《The Soul of MorningStar》 Prologue When the impossible becomes possible A tense atmosphere dominated in the capitol city of Androsia. All were waiting for the gates to open. Their muscle flexed ready to charge to defend their lives. They all knew that it would be just a matter of minutes. The first sign that their enemy had arrived was that the ground shook. They all gulped as chills ran down their spine. They could only imagine how many monsters were needed to make it possible. Those who were on the walls were shaking for a different reasons. They could see them. Legions of monsters were surrounding the capitol city. It was too late to flee, they had to fight. Outside the gates, howls and growls could be heard. Adventurers and natives were all standing together to defend their city. They all looked at the same person. Their hero. The one who led them. ? Don''t be afraid ! Today we will prevail. Believe in yourself and in your companions. We are strong. We will show them. Let us all show them ! ? ? YEAH ! ? All the warriors shouted drowning the sounds the monsters made. Everyone regained their high spirit. He was a hero, he couldn''t be wrong. If he led them, they all believed that they could win. They had all seen his adventures. Even when all the odds were against him, he won. Today wouldn''t be any different. ? Magicians open fire ! ? The hero shouted. The magicians posted on the wall cast the strongest area of effect (AOE) magic existing, Armageddon. Tens of ball of fire fell from the sky. The army of monsters received them squarely in the middle of their ranks. Thousands of them died in an instant. The tension skyrocketed inside the city as the order to open the gates was given. The warriors waited. The grip on their weapons tightened. When the gate was finally opened they rushed out, immediately engaging the monsters that were too close to fall with the others. The warriors knew their time was counted. They had to eliminate the monsters in front of them before the ones who were too far arrived. It was their only chance to win. The hero who was still on the wall shouted orders at the archers and the magicians to support the warriors while sparing their energy for the furthest monsters that were still approaching. The situation was becoming desperate. The monsters were advancing faster than they thought possible. Before long, more monsters entered the magicians'' range of attack. They launched AOE magics at them but large circles appeared just before they hit. All the magic was absorbed as though eaten by a void. The defenders on the wall ceased their attacks and looked on with despair. They knew monsters didn''t have enough intelligence to cast magic. Someone else was and this someone was strong enough to cast void magic, one of the most dangerous and unstable magic that existed. They looked on, waiting. The warriors on the battlefield didn''t understand. They felt betrayed. The defenders on the wall weren''t casting magic or shooting arrows. They were letting them being overrun by monsters they could have beaten with appropriate support. Curses could be heard through the battlefield. They cursed the monsters who were attacking, the defenders for not supporting them and finally they cursed themselves to have believed in a man who was now abandoning them. The tide of the battle had irrevocably shifted in the monsters'' side. The one who had cast void magic still hadn''t shown himself. The defenders on the walls were wary. They looked in front of them with suspicion. Where was he? Was he hiding among the monsters or was he apart from them? They couldn''t cast magic without finding him first. They didn''t want to waste mana as they knew that their magic would be canceled by void magic. The hero looked closely at the battlefield. He looked even more unnerved than the rest of the defenders. He knew that without support the warriors still fighting were at a huge disadvantage but he didn''t give the order for the fire to resume. Silently, he kept on looking. Suddenly, as if remembering something he looked up at the sky. And there he was. BALTHAZAAR! He yelled at the lone figure in the sky. The defenders looked at the hero shocked. They saw where he was looking and confirmed with their own eyes that the worst enemy possible had shown up, the arch-demon Balthazaar. He was the ultimate boss, the one to defeat to beat this game The red arch-demon with black markings all over his body was smirking as he looked at the defenders. They saw him raise his hand and whisper a few words. A magic circle appeared above the city. Lightning struck buildings. Many fires started all over. It was a nightmare. The hero seeing his archenemy in front of his eyes forgot about everything else and launched himself in the sky using air magic. The others seeing him snapped out of their stupor and started to open fire. However, compared to before it was chaotic. Some launched their attacks on the arch-demon, others on the monsters on the ground. Every attempt made to regain their unity and to coordinate the attacks were in vain. No one had enough authority apart from the hero to command this melting pot of people. His guild mates tried to reason with him but it was too late, he had already engaged Balthazaar. They still tried to get back the momentum but their last ray of hope were quickly dashed as flying monsters made their apparition. They invaded the city, plucking the defenders from the walls one by one. They were fast and ruthless. Only screams could be heard as the defenders saw their comrades falling from the sky. Elian was an archer on the walls. He was running out of mana, the energy necessary to create his arrows. He took a second out of fighting to survey the surrounding situation. The war was lost. He could see it. They would all die. There were too many monsters and too many casualties on their side. Elian was bitter. If only that arch-demon hadn''t shown up. If only that damn hero kept his position. If only they were stronger. Elian saw all his efforts of the last few months going up in flames. He had painfully raised his contribution and reputation in the city. As it fell, everything was lost. The NPCs (Non playing characters) died reducing his hard-earned reputation to nothingness. He still kept shooting though. He had at least to survive. As an adventurer, if he died, he would immediately respawn at the cathedral. However, he would lose a level and skill points that were really hard to level up. He had to fight. Nothing else could be done. Out of mana, he used the material arrows he had prepared beforehand. He only had one hundred of those. He had to use them sparingly. But before he could shoot his first one, a flying demon grabbed his shoulders and flew with him in the sky. He let out a cry of terror as a few second later the monster dropped him. He fell from twenty feet. As he reached the ground, a sickening sound was heard. He didn''t die from the fall but he could feel his broken bones sticking out of his flesh. Filled with pain, he tried to crawl to safety. He looked around him. Only chaos was greeting his wary eyes. He saw people running, fighting monsters, trying to save themselves and the ones they could see. His despair became unbearable. His strength had left him. He couldn''t even crawl anymore. He lied there alone, waiting for his death to come. As his consciousness was leaving him, he heard the sound of a flute playing. He thought he was hallucinating. However, his injuries were healing faster than they should. Slowly, he regained his bearings. He raised his head, looking for the flute player but he couldn''t see him. He wasn''t the only one looking for him. All the defenders felt their strength return. The monsters'' movement became sluggish. It was like a ray of hope had enveloped the battlefield. All of these could be linked to the flute player. Balthazaar saw the changes happened. With a flick of his hand, the hero was thrown down to the ground and instantly died. He had been playing with him until now but he found a more interesting toy. He looked right in front of him. At the highest tower in the middle of town, right in front of the city crystal, a man was sitting on an archway facing Balthazaar. He was playing a flute. His long red hair was flowing on one side of his face. On the other side, he had cornrow braids. He looked quite exotic with his feminine face but he was definitely male. His lack of a shirt insured that no one could be mistaken. Balthazaar thought that he was an oddball. A man wearing only pants was playing the flute as if he was the only one in the world where in reality, he was right in the middle of a city being invaded by monsters. It was weird, it was interesting. He flew close to the man. Who are you? Balthazaar asked him. He didn''t answer, he kept on playing. The player acknowledged his presence though. He opened his eyes. He fixed him with an icy glare. Balthazaar was amused. He let him finish his piece. They looked into each others'' eyes for several minutes. They didn''t say a word. And then, the music died out. The player eyes suddenly changed from the icy glare he had been giving Balthazaar to a playful one. The smile that graced his face put the arch-demon on guard. He could feel mana building. He was going to attack the player when suddenly, the latter pointed his flute at the sky. Come., he said clearly for the arch-demon to hear. A magic circle was formed in the middle of the sky. In the span of milliseconds, dragons appeared out of the gate that the player created. They immediately started attacking the monsters. It was a one sided massacre. Balthazaar had no time to take on what happened. The flute player had discarded his instrument and had taken a katana in his hand. Feathered wings appeared on his back. They were crimson. He slashed at the arch-demon. Balthazaar parried but he got caught in the shock wave. He was pushed back outside the city. He should have been angry or at least shocked but he was smiling. He was happy to have finally found a worthy adversary. Balthazaar, a arch-demon was the ultimate boss. Before now, no natives nor adventurers were strong enough to make him fight seriously. But this adventurer was powerful. He could summon dragons. He was no ordinary man. They exchanged blows again. The both of them were smiling. Slash. Stab. Parry. The flute player didn''t have a particular style. His strength was compensating for his lack of technique. Each one of his hits were extremely powerful. On the battlefield, the defenders had retreated inside the city walls. The dragons only attacked the monsters. The fight was over for them. Elian had survived thanks to the flute player. He looked at the titanic fight taking place just outside the city. An angel and a demon were fighting. He didn''t know where the angel had come from but he was a godsend. He was fighting Balthazaar and he was holding his own. It even looked like he was winning. Elian felt his heart beat in rhythm with the clash of their swords. He held his breath as he saw the angel inflicting a deep wound on the demon. Balthazaar was laughing out loud. He was truly happy for the first time. He felt excitement running down his spine. The fire in his eyes burned brighter than ever. They had stopped fighting and were gazing at each other again. You''re not strong enough to beat me., the angel said. Huh? The only way to know is to try., the demon replied still smiling. Even if you know you''re going to die? So you want to spare me? Not really but I have a better proposition for you. And what is it? Be mine. The demon was dumbfounded by the angel. He succeeded in doing what even a fight to the death couldn''t do. He wiped the smile on the demon''s face. Aren''t you angels supposed to hate demons? I don''t know. I''m not an angel. The demon was making a weird face at the not-an-angel who exactly looked like an angel. If you say so... But before I answer, you do know that the words you use could have different meanings, right? Do I look like I care? Forget I asked something. And to answer your question, why should I become yours as you put it? It''s rude to answer a question by a question. He said seriously with his armed crossed above his chest. The demon felt a headache coming. By what should he start? The fact that the pot was calling the kettle black? Or that he was behaving like a five year-old? How did they even go from a fight to the death to a kindergarten argument? He shook his head in disbelief and waited for the answer to his question. The bystanders were perplexed. The demon and the angel had stopped fighting and were now talking. They would love to know what was said but they couldn''t as they were too far away. They knew that the angel was stronger, so why wasn''t he destroying Balthazaar? The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The monsters had all been vanquished. The dragons were perched on the city''s buildings. Some were licking their claws. Others looked like they were sleeping. They were even some that were calmly looking at the two opposing forces talking in the sky. Suddenly, the dragons stood at attention and hovered over the city. All the bystanders looked on as one by one they were sucked up by a magic circle that appeared in the sky. The angel said one last thing to the arch-demon. Balthazaar said something too. In the next breath, he flew right into the magic circle and disappeared. The angel was left alone. They saw him looking at them. Even though he was so far away, he still had an annoyed look on his face. He murmured to himself and then just disappeared. It was anticlimactic. With no fanfare no announcement, his disappearance marked the end of the biggest event in Old Ages Online. **** Who was this angel? Miss Lou Ann Carter, the announcer of Online news asked her guests. They were two top players of the two most famous virtual reality(VR) games in the world and the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Heretia, the company behind Old Ages Online and Ages of the Gods. The angel race hadn''t been unlocked in Old Ages Online nor in any other games as far as I know. Adam Schifft, the CEO of Heretia announced. So he isn''t a user? Liam Dean, the co-announcer asked. No, I didn''t say that. What I said was that I didn''t know the angel race had been unlocked for users. With the StaViCon (Standard virtual connection) it is possible to have only one character for every VR games. As such every VR company agreed to announce when a new race was unlocked. So there is a rogue company who doesn''t comply with the agreement? Lou Ann scented a scoop in the making. You are putting words in my mouth. Tom Carrere, you are the strongest player in the most popular game Ages of the Gods, what do you think of that angel? Balthazaar was just playing. He is clearly superior in technique and he didn''t use any of his skills. The angel wasn''t much to look at., he answered. So you think that Balthazaar let him win? Yes, I do. But what do you think happen at the end? Balthazaar opened a portal and maybe went back where he found those dragons. Did those dragons belong to Balthazaar? It looks unlikely. They did kill all the monsters. Wasn''t Balthazaar with the demons? He did defend them. He was just protecting his prey from others. Balthazaar is an NPC from Old Ages Online. There aren''t any dragons in the game. Where would he gain them. Unless... Ronald Grier, the most popular player in Continuum Online chimed in. Unless? The game may have a new extension. The CEO of Heretia didn''t confirm nor deny it. He stayed silent. He gave a slight smile that could have mean anything. **** Adam Schifft left the building with his secretary and entered the car waiting for him. He looked out the window as the car started. Did you find any information on that angel? He''s a user but we couldn''t find the game his avatar originated from. Couldn''t he be an angellis from Draconian Glory? Angellis isn''t available to players. And the appearance is different. Angellis as a rule are blond and blue-eyed. This one is a redhead. The markings on his body looked like writings. It might be a curse that give him this appearance. And the dragons, where did they came from? The only guess we can make is that they belong to the angel. A beep came from the secretary''s phone. He looked at it. A message was waiting for him. President, the head programmer for Old Ages is asking for a meeting. He says it''s important. Did he find something on the angel? He didn''t say. Let''s go see him immediately. Is he still at the building? Yes, he is. They arrived at Heretia''s headquarters. They immediately headed to the development lab where the head programmer was waiting for them. What was so important that you needed to see me?, the president asked. Balthazaar had disappeared., he said without preamble. What do you mean disappeared? He isn''t on our servers anymore. Impossible. I believed it too, at first. But the security measures we use are intended to prevent anyone from damaging or stealing data. The ones who took Balthazaar took advantage of a loophole. They used the pet system. Balthazaar became a pet and when the owner disconnected from Old Ages and went to another game, he brought Balthazaar with him. Balthazaar can''t be a pet. Actually, he can. We never put a restriction on what a pet is. Basically any NPC can become a pet. And thanks to the StaViCon, they can jump from game to game with their owner. How could this happen? I''ve already explained it. No one could have thought that someone would take a boss as a pet nor that a boss will agree to become one. And the dragons? Were they brought in the same way? Yes. What do we know about this owner? It''s the angel. His name''s MorningStar. We don''t know his level nor his class. A name and a race. Basically, you have nothing. Where did he come from? Which game did he go to after leaving? We don''t know. All these information are protected under the StaViCon laws. What options do we have? They stole our ultimate boss. None. It wasn''t a theft. They did it legally. Adam Schifft felt helpless. How was he going to explain that to the other companies? A sorry, our battle maniac ultimate boss is taking a stroll on your servers. wasn''t going to fly. Old Ages wasn''t a popular game but it was still a classic of the genre, a medieval fantasy world. The game was still online mainly by the will of the die-hard fans who wanted to beat Balthazaar, one of the strongest boss of all games taken together. Those same die-hard fans would have a conniption when they learned that Balthazaar had gone missing. They had spent a lot of money and time in game to be able to fight him. All of those became useless as he was gone. Adam Schifft felt a headache of epic proportions coming. Don''t say a word about it to anyone. We need to find that freaking angel and take Balthazaar back before anyone notice that we lost him., he declared with a fierce look. **** He moved through the Imperial Palace. He crossed pass with no one as no one lived here apart from him. It was the place where he decided to retire from the world at large. The place he had built after conquering the world. Today, the peace he usually felt wasn''t present. He was hard to believe that he had graduated high school and that in a few days, he would be going to college. For a while, it had been touch and go in school but it finally, ended. Now it was going to start right back again. He needed to calm himself. Nothing good ever came from him being nervous. Maybe he could beat some monsters, it always calmed him before. However, going to a good dungeon for his level would take more time than he had. With not many options, he decided to look for Balthazaar. He had brought the arch-demon to Forgotten Soul when he had visited another game. He was fun to play with, even though he was too serious. He would make a good distraction from his worries. He arrived at a garden. He spread his wings and took off. When they had arrived from the other game, Balthazaar had decided to visit the Soul as he had obviously never left Old Ages online. He was curious about everything here. He flew for about an hour before he arrived at a forest. He landed and started walking among the trees. He went forth until he reached a meadow. Right in the center, there was a statue of a woman with fairy wings. She was a forest nymph, a meliade. He had made this statue years ago on a whim when he learned the history of this forest. Right in front of her stood a man with black tribal tattoos. He was six feet five. He was lithe with clear muscle definition. He was wearing tight black pants and an embroidered white shirt. He looked more like a guy that went clubbing than an arch-demon adventuring the world. Balthazaar stood transfixed. What''s a meliade? A nymph that protects children who are under their trees. Years ago, the land had been nearly destroyed by continuous wars. The people started a tradition of abandoning the unwanted children in the forest for them to be eaten by monsters. You made this statue. You''re a good guy? Don''t say that like you''re not sure. I AM a nice guy. I got you out of your world, didn''t I? That''s exactly the reason why I''m not sure you''re a good guy. Pfft. Whatever. Let''s spar. No. Why not? You''re too strong and I''m too weak. Since he arrived here, Balthazaar had a rude awakening. He wasn''t the strongest, far from it. He had already met five beings stronger than he was. You''re not weak. And I want to spar. I''m your owner, you know? I''m not sparring with you. Why don''t you go play with the dragons. They miss you., he threw that suggestion at the angel. Oh yeah, I didn''t think about them. He left just as abruptly as he came. Balthazaar was left alone with the meliade. He rolled his eyes as he thought about MorningStar. The guy was supposed to be his owner but Balthazaar felt like he was the angel''s keeper. Since they came to this world, he had dealt with his whims on a daily basis. They went to a festival in a human town, swimming with mermaids, shopping in a dwarf town and hunting with a bunch of elves. They did all of that in the span of one week. When he finally got away from him, MorningStar came and asked for a spar. He was tired and seriously reconsidering his decision to follow the man. He had wished for more excitement in his life but he still wanted some rest time. MorningStar was like a star forever shining, he just never stopped. For the rest of the day, he wandered aimlessly inside the forest. The place was so calm that his soul felt rested. He tried to think of a way to grow stronger as he didn''t want to remain weak. He wanted to beat MorningStar to a pulp -that was his new goal. However, the only thing that came to mind was training and sparring. Balthazaar decided he wouldn''t spar with MorningStar. The guy was too annoying and he didn''t want to die out of frustration when he couldn''t beat him. He loved fighting just not when he had no chance to win. Hours later, he thought he might have had a plan. He found in himself the fortitude to deal with MorningStar again. He took off and flew in the night sky. He enjoyed the mild weather on his skin. Before long, Avantheim came into sight. Avantheim was a floating island high in the sky. Balthazaar landed in the imperial palace, the only building on the island. He heard the flute playing and went to see the player. Before he doing anything, he wanted answers to his questions. MorningStar still hadn''t explained anything to him - not about this world nor about his race. He said he wasn''t an angel but every way Balthazaar looked at it, MorningStar still looked like one. So, what are you? Balthazaar asked after he waited for the music to end. Wow. I didn''t see you there. MorningStar jumped surprised. You''ve been dodging my questions for days now. So answer. Well, it''s a long story. We had so much to do. I''ve just been waiting for the right time. He said with an unconvincing smile. The time has come. Okay. I warn you. It''s a long story. Go ahead. Once upon a time... It''s a joke, right? It''s my story, I can start it any way I want. Just tell it already. Don''t be such a drag... TELL. THAT. DAMN. STORY. ALREADY., Balthazaar shouted. You look to be in a bad mood, maybe... MorningStar shut up as he saw a tick appeared on the arch-demon''s jaw. Okay, okay. I''ll tell you. Balthazaar eyes bugged out as the marking on MorningStar shined brightly and blinded him. When he open his eyes again, a human with black hair and red eyes was smirking at him. Once upon a time... Next Chapter 2 Curisosity killed the cat but changed the elf Author''s note: Sorry! I posted twice the same chapter. I tried to delete the thread but I don''t know how to do it (must be something super simple that I just can''t figure out because I''m too tired). So I changed the chapter and put the next one. Thx for reading.
After a restless night, I logged back in the game. The night before when I checked my mails, I had the bad surprise to have the three people who were the most horrible to me as my party members. They made my life a living hell each time I went to class since the first time, I started middle school. I knew that it wasn''t just a lack of luck that we all ended up in the same party. That damn teacher must have put us together knowing that they would bully me. I logged in hours before our supposed group activity. Not going to class allowed me to make my own schedule. In this case, I was extremely grateful as it secured some game time with no chance of meeting my classmates. For the time being, I decided to check out the town and all the places I might need. I left the library. Not knowing where to go, I wandered aimlessly through the streets until I decided to follow a random man. As I followed this person, I started to suspect that he was up to no good. His behavior was quite suspicious. It wasn''t obvious but he kept looking at his back like he was followed. I knew that he was followed because I was the one doing the following but he was sweating way too much and his eyes looked way too scared to just be my fault. His uneasiness was creeping me out even more as I looked around and didn''t see anyone else suspicious. I couldn''t shake the feeling that something was definitely wrong. The man run faster and faster until he was practically running. At the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow detaching itself from the front of a shop. It was so fast that I only saw a blurry black figure. I ran after them. Something bad was going to happen I could feel it. A few streets later, I found the man lying on the ground, a bloody wound on his stomach. I ran to him. He was still alive but barely. He grabbed my shirt in a tight fist, bending me over until my ear was close to his mouth. Tell Gary Cornwall that Selen is dead. *ding!*
You have received a quest! Dying Wish A dying man wants you too transmit his final words to Gray Cornwall. Difficulty: E Reward: Unknown Requirements: Hear the last words of the dying man Quest cannot be denied.
I was a little surprised that a quest would appear in this kind of situation. I looked around to see if there was anyone able to help but we were in a deserted street way past the market center. The man''s grip was really strong for someone dying. He was intently looking at me. Yes, I''ll do it., I said trying to free myself.
You accepted the quest.
I sighed deeply. His grip became slack. He was dead. I looked at him, shocked. It was the first time that I saw someone die. His body turned gray and he disappeared as I still held onto him. My eyes pricked with tears. I wanted to cry but I held myself in. It was a game. It was just a game. I wasn''t going to cry because of a game, even if it was as realistic as real life. I stood up after a while. I had someone to find. I had no idea where I could find this person. It was not like I had been there for a long time. I literally knew no one of the game apart from my classmates and the librarian. The first ones would refuse to help me even if I begged and the latter wouldn''t even talk to me when I was standing in front of him. In the years before I was able to log in, I read a lot about the game. An intelligence guild existed in every town. However, their only free piece of information was to give players advice on what profession they would be good at. For anything else, it would cost a lot of money that I didn''t have. How was I going to do? Walking back to the library, I tried to think of a way to find the man as fast as I could. The quest was level E that is to say the lowest level possible. It was the easiest. I might be able to do this quest. As I entered the library, the old man was still sitting behind the front desk. He was still reading. I approached his desk. I waited for him to look at me. He didn''t. I cleared my throat loudly, trying to catch his attention. Excuse me, I need some help. He sighed deeply like I was annoying him. He put his book down and waited. He didn''t say anything, he just waited for me to talk. It was creepy. I need to find someone I''ve never met. How do I go about it? He looked at me with an incredulous look on his face. Are you seriously asking me how to find someone you don''t know?Are you right in the head? No, don''t answer that. You can''t be right in the head. You just asked a stupid question to the wrong person. Do you think I''m some kind of know-it-all? What are the youth thinking this days? Do they even think a little. No, they asked stupid question and expect everyone else to know the answer... , the old man grumbled while picking back up his book. I was astonished and a little ashamed about his reaction. I didn''t want to abandon though. So I tried to get him to answer. I need to find a man named Gary Cornwall. Do you have any idea on how I should go about finding him? Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.He suddenly put his book on his desk and violently grabbed my shirt. How the hell did you know that name? A man asked me to pass him a message. What man? What''s his name? I...I don''t know. He died before saying anything else. He just told me what to tell this guy, I swear. I was getting a little panicked.. I tried to get loose but his grip on my shirt was getting stronger. He pulled me closer to him. As he started moving, he dragged me with him. He pulled me in a room on the right side of the desk. I''d been in the library before, but it was a first, that I saw there was a door there. He closed it after pulling me in. He threw me on the wall and advanced on me, threatening me. Who told you that name? What does he look like? He was five feet nine. Middle-aged, brown hair, brown eyes. He was plain. Normal looking...His nose was crooked...I don''t know anything else. You sure? Yes, I swear. He abruptly released me and started pacing. What was the message? I can''t tell you. I promised to only tell the man it was meant to. It was a lie but it didn''t feel right for me to tell the message to someone else. He suddenly stopped pacing, a scary look on his face. You know I can kill you, right? You can do whatever you want, but I''m not going to tell you. It was a gamble but I was sure the man wouldn''t kill me before knowing what the message was. Sure. He raised his hand and pierced my heart with it. Before losing consciousness, I heard him muttered something. A while later, I woke up. I couldn''t believe it. He seriously killed me. I was so pissed. How could that old geezer kill me? I didn''t do anything to him and I was polite to boot. I should have hurled insults at his head. I should have fought more. God! I was so pissed! Well then, stop saying it already. I get it you''re pissed. Gaahh?! I twirled around surprised. Yes, I twirled. I didn''t feel my feet and I swore that if I had a dress on it''d be flying in the wind. What the hell? You killed me, you bastard! Yeah, yeah, I did. How long are you going to say it again? He shooed me with an annoyed voice. You killed me! Pfft. Shut it already or I''ll make sure that you stay dead. I reluctantly complied with his ultimatum. I didn''t say a word more. Five minutes later, I still hadn''t said a word. So now tell me what was the message. Silence. You little piece of shit. Are you going to tell me or do you want me to force it out of you? Silence. I''m going to kill you! Silence. You, son of a bitch. TALK!, he roared at the end. You told me to shut it. I did. It''s not my fault you can''t decide what you want me to do. As I talked, I saw his face became redder and redder. I swore I heard a vein snap just before he launched himself at me and went right through me. Hah! That teached him to kill someone who hadn''t done anything. I''m going to kill you! Too late! You already did! Hahaha haha., I cackled madly as he tried to grab me. Not wanting to stay there to see if he could come true on his words, I made a beeline for the door. I went right through it. I found myself back at the front desk. Not waiting, I went outside on the street. I flew as far and as fast as I could from the library. I didn''t went far. I ended up in a dark alley, again. It looked like ending up in a dark alley each time I was fleeing was going to become one my habits. Now that I had cooled down, I was surprised I still got it in me to try and piss people off. It was refreshing for once to retaliate to abuse. I knew that fleeing shouldn''t be considered as retaliation but it was damn good when someone needed you for something and just couldn''t find you. It made you want to go back and look at them getting desperate to find you. I wasn''t that stupid to fall for that temptation. Hopefully. After my moment of euphoria passed, I actually understood that I was in deep trouble. I was dead. Not only was I dead but I was also invisible to anyone apart from the guy who killed me. I didn''t particularly want to see him ever again, so going back to him was a no-no. What should I do? And come to think on it, what was I? Status.
[quart=Character name,Alignment]Everheart,Neutral[/quart][quart=Level,Profession]1 (0%),None[/quart][quart=Title,Race]None,Nature Spirit[/quart][quart=Fame,Infamy]0,0[/quart][quart=Health,Mana],[/quart][quart=Strength,Agility]N/A,N/A[/quart][quart=Wisdom,Intellect]15,13[/quart][quart=Vitality,Affinity to Nature],100%[/quart][quart=Leadership,Luck]0,0[/quart][quart=Attack,Defense]N/A,N/A[/quart]
Status
Magic resistance100%
You are invisible until summoned. No one can touch you nor hear you.
A nature spirit? What the hell was that? How did I pass from a wood elf to a nature spirit? What was I supposed to do, now? Skill window! Skill window! Why didn''t it open? Please...Don''t tell me...I lost my skills! Previous / Next Chapter 1 First connection to the Soul Author''s note: The disappearing chapter from hell is back! It appeared twice I removed one, normally one should be left but then it disappeared too, then later reappear then it disappeared again to finally reappear again. You didnt understand don''t worry I didn''t either To sum it up: I suck at posting.
The scan of your iris had determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you want to create a StaViCon account?
Yes. I finally had one. StaViCon stood for standard virtual connection. It was a headgear connected to a network that allowed its user to access virtual reality (VR). Nowadays, every home is equipped with it. It enabled to play games, to communicate face to face with anyone anywhere in the world at zero cost, to access the world online library and many other applications. It was a basic and very useful tool. And after so many years, I finally could afford it.
Bio-metric registration starting...
Bio-metric registration finished.
Please choose the application you wished to be connected to.
Forgotten Soul. It was the only free game in the StaViCon. I would have loved to play it under other circumstances but I had no choice.
Welcome to Forgotten Soul, do you wish to create a new avatar?
Yes.
Select the name of your avatar.
Everheart.
Forgotten Soul has forty-nine races. You may select your race from the thirty that are currently available.
Can I see myself as an elf? I shivered as a beautiful female looked upon me. She was truly beautiful but I couldn''t prevent the disgust that welled up in me. Long black hair, an oval face, high cheekbones, almond-shaped eyes, alabaster skin. That was clearly me. I was looking at myself and...I was a guy. The system had made me more beautiful than I actually was which made me more feminine than I did in real life. I already had a hard time with my real face, if I had a choice I''d rather not make it more beautiful but I didn''t so... I''ll be a wood elf. I sighed deeply. Started this year, playing a VR game had become compulsory in school. Each day from eight to two, I would be doing schoolwork and then, the rest of the time I would be playing Forgotten Soul with the school. Not fun. Because it was a school activity, it was decided that everyone who didn''t have an avatar would choose one that was closer to their actual looks. Two races were, then, deemed suitable: human and elf. There was no way in hell I would be human. So by default, I had to be an elf. Happily for me, there were different kind of elves. Dark elves, wood elves, high elves, lunar elves, blood elves...What can I say I liked gardening.
Your gender has been set by default to male. You may alter your appearance.
Under the school directives, I could decide my avatar''s name, change my hair color and my eye color and that''s it. Can I see myself with blood red eyes...and long hair...longer...hmm...okay I''d like to have bangs...longer bangs...longer...okay now. I hoped that with all that hair people would not look too closely at my face. In real life, I had long hair, glasses and big clothes so that no one would see that I actually looked more like a girl than a boy. True, it made me looked like a wimp but in my book, it was a hundred times better than looking like a girl.
Your avatar has been created and had also become your default StaViCon avatar. Your stats and class shall be determined while you play. Select a city and Kingdom where you want to start.
Soren town, Anaheim Kingdom.
May your journey lead you to the emperor''s seat.
A white light washed over me. I felt a slight sense of displacement. I closed my eyes as it tried to blind me. As I opened them again, I found myself in front of the statue of a woman. The artwork was a little crude but the statue emanated a calm and serene atmosphere that made it more valuable in my eyes.
You have seen the statue of goddess Lucia. An early work of the Legendary Sculptor Blaine depicting Lucia, the goddess of beauty and harvest, the patron goddess of Soren town. Effects: Health and mana regeneration increased by 15% for a day. The effects do not overlap with another statue.
It was a pleasant surprise for me to receive those buffs. As I looked around, I could see a large group of people talking at the meeting place the school chose. I put myself a little apart from them. I wasn''t interested in talking but I did listen. They talked about the different games they had played, their levels and class. I was curious. I looked at my status. Status.
[quart=Character name,Alignment]Everheart,Neutral[/quart][quart=Level,Profession]1 (0%),None[/quart][quart=Title,Race]None,Wood Elf[/quart][quart=Fame,Infamy]0,0[/quart][quart=Health,Mana]80,120[/quart][quart=Strength,Agility]8,12[/quart][quart=Wisdom,Intellect]10,12[/quart][quart=Vitality,Affinity to Nature]10,10%[/quart][quart=Leadership,Luck]0,0[/quart][quart=Attack,Defense]2,0[/quart]
Status
Magic resistanceNone
Skill window.
Archery Beginner Lvl 0 Increases attack power with a bow. +10 % pr level
Green thumb Lvl 0 Plants grow 10 % faster that normal when you plant them. 10 mana per second.
It was totally different from theirs. Their minimum level seemed to be in the two hundreds. I was screwed. They were talking about skills I could only dream about. And my decision to stay far away from them was, thus, reinforced. We were all waiting for the teacher to connect. It was going to be excruciating. For four weeks, we''d be under the supervision of our homeroom teacher, Mrs. Johansen. She hated my guts I was considered as a problem child even though I barely set foot on school ground. I always did my homework, always came at the exams, my grades were excellent and I was still a problem child. In my opinion, the others needed to be looked at more closely. If I were a problem child, then what were they? Devils? This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Everyone gather. As said before you connected, I will be taking attendance right now and a snapshot of your avatar. As I call your name, please advance right in front of me. I watched closely everyone who was called. I wanted to match every appearance with the right person. There were a few people I wanted to avoid at all cost. I didn''t plan to mingle with my classmates at all. Most would probably insult me but there were a few who were never satisfied with insults, they wanted to hurt me. I was a black belt in karate. I could defend myself. But if I ever laid a finger on one of them, I''d end up in juvenile detention and I sure as hell, didn''t want to go. Too bad it didn''t prevent them from laying a hand on me. It was time for me to be called. I made sure that my bangs were hiding my face. My hair felt like a black veil that was covering me. I felt all the stares on me. You could have done something about that hair., the teacher said, an exasperated expression on her face. Well, let''s be positive, you''re easy to spot, cousin Itt. Hahahaha Everyone was laughing. It was a running joke in our class, I mean, the entire school. According to them, I had so much hair that I looked like the hairy cousin in the Addams family movie. You know the one entirely covered by hair. At first, I found it funny but after three years, it was getting old. Thankfully, I could only hear it the rare times I went to school or I would have already killed someone. I didn''t retort to her crack. I was used to it. If I said something I would be the one in the wrong. It wasn''t even a debate. I was always in the wrong even if I just breathe. I stayed in front of her long enough for the snapshot to be taken before moving back to the edge of the crowd. The people I passed grumbled menacingly about not letting my hair fell on them. It was like I had germs ready to jump on their neat little self. We were in a game, a VR game. There''s no way anyone even had germs. They were being ridiculous. I was bidding my time. I only had to spend four weeks with them and then, I would be free. Just four weeks. I''ll find a little corner and wait until I could leave. I could avoid them until then. You will make a party of four. You will stay together for four weeks. Additionally to your individual activities in the game, you''ll have to do group activities. I''ve sent your schedule and your group composition by mail. For today, you can start by visiting the town and familiarizing yourself with your new environment. Now, have a fun experience! Yeah! I remained silent as everyone expressed their joy at finally being able to explore their surroundings. A lot of feeling were bubbling inside of me. I ran out into the town before they came at the surface. I ran until I found myself inside an alley. No one was around. I was angry but most of all, I felt cheated. I read a lot about VR games. The descriptions people made of them fascinated me so much. Stories of heroes defeating monsters, dragons terrorizing the weak, knights on their white stead saving princesses in distress, warriors fighting for their countries. I wished everyday to grow up faster so that I could play like the others were doing. I dreamed about building a legend of my own. They fueled all of my fantasies. In my darkest hours when I wanted to end it all, it was the dream of playing those games that kept me going. When I finally turned twelve, I couldn''t contain my excitement, I''d be finally able to play. I asked my parents for a StaViCon. It was the first time that I asked them for something. I was sure they''d get it for me. I had good grades, I was obedient, I never talked back. I was a good kid even if I say so myself. That''s why it hurt me deeply when they refused because of the incident. I was shocked. I thought that it was behind us. I went to middle school where the bullying from grade school didn''t let up. It ended up being my fault that the others bullied me and I was distracting them from their studies or so the headmaster said. They couldn''t throw me out so they arranged for me to reside in the dorm and to receive my lessons and schoolwork by mail. Frankly, I was relieved not to have to deal with classmates and such. I was however still assigned to a class and to a homeroom teacher even if I didn''t have to show up for class. The incident, as I called it, happened when I was ten. I didn''t do anything. However much I cried over my innocence no one believed me. Over the years, I just stopped saying it. Even when I was bullied, even when fingers were pointing at me, I never again said that I was innocent. But that day, I said it again. I told my father that it was unfair that I was punished again and again for something I didn''t do. The beating I received that day was the last straw that ended my days of burying my head in the sand. I finally saw that the haven I thought our house was, was just my own delusion. Before that, I never questioned much why my father never talked to me or why my mother was always looking at me strangely. After I realized the truth, I understood my father had never forgiven the sin I supposedly committed. My mother''s look was a look of disgust each time she looked at me. That day I cried all the tears I had in me. I also realized that my future was grim. I was sure that they would send me to middle school because it was compulsory but I had no guarantee that I would go to high school. If I didn''t go to high school, college would be out of the question. And without a high school diploma, what kind of job could I find when they would threw me out on my ears? When I heard that VR games had become part of the curriculum I was ecstatic. The place I lived in didn''t have a StaViCon but thanks to that new directive, I got it installed for free. I would finally be able to play the games of my dreams and now this happened. I couldn''t chose freely my character, I had to play with people I hate. And, I had to be in the same party as them for four whole weeks in real time, that means twenty-four weeks in game time. I was a noob whereas everyone else had played for a long time. I wasn''t stupid, I clearly saw that I was the only one with no equipment and the only one who had to follow the school rules on what my avatar should look like. It was too much. I sit down in the alley banging my head on the wall and tried to think of ways to get out of this situation.
Hp -10
Hp -10
I received notifications informing me that my headbanging was causing me damages. It helped me to snap out of my depressed thoughts. I took a deep breath and stopped short. The alley stank to high heaven. What were they throwing there, dead corpses? I ran out of the alley coughing and taking as much clean hair as I could in my deprived lungs. I found myself in front of the library. It was a decrepit two-story building with written above the door in fading letters LIBRARY. Apart from this, the building was bare of any other decoration or information. Gingerly, I entered the building. An old man was sitting behind the front desk, lost in the book he was reading. He didn''t take a look at me even though I kept standing in front of his desk and tried to gain his attention. I didn''t have anything special to ask of him so I waited for two minutes more before shrugging and going directly for the different books I could see on the shelves. I took the first one I found and started reading it. Reading was one of my hobby and speed reading was something I was actually really good at.
Wisdom +1
Intellect +1
Mp +5
Those message kept popping up. It was so annoying. I deactivated all notifications unless they were about quests. Finally calm again, I logged out. Previous / Next Chapter 3 Revenge is a dish best served in public After my realization, I had a little breakdown. Yeah, a little. It lasted a few hours but it could still be considered a little. I might have screamed, tried to kick everything and everyone I could see but it was truly a little breakdown. I mean it''s not like anyone could see me or like I could touch anything. I went right through them. So I had my little breakdown and then, I spotted HER. God, I hated HER. I hated her so much that it snapped me out of my breakdown. Thankfully. I said thankfully because she brought me a whole new appreciation to my condition. She couldn''t see me! She couldn''t touch me! And damn! I could see her and all her embarrassing moments. And there was a lot of them...I thought she might have broken a record or something. She tried to pick up a guy. She advanced toward him all sultry-like, with barely any clothes on, very different from what she wore the last time I saw her. Everyone was looking at her. It was difficult not to. Well, she advanced on the guy. Hello handsome, need a hand to enjoy the game. Her hand trailed down his torso. The guy''s eyes bugged out. He couldn''t believe she said that. No one else could believe it either. After they got their jaws back from the floor, they snickered. The guy got excessively red in the face and stammered an incomprehensible answer. She turned back and he got a premium view of her backside. He looked down and kept on looking trying to comprehend what he was seeing. Hey handsome, I''m waiting., she told him with a flip of her hair. She seemed to be happy to see him looking at her butt. It was her best asset in her mind. She kept on smiling sweetly. Well- Don''t you have no shame? How dare you dirty my good establishment with your perverted business? You, go call the guards! Yes, sir., one of the people present yelled excitedly after receiving a quest window. A few minutes later, he came back with the guards in tow. I regained myself difficultly from my previous hilarity- I started laughing just before she approached the guy. It was a solemn moment when the guards appeared. Everyone stopped moving. The shopkeeper was still gripping her arms tightly preventing her from leaving. The guy who had been the object of the pick up line looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Everyone else was waiting with bated breath to see what was going to happen. And then, What happened here? This man won''t leave me alone. He ''s trying to prevent me from leaving. Please tell him to let me go., she said pleading to the guard who spoke. That woman was trying to turn my shop into a brothel! The guard, who was going to chastised the shopkeeper, remained shocked at what he was saying. Do you have any proof of what you''re claiming? Yes, I do. This is bullshit. I haven''t done anything he says. I was just trying to recruit a party member to go on a hunt. I was doing nothing wrong., she said panicked at the turn of events. I have witnesses. This woman came into my shop and sollicitated one of my customers. She was selling her body, I tell you. Ask anyone here, they''ll tell you the same thing. Is it true? No! This man is insane. I didn''t do such a thing. I invited him to a hunting party. Nothing more. Tell them! She grabbed the guy she tried to pick up by the arm and shook him. Hmm...Y-you didn''t?, he answered with a question, damning her immediately. Look how she''s dressed. That woman is a prostitute, I tell you. The shopkeeper insisted to the guards. The latter had stopped moving and were staring at the woman''s backside with their jaws open. The shopkeeper looked at them with disgust. The woman wasn''t that gorgeous to necessitate such staring. He shook his head and turned back to look at the woman who was still trying to extract words out of the flustered man. And then, he stopped for a few seconds. What the hell is that?!, as he asked this, he pointed at her butt. Everyone froze at that question. All of them wondered what it was but they shied away from the obvious answer. So they kept on wondering what it was and coming up with a blank, they kept on staring. The woman, who turned back after hearing that high-pitched question, looked quizzically at the shopkeeper. She saw him still pointing his finger at her. Not understanding that he wasn''t pointing at her but at something on her, she got angry. She thought that he was out of his mind. First, he told everyone that she was a hooker and then, she got degraded to being called that. She''d had enough. She started to lay on the shopkeeper. He didn''t say anything. He let her say her piece. When she took a breath to launch in her rant again, he said, If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. You have poop on your ass. That brought her to a screeching halt. Her mouth hung open and her finger raised. It was quite a spectacle. I had stopped laughing and was intently looking back and forth between the two. I was waiting for the big revelation. She didn''t grasp what he was saying. She stared at him and then, did something that brought a resounding ew! in the shop. She passed a hand on her butt and brought a sticky mess in front of her face to take a closer look at it. She smelt and licked it. Hmm...smashed potatoes. How did it get on my skirt? A few fainthearted people were dry heaving as they turned away from her. The guards, tried to control the situation again. Two guards grabbed one her arm each and dragged her out of the shop. All the while, she cursed and claimed how unfair they were. Down, still laughing my butt off, I logged out. Removing the headgear, I was giggling uncontrollably but that didn''t stop me from watching the video I made. It didn''t need editing. I uploaded it on the school website. Everyone would be able to appreciate her as much as I did. I let out an evil laugh. Should I go to school to see my handiwork? That would be too obvious, wouldn''t it? But I really wanted to see the shit hit the fan. No pun intended. Haha hahahahaa. I decided to wait for the group activities, I''d know what happened then. Meanwhile, I looked up information on the spirit race. Officially, in Forgotten Soul, the spirit race wasn''t available to users. The only useful information I found was that shamans could summon spirits and that fire spirits controlled fire, water spirits water. So as a nature spirit, did I to control nature? Seeing my lack of skills, I didn''t think so. Moreover, in theory I could get summoned but who would do it? I didn''t have friends and the few acquaintances that I had weren''t trustworthy. How the hell should I get information on my race? I had no more time to research, I logged in the game. I reappeared in the shop from earlier. I made my way back to the entrance of the town where the statue of Lucia was. Most of my classmates were there. They were talking animatedly about HER. They laughed about how she saw the video and blanched in the middle of class. At the time when the meeting started, a man I''ve never seen appeared. He was tall, with cropped black hair. His chiseled face gave a cold feeling that with his blue eyes chilled me to the bone. I was extremely happy that he couldn''t see me. I saw how the others were reacting to him and it wasn''t pretty. The once chatty and scornful bunch were cowered among themselves. They were eyeing him like he was a beast ready to launch at them. No one uttered a word. The whole plaza was silent. They were all looking at this man who was clearly someone not to be messed with. He was clearly strong and filthy rich if you look at his clothes. He was lean with clear muscle definition. It felt like he could bring anyone to his knees either with with his word or with the sword that was strapped at his back. Good afternoon. I''m Mr. Hayes, you''re new homeroom teacher. Due to personal reasons, Mrs. Johansen has taken her leave from school. He was succinct and to the point. I''ll start with taking attendance. He called everyone and stared at each one of them with his cold eyes. It was clearly evident that I was the only one supposedly not present. First day, new teacher, and I was already a problem for him if the annoyed flare in his eyes was any indication. For today, we''ll keep with the schedule and do group activities. Disperse. People basically ran from the place. I was a little scared but curious as to what he was doing when he started pointed at things in front of him. Immediately check on Akira Kirihara. If he had no good excuse for his absence, revoke his permission to be home schooled. I was surprised, how can a mere homeroom teacher be able to get my home schooled permission revoked? Previous / Next Chapter 3.5 A teachers job My name''s Sarah Johansen. I''m 27 and until a few minutes ago, I was a teacher at Seven Sky Private School, an escalator school that cater to students from kindergarten to college. This year for the first time, I''d become a middle school homeroom teacher. I was happy. The only trouble I had was that problematic student that I couldn''t get expelled. I said problematic but that word was quite the understatement. He was a nightmare of a student. He never came to school, he was violent, he had history as a sexual abuser and he was creepy. To my horror, he became my student. I tried to get him assigned to another teacher but it was refused. I had to grind my teeth and bear with it. But I couldn''t. I had to protect the other students from him. This year every student was required to play a VR game under the supervision of their homeroom teacher. It was unacceptable that my students and I had to play with that monster. I pleaded with Stephan, the headmaster. It''s a game what could happen?, he scoffed at me. He could harm the students. He did it in the past. , I tried to explain patiently. First of all, there are safety measures in the StaViCon and secondly, it''s a game! If there''s any harm done, it won''t be permanent. YOU DON''T UNDERSTAND!, I shouted frustrated. He didn''t understand how dangerous that student was. I understand perfectly, Mrs Johansen. People change. Akira Kirihara WILL participate with every one else and then if things go right, he''ll come back to school next year. This is the goal I made for you and your class. YOU will make sure everything goes right, ARE WE CLEAR?, he shut me down with an icy glare. I was shocked at his behavior. Shouldn''t he want to get rid of him? Why did he want to integrate that student back in school? I didn''t dare to ask him about it. He looked dead-set on this plan of his. Despite what he said I was sure that Akira Kirihara hadn''t changed. No one that evil could change. Claire Barlow was one of my students last year. When she was in primary school, he violated her and forced sex on her. He had been a child himself but that didn''t change the fact that he did all of it. In a surprising move, the school didn''t expel him. They even kept him with the general population for the rest of primary school. I didn''t understand. Claire Barlow was a good girl. I admired her. She didn''t let what happened brought her down. She was courageous and bright. Every time I saw her she had a nice smile on her face. Why did they kept her aggressor next to her for so long and finally, when she got free from him, they wanted to brought him back? Why? It was like they wanted to punish her. Didn''t they know how she must feel? She was a victim. What I found more puzzling than the school stance was her parents. Even though their daughter''s aggressor was still here, they never made a move nor said anything against him. I had no choice, I had to take things in my own hand. I carefully checked the students who were in my class. I knew who could keep him in line and prevent him from doing whatever he wanted. I contacted then by mail and had them meet me in an empty classroom. Michael, Steven and Mark came at the meeting place right on the dot. Is there anything we can do for you, Mrs Johansen?., Mark asked me. I need you to take care of Akira Kirihara while we play Forgotten Soul. Keep an eye on him and if he touch one of the students report to me immediately. Why should we do it. The guy is dangerous , you know?, Steven asked. I know but you''re the only ones who could do it. I trust you. But we can''t do that. What are we going to do about our homework? If we watch him all the time we won''t have time do to anything else. Steven raised a valid point. I should have thought of it myself. Don''t worry. I''ll take care of things. You just keep an eye on him., saying that I went out of the room. The smile I saw on them startled me. They looked like hungry wolves who had been promised a steak. I didn''t understand it but I didn''t think more about it than in passing. Relieved that I had reached a satisfying solution for the time being, I decided to log in the game. The school had decided that my class would play Forgotten Soul. No one was happy with this decision as it was an old and not very popular game. I appeared in front of the statue in Soren Town. With nothing to do, I decided to look for a party to hunt with. I looked around the plaza, but no one caught my eyes. I waited a few minutes and then, deciding that I''d be better hunting alone, I went to the convenience store to get some supplies. As soon as I entered, I saw him. He was a man in his twenties. He had spiky red hair and green eyes. He was built like a swimmer. He was totally my type. I hid behind a shelf and changed equipment. I put on clothes I usually wear when I played Aphrodite''s Den -a short skirt transparent on the sides, a bra that emphasized my chest and a transparent tight shirt. It was perfect. I approached him and asked him to party with me. I just put enough suggestion into my words so that he''d know that I was single and ready to mingle in more ways than one. I was sure I got him. That is until the shopkeeper showed up. I didn''t know what was his problem. He accused me of being a hooker. I wasn''t one. Was it so bad to recruit party members and at the time, to try to find a boyfriend? I didn''t think so. And why didn''t the guy defend me? Men couldn''t be counted to be gentleman anymore. I shook my head in disgust. The shopkeeper causing that ruckus went so far as to call the guards. When they arrived, I tried to explain what happened to them. They seemed to believe me at first but then, everyone turned against me. They were all accusing me. I tried to get the guy to tell the truth but he didn''t say anything. He kept stammering like an idiot. What the hell is that?! I heard the shopkeeper shouting behind me. I turned to look at him. He was pointing his finger at me. I got even more pissed. He told everyone that I was a hooker and then, he called me that like I wasn''t a human worth naming. I''d had enough. I told him a few home truths about him. He didn''t say anything for a moment, and then he said, You have poop on your ass. That brought my rant to a screeching halt, I was shocked. What the hell was he saying? I passed my hand on my backside and a sticky mess got stuck on it. I brought it to my face to see what it was. It smelled like smashed potatoes. I was perplexed. I tasted it and it really was smashed potatoes. How did it get on my skirt? Suddenly, two guards grabbed me and dragged me to jail. I screamed, outraged at their behavior. How could they? I didn''t do anything. I found myself in cuffs, alone in a cell. One of the guards was sitting at a desk near the door to the room. Hey! Get me out! Do you hear me? Get me out!, I screamed. He didn''t even look at me. I went and sat in a corner. I needed to calm down. I waited for twelves hours for them to release me. They didn''t. However, they brought in a different room where a man was sitting behind a desk. The guards that brought me in from the shop were there. They explained all that they were told by the shopkeeper. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Do you have anything to add?, the man behind the desk asked. Free me immediately or you''ll regret it.. I didn''t know who this man was I couldn''t care less. I had reached the limits of my patience Are you threatening me? Release me now!, I struggled valiantly against the two men that were holding my arms but their grip was firm. I screamed at the top of my lungs. Brought her back to her cell! When I arrived there, I received a notification.
Your trial has just finished! You have been sentenced to 30 days of imprisonment for the following offenses: sexual harassment Indecent behavior Solicitation
I finally understood that the man they brought me to see was a judge and that he sentenced to jail. How could that happened? I couldn''t be imprisoned, I had to meet my students in three hours real time in front of the goddess'' statue. I tried to think of anything to get me out of this problem. The only solution I could think of was to tell everyone that I had something to do in real life. My decision made, I logged out. I went and informed the assistant principal that my mother was sick and that I needed to look after her this afternoon. He excused me of my obligations quite easily. I was ecstatic. He encouraged me to leave immediately but I told him that I wanted to at least attend my only class of the day. If I had known what would happened I would have left. Relieved that my problem was resolved, I headed to class. As it started, I noticed that something was weird. The students were more agitated than ever. They kept looking at me and snickered behind their textbook. Not knowing the reason, I tried to ignore it as it didn''t impede the lesson. However, I drew the line when one of them took out his phone and showed it to his friend. I went and stood next to his desk. Sydney, would you mind sharing with the class what you find so interesting on your phone? It''s a video on the school website. You''re in it. He looked at me with a smirk and showed me his phone. I blanched when I looked at the video. It was a video of what happened earlier in Forgotten Soul. I saw myself being dragged by guards after being accused of being a hooker. Delete that immediately! But Mrs Johansen, it''s on the school website I can''t do it. I heard laughter around me. I looked around and everyone was avoided my gaze. I felt panicked and embarrassed. I ran out of the room before I let my emotions take the better of me. The assistant principal was waiting for me. The headmaster wants to see you, now., he informed me in a chilly voice. Why?, I asked refusing to even think about the video. The headmaster will tell you. He led me to Stephan''s office. On the way, I could see students and other teachers stretching their neck to see me pass in front of their class. Everyone knew. It was in their eyes and in their smile. The few pitying looks I could see were the ones that finally brought me to tears. I sobbed uncontrollably until we reached the headmaster''s office. The assistant principal didn''t try to console me. He just stood, his back straight and a pinched look on his face. Stephan was sitting behind his desk, his hands clasped in front of him. It looks like you know why I called you. Stephan, it''s not what it looks like? I''m innocent. I didn''t do anything and it was their fault- Mrs Johansen, did they force you to be dressed like that? Did they force you to proposition that man in public? The questions were rhetorical as he didn''t wait for any answers. Your behavior went against school policy. Even out of school, you have to maintain a certain decorum befitting your position. I''m sorry but we have to let you go. I was fired. I had a feeling that it was going to happen. I crumbled on the floor. You can''t do this to me! I didn''t do anything. Why do you hate me so much? I cried hysterically. For a few minutes, they didn''t say anything. Through my tears, I could see that he was looking at me with disgust. My cries intensified. Tom, would you mind escorting Mrs Johansen to her desk in the teacher''s room and make sure she take all her belongings? I felt someone grabbed one of my arms. He dragged me to my feet. Uncomprehending, I looked at Tom Carter, one of the security guards who worked in the school. He led me out of the office. Hours later, I sat, prostrate with grief on my bed. I felt numb. I still couldn''t believe how my life went down the drain. I kept thinking over and over about what happened. The only conclusion I reached was that I was set up. How did this video end up on the school website? It was evident someone from the school had done it. But who? Who hated me so much that they would ruin my life? This morning I would have said no one but after the events at school I wasn''t sure. I had always believed that I was a good teacher, that my students loved me as much as I loved them. I was wrong. Their behavior proved it to me. I had enemies everywhere. Who could the culprit be? I remembered how Stephan treated me. Could it be him? He didn''t let me explain myself. The first time I met him, I thought he was perfect. He was gorgeous with black hair, blue eyes, the body of a god and a well-furnished bank account. I tried to get close to him, to become his friend and maybe in the future to become his lover. However, he rejected me, telling me bluntly that I wasn''t his type. It was not like I actively tried to seduce him. I just told him to call me by my first name. Since then, he made a point in putting space between us by calling me Mrs Johansen. The more I thought about it the more I convinced myself that Stephan was the one who posted that video or else he would have removed it as soon as he saw it. I felt betrayed and unbelievably angry. I knew why he did it. It was because of that monster he wanted to bring back to school. He knew that I was opposed to it and he wanted to make me pay. He would regret it, I''d make sure of it. But before that, I needed to plan. He wasn''t the only who needed to be taught a lesson. Previous / Next Chapter 4 An absence can cost a lot I followed my new homeroom teacher around for the next few hours. I didn''t learn anything interesting about him. Despite his looks, he was nice to most people he crossed path with. He didn''t smile a lot but he treated everyone with the same respect. That night as I logged out, I noticed that I received a mail. I was to be in the headmaster''s office tomorrow at 8. I bet he would be asking me the reason of my absence. It wouldn''t be too bad to tell the truth but would he even believe me? Even though it happened to me, it was still hard for me to believe it. . The next morning, I arrived 5 minutes earlier than the asked time. I sat in front of the secretary waiting for the headmaster to receive me. I waited a solid 20 minutes before I was asked to enter. I opened the door. I looked at the headmaster. My eyes bugged out and I stopped moving. It was my new homeroom teacher. He was exactly like his avatar in the game minus the sword. I felt chilled as his blue eyes were fixed on me. I didn''t move. I stared at him. At first, his eyes stayed cold but then, he smirked and then, outright laughed at me. I tried to speak but nothing came to mind. I just opened and closed my mouth like a gaping fish. I got red in the face. I was beyond embarrassed. It didn''t make things better that he was still laughing at me. First impressions were usually deceptive. Weren''t second impressions supposed to be better? And then, my mind clicked. I had forgotten that Hayes was the last name of the old headmaster who retired last month and left his son to take his place. It was stupid of me not to have made the connection between Mr Hayes the new headmaster and Mr Hayes the new homeroom teacher. It could have prevented me from getting embarrassed. Come in Mr Kirihara. I moved without thinking. I stood in front of his desk. Close your mouth and sit down. I snapped out of the shock I received at his sharp tone. I sat down and waited to know why he asked for me. Yesterday, you were absent... I was there, Mr Hayes, I swear. Are you seriously lying to my face? I''m not lying. I got killed. It''s all that old bast.. I mean librarian''s fault. He killed me! You got killed...in town...by the librarian? Can''t you at least try to make a better lie. I''m not lying! He killed me! I didn''t do anything to him and he just killed me. I followed by telling him everything that happened. Well, most of everything. I didn''t tell him about Mrs Johansen and how that video of hers appeared on the school website. I wasn''t that dumb. He still didn''t believe me. I couldn''t blame him. Inside of a town, players weren''t supposed to be killed. They couldn''t even get into a fight. It was an automatic feature of the game to permit the creation of true safe zone. Moreover, I got killed by a librarian, not an assassin, not a warrior but a librarian. It was unbelievable. Out of ideas, I suggested that he watched my game play as it was registered by my head gear and he finally believed me. He let me go and told me that he would see me later that day. I wasn''t sure I wanted to see him again but I wasn''t brave enough to say it to his face. I left his office in a rush and went back to my place. I thought about what I was going to do. Wouldn''t it be better to just delete my avatar and create a new one? I hope like hell that he wouldn''t force me to do this. I kind of liked being able to observe others without them knowing. I got to see things that I wouldn''t be able to see if I was visible. It was true that I didn''t know anything about my race but it had possibilities. I could just feel it. If I just knew how to gain skill...Oh my god! I was stupid! How to gain skills? I knew that. I wasted time for nothing. I was going to log back in the game but I changed my mind and went to research which skill I should try to learn. All of a sudden, I heard a knock. I looked surprised at the door. I lived in the penthouse at the top of the dorm building. Before I moved in, it was used as a storage. I cleaned up the place and threw away most of the garbage that was there. With the help of the teacher in charge of the dorm, I was able to have the necessities I needed installed. When the dorm was built, the penthouse was supposed to house the school''s elite students. As such, it had six bedrooms, each one with their own bath, an equipped kitchen, a gym, a library, air conditioning, the phone and internet. It was a mansion at the top of the building with its own terrace and garden. After it was built, the school had difficulties deciding who was worthy to live there. Some wanted the seniors to move in to promote their studies to enter a good college. Others wanted the top student from each grade to live there. Still others wanted their own children to get this chance. To put an end to the conflicts the penthouse created, it was decided that it would become a storage. For the two years I lived there, no one had ever knocked on the door. The teacher in charge of the dorm never even came to his floor. The entrance to the lift for the penthouse was different from the one the other students used. So it was impossible some one lost his way. As the knock sounded more and more demanding, I didn''t move and still stared at the door. I didn''t know who it was and I was in no hurry to discover it. Just as suddenly as it started, the knock ended. My phone rang. I didn''t recognize the number. I stared at it like it was a wild animal ready to jump on me. I let it ring a few times. It was really insistent. After a long time, I finally picked it up. Open that door immediately! At hearing those words, I jumped in fright, dumping the phone on the floor. My heart was beating fast. I didn''t know how he got my number but I was sure that it was him. Not wanting to piss him off more than I already did, I ran to open the door. And there he was. The headmaster, my homeroom teacher was standing there, glowering at me. He didn''t wait for me to invite him in. He pushed me away as he entered and closed the door. He looked around as he moved to the couch. I followed him with apprehension. Aren''t you going to offer me something to drink?, he asked as I was about to sit in front of him. I mumbled a curse under my breath. Would you like something to drink? I have tea, coffee, soda and beer or would you prefer a glass of wine? He threw me a really suspicious look but I already knew that I made a blunder. It was a joke. A joke. I''m under-aged, I can''t buy them. I made myself busy by taking up glasses and a pitcher of juice from the fridge. I conspicuously looked at everywhere but at him. I served him his drink. So to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? I asked not waiting for him to take a sip of his drink. I hoped that my tone didn''t let on the mix of irritation and fear he made me feel. I thought about your problem. Forgotten Soul is supposed to be a school activity and you not being able to participate is not acceptable. So, delete your avatar and create a new one. He could have said that in his office, why did he need to come to my home? But Mr Hayes, it''s my avatar. I like it. Can''t you do an exception in this case? And how are you going to participate when no one can see you nor touch you nor even talk to you? I''ll find a way! It''s not fair! The others were able to keep their avatars even though they didn''t follow the school rules. And just because of some minor problems I have to delete mine. It''s unfair! Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Life is not fair, Mr Kirihara. Please, Mr Hayes. It''s my first avatar, I don''t want to lose it. Is there really nothing that can be done? He didn''t respond right away. He looked deep in thought. Well, you can keep your avatar if you come to school. He answered finally. Okay. That answer wiped out the smile on his face as it was replaced by an incredulous look. You accept to come to school? But...But you''re going to be bullied! Yes, I will., I replied with sincerity. And you still wish to come to school? If I can keep my avatar, yes, I will. In my mind, my intention were clear. I was going to follow my classmates around in the game, record all their embarrassing moments and then, I was going to post them on the net. And for the cherry on top, I''d be in the front row at school to see their reaction when they''d discover their videos. Could things go better? No you can''t. If you come to school now, it would distract everyone. You can''t come to school. You can''t refuse. You were the one who proposed it. I can and I just did. Now delete your avatar and create a new one. No, I''ll go to school and I''ll keep my avatar. That was your proposition and I accepted it. I must have had a death wish I didn''t know about. If looks could kill, I ''d be dead right now. Why do you care so much about this avatar? You can''t do anything with it. It''s mine and I want to keep it. Okay, you can keep it. He suddenly said, surprising me. But in exchange, five students will move into the penthouse and you will do group activities with them every week. You can''t refuse. He got up and went to the door. Wait! What?! You need to be integrated into school without causing too much problems. At first, I thought a game would help you but under your insistence I had to change my mind. You will interact with other students whether you want it or not. He turned back and opened the door. Wait! What now, Mr Kirihara? Could I possibly choose who will live with me? I asked desperately. I fell head first into his trap and now I had to save the furniture, at the least. No but don''t worry, I''ll personally do the selection. And he left. The next few days went in a blur. From morning till evening, there were people coming and going in the penthouse as it needed renovations. I didn''t think that there was anything wrong with it before but it wasn''t like anyone asked me. I learned about the renovations when the workers showed up the day after the headmaster''s visit. I closed myself off in my room for all the time they were there. I played and played only taking brakes when they left for the day. In game time, thirty days passed since the renovations began. I was extremely happy with my new race as I learned different skills. What I failed to remember at the beginning was that there were three ways to learn skills. The first one was with a skill item like a book or a tablet. The second one was by having someone teach you and the third was by repeating tens of time the same action until you generate the skill. The first two were unavailable to me but the last one proved itself to be my savior. I tried a lot of things and finally I was able to generate my first two skills.
