the bright daylight that was expected.
Increasing her speed, she practically ran up the last fifty or so steps. Eager to see what she supposed had happened.
At last, she reached the cusp of the staircase and stepped through the doorway into a room. Opposite her, emerging from another doorway, was Theo.
¡°Oh.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°You found a shortcut.¡±
¡°Or perhaps¡¡± she spun her dagger around, ¡°I found a¡¡± She turned to the room they had found themselves in.
While their two entrances were opposite on one far end of the room, the rest of the chamber extended to her left. A peaked ceiling with simple engravings, the brickwork otherwise the same as the staircase. Candles wavered slightly, their light a bright blue instead of the usual tones expected.
More interesting, was the plinth in the middle of the tomb.
And the body laying atop it.
274 - Pop Culture
The new Aspects of Life and Death approached the figure laying within this underground tomb. Aside from the plain stone plinth, there were no other decorations or the usual points of interest they had come to expect from mystical places such as this.
Sally sidled up to the man. Robed, but with leather slacks and a few belts. Adventuring gear, even if they were some manner of spellcaster. A wrinkled face with a stubby nose and dark curled hair. Eyes closed, but it wasn¡¯t obvious if he was dead or just asleep.
¡°If this is like a sleeping beauty thing¡ hard pass. I¡¯m not breaking any laws for this chump.¡± She pulled a face and stuck out her tongue.
Theo shrugged and stood around the opposite side, near the figure¡¯s head. ¡°Perhaps I just have to hit him with my magic hammer?¡±
¡°I doubt it. You crack this noggin¡¯ open like a watermelon and I guarantee our chances of getting out of here are basically¡ twelve.¡±
¡°Out of¡ one hundred?¡± The vampire raised an eyebrow.
¡°Plus, I¡¯m pretty sure this is Pippy, right?¡± Sally crossed her arms and glared at the man.
At least, that¡¯s what seemed to make some sense. The original Pippy, having made a mess of the world inadvertently, had put themselves to rest - maybe at the hands of the siblings - so that some status quo could be achieved. If they woke him up, then they could¡
She wasn¡¯t too sure, actually. What would happen? If this person was the key, what would they be unlocking?
¡°I actually have a sinister feeling about this whole situation,¡± she surmised.
Theo nodded along. ¡°Same. Why did they want us to come here and meet Pippy? Surely it would be better for him to stay as a goblin while we saved the world?¡±
¡°Maybe¡ we¡¯re not going to save the world.¡±
They both maintained some confused eye-contact for a moment. They should have gotten some clearer instructions from the previous Aspects.
Sally rubbed at her hair and scowled at the wall in thought. They had been made the new demi-gods for a reason. Bernard had said it had to be them because they were a mix of Player and Monster. Enough to accept the granted boons, but not be under the control of the System. If this was Pippy, did they have to save him with her Life magic, or kill him with Theo¡¯s Death magic?
¡°Perhaps it¡¯s a choice, of what we want to do?¡± She tilted her head, but wasn¡¯t too convinced by what she was saying.
¡°Well, let¡¯s think about this is in a narrative sense then. It stands to reason that one option would doom the System more, whereas the other option would give us a boost in fighting against¡ whatever we need to at the end to win.¡± Theo crossed his arms.
¡°Things don¡¯t work like that.¡± Her tongue writhed around in her mouth. ¡°But! That does sound quite likely based on my tired brain being unwilling to accept anything else at present.¡±
They both looked down at the figure.
¡°See¡¡± the vampire narrowed his eyes. ¡°I was fully on board with saving him, as I¡¯m sure you were - until we got here and were presented with the choice.¡±
¡°Now you want to kill him, just to be contrary.¡±
¡°It¡¯s only fair both options have representation.¡± He nodded and ignored her renewed scowl. ¡°He did doom the world, or something. I¡¯m not sure anyone fully explained it to me.¡±
¡°Any lore fell out of my head long ago. I just want to go home already.¡± It was at least a miracle that she didn¡¯t have to stay here for weeks like they originally had forecasted. ¡°Or at least eat a few more people.¡±
It was her own fault that she let Bernard save her from the camp. Would have been quite the sight having to chew and slaughter her way through the unprepared Players. Total waste of her purpose here, but sometimes she wanted to be the bad guy and just murder tasty people.
¡°Hey, fangs. We should have an eating-people vacation after this.¡± She licked her sharp teeth just at the thought of it.
¡°Sure. I haven¡¯t had a proper meal in a while and if we don¡¯t wrap things up here in the next day or so I will start going insane, anyway.¡± He grinned, the blue candles illuminating his fangs. ¡°Good luck curtailing the Aspect of Death at that point.¡±
Sally wrinkled up her nose. ¡°I really think you should have been upfront about that before you were given the job. Other than raising the dead, I¡¯m not exactly the paragon of, well, anything - but especially not life.¡±
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¡°Nah. Why are you even here, silly?¡±
She pouted. Short answer was to save people struggling in a dying System. A quick flick through the three novels'' worth of exploits they¡¯d fought their way through on Sanctuary pointed to a similar thread. There had always been the drive to make things fair and safe for everyone¡ so life could flourish.
¡°Just because you¡¯re right doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not an ass.¡± She held out a finger to point at the very patient body waiting for them to make a decision. ¡°How do we deal with this, then?¡±
¡°Rock, paper, scissors?¡± Theo shrugged.
¡°No, it has to be¡¡± She furrowed her brow again as her boots took her pacing around the room. ¡°If the siblings put him here like this, maybe he is in like¡ a coma? A suspended state between life and death?¡±
Theo watched her stroll around the small chamber, a soft smile on his face. ¡°So his limbo is being spent inside an undead goblin? That said, I do think you¡¯re onto something. We¡¯ve done this all together, right? So why choose when we can both act?¡±
¡°I try to bring him back while you try to destroy him? A clash of our powers¡¡± Sally sighed. This was all too much. Why couldn¡¯t things be simple? ¡°Fine, at least if we set things in motion, then we can deal with consequences. That¡¯s better than sitting on our thumbs and letting the System waste away while we speak.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll follow your lead then, my queen.¡±
She rolled her eyes, but returned to her position opposite him. As she controlled her breathing, she placed her left hand on the body¡¯s forehead, and her right on his chest. Theo mirrored the placement and looked up at her for the signal, his glasses sliding down his nose a little.
¡°Well, here goes nothing.¡±
¡°Puh-puh-puhhhhh!¡± Cross weaved back and forth, almost tripping over a clump of grass.
¡°Would you be still and silent?¡± Claude worked his jaw. With the absence of the Player-Monsters and Bernice, he had not been having a good time managing the remainder of the Party.
[Poppy: You¡¯ll give away our position <<]
The healer grabbed the goblin by the scruff of his dirty leather outfit and turned him to face the direction they were trying to travel. Kristov had spotted Brian and their group and they had made the decision that they would avoid those other Players as much as possible.
Even if they had friendly intention, they had to be safe - as they had promised to look after the goblin. And if there was one thing that Claude did not want to do, it was anger Sally or Theo.
At this point, they weren¡¯t sure if they were truly being followed.
It could all be paranoia.
Sometimes a little bit of that was just what you needed to stay alive. Although¡ at this stage, he felt as though they needed plenty of luck as well. Maybe a small miracle.
With the goblin still murmuring to himself but plodding along in the correct direction, the healer looked up at the sky.
The pitch darkness that had been snaking down from the mountains had grown larger and wider. As if the void itself had started eating away at the world. Given that Sally had said there was an infinite ocean-like expanse between worlds, it certainly felt like a crack had formed and was letting in the empty oblivion.
[Poppy: You look too stressed, Claude ^^]
[Poppy: I trust Sally, don¡¯t you?]
¡°Trust is not the word for it, my dear.¡± He shook his head and tore his eyes away from the darkening sky. ¡°Faith is perhaps more apt. If they have truly been able to complete the trials set before them, then they are more than just a pair of friendly but violent Players. Whether they know it, or could even use their powers as needed, remains to be seen.¡±
¡°And if the two are incapable, then our looming demise is inescapable?¡±
Claude gave the bard a glum nod. ¡°Unfortunately, their failure means more than the death of the party. It will be the death of the system.¡±
Sally shuffled awkwardly.
¡°You¡ haven¡¯t started yet, right?¡± Theo pulled a face, and his glasses sliding a little further toward the tip of his nose. ¡°Because I haven¡¯t, and I don¡¯t want to mess this up.¡±
¡°No, I haven¡¯t!¡± She exhaled through her nose. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever had the weight of a world on my shoulders before. Even against the old Architect, it was only our lives on the line, really.¡±
¡°I died once,¡± Theo reminded her.
¡°Pretty sure that was your own fault, though.¡±
¡°Well¡ I suppose so.¡±
¡°Also, isn¡¯t it like three times by now? Do the resets count as deaths?¡±
Theo hummed. ¡°Oh, and the time that I murdered myself.¡±
¡°What? When?¡± Sally¡¯s brows furrowed.
¡°At the cathedral. I didn¡¯t have a clone because that wasn¡¯t part of Lana¡¯s blood. It was actually me from recently time traveling, and then I fought the past me and he won. When I died in the past, I respawned in the future - which is pretty neat and handy so it was a comfortable closed loop.¡±
The zombie maintained a neutral expression as she tried to take it all in.
¡°You¡ went back in time and your first thought was to go get murdered by yourself?¡±
Now the vampire shuffled awkwardly. ¡°It made sense if you go back through it. And I hadn¡¯t slept for a while, so I wouldn¡¯t have been any use to you.¡±
¡°But you didn¡¯t think to tell me at any point, fangs?¡±
¡°I only knew recently - it happened when I came back from taking my System world.¡±
Her eyes narrowed at him. ¡°So what did the old you think? You must have known it wasn¡¯t a clone you killed.¡±
¡°Honestly, I was really tired and was willing to accept that it was the reason.¡± The vampire shrugged, almost sending his glasses tumbling from his face. ¡°I didn¡¯t know time travel was possible, so there weren¡¯t really any other options.¡±
¡°Well, you¡¯re going to have to make that up to me. You know what you¡¯ll have to do.¡±
¡°Yes, dear.¡±
She grinned. If anyone was going to get into trouble outside of the normal scope of living in a System world, it would have to be her dorky husband. ¡°Oh. Are we like married for real now?¡±
¡°As far as you care to be, sure. My intent is to spend the rest of my unlife with you, whatever life and death throws at us.¡±
¡°Aww you sugar lump. I want that too. We¡¯ll have to extend our people-eating holiday into a genocidal honeymoon.¡±
Theo grinned. ¡°You and I together forever, Sally Danger.¡±
¡°Mush. I know it¡¯s super gross, but as you¡¯re my husband, you deserve a little kiss.¡±
Hands still on the still figure of possibly-Pippy, the two leaned forward over him and pressed their lips together.
A violent thrum of energy vibrated through the chamber, shaking the stone.
They pulled apart, eyes wide at the constant aftershocks waving through them.
¡°Wow,¡± Sally said, ¡°this marriage shit is wild, huh?¡±
Theo opened his mouth up to respond, but was interrupted by the body in front of them exploding, painting them both in bright red gore.
275 - Uncrossed
Claude pressed his back against the stone wall and tried to catch his breath back. Wiping the sweat from his brow he looked over at the knight, who was almost doubled over. The bard was rather red in the face, partly from having to carry the undead goblin while they jogged.
[Poppy: I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re tracking us v_v]
[Poppy: Whyyy]
The healer shook his head. It had paid off to be paranoid. Just after they had moved closer to one dungeon, Kristov had spotted Brian¡¯s group once again, and so they had run. Not the most spritely group, but if their pursuers hadn¡¯t caught wind of them, then hiding behind this dungeon might buy them some time - even if not shake them for good.
¡°Well, we¡¯ve certainly got our work cut out for us,¡± he eventually murmured. ¡°Perhaps we should start praying for a miracle?¡±
Cross looked up at the sky, his undead eyes aimless.
[Poppy: Don¡¯t worry, Cross. We¡¯ll keep you safe ^^]
The goblin turned to look at her. ¡°It might be too late for that,¡± he said.
¡°Did you just lick your lips?¡± Sally narrowed her eyes at the vampire.
He shook his head. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m pretty sure some went straight in my mouth, anyway.¡±
The zombie grunted and tried to wipe some of the gore from her armor. ¡°We¡¯ll you¡¯re not supposed to taste the poor sap we just exploded.¡±
¡°I must have missed the memo.¡±
¡°Who would have thought it was a sleeping beauty adjacent arrangement?¡± Sally shrugged and gave up attempting to clean herself. ¡°True love¡¯s kiss did wake him¡ well, perhaps it didn¡¯t wake him up. Certainly woke me up, though.¡±
Theo pulled a face and looked over to the side. ¡°The doors are gone.¡±
She followed his gaze - and he was right. The two entrances that they had used to get themselves in this chamber were now just brick wall like the rest of the tomb.
¡°You think that means we goofed this up?¡±
The vampire shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure there¡¯s a reality where blowing up the body of the person we were trying to save is anything but goofing up the process - but I¡¯m willing to suspend my disbelief.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes. It would be nice to think that the two prior siblings would somehow know that the pair of them would end up enacting this violent end on the assumed-Pippy body, but that didn¡¯t sound likely. Unfortunately, she was also inclined to believe it, even if it was as far from the truth as possible.
¡°Good thing he had his soul in the goblin, right? He¡¯s probably just a goblin now. An undead goblin.¡± She put her hands on her hips and gradually felt better about their mistake.
Theo shrugged again. ¡°I¡¯m just saying. I need blood and here¡¯s some given freely.¡±
¡°Were you having a whole conversation in your head trying to convince me that licking this deathbed wasn¡¯t weird?¡± She narrowed her eyes at him.
¡°There are certainly grosser things we could use this gore-slick bed for.¡±
¡°Fine, just don¡¯t make yourself ill. I will just watch in my peripheral vision so I can pretend to be disgusted with it.¡± She turned to the side and crossed her arms.
Wasn¡¯t like Pippy was using the blood now, anyway. If it kept the vampire sane and grounded for a little longer, then I¡¯m sure the now-goblin would be fine with it. Assuming that this was Pippy, and that they hadn¡¯t permanently murdered whoever it was.
More important than gawking over Theo right now, was finding a way out of this place. Seemed unfair that their actions had consequences that involved imprisonment, especially if there weren¡¯t any guards with tasty brains handy. Her normal method of escaping things via stabbing could work - assuming this wasn¡¯t a real room, but some magically conjured bubble of existence.
While the vampire slurped away, she went up to the closest wall and ran her fingers along it. Felt like normal stone. She continued to step away from the plinth until she reached the place where the doorways used to be. Rapped her knuckles on the brickwork.
Other than leaving some Pippy-gore on the gray stone, it didn¡¯t seem to make any difference. As if the doors had never existed there in the first place.
Arm drew back, and she lashed forward with [Skeleton Key]. A piece of the smooth brick chipped off, but she didn¡¯t have enough normal daggers to fully pierce through the wall as if it were butter.
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Now, that wasn¡¯t fair.
Eyes narrowed, before she closed them in annoyance. She was the Aspect of Life. There was no power in the System that should be able to keep her locked away like this. Screw whatever trials remained. She wanted out.
Balling up her fists, she imagined Poppy and the rest of the Party. Concentrated on their little figures that looked surprised as they were talking with Cross. A bird''s-eye view of her former group standing around on one side of a Dungeon while¡ there were a bunch of other figures making their way through trees on the right. Why was she imagining this?
Oh!
Vertigo rushed through her, and the scent of burning rubber was quickly replaced by a soft lavender. Her feet stumbled across soft grass rather than stone, and she opened her eyes.
¡°Sally?¡± Claude opened his mouth in surprise.
¡°Oh, hey!¡± She grinned at the group. ¡°Kick Theo from the Party, I will die if I cannot hear Poppy speak.¡±
Cross folded his arms. ¡°I¡¯m not sure your death is advisable at this stage.¡±
¡°Ah!¡± Sally hopped back away from him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I broke your real body¡ Pippy, right?¡±
¡°Correct. Although, I would prefer you call me Cross for now.¡±
She shrugged. ¡°Fine. You want to give me some exposition, or are we going to deal with the assholes following us first?¡±
The healer grimaced. ¡°You could see them? Are they close? Also¡ what happened?¡±
With a brief grin, she took a deep breath and answered.
Theo wiped his mouth off on the back of his sleeve. Not the best meal, but much better than a Monster. Wasn¡¯t much chance he¡¯d get to fully drain anybody in this world - so it¡¯d have to do.
[You have been kicked from the Party.]
He pouted and looked over to where Sally had been standing. Didn¡¯t take much to guess that she had found her way out and met up with the rest of the Players she had befriended. So what did that mean for him?
Death had an important role to play in this world still, what with it currently circling the drain. Not to say he had any desire to speed it along, or even to see it fall. Despite the drab tones of his Aspect, what he really wanted was a return to the natural order of things. In taking up the blood of the one who had tried to gain control of the System, he felt a little clued in to what was happening.
The key had been activated. There had been options on the way to use it, but their accidental murder of the one keeping the status quo in place had now set the world off on a single path.
A cage had been unlocked. The fears and uncontrollable power of a System abandoned to those unfortunate enough to have been brought here. A Monster that sought to ruin what remained¡ but not a champion of Death - because it was chaos, not order.
For Sally to allow life to flourish amongst those remaining here, he would have to help bring death to that which sought to stop her.
Same as always, just a little different.
Now he just had to work out what his next steps were. Go to the group and help them move forward? Or go off on his own to fight against greater odds to make things easier for Sally?
Maybe find some cooler equipment along the way. Level a bit. Time was short, but he would squeeze every advantage from each single second that passed.
Grinning, he drew his hammer down the air in front of him, tearing a rift to somewhere dark and violent.
Cross sighed and rubbed at his eyes. ¡°Undone with a kiss. Not quite what you were supposed to do.¡±
¡°There wasn¡¯t really any instructions.¡± Sally shrugged. Most of her problems in her unlife had been fixed with either abrupt violence or smooching the vampire. Seemed apt to continue that trend.
The goblin shook his head. ¡°The idea was to resurrect me, and the three of us would have been able to fully seal the Lurking End so that you could do whatever System mess you were planning.¡±
¡°Hold up.¡± She wagged a finger at him. ¡°Before we get into why you capitalized that like it was a proper noun, how about you tell us about the past and how things ended up this way?¡±
Claude nodded. ¡°That was what we were about to do before you turned up.¡±
¡°Eh.¡± The goblin looked between each of them. ¡°You do all deserve a full explanation, and more apologies than I am capable of providing. I will remind you that Sally said the group of other Players is heading this way.¡±
Sally picked the little zombie up by the scruff of his clothing. ¡°Listen, punk. I just became the Aspect of Life and have no idea what that means or what I can do. You messed this world up and there¡¯s now some spooky void coming to eat us. Is it okay if I kill and consume the brains of Brian¡¯s lot?¡±
¡°Those fragments don¡¯t all seem related.¡± Cross winced as she gave him a little shake. ¡°You can¡¯t bring people back to life, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡±
¡°But I need to keep you alive still?¡±
He nodded.
¡°Right.¡± Sally plonked him down and waved off the Party. ¡°You take him and go hide further away. I¡¯ll see what the other groups want and message you.¡±
[Poppy: You¡¯ve only just returned! Don¡¯t go dying >>;]
¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± She clicked her fingers and winked. ¡°I¡¯m already dead. Undead. I¡¯m also Life sooo¡ why are you all standing here? Get lost.¡±
Begrudgingly, the others made their way away from her, wanting to talk more, but thankfully self-preservation won out over their desire for knowledge.
Which was more than could be said for Sally.
She sighed and walked around the front of the dungeon, hands on hips. Theo hadn¡¯t shown up, but she was sure the goofball wouldn¡¯t be stuck in the room still. He could be single-minded at times, but he wasn¡¯t dense - especially when the stakes were high. No messages, so she¡¯d just assume the best for now.
A glance up to the sky as she continued, and the darkness had spread even further. The mountain and end of the island now completely pitch black, a slight hue of purple to it. It looked as though someone had taken a giant eraser and completely blanked that part of everything from existing.
That was soon to be all of them if they couldn¡¯t stabilize the world or have Chuck steal them away.
Nothing like a little excitement to get her appetite working. She was a little jealous that the vampire had got some licks in, and the explosion hadn¡¯t left a fresh living brain for her to snack on.
Still, when it rains¡
¡°Hey, Brian. Other assorted snacks I didn¡¯t get to know.¡± She stopped and grinned.