Float [Active] Beginner lvl 1 0% You are able to float above the ground. Speed:5 miles per hour Height: One inch above the ground 10 mana per second
Touch [Active] Beginner lvl 1 0% You are able to touch things and people in the material world with your hands. 100 mana per second.
I was jumping up and down, pleased with myself when I heard a knock on the door of my bedroom. I disconnected and came face to face with one of the workers. We finished all the other rooms. This one is the last., he said to me. The last for what?, I asked playing stupid. I already had an inkling to what he was going to say next. And I wasn''t wrong. I needed to leave my room and move my stuff. Basically, I needed to scram to let them finish their job. I sighed deeply and started gathering my clothes. I wasn''t even halfway through my closet that they decided I was taking too much time. So they helped me out. It was surreal. Six muscular men entered and carried my furniture to another room. They didn''t bother too much. Everything that was small and non-attached to anything was thrown on the bed and they just carried it as is. In less than an hour my room was cleaned up. Nothing was left in it except me and my opened mouth. They even moved my clothes. I shook my head in disbelief and went down to where my new bedroom was located. Everything minus my clothes was at the same place it was in my old room. They plugged back my TV and computer. They even turned them back on. It was like the last hour had never happened and my room had always been there. I decided not to log back right away but to check the forums for some news about the Soul. I saw that I received a mail. I was once more summoned to the headmaster''s office. The next morning, I was back sitting in front of the secretary. I came early like the first time. And like the last time, I had to wait 20 minutes before I was told that I could enter. As I got in the room, I went directly to sit in front of the desk. I mumbled a little good morning and proceeded to wait. He was looking at me with a bemused smile. After a week and a half of renovations at my place, I was in no mood to play nice. Before I present you your new roommates, I will inform you of the the rules... He waited for me to react but I didn''t want to give him that pleasure. I looked straight at him, saying nothing. Well, first, once a week, you''ll do an activity with your roommates. It could be anything like playing a game, going to the movies or just hanging out together in your living room. It must last 2 hours at the least. Second, no fight, no insults, only respect. For the rest, I think you don''t need me to spell them for you. It''s just common sense. Now, go sit on the couch, your roommates will arrive at 9. I didn''t say anything as I did what was asked of me. I wanted to complain but I knew that it was useless. At 9 o ''clock sharp, a knock sounded on the door and four guys entered. I knew them. I was screwed. Previous / Next Chapter 5 And here comes the new plague of my life They entered in a single line. The first to enter was Tomas Estvez. I knew him from back in primary school. He was always smiling, always wanting to help others. In brief, he was a genuine nice guy. The only problem I had with him was that he always followed the majority. If most people said that the sky was green, he would believe it. In my case, everyone said that I was a rapist and a delinquent, so you can guess what he was thinking. The second to come in was Malcolm Blake, the second rank in our grade. He was five feet three of lanky teenager. He was a geek poster child. He wore glasses. His clothes were clean and tucked in his pants. He hated me. Contrary to the others, it wasn''t because of the incident but because I was beat him in the grade ranking. Our cohabitation was going to be awesome, I could feel it. The third person was the one that would cause me the most problem. Jacob Clarke was my ex-best friend and biggest plague of my life. He was one of the firsts to turn against me when it happened. He bullied me. I even ended in the hospital because of him. It had been an accident but this would have never happened if he wasn''t bullying me. I hadn''t seen him since the school ceremony two years ago when he tried to talk to me. The last one was I didn''t know who it was. I''d never seen him before. But he looked to be friends with Jacob. So I should stay as far away from him as I could. They all stood together in front of the headmaster''s desk. Mr Estvez, Mr Blake, Mr Clarke, Mr Bergson. Please sit down. They waited for him to continue. I would like to speak to you about a matter of great importance. Most of you must have heard about the incident involving Mr Akira Kirihara and Miss Claire Barlow. Five years ago, Mr Kirihara sexually assaulted Miss Barlow. Since then, he has been barely coming to school. It was decided that this year this situation couldn''t keep going on. What does it have to do with us?, Malcolm asked with a deep frown. I plan to integrate Mr Kirihara back to school. First, He''ll interact with a select group of students so that when he''ll come back to school, he''ll have a group of friends to fall back on if the bullying he was victim of start again. So I assume we are the chosen ones. But why us? Tomas asked. Not only are you the best students academically speaking but you are also popular among the other students. I want a snowball effect to set in. When the others see all of you together, talking to Mr Kirihara, being his friends, their opinions of him will change and the bullying will stop and he''ll be able to come to school like any other student. I didn''t like his plan. It felt forced and there was no way that we''d become friends. At the least, two of them already hated me. It was doomed. There will be compensations. You''ll have the same treatment as Mr Kirihara. That is to say, you will study at home, you''ll only have to come to school for the exams. You can pass your days doing whatever you want, it could be studying, training or even like Mr Kirihara playing all day long. He delivered this speech with a warm and convincing smile. He looked like a salesman trying to sell his junk. Okay. Jacob agreed way too fast. What was he planning? I looked at him with suspicion. After consideration, Mr Clarke, you can leave. We''ll find someone else to replace you. No way. I want to participate. Your fast agreement is too suspicious. I don''t want anything to interfere with the plan. I just want to help him. He paid enough for what happened. Your feelings seems to come from a good place, he said sarcastically, but to err on the side of safety, I will ask you to leave. Don''t you agree, Mr Kirihara? They all followed his gaze and for the first time they saw that I was there. Jacob blanched and in the next second, he turned a deep shade of red. I spared him a glance and then, I resumed staring a hole in the headmaster''s head. Aw! Are you still pouting? I didn''t deign to give an answer. The others turned back to look at the headmaster, surprised. They had never heard him talk like that and those words didn''t suit his looks at all. It also served to put on their mind that that man and I were on friendly terms, which wasn''t true. I crossed my arms in front of me and started tapping my foot on the carpet in a sign of annoyance. It wasn''t really impressive, but who cared? Not him by the looks of it. He was smiling from ear to ear. That man just loved messing with people. It wouldn''t be in my best interest to interact more with this person. However, I didn''t know how to hurry things up so that I never see him again. Akira. Jacob said my name. I looked at him briefly before going back to stare at the headmaster. Akira. He called my name again. Mr Kirihara, I think Mr Clarke wants to talk to you. There was no need to be an engineer to see that I was ignoring him.Mr Clarke, I think Mr Kirihara doesn''t want to talk to you. , he goaded again. Mr Kirihara, you should let go of the past. Mr Clarke is a bully but he has some nice points too. Jacob whipped his head around. He was indignant. Mr Clarke, you are a nice boy. I''m sure you never meant to hurt Mr Kirihara. And he kept going. Could anyone just hit him? A punch would be great. I''d even accept a slap. So can the two of you be friends? Give each other a big hug to seal your new friendship. The three other people in the room kept silent during his speech. They might have been too busy looking back and forth between the three of us to say anything. Jacob was biting his lips and turning an even deeper shade of red. I was getting worried, no one could be that red and not fall over. I didn''t want to be the one to pick him up. I sighed deeply. So they''re the ones? I didn''t wait for his answer before addressing them, Congratulations! You''re going to live with me. So when you''re done gaping, you can come home. He''ll tell you how to get there ''cause I need to go hang myself. Bye! My tone let out the deep enthusiasm I felt. I knew that I would regret blowing off that meeting but right now I didn''t care. I was exhausted and it was only a quarter past nine. Back to my place, I tried to sleep but my thoughts kept going in circle. After a while tossing in bed, I decided to log back in the game. I appeared in the training center. Since I gained the touch skill, I trained daily on a dummy in one of the back rooms. I was curious to know about what was the deal with this room. I swore that there wasn''t even a speck of dust anywhere in the training center. I didn''t know how the training master did it. I mean the town was near a desert and the wind was always blowing. There was no way anyone normal could keep this place so clean in these conditions and leave out a filthy room. I tried looking for this room''s secret everywhere I could think of. There wasn''t any hidden door nor anything else suspicious for that matter. There was just a dummy and a rack of weapons. I still couldn''t talk to anyone as no one could see me. I was basically destined to bottle up my curiosity and take it out on the dummy. As I got to learn, physically I never felt tired. As long as I willed it I could get going. Unfortunately, that didn''t mean much. I never felt tired but I had barely any strength. I didn''t know that was possible. It took me hours just to move a dagger a few millimeters. I thanked everything that was holy that no one could see me because I felt ridiculous. I was bend over trying to pick up a dagger and I couldn''t because it weighed like a ton of bricks. As I didn''t tire, I kept on trying, getting more and more desperate. When I finally was able to pick it up, I tried to move with it and it fell to the ground. And I had to start everything all over again. And that was when I got stubborn and decided that I would learn to handle weapons even if took me all eternity. Thankfully, it didn''t take me that long as I gained more and more strength points. But I did take to abuse the dummy. And it looked like it was going to make me pay. As I appeared in the room, I immediately saw that something was wrong, I mean it was hard not to. The dummy was glowing and moving right at me with a sword in his hand. As he slashed at me, I dodged lightly by moving back. I wasn''t keen on fighting so I tried to leave but I couldn''t. Two pop-up messages appeared in front of me. *Ding*
You have received a quest! The Dummy''s revenge After receiving countless hits from you, the dummy is seeking revenge. Requirements: training in the Special Room, hit the dummy 1000 times Reward: Unknown
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The Special Room has become a dungeon You can''t leave until all enemies are vanquished
With no options, I held a sword and got ready to fight. I believed I could win. How could I lose against a dummy? It was a lot harder than I thought. My sword flew out of my hand with his first hit. In the next second, a deep pain blossomed in my chest. With a violent move, the dummy removed his sword from where he pierced me. I put my hand over the hole he made and looked at my health bar at the far left side of my vision. It was still full. I thought that I was safe because as a spirit no one should be able to touch me. At that moment, I understood that there were exceptions to this rule and the dummy was one of them. Taking advantage of my inattention, he lunged at me wanting to impale me again. I dodged by throwing myself backwards with all the strength I had. A sickening sound was heard as I met the wall. My back hurt so much that I got stunned for a few seconds. When I regained my senses, I saw his sword a few inches from me, aiming for my head. I threw myself on the side. I floated as fast as I could to get back my sword. Holding it with two hands, I parried his next hit with difficulty. With the next attack both my arms became numb. The sword dropped on the floor. I could only see in horror as his sword cut right through my right arm. It stunned me. He took advantage of the situation and pierced my heart. I felt sick. The pain was beyond what I could bear and I fell into unconsciousness. I woke up with the dummy standing right above me. My arm was back on my body. In desperation I floated to the weapons and took a dagger. I had a choice then: either I get in close combat with the dummy from hell or I throw the dagger at him. I threw it. I kept on throwing weapons and dodging his attacks for all I was worth. *Ding*
You have vanquished the dummy! After hours pursuing you, the dummy thinks you''re too annoying to keep fighting so he gives up. Rewards: Agility +15 Strength +10
Huh? I looked dumbfounded as the dummy stopped mid-swing and went to take back its vigil in the center of the room. I didn''t get what happened. I didn''t question things too much though. I went to check the door and saw that I could get out. I went through the door and waiting behind it was the training master. Hello! You''re my new student, aren''t you?, he asked with an evil smile on his face. I didn''t answer as I didn''t think he was talking to me. I went to go past him. He stopped me by taking my ear and pulling on it. Ow! Stop it! It''s not nice to ignore me to my face. You can see me? I can touch you too, if you hadn''t noticed yet. But...But how? And please, stop abusing my ear. He gave my ear a little shake before finally releasing it. From my experience with the dummy, I got that infinite health and vitality got nothing to do with pain. If I got hit, I wouldn''t get the damage but I''d get the pain that went along with it. And why shouldn''t I see you? I''m dead! Normal people don''t see dead people. You''re not dead. I''m dead, I tell you. I was there when it happened. I died and came back to haunt the town. He violently hit the back of my head. You''re not dead. I looked at him indignantly, his hand was still raised. I''m not dead. It was best to agree with the violent guy. I''m not violent. I never said you were. My lie got me another hit on the back of my head. I should get rid of my habit to speak my thoughts out loud. So why am I your new student? I tied to change the topic. Because I decided. He didn''t say more. He grabbed my arm and dragged me with him. Where are you taking me? I can float on my own, you know? I know you can float on your own and I''m taking you to where you are going to train. And where it is? We were at the training center if you hadn''t noticed. You''ll see. He kept on dragging me for a while. We finally arrived at a decrepit mansion. With the hand that wasn''t holding me, he knocked loudly on the door. With a screech, the door opened. A woman was behind it. She let us enter. The training master then led me to a huge room at the back of the building. You''ll train here from now on. You''ll sleep in the room there and you absolutely and I mean you won''t like the consequences if you disobey, must not leave this place. There are wards to make sure that you can''t go through the walls. But... No words. I told, you obey. Now go rest, your training starts next week at 6. He left me alone in the room. Now that I had time to think about it. Did I really want to be taught by that violent guy? On an other hand, it could be my only chance to understand what happened to me and be able to learn some skills. For the time being, I''d stay and see. I went into the room where he said I could sleep and logged out. Back in real life, I went into the kitchen to make myself something to eat. I was mincing vegetable when someone knocked. Warily, I went to open the door and I saw in the lobby a lot of guys carrying boxes. I had seen them before. They were students. I really wanted to close the door in their face. It was petty but so tempting. I let the door open and went back near the stove to prepare my meal. I looked at them out of the corner of my eyes. There were at least twenty guys. All of them with boxes in their hands. I wanted to laugh at them but it would give away that I was looking. They were glancing around taking everything in. I heard them muttering among themselves. They were all about how gorgeous the place was. They kept standing near the couch. Four of them made their way toward me. It was Tomas, Blake, Jacob and that Bergson guy. Hey, could you show us where our rooms are, please?, Tomas asked. I looked squarely at him with a bored expression and pointed my finger upwards behind him. The room just in front of the stairs is mine. The stairs? The stairs. The living room and the kitchen were in a single room that take the whole ground floor. The plants were as much for decoration than for dividing the place in such a way that from the entrance of the penthouse, it was nearly impossible to see the stairs. From where they were, it looked like the penthouse was three times smaller than it actually was. Behind you, on the right, there''s the stairs. All the guys went out of my sight in the other part of the room which led to the veranda and to the stairs. I heard their exclamations and comments about the place. I didn''t really want them here but it was pleasant to hear that my place was gorgeous. I took as much time as I could in the kitchen. Half an hour later, most of the guys left laughing and congratulating my new housemates. None of them said a word to me. They went even so far as to pretend I wasn''t there. It didn''t bother me but it seemed to bother the others. Sorry about that. They should have at least said hello Bergson said. I should really found what was his first name. I shrugged uninterested. They all took a stool, sat and stared at me. So how long have you lived here? Malcolm asked out of the blue. Two years. Wow. It''s a really gorgeous place. You lived here alone? Yeah. I knew that my short answers complicated the pursuit of the conversation. They made the first step being civil with me, I guessed I should try to make an effort. We were going to live together after all. So where''s the fifth guy? What fifth guy? The fifth guy who''ll live here. Five guys are supposed to move in, there are four of you so where''s the fifth guy? They looked at each other to see if one of them had heard about this guy. None of them knew anything about it. A knock sounded on the door, again. I didn''t move from where I was. Malcolm, after guessing that I wasn''t about to open the door, went to do it himself. And surprise, there stood the new plague of my life, the headmaster. He had a bag on his shoulder. Oh hell no! You said students will live here! I shouldn''t have believe anything he said Happy to see you too Mr. Kirihara and too bad, I changed my mind. I''ll be living with you. Previous / Next Chapter 5.5 A friends wish That day I felt my world crash around me. I''d been dating Sofa Callas for two months. When she invited me to her house, I was excited and nervous. Her parents were absent. I thought we were going to pass to the next step in our relationship. However, I got confused real fast. She was talking to me about Claire and Akira. I didn''t understand why they would be mention at this time. I mean we were at her house alone, and a few seconds earlier, we were kissing and groping. Jacob, stop! We need to talk. It''s important., she shouted to get my attention out of the gutter. What?, I asked impatient. I really wanted to get back to what we were doing. Claire isn''t feeling well. Why should I care? She''s our friend. She needs our help. Yes, she''s our friend but if she needs help she can ask for it, can''t she?, I reasonably argued. She asked me. Huh? So why are you talking to me about it. She gave me a light punch to my shoulder. You''re my boyfriend, you need to help too. I didn''t get her logic. True, I was her boyfriend but she was the one asked for help, not me. I didn''t say so out loud though. I wanted to get on with the conversation as fast as I could. Akira- What did he do this time?, I was getting worked up just thinking about him. He had been my best friend before he raped Claire. We had been as close as brothers as we knew each other since we were babies. He''s stalking Claire. Really? Let''s report him. That''s the only thing that can be done. I didn''t want to see him again. Each time I saw him in the past, I always felt grief. When he attacked Claire, he didn''t just hurt her, he cast a wound into our friendship. The kid I thought I knew was just a mirage. I felt hurt and betrayed that he hid his true personality from me. We can''t do that. We don''t have any proof. So you want me to help you getting them? No, dummy. We need to be the witnesses when Claire will lodge a complaint to the school board to have him expelled., she explained to me like it was an evidence. I didn''t see him do anything, did you? It''s been nearly two years since I last saw him. You just have to say that you saw him, that''s all. Wait! You can''t mean that. I can ask some of the guys to follow Claire around to catch him red-handed. That way we won''t have to lie. It will be too late. He''s going to hurt her again. We have to save her. There was something wrong. If the guy was really doing something reprehensible again, why did we need to lie? We just had to tell the truth. I told her my thoughts. She sighed at me. We are her friends. It''s normal to do things like that for friends. No, it''s not. I knew the idea she had of friendship were a little extreme but that went way too far. I tried to reason her again. But she didn''t want to listen. Friends have to protect and save each other. When I was younger did you know that Claire saved me from drowning? That''s what friends do. I knew the story. It wasn''t as impressive as it sounded. When she was 8, she fell in the pool at her house. Claire who had been there dragged her out and thus, saved her. Truth was the pool was 19 inches deep. Basically it was a kiddy pool where she could have walked out on her own with no problem whatsoever. However it had made a deep impact on Sofia and she always felt grateful to Claire. It was also one of the reason I didn''t want to help Claire. If you look at Sofia, Claire was her best friend. If you look at Claire, Sofia was just someone she could take advantage of. She always did or gave whatever Claire wanted. I didn''t like it. Their relationship was completely unbalanced. However if I told her that, she would dig her heels in and the situation wouldn''t be resolved. We''ll have problems if someone discover that we lied., I said in a last ditch to convince her that her plan was stupid. Don''t worry. No one will suspect a thing. It worked the last time, it will work again. What last time? I had a bad premonition about it. Sofia! what last time? She looked at me with guilt etched on her face. I had to do it. If I didn''t say anything no one would have believed her. He deserved it after what he did. I had to do it. Was she trying to convince me or herself? What did you do? She fidgeted looking everywhere but at me. I lied. I never saw him rape her but... can''t you see it was the only thing to be done. He would have got away with what he did. How do you know he really did something? Because Claire said it. Are you stupid? You see! You''re taking his side. I looked at her feeling a deep pain in my chest. Was she really that delusional? My smile was bitter, she still wouldn''t meet my eyes . Do you actually believe yourself? No don''t bother. We''ve got nothing to say to each other again. If I ever heard you say anything about Akira again, I''ll kill you. I said right in her face making sure she could see how serious I was. Do you hear me? I shook her. She slumped on the floor . You can''t mean that. You''re my boyfriend. Not anymore. I left her home before I broke down. That night I didn''t go back to the dorm. I spent it sitting on a bench in the park. In my mind, three words kept repeating themselves I betrayed him, I betrayed him, I betrayed him.... When Claire called Akira a rapist, I didn''t believe her. It was just her words against his. There were no evidence, no traces on her body, nothing. Then Sofia confirmed everything and from then on, others started talking about Akira''s weird behavior towards Claire. I confronted Akira, he kept saying he didn''t do anything. I felt my world crash around me. After everything, he was still lying to me. I remembered how betrayed I felt and the look Akira gave me when I didn''t believe him. They were haunting me now. The more I thought about it the angrier I felt. When morning came, my face was drenched in tears and my fists were clenched tightly. I wanted to make her pay. I wanted her to feel the pain Akira had. I lost my best friend, the guy I considered to be my brother because of her lies. I wanted to destroy her. Since that day, three months passed in which I meticulously planned Claire and Sofia''s downfall. I kept smiling on the surface as I prepared everything. I didn''t talk to anyone about what I knew. They needed to feel safe for the fall to be harder. I didn''t try to contact Akira. After what I did, I didn''t dare to show my face in front of him. But then, the headmaster asked for a meeting in his office. I was shocked when he started talking about Akira and the plan he had to rehabilitate him. The plan was a little sketchy but if there was even a tiny chance that it would work I''d take it. What I didn''t count on was that the headmaster would reject me because I agreed too fast. I tried to beg. I wanted to atone for what I did to Akira. It could be the chance I never dared to dream of. I could help him. And then, I saw Akira. I was paralyzed. I wanted to run to him, to tell him how sorry I was and that I would avenge him but I didn''t move. Only his name came out of my mouth. He mostly ignored me but the few glances he gave me were filled with loathing. My face heated. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Aw! Are you still pouting? I looked back shocked at the out-of-place words that came out of the headmaster''s mouth. I kept trying to get Akira to look at me but it was useless with the headmaster trying to make fun of us. So they''re the ones? Congratulations! You''re going to live with me. So when you''re done gaping, you can come home. He''ll tell you how to get there ''cause I need to go hang myself. Bye! Fed up with what was happening, he suddenly got up and left. The next time I saw him was when we moved in the penthouse. Two hours after leaving the headmaster''s office, we were waiting at the dormitory reception for the teacher to show us the way to our new place. As we waited, a lot of people stared at us. However, only one dared to inquire about what was happening. What''s in these boxes?, Patrick one of my friends asked. Our stuffs. We''re moving., Elliott, my roommate until now, replied. All of you are moving? No, just Malcolm Blake, Tomas, Elliott and I. The others are just helping., I answered this time. Oh, where are you going? We don''t know. Mr Sorenson is going to show us the way in a moment. Why don''t you come with us?, Elliott invited him. I didn''t think we needed more people but it was already done. Of course I''m coming with you. So have you told the girls? No, and you won''t tell them anything either., I said looking in his eyes. Why not? Because we''re going to live with Akira Kirihara., Elliott answered with a sneer. I wanted to smack him but I refrain. It wasn''t his fault. He believed that we were going to live with a rapist. WTH? Don''t talk about it, okay?, I pleaded. Elliott was looking at me with a weird expression. Mr Sorenson, the teacher responsible of the dorm, finally came. Now that all of you are here. Follow me. He led us out and around the building. We were looking perplexed at each other trying to figure out where he was leading us. We passed the service gate where provisions for the cafeteria arrived. They looked at us weirdly. A group of twenty guys holding boxes as they went to an area where there was nothing, was pretty suspicious. We rounded the building. There wasn''t even a path. We just followed Mr Sorenson in silence as he refused to answer any of our questions. Finally, we arrived at a door hidden behind bushes. As we entered, we saw that there was just a corridor leading to an elevator. We took it to the only place it connected to. We ended up again in a corridor with only one door. We knocked. Akira opened and let us in. The entryway led to a large room containing a sitting room with an open dining room and kitchen. We all stood in the room looking around us. There were many plants but I didn''t see any other room. The guys and I approached Akira to asked him where our rooms were and he told us to look up the stairs. At first, we didn''t understand because we couldn''t see any stairs nor any upper floor in the room. But then, he showed us that most of the plants were used as a separation between two rooms. As we passed the plants, we ended up in front of large floor to ceiling bay windows. Our jaws dropped. Through the windows, we could see a garden. We put the boxes down and went through them. The garden was beautiful. On one side, there were flowers planted. I could see that there were a lot of different types. Each one of them was a different color from the others. When I looked closely, I could see that they were put together following the rainbow colors. On the other side, there was a vegetable garden with tomatoes, carrots and the like. Right in front of us, there were trees planted here and there. They were for the most part one foot tall but they made it up by having a lot of leaves and some were even having fruits. As we advanced in the garden, we came upon a small pond. Fish were swimming in it. We looked around and we all had the same expression on our face. We were amazed. We could have never guessed that these were on the roof of our dormitory. As we looked behind us, we finally saw the upper floor of the penthouse. From where we were, it all looked like a house with a veranda and not a flat at the top of a building. Before long, we headed back inside and went to check on our rooms. There were 6 single bedrooms each equipped with their own bathroom. I chose the room next to Akira''s. Elliott chose the one on the other side. The guys were still gushing about how lucky we were to move in this place. I was getting a headache from all the commotion of the day. I''m sorry to be rude. But would you mind leaving for today? Yeah guys, it was nice to help us but now get your ugly mugs out of our palace. Elliott said joking. Haha ha! Funny. You look tired, Jake. We''re going only because it''s you who ask, not Ape man over there. See you at school. One of our friends said while leaving. Thanks. See you at school. We followed them down as they left. Akira was still in the kitchen, cooking. The guys ignored him. I felt awful like it was my fault. I wanted to say something but I didn''t know what. Elliott came to the rescue. He said sorry to Akira and tried to make conversation with him. I was still trying to think of something to say. The others had joined us. So where''s the fifth guy? Akira suddenly asked. What fifth guy? The fifth guy who''ll live here. Five guys are supposed to move in, there are four of you so where''s the fifth guy? We looked at each other to see if one of us heard about it. All answered by the negative. A knock sounded on the door. We looked again at each other, waiting to see who would open the door. Malcolm went. We saw the headmaster with a bag on his shoulder. I didn''t understand what was happening but Akira seemed to get it. Oh hell no! You said students will live here! Akira yelled. Happy to see you too Mr. Kirihara and too bad, I changed my mind. I''ll be living with you. Furious, Akira left the kitchen. I looked at his back as he disappeared behind the plants. Are you really going to leave with us? I asked the headmaster. Of course, Mr. Clarke. I can''t let my precious students without supervision. That would be remiss of me. He said with a smirk on his face, looking at me like I should be the most annoyed at it. I didn''t understand. What did I ever do to him? For the few months he had been headmaster, we never talked to each other. He had always looked cold and uninviting. So I tried not to get in his way. This morning, when he called us to his office was the first time I was close enough to actually exchange words with him. Needless to say his cold and uninviting appearance shattered as soon as he started to talk to Akira. He had been sarcastic as hell and his personality didn''t look like it was any better. I didn''t dare say a word. I had a goal to reach, sins to atone and people to crush even if I had to go through the headmaster, I would do it. Previous / Next Chapter 6 Finally some training After he dropped his bombshell, I decided that I should have kept the best decision I''d ever taken in my life: to ignore that bastard. Pissed, I gave up on cooking and went to my room where I logged in. The training master didn''t plan to be back before next week. I''d been gone three hours real time which meant that 18 hours had passed in the game. Having nothing to do, I went to check the books lining the walls. There were on a variety of subjects. As I read them, I gained a few skills that I was sure would help me in the future.
Reading comprehension Beginner Lvl 1 10% Increases the speed of your reading and of your understanding of the material + 5% per level at beginner stage
Magic mastery [active] Beginner Lvl 1 10% The higher the skill the more complex the spell one is able to cast Mana consumption depends on the spell used.
Magic comprehension [passive] Beginner Lvl 1 20% The more you know about magic the less mana you need to cast a spell.
After 5 days in game, the training master came through the door. He had two swords in hands. Today, we''ll train your swordsmanship. I didn''t have the time to say anything before he threw one of the swords at me and launched an attack. I fumbled with the sword for a moment and then, dodged. I would have loved to say that it was due to my quick reflexes and my innate talent but he was clearly taking it easy on me. However, even his taking easy was barely what I could keep up with. We exchanged many blows and each time my sword went flying. My strength stat was low and even though I didn''t tire, it made my grip far too lax. After a half hour, he called a stop to the sparring. You need to train your strength. Come with me. He led me out of the room, toward the back of the house. I kept glancing around, curious about this place he had brought me to. We passed a kitchen in which the woman who opened the door to us when we first came was cooking. Who is she? I asked pointing her out. My wife. Oh ! Should I present my respects? No need. She can''t see you. He led me though a door to what might have been a backyard. I wasn''t sure because to me, it looked like a junkyard. Flower pots were scattered among broken pieces of furniture. There were boulders piled up near the fence. Leaves from a huge tree covered everything up. Clean the garden. I looked at him with astonishment. Was THAT supposed to be garden? *Ding*
You have received a quest! Clean the garden To pursue your training you need to gain strength. To achieve that goal, the training master asked you to clean the garden. Difficulty: D Requirements: being trained by the training master, lacking strength Rewards: 10 strength points, 15 agility points, gardening skill
When you say clean, do you mean get rid of everything or put everything to order? He didn''t give me an answer and left... Well, I accept then.
You have accepted the quest.
Fortunately, gardening was a hobby of mine. He hadn''t answered my question when I asked him what it was that I should be doing so I decided to do whatever I wanted. I started inspecting more closely what was in the backyard and separate everything per pile. It was excruciating. I didn''t tire but there were more and more occasions were I felt stupid trying to lift things. I was sure I was making quite a sight. A floating guy trying to lift a pot. Again, thank god that I was invisible. Two days later, I finally finished putting everything into piles. There was a pile that was useless junk that could be thrown away. Another pile was of things you normally could find in a garden like pots, a bench or even boulders. And then there was the third pile. It was mainly composed of things that had no business being in a garden or even in a backyard. There were swords, polished crystals, jewels and a bed. Seriously I found a real bed in the backyard. I was curious but I didn''t ask what it was doing there. It took me a whole week to rearrange that garden. I even found a way to use the third pile. I was really proud of myself and when the training master came to see the final product of all my efforts, I couldn''t prevent myself from preening a little. Well a lot. I might have bragged his ears off. Not like anyone other than him could hear me.
Quest completed! You have created a tranquility garden. Effects: Health and mana regeneration increased by 10% for a day + 1 stamina recovered every 20 minutes +20 mana recovered every 10 minutes
Curious, I checked my stats and skills.
[quart=Character name,Alignment]Everheart,Neutral[/quart][quart=Level,Profession]2 (10%),None[/quart][quart=Title,Race]None, Nature spirit[/quart][quart=Fame,Infamy]0,0[/quart][quart=Health,Mana], [/quart][quart=Strength,Agility]20,30[/quart][quart=Wisdom,Intellect]44,12[/quart][quart=Vitality,Affinity to Nature],100%[/quart][quart=Leadership,Luck]0,0[/quart][quart=Attack,Defense]N/A,N/A[/quart]
Status
Magic resistance100%
You are invisible until summoned. No one can touch you nor hear you.
Float [Active] Intermediate lvl 2 3% You are able to float above the ground. Speed: 90 miles per hour Height: Six feet above the ground 10 mana per second
Touch [Active] Intermediate lvl 2 10% You are able to touch things and people in the material and immaterial world with your body. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. 20 mana per second.
Reading comprehension Beginner Lvl 5 67% Increases the speed of your reading and of your understanding of the material 5% per level at beginner stage
Magic mastery [active] Beginner Lvl 2 17% The higher the skill the more complex the spell one is able to cast Mana consumption depends on the spell used.
Magic comprehension [passive] Beginner Lvl 3 57% The more you know about magic the less mana you need to cast a spell.
Sword Mastery Beginner lvl 2 54% Increases attack power with a sword +10 % per level
Dagger Mastery Beginner lvl 2 43% Increases attack power with a dagger +10 % pr level at beginner
Archery Mastery Beginner lvl 1 31% Increases attack power with a bow +10 % pr level
Gardening mastery Beginner lvl 2 67% The higher the skill the more complex garden can be created.
Currently I had nine skills. Most were still in the beginner stage but overall they were advancing nicely. What bothered me though was that my skills were all over the place. Before I started playing I had this great idea of becoming a Paladin, the highest rank knight, but now I was a spirit and some of my skills were definitely not knightly. Did a spirit knight even exist? My plan was doomed when I became a spirit. I didn''t have a plan B because I was still in the dark about what I was. The training master led me back to the room where I would follow his training. Now that you have some strength in you, let''s spar. He gave me a sword and rushed at me immediately with a swing. I parried. I had gained more strength so I assumed that it wouldn''t go like before. I was wrong. My sword went flying again and again. Hold your sword more firmly. You don''t have a limp wrist, do you? Don''t be afraid to grip it harder. He told me. I tried to do as he instructed but the results were the same. After each hit, my sword flew away. I was getting frustrated, I wanted to yell, to rage but I couldn''t. He was keeping his cool. Even after a few hours he was still calm as a lake. He didn''t insult me. I had nothing to rage about apart from my incapacity to keep the sword in my hands. Mentally, I felt tired. Could you just teach me the proper way to hold the sword? Please? Well, it took you long enough, lad. He said with a big sigh. the weapon''s design influences the way its used in combat and as such the way it should be held. For example, look at the sword your holding. How does it look like? It''s a sword. He looked at me like I was dumb. I looked at it closely. It had a sharp edge and the other is blunt. Oh god! As I took notice of the sword I realized that with the way I held it until now, the sharp edge was fixed on me and not my opponent. I quickly corrected my mistake. The hilt is weird. It doesn''t feel right in my hand. I shook it trying to find the solution. Try with your other hand. Ah! It feels better. But why? Before you use a weapon in combat you have to check it over. It doesn''t magically happen like some people say. People just can''t use a weapon if they don''t look closely at what it is. The sword in your hands is a left-handed saber. He proceeded in a detailed explanation of the different swords that exists and promised to teach me about another weapon the next day. For the following days in game, it was a mix of talking about this and that type of weapons and of sparring. Only after all this, he decided to teach me the identify skill.
You have been taught a new skill! Identification [Active] Beginner Lvl 1 0% The higher the skill the more information you get about an item. 100 mana per identification.
I wanted to yell but I calmed down when he said he was going to teach me some spells. I should have guessed he wasn''t just a warrior. He could see and touch me after all. I swallowed the words I wanted to tell him and proceeded to learn everything he would teach me. In real life, things were at a standstill with me ignoring my roommates and them ignoring me for days. However, it couldn''t last. The dreaded day came. The day had to do an activity with them was finally here. Previous / Next
A.N.: Thx for the comments. It''s nice to know people read and like the story. I read some comments and some were about all the hate the MC received. I have to say that was actually loosely based on something that happened when I was in middle school. There was a girl called Ericka. She was always smiling. She looked like a nice girl. One monday she came to school with bandages on her wrists and when asked what happened she would cry and say that a guy name Aurlien abused her, she couldn''t bear the shame and then she slits her wrist. All of her friends surrounded her so it was hard to actually question what happened. When you did, they would all turned against you and say that you''re heartless. Basically they guilt trip you into believing her. By the end of the day, there was a crowd ready to lynch the guy for what he did. Even his friends hated on him. He fled by jumping over the back gate of our school. The following day, she came to school with no bandages, no wounds and with a huge smile on her face. That''s when we knew that she had totally lied and that she had more than one screw loose. When asked why she did it, she said it was because he rejected her and she wanted him to pay. Needless to say, she lost most of her friends and no one ever believed anything she said again. My story won''t have the same ending but that was just to show that it''s easy to turn an entire middle school against a guy. Chapter 7 The first group activity The day of our first group activity finally came. After logging out, I dragged my feet downstairs. What are we going to do tomorrow? I needed to prepare myself mentally for what was to come. Wake up early and bring your swimsuit. the headmaster or Stephan as he wanted to be called told us. I don''t have one., I told him. You don''t have what, Aki? Don''t call me Aki! And I don''t have a swimsuit. We''ll buy you one...Aki. Don''t shorten people''s name at your own convenience! Aw! Don''t be angry... Aki! My face twitched. I really wanted to hurt him. Are we going to the swimming pool? Jacob intervened before my will crumbled and I use a frying pan to his head. It''s a secret. I want to stay here! You said we could do the group activity in the living-room. Did you actually believe that? Juvenile detention was looking better and better. After all, I was just a kid, they wouldn''t keep me long, right? I had attenuating circumstances. He was begging for it. Before I even took a step towards the Plague as I called him, Jacob and Elliott jumped between us. We should go to sleep early. Jacob grabbed my arm and dragged me away. On Saturday, as we drove along the highway, I still felt irritated by this conversation. I concentrated on the scenery out the window. Not like there was anything to disrupt my contemplation, no one was uttering a word. A few hours later, I finally knew where we were headed. We were going to the beach or more precisely what passed as a beach nowadays. With the sea level rising, a lot of people found themselves living on a fast receding coastline. It wasn''t weird to see houses in the water or to have a road lead directly into the sea. As such, the place where we went was in the middle of an old town. The shoreline was paved with buildings. Sand was but only a dream from the past. When we arrived there, rain was falling heavily. The waves were too high to allow swimming. I looked at the Plague with a smirk. What are we supposed to do now, oh great headmaster? No need to be sarcastic. It was supposed to be sunny, the weather guy said so., he said in self-defense. There was so many things I could say about that but I chose to refrain myself and only laugh at him. He threw me a murderous look. So let''s head back., I suggested as no one said anything. No, we''re already here so we''re staying. We were supposed to have a group activity and we''ll have it. We were only supposed to spend at least two hours together and we already spent four just coming here. I say the requirements for group activity are already met. I think that as far as we''re here why not visit the shops. The trip wouldn''t be useless then. Great idea, Tomas. I looked at him with narrowed eyes. The guy was nearly invisible at home. He didn''t talk much and he was mostly out. What crept up his backside to participate now? The decision taken, I followed everyone inside the shops. Why don''t you do something about that appearance of yours, Aki?, the Plague asked me out of the blue. Don''t call me Aki. And my appearance is just fine. They all looked at me like I had a problem with my head. But what angered me more was that even Malcolm was looking at me that way. The guy who dressed up as a nerd stereotype found my clothes lacking. Could my day get any worse? Yes, it could. They dragged me into a clothing store. I don''t have money., I warned them. Don''t worry, I''ll pay., Stephan said. It was so nice of him that I couldn''t prevent myself from making him regret it. I searched for the most expensive piece of clothes the store had. I asked for a size to the clerk. That was a mistake if the look they sent me was any indication. There''s no way that''s your size., Jacob gave his opinion. I didn''t ask for it. I knew it wasn''t my size. When I shopped for clothes, I always took a size or two bigger than what fit me. And that shirt doesn''t suit you at all. Elliott chimed in. And then, every last one of them started given his opinion about what suited me or not. I rolled my eyes. They were embarrassingly loud. I moved away and pretended I didn''t know them. I was browsing the racks looking for even more expensive clothes when from the corner of my eye, I saw something suspicious. I meant someone suspicious because it was my dear former teacher wearing a wig and hiding behind a clothing rack. She was crouched and staring at Stephan intently. She didn''t even seem to notice that I was there. She put her hand into her shoulder bag ready to take out something. She was trying to be stealthy but she was so bad at it that it was ridiculous. She was clearly hiding and spying on him. I shouldn''t interfere. It might come back to bite me but it was too irresistible. Mrs Johansen! I shouted waving at her with a big smile on my face. Stolen novel; please report. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. Her eyes grew big, she became white as a sheet and she was shaking her head like she was denying something. Everyone was looking at her. Her face was priceless. I should take a pic. Stephan gave the clothes he was holding to Tomas and went to speak to her. She squeaked loudly and she bolted for the door in panic. Too bad, I didn''t have the time to take a picture. Was it really Mrs Johansen?, Elliott asked me. Yep. She had a wig on., I said pleased with myself. Why did she run? Is she still ashamed about the video?, Tomas inquired. No, she was just spying on the Plague. I explained to them, She had a wig on and she was hiding behind a clothes rack looking your way. When I called her, she was crouching trying to approach and hear what you were saying. Why did you call her? If she was truly spying, we could have caught and questioned her. Stephan asked after he came back from chasing her. Because it was fun. Did you see her face? I want this, this and this. I took clothes out of the rack, dropped them in his arms and went to wait at the checkout. I should try to hide my smile but it was hard, this day was looking up. Too bad it didn''t last. After buying even more clothes they thought would be good for me and forcing me to wear them, they decided that I needed a haircut. Oh hell no! I didn''t opposed too much for the clothes because it wasn''t my money they were spending but I drew the line to my hair. If you agree to a new haircut, I swear that I''ll grant one of your wishes. Stephan tried to bribe me. I wasn''t stupid though. The guy was as trustworthy as a dog eyeing a steak. And I''ll believe that because? I''m trustworthy. The looks the five of us gave him said it all. Okay, I might have played around a little bit with what I said and did but you can trust me, I swear. Hmm... I shook my head. I want proof. Tell us a secret about you and I''ll believe you. I don''t have secrets. Well, I don''t need to have my hair cut. Okay, okay, I get it. You ask a question and I''ll answer., he finally replied. There was so many things I wanted to ask but currently I was just too curious about his determination. Why do you want to cut my hair so much? Your hair just bugs me out. Yeah, us too. Elliott chimed in. The others nodded in approval. What the heck was their problem? What gave them the right to criticize? Now that I''ve answered your question... I debated giving him a taste of his own medicine by refusing to do something I agreed on. But I didn''t want to be like him. I wanted to show that I was better. I went to the hairdresser with them in tow. I regretted my choice as soon as we got there. For a bunch of guys, they were acting like a bunch a girls. They had an opinion on every haircut the hairdresser proposed. It wasn''t trendy enough. It was too classy. It was too girly. It was not enough this or not enough that. And of course, no one asked for my opinion. Since they had moved in, it had been awkward between us. We didn''t really spend time together other than me and the Plague arguing but now, they were acting like they''d been best friends forever. I looked them on with disgust. A good fifteen minutes after we came in, they were still arguing. I rolled my eyes at them and told the hairdresser to just trim my hair. Could you do something about those bangs?, the Plague told the hairdresser. Yeah, they''re ugly., Tomas added. I preferred it better when he was silent. I didn''t say anything as the hairdresser did his job. After everything was done, I looked at the mirror. A gorgeous girl with a disgusted face was looking back at me. I bemoaned my fate. Thankfully, I could still wore my glasses. Before I put them back on, the Plague plucked them from my grasp, dropped them, and them stepped on them. Oh sorry! I''m such a klutz. The four idiots snickered. Thankfully, you don''t need them to see. I jumped at him and screeched like an enraged animal. I''d had enough. I would love to say that I did a lot of damage but he easily subdued me. A black belt in karate and hours of training became totally useless as he pinned my arms behind my back. Okay, okay, I''m sorry I went too far. I''m going back home. I yelled. Let''s have lunch and then we''ll go back, I swear. I am going home! You either drive me or I''ll walk! He sighed and this is how our first group activity ended with me sullenly sitting in a car and the others looking guiltily at me. Previous / Next Chapter 8 The graduation gift Back at the penthouse, I logged back in the game. The joy of finishing my training washed away the grueling day I had. Before I left, the training master asked me to wait for my graduation gift. These were his words. I didn''t even know about it until he told me that although I didn''t train at the training center, I was still eligible for it. I didn''t look a gift horse in the mouth and agreed wholeheartedly to wait. He entered the room with a big package in his hands. It was quite extravagant. It was brown with a big red bow around it. Here, your graduation gift. I looked at it like it was a snake ready to bite me. I mean, it was suspicious to the extreme. In the weeks, I trained with him, I got to know the training master quite well. He was weird. He was strong. He had a huge superiority complex. He loved clean things. And he was stingy as hell. For all the weeks I''d been there, I received nothing from him. Even when I asked for something, he always found a reason or another to refuse me. I asked for a sword of my own, he said I didn''t need it because we were not fighting seriously and I was still in training. I asked for clothes, he said that as a spirit I couldn''t wear them. And when I asked how he knew without us trying, he said it was none of my business. And now the guy who refused to give me anything but the knowledge he deemed important was giving a big present with a big bow on top of it. When he said I would receive a graduation gift, I thought that he''d give be a book or a sword not a one foot tall fifty inches wide suspicious package. Well, take it., he said as I didn''t make a move to take the package from him. What is it?, I was still not approaching him. A present. I can see that but what''s in it? Open and you''ll see. You can open it yourself and I''ll see. Lad, don''t be ridiculous. It''s your graduation gift, I''ll leave it here. He put it down and went back to the door. Oh! Before I forget you can''t leave until you open it. And he left. That damn suspicious geezer! I waited for him to come back but he didn''t. Identify! I tried to use a skill I learned that allow me to identify things. It didn''t tell me anything that I didn''t know already. With caution, I went and opened the present. When I removed the packaging, I saw that there was a box ornately decorated with a peaceful scenery. I tried again to identify it with my skill, it still didn''t say anything apart from the obvious. It was a suspicious box given by the training master. I gathered my courage and opened it. A bright light engulfed me and I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was on a cloud. Literally. I looked around me and there was only the gray sky and a cluster of clouds floating around. The only way to come down was to jump and I wasn''t going to do it. So I stayed put and started admiring the scenery. Before long, I was bored of what was happening above me so I started to look down. There was a war going on down there. Up where I was, I couldn''t hear anything but I could see just fine. It took me a long time to understand who was fighting who. But after a while, I understood that I was witnessing the first adventurers'' war. Thirty years ago, war became unavoidable as natural resources dwindled. The United Nation (UN), in a bid to spare resources and to prevent untimely deaths, decided to use a VR game to allow the countries to wage war. Thus, Forgotten Soul, a game on the brink of being launched for the public was requisitioned and bought by the UN. At the beginning, most country only allowed military personnel to play. It was a gift and a curse at the same time. They were quite adept at fighting and thus, had a more advantageous time in game. However, most of them were total noobs. Their plays were all over the place. They wouldn''t assign stat points when they leveled up. They forgot to use their skills. They behaved weirdly when they talked to NPCs (Non Playing Characters), they missed a lot of opportunities. Basically, there were a lot of face-palming when the game was broadcast. The Asian Confederation, having predicted the situation, started the mass recruitment of experienced gamers. They proved to be an asset the other countries regretted not exploiting earlier. The first war in the Soul was The European Union (EU) vs the Asian Confederation (AC). It happened six months after the launch of the game. The Asian Confederation decided to declare war on the European Union. In real life, this would have been risky as they would need large quantities of resources and the damages to the land could be quite extensive. But in the Soul all of those were a moot point. The difference in their plays were like night and day. On one hand, the EU players only concentrated on leveling up as fast as they could and totally ignored the unique dimension of the Soul. And on the other hand, the AC gamers integrated themselves completely into the History and the population of the Soul. These two approaches showed their advantages and faults on the day of the convened battle. The EU players demonstrated an uniformed front with all of them being at the same level. They had, indeed, trained following a plan devised in real life. Being the soldiers that they were, they didn''t divert from the training plan. They followed what they were told to do and nothing more. The AC gamers demonstrated a more diversified front. Some were overly powerful, others had a more modest strength. But what distinguished them from their opponents was that none of them had the same class. There were magis, priests, warriors, bards. Their races was also vastly different from the UE players who were uniformly humans. There were beastmen, elves, dwarves and humans. It all started six months after the launch of the game, on a hill stood an army of twenty thousand humans, all warriors and archers. They all wore the same armor above the same uniform. It was a strange sight to behold. They all looked alike and were standing in rows waiting for their enemy to appear. None uttered a word. The silence was deafening. Suddenly, drums were heard through the fog enveloping the valley. They couldn''t see anything, yet the sounds resounded through their chests. Their heartbeats picked up. They were ready for war, they were ready to fight for their country. The only thing they were waiting for was the order to attack. They waited with bated breath. It would come soon, they could feel it. The time they agreed on the battle came and went but still no orders were given. The soldiers were getting restless. The sounds of the drums added to the fog that still hadn''t lifted brought a creepy aura to the otherwise silent battlefield. They hadn''t sighted the enemies yet but they felt a deep bone apprehension creep on them. They were losing the war. They knew it but they couldn''t understand how because no fights had even broken out yet. A sudden heat came from behind them. Shocked, they looked back and saw they comrades'' corpses burning. Panic gripped them. They couldn''t fight because they couldn''t see enemies but only their comrades falling. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Their formation broke. Slowly but surely, they left the hill and went into the valley. They were not equipped to fight a fire so the valley looked more welcoming. Unfortunately, as they entered the fog they were immediately attacked by the enemies they hadn''t seen before. The AC gamers had separated their forces into two groups. One was in charge of taking down the EU central command, to disrupt their formation and to force them to enter the dense fog their magicians created. The other was to patiently wait and ambush the soldiers as they came into the valley. The plan went flawlessly and the Asian Confederation gained several favorable business deals from the European Union. It was the start of a massive movement that brought continuous war in the Soul. I saw it on TV. It wasn''t impressive as the other wars but it was still considered a classic. But why was I witnessing this war? And for that matter why was I on a cloud? Couldn''t they just make me watch a video? No, they had to put me on a cloud above the battlefield. Fast enough, I understood why. There were voices all around me even though I saw no one. They were questioning the stupidity of people among other things. Then everything shifted. I was still on a cloud but the situation below had totally changed. Now, I was witnessing the second war. The voices around me were still quite relaxed but it soon changed when we got to witness another war. As the different wars kept happening below, the voices got more and more agitated. At first, they had been simple commentators but then when it kept happening again and again, they understood the problem was bigger than they had thought. Another world was at stake but they were the ones taking all the damage. I didn''t know how long I stayed there but I got to observe all the wars that happened on the Soul. It was kind of interesting at the beginning but I reached my limits real fast. I tried talking to the voices, they couldn''t hear me. After a few hours, it was either listen to what they were saying or die of boredom. I waited and waited for all of it to stop but it didn''t. I tried to log out, I couldn''t. It upset me a bit but I bid my time. After what felt like years, it finally ended. The voices disappeared and the wars down there stopped. I was still on my cloud, waiting to see what would happen next. All of a sudden, I fell down the sky. I should have been screaming but as my smile firmly place. It would finally end. I would be able to go back to Anaheim and start my adventures. My fall stopped short of reaching the ground. I flailed around, hovering. My movement weren''t impeded but I couldn''t stand. As a last resort, I tried to use the grass as leverage to get upright but it was hard. When I finally stood up I was still floating a few inches above the ground and I was alone. I looked everywhere around me. I was in a meadow in the middle of a forest. I tried to leave but I couldn''t. A woman appeared out of nowhere. She was dressed in green and had some kind of moss at the sides of her face. She was gorgeous in an out of this world way. She looked in my direction and spoke. I didn''t understand what she was saying. She was speaking in a different language. What I perfectly understood though was the pop-ups that showed up. *ping*
You have met Ga?a, the landmother. + 100 luck for meeting a legendary figure no one thought actually exists
You have received a quest! Save Forgotten Soul Through ages Forgotten Soul has suffered through many wars brought upon by adventurers. Ga?a asks you to bring a stop to save her land from any more destruction. Difficulty: SS+ Requirements: be from the spirit race, be an adventurer, meet Ga?a Rewards: ???
You know I''m level 2, right? I asked sarcastically. She didn''t answer me. It was like she didn''t hear me either.
You have accepted the quest.
I di... I didn''t even have time to protest as I found myself back again in the room I previously trained in. The training master was back again. That bitch gave me a quest! I was fed up with all the crap that kept happening to me day after day. Oh! so you have it? It''s your fault! You damn bastard! I should never have opened that shitty present. I knew that there was something fishy but did I trust my instincts? No, I trusted you. You! piece of smelly ass, how could you do that to me... Shut up! He shouted. I helped you get a quest with great rewards and that''s the way you thank my generosity... Tsk...what are you calling generosity. I got an impossible quest! I went too far. I knew it and the dagger at my throat knew it too. I started sweating bullets in a matter of seconds. I knew I couldn''t die but thinking about the pain was enough to make me sweat. You ungrateful little piece of shit! You''re going to leave this place, NOW! If I ever see you in town, I''ll kill you in the most painful way I can think of. And don''t worry I have a great imagination. Now, scram. I would like to say that I stayed around and showed him who the little shit was but that would be quite the exaggeration. I flew so fast I didn''t even know how I got out of there. When I finally looked around me I was in a forest, quite a few miles away from Soren town. Well, flying and limitless stamina would do that to you. I was all alone in a forest with no weapon. Was the universe against me or something? My real life was hell and my game life was no better. I only had run-ins with fickle weirdos with huge superiority complex bent on having me do whatever they wanted. It didn''t matter whether I fought back or not, I always ended up screwed. Maybe I should just avoid people. Yeah, that''s what I should do. Previous / Next Chapter 8.5 A masters duty My name was Valen Corenthias. I was the training master at the training center of Soren Town. I was an explorer when I was younger. I was pretty successful if I said so myself. Unfortunately, it all came crashing down when my wife got hurt when I was away. Out of guilt, I decided to abandon my adventurous life to live in my hometown with her. The transition was quite harsh. Most of the time I was bored out of my ears. In my new job, I had to take care of the training grounds and to teach anyone who asked weapon mastery. Problem was, no one asked. So apart from cleaning, I had nothing to do. As per customs, the training master could only teach someone who passed the training dummy''s test. After twenty years of cleaning and training by myself, someone finally did it. That person didn''t asked either but no one should fret over such small details. The important thing was that I was getting an apprentice and that I wouldn''t be bored anymore. I should have taken heed of the saying. Be careful what you wish for. My student was great. He was diligent, bright and hard working. It just wasn''t how I imagined things to be. In my imagination, my diligent, bright and hard working apprentice should be respectful, courageous and have some honor. Reality was harsher. The first time I met my apprentice, he ignored me when I was talking to him. Then he proceeded by insulting me and after that, he started whining about the unfairness of life till my ears bled out. The worst was that he didn''t even notice how much he complained. I wasn''t a happy camper. He had two sides to him and his second side was seriously getting on my last nerve. However, I kept with traditions and started teaching him. I was surprised and pleased with how diligent he was. For a few weeks apart from a few quips from him I was nearly able to forget that he had a shitty personality. But it all came back when he received his graduation gift. I genuinely thought he would be pleased to receive the quest. From my experience, adventurers became ecstatic each time quests and rewards were mentioned. I should have remembered his personality. He insulted me, insulted my goddess and complained about the quest. I should have been pissed but I was just genuinely fed up with him. I threaten him and watch him flew away so fast I didn''t have the time to tell him that he could take a weapon with him. At this view, I had a pang of guilt. I mean I could have run him off more gently...or not. I''ve taught him everything I could and now, he wouldn''t show up around here anymore. All was good. My duty was done. I passed my wife down the hall as I headed out. Don''t be late for dinner, I made your favorite., she told me with a shy smile. My wife was an angel. She was just so cute. Now that I was done with passing down my knowledge to some one, maybe we could take a long vacation just the two of us. I knew she would love it. She liked it when I spent more time with her. I left my house and went to the library. There, I met Gary Brooks formerly known as Gary Cornwall. I met him for the first time twenty years ago, while I was an explorer. At the time, he was the Archmage of Beleheim. We became friends and had kept in touch ever since. Twenty years ago when Beleheim was invaded by monsters, he decided to move to my country. It was not like he had anywhere else to go. And Anaheim was close to Beleheim''s border. He tried to build an army to reclaim the kingdom but it was an arduous task. The Beleheim king didn''t want his kingdom back. In this country, he lived the life of a king without all the duties that went with it. He preferred living a life of debauchery in the Capital of Anaheim. That in itself wouldn''t caused any problem but even though he didn''t want Beleheim, he didn''t want anyone else to have the kingdom. So he did everything he could to prevent the kingdom from being saved. Gary Cornwall, the archmage was accused of trying to assassinate the Beleheim King. The latter even convinced the King of Anaheim, his cousin, that the archmage wanted to dispose of him and then, use his army to reclaim Beleheim. It was false but the the King of Beleheim''s followers produced evidence and witnesses. I knew he was innocent so I helped him out by giving him a new identity and sponsoring his appointment as librarian in my hometown. It was the closest city to the Beleheim border if you go through he Cali desert. Through the years, he was able to build a trusting network of people wanting to reclaim Beleheim. One of them died in town a few months ago. Before dying, he gave a message to be delivered to Gary. Unfortunately for everyone, he gave it to my dear student. Did I mention that kid had the shittiest personality ever? He refused to tell Gary anything and then, when the latter transformed him into a nature spirit to get the information out of him, he even found a way to piss the guy off. I mean he was a nature spirit. He was supposed to be unable to lie, be docile and weak. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.But my dear student sure as hell could lie. When Gary wanted him to answer his questions, he fled. He was only docile when it suited him. Basically, he was the worst nature spirit to ever exist. Weren''t you supposed to bring that kid back here? Gary asked me, bringing me out of my musings. Hmm...He kind of flew away. What do you mean flew away? He flew away. Just flew away. I knew he wanted to know why but I couldn''t say that I scared my student so much he fled away from me. It was embarrassing. And how am I supposed to turn him back into an elf if he isn''t here? Well...He loves it as a spirit. He didn''t want to change back. Did you really explain to him what was a nature spirit? No one in their right mind would want to be one. I knew I was screwed. A nature spirit was docile, weak and couldn''t lie. Despite the name, a nature spirit couldn''t control nature or any such things. They basically had no powers. They could gain them but they weren''t strong. Their name was just to differentiate them from the other spirits. Everheart, despite his talent and his personality quirks was still a nature spirit. He didn''t get level or stats as fast as other races. It was kind of obvious if you actually look at his stats and all the hard work I put him to do. But thankfully he didn''t notice, so he didn''t have the chance to whine about it. He''s not a regular nature spirit. He''s definitely not weak.... for his level was what I didn''t add. Because Everheart was still level 2. With all the training we did, he was just a little stronger than a normal human at level 2. And it''s your fault you shouldn''t have transform him into a nature spirit. I knew it was a low blow. Gary transformed him because he had no other choice. The information passed among the members of his network could get any one of them executed without a trial. He couldn''t take the chance that Everheart babbled to anyone about it. So he converted his soul into a nature spirit. I couldn''t fault his logic. He needed to keep a gag and an eye on a loose end so he chose to cast a conversion spell that would guarantee it. Who would have thought that Everheart would be such a hard-to-deal-with nature spirit? Gary gave me a look meaning exactly that. Huh huh. It''s your apprentice''s life after all. Yes, he''s my apprentice. I taught him everything he needs to survive in this world. So did you give him the class? I knew I forgot something. But in my defense I was all prepared to give him the class after he received the quest. He pissed me off. It was his fault he didn''t get it. I had been extremely patient with him. If he had just said thank you, everything would have gone according to plan. But no, he had to let his bad attitude out. I excused myself hastily from Gary. I knew he wouldn''t buy my explanation. I went back to the training center. I decided to clean off the place while thinking of a good excuse on why I didn''t give my apprentice the class. The next time I saw him, I was sure that Gary would want to hear it. As I cleaned and thought about it, the quest I helped him find was pretty difficult. As a nature spirit, he has no chance whatsoever to complete it. If he was an elf and had the Shamansword class, he would have had a better fighting chance. Shamansword contrary to what its name suggested wasn''t a hybrid class. Shamansword should be read as shaman''s word. It was a class which allowed a person to act as intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds, to use any type of magic, to foretell the future, to control spiritual forces and to use any weapon he wanted. Unlike a regular shaman, a shamansword could contract any kind of spirits as long as he could get their word which meant their real name. There was no mana cost, no penalty on the number or on how powerful the spirits could be. Basically even at level 2, as long as he knew the word, he could summon a Spirit Lord and controlled him. I was able to recognize that I might have screwed up. Only someone with the class could give it to someone else. I was the only person alive that could give him the class and I scared him so badly he wouldn''t come near me again. Well, if he ever show up again I''ll give it to him. Finding no other solution to my problem, I shrugged and went back to cleaning. Previous / Next Chapter 9 Broken After my little meltdown, I wandered looking for mobs to raise my level. The forest I was in was located in the beginner area, a three-mile zone around the town where low level monsters could be hunted. I didn''t have any weapon but with my magic, I hoped that I could fight. The forest was wrapped in silence. Something was definitely wrong. From what I knew, monsters should be easy to find but since I came in, I didn''t come across anything. Curious, I investigated what happened. In a clearing in the middle of the forest, three people were standing in front of five wolves. I was shocked to see that they were the guys I was supposed to be partnered with in this game: Steven, Mark and Michael. At first, the situation they were in didn''t make any sense to me. Their level was in the late 200s and the wolves they were fighting were barely level 10. They should have been able to end this fight in a single strike. But then, I got it. It wasn''t a fight. They were laughing, happy with themselves. The wolves were immobile. Earth spikes pierced their paws while a single ball of fire circled their body and left behind burnt flesh. It was overkill. The three humans were without a doubt stronger. They didn''t need to be so cruel. What''s that noise? Steven asked. I didn''t hear anything; Mark replied. I''m sure it was around there. Steven went to investigate. In a thicket, he found a wolf pup hiding. Before he could make a run for it, Steven picked him up. Look what I found! Steven showed him to his friends. The pup was scared. He struggled and clawed at his captor. Little shit! Steven''s face distorted. He raised him above his head and threw him down. I flinched as I heard a dull sound as the pup met the ground. The pup got back on his feet with difficulty. He tried to take a few steps but his legs didn''t seem to work right. Steven picked him back up and joined his friends. You know you should just con fess to that girl. You''re both free. Nothing''s stopping you. Steven continued their conversation like nothing had happened. Yeah but she''s still hung up on her ex. She follows him everywhere he goes. Listening to them, I was petrified. They were acting like they didn''t have blood on their hands, like the wolves weren''t whining in pain right in front of them. I remembered all the times they behaved the same way when they were beating me. Their natural banter in those situations had always scared me more than any pain they could inflict. The pup whimpered and struggled, desperate to be freed. Without warning a deep gash appeared on his face. In Mark''s hand a dagger was covered in blood. WTF!?, Steven shouted as he dropped the pup. The background noise is annoying., Mark said. Steven threw a weak punch at his friend''s shoulder and all three of them burst out laughing. Horrified, I forced myself to go beyond the shock I felt at seeing them again. I took Mark''s hand that was holding the dagger and I pushed it into Steven''s stomach. They both gasped in shock. "You!" Steven blew him away with a flick of his hand. He removed the dagger that was still planted in his stomach and threw it down. He advanced menacingly toward his old friend. Michael looked on with a sick smile on his face. I wanted to wipe it out but at level two, my attacks would be little more than mosquito bites for him. The wolves needed to be saved first. I concentrated on removing the spikes in their paws. It didn''t work, my magic mastery was too low. I tried to think of something else but only one solution came to my mind. If I couldn''t remove the spikes from them, I''d had to remove them from the spikes. With tears in my eyes, I took each one of them in my arms and lifted them from the spikes. It was hard. My strength points that I worked so hard to built weren''t enough. I had to start again many times and cast many healing spells before they were able to be freed. My mana was infinite but the skill level was too low. I couldn''t heal them completely. It took a long time but their three tormentors were too engrossed in what they were doing to notice. I dragged the freed wolves one by one to a corpse of tress not too far from the clearing we were in. In the end, the only wolf left was the pup who was at Michael''s feet. I went to him and healed him as much as I could. Then I took him in my arms and made him invisible. During my training I learned that as long as I concentrated, I could make anything disappear with me. I flew away in the opposite direction in which I had dragged the other wolves. Michael noticed the pup disappeared. He ran after us brandishing his sword around. I dodged as best as I could. Even if he couldn''t touch me. The wolf in my arms was a different matter. I flew faster trying to lose his trail. The pup fidgeted a lot. I lost my grip on him and he fell down. I saw him ran right into a hole under a tree. Michael ran past him with Steven and Mark in tow. When they saw their friend running and swinging his sword like a madman, they gave up on fighting and took after him. I breathed a sigh of relief that the pup was safe but it was short-lived. The three walked back into sight. I''m telling you the freaking wolf turned invisible right in front of me. Michael said as he read a map in his hand. I held my breath as they stopped a few meters away from where the wolf was hiding. They was no way they could know his whereabouts. I waited for them to move on. There! Michael said as he pointed at the tree. Inferno! Steve shouted. A pillar of fire fell down on the tree. I heard the pup''s cries as he burned alive. I stood there paralyzed, my thoughts frozen. Far away, I heard a cry filled with a maelstrom of emotions: horror, helplessness, sadness, desperation, and the one that dominated them all, rage. My vision became red. I felt myself move. I didn''t know what I was doing. There was a wet sensation on my fingers. It was like they were digging into something and tearing it apart. Moments later, when I regained my senses, I was sitting on Steven''s body. He was alive. However, his face was unrecognizable. His eyes had been gouged out. Deep red claw marks went from his forehead to his chin. His arms were bent at an impossible angle. His legs were broken in several places with the bones sticking out. My hands were in his chest, holding his heart. I should have felt disgusted but, I could only laugh. I felt liberated like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I laughed until tears came to my eyes. I still didn''t feel depressed. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. I tore off his heart from his body. I looked at the other two. They weren''t moving, fascinated by what they saw. I smiled at them. They couldn''t see me but it didn''t matter. I got up from where I was. The heart still in my hands, I shoved it into Mark''s open mouth. His eyes reflected his panic but I didn''t let him get away. I attacked him with all the rage I had in me. Michael decided to intervene. He cast a spell, wind blades. I watched with a smile as Mark was cut to ribbons. I didn''t let him die though. I cast a healing spell on him. After all was finished, he was barely alive. His breathing was difficult but I kept healing him. Michael was shaking. He had thought that he would catch the culprit but he only injured his friend. I went to him. I scratched his face. He screamed and tried to run. I threw myself at his feet. I caught them and he fell down. I equipped the dagger Steven had discarded earlier and impaled it into his hand. I was going to attack him when I got an idea. What would happen if I caught his brains through his skull? I was transparent and I had the touch skill. It should be quite easy to do it. It wasn''t as easy as I thought. I could grab his brains but I couldn''t get them out. I kept trying though. He struggled and cried a lot, begging for me to stop. It was getting annoying. I made holes in his brains. But I didn''t let him die. I healed him with a spell. It didn''t help much, he was foaming at the mouth. I got up and looked at the other two. They whimpered wanting to crawl away but unable to move. They were so pitiful. I felt free of stress for the first time in years. I wondered what actually happened. How could I a mere level 2 caused so much damages. I decided to look at the last notifications I received as I had deactivated them the first day I played.
Fear stat generated
Fear +40
Fear +70
You have unlocked a new skill! Cry of the damned [Active] Beginner level 1 0% A cry filled with anger, sadness and regret. Effects on enemies: paralysis for 1 minute Health regeneration reduced by 50% for 1 minute - 20 fighting spirit 10 mana per minute
Sadism stat generated
Sadism + 50
Fear + 120
Sadism + 90
I passed all the other notifications until I found the last one.
You have unlocked the only universal skill! Evolution You can evolve from a nature spirit to a different kind of spirit race. Can only be used once
I was ecstatic. In most games, races could evolve if they met some requirements. It was one of the only ways for a player to change race inside of a game. For example, a human could evolve into a barbarian if his intellect and wisdom were low and his strength stat was high. Each game had a set requirements on how low or how high those stats should be. Forgotten Soul as such had one of the harshest set of requirements for evolving. To become a barbarian, a human had to have his wisdom and intellect combined lowered to a single digit and his strength in the thousands. Players who wanted to evolve never did it in the Soul. Thus, it became rare to trigger an evolution in this game. Information was sparse. As a spirit, I didn''t know what I did or what the requirements were. It was one of reasons why the Soul wasn''t popular anymore. If you didn''t know something, the game wouldn''t supply the knowledge. You had to find it by reading, guessing or by being told. However, as long as you had it once, the knowledge would become available at all times. That''s why even after playing for weeks, I still didn''t know anything about the nature spirit race. Evolution. I activated the skill. All my surroundings lost their colors. Everything was in shades of gray. I couldn''t bear my weight anymore. I fell to the ground. Before I blacked out, I saw blurred figures standing in front of me. I didn''t have the energy to call them out. My eyes closed. Darkness wrapped itself around me. Previous / Next Chapter 10 The path of Evolution part 1 I woke up in a desert. The forest I had been in was nowhere to be found. The air was cold. The ground was cracked. The place was depressing with muted dark colors that contrasted with the vibrant and warm appearance of the moon. *ding*
You have entered the path of evolution!
Out of nowhere a gray figure appeared. He looked like the people I saw before I fainted inside the forest. I couldn''t see any details, his figure was blurred even though he was right in front of me. Welcome traveler to the path of Evolution. Trials await you. The further you go, the more you can be. Choose a path and prevail. The only solution you have is the truth., he delivered his speech in a monotonous voice and then, he vanished. I was excited. I looked around trying to find landmarks. There was nothing around me as far as I could see. From the corner of my eyes, I caught on four straight lines of smooth ground. Each one of them was going in a direction. After taking my first step, I stopped in shock. I was walking not floating like I had been doing since I became a nature spirit. I tried to float but I couldn''t do it. Status! [quart=Character name,Alignment]Everheart,Neutral[/quart][quart=Level,Class]4 (10%),None[/quart][quart=Title,Race]None,Nature Spirit[/quart][quart=Fame,Infamy]0,0[/quart][quart=Health,Mana] , [/quart][quart=Fear,Sadism]280,140[/quart][quart=Strength,Agility]23,34[/quart][quart=Wisdom,Intellect]32,44[/quart][quart=Vitality,Affinity to Nature],100%[/quart][quart=Leadership,Luck]0,100[/quart][quart=Attack,Defense]1,N/A[/quart]
Status
Magic resistance100
You are on the path of evolution. You are visible and touchable. All skills have been disabled until your evolution ends.
Skills!
All skills have been disabled until your evolution ends.
I screamed for all I was worth. I stomped the ground, insulted the sky and pretty much, gave myself a conniption with how mad I was. For the second time since I started playing this game, I found myself without skills. I didn''t take it nicely. I worked hard to build them and they just disappeared...again. A while later, I calmed down a little when I read the end of the notification. I stomped in a random direction determined to get it over with and recover my skills. I walked until I saw a mountain in the distance. It was just as bleak as everything else was in this godforsaken place. I followed a path that led to the summit and straight into a cave.
Evolution Quest! Pass the first trial of Air. Difficulty: ??? Reward: ???
I looked at this notification with disdain. The system shouldn''t have bothered with it. It didn''t say anything. I huffed and walked inside the cave. As soon as I stepped inside, I gasped in shock at what I saw. There was a man suspended on the wall. His hands and feet were encased in rock. I couldn''t see his face but I knew who it was. It was me. I was imprisoned in this cave. There was a large pit separating us. The me that was on the wall raised his head and stared. What do you want? I looked uncomprehending. Shouldn''t he ask me to free him? Who are you? I knew he was an NPC but what I really wanted to know was why did he look and sound like me? What do you want?, he asked again. I want to leave this place., I answered. What do you want? I want to leave. I replied with more force. What do you want? He was getting on my last nerve. I answered. Why did he keep asking the same damn question? I don''t know., I gave my final answer. The rock that imprisoned him broke. He lunged at me. Surprised, I wasn''t fast enough to move away. We collided and his fist found his way to my face. He sat on my chest. His punches rained down on the upper part of my body. I struggled. He fell on the side. I took advantage of it and moved away from him. He got back on his feet and came back again at me. I didn''t have time to think. I reacted and countered his movements. He was faster than I was. I could feel myself getting weaker with each hit I received. If I stayed on the defensive, he would kill me. I threw a punch to his stomach. He caught it and twisted my arm. I stomped on his toes. He released me. I kicked him. He fell down to the ground. I went after him. I lost counts of the number of punches I threw at him. He didn''t look the worse for wear. He didn''t receive any damage. I was hitting him but I felt like I was the one being hit. I was getting tired. My punches grew weaker. This abnormality caught my attention. Since I became a spirit, it was the first time I had this feeling. My arms felt like they weighted a ton. My breathing was ragged. My hands were bloody. He took advantage of my weakness. He flipped us over. I found myself on the ground receiving more and more blows. I couldn''t move anymore. I remained still on the ground while he beat me. I was sure that I would die at any moment but I didn''t. Tears pooled in my eyes. I hurt so much. I felt so helpless. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I thought I outgrew this feeling years ago. What happened earlier deluded me into thinking that the little boy who got beaten and who could do nothing about it was gone. But I knew better now. I felt despair grew in me. For the last few weeks, my life had been going out of control. Others took decision for me where I used to decide alone. My home was invaded by people bent on aggravating me as much as they could. And now, I was getting beaten to a pulp by none other than myself. What do you want? He put his hands on my throat and applied pressure. I didn''t know what he wanted me to answer. I tried before and he didn''t like it. I racked my mind thinking. And then, I got it. The only solution I had was truth, the gray guy said so. What do you want?, he asked again. I want to live. The pressure on my throat decreased. I was on the right track. What do you want? I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to be stronger. I... I want to be free. He dissolved into a black mist and entered my body. A peaceful warmth spread through me. All my injuries healed. The tears that I shed dried. I found myself back on my feet like nothing had happened. The cave looked undisturbed. The blood that should have been on the floor had disappeared.
You passed the trial of Air! Do you wish to become a sprite?
No. It didn''t look interesting in the least. A sprite was a low level air elemental that looked like a fairy with wings and elf-like features. The huge problem I had with this race was that they were 3 inches tall. There was no way I would pick this. I waited to see if something else would come but nothing did. I went back out of the cave. There, things had changed. Where there was cracked ground before, weeds were growing. The air felt less colder and crisp. The moon remained unchanged in appearance but the atmosphere it gave off was different. It felt dangerous. Something else took all my attention. A new path had appeared. I followed it. I didn''t get tired like I did during the brawl with myself. Hours later,I came close to a lake.
Evolution Quest! Pass the second trial of Air. Difficulty: ??? Reward: ???
Someone was drowning and calling for help. I didn''t hesitate. I dived into the cold water. Something was weird. The more I swam, the farther the drowning person was. The cold seeped into my body. My strength was leaving me. The current was strong as the water swirled around me. I persevered in my efforts. After what felt like hours, I finally reached the person and dragged him back to the shore. My strength gave out. I laid down, panting on the sand. The water lapped at my feet. The man I saved looked at me. Who are you? I''m the one who should be asking this question. He looked exactly like me. Only his hair was different, it was cut short in a military style. Who are you? I had a bad feeling about it. And sure enough, when I didn''t answer, his fist rushed at me. I was getting tired of being hit. I rolled away avoiding his fist by a small margin. I was still exhausted from saving him. Before I could get on my feet, he kicked me in the stomach. I doubled over on the ground. He sat on my chest and put his hands on my throat and tightened. I struggled to remove his hands. I scratched anywhere I could reach. His grip let up. I took a deep breath. Who are you? I''m Akira. His hands tightened on my throat, then relaxed. Who are you? I''m Everheart. If my real name didn''t work, I hoped that my name in-game was the correct answer. It wasn''t. Who are you? I thought about it. Who was I? I drew a blank. Apart from my name, I didn''t know which answer would be the best. I didn''t think that a history of my life would do. I don''t know. I answered. Who are you? I''m myself. With the last remaining strength I had I pushed him away from me. He let go. His body dissolved into a purple mist and entered my body.
You passed the second trial of Air! Do you wish to become a Sylph?
No. A sylph was a basic air elemental. It was stronger than a sprite but the height problem still didn''t change. My strength came back. My wet clothes dried. It was like I had never dived into the lake. My breathing calmed down. The scenery around me changed. Flowers bloomed bringing much needed colors to the otherwise lonely world. Another path showed itself in front of me. I got to think. I followed a path twice and twice, I got beaten. I was not interested in a third time. What would happen if I ditched the path in front of me and tried to make one of my own? Previous / Next Chapter 11 The path of evolution part 2 I spent the next hours avoiding paths that appeared out of nowhere. I couldn''t avoid them for long. Each time I took a few steps in a direction, one would appear right in front of me. I was getting fed up with this place. A new path appeared , I decided to take it and accept whatever evolution it brought me. Before long, I saw a castle in the distance. I was curious to see what could be inside but I hoped I wouldn''t get beaten again. If I hadn''t stopped to think about what I should do, I wouldn''t have seen it. At times, the castle wavered like an illusion in the middle of a desert. The closer I looked, the more I doubted that it was truly there. I got closer.
Evolution Quest! Pass the trial of ???. Difficulty: ??? Reward: ???
I dismissed the useless notification with an annoyed flick of my wrist. The gate opened into a courtyard where deep red roses bloomed around a paved path. I entered excited. At the door, I used the engraved door knocker to signaled my presence. No one came to greet me. I waited a few minutes and then, I went in. Is anyone home? Silence answered my question. Is anyone home? I asked louder. Still no one came. In front of me, there was huge golden double stairs. At each side of them, vases were full of lilies. On the floor, there was a fresco in marble. It depicted a woman sleeping with a a demon on her chest. Well, I thought it was a demon. His red eyes were shining. He had a vague human shape and he was made of black smoke. Tendrils of smoke were going into the woman''s head. He had a smile floating where his mouth should have been. His teeth were long and razor-sharp. At the left of the double stairs, there was an archway leading to a large dining room. The table was made. It was full of dishes each one more alluring than the other. Is anyone home? I shouted again. Meals didn''t prepare themselves on their own. I waited again but no one came. Looking at all this food, I got hungry. It got so hard to resist the temptation of having a taste that I ran out of the room as fast as I could. From then on, it was like the place was out to tempt me. Each room I went in had something I desperately wanted. I didn''t understand my own feelings. One moment, I was fine and the next, I thought I would die if I didn''t sleep on a soft bed or eat the food on the table or wear gorgeous clothes. It was ceaseless but I resisted temptation. I came to a library. It was huge and filled with books. Their spines were beckoning to my eyes. I pulled one of them out of the shelves and skimmed through it. It was blank. I checked another one and there was still nothing in it. All of a sudden, I felt a hand pass on my shoulder. I jumped in fright and turned around. There was no one behind me. I could feel eyes on me. I nervously made my way out of the room. I wanted to get out of this castle. In the corridor, I stood shocked. It wasn''t the same corridor from when I came in. I remembered it. The wallpaper had been blue with gold embroidery. This corridor had a red wallpaper. There was only one door to the library, so there was no way I made a mistake. I rushed out to where I thought the entrance would be but I only ended up in another corridor. I was in panic. I couldn''t find my way out. I entered a random room and went to the windows, when all around me, the furniture vibrated. Drawers opened and closed on their own. Vases floated to the ceiling. Chandeliers flickered in and out. My fear went away. I stayed rooted to the ground and laughed. Whoever was doing that didn''t have a great imagination. We weren''t actors in a bad ghost movie. Hello! You can come out, I know you''re there. A woman appeared inside the room. She was gorgeous with flowing red hair and a voluptuous figure. She looked like a wannabe Jessica Rabbit dressed in medieval clothes. Who are you?, she asked me. Not again. I was getting tired of that question. I''m myself. No seriously, who are you? It''s been centuries since someone came in. Huh? You''re not like the others. They just asked the same question over and over again and refused to say anything else. Pfft. Those weaklings are too serious for their own goods. I''m Everheart. You must be the owner of this castle. Yes, I am. So tell me what brings you here, Evie? Everheart. I''m going through my evolution. I followed a path but it annoyed me so I ditched it and wandered around until I found your castle. From outside, it looks weird so I just decided to come in. You''re the one who''s weird. If you found a suspicious place, why did you come in? Normal people would have run the other way. And why did you laugh when I tried to scare you? It''s scarier to face the unknown but when you started playing with the furniture, I knew you didn''t want to harm me. Otherwise, you''d have done it already. I don''t follow you''re reasoning. I could have been a monster who wants to eat you. She pouted like she was disappointed that I didn''t find her scary but her eyes gave her away. They were smiling. I don''t think so. Ha ha ha ha. I like you. You can stay. Are you going to make me pass your trial? In a hurry? Nope, I just want to be ready in case. Two beating in a day are good enough for me I don''t need more. Oh? So you took the air spirits path? Are the others different? Yes. In the water spirits path, you have to listen to lectures about the universe. In the fire spirits path, you have to get out of labyrinths by answering riddles. In the earth spirits path, you have to sit still. It''s a joke, right? Sorry. I''m truly the unluckiest person in this game. I had to answer stupid questions and got beaten for nothing. Don''t beat yourself about it. No matter which path you''d taken you''d have had to answer the same question. It''s unavoidable for a spirit evolution. What do you mean? A spirit''s main powers came from his mind. If your mind waver, you won''t be able to do anything. That''s why you need to be clear on fundamental questions such as who you are, what you want, where you come from and where you are going. That kinda make some sense. Are you hungry? Let''s eat. She led me through the castle back to the dining room and its table full of food. Do you live here alone? Yes. It might be rude to ask that now but what are you? I''m a spirit. You can call me Maron. Maron. Why are you different from the others. They all looked like me? I''m not from the four common paths. As I said before, it''s been centuries since anyone came here. I''ve been alone for a long time and having someone around got me a little overexcited. I might have tried too hard to impress you. I smiled at what she was saying but I didn''t miss the fact that she didn''t really answer my last two questions. I''m so grateful to have met you. I didn''t understand anything since I''ve been here. No one answered anything to me. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Ask me any questions you want. It would be my pleasure to answer. I didn''t hesitate to take her on her offer, I asked every question that came to my mind. Why did the others look like me when I passed their trial? To make you waver. It''s something to be asked those questions by someone else but it''s a different matter altogether when you''re the one asking yourself. Why do they beat people in the air spirits path? Air spirits are selfish. They don''t like to spend their time on other people. The beatings are as much a punishment as an incentive to get on with you evolution faster. I wanted to complain but I restrained myself and kept asking questions. I didn''t know when she would change her mind and stop replying. You said you weren''t from the four common paths. So what is your path? My path is whatever I want it to be. Oh! It looks interesting. You still haven''t eaten. Please enjoy yourself. She made a vague movement of her hand toward all the food on the table. She was trying to change the subject. I''m not particularly hungry. Lying won''t help you, you know. Her smile slipped from her face. I know the gray guy told me that the truth will help me. Hmm? So you''ve met Janus. Janus? The spirits in charge of gates and passageway in the spirit world. You look tired. Do you wish to rest in one of the rooms? It was suspicious, she was too eager to cater to my wishes. Oh no thank you. I''ve already bothered you enough, I''ll be on my way. I decided to make my exit. I went to the door that was not too far away from the dining room. As I was about to open it, a razor sharp gust of wind came from my back. I threw myself on the side avoiding being cut in half by an hair breadth. You''re not bothering me at all. She looked down and a blush crept on her face. It would have been quite convincing if a second earlier she hadn''t tried to kill me. What do you want from me? I just want you to enjoy your time here. Sorry but I had to get on with my evolution. My instinct were spot on. There was something fishy about Maron. Didn''t you want to pass my trial? Maybe some other time. I discreetly advanced toward the door while we were talking. She was using magic, there was no way that I could win without any skills. When I was close enough, I rushed to the doorknob. The door didn''t open. Didn''t I tell you to enjoy yourself? Her face changed. Black tendrils of smoke came out of her shadow and wrapped around her. Her eyes turned an eerie red color. Her teeth grew and became razor sharp. I didn''t wait to see what she would do. I ran away. I passed several rooms in my escape. In one of the rooms, I came upon a window. I couldn''t get it opened. It was like there was something behind it that prevented the shutters to open. I threw a chair at it but it didn''t break. She rounded the corner walking leisurely. Her face was back to normal. You can''t leave. What are you going to do? Her smile was creeping me out. Two answers came to mind as soon as she asked this question, fight or flight. Whatever I chose I would be in deep trouble. I chose the third option. I threw my hands in the air in sign of surrender. Good choice. I''m tired. I''d like to take you on your previous offer for a room to rest. Sure. Please follow me. She left me alone in one of the bedrooms. I flopped down exhausted on the bed. Sleep was pulling at me but I resisted. I had a bad feeling. It was like I knew how to get out of this castle but the solution was just out of my reach. I racked my mind thinking about it. The solution was just there, I knew it. It had to do with Maron''s nature and actions. She could kill me with no difficulty but she didn''t. She didn''t want to hurt me either. She must have a reason to keep me alive and whole. She only attacked me when I tried to leave. As soon as I gave up on leaving, she became nice and eager to please me. Her appearance when I tried the door was the most suspicious. I had seen it before. As I kept thinking about it, I remembered the fresco on the floor. I cried excited. The answer had been in front of me since the beginning. I stood in the middle of the room. I took a deep breaths, I closed my eyes and concentrated. Out. I want to get out. Out. Out. After a few minutes of this mantra, I opened my eyes. The castle was nowhere to be found. I was back outside. Right in front of me, Maron was glaring at me. What have you done!, she screamed. I''d like to pass your trial now. I was confident that I could do it. I knew what she was. No! I refuse! She was scared. She looked around her for a place to run. Realizing she had nowhere to go, she crumbled on the floor and cried. It wasn''t the pretty kind of crying but the full blown tears, running nose, and hiccups. The type that made you want to run in the other direction and forget you ever saw something. I stayed my ground and waited for her to stop. Her hands were on her face. She was glancing at me through her fingers. Please ask the question. I want to pass your trial. She said it herself, no matter the path, I had to answer the unavoidable questions. No! I won''t let you! As her scheme to get me to pity her didn''t work, she went back to using force. Her face distorted. The human appearance she had kept until now vanished. Her body became immaterial. It was made of back smoke. Her red glowing eyes were glaring at me. She let out a deep roar and lunged at me. The expression on her face when she went through me was hilarious. She prepared herself to come at me again. I raised my hand and imagined a fireball at the tips of my fingers. I made it grow as much as I could. And then, I throw it at her. I thought of her burning in the fire. And it all happened. How? she cried after the fire died out. She was back in human form. She was badly burnt. I just had to put all the pieces together. Why did the other spirits refused to talk to me? Why did all the information you gave me looked so truthful? Janus said it, the truth is the only solution I have. So the answer was that you can only tell the truth. I underestimated you., she said through gritted teeth. She clearly had something up her sleeve. No, you overestimated yourself. If you hadn''t given me so much hints I would have never understood anything. And by the way, I am going to leave this place and I am going to live how I see fit. No!, she screamed as the black mist got absorbed inside my body.
You have completed the trial of temptation! Do you wish to become a mara?
Yes! As soon as I answered my vision dimmed and I lost consciousness. Previous / Next Chapter 12 To new companions and troubles (not edited) Hi! If you spot any mistake please tell me so. It will help me. Thx.
I was sleeping in a flower field. A beautiful woman was stroking my hair. Still drowsy, I opened my eyes. She had beautiful red hair and a gorgeous face. I felt that I should recognize her but sleep was still gripping me tightly. I smiled at her and she returned it. Happy, I snuggled closer to her hoping to go back to sleep. Wake up sleepyhead. Mama''s waiting. I felt her breath on my ear as she whispered to me. I woke up right away. I knew that voice. Whose mama? I asked as I stared at Maron. I thought I finished my evolution but it looked like I was still on the path. Yours, of course. Of course. I nodded before catching up to what she was actually saying. I looked around in panic expecting to see my real mother but Maron and I were all alone. Where''s my mother? Here, of course. She pointed at herself. Huh? When you became a mara, you also became my son. How is that making sense? I was freaking out. A psycho Jessica Rabbit with a superiority complex bordering on stupidity was my mom? My real mother looked like a walk in the park next to her. Well, it''s your fault. The only way for spirits to have children is through the spirit evolution. When we reach a certain age we''re sent to the evolution path to wait for someone to become our child. You pass my trial so your mine. Now, let''s talk about your future. She said with a serene smile. My future? Wait a damn minute! You call that an explanation? I want to know why you are my mother. She let a deep sigh. You''re really not bright, are you? The Evolution path is a special dimension that represent your internal self. All spirits of age have been called to this dimension for you. You pass their trial, accept their race and you become their child. Easy as pea. There''s nothing easy about it. I got beaten twice and you tried to kill me. No one said the spirits called wanted to have children. We were brought there only because we were of age and no one could leave until you chose a race. Basically we had to wait for you. Do you know how annoying it is to be transported to another plane without notice and to wait around for a snot-nosed kid like you to make his mind? It''s not my fault. If you said so. Now do you get it? I had more questions but I was sure I wouldn''t like the answers. Now about your future. You need to free the rest of the family.
You have received a quest! Save your family Your entire family had been imprisoned. You need to save them. Difficulty: SS+ Requirements: Be a mara Be a member of the Dreamweaver family. Rewards: Respect from your family. Quest cannot be refused.
You have accepted the quest.
I read in shock. When I absorbed all this information, I screamed. I received an impossible quest again. I wasn''t even level 5 and I already had two SS+ quests. SS+ was the highest level for a quest. The difficulty ranking went that way from the easiest to the more difficult: E, E+, D, D+, C, C+, B, B+, A, A+, S, S+, SS, SS+. I couldn''t complete a level E quest without getting killed and transformed into another race, what would happen to me with a SS+ quest? A slap to my face woke me from my depressing thoughts. Sweetie, calm down. She was creeping me out with the endearments. You gave me an impossible quest! Don''t worry. It''s not impossible. You''re my son, you can do it. I had many objections to what she said but I kept them silent. And how am I going to do that? I''m level 4, you know? Check your stats and skills. Status
[quart=Character name,Alignment]Everheart Dreamweaver,Neutral[/quart][quart=Level,Profession]4 (10%),None[/quart][quart=Title,Race]None,Mara[/quart][quart=Fame,Infamy]0,0[/quart][quart=Health,Mana]250,1250[/quart][quart=Fear,Sadism]280,140[/quart] [quart=Strength,Agility]23,34[/quart][quart=Wisdom,Intellect]32,44[/quart][quart=Willpower,Charm]20,20[/quart][quart=Vitality,Affinity to Nature]30,0%[/quart][quart=Leadership,Luck]0,100[/quart][quart=Attack,Defense]3,2[/quart]
Status
Magic resistance100
You are invisible until summoned. No one can touch you nor hear you.
I was a little bummed that my infinite stats disappeared but when I recalled all the bad luck I had recently, it could have been worse. Skills!
Human form [active] Level Max You can take on a human form whenever you want. All stats and skills will be updated after the change. - 50 to all stats. No mana cost. Racial skill cannot be deleted.
Temptation[passive] Beginner level 1 0% With your word and charm you tempt your prey. 10% chance of success. Racial skill cannot be deleted
Temptation devourer [passive] Beginner level 1 0% You gain stats when your prey gives in to temptation. + 4 intellect +3 wisdom + 5 strength +10 fear +2 agility Racial skill cannot be deleted.
Fear conversion [active] Beginner level 1 0% You can convert your fear into any stats you wish. Limit:10 minutes Racial skill cannot be deleted.
Twisted temptation [active] Beginner level 1 0% You create illusions to tempt your prey The higher the level the further and bigger the illusion can be. 100 mana per second.
Dream field [locked]
Float [Active] Intermediate lvl 2 3% You are able to float above the ground. Speed: 90 miles per hour Height: Six feet above the ground 10 mana per second
Touch [Active] Intermediate lvl 2 10% You are able to touch things and people in the material and immaterial world with your body. 20 mana per second.
Reading comprehension Beginner Lvl 5 67% Increases the speed of your reading and of your understanding of the material 5% per level at beginner stage
Magic mastery [active] Beginner Lvl 2 17% The higher the skill the more complex the spell one is able to cast. Mana consumption depends on the spell used.
Magic comprehension [passive] Beginner Lvl 3 57% The more you know about magic the less mana you need to cast a spell.
Sword Mastery Beginner lvl 2 54% Increases attack power with a sword +10 % per level
Dagger Mastery Beginner lvl 2 43% Stolen story; please report.Increases attack power with a dagger +10 % pr level at beginner
Archery Mastery Beginner lvl 1 31% Increases attack power with a bow +10 % pr level
Identify [active] Beginner lvl 2 10% You can gain information on an object. 10% chance of success. The higher the level the more information you get. 100 mana
Gardening mastery Beginner lvl 2 67% The higher the skill the more complex garden can be created.
Cry of the damned [Active] Beginner level 1 0% A cry filled with anger, sadness and regret. Effects on enemies: Stunned for 10 seconds - 20 fighting spirit 10 mana per minute
I stood shocked as I looked at my skills. With the racial skills alone, I could become overpowered fast. I jumped up and down in joy. I chose to ignore the human form skill. It was stupid. Who would want that kind of penalty? With a minus 50 in all stats, there was no way that I was going to use it. Now, you see. You can do it. I calmed down but I still had a huge grin on my face. What''s the dream field skill? And why is it locked? It''s a specialized skill for our race. It let us enter and use our power in dreamland. What''s our race. Mara. We are spirits of temptation. We become stronger by tempting our prey. People gives us several names: nightmare, incubus, Santa. It all depends on how each individual use his power. Personally, I prefer not to limit myself. She explained smugly. What''s the common point between Santa and a nightmare? I asked in a dubious tone. Desire. Santa gives away presents to children tempting them into wishing for more and a nightmare twist a situation and make people desire things they wouldn''t normally. It all came down to making people wish for something, dangling it in front of them and letting them get it to fuel our power. Now that you get it, we need to talk about the quest. To sum up the situation with the family, they pissed off a lot of people from pretty much every race existing and in revenge, they got imprisoned. Maron being the only one who was not officially a nightmare was spared and now, she wanted me to go around and free the others. Nope. No way, I''m not doing something so troublesome. I am your mother and I tell you to do it! First of all, you''re not my mom and secondly, why don''t you do it yourself? I don''t have a physical body anymore. I can''t move on my own in the mortal plane. I looked at her with suspicion. What happen to your physical body? I might have been cursed for something I''ve done but you don''t have to worry about that. You are going to grow stronger and then, free us. I laughed. It was either laughter or tears. We were still on the evolution path so she couldn''t lie. She actually believed what she was saying. She looked at me like I lost my mind. How do I leave this place? The best solution I had was to leave and forget I had ever heard something. You just have to will it and put power behind your words. I want to leave this place. All of a sudden, I felt extremely tired and I fell to the grown unconscious. ******* I moaned in pleasure at the softness surrounding me. I was floating in space when someone nudged me. Let me sleep. I swapped my hand in annoyance to get rid of this person. I regretted it immediately as a wave of tiredness engulfed me. My hand was too heavy. I sank back into the soft bed I was on. However, I jumped in fright when a tongue licked my face. Awake, I came face to face with a wolf who licked me again while four others snuggled closer. Three questions popped up in my mind. Where was I? Why was I in the middle of a wolf pile? And how come they could touch me? The last thing I remembered was the pop-up that announced the end of my evolution. I looked around trying to get my bearings. After looking closely at the wolves I recognized them. They were the ones I saved from my classmates. All five of them snuggled around me. I sighed in relief, if they were there, then, it meant that I was back near Soren town. But the reason why I was in a cave with them still eluded me. Status, I shouted to confirm my evolution.
[quart=Character name,Alignment]Everheart Dreamweaver,Neutral[/quart][quart=Level,Profession]4 (10%),None[/quart][quart=Title,Race]None,Mara[/quart][quart=Fame,Infamy]0,0[/quart][quart=Health,Mana]250,1250[/quart][quart=Fear,Sadism]230,90[/quart] [quart=Strength,Agility]-27,-16[/quart][quart=Wisdom,Intellect]-18,-6[/quart][quart=Willpower,Charm]-30,-30[/quart][quart=Vitality,Affinity to Nature]10,0%[/quart][quart=Leadership,Luck]0,50[/quart][quart=Attack,Defense]3,2[/quart]
Status
Magic resistance50
My mouth hung open. It was a nightmare. I couldn''t be human. I went through a spirit evolution. I was supposed to be a mara not a human. I was even weaker than before my evolution. I had stats in the negatives. I didn''t know they could be that way. I was freaking out. Until I remembered the human form skill. I might have activated it without noticing. Skills!
True form [Active] Level max You can take on your true form whenever you want. All stats and skills will be updated following the change. No mana cost. Racial skill cannot be deleted.
True form! I shouted. I didn''t bother looking at the rest of the skills. Black smoke came out of my body. I looked at my hands mesmerized. I could feel them but they were not there. When I tried to move my fingers, tendrils of smoke moved. Whines pulled me out of my trance. The wolves were sniffing and looking around making noise. They couldn''t see me. I tried to touch them but the smoke went right through their body. I used my touch skill and it worked. They yelped in surprise and looked for who touched them. I checked my stats and skills, they were the same as I remmembered. Human Form! The wolves yelped in surprise as I reappeared in front of them. I fell to the ground exhausted. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. Even standing was too much for this form. The wolves came at me and snuggled. I stroked their fur, deep in thought. Now that the more urgent questions were answered, I puzzled over their attachment to me. I knew that I saved them but I had been invisible, they couldn''t know that it was me. I didn''t reach any conclusion. From what I knew, animals in the game didn''t behave like their counterparts in real life. Their current behavior could mean anything and nothing for all I knew. The softness of their fur was lulling me back to sleep. A window suddenly appeared in front of me.
Do you wish to register pets?
Yes., I replied. From what I knew, pets contract didn''t just happened. You had to gained their trust and they had to wish to be yours. I didn''t do anything but I chose not to look a gift horse in the mouth. A golden light showered us and a link appeared between the five wolves and I.
Hakubi, Madarao, Amidamaru, Hashimaru, Abudabi have been registered as your pets.
I regretted my decision immediately. I should have remembered that the world was out to get me. Poor little one. He''s ugly and weak. We have to protect him from harm., the one who licked me earlier said. True. He''s so pathetic that just standing tired him. It''s our duty to protect him now. I can hear you, you know. I interrupted their little chat. They all gave me pitying looks. Don''t look at me like that! You don''t have to worry. We''ll take care of everything. Abudabi said as she licked my face again. I ignored that statement and asked the questions that plagued me since I woke up here. Why are we in a cave? It''s the den. She didn''t say anything else like I was supposed to understand whatever she meant. And? And? Explain what''s a den is. It''s our home. Okay. So how did I come here? Of course, we brought you., she replied like it was an evidence. Why did you bring me here? I asked as she wasn''t forthcoming with the information You''re pack. They all nodded like it answered everything. Just talking to them was getting me more tired than I was. Sweetie, don''t question things too much. A feminine voice resonated inside the cave. Maron! I recognized the voice. Oh! didn''t I told you? I can''t move on my own but with our mother/ child link I can go everywhere with you. She appeared in front of me. Too much. It was too much for me. I logged out not sure if I ever wanted to play again. Previous / Next Chapter 13 Its a secret In the game world, the sun had just risen but in real life, it was still the middle of the night. I awoke in my room drenched in sweat. The clock near my bed indicated that it was two a.m. I went to take a shower. Finished, I sat on my bed, thinking. My thoughts were in total disarray. Too many things happened to me in a time too short. I couldn''t go back to sleep. I needed to clear my head to decide what my best course of action would be. I changed my clothes again to jogging pants and a t-shirt. I went to the gym which stairs were hidden in a closet. The place was filled with left-over equipment that the sports clubs didn''t use. Arriving there, I went directly for the treadmill. I started running. As I pushed myself to run, I could feel my thoughts calming. Two hours later, exhausted, I went back to my room. I took another shower and got ready to go to bed. Akira!, the Plague called as he knocked on my bedroom''s door. It was four in the morning, what could he want with me? I went to open the door. I just came from a meeting with the teacher in charge of the dorm and parents. Do you have something to say? I racked my mind trying to find something that I could have done. Finding nothing, I just shook by head. Three students needed to be sent to the hospital after an invisible enemy tortured them in Forgotten Soul. They were in shock and babbling incomprehensible words. Do you have any idea who this invisible enemy could be? I don''t know what you''re talking about. Were the three of them really tortured? At first, one was physically tortured and the others were forced to stand there and watch. They could hear all of his cries. Then, they were attacked too in a gruesome way. There could be a criminal investigation into the matter. So make sure that nothing happen to you. He gave me a pointed look but I didn''t pay attention to it, I was stuck on the criminal investigation part. Why a criminal investigation? The game is programmed so that an NPC can''t torture a player. That''s why we know that a player did it. Also, the artificial intelligence (A.I) couldn''t detect it when it should have. The torture lasted six hours in game. From all this, only one conclusion can be reached: the game was hacked. Do you understand now? I hacked the game? What kind of crap had I been accused of doing now? Yeah, I understand. I replied distracted. Good. It''s not like it''s possible for a player to be so weak that he couldn''t kill someone even after six hours of attacking constantly or that the reason why the A.I couldn''t recognize the torture immediately was because said super weak player had a skill to paralyze his opponents and their health regeneration was higher than his damage. Yeah, not possible. Ha ha ha. I awkwardly laughed it off. He was going to leave when he suddenly turned back and said looking at my head gear Make sure nothing happen to you. This time I received the message loud and clear: Erase all the videos I had of my game play. I executed myself as soon as the door closed. I was grateful that Stephan was there to help me. I didn''t want to go to jail and hacking into a VR game could lend me three years in the slammer. I debated deleting my avatar and making a new one but in the end. With everything that happened, I seriously considered this possibility. In the end, I chose to not take a decision in the heat of the moment. Thanks to the StaViCon laws, it was forbidden to access someone''s personal information without his permission. However, it was perfectly fine to access the game play that was registered by another application that was why I needed to delete it. The laws were stupid but for once they were quite useful. Finally tired, I went to sleep. I woke up a few hours later, feeling rested. I went to the kitchen where I found all my roommates. I didn''t say anything to them as I made my breakfast. Since they moved in, it was the first time, we shared a meal together. I always waited when no one was in the kitchen to make my meals. I even took to buying snacks that I put in my room in case they were in the kitchen when I was hungry. The situation right now was quite unusual but they didn''t need to stare at me that way. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Stop staring! But you''re in the same room as us!, the Plague exclaimed like he totally forgot what happened earlier. Yeah and it''s not the first time. Get over it. But usually you ran away as soon as you see us. Had I been really grateful to have him here? It must have been a lapse in judgment. I don''t run away. And you, stop snickering. They all burst out laughing. I might have run a few times when I saw them but it wasn''t a habit. They were exaggerated. Totally. I got the ingredients out of the fridge to make myself an omelet and some bacon. As it cooked, the guys were sitting straighter on their chair and all were still looking at me. What? It looks delicious. the Plague said drooling. The others at the table weren''t any better. They were nodding like they had been starving. I looked at what was in front of them. There was cereal and milk. It was a perfectly good breakfast in my opinion. Thank you and it tastes even better. I could play dense with the best of them. I knew they were angling for me to share and it was not going to happen. I didn''t know that you could cook. I was cooking when you moved in, remember? I thought it was just an excuse to spy on us. I didn''t respond to that idiocy. The others in the room were silent as they kept watching me cook. I knew I was being mean. I kept pulling ingredients out of the fridge and cupboards. I was going to make myself a full breakfast. Don''t any of you know how to cook? They all shook their head and kept staring with expectation. Finally, when I was finished I went to sit at the table and ate, moaning deliriously about how good the food was. Their hungry looks transformed themselves into frowns. Did they actually think that I was going to cook for them? Enjoy your meal. I laughed happily. They sighed dejected as they ate their cornflakes. Why aren''t you wearing the clothes we bought for you?, Stephan asked out of the blue. I''m not going anywhere. I don''t need to wear new clothes to lounge at home. Don''t you plan to do anything else today? Nope. You stayed in all week long. Can''t you go out and have fun? I went out. You were there, remember? Today, We can go out together again. No. You don''t even know where we''ll go. I don''t want to go anywhere with you. You remember you broke my glasses and you didn''t replace them. You''re way better without them and you can see just fine without them. Hey! Stop nodding at everything he says. I said to the others at the table. So today, we''re going to- I''m not going anywhere with you. I''m sure I can convince you in two words. Not going to happen. Last. night. I blanched. If you don''t like I have others like Cri- Okay! I''m going!, I interrupted him before he said what I thought he would say. The Plague smirked at me. Then, he took my plate and ate from it. Thanks for the meal. Could it be considered an accident if his forehead met my fork? I was deep in thought pondering that question when Jacob interrupted and asked to come with us. Since he moved in, he was acting weird. He didn''t try to hit me. He was nice to me. I felt like I missed something. When I saw him last, two years ago, his fist was in a deep relationship with my stomach. And now the guy went out of his way to be nice to me. Did he have a personality transplant? Where are we going? Elliott asked. You aren''t coming. Aki and I have plans. Where are we going?, I asked. It''s a secret. Not again. Previous / Next authors notes, questions, answers, announcement and ramblings Hi! thanks for reading my story! If you had a question, suggestion or whatever you can make it there. So, for my first announcement: For the next few weeks, I''ll only post on thursday. I''ll post two chapters at the least on this day except for christmas. I''ll just post one. I''m working on my other stories that I neglected until now. I had a shock when I read one and it was totally unreadable with blatant mistakes I missed for months so i''m quite busy with rewriting. I read a lot of complaints about the fact that my story isn''t totally focused on virtual reality and that there was a lot of drama. My answer is that it''s done intentionally. The drama is the main motor behind the story. It makes it advance and evolve. I write the story so that RL and game-life will influence each other. I can''t forcefully give up on one or I won''t be able to write the story I thought of. There is also complaints about the prologue. Actually, in the beginning it was supposed to be chapter 1 and the story would have gone from there. Problem was i had to include massive flashbacks that made the story unreadable. In the end I decided, to tell everything that happened in the past first and then when the story will catch up with the prologue, I''ll just have to put little sentences to remind of what happened rather than the massive flashbacks I had trouble with. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.It''s obvious, the story will not end when it will catch up to the prologue. But that''s still in the future. Why did I put this prologue? Because it gives a lot of spoilers and anticipation on what''s to come next without giving any clear answer. When I wrote it, I wanted the readers to wonder what happened before and what will happen next. I don''t know if I succeeded but I tried. I don''t know if I answers all the questions you have but feel free to ask them. Chapter 14 The best day so far People milled on the streets despite the heatwave that hit the city. Through the window of a speeding car, I envied their freedom. Where are we going?, I asked for the umpteenth time turning toward the driver of the car. I told you it''s a secret. Every time I asked, he answered the same thing. I was tired of hearing that sentence. I sighed annoyed with the whole situation. The drive was short. The car stopped in front of a house in a rich neighborhood. At the door, Stephan didn''t bother to ring the bell, he just opened it. Are you sure you can do that?, I asked worried. I came because I was afraid of jail, I didn''t want to add breaking into a house to my troubles. I stayed right out the door. You remember I am the headmaster of your school, right?, he asked in a sarcastic tone. Does it have something to do with you breaking into someone''s house? What tells you that this house isn''t mine? Your name isn''t Lu Huang Fu and you don''t look Chinese to me., I said pointing at a plaque near the door. Don''t worry. You''re welcome. A woman in her late thirties said from behind his back. I thought you had something to do today? Stephan asked in surprise as he kissed her cheek. It was canceled. Follow me, he''s in the garden. She gave me a gentle smile before leading the way through the house. While we walked, I elbowed Stephan many times. I wanted him to make the presentations but he didn''t seem to get the hint. When we arrived at the garden, she told us where we could find the person we came to see and left us to our own devices. After a few minutes, we found an old Chinese man sitting alone. I couldn''t guess his age. His face was a little wrinkled and his hair was white. The cane at his side indicated that he had problems to walk. He was lost in thoughts as we waited for him to notice our presence. I cleared my throat loudly. I wanted to know why we were there. He jumped surprised as his gaze fixed on me. Meifeng. He extended his hand toward me. I''m sorry but I''m not Meifeng. My name is Akira. I waited for him to say his name. He didn''t. Meifeng. He called me again. I turned to Stephan asking silently what I should do. Grandpa. This is Akira Kirihara . We''ve come to see you. My eyes grew big in surprise. That old man was his grandfather. They didn''t looked alike at all. The old man was Chinese and he was Caucasian. One had blue eyes the other''s were black. The old man had fine features while the headmaster had a more chiseled and angular face. Kirihara Akira . You look just like Meifeng. He justified his blender. Come sit next to me. He patted the sit next to him. She was the love of my life. I met her back in the home country. We were just kids at the time but I loved her more than life itself. We lived in a small village. I remember how pretty she looked when I picked up flowers near the mountain for her. I studied in the only school our little town had. At the time, girls weren''t allowed to study. Meifeng wasn''t accepted there. I remember how she would ask me to teach her everything I had learned... My eyes glazed over. I smiled politely as the old man kept talking, not that I was listening but a nod here and there was enough to hide that fact. Twenty minutes later, he wasn''t finished. I was still nodding and smiling. I glanced at Stephan, he didn''t move since earlier. I needed to stop that old man one way or another. My neck was starting to hurt and I was getting a cramp in my face. I racked my mind for an idea but apart from being rude I didn''t see how to get out of this. I didn''t even understand why he was telling me that story and ignoring his grandson. How long have you lived here?. I asked trying to change the subject. His story didn''t interest me in the least and I didn''t want to know every minutes he spent with Meifeng. Fifty years. After Japan sunk into the ocean, Meifeng moved into this area. I was lost. How did she went from a village in China to Japan? Moreover, my question had nothing to do with her, so why was he talking about her again? I beat myself over for not listening to his story. A woman dressed as a nurse came our way. Mister Lu, it''s time for your medication. I''m sorry but we have to cut your visit short. I hope you''ll come back to see me again. Of course. I nodded despite my neck hurting. The nurse escorted him back inside the house. Still in the garden, I waved at him until I couldn''t see him anymore.Why did you bring me here? I said through gritted teeth. It''s a secret. Can you drop it already. I had to listen to a stranger talking about another stranger for a half hour. You could at least tell me why you brought me here. You''ll know everything when the time is right. Until then, be nice. I want to go home now. My annoyance was back with a vengeance. I went to sit in the car when I caught a movement from across the street. She seriously sucked at stalking. Hey, be useful, do something about that. I pointed at Mrs Johansen who sat in her car peeking at us behind a newspaper. What the hell is she doing here? He ran to her car before she was able to start it and drive away. Stephan passed his head through the opened window and removed the key from the ignition. He received blows to the head for his troubles. Mrs Johansen screeched like a banshee. There might have been words thrown in there but it was so high-pitched that they were incomprehensible. From the house we had just left, the woman who let us in came out and stood next to me. What''s going on? she asked at the volume of my former teacher''s voice rose. Stalker. I answered by a single word, I was too busy enjoying the show. Should we call the cops? Her tone let on her concern for our security. I turned away from the spectacle they were offering. It was the best idea I had ever heard. Yes, you should do it. Last Saturday, she followed us to the beach. It was scary. She kept watching me like she wanted to hurt me. I let out a sob. My body shook ever so slightly showing how scared she made me. I was impressed with myself I had good talent as an actor. Oh my poor boy! She took me in her arms. I cried a little louder like I was relieved the stalker hadn''t got to me. She whipped out a cellphone and dialed the police. What''s going on here? Why''s Stephan manhandling that woman? The old man from the house asked frowning as his eyes took on me crying and being hugged for dear life. Stephan had dragged Mrs Johansen out of her car and was trying to restrain her. Police sirens could be heard approaching. I was a little perplexed at the speed they came. Barely five minutes after the call, a police car parked in front of us. Mrs Johansen lost it then. She kicked Stephan between his legs and took off at a dead run. Oh my god! I exclaimed, eyes big as saucers. I totally forgot the role I was playing as I saw the Plague grab between his legs and his red face distort in pain. Stephan! the woman screamed as she ran to him. Are you okay? It was a dumb question. I lost control. I crouched down, hid my face behind my hands and laughed as silently as I could. My shoulders shook, tears streamed down my face. He had it coming for a long time. I wasn''t the one who did it but who cared? I had a premium view of the scene, it was good enough for me. Come on little one. Let''s get inside. The old man and his nurse helped me to get up and led me into the house. I still used my hands to hide my smile. Everything''s gonna be alright. It''s a promise. I''ll make everything alright. He patted my back as he rambled the same thing over and over again. He was nice but I would have liked to be able to laugh my ass off in peace. I tried to get my emotions under control when the policemen came into the house. We need to take your statements. Couldn''t we do that at some other time? My grandson had a rough day. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. I''m sorry Mr. Lu but the sooner we take your statements the sooner you can put everything behind you. Lu Huang Fu seemed to debate internally the words of the officers. He finally nodded. Could you tell us what happened? One of the two men asked. If you can''t talk, don''t worry about it. Breathe and take your time. the old man said to me. He patted my shoulder in reassurance. I did as he said, I took a deep breath and recounted what happened to the policemen embellishing the story as I went. I was getting into the car when I saw her across the street. She was in her car looking at me with angry eyes. I sobbed. I was so scared. I didn''t tell Stephan but last Saturday, when I spotted her inside the shop. She threatened me. She didn''t even talk to me and it scared me more. She pointed at me and then she made a sign with her hands like she was cutting her throat. Have you seen her before last Saturday? She was my homeroom teacher until she took leave two weeks ago. Did you have any problem with her before? I didn''t see her often. I''m home-schooled. The only time I come to class is when there are exams. I know that she doesn''t like me. She said so to my face but I don''t understand why she follows me everywhere I go. Is she going to hurt me? I asked the last question with puppy dog eyes and a trembling voice. We''ll take care of everything. She won''t hurt you. The old man gave me a hug. I sniffled noisily in his chest. I hated my face but in this kind of situation it was an awesome advantage that was particularly effective with the old man. We want to press charges against her., he added. You can but not much can be done on this matter. Even with evidence, what she did is just a minor offense. She''s a stalker and she''s violent. We''ll investigate but you must be prepared. You should try getting a restraining order, it''s the best solution I can see. If she goes near you then, we can arrest. The police officers left not long after saying this. Can I go home now? I asked to no one in particular. Lu Huang Fu frowned. I could see in his eyes that he didn''t want to let me go. I''ll drive, let''s go. Stephan said. I didn''t know when he came back inside the house. Are you sure you''re okay? His face was a little pale. Yeah, yeah. He dismissed the concern his grandfather had for him. Before leaving, I gave a hug to the woman and the old man bringing tears to their eyes. Fifteen minutes later, Stephan stopped his car in front of a building. We''re not at home. I''ll come and get you at 6. Huh? It''s your reward for being nice this morning. I don''t want to let what happened upset our plans for the day. He signaled me to get out of the car. Suddenly, someone opened my door and waited for me to get out. As soon as the door closed, the car left. If you would follow me. Where am I? You''re at the Helen Hart Spa. Please, if you would follow me, I will lead you to your appointments. The name didn''t tell me much. I didn''t know the part of the city we were in. I followed him and I didn''t regret it. I had quite the relaxing day. I had a massage, then I relaxed in a Jacuzzi. The food they served me was exquisite. What really relaxed me though was that I was finally in peace. No one to argue with. No one to look out for a wrong move. I didn''t need to be on guard. It might be a trap but frankly I was just happy for once not to have to deal with something stressing. I couldn''t prevent myself from giggling uncontrollably when I thought back to what happened this morning. It was the best day I had in a long time. When six rolled around, I felt like a noodle. Even though I didn''t do anything all day long other than being pampered I was tired. When Stephan came to get me, the sound of the car lulled me into a deep sleep. When I awoke next, I was on my bed in my room. There was only one way I was able to get there. Someone carried me there. I blushed with embarrassment. I was a man, dammit! It was three in the morning. I couldn''t go back to sleep. I decided to log back into the game.