The man scowled at seeing her, the whole group of his township following in his wake.
¡°Sally. A displeasure to see you. We were actually looking for the rest of your group.¡±
Her eyebrow raised. ¡°May I ask why?¡±
¡°Why, to arrest them, of course.¡±
Her sharp teeth widened to a grin, as red flame danced in her crimson eyes. ¡°I will give you one singular warning, Brian¡¡±
Grip tightened around her dagger.
¡°Turn around or I¡¯ll kill you all.¡±
276 - Uncommon Sense
Apparently, not everyone responded to threats with common sense.
At least, given the scowl and murmurs from the Players ahead of her, Sally was getting a little excited that she might actually get to eat really well. Oh, now she was drooling.
¡°Why do you think threatening us is a smart idea?¡± Brian tilted his head and raised a hand to silence his troops. ¡°You¡¯re already a murderer that we can barely stand. Now you are alone and trying to dissuade us from-¡±
¡°Shhh.¡± Sally glared at them. ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple. If you walk away, you will all live long and safe lives. If you force me into attacking you, then I can¡¯t guarantee that this would be the end of your life.¡±
Chuck hadn¡¯t mentioned if he would be able to bring back any dead people that were hanging around in the System¡¯s temporary memory. For all she knew, that might get erased anyway when joining with Sanctuary. Given the number of people she had doomed to oblivion already, a dozen or so more weren¡¯t going to leave a dent on her conscience.
Even as the Aspect of Life.
¡°Even if I thought you could take all of us in a fight alone, why are you protecting the others? What right does your judgement have to usurp our laws here?¡±
¡°You mistake me for something benevolent or guided by higher purpose, my dear.¡± Her glare turned colder now, the smile sinking from her face. ¡°I protect them because they are my friends. I will kill you because I am a Monster who eats brains. My care for your continued existence wanes the more you push me into remembering how empty my stomach is. How tasty your friend was.¡±
A little goading was unfair, but the writing was on the wall. They weren¡¯t intimidated by her. They hated her. They were willing to risk their lives to erase her so they could chase down Cross and the others.
¡°You would have had a fair trial back at the outpost,¡± Brain said, drawing his weapon while his eyes stared her down. ¡°Clearly you expect and deserve the barbarism that you drape yourself with, monster.¡±
She was kind of hoping he¡¯d use some stronger language and call her a bad name, so that Theo could appear and teach him some manners. Looks like talking time was just about up, however. She would have to deal with this alone.
Well, not alone.
Grin returned as her enemies prepared spells and raised their bows and swords. Her true purpose muddied as new powers swirled within the memories of old.
Life? She would show them life.
[Zombie Apocalypse]
Theo raised an eyebrow as he looked into the edge of the growing abyss. Just pure darkness, gradually moving across the island foot by foot. He looked up at the sky. Somewhat enthralling. A total void that went beyond any normal comprehension.
He tilted his head to the side as a group of Monsters ran down from the nearby Dungeon. Well-armored knights with bright swords. One of them stumbled on a jutting wall and fell over the edge into the darkness, completely vanishing and becoming one with it.
¡°I probably don¡¯t want to do that,¡± he murmured to himself.
Hands crossed behind his back, he turned and walked away from the growing oblivion. The knights charged into him, but blood burst from their necks and they collapsed whenever they got within ten feet of him.
Theo felt a prickle of energy up his spin, and he grinned, fangs catching the light. Sally was fighting - the Players giving her no option - he was certain. Probably didn¡¯t need his help. Even without their new roles in this world, she was great at fighting against the odds.
In saying that, what was he going to do instead?
There wasn¡¯t anything obvious that could stop the darkness from spreading. It was almost like a natural disease, or someone had pulled the plug on the failing System and now all that remained for it to do was just drain away.
He furrowed his brow.
[Theo: The world is dying. Will claiming it stop it from progressing?]
[Theo: Or spread the issue to Sanctuary?]
[Chuck: ¡ I¡¯m not sure]
[Chuck: There¡¯s not exactly a guidebook for this sort of thing.]
[Chuck: How does it look from down there?]
[Theo: I wouldn¡¯t stick my fangs in it if it had a neck.]
[Chuck: Noted. Doing my best, will keep you updated.]
The vampire hummed to himself as he continued to walk away from the oppressive gloom. Would be ironic if stealing the land just transplanted the dying System issue onto Sanctuary and their world started to drain off into the infinite sea beyond.
Not ironic. Just terrifying.
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He paused and turned back around as the ground vibrated around him.
¡°Ah, there you are,¡± he said with a grin.
Sally slid across the grass, a wide grin on her face amidst the blood. They had been just as surprised as she was when fifty sunflower-zombies burst up from the ground around them.
Dagger spun in her hand as she blocked the slash of a sword, and she slipped behind one of her pals to avoid the follow-up. Grabbed the outstretched hand and pulled the attacker into the waiting zombie, allowing them to get a bite before she stepped back forward and ate their brains.
Such a waste of life, but she felt on top of the world. Morality be damned. Her stomach was filling and her friends were becoming safer with each bite.
A beam of fire burst a hole through three zombies as she dove to the side. Scrambled up and took a spear to the arm. She growled as small threads emerged from beside the wound like little worms, curling and stitching up the injury so that it could heal.
The surprise in the face of her assailant was quickly erased as pain and confusion had them looking down to the sunflower taking a bite out of their calf. Sally lashed forward and cut through their distracted neck, eating the brains from their skull with her skill.
She¡¯d lost sight of Brian almost immediately. Told her pals to leave him alive if possible. Sure, it was a little cruel to have him watch all his friends cut down before him, but that was the issue with being the leader of a group. Your actions had much bigger consequences. Now all these people would die because he couldn¡¯t take her threats seriously.
The roving throng of bodies parted slightly, a pathway leading her directly to the man in question.
He turned from the patient zombies to glare at her. Anger and indignation covering his face just as the blood of his group covered hers.
¡°Bet you wish you could go back ten minutes and choose to fuck off,¡± she said, flame dancing in her eyes.
¡°I¡¯m not afraid to die for my beliefs and values, wretch.¡± He spat on the ground, blue light now circling his held weapon. ¡°You¡¯ve doomed this world and those in it. A living curse that must be exorcised.¡±
¡°Goodbye, Brian.¡± Her expression cooled as a wave of zombies washed in front of her, obscuring her from his view.
She walked away from the situation. Beyond petty duels or such things at this stage in her life. He could thrash and seethe against her tide of undead in search of her, exhaust himself and succumb to the ceaseless zombie horde. A fitting end that she didn¡¯t have to be a part of.
She¡¯d eaten six personally, and another four had fallen to the sunflowers. Now severely outnumbered, she didn¡¯t care to stick around and count the last out. Plus, the last thing she wanted was to throw up all the delicious brains they had afforded her. For once, she chose restraint.
Something slightly dampened by the screams of those ceasing to exist.
[Sally: Good and bad news.]
[Poppy: Are you okay???]
[Cross: ¡]
[Sally: Bad news is I¡¯m dead.]
[Poppy: WHAT]
[Sally: coz I¡¯m a zombie lol!]
[Sally: also I murdered fourteen more players~]
[Cross: ¡]
[Claude: You¡ killed Brian¡¯s three groups?]
[Sally: There¡¯s like five still fighting butttt I don¡¯t rate their chances.]
[Claude: Was that the good or bad news?]
[Sally: yeah]
She closed the chat down and furrowed her brow. While she didn¡¯t have Zombie Apocalypse in this world, she had been able to cast it. Still wasn¡¯t on her ability list. With a deep breath, she held out her hand and focused.
[Meat Hook] shot out, hitting one of the remaining Players. She slid across the ground, surprise on her face as she collided with them. Rolled out of the melee, rubbing at her head as she allowed her pals to take advantage of the knocked-over meal.
How very strange. Somehow, she was able to use her Sanctuary skills¡ innately.
Eyes twitched as she tried to connect the dots. Bernard might have inadvertently given her something much more important than control over the parts of the System dealing with creation.
[Sally: Pup!]
[Sally: Try really hard to use a Sanctuary skill.]
[Sally: Pretend the skill designations don¡¯t work - just go by feel.]
She waited a moment, but he didn¡¯t reply. Surely he wasn¡¯t still stuck in the room? Or worse - dead?
[Theo: ok]
[Theo: works]
[Theo: :)]
Shorter messages than usual. He was only ever distracted when in the midst of battle - and if so, then she hopefully gave him a key to win a little better. Her gaze went over to the growing darkness. Hopefully he wasn¡¯t doing anything dumb.
[Sally: If you have the time, drink deep of my current Aspect bs]
[Sally: because this might be how we can change our System]
[Sally: in regards to classes etc.]
[Chuck: Noted and already three different scans and knowledge bases compiling.]
[Sally: Wow, really putting your all into this. You have enough power for everything.]
[Chuck: Yeah¡ don¡¯t be mad¡ but we had to hit the button¡]
[Sally: YOU DIDNT]
[Sally: IM NOT MAD]
[Sally: we¡¯ll talk when I¡¯m back.]
She closed the chat down again and sighed deeply, pinching at the bridge of her nose. Although she understood why he had to do it, it still drove a stake through her heart.
The first World Pancake Day and she wasn¡¯t even home to enjoy the day of rest and soft breakfast treats.
Good thing he told her that after she¡¯d killed everyone, otherwise she would have probably eaten too much Player in anger and made herself ill.
Her pals meandered around idly. Job was done. She blew them a kiss, and they puffed into mist one by one. Eventually, as the clouds dissipated, all that was left were the dead Players laying across the blooded grass.
She walked over and put her hands on her hips. Shook her head at the mangled corpse of Brian.
¡°Bet you feel silly now, huh? Dumbass.¡±
A rather boring part of the process, but she paused to rifle through their figurative pockets. Mostly for consumables and things to pass on to her Party for their survival. If she could just use any of her normal learned skills now¡ well, she didn¡¯t need much else from this System itself.
And that¡¯s how she wanted things to be. No stats or weird looting. Abilities gained from practice and more nuanced learning, not just granted every level. Strength rewarded by effort. She wasn¡¯t sure if everyone else on Sanctuary would be keen, but that was a problem for when they weren¡¯t on this world.
Sally stretched out her shoulders. Now she could go back to the others and sort out the next steps.
Right before she could head off, the air beside her tore open. A rift created by the square head of a familiar hammer.
Theo stepped out, and the rift closed behind him. He looked flustered, his smile not containing the usual confidence in it.
As he opened his mouth to say hello, his left arm slid off from the shoulder. Blood sprayed across the zombie as the limb slumped onto the ground.
277 - Back to Backstory
Sally scowled at the vampire, as she held his arm up in place. Threads circled around the split, trying to tie the limb back together.
¡°Good job you had this ability, huh?¡± Theo grinned sheepishly.
¡°Really? How about telling me what cut your arm off and caused you to run away?¡± She partially considering having him do without the arm to teach him a lesson, but it seemed a little cruel if she had the ability to fix it back on for him.
He squirmed a little. ¡°It wasn¡¯t running away. I was just put off at suddenly having my old abilities that I got a bit careless.¡±
¡°Well, at least you didn¡¯t pretend you came here to save me.¡±
¡°Of course.¡± He grinned, some of his usual charm returning. ¡°Never doubted you could handle them for a second.¡±
She believed him. While he had always been the more powerful one, neither of them shirked the chance to get stuck into any sort of violence and climb their way to the top as victors. All the more reason she was concerned he had escaped from whatever he had been attacking.
¡°Wait¡ let me guess.¡± She looked off as she tried to recall something. ¡°The Lurking End?¡±
Theo shrugged, almost causing his arm to drop back off. ¡°They didn¡¯t exactly give me a name, although that would be a fitting title, considering it was just the darkness itself.¡±
A grunt was her only response. The vampire had run off to the darkness, and found there was a monster that lived in the shadows. Although¡ not exactly literally. Not¡ something System-created - otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be an issue for the Aspect of Death. The more simple answer would be that it was from beyond this world.
Things lived out in the sea, somehow. Or it was alive itself. Capable at biting back.
¡°How dire is it? Something we can eventually overcome with the power of friendship, or are we going to try to wait for Chuck to save us all?¡± She looked up at him, her question earnest.
¡°Hmmm.¡± Theo wrinkled up his nose and looked back toward the abyss consuming the world. ¡°Honestly¡ probably closer to the latter. Unless our Aspect powers can be used to do more than we already innately know.¡±
¡°We know nothing, Theo Danger.¡± She sighed and stood up, wiping her hands clean. ¡°Other than my zombies are now sunflower-people and I can stitch wounds closed.¡±
The vampire turned to the looming void and raised his finger up. ¡°Think you could stitch that wound closed, then?¡±
¡°Now you¡¯re talking, pup.¡± Her grin immediately faded as the arm held up to point at the darkness fell off his body again.
Chuck groaned and buried his face in his hands. ¡°If anyone needs cloning, it¡¯s me.¡±
The swordsman looked his way, but said nothing. Eventually, his eyes rolled around to the other figure in the room. ¡°Why were you here again, Edward?¡± he said.
¡°No need to sound so rude.¡± The demon crossed his arms. ¡°I have a vested interest in the safety of Theo, and the other one. I¡¯m an Outsider.¡±
¡°It¡¯s just a very stressful time,¡± Dent added. ¡°We have a lot of time pressure and we¡¯re having to play a lot more by ear than is ideal.¡±
Bright blue eyes narrowed in return. ¡°So you¡¯re saying if something were to happen to either of you two right now, they¡¯d be doomed?¡±
Chuck clicked his fingers, and the demon vanished. ¡°No patience today. Good news is there are now a lot fewer Players to rescue. Bad news is the world itself is fading away into the void of the sea, which is¡ I don¡¯t know how to even wrap my head around that at present.¡±
¡°I think we have to approach it in steps. Priority is getting our odd little friends back in one piece. Then we can think about the other Players. Last is the world itself, but we might have to nip that idea in the bud if it¡¯s too risky.¡±
¡°All of it is too risky.¡± The Architect waved his hands at all the screens. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I was thinking, sending people away to other worlds. I could kill not only Sally and Theo, but our whole world.¡±
¡°Get a grip.¡± Dent stood up from his chair and shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re getting soft, Chuck. Where¡¯s the man who fought to become a warlord and pave the way for the Outsiders to take control of Sanctuary?¡±
¡°You should know, you were there.¡±
¡°Yeah. Every step of the way, for every decision made. So, I know that you can do this.¡± The swordsman brought up a larger screen to appear in the middle of the room. ¡°Priority is our two numbskulls. Focus on making allowances for their new powers here. I will continue to monitor and advise them.¡±
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¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Chuck smiled and exhaled through his nose. ¡°Simple steps. We¡¯ll make this work. Thanks, Dent.¡±
¡°You can thank me by getting Sally home before Pancake Day ends, otherwise she¡¯ll kill us both.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not doing this a third time,¡± Sally murmured, stepped away from the once-again whole Vampire.
¡°Not the first time I¡¯ve heard that.¡± He grinned, but took a step back, away from her scowl. ¡°Next step, my queen?¡±
¡°Before we set the ball rolling on trying to save the world, we should get the squishy people back somewhere safe.¡± She wrinkled her face in the approximate direction of where she had left the Party. ¡°Probably some answers from Cross. Oh, he can talk now.¡±
¡°Yeah? He is Pippy?¡±
¡°Seems that way. Apparently, blowing up his corpse was the bad ending, but given that it¡¯s us, it was a done deal, anyway.¡± She shrugged as they started walking.
¡°Next time I time travel I¡¯ll alter things so we get it right.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t even, pup. Although if you did, it would have already been done, right? And this is the best we got.¡±
¡°Probably.¡± The vampire smiled and avoided shrugging.
She hit him with [Living Dead]. Her brow furrowed as she cast her healing skill innately. Watched her hand for a few seconds before sending out a [Mortis Bomb], the flaming skull striking the ground ahead of them and fading away.
¡°Shame we got these back right at the endgame,¡± Theo noted, tilting his head and watching the zombie remembering her abilities.
¡°Eh. At this point, it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s not about fighting Monsters or Players anymore. It¡¯s about surviving the entropy of a world.¡±
They fell into a silence while they continued. Although teleporting was an option, the amount of danger they were under was oppressing them, even if they weren¡¯t showing it. Walking grounded them in a literal sense.
Eventually, they passed the Dungeon the group had originally been hiding behind, and found the route that they would have taken - the plated boots of the knight leaving impressions in the mud.
A few more minutes, and she spotted them out near an abandoned cabin.
[Poppy: Oh hey it¡¯s Theo too! I said hi.]
She waved to the vampire, who returned a nod rather than risk his arm falling off again.
¡°Let¡¯s go sit inside and have a good chat,¡± Sally gestured toward the building.
Some manner of somber mood had settled on the others, possibly in part knowing that the zombie had just murdered the whole group that had been tailing them.
A plain table with a few chairs sat on the inside of the dark wooden cabin, beside an inert fireplace. Dusty and gloomy. Perfect for the current situation.
¡°Did they say why they were following us?¡± Claude asked, the question burning a hole through his skull.
Sally tilted her head from side to side. ¡°They intended to arrest you but didn¡¯t say for what. Potentially for my crimes? I gave them the option to leave and turn away. They did not.¡±
[Poppy: You¡¯re quite the guardian angel! >o>]
[Poppy: Not that I feel good about the others dying¡]
Sally, Claude, Kristov, and Cross took the chair around the table, while the knight leaned against the fireplace, and Theo against the wall near the doorway.
¡°Best we just move on.¡± The zombie shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m here to save your lives¡ but I¡¯m not a saint. I won¡¯t apologize for what I did.¡±
¡°Perhaps you can tell everyone what you¡¯re really doing here, then.¡± Cross folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at her.
¡°Sure.¡± With a quick glance at the vampire, she then looked between each of the other Players. ¡°The idea of us coming here was to save your System¡ by absorbing it into our own.¡±
¡°Some kind of land-grab?¡± Claude asked, a frown growing over his brow.
She nodded slowly. ¡°Specifically targeting abandoned or dying Systems. Your world would join ours in the bubble, and you¡¯d be safe under the rules of the System back at Sanctuary.¡±
[Poppy: I can see why you didn¡¯t lead with that¡]
¡°That¡¯s definitely¡¡± the healer bit his lip, struggling to find the right words for what he was thinking. ¡°Your System is at least nicer, I assume?¡±
The vampire pushed himself off the wall so that he could come and stand behind Sally. ¡°When you die, you respawn and there¡¯s no need to fight and struggle if you don¡¯t want to.¡±
Cross still had the sour look on his face. ¡°Given that our options are that or oblivion, I¡¯m sure we would accept even it wasn¡¯t such a lofty, idealized world. How can you guarantee our safety there?¡±
Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°Well, the Architect of the world is a Player and my friend from before we were brought into the System. I have his ear, and he has a good heart. My question is, do the others trust you?¡±
All eyes turned to the goblin, and he sunk into his chair further.
¡°Fine, I suppose you want to know the truth. Or as much of it as is my understanding?¡±
They all nodded.
¡°I¡¯m sure you all know the tale of how I sought out power to get back at my detractors? And then once gained, I brought ruin on this world by summoning the Dungeons and entrapping the souls of any slain Players?¡±
Sally drummed her fingers on the table. ¡°Only, that wasn¡¯t your goal, was it?¡±
¡°No.¡± Cross lowered his eyes. ¡°Soon after gaining the power, I wielded it inexpertly. Started the process that is now consuming this world. In my amateur attempts to stop it, I created Bernice and Bernard in the hopes that they could save the System in my stead. As the calamity was tied to me, I had them put me into a coma-like state.¡±
¡°But what about the Dungeons?¡± Claude asked.
¡°Perhaps a miscommunication. The siblings were told to maintain the status quo in whatever way seemed fit for the continued sustainability of Thrimble.¡±
Sally wrinkled up her nose. ¡°So it kept everyone locked down, unable to progress. Just waiting out their end.¡±
Cross nodded sadly. ¡°With your help, I hoped to be able to seal up the world as it sank into nothingness. Trapped in this form, I am without my original powers, however.¡±
¡°Should have been more explicit with your instructions,¡± Theo murmured.
[Poppy: So what¡¯s next?]
Sally sucked at her teeth. She had expected the others to be angrier at the undead goblin - but perhaps their safety was more important at this stage. If they could get to Sanctuary, then they¡¯d have all the time they wanted to chew him out - or even kill him if that made them feel better.