The scan on you iris had determined that you are a registered user. Which application do you wish to connect to?
Forgotten Soul.
Request denied. Parental control activated you can''t access Forgotten Soul.
Who''s the idiot who activated that? I asked angry.
The strongest most handsome man in the universe, the Great Stephan Hayes.
I blinked in disbelief. The system didn''t say what I think it said, right? I jumped from my bed and ran to the Plague''s room. I pounded on his door. It''s three a.m. What do you want?, he grumbled. You activated the parental control on my StaViCon! I screeched. I was so mad, I could feel steam coming out of my ears. Well, read the email sent out to your class. It explains everything. Now, let me go back to sleep. Hell no! I want an explanation now! He sighed. Three students hospitalized. A game believed to be hacked. What did you expect? No, don''t answer. There''s a temporary ban on the game. Get over it. He closed the door on my face. I gave a kick on the door. I didn''t finish! Open that door! I kicked the door again and again until he came out. What?, he asked annoyed. What am I supposed to play now? I installed a few games on your StaViCon. Go play whatever you wish. And for the love of God, let me sleep already. He closed the door again. Is everything all right? Jacob asked behind me as I stared at the door. Yep everything''s good. I turned around and went to my room. Inside, I pumped my fist in the air and danced in the room. After a few minutes of expressing my joy. I rushed at my headgear.
The scan on you iris had determined that you are a registered user. Which application do you wish to connect to?
I want a list of all games installed.
Althasia Continuum Online Draconian Glory Forgotten Soul Old Ages Online Serendipity Star Explorers Table board Reign Zombie Apocalypse
I squealed loudly. The most popular and latest games were on the list. Forgotten Soul being out of the question, which game was I going to play now? Previous/ Next chapter 14.5 A stalkers resolution My life was hell. I tried to get a job to pay my bills but I only faced rejections. The job had already been attributed, my diplomas and experiences didn''t suit the work needed, I was too young or too old. After my seventh interview and rejection, I finally learn the real reason they refused me. Without my knowledge, I became an internet sensation. The video of me in Forgotten Soul was posted on the most popular sharing sites and had garnered millions of views. Reading the comments, I ran to the bathroom and threw up. Everyone mocked me. Slumped on the ground in front of the porcelain bowl, I cried every tears left in my body. My future was ruined. Every prospective employers probably saw it and would shy away from the kind of publicity the video brought. Hours later, I sat on my couch to review my bank accounts. The savings I had could only last a few months. My phone rang. Hello? Sarah. It''s mom. Don''t you have something to tell us? She was the one who called me, I should be the one asking that question. My parents lived in the countryside. They were farmers belonging to a commune, a group of farmers taking care together of several hundreds acres of farmland. My parents were busy so they only called me once a month. Mom called me a week ago, she shouldn''t be calling me already. Is everyone at home okay? I asked worried. I was the only one in my family to live in the city. My four siblings all lived on the farm with my parents. No, I mean yes. Everyone''s fine. I called about you. Pierre came to the house today. Pierre was a family friend. He lived in a different commune. He had a thing for me but he wasn''t my type. He was a big oaf who didn''t have any ambitions other than being a farmer. He talked to us about the video. What video?, I asked my voice trembling. You know what video. When were you going to tell us? Mom, it''s none of your business. I cringed at the venom in my own voice. Sarah! It is our business. You''re our daughter. We worried about you. Pack your bags. Your brother will come and get you tomorrow. Mom, no! I''m fine. Everything''s fine. Tell Michel not to come. I don''t want to go back home. I am fine. I was far from being fine. If my mom knew, it meant that all my family and friends at the commune had seen my shame. I hung up the phone claiming to be busy with work. I didn''t tell her that I lost my job. She would have driven to my place right away to get me. I stayed seated staring into space as my world crashed around me. It all originated from one man. Stephan. He needed to pay, to feel the shame and despair that he made me feel by posting that video online. To catch him in a compromising situation, I followed him everywhere he went. I wasn''t stupid though. I disguised myself. For a few days, nothing much happened. I persevered and my patience was rewarded. On a Saturday, he drove off out of the school in a minivan. I found it suspicious.There were students with him. They went to the beach. I parked my car in the same parking lot as them. I saw them going into the shops that lined the coast. I finally got a clear view on who the students were. I couldn''t believe my eyes. HE was there. Akira Kirihara. Stephan had dared to let him among other students. Thankfully, there weren''t any girls or I would have had to call the authorities on him. I couldn''t prevent myself from feeling scared for the others. Akira Kirihara was sly and violent. He couldn''t be trusted. He separated from the rest of the group. I approached the others stealthily crouching behind a clothes rack. I wanted to hear what was so important that they all had a serious face. Suddenly, Akira Kirihara shouted my name and waved at me. All the eyes in the shop turned my way. Panic swamped every cell of my being. When Stephan started to make his way toward me, I ran from the shop. I could hear him following me. I jumped into my car and pealed out of the parking lot. I shook uncontrollably, I was forced to stop the car. My heart beat wildly. I banged my head on the wheel. I had been so close if that brat hadn''t shouted, I was sure I would have found some dirt on Stephan. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. I took a long time calming down. I debated going back but I was afraid they were on the look out for me. I decided to wait for another chance. Two days later, it came. Stephan drove out of the school with Akira Kirihara. They went into a house in a rich neighborhood. I waited for them to get out with my camera. When they finally did, he pointed at me again. Afraid, I fumbled with my keys. When I finally got them in the ignition, Stephan was right next to me and taking them away. What are you doing here? My mind didn''t register his question. The man who ruined my life was in front of me. Anger swallowed my reason. I hit him with all I had. Asshole! Your ruined my life! I hate you! I hate you! I screamed over and over again. Stephan dragged me out of the car. I kept on hitting him. My anger haze lifted when I heard sirens approaching us. I tried to get away but his grip on me was firm. I struggled to break free. The police car parked in front of us. Scared, I kicked him between the legs and ran away. In an alley between two houses, I hid behind the trash cans. Fear chocked me. My thoughts went out in circles. Tears flowed down my cheek in a torrent of emotions that I couldn''t control. My eyes fluttered wildly at the slightest noise. My heart was beating out of my throat. I stayed crouched and hidden for hours. No one came after me. But I was still scared that they were lying in wait. Night came and went. When I was hungry, I ate out of the trash because I was too scared to move. The following day, a man came out of one of the houses nearby. He went into the alley with a trash bag in his hand. As he saw me, he swore loudly. Leave. We don''t want your kind around here. I stared at him with big frightened eyes. He swung his bag at me. I scrambled to my feet and ran out of the alley. I didn''t dare to go back to my car. I walk to my place looking over my shoulder expecting policemen to catch me. All the people I crossed path with had a mocking smile on their face. It was like I could see their thoughts on their face. They were the same as those who commented on the video. They called me disgusting names, they mocked me. Fresh tears came to my eyes. Are you okay? Someone stopped me on the street and asked. I only saw the sneer that dominated his face. Leave me alone! I screamed and ran the rest of the way to my home. I closed the door behind me and crumbled on the floor panting. I stayed there a long time. Sleep eluded me as the last vestiges of my fear left me. I went and took a shower. When I was drying myself, my bell rang. I watched the door in trepidation. The bell rang again. I opened the door. Two officers in uniform stood behind it, I froze at their sight. Mrs Johansen. I didn''t answer. Panic gripped me. Are you Mrs Sarah Johansen?, one of the two men asked. I nodded. I didn''t trust my voice to come out right. Mrs Johansen. A complaint was filed against you. I felt tears welled up in my eyes. We would like to know your side of the story. It seemed you had been following Mr Hayes and yesterday, at 10 o''clock, you hit him. You''re not going to arrest me? Not yet. Would you mind answering the questions asked. I didn''t follow him. He was the one who violated me first. It was self defense. The street you were in had video surveillance. I blanched. They explained that it was just procedure to ask me for my version of events. With the evidence they had, they couldn''t arrest me but I was under surveillance. After they left, I was in a daze. I had no job, I was ridiculed by pretty much every one and now, I had troubles with the law. Stephan ruined my life and I couldn''t do anything to him. I went to my bedroom. My eyes fell on the headgear for the StaViCon. I laughed out loud. I had been stupid. It all started in a game, I should end it all in one. Previous/ Next Chapter 15 A new game I checked on line each of the game installed on my StaViCon. After a long research, I chose Zombie Apocalypse. I was a little worried though. Zombie Apocalypse was not for the fainthearted. At fifteen, I barely qualify to play the game. The game had a 99% of realism. The pain was dulled to 60%. Control panel were non existent. Your Stats window was unavailable. Even the skill window couldn''t be accessed. Inside the game, it was like you were in real life. You had to fight without support. There were no numerical numbers to help you know how strong or how healthy you were. Basically, you could log in, log out and that''s it. If it wasn''t the easiest game to level in, I would give it a pass. I noticed that the biggest problem I had was my low level. If I was stronger, I could have saved the pup from my classmates and the people in the Soul wouldn''t take me for a doormat. Despite all of its drawbacks, Zombie Apocalypse was the best to achieve my goal in the shortest time possible. I was determined to change so that when I came back in Forgotten Soul, I could have the adventure I always dreamed of. I put my headgear on.
The scan of you iris has determined that you are a registered user. Which application do you wish to connect to?
Zombie Apocalypse. The main goal of this game was to kill as many zombies as you could. They were slow, their movements were basic. Basically, they were the best for grinding.
Welcome to Zombie Apocalypse. Do you wish to create a new avatar or use the default StaViCon avatar?
The default avatar.
Your default avatar has been chosen. Please select 2 weapons you wish to fight with.
In front of me, hundreds of weapons appeared. Guns, swords, daggers, bows, there were even hand grenades and bazookas. My hands twitched when I saw those. I really wanted to play with them all. From what I read, I should choose two of the same weapons as each durability would make them less effective as time went on. As soon as one lose effectiveness, you could switch to the other without missing a beat. I want a katana and hand grenades. The katana was the safest to choose as it had the most durability. However, the hand grenades were just for me to have fun with.
Your weapons have been chosen. Please watch the video message left behind by the world leader.
Three hand grenades appeared on my belt and a katana in my hand as a video played in front of me.
A man in a white lab coat put a sample under the microscope. No, no, no., he repeated as he checked the results all over again. It can''t be. He ran out of the room in a panic. He stopped in front of a white haired gentleman wearing a lab coat. Professor Hail! The vaccine! It mutated. What are you talking about?, the aging professor asked bewildered at his assistant. The new vaccine against rabies! One of the human subjects had a worrying reaction. He came back to be examined so I ran a blood test. The vaccine has mutated inside his body. Calm down. You''re exaggerating. No, I''m not. Please, come and see for yourself. The professor let himself be dragged into the lab. There, he dutifully examined the sample under the microscope. Who saw this? No one yet. We have to inform the company. No, we don''t. The vaccine will be on sale in a week. We can''t postpone it, it will cost millions of dollars. But professor- No, only one of the test subjects is showing symptoms, right? Yes, but- No, for all we know, it''s just an isolated incident. There is nothing to say on the matter. But- Are you willing to put your job and your reputation on the line for this? His assistant stayed silent. That''s what I thought. Professor Hail left the lab. The nameless assistant stayed behind and guiltily stared at the microscope. **** Professor Hail stood in front of a glass panel that let him see inside a room in which men and women were lying cuffed on hospital beds. They had bloodshot eyes. They screamed in pain and rage. They foamed at the mouth. Their lips were retracted showing small wounds on their bleeding gums. All the test subjects contracted a more vicious form of rabies. Incubation differs from the individual. The shortest lasted 3 week and the longest 8 weeks. All symptoms of rabies are present. The first stage includes general weakness and discomfort, anxiety, cerebral dysfunction, confusion, agitation and muscle spasms. The patients experience delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucination and insomnia. In the final stage, the symptoms progress even further into aggressiveness, insensitivity to pain and degeneration of mental capacity. Where it differs from the general case of rabies is that the patient doesn''t die from the disease, he doesn''t lose much muscle function and he craves raw meat. , a woman in a bio-hazard suit explained as she looked at him through the glass panel. He knew all this before but having it confirmed, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He left the room and went into his office. Sitting behind his desk, he made a video call. What do you want? Dr Cedars, the CEO of the pharmaceutical company employing him asked annoyed. All the test subjects fell ill. I recommend a recall of all the vaccine that had been sold. Are you stupid? It will ruin us. Dr Cedars, it''s either we recall them ourselves or we wait for people to make the connection between the new vaccine and the new form of rabies. What treatment do you recommend for the infected? We tried everything. Nothing has an effect for the time being. Dr Cedars let out a disheartened sigh and disconnected the call. **** Breaking News! Cedars international, the first pharmaceutical company in the world; sent out a massive recall of the rabies vaccine they put on the market last month., the male announcer said as soon as he appeared on TV. Alexandra, what are the reasons of this recall? He turned to his co-host. Well, Alan. We contacted Cedars International and they answered. The reason for the recall is an error of impression on the medication notice. Alan Burke nodded with approval. So people, don''t let the conspiracy theories get the better of you. There aren''t any problem with the vaccine in itself. In other news, a man believed to be on drugs attacked passers-by at the Waterfront mall in Celine City. On site, our correspondent James Calahan with one of the victims? James? If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Hello, Alan, Alexandra. I''m here at the Waterfront Mall with Elisabeth Davis, a witness of the incident. He turned away from the camera and faced a small woman in a blue dress. Mrs Davis, can you tell us what happened? I was sitting on a bench with my friend Darla when this man came inside the mall. He looked homeless. He was dirty, his clothes were ragged. He was foaming at the mouth. He walked weirdly like his limbs weren''t sure in which direction they wanted to go. He screamed like a madman. He had blood on his face and his right arm was broken. His bone was sticking out. To describe him simply he looked like a zombie. He threw himself at a man who entered at the same time as he did and bit him to the bone. The mall guards came really fast and tried to subdue him. It didn''t work, he attacked them like an enraged animal. We were watching on the side. When he heard us gasp, he charged at us. It was a miracle none of us were severely hurt. **** The TV was disconnected. What is the situation? Dr Cedars asked the man in a dark suit sitting in front of his desk. All infected have been put on quarantine. Only one person hasn''t been found yet but it''s just a matter of time. **** I am Dorian Stark the President of the Gray federation. I declares the state of emergency. An unknown virus is spreading through our country. It has all the symptoms of rabies except for the death of the infected. It is transmitted by the same means: a bite. We asked people to be careful and to immediately, inform the police if you think someone is infected., a well-dressed man said standing at a reading desk in front of journalists. **** On the street, cries of fear rang out. People ran away. Men and women covered in blood and ragged clothes staggered behind them. They screamed angrily with foam coming out of their mouth. Police cars rushed to stop their advance. The policemen stepped out of their car. Stop! Stay where you are! they shouted, their guns drawn pointed at the infected moving down the street. No response came as they kept moving. The policemen with no other choice shot at them. They staggered violently against the onslaught of shots. One man fell down and didn''t get up but the others kept advancing despite the blood oozing from their wounds. Around the country, same scenes were happening. The population was fearful. They holed up in their house, only getting out when they had no other choice. The disease little by little spread among them. The situation was chaotic. Their fears could be summed up in one word: ZOMBIES. That was the name the media gave to the infected. **** A man was sitting on a chair. He was the President of the Gray federation. He was different from before. His hair was disheveled. His suit was rumpled. The proud and charismatic man that he had been was nowhere to be seen. His eyes didn''t stay still. He was sweating heavily. Suddenly, he seemed to regain his sanity. You who comes from other worlds please save us. Kill the infected, save the world. His moment of sanity passed. He screamed, foam coming out of his mouth as he tore his hair out.
The video only lasted three minutes. When it ended, a glowing door appeared in front of me. I went through it. The other side was a bathroom. I rolled my eyes as the random spawn location was in full effect. Zombie Apocalypse was the kind of game where nothing was safe and sure. One minute a place was safe and the next, filled with zombies. You couldn''t choose your starting location nor your respawn points. They were all randomized to be a ten-minute-only safe zone. Parties couldn''t be formed beforehand as players wouldn''t appear at the same place even if they logged in at the same time. Even knowing this, it wasn''t my luck to appear in a bathroom. I fell on the ground under the weight of my weapons. I activated my true form and rose from the filthy floor. The two weapons became easier to carry. I had to walk now as my mana wasn''t infinite like before. My weapon wouldn''t go though the door. They were invisible like me but they were still corporeal. I had to open the door to get them out. I found myself in a dimly lit corridor. When I checked both sides, my gaze caught on the little woman drawn on the door. An urge to shout came over me. Of all places around the world where I could start in, it had to be in the women''s bathroom. I shook my head in disbelief. On the right side, the corridor stopped a few meters away in a dead-end. On the left side, there were many doors and the corridor led to a larger room. I went left through the first door. It was a small office with a desk and a phone that didn''t work. The electricity didn''t work here. The only illumination the place had was from a window that filter the light of the day. During the day, zombies were less frequent than at night. It was due to their eyes having low tolerance to light. I didn''t know if I should feel grateful or not. There were less zombies during the day but they were relatively stronger than the ones who came at night who were weaker but numerous. I was on the second floor of the building. Through the window, I went down the fire escape. I ended up in an alley that led into a two way street. I went that way with no concern. I was invisible and I didn''t think anyone had the skills to see me wander around. The street was deserted and my imagination was going on hyperactive. I expected a tumbleweed to roll down the street like they did in movies with a forlorn music piece in the background made by a famous composer. As I moved forward, I saw movements in the shops lining the street. I rushed at the first building I saw people moved in and opened the door with a bang. Two zombies walked towards me. They were disgusting. They had foam at the mouth and they were dirty. One of them had lost his eye. From where I looked, I could see that pus and blood were oozing from the wound. I thanked all that was holy that in my spirit form, I couldn''t smell anything. I tightened my grip on the katana and cut their heads one after the other. It was easy, too easy. I didn''t feel any excitement nor motivation to kill them but to grow stronger, I needed to do it. I went through all the rooms, there were no one else. I went back out and inside another building. There, five zombies were eating the corpse of a fellow zombie. I decided to train my skills on them. Twisted temptation! I shouted but nothing happened. Twisted temptation. I tried again. It''s not the way it should be done. I jumped in fright at the feminine voice that whispered in my ear. Maron! I screamed in disbelief. Previous/ Next A.N: Chapter 16 and 17 will be out later today. I''m currently working on chapter 18. If I finished it today, I will post it immediately. Otherwise, you''ll have to wait for next Thursday. Fingers crossed. Chapter 16 Lesson to learn and mishaps to avoid My heartbeat calmed down. After my initial shock, I stared at the woman currently sprawled over a table. She didn''t have a care in the world as she picked her nails. The five zombies were still eating their friend''s corpse as they couldn''t hear nor see us. What are you doing here? I asked in an annoyed voice. I''m your mother, you know, I deserve some respect. Don''t start on that. What the hell are you doing here? You know the part where I can''t move on my own. Well it means that I live in a corner of your mind. You get it? I didn''t get anything but I didn''t want to get even more annoyed. Rolling with the flow was the better way to deal with Maron. So why didn''t it work when I tried twisted temptation? I swiftly changed the subject. You have to visualize the illusion you want to project. Saying the words alone won''t do anything. What should I visualize? Temptation, sweetie, temptation. She answered in a sing-song voice. How do I do that? By visualizing. I didn''t get angry at her mocking tone, she was helping me in her own way but it was better than nothing. I took a few minutes to think of what temptation zombies could have. I drew a blank. Pissed off with myself for even attempting to waste that kind of spell on them, I pierced the heart of the closest zombie with my katana. Then, I tried to decapitate another one but I was only able to give him a cut. His hands reflectively went to his throat as blood gushed out and painted the other three in red. They cried as they tried to find the origin of the attack. Seeing nothing but themselves, they attacked each other. The next one, I separated his head from his neck. His head flew away and hit one of the other zombies in the chest. I jumped and cut him in two with a overhead slash. The last one was pummeling the zombie with the cut on his throat to the ground. I pierced his back and tried to cut through his flesh but without momentum it was useless. I removed my sword from his body and I finished him off by stabbing him in the heart. Finished with my bloody work, I stomped out of this place. You know you could have use the spell on them, right? I stopped in my tracks. What do you mean? They''re zombies, they can''t have temptations. Didn''t you watch that video when we came to this world? I wasn''t sure what I was supposed to have understood in that video. For me, it had been a waste of time but Maron seemed to think that there was a use for it. If you don''t tell me, I won''t know it. To sum up everything, the zombies as you call them are just a little deranged. They can still think just not in a way common to humans. They have thoughts and desire. Every living, nonliving, and on-the-fence creatures have them. Zombies were just a little deranged. That was the understatement of the year but I didn''t raise it. I chose to pursue the line of questioning. So what do zombies desire? Do you want me to breastfeed you too? I turned my head away from her in disgust. She didn''t have to put that image in my head to tell me to think about it by myself. In the distance, I saw a subway entrance. I jumped in joy. Maron looked at me like I lost my mind. Don''t look at me that way. There''s a subway entrance there. It leads to the underground where there could be tens of zombies to kill., I felt obligated to explain. Killing them one by one wasn''t thrilling in the least but having them swarming around would make it more interesting or so I thought. I went down the flight of stairs that led to the subway. The further I went, the less I could see. I shivered in anticipation. They still couldn''t see me nor touch me but I was sure I would get a good fight out of this. My eyes took a long time to adjust to the darkness. When I finally was able to see, I had already reached another flight of stairs leading to the platforms. I couldn''t shake the feeling that something was weird. From what I read, zombies were easy to find underground. Since I came in there, I didn''t hear anything. There wasn''t any noise indicating that there was someone or even something down there. I went down to the lowest level of the subway where I still didn''t find anything. I wondered if I had been too late and all the zombies had been killed. The game was barely two years old. There could have been a lot of high level players who came to get the easy exp points, reducing the zombie population to nothing but the recent article I read didn''t mention it at all. I kept looking for them though. I jumped on the tracks and followed them out of this place. Three miles away, they stopped abruptly on a large hole. Inside, an impressive number of zombies were piled on each other. High walls surrounded them on all side. Their screams were deafening. I didn''t understand how I couldn''t hear them before. Magic. Maron explained next to me. I nearly forgot she was there as she hadn''t uttered a word since I came in the subway. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Who- I didn''t have time to ask the question as I heard a spell chanting. Fire! Fire! Burn and die! Pile of ash left behind!, a young girl voice shouted. Inside the pit, a small flame appeared right at the center. It grew until it engulfed all the zombies imprisoned in the pit. I used my float skill to move where the chanting voice was. What I saw made me frown. A girl the same age as me stood alone on the edge of the pit with flames lapping at her feet. She had red hair, red eyes, red nail polish and she wore a red saree. She was crying as she looked at the zombies burning. That girl is weird. Maron commented. I know. She kills them and then, she cries over their death. But it''s nice to see her. She''ll be an easier guinea pig than the zombies. I pictured what I wanted and said, Twisted temptation. In front of her, the fire disappeared. People floated. Men, women and children all stared at her with a smile on their face. I''m so sorry. I wanted to save you but I can only kill. Red said casting her eyes down in shame. No. You did save us. Thank you. Red sobbed louder as relief swamped her mind. A small child came in front of her. Why are you still crying?, a little girl asked innocently. I''m happy., Red answered in a trembling voice. She was trying to be brave. The small girl smiled and waved goodbye. The fire reappeared behind her. No! Red screamed as she lunged at the girl trying to save her from the fire. Oh shit! I jumped trying to catch Red but it was too late. I stared dumbfounded at the pit of fire in which Red died. Behind me, Maron was rolling on the ground laughing. It''s not fun! She''s dead., I grumbled. She raised her head and stared at me for a second before she burst out laughing again. You''re really my son! Killing someone with their own spell just after giving them hope. I didn''t want to kill her. I know. You did it instinctively. Oh my little boy is growing! Sitting on the ground, she held one hand over her heart and the other was wiping away an imaginary tear. I rolled my eyes at her theatrics and went back on feeling bad while she went back to laughing. I really didn''t mean to kill her. The illusion I made was to tempt her into forgiving herself for what she did. It worked as a black mist came out of her body and entered mine. I felt myself growing sightly stronger thanks to my temptation devourer skill. What I didn''t think of was that she''d throw herself in the fire to catch my disappearing illusion. I still had a glimmer of hope that she survived but it disappeared quickly as the fire died down. In the pit, only ash was left behind. With the number of zombies Red had killed, I was sure the subway was now free of them. I walk away wanting to get out. I had no mana left so I couldn''t float back the way I came, over the pit. A few hours later, I was still underground. I couldn''t find my way out. I tried to go back on my steps but I couldn''t even find the pit again. I sat down on the ground holding my head exhausted. Hey, Maron! Wake me if something comes up. I fell asleep despite the dirt and trash lying around. A while later, I woke up suddenly. As I opened my eyes, I jumped in fright and screamed. Maron''s face was two inches away from mine. What are you doing? I pushed her away from me. I''m merely watching over my little baby sleeping. Cut the crap. You were having a dream. So, who''s Claire? All the sordid details of my life, the hurts, pains and betrayals came to my mind. I shivered as I remembered the nightmare I had. They were more frequent recently. Maron''s eyes became an eery red. Her gorgeous face distorted as black mist engulfed her figure. Her teeth elongated and claws replaced her manicured nails. The Jessica Rabbit wannabe was nowhere to be seen. In her place, a monster worthy to be called a nightmare was there. Let''s kill them all. I knew who she was talking about. I couldn''t even pretend that I''d never thought of what she proposed. They''re in another the world. Let''s hunt hunt them down. No one touch my baby. Until now, I had thought that her calling herself my mother was just to mock me but the cold voice and the murderous glint in her eyes showed me that she was serious. I teared up as my real mother never had that kind of reaction when I told her what happened to me. Foregoing my apprehension, I gave Maron a hug. Surprised, she reverted back to her human appearance. Previous / Next Chapter 17 The start of the end Awkwardness settled over me after hugging her. Maron, happy, floated around me, throwing fervent glances my way. Do you have any idea on how to get out of here?, I asked trying to distract her. Why don''t you call the wolves? They have a better sense of direction. What wolves?, I asked not sure what she was talking about. Don''t you remember your own pets? I actually forgot that I had them. Thanks to the StaViCon, you could summon your pets in any game you were playing in. How do I call them? By their name, baby. She said in a patronizing way. I searched deep in my memory for the names of the wolves I saved from my classmates. Hakubi, Madarao, Amidamaru, Hashimaru, Abudabi come! Little ball of lights appeared and flew together to create a bigger light that blinded me. When it disappeared, five wolves stood in its stead. They were disorientated as they looked around and whined in fear. Sshh! I''m here! Baby, they can''t hear you. Maron explained to me as they ignored me. Human form! The wolves were startled as I materialized in front of them. When they confirmed who I was, they jumped on me licking my face. Okay stop! You''re happy to see me, I get it. I laughed as I stroke their fur. I explained to them where we were and what I needed from them. Leave it to us!, they yipped confident in their ability. I smiled happy and trusting in them. They were so cute, it was hard not to. Guys! You lead the way and I''ll follow. The thing is you won''t see me. But don''t worry, I will be right behind you. I explained in a simple way. They weren''t the sharpest tool in the box, to put it nicely. Why? Abudabi asked me staring at me with big bright blue eyes. I''m weak in this form. In my other form, I''ll be able to follow you easily. But we can''t protect you if we don''t see you., Abudabi countered. You don''t need to protect me. In my other form, I''m stronger. Yeah, but we can''t protect you., she blinked at me innocently like I was the one who needed to have my head examined. We went back and forth for a few minutes until I gave up. They couldn''t get in their heads that I didn''t need to be protected and if they didn''t see me, they refused to move. Dejected, I tried to get up. My own weight was killing me. After many tries, drenched in sweat, I stood upright supporting my weight on the wall. As it turned out, I wasn''t far from the exit. Even if to me, it lasted an eternity, we took only half an hour to come out on a platform. Seeing the name written on a signboard, we weren''t in the same station as the one I came in. I dropped down on the ground panting heavily. I took a long time to catch my breath. Can you smell any people around here? Hakubi and Madarao moved away from us scenting the ground. Suddenly, they barked twice and rushed farther away. Not comprehending the reason, I turned into my true form and went in pursuit of my wayward pets. Be careful, pup!, Abudabi cried as I disappeared from sight. In a dimly lit bathroom, I found my two wolves growling at something hiding in a stall. I approached carefully listening for anything that could clue me in on what was hiding. The others came in a few seconds behind me. I didn''t spare them a glance as I opened the stall''s door. The toilet was broken. On the back wall, there was a 10 inches hole where a pair of red eyes were observing us. Hakubi growled menacingly at the rat that was hiding in the hole. I sighed as all the tension left my body. I went back to human form. Hakubi, Madarao, it''s just a rat. Leave it alone. I said as soon as I materialized. The rat seemed to take it for a signal as it launched at me. Before contact, Hakubi swatted it away with one of his paws. It surprised me so much that I reverted to my true form without conscious thoughts. Other rats came out of the hole. All of them were infected with the virus. I hacked at them with my sword but their numbers were too great. For any each one I killed, ten more would appear. It was endless. The wolves were battling them with their paws and their jaws. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I wanted to tell them not to do this but the choice was out of my hands. It was either bite and claw at them taking the risk of being infected themselves or let the rats make a feast out of their bodies. I helped them as best as I could. But I had to face the facts, we couldn''t win. Fire ball!Wind ball! I cast different spells but it did nothing more than anger the remaining ones. I went through the door and changed back to my human form. Guys! We can''t win. There''s too many of them. We have to live. Come now! I reverted to my true form again and supported my pets'' retreat. I cast many spells until my mana ran out. Then, I went to hack the rats with my sword. When they were far enough that the rats couldn''t pursue them, I took out one of my hand grenades, I pulled the pin out and threw it in the bathroom. Being incorporeal, I stayed right where I was and appreciated the show as it exploded in my face. All the rats were blown away. I picked up the remaining ones and killed them one by one. With a spring in my step, I went to check on the wolves. At their sight, I stopped in shock at what they were doing. Don''t freaking eat that, you idiots!, I roared as I saw them eat the infected rats. I couldn''t believe that they were that stupid. Fighting the rabid rats, they had a small chance not to be infected but eating them, there was a 99.99% of chance that they caught the disease. I dropped down heavily on the ground. The five of them were looking at me guiltily trying to hide the evidence of their stupidity behind their body. Come here! I ordered impatiently. I cast a healing spell on them. Their wounds healed up but the disease wasn''t removed from their system. Healing spells had no effect on it. In the first stages of the game, people tried them to save this world''s population but it didn''t work. Players couldn''t catch the disease as it was a deadly poison to them. But pets were different. Before the rats, I didn''t even know that animals could catch the virus. Because of the StaViCon pet system, the pets had no immunity against disease in the world they found themselves in. For example, if a cold could be caught by animals in the world, the visiting pet who was an animal could also catch it. It was one of the reason players thought carefully before bringing their pets to another game. They didn''t want them to catch something and die uselessly. Maron hugged me from behind. I didn''t object to her cuddling. I was at a loss at what to do with the wolves. I saved them before but now I was the one who threatened their life. I had to kill them before they became zombies. You don''t have to do that. But it''s my fault., I said dejected. The wolves whined pitifully as they licked my face. I brought them here. If I didn''t, they would have been fine. It''s not your fault. Rather than beating yourself up, why don''t you try to find a way to save them. There''s no cure for this virus. There is no cure here but what on other worlds? Others already tried but it didn''t work. Do you think that they were the strongest at healing spells? Or in medicine? Or in alchemy? I thought about what she said. And it was true. None of the people who tried were the best in their field. NPCs still had those titles. If I found someone like that, he might be able to save the wolves. A new determination took root in my mind. I saw a ray of hope and I was going to take it with both hands. Previous/ Next Chapter 18 The new acolyte of Althasia (not edited) A.N: Merry christmas! Thx again for reading. If you spot any mistake please point them out as I didn''t have the time to check it over. I logged out of the game in search of the best healer the Stavicon could lead me to. Two Npcs had enough power to be of help, the Pope of Althasia and the Holy Dragon in Draconian Glory. The dragon''s whereabouts were unknown so the only solution left was for to find the Pope. As soon as I got this information, I logged into the game.
The scan of you iris has determined that you are a registered user. Which application do you wish to connect to?
Althasia. A door opened in front of me. It led to a room where a throne dominated on a platform. Seated on it, a woman with platinum blond hair and vivid green eyes was immobile. Behind her head, a halo of light pegged her as a celestial being. Hello? I tried to get her attention. Welcome traveler, I''m Althasia, Supreme Ruler of the Salin World. To access my world, do you wish to change your appearance or to keep the one you used in the other worlds? Her lips didn''t move as she talked. Her face was expressionless. I''ll keep my appearance, thank you. Traveler, save my children from the demons threatening their life. To help in this endeavor I shall grant you a wish. When you first connected to Althasia, the main Goddess of the game greeted and gave a present to every player. People usually asked for a skill or a blessing but I wanted something else. I want you to heal my pets. I''m sorry, you have to choose another wish. Why? You don''t have enough faith. Can the Pope heal my pets? Yes, he can but I can''t force him to do it. I gave freedom of choice to all my children Then, give me the power to heal them., I demanded annoyed. I shall grant you this request. May you be the savior of my children.
You gained a new skill! Supreme healing [Locked] You can heal any disease and any injuries. Requirement: 10 000 faith.
I gave her a withering glare. She gave me what I asked but I couldn''t use it as it was locked. I was even more pissed as I didn''t have the faith stat. I didn''t have time to complain though, as the light behind her grew until everything I saw disappeared in an ocean of white. When the world came back into focus, I was laid on an altar surrounded by priests. Further away, players milled around as they waited for their comrades to appear. Please come with us. The priests helped me to get up from the altar and led me out of the Cathedral of Birth. In Althasia, the Cathedral was the only place where players could start and spawn after death. Every city had one as the Npcs also used it to pray for their Goddess. The area we were in was specially dedicated to the players. As such, their numbers were quite high. Who''s that? Don''t know but look at him! He could have changed his appearance. Maybe he changed it? Why would someone want to be ugly? And that''s not important, I really want to know what he did for the priests to come and get him. Loud whispers followed us as the priests supported me out of this area. I wanted to complain again. It wasn''t my fault that I was ugly. I was in human form and my charm stat was in the negative. I would love to be in my true form but if I did that, I wouldn''t be able to meet the Pope and I''d be branded as a demon. I followed them to a private room. Inside, a man in his fifties waited for me. The priest didn''t enter the room. They bowed deeply at the door and pushed me inside, leaving me alone with the man. I''m Fraotin, Pope of Althasia., he presented himself with self importance. Nice to meet you. I''m Everheart Dreamweaver., I said taking deep breaths. I only walked 30 meters but with my negative stats, it felt like 30 miles. You''re weak. We''ll start your education by getting you stronger. My education? I asked uncomprehending. The Goddess talked to me about you. To use your gift you needs to learn. If she talked to you then you know. Please, save my pets. What''s wrong with them?, he inquired genuinely worried. They caught a disease in one of the world I visited. There''s no cure in that world, that''s why I brought them here. Please, save them. I''m sorry but I won''t do it., he raised his hand to my stop my retort before it could get out. From today onward, you''ll learn what you need to do it yourself. ''They need to be healed now before the disease progresses. The Goddess give me the skill but I can''t use it. Work hard then. He wasn''t listening to me. I thought about tricking him into doing it but when I thought of the consequences if I failed, I closed my eyes and nodded. I have 3 weeks before the first symptoms showed up. Can you teach me in this time frame? It all depends on how hard you work. Let''s start. I don''t have any time to waste. Follow me. We went through a small door different from the one I came in. The Pope walked slowly, giving me a chance to keep up with him as my steps were slow and precocious. We came to a golden double door decorated with precious stones. The room it led to was a library. That was what I thought even thought the place looked like a garbage dump. Books were all over the place; Dust covered everything but it didn''t hide the old age and the tears on the books. Here and there, pieces of equipment that had seen better days were thrown away. I made an effort and looked at Fraotin. I had a bad feeling about it and sure enough, he asked me to clean the place and read all the books in there. *Ding*
You have received a quest! To start in your training, Fraotin, Pope of Althasia ask you to clean the room and read the books. Difficulty: E Reward: Unknown
He left me to my work. I was ready to changed into my true form when Maron appaeared. Don''t, sweetie, she said. If you do it in your true form, it''ll be too easy and your human form won''t get stronger. What do you mean? You have to stay in human form to do this quest if you want a bigger change. But... I understood what she meant but I really wanted to get back to my true form. No but, sweetie. You stay in human form and good luck with the quest! Wait! I cried before her features faded into the background. What? Won''t you stay with me? Nope, too boring. This time, she left faster. I heaved a deep sigh and went to work. Before reading, I separated the different objects in the room into piles. After that, I removed the dust and put the books and equipment back where they belong. The books were on the shelves and the others in their glass cases. It tool me a week and rwo days in game to do that. I spent the most time I could logged in. After a heated discussion, the Plague agreed to leave me out of this week''s group activity. In exchange, though, I agreed to spent a whole weekend with them. Doing the cleaning in the library was excruciating but little by little, I gained more stats. I gained them faster than I did when I was a nature spirit. I called Maron and asked her about it. Nature spirits are the lowest of the low. They''re immortal and have infinite mana but their rate of learning is abysmally low. What take people a day to learn, a nature spirits takes weeks and even then the skill doesn''t grow at all. It''s a miracle that you went through an evolution. The nature spirit race among the other spirits is known as a dead end race. I didn''t know if I should feel grateful or not. On one side, I wanted to rant about all the hard work I wasted on this race but on the other side, it led me to the Mara race that was awesome. I gave up on this train of thoughts as I put the last book on the shelves. Finished with the cleaning, I reading the books. I memorized some excerpts of the books.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.At the beginning of time, two entities Rea and Mosle existed separated by a vast expanse of space. Tired of being alone, they searched for someone to ease their lonely days. However as they were the sole sentient being existing, they waited long and hard for the time they could meet. Their meeting was disastrous. The one thing they didn''t understand in their loneliness was that they were complete opposite to each other. When they met, their powers went out of control. The two conflicted for a long time before they stabilized but Rea and Mosle were no more. Their powers though lived on. A part of them joined equally together and created the Salin World. Smaller parts merged unequally crating the Gods.
The Gods like their ancestors had a mind of their own and like them, they knew loneliness. The time they spent together convinced them that they were better off away from their peers as they were stubborn and proud like themselves. Contrary to their progenitor, they chose to create their own companions. Each of the companions were different from the other. Thus, the different races appeared in the world.
The races lived on the Salin World. Through the years, they became fanatics about their respective Gods. Two thousands years ago, the situation came to a head when the Gods actively took part in the dispute over who was the best. After, many long battles, Althasia, the Goddess of Life and her followers won the war. The others to counteract Althasia''s supremacy allied themselves together. Their followers as they fought the followers of Life became known as demons.
I read through the whole history of this world and I wasn''t impressed. One religion persecuted the others, calling them demons and everyone was okay with it. Even the demons didn''t see anything wrong with the way they were treated. Then I went and read about the magic existing. All fell under the category of holy magic. Powers worked hand in hand with the faith stat that could be raised through prayers and actions in the name of the Gods. The powers you had also depended on the god you served. Skills in this world worked differently from the other worlds. Mana wasn''t the main power behind them. To use a skill you needed faith. There was no limit like in the other games. You could use the skill as much as you want as long as you have the required faith points to use it. The stat didn''t decrease. At each increase, the skill would either evolve or you would gained a totally new skill. Finished with the books, I went in search of the Pope. Just out of the door an acolyte waited for me. He led me to the Fraotin. I see you finished with the library. Did you read every books? Yes, I did. What did you learn? I recited everything I memorized from the books. Good. You are now an acolyte of Althasia. A golden light came out of his hand and enveloped me. I received several notification.
Faith stat generated!
New title! Acolyte of Althasia You are a follower of Goddess Althasia. Health +100 Faith +50
New skill generated! Healing chant [Active] Beginner lvl 1 With this chant you can heal minor injuries. Requirement: 20 faith. Oh Althasia! Godess of Life and Destruction. Bring peace to our bodies and Soul. Healing!
As a new acolyte you need to gain faith points. As you are pressed by times, you''ll go to the front lines of the conflict. You leave in twenty minutes. But before that, you need to change your clothes. He gave me a robe to wear. I looked at it reluctantly but I relented and put it on me at his insistence. Fifteen minutes later, I was in a part of the cathedral where a huge cross stood at the top of an altar. In front of it, I could see different people waiting. There were only Npcs. I stayed apart from them until another acolyte came and got me. A group of priests came into the room from a door at the side of the cross. Worshipers of Althasia. You are going to be sent on the front line against the demons that want to defile our holy land. May Althasia be with you in this time of strife. They gathered around the cross and chanted. I didn''t get the words but the cross radiated light. On the ground, the shadow of the cross changed. It became a swirl of different colors. One by one, the people waiting advanced and jumped on the shadow. They didn''t return to ground but sunk deep inside it. My turn came. I did like the others. One second, I was jumping and the other, I landed in a different cathedral, in front of another cross. Come! Don''t stand in the way. the acolyte who talked to me was the same as before. He dragged me away. What was that?, I asked pointed at the cross. What was what?He didn''t get what I was pointed at. The cross. The cross of Althasia? It helped us to move from Cathedral to Cathedral, if we go the traditional way, we''ll take months to come here. I didn''t say much as he brought me with him outside. The town we were in was small. The cathedral was at the center. At the entrance, horses and carts waited for us. We went into one and waited for the others to come. When everyone was there, the convoy left the town behind. It took us two days to reach the front line. As soon as we stepped foot on the ground, all acolytes were ushered inside a tent where injured people waited for us to be treated. I spent four days healing soldiers and civilians hurt by the demons'' attacks. I was sure that my faith rose a lot but when I checked it out, I felt discouraged.
[quart=Character name,Alignment]Everheart,Neutral[/quart][quart=Level,Profession]4 ,None[/quart][quart=Title,Race]Acolyte of Althasia,Human[/quart][quart=Fame,Infamy]0,0[/quart][quart=Health,Mana]320,1200[/quart][quart=Fear,Sadism]240,90[/quart][quart=Strength,Agility]-12,-4[/quart][quart=Wisdom,Intellect]-9,5[/quart][quart=Willpower,Charm]-3,-30[/quart][quart=Leadership,Luck]0,0[/quart][quart=Attack,Defense]3,0[/quart]
Status
Faith65
Vitality10
Affinity to nature10
Magic resistance50
I healed tens of people and my faith only raised by 15. I went and asked the other acolytes if there was a way for me to gained more faith. The answer was the same I came up with. To gain more faith, I had to do something huge for a God. It looked like I had to fight the demons. Previous/ Next On hiatus Sorry guys! I won''t be posting for awhile. I''m stuck on the plot I want to write. It will span several chapters and is rather hard even if I have the core story down. I''ll take the time to write the whole thing before I post again. I don''t know how long it will take. Maybe a week, maybe more but be sure, the story isn''t dropped. I''m just taking the time to get the story where I want it to be. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. By the way, Happy new year! I wish all of you health, success and happiness. Chapter 19 Demons and assorted troubles part 1 Laid on the ground, I sat up holding my aching head. Around me, all sounds were muted. People were running in panic, tents were on fire. Someone was beside me. He shook me saying something that I couldn''t grasp. I shook my head trying to clear the cobwebs surrounding my thoughts. The pain flared up and I let out a groan. The boy helped me to get up. Little by little, the sound became clearer. Shouts of fright and cries of war melded together in a cacophony of death that left me confused. A priest was cut in half leaving behind a gurgle of blood as he stared in shock at his executioner. What happened? I asked in a small voice as I took in what unfolded around me. You don''t remember? The camp is under attack.I shook my head in denial. I regretted my action, the pain flared up again. The boy dragged me away while I was distracted. I still didn''t understand my surroundings. It was like the thoughts refused to stick to my mind. Before long, the sounds of fights drew away. The night wrapped around us. The further we went, the more the calm darkness denied what unfolded at the camp. What happened? I asked in a stronger voice but I felt adrift and frustrated with myself. The boy sat me on a log and left me behind. I didn''t know for how long but when he came back he had a flask of water with him. He held it as he made me drink. Are you okay? he asked concerned. Yeah... I think. I held my head. The pain was milder than before but it still made me groggy. I jumped as I heard a branch crack. My eyes roamed our surroundings. It was difficult with the haze of pain I felt but I focused at the glowing eyes that approached us. I tried to get up to put up a fight. I wobbled on my feet. The boy supported me before I fell. Don''t worry, they''re friends. I stared at him, eyes wide in astonishment. The owners of those glowing eyes came into sight. They were more beast than men. Their fur was matted with blood. Their fangs gleamed under the waning moonlight. What? They''re friends. he said again. Before I could say anything more, I fell to the ground unconscious. The next time I awoke, I was on one of the beast men''s shoulder. He was running. Shouts rang from the direction we left. I raised my head where it rested in the wolf man''s back. I watched arrows plant themselves on the ground where a few seconds earlier, my captors'' feet were. The archers didn''t care that an acolyte like myself could be touched. They attacked my captors with the intent to kill them no matter the collateral damage. My head still hurt but I concentrated. As soon as I saw the pursuers, I cast spells. Earth spikes! From the ground, spikes rose and pierced their feet. Their length were uneven. Some were small, others were big. Their only similarity was their sharpness. A small pained smile appeared on my face as their cries of pain rang in the otherwise silent night. When my mana ran out, darkness pulled me into its embrace once again. This time, I didn''t know how long I stayed unconscious but when I opened my eyes again, daylight streamed through a wooden door. I gingerly got up from the bed I laid on and went outside. I was in the middle of a makeshift camp. A large number of people moved with purpose doing whatever they needed to do. It was a melting pot of ethnicity. There were humans, beast men, elves and even some dwarves. I stood at the door of the only building this place had. It was conspicuous as hell. Before I was able to move away, someone saw me and shouted. He''s awake! All activity stopped as they stared at me. The boy I remembered from before ran to me and took my hands. You''re awake. Who are you? Don''t you remember me? I''m James Sanford. James... Sanford? The name rang a bell but I just couldn''t place it. We''re friends. Okay, stop! Can''t you at least make a better lie? I don''t have friends. Celia! He shouted. A woman detached herself from the gawkers and pushed us into the one room building. Oh! Cesaria lift the fog in this man''s mind. A purple light came out of her hand and shot at my eyes. I fell backward as images of what happened came back to me. **** I had been healing the injured for what felt like weeks. At the beginning, they only gave me people with small injuries to heal. It was rather fast and easy but the number of faith points I gained was small. However, after I took a few days, they started to give all the acolytes the heavily wounded to heal. The skill I gained from becoming an acolyte wasn''t efficient enough to help. Excuse-me? But we''re not strong enough to heal them. Why don''t the priests do it? I asked the priest supervising us. The priests had a higher skill level than the acolytes so they could easily rehabilitate them without us. How are you supposed to gain faith if we do everything in your stead? Healing injured people was the easiest way to gain faith for the weak acolyte. In my head, I understood what he meant but my heart told me that they shouldn''t let the patients suffer because of this. We couldn''t heal them in one go so we had to heal them in waves. It was like an assembly line work. We went from one patient to another using our skill after the previous acolyte in front of us did it. It took five hours to heal six heavily injured people. In that time, two others died. Those people could have survived if you had helped them. I complained to the supervisor. If you''re not happy with how things work, you can leave the order of Althasia. Althasia is the Goddess of Life. Shouldn''t we cherish the life she gives to her children? You''re still an acolyte, you don''t know anything. Althasia is the Goddess of Life and Death. She welcomed the dead in her warm embrace. He told me smugly. That still doesn''t mean you can let people die when you can save them. They will be happier in the arms of our Goddess. My words didn''t reach him. I tried some more to make him see reason but it was useless. I felt depressed, I still had a long way to go before I could heal my pets and the priest''s attitude made me feel bad. A hand landed on my shoulder. I looked at its owner. It was a young man the same age as me. He was also an acolyte. Courage! We''ll be better in no time. His words of comfort made me smile. Thanks. I''m Everheart Dreamweaver. James Sanford. He shook my hand. So what pushed you to become an acolyte? I asked out of the blue. I wasn''t strong enough to be a warrior, nor good enough to be a scholar. The only choice I had was either become an acolyte or a bandit. Huh? I didn''t expect that answer. I''m an orphan. I was raised in an orphanage. Seeing my uncomprehending face, he explained, To have a job, you have to apprentice under someone who has the job. As an orphan only warriors, scholars and priests will accept me as an apprentice. If I don''t choose to be a priest, the only choice left is to become a bandit. Ah! I didn''t know. You don''t know much do you? I''m a traveler. I haven''t been in this world for long. You''re a traveler? You don''t look like one. What do you mean? Travelers are gorgeous and they''re strong. They wouldn''t be caught dead being an acolyte. I winced as his words cut deep into me. Sorry. No, it''s true. I''m not like the others. I recognized the truth. We talked with each other as we waited in line to get food. I learned a lot of things I didn''t bother to look up before logging in. It brought me a whole new understanding to the situation in this world. So why did you want to be a priest? He asked me in turn. To save my pets. They contracted a disease and I need to gain faith to heal them. But at the pace things are going, it''ll take years for me to gain 10 000 faith points. Why 10 000 faith? It''s the skill I received from Goddess Althasia when I came in this world. Oh! I heard about it. All travelers are granted a wish when they first come into the world. Yes and mine needs 10 000 faith to work. If someday you can have that much faith, you''ll be as strong as a god. What do you mean? No one explained faith to you? If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I can gain faith by doing something for a god. Yes and by having followers. I never heard of that. A god''s power depends on the number of followers they have. The more the stronger. What few people know is that everything works under the same parameters. The more followers you have, the more your faith increase. My mouth hung opened at what he said. That''s why when an acolyte graduates into a priest, he is sent back from the front lines. He will go preach into a town and gain followers to spread the name of Althasia. Wait! How come Althasia can still gain followers? I thought that whoever didn''t venerate her was a demon. So can demons be converted? You got something wrong. The followers of the others gods are the Unfaithful. Among them, there are some who can be saved if they come to Althasia. But there are those who can''t be saved. It was our turn to get our food. It was a gooey stuff. James seeing my looked of disdain reassured me. The food is good despite the way it looks like. I was dubious but I gave it a try. It was truly better than what its appearance suggested. After eating, I bid goodbye to my new friend and walked around the camp. Night fell and the camp became silent. I didn''t need to sleep so I turned into my true form and left the camp behind. The camp was on a grassy plain. I made my way to a forest we passed by when we came here. The forest was wrapped in an ominous fog. Shivers sneaked down my back at the silence enveloping this place. I walked deeper into the forest. I followed a path that was invaded by plants. Two demons armed with spears came into view. Their skin was red and they had horns on their head. I rushed at them and stabbed them with the katana I gained from playing Zombie Apocalypse. I made easy work of them as I took them by surprise. I didn''t even stop and continued up the mountain. I crossed path with three other groups that I beat up just as easily. I found the entrance of a cave at the foot of a mountain. Two red skins demons stood guards in front of it. Remembering Maron''s words, I decided to fight them in human form. I turned into a human and cracked a branch from a nearby tree. One of the guards came to investigate the noise. I hid behind a bush and waited. As he passed alongside me, I jumped from my hiding spot. His neck was like butter under the sharpness of my katana. I got ready to dash out to the other guard when a pitiful groan sounded behind me. The guard I just decapitated was still moving. He was blowing air through his mouth in hope of moving his head on his own while the rest of his body shook like he was having a seizure. Between two puffs of breath, he cried for the other to come and to kill the intruder. I should have been worried but his cries weren''t strong enough to reach the other guard. Shaking off my fascination, I pierced his heart with my katana. He still didn''t die. I, then proceeding by stomping on his head. I was the one who received damages as it was harder than metal. I tried magic next, it didn''t work either. Fed up with it, I stuck his head in a tree trunk. I cut his limbs and hid them in different bushes. After all that, he still wasn''t dead. Exhausted, I sat down and thought about what I should do. If the others were like him, it would be hard to beat them. All of a sudden, I remembered the other demons I killed on my way. I ran back and sure enough, they weren''t there anymore. They must have gone back to their camp and rang the alarm. I needed more information.
You''ve logged out of Althasia.
I want information on the demons in Althasia. It was the first time that I used this feature of the StaViCon. Usually, I used my computer even though it was an antique.
Information gathering...
All information have been gathered. 3579 documents found. Do you want to narrow down the search?
Yes. Red skinned demon in Althasia.
No document found.
Wait! What? It was impossible. Horned demon in Althasia.
No document found.
List of demons in Althasia.
378 documents found.
I read the first document of the list. In Althasia, every races apart from humans were considered as demons. Some were edible others weren''t but as long as you were not human, you were a demon. There was no information whatsoever about demons that looked like demons. In Althasia, Elves, Dwarves and Beast men were called demon and as of now they were the only other races known. It could only meant one thing: I discovered a new race without meaning to. I smiled happy that I did something like an adventurer for once but it faded rapidly when I remembered that I still didn''t know how to kill them. I logged back in Althasia. The forest was filled with demons searching for their lost comrade. I turned into my true form and retrieved the guard''s body parts. I planned to experiment on him different ways to kill. The first ray of the sun peaked through the trees. With no more time, I stuffed him into my inventory and went back to camp. The rest of day was spent healing over and over the same people, chatting with James and thinking about ways to kill the red horned demon. When night fell again, the first cry of death resounded in the camp. I ran to see what happened. The red horned demons were there. Ten of them advanced in a line tearing up everything that stood in their way. Knowing how hard it was to kill them, I fled in the other direction. I wasn''t the only one with the same idea. I was slow in my human form. Too slow, if the priest who pushed me out of the way was to be believed. I fell down. I put my hands above my heads as more and more people rushed by me. When their number trickled down, I rose up but a second push on my back brought me down again. A huge pain blossomed on my head and I lost consciousness. **** I woke up with a start. I was back on the bed in the shack. James was next to me. Do you remember now? Yeah. A bunch of red horned demon attacked the camp but how did we end up with those people? I made a vague gesture toward the outside. They''re my friends. When they saw the red demons came out of the forest and go in the direction of the camp, they came to save us. So how many people survived. I don''t know when they saw the beast men a few warriors and archers pursued us ignoring the red demons but they died. I don''t think anyone else survived. It was quite a miracle that my friends came in time. Those demons are extremely dangerous. You say that like you know them. I''ve just heard about them. Two days ago was the first time, I saw one. Two days ago? Yes, you slept for two days. I chose to ignore that and to go back to talking about the red demons. Can you tell me everything you know about the red demons? Sorry I don''t know much. I know that they''ve live in this forest for centuries and that people don''t go inside the forest... ever. My eyes widen in realization. Oh please! Don''t tell me it''s my fault they came out! Previous/ Next Chapter 20 Demons and assorted troubles part 2 After my realization, guilt threatened to overwhelm me. When it became unbearable, I was saved from confessing my sins by a loud growl. I blushed to the roots of my hair. Huh- A growl louder than the preceding one sounded in the room. Are you hungry? James was laughing at me. I wanted to be mad but the hunger was too strong to allow any other emotion to dominate. Come on. He led me out of the room to a camp fire. The outside scenery hadn''t changed much since the last time I saw it. We were in a makeshift camp where the sole building was the one I had been in. They didn''t have tents. Everything was out in the open. People from all races mingled together like it was perfectly normal. In Althasia, Elves, dwarves and beastmen were considered as demons and thus, were persecuted but in this place they were all friends if the smile on their faces was any indication. They all had weapons on them even though there wasn''t a fight around. They were busy doing whatever they did during the day. I wolfed down the food James gave me. All the while I was eating, I could feel eyes on me. I sat straighter, I ate slower but their gazes were still fixed on me. I checked if there was something on my face. Finding nothing, I was going to ask James the reason of this scrutiny. However, a group of men stopped in front of us. James got to his feet in a hurry. He put his hand on his heart and bowed. May I present you my friend Everheart Dreamweaver. Nice to meet you. I''m Sevarin Faris the chief of this group. This here is Dominin Faris my brother, Holiatis Garbo my second-in-command and Pollex Skrillex. Sevarin looked like Legolas Greenleaf in that Lord of The Ring movie. He was tall, slender, blond and as white as a sheet. His brother, Dominin was the same but with shorter hair. Holiatis Garbo was a seven foot giant with a large scar at the right side of his face. The last one Pollex Skrillex was the hardest to describe. He was a beastman but I couldn''t guess which beast he resembled. Nice to meet you. I greeted back. I hope that your stay with us has been to your liking. Yes, it has. But...I was wondering why did you bring me here? The place quieted down immediately. The whole camp had that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look on their faces. When they saw my eyes on them, they pretended to be busy at something different than eavesdropping. So... I prompted a response from him. So, you see... you have a godly power. Help us, please. To do what? Kill humans? You think I didn''t notice that most people here were so-called demons. I was being difficult but all the eyes fixed on me rattled my nerves. No, no. We don''t want to kill humans. We want you to save us. Wait! What?You know I''m just an acolyte, right? You have a godly power. You can become a god. No. Way. I wasn''t interested in becoming a god. I''d been playing on the StaViCon for less than a month real time and I already changed races 3 times. I didn''t need a fourth even if I was intrigued. The goal I made for myself was to hold a race down for more than a month. You don''t want to be a god? No. His disbelieving face was so funny that I couldn''t prevent myself from laughing out loud. Before long, everyone was laughing with me. Come, there is someone I want you to meet. Sevarin put his hand on my back and led me to an old Elven woman. She was sitting on a log in front of a fire. Sometimes, she got up to stir a pot. Everheart, please meet Carlisia. She''s an oracle. An oracle was a wise and highly regarded person who could see the future or part of it depending on her strength. In Althasia, Oracles were nearly extinct as they had no fighting ability. The woman''s gaze bore into me. It was like she could see my soul. MorningStar. I waited for her to say something else but she didn''t. I threw a confused glance at Sevarin. He shrugged in ignorance. What''s MorningStar? The God of Hope and Despair. The Harbinger of happiness and destruction. Huh? Is he the god you worship? It''s you. Her eyes crept me out as they became totally white. When the blue moon appears, the new god will ascend. His reign of despair will bring happiness to the oppressed. Chaos will befall the multiverse as MorningStar advanced on his path. My name''s Everheart Dreamweaver. I don''t know who this MorningStar is and I don''t care I. Will. Not. Be. A. God. I proclaimed through gritted teeth. Her eyes came back to normal. They fixed on me with pity as I rushed inside the room I had been before. I logged out to calm myself. I paced inside my room. When my thoughts weren''t all over the place I logged back in. My determination was firm. I would heal my pets and get out of this game. I refused to become a god to please anyone. If someday I became one, it would be because I chose it, not because someone said I should. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. When I appeared back in the room, James was here. Hey! Can my faith grow if I helped the demons? His smile blinded me. Yes, there''s no problem with it. Faith isn''t tied to one god and it can''t be decreased by them. Faith is a form of energy not a vow. Happy with his reassurance, I followed him out. Sevarin made a beeline for me. I was happy he didn''t talk to me about what happened before. We made small talk when suddenly Carlisia screamed at the top of her lungs. With her finger, she pointed at a direction. Everyone took their weapons in their hand. Tension skyrocketed in less than a second. I waited with bated breath to see what would come out. OMG! No! The first demon came into sight. His red skin contrasted with the white of his eyes. His horn gleamed under the light of the fire that came out of his fingertips. Contrary to the ones I tried to kill in the forest, he was more muscular and his skin was more textured. Like it was a canvas. Everyone trembled in fear. The first stream of fire hit the camp. A man screamed as he tried to extinguished the flames that engulfed his body. No one moved. Their shoulders dropped in defeat and depression. Other demons came out of the darkness. They had a sword in their hands. They got in line with the first demon and they advanced all at once. The scent of burned flesh floated to me. Sick to my stomach, I soldiered on. Water ball. A ball of water appeared in the palm of my hand. I threw it at the beast man. The flames that previously consumed his life were extinguished. However he was too far gone in his panic to realize this fact. I threw a few more water ball at other people who were on fire. My actions brought everyone out of their despair. Sevarin shouted orders. Archers retreat to the back and open fire! Warriors in formation! Defend! Everyone else flee back to the 3rd meeting point! Everyone ran to obey his orders. Sevarin took his sword in his hand and rushed at one of the demons. Dominin who had fallen back with the archers, shot arrows distracting the enemies. The demons fought like one. While the first demon deflected the arrows with his fire, the others countered the warriors with their swords. Slowly but surely they kept advancing. Why isn''t anyone using long range magic? I asked James. We stood not far from where we were before. He was begging me to run but I refused to move. We can''t do that. I didn''t have time to question more, a stream of fire was coming right at us. Wind blade. I cut the stream in half. I didn''t know how to support from the rear. True form! I equipped my katana and rushed at the demons. I cut the right arm of the one fighting Sevarin. His sword fell to the ground. Sevarin took advantage of it and pierced his heart. The demon crumbled and stopped moving. Having fought them before, I knew that he wouldn''t stay down for long. I took the time to cut his limbs and I stuffed him into my inventory with the other. Sevarin had already moved to another demon. The first demon had stopped attacking. He stared in my direction like he could see me. He aimed a flame spray at me. I laughed like a madman as the fire went through my body without hurting me. The demon''s eyes widened in surprise. I ran in front of him and cut his arm. The pain barely reflected in his eyes before he threw a punch at me. He couldn''t touch me. Is this what you''re trying to do? I punched him the same way he tried to do to me. A sick sound of bone breaking on bones resounded on the battlefield. He reeled at the shock. The others stopped their attacks and stared at him. Their eyes were filled with fright as he cried in pain. He kept casting spells but they didn''t hurt me. One of them even landed on one of his friends. He didn''t have time to cry as he burnt on spot. I was laughing madly as I cut him in pieces and stuffed him like his friends into my inventory. For the others, he disappeared in thin air. It was comical as their eyes were wide opened and their jaws was on the floor. My mana was full again. Fear conversion. All my fear into strength. I punched one of the demons. A wet tearing sound rose under my fist. His head flew away from his neck. As the surprise wore off, bemusement and then elation swept over me. The other demons got over their shock and ran away from the camp. I dismembered the one whose head flew and put him in my inventory like the others. Finally with all enemies gone, I turned into a human. Your holiness! I turned back toward the the inhabitants of the camp. They were all on their knees looking at me with feverish eyes. Oh crap! Previous/ Next Chapter 21 Well, obviously Stop it! We don''t have the time for this. I was beyond embarrassed at having all of these people kneeling in front of me. The demons will be back, we need to leave. I appealed to their sense of urgency but they wouldn''t budge. In frustration, I called the only person who could help me. Sevarin, do something. Standing up, he agreed with me. Everyone, his highness Everheart is right. We have to leave before the demons come back. They all got up as one and left the camp in groups of three and four. Are we leaving everything here? The groups didn''t take anything as they left. People are more important than material things. Saying that, Sevarin joined his brother and second-in-command. I went back to James and evacuated the camp with him. We were among the last to leave. As we advanced on the uneven path, we lagged behind the others. In my human form, I wasn''t fast. James stayed with me the all time. I could feel that he wanted to ask me something. He kept sending me glances and avoiding my gaze. Tired and frustrated, I couldn''t deal with his hesitation. Okay, out with it! I stopped him in his track and demanded. What? He asked bewildered. You want to ask me something, just get out with it. I don''t know what you mean. James. We don''t have the time to delay. The demons could be behind us right now. So you should hurry and tell me what you want to know. I refused to take a step further until he told me. He was acting weird. How come you can become invisible? It''s a secret. I replied with a smile. I hoped to get back the banter we had before but his reaction was one I didn''t expect. I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have asked. Please forgive me. My eyes widen at his behavior. Hey man, You okay? Yes, I am. I swear. He rambled in a high pitched voice. I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have asked. Please forgive me. He repeated again and again like a litany. What''s going on? I was startled by Sevarin''s voice. I gritted my teeth. Not your business. I told him and then turning to James again, I said. You, what''s happening to you? You''re a god- He said in a small voice after calming down. I''m not and I won''t become one. You''re my friend, don''t force me to do so something I don''t want. But you have to save us. Without you, we''re as good as dead. Oh please! There''s something fishy as hell in what you all want. You''re destined to be a god. Sevarin once again entered the discussion. Oh shut up! No one talked to you. But- James started to say something but I interrupted him. Why are you behaving this way? We ''re friends, aren''t we? He didn''t answer. He fidgeted looking everywhere but at me. You have to understand as a god you are a superior being. Sevarin intervened once again. I. AM. NOT. A. GOD! I screamed, pissed. No one listened to what I said. I didn''t want to be a god. Was it so hard to understand? James flinched at my raised voice. I rolled my eyes in disgust. He was acting like any minute now, I would attack him. James, you can leave. Sevarin ordered. I wanted to object but the look of relief on the face of the guy supposed to be my friend made me choke on my words. I watched him scurry in the direction the others went. The group''s chief stayed with me. The future is set in stone. However much you fight it, it will happen. He wasn''t looking at me. His eyes were fixed on where James had disappeared. Saying his piece, he left me behind and followed him. Left alone, I deliberately walked in the opposite direction from where they went. I was going back to the Church of Althasia and no demons would come in my way. Are you okay, sweetie? Maron asked me out of the blue. Yes. I sighed tired. She took me in her arms and I sank in her embrace. You know it''s not that bad to be a god. You''re siding with them? I tried to get out of her embrace but she tightened her arms. It''s okay sweetie but you have to understand that you don''t have to be contrary for the sake of being contrary. I am not contrary! Indignation washed away my exhaustion. So, you want to say that the reason you don''t want to be a god isn''t because anyone other than you suggested it? I didn''t bother to grace that with an answer. It was ridiculous. I wasn''t contrary. The smile on her face didn''t bode well for me. I know you don''t want to change your race. And you don''t have to. I relaxed at her words but I didn''t understand where she was going with her speech. God isn''t a race. It''s just a level. So I don''t have to change my race to become a god? No. You could have said that before. It would have prevented all this drama. See, I was not contrary. It was fun to watch. Sometimes, I wondered why I put up with her. Are you going back to them? No. Why not? Don''t tell me you still don''t want to be a god? I didn''t answer. I didn''t want to tell the truth about why I didn''t want to go back there. I made such a stink before, claiming I didn''t want to be a god that I didn''t dare to go see them and say that I changed my mind. We need to find a way to get faith faster. If we go back to the Church of Althasia, they''d give us miscellaneous things to do that will hardly raise my faith but if we go back to Sevarin and the others, they''ll want me to take care of them eternally. None of these solutions is good. I explained as clearly as I could. I wandered for hours. Finally, just as the day broke over the mountains, a small town came into sight. Two guards stood at attention in front of the gate. They stopped anyone who tried to enter asking for a small passage fee. I waited in line. I tried to talk to people but they refused to even recognized my existence. What''s your business in town? I''m an acolyte of Althasia. Our camp was attacked three days ago. I was able to survive and find refuge with a passing hunter... We heard about it. Some of the survivors are here. Solomon, bring him to the Cathedral of Birth. The older of the two guards ordered. I was relieved that I didn''t have to prove my claims. Even if it was the truth, it could be hard to believe that a puny acolyte like me could survive for three days when demons were roaming around. The town was bursting with activity despite the early hours. As we walked, they all looked at me. My white acolyte robe was quite eye-catching. Despite everything that happened to me, the robe was still as white as the day the Pope gave it to me. It might be enchanted. I could check its stats but frankly, I wasn''t interested. I just wanted to get faith, everything else was just annoying in my eyes. We arrived in front of the biggest building the town had. It didn''t mean much as most were only one story buildings. The double doors were wide open. Inside, I could see an acolyte sweeping the floor. The guard and I entered. Where''s Priestess Saffron? A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. She''s at the back in her office. The acolyte indicated. He stared at me, curiosity evident in his brown eyes. We made our way through the three story building. In a small office, a blond girl was sitting with her feet on her desk. She was balancing a pen on her nose. Her door was open. The guard cleared his throat to inform her of our presence. With a shout, she jumped in surprise and fell. Are you okay? The guard ran behind the desk to help her up. Yes. Thank you. She was beat red in embarrassment. She refused to meet our eyes. So, what can I do for you. An acolyte has been found from the destroyed camp. Oh? She raised her head fast to glance at me. Poor you. She rushed at me, arms wide opened like she wanted to give me a hug. However, she tripped on thin air before she was able to reach me. I didn''t try to catch her. I was too surprised by her behavior to be of any help. She sprawled on the floor. Her dress had hiked up showing her panties. The guard didn''t make a move, his eyes fixed on the same place I was looking at. She got back on her feet by herself. Her dress was up and she still hadn''t noticed. She got ready to come back at me again. Just before she reached me, I put my hands up. Stop! Hurt passed in her eyes as she stopped right in front of me. Huh... Your dress. I didn''t dare say something more. The hurt disappeared from her features and was replaced my a look of confusion. I repeated myself. Your dress. I ostentatiously looked down. She followed my gaze and screamed. She hurriedly got her dress down. You looked. She said accusingly to me. It was hard not too. But I didn''t say that. No. I didn''t see anything important. Are you saying that my body isn''t important? She was getting mad. The guard was laughing his ass off silently behind her. Sneakily, he left while she was distracted. Sorry? I wasn''t sure what she wanted to hear. I threw out the first word I could think of. Sorry? She repeated after me. Her face became redder than before. This time, it wasn''t because of embarrassment but anger. I needed to change the conversation fast. Are there any other survivors from the attack on the camp? Thankfully, yes. Two priest and a warrior. Her voice was filled with suspicion toward me. How did you survive? I wandered for hours when a hunter found me and took care of me until now. Earlier, he showed me to this town and left. Well, it was decided that if any acolytes came here they would be staying with us and helped run this Cathedral. Okay. But I need to raise my faith to heal my pets. Do you really think I could do this here? What is the problem with them? They contracted a disease. Oh! I can heal them. I don''t think so. The pope or someone stronger could heal them but I don''t think that a priestess has enough faith to do it. Are you saying that I''m incompetent? She was getting angry again. No- She didn''t let me finished. Good! So let me try. Where are they? Hakubi, Madarao, Amidamaru, Hashimaru, Abudabi come! I didn''t call them because she asked but because I wanted to know how they were doing. Little ball of lights appeared and flew together to create a bigger light that blinded me. Unlike before, I was prepared and put my hands in front of me to shield my eyes. Saffron didn''t see it coming. She fell backwards moaning. Ouch! My eyes! She rubbed her eyes trying to regain her sight faster. Master! As soon as they appeared the wolves launched themselves at me and licked my face. I was happy to see that the disease hadn''t changed them yet. I stroke their fur and pressed my face in their neck. Eek! A scream of fright pulled me out of the touching reunion with my pets. Saffron scrambled backwards to put distance between us. She was still sitting on the ground. I looked at her uncomprehending. If she was scared shouldn''t it be normal to get up and run away. W-Wolves. They are wolves here. Demons! Oi! Shut it! That came out without thought. I mean, don''t be afraid. They''re my pets, they aren''t bad guys. I tried to correct my blunder but she didn''t seem open to discussion. She glared at me in obvious anger. However, my goal was achieved. She wasn''t scared of my pets anymore and shestopped screaming but now, she was looking at me like I was a bug under her shoes. The wolves were looking back and forth between the two of us. Who''s that? Abudabi asked. I caught that lifeline. Priestess Saffron. Here are my pets. Hakubi, Madarao, Amidamaru, Hashimaru and Abudabi. The five of them bowed their head toward the priestess. Showing that there were intelligent, she greeted them back. Hello. I heard that you were sick. I will help you in the name of Althasia, the greatest goddess of the universe. She said it with so much conviction that it was hard to believe that she was the same person who was scared shitless when they first came in. Oh! Althasia, goddess of life, grant health and happiness to these poor souls so that they can find their way to your side. A golden light came out of her hands and enveloped my pets. For a few minutes, the light kept pouring over them. The priestess seemed to be in pain. Stop. If you can''t heal them, don''t try to push it. I know I can do it. Just a little more. She said through gritted teeth. Suddenly, the light stopped and she crumbled on the floor, exhausted. Just a little more. She panted heavily. As I said you aren''t strong enough to save them. She threw me a withering glare. Defeated, I chose to beat a hasty retreat. Okay! Let''s get out. Priestess Saffron is tired. We should let her rest. I didn''t let her say anything as I ushered my pets out of her office. I spent the rest of the day in the courtyard of the Cathedral playing with the wolves. When we were alone, Maron joined us but as soon as someone else appeared she''d vanished like she had never been there before. The sun had just set. We were sitting in the kitchen having dinner. There was me, Saffron and the acolyte who had been sweeping the floor. The five wolves were eating at our feet. Suddenly, a bell rang. It was so loud that it was like it could be heard in every corner of the town. What''s that? I asked. It''s the alarm bell. The town is under attack. I was dumbfounded. It was the third settlement I was in that was attacked. It couldn''t be my fault, right? I ran out of the cathedral toward the gate. What I saw, stopped me in my tracks. Hundreds of red horned demons were invading the town. Are they following me? I whispered without thinking. Well, obviously. Maron answered. I looked in horror at the dawning realization. Previous/ Next Chapter 22 Isnt something missing? What? I almost gave myself whiplash with how fast I turned toward Maron. If what she said was true, I''d been stupid not seeing the obvious before then. Don''t make that face, sweetie, you might wrinkle your face and it doesn''t need it. Whatever! I don''t have time for this. The wall surrounding the town was down. It was a fast development considering that the alarm bell had just rung. Demons surrounded the town. Their numbers were ridiculous. I could beat a few of them but hundreds were just too much. I didn''t have any delusion. The reason I beat them before was because of surprise and luck. There had only been one demon who could see me. The others couldn''t and that had been there downfall. At the time, the demon who could see me couldn''t touch me but I needed to be careful. They could have found a way to deal with me. Even from where I was, I could see that half of them were like the first demon that entered Sevarin''s camp. They were larger and their skins were different from the normal horned red skin demons. They were more textured. From their raised hands, jets of fire engulfed anything that stood in their way. If they were like him, then they could see me. I had a choice right then and there: fight or flight. I chose flight. I ran back to the Cathedral. Saffron! I yelled as soon as I passed the door. What? She came running out of the kitchen. The expression on her face told me that she didn''t like me using her first name without honorifics. We need to flee. Can you use a cross to whisk us away? I remembered the cross transported me from wherever town the Pope had been to the front lines. If Saffron could use the one in this Cathedral, I could leave my pursuers in the dust. There was no way, they could find me again if I used teleportation. And even more, I hoped that they would stop if I were too far. Why do we need to flee? Saffron was playing dumb forcing to me to state the obvious. Demons are attacking the town! We need to leave, now. The guards are strong men. They will take care of it with no trouble. Her voice was condescending and the way she looked me from head to toe was demeaning. They are freaking immortals. The strong men as you put it are dead or on their way to death. My forceful tone let out my displeasure. Who are immortals? She asked me in a sarcastic voice. The demons. They''re the same that attacked the camp three days ago. The look of condescension on her face disappeared like it had never been there and was replaced by a worried expression. She rushed out of the Cathedral. With a sigh of exasperation, I followed her. We didn''t have to go far. Chaos had already reached the town proper. When I caught up with her, Saffron had stopped in her tracks in the middle of town. Tears streamed down her cheeks. The heat from the burning buildings made me sweat. Citizens ran screaming from their houses. Some were on fire. Others had cuts from where the buildings had collapsed on them. Smoke, blood and sweat dominated my senses. I tugged on Saffron''s arm. We needed to go but she didn''t budge. Her eyes were fixed on the demons. They were but a few hundreds feet away. I knew that she wanted to fight but I dragged her with me. Back at the Cathedral, she came out of her shocked state. She dried her tears and ran to her office. Saffron! We need to flee. No! She screamed. I joined her in her office. She took a crystal orb from her desk. She stroked it and said: Oh! Althasia! Goddess of light, please let my message reach my intended. Priest Solan, Tion Town is under attack. We ask for reinforcement. The demons are the same that attacked the camp 3 days ago. Leaning on the door frame, I watched her as she sent her message. Aren''t you going to tell them that the demons are immortals. No one knows if it''s true. I don''t want to give them unconfirmed information if I can avoid it. Her reasoning was flawed on many levels but I didn''t have time to say anything before she left again to go somewhere else. I still followed. She was my best chance to leave; I didn''t want to lose her. She went upstairs to another room. I lagged behind a little. I wondered what she was up to. Shouldn''t she be scared or something? And why did she ask for reinforcement? The demons were immortals. Even with reinforcements, they wouldn''t be beaten. I didn''t understand her way of thinking. Deep in my thoughts, I opened the door she had just closed. Seeing what was behind, I stopped moving. Sorry. I said with as much sincerity as I could muster. It was hard with a smile on my face but I did the best that I could. She stared at me. She was bent down removing her socks. She had already removed her dress. Her pink panties were assorted with her bra. Her white supple skin were a delight on the eyes. She had stopped moving, her eyes fixed on me. I could hear the ticking of the bomb that was going to blow up but I couldn''t prevent myself from not caring. You... You... Her face was red. Steam came out of her ears The silly smile on my face widened as she lost her balance and fell down on her knees. Her chest was on the ground. Her butt was up. She made quite the erotic picture. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. She tried to get up but she fell down back again. I didn''t try to help her, I was enjoying every second of the show. Althasia! Oh goddess of death punish this fool for his impudent actions! Oh Shit! I lunged on the side as the door blew up. A second explosion happened just above my head. I put my arms up to protect myself from the splinters. When no other attacks were launched at me, I raised my head in dread. Saffron stood in the doorway, fully dressed. She had a black aura around her that gave me the creeps. I had to think fast. Her blinding smile didn''t bode well for me. Demons. Don''t forget that the town is under attack. I didn''t forget. I never forget anything. She said with a very intense look. Then, she moved away, going back downstairs. I sighed in relief. I got back on my feet and trailed behind her. I didn''t stick too close as the dark aura around her hadn''t subsided. She went to the cross used for teleportation. It was the first time I approached it since I came here. It was in a room at the back not far from Saffron''s office. The door was nondescript. I thought that it was a storage closet that was why I never bothered to look into it. The cross stood on the far end of the room. Its shadow was a swirl of colors. Out of it, knights in plated armor rose from the ground. There were twenty of them and more were incoming. What is the situation? One of them asked. His armor was golden contrary to the others that were silver. They seemed to be elite knights. In the camp, the knights'' armor had been copper. I didn''t talk to them. They looked prideful and the condescending stares they leveled at anyone who wasn''t a warrior made me stay away from them. The demons are in town, they attacked anyone, man, woman and child. We''ll take care of them in the name of our great goddess Althasia. Please, for our Goddess of Life. It was getting sappy. When all was finished, 73 knights, 10 priests and 40 acolytes crowded the room. I stayed on the side as they talked among themselves. Sergeant Boris, take a small team and assess the situation in the town. The golden armored knight ordered. Yes, sir! A small group of silver knights left the Cathedral. I didn''t follow them. The situation outside was obvious. The demons couldn''t be killed and that was not the case of the townspeople. Priestess Saffron, you will be in charge of the injured. I didn''t listen to what he said after that but everyone left the room one after the other. I was the only one left. As an acolyte, I should probably go with Saffron but I wasn''t in the mood. I wanted to leave, not to fight an impossible war. As I left the room, I heard a clamor in the front of the building. The townspeople had retreated to the Cathedral who was at the center of the town. I went upstairs to get a bird view of the situation on the ground. On the third floor, I went to one of the windows. Most of the town had been destroyed. As far as my eyes could see, the Cathedral was the only building left standing. Rubble, smoke and fire dominated the view. Townspeople were running to the Cathedral in a panic. Some made it. Others burned under the demons'' attacks. They were just a hundred feet away from the building. From this distance, I could see the expressionless eyes of the demons. They didn''t feel anything despite the chaos that they brought. True form. I change formed and jumped from the window. Before reaching the ground, I activated my float skill. I deactivated it just as fast. I landed on the ground softly. Human form. I reappeared but no one noticed with the confusion reigning around. I helped a fallen woman to get up. I directed her inside the Cathedral and went around to help the others. The knights sent to assess the situation in the town returned back to the Cathedral. Their faces were somber. Their moral was at their feet. Their eyes were filled with fear. I sympathized with the feeling. I fought the demon before. Hopefully, it wouldn''t be long before they ordered an evacuation. For the next few minutes, I kept helping the townspeople inside the building. I wanted to gain as much faith as I could before the evacuation. I didn''t thought of it before but helping the townspeople to flee those demons should give quite a good haul of faith. With this, I was closer to help my pets heal. Thinking about it, wasn''t something missing? Where the hell were my pets? Previous/ Next A.N: Hey there! Thx for reading and for your comments. I seriously doubted that I could release this chapter as I had writer''s block for a while now but it seemed to have passed (let''s pray for it not to come back). After reflexion, I''m going to keep my thursday release schedule; it''s less stressful and easier to keep. Chapter 22.5 Five wolves in the town Hello! Amidamaru speaking. A while ago, three humans attacked us and killed our family. My four best friends and I were the sole survivors of our pack. We had been fighting bees when a howl resounded in the forest we had been living in since we were pups. As a wolf, howls were our way to communicate in long distance. They each had a particular signification. On that day, the howl had been asking for help. We weren''t the strongest but we were confident that we could bring them the help they needed. However, when we arrived on the scene, they were all dead. Three humans stood arguing among themselves. Blinded by rage and despair, we didn''t notice right away that they were way stronger than we could ever dream of being. They defeated us quite easily. However, they didn''t kill us like they did the others. They tortured us using magic. They pierced our paws with earth spikes and burned our fur with fireballs. We resigned ourselves to our fate when an unexpected rescuer appeared. He was invisible. He saved us and put us in a safe place. He even went back to save a little pup that miraculously survived their assault. We watched from a distance as the humans ran after the escaping duo. When the last pup of our pack died, we saw the humans got their comeuppance. For hours, Master showed them the errors of their ways. After they were severely weakened, we finished them off. They were too scared too even retaliate. When we were done taking our revenge, he was laid there. Defenseless. We knew it was him who saved us. We brought him into our den and took care of him until he woke up. We made a wolf pile with him in the center. He was so frail that we were scared that he would die if we weren''t careful. In his sleep, he cuddled to us. He was so cute despite being so ugly. We decided then and there that he needed a keeper. When he woke up, we applied for the position. It was called ''pets'' but we didn''t care. We would be the one to keep him out of trouble. That day, we met Maron. She was his mother. She was weird but she was nice. She told us that we had to call him ''Master''. In doing so, we would truly be his caretakers. He got angry when we became his pets. We didn''t take offense. It was his pride as a male that made him angry. We understood; we didn''t hold it against him. This day, he disappeared like the travelers often did and we didn''t see him for a while. The next time, we saw each other, we were in a different world. We knew that travelers could go to different worlds but it was the first time that we understood that we could do it too. We were excited by the new adventure that was awaiting us. When we happened in this new world, we did our best to protect him but he got angry at us after we ate a rat. Well, ten rats. He said that we were sick and that we needed to be healed. We didn''t feel any different from before so we really didn''t get what he was saying. He disappeared once again like the travelers did. The next time we saw him, he was yet again in another world. The master was still young so we needed to teach him that to make a den, you needed to stay in the same world for a long time. He said he came to this world to save us but we still didn''t get what he meant. We played for a while then we ate. The sun had just set. We were in the kitchen eating with master and two other humans, when suddenly, a bell rang. What''s that? Master asked the woman at the table. She was called Priestess Saffron. But between us, we called her weirdo. She kept throwing glances at Master like she wanted to lick him up. It''s the alarm bell. The town is under attack. She answered with a small secret smile. Master ran out of the cathedral toward the gate. It was on fire. On places, it had already fallen down. Master stopped in his tracks. Hundreds of red horned demons were invading the town. Are they following me? He whispered. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Well, obviously. Maron answered. Having followed Master out, we heard what they said. So those demons were after Master. We had to teach them a lesson. Master was nice. However, he should do something about his face. I mean, is it normal to be that ugly? We, Amidamaru, Hashimaru, Abudabi,Hakubi and Madarao would save Master from harm like he did for us when we were incapacitated by the humans. That was how we found our way to our current predicament. The demons surrounded the town and advanced in a straight line toward the center. Everything in their path was mowed down. They used magic and spears to achieve their aim. I knew that we had to stop them but they were just so powerful. Buildings didn''t stand a chance against them. Warriors tried to fight valiantly but they were killed before they could show their talents with their weapons. Archers didn''t fare better. Their arrows were turned to ash by the jets of fire coming out of the demons hands. With the others, we huddled among the rubble. We needed to make a plan. There were only the five of us against the hundreds of them. The situation was dire but we had no choice. They wanted to harm our little one, our master. The five of us made a plan that we were confident in. Even though the demons only walked in a straight line while attacking, it didn''t meant that they were all in plain sight. The smoke from the buildings that burned down and the cries of townspeople created a confusing atmosphere where visibility and hearing decreased. We took advantage of the situation and launched our attack on those who were in the thick of the troubles. In group of two and three, we bit, we clawed at the demons. When the visibility cleared enough, we retreated and attacked some other demons. We did that for a half hour. We felt depressed. Despite all our attacks, not one of them stopped moving. We knew we did damage as we could see the wounds. But the demons advanced like they were mere scratches. We questioned our own eyes as all of us attacked the same demon at the same time. We brought him down. We bit his neck, tearing a chunk of flesh. We attacked his belly, disemboweling him. We were sure we killed him but we couldn''t prevent the shudders that we felt at the lack of blood and of organs they had. Despite all we did, not a speck of blood could be seen. We looked wary as the demon got back on his feet like nothing happened. We retreated by reflex. We avoided the jet of flames he threw at us. What do we do now? Abudabi asked . Her eyes were filled with fear at the monsters that kept advancing with a single-minded determination. We fight! We have no choice. They are after master. We either fight them now or we fight them later. Either way, we still have to fight. Hashimaru''s words washed over us. We saw the truth in them. We got ready to launch a new attack when suddenly, behind us a voice made us stop. OMG! Freaking idiots! There you are! WTH do you think you''re doing? Previous/ Next A.N: I wanted to answer a comment I read about the MC but I can''t find it again. So I''ll do it here. The comment was about how the MC is the top student in his grade but he was behaving quite stupidly. The answer is; I don''t want a perfect MC. It''s boring as hell. The MC that I imagined is book smart but an airhead in most situations. He is intelligent but he actually has to put his mind on it to show it. I hope this answer will be good enough for the one who asked because I''m not sure how to answer it. Because for me, it''s quite obvious that just because you''re good at studying it doesn''t mean that you''re super intelligent. Chapter 23 Rescue in smoke and fire (not edited) Only one chapter this week. I just finished it, so beware there are a lot of mistakes in it. I didn''t have the strength of mind to read it over again right now. I''ll probably do it in a few days or weeks if I got caught up in the next chapters like I had been until now. Also don''t forget that in his mara form all his stats are + 50 and some skills are added. See you next week! Tears fell down my cheeks as the smoke got in my eyes. Blurred figures rushed by me to enter the only safe haven left in the town. My vision was diminished but I couldn''t spot my pets''s shape among those advancing around me. Amidamaru, Abudabi, Hashimaru, Hakubi, Madarao come! I chocked on the last word as a cough rose in my dried throat. I knew that what was doing was useless. The only time pets could be summoned was when the owner changed world. It was also impossible to unsummon them. In those aspects, they were different than familiars who could be summoned and unsummoned as long as there was enough mana. The other huge difference was the pet interface that had more options. Pets status.
Name Amidamaru Level 55 Race Dire wolf Gender Male Health 2050 Mana 1960
Name Abudabi Level 57 Race Dire Wolf Gender Female Health 2400 Mana 2305
Name Hakubi Level 54 Race Dire Wolf Gender Male Heath 1980 Mana 1890
Name Madarao Level 58 Race Dire Wolf Gender Male Health 3490 Mana 2687
Hashimaru level 55 Race Dire Wolf Gender Male Health 2054 Mana 1953
Their level surprised me. With the way they behaved, I thought that they were weaker than that. It actually showed that the level had nothing to do with intelligence. However, what rankled me the most was that they were way stronger than I who still hadn''t passed the level 10 mark. Map. Pets location. A map appeared in front of me. A blue dot indicated my location. It had an arrow sticking to it pointed at 5 red dots that showed where my pets were. I memorized the place and went to find them. When I arrived, they were huddled behind a half-collapsed wall. Their muscles were bunched like they were ready to jumped out at once. I took my human form and yelled at them. OMG! Freaking idiots! There you are! WTH do you think you''re doing? It wasn''t the best idea I ever had. A wall of fire appeared right in front of me. With haste, I barely changed into my spirit form but the wolves weren''t as lucky. Pitiful whines rose from their badly burned body. I jumped near them and cast all the healing spells that I knew. After a few minutes, the burns disappeared under my ministrations. With the five of them, I huddled behind the half-destroyed wall. It''s okay. Things are going to be okay. I whispered as I stroke their fur. No traces of the burns they had were left but the psychological damage the pain left was evident in their trembling body. Guys, we''re going to go back to the Cathedral. We''ll all be invisible so don''t make too much noise. Come on, let''s go. We didn''t have much time. In a few seconds the demons would be upon us. I turned into my true form and led them away. We crossed path with a few people. Most were already dead but a few just stayed immobile, crumbled on the floor. Their eyes reflected their lost hope. I wanted to help them as I remembered a time where those same eyes looked at me through a mirror but I didn''t have the time. My pets needed me more than them. They were troublesome and downright stupid at times but they were mine and I needed to take care of them. As I entered the Cathedral again, I felt that something wasn''t right. The townspeople who had been able to flee had huddled together. Their eyes held fear but also a resignation that shouldn''t be there. With the cross at the back of the building, their safety should be guaranteed but their postures didn''t reflect that. I took back my human form. Why aren''t you evacuating? I asked the man closest to me. There aren''t any priest here. Absurd. Reinforcement came a while ago. There were knights and priests. There aren''t any knights nor priests here. His voice was flat like he was devoid of any emotions. I looked into his eyes. They were blank. It was like he had given up on everything. I shook my head . I wanted to deny his claims once again when a voice asking for help interrupted us. A group of four people were running to the Cathedral: 3 women and one child. They fell as a building collapsed behind them. I ran to them. I was helping an old woman to get inside the building when an explosion sounded on my left. I turned my head toward the sound. What I saw stopped me in my tracks. The devastation didn''t register. The explosion was forgotten. They can''t be that stupid, right? I knew the answer to that question and it was a resounded yes. My pets were helping the other women. They licked the women''s wounds like nothing was the matter. Seeing this spectacle, I could only bemoan my fate. The day I accepted them as my pets I made one of the biggest mistake of my life and there was no way, it was going to change anytime soon. They were my responsibility and I would take care of them to the best of my capabilities even though I wished that I never met them in the first place. My mana was totally depleted. The demons were just a few feet away. I retreated with them inside the building. The situation hadn''t changed. To confirm what I had been told, I went in search of Saffron. I looked in every room. She was nowhere to be found. I checked the Cross'' room. Just as I entered the last knight jumped in the cross shadow and disappeared. The swirling colors turned black and the floor regain its hardness. I stared in shock. I couldn''t believe that they would abandon the townspeople that way. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. I went back to the front of the building. The residents sat on the floor huddled together. They looked fearful at the front entrance. Any second now, they expected the demons to break the barrier around the Cathedral and enter the building. I suddenly heard shouts and war cries outside the building. I went to investigate. The scene outside was total chaos. Beastmen, dwarves, elves, and some other races I didn''t know about were fighting the demons. My sight zeroed in the man that led them. He was an elf with skin as white as a sheet and despite the fact that I hadn''t seen him for a few hours, I expected him to look different. Sevarin was the same as before. He rushed at the demons and attacked their joints. He took longer than me but he was able to dismembered a few demons. I was happy to see him until he shouted. For our god MorningStar! This wiped the smile from my face. I looked dumbfounded as the others yelled it over and over like a mantra. I didn''t know how many they were but their words drowned every other sound. It was the only thing that I could hear. Over and over, the same words battered at my ears. Shut it! I screamed pissed off. A shock wave with me as its epicenter knocked everyone off their feet. Behind me, I heard the sound of glass breaking. I turned toward the only building left standing to see golden particle falling from the sky. I surmised that the barrier around the place had been shattered by the shock wave. I didn''t give it too much thought though. I took back my human form. Who the hell is your god? I shouted as soon as I appeared. I regretted my outburst as soon as it got out. They all stared at me. Their eyes didn''t bode well for me. They had a shine to them that was at the same time expectant and filled with so much jubilation that I wanted to run away. MorningStar. MorningStar... They repeated the name over and over. A the beginning, it was just a whisper but when the demons restart their attacks, it became a shout to rally each other. Then and there, I just gave up. Whatever I did, things never turned the way I wanted. I threw my hands up in the sky and went back inside the Cathedral. I found a small corner with none of the survivors and sat down with my pets. I was beyond exhausted but I remained curious about the shock wave. Since the first day that I came to Althasia, I deactivated all my notifications. It was high time to check them up. Status.
[quart=Character name,Alignment]Everheart,Neutral[/quart][quart=Level,Profession]7 (80%),None[/quart][quart=Title,Race]Acolyte of Althasia-Minor God, human[/quart][quart=Fame,Infamy]421,0[/quart][quart=Health,Mana]50450,2100[/quart][quart=Strength,Agility]8,7[/quart][quart=Fear,Sadism]245,150[/quart][quart=Wisdom,Intellect]10,12[/quart][quart=Willpower,Charm]3,-30[/quart][quart=Vitality,Affinity to Nature]10,10%[/quart][quart=Leadership,Luck]0,50[/quart][quart=Attack,Defense]3,0[/quart]
Status
Faith4550
Magic resistance50
Huh? My stats were unbalanced to say the least. A laugh rose from my tired body. All of the drama about me becoming a god for this. I was weak as hell. A freaking bunny could kick my ass. That thought threw me in a giggle fit. I was supposed to be a god. Where were the awesome stats? The overwhelming strength? The immortal life? Nothing of that for me. I was just a little stronger than before but nothing else. I checked my skills. Skill list.
Healing chant [Active] Beginner lvl 6 67% Supreme healing beginner [locked] Float [Active] Intermediate lvl 4 73% Touch [Active] Intermediate lvl 7 10% Reading comprehension Beginner Lvl 5 67% Magic mastery [active] Beginner Lvl 9 6% Magic comprehension [passive] Beginner Lvl 7 57% Sword Mastery Beginner lvl 8 34% Dagger Mastery Beginner lvl 2 43% Archery Mastery Beginner lvl 1 31% Identify Beginner lvl 3 57% Gardening mastery Beginner lvl 2 67% Cry of the damned [Active] Beginner level 3 0% True form [Active] Level max Temptation devourer [passive] Beginner level 5 6% Dream field [locked] Fear conversion [active] Beginner level 4 10%
My eyes crossed at the long list. However long I looked, I couldn''t see anything that looked like a god power. Title Minor God. Those were the words needed to see the description of this title.
Minor God You conquered the heart of 3000 followers. They believe in your godliness giving you your strength. +1000 Faith per new follower +1000 faith for each action in favor of your followers +50000 Health You are an incomplete god as long as you don''t chose two skills to receive your godly powers.
My eyes bugged out at this insane title. My previous hilarity came back with a vengeance. I laughed hard for a few minutes. When I finally stopped, I looked over my skill list deciding which skill would receive my godly powers, whatever that meant. The choice was hard as I remembered the oracle''s words. I didn''t want to be the God of Hope and Despair. But knowing my luck, what choice did I have? Previous/ Next characters list Here, a list to keep track of the characters in the story. All those characters will appear again at one time or another. Also, most description are in the story but some are just the way I imagined the characters. They are classed by order of appearance. Akira Kirihara : MC. Male. Girly face. Long black hair, an oval face, high cheekbones, almond shaped eyes, a slender frame, alabaster skin. 15yo. Wear glasses because it hides his face. Home-schooled. Lives in a penthouse at the top of the school dormitory. Has a not so mysterious relationship with the headmaster and Lu Huang Fu (Don''t know if anyone saw the big fat hint that I put in one chapter.) Personality: an airhead. A pushover. Book smart but an idiot in interaction with people. Never thinks about the consequences of his actions which lands him in more trouble than he can manage. Wants to rebel but he is in over his head and causes him even more trouble. Drama queen. Game Avatar: Everheart Dreamweaver. Race: 1. wood elf: chose this race according to the school regulations. 2. Nature spirit: he got change into a nature spirit by the librarian of Soren Town because he refused to say what was the message of the dying man. The MC had no reason to refuse and the librarian had all the reasons not to want the message falling in bad hands. 3. Mara but can take human form as he pleases. Then he turn into a complete human with minus 50 points in all stats. When he turns into a human, he''s ugly as hell because of his negative charm stat. Sarah Johansen: teacher. Ex homeroom teacher of the MC. At the beginning, she hates the MC because she believes what others say about him. Never bothered to get to know the MC. Fired from her job. Believes that the headmaster is the one who caused her to be fired but in reality, it''s the MC. Becomes a stalker. Everyone thinks that she''s after the MC. After real life stalking went awry with police involved and an attack on the headmaster, she decides to start VR stalking. Personality: thinks that she can never do wrong. Thinks highly of herself. Easily influenced by what others think. For her, if the majority believes something then it has to be true. Librarian of Soren Town: Gary Brooks. Real name: Gary Cornwall. Archmage of Beleheim Kingdom Personality: Type to go overboard easily. Straight guy to the training master carefree personality. The headmaster (aka The Plague): Stephan Hayes. tall, cropped black hair. chiseled face, blue eyes. Lives in the penthouse with Akira. Son of the previous headmaster. Grandson of Lu Huang Fu. Has a not so mysterious relationship with the MC. Personality: Borderline sadist. Take charge kind-of-guy. Mischievous. Overbearing. The headmaster''s secretary The deputy director: straight laced. Tom Carter: security guard working at the school. Mr Sorenson: teacher responsible of the dorm Tomas Estevez: jock. captain of the middle school football team. six foot of pure muscle. the body of an adult and the face of a pretty boy. 15 yo. middle school senior. Don''t talk much with the MC. Malcolm Blake: the second rank academically in 3rd year middle school. five foot three of lanky teenager. He was the poster child for geekiness. glasses, his clothes were clean and tucked. Don''t talk much with the MC. Jacob Clarke: ex best friend. First to bully Akira. He learned the truth about the rape and wants revenge on Claire and Sofia. He wants to rekindle his friendship with MC but he doesn''t think that he deserve a second chance. Is lying in wait to show the MC that he''s sorry and to take revenge. He wants the perfect plan. Personality: Psychopath in the making. Wolf in sheep clothing. Down to earth. Nice and popular. Can turn aggressive with no warning. Intelligent. People-wise. Book-smart. Elliott Bergson: best friends with Jacob. Doesn''t know the real personality of his friend. Claire Barlow: girl who accused Akira of rape Sofia: Girl who witness the supposed rape. Obsessed with her friendship with Claire. She will do anything Claire asks of her. Ex girlfriend of Jacob Clarke. When she was young, she nearly drowned and Claire saved her. She tells the truth to Jacob because she needed him to lie to do what Claire wanted. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.Personality: Straightforward. Gentle. Her biggest fault is her total submission to Claire. Borderline fanatic. The training master: Valen Corenthias. Former adventurer. Married. Friends with the librarian. He forgot to give the MC his Class. He wasn''t forgetful but he just really wanted the MC to scram away from him. Personality: hardworking. Mischievous. Carefree. cleaing freak The training master''s wife. Ga?a, the landmother: main goddess of the game Forgotten Soul Steven, Mark and Michael: MC''s classmates. Loves to bully the MC. They annihilated the wolves population in the forest nearby Soren Town (Forgotten Soul). The MC tortured them in the game for hours. The system didn''t see it that way and that causes a school-ban on the game. They were srnt to an hospital after being found prostrate in their room. Personality: sadistic tendencies. Bullies. Superiority complex. Don''t see the wrong in their actions. Manipulative. A change will appear after the torture session with the MC. Maron: Mara. Because MC passed her test and succeeded, she becomes his mom. Was jailed for something she has done. She got out because the MC triggered the Spirit path of evolution. When the MC, passed the test, she high-jacked a part of his mind and lives there now. However, she just exchanges one prison for another. She can''t leave the MC. She can''t use any skills. She is incorporeal but can be seen. Personality: A mystery. At the beginning, she wanted to sorta kill him. But then, she calms down fast. Maybe too fast? Troublemaker with mother tendencies. She''s caring. Knowledgeable. She''s the straight guy in the MC over top drama queen ways. It''s a huge change for her. Wants the MC to save her family and herself. Amidamaru, Abudabi, Hashimaru, Hakubi, Madarao: Dire wolves. MC saves them from his classmates. They become his pets. After a trip in the game Zombie Apocalypse, they contracted the virus that transforms this world population into zombies by eating rats that were infected. Personality: idiots. Troublemakers. Never thought of the consequences of their actions. Happy-go-lucky. Loves to have fun. Thinks they are strong but as they never thinks before acting, all their strength goes to waste. Lu Huang Fu: Chinese old man. Grandfather of the headmaster. Has a not so mysterious relationship with the MC. Obsessed with a woman called Meifeng. Meifeng: Mysterious Chinese woman. Childhood friend with Lu Huang Fu. The MC looks just like her. Red: girl. 15 yo red hair, red eyes, red nail polish and she wore a red saree. The MC killed her without meaning to do so while using twisted temptation. Personality: Soft-hearted. She cries while killing zombie. Althasia: woman with platinum blond hair and vivid green eyes Behind her head, a halo of light. Main Goddess of the game Althasia Online. She gives him a skill strong enough to save his pets. The Pope of Althasia: Fraotin. Gives the MC the title of Acolyte of Althasia to help him gain more faith. James Sanford: Acolyte of Althasia. Friendly. Becomes scared when it was revealed that the MC will become a god. Seems to be a spy in the followers of Althasia''s rank. Sevarin Faris: looks like Legolas Greenleaf in that Lord of The Ring movie. tall, slender, blond and as white as a sheet. Chief of a demon group composed of Elves, beastmen, dwarves and some humans. Pollex Skrillex: a beastman. No other information known about him. Dominin Faris: Sevarin''s brother, looks like his brother but with shorter hair. Holiatis Garbo: Sevarin''s second-in-command, a seven foot giant with a large scar at the right side of his face. Carlisia: Oracle, she''s the one who give the prophecy about MorningStar When the blue moon appears, the new god will ascend. His reign of despair will bring happiness to the oppressed. Chaos will befall the multiverse as MorningStar advanced on his path. Priestess Saffron: Priestess of Althasia responsible of the Cathedral of birth in the town of Tion. Blond. Rash personality. Totally devoted to Altasia. Skill list Here is a list of the skills the MC have. All those skills are from both of his 2 forms. You have to remember that some skills are available in only one or his forms (either human or mara). The level are random as I skimmed through the whole story to find the skill descriptions. I hope I didn''t forget any.
Healing chant [Active] Beginner lvl 6 67% With this chant you can heal minor injuries. Requirement: 20 faith. Oh Althasia! Godess of Life and Destruction. Bring peace to our bodies and Soul. Healing!
Float [Active] Intermediate lvl 4 73% You are able to float above the ground. Speed: 90 miles per hour Height: Six feet above the ground 10 mana per second
Touch [Active] Intermediate lvl 7 10% You are able to touch things and people in the material and immaterial world with your body. 20 mana per second.
Reading comprehension Beginner Lvl 5 67% Increases the speed of your reading and of your understanding of the material 5% per level at beginner stage
Magic mastery [active] Beginner Lvl 9 6% The higher the skill the more complex the spell one is able to cast Mana consumption depends on the spell used.
Magic comprehension [passive] Beginner Lvl 7 57% The more you know about magic the less mana you need to cast a spell.
Sword Mastery Beginner lvl 8 34% Increases attack power with a sword +10 % per level
Dagger Mastery Beginner lvl 2 43% Increases attack power with a dagger +10 % pr level at beginner
Archery Mastery Beginner lvl 1 31% Increases attack power with a bow +10 % pr level
Identify Beginner lvl 3 57% Can see the nature and origin of an object. At the beginner level can only identify common objects. 300 mana per usage
Human form [active] Level Max You can take on a human form whenever you want. All stats and skills will be updated after the change. - 50 to all stats. No mana cost. Racial skill cannot be deleted. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Temptation[passive] Beginner level 1 0% With your word and charm you tempt your prey. 10% chance of success. Racial skill cannot be deleted
Temptation devourer [passive] Beginner level 1 0% You gain stats when your prey gives in to temptation. + 4 intellect +3 wisdom + 5 strength +10 fear +2 agility Racial skill cannot be deleted.
Fear conversion [active] Beginner level 1 0% You can convert your fear into any stats you wish. Limit:10 minutes Racial skill cannot be deleted.
Dream field [locked]
Float [Active] Intermediate lvl 2 3% You are able to float above the ground. Speed: 90 miles per hour Height: Six feet above the ground 10 mana per second
God Rules [active] Beginner level 1 0% You create your rules to achieve your goals. The higher the skill the more you can do. At beginner level, only illusions can be created. The higher the level, the more detail you can had in your illusions.
Nature mastery [Active] Beginner lvl 1 0% You can manipulate nature. The higher the skill the more you can do. Plant growth + 200%
Fusion skill created! Voice of the damned [Passive] lvl 1 0% Your voice holds power. A cry filled with anger, sadness and regret. Effects on enemies: Stunned for 10 seconds per word - 300 fighting spirit Due to your racial specification, you can choose to use it with your human form or your true form.
You gained a new skill! Godly voice [passive] lvl1 0% Your voice holds power. Effects on mortals: -200 fighting spirit Stunned for 10 seconds Due to similarity with cry of the damned, do you wish to fuse the two skills?
You have gained a new skill! Prayers faith [active] lvl 1 0% The prayers of your followers give you a boost in your abilities. The boost depend on the prayer and faith of the follower. Duration: 20 seconds.
You have gained new skills! Godly aura [passive] Beginner lvl 1 0% Everyone in a mile radius will know that you are a god. In your presence, your followers: +100 fighting spirit +10% Health and mana regen Others: - 100 fighting spirit -10% Health and mana regen Due to your racial specification, you can choose to use it with your human form or your true form.
Chapter 24 Gods and assorted troubles part 1 (not edited) Abudabi stared at me concerned while the others yipped in joy around me. My laughter made them happy. Abudabi wasn''t the only one noticing that it was more hysterical than joyful. Maron came out. Are you okay? Never the better. I dismissed her concern. She exchanged a glance with Abudabi and they both came to me. Maron took me in her arms and Abudabi laid down on my stomach licking my face. I accepted their comfort. I needed it more than I thought possible. I luxuriated in the feeling of safety for a little while before I decided to put an end to everything. Skill list. I closed my eyes, raised my finger and pointed twice at the list. Two skills were highlighted: gardening and twisted temptation. I shrugged at the randomness of it. Sweetie, if you do this you''re going to regret it later. Maron tried to stop me. You could at least chose a fighting skill. Don''t care. Put my godly powers into these 2 skills. I shrugged at Maron''s death glare and proceeded to ignore her. A light shone down on me. Little sparks fell down and entered my skin. I felt stronger than I had been before. Several windows popped up in front of me. *ding*
You have gained a new skill! Gods call [active] lvl 1 0% You can teleport to your followers. The higher the skill the closer you can teleport.
You have gained a new skill! Prayers faith [active] lvl 1 0% The prayers of your followers give you a boost in your abilities. The boost depend on the prayer and faith of the follower. Duration: 20 seconds.
You have gained a new skill! Godly aura [passive] Beginner lvl 1 0% Everyone in a mile radius will know that you are a god. In your presence, your followers: +100 fighting spirit +10% Health and mana regen Others: - 100 fighting spirit -10% Health and mana regen Due to your racial specification, you can choose to use it with your human form or your true form.
True form.
You gained a new skill! Godly voice [passive] lvl1 0% Your voice holds power. Effects on mortals: -200 fighting spirit Stunned for 10 seconds Due to similarity with cry of the damned, do you wish to fuse the two skills?
I didn''t know that it was possible but I was curious. Yes.
Fusion skill created! Voice of the damned [Passive] lvl 1 0% Your voice is a mix of all emotions. Effects on enemies: Stunned for 10 seconds per word - 300 fighting spirit Effects on followers: +200 fighting spirit Mana and Health regen +10% Stunned for 10 seconds Due to your racial specification, you can choose to use it with your human form or your true form.
True form.
Due to the infusion of godly power, gardening mastery has evolved into nature mastery.
Nature mastery [Active] Beginner lvl 1 0% You can manipulate nature. The higher the skill the more you can do. Plant growth + 200%
Due to the infusion of godly power, Twisted temptation has evolved into God Rules.
God Rules [active] Beginner level 1 0% You create your rules to achieve your goals. The higher the skill the more you can do. At beginner level, only illusions can be created. The higher the level, the more detail you can have in your illusions.
I smiled tiredly at those notifications. I cuddled with my pets for a few minutes more before I got up and went outside. The fight was still going on. Sevarin and the others were able to dismember a few demons and stop their general advancement. From the door where I stood, I saw that the limbs were slowly but surely getting back together. Sevarin hadn''t noticed yet. I gave a cold smile as my temple throbbed. I squinted my eyes at the heavy smoke that floated on the battlefield. I changed to my true form. I screamed as loud as I could activating voice of the damned. Everyone and everything around me stopped. I slowly went down the stairs. My gaze was fixed on the demons right in front of me. They shuddered. They tried to get up. I smiled. Sevarin and his men''s eyes shone as they looked at me. My charm stats that was in the negative when I was human went back to the positive. For them, I wasn''t ugly anymore. I was rather gorgeous but I didn''t care. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. God rules. I closed my eyes and imagined what I needed. A black sky, a blood red sun, cold air lapping at the skin. I opened my eyes again. Do you want to die today? My voice was soft. The demons'' scared eyes took on everything around them. A smile blossomed on my face. They shook scared of what I would do to them. I stayed silent a couple of minutes, then I advanced. For each step I took, everyone took a step back. It was a pleasant sight as usually I was the one being led around. In the middle of the street, I stopped. I am God. My aura expanded to encompass the whole town. Everyone screamed. The demons ran and the others fell prostrate on the ground. They knelt as they repeated over and over the same name again. MorningStar. MorningStar... I didn''t spare them a glance and check my status to see if I had enough faith, to heal my pets.
[quart=Character name,Alignment]Everheart,Neutral[/quart][quart=Level,Profession]7 (80%),None[/quart][quart=Title,Race]Acolyte of Althasia, Minor God,MARA[/quart][quart=Fame,Infamy]471,0[/quart][quart=Health,Mana]50500,54900[/quart][quart=Strength,Agility]58,59[/quart][quart=Fear,Sadism]295,200[/quart][quart=Wisdom,Intellect]60,62[/quart][quart=Willpower,Charm]53, 30[/quart][quart=Vitality,Affinity to Nature]10,10%[/quart][quart=Leadership,Luck]100,100[/quart][quart=Attack,Defense]50,50[/quart]
Status
Faith11600
Magic resistance100
My smile widened as I saw that my faith had reached the expected number after saving my followers. Supreme healing. I cast the skill on my pets. A golden light enveloped them but then, another trouble appeared. How was I supposed to know if they were really healed or not? The disease only appeared in the status when it reached the last stage. They didn''t even start to show the first symptoms. The only solution I had was to wait for the incubation time to pass. Basically, I had 2 weeks to kill time. Not good. I was ready to log out and never come back. I changed back into human form. Godly aura and voice of the damned deactivated. When the godly presence vanished, I found myself standing in front of Sevarin and his warriors. I stared dumbly at them. I didn''t know what I should do or say. Did a Hello, I''m your god! F*ck you. be nice enough to express what I felt for them? They stared at me waiting for me to say something that wouldn''t come. I just turned my back on them and was ready to get back in the Cathedral when I noticed that the townspeople were coming out of the building. They stayed at the entrance staring at me. With the amount of staring people were doing, I felt like an animal in the zoo. Trapped and reluctant to stay there. Everyone was silent. It was getting on my nerve. Before I could break this deadlock, a faint whistle ble . I checked around for its origin but I didn''t see anything. I concentrated on the sound. It was like it came from above. I raised my eyes to the sky. Several watermelon-size balls were falling. I raised my hand to point at them. Their gazes followed were I pointed. Bombs! Someone shouted. I watched with a detached gaze as people ran around me. They flee from every direction possible. Sevarin and his group stayed where they were. They knelt down in front of me, joined their hands together and prayed. I was going to let them die but curiosity got the better of me. I really wanted to know how strong Prayers Faith was. I activated it and waited. Not long after, a notification popped up in front of me. *Ding*
You have 3890 points available due to the prayers of your followers. You can invest them in any of your stats. Duration: 20 seconds.
I invested everything into my mana pool. Wind blades. Wind wall. I launched several wind blades at the bombs. They exploded. Before any fragments fell on our head, a wall of wind blew and threw them away. I was surprised at how convenient all the skills I gained were. I didn''t have the time to appreciate them though. A second volley of bombs were falling from the sky. Prayers faith had ran out. I didn''t know what I should do. Would it work if they prayed again? I waited. Nothing happened. It looked like there was a cool-down. I should probably run but my curiosity was still going strong. Since I became a God, my true form was visible to others. Was I also touchable? I raised my arms like I was welcoming the bombs. To my disappointment, they fell away from me. Behind, the Cathedral stood proudly. Everything else was annihilated as craters appeared where the bombs fell. Many townspeople died. Part of the Cathedral fell. The only ones who didn''t receive any damages were the people that had knelt in front of me. It wasn''t intentional but those who stayed standing received some injuries. I walked to them and cast a healing spell on a few people. Their eyes were full of gratitude and owe. Why? A voice came to the right. A woman was crying, still injured. I went to heal her but she refused. Why didn''t you save my family? You are a god. You could have done it. I am not your god. Why don''t you ask the one you, pray why she didn''t help you? It was a solid argument if I said so. The woman though wasn''t convinced. She kept on asking the same question over and over. My interest in her words had fanned. I healed her without her permission and went to help the others. After my good deed of the year was done, I turned to Sevarin and the others. Leave. Don''t come back here. Only your grave is waiting for you. Voice of the damned wasn''t activated but my words had a great impact on them. In less than 2 minutes, all of Sevarin''s warriors left. Some townspeople left with them but a few stayed behind. I regretted that my true form wasn''t invisible anymore. Finally, I logged out of this game, or so I thought. Previous/ Next A.N: The second part will be out next week. chapter 25 Gods and assorted troubles part 2 A.N: There will be 2 chapters today. Here''s the first one. I''m finishing the second and will post it later. When I tried to log out, I found myself in the thrown room of Goddess Althasia. She was immobile, seated on her throne. The light behind her head was dimmer than before. Traveler, you have done well for yourself. Reaching God status granted you tremendous opportunities. I will give you another one. Join me in my fight against the other gods and I will help you gain more power. None of her features moved as she talked. Shivers went down my spine. I found it creepy that she could remain so expressionless. Not interested. I tried to log out but I couldn''t. I was panicking when she started talking again. If you aren''t with me, you are against me. Wait, the world isn''t black and white. Just because I don''t want to be with you doesn''t mean that I am against you. I''m weak, I can''t help you even if I wanted. It doesn''t matter. You refused, you are against me. Per the gods'' laws, I can''t attack you directly but beware, I will crush you and all those who worship you. The light behind her head brightened and blinded me. When it disappeared, I was finally able to log out. I removed the headgear from my head and went to take a shower. The cold water beating on my head relaxed me and helped me later to get some sleep. My dreams were filled with what happened in game. When I woke up the next morning, I felt refreshed but I had to recognized that I screwed up the day before. I had thrown a tantrum and wasted those godly powers. When I think of what could have happened if I chose skills rather than let it all to chance, tears came up to my eyes. I should really do something about that personality of mine. I put my headgear on.