¡°I want you all to go back to the Fort. Gather everyone there.¡±
Claude raised an eyebrow. ¡°Might I ask why?¡±
¡°If things are more dire than they look, then having everyone in the same place will make things easier. Maybe. We¡¯re doing our best here.¡±
[Poppy: What about you two?]
¡°Well, first,¡± Theo began, ¡°I¡¯m going to do this.¡± He clicked his fingers towards the bard.
Kristov furrowed his brow. ¡°What did you do?¡± His eyebrows then practically shot up to the ceiling.
¡°And then,¡± Sally continued, ¡°we¡¯re going to go delay things as much as possible.¡±
Probably try to take a bite out of infinity, as well.
278 - March against Infinity
Sally waved off the Party as they started to fade out of sight. The knight was especially enigmatic about returning the gesture. With a deep breath, the zombie sighed.
¡°Worried, my queen?¡± Theo put his arm around her and she leaned her head into him.
¡°It¡¯s difficult when you get attached, and there¡¯s a chance this could all go wrong¡ I don¡¯t know.¡± She sighed again. ¡°It feels like it is out of my control, and there¡¯s not really anything I can punch or kill to fix it.¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± The vampire moved her away and gave her a pat on the head. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have any sacrificial lambs to provide you. All the Players we know of we want to save and they are headed to the fortress. Killing Monsters would do nothing either way.¡±
Sally wrinkled up her face. ¡°We can¡¯t beat the space creature?¡±
Theo looked over at the darkness. ¡°It was less of a Monster, and more of just¡ a void.¡±
¡°One that had enough finesse to cut your arm off?¡±
He shrugged. ¡°It used a void sword, I guess.¡±
She fought the urge to sigh again. At least if it was an actual monster they could try to fight it - at least run a distraction while Chuck finished things off on his end. Knowing it was just a mass of darkness that could attack but take no damage was¡ unfortunate.
¡°Alright, next plan then.¡± She clicked her fingers. ¡°We need to help Sanctuary with making this easier, right?¡±
The vampire nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure our new titles are both a boon and a curse for Chuck trying to squeeze everyone back. We might not fit the exact shape we left as¡¡±
Sally winced. They were kinda different now, but surely that wouldn¡¯t stop the Architect reeling the fishing line back in to bring them home? She didn¡¯t really understand how it all worked enough to be too worried, but also not comforted either.
¡°Either way, fangs. We need to get as powerful as possible in the shortest amount of time possible.¡±
He pushed his glasses up and grinned; the light catching his fangs. ¡°Well then, my dear. You came to the right man.¡±
¡°How are things looking, Chuck?¡± The swordsman was still typing away, his brow furrowed.
The Architect huffed. ¡°It¡¯s embarrassingly convoluted. We thought that power was enough to make this a simple process, but if anything, it¡¯s the nuance of their personal data that it is causing the hangups.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Classes were meant to be a temporary thing on new worlds, not a permanent change to their actual being.¡±
Dent nodded slowly. ¡°So, will they have similar powers to you?¡±
¡°No, not at all. That would be terrible.¡± Chuck glanced at him before back to the screens. ¡°That¡¯s part of what I¡¯m doing here. They will essentially be the beta testers for the new Class and skill part of the System¡ I think.¡±
¡°Love the confidence.¡±
¡°I will get them home. In one piece.¡± The alternative wasn¡¯t worth thinking about.
He watched as the power level of the pair slowly increased. That would be helpful, hopefully. Normally that was the goal - enough strength in the new world and they could reach out and take it for their own. Taking specific parts of the System - even just the Players - was a lot more difficult that just absorbing it wholesale.
While he could wrench the undead pair back to Sanctuary, it wasn¡¯t equipped to accept their Aspect roles. It could just erase that and leave them as they used to be. It could reject them and sent their data out into the endless ocean.
It was all very frustrating how much of their System he still couldn¡¯t access or change. Digging through the creator¡¯s work had been tough, and he yearned to delve into the background information on how things even existed, not just played administrator in the pre-built world.
If he could somehow get into the data itself. Become the System, then¡
He eyed up the swordsman. No, it wasn¡¯t the right time to get distracted by this.
Hand hovered away from a certain button. Day wasn¡¯t dire enough just yet.
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Sally growled and crossed her arms. ¡°Why are you telling me this only now?¡±
The vampire shrugged. ¡°Wasn¡¯t sure you were in the dark. I assume they didn¡¯t tell you about the alien invasion because you¡¯d get worried and want to come home.¡±
¡°It is worrying.¡± Her scowl went out over the horde of zombies she was accumulating.
She probably would have wanted to go back if she really knew what had been going on back in Sanctuary. Even if the attack was months away, she needed to prepare. How could they even prepare? If the bugs attacked, wouldn¡¯t everyone just respawn until they won anyway?
Too many questions and distraction from current proceedings.
The pair of them had walked and killed any monsters, all the while Sally raised zombies. In fact, it didn¡¯t seem to matter what they did - she could summon a small group of them on cooldown. If this was a permanent power¡ if Chuck could allow her this¡ then taking the next world would be even easier.
She imagined dropping down somewhere and just immediately spawning in undead. Just standing in place and doing it all day long until she had an army of hundreds, which she¡¯d then¡ well, she wouldn¡¯t even need to attack anyone, surely. Enough power gained and they could steal Systems without even having a basic tutorial conversation.
A chilling thought, and not very delicious.
¡°You must be able to do more than just kill Monsters, pup.¡± She tilted her head to the vampire, who had mostly been tagging along with her. ¡°I can probably do more than create infinite zombies and put your arm back on too. I wish we had a better clue.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± He stopped in place and smiled. ¡°I can do this too.¡±
She watched as he turned to face a Dungeon in the near distance. The vampire held up his hand, which flickered with red and black light. A giant fist bust from the area around the far structure, knocking it into the air before the hand made of darkness opened and then closed around it, erasing it from existence. As the summon faded away, only a few errant bricks fell down to the grass.
¡°That¡¯s cool, I guess.¡± She grinned. ¡°Can you only fist Dungeons?¡±
He pursed his lips and shrugged. ¡°I haven¡¯t tried using it on anything else.¡±
¡°Can¡ you use your normal skills alongside it?¡±
Theo raised an eyebrow, and they continued walking toward the void. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a good idea. Using [Novice Strike] or my ultimate with it might wreak more damage than what the oblivion ahead of us is doing.¡±
¡°Nah.¡± Sally summoned another group of sunflower-zombies. ¡°What if you go punch the endless sea with your cool attacks?¡±
He smiled. ¡°That¡¯s how I almost lost my arm.¡±
A bad guy that they could punch was a lot more fun, in Sally¡¯s opinion. That said, there was a certain something about an inevitable end of things. They had escaped death many times since being stolen into the System, and had overcome the ability to die in Sanctuary. Having endless oblivion dangling right in front of them was exciting, in a way.
¡°Actual stakes,¡± she murmured.
¡°And pancakes too, I bet. I miss a lot of things about home.¡±
¡°No, you goofball.¡± Sally scowled at him. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the fact that not only could we die and not find our way back to Sanctuary - but all that we¡¯ve fought for here could be lost. Or even we¡¯d invite the struggling world into ours and suffer the same fate.¡±
¡°Could even go back in time,¡± Theo agreed.
She rolled her eyes. ¡°If we go back and end up being the cause of our word¡¯s original Architect swapping with someone from Earth, I would be so annoyed.¡±
¡°Would be amusing in a way, right? Set Sanctuary up for disaster, then have to deal with it, leading up to this point. We¡¯d probably die and come back to the present so that it¡¯s a perfect loop and closed off nice and tightly, though.¡±
¡°If that was the case, I would have left some clues for myself.¡± She narrowed her eyes at the vampire, his unnatural foresight coming into question once again.
¡°Oh, like that item called [Death of the Party]? Remember that from the start of our adventure? Wonder what that was.¡±
¡°Firstly, fangs, shut up. Secondly I wouldn¡¯t do something so cliche as to write a story about how we defeated the Architect over three parts and name it after the point at the end where we no longer had to party together.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a good name, though. Since we¡¯re all undead and it¡¯s almost a play on words how you¡¯re so energetic and the life of the party.¡±
¡°Theo.¡± She placed a finger against his arm. ¡°No more talking. I checked that item out and it was some boring historical text about a supposed political party that ran the Forest area at some point in the past.¡±
He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Said party didn¡¯t happen to have a blonde cutie at the helm, did it?¡±
¡°The only reason I¡¯m not having to stitch your head back on right now is because of the sly compliment.¡± She looped her arm around his. ¡°Let¡¯s talk honeymoon. You think we can do it off-world, rather than somewhere in Sanctuary?¡±
¡°I already have three potential worlds in my back pocket.¡± He grinned and looked up at the sky. ¡°Chuck is constantly annoyed with me.¡±
Sally smiled and followed his gaze. Tendrils of darkness cracked through the sky, reaching out to draw the rest of the world into the abyss. If this was truly it¡ then it would be quite a way to go. Calming almost, to be erased and become one with nothing.
Maybe one day.
Living infinite lives on Sanctuary sounded nice, but eventually the brain must tire of constant existence. It¡¯s why everyone had access to a therapist to keep tabs on their well-being. Why there was so much to do that didn¡¯t involve fighting Monsters. No children and no aging wasn¡¯t terrible, but how long could they tolerate it?
She was at least glad to have the constant ambition driving her to fix things. Probably would go insane sitting idle while every adventurer pulped her head in every so often. Going off-world was troublesome, but scratched an itch.
Sanctuary didn¡¯t necessarily need her anymore.
Well, maybe after the space-cockroach invasion. Her brow furrowed.
¡°We have like a spaceship now, right?¡±
Theo nodded. ¡°Something similar, yeah. Haven¡¯t seen it myself, but apparently it should make this whole process less dangerous and we could arrive with a full Party.¡±
¡°I¡¯d like that.¡± She pulled him closer as they walked.
Mostly because she wanted to intercept their attackers and chew through them before they had the chance to step up to Sanctuary.
279 - Death of the Party 4
There was a thrum, almost something comforting, swirling around the growing darkness. A pitch black with no real features or tangible depth, aside from the faint hint of purple at the edges.
¡°It¡¯s quite beautiful in a way,¡± Sally said, gazing up at it.
Similar to space itself, but emptier. Devoid of any life or matter. In this way it was less of something consuming Thrimble, but instead the world slowly sinking down into an ocean.
¡°Hard to believe this is where it all ends.¡± Theo watched it with her, one hand holding her, the other in his pocket.
¡°Anticlimactic?¡±
¡°Not every end has to be a large scale battle against a Boss. Sometimes there¡¯s just a choice.¡± He tilted his head to look at her.
¡°You¡¯ve considered it too?¡± Her eyebrow raised.
The vampire removed his hand from his pocket to push his glasses up. ¡°I¡¯d never leave you behind, of course, but yeah.¡±
¡°We can¡¯t though.¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°Plus, I wouldn¡¯t want to miss out on our honeymoon.¡±
Theo grinned, the darkness of the endless sea glimmering along his fangs. ¡°We¡¯re going to eat a lot of people who wished they had missed out on it though.¡±
¡°Fuck yeah.¡± Sally sighed and turned away from the void.
Behind her were hundreds of sunflower-zombies. Milling about in loose rows and waiting for a command. She wasn¡¯t too sure what she was going to do with them. After testing out sending a few into the void, they had been split up as if sliced by invisible blades, their parts shrinking and vanishing in the darkness to exist no more.
Still, she knew they had a purpose. Bernice and Bernard wouldn¡¯t have given them this power if it wasn¡¯t so that they could help save the world.
But¡ it was unlikely at this point the whole of Thrimble could be recovered. She was no Architect, but half the island had now sunk into the abyss. If this was their final stand, it would be the quietest and least violent one to date¡ but there was still a lot riding on it.
¡°Alright, pup. Our job is to delay this apocalypse for as long as possible to allow Chuck time to¡ do whatever he can.¡±
¡°Understood.¡± Theo gave her a nod. ¡°If it¡¯s one thing I¡¯m good at, it¡¯s¡¡±
They fell into enough silence for the slow exhale of the zombie to be heard. ¡°Delaying the inevitable. Yeah, nice one.¡± Sally rolled her eyes.
The Mummy put her hand on the arm of the Death Knight. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not that bad, dear. You¡¯re putting dents in the table.¡±
Humphrey stopped drumming his metal fingers. ¡°I¡¯m just very annoyed that they are having this final showdown and I am not there to help.¡±
Across the round table from them, Edward leaned back in his chair, feet already up. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are so eager to get into trouble. Isn¡¯t it nice having a big battle where our necks aren¡¯t on the line for a change?¡±
¡°I¡¯d rather die beside them than sit idle.¡± Red flame flickered behind his helmet.
Sweat-drops appeared beside the seated Shade as he fidgeted uncomfortably. ¡°But they¡¯re not going to die, right? Even if they have to give up the rest of the world?¡±
The Death Knight was silent for a moment, before giving them a shrug. ¡°Chuck won¡¯t let anyone else in the room to speak with him. He and Dent are putting their all into this, so there must be complications.¡±
Lana rubbed at her eyes. ¡°This whole¡ side of things is hard for me to take in. What exactly is the problem with bringing them back? Did we lose connection?¡±
¡°No.¡± Humphrey shook his head and sighed. ¡°Think of it this way. When Sally goes to the other world, she is in the shape of a hotdog sausage. Certain shape and dimensions that the world can understand. When she returns here, she is slightly longer due to the gained powers, but as she is the same width, then Sanctuary has no issue accepting her back.¡±
¡°But now¡¡±
¡°Now she has a bun and all the condiments,¡± he replied.
Norah gave his arm a squeeze. ¡°Her and Theo both. Normally I¡¯d be fraught with worry and would threaten their heads over losing our children, but I know Chuck would do everything possible to save them.¡±
The demon put his hand behind his head and closed his eyes. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to be without them for the coming war, would we?¡± A wide grin curled at the edges of his mouth.
A beam of white energy wriggled through the sky like a worm, as thick as a tree-trunk and seemingly without end. It twisted and punctured through the very air itself, curling around the dark crack of the abyss before tightening it closed like a wound.
Sally concentrated, right hand extended outwards while her left gripped at her wrist to ensure control, and that the limb didn¡¯t burst right off her from the amount of power.
She wavered, standing with legs braced atop a door currently held up by a group of her most sturdy sunflower-zombies. Every so often they¡¯d shift her backward, so she didn¡¯t run the risk of getting consumed by the void as it crept towards the pair.
Theo shook his own hand out. A group of summoned zombies slumping over with blood erupting from their necks. ¡°It will be only a few minutes before we run out of zombies. How you holding up?¡±
¡°Feels like I use up their soul energy as soon as you provide it.¡± Her tongue ran across her lips. ¡°Say, how many Dungeons are left in the world?¡±
The vampire tilted his head and looked back at the island behind them. With a grin, he close his eyes and pushed his glasses up. ¡°How many do you want to be left?¡±
¡°Crack them like you¡¯re going for a 100% achievement.¡±
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¡°My queen.¡± He bowed to her before vanishing.
Sally bared her teeth at the encroaching gloom. Had she slowed it? Slightly. Her zombies were moving her back less frequently¡ but it was only a small delay. She felt a rush of power and her snaking thread sped up in the air for a few seconds, another part of the darkness slowly shutting.
How long could this hold up? It was like trying to sew up someone who had a cannon blast straight through their body. She could stem some of the blood flow, maybe save an organ or two¡ but the damage was too great. No chance that the world could survive.
A swirl of energy pooled around her feet as the familiar orange shape of Archie appeared atop the door. His green eyes turned to the abyss straight away.
¡°Oh. Things have certainly developed since I was last here.¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± she murmured. ¡°Kristov doesn¡¯t speak in rhymes anymore. To what do I owe the pleasure, Arch?¡±
The cat sat and curled his tail around himself. ¡°Through the vast infinite space between worlds, I could feel your need to have someone act as a sounding board.¡±
¡°Pippy broke the System, then created Bernice and Bernard to watch over it, putting himself in stasis as a way to stop the world from dying. Players that were killed off had their souls stored in Dungeons to power the force keeping the void away, and me coming through like a wrecking ball set that off again¡¡±
Sally furrowed her brow as she continued. ¡°To prop up the System, the siblings gave us their power because we wouldn¡¯t die alongside them as we were part Player. Accidentally blowing up Pippy allowed us full reach of our powers here and Sanctuary at the cost of the abyss being allowed access to consume Thrimble completely.¡±
Archie tilted his head. ¡°Quite the gamble, all things told.¡±
Her fingers twitched as another boost of energy came through from the Dungeons that Theo was destroying. ¡°How fucked are we?¡±
¡°It¡¯s quite¡ comforting, isn¡¯t it?¡± The cat stared out at the darkness. ¡°I seem to remember it, for some reason. Part of me may have died or was borne from it when first came to Sanctuary. No real memory¡ aside from the safety of oblivion. Like pages of an empty book.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not a reassuring answer, Arch.¡± She grimaced, unable to take her eyes away to look at the cat, just in case she lost her thread for good.
¡°Unfortunately, my words won¡¯t change your fate. I can only say that no matter what happens, I will stay here by your side, Sally Danger.¡±
The zombie bit her lip, heart rising and getting stuck in her throat. ¡°If I don¡¯t make it¡ I want you to tell everyone¡ I want you to let them know that I said pancakes.¡±
¡°As is tradition, I¡¯m sure nobody will laugh.¡± Archie smiled and ignored the pained expression on her face.
Dent dug his fingers around in his eyes, trying to find some relief from the pain that staring at the monitors had hammered into his orbs. His metal hand cooled them, but the ache persisted.
He relented to looking back over at the Architect. The man had eschewed his traditional robes and sat in a tank top and shorts, running with sweat. Eyes bloodshot, yet still darting over all the screens energetically.
It was a shame they didn¡¯t have anyone else trained up enough on the System to take some of the workload off their hands¡ but Chuck had been tyrannical about making sure everything was perfect. It had to be, otherwise it wasn¡¯t just the gathered Players that wouldn¡¯t be coming over.
Outsiders were sitting in the meeting room next door, if only because they could sense things were dire. Nothing they could do, but keeping them contained at least kept them together.
¡°Isn¡¯t any more power I can divert without consequences, Chuck.¡±
He shook his head in response. ¡°Fine. It¡¯s not power that is the problem now. Bandwidth is fine¡ it¡¯s just the finesse. Those Aspects have really fucked us, and I can¡¯t seem to set a rolling induction. Why does it default to all or nothing?¡±
Probably for suspenseful situations like this, the swordsman thought. Although the System hadn¡¯t really been designed for any of this. They¡¯d gotten greedy and bitten off something nigh impossible to chew.
He swiped through a few more screens, trying to find a way he could tap into something to assist the Architect. Didn¡¯t matter that he had done that four times already. There had to be¡
Dent turned back to look at Chuck, who was now staring at him.
¡°We don¡¯t have much time,¡± the exhausted man said. ¡°You know that I love you, though, right?¡±
¡°Of course, you say it all the time. What are you¡¡± The swordsman¡¯s mouth hung open, not completing that sentence.
Chuck paled, and his eyes rolled back in his head. With one last breath of air, his body dropped from his chair and slumped to the floor.
With a flash of dark energy, Theo appeared back near the void. He turned his head and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, Archie.¡±
¡°Theo. How is your day going?¡±
The vampire rubbed his chin before furrowing his brow. ¡°Have you been making Sally cry?¡±
¡°This is just eye-sweat. I¡¯m allergic to staring at oblivion.¡± She grinned. ¡°That was all the Dungeons, though?¡±
¡°I¡¯m afraid so. That¡¯s all the power I can give you.¡±
¡°It¡¯s¡ not enough.¡± She pulled a face as she struggled to move the thread in and out of the sky.
With a deft hop, Theo jumped up onto the door held by the remaining handful of zombies. He turned and looked up at the patchwork of threading holding several probing cracks of the sea together, slowing it.
¡°I wish I could help you more,¡± he said. ¡°Death doesn¡¯t really do much against infinite oblivion.¡±
¡°But I can only hold this for a few more minutes,¡± she wailed. ¡°Then what? We just retreat to the fort and sit on our thumbs?¡±
The vampire looked down at the cat, before over the zombie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Where do you think we are, my queen?¡±
Risking losing track of her thread, she turned her head briefly and gasped. The valley was close by, with the fortress in clear view. Even with her best efforts, they had almost been pushed back across the whole island - and she¡¯d been too focused to notice.