The scan of your iris has determined that you are a registered user. Which application do you wish to connect to?
Zombie Apocalypse. Yesterday, I was too tired to think of a way to check if supreme healing worked on the virus. After a night of sleeping, the solution was pretty simple. I just had to use it on zombies. I appeared in a flash of light in the subway station where I fought the mutated rats before. The stairs leading above ground weren''t too far. I went outside. I didn''t know where I was. The first time, I played Zombie Apocalypse, I had been in a small town before going underground in the railway tunnels. Right now, I was in a big city. The skyscrapers were lined up on the street near the subway entrance. I went on in a random direction looking for a zombie. It was quite hard as it was still daytime. I should have stayed in the subway station. The place was dark and huge enough that it should have been easy to find zombies there. My only excuse was that I didn''t think it through. Not wanting to retrace my step, I walked on the street. I tried to find a building dark enough where zombie might lurk. All had glass bay windows that let the sun in. After a while, I finally spotted a building. It was a supermarket. The stores were drawn. At the front entrance, a human hole gave access inside. I equipped my katana. As soon as I got in, I found three zombies munching on a corpse. The smell was suffocating. The corpse was decomposed at places. Worms colonized an open wound on its chest. The zombies turned toward me hissing. I heard rustling. More and more zombies came out of the darkness. I barely saw them with the little light that came in the building. Supreme healing. I cast the skill on the ones in front of me. A golden light enveloped them. When it faded away, they hissed angry. They abandoned the half-eaten corpse and rushed at me. Their fastest speed was relatively slow as they wobbled. Supreme healing. I tried again but nothing changed. Their eyes were bloodshot. Their mouths were foaming. They growled and hissed the closer they came. I tried a third time. It didn''t bring any change. I didn''t have more time. I cut them down. They weren''t strong so it only took me a few minutes to do it. However, their numbers kept increasing. I cast spells, I slashed and pierced with my sword but they still kept on coming. My stamina ran out. I turned around and went back outside. I didn''t move too far from the man-hole that let me in. None of them followed me in the sun. In front of the supermarket, I slumped down on the pavement. I felt defeated. The spell didn''t work. As I sat there, I tried to think of what I should do. Going back to Althasia was useless and finding the Holy Dragon was hazardous to say the least. There was still a small chance that the skill worked but I didn''t dare to hold my hopes up. I debated calling the wolves but seeing them when I wasn''t sure they were healed brought a twinge of pain in my heart. I didn''t want to see their faces and I knew that they wouldn''t understand. They didn''t even get that they were sick to begin with. Tears threatened to fall down. I took a deep breaths to calm myself, it didn''t help much. Maron appeared next to me and took me in her arms. I sank in her embrace. I don''t know how long we stayed there in silence. I would have stayed there even longer but a notification came. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. *Ding*
Your followers have decreased drastically. 1455 followers left. If your followers decreased under 1000, you will become a fallen God and your godly powers will be locked.
I stared in shock at that notification. I couldn''t believe that I could lose my powers when I just got them. Wasn''t I a god? One minute I was on the path of overpowered greatness and the next, I found myself back on the path of personal doom. I snickered. Now that I had these powers, I sure as hell wouldn''t give them up without a fight. Pissed, I log out of Zombie Apocalypse and went immediately into Althasia. The transition was quite harsh on my mind. One minute I was in a post apocalyptic city filled with zombies and the next I was in a medieval town. I took some times to get my bearings. Not much time had passed since the demons attacked. Maybe 2 or 3 days. However, the town was whole again. The buildings that had been destroyed stood proud in their intact glory. The citizens mingled in the streets like nothing happened. I stopped one of them. How come there are no traces of the attack from a few days ago? What attack? The man I stopped asked me. The town was attacked a few days ago. No. He replied sharply before he left for god knew where. I stopped another person and asked the same questions. The same answers waited for me. I tried again and again. The looks I received gradually became worse. At first, people were nice but they became hostile the more I asked. I got worried. I went inside the Cathedral. The acolyte from before was sweeping the floor like the first time I saw him. Where''s Priestess Saffron? Who are you? It''s me, Everheart. Don''t you remember me? I''m sorry but I don''t know you. I''m an acolyte. Call Saffron, will you? Stop lying. You aren''t an acolyte. I don''t know who you are but if you don''t leave now, I''ll call the guards. I didn''t pay any mind to his threat. Where''s Saffron? I was worried. What the hell happened here? People didn''t remember the attack and the one who knew me didn''t remember me. I didn''t wait for him to answer. Saffron! I yelled. She immediately came running to where I was. What''s wrong? She asked disheveled, trying to regain her breath. The town was attacked a few days ago and this idiot here doesn''t remember me. I said ticked off. She raised her head in surprise at my voice. Her eyes fixed on me, she retreated step by step. Oh Althasia great goddess. Protect your faithful servant from the demon god who wants to defile me. She raised one of her hands to me while the other clutched a locket. A black came to me. It wasn''t fast. I dodged it with no trouble whatsoever. I didn''t even need to use a skill. Is that supposed to kill me or something? I smirked at that pathetic attack. She shrieked like a little mouse. She was scared. She had thought that attack would injure me or at least distract me. It didn''t work. Oi! I asked you a question. I was losing patience. Go away demon! She screamed at me. You''re so freaking troublesome. Behind me, I could hear metal clinking together. Someone should teach the guards what stealth was because they were horrible at it. Maybe the acolyte should do it. It was the second time, he disappeared without me noticing. Saffron was relieved the guard had finally came and would repel the demon (aka me) out of the Cathedral. Too bad things wouldn''t go the way she thought. I grabbed her and used Gods Call. It was the skill I gained that would teleport me to my worshipers. It didn''t use mana nor faith. It was one of my godly powers. I didn''t know how it worked or if I couldn''t really bring another person with me but I tried. A tornado rose under my feet and grew way above my head. I pulled an unwilling Saffron in my arms. I closed my eyes. The sound of the winds didn''t last long. Only a few seconds after it started, it died down. People were talking around me. When I opened my eyes, Sevarin was the first thing I saw. Not caring in the least, I pushed Saffron away and punched the daylights out of him. He fell down under my assault. Gosh! What a good feeling that was! I didn''t hurt him too much but it was enough to relax me. After that, I gave him a refreshing smile and helped him to get up. He held his cheek like it hurt. I looked around me. We were in a makeshift camp. Small tents were scattered. They looked frail under the strong wind that enter the small valley we were in. Mountains surrounded us. A lot of people were injured. They looked frail like they hadn''t eaten in a while. So, what the hell is going on? Previous / Next Chapter 26 To quote the Plague “Its a secret.” (not edited) A.N: just finished the chapter. Hope you''ll like it. At hearing my question, Sevarin had a peculiar smile on his face. He threw a glance at Saffron before answering. Goddess Althasia is going after us. We lost a few people- A few people? Don''t joke with me. It''s a freaking massacre. There''s only a little over 1000 of you left. We had been attacked and we lost people but now that you are here, everything will be fine. Yes, we will be fine. Our god MorningStar is here to save us. A man I didn''t know shouted. The other people clapped in joy at those words. Their smiles were blinding. Should I bring them down from their high? I meant there was no way that I could save them. I was level 8, what could I do? I was a god but my powers were nothing to write home about compared to the other gods. Lies. You sinners will burn in the flames of Hell. Repent and the goddess will save you. Oh stop it! Your goddess is the freaking liar. She said that the power she gave me would heal the disease of my pets but it was a lie. She didn''t retort anything. Knowing her, there was something fishy going on. She was always Althasia this Althasia that. When I insulted her Goddess, I was sure that she would try to harm me or at the least cursed me until my ears bled out but she stayed silent. I was suspicious of her behavior but I refused to dwell on it too much, I had bigger problems. I needed to save those guys and I wasn''t confident at all about it. Suddenly, a great idea came to my mind. I laughed out loud at my genius. It was such a great idea that everyone should bow down in front of me. My laughter stopped short as everyone took a step away from me. Humph. I pouted. Are all my worshipers here? Yes, my god. Sevarin answered politely but he still looked at me like I had lost it. Great! I have something to say. Assemble everyone. Sevarin called a man and sent him to do what I asked. He led me to the center of the camp where I waited for everyone to come. The camp was larger than I thought. Before long, all the residents came in front of me. A lot of them were injured. Their pain was clear on their face. I cast Supreme healing on them. The relief they felt made me feel warm. I switched to my true form. My long black hair fell behind my back. My red eyes glittered under the fading sun. My alabaster skin looked ethereal. My charm stat were in effect and I was rather attractive if I said so myself. I am your god MorningStar. I know that you have been persecuted. I feel your pain. I want to erase it but I am weak, too weak to support you in this world. There faces blanched at my words. I have a proposal for all of you, it can lead to a bright future or to total destruction. It all depend on your will to survive. Whatever our god decide, we will follow you! One man in the distance shouted. I didn''t understand their fanaticism toward me. They didn''t know who I was. My origins, my personality or anything of the like was a mystery to them. Thank you for your support but you should listen before answering. As I said I am too weak to protect you in this world. So let''s go somewhere else. Who''s interested? I knew it wasn''t the best way to say it but who cared. The words were already out. They all stared at me dumbfounded. You want us to go to another world? Sevarin seeked confirmation. Yes. There will be no goddess Althasia? No. Will the other gods agree? Who cares about them? So do you want to leave or not. If you stay, you will die. If you come, you have a fighting chance but it depends on you. So what do you decide. I knew I should stop smiling but I couldn''t stop. I was so proud of my idea. Where exactly will we go? I couldn''t say that I hadn''t actually thought that far. I knew that I could take them to another game through the pet system but to which game, I had no idea. The pet system was abysmally simple. There were only a handful of restrictions on the pets. One player could have as many pets as he wanted and from any race he could think of. The only restriction in place was that the pet had to agree to belong to the player. The agreement in itself wasn''t hard to get as there were races intended to be pets from the beginning. For the others, it was nearly impossible, so no one bothered too much with it. Well, I needed something to delay the revelation. Something the Plague often said came to mind. With no other choice, I quoted him. It''s a secret. I give you two days to decide. I said it with the biggest smile I could muster. I went to Saffron, took her by the arm and dragged her with me. Sevarin, come. I ordered. Yes, my god. He shook off his pensive mood. The guy had become weirdly obedient since I hit him. No one had moved since I finished talking. There were all thinking about what I said and one by one they made their decision. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I went to a place relatively empty of people. So, what happened to Tion town? I interrogated the captive priestess as she tried to free herself from my grasp. Nothing. She had a sullen look on her face. Her blond hair was sticking in weird angles around her round face. Don''t lie to me. No one remember that there was an attack a few days ago. I think I can answer. Sevarin intervened. I nodded for him to proceed. A few hours after we left, a white light descended from the sky and swamped the town. After that, the place was whole again. Then, out of the Cathedral, a lot of people came and repopulate the place. None of them were the original townspeople. The few that survived came with us. Why? They saw how strong you were and wanted to follow you. Cut the crap. I want the truth. The bombing after the demons left were from the Church of Althasia. Basically, the Church abandoned them and they latched on you. Yes. So where were you when the townspeople were slaughtered. I aimed this question at Saffron. She didn''t answer. She had a mutinous look that made me smile. I didn''t want to force her to talk to me. I should have thought before taking her from the Cathedral. The answers she could give me weren''t necessary. And now, I couldn''t just bring her back saying that I made a mistake. I ordered Severin to take care of her. I''ll be back in a while. I disconnected from the Stavicon and removed the headgear. I needed to think on where I should bring my followers. I went in the kitchen to cook something to eat. The last few days, I only ate snacks. Just the feeling of cooking gave me a nice feeling and helped me to clear my mind. My roommates were like dogs. As the smell drifted in the air, one by one they found their way to me. When my dish was finished, they were all drooling over the counter. I stared at them as I ate the food like it was an ambrosia given to me by the gods. So have you finished your quest? Stephan asked me with a surly tone. My not giving him food was getting at him. Not yet. What kind of quest is it? If you need help... Jacob proposed. Humph. I gave him a pointed stare. Did he really think that if I needed help, I would ask him? Oh! Great idea! The plague was back in full force. He gazed at me with a sick smile as he exclaimed. I knew where he was going and I wanted no part of it. Oh no! No! No! And no! Just no way. I don''t want to. I didn''t finish my meal and rushed in my room away from them. There was no way that I was going to play with them. My game play until now had been chaotic to say the least. With them, things would get worse. Back in my room, I laid on my bed. I thought about what I should do. Althasia was out of the question. I wasn''t strong enough to fight the gods there. Forgotten Soul? It was still banned. Zombie Apocalypse? It would be just a matter of time before they were contaminated. The other games? But I never even went there. A knock on my door brought me out of my thoughts. I ignored it at first but the knock was insisting. I sighed and went to see who it was. The Plague had a bright smile on his face like he was hiding something I wouldn''t like. So... What kind of quest are you doing? None of your business. If you tell me, I''ll tell you something you really want to know. Like what? Tell me first. I was going to close the door on his face but he blocked it with his body. I can guarantee that you really want to know it. I''m just killing time in Zombie Apocalypse. It wasn''t exactly the truth but I wasn''t stupid enough to tell him what I was going to do. Stephan was a little disappointed. Just so you know, the ban on Forgotten Soul is lifted. After inspection, there was nothing wrong with the game. My eyes brightened. It was a godsend to my troubles. Forgotten Soul was an old and unpopular game. No one would notice if a bunch of NPCs from another game showed up. They would even be happy because of the high number of NPCs who died during the wars. And the most important thing, I already had a contact with the main goddess of the place. She even gave me a quest. She wouldn''t refuse to help me, right? Okay now you can leave. I pushed Stephan out of my room. He was bemused at my reaction. However, before long, he was laughing out loud. I didn''t put too much attention on his behavior. I closed the door after him and got ready to connect to the game. Previous/ Next Chapter 27 Decisions, decisions A.N: Hi! Hope you''re doing well. So here is the 1st chapter of the day. I took into accound the criticism of last week and tried to explain the MC''s mindset. I don''t think I did a good job but it''s the best I can do for now. Also, the other 2 chapters will come late. I''ve finished writing half of the 3rd chapter so I need to finish it. Thx for reading. I logged in Althasia. I hoped Sevarin and his group would take me up on my offer to change world. As a newbie god, I wasn''t confident that I could protect them. I had more advantages than most people but in front of the other gods I would just be an infant baring his baby teeth. The atmosphere in the camp was exuberant. Everyone had a smile on their face. When people saw me, they bowed, knelt and expressed their happiness. They handed food and drinks like it was water. It was like a party was taking place. However, when I looked closely I could see that they were packing. I pasted a smile on my face and didn''t talk to anyone. I didn''t want to hinder what they were doing. If I was truthful, I should say that it was not that I didn''t want to talk to them but more that I didn''t know how to deal with them. Their behavior toward me was exceptionally good. Due to their expressions, I knew that they loved me. And that was where I found myself lost. They didn''t know me. I was a total stranger to them. I wasn''t from their world, I wasn''t from their species, I wasn''t strong nor was I beautiful. I didn''t have the best personality around. Why did they love me? Why did they want a god like me? I didn''t understand. However, this wasn''t what puzzled me the most. Everything that happened wasn''t real. It was a game. They were just programs. Their love for me was just the way there were made. I shouldn''t feel bad that they were getting killed. I should just care about the powers I would lose if they disappeared. But I caught myself developing feelings for them. Back in Tion town, when I became a god, I didn''t care about my followers. They were just a bunch of strangers that I would never met. In my mind, they didn''t really exist. Then, when the notification came about the decrease in their numbers, I felt annoyed that a bunch of people I didn''t know could influence me so much. Finally, when I came to this camp, I truly felt their existence for the first time. The looks they gave me when I called them made me realize that to them, it wasn''t a game. It was reality. Even now, walking among them. I feel their existence like a tangible wave that enveloped my heart. Gentleness, joy, warmth, I hadn''t felt them in a long while. I soaked up these feelings and I found myself thinking of ways to help them get a better life. The two hours were coming up. Everyone assembled at the center of the camp. I made my way in front of them. I stayed silent as I observe their expressions. There was excitement, hope and expectations written all over their face. I switched to my true form. Their eyes sparkled at my Mara appearance. I knew that I was more handsome in this form thanks to my charm stat but the sighs of appreciation were not needed. Have you taken your decision? I asked after a long while. Yes, my lord. I was happy that Sevarin ditched the ''my god'' at the end of every sentences he said to me. All of us will follow you. I smiled in relief. If they had refused, I would have stayed and helped even though it wouldn''t change the situation much. From today onward, you all will be known as Unas. It means the first ones. You will be the first settlers who aren''t travelers to go between worlds. I wracked my mind for a name and it was the best I came up with. I hoped that my explanation convinced them. I couldn''t actually say that it was too bothersome to remember more than 1400 names for the pet ceremony. Unas. We are the Unas. They repeated over and over. Happiness radiated from them. They were sick and tired of being called demons. Having a name that they could call themselves brought them a sense a unity and happiness. They could take proud in this name. I listened to what they said in silence. I cleared my throat loudly to regain their attention. To move between worlds, there is a special condition that you must agree to. I won''t use a long explanation. If you want to move, you have to agree. Unas, do you want to become my pets? They were shocked at my words. I tried to reassure them with a smile. It was obvious that it was forced but no one called me out on it. Sevarin was the first to accept. Yes, my lord. His voice reverberated through the camp. He had shouted his answer bringing everyone out of their stupor.
The Unas have been registered as your pets. Numbers of Unas: 1455 Sevarin Faris has become your pet. Pollex Skrillex has become your pet. Dominin Faris has become your pet. Holiatis Garbo has become your pet. Carlisia James has become your pet. James Sanford has become your pet.
A huge list of name appeared in front of me. I dismissed it without looking. Okay, I will tell you a little about the world we will be going to. None of them uttered a word as they waited for me to continue. The place we''re going to is called Forgotten Soul. It''s the first world where travelers could transfer to. For years, it had been wrecked by numerous wars. Most of them had stopped now. There are Five continents. We will be on the Heimrich continent. It''s a gigantic island composed of four countries. One of them is overridden with beasts. As soon as we moved, we will be near the border with that country. At that time, I will let you decide on where you want to go. I clapped my hands. Okay, if I say more, it will take too much time. I have to talk to someone and then we will start the transfer. Please gather anything you might need. My Lord, what exactly can we bring with us? Sevarin asked me. Anything you can hold. As long as it''s on you or in your hands, you can transport it. It would be good if you have weapons, jewelry, precious stones. It will ease your first days there. They nodded at what I said. I left them to their thoughts and went to see Saffron. She was tied to a tree. Her mouth was gagged. As I advanced toward her, her gaze was filled with hate for me. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Hey, you okay? I was genuinely worried about her. Her face was red. Veins popped out of her forehead. I removed the gag from her mouth. Saffron- Don''t talk to me. You despicable devil. I sighed at her behavior. I knew that she was crazy about that Goddess Althasia of hers but to me she never seemed like an obsessed fool who would turn her back on people. I didn''t knew her long but despite that, I wasn''t dense enough not to notice that her aura was different from before. When I first met her, she had an air of hardworking clumsiness. She was warm and steadfast in her belief. Now, however, she felt cold, like apart from her love of Althasia there was nothing to her. The Saffron I knew wouldn''t abandon people to die. For god''s sake, it was the girl who wanted to heal my pets even though she considered them as demons. Right then and there, I decided that staying here would be detrimental to her. Saffron, do you want to be my pet. Never. I made a ball fire in my hand. I approached it from her face. Saffron, do you want to be my pet? I wouldn''t harm her. I just approached the ball close enough to let her feel the heat. Do you think Althasia would want you to die? To be in the embrace of my goddess would be my pleasure. So why don''t you kill yourself? You can bite your tongue and die. Do it, I won''t heal you. It was a gamble. That last line she said pissed me off so I called her out on it. An indescribable emotion flickered in her eyes. I extinguished the fireball. It wasn''t needed anymore. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Her voice rose with each word she said. She struggled violently to free herself. Stop, you''re hurting yourself. I was panicking. That was too far from the reaction I expected. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Blood dribbled down her hands. The ropes that tied them borrowed in the skin. I could his a sickening wet sound as she continued to struggle. Supreme healing. It was the only healing skill I had left after my meeting with Goddess Althasia. When I refused to teamed up with her, she removed my acolyte title. That was the reason why the acolyte back in Tion Town didn''t believe me when I said who I was. Because I lost the title, I also lost the skill that went with it. Healing chant was lost but thankfully she couldn''t remove the one I obtain when I first logged in. A golden light enveloped Saffron. The wounds on her hands closed. I was already used to that sight. However, right now, something unexpected happened. The light that was on her body migrated to her head. It concentrated in that area and glowed for a few seconds longer than usual. Saffron. I called her name, worried about her. Ev...Everheart. She looked confused. What happened? Why am I tied? Do you remember what happened after the demons'' attack? She shook her head in the negative. She might be playing me but her confused expression looked too truthful. I untied her. She looked around curious about where she was. After the attack, the town was bombed by the Church of Althasia. The demons were already gone. Most of the townspeople died. Those who survived are here with their saviors. Come with me. She didn''t believe me. She reluctantly followed me as I led her to the others. Her face registered shock as she saw the Elves, Dwarves and Beastmen. A kid rushed to her. They hugged each other. It looked like they were acquainted. I stayed in the background. They talked for long agonizing minutes. I waited. Someone called the kid. He bid goodbye to Saffron and ran the woman who called him. Saffron was in a daze. Those people were the saviors of the town? She asked after a while. Yes. All the members of the Church of Althasia left long before the red horned demons approached the Cathedral. They left behind all the survivors. You also disappeared with them. I explained how Sevarin and the others came and fought. She listened to what I said. I also told her what we planned for the future. She was astounded. Even though everything I told her was hard to believe, she was forced to see the truth for what it was. Do you want to come with us? I asked hoping she would come with us. The situation here was too dangerous. I can''t. I have to go back and discover what happened. Her determination was firm. She had convinced herself that what happened in Tion Town was the action of corrupted members of the Church, that the whole Church wasn''t bad. She was sure that she was the one who had to report all their bad actions to the Pope. I tried to get her to see the truth but she was adamant. Okay. To be on the safe side. Be my pet. That way I can know if you have trouble. Pet? Her reluctance was obvious. For anyone, the word was demeaning. I still couldn''t believe none of the Unas said anything about it. I don''t see you that way but if you become my pet I will know if you need help. I know that we don''t know much about each other but I like you, I don''t want you to be hurt. My words came out with difficulty. Putting what I felt in words wasn''t my forte. She blushed and refused to meet my eyes. Yes. She said in a small voice. I''ll be your pet. I was happy even though I didn''t understand why she looked so bashful.
Saffron Kassio has become your pet.
Do you need help going back? No, I can do it myself. As long as I find a town I can use their cross to go anywhere I want. See that man there. His name is Sevarin. You can ask him where the closest town is. I bid her goodbye. She went to Sevarin they talked for a little while, then she left. Sevarin came to me. Is it really okay to let her go? She might give out our location. Even if she did, we won''t be here for long. Tell everyone that the transfer will begin in the next hour or so. I logged out of Althasia and connected to Forgotten Soul even though I had the nagging feeling that I forgot something important. Previous/ Next Chapter 28 Down the rabbit hole... I logged in Forgotten Soul. A beam of light illuminated a dark cave. Whines greeted me as soon as it disappeared. The den -as my pets called it- should have been deserted since I took the last remaining wolves with me. In a corner, three pups barely a few days old wobbled on their feet. No adults were present. The tension I felt didn''t disappear though. They could come back any second from now. I rushed outside. The sun had just risen. The morning mist wrapped my surroundings in a white blanket. Despite not being far, the edge of the woods was barely visible. My hair stood on end. I was being watched, I was sure of it. I waited. Nothing happened. I was apprehensive to face an undetermined number of wolves but deep in my mind, I knew it wasn''t them watching me. Something else was there. I took my katana out. For long minutes, my breathing was the only thing that I could hear. The forest was deadly silent. The rays of sunlight barely penetrated the dense fog. The place had an eery atmosphere that put me on guard. I gripped the katana harder. I had a decision to make. Either I stayed there and wait for the wolves to come back or I went in the forest and face whatever was watching me. I made my decision. Step by step, I advanced toward the forest. Fighting the wolves should be easy but that thing in the forest could take advantage of it and ambush me while I was otherwise occupied. I entered the forest. The tension skyrocketed as a branch cracked on my left. Leaves rustled on my right. A cold wind blew on my face. Who''s there? No one answered my question. Inside the forest, the mist was denser. My visibility was affected. I couldn''t see more than a few inches away from me. Blow away from me wings of nature. Wind Blow. I chanted the wind spell I learned at the beginning of my adventure in the Soul. It had been weeks since I last used it. I kept the spell going until my surroundings were visible. With my huge mana pool, it was easy. However, there was nothing there. Evie! Run! Maron screamed. She disappeared as soon as she appeared like she couldn''t kept her body on this plane. I didn''t wait to know why, I ran away as fast as I could. I stumbled on roots. I scrapped my hands as I fell down. I got back up. I looked around. Nearby, another branch cracked. I turned in the other direction when a dull thump sounded. I was scared and a little pissed. Why wasn''t I attacked? Stop playing with me! Show yourself! A laugh echoed all around me. Evie, don''t stay here. He''s coming. Maron pointed to my left. She was like an hologram who couldn''t maintain itself. There was static that made her appeared and disappeared. Her speech was also broken but I understood. Something dark and indistinct rushed at me. I dodged. It rebounded on the ground and came at me once again. The same situation happened over and over. I dodged and it unceasingly attacked me. Tired of it, I readied my sword. I concentrated and when it was a few inches away from me I slashed at it. I missed. It landed with a painful thud on my chest. I fell on my back. The black blur disappeared. I painfully tried to get up but before I did, another one came at me. I rolled on the ground. A stone dug up in my back. I didn''t care. Where I had been before, an explosion sounded. My eyes widened as I saw a wall of soil rise up. I had a lot of health point but that was scary. I scrambled on my feet and went running again. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. A few minutes later, I stopped in shock. I was back at the cave. I had been running in circle. I turned back as low growls sounded behind me. One, two, three...Fifteen wolves came out of the trees. Everything was okay, I could fight. I was a god. I could do it. I tried to convince myself but it fell short when I looked at their levels. 400? What the heck were they doing here? Log out!
Log out impossible during a fight.
I wanted to rail. I wasn''t in combat. I was on the verge of a massacre. I wasn''t stupid enough to fight 15 level 400 wolves by myself. Step by step, I walked backward. I inched my way away from them. Unfortunately, in that direction there was only the cave. I was screwed. They didn''t rushed at me. They stared growling. I tried not to make any sudden movement. However, I wasn''t paying attention to where I was going. At that time, unknowingly to me, I was not walking straight. In moving backwards, I had veered away from the entrance of the cave. I was gearing up to fight. I came to terms with the fact that I wouldn''t get out of here without dying. I took a deep breath. I firmed the grip on my sword. I took a stance as slowly as I could. One foot in front of me and one behind. I put strength on my back foot. The ground gave out under me. With a shout, I fell down a hole. I screamed in fright. I landed on the ground with a painful groan. The pain was so excruciating that I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was inside a cave. The hole from which I fell down brought some light to my otherwise dark surroundings. I got on my feet. Maron came out. Her appearance was a lot more stable than before. She threw herself at me. I fell down on the uneven ground. What? Don''t touch my son! She stood in front of me. Her arms wide open like she wanted to protect me from whoever was here. Don''t you want to live? A male voice asked. It had a weird feeling about it like it didn''t come from one place but from everywhere. My son doesn''t need to die. An exasperated sigh came out of right in front of her. You actually like that brat? A young guy in his twenties appeared out of the darkness. He was all black. His skin was black, his eyes were black, his hair was black and his clothes were black. He''s my son. He heaved a deep sigh like he was resigned. Okay, I won''t kill him...yet. Mama? I called her that since it made her happy. It didn''t hurt that the man wouldn''t hurt me thanks to it. It''s okay, baby. Daddy''s not going to hurt you. My expression froze at what she said. Daddy? Did I fall down the rabbit hole? Where the hell did I get a father? Previous/ Next Chapter 29...daddys waiting Daddy? Don''t call me that! The black man shouted at me. Don''t talk to our baby that way! It was all a dream, I was sure of it. No one could be that unlucky. First, I got a neurotic mom then, stupid pets and now I got a psychotic dad. And why was that game bent on giving me a family? I was freaking out. Goosebumps broke out on my arms. I sat on the ground taking deep breaths. See what you did!... Poor baby, it''s okay. Mama''s here. Daddy won''t hurt you. If Maron thought she was comforting me, she had another thing coming. I hyperventilated. What a sissy! Shut up! You''re scaring him! Maron embraced me while she screamed at the man. He humphed in annoyance. He paced back and forth in front of us. I need to transfer the Unas. I was totally going to ignore the elephant in the room. If I started thinking about that man, I would start panicking again. Better change the subject. They both looked at me like I lost my mind. I didn''t care. Kill me or not. Either way they would do whatever they wanted without asking me. I got up and made my way out of this place. If I thought clearly, I would have used my skills to leave. But I wasn''t thinking straight. I walked away in a random direction. The cave I was in gave way to three tunnels. I took the one in the middle. Baby? Maron called me. I didn''t answer. Oi, Brat! I didn''t answer either. See, you broke him! Maron hit the man and came after me. I shook my head at their nonsense. After a while, they totally ignored me and talked to each other. Who could believe that a few hours ago they were fighting over me? They chatted amicably and were even holding hands. Maron told him everything that happened. He was suitably impressed, not that I cared but what he said next brought me to a screeching halt. As expected of my son. I turned back toward them and glared at him in disbelief. He tried to kill me and now, he was claiming me as his own? Was I the only sane person in the world? Or was I the problem? I went back to walking deep in thoughts. I tried to analyze everything that happened to me. In all the years I heard about VR games, no one talked about those kind of crazy situations that I always found myself in. There was always talk of grinding, dungeons and epic quests. I had the epic quests down as I got 2 high-leveled quests that needed to be resolved. But the grinding and dungeons weren''t even on the map and I had been playing for weeks now. I hadn''t even killed anything yet. It was not for lack of trying though. I always got caught up in whatever crap could and would happen. But enough was enough. VR games were the best way nowadays to have fun. And dammit, I would have fun! I want to have fun playing games. Enough with the drama! Having made my decision, I stopped walking. I looked around. I was still in the tunnel and it had no end in sight. Hey! Do you know how to get out of here? I asked turning to the pair of loving birds that were following me. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. It''s not ''hey'', it''s daddy. Did that guy seriously expected me to call him that? Yes, his expression was too serious to suggest otherwise. Daddy, how do I get out of here? Go through the wall, you''re a spirit in case you''ve forgotten. I hadn''t forgotten but since I became a god, my spirit form had changed. From being invisible, I became visible to all. I hadn''t actually checked if I became touchable too. Before, no one could touch me, attacks went right through me. But now I didn''t know. I took on my true form and tried. It worked! Pff. I didn''t need to run in the first place. I was dejected. If I knew no one could touch me I wouldn''t have run away from the wolves or from dear dad. I went through the wall for I don''t know how long. I didn''t see anything other than dirt. Hey, you sure I can get out that way? No one answered. I looked at them. They were both staring at me waiting for something. Daddy, are you sure I can get out that way? I repeated my answer with the suitable name in it. Of course, but first you need to not go deeper into the mountain. He answered with a smirk. Why didn''t you say it sooner? We''ve been walking for hours. You looked like you liked it. I stared uncomprehendingly at him. I retract what I said. The guy wasn''t psychotic, he was an idiot. I wanna get out. Daddy bring me out... please. If he was showing the way, he wouldn''t let me get lost again...right? Oh! You just have to ask. He took me by the arm and the next thing I know we were back inside the forest. I gritted my teeth and endured. I wasn''t going to yell. We should leave, the wolves are too strong. About that. I might have done something. A vein was throbbing in my forehead. What did you do? I might have created an illusion or three. Illusion? I had a bad feeling about it. You''re a mara. I stated my suspicion. Of course. He said with a huge smile. I had been deceived. Pissed, I hit a tree. For long agonizing minutes, the only sounds around were my heavy breathing and the thuds my fist made on the tree. I spent all my pent-up anger. Okay, I need a nice place to call the Unas over. I took a deep breath and went in a random direction. No one said anything. It was better that way because I wasn''t sure I wouldn''t have blown a gasket if they''d said anything. I walked for hours until I came upon a large clearing. I looked around. There was nothing dangerous. I went at the center of the clearing. Come Unas. Pieces of light came out of nowhere. They brightened until every last one of the Unas appeared. Hello guys! Welcome to Forgotten Soul! Previous/ Next Chapter 30 His name is MorningStar A.N: Progress: Chapter 31= 100%, Chapter 32= 20%, chapter 32.5= 20%. If I finish 32 and 32.5 today I''ll post them but otherwise, you''ll have to wait for next week. 31 will come later. The Unas were disorientated after my summon. I stared at them as they took in their new surroundings. All around me, smiles broke away from their initial bewilderment. I laughed out loud as they whooped in joy. My Lord? Sevarin called out to me. He had a guarded look on his face. His eyes were fixed on Maron and the Black Man. Contrary to usual, Maron hadn''t disappeared as soon as others came around. She stayed silent next to me holding hands with the Black Man. Sevarin, let me present you my mother and my father. My relationship with them were too complicated. I used the simplest terms I could think of to tell who they were. Sevarin''s eyes widened in surprise. Lady Mother, Lord Father. Please give us your blessings. The faithful Unas will serve you in the name of our Lord. My mouth hung open. I didn''t see that coming. I wanted to warn him about them but Maron beat me to it. We want to give you blessings but we can''t. Our family had been imprisoned for years. We have lost most of our powers. We will fight for our Lord. Please tell us who we have to vanquish. No one. Our jailers are long dead. Only our prisons remained. We will fight for you. Okay stop! I brought their discussion to a halt. There will be no fighting. And you, you won''t do it. First the Unas will settle down and then I will free MY family, understood? Sevarin wanted to argue. I didn''t let him. Go make sure that everyone is fine. Baby, he just wanted to help. Maron said after Sevarin left. I know but it''s my responsibility. I don''t want to burden them with it when they came here to avoid senseless fighting. That''s the stupidest thing you''ve ever said. Dear dad berated me. You''re weak. To save the family, you''ll need all the help you can get and you''re refusing it in the name of some half-baked honor? His words hit home. I was weak. Even though I knew it, hearing those words still hurt. I wasn''t weak only in power but also mentally. I didn''t think things through before acting. That was my falling and I was working on it. I wouldn''t let the situation overwhelmed me once again. I tried to put what I thought into words but it fell on deaf ears as the both of them gave me pointed stares. I got depressed at my inability to express my feelings when something clicked in my mind. I opened my quest window.
Save your family Your entire family had been imprisoned. You need to save them. Difficulty: SS+ Requirements: Be a mara Be a member of the Dreamweaver family. Rewards: respect from your family. Quest cannot be refused.
Didn''t you say that the whole family was sealed? How come he''s here? I asked Maron pointing at the Black man. I told you that MY family had been sealed; that is my mother, my father and my brother. Maron explained to me. But Dad''s a mara. I frowned not understanding. Before you came, your daddy and I didn''t belong to the same family even though we are theoretically married. To make things official, we need a kid, and that''s where you came into existence. When you called him Dad for the first time, you made us a family. I blinked in disbelief. First, to get a child, a spirit had to participate in someone else path of evolution and their race had to be chosen. And now to make a family, you needed a kid. Spirits life were seriously too complicated for my taste. But in a way, I was thankful. With the way things were going, I had been a little scared that I would end up with a child of my own. There was still something that I didn''t understand though. But you didn''t want a kid. I stated remembering the time when I met Maron. She tried to kill me more than once before finally, becoming my mother. I didn''t think it was possible but the black man''s face darkened even more. What did you say? He asked in a low dangerous voice. It''s not what you think! Maron shouted in panic. So, you didn''t try to kill me so that I wouldn''t become your kid? I was throwing oil on the fire. She threw me an exasperated glance. It didn''t happen like that. I was so happy to meet our son that my powers went out of control for a little while... Her lie was so bad, she was digging her own grave. Well, it''s not important anymore. We''re a family now! The Unas need us. She gave up and changed the subject. Too bad daddy dearest didn''t get the memo. You tried to kill our child! You have no shame. I should have listen to my parents when they told me not to marry a Dreamweaver. You tried to kill him too! Maron screamed at the unfairness of the accusation. I did it out of love for you. You''re imprisoned in his mind. I wanted to free you. Thumbs up to Dad. The man had guts saying something like that. Too bad Mama didn''t buy it. Stop lying! If you loved me, you wouldn''t try to kill the being who made our marriage official. I didn''t try seriously. If I did, the kid would have been dead by now. Maron scoffed at his excuse. I regretting not having any popcorn. It was like a tennis match and a soap opera all round up in one. I was thoroughly enjoying it. I meant they both tried to kill me. It was payback time. You couldn''t kill him because I stopped you. Dreamweavers might have no shame but Nightmares are pathetic liars with no honor. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Shut up! A black mist came out of his eyes and shrouded his body. He was scary. Even if my willpower was rather high, I couldn''t prevent myself from feeling fear. I whimpered. See, what you''re doing. You''re scaring our baby. Stop cuddling him. Junior needs to learn to face things on his own. Junior? Who was that? It couldn''t be me, right? Are you telling me that I don''t know how to raise my kid? Well.. If the shoe fits... You dead-beat dad. What have you even done for him? You think you can come into our life and criticize us? We were good without you, we don''t need you for anything. At first, I enjoyed the spat between them but it was getting out of hand. They were throwing insults at each other and their families. It wasn''t what I meant to be. I just wanted to avenge myself a little, not break them apart. Despite what they did to me, they weren''t so bad. Maron helped me a lot. I decided to be the better man. I was the cause of their argument, I would put a stop to it. Mama, Daddy, don''t you love me? I asked in the most pitiful voice I could muster. Faking tears wasn''t as easy as it looked but I did my best. I still couldn''t believe that they''d fall for that. Of course, sweetie. Mama love you. Daddy love you too, Junior. So... Stop fighting, ''kay? I used a cutesy voice to get my point across. Oh my baby! Maron took me in her arms. I sank in her embrace. Daddy came behind me and patted my back. Mama and Daddy won''t fight anymore but if you ever use that voice again...Daddy will cut your tongue and make you eat it. That was humiliating as hell. Maron nodded until I looked at her. She gave him a weak punch on his shoulder. Don''t say that. You''ll hurt his feelings. My eyes twitched in annoyance. I did it for them and that was the thanks I got. And weren''t they fighting over who tried to kill me just now? My love, you did a great job with Junior but as a father, I want to teach him things too. Wow, he was great. To pass from insults to ''my love'' that fast, the guy deserved an award. What he said though didn''t register too much with me. I was puzzled by the nickname he gave me. Why do you call me Junior? Why? Because you are MorningStar Nightmare Junior. Huh? Sorry but my name is Everheart Dreamweaver. I corrected his mistake No son of mine will be a pathetic Dreamweaver! My NPC father wasn''t as intelligent as I thought. The argument flared up once again. I gave up on stopping them and pondered about the name MorningStar. I just couldn''t place where I heard it before. I drew away from the verbal fight to think. Sevarin came to me. Is everything all right? He asked me but his eyes were fixed on the fighting couple. Yeah, Mama and Daddy are...just being Mama and Daddy. I answered distracted waving him off. Suddenly, I remembered. The Unas were the ones who called me MorningStar. Hey! I gripped his arm before he left. Why do you call me MorningStar? Because it''s your name. Sevarin answered like it was natural. I told you my name is Everheart Dreamweaver. Yes, but your real name is MorningStar. Talking to him didn''t bring me any insight. Did the Unas call me MorningStar because of Daddy dearest or did Daddy call me by that name because of them? It was a real conundrum. But then, the answer came to me. If I was to be MorningStar Nightmare Junior, who was MorningStar Senior? Maron and the Black man stopped fighting. They talked softly to one another then they came to me. Baby, we made a decision. Maron appeared all smiles in front of me. It was like the fight had never happened. Okay but first. I''d like to ask a question. Sure, go ahead. What''s Daddy''s name? MorningStar Nightmare. Of course. The Black man said arrogantly. Okay now that your question is out of the way. We decided that in your human form, your name will be Everheart Dreamweaver and when you''re a mara, your name will be MorningStar Nightmare Junior. Do you get it? Good. She took me in her arms and kissed my forehead. She was clearly trying to distract me. But I didn''t care.
You have received a quest! Two families united into one part 1 Your parents'' families enmity is legendary. The Dreamweavers and the Nightmares can''t stand each other. To prevent further arguments, your parents want to give your Human form, the name of Everheart Dreamweaver and your True form, the name of MorningStar Nightmare Junior. Difficulty: Level E Requirements: Be the child of Maron Dreamweaver and of MorningStar Nightmare. Rewards: Rise in familiarity with the Dreamweavers and Nightmares. Quest fails if denied.
Okay. I was tired of fighting. It was just a name. I wouldn''t get angry for that.The first time I heard about VR game I chose the name ''Everheart'' for my avatar but for the life of me, I couldn''t remember why I chose it. Okay? Star! Our baby is sick, what should I do? Maron wept like the world was ending. Our baby is a pain in the ass that whines at every little things. He''s also contrary as hell. It''s not normal for him to be that level-headed. Was that the way she saw me? Wasn''t she the one who tell him not to hurt my feelings? Previous/ Next Chapter 31 The last straw The way she thought of me was hurtful to say the least. I swallowed the tears that threaten to fall. I got out of her embrace and refused to look at her. Baby, I''m sorry. She tried to hug me again but I avoided her arms. I stared at the ground trying to organize my thoughts. The Black man was silent. Whispers made me raise my head. The Unas were restless. They didn''t know what they should be doing with the show we were putting forth. We''ll talk more about it later. I said to my parents through gritted teeth. I took a deep breath and went to the Unas who currently needed me. Okay, guys, is everyone here? They nodded. Once again, welcome to Forgotten Soul. Right now, we''re in Anaheim Kingdom. The closest town is Soren Town. The neighborhood kingdom is called Beleheim. 20 years ago, it had been overrun by monsters. My suggestion is for you to stay a few days here and visit the town, then to head out to Beleheim to settle down. Bear in mind that it''s just a suggestion and that you can choose otherwise. You said that Beleheim is filled with monsters. Wouldn''t it be safer to stay here? Sevarin asked. The others around him nodded in confirmation. Actually, I thought that you would want to build your own town. In Beleheim, apart from monsters no one will ask too many questions like where do you come from or which authority allowed you to live there. I explained. There are some high level monsters but they usually stay in their own territory. I happen to know a few places where monsters aren''t too strong. With our strength, it won''t be too hard to settle there. You don''t have to make a decision right now, we''ll stay here a few days and then, we''ll decide. I smiled at them in reassurance. I could hear their sigh of relief. Everything I told them, I took it out of the forums. I had actually never been in the neighborhood kingdom. The clearing and this forest are safe. There are a few monsters and animals like wolves but they''re pretty normal. First, prepare the camp. Secondly, we will make small groups and go into town. It isn''t far, maybe 2 or 3 miles away. It had been a long time since I talked so much and with what happened, I was getting sick of it. I clapped my hands. Okay, let''s go. Thankfully, Sevarin took charge. He gave each person a task to help made the stay here comfortable. The first group that would go into town was composed of Dominin Faris (Sevarin''s brother), Holliatis Garbo (Sevarin''s 2nd in command), and three other guys that I didn''t know. The one thing they had in common was they were all warriors. Their races were vastly different with Dominin being an elf, Holliatis being human and the three other being respectively, a dwarf, a cat man and a wolf man. Maron tried to talk to me again but I refused her. I had nothing to say to her. I didn''t even understand why her words hurt me so much. Since the ''incident'' with Claire, I had been called worse. I had been beaten, insulted and abandoned but I didn''t feel as much hurt and tired as I felt now. I led the small group to Soren town. All along the way, trepidation ate at my insides. If the training master caught me, I didn''t even want to think what he would do to me. When I was there last, he scared me so badly that I fled the town in panic. Being a god, I shouldn''t be scared but the man was a mystery. He could see me when others couldn''t. He arranged a meeting with a goddess. His abilities were at the same time shrouded in mystery and fear-inducing. When the town came into sight, I stared in shock. The surrounding wall and the gate were in shambles. From where we were, a mile away from it, I could see the statue of Lucia missing its top half. What was left of the gate hung open. Burn marks stood out against the normal gray of the buildings. I signaled the others to stop advancing. It was obvious the town had been attacked. What I didn''t know though was who the attackers were and if they were still there. Dad, do you know what happened here? I questioned the only person among us that had been in the Soul in the previous weeks. I don''t know. I haven''t been in a human settlement in years. I was rather disappointed at his ignorance. Even the forums hadn''t mentioned anything about an attack. I cautioned everyone about the dangers we might face. With a confidence I was far from feeling, I walked the remaining mile leading to the town. At the gate, I stopped everyone once again. A man stood in the rubble left by the destroyed wall. I recognized him. The man directly in front of us was the training master and that wicked war blade in his hands clearly spelled his displeasure at seeing us. You have no business here. Left before I''ll make you. His voice was as deep as I remembered. It was filled with a threat that I didn''t dare to disregard. I didn''t say anything. My heart beat loudly in my ears. Sweat beaded on my forehead. The words he said to me before we parted came back to me with a vengeance. I could still taste the fear I felt that day. The black man didn''t have my problems. What we came here to do is no business of yours, shamansword. He said the last word as if it was an insult. He had a condescending tone that raised his adversary''s hackles. I could feel a fight brewing. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I didn''t know just how strong both of them were but a fight was the last thing we needed. Dad, please, don''t forget the Unas. I tried to refrain my father''s ardor in making him remember the reason we were here. Master, it''s been a while. If you let us in town. I can guarantee that we won''t cause you any trouble. Who the hell are you? I froze at his question. I remembered everything he did to me, the pain and hardship of his training, the all encompassing fear that I felt because of him. And the culmination of everything was that... he didn''t even remember me? That was the last straw that break the camel''s back. Every slight made against me came back to mind. How I endured for years hoping that if I was good, my life would be better. But everyday something else would happen to prove me wrong. It went so bad that for the last two years, I barely went out of my home. I had no money, no friends, no family that loved me. I had nothing... and I wasn''t even worth remembering. Something broke inside of me. I had never felt more fury that in this moment. I switched to my true form. I unleashed all the attacks that I could think of. I got my katana out. I slashed, cast a fireball, stabbed, cast a windblade. I used everything that I had in my possession to tear him apart. I used fear conversion and put everything in strength. I attacked and attacked again. My unwillingness to fight was forgotten. I was too pissed off to care. I screamed all the rage I felt. Voice of the damned activated. Everyone flinched. My huge mana pool was a godsend. The training master dodged everything I threw at him. I didn''t know how he did it as what I was doing was basically a complete barrage of attacks. My screams were the only thing that hurt him a little bit. As it was the manifestation of my godliness, voice of the damned and god rules didn''t have a cost to be used. I took advantage of it. With my voice, I disorientated everyone and with god rules I made it looked like there was an overabundance of demons attacking the town. I used the image of the red horned demons. I made them the same way I remembered them. I had the pleasure to see the training master''s face paled at the sight of the demons. However, it was cut short. It''s all an illusion. Don''t fall for that, Valen. I didn''t thought that I could get angrier but nothing prepared me from the sight of the training master standing next to the librarian. Yes, the guy who made me scared for my life was with the guy who killed me for no reason. Oh crap. Run! Daddy dearest screamed at the Unas present at the scene. My eyes turned an eery shiny red. My whole body was engulfed in black flames. I was so enraged that I couldn''t talk anymore. Growls were the only thing that passed my mouth. Next to me, Maron had a gorgeous smile on her face. She was looking at her hands. Shackles took form. They encircled her wrist. They shined with a black light. They broke. I didn''t care though. I used nature mastery. The ground under my feet trembled. Buds came out of the cracks. They grew at an astonishing pace. In less than 10 seconds, giant trees overshadowed the destructed town. I barely heard cries and shouts despair. They echoed in me and amplified my emotions. I wanted to stop but I was too far gone. My body moved on its own. I saw myself attacked the Librarian and the training master over and over again. I didn''t dodge the attacks they threw at me. I just went straight to them and hacked, stabbed, cast spells. Everything that was at my disposal, I used it. Maron was with me. Her fingers transformed in claws. She was frantic like she was feeding from my out of control emotions. I didn''t check my health status but maybe I should have. A blue light enveloped the training master''s war blade, the librarian shouted words that I didn''t understand. The librarian cast a spell on the training master. He became fast. In less that one second, he crossed the distance between us. He slashed at my chest. I only felt a deep pain before a pop up filled my vision.
You are dead! You lost: - 1 level - 1 strength -2 charm -3 Wisdom -2 Intelligence You can''t connect to any game for 24 hours.
Previous/ Next Chapter 32 Meltdown I tore the headgear from my head. I threw it against the wall. The mix of emotions I felt in the Soul was still present. I was angry beyond belief but I also felt hurt. My eyes filled with tears. I couldn''t control them. I cried, I sobbed silently on my bed. But then, I got angry again. I beat my pillow to suppress it. I calmed down. I got scared. I didn''t understand this roller-coaster of emotions. Nothing important enough happened to trigger it. I took deep breaths but nothing helped. My heart beat loudly. A knock sounded on my door. I ignored it. Akira, open that door! Stephan''s voice echoed as he yelled. Leave me the f*ck alone! I shouted, rage tainted my words. Akira, open the door, please. Jacob begged me. Hearing his voice, all that he did to me rushed forth in my mind. I lost control of myself. I rushed at the door, opened it. All my roommates were there. I zeroed in Jacob and threw a punch at him. Please? Did you ever stop beating me when I said ''please'' to you? You fucking shit! I jumped on him. I didn''t care about form or anything of the like. All the teaching I received went out the window. I scratched, I pulled, I punched, I kicked. I wanted him to hurt as much as he hurt me. The others didn''t intervene at first. They were too shocked about what was happening. Blood moistened my hands. I didn''t know if it was mine or Jacob''s. But I didn''t care. The fact that he didn''t defend himself didn''t register either. I screamed. Arms surrounded my waist and lifted me up. I struggled. I wanted to harm, to maim. The years of pain and humiliation were at the forefront of my mind. I remembered how I kept finding excuses for everyone. It wasn''t their faults. Claire was good at lying and Sofia was too caught up in her to do what was right. I must have done something to piss them off, that was why they lied. Even though I couldn''t remember doing anything to them, I believed and waited. I waited for someone to see the truth so that everyone would understand that what they did to me was wrong. I wanted to believe that someday I would be forgiven. I tried to stay out of sight, to ease the way. I stopped complaining so that they''d see that I made efforts. But even then, no one cared. I was still insulted and beaten. I tamped down my fear and presented a strong front but I couldn''t do it anymore. The training master''s words echoed in my mind. Who the hell are you? Who the hell are you? I didn''t know. Deep in my heart was a deep rooted fear that I hadn''t dared to acknowledge until now. As time passed, would I still have a place to return to? Would my parents remember me? I hadn''t seen them since I entered middle-school 2 years ago. They didn''t contact me even once. If no one remembered that I existed, how could I be forgiven? My mind was trapped in a loophole and my body moved on its own. Tears fell down my cheeks as I screamed all the pain that I felt. Calm down. Akira. Calm down. Everything will be okay. I heard this voice from far away. The fight went out of me. My screams gave way to heart-rending sobs. It''s okay Akira. Everything will be alright. Distantly I heard them talking. Elliott, help Jacob to the bathroom and clean his wounds. I''m okay. How is he? Jacob asked. He had difficulty spelling his words. Jacob, go clean yourself. It''s an order. I couldn''t place who was talking to who. My face was plastered to a hard chest. A hand patted my back in comfort. My sobs died down. I was empty. The voices disappeared. All that was left was a black void that engulfed my consciousness. **** *beep* *beep* *beep* A steady beeping sound tucked at my mind. With difficulty, I opened my eyes. I was disorientated. I was laid on a bed in an unknown room. The furniture were in solid mahogany wood. The room had an Asian feel to it. Do you feel pain somewhere? A man in a white lab coat asked me. I shook my head in the negative. Where am I? I croaked out. My mouth was dry. A nurse held a glass of water for me to drink. Take a small sip of water. It will help. Do you remember your name? The doctor asked me. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Akira Kirihara. How old are you? 15. Do you remember what happened? I shook my head. My mind was a little fuzzy. Where am I? I asked again the question he hadn''t answered earlier. You''re at your grandfather''s place. I don''t have a grandfather. I might not remember how I ended up here but I knew that apart from my parents, I didn''t have any other family. The man opened his mouth to talk but he was interrupted by the door opening. An old man entered the room. I remembered him. He was the man Stephan brought me to see a week ago. Lu Huang Fu was his name. Akira! His face lighted up as he saw that I was awake. He came and sat on the bed next to me. He took me in his arms. I bit my lips in embarrassment. I didn''t know him that well for him to act like that. The doctor reported my condition to the old Chinese man. You can leave, I''ll take it from here. The doctor and the nurse left the room, leaving the two of us alone. How are you feeling? I shrugged. I didn''t know how to answer this question. Why am I here? I hoped that his answer would enlightened me. Do you remember what happened? No, I''ve already answered that question. Three days ago, you had a meltdown. I blinked, uncomprehending. What did you say? I thought that I heard wrong but he repeated himself. Three days ago, you had a meltdown. No way. My denial was instant. I''m not crazy. I was getting agitated. No, you''re not. The certainty in his voice reassured me somewhat. Stress piled up and you had no way to release it. I didn''t deny what he said. The last thing I remembered was my in-game parents arguing with each other about why they tried to kill me. That still didn''t answer why I am here. You are here to rest. No one will bother you at my house. I don''t need to rest. I''m fine. No, you aren''t. You attacked one of your roommates. Check you hands. You hurt yourself when you punched him. There was bandages around my knuckles. I didn''t feel pain. Who did I attack? I asked unconvinced. Jacob Clarke. Was it bad that I didn''t feel anything knowing that I attacked him? Suddenly, I remembered the Unas that I just moved into Forgotten Soul. I need to go back home. Why? I have a quest to finish in a game. No game for you until your shrink agrees to it. he proclaimed, his voice adamant. I don''t have a shrink and who the hell are you to forbid me to do anything? I''m your grandfather. I stared at him in shock. I don''t have a grandfather. I denied it. Since I was born, my parents never said anything about having a family. I am your mother''s father. Wait! You''re Stephan''s grandfather. Does that mean that he''s... I didn''t dare to finish my thought. Previous/ Next A.N: I''ll post 32.5 next week. Also I need some advice. Warning: spoiler ahead! The MC won''t play for a long while. Do you think it''s better to make several .5 chapters story-telling everything that happens in game while he''s away? (For those who haven''t noticed yet, all chapters with .5 after the number are from someone else point of view). Or should I made a time skip, and when the MC''s playing again, I make an info-dump? Both have advantages and disadvantages. So what do you think would be better? no chapters this week (Updated) sorry guys ! My computer is dead. I''m going to try and recuperate my files. Don''t know how long il will take. My phone is nightmare to Write with. Updates:Hi guys! Hope you''ve been well. It actually took the repairman NEARLY a month to tell me that all my files were lost (he told me before that they were salvageable). So 32.5, 33 and part of 34 are lost. In the meantime, I couldn''t write because I didn''t remember all the details that i put in these chapters . 32.5 started what happened in game time after Akira''s breakdown and 33 what happened in real life. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.I''ll start writing now so you can expect chapters next week. I''ll post them on Thursday so that I''ll have the time to do more than one. Bye, see you next week! Chapter 33 Family affairs Stephan is your cousin. Lu Huang Fu said the dreaded word. Cousin. It made it more real that I was family with the Plague. Anymore things that I should know about ? I acted blas but deep down, I was freaking out. I got a family out of nowhere and to add insult to injury, one of the guys I never wanted to see again was my cousin. Could things get more complicated ? I was sure of it. For the rest, we''ll wait for your shrink to give his blessings. And here it was. There was definitely more drama to come my way. I''m not seeing a shrink. I''m not crazy. And I want to go home. You won''t go back until the shrink gives his blessing, didn''t I just tell you that ? I knew where Stephan got his annoying personality. I wanted to deck his grandfather just as bad as I wanted to deck him. I refrained. He was also my grandfather. I just woke up but I was getting tired really fast. Okay, I''ll see the shrink. So when ? I didn''t have the strength to argue. I would meet this shrink once and then, I would go back home. I would hole up in the penthouse where I would put everything behind me. Next Monday. Okay. I had a whole week to wait. It couldn''t be bad to get to know my new found grandfather a little before going back. At the time, I couldn''t believe that I would regret that choice with everything that I was worth. I was bored! Since I woke up in Lu Huang Fu''s house, I had been forbidden of doing anything. I was supposed to rest but with nothing to do, I was going out of my mind. In the house, there was no TV, no radio, no StaviCon, no computer, no books. The only thing I could do was to either watch the flowers grow or talk to Lu Huang Fu. Even that wasn''t much of a choice as the flowers were definitely more interesting that my grandfather. The old man only knew how to talk about Meifeng. The woman wasn''t even his wife nor the mother of his children but he was inexhaustible about how great she was. After 5 days, I was sick of someone I had never met. I avoided the Chinese man as much as I could. If I heard another word about that woman, I''d reap my hair out in despair. I was exaggerating but not by much. Sometimes, I wondered why I was even here. The old Chinese man didn''t seem to care if I listened to his words or not. He could be talking to a wall for all the interaction we had together. He refused to talk about anything that would ''upset'' me so no talk about the family, school, my place and games. Only Meifeng and how great she was was left in his vocabulary. I didn''t think it was possible but I longed to see Stephan and the other guys. It was that bad. I was counting the seconds until I could see my shrink. I had a meeting with him at his office on Monday. We were Saturday, 172 900 seconds to wait. Yes, I really did count. I had all the time in the world to do it. Laid on my bed, I looked at the ceiling. There was nothing special on it but I was already sick of the flowers. Suddenly, I got up. I didn''t want to stay here any longer. I stealthily leaved the house and went on a stroll in the neighborhood. I said ''stealthily'' but I just went through the door. In the whole house counting me, there were only 4 people. Lu Huang Fu stayed in the garden with his mute nurse and his niece, Mrs Lin was always in the kitchen. The way to the front door was clear of any attention. Outside, I took my first breath of fresh air since I woke up a week ago. I strode aimlessly through the streets. I couldn''t even take this opportunity to go back home as I didn''t know the way back and I didn''t have any money. I didn''t go too far from the house but with what happened next I could have been in another world. I heard sirens coming from a distance. A minute later, a police car parked not too far from me. I stayed where I was, curious about the situation. Two houses down, a man got out of his house. He looked at the policemen who got out of their car and pointed at me. I frowned at his behavior. Why was he pointed at me? The policemen came toward me. Their hands were on their sides over their guns. Stand down. I raised my hands above my head. I didn''t do anything. It couldn''t be a crime to walk on the streets, right? I even stayed on the sidewalk. One of the officers rushed at me and pulled my arms behind my back. Why are you arresting me? Disorderly conduct and trespassing. It''s a joke, right? I was just casually walking on the sidewalk. Look, I''m staying at my grandfather''s place. You can check it out. His name is Lu Huang Fu. I don''t know where you got your accusations but he''ll have something to say about them. Hector, we should check his story to be sure. We don''t want troubles with the Chinese. What''s your name? The second officer intervened when his partner dragged me to the car. Akira Kirihara. They both stopped in their tracks. Are you taking us for idiots? Everyone know that the Kiriharas and the Lus can''t stand the sight of each other. Huh? I had never heard of that. The officer forced me to get in the car. You can''t arrest me! It''s against the law, I didn''t do anything. I kept protesting while they drove me to the police station which was only ten minutes away. When that didn''t work, I threatened them with lawyers and with losing their job. They didn''t care. At the police station, I slightly calmed down as they needed to call my legal guardians before they could press charges against me. They asked me for my parents'' number. I didn''t have it. I didn''t even have Lu Huang Fu''s. With no choice, I droned out Stephan''s number. I learned it by heart because I had planned to pull a prank on him but thing didn''t go the way I wanted. Thankfully, it became helpful. I could say a lot of things about Stephan but I was sure that he would believe and help me if I told him I had been framed. They didn''t put me in a cell but in a closed room. I waited for what felt like hours for someone to come and get me. My nerves were fried. When I got in the room, I was genuinely pissed at the treatment I received but as the minutes passed and no one came, I felt afraid. I was in gray room, alone. There was a glass panel on the side. A lightbulb shined at the center of the room''s ceiling. The only piece of furniture were an old table and two chairs. The place was cold and dreary. I knew trouble would come for me. Did I take precautions? No! I went on a stroll and got arrested. I was an idiot. I paced. When that didn''t help, I pounded on the closed door. I had difficulty to breathe. Let me out of here! I didn''t do anything! Let me out of here! Hysterical, I didn''t realize that my hands were bleeding. The bandages soaked with blood made a squishy sound as my fist hit the metal door. After a few minutes, the door finally opened. I was so lost that I didn''t notice. I kept on pounding in front of me, crying and begging to be freed. Police officers filled the room. Someone grabbed me and pushed me down. Someone was talking but I didn''t hear. The weight on my back disappeared. Someone got me up. I struggled but arms wrapped around me. I was pulled toward a male chest. I could feel a hand on my hair. Sounds came back to me. An angry voice was shouting near my ear. I flinched. When words started to make sense again, I realized that the voice wasn''t angry at me but at whoever was around. I didn''t raise my head. I was too embarrassed to do it. I recognized the voice. It was Stephan''s. My face flamed as I recalled what happened. I freaked out again. Stephan sensing my rising emotions pulled me firmly to his chest. Can we go home? My question was muffled but he heard me just fine. He pulled me up and help me outside. At seeing the door, he stopped in his tracks. It was a gruesome sight. Blood was smeared all over it. For the first time since he''d come in, he took the time to look at me. He saw my blooded hands, the marks on my face. You will hear from my lawyers. He threatened the cops present. Someone tried to talk but Stephan stopped him with glare. We''re going to the hospital. On the way to the hospital, Stephan was steaming mad. He made a call to someone informing them of what happened. The pain finally caught up to me. I whimpered on the front seat, holding my hands up. They weren''t bleeding anymore but the blood had dried and was rather painful. As soon as we arrived, a doctor and two nurses took care of me. They cleaned my hands, put new bandages on them and to make sure that nothing was wrong with me, I got a complete check-up When they were finished, I was wheeled inside a room where Stephan, Lu Huang Fu, his niece and two men I didn''t know waited for me. I didn''t talk as the nurse situated me on the bed. Aki, can you tell us what happened to you? Stephan asked me. The others remained silent even though it looked like Lu Huang Fu wanted to intervene. I dropped my head and told them what happened. I was walking down the street when the cops came and arrested me. I told them who I was and where I lived. They arrested me nonetheless. When we arrived at the station, they ask me for a phone number to call someone to get me and then, they locked me up. They didn''t tell me anything. They just left me alone in that cold room. I just wanted to get out. It was hard to breathe in that place. You were just walking down the street? The policemen said that a resident called about a suspicious kid and then, when they talked to you, you attacked them. One of the men I didn''t know said. No way, I''m not that dumb. I was just walking on the sidewalk. I stopped when they came closed to me and I raised my hands in the air. I didn''t attack anyone. When I ask why they were arresting me they said disorderly conduct and trespassing. I was getting angry. Then, I looked at Lu Huang Fu. When I told them my name and that you were my grandfather. They scoffed at me. They talked about enmity between the Kiriharas and the Lus. I even told them to go see you at the house but they refused and laughed in my face. Their faces darkened like they ate something bitter. I wanted to ask about the history of both families but they started talking among themselves. From what I gathered, one of the men I didn''t know was the family lawyer and the other was the Minister of Justice. My jaw dropped at the last one''s identity. What the hell was he doing here? I was just Akira Kirihara, not some dignitary or rich guy. I couldn''t even afford a bag of gum. A few minutes later, they both left, saying that they would launch a proper investigation on the matter. As they left only 3 people were left with me, Lu Huang Fu, his niece and Stephan. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Now that''s out of the way for now. Please tell us why you were on the streets to begin with. Stephan asked me. I was bored and I needed fresh air. You could have just asked. Someone would have come with you. I didn''t go far. I was just one street over and I was coming back when they arrested me. It was just a little stroll. It''s not my fault that as soon as I said my name, they refused to let me go back to the house. Stephan heaved a deep sigh. What do you know about the Kiriharas? My dad is an office clerk, that''s it. Wait! You don''t know anything else? No, I don''t. I haven''t talked to my parents for 2 years. And before that, they didn''t say much to me. Until he said he was my grandfather, I thought that both my parents were orphans. I said pointed at Mr Lu. So what''s the story? It''s rather complicated. We''ll talk about it later. I didn''t get angry at his evasion. I was too damn tired to care. Well, if we had the same last name, nothing like that would have happened. I said in a yawn. I didn''t catch their expression as those words left my mouth. I closed my eyes and promptly fell asleep. When I woke up, I was back in Lu Huang Fu''s house. They should seriously stop moving me when I was asleep. It was disorientating and just plain creepy. Lu Huang Fu was sitting next to me. When he saw that I was awake, he started talking. 50 years ago, a huge tsunami engulfed a large part of China. The town where we lived Meifeng and I was flooded. We were separated. When I found her whereabouts again, she had already married a Japanese refugee. His name was Kai Kirihara. My eyes got big as saucers. And Kai Kirihara is my... Grandfather. He''s your father''s father. I bit my lips to avoid the swearing that wanted to get out. So Meifeng is... Your grandmother. My eyes widened as I nodded at the expected answer. I didn''t know what to think of what he told me. I meant it was like a soap opera. If I thought my life couldn''t get more complicated, what he told me next prove me wrong. 16 years ago, to piss me off, your mother tricked your father into marrying her and giving her a child. I removed what I said previously. It wasn''t like a soap opera it WAS a soap opera. It was like my life just turned into an episode of the Young and Restless. I didn''t ask any questions because frankly, the little I knew was enough to convince me that I didn''t want anything to do with that hornet nest. Lu Huang Fu looked at me disappointed at my lack of reaction. I wanted to explain but it was hard to do it nicely. I meant that I didn''t need anymore crap piled on my plate. It was full already. I intentionally avoided thinking about his revelations. That was the kind of things that could break me if I let them. Lu Huang Fu left me alone to digest the information he gave me. I laughed in despair. I just wanted to have a normal life and I ended up with a soap opera. That night I had a nightmare. I didn''t remember what it was about but when I woke up I was drenched in sweat and my heart beat fast. Feeling groggy, I went down to breakfast. Lu Huang Fu, his niece and Stephan were there. Are you okay, Aki? My thoughts had kept me awake most of the night and they were still plaguing me at this time. I answered Stephan''s question with a shrug. Their gazes held concern as I didn''t bitch about the shortening of my name. I sat down at the table and served myself an orange juice. I drank it slowly while eating a toast. I felt tired but I didn''t miss the glances they threw at each other. So what is it? I asked unnerved by their silence. Huh? Only an idiot wouldn''t notice that you have something to say to me. It''s about yesterday. Stephan was the one who decided to talk. If it''s about my parents, I don''t want to hear it. I have too much on my plate now, I don''t need more. Stephan threw a displeased glance at his grandfather. It looked like he wasn''t on board to tell me about the family history. No, it''s about what happened with the cops. Oh that! I told you it wasn''t my fault. I know but it didn''t change that if your name weren''t Kirihara, it wouldn''t have happened. So what? You want me to change my name? As of a matter of fact, yes. I was rather surprised at his answer. I took a minute to think about it. Would it bother me? What did the name meant to me? All those questions filled my mind. I didn''t have a great attachment to my name but it was mine. It was the one my parents gave me. Changing it, wouldn''t it meant that I didn''t love them anymore? My thoughts were a mess. They waited patiently for me to say my opinion. I looked at them with a painful and lost look. You don''t have to decide right now. Just think about it. I''m not sure if it will help. I have no idea of what to think of it. On one hand, I don''t really care but on the other hand, I don''t want to diss my parents with this move. We don''t have a great relationship, won''t changing my name definitely sever what''s left? I voiced my fear. They looked at each other. I could feel the pity pouring from them. I wanted to cry but I refrained as hard as I could. We won''t officially change your name yet but when someone ask, you should tell them that your name is Lu. Akira Lu? It felt weird in the mouth. Yes. Okay, anything else? I didn''t argue too much as it wasn''t a permanent thing yet. Don''t forget that tomorrow morning you have a meeting with a shrink. Like I could forget. But when will I go back home? We will ask your shrink when it will be the best time. We don''t want to have a repeat of what happened. Your emotional stability is at stake. So please refrain from unnecessary action. If you need anything just ask. It''s a joke, right? I know. We did a poor job of it until now but we''re trying. So no more talk about your parents and of any family affair until the shrink allows it. He gave a pointed stare at Lu Huang Fu. And you, no more wandering in the street. There''s nothing to do in the house. Can I play a VR game? We''ll ask your shrink tomorrow. Until then, no game for you. I brought some of your homework to do. Exams are coming in 2 weeks. I actually forgot about that. I spend the rest of the day catching up to my homework. It wasn''t hard as I did most of it before the start of the trimester. The following day, I get in a car with Stephan. We got off in front of a fairly new building. The entrance had huge bay windows. As I exited the car, I could see people milling around at the front desk. With a dejected sigh, I prepared myself to go through this crowd. I took a step before a hand grip my arm. This way, Aki. Stephan brought me to the side of the building where a metallic door opened as we approached. A man in his forties waited for us. He had a name tag on his chest pegging him as Dr Gruber, my shrink. His hair was black, graying at the temple. He had a creepy smile on his face. My hair stood on hand. His smile widened. I paled. All things considered, I don''t need a shrink. I shook Stephan''s grip on my arm and turned around. Aki! Mr Lu! Sorry for the bother. But I''m going home. I shouted behind my back. Aki, you can''t just leave like that. You could at least greet your doctor. Stephan ran along with me. No way! I''m leaving, you come with me or I go alone, you choose. My reaction was extreme but that man really gave me the creeps. It was visceral like a bad premonition. I couldn''t explain it. Stephan had a sullen look on his face all along the drive. I didn''t pay him much attention. My nerves were shot. As soon as we arrived back, I ran inside and went to my room. I don''t want to go back there. I said to Stephan as he followed me. Why did you run? He''s one of the best in the country. I don''t care! I don''t want to go back there. Nervous, I bit my nails. Akira, is everything alright? He asked, concerned. My behavior was weird, I knew it. I tried to explain. I feel... dirty. I shuddered as I remembered his gaze on me. I need to take a shower. I remove my clothes as I went inside the bathroom. I took the longest shower of my life. It was the first time that I had that kind of reaction to anyone. Back in my room, Stephan was still waiting for me. Your reaction was unreasonable. I know. You don''t need to say it. You''ll still need to see the doctor. This time he''ll make a house call. I know I need a shrink but can''t we get someone else. It was a hard to swallow but I had to recognize the evidence. My behavior wasn''t normal. This one was... I shuddered in remembrance. Just get me another one. Would you prefer a woman? Someone not creepy will do. Okay, I''ll arrange for someone else but this time, you''ll talk to the doctor even if you don''t want to. Thanks. I sighed in relief. I half expected him to demand an explanation when I couldn''t give him one. It had been a visceral reaction, not something that could be explained with words. Previous/ Next A.N: Hi! I''m back! i hope you''ve been well. So yes, there was supposed to have a 32.5. I couldn''t recuperate the file and I didn''t remember the details it had as when completed, it was a massive chapter. So I just dropped it. I''m not good at rewriting even more so when there isn''t a complete chapter as a base. I have the tendancy to change the story when I do that. And that''s what I did as I lost 33 and the beginning of 34. The story is going in a totally different direction from where I planned in the beginning. I''ll still do Thursday release BUT it will be only one chapter at max 2 until I find a way for the story to get back on the plan or change the plan if I can''t do that. For today, I will try to release a second chapter but I can''t promise it. Chapter 34 Therapy The next morning, the doorbell rang. Curious, I pulled out of my contemplation of the ceiling. As I came down the stairs, Stephan opened the door and ushered someone in. The Plague contrary to his nickname was pleasant and charming while talking to a young woman dressed in jeans. Before I opened my mouth to tease him, he greeted me. Aki, good timing. This is Dr Jennifer Sterling, your new shrink. I prefer psychiatrist, thank you. You must be Akira Lu. She shook my hand, a bright smile on her face. Yes, just call me Akira. I smiled in return. I was surprise at her attire. I was under the impression that a shrink or a psychiatrist would be dressed formally in a suit ot something of the like. But she was dressed in jeans and t-shirt. In a way, it put me more at ease and a weight I didn''t know I felt was lifted from my shoulders. Jennifer Sterling was petite with long brown hair. She was neither pretty nor ugly. The best word to describe her was plain. Her only defining feature was her smile. It was infectuous. All in all she looked friendly and not old enough to have a degree in psychiatry. I didn''t remark on her young appearance though, she must find it annoying and I wanted to be on her good side. So where are we going to do this? The faster I talked to her, the faster I would go back home. Why don''t you go in the garden? Stephan proposed. Isn''t grandfather there? No, he went out. It was the first time that Lu Huang Fu left the house since I lived with him. I was curious to know where he went. Okay. Please follow me. I led Jennifer to the garden where we sat on a bench. I stayed silent as I didn''t know what I should do or say. It was the first time that I had a session with a shrink. Sensing how lost I was, she took pity on me. You can talk about anything that came to your mind. Huh? I don''t know where to start. Why don''t you start by the reason you need to see a psychiatrist. Well, I''m sure you''ve heard but last week I kind of freaked out... twice. I got in over my head and I just flipped. So what happened? Nothing important. The first time was in a game. Someone said something that pissed me off and the second time, I was unfairly arrested by the police. I didn''t pursue the subject as it made me embarrassed. So can I go back to my place? It was the most important thing I wanted to know. Let''s talk about the first time you freaked out. What was happening? I don''t want to talk about it. I wasn''t at my finest. Okay, so tell me about your life here. I gather that this isn''t your home. I had expected her to demand answers I didn''t want to give so the change of subject was unexpected but welcomed. No, I live in the school dormitory. Well, at the top of the dormitory. I live in a penthouse with 5 guys. Do you like it? Not really, it was better when I had the place to myself. But it''s definitely better than staying in this house. Hmm...You don''t like living with your grandfather? There''s nothing to do here. There''s no TV, no radio, no StaviCon, no books. I can''t go to the kitchen because it''s Mrs Lin''s territory, the garden is grandfather''s. I can''t take a stroll in the neighborhood in fear of being arrested again. The place is like a jail. There''s nothing to do and I can''t get out. I want to go home. I insisted in case she didn''t get it the first time I said it I don''t think that it''s a good idea. You attacked one of your roommates. What? That again? I attacked him once. He attacked me like a hundred times and no one send him to see a shrink. I don''t see why everyone is making a fuss over it. He attacked you? When? I''m not going to tell you. She was good. I told her more than I planned. Okay. So what type of activity would you like to have here? I''m not going home? Sorry. I sighed defeated. I thought for a minute then I gave her my answer. I want a StaVicon. I have quests to finish. So what games do you play. Forgotten Soul. Her eyebrows raised in surprised. What do you like about it? It''s the first VR game I ever played. I couldn''t explain everything I did in there. My game play was chaotic. Most of my actions didn''t have a reason apart from me just feeling like it. So would you like to play a game with me? Huh? Was it normal for a psychiatrist to ask to play a game with a patient? It could be nice. Why don''t you invite some of your friends? My face closed down at her question. I don''t have friends. I said through gritted teeth She tried to start the conversation again but I didn''t let her. I stayed walled in silence. We''ll stop for today. Will you lead me to my car? I nodded. Stephan was in the sitting room. We passed by him on our way out. She explained that she was leaving and that she would call him later. She bid him farewell. Her car was parked in front of the house. A man leaned on the car''s door. I recognized him. He was the doctor that I fled from the day before. He looked pissed. Mr Lu, I''d like a word with you. He made his way toward me. No, I have nothing to say to you. I tried to rush back inside the house but he grabbed my arm. Excuse-me, Dr Gruber. Akira doesn''t want to talk to you. Jennifer tried to remove his hands from me. She must have been told about my previous reaction to his presence. Don''t talk to me! I have business with Mr Lu not with you. He sneered at her. I don''t have any business with you. And I don''t want to talk to you. Let me go, now. His grip was too tight, I felt his fingers dig into my skin. Mr Lu. I studied your file. I can help you. If you come to my office, your life will be better. The guy didn''t creep me out like the first time but my impression of him wasn''t any better. What did he expect by coming here? Dr Gruber, let Akira go. Jennifer was calm but it was just a facade. You''re scaring him. Young girl, I don''t need you to tell me how to treat my patient. I am not your patient! I raised my voice. What''s going on here? Stephan''s voice brought relief to my rising panic. That man won''t let me go. Dr Gruber let go of my arm. Finally. Mr Hayes. I came to talk to Mr Lu about our sessions. I was thinking that Thursday will be a good day to try again at the office. We talked about it. And Akira has a new doctor. She''s right here. Dr Jennifer Sterling. Are you talking about that little girl? She''s not old enough to wipe her ass. You don''t need to be crass. You don''t even need to be here. If you approach Akira again, I''ll file a police report against you. Stephan pushed me behind him. Wait! It''s a misunderstanding. I just want to talk. He ran so fast yesterday that we didn''t have the time to greet each other. I''m sure that if we talk about it, he''ll choose me over that little girl. I''m a renowned psychiatrist. I worked on several high profile cases. I can''t give you names because of professional secret but you know my reputation. I don''t see why I have to be replaced by some no name charlatan. Now that Stephan was here, my fear of the guy went down. I meant that he was between me and the creep. If the guy got violent, I would push Stephan on him and run for my life. With that plan in mind, I could appreciate the creep for all his stupidity. Did he really think that coming to the house would endear him to us? And if he was that great, why was he acting like a moron? Jennifer got angry at being called a charlatan. She started a screaming match with Dr Gruber. I stared bemused at the two psychiatrists. I didn''t catch their words as their voices rose in pitch. Lu Huang Fu, his nurse and his niece came out of the house. I didn''t know when they came back but they were still wearing their coats. Not only them but the neighbors also came to watch. All of them wore curious expression. What''s going on? Grandfather''s question was drowned in the noise they were making. I didn''t answer, I was too busy looking as Dr Gruber got pissed even more. He raised his hand. Stephan got close to him. He grabbed his arm and pulled it behind his back. It was the same move the cops used on me a few days earlier but Stephan was faster and meaner about it. In the disappearing noise, I clearly heard something break. I called the cops. Mrs Lin said. It''s a habit around here. They all looked at me like I said something weird. Well, it''s true. It''s what? the third time? You need to build a police station on the lawn. That way they''ll be there when a psycho decide to show up. All things considered, the police also have crazies. You should build a psych ward. There won''t be a shortage of patients. And look, you can have two psychiatrists for free. I laughed at my own joke. It wasn''t funny but it was better than crying. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. If I wasn''t so level-headed, I would think that I had a psycho magnet on me. It couldn''t be normal to know that many of them without being crazy yourself, right? I wasn''t crazy so there must be a reason. Lu Huang Fu decided that it was his clue to take me in his arms. I wasn''t out of my mind enough to not feel embarrassed by his actions. I already steered clear of the memories of Stephan doing something of the like. Looking at the way things were going, I would need to use bleach on my memories before going back home. So...My shrink... Shh... Everything will be fine. Sirens approached the house. I thought that the whole police station was coming. At least nine cars filled with cops were there. They parked and they all rushed on the street. Am I the only one who think that there''s a problem with the police? What do you mean? Lu Huang Fu was curious at my question. Do you really think that kind of reaction is normal? I don''t see what''s the problem. I glanced at Mrs Lin and she had the same reaction. Only the nurse shook her head in defeat at their... I couldn''t even find an appropriate word to describe them. I couldn''t believe that I was the one that needed a shrink. Sometimes...Well, every time, I thought that I was the only sane person around here. I''m going back inside. I wasn''t keen on meeting the police once again. Our previous encounter wasn''t on my list of favorite moment. I went up to my room. I stopped at the door. There was a package on my bed. Remembering my luck, I debated running back outside. However, I took my courage in both hands and went to open it. I squealed in delight at what was inside. The solution to my boredom had finally came out. I danced in happiness as I held the new headgear in my hands. I would be able to play once again. I laughed, twirled and stopped in my tracks. My smile froze as Stephan stood in the doorway. What do you want? If he talked about what he saw, I would throw the headgear at his face. The cops need to take your statement. Do I really have to talk to them? Don''t worry. I''ll be there. Is that supposed to reassure me? I nonetheless made my way downstairs. Mr Lu. I am Sgt Dillard. I''m in charge of your case. Can you tell me in your own words what happened? Dr Gruber, my former shrink, came today. I didn''t want to talk to him so I tried to get back inside. But he grabbed me. Dr Sterling, my new shrink, came between us but he started to insult her. Stephan came outside. That''s when Dr Gruber let go of me. He talked to Stephan then went back to insult Dr Sterling. That time, she answered back. He got pissed. He was going to hit her when Stephan intervened. That''s it. I said that in one breath. The Sgt blinked, trying to get everything that I said. Good luck to him. Can I go back to my room. Not yet. I have a few more question. What''s your relationship with Dr Gruber? As I said he was my former shrink. For how long? 10 seconds? 15 max. I fired him before the first meeting. And the reason was... None of your business. Do you know of Dr Gruber''s connection to Mrs Sarah Johansen? What does my former teacher have to do with him? She was his ex girlfriend. It''s a joke, right? How did he find that that fast? And how small could the world be? I got two stalkers and it so happened that they went out together. Did I need any more proof that I had shitty luck? I stared at Stephan in disbelief. Did you know about it ? The answer was written on his face. He didn''t know and he was pissed. Someone''s head was going to roll. The Sgt asked me a few more question before he left. He proposed to keep a police car in front of the house but grandfather refused. From what I gathered, he hired a private bodyguard for me but I wasn''t sure as his voice was lowered when he said it. Stephan was glowering, his right foot tapping a maddening rhythm on the wooden floor. Aki, why don''t you go back to your room ? You can play with the StaViCon. I was impatient to play but I was more curious to see the fireworks explode. Stephan was steaming mad and I wanted to know who was the poor soul who would feel his wrath. Aki, Go to your room now. Tch. I went up the stairs. In front of my room, I opened the door and closed it without entering. I backtracked to the top of the stairs where I hid. I could clearly hear what was said downstairs. What the fuck is going on ?! Did you know about it ? Stephan exploded. Stephan, I swear I didn''t know. The voice was faint but I recognized Mrs Lin. She was always cold to me, barely saying a few words in the week I had been here. You''re the one who insisted on that shrink. He had good credentials. I couldn''t have known that he was that woman''s ex boyfriend. Do you seriously want me to believe that it''s just a coincidence that you chose the ex boyfriend of his stalker as his shrink ? It''s not what you think. I talked to him and he said he could help Akira. We just wanted what was best for him. We ? Who are you talking about ? Stephan''s voice had an underlying threat that couldn''t be mistaken with anything else. Stephan, I don''t know what you''re talking about. This event was just a coincidence. A coincidence ? So it''s a coincidence that Dr Gruber is known for his volatile temper, it''s also a coincidence that Akira''s first stalker ask for a restraining order against him claiming that HE was a stalking her. It must be a coincidence too that YOU heavily insisted we hired him. With each word his voice rose in pitch. Stephan, calm down. Lin, tell us why ? Lu Huang Fu intervened. Grandfather, I didn''t know I swear. Amanda... You talked to HER ?! Grandfather''s shouted. She''s his mother... Mrs Lin tried to explain. I didn''t stay to hear the rest. I went back to my room. The StaViCon headgear laid forgotten where I put it earlier. I threw myself on the bed and did my best to stop my thoughts. My mother had something to do with my stalkers. Right now and then, I would kill for a distraction. Despite everything, I loved my mother and what happened had too many implications that would hurt me if I thought about them. I raised my head bemoaning my stupidity. I had a StaViCon now. I could lose myself in a game. I put the headgear on.
The scan of you iris had determined that you are a registered user. Do you want to access your StaViCon account?
Yes
Please choose the application you wished to connect to.
Forgotten Soul.
Request denied. Please choose the application you wish to connect to.
Zombie Apocalypse.
Request denied. Please choose the application you wish to connect to.
I want a list of all games I can play.
TownCity Table board Reign
There was no way that I would play Table Board Reign. The name was pretty explicit. In this game, you can only play table board games like tic-tac-toe, cluedo or checkers. It was boring as hell. As for TownCity, I had no idea what it was. I had never even heard of it. Well, let''s play TownCity. Previous/ Next Chapter 35 Welcome to TownCity I woke up in a bus. I looked around disorientated. This game was different from the others that I played before. For one, it didn''t use the StaViCon avatar but my real appearance. For two, I didn''t know what the damn game was about. Last stop TownCity. Last stop Town City. The speaker inside the bus announced over the engine noise. The bus stopped in front of a gas station. The driver turned toward me. Young boy, you should get off. The bus is going to the depot. I got off seconds before the bus departed. There were a few people at the gas station but they were merely minding their own business. They bought gas and whatever they needed. No one paid me any attention. The town proper started a few hundred meters away. I went to check it out. There were two streets that crossed each other. And that was it. It took me 5 minutes to go from one end to the other. There was nothing interesting to see. There were 3 shops that looked outdated. Two trucks were parked in front of a diner. Otherwise, the place was deserted. I stood like an idiot in the middle of the street wondering what-the-hell I was doing here. Status.
[quart=Name, Age] Akira Lu, 15[/quart]
SupervisorDr Jennifer Sterling
So the game was part of my therapy. I understood now why Jennifer asked me to play a game with her. However, that still didn''t help me to know what I should be doing here. Skills.
You have no skills for the time being.
At least, I could gain skills. So what was I supposed to do? Stand here and hope for the best? An old man came out of the diner. He stared at me with curiosity filling his eyes. I stared right back at him with a don''t-bother-me-look. He looked like a busybody that wouldn''t give up until he knew my life story. And sure enough, he came to me. Hello! I haven''t seen you before, you must be new in town. I''m Terrance Gridd, you can call me Grandpa Terry. Hello! Yes, I''m new. Name Akira. So what brought you to our little town, Akira? I stayed silent. I didn''t know how to answer that question. Should I say that I tried a game and ended up here? Or should I make a lie? My silence seemed to be answer enough for him. He asked me another question. Where are you staying? I don''t have a place yet. I just get off the bus. Well, the town doesn''t have an inn nor a motel. We don''t get strangers often. I have an idea, why don''t you stay at my house, I have a room I don''t use. His proposition was nice but I had to refuse. Sorry, I don''t have money. Don''t worry about it. If you need a job, the diner is recruiting. Akira! A female voice called my name. Jennifer Sterling, my psychiatrist ran toward us. The old man''s face darkened as he saw her. So you''re insane like the rest. What? Before he could explain what he meant, Jennifer had already joined us. Akira! You should have waited for me before coming here. Why? I''m your doctor, I have to help you adapt here. Adapt? What do I need to adapt to? There''s nothing here. TownCity is a place where we can assess and improve your interactions to the general population. I never had trouble with anyone in the ''general population'' as you put it. Affronted at what she implied, my tone was harsh. She made it sound like I was not right in the head. Akira. She called my name showing a little impatience. No. I have a place to stay and I''m going to apply for a job at the diner. So, see ya. I dragged the old man with me. At first, I wasn''t going to accept his proposition but it was a good way to piss her off. She would see who had trouble interacting with the ''general population''. Grandpa Terry had been silent with Jennifer around. But as she stayed behind and didn''t pursue us, he started talking again. So you''re one of the insane people the doctors brought every once in a while? I''m not insane. I just have too much on my plate and I needed a break. At first, I thought that I needed a shrink but now, I''m not sure. Having two shrinks fight on your lawn can put doubts in anyone''s mind. Two shrinks fought on your lawn? He asked in disbelief. Can you believe it? Even the police was called. I was so embarrassed. I lied a little. The scene the two doctors caused didn''t embarrass me as much as it amused me but I needed to look sane. I see. So why did you follow them here? My parents, you know. That was something I learned early. Very few people would ask you what you meant when you say ''you know'' at the end of a sentence. Basically you could say anything and put a ''you know'' at the end and people would make their own idea about what you wanted to say. This time it also happened this way. The old man made his own idea about what I said. So your parents left you with one of the fighting doctors? Yes and no. They let me come here but I have to make my own way, if you know what I mean. I didn''t know what I meant but he seemed to get it. He led me inside the diner where I talked to the owner. In real life, I would never have taken the old man on his proposition even if I wanted to piss someone off because he was a stranger but in a game, of course, I would do it. There was nothing to fear. In a game there wouldn''t be perverts or psychopaths, even more so in a game where a shrink monitored me. After the meeting with the diner''s owner, I went to check out the old man''s house. I regretted following him. His house was on one of the two streets the town had. It was small and kitsch as hell. A white picket fence surrounded a small garden that had seen better days. The walls were yellow. Inside wasn''t any better. The wallpaper was an ugly orange, the floor was a green and yellow checkered carpet. The furniture looked like they had been in fashion a century ago in the middle of the 1950''s. However, that wasn''t the problem. The furniture showed their age and the layer of dust on them didn''t make things any better. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Inside the house, the sunlight didn''t enter. Light bulbs at the center of the ceiling cast surreal shadows over the rooms. My imagination went on overdrive. At any second now, I expected a zombie to come out. The place had the same feeling that the city in Zombie Apocalypse had. I wanted to turn around and go back to Jennifer. Wherever she wanted me to stay couldn''t be worse than here. My reaction to her words had been childish. I should stop trying to anger people when they hurt me. It was destructive and in the end, I was always the one that regretted it. But old habits died hard. I was sure that this kind of situation would come again and that I had to learn to lie in the bed that I made for myself. I stomped down my uneasiness. Grandpa Terry''s place wasn''t my idea of a welcoming home but apart from that, I didn''t have any reason to leave. The house is small but it''s enough for me. The size wasn''t the problem but I didn''t tell him that. He led me to a guestroom at the back of the house. On the way, he showed me the kitchen, the bathroom and where his bedroom was. You can stay in this room. Contrary to most of the house, the guestroom was devoid of dust but the dcor was still as bad as the other rooms. I didn''t stay in this room. We didn''t even stay in the house. It''s time for dinner. I always take my meals at the diner. Come, I''ll treat you. I smiled and nodded at what he said but in my mind, I was cursing him. Couldn''t we just have stayed at the diner, take our meals and then come to the house rather than leaving the diner, coming to the house, going back to the diner and coming back again at the house? The diner was more crowded than it was before. People from different ages mingled together in the building. I was surprised at their number as I thought than the town couldn''t hold that many people. Their friendliness felt forced as Grandpa Terry made the presentation. I didn''t mind it though. I understood that they were wary of an unknown kid showing up the way I did. Their eyes filled with curiosity and veiled apprehension but they kept their questions to a minimum. After having our meal, we went back to the house. The sun had already set. The shadows inside the house were more pronounced than during the day. Well, I''m tired. I''m going to sleep. You can watch TV if you want. Good night! Grandpa Terry went to his bedroom. G''night. Staying alone in the sitting room wasn''t my idea of fun. I checked out the TV but there was nothing interesting to watch. I went outside to maybe find something to do but the town was dead-silent. None of the residents could be found on the streets. The diner and the other shops were closed. A police car parked in front of me. I rolled my eyes in disbelief. History was repeating itself. I hoped that this time I wouldn''t get arrested. You''re the boy staying at Grandpa Terry''s house. What are you doing on the streets at this hour? A man dressed in a khaki uniform rolled down the car window. His tone was filled with suspicion. I remembered him, he was one of the people I met earlier. I couldn''t sleep and I thought that the diner would still be open. It closed a few minutes after you left... Oh! Okay, I''ll go back to the house. Get in, I''ll bring you back. No need, It only takes a few minutes to go back. I insist. It''s not safe to wander at night alone. I accepted the lift even though his persistence felt weird. As I predicted, it only took a minute to reach Grandpa Terry''s house. You shouldn''t stay out at this hour, you don''t know what could happen to you. I shook my head to dispel the curious idea than sprouted in my mind. His words felt like a threat but it couldn''t be true. The game was therapeutic. I had a psychiatrist monitoring me. There couldn''t be anything dangerous in it. I reasoned but the feeling I felt gave me a cold shiver. I went inside the house without turning back. My heart beat loudly. Inside the guestroom, I laid on the bed. I tried to slow down my breathing. The game wasn''t as good as I thought it would be. Log out! Nothing happened for few seconds. I frowned in worry when a notification appeared in front of me.
You can''t log out until the 12-hour restriction has passed.
WTH! I wanted to leave and I couldn''t because of some restriction I never heard about. I had played this game for less than two hours, I had ten more to wait. I sighed and kept on taking deep breaths. I didn''t want to have a panic attack. I was stuck in a game in the middle of the night with absolutely nothing to do but sleep. My rising panic was brought to a halt when something scratched the window. I raised my head from where I laid. I stared at where the sound came. A creak sounded just outside my door. I got up. I heard whispers outside the room. I didn''t understand what they said. Hellooo! I know you''re here so come out. I shouted as hard as I could. I didn''t feel like going outside and confront them. A loud bang on the door startled me. I held my hand above my heart feeling like I was in a bad dream. I screamed as the glass window shattered. WTH was going on? Wasn''t this game safe? Previous/ Next Chapter 36 I want answers, now ! I was panicked. My gaze flicked between the door and the broken window. I expected someone to try and get in. I didn''t know what to do, I had nowhere to hide. The room only had a bed, a nightstand and a dresser. I crouched next to the bed. I shivered as the cold air of the night blew through the flimsy curtain. A car horn blew. My eyes widened. The voices were forgotten as I rushed to the door. Headlights shone in the middle of the night illuminating the room. Seconds before I grabbed the doorknob, a loud crash happened behind me. The wall where the broken window had been blew in pieces. It flew everywhere. The furniture was destroyed. My back glued to the wall, I closed my eyes waiting for my death. After a minute passed, nothing happened. I opened an eye. The front of a car was an inch away from me. I shivered as I thought of what could have happened if the car hadn''t stopped. I thought before that I knew what fear was but it didn''t compare with having a car smashing into your room and coming an inch from running you over. I shook in fright. A woman came out of the car wearing a worried expression. Akira ! Jennifer''s voice was small in the chaos she created. I stayed silent, still petrified at what happened. It''s a game. I repeated ceaselessly in my mind. I shouldn''t be scared. It''s a game, it''s not real. It was one thing to face a dangerous situation in a fantasy game but in a world so close to real life, it was an entirely different matter. Even though I knew that it wasn''t real, my fear was uncontrolable. Akira ! She rushed at me. She tried to take me in her arms but I flinched away. She almost ran me over. Akira, we can''t stay here. Her words didn''t register to me. Frustrated, she pulled me with her. We went through the hole she made when she crashed inside the room. Outside, chaos dominated. Grandpa Terry''s picket fence and shabby garden were destroyed. Two men were helping three men who were laid on the ground, injured. I didn''t have the time to look at them closely but I remembered meeting them before. Jennifer dragged me away from the house. Even though I was reluctant, I followed her. She was my only link to reality. We didn''t go far before the siren of a police car sounded behind us. I wanted to stop but Jennifer screamed at me. Don''t stop, we have to hide. She pulled me behind trashcans. She pushed me to the ground while she drapped herself around me. A foul smell made me cough. Shhh... She put her hands on my mouh to stop the noise I made. It wasn''t her best idea. My coughing fit worsened, I couldn''t breath. Black spots appeared in front of my eyes. I pulled at her hand. At first, she didn''t move. She was far stronger than she looked. After a long agonizing minute where a police car passed by us, she finally let go of me. I took deep breaths. I gagged. I remembered the foul odor that triggered my coughing fit. I turned on the side where I promptly vomited. I wiped my mouth with my sleave. What the hell is going on ? Not now. We need to find a better hiding place. Hell no ! I want answers. I yelled as I didn''t like being placated. A shout at the end of the street made me realize that I didn''t have a choice. Either I went with the devil i knew or the one that was still a mystery. I went with Jennifer. She dragged me all over town. As said before the town only had two streets that meant that we couldn''t ditch our pursuers without hiding. Even that became useless as more and more people came to search for us. We went inside an abandoned building. It was one of the shop I saw when I first came into the town. It was more dilapidated on the inside than it was on the outside. In the shop window, the dummies wore outdated dresses on good conditions but in the rest of the shop, broken dummies laid on the ground while others stood with pieces of clothes on them. The place in itself had a weird feeling, like someone had took the time to clean the shop window when he went on a destruction fit on the rest of the shop. Jennifer and I hid behind the counter. I couldn''t bear it anymore. What the hell is going on ? I asked in a whisper. I don''t know. The NPCs are out of control. They suddenly attacked me. Is that the only thing you have to say ? I want answers, now ! What''s this game? Why can''t I log out ? Why are they attacking us ? The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. She was silent for a moment like she was debating what she could say. I waited patiently until she made her decision. The game is an integral part of your therapy. It replaces the more common one on one session in my office. Is it normal that people want to kill us ? No ! The game was supposed to mimick a small town. It was supposed to be safe. You just had to live here, talk to people, work. Normal things. They aren''t supposed to attack us. Why can''t I log out ? As I said it replaces a session so... for the duration of a session no one can leave. A session lasts 12 freaking hours ? I asked in disbelief. 2 hours real time so yes, 12 hours in game. She had a sorry expression on her face but it didn''t change the fact that we were stuck in an out-of-control game. Isn''t there an emergency setting so that we could get out ? No, we can''t contact anyone either until the session is finished. It''s a joke, right ? I stared at her in disbelief. Maybe we can talk to them. I tried to find a solution. At worst we''ll die and then we could log out. Jennifer flinched at my last words. What aren''t you telling me ? If we die, we''ll respawn in the bus that led to the city until the session is finished. I was ready to tear into her until i heard her next words. The pain settings are set on normal. We can feel the same level of pain as in real life. What we have to fear here isn''t death. I understood what she meant. Torture was something I hadn''t thought about before. Even though it was strictly forbidden to torture players, from personal experience I knew that there were ways to go around it. They wouldn''t do that, would they ? We didn''t do anything to them. Why are they even attacking us ? It makes no sense. Nothing makes sense. They shouldn''t behave like that. The game is designed so that it''ll be easy for patients. The NPCs are kind, peaceful and understanding. I don''t know what''s going on. The more she talked, the more fear bled in her voice. When I went to the house we were supposed to stay at, a group of people waited for me. They attacked me but I was able to run away. This whole story sounded unbelievable. Since Virtual reality was introduced to the general public, safety had been the most important measures implemented. The StaViCon laws were the framework at the base of these measures. For example, torturing players was forbidden as what happened with my 3 classmates in Forgotten Soul showed. Another example more appropriate for the situation was that it was compulsory in every game to have a log out option. In certain cases, this obligation could be waived but there had to be the possibily of an emergency log out. Having a whole town turned psycho on us was definitely an emergency in my book. I stared at Jennifer waiting for an explanation. She refused to meet my eyes. There was still something she wasn''t telling me. The seed of doubts took root in my mind. Is it all part of the therapy. What ? Is the town turning against us part of my therapy ? Of course not- So what aren''t you telling me ? I cut in before she could give me any more platitudes. Nothing. I''m not hiding anything. She answered way too fast. I fixed her for long minutes before she broke and told me everything. The NPCs were independent Ais. Simply put, they were programmed once when the game was launched and then, they''re left to grow by themselves. They aren''t monitored. I don''t understand wy it''s bad ? If the NPC aren''t monitored, it meant that the game isn''t monitored. She was trying to make a point but I didn''t get it. The StaViCon laws can be broken over and over and no one will notice. Oh crap ! I guess hiding was the only option I had. Previous/ Next A.N: Hi! Thanks for reading. It''s the only chapter for today as I didn''t have much time to write this week. not a chapter but some explanations Hi there! I had some free time so I decided to answer the comments but it took too much time to answer them one by one. So I decided to make an explanation of the story and I hope that it will help you understand the story better. There is 2 part to the story: - before the prologue (1st part) - after the prologue (2nd part) I won''t give any information on what will happen in the second part. In the prologue, the MC is 18. He will start college the following day. His mental health is somewhat stable. His avatar''s name is MorningStar, he has red hair, red eyes, and red wings. He is not an angel. Since chapter 1, he''s 15. He''s at the end of middle school (last trimester of his last year). His mental health is dubious. His avatar changed a lot but he has black hair and red eyes and NO wings. At first, he was a wood elf, then he become a nature spirit and then a mara. It''s obvious but the 1st part starts 3 RL YEARS before the prologue. From chapter 1 to 36, 3 to 4 RL WEEKS passed. A lot happened but he''s still 15 and he''s still a middle schooler. Don''t expect him to behave like an adult, it won''t happen until much later. Some of you think that he''s too whiny. Well, he is. He''s 15 and the story is written in the first person from his point of view. What did you expect? An adult in the body of a kid? Sorry, it''s not gonna happen. It''s a personal preference but I just can''t, I find it creepy beyond belief. Some people don''t like clowns or homosexuals, I don''t like kids who behaves too much like adults. I seriously avoid that as such as I can. The story has several on-going plots. One of them is the MC''s road in becoming an adult. His road isn''t straight. There''s many troubles on it but slowly he''s changing and evolving. One of the most important trouble he has to face is his state of mind. At the age of 11, he was accused of rape (yes, there''s a story behind it, she didn''t do it just for shit and jiggles). He lost his friends, his parents (there''s also a story behind that one). He was abused quite often. He even had at least one stay in the hospital because of it. Since he entered middle school, he lived alone with no contact with his parents who he thought was his only family. The abuse stopped at the beginning of his first year when the former headmaster decided that he needed to be home-schooled so that he''ll stop distract the other students (yes, there''s a story behind it). He goes to school only a few times a year to pass his exams. When he goes, the abuse resumed like it never stopped. The rest of the times, he''s alone. He has no friends, no money. What he has in the penthouse is from what was put in storage, what the dorm head gives him and what he could grow (Remember in chapter 4 or 5, the description of the penthouse). What you have to remember is that the MC lived alone, he didn''t have much interactions with people and with the few he had, most of it was abuse. That lasted for 2 and a half RL YEARS. It was like he lived in a bubble all alone. The one thing that happened when you''re alone for a long time is that you gradually lose your capacity to interact normally with people. Now, think about what happened when all of a sudden, he got 5 roommates among whose his ex best friend who betrayed him is. Then, with the games he met more and more people. Each one of them had their own personality, their quirks, their faults. The choices he makes aren''t that great either. He''s in over his head. He doesn''t know how to react to most things as he didn''t have any prior experience. It''s like he''s drowning without realizing it. To make things worse, he discovered that he actually has a family (There''s a story behind it. There''s already many hints on it.) All of that plus the stalkers and the police drama happened in just 3 to 4 RL WEEKS. So excuse the guy for having a breakdown, it was long overdue. With everything that happened to him, it would be weird if he don''t become paranoid. And that''s where chapter 33, 34, 35 and 36 went haywire. I recognize that I have gone overboard. I went in a totally different direction from where I planned and I''m desperately trying to salvage the plan. The first plan was to have a traditional psychotherapy with a shrink with a notepad and the MC lying on a couch talking about his life and slowly spotting where he could have make a difference and changing. In the version I wrote, after the trouble with the cops and his first shrink, the MC recognizes that he has a problem. That''s the first step in him growing up and stabilizing his state of mind. The second is for him to recognize the extent of his problem and asking for help (not just agreeing to the help like he had done). And then, the real therapy that will bring changes will start. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. I went overboard in the things that happened to the MC. You know, him getting arrested and the psycho shrink Dr Gruber. They were in the original plan, just not there. Having them happened a few days apart from each other wasn''t great. In the original plan, the traditional psychotherapy would have been with Dr Gruber, he would have gain Akira and his family''s trust to finally revealing himself being psychotic and the ex-boyfriend of Mrs Johansen. He would have caused trouble for the MC without no one realizing it. It would have been fun to write now that I think about it. As you could guess, there was no Jennifer nor TownCity. Right now, I''m floundering with how to reintegrate the story. The plan as I said it isn''t something written down with every single detail lined out. It''s more of a general layout of the story that allows me to go in the right direction. The story is complicated. I can''t write a straightforward story to save my life. So I make a list of the major events that will happen. I put them in a certain order and then I write the story around them every week. The order is made so that you don''t get all the answers at the same time. Simply put, when I finish the story you will know everything about the MC, his life and the people he knows. The plan is heavily influenced by the MC''s state of mind. You might have noticed but there''s barely any information on the real world or the game worlds. There''s no explanation or incomplete ones about what''s going on in the world and games. As said above, it was like the MC lived in a bubble. He has just gotten out of it and he''s not taking it nicely. In his bubble, the world was tiny. That''s why at the beginning of the story you have basically no information saves from some basics. Since he started playing, his world is expanding and you start getting more and more information. But it still didn''t get you anywhere clear as He didn''t know how to deal with the expansion of his world and the breakdown happened. Now, he''s working on it. The more he learns to deal the more information on the world and games there will be. And with more information came more actions. He will start on his quests, discover all the back-story he missed about his own life, he will understand everything that happened to him. Basically you will have the answers to all your questions about the rape allegations, his family, the police reactions etc. When I write, I have some rules I try to keep but sometimes it''s too difficult and I slip. 1/ At least 1500 words per chapter. I think it''s a good number but lately I tried to write bigger chapters with at least 3000 words. I don''t know if I''ll keep it up. It''s hard. 2/ Description. I''m really really bad at it. I force myself to put them in the story. So if you see one, know that even though it''s tiny it probably took me one hour to write. 3/ The overuse of adverbs. I try to curb it but old habits die hard. 4/ Show don''t tell. 5/ Don''t explain everything at once. The story follows the MC. He''s the narrator. He doesn''t know much and all along the story he is discovering things. You learn at the same time as the MC. It would be counterproductive and confusing if you had the answers before he does. 6/ Don''t have simple answers. Simple answers are boring and generally not true. The world isn''t black and white. 1 action doesn''t automatically trigger a reaction. However, a group of actions will cause a reaction and this reaction will depend on what the group of actions is composed of. so don''t expect a straight answer to your questions. Thanks for reading, hope it was helpful. When the story will advance some, i will write another one like that. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I will answer but know that I won''t give major spoilers. Also please don''t be afraid to criticize, it will help me get better. I don''t always spot grammar mistakes, I write some things that don''t please everyone on purpose and I go overboard with it. That''s 2 of the main things I''m the most afraid of. So please criticize. Have a nice week-end! See you next week. Chapter 37 What they want Despite my wishes, we couldn''t hide in the shop forever. Soon enough, flashlights illuminated the front shop through the windows. Despite my doubts, I still hid behind the counter with my hands above my mouth to stop any sounds from coming out. Jennifer was still next to me. She took a peek over the counter. Her recklessness scared me. I wanted to berate her but the click of a door opening made me reconsider. The shop silence was broken by the loud breathing and the steps of our pursuers. My breath caught in my throat. I debated between staying where I was or moving away. Without conscious thought, the decision was made. I walked on all four along the counter, praying to be invisible as I headed to the door that led to the back of the shop. Jennifer watched me with wide eyes. She didn''t say anything, she didn''t make any noise when I passed by her. I glanced back to see if she was following. She hadn''t moved. Her breaths were short and fast. I made a sign to tell her to follow. Even though her eyes were fixed on me, it was like she couldn''t see me. I was close to the door and whoever was walking through the shop hadn''t seen us yet. I backtracked to where Jennifer was. I shook her slightly. At first, she didn''t respond but then she started. Wha- I put my hand on her mouth muffling her voice. I shook my head in disbelief. How could she be distracted in this kind of situation? I waited until I was sure I wouldn''t be seen. I opened the door. *Creak* The door creaked loudly. I gasped in horror. The footsteps coming in our direction accelerated. I opened the door all the way and rushed in dragging Jennifer with me. While closing the door, a man reach to stop me. If looks could kill, his gaze would have sent me into an early grave. With a squeak, I shut and bolted the door. My back pressed to it, I looked around for something heavy to block the door. The room we were in was bare apart from broken cardboard on the floor. There was no window and no other door. We were trapped. A thump on my back made me jump. The door rattled once. They were trying to break in. Another thump shook the door. I went to Jennifer. I stood by her side as the door was kicked in. It fell of its hinges. Two men drenched in sweat entered the room. Their eyes were filled with anger. I backed into the wall with each step they took in the room. Jennifer stood her ground. I don''t know what you want with us but we don''t have anything. Leave. She had balls but after her erratic behavior, the courage she tried to display fell flat. I know I shouldn''t talk smack because I was cowering behind her but it was her damned fault I was here. The two men gave us a brilliant smile before they lunged at us. I was a black belt in karate, I got my certificate on the internet but who cared? I could beat them down. I took a stance. Jennifer struggled like a Tasmanian devil, keeping the two men from reaching me. I stared down as they struggled on the ground. Jennifer bit, scratched and kicked for all she was worth. I stood like an idiot on the side still in a karate stance. I would like to say that I was waiting for an opportunity to strike but that would be a lie. I was lost. I had no clue what I should do. Should I kick? Punch? Pull them away from Jennifer? But if I did that, they would come after me, wouldn''t they? It was stupid of me. It was my first real fight. Well not my first but the first where I wasn''t angry or scared out of my mind. My thought process was clear and I finally noticed the problem with me taking karate lessons on the internet. I had no fighting experience at all. A punching bag was good for training but it didn''t fight back like an opponent could. I couldn''t prevent myself from thinking of ways to beat them without hurting myself. Also, as I never trained with anyone, I wasn''t used to the chaos a fight truly was. I knew how to counter strikes. But a real fight didn''t follow a choreography. I never learned how to predict an opponent next move. With all the time Jennifer bought me, I took stock of what I could or couldn''t do. I couldn''t use magic as I didn''t have my StaViCon avatar. I couldn''t call my pets either. I had no weapon so I couldn''t use the things I learned from the training master. He was an asshole but he did teach me useful things. When I was his apprentice, he didn''t just teach me skills but also how to handle weapons. With him, I learned simple moves that could be used even without mana. If only I didn''t brag about knowing karate, he would have helped me to get experience. My only option in the situation I found myself in was to fight barehanded with the knowledge that I had. I took my courage in both hands, I closed my eyes and kicked. Too late. I didn''t remember in time one of the training master''s most important lesson. Never fight with your eyes closed. When I opened my eyes after delivering a solid kick, I could only watch in horror as Jennifer slumped on the ground with a trickle of blood coming out of mouth. The two goons she had been fighting stared slack-jawed. I didn''t dwell on my mistake, I took advantage of the distraction and delivered a vicious kick to the closest''s face. Under my leg, the crunch of his nose was loud. Blood sprouted from his mouth. Even though I was in a dire situation, a smile appeared on my face. I was fighting using the skills that I learned by myself. I didn''t overthink things. I had to do what I could do and let the future take care of itself. It was like a weight got off my chest. The doubts I had disappeared in smoke like they never existed. The second man got back to his feet. He put some distance between us. He crouched and in the next second lunged again at me. I was ready for him. I sidestepped on the left. I delivered a chop on his neck. It didn''t do anything apart from pissing him off even more. Nonetheless, my confidence was at an all time high. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. He turned around, his arms extended to grab me. I took a step back, ready to counter when a pain blossomed on my neck. My face met the hard floor before darkness assailed my eyes. I didn''t know how long I stayed unconscious. I was laid on a cold ground. My eyes drifted opened slowly. I blinked to clear my sight. The light hurt me, I squinted. The pain in my neck was still present. One look around and I knew that I wasn''t in the shop anymore. The cage I was in was a dead giveaway. And if that wasn''t enough the wooden walls and the forest peeking out of the window said it all. With a second sweep of my gaze I finally spot the guy seated right in front of me on a chair. I didn''t know how I missed him the first time. He was a good 300 pounds soaking wet. He was eating out of a bag of chips. Crumbs fell all over his shirt. His tongue sneaked out of his mouth sweeping the ones it could reach on his face. I had no problem with heavy people but fat people who behaved worse than pigs, just no, I couldn''t. I dry heaved in disgust. In self-preservation, I decided not to look at him. Where are we? I asked with my gaze lowered on the ground. Shut up. Crumbs flew everywhere. Thank god I wasn''t too close to him. I didn''t give you permission to talk. His words were haughty and didn''t sit well with his appearance. If you don''t answer my question, at least clean your face. That wasn''t what I meant to say. When I opened my mouth, I wanted to complain about his words not embarrass the heck out of him. He turned an ugly shade of red. His bag of chips in one hand, he swept his mouth with the back of his other hand. It was useless. When he ate, crumbs went everywhere: on his shirt, on his face, on his hands, on the floor. Cleaning with something dirty, not a good idea. I watched as he got even more embarrassed when he couldn''t clean himself. I felt bad. What I said was kind of mean. However, taking my situation in account, my self-reproach took a backseat. Behind his back, the door opened. In his frenzy, he didn''t notice the old man standing behind him. Grandpa Terry! I recognized him. He wasn''t hunched back like the last time I saw him. His eyes weren''t dull either. He had a spring in his step that wasn''t present before. All in all he looked different like 10 years had been shaved of his body. Akira. He said my name without any emotion. Grandpa! Please get me out of here! I''m sorry Akira. No can do. Why? I don''t understand I didn''t do anything to deserve that. We know your kind and we''re sick of letting you destroy our lives. What? His voice was calm and showed his seriousness. However, I just didn''t understand what he meant. I didn''t do anything to destroy his life Grandpa Terry, I didn''t do anything. No, you didn''t but the others... He didn''t finish his sentence. I took a deep breath to calm myself. Grandpa Terry, please talk to me. I''m scared and confused. I don''t get what''s happening and why. Today was the first time I came here and all of this happened. My tone held some of the frustration I felt. Grandpa Terry whispered something in the fat man''s ear. They both left the room without saying anything more. I exhaled loudly. I was already sick and tired of this game. I vowed silently to never ever come back to this game when I''d be able to log out. They left me alone for almost an hour. The moon outside shone among the trees. The air was cold and fresh. A light drizzle cast a veil all over the outside world. I shivered in my cell. The clothes I wore weren''t meant for this kind of weather. A shirt, jeans and a sweatshirt couldn''t protect me from the elements. The roof leaked. Water fell one drop at a time over my head. The creak of the door pulled me out of my thoughts. Grandpa Terry was back and he brought three of his friends with him: a man just as old as him, another man in his forties and a guy slightly older than me. The cold was forgotten as I saw what they had in their hands. Earlier I wanted answers but right now, I would be ecstatic not to receive them if it meant that they would all leave. The iron bar in the youngest hand struck the cage I was in. *clank* *clank* *clank* *clank* Stop! My protests went ignored. My head throbbed with each strike. It continued for several minutes. They said nothing in all this time, they just kept on hitting the metal cage over and over. I didn''t notice when they stopped. My hands were above my ears. I stayed as far away as I could from them but being in a cage, I couldn''t go far. My face was pressed on my knees. The lack of noise finally made me raise my head. I looked at them. They had smiles on their face. I wanted to believe that they came back to their mind and that they would leave me alone but the gleam of the tools they had in their hands wasn''t reassuring. The uncertainty of what they wanted ate at me. What do you want? My voice broke. I was tired. Even though the strikes on the cage had stopped, my head was still throbbing. We want peace. Seriously? Previous/Next A.N: sorry guys! Several problems came up and I can''t guarantee Thursday releases for awhile. There will be one chapter every week, that''s for sure but when? I don''t know. Chapter 37 was last week ''s chapter that i didn''t have time to post, so 38 should come out this week. Chapter 38 Options (not edited) My mouth hung open in disbelief. My fear and tiredness went out the window. You piece of shits! You want peace? You scared me, you attacked me and you put me in a goddamned cage! You think you''re the shit. Flashnews! I''ll have your ass. When I''m out of here, I''ll have every last one of you erased from existence. And you! I raised my head to the ceiling, I know you''re watching. Who would believe that crap about the game not being monitored? You''ve already violated several StaViCon laws, when the authorities know that, they''ll eat you alive, I''ll make sure of it... Grandpa Terry and his cronies looked at me like I was crazy. He''s talking to the ceiling. One of them whispered. What do you care? Can''t you find another kid to terrorize? Well, f*ck you and your town! Akira! Grandpa Terry yelled my name. He was red in the face. Anger and vindictiveness filled his eyes. I wasn''t stupid enough to think that my outburst would change something to their plans. It actually proved that I wasn''t totally sane. However, it changed something in me. I''d had enough. Whatever I did, nothing changed, I got screwed left and right. I was too chicken-shit to commit suicide, so screw it. I proceeded to ignore the guys standing in front of my cage. I tuned out everything. They could do whatever they wanted, it was just a game. I would grit my teeth and take their crap but when I logged out, I would make them pay. I needed information and I couldn''t trust anything anyone said here. I was god-knew-where, I had no power, Jennifer was nowhere in sight and my captors made some crap about wanting peace. Did everyone take me for an idiot? As soon as I got out, heads would roll, starting with Grandfather and Stephan''s. I didn''t know where they got their psychiatrists but they needed to be gone: one turned out to be a stalker and the other was an incompetent liar who got me stuck in a crazy game. My captors didn''t appreciate that I ignored them. They stroke the cage, yelled and threatened me, I still didn''t give them any attention. In my heart, I smirked in delight. I loved pissing people of. It wasn''t socially acceptable but I was too damn tired to take everything without retaliation. In a last resort, they opened the cage. The second oldest put his tools down and dragged me out by my feet. I didn''t struggle. I bid my time. When he finally pulled me on my feet, I threw my elbow on his face. The crunch of his breaking nose gave me a joyful rush. Without missing a beat, I went to Grandpa Terry and kicked him in the balls. He doubled over in pain. I punched him in the face. The satisfying crunch on his face resounded in my ears. He crumbled on the ground like a sack of potatoes. The youngest still held that iron bar. He came at me screaming, the bar raised above his head. What an idiot! Like I was going to fight someone with a weapon. I dodged him and ran through the door. I dived into the dark forest. I couldn''t see anything at first. I just ran in front of me. I fell down on roots and rocks that littered the forest floor. I knew that I should stop to get my bearings or at the least, to accustom my eyes to the darkness of the night but the rush of adrenaline pushed me to keep going. I don''t know how long I ran. No one came after me. It was one of the perks of having newbies kidnappers, they made easy mistakes. The first one was to leave me untied even though I was in a cage. The second was to get angry because I ignored them. The third was that they didn''t follow me as soon as I left the cabin. But the biggest mistake they made was to expect everything to go their way. They made a plan and didn''t think of things in case something went wrong. I kept on running for a while. My sight got better but my attention was still behind me. I feared that my captors would find my trail. *bang* I fell down on my butt. My front smarted. Disorientated, I squinted to see what I ran into. There was nothing. I raised my hand in front of me. There was some kind of invisible wall. I got back on my feet. I felt around. The wall seemed to encompass a large area. It sealed off the town and its surroundings. It took me two hours to go around the wall. The reason why no one pursued me when I ran out of the cabin wasn''t because of their stupidity but because I couldn''t leave the area even if I wanted. They could come after me anytime they wished. I could either hide in town in one of the building or in the forest. Either choice wasn''t viable. I still had 7 hours and a half to wait before I could log out. There was plenty of time for them to find me. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The light drizzle of the rain made me shiver. My clothes were drenched. My lips were blue. I felt defeated as I had nowhere to go. The wind blew in the sleepless night. I whipped my head to the right. Dogs barked excited as they came in my direction. Determined, I ran from them. I got used to the darkness long ago. For several minutes, I dodged trees, I got scrapped by branches and for the second time of the night, I smacked head first into something. I fell on my back. Pissed, I raised my head to see what was in front of me. I made sure that I didn''t run into the invisible wall so I didn''t know what made me fall. A tree darker than the rest stood proud and tall. I didn''t think much of it but when my sight cleared I saw letters engraved in its bark. I passed my hand over them trying to get what word it was. Options. When I said the written word as I passed my hand on the letters a red window appeared in front of me.