¡°Oh, pup,¡± she said glumly, returning to weave the lagging thread.
¡°Life and Death,¡± he said, putting his arm around her shoulders. ¡°The two most dangerous Dangers, saviors of Sanctuary and first sailors of the infinite sea.¡±
Her eyes narrowed. ¡°We¡¯re also mass-murderers, technically. Villains. Perhaps a dip into the void is too good for us.¡±
Archie wagged his tag back and forth. ¡°It¡¯s not nice to wish suffering on anyone, even yourselves.¡±
Sally sighed. ¡°No more energy in the pot, my thread will decay and fade very soon - and then we¡¯ll just have to take our just deserts.¡±
¡°Any regrets or final secrets you want to get out?¡± Theo grinned.
¡°Some days you drive me absolutely wild because I was so close to eating your human brain and now I¡¯ll never get the chance to.¡± She ran her tongue around her mouth. ¡°Bet you would have tasted fucking delightful.¡±
¡°Probably the best. My regret is sleeping so much. Imagine all those hours I could have been grinding out more experience instead.¡±
¡°You ass.¡± She glanced his way and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad we met and things turned out the way they did. You keep me sane and normal.¡± Her hand twitched and lowered, the white thread in the sky starting to dim and unravel from the sutured wounds.
Archie stretched out and yawned. ¡°Do you have any final words for those at home, Theo?¡±
¡°Nah. Oh, actually, could you tell Edward that I¡¯ll see him in hell?¡±
Sally grinned. ¡°You know that demon is going to ugly cry for days once he finds out you no longer exist.¡±
Theo shrugged. ¡°From my perspective, once I¡¯m gone, then Sanctuary doesn¡¯t exist, anyway.¡±
¡°Makes sense that you¡¯d be self absorbed after your resets condensed your past gear and abilities into you.¡± She looked back at the fortress.
If anything, she felt bad for all the Players there. Her and Theo had lived decent enough lives and tasted happiness and freedom. Thrimble and the remainder living here only had false hope.
They turned to look at the dissolving thread, as the darkness gained speed, eager to absorb the final remnants of the System. She held the vampire¡¯s hand as her last zombies sunk away, lowering the pair to the ground.
¡°I know it¡¯s gross and cliche, Sally Danger, but do you want to share a final kiss as we fall into the beyond?¡±
She tilted her head and smile. ¡°No. But I¡¯ll do it anyway, because I love you.¡±
¡°I love you too.¡±
Arms wrapped around each other, they pressed their lips together, trying to ignore how unpleasant it¡
¡°Oh!¡± Sally pulled away. ¡°That was actually¡ normal.¡±
¡°In that case,¡± Theo pushed his glasses up, ¡°you want to eat each other¡¯s faces up while the void consumes us?¡±
¡°Say less!¡±
Archie watched as the darkness swept over the land toward them, mostly trying to ignore the pair beside him making out. Something so familiar, yet alien about the abyss. While he was sure he wasn¡¯t going to die, given that he was still something akin to a hologram, there was an innate fear that held him rooted to the spot.
With a final rush like a boat capsizing, the infinite sea washed over the rest of the world, consuming all life and matter. Rendered to nothingness.
Thrimble and the System controlling it were no more.
280 - Time of Safety
Perhaps the worst thing about infinite oblivion was that it didn¡¯t seem to end. There might be a conceivable end to the darkness, and to the lack of¡ everything, but it wasn¡¯t something the mortal mind could comprehend. Overwhelming. Or at least it would be, if anything existed in the expanse beyond worlds.
The second worst thing was that Sally was no longer a mere mortal, and could comprehend it, albeit briefly. It was dizzying, and tasted like rotten apples.
Vertigo stretched her body until it was just a line of sequential atoms. Following a stream not unlike her threads.
Yet, despite the endless trying to tear her apart, she persisted.
She was stubborn like that; she thought to herself.
A bright light flashed, illuminating everything, before it switched to blue and then white again. Vertigo had her dipping and striking something flat and material, the particles of her reality slamming into each other to giving her form once more.
She stumbled to the floor onto her knees, hands clutching at her eyes to block out the light as she threw up. Body twitched and convulsed before something grabbed at her. Too weak to fight back, she opened her eyes to glare at the void creature grasping at her shoulders.
The void creature looked suspiciously like Dent.
Her ears rang as sound started to filter in. The swordsman looked terrible, stressed, and exhausted. She went to stand, but her legs were jelly.
¡°Home?¡± she asked, her voice dull even to herself.
Dent nodded, but she couldn¡¯t pick on what he was saying. Her eyes went past him and saw Chuck¡¯s dead body lying on the floor. Breath caught in her lungs.
¡°Theo?¡± she managed, feeling as though everything was slipping away.
A pained expression on the swordman¡¯s face. No response. Panic gave her the energy to push herself up, turning to step over to the next machine where he should be.
She stopped, eyes wide at a glowing blue figure, part wireframe and standing beside the tube.
¡°Chuck?¡± she asked, the hum of reality finally clearing her hearing.
¡°Affirmative. I have finally taken the step of shedding my mortal form to become one with the System.¡± His mouth moved open and closed, but was out of sync from his words, which actually seemed to go straight into her brain.
¡°Theo?¡± she repeated, not quite fully functional enough to deal with the Architect.
¡°He hasn¡¯t returned.¡±
Sally¡¯s hands balled up, and she glared at the glowing contraption. How dare he go off and leave her, right after they got married too? Her anger was a decent enough mask to stop any sadness start up.
¡°You have two minutes to come back to me, pup,¡± she growled through clenched teeth, ¡°otherwise I¡¯m coming back out there to find you.¡±
She raised her arms up and crossed them. Foot started tapping on the floor, despite how much her body ached.
¡°Sally, I¡¡±
She shook her head at Chuck. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anything until Theo returns.¡± Her jaw worked as she returned her glare to the place he was meant to be. He had to be.
Dent placed his metal hand gently on her shoulder. ¡°All the living Players made it here. They¡¯re on the new starter island.¡±
Sally turned her head to him, her eyes welling up. ¡°Ass, I said no news. Now you broke me.¡± Her foot stopped tapping, and she sighed deeply, the first tears running down her face quietly.
¡°Your return was¡ unconventional,¡± Chuck offered. ¡°Without me doing this, you both were likely to die.¡±
¡°Ten seconds,¡± she murmured under her breath.
The machine cracked with energy. Lights started to flicker along the panels. With a burst of expelled power, the magic glow evaporated, revealing the vampire standing within the cage.
Sally rushed to open it, the bars moving across with a hiss.
Theo opened his eyes, blinking away the shock of his arrival - before immediately tipping forward into the grasp of the zombie. She fell over with her exhausted legs, and they both collapsed to the floor.
¡°Can you hear me, pup?¡±
He nodded, but his eyes were glazed over. Paler than usual, with a sickened and withdrawn look as if he had spent too long out in the void.
Chuck¡¯s form shrunk down to be Archie-sized, so that he was at eye-level with the piled undead. ¡°Did you go back to the past again?¡±
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The vampire tilted his head, brow furrowing at the blue figure. Tongue licked his dry lips as his brain got caught up to speed. ¡°Would you be able to tell if I were lying?¡±
¡°No¡¡±
¡°I did not travel to the past,¡± Theo confirmed, maintaining an unblinking stare with the Architect.
Doors burst open, and the Outsiders rushed in, the Death Knight picking the pair up with the assistance of a few bandages. Hugs and noise between everyone, shock over the change for Chuck, and joyous relief for the return of the two Dangers. Sally enjoyed the attention, but she couldn¡¯t focus, her gaze falling to the vampire every so often.
His eyes still looked distant, full of the reflection of the void.
A butterfly flew across the meadow, landing on a bright blue flower for a moment before being carried away by the soft breeze.
¡°You know,¡± Theo said, ¡°the ears suit you. Very cute.¡±
Sally put her plate down on the picnic blanket so she could show them off. They were pointed now - small elven ears that this world forced on them both. ¡°You think? Chuck said I might be able to get them as like a toggleable option.¡±
¡°Makes sense, since this world doesn¡¯t really have any skills to take.¡± He wrinkled his face up and looked out at the island. Something small, in a state of perpetual springtime. Blooming with flowers, soft clover, and blossom-laden cherry trees.
¡°Not that it matters for us now, being beta testers of his new Class System stuff. Although I think he is mad that you almost immediately broke it.¡± She leaned back on her palms and grinned.
¡°Eh.¡± The vampire shrugged. ¡°If he didn¡¯t want me to construct a room full of automated wooden spears so that I could level up my [Dodge] in a fraction of the time, then he would tell me.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°Pretty amusing when you accidentally staked yourself, though. Imagine you couldn¡¯t come back from that?¡±
¡°Pretty sure someone rigged the mechanism to be slightly off.¡± He scowled toward the distant shoreline. ¡°And I have a good idea who.¡±
¡°I know Poppy and Edward aren¡¯t like that, but they¡¯ve been like mischevious children ever since they met. Keeps them out of our hair, at least. Now that we¡¯re¡ too powerful to act in our Monster roles.¡±
Theo closed his eyes and smiled. ¡°Fastest raid wipe ever.¡±
¡°You didn¡¯t have to leave the healers till last, though. That was disrespectful. Sometimes you take the Aspect of Death thing a little too seriously.¡±
Chuck had managed to filter all their unlocked powers in. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure how, but she was happy enough to have survived the process. New Class System was still in the works, but he was trying to make things more¡ normal?
Like an actual world, rather than the cardboard facsimile of a video game they were used to. Some more natural or innate ways of getting experience and skills. More of a research tree built up on base levels of core magics and martial traits.
She still had [Eat Brains] so she was rather fine with whatever he decided.
Could still use all the skills from Sanctuary, in fact, as well as summon sunflower-zombies at will and mend things using life energy. Being an Aspect felt like a universal unlock, where her level, stats, or location didn¡¯t matter - she had everything from her prior life.
She spent a week wandering Sanctuary, healing up adventurers or Monsters she came across who were injured. Visited each of the Thrimble refugees, some of which she couldn¡¯t help because their injuries were part of who they were according to the System - like Dent¡¯s arm - but she sat and spoke with each of them all the same.
It was cathartic, in a way. Comforting. They¡¯d bitten off a little more than they could chew in trying to save people they didn¡¯t know, so it was nice to see what it had all been for.
Virgil had recovered back to full health. Kenny had taken up a position in a Party and was doing fine. Kristov decided to hang around Jackie¡¯s tavern and provide entertainment instead of adventuring. Claude had basically retired and had joined Borin in gardening and farming. Poppy had her house with two cats, and often went unarmored, no longer worried about losing her powers.
Cross... had been forgiven by most previous residents of Thrimble. Some still had a grudge, but he had now moved into the goblin village. Chuck mentioned that the fact he had transferred into a zombie goblin body and didn''t retain his previous role was one of the only ways he was able to save everyone. Using their power of violence and smooches, things had worked out just fine.
It was a great feeling, dampened only with the knowledge that there were possibly uncountable other worlds just like theirs.
Chuck had given them a forced holiday, and they¡¯d only barely been able to twist his arm into allowing them to drop into this small world. The Architect didn¡¯t trust Theo to have a pleasant return, as he had two instances of complications.
But things had improved - with Chuck becoming part of the System itself, he had greater control. Closer to what the Creator themself had. It had always been an option, apparently, but he had eschewed it, as there didn¡¯t seem to be a way back into his body.
Something that had saddened Dent for a while until they both realized that Chuck could essentially possess a System-created Monster. The less she thought about that, the better.
¡°When we going on our honeymoon, fangs?¡± She gave him a light kick with the side of her foot. ¡°Sanctuary eating is nice, but I want some horror show shit. All naked and writhing in a pool of fresh blood from our victims.¡±
The vampire blinked a couple of times. ¡°Oh. Yeah, that sounds good. For starters, anyway.¡± His grin exposed his fangs, which caught the pleasant sunlight. ¡°Just have to convince Chuck to allow us somewhere dangerous.¡±
¡°Eh. The dork is making it so our Sanctuary STAR System works on other worlds. I was falling asleep while he was trying to explain it, but it¡¯s like we have¡ more permissions than a Player should have? ¡°
¡°He wants the spaceship up and working as well.¡± Theo sighed. ¡°I understand these things take time. I¡¯m just¡ antsy about the invasion coming.¡±
She shuffled around the blanket so that she could snuggle up to him. ¡°Same, pup. We have months to worry about it¡ and I¡¯m not sure what to expect. Once we have the ship and the new System configured, we¡¯ll take the fight to the bastards, alright?¡±
¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try to chill for five minutes.¡± He grinned before leaning close to her to share a kiss.
¡°Impossible,¡± she whispered as they parted. ¡°And... you need to tell me what happened to you, now that I have you alone.¡±
His eyes dulled slightly. ¡°I keep telling you it was nothing.¡±
¡°Theo Danger.¡± She placed a hand on the side of his face. ¡°We¡¯re married now, and possibly close to immortal. I need to know the full truth of you, inside and out. No matter if it¡¯s good or bad. You know how this works, pup.¡±
He deflated, before nodding slowly. ¡°If you¡¯re sure. This will be quite the way to end the day.¡±
¡°There¡¯s plenty of better days ahead. I¡¯m here for you.¡±
¡°I did go back in time again.¡± Theo winced and frowned down at the checkered pattern of the blanket. ¡°And I¡ displaced someone when I arrived.¡±
Sally raised her eyebrows. ¡°What¡ are you saying?¡±
¡°Sally...¡± His crimson eyes raised up to hers. ¡°I replaced the Creator and became the first Architect.¡±
281 - Starting and Ending
For as much peace existed on the small island bustling with blooming flowers and plant life, there was a heavy weight that sunk between the two undead Players.
Sally maintained a neutral glare with the vampire for a handful of seconds, before her eyes rolled back and she groaned. ¡°Ughh, Theo, you ass. Tell me this is a prank, please.¡±
He shook his head slowly.
¡°I ought to knock your head off. Care to explain it all before I do just that?¡±
With a grunt, Theo deflated. ¡°Apparently, since the System can only have one powerful entity - you know, the reason we almost died on the way back - my forced arrival ejected the true Creator out somewhere.¡±
¡°Swapped with someone from Earth¡¡± the zombie rubbed at the bridge of her nose.
¡°Yeah. Turns out that adding pop culture references and trying to make the world more like the games I was used to didn¡¯t really work out well, huh?¡±
She narrowed her eyes at him with a renewed glare. ¡°So you¡¯re the one who messed up the System?¡±
¡°Not entirely.¡± He gave the horizon a sheepish grin. ¡°It was actually heading toward self-termination with the Creator gone, so I got it stable enough¡ even if it was messy.¡±
Sally sighed. ¡°This is still a lot to take in. I can only suspend my disbelief so far.¡±
The vampire''s fingers flexed on his suit slacks. "I, uh¡ I was the one that assigned Humphrey to observe the diner."
Although she glared at him, some of the ire was slipping away. No doubt Theo had ensured it was a closed loop, so everything that happened came to pass the way that it did¡ she didn¡¯t have the brains for thinking about time travel too hard - but if he could tick off a few more confused questions, then she¡¯d have to give up and accept it.
¡°In knowing that¡¯s what happened, you made it happen?¡± She looked up at the sky and wrinkled up her face. ¡°What else is due to your meddling hands?¡±
¡°Well¡ I also sent a message to myself telling me to trust you.¡±
¡°Otherwise Novice Theo would have split my skull open?¡±
¡°Fifty-fifty.¡± He grinned. ¡°It could have ended up like those cliche zombie movies where I didn¡¯t kill you because you were my crush, and then you¡¯d eat my foolish brains.¡±
¡°As if I¡¯d do that.¡± Sally thought back to the start of her adventure. ¡°Well, that was also fifty-fifty, I guess. Can¡¯t believe you kept that secret, though.¡±
¡°Would you believe that I had totally forgotten the messages not soon after seeing you? It didn¡¯t say it was from the Architect, so I assumed it was some weird quest or lore notification.¡±
¡°Exhausting. I don¡¯t have the energy to disbelieve you.¡±
¡°I thought you all had spotted me a few times. Kept seeing you stop and turn to glare at the distance. Was¡ nice seeing us all back then. When things were so simple.¡±
¡°What about Archie?¡± Her fingers drummed on the picnic basket. ¡°He was supposed to be part of the Architect¡¯s memories? And you couldn¡¯t avoid a poison?¡±
Theo hummed. ¡°It would be more accurate to say he was more like my live journal. I don¡¯t really know how the System works like Chuck does, so I made do best I could.¡±
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¡°So that¡¯s why he warned you about your death in the wasteland - you told him an Outsider would kill you a year after we arrived there.¡± Sally flopped back on the blanket and closed her eyes.
¡°Ironically, it was me being the Aspect of Death that corrupted some of the entities into wanting to poison me in the first place.¡± Theo removed his glasses so that he could rub at his eyes. ¡°Even knowing I would die that way, I got too distracted by trying to set things up for us to succeed. I was only in that position for¡ two weeks, maybe.¡±
The zombie put her forearm over her eyes to try to block more of the pleasant daylight out. ¡°Motherfucker. You¡¯re telling me your foresight all this time was just because you set up the dominoes ready for you to do things subconsciously in the future¡ or past? I hate this.¡±
¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, I didn¡¯t know anything until I came back. Didn¡¯t tell you because I felt¡ guilty. My Aspect powers allowed me to remove my Class selection cap, so that I would end up being able to select Vampire Lord. Was trying to get rid of the Bounty System so you wouldn¡¯t be hunted down by Players. Little else I really changed, because I didn¡¯t have the time or know-how.¡±
Sally tried to be mad at him, but didn¡¯t have the heart or energy for it. It wasn¡¯t his fault, and he did what he could. She could even see why he didn¡¯t want to tell her about it. If had been her that went back in time... she would have made a huge mess of things. Letting out another sigh, she propped herself up on her elbows to scowl at him.
¡°When we get back, I want you to go to Chuck and tell him everything. Help him find the part of you that causes you to keep going back in time and get it fixed. Okay?¡±
He nodded. ¡°I will do that.¡±
¡°Now I have to worry that you¡¯ll vanish again when our picnic is all done.¡± She pouted.
¡°Technically, if it will happen, then it already has.¡±
¡°That doesn¡¯t fill me with confidence, pup.¡± Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m glad that there was some weird time dilation thing, so I didn¡¯t have to wait weeks thinking you were dead for you to then respawn back home.¡±
¡°I¡¯d never make you wait that long, Sally Danger. The things I¡¯d do to be with you¡¡±
She shook her head. ¡°Nope. No more vague foreshadowing from you. Use those lips for something more important, like fulfilling your smooch quota.¡±
¡°I thought I was all paid up?¡±
¡°Oh, no.¡± She leaned forward to grab his shirt and pull him closer. ¡°You¡¯re working overtime today, fangs.¡±
An unknown distance away in the endless sea, a large alien spacecraft led a fleet of dozens of smaller vessels.
Inside this oddly shaped ship, the flight deck was a writhing mass of energy. The bipedal cockroach-like aliens scurried about transferring information, while a dozen larger and more decorated ones sat in seats amidst dark screens flickering with bright scrawling.
¡°Hive splinter Thirteen will be joining the fleet as we pass the G-56 sector, Master.¡± The mandibles of the smaller speaker clicked together as he addressed the seated individual.
In return, the Fleetmaster gave him a snarl. ¡°Best hope reports are correct, and this is worth our weakened control.¡±
¡°Yes, Master. The information from our scout is beyond belief, yet they can tell no lies.¡±
The Fleetmaster grunted and waved the smaller roach away with his hands. A System World controlled by a Player where they had infinite respawn was an unheard of pairing. For as long-lived and nigh invulnerable as their species had become in stealing and absorbing worlds, they hadn¡¯t been able to grasp onto true immortality.
It was worth bringing everything they had from across the endless sea to ensure they could gain control. The Players in this world were sure to fight back, and being able to respawn was a troublesome problem.
But they could be overwhelmed.
The fleet would bathe the world in his kin. Millions upon millions of roaches would clog up every living space, take up the breathing air, and filter out the sun.
If the controller of the System didn¡¯t give in to their demands, they would smother everything from existence. Once there was no hospitable square inch for people to rebirth into, the tech-roaches could brute force their way into the System itself. A long process that might see thousands of his own kind die from the conditions forced on the target world¡ but the prize would be immortality for the rest.
Then the entire universe was theirs for the taking.
Every world eaten and consumed. Players and Monsters alike erased from existence. They¡¯d keep on going until nothing remained. Just plain infinity. Featureless and devoid of life - aside from their spaceships.
And then?
Then they would try to punch a hole through reality and invade the universes outside of this constructed reality. They had seen the tethers bringing in new Players and connecting reality to this plane. All they needed was enough time and power, and the joint multiverse was theirs to rule.
The Fleetmaster¡¯s jaws clacked in excitement.
Just one singular world. How difficult could it be?
282 - Whos This?
The sound of fighting echoed throughout the forest.
Afternoon sunlight flickered from a polished blade as it swung, finding purchase. A lone figure grunted as he pulled his sword from the wound, kicking the body away. Shadows of further opponents loomed closer. Outnumbered, but that was clearly their only advantage against this warrior.
Lance cursed under his breath as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He brought his weapon up into a ready position as the next zombie stumbled closer. There were at least five other pairs of yellow eyes glaring at him as each came closer, eager to eat his brains.
With an arc of blue light, his sword slashed through the closest, cleaving through their rib cage and sending them toppling over. He turned on his heel and held his breath in surprise. They had moved a lot quicker all of a sudden, and had closed almost the whole distance between the treeline and where he stood in this small clearing.
He needed to reposition.
Keeping the approaching group in clear view, he turned and paced backwards. Three steps and his metal boots caught on something. A root? No.
As Lance looked down, it was too late¡ªhe was falling. It made seeing the crawling zombie clutching around his ankle a terrifying sight, at least until the back of his head struck an actual tree root sticking out of the ground, vibrating through his skull as his helmet took the brunt of the impact.
Stars flashed in his eyes, dazed as he tried to raise up his weapon. Shadows loomed over him, the uncaring eyes of the undead staring down at him hungrily. Lance struggled against his combative body, but couldn¡¯t right himself. This was it.
He was prepared for the inevitable death, but... it didn¡¯t come. The zombies had paused in place. Just as his brow furrowed and his shaky vision started to focus, another shadowed face popped into view¡ªmuch closer¡ªalmost in biting distance.
¡°Looks like you took a little tumble,¡± she said.
Lance grimaced at the glowing red eyes glaring down at him. The messy blonde hair on the unknown speaker caught the sunlight, illuminating around the edges - almost like a halo. As more of the details of the woman came into view, she was nothing like an angel.
Pale green skin and her smile was full of sharp teeth. The white shirt she wore had bloodstains down the front. If it wasn¡¯t for her talking¡
¡°You¡¯re a zombie?¡± he asked, more out of confusion than any desire for clarification.
¡°Sure am.¡± She held an arm down to help him up. ¡°You can call me Sally. It¡¯s my name, so that makes the most sense.¡±
¡°Oh¡¡± Lance pulled a face, but accepted her help after a moment of hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ve not really met many Unique Monsters before.¡±
The scrawny woman raised an eyebrow and looked over at the immobile zombies as if they¡¯d understand her frustration. ¡°Ah, you must be new new. The last wave doesn¡¯t even know me¡ how the mighty fall.¡± She shook her head before giving him a renewed grin. ¡°You¡¯ll get the lore when you travel to the Wastelands, but I¡¯m actually a Player¡ just a little weirder.¡±
¡°Really? Did you, uh¡ stop the zombies for me?¡± His hand tightened on his sword. ¡°I¡¯m Lance.¡±
¡°Lance.¡± She nodded. ¡°You¡¯re out here leveling your sword skills?¡±
¡°Yeah, you?¡±
¡°Same. Leveling skills. The new System is a bit of a grind, but I guess you didn¡¯t really know the old one.¡± Sally gave him a shrug and crossed her arms. ¡°How are you doing so far?¡±
Lance stared at her blankly, still unable to process that this zombie was talking with him. The fact that she was a Player was still a little unbelievable, but it wasn¡¯t exactly the most important thing about the situation. She had even stopped the zombies from eating him, which was nice.
¡°Ah. It¡¯s all a little confusing, actually.¡± He shot her an apologetic smile. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m just out here grinding the skills higher. Simple things.¡±
Sally gestured over to a fallen log. ¡°Let me be your quick tutorial guide, then. You don¡¯t need the details right now, but the group I¡¯m with is always looking for competent and powerful people.¡±
The pair walked past the zombies, who turned in place to continue watching them.
¡°You¡ control them? All zombies?¡±
Sally shot him a sly grin. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m the queen of the dead or anything, but I have the [Control Undead] skill.¡±
¡°There are a lot of skills,¡± Lance complained. ¡°I have no idea what I should do or aim for, nevermind what is even available.¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± Sally sat down and wrinkled up her nose. ¡°The easiest way to think about it is¡ do what you find most fun and effective. If you like swords, then using it will give you skills that increase your competency with them, and leveling up the System will offer you Classes that give you boosts to that. Don¡¯t see the passive skills as goals, but useful bonuses. The real meat is the active abilities.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
¡°Oh. For that I have [Quick Slash 3] and [Arcane Pulse 1]. I found that second one in a treasure chest, but it¡¯s not really my style¡ I don¡¯t have enough Knowledge to make magic spells that useful.¡±
She gave him a nod. Squishing down the stats to three attack based and three defense based had taken some getting used to. Less work for her simple brain, however. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to replace them later on. Are you Power based?¡±
¡°Yeah. Maybe if I had more Guile points, I wouldn¡¯t have tripped over a corpse.¡± Lance pulled a face at the crawler who was still laying there gazing at him.
¡°There¡¯s no fixing being clumsy, I¡¯m afraid. Stick with Power, Health, and Stamina. Pick at least one melee and ranged weapon. You¡¯ll probably get more active abilities than you¡¯ll ever need once you start getting Classes, but realistically you¡¯ll only be able to level a handful to 10.¡±
The man sighed as he took his helmet off, revealing his shaggy red hair. He placed it beside him on the log and laid his sword down against their seating. ¡°Next you¡¯ll be telling me it would be a good idea to do Quests and join a Party, rather than get lost on my own hoping this all makes sense if I just see the number on [Sword Mastery] go up by one.¡±
¡°Making sense is overrated.¡± The zombie drummed her fingers on the red pleated skirt she was wearing. ¡°And yeah, do that shit. For me at least, I can¡¯t handle going solo. I always do things with a Party.¡±
Lance looked around the clearing, his eyes piercing through the gaps in the trees in the most subtle way that he could manage. ¡°You¡¯re¡ alone now, right?¡±
¡°The skill I¡¯m training is best done alone, but once I¡¯m done, I am off to run a twenty person Raid with them.¡±
¡°You must be pretty high level. What skill is it you¡¯re training?¡±
Sally grinned. ¡°If you want to see, I can show you.¡± She hopped off of the log and looked over at the idle zombies, gesturing for him to stand and watch.
Lance furrowed his brow as he joined her. It must be some manner of necromancy skill, he assumed. Given that she was looking at the zombies, perhaps it was a supportive ability or something to do with minions.
His last thought was how quick the zombie actually was, as she whipped around with a dagger in her hand. It was in and through his neck in a second, and before he even had the chance to gasp out, his skull exploded as Sally ate his brains with an instant and visceral crunch.
She wiped off her mouth as the corpse dropped to the floor. ¡°Still only [Eat brains 7]. This will take a while,¡± she murmured to herself. Sally hummed something tuneless as her eyes scrolled through her STAR System inventory before withdrawing a scroll into her hand.
With little more than a quick nod to the other zombies, a blue light flashed over her and she vanished away.
To appear a couple of miles away by a tall stone monolith. She dusted herself down, trying to get some of the newbie blood out of her shirt, but it had long soaked through. With a sigh, she glanced between the time on the holographic star on her wrist, and the glowing runes inscribed into the monolith.
A hum of energy washed around the area before a figure bloomed into being with a shimmer of golden light.
¡°Hey, Lance,¡± Sally said, beaming at the disorientated man.
¡°That was the first time I¡¡± his brow then furrowed at her. ¡°You killed me.¡±
She nodded eagerly. The System erased any trauma from the event, including remembering any pain and suffering he would have briefly endured from his demise. ¡°Check your notifications.¡±
While the man clearly held some disdain for her, his eyes went up to his intangible screens.
¡°I have a new Milestone reward. For¡ having my brain eaten by Sally Danger.¡± Lance pulled a face. ¡°It gave me a passive skill that can¡¯t be leveled called [Dangerous Encounter]. A small amount of defense and damage bonus against monsters higher level than me.¡±
¡°There¡¯s another milestone for if I eat you one hundred times, but you have to really piss me off for that to happen.¡± She crossed her arms. Currently, only one person had that milestone achievement, but a few others were close.
The man still looked rather bewildered. ¡°Are you like a villain? Are you going to kill me again?¡±
She shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s nuanced. To both questions. You were a bit of a goober and left your helmet and sword behind. I¡¯m not supposed to furnish beginners with stuff, but if you go to the goblin village and tell the blacksmith I sent you, he¡¯ll sort you out with whatever you want. Maybe instead of a sword¡ a lance?¡± Sally winked.
He rolled his eyes. ¡°I haven¡¯t even been there before. I¡¯m not sure how I can travel when I don¡¯t have¡¡±
¡°Oops.¡± Sally threw a scroll on the floor. ¡°I¡¯m such a villain, littering like that. Perhaps if you¡¯re a respectable inhabitant of Sanctuary, you¡¯ll pick it up and dispose of it.¡± She winked again, this time more overtly.
Lance stepped over, grabbing the teleportation scroll up off the ground. ¡°I¡¯m¡ not sure if I should be thanking you, or running in fear.¡±
Sally¡¯s grin softened into a warm smile. ¡°That¡¯s just how I like it. Keep on grinding, Lance. I¡¯m needed elsewhere.¡±
He nodded as she then flickered and vanished away in a pulse of blue light. Scroll in his hand, he sighed and shook his head. Dangerous Encounter indeed, he thought, before activating the magic and also disappearing.
The zombie stepped out of the quick portal into a wide meeting room, a circular table already filled with a dozen or so figures. At the opposite end was a man made of blue light, covered in white wireframe.
He nodded at her as she took a seat. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m glad we¡¯re all here now. It¡¯s not often we have to call in so many members of the Outsiders in.¡±
Sally pulled a face. Chuck didn¡¯t even have to say it for her to know that the intended Raid was going to be postponed. While she was glad to see all the faces currently present, it was odd that Theo wasn¡¯t currently present. The vampire Player¡ªand more importantly, her husband¡ªwas usually second in line after her when things were going wrong.
Before she could shoot some nods and glares at the other gathered individuals, a holographic image bloomed into life from the center of the table, taking all of their attentions. A familiar area of space, something they called the Sea, where all the created System worlds existed. The focal point was one singular world, which the camera slowly zoomed in on.
¡°I won¡¯t beat around the bush,¡± Chuck began, his voice oddly hollow and distant. ¡°We have found a world that is about to be attacked by the same Sea-faring monsters than will be arriving here in two months. I want to send out a team in the recently completed ship to protect the world and get information on our enemy.¡±
Sally licked her lips. That sounded like good eating.
283 - Ship Shaped
Sally stood, tapping her foot on the floor of the hangar.
The spaceship was quite the sight to behold. A sleek, alien design of near-reflective dark gray panels. Not quite engraved, but each curved piece of metal was embossed with a spiral pattern. Some manner of magical runes, she had been told. Strips of green light pulsed slowly beneath it, illuminating the three stout legs holding it up.
Recently finalized and only briefly tested, but their new Sea-faring vehicle wasn¡¯t the cause of her bad temper and crossed arms. As someone approached from the side, she turned and glared at them with her burning red eyes.
¡°Don¡¯t shoot the messenger,¡± Dent said, scratching his rough beard with his metal hand. The swordsman was wearing a gray suit, and had a clipboard held in his more meaty¡ªyet no less guilty¡ªhand.
¡°I have sent Theo fifteen messages,¡± the zombie began, ¡°and then a picture of my neck. No response. Either he is dead or you¡¯ve shipped him off-world without informing me.¡±
¡°Chuck was going to tell you sooner, but thought you might cause a fuss. It¡¯s nothing dangerous¡ more of a diplomacy mission.¡±
Sally pulled a face. ¡°Am I not good enough for that kind of thing?¡±
The man hesitated a moment before replying. ¡°We both know you¡¯re good with people, Sally. Your skill set is just more gear towards¡ driving change and raising a flag for others to rally behind. Oh, speaking of skill set¡ªcould you send me your Class sheet so I can double check the spaceship records?¡±
Her eyes were narrowed at his segue from her social affinities, but she knew he had a point. Leading a rebellion? Sign her up. Boring political diplomacy? Yuck. ¡°Sure thing. That¡¯s because the ship acts like a miniature version of our System, right?¡±
¡°Correct. You¡¯ll respawn on it if you die, so we need to ensure the records have been copied correctly. Bear in mind, you won¡¯t be able to return to a world you¡¯ve died on still.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah. I paid some attention to the boring meetings.¡± She rolled her eyes and brought up her Classes for Dent to see.
[Zombie 5]
[Necromancer 6]
[Minion Master 4]
[Aspect of Life]
¡°Oh,¡± Dent tilted his head. ¡°You reset that selection of [Ambusher] into another [Necromancer]?¡±
She clicked her fingers. ¡°You know me, Dent. I¡¯d much rather be the best at those three than too spread apart. You don¡¯t want to know how much I had to grind for the materials to re-roll.¡±
¡°I thought you just convinced Theo to farm everything for you?¡±
Sally maintained a blank stare. ¡°I said what I said. How¡¯s life getting preferential treatment so you only get the [Swordmaster] class?¡±
Dent huffed and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t get any handouts. I¡¯ve only just turned Level 25. Most of my time is spent with Chuck, sword-fighting comes a close second.¡±
¡°Uh-huh.¡± She grinned and looked over at the ship. ¡°Enough about our love lives. I¡¯m the captain of this, right? I get to choose my squad of baddies to go kick cockroach ass?¡±
¡°In a manner of speaking. You¡¯re now the second highest level player at 64, so even without your other achievements or seniority, you¡¯d be up here. Most of the Outsiders are ready and willing to go, but not all of them have kept up with the power curve, as I¡¯m sure you know.¡±
She nodded. Many of her friends gained over the various adventures here and there had decided to settle down and live a peaceful life. She couldn¡¯t fault them for that¡ªit was part of the reason she fought so hard to keep Sanctuary safe. The knowledge of the war coming to their doorstep had even the retirees getting some manner of skills under their belt once the System reset to its current form.
Theo was, of course, the highest level Player in this world. He hadn¡¯t even waited a single second¡ªas soon as the updated System patch went live at midnight; he was out grinding monsters. She had barely seen him for the first three days, but any annoyance over that was lessened once he started funneling his excess gear and items her way.
The leveling process just for the sake of it never interested her that much, so getting a leg up¡ªand the best locations for her to eat brains¡ªsmoothed out the process. Despite ribbing Dent for it, she did have a few handouts at the start that set her above any other Player.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
For one, the [Zombie] Class, due to her weird rebirth in this world. Thanks to one of her other adventures, she also had the [Aspect of Life] Class, which gave her deity-adjacent powers. Chuck had also found a way to wrangle new weapons for the Outsiders, based on how the new System was set up.
Her dagger, [Skeleton Key] ignored all defense of anything she attacked. Everything cut through like butter, despite it not being a butter knife. While she had been relatively fine with the Great Reset, getting her mainstay weapon back was non-negotiable. Her first Class at level 5 went to Necromancer, which came with [Mortis Bolt]. Not quite the same as her old skills, but the ranged magic attack also improved the attacks of nearby undead.
¡°How long do I have to make my decision?¡± she asked.
¡°If you can have your group decided within the hour, that would be great.¡± Dent gave her a shrug. ¡°I know that¡¯s short notice, but the timings still aren¡¯t an exact science. We don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll arrive just before the invasion or during the start.¡±
¡°Neat.¡± Sally pulled a face. ¡°Are there any High Value Players there? Chuck was uncharacteristically light on the details.¡±
Dent shook his head. ¡°None that we can detect. This world has been on our radar for a while, but not one of much interest. Detecting the roach invasion bumped it up in priority.¡±
¡°But¡ Theo is off diplomacy-ing some HVPs, right? How strong are they? Stronger than us?¡± She raised her eyebrows expectantly.
¡°In the same way that you and Theo are Aspects and almost uncontested in your desire to fight against the odds¡ you could consider them your peers, sure.¡± The man sighed, drumming his metal fingers on the clipboard. ¡°They saved their System from a calamity and we want to bring them into Sanctuary. They¡¯d have to start from level 1 again, but with their drive, they could be a huge boon to our goals.¡±
¡°Not to mention the near-immortality,¡± Sally added. She had been to nearly a dozen different worlds, and none of them had the same respawn function as Sanctuary had. They were a shining diamond amongst a blight filled universe, and that was one of the reasons the alien cockroaches wanted to siege Sanctuary.
¡°Actually, don¡¯t mention anything at all. I wasn¡¯t supposed to tell you¡¡± Dent filtered away from the sentence as a flash of blue brought in the similarly colored wireframe form of the Architect.
¡°You forget, Dent,¡± Chuck said with a sly smile, ¡°that I hear everything. These three will be the first HVPs we are reaching out to, as their unique positioning makes our offer that much more tantalizing. That¡¯s all the information you¡¯re getting, however, Sally. I¡¯d rather you focused on your mission, as it is just as important.¡±
Sally grumbled. ¡°If you get my pup sent back in time again, I¡¯ll find a way for you to regret it.¡± Although Theo hadn¡¯t had another accidental time jump since their return from Thrimble, she wasn¡¯t discounting the possibility. ¡°Oh, and was there a decision on our spacesuits? I already ate the guy who suggested skintight fabric like eight times.¡±
Chuck nodded. ¡°As far as I know, he changed his tune after the second time. We figured the most neutral and widely accepted option is for everyone to wear what they like and then put the Guild tabard over.¡±
¡°Oh neat,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°Does it have my logo on it?¡±
Dent shook his head. ¡°Something about a cracked open zombie skull might signal that we are the bad guys. Which we aren¡¯t. I want to make that clear.¡±
¡°Morally ambiguous anti-heroes, maybe?¡± Sally offered.
¡°A group of undead turning up and looking like the invaders would harm our mission,¡± Chuck replied. He waved his hand in the air and a screen appeared, showing the design of the tabard. ¡°First impressions are everything, as always.¡±
It was simple enough. A gradient that ran from light to dark blue. Silver edging that wove around in spirals. The center was a large silver star, not unlike the ones on their wrists, with five smaller stars between the gaps of the five points of the larger.
¡°It gets eight points just for not making me look like a tube of male-gaze toothpaste,¡± Sally said with a shrug. ¡°The blue clashes, but I¡¯m sure it will be covered in blood and vomit in no time.¡±
Chuck waved the image away and gave her a sour look. ¡°Yes. Hopefully after you have landed on the world and not before. The vessel will act as a small slice of Sanctuary. A beacon, if you will. No more skill or level resetting.¡±
Sally whistled. ¡°Way to bury the lede, Chucky. I get to kick roach ass with the full force of my boot.¡±
¡°Exactly. Or rather¡ it¡¯s important to know how our current strength sizes up to their forces. Although saving that world is an important part of your mission, the information we can gain is just as vital. They know that we can respawn, so their attempt to attack Sanctuary seems shortsighted¡ unless they have ways of mitigating that power we have.¡±
¡°Ah, I see.¡± The zombie nodded sagely. ¡°Like if I never stopped vomiting, eventually there would be no clear space for people to respawn. The world would fill with it.¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡¡± the Architect shared a glance with Dent. ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, I suppose. You should start working on your team now. Although everyone was back there in the meeting room, I sent them away so you could just call on the ones you wanted to ask. With only four spots available, I¡¯m sure more than a few will be eager to join you.¡±
She would rather have Theo by her side, but she had enough strong friends to pick from. Whether they wanted to travel through the Sea to beat up a few bugs was another thing¡ but sharpening their teeth on the group intending to wage war in a couple of months was bound to sway some who would usually be on the fence.
¡°Alright,¡± she gave him a grin. ¡°Send me to-¡±
Before she could finish the sentence, a wave of vertigo washed over her, and the familiar light of a teleportation faded from her eyes. One she focused again, she found herself in a small room. No windows, and the walls were a smooth white. A table and two chairs opposite each other on either side were the only furnishings.
With a renewed grin, she sat down and brought up the Outsiders guild member list.
¡°Time to interview the unusual suspects,¡± she said.