Options Pain suppressor Yes /No Map function Yes/ No StaViCon Avatar disabled Yes/ No
A creepy smile came to my face. I knew it! Jennifer''s explanation was fake. The proof of it floated right in front of me. If the menu option was on a tree then there must be a log-out button that worked somewhere. A weight got off my chest knowing that I wasn''t really trapped. I cracked my knuckles, I moved my neck left and right. I switched all the options. I enabled the use of the StaViCon avatar. White lights flicked around me and I transformed into Everheart Dreamweaver. My black hair grew longer, my eyes turned red. A window appeared in front of me.
StaViCon avatar enabled.
I didn''t check if the other options worked. Abudabi come. I called one of my wolves. I avoided the rest for the time being as I didn''t have the strength of mind to deal with their stupidity times five. She appeared in a ray of light. Her teeth snapped at me as soon as she appeared. Foam came out of her mouth. She lost part of her fur. A twinge of pain and guilt pulled at my heart. I should have checked on them sooner. When she saw it was me, she calmed down some but insanity battled for dominance in her eyes. I cast a spell to make the ground turn to mud. When her paws dug in the ground, I solidified it, trapping Abudabi where she was. Althasia lied to me. The skill she gave me couldn''t totally heal the disease from Zombie Apocalypse but it was still my strongest healing skill and it still had an effect even though it wasn''t as strong as I wished. Supreme healing. I whispered with tears on my eyes. The insanity was pushed away but the other signs of the disease were still present. I freed her from the shackles on her paws. Ma-Master! She jumped on me and sniffled in my chest. Abudabi. How do you feel? Better. I tried to resist but it was hard. Her voice was small like she was ashamed that she had been about to attack me. I patted her head. I resisted calling the other wolves. Even though I wanted to assess their situation, I wasn''t in a position to let them roam around. I took calming breath. I needed to get my priorities straight. First, I would teach a lesson to the inhabitants of TownCity. Second, I would have a real conversation with Grandfather and Stefan. Afterwards, I would check on the Unas and finally head out to Draconian Glory to find the Holy Dragon to heal my wolves. I needed to do all of that as fast as I could.. However for the time being, I activated my float skill and rose in the sky with Abudabi. The dogs reached the place I had been. They sniffled around as they lost my scent. My face pulled in a humorless smile. It was payback time, they would regret ever pissing me off. Previous/Next Chapter 38.5 A psychiatrists work part 1 A.N: Part 2 will come later today or early tomorrow. I''m Jennifer Sterling. I''m 28 and I''m a psychiatrist. For the past ten years or so, I''ve been in love with the same man. Even so I didn''t see him since 2 years ago, my feelings didn''t disappear. When his name came up in a conversation, butterflies took flight in my stomach. He was the love of my life and I regretted never confessing. When he called out of the blue to ask me for a favor, I did a happy dance. I was so ecstatic that he thought of me to take care of his family member that I didn''t check my new patient''s file before agreeing. Akira Lu to say the least wasn''t an angel. When he was 10, his godfather''s daughter accused him of rape. Missing any direct evidence, the authorities chose to avoid prosecution but everyone was already convinced that he did it. At 13, he had been in so many fights that he was home-schooled for the next 2 years. His parents'' pretty much gave up on him. He had an attitude problem and he thought that he was better than everyone else. The attitude problem was easy to deal with but the other one was a real pain in the ass. To add to an already bad situation, he had a stalker. However, speeding in my car to get back to my home, I still couldn''t regret it. I had been at Stephan''s relatives'' place. The first session with my new patient went relatively well. He didn''t talk much but that was normal as we didn''t know each other. In a first meeting, it was better to let the patient tell you what he wanted without heavy prompting. You have to let him change the subject as he pleased. Forcing a patient to talk had to be avoided to create a feeling of trust between patient and doctor. Everything went well, I even secured a private talk with Stephan in the next few hours. Going back to my car, I saw a man leaning on it. Dr Gruber was a famous psychiatrist and Akira''s former doctor. I politely told him to let Akira alone but he refused. He kept going on about how Akira needed him. I didn''t understand why he was insisting. The core of a patient''s path to recovery was the trust with his doctor. Akira didn''t trust him so there was nothing he could do to help the kid. Even knowing that, he kept insisting. He even went so far as to insult me. I ignored his taunting when he started but I refused to be called a charlatan without saying a word. All my life I had heard my parents being called liars, con artists and charlatans. I worked extremely hard to prove that I wasn''t like them. He might be famous and respected but that didn''t mean that he had the right to say whatever he wanted about me. I laid on him a few home truths. If I was a charlatan, what was he? He had been arrested for stalking a woman. He harassed her at her house and at her job. And now he was pursuing a kid. He didn''t need to be a psychiatrist, he needed to see one. He raised his hand like he wanted to hit me. Stephan went in front of me, took his arm and dragged it behind Dr Gruber''s back. I smirked at my attacker. My prince had come to save me. In my mind, I squealed in delight. Police cars parked in front of the house. I didn''t know who called but I went to welcome them. Please help. This man tried to attack me. My friend intervened before he could but as you can see, he''s still struggling. I told them as soon as they got out of their car. Dr Gruber was howling in pain and trashing in Stephan''s grip. The policemen went to take care of the situation. Now that the danger had decrease, I noticed that the number of cars that came were too high. Why did they need so many policemen for one guy that had been neutralized? I waited patiently for them while they took everyone''s statement. I got the shock of my life when they revealed that the woman Dr Gruber stalked the year before was actually Akira''s stalker, Mrs Sarah Johansen. Does Akira need me? I asked Stephan when he came to see how I was doing. Akira''s in his room now. I gave him his StaViCon headgear. He might start to play soon. What? You were supposed to wait for me to get back home first. Yes, but he needs to get his mind away from Dr Gruber and what happened today. He smirked at me. But I need to be there with him. I said panicked. You said that the game was safe, didn''t you? Yes, of course but it''s therapy. I need to go home immediately. Call me later, okay? I rushed to my car and peeled from the driveway. I bemoaned my fate. I didn''t tell Stephan the whole truth. For the last year, I''d been working on an experimental project with other psychiatrists. The project was to see the thinking evolution of AIs when being in contact with uncontrollable factors like a human with mental problems. We created a virtual world as close as we could to the real world where the NPCs data couldn''t be modified by anyone not even us. We let them evolve on themselves. At irregular intervals, we let patients roam around town under the guise of training them to mingle among the population. They always caused trouble. We chose them exactly because of this. I didn''t tell Stephan the truth when he asked me for help. I told him that the experiment was to help patient to integrate back into society and to observe the difficulty they had among people and to find appropriate solutions. I felt bad for lying but I needed to keep my job. I pleaded with my boss and got Akira accepted under the assumption that he wouldn''t have the same treatment as the other patients. We would work wholeheartedly on his recovery. My luck was astounding because if my boss had disagreed, I wouldn''t have been able to work on his therapy. I worked on the experiment 16 hours a day. If he didn''t get in,I wouldn''t be able to take his case. I parked in front of my house and rushed inside. I headed for my bedroom and logged in TownCity. Akira was already there and had already made contact with one of the residents. Grandpa Terry was one of the more virulent against the newcomers but with Akira, he was all nice and concerned. I was a little worried about his behavior. Akira! I called him. Akira! You should have waited for me before coming here. Why? He had a puzzled look on his face. I''m your doctor, I have to help you adapt here. As his doctor, I had to guide him here. For the experiment, we couldn''t let the patients free-fall in this game. We had to provide some counter elements that would push them in different directions. For Akira, I planned a more wholesome path compared to the others. I wanted him to get better not worse. So, I wanted him to become friends with the townspeople. As opposed to the other patients who were left to live their darkest dreams. Adapt? What do I need to adapt to? There''s nothing here. He said with disdain dripping through his voice. He didn''t seem to see the look of fury in Grandpa Terry''s eyes. Before being put in motion, my plan was having a slow agonizing death. TownCity is a place where we can assess and improve your interactions to the general population. It was the same thing that I told Stephan. It wasn''t the complete truth but I couldn''t tell him that. I never had trouble with anyone in the ''general population'' as you put it. Affronted, his tone was harsh. Next to him, Grandpa Terry''s face crunched in disgust. Akira. I called his name in impatience. He acted like I didn''t know his file. It was true that I didn''t read it before accepting him as a patient but it didn''t mean that I didn''t do it afterwards. I actually read it several times, memorizing any information about him. I knew his life even better than he did. There was only one conclusion that I reached: the kid was a brat. When he didn''t get what he wanted he got erratic and behaved without thinking. It was a simplistic prognosis unworthy of a psychiatrist but it was true. And his behavior was proving it once again. No. I have a place to stay and I''m going to apply for a job at the diner. So, see ya. I didn''t pursue them as they left. I knew that it would be useless. Stephan had warned me about Akira''s temper and I didn''t want to trigger him. The more cornered he was, the more unstable he behaved. I went to the house the team I work with lived in. There was 3 guys present who sat in front of a wall filled with screens. You let your patient came here on his own. Igor, the leader of the group said without turning to me. I''m sorry but that wouldn''t have happened with sufficient control at the start of the game. I took my seat next to them. You know that we used most of the funds on the NPCs. We didn''t develop an overseeing AI. The system in TownCity had been dumb down to the extreme. The only AIs were the NPCs everything else was either automatic like the weather and the entrance to the town or manual like the option interface and the log out. Truth be told the status window and the skill list were just decoy. We didn''t have enough money to implement it. The options as we called them only concerned the pain sensors, the log out, the use of the StaVicon avatar and the map. Otherwise there weren''t any settings that could be modified. We took some liberties with the StaViCon laws. They stated that the log out option must be present and available at any and every time for the users. The log out button was in a public place that was easy of access so technically we were in accordance with the law. But in reality, patients didn''t know that it was there and they thought that their status window was real. The log out button was on a tile outside the diner. When a patient wanted to leave, one of us that worked there would press the log out button and select the name of the patient. As for the other options, they were on a tree in the middle of the forest. I had been there once but for the life of me, I wouldn''t be able to find my way back to it. I hope that kid is worth it. The team leader''s words pulled me out of my thoughts. Yes, you saw his file. He''s perfect and we have his guardian''s permission. I just hope nothing bad happen. He''s a minor and we didn''t disclose the whole truth to his guardians. It was too late to think about that now and technically, we didn''t have to tell them about the exact nature of the experiment. You''re just a worrywart. Everything''s gonna be okay. I reassured him but the words were also to reassure myself. No one will know the truth. We''ll heal Akira and everyone will be happy. So how is he doing? Fine. He went to the diner and met most of the town''s inhabitants. He''s nice and polite. If I didn''t read his file, I would never guess that he was trouble. One of the guys in front of the monitor told me. Yeah, his facade is good. I watched on the monitor as Akira went back to Grandpa Terry''s house. The town was tiny so under half an hour, he was able to eat, meet most of the town and go back to the house. Oh! He''s going back out. What is he doing? Don''t know but look, he just got arrested by the police. Ah! They''re bringing him back to Grandpa Terry''s house. Oh oh! Grandpa Terry''s out of his house, let''s hear what he says. I gave him the stinky eye as he sounded way too happy about the sudden development.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Arthur, what are you doing in front of my house? Grandpa Terry asked while coming at the window of the police car. He wore an ugly yellow pajamas. I just brought back the kid here. He was loitering in town. Don''t know what he''s planning, but keep a better eye on him. The policeman''s tone was dark and threatening. Terry heaved a deep sigh. He ''s no different from the rest. They always tried to cause trouble when no one is looking. So what do we do? We follow the plan we made for this kind of situation. They nodded at each other and left.
What plan? Did I miss anything? I asked the guys. They want to capture one of the patients. What aren''t you telling me? You wouldn''t have this expression if it was just capture. They also want revenge. Most of the patients we allowed here weren''t angels. They were the scums of society: murderers, psychopaths, rapists, sociopaths. We had a large range of criminals at our disposal for this experiment. So it wasn''t hard to guess what they did when they came here. In a normal case, Akira wouldn''t have been allowed in the game as he wasn''t evil enough but after much pleading and some fast talking, I was able to convince the people in charge to let him in. I didn''t do all of that for the pleasure to save him but to see Stephan again. Letting Akira bear the brunt of the townspeople''s revenge would piss him off and kill any chance I ever had to go out with him. And I wasn''t even talking about my conscience that was killing me because I betrayed my patient''s trust. We have to save him. His family will be pissed if something happens. Don''t worry about it. We can pass it as therapy. Franz, one of my other colleagues said. But- Do your job and stop arguing. We didn''t plan it but we have a great opportunity developing right in front of us, we can''t let it pass because of your second-guessing. I didn''t voice any more of my doubts. To begin with, it was my fault for getting him in this program. I wasn''t the one who could decide what happened to him here. I was just part of the team not the leader. I had thought that we still had time before the townspeople blew up in anger and everyone had agreed before to let Akira rehabilitate himself and befriend the NPCs. It wasn''t an excuse though, I should have known that there was still a chance he could get caught in the crossfire. But I wanted to keep my job and to please Stephan. I made a mistake and Akira would pay for it. Jennifer! Go to him, the townspeople are going to attack. I watched on the screen as men surrounding the little house Akira was in. Make sure he escapes. I want to see how the AIs will react. Okay. I sighed. How am I suppose to go through the Npcs surrounding the house? In this VR, we could use the StaViCon avatar but we chose to keep it for the truly desperate situation. Take the car. I obeyed. The drive was short. In less than a minute, I came in sight of the house. I thought a little about what I should do. I was still a little regretful about taking Akira in this mess. But as I thought before, it was already too late. Stephan would hate me because I lied. I didn''t need to become jobless too. I pressed my foot on the accelerator and turned the wheel toward Grandpa Terry''s house and crashed in it. I blew the horn so as to not run over the men surrounding the house. The seat belt dug into my chest at the impact. When the cacophony of sound and destruction slowed down, Akira was standing in front of the car. For a minute I didn''t move. I nearly ran over Stephan''s cousin. The townspeople didn''t need to harm him, I nearly did it myself. I got out of the car. Akira! He didn''t respond as he shook in fright. Akira! I tried to take him in my arms but he flinched away. Akira, we can''t stay here. He still didn''t react to my words. Jen, get out! The townspeople are coming. One of my coworkers'' voice sounded in my ear. Each one of us had an earpiece that let us communicate with each other. I dragged Akira out of the house. He was still shell-shocked. On the street, a police car patrolled the neighborhood in search for us. We hid as good as we could but that wouldn''t last as more and more people came onto the streets. Go to the abandoned shop and hide there. I silently nodded to my coworkers'' order and pulled Akira with me into the shop. We hid behind the counter when Akira asked in a whisper. What the hell is going on ? I don''t know. The NPCs are out of control. They suddenly attacked me. I lied. Is that the only thing you have to say ? I want answers, now ! What''s this game? Why can''t I log out ? Why are they attacking us ? Jen, make something up. Don''t tell him the truth. I spaced out a little with the voice in my earpiece. The game is an integral part of your therapy. It replaces the more common one on one session in my office. Is it normal that people want to kill us ? No ! The game was supposed to mimick a small town. It was supposed to be safe. You just had to live here, talk to people, work. Normal things. They aren''t supposed to attack us. Well, that was the plan I had for Akira when he logged in. I couldn''t have thought at the time that things would go so wrong so fast. Why can''t I log out ? he asked impatient. Of course, he couldn''t log out. The experiment would never advance if the test subjects left whenever something didn''t go their way but I didn''t tell him that. As I said it replaces a session so... for the duration of a session no one can leave. A session lasts 12 freaking hours ? His disbelief was evident but I didn''t let it change my course of action. "2 hours real time so yes, 12 hours in game. I arranged my face in a sorry expression but deep down, I started to feel exhasperated. I already felt like shit for getting him in this mess. He didn''t need to rub my nose in it even though it wasn''t his fault that he didn''t know anything. Isn''t there an emergency setting so that we could get out ? Like I was going to tell him. No, we can''t contact anyone either until the session is finished. It''s a joke, right ? Maybe we can talk to them. At worst we''ll die and then we could log out. Don''t let him talk to them, yet ! I flinched as the leader of the team screamed in my ear. Akira, though, took my flinch as meaning something else as he couldn''t hear what my colleagues said. What aren''t you telling me ? I thought for barely a second before deciding to tell him a few truths mingled with a threat that would prevent him from seeking them out. If we die, we''ll respawn in the bus that led to the city until the session is finished. The pain settings are set on normal. We can feel the same level of pain as in real life. What we have to fear here isn''t death. They wouldn''t do that, would they ? We didn''t do anything to them. Why are they even attacking us ? It makes no sense. I felt a pang in my heart at the scared look on his face. I shook my head to dispel that bout of conscience that threatened to destroy my work life. Nothing makes sense. They shouldn''t behave like that. The game is designed so that it''ll be easy for patients. The NPCs are kind, peaceful and understanding. I don''t know what''s going on. I lied through my teeth letting fear bled through my voice. When I went to the house we were supposed to stay at, a group of people waited for me. They attacked me but I was able to run away. You went too far. I knew, the leader of the team didn''t need to say it. I refused to meet Akira''s eyes. Is it all part of the therapy ? What ? I raised my eyes to look at him. Is the town turning against us part of my therapy ? Of course not- Inside my head, I panicked. The worse possible scenario was started to play out. Akira doubted me. So what aren''t you telling me ? Nothing. I''m not hiding anything. I answered way too fast. Jen ! I feared my ears would bleed out with how much screaming my colleagues were doing. The NPCs were independent AIs. Simply put, they were programmed once when the game was launched and then, they''re left to grow by themselves. They aren''t monitored. I lied again hoping that it looked true. I don''t understand why it''s bad ? If the NPC aren''t monitored, it meant that the game isn''t monitored. The StaViCon laws can be broken over and over and no one will notice. I winced at my stupidity. It was an even bigger lie than before. We took a lot of liberties with theinterpretation of the law but we didn''t really broke any. If one of them was broken here, the authorities would know. It was a compulsory built-in features of the headgear. The sole problem with TownCity was that with no overseeing AI, the reaction time of the authorities was delayed. Indeed, every 4 hours the security built in the headgear checked your gameplay and if there was anything against the StaViCon laws, a rapport would be sent to the authorities. This security feature was really useful most of the time as each overseeing AI of each game reported immediately to the authorities in case of a breach. Flashlights illuminated the shop, stopping Akira''s questioning in its tracks. I peeked over the counter to see who it was. Two men peered into the shop. When they opened the door, I went back to hide. My coworkers went on arguing in my ear. Don''t let them get Akira. One said. It''s too late. They''re already in the shop. They can''t flee. Another one added. You should try nonetheless. The last one joined in. No, no. It''s too soon. We could gather much more data if we wait. They can''t wait. They''ve already been discovered. Not yet. They still have a chance to get out of here. The tone of their voice rose as I lost track of who was talking. Akira shook me. Wha- He put his hand over my mouth muffling my surprise shout. With an exaperated scowl, he made a sign for me to follow him through the door that led to the back of the shop. The men notice our move and went after us. They broke down the door that we closed. Two angry men who looked like they wanted to kill us came through the door. Akira cowered behind me. I don''t know what you want with us but we don''t have anything. Leave. I pretended that I didn''t know why they were after us. The two men gave us a brilliant smile before they lunged. I already felt bad for Akira but getting him beaten up was going too far. I stood my ground and fought the two men for all I was worth. I bit, I scratched, I punched, I kicked. I prevented them from reaching Akira for as long as I could. I hoped that the kid would take the chance and flee but a kick to my head brought me to unconsciousness and I lost track of what happened. Previous/ Next Chapter 38.5 A psychiatrists work part 2 A.N: Hi! Thx for reading. Change of plans: there will be a 38.5 part 3. I will post it with chapter 39 next week. These 2 chapters will mark the end of the TownCity arc. One will show how it ends in Jennifer point''s of view and the other in Akira''s point of view and explain all he did since chapter 38. See you next week. The throbbing of my head matched the rhythm of my heart. The coldness of the hard floor seeped in my body. The dust tickling my nose woke me up with a start. I sat up disorientated. My sight was blurry, when it cleared I still couldn''t see anything. I was in a dark room. An inspection of my surroundings showed that I was alone and that there weren''t any doors nor windows. What am I supposed to do now? I asked out loud. No answer came. I patted my ear. My earpiece was gone. I paled. My coworkers couldn''t contact me and Akira was nowhere in sight. Hey ho! My voice echoed in the room but still no one answered me. I took deep breaths to soothe the fear that bubbled in my chest. If I came in, there must be a way out. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness but there was still no way out that I could see. I didn''t know how long I stayed unconscious. I waited a good 2 hours before deciding to get out. I knew that it was against the rules to use the equipment or skills gained from other games but I equipped a laser gun and aimed at a wall. One shot. Two shots. Three shots. The wall crumbled. Before going out, I put on the form-fitting silver suit all fighters wore in the game Star Explorers. If any of the townspeople saw me, they would have a heart attack. Standing at the side of the gas station, I had a good view of the town. Or more precisely what was left of it. The forest was on fire. Buildings were destroyed. People ran down the streets screaming as if they were getting murdered. Gun shots sounded. Some of the men shot down their friends and family members. I stared in shock at this scene of chaos. I went inside the town. A bullet zipped by my face. I activated the energy shield that was on my right arm. I debated stopping the shooters but assessing the situation was of utmost importance. With a thought, blast of air shot out of my boots, my feet got off the ground. I glided to the house where my coworkers were at. When I arrived, the house was a pile of rubble. Igor! Franz! Felix! I called their name but no one responded. A huge explosion sounded at the west side of the town. I fell on my back as the blast reached me. Another one near the gas station where I had been before made me feel fright. If I still had been there, I would have died a horrible death. That was if I did die. Because there could be a chance to get injured without dying. The thought of the pain I could have felt was crippling. I didn''t know what was going on but I had to go all out. My name is Bunnyblue.
Bunnyblue activated. Power output stabilized 10%... 30%... 60%... 80%... 100%... All system online.
A blue light emanated from my belt. A man-size mobile suit enveloped my body. It looked like a man-size gundam. It enveloped me from head to toe.The suit was mainly blue except for the bunny ears, the feet and the hands that were white. The eyes of the suit were yellow. It gave off the feeling of a naughty mechanical bunny ready to rip your head off. The excitement I first felt when I won the suit in a dungeon in Star explorers was still present. Star Explorers was a game developed by Gravity corp. One of the top gaming company in the world with Heretia who developed Old Ages Online and Ages of the Gods. The name Star Explorers was pretty self-explanatory about what the game was about: you can explore the stars. At first, I didn''t like the game. I played it because I heard Stephan did. But soon enough, I fell in love with It. The advance in technology, the history of the different planets, the excitement of battles when you''re attacked by space pirates, the lack of gravity that gave you the feeling of freedom. God, I missed that game. But since I started working on this experiment, I had no time for it. So now that I was having a chance to use the equipment I played with in my favorite game, I was feeling ecstatic. I didn''t feel as vulnerable as before. My courage even made an appearance.
16 video bots deployed.
With a thought, miniature fireflies came out of my greaves. They allowed me to see what was going on without being on the front-lines. Their range was low as they could only be at 600 meters away from me but they could see a fly taking a shit 2 miles away. I divided them into 4 groups of 4. The first group went where the explosions originated, the second went to the south, the other to the north and the last one I sent them in the sky to get a bird-view of the situation. There was no sign of Akira and Felix but what I saw confirmed my suspicions. 2 of my co-workers had gone berserk and were using their StaViCon avatar to fight. However, who they were fighting was a mystery. The townspeople had fled away from them. Igor who was the leader of the team was a magician. He cast spell all around him like he was preventing someone from coming closer but there was no one. Franz who was a sword man was swinging his sword with no opponents in sight. He doubled over like he received a belly strike but I didn''t see anything. Bots. Thermal vision. If an invisible opponent was fighting them I would be able to see who it was with thermal vision as it allowed me to see the difference in temperatures.
Thermal vision activated.
There was nothing. Well, there was a high fluctuation of temperature around them but that was because of Igor''s spells. What I meant was that there weren''t anyone near them. They were fighting air. I rushed on the scene. The fire cast a red glow on the destruction my colleagues brought to the town. Smoke filled my sight. The closer I got, the better I could hear them. I''ll kill you! Kill! Kill!!! Franz had a crazed look on his face. Igor wasn''t any better. He cast spell all over the place. Some hit Franz but the latter didn''t seem to notice as he was too caught up in fighting his non-existent adversary. Others came close to me but I easily dodged them because they weren''t meant for me. Igor! Franz! I called them but they didn''t answer. It was like they didn''t hear me. Suddenly, they both stared at me. They expressions were grim as they tightened their grip on their weapon. Mad dash. Franz, the swordman rushed at me with a speed I couldn''t avoid. His shoulder connected with my solar plexus. Even with a mechanical suit protecting me, the hit made me fly to the closest building or what remained of it. I smashed into a half destroyed wall. The pain that I should have felt normally was nowhere to be found. The armor did his job in protecting me. As soon as I got up, however, a fireball hit me.
Defense down to 70%.
I grit my teeth as the message appeared on the screen of my visor. From their 2 attacks, I lost 30% of my armor defense. I didn''t know why they were attacking me but I couldn''t stay without doing anything.
32 Laser bots deployed.
Miniature fireflies came from my arm guards. They flew in formations of 8. Half went to Franz while the rest went to Igor. With a thought, laser beams shot at the swordman and the magician. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Warrior''s might! The swordman countered the first one with a slash but the rest hit him on the chest and the legs. He fell on the ground moaning in pain. Mana shield. The beams aimed at the magician crashed into an invisible wall. Ice spikes!
Attack incoming!!
My reaction time was immediate. I dodged to the left. A 2 meter-high ice spike came out of the ground where I had been. I dodged to the right as another one came at my feet.
Bots 12 bots destroyed.
For several minutes, I danced left from and right avoiding the attacks he threw at me. I regretted that the suit didn''t have an automatic attack feature like some suits I heard about. I wasn''t good at multi-tasking. While avoiding, I couldn''t focus enough to pull a solid attack or to control the bots out of Igor''s range. Igor didn''t have the same problem I had as he could attacked me and the bots at the same time. When the spells slowed down, I assumed that his mana was low. I took the chance to engage Igor in close range combat. I had never seen him fight before, but I hoped that he was like most magicians: useless at close combat. But I was wrong. As soon as I got in range, he swatted me away with his staff. Off guard, I didn''t react in time and got blasted back. I jumped back on my feet and rushed at him again. I didn''t pay attention to how much damage I received. We exchanged several blows but I didn''t have the advantage. I put distance between us. I thought of the 20 remaining laser bots and I aimed in his direction. The 20 beams fused into one strong shot that pulverized his mana shield. Covered with black soot and a haggard expression, Igor dropped his staff. Ahhhhhhhh! He screamed as put his hands on his ears. His scream was filled with so much pain and sadness that tears streamed down my cheeks. Igor! I screamed his name hoping to bring him back to his senses. Ahhh! He kept on screaming. Out of the blue, he stopped. Relieved, I was about to go to him when he got on his knees with his head on the ground. He raised his face to the sky and with force, smashed his forehead on the concrete. I stared in shock, immobile. It was the first time I saw something like that. What happened to him? Franz for his part dug into his wounds with his fingers. He had a relieved smile on his face like the pain he felt was his savior. Franz! I felt sick as he pulled his intestines out of his belly. Bile rose in my throat. I deactivated my mobile suit. I grumbled on the side, throwing up everything that had been in my belly. Even that wasn''t enough, I dry-heaved for several seconds when shots rang. *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* I turned my head to my 2 colleagues. They laid on the ground, two bullets holes in their heads. Tears streamed down my cheeks like rivers in a desert. The smoke stung my puffy eyes. I hiccuped. I didn''t know if I could bear this situation. Fighting didn''t scare me too much but the unknown of the situation was what I feared the most. *Ka-chak* I felt the muzzle of a rifle at the base of my neck. Don''t move. A man with a cold voice said behind my back. Did I have the time to reactivate my mobile suit before he could blow my brains? Stop! She can help! I recognized Felix''s voice. The rifle was lowered. I breathed a sigh of relief as my life was removed from immediate danger. Come, we can''t stay here. Felix helped me to get up and dragged me with him as he ran through the deserted and destroyed streets. His companion who had leveled the rifle at my neck was Arthur, one of the town''s policemen. It didn''t take long for me to guess where they wanted to take me. Wait! We have to find Akira. We can''t! He''s the one responsible for everything. I was shocked at what he said. Akira did all that? How? He wasn''t a saint but alone, he couldn''t do more damages than all the other patients combined, right? He was just a kid, Stephan''s little cousin who we had to save, right? That couldn''t be happening. Suddenly, an immense pressure pushed us to the ground. Looky, looky here what the tide had brought us in. Isn''t this my supervisor or isn''t this the freaking lying pathetic bitch who brought me in that world to get tortured? At the beginning, the voice was cheerful but gradually, the voice got darker and cold. A..Akira. My voice trembled. I knew that he had all the reason in the world to be angry with me. I betrayed his trust. I was his doctor, I was supposed to help him get better but from what happened in town, I made him worse. I failed him. I cast my eyes down in shame. All of this happened because of me. Was my job worth what I did to him? No. The answer resounding loud in my mind. I''m sorry. I sobbed pitifully. You''re sorry? Do you seriously think that I will buy that. All you ever did was lie. Your words had no worth. Each word he said stabbed at my heart. Since I was a child I always dreamed to be a doctor. At first I tried medicine but I was bad at it, then I went on to psychiatry thinking that if I couldn''t heal the body maybe I could heal the mind of people. I wasn''t any better than in medicine but I still could fake my way through the courses and exams. I wasn''t the best but I wasn''t the worse either. I thought about giving up so many times. I felt useless. My thoughts were on a dark path but in the end, I didn''t give up. Stephan helped me see that I would hate myself if I gave up before giving my all. The support he gave me at that time helped me rise from my worthless self. After graduation, I lost contact with Stephan but I thought that as long as I stayed in town and worked diligently, we could see each other again. What I didn''t count on was the difficulty I had to establish myself as a psychiatrist. I barely had any clients. The ones I had were recommended by prison authorities and I couldn''t charge them a lot of money because one, they didn''t have it, and two, I was a newbie. Crippled with debts I amassed during my college years, I felt grateful when I was proposed a job in a research program. I didn''t really understand the goal of the experiment or why they chose me but I didn''t care. I could pay my rent, buy food and start repaying my debts. When Stephan called, I finally thought that I made it. I had a well-paid job and with him back, my personal life would get better. How could I have imagined that everything would be destroyed by my incompetence? Feet came into my sight as I still knelt with eyes cast downwards. Aren''t you going to look at me? You''re supposed to be my supervisor, aren''t you? Well, supervise me. I''m sorry. They were the only words that could get out of my mouth. I''m sorry. Were you sorry when I was afraid out of my mind because of your lies? He gripped my jaws tightly. Were you sorry when they put me in a goddamned cage like a mindless animal? No! You were to busy congratulating yourself about a good job done, weren''t you? His fingers dug into my skin. The sound of my breaking bones couldn''t pull me away from his gaze. I did that. I filled his eyes with sadness, pain and betrayal. I remembered the cocky boy whose eyes held loneliness and fear. The boy who gave himself a strong facade by being contrary. The boy who trusted me and whom I betrayed. I killed him, I killed him. A cry of despair came out of my throat but only gurgles could get out as my jaw was broken. I couldn''t breathe. I panted, my body fell to the ground as I laid at the feet of the boy I wronged. My body twitched for the last time as I vowed to right the wrong I had done. Previous/ Next Chapter 38.5 A psychiatrists work part 3 (Not edited) I woke up in the bus that led to TownCity. Phantoms pains racked my body. I could still taste the blood in my mouth even though all my injuries had disappeared. I didn''t lie to Akira when I said that dying wouldn''t log you out of the game. The only way out was the button on the side of the diner. I slumped on my seat as I watched Franz and Igor. They didn''t seem to notice that their surroundings had changed. Igor screamed and banged his head on the seat in front of him. Franz scratched himself to a bloody mess. The only one who was oblivious to the desperate situation was the driver whistling with the radio. All of us wore casual clothes. When one died in TownCity, he respawned into the bus and his avatar was reset to what it was at the first connection. Simply put, none of us could use the StaViCon avatar again until we enabled it on the option tree. This simple fact fed all the fears that I didn''t dare to voice. How could I help Akira when I couldn''t stop him from harming me ? The only sliver of chance I found was to log out. But to do this, I had to click on a button that was hidden on a tile outside the diner when an out-of-control teen was wrecking havoc and wanted me dead. Last stop TownCity. Last stop Town City. The speaker inside the bus announced over the engine noise and the radio. The bus stopped in front of the destroyed gas station. The driver didn''t say anything. He waited patiently for us to get off. It might have something to do with what was happening in town because usually he would have urged us to leave. Smoke rose darkening the raising sun. Standing on the sidewalk in front of what was left of the gas station, the town felt desolate and deserted. No sound came from it. Nothing moved. The saddened peace invaded my mind. A pang of guilt and sadness pierced my heart. I looked back to see that Franz and Igor hadn''t moved from their seats in the bus. I shook my head in resignation and made my way to the town. I had to find the log out button and let everyone leave this world. My resolve was firm but it didn''t get me far. A large part of the diner had crumbled. I stood in front of the rubble, eyes wide. I trembled, my feet couldn''t hold me anymore. The place where the button should be... had been destroyed. Tears streamed down my face again. Disbelief and fear dominated my mind. I crawled to the fallen building. With shaking hands, I pulled out one tile after the other. Some were broken, others intact but the one I was looking for wasn''t in sight. What should I do? It''s not here. This litany in my mind made me numb to pain. Scratches appeared on my fingers. Blood made them slippery. Panic was more and more present as I searched frantically. So it was actually true. I closed my eyes and shivered as the cold voice froze my surroundings. Akira, y-you have to stop. My voice quivered as I tried to reasoned with him. Stop? Are you really telling me to stop? Ah... Fuck it. I felt my body levitate from the ground. I struggled fruitlessly. Akira, stop! Please. I begged but it was useless. My pleads fell on deaf ears as my body slammed down on the ground. I''m curious. His calm voice contrasted with his actions and made me feel even more fear. Why me? I''ve never done anything to you nor did I met you before today. His question didn''t receive an answer because I didn''t have it. The reasons for my actions were selfish and self-serving. Saying it out loud would only made him angrier. I rose again in the air to once again slammed down on the ground. I''m sorry. I repeated it for as long as I could. I spitted blood. My bones broke. Tears dried under the pain I felt. A sliver of rebelliousness came to my mind. Wasn''t he going too far? What I did didn''t deserve that much hurt, did it? As fast as it came, it disappeared in a wave of guilt. I-I''m s-sorry. I felt life seeping out of my body. Supreme healing. My injuries healed, my mind cleared and my dance through the air as I repeatedly smashed on the ground started all over again. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Minutes or hours passed when he suddenly stopped. He took out a sword. He slashed at every bit of skin he could see. The cuts weren''t deep but their large numbers and the blood that I lost made me dizzy. "Aw! We can''t let bleed out, can we?" He threw several ball of fire at me. They weren''t strong enough to kill me but I was burned badly wherever they landed. The pain was excrutiating and the water he threw at me made it even more acute. I couldn''t talk anymore. I was a whimpering bloody mess on the floor. I couldn''t even keep track of what he was doing. Only his calm voice and the pain registered in my mind.
Emergency log-out. StaViCon laws have been broken. Authorities have been informed.
Finally. His dark voice muttered. The scenery disappeared around me and I woke up back in my house. Two men surrounded me. Wha- I cried the words I wanted to say didn''t come out. Don''t panic. We''re paramedics. Do you know your name? I didn''t quite understand what happened. I was drenched in sweat, my heart pounded in my ears. I was back to reality, I was out of TownCity but the fear didn''t leave. I felt like Akira was waiting in every shadow to make me pay once again for what I did. My respiration shortened. I didn''t get enough air in my body. Darkness pulled at me and drowned me. The next time I awoke, I was in a hospital room. Stephan leaned against the wall in front of me. Stephan! I shivered as his icy gaze raked over my body. With slow steps, he came near my bed. His left hand extended, he grabbed my throat and tightened. I couldn''t breathe. I struggled. Tears came to my eyes. My chest burned. I scratched his hand but his grip was strong. I trusted you. His words were like a slash at my heart. I-I''m sorry. Darkness crawled at the corner of my sight. He let up before I passed out. I took deep breaths. I sobbed. Fright and guilt battled to dominate me. A slap to the face brought me back to my senses. I stared in shock. Don''t freak out just yet. He patted my cheek like I was a kid. I have a choice for you. For whatever reasons Akira likes you and doesn''t want you to end up in jail. So you are going to play games with Akira AND if anything and I mean anything happens to him again, I''ll skin you alive. I sobbed loudly as he left the room. My thoughts were in chaos. My life had changed but I didn''t know of the worse had passed or if it had yet to come. **** I couldn''t sleep. Each time I closed my eyes, he was here, blaming me, hurting me. I ran, I begged and I cried but it didn''t change anything. He was still there, I couldn''t get away from him. My sobs filled the hospital room where I stayed. I refused to see anyone. After Stephan left, it was like something broke in me. The shame and the fear were too much. The doctor and nurses rushed inside the room. They tried to pulled me out of shock but it didn''t work. I heard them say that my mind had shut down. I wanted to scream that it was false but the words didn''t get out. I just closed my eyes hoping that sleep would free me. It didn''t. Their words echoed in my head. Physically, nothing is wrong with the patient. Her mind has shut down to protect itself. It wasn''t true. I was here, I could hear them but why couldn''t I say it. I wanted to scream but my body didn''t listen to me. I tried to calm down. I was a psychiatrist, I could understand what was happening to me if I thought about it but I couldn''t. Every time a noise sounded around me, my thought went to Akira and Stephan. I feared them. They were like monsters wanting to eat me. "If she doesn''t respond by tomorrow she would have to be admitted." No! I coudn''t go to a mental hospital. No please. Listen to me. No one answered my pleas as no one could hear me. Chapter 39 What I want I might have gone too far. Pff...Ha ha ha ha. Joking. I stood with a silly smile on my face as Jennifer''s body disappeared. It had been weeks since I felt that good. I was still screwed as I didn''t know how to get out this game but the peace I felt as I finally vent out my frustration and anger was welcome. To top it off, there was no one to tell me what I should do. It was paradise. After Jennifer died, only Felix and that NPC guy were left with me. Earlier, when I flew away from the forest, I activated the map function of the game. The map was just that, a map of the town with the name of the owners of every building. It wasn''t interactive like I hoped nor did it showed where the other options where. It was just an all boring map and guess who had a house in town? Yep, Jennifer. When I went to check it out, you wouldn''t imagine how surprised I got when I heard a conversation between her dear colleagues. What happened after that was rather typical for me. I got angry, I threatened, I got answers, the answers pissed me off, I made them pay and I went overboard. Pfft. It happened so many times that it wasn''t even funny. So guys, what should I do with you? My voice was calm as the anger I felt disappeared with Jennifer. Next to me, Abudabi growled wanting to get some actions. Earlier, I didn''t let her fight as I spammed God rules and temptation devourer all over town. God rules created illusions. It was the avanced form of Twisted temptation which had received my godly powers. Temptation devourer helped me gained stats. I wanted to make sure that no one would be able to stand in my way. I did a mix of horror movies with the townspeople''s face. Some became zombies, others were seen killing their family and friends with a chainsaw, I even got a policeman going all Dexter on people who broke the law. All were illusions but the people''s reactions weren''t. They started killing each other left and right. I didn''t plan for that as I just wanted to frighten them but as the saying went: beggars can''t be choosers. So... As I focused my attention on him, Felix fell down on the ground begging. Don''t worry, I won''t hurt you...much. They ran screaming. Should I pursue? No, it was better to let them drown in fear expecting me to rush behind them. The wait was going to be torture enough. Abudabi threw me a begging look. She wanted to pursue but I shook my head, refusing her demand. Now that my head was clearer, I noticed that the symptoms from the zombie disease hadn''t flared up again. I stroked my imaginary beard in thought. When I tried Supreme healing on the zombies in Zombie Apocalypse, nothing happened. The skill didn''t work. There wasn''t even a second of improvement but now, Abudabi had been fine for hours? Was she healed? I stared at her trying to find an answer to the question plaguing my mind. She fidgeted under my silent gaze. A smile crept on my face, there was only one solution that I could think of: Abudabi was healed. I did it! I jumped in joy, Abudabi yapping around me. Hakubi, Madarao, Amidamaru, Hashimaru come! Little ball of lights appeared and flew together to create a bigger light that blinded me. When it disappeared, 4 wolves stood in front of me. They growled at me. They didn''t seem to recognize that I was their master. I remembered how Abudabi had been the same when she first appeared in TownCity. Supreme Healing! Supreme Healing! Supreme healing! I spammed Supreme healing on the wolves before they launched an attack against me. The effects didn''t wait to show themselves. The 4 wolves came to their senses. The foam that dripped from their mouth disappeared. Their crazed expressions calmed down. As I checked their health, there was really no traces of the disease left. For the second time that day, I jumped in happiness. All my pets were healed! I hugged them and cried in their fur. A heavy weight that had been on my chest got off. I didn''t know why it worked here when it didn''t work in Zombie Apocalypse but I was ecstatic! Master, can we go play in the forest? Amidamaru asked me. This damn wolf had no sensivity. It was a great moment in his life but he only thought of playing. Yeah, yeah. I shook my head, giving up on saying what was on my mind. Scolding him for his lack of sensitivity was useless. My pets weren''t the sharpest tool in the box. Left alone, I got to think of the biggest problem I had now: How do I get out of this game? My mood was excellent and the brilliant idea that I thought of made it even better. It wasn''t the most decent and it wouldn''t be well-received when I came out of here but I had no choice, after all I was crazy and I wasn''t responsible for my actions. Please, note the sarcasm. I wandered around town waiting to see if Jennifer and the 2 idiots she worked with showed up again. At best I could commit suicide and at worst, I would put my idea into action. Either way, I would get out of here, the sooner the better. A while later, I spotted Jennifer bent over the rubble of the diner. So it was actually true. I half hoped that the fact that dying wouldn''t log you out was false. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Akira, you have to stop. Stop? Are you really telling me to stop? Ah... Fuck it. I didn''t want to get angry again. I levitated her body from the ground. I smiled as she struggled uselessly Akira, stop! Please. she begged. Her pleads got on my nerves and I slammed her body down on the ground. I''m curious. Why me? I''ve never done anything to you nor did I met you before today. That was one of the questions that plagued me. Did I have ''doormat and idiot'' written on my face? She didn''t answer, she just cried some more and begged. I-I''m s-sorry. I slammed her body over and over on the ground. I''m sorry. She repeated as blood came out of her mouth. Supreme healing. I didn''t want her to die, that was the plan I came up with. I kept on slamming her body on the the ground and healing her. When that didn''t work. I cut her body using my Katana, then I threw fireballs at her; then just plain water. I was already sick and tired of this when the window I hoped for appeared in front of me.
Emergency log-out. StaViCon laws have been broken. Authorities have been informed.
Finally. The scenery disappeared around me and I woke up back in Lu Huang Fu''s house. A lot of people surrounded me. I swatted their hands away. You''re in deep shit! I screamed at Stephan who stood behind the two people that were clearly a doctor and a nurse. I even saw the lawyer in the room. Aki- I got stuck in that fucking game. I couldn''t leave and don''t forget that it was a fucking experiment to see how NPCs evolved with insane people around. I. AM. NOT. INSANE. They fucking put me in a cage like a dog! Do you know how scared I was when my fucking psychiatrist lied every time she opened her mouth? If they didn''t understand that I was pissed, they would never get it. Akira what are you saying? The lawyer asked. What part didn''t you understand? The trap? The cage or the lies? My tone was harsh but I didn''t care. I was fed up with people taking me for a doormat. Akir- Don''t fucking Akira me! I shouted. the first psychiatrist you found me was a psycho and the second a pathological liar who trapped me inside a game, do you have any idea what I had to do to get out? Tears fell on my cheek. In my heart, I gave myself a high five. First step in the manipulation process accomplished. You could say a lot of things about me: I was rash, easy to anger, I was a brat, I complained a lot, I didn''t think often but when I DID think, I was great at it. And what I needed more than anything right now was dodging the torture accusation pending on my head. First step, threw the blame to someone else. Second, dig that someone else''s grave. Third grieve that someone else and send flowers to wish her a great stay in hell. Hey! No one ever said that I couldn''t hold grudges. I cried loudly and kept repeating over and over how scared I had been. Everyone in the room didn''t know if they should console me or go out to kill Jennifer. I didn''t let them think too much about it. I jumped from my bed and latched on grandfather. If someone would fall for what I was saying, it would be him. He was crazy about Meifeng and luckily for me, I looked just like her. Gra-Grandfather... my voice trembled like I was weak. Don''t worry, Akira. I''ll protect you, I swear. No more psychiatrist? No more psychiatrist. Can I play my games? I swore silently. I went too far too fast. Moreover, it was kind of obvious that it was what I was angling for. Lu Huang Fu waited some before answering. You... can play your game. Grandfather?! Stephan was outraged. He might have understood what was happening. I sniffled loudly in Grandfather''s chest. You will play your game, I''ll make sure of it. Thank you grandfather. My smile was wobbly. After a while in his arms, I asked softly. Grandpa, can I play with Jennifer? What? I was mean to her and I want to redeem myself. She made mistakes but I did too. Akira, you don''t understand what she did was against the law. The lawyer piped up. I swore again silently. Is it bad that I want to redeem myself? After some more tears, puppy dog eyes and complains from the lawyer and Stephan, grandpa let me have my way. They agreed to leave me alone in my room after I let the doctor check me up. With them gone, I did what I wanted to do since I thought of taking advantage of Grandfather''s obsession with Meifeng: I face-palmed. It was too easy to take advantage of him. None of the recent events would have happened if I thought of it before. It would have saved me a lot of pain and tears. Chapter 40 News better left unknown I laughed like a mad scientist who got his way. A few days had passed since the events in TownCity. From what I heard, Jennifer was still staying at the hospital because she had panic attacks. Her colleagues weren''t any better. The corporation for which they did research for folded like a house of cards under the threats of legal actions. To avoid a trial and investigation, they gave in all our demands. Their program was shut down, the people responsible fired, damages paid. I felt vindicated. For the first time in my life, someone paid for what they did to me. It was like a weight got off my chest. And I did something that I never did, I skipped my way down to breakfast humming a song. When Grandfather and Stephan saw me, they gaped in surprise. I ignored them. What have you so happy? Stephan''s asked puzzled. I''m going to finish the quests I started. Of course, I''m happy. Stephan''s face was weird. He looked embarrassed. What? Hmm...huh..you know....about these quests. Me and the guys kinda sorta finished them. Say what? You weren''t supposed to start playing again so soon and we wanted to make a surprise for you so that you won''t worry. My quests... I wanted to cry. Wasn''t there a rule among gamers not to steal each others quests? I knew that kind of rule didn''t exist but it should. We took care of the Unas, have them installed not far from the god''s tree. We talked to your patron god MorningStar, you won''t have any problems as we did it in your name. I didn''t know if I should laugh or cry. They talked to my patron god MorningStar? Did I want to know how that came to be? *blink* *blink* Nope. As long as everyone was okay I shouldn''t question things. It would give me a headache. So everything''s taking care of in Forgotten Soul? Yes. Okay. Stephan looked surprised at my easy acceptance. What I couldn''t tell him though was that taking care of the Unas wasn''t a quest and he couldn''t have talked to MorningStar because I was MorningStar. It was easier to go with the flow and agree without saying anything. His stare was insistent as he tried to guess what I was up to. So what game are you going to do today? Grandfather''s question pleased me to no end. I couldn''t prevent myself from smiling. I''m starting a new game. Oh? Which one? Draconian Glory. I want to do all the things I haven''t done before like exploring dungeons, finishing quests. What the hell have you been doing since you started playing? Disbelief seemed to be the only emotions Stephan could express today. I didn''t give him an answer. How did you explain chaos? I had no words. My game play was all over the place. There was no rational explanation on how it ended like that. The first VR game I ever played was Forgotten Soul. I started playing when the game became compulsory at school a few weeks earlier. Not even a day later, I died, killed by the librarian because I refused to answer his questions. I had absolutely no idea why I refused. At the time, it looked like the thing to do but now, with insight, I know it was stupid. But that could still be excused as normally a player couldn''t be killed inside town and even less by a civilian. Lucky me, I got to be the exception. Well, I said I died but I was actually transformed into a nature spirit. Not my finest moments, I spent weeks in game to gain 2 skills: touch and float. No one could see me nor touch me so everything people normally did when starting a game were out of my reach. I trained alone in a special room at the back of the training center. One day, out of the blue, I got attacked by a dummy. I think I might be the only guy ever to be attacked by a real freaking dummy. After an arduous fight, I got roped into becoming the training master''s apprentice. To tell the truth the training in itself wasn''t hard. What made it difficult was the restriction my race put on me and the training master''s attitude. He treated me like crap. When he scared me out of the town, I decided to never came back and go dungeon diving. It didn''t happen. I caught 3 of my classmates torturing wolves. After what they did to me, this scene wasn''t to my taste to say the least. In short, I saved the wolves and made them pay but my skill was lacking and it took longer than it should have and it suspiciously looked like torture. That event triggered several things. I got a new race, a mother, 5 pets and a ban from the game. I know, it''s weird how they seemingly had no connection with each other. Anyway, I went to another game, Zombie Apocalypse where I learned to control some of the new powers that came with my new race. It went rather well but my pets got infected by the zombie disease. To heal them, I went to Althasia Online. From the main goddess of the game I gained the skill needed to save my pets but I couldn''t used it as I didn''t have enough faith. It was relatively easy to get the faith I needed. It took me a few days in game. Things moved really fast and I become a god. I started playing only a few weeks ago and I was already a god. Now that I think of it, wasn''t I insanely lucky? Anyone would be ecstatic about this kind of fast development but having lived it first hand, I had to say that the result didn''t make the process easier. Trouble dogged my step and I had a hard time dealing with it. At first, I thought that Althasia lied and that my pets weren''t healed but in the end, they got saved. It was a great event but I was still a little perplexed on why it didn''t work the first time. With my pets'' safety out of the way and Stephan and the guys taking care of the Unas, most of my troubles went away. I need to gather information first and then, play. I mumbled. Information on what? Grandfather asked. Being in a good mood, I answered without prompting. The game. I don''t want to do like I did before. I want to change and for that I need information. If you want information on games, then you should watch Online News. It''s a channel dedicated to VR games. It''s on 24/7. Stephan suggested. My interest was picked. I have heard before about this channel but as it was watchable only on the StaViCon, I never could check it out because I didn''t have a Stavicon before and after that, I got too caught up in the games to care. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Excited, I thanked Stephan for the advice and rushed to my room where I put my helmet on.
The scan of you iris has determined that you are a registered user. Which application do you wish to connect to?
Online News.
Welcome to Online News. We have a large panel of programs available for your pleasure. Please select which one you want to view.
A huge panel appeared in front of me. Thousands of small screens with the name of each programs written in bold black letters in front of the of the moving pictures floated on air as far as I could see. When my fingers passed over a small screen, it enlarged and a small description of the show was written under the name. After a simple observation, I understood the system under which they were classed. Each game had its own dedicated shows. Every five lines a new game would be talked about. At the top, a slightly larger screen scrolled the latest news. In bright bold fire-red engine letters, a sentence stole my breath.
Flashnews! Zombie invasion in Althasia Online!
Curious, I clicked on the baiting line. The scenery around me rushed around like I was moving in a very fast car. When it stopped, I sat on a seat in bleachers as 2 people stood on a stage. Others sat next to me but they were shrouded in a black mist hiding their identity. I extended my arm and touch the one next to me. "Dude, what?" The black mist disappeared and a guy around my age appeared. I opened and closed my mouth in surprise not knowing what to say. I hadn''t expected someone to talk. The boy sneered and the black mist envelopped his figure once again. I shook my head to dispel this embarassing episode and I started paying attention to the people on the stage. There was a man and a woman. They stood in front of the audience. Welcome to Online news. I am Lou Ann Carter. She turned toward her coworker. I am Liam Dean. He said responding to her cue before they finished together. Welcome to Online News. The biggest event of the past week was the zombie invasion in Althasia Online. Goldman Games refused to make a comment on the situation but nonetheless, we have gathered all the the latest information for you. The woman Lou Ann Carter said. Right ! A week ago real time the first zombie appeared in Tion town. Since then, the epidemy had propagated to the surrounding area. I tuned out what he said afterward. My mind got stuck on the words Zombie and Tion town. A sick feeling spread in my chest. It couldn''t be my fault, right ? The more I think about it, the more I convinced myself that it was truly my fault. The events from when the red horned demons attacked Tion Town came back to mid.
*Flashback* After the attack started , I went to check what was going one in town. After finding my wayward pets, I went back to the Cathedral. The demons advanced steadily and a lot of townspeople hadn''t be brought to safety yet. I was helping an old woman to get inside the Cathedral when an explosion sounded on my left. I turned my head toward the sound. What I saw stopped me in my tracks. The devastation didn''t register. The explosion was forgotten. They can''t be that stupid, right? I knew the answer to that question and it was a resounded yes. My pets were helping the women away from the danger. They licked the women''s wounds like nothing was the matter. They bit them to drag them away. Seeing this spectacle, I could only bemoan my fate. The day I accepted them as my pets I made one of the biggest mistake of my life and there was no way, it was going to change anytime soon. They were my responsibility and I would take care of them to the best of my capabilities even though I wished that I never met them in the first place. My mana was totally depleted. The demons were just a few feet away. I retreated with them inside the building. *End flashback*
I should have done something at the time, I had no excuse. My pets had already been contaminated by the zombie virus when I first set foot in Althasia, it wasn''t a stretch to think that anyone they bit would be contaminated too. With determination, I listened to the host and the guests had to say but my lack of knowledge came back to bit me again in the ass. I didn''t get crap from what they said. They talked about towns and people I had no idea about. I should apply the same diligence that I apply for schoolwork on information gathering for games. But every time, I looked at the sheer amount of information there were, my brain turned to mush and I went to do something else. In short, what I gathered from a one hour show was that no one made a connection with Zombie Apocalypse but I still couldn''t calm down. If someone guessed my participation in this, I was screwed. And I could already imagine the backlash I would receive. A question plagued me though. Why wasn''t Althasia and her priests doing something against it? Supreme healing worked on the disease so why did they let it spread? I burned with curiosity. What was going on in Althasia? Was Saffron okay? Worry about the priestess of Tion Town ate at my resolve. I didn''t want to get involve anymore in this mess but I had a responsibility. Saffron became my pet before I brought the Unas to Forgotten Soul. I had to go save her!