284 - Two of Four
Sally chewed on the end of a pencil, her brow furrowed as she flicked over a few pieces of paper. Exhaling through her nose, she looked up at the figure sitting across the table from her. The first of her potential interviewees.
With their large suit of plate armor made out of midnight-black metal, it was hard to not recognize the Death Knight. Not only because he was her adoptive father, and had been a core part of her Party for a lot of their adventures¡ªnor even because behind his crown-laden skull of white was constantly waving crimson flame¡ªbut there was just nobody else who fit that silhouette.
¡°Your mother wondered if you had time for a brunch meet-up before the mission,¡± he said, his voice deep.
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°This is a professional meeting, pops. Please treat it as such.¡±
Humphrey leaned forward. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re reading a recipe list for banoffee pancakes?¡±
¡°I can¡¯t think of anything more important than breakfast foods.¡± She closed the folder and narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Alright, Mr. Head of Security, send me your basic information list, since nobody bothered to prep me.¡±
The Death Knight shrugged and sent his screen across.
[Humphrey Danger - Level 45 Death Knight]
[Classes]
[Death Knight 5]
[Bulkwark 2]
[Master Duelist 3]
[Key Skills]
[Greatsword Mastery 9]
[Gravewarden Aura 4]
[Challenge 7]
The zombie clucked her tongue. ¡°You know, I was kinda annoyed at the change where we could only have one aura each. I suppose it makes sense, but I liked being overpowered, you know?¡±
¡°Of course, ha-ha.¡± Humphrey grinned. He drummed his metal fingers on the desk. ¡°They are difficult to level, however.¡±
¡°Only because you spend so much time working your day job. I¡¯m sure you have people to pass it on to now.¡± Sally crossed her arms. Although she was a big fan of their lives being much easier since they took over the System, sometimes she missed the comaraderie of the group of them adventuring together.
He shrugged. ¡°Yes, and no. My connection to the Observers helps run things smoothly, but actual security threats since the Collector attacked have been pretty low. That¡¯s why I¡¯m sitting here, of course.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t need this ingredient list to tell me that you¡¯re the priority ask when it comes to the frontline tank position.¡± Sally tapped a finger on the closed folder for effect. ¡°Our relationship notwithstanding, I trust you in that role and know that you¡¯ll be the cornerstone for all our future fighting.¡±
Humphrey nodded, a spark of red light at the back of his empty eye-sockets. ¡°I will always do my best to protect you and the others chosen for this Party. The opportunity to learn more about our future foe and put a few of them in the ground along the way is one I cannot pass up.¡±
She puckered her lips and thought on this for a moment. ¡°Plus, you¡¯ll probably get to duel their most powerful roach, and rub it in with Theo that you were there to help when he wasn¡¯t.¡±
The flame behind the Death Knight¡¯s helmet flickered and died down slightly. ¡°No, neither thing crossed my mind.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah. You¡¯ve got the job, pops.¡± Sally sighed and sunk down in her chair a little further. ¡°That was the easy win, however. I¡¯m not sure about the rest of the group. No time for brunch with Norah, I¡¯m afraid, and I guess that means she won¡¯t want to join in?¡±
Humphrey shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately, your mother is quite engaged with the council¡¯s work in the Wasteland. You know how she feels about the new System.¡±
While it was tempting to roll her eyes, she knew exactly how the Mummy felt. Not everyone had been too eager about the new rules and way of skill acquisition. It wasn¡¯t exactly worse, but just different. Having to start from scratch put some people off, and while most had eventually come around to it¡ªeven begrudgingly accepting that it was better¡ªsome had given up on adventuring entirely.
Norah was only level 23 the last she had checked, and while the numbers weren¡¯t always the most important thing, dragging her along just for nostalgia wouldn¡¯t be fair.
Same for Lucius. It was a shame, as his new skill-set was even better than from the old System, but he had settled into his role as being a therapist and overall helper for those in Sanctuary.
¡°We should try to get a more well-rounded team for a change,¡± she eventually decided. ¡°A lot of the Outsiders are Power leaning classes, and we need¡ a Guile and Knowledge focused person to make us more well-rounded.¡±
While they were both Power, Sally had Morale as her secondary stat, and Humphrey had Health as his. It made sense for their roles, mostly due to her Zombie class allowing a lot of her skills to scale of Power instead of Knowledge. Theo filled an empty space there as a Guile and Stamina character, leaning more into his attack speed and stealth in the new System, but the Outsiders were short on Knowledge-based individuals.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Humphrey leaned back in his chair, the small piece of furniture squealing under his weight. ¡°We are looking for a ranged damage dealer, a healer, and then perhaps a utility class? Something rogue-ish?¡±
¡°A healer,¡± Sally repeated with a groan. Something like gold dust in her group. While she had filled that role for a short while, she only had something to help regenerate her minions at the moment.
¡°I believe Edward is Guile and Morale,¡± Humphrey offered. ¡°Probably has itchy enough feet and a grudge against the cockroaches that he¡¯d join up.¡±
¡°He¡¯s on my list,¡± she admitted. ¡°He¡¯ll probably be tolerable enough since Theo isn¡¯t along for the ride¡ which¡ did you know about that?¡±
Humphrey shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why, but Chuck kept that mission very close to his chest. I assume for good reason, it could be that the people Theo is meeting are important or powerful enough that Chuck didn¡¯t want any boat-rocking to get in the way.¡±
¡°I do not rock boats,¡± Sally complained. ¡°But now I¡¯m tempted to. At least when we¡¯re all back home safe.¡±
The Death Knight nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure things will be fine. Did you want me to leave so you can conduct the rest of the interviews?¡±
She let this question roll around her head a little. There was a part of her that wanted to invite Humphrey to sit in with her, but given that they¡¯d be going off on a mission¡ having a space where it was just one on one meant fewer voices driving her crazy. The Outsiders could yap with the best of them, and she was saving her mania for later.
¡°Hmm. Yes, please. Stay available though, in case I need to contact you for advice.¡± She gave him a smile. ¡°Thanks, pops. It will be fun fighting together again.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± He gave her a wide grin and stood up from the chair. ¡°I cannot wait.¡±
Sally watched him leave before sighing. Things were a lot more straightforward when it was the five of them against the world. Now it was too simple. Even dropping onto the random worlds and having to start from scratch felt mundane after the first handful. In truth, they had all expected the new System to take years to get off the ground, and she and Theo would need to slowly make permanent new skills from the worlds they were saving and acquiring.
Something about their ascension into Aspects of Life and Death, and Chuck becoming the intangible spirit of the System had turned that process into a few months of hard slog. There was a danger in doing it before the space cockroaches arrived from across the Sea¡ but they had come to the agreement to push it through. Now they could keep their progress no matter where they went in the Sea, with the help of the spaceship they had built.
It was all so bizarre. The days of struggling against a handful of basic monsters had long passed. Perhaps that was one of the reasons she liked going back to the Forest so much, to harass all the low levels while they started their struggle.
She sighed once more and picked the chewed pencil back up. Eyes up to her STAR menus, she sent a message to Edward.
It was barely two seconds before there was a flash of light, and the demon appeared before her. Already a coy grin across his sharp teeth, hair slicked back between two horns. He dusted down his lavender suit and gave her a brief bow.
¡°It always amazes me how you forget the normal conventions surrounding doors,¡± she said, gesturing to the chair with a dull expression on her face.
¡°You wanted me here, and I am here,¡± he replied, a wider grin on his face. The demon pulled out the chair and sat down. ¡°Before you even ask, I¡¯m in.¡±
Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re supposed to have some banter first. Threaten to betray us and destroy the ship. Something about stabbing us in the back, yada yada. The usual.¡±
Edward pulled a face and sunk back into the chair. ¡°It¡¯s no fun if you preempt it.¡±
¡°If you¡¯re only signing up for revenge, then I don¡¯t need to hear it. I need cool heads on deck, and I know you¡¯re proficient when you¡¯re not being sinister.¡±
He grunted. ¡°Poppy says that I shouldn¡¯t hold grudges, and I¡¯ll hold that against her until I die. I want to kill all the roaches to prove that I don¡¯t have to.¡±
¡°Ignoring for a moment that doesn¡¯t make any sense, how is Poppy doing? It¡¯s been a while. I feel so bad I can¡¯t meet up with all of my pals as often as I¡¯d like.¡±
Edward smiled, his eyes drifting off to the ceiling as he thought. ¡°She¡¯s great. After the Great Reset, she decided that she didn¡¯t want to be a knight anymore. Now she¡¯s running an orphanage.¡±
¡°Really? For cats, right?¡± Sally gave him a smile in return.
¡°Correct. Beats me why, but it keeps her happy.¡± The demon¡¯s eyes turned back to the zombie, some of the fire in them petered out. ¡°I want to help repel our foes so that I can keep things like that safe.¡±
¡°I knew you were a softie.¡± She clicked her fingers. ¡°Revenge is fine too. I was just busting your balls. Send me your basic information sheet so I can add to my records.¡±
[Edward - Level 38 Demon Diplomat]
[Classes]
[Backstabber 2]
[Betrayer 2]
[Diplomat 1]
[Grand Manipulator 3]
[Key Skills]
[Rapier Mastery 8]
[Delude 7]
[Poison Mastery 6]
¡°Reading your skill list is always a trip.¡± Sally shook her head. ¡°Why the System has those kinds of Classes is beyond me. I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t have something called ¡®Sinister Motherfucker¡¯.¡±
The demon put his hands behind his head and tilted the chair back. ¡°I¡¯m hoping to get that at level 40. Most of my skills are just good for deception, or seeing through various tricks.¡±
¡°Not to mention Morale lowering skills.¡± The zombie opened up her folder, the recipe staring straight back at her. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re in. Although we are potentially going into a battlefield scenario, your soft skills might also be helpful in dealing with the local populace.¡±
¡°How much do we know about them?¡±
Sally blinked, the sketch of the tasty-looking pancakes unable to distract her from the question. ¡°Not¡ much at all, really. I¡¯m just making the team with the vision of fighting off roaches. The rest of the world briefing will come later. I assume smarter minds than mine have that handled.¡±
He managed to bite back a snappy retort to that statement.
¡°Any advice for who might also be good for the group?¡± she asked.
Edward shrugged. ¡°I would have said Theo, but apparently he has gone off-world, which is unfair. They didn¡¯t even warn me.¡± He ignored the glare Sally was giving him. ¡°Assuming you have already picked Humphrey, then you are looking for ranged and healing support. Have you thought about Jackie?¡±
¡°As far as I know, she is still happy enough running the tavern.¡± Sally pulled a face. She hadn¡¯t met up with the former mobster in a while, and when they had, they didn¡¯t really discuss levels or anything.
¡°Might be worth a¡ shot.¡± The demon winked before vanishing with a flash of blue.
Sally rolled her eyes again, unsure whether that was meant to be a double or triple pun. Still, there was nothing that said she had to do the interviews in this room. A little liquid lunch might smooth over this process.
And she could always eat some newbies while there. It would be rude not to.
285 - Offer You Wont Refuse
Dent rubbed at his metal palm like he was massaging it, eyebrows furrowed as he focused. It was probably getting close to two years since he lost the arm, yet he still got phantom pains in it. With a sigh, he closed down the screens he had been staring at and relaxed into his chair.
Not two seconds later, there was a shimmer of blue as Chuck appeared in the room.
¡°You look like you¡¯ve been doing too much thinking and not enough sword practice,¡± the Architect said as he stepped over to the desk.
¡°Do you ever consider how odd it is that the strongest person and most reliable hero for Sanctuary is a slightly mentally unstable zombie?¡± Dent leaned back in his chair, ignoring the jab about his lack of training opportunities. ¡°No disrespect to Sally, of course.¡±
Chuck shrugged. ¡°Do you ever consider that you¡¯re married to an intangible digitized demi-god?¡±
¡°Fair point.¡±
¡°We¡¯re all a little odd and defy expectations.¡± The Architect leaned against the table, his holographic form shifting slightly. ¡°Sally repeatedly gets results even against the odds and has the uncanny ability to draw people to her.¡±
¡°Those that she doesn¡¯t eat,¡± Dent added.
¡°True. Collateral and aesthetics aside, she is exactly what any fighting force needs.¡± The Architect smiled. ¡°I see what you¡¯re getting at, however. Part of her success is no doubt due to how unlikely a hero she is. Despite our intention to save people and worlds from the cruelty of the uncaring Systems, her actions often drag us to a more neutral alignment.¡±
¡°Speaking of that¡¡± Dent leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. ¡°We don¡¯t usually meddle with ¡®solved¡¯ worlds. What¡¯s with the urgent need to send Theo away? Wanting to recruit powerful Players for the war ahead?¡±
¡°Not exactly. They¡¯ll be reset to level one if they join us, so won¡¯t be an immediate asset.¡±
¡°But it¡¯s their mentality, right?¡±
Chuck smiled and gave him a nod. ¡°I¡¯m betting they are like our own home-grown heroes, constantly moving to strive against the odds. Hopefully, a little more sane, but we can¡¯t expect miracles. If they prefer to sit back and live an easy life, then that is fine as well¡ what better reward for saving their world?¡±
Dent raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s not the only reason, though. You forget that nobody knows you like I do.¡±
The Architect rolled his eyes, but instead of responding, just waved his hand and brought up a screen of information to hover in the middle of the room.
After a few moments, the swordsman leaned back in his chair and whistled. ¡°A rare selfish act from our benevolent god?¡±
¡°We¡¯re all different shades of monster, Dent.¡±
Sally pulled a face, sticking her tongue out as she pushed the near-full mug of ale away from her. ¡°Sorry, Fran. Still can¡¯t drink the stuff ever since Chuck tied the knot.¡±
The dark elf nodded. ¡°I heard that town still has a street that smells like vomit, even after weeks of cleaning.¡±
¡°Dent is to blame. He knows egging me and Theo on is a recipe for destruction. I¡¯m pretty sure I killed five people¡¯s worth of livers that night with how much I drank.¡±
¡°As well as triple that in actual people killed.¡±
Sally grinned and looked around the tavern. It was relatively quiet, which made sense for how early in the day it was. There was something about the rustic warmth of the wooden tones that made this one of her favorite places in the world¡ªeven with all the cool new areas they had been adding over the last few months. Actual off-world missions had been slowing down lately after several occasions where Chuck had yapped on and on about power capacity or System-cores.
She should probably pay more attention¡ but anything that didn¡¯t involve her next meal-adjacent adventure was usually not something she needed to worry about. As much as Theo¡¯s disappearance annoyed her, preparing for a fight against the roaches was keeping her mind busy.
¡°I¡¯ve actually come to see Jackie,¡± the zombie said, turning her red eyes back to the barwoman.
¡°I figured it wasn¡¯t just a social call.¡± Fran smiled and gestured towards the side door. ¡°She¡¯s out back. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s something about the meeting you all had earlier.¡±
¡°Sure is. It¡¯s a shame you never joined the Outsiders, Fran.¡± Sally stood from the bar-side stool and stretched her back out. ¡°I feel bad as I¡¯m about to ask to take her away from you. If she¡¯s even up for that¡¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
¡°Part-time minor antagonist didn¡¯t really suit me.¡± The dark elf pushed white hair behind her long ears with a smile. ¡°The new System actually gives me skills relating to being a tavern owner, so I¡¯ve never been happier. As for Jacks, you can ask her yourself.¡±
¡°I will do just that.¡± Sally gave her a nod as she went off to the side door. The one with the sign that said ¡®employees only¡¯. Now that she had permission, it was less fun to break the rules. She¡¯d just have to find something else to do later on to make up for it.
Pushing through, she found herself in a hallway that went off to the right. Crates and stored items littered the passageway, but the pinstripe jacket and fedora hanging outside the door across from her probably meant that the mobster was through that way.
Sally twisted the handle and stepped through, emerging into a room that was much bigger than she had been expecting. Extending out a good forty feet, the end of the room had a few training dummies peppered with crossbow bolts. There was nothing but clear space between them and the table to her right, where a familiar figure stood.
Wearing a black undershirt with suspenders over, pinstripe slacks, and polished dress shoes, a puff of smoke wavered around Jackie as she turned to face the zombie. Her purple hair was tied up, and she must have been working out for a while, given how sweaty she was.
¡°Ey, Sals,¡± the mobster said, a wry grin on her face as she removed the faux-cigarette. ¡°Caught me red-handed.¡±
Sally grinned. ¡°Not quite retired then?¡±
With a shake of her head, Jackie sat against the table. ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping it on the down low, but somethin¡¯s been burning inside since that bug tried to kidnap us all. The Great Reset gave me the kick in the pants to sort myself out.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you then, Jacks.¡± Sally looked downrange at the dummies. ¡°I¡¯m putting a team together to fight roaches as per the meeting earlier. You up for the task?¡±
Jackie tilted her head back, looking at the ceiling for a moment. ¡°Yeah¡ I got your back, toots. Revenge aside, I figure I owe the big man one for fixin¡¯ up Betty for me.¡± The mobster stepped away from the table to reveal the drum-fed repeating crossbow, all sleek black metal with silver accents that matched her pinstripe suit.
¡°Send me over your summary then, just for administrative purposes.¡± The zombie made the show of pushing up imaginary glasses as she read through the provided information.
[Jackie - Level 31 Mobster]
[Classes]
[Don 4]
[Headhunter 3]
[Key Skills]
[Suppressive Fire 5]
[Explosive Shot 7]
[Hellfire Reload 8]
¡°Perfect.¡± Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°What aura do you have?¡±
¡°Increased critical chance.¡± The mobster shrugged. ¡°A little basic, but with my rate of attack, it is efficient. Who else is in the gang?¡±
¡°Got pops in front as the tank, and Edward as melee damage.¡±
Jackie pulled a face, taking a puff of her cigarette. ¡°Not sure how I feel about the demon, but he has good taste in suits, at least. Tin-can makes sense, but I¡¯m surprised fangs ain¡¯t joining us.¡±
¡°He¡¯s away on a business venture,¡± the zombie said, putting on a sour expression. ¡°Not that anyone told me anything. That just leaves us with a healing support position to be filled.¡±
¡°Anyone in mind?¡±
Sally shook her head. ¡°The Outsiders are actually pretty devoid of proper spellcasters, let alone healers. Sometimes I think I should have gone that route.¡±
¡°Nah, you¡¯re best in the thick of it.¡± Jackie frowned. ¡°What about Bully? One of the few Insiders that bothered to level.¡±
She considered this. Their sister guild¡ªthe Insiders¡ªwere led by Dent and mostly dealt with research, development, and maintenance of the System and Sanctuary itself. While Chuck was still keen on keeping most of the responsibilities to himself, it had been a boon for the world to have another group for him to bounce thoughts off of. Other than Lana, she didn¡¯t really know many people in that guild.
[Sally: Hey Lana!]
[Sally: Is Bully at HQ? I need a meeting.]
[Lana: Hey! He is, I can let him know to expect you?]
[Sally: Please, will be there imminently.]
Sally clicked her fingers. ¡°Thanks, Jacks. I realize I¡¯m the worst, but we¡¯re planning on leaving as soon as possible. You okay to get ready and head to the Architect¡¯s Tower?¡±
¡°Consider it done, toots.¡± The mobster gave her a nod.
With a flash of blue light, Sally teleported away from the tavern and appeared in a room that couldn¡¯t be more different. Smooth, white walls covered in bookshelves, desks with various instruments, folders, and tools. Well-lit and clinical. She turned her head and grinned at the woman sitting behind the desk.
¡°Do you ever knock?¡± Lana asked, a smile on her face. Her curled dark hair that matched her complexion was held back with a red band, while round glasses sat on her nose. The lab coat that she wore was a far cry from the adventuring gear she used to wear, but her new role suited her.
¡°Perks of being the Architect¡¯s favorite,¡± Sally replied, sticking out her tongue. As heroes of the world, she and Theo had been given a [Key to Sanctuary] each. Something that could teleport them around to certain locations, with limitations, when on ¡®official¡¯ business. ¡°You¡¯ll have to double forgive me, as I can¡¯t stay and chat.¡±
¡°As one of the few Insiders that gets invited to the big meetings, I understand what¡¯s going on.¡± Lana leaned back in her chair. ¡°If you¡¯re making a team for the mission, then Bully is probably your best bet from us here. Down the hall, follow the blue line to room G5.¡±
¡°Thanks, Lana. When I get back, I think we need to have a gal¡¯s night to catch up.¡±
¡°Sounds fun. Good luck, Sally.¡±
The zombie grinned and left the room, wincing as she stepped into an equally brightly lit hallway. Maybe by the time she got back they¡¯d have one or more people to invite to said gathering, depending on who Theo brought to Sanctuary. Hopefully, the dork would reply to her messages so she would know he was okay, at least.
Down on the floor were two lines. One blue and one red. She fought the urge to follow the red one and instead followed the correct route to the left. Sally held her hand out and flexed her fingers.
There was some irony in being the Aspect of Life, but not being a healer. The Great Reset had muddied up what powers she actually had. No healing, as such, but she could fix certain things. Reattach limbs. Reanimate more than just humanoid zombies. Return things to how they should be.
Room G5.
Sally blinked away her thoughts as she reached the intended destination. Hand out toward the handle, she paused as there was a crash from inside the room. A couple of seconds of silence, and then there was another smash like broken crockery.
Exhaling through her nose, her hand went down to her dagger as she pushed the door open.
286 - Hop to It
Sally paused in the open doorway and looked at the carnage aside. The figure within, perched awkwardly over the chair and the desk in the middle of the room, stood equally frozen due to her appearance.
Assuming this was the person she was looking for, Bully was a frogman. Barely five feet tall, his bulbous yellow eyes were a contrast to his blue-green skin. His pink tongue was currently extended and stuck to a cupboard on the side wall, his mouth open like an iguana while his eyes focused on the zombie. The frogman was wearing khaki shorts and shirt in a cliche safari adventurer design, paired with a small hat that had a string strap beneath his wide chin.
She took one look at the broken glass vials on the floor before raising an eyebrow at the frogman. ¡°Doctor Bully, I presume?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not a doctor,¡± he replied, his voice muffled due to his tongue being several feet out of his mouth. ¡°There was a fly.¡±
Sally looked at the cupboard as it slowly opened under the weight of his extended appendage. ¡°Did you get it?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± The tongue slipped down and return to his mouth as the frogman climbed back off of his table and onto the chair. ¡°How can I help you¡?¡±
¡°Sally Danger,¡± she said with a grin, stepping into the room properly. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a healer slash supporting adventurer for a mission on another world.¡±
¡°Another world,¡± Bully repeated, putting a webbed hand on his chin as he looked at the ceiling in thought. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to go to somewhere unexplored. That said, I¡¯m not much of an adventurer.¡±
¡°It would involve fighting monsters, or at least providing healing and aid to the rest of my group.¡± She clicked her fingers and sat on the chair opposite. ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s also a last-minute request, as we would need to leave relatively soon.¡±
The frogman nodded and turned his yellow eyes to the zombie. ¡°What do I get out of it?¡±
She shrugged and wrinkled up her nose. ¡°What do you want?¡± For most of her career, just the desire to fix things and overcome odds was enough incentive. That and all the brains she could eat.
¡°My going rate is five gold per day, plus renumeration for any consumables or ingredients used. Additional ten percent on wear and tear costs based on how long we are away.¡±
Sally nodded slowly. ¡°Can I give you twenty up front and then we¡¯ll see how it goes?¡±
He licked his tongue around his mouth, his expression easy to read. ¡°Good, good. When do we set off?¡±
¡°Hold your horses, bud. Send me over your information first so that I know what I¡¯m buying into.¡± She crossed her arms and waited for the screen to be provided.
[Jackie - Level 28 Frogman Explorer]
[Classes]
[Alchemist 3]
[Explorer 2]
[Medic 1]
[Key Skills]
[Brew Potion 8]
[Lifeforce Renewal 4]
[Keen Eye 7]
¡°Neat.¡± Sally nodded at the Classes. ¡°You¡¯ll be the lowest level of us, but we can keep you safe enough.¡± She took a moment to consider the odd group she had put together. Not really her most comfortable or familiar Party, but people she trusted enough for killing some bugs on a different planet.
¡°What happens if I do die?¡±
¡°You respawn on the spaceship and can¡¯t return to the world or to Sanctuary until the job is complete. Or¡ until we¡¯re all dead.¡± She smiled and leaned back in the chair. ¡°Which isn¡¯t likely.¡±
Bully shrugged and looked around the room. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in. It will be a pleasure serving alongside you, Sally.¡±
[Bully has joined the Party]
[Humphrey has joined the Party]
[Jackie has joined the Party]
[Edward has joined the Party]
¡°It¡¯s all coming together.¡± She grinned and flexed her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s get everyone prepared.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not a fan of the tabard,¡± Edward complained, leaning back in his chair and pulling a face.
Jackie sneered at her own. ¡°Gotta say I agree with demon-boy here.¡±
With a roll of her eyes, Sally tried to tune them out. She was used to having a group of people who couldn¡¯t stop complaining or being weird in the background. That didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t distracting while she was trying to focus on the mission at hand¡ and if she engaged with the conversation, she¡¯d only end up agreeing with them.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
The problem with that was she had been made the de facto leader of the Party. While they were acting even more remotely than usual, it was important that she acted the role.
¡°Just wear them for now and we¡¯ll take them off when in orbit.¡± Humphrey sighed and shook his head. ¡°They are just to show the locals we are some manner of virtuous heroes and not a bunch of world-hopping murderhobos.¡±
Sally smiled to herself as she flicked through the mission dossier. Between the five of them they were quite the sight, and she doubted the tabard would really change how they were seen, but she was thankful she could rely on the Death Knight to hold things together in her stead.
She looked up from the table in the corner of the hanger as Bully placed down a glass bottle beside the paperwork. ¡°Healing potion?¡± she asked. It was reddish in color like the usual System-created fare, but had an odd sheen to it as if it was extra oily or full of glitter.
¡°It¡¯s a Flask,¡± he said. ¡°You can only have one of these active at a time, but they provided a constant buff for up to twelve hours.¡±
Gingerly, she plucked it up, watching the surface of the liquid within reflect the light oddly before she placed it in her inventory.
[Flask of Power] [+10% Power, Regenerate 1% HP every 5 seconds.]
¡°Wow, that¡¯s really good. I forgot to ask you what your aura ability was?¡±
His wide mouth down-turned as he looked away sheepishly. ¡°I don¡¯t have one yet. The ones offered by my Class selections so far haven¡¯t been useful for my career.¡±
¡°No worries.¡± Sally tidied up the paperwork back into the folder and looked over at the spaceship.
Even with the relatively competent Party she had managed to cobble together, she was still missing having Theo about. Even Lucius and Norah would have made it feel more like old times again. Normally she wasn¡¯t so nostalgic or clingy, but something about using the Sea-faring vessel had her a little more nervous than usual. Not that the usual way of traveling to other worlds was any more safe¡ things were just new.
As a door opened up to the left, she turned her eyes over to see Dent step into the hanger. The swordsman gave the trio arguing about the tabards a brief glance before clocking the zombie.
¡°I almost expected you to take much longer to arrange this,¡± he said, walking over.
She grinned. ¡°You know me, Dent. I always bring the best brains together. It¡¯s just I¡¯m not feasting on them for a change.¡±
¡°I also know that you¡¯re nervous, and not just because you¡¯re taking the yet unnamed ship out of a spin.¡± Dent pulled out a chair and sat with her as the frogman wandered off.
¡°Well, if it¡¯s not about brains, you know what else usually concerns me.¡±
He nodded. ¡°Stakes.¡±
¡°The times that things go to plan are few and far between.¡± She tilted her head and looked at her gathered oddballs. ¡°I understand the safety measures you and Chuck have put in place for this whole thing, but there¡¯s just a feeling that¡ there¡¯s a nasty surprise just waiting for us.¡±
¡°No such thing as a quiet patrol, huh? That¡¯s why you¡¯re in charge here, though. If there is anyone that could be thrown directly into the thick of it and find a way out, it¡¯s you.¡± He raised up his metal hand. ¡°That¡¯s not to say we expect trouble, but your competence is part of our safety measures.¡±
¡°Even so, I reckon I¡¯ll be bloodied and throwing up within an hour of dropping onto this new world¡ which is called Nifra.¡± Sally tapped a finger on the closed folder. ¡°You sure that we can¡¯t hold out for Theo to return?¡±
He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. He will likely be gone for a few days, and the cockroach invasion is anytime between¡ well, three hours ago and nine ahead of us. The Sea makes it hard to determine exactly.¡±
With a sigh, Sally gave her Party another glum glance. Perhaps it was the additional separation from Sanctuary that had her feeling out of place. While the spaceship was technically a small bubble of her world, death wouldn¡¯t bring her home like usual¡ it would just leave her stuck on their vessel.
What would happen if something blew up the spaceship?
She asked this question out loud to the swordsman, figuring that it would be important to know if the roaches also traveled in similar fashion.
¡°Death will take you back to the ship unless it is rendered totally destroyed, in which case you would return here to respawn in the old fashion.¡±
Every time it was explained how the rules were in their favor, it made less sense to her why the roaches were even coming to Sanctuary to try to steal the ability to respawn. The world had grown in both size and population since the collector had arrived here to kidnap people. There was no way a traditional battle would get them what they sought.
She clucked her tongue and sighed. ¡°Alright then, best stop overthinking and start getting towards the point I can stab people. You said the ship was unnamed?¡±
¡°Yes¡ but I have the power to veto.¡± Dent narrowed his eyes and stood up. ¡°Only fitting as the first captain you get to¡ attempt to name it.¡±
¡°Neat!¡± Sally hopped up to her feet, knocking the chair over as she pointed her index finger at the vessel. ¡°I name you¡¡± She paused and furrowed her brow. ¡°Shit, what did STAR stand for again?¡±
Dent raised an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s not really an acronym.¡±
¡°Really? Why¡¯s it always in capital letters, then?¡± She scowled at the spaceship as though it were at fault. ¡°Uh¡ in that case¡ TRAIN.¡±
¡°Vetoed.¡±
¡°Balls. You really picked the worst person for this.¡± The zombie deflated slightly, before looking over at her Party who was now paying attention to proceedings along with pretending they were content with the tabards in front of Dent.
Before she had the chance to give the naming a second stab, a small blue shape shimmered and appeared on the table - turning into the familiar shape of a ginger cat.
¡°Archie!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°You woke up especially to see us off?¡±
¡°Far from it,¡± the cat replied, sitting and curling his tail around his feet. ¡°I am essentially your on-board Chuck when the ship is out in the Sea.¡±
Her eyes glimmered as she looked between him and the inert vehicle.
¡°In that case, I have the purr-fect name for it.¡±
287 - Ready to Sail
The inside of the spaceship wasn¡¯t too out of the expected, visually. Sleek lines and rounded corners, all in various shades of gray. Lights and panels here and there. Five small bedrooms, an area for sitting and eating, then the rest was a long room with the actual controls - as well as a window currently looking out at the interior of the hangar.
¡°I was actually thinking you¡¯d go for a cat pun,¡± Edward said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
Sally looked up from Archie on her lap and pulled a face at the demon. ¡°Why would you think that?¡±
He opened his mouth, but promptly closed it and let that conversation go.
Humphrey had been pacing up and down the bridge, his heavy metal feet clunking against the floor, until he stopped by the two of them. ¡°Omen is a rather simple name, but carries a certain gravitas to it.¡±
The zombie nodded. ¡°In all capital letters, though. Another faux acronym to really confuse everyone.¡±
She ignored the rolled eyes of her companions and glanced at the mission briefing folder on the table. Even with all the weird adventures she had gotten herself into, flying in a spaceship was something else. Chuck had explained that they weren¡¯t really going into space¡ the Sea all the System worlds sat in was more of an infinite void. The viewing window across the front of the Omen would act like more of a monitor and show a created cosmos, but mostly for the sanity of the group onboard.
Although, looking at them, there weren¡¯t exactly a great amount of brain cells to be saved. It just made the process a little more comfortable compared to traveling in a sealed metal box.
¡°Feels like way too long since I got into trouble,¡± she murmured to herself.
Archie looked up from her lap, his bright green eyes shimmering. ¡°This isn¡¯t supposed to be trouble, is it?¡±
¡°Eh.¡± Sally shrugged. "I¡¯ve been through enough to know this isn¡¯t going to be a simple thing. If I turned up, killed some roaches, and ¡®ported back home without issues, then¡ well, why would you be sending me if it was that easy?"
The cat didn¡¯t respond, but his tail snaked back and forth as he smiled at her.
¡°It¡¯s not often we need a full Party,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°Given that I¡¯m allowed to go on the mission and put a pause on my role in Sanctuary, it must mean that there¡¯s more to it than we¡¯ve been told.¡±
Edward sighed deeply, but didn¡¯t add a comment.
¡°I assure you,¡± Archie began, ¡°we wouldn¡¯t hold back any information from you. This is a rare opportunity to learn more about the enemy intending to siege us. Success is paramount.¡±
Sally prodded his ginger fur. ¡°Then why not send Theo as well? You know the pair of us could make it through anything.¡±
¡°As you have been told, it is equally important that we gain allies through powerful Players from other worlds. The trio Theo is meeting are on a level above anyone we have come across so far.¡±
¡°Fangs is slightly better at diplomacy,¡± Jackie offered. The mobster was sitting down at the other end of the room, doing some maintenance on her weapon. ¡°Which ain¡¯t sayin¡¯ much.¡±
Sally pulled a face. They weren¡¯t wrong, and she was certainly happier to be dropping into a fight rather than having to butter up some potential new pals to help defend Sanctuary. The ache of why the roaches felt they could even win a fight here was¡
A flash of blue interrupted her thoughts as Chuck appeared on the ship. He turned and clasped his hands behind his back. ¡°How are you all settling in?¡±
The murmurs in response weren¡¯t too encouraging.
¡°How long is the travel time?¡± Sally asked, a grimace on her face.
Chuck shrugged at first, his face going through several emotions. ¡°It¡¯s¡ complicated. Time is irregular in the Sea, and you¡¯re not physically traveling through it. The whole spaceship getup is rather performative¡ªfor your comfort and sanity¡ªand this method is actually slower than our usual way.¡±
¡°Because it is safer, correct?¡± The Death Knight tilted his head and the flame coming from the back of his helmet flickered.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
¡°Correct. We are essentially transporting a small bubble of Sanctuary across the Sea to join up with the bubble of the world you are traveling to.¡± The Architect relaxed. ¡°Your bodies will experience about a day of travel before arriving.¡±
Sally furrowed a brow. ¡°Will it also be a day for you here before you see us arrive?¡±
Chuck nodded slowly.
¡°Then¡ it sounds like it just takes a day.¡± She rolled her eyes and deflated in her chair.
For all this time, Bully hadn¡¯t felt like getting involved in the conversation. As soon as the frogman had set foot on the OMEN, he had set himself up in the corner and produced a table of his own, upon which he was working on some potions. Or making lunch - Sally had tried to guess but had long given up.
¡°How do items and things work in the unconquered world?¡± he asked, his bulbous eyes now swiveling to the blue form of the Architect.
Chuck turned his head. ¡°We aren¡¯t conquering the world. Please try to appear like you are the good guys¡¡± His eyes moved between each of them, realizing how unlikely that was. ¡°Do you mean how the conversion between the two Systems works?¡±
The frogman nodded. ¡°If I take a potion that gives a boost to Guile, but they don¡¯t have Guile as a stat¡ or what if they give me a potion that increases a stat that Sanctuary doesn¡¯t have, like¡ Obliqueness.¡±
¡°Essentially, your interactions would convert things to something the STAR System understands where possible.¡±
Edward grinned, revealing his sharp teeth. ¡°So you¡¯re saying the STAR System conquers theirs?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know why I bother.¡± Chuck threw his arms up in resignation, while the others grinned.
Sally smiled, but her thoughts were elsewhere. While his excuse as to why time was different but the same didn¡¯t make much sense to her, all it did was make her think of Theo and the two notable times he went back to the past. Glancing at the lack of a window to her side, she wondered what the fanged goofball was up to now.
Theo wiped the blood from his eyes, trying to gain his vision back. A cut across the forehead wasn¡¯t exactly ideal, and the punctured lung was even less so. As a crossbow bolt struck him through the thigh, piercing through to the other side, he raised a healing potion to his lips with a shaking hand.
¡°This seems really inefficient,¡± a voice came from his side. ¡°And potentially masochistic.¡±
He finished gulping down the warm red liquid and gasped, dropping the empty vial to the blood-soaked grass. Still half-blinded, he caught the swing of a sword, the blade biting into his palm.
¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right,¡± Theo said, grinning so widely that his long fangs were exposed. ¡°Why don¡¯t we finish this, then?¡±
A burst of energy radiated from the vampire in an instant, vaporizing the blood in a five-foot area. It became a faint red mist that swirled around him. With a quick flick of his wrist, he twisted the sword away from his assailant, breaking the arm of the bandit before shoving it back through their throat. He then spun and launched the blade out like a throwing weapon, impaling the second bandit holding a bow.
His eyes now clear and burning red, he tilted his head to the side to grin at the speaker as the mist of crimson faded away.
The woman didn¡¯t share his sense of humor, and stood with her arms crossed. She was a gnome, her head bald and tattooed with interlacing patterns. Other than the mass of gemstones she wore around her neck, her outfit was a rather simple swathe of brown leathers and dark furs.
¡°Sorry, Dee,¡± Theo said, standing back up straight and straightening his suit out. ¡°I had hoped grinding out some skills would help me get off this starter island quicker.¡±
She didn¡¯t adjust her posture at all, but narrowed her hazel eyes. ¡°You get skills by leveling up. You can get off of the island once the quest chain is complete. Once you¡¯ve looted that heirloom, we can head back and-¡±
¡°No offence,¡± he cut her off, ¡°but I get my skills a different way. That said, getting maimed wasn¡¯t really helping. I had hoped there would be region specific upgrades or something, but it¡¯s just the same defensive abilities which I already have near maximum.¡±
Dee exhaled through her nose. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure I believe your story, but you are way too powerful. Even the best monks and brawlers from my tribe wouldn¡¯t be able to go up against your fists.¡±
Theo smiled again, the light catching his fangs. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m no martial artist. I just haven¡¯t felt the need to bring out my actual weapons.¡±
Some of the disdain left the gnome¡¯s face to be replaced by confusion. ¡°You¡¯ve just been¡ playing this whole time?¡±
¡°Not exactly. We both arrived at the same time and you wanted to quest together, but it would be rude for me to figuratively carry you and ruin the experience.¡± The vampire put his hands in his pockets.
¡°Ruin the experience? I don¡¯t want to even be here!¡± Dee threw her arms up and sighed. ¡°You were rambling about being from a different world. I took pity on you as you¡¯re clearly insane.¡±
Theo shrugged. ¡°How can you believe that you were taken from your home world to be placed here, but I can¡¯t have done the same, just from another world like this one?¡±
Exasperation was the only response given.
The vampire smiled and looked over to the side as the bandit boss had just respawned. A brute with a large axe, guarding the treasure chest in this small camp. With an outstretched hand, a warhammer was summoned into his grip from his Inventory. A simple weapon with a thick, brick-like end made of dark metal. As he pointed it toward the man, who now noticed them standing there, a pink sheen ran down the shaft toward the head.
Theo smiled. A burst of energy pulsed from the end of his weapon, burning the air and blanketing out sound for a brief second. The space between them shimmered with intense heat, as his opponent was now left completely missing any body from the waste up. A long spray of red painted the dirt and grass for a good forty feet away from the inert opponent.
As the remnants of the bandit leader flopped over, the vampire spun the warhammer around before resting it over his shoulder. He looked back at the shocked gnome and grinned.
¡°C¡¯mon then, let¡¯s quest. I need to go find those three heroes on the mainland.¡±
288 - Layover
Sally¡¯s knuckles paled, her hands gripped tightly on the edge of the table as the spaceship shook for the second time.
The rest of the group were in a similar state of discomfort, holding onto whatever furnishing were closest to them. Bully had sworn under his breath after the first deep vibration had knocked one of his potion bottles to the floor, and now he sat hunched over with his arms wrapped around the others.
¡°Just the power transferring from Sanctuary to the ship,¡± Archie explained. The ginger cat was sitting on the floor, still looking pleased with himself. ¡°One more and we¡¯ll be ready.¡±
The fact that it was this troubling and they were still sitting in the hanger put Sally¡¯s teeth on edge. There was only a low chance they would die and not respawn if the process went terribly wrong, but she knew not to discount the near-impossible. Being in a dangerous position without the ability to stab or eat her way out sounded like the worst way to go.
A third shock rattled the OMEN. Edward sat with his face in his hands, taking a break from trying to bait Jackie to violence to ponder his own existence. Humphrey was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Any attempt to seem quietly confident over the process was dampened by how low his helmet flames were. The mobster herself had her eyes closed, but she was also subtly rubbing at her wedding ring.
¡°Systems are ready. Everything green.¡± Archie hopped up on the table beside the zombie. ¡°Departure is on your command, Captain.¡±
Sally eyed him up and removed her grip on furniture. With a sigh, she looked around at her Party. Each of them relaxed from their tense positions, but didn¡¯t seem any more like they were enjoying being picked for this mission.
¡°I hadn¡¯t prepared a speech or anything.¡± She furrowed her brow. ¡°We all know why we are here and what we need to do. Any time wasted between now and then is just a breeding ground for hesitation and doubt. Success is inevitable, so prepare to look back on this moment, feeling slightly foolish for not remembering we are the fuckin¡¯ Outsiders from Sanctuary.¡±
Humphrey grinned and nodded his head. ¡°Well said, ha-ha. I would also like to add that-¡±
¡°Hit it!¡± Sally yelled at the cat.
He did. Almost immediately after the zombie had finished the instruction, it all happened at once. The feeling of being held in place by great pressure, the G-Force of their ascension physiologically crushing even as they remained physically fine. A distinct lack of sound that turned into a roaring hum throughout the cabin. Time seemed to slow as every atom from the vehicle and those within stretched out to infinity.
Then it was over, with a sudden jolt.
The five Outsiders within the OMEN staggered and shifted from their positions, pressing against the nearby furniture or walls. While they all complained and swore over the rude shuffling, Sally¡¯s eyes were fixated on the long faux window across the front of the bridge.
It looked just like space, as imagined by all those science fiction movies she had watched several lifetimes ago. She found herself moving from her chair to walk closer and observe it all properly. As the Outsiders gathered themselves and clocked what the zombie was doing, they quietened and joined her.
An unending void of darkness, swathed with occasional blurs of deep blue or purple. A few areas were sparkling with hundreds of stars and planets. Several of these bright orbs were bigger or closer than most of this imagined cosmos.
Archie leaped up onto the panel in front of the faux window. ¡°While this is only a simulated visual representation of space, it is vaguely accurate to other System worlds out there in the Sea.¡±
¡°All these little specks are worlds like Sanctuary?¡± Jackie asked, screwing up her face.
¡°To some degree. This is the amount that we have found, so far - and some are still just speculation. It appears we are traveling this distance between planets physically, but it is more of an abstract process.¡±
Sally nodded, but couldn¡¯t keep her eyes off the screen. It was enthralling, even knowing that she was almost lost in this void once before. To think there could be so many people, real or created, living and surviving in these different worlds¡ it was overwhelming.
¡°We are traveling through time alone?¡± Edward asked. ¡°All we did we exit the sphere of Sanctuary¡¯s influence, and it is a matter of distributing our¡ ¡®data¡¯ to the target planet?¡±
¡°That is an accurate enough explanation, yes.¡± Archie yawned and stretched out.
Bully held little interest for the projected space, but hovered behind the others, nonetheless. ¡°How do we arrive on the planet? Teleportation? Parachute? Is it too late to admit I¡¯m scared of heights? And sharks.¡±
The cat tilted his head. ¡°Traditionally we use a drop pod, as it is a safe way to temporarily pierce through the homeworld System.¡±
¡°What do we have now?¡± Sally put her hands on her hips. ¡°Five individual pods, or a large team one?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s more of a set of five connected together in a soft shell of our System¡¯s power.¡±
¡°Oh, like a clove of garlic.¡±
Archie flicked his tail back and forth, frowning up at the zombie. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that is, but sure.¡±
¡°Eh.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°I forgot that technically you were created by Theo. We¡¯ll move on past that and try not to give it too much attention or thought ever again.¡±
¡°Which one is Theo?¡± Bully asked, his bulging eyes looking at the gathered group.
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Humphrey shook his head. ¡°Someone who couldn¡¯t be bothered to turn up to such an important event, clearly.¡±
While they devolved into bickering about the vampire¡¯s absence, Sally slunk away to sigh to herself. A whole day. She had to put up with these goofballs for that long before arriving, without anything to kill or eat in the meantime.
[Chuck: How are things up there?]
[Chuck: Everything okay?]
[Sally: Seems normal, like we are just in a room.]
[Sally: A singular space where there¡¯s no escape.]
[Chuck: Fantastic. The good news is that you won¡¯t need to sleep.]
[Chuck: In some ways you are frozen until arrival.]
[Sally: It just keeps getting better.]
[Chuck: I know. Thank you again for doing this.]
[Chuck: We¡¯re in contact with Theo and will get you in contact with him once you get to the planet.]
[Chuck: As it stands, only I can speak to you - any other connection might set the variables off.]
[Chuck: We wouldn¡¯t want that.]
It was bad enough that he had put a potential error into existence by telling her that. That said, getting to hear from the vampire again soon would make this all worth it. She tilted her head away from the conversation and internal monologue to look at the gang.
Edward and Humphrey were at odds because Archie had said that the demon wasn¡¯t allowed to use skills on the ship, and that the death knight would be immune to [Cower] anyway. Given that the former also had an ability to cast certain spells subtly, the sneaky use to attempt to win the prior argument just made them even more aggravated.
¡°You two best stop right now,¡± she said. Not especially loudly, and her voice was almost drowned out by the bickering. But they had heard, and each of them paused, their current sentences fading away to murmurs.
Out of everyone on Sanctuary, the Outsiders knew well enough not to underestimate the zombie. It was an unspoken understanding that if they annoyed her to her limits, she¡¯d just kill them and eat their brains. Sure, they¡¯d respawn back home most likely, but Sally knew how to hold a grudge - and when she finally returned after somehow soloing everything against the odds, they¡¯d be in for another stern talking to.
She crossed her arms now that the rabble had died down. ¡°Time here is weird, like we¡¯re in a living stasis. None of our stats or abilities will change while we¡¯re traveling, otherwise I¡¯d be getting you all training. I want us to be a tight-knit team once we hit the surface. Humps, you¡¯re my second-in-command and will be in charge of setting us a base of operations. Wandering into the nearest settlement might work out, or we¡¯ll need to establish ourselves before making contact with the locals.¡±
¡°Assuming the roaches ain¡¯t already scurrying about everywhere,¡± Jackie said.
Bully nodded. ¡°What do we know about that? Does the planet know they¡¯re about to be attacked? Are they prepared?¡±
The zombie shook her head and glanced at Archie to see if he would interject or advise her otherwise. He did not. ¡°Unfortunately, all we know is the bugs are arriving imminently and we¡¯re going to kick their ass. It¡¯s a miracle we even found out about this given how obscured and vast the Sea is. Were you a part of that, Arch?¡±
He stared at her blankly for a few moments, letting a silence fall within the OMEN. ¡°Meow?¡± he eventually offered.
Sally opened her mouth to probe him further, but thought better of it. The last thing she needed was a brain full of needless exposition. What she really wanted was a stomach full of brains. Shame the bugs were probably gross to eat.
¡°So, what should we do in the meantime?¡± Bully asked, his eyes going back over to the workbench where his bottles sat. ¡°I had hoped to work on my alchemy during the travel, but if I¡¯m not getting experience for it¡¡±
Another long sigh escaped from Sally¡¯s nose. Being stuck in a room with the Outsiders for a whole day was bad enough, but they couldn¡¯t even be productive or destructive. It was only a matter of time before one of them murdered another.
Her hands balled into fists. Cabin fever was settling in already, and it had only been five minutes¡ or had it been hours? Her red eyes darted between the others standing around. Humphrey probably didn¡¯t have an actual brain, but would be the toughest to fight. If she was quick, she could eat Jackie and Bully before they had a chance to ready up against her. Edward was evasive and could probably avoid a quick death, maybe assisting the death knight while she struggled with her adopted pops.
She snapped her fingers. ¡°Oh! I know, we can play some party games.¡±
Although that suggestion received some groans, the demon produced a deck of cards from his pocket. They arranged some tables and chairs so that they could all sit in a circle, and they played.
Other than Sally forgetting the rules every five minutes, Edward cheating Jackie out of every single win she was close to, and Humphrey having the worst poker face of them all - it was reasonably fun. Without the violence, it was a little plain, but it gave them all a chance to get to know Bully a little better.
He had come to Sanctuary on one of the worlds that Theo had saved, not too long after he and Sally had become Aspects. An error-generated plague had been shredding through the once-thriving population there, with nothing to stop it. Bully was from a family of famous warriors, but had devoted his life to alchemy and medicine. While he hadn¡¯t been able to cure anyone of the fatal disease, he found ways to mitigate and avoid it - saving several villages.
Archie piped up to say that Chuck had found a way to integrate all the uncorrupted parts of that world, essentially leaving a cancerous lump to destroy itself into the Sea once everything rescued joined Sanctuary. Bully had an impressive background and was an easy pick to join the Architect¡¯s Tower as part of the administrative team.
Bully himself downplayed his abilities, but Sally was impressed enough. She had gotten lucky with having her own bugged existence that was mostly positive in nature. Sure, she ate brains and had murdered plenty of real people in her adventures, but the undead part of her brain made accepting that easy. No trauma at all.
His story, however, did make it difficult to determine whether he was System-created or came from one of the six planets that fed the System worlds. Not that it mattered to her, but it had been an interesting experience finding out how different the NPCs on each world she had visited were.
She placed her terrible hand on the table. ¡°Thought I had something with the ace of diamonds pair, but the rest of them were bad luck.¡±
¡°Pair of diamonds?¡± Jackie asked, her jaw working. ¡°I have three ace of diamonds. Edward, you shameless bastard¡¡±
The demon grinned, placing his hand down. Each of his five cards was also the ace of diamonds. ¡°Perhaps this is a lesson for you all?¡±
¡°You¡¯re just lucky I¡¯m only thinkin¡¯ about the mission.¡± The mobster sighed and leaned back in her chair. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯d be sending your cheatin¡¯ ass back to hell.¡±
Edward rolled his eyes, but didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he started gathering up the cards to put them away - the others giving them over with little complaint.
¡°Well, then.¡± Sally wrinkled up her nose and turned to Archie. ¡°That must have been a good twenty minutes or so. How long do we have to not-kill each other now?¡±
The cat was laying at the end of the table, curled up and asleep. On hearing the zombie, he opened one emerald eye. ¡°Oh? No, that was much longer than twenty minutes. You must have actually been having fun.¡±
While the prospect of having burned a few hours sounded exciting to the zombie, she needed to know the specifics. She narrowed her glare at the ginger cat until he got the hint.
Archie opened both eyes now and unfurled, stretching out with another yawn. ¡°I lost count after twenty, but that doesn¡¯t matter now.¡±
¡°Twenty hours?¡± Humphrey asked, rubbing at his chin. ¡°Felt like five, at a stretch.¡±
Sally waved her hands, stopping the others from giving their two cents. ¡°Forget that. Why doesn¡¯t it matter now, Arch?¡±
The cat stood, arching his back as he finally recovered from his nap.
¡°We¡¯re here. It¡¯s time to get into the pods.¡±
289 - Five Fragments
The inside of the drop pod was rather cramped. Sally didn¡¯t mind, as it was at least a temporary reprieve from the rest of the group arguing with each other. How Humphrey fit into a similar space was anybody¡¯s guess, but he had managed it with plenty of complaining.
Now a countdown to deployment pulsed on the small screen right in front of her face. Fifteen seconds.
Not quite enough time to reflect on why she had felt so sour lately. Maybe all this traveling was just taking it out of her. A nice vacation sounded good as soon as they got back to Sanctuary. Somewhere with plenty of fresh brains. She closed her eyes, smiling as she licked her lips.
The drop pod jolted, and an intense force started to pull on her as if she was being stretched downward. She winced as her metal container rocked and vibrated - it hadn''t done that before.
With the countdown gone, the screen flickered and was replaced by a display of Archie.
¡°Good news and bad news,¡± he said.
¡°What¡ is¡ it?¡± the zombie asked in return, through clenched teeth.
¡°The locals were prepared for invaders. That is both the bad and the good.¡±
She opened her mouth to chew him out, but the pod rocked violently. A screaming noise echoed from outside her containment and vibrations threatened to tear the whole thing asunder. As she closed her eyes, ready for the inevitable, the drop pod jolted again. Steam jettisoned in her face as the interior lighting flickered.
With a hiss, the front of the pod popped off, allowing sunlight to flood the zombie. She groaned and stepped out, tripping over the door and landing on soft grass. Sally palmed at her eyes. ¡°Ouch,¡± she said.
The grass was green. Head was throbbing with pain. A gentle prod and her hand came away bloody. As she sighed, a warm body of orange fur brushed against her face.
¡°That¡¯s unfortunate,¡± Archie remarked. ¡°Injured on entry, and you have System Sickness.¡±
Sally clenched her teeth as she pushed herself up off the ground. Woozy and tired. Back up to her feet, she winced at the bright sunlight illuminating warm browns and verdant greens.
¡°Always a forest,¡± she grumbled, wavering slightly. ¡°What do you mean System Sickness? The amount of times that I¡¯ve dropped different places¡¡±
¡°This place must be something special,¡± the cat replied idly.
Sally scowled at him. If anyone knew, it would be him. Was there an alternative reason they had to come save this world? Surely not, otherwise they would have made sure Theo came along, or at least had more say over what team would be arriving here.
First things first¡ªsickness or not¡ªshe had to arrange the¡
An eyebrow raised as she looked back at her singular drop pod. ¡°Where are¡ the others?¡±
¡°That would be the unfortunate side effect of being shot out of the sky.¡± Archie sat and wrapped his tail around his feet. ¡°The pods split into segments like an orange, dispersed to avoid any further damage.¡±
Shot out of the sky. She let the phrase roll around inside her skull for a moment. The natives thought that they were the bugs invading, so had done something to the group of five pods on arrival. Typical. Now she would need to go on a treasure hunt throughout the world to gather the goofballs.
¡°Alright,¡± she sighed. ¡°First thing first, we need to¡¡±
Her sentence trailed off as she turned to face a noise coming from the side. Figures emerging from the vegetation.
¡°Do not move,¡± a bearded man at the forefront said. He held a large bow, tense with a flaming arrow at the ready. Elven ears and ornate nature armor. ¡°We have been expecting you, monster. Are you prepared to perish?¡±
She looked between the dozen other figures appearing. Each of them looked like an experienced warrior of some kind. Different skills and proficiencies. Maybe a whole Guild that was on the way to stop her. Mistaken identity or not, they were on edge and probably wouldn¡¯t be all ears for her explanation.
¡°I¡¯m here to save you,¡± she said, only slightly slurring her words due to the sickness. ¡°But if even one arrow is fired on me, I will kill you all.¡±
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¡°Silence. You will not threaten our world.¡± The man grimaced and fired the projectile.
The arrow zipped across the clearing in an instant, bursting straight through Sally¡¯s neck and falling onto the grass behind her. Blood ran from the open wound, soaking through her shirt.
She grinned, her eyes glowing crimson as thin magical thread moved through the injury, stitching it up.
¡°Oh dear,¡± she croaked. ¡°Someone likes learning the hard way.¡±
Humphrey pulled his greatsword from the corpse of a large scaled creature with a wet sucking noise. Looked as though their blood was poisonous, perhaps. It ran from the body and hissed across the ground as if it was melting through the scenery. Tainting it.
He turned and glanced around at the rocky scenery. No other drop pods had arrived beside him, which was concerning. The fact that he was immediately assaulted by round dragon-like monsters wasn¡¯t as much of a bother, but he wasn¡¯t here to maim the wildlife.
Looking down, Archie stepped into view from behind the slain creature.
¡°Hello, big brother.¡±
¡°We have become scattered?¡± Humphrey rested the blade across his shoulder. ¡°Where is Sally?¡±
The cat paused for a moment before responding. ¡°Currently going counter to our mission. As a Player, she has System Sickness. Sleep and rest are necessary, but you know how she likes to fight against what¡¯s best for her.¡±
Humphrey shook her head. ¡°Give me her location. I will make my way there.¡±
¡°Hmm. Unfortunately, there are several settlements between you and her. Currently, you all are viewed as the invading force, so that will delay your progress. There is someone closer to her, however.¡±
¡°Who?¡±
¡°Edward.¡±
The Death Knight sighed and rubbed at his empty eye-sockets. ¡°System damnit.¡±
¡°Demon. I¡¯m a demon.¡± Edward crossed his arms, scowling. ¡°Plus, I could break these restraints if I really wanted to.¡±
The group of masked people around him didn¡¯t seem to be swayed by his protestations. Murmurs broke out, but were silenced by the leader of the mob. A tall woman with dark skin in an ivory dress. Her mask looked like a sad moon and hid her whole face.
¡°Although the prophecies said the invaders would have six arms and a thick exoskeleton, we will not be swayed by weasel words.¡± Her voice was commanding and confident.
¡°Plus, the Shackles of Yon cannot be broken!¡± A high voice interjected from the back.
Edward rolled his eyes. Not even ten minutes on this terrible planet, and he had already been captured and put on trial as being part of the cockroaches on their way. It was just like the zombie to ditch him when he needed a hand.
¡°I assure you these couldn¡¯t hold me,¡± he said, rolling his eyes. ¡°But breaking them would just make me look even more guilty. Something I¡¯m clearly keen to avoid.¡± For a change.
¡°There is one way we can find out if you are telling the truth.¡± The woman gestured to two armored guards standing over on the right of this hut-like building. ¡°Put him into the Trials. The truth will then be known.¡±
The demon worked his jaw and considered his options. Killing his way out and escaping? Possible, but there was always some risk of failure. Going through the Trials sounded uncomfortable at best, but if he could get the facts through their thick skulls, then maybe he¡¯d have some allies. To exploit.
Once free, he could find the others, who were probably having a worse time of things than he was - without such a silver tongue.
Especially that abrasive mobster.
Jackie looked between the members of the group around her. Each of them wore horned helmets and armored plates that were polished to show an interesting blue sheen. Both the women and men had long blonde hair, and held battleaxes and spears. If it weren¡¯t for their height, they almost looked dwarvish in nature.
She lowered her hand and gave them a reluctant nod. ¡°What did you say it was called, again? For a sweet alcohol, that ain¡¯t half bad.¡±
¡°Brim¡¯s mead,¡± the man who had introduced himself as Svor¡¯den replied. He lifted up a pitcher and filled both of their mugs. ¡°You¡¯re an afficionado?¡±
¡°I¡¯m co-owner of an inn.¡± She lifted the mug and tipped it in cheers to the man. ¡°Prefer whiskey on the rocks, but I taste test anything we consider having in stock.¡±
¡°Thank the Lords you are not one of the invaders,¡± a woman standing behind Svord¡¯den said. ¡°We had been praying for assistance in the coming battle, but hadn¡¯t expected it to be someone so¡ down to earth.¡±
¡°There¡¯s five of us,¡± the mobster explained, leaning back in her chair. ¡°Which don¡¯t sound like much, but we punch above our weights. Seems the others¡ got split up when we arrived.¡±
Svor¡¯den nodded, running his hand through his wide beard. ¡°It is by the Lord''s graces that you arrived so close to us. We Hoardrin are a very rational people, unlike those who live in the south who might see your friends as a threat¡¡±
¡°Or try to eat them,¡± the woman behind him said, rolling her eyes.
Bully was never much for swearing, but in this instance he would make an exception. Sweat ran down his slick skin as his breathing came in via deep gasps. Up here in the tree, he might be safe.
As it stood¡ he didn¡¯t feel that lucky.
Dizzied by his arrival away from the rest of the Outsiders, he had thanked the stars that he was at least near civilization. How wrong he had been.
It wasn¡¯t enough that the villagers had chased him away, but several of them even took the time to grab a cooking cauldron and hoist it along for the run.
That was a certain amount of dedication that was alarming.
Adventuring might be a mistake. Thankfully, the others had more experience and a cooler head on them about this sort of thing. No doubt they¡¯d be over here any second to come rescue him.
Bully blinked his large eyes and looked over at one of the thick branches opposite him.
¡°Things are going well,¡± Archie said, smiling.
The frog-man looked down at the path to make sure there was nothing to overhear him, before returning a worried glance to the cat. ¡°I can¡¯t read sarcasm well. Are things really okay?¡±
¡°Depends on whether you think murdering the locals, destroying important wildlife, being sent for torture, prepared for sacrifice, or chased by the native cannibals are all things that were on our itinerary.¡±
Bully maintained a blank expression.
Archie deflated. Perhaps bringing the vampire would have worked out better.