《Veneration》 Intro/Prologue Jameson awoke to the sound of his doorbell. He quickly threw some clothes on and stumbled towards the door, still half asleep. He quickly answered the door for the deliverymen who were handling his new extra large virtual chamber. It had cost him $200 extra, but at least now he could fully extend his legs, as normal virtual reality chambers were made for people six feet tall and smaller. Indeed, he would''ve gladly paid it 5 times over, because today at exactly 9 A.M, the new virtual reality game, New Paths, would be available for the public. There were actually already players inside, people who had been loyal to the franchise from the beginning, who got early access after the beta testers were done. The difference was, those who got in on the early access, the EA''s, didn''t have to give up their items and skills when the game officially started, as the beta testers had to. Jameson hadn''t been so lucky and was neither a beta tester nor an EA, but he was determined to conquer the game regardless, because he had what so many people didn''t have: real world experience. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. He never went to some fancy dojo, and never learned any weapon techniques. No, what he had was good, old fashioned, hand -to-hand combat skills, sharpened on hordes of would-be bullies who all wanted to be the one to take down ''The Big Guy''. They had all thought he would be an easy target because of his quiet nature and love of books. They had all been wrong. He decided he would win in the game the same way, using his hands and feet as his weapons. At 8:59 He got into the fully operational virtual reality chamber and turned it on.
Will you walk your path?
"Yes!" Step One Knowing the questions by heart from reading forums, he answered in quick succession-"yes, yes, my name is Creon, male, human, as I am, random city, skip tutorial." Soon after, he was enveloped in bright white light which made him close his eyes. when they opened again he was standing in front of a huge fountain, surrounded by people whom he assumed were fellow newbies. He immediately walked off quickly, hoping to gain an advantage over the others somehow. The other players soon did the same. After all, those who could obtain skills and weapons first, could begin training and become stronger first. Nobody wanted to be just an average player, at least no one who actually wanted to conquer the game. Some went off in search of the library, others went to the churches, but most went to the intelligence guild. Everyone had heard the rumors of the nasty bread in the game and quickly sought to earn money to avoid eating it. Jameson, or rather Creon, went in search of the training hall. He knew he would need strength for fighting, even more than a swordsman. They had swords, which would enhance their damage wore than gauntlets could, so he knew he would need to drastically improve his strength if he wanted to actually matter in-game. Upon reaching the training hall, he realized he didn''t know any of his stats. In this game, if you choose the option ''as I am'' for the appearance, some of the traits from your real body are transferred over in the form of stats. He quickly whispered, "Status Window"
NameCreonClassN/A
Health120Mana150
Level1
Health Regen/Sec1Mana Regen/Sec1
Strength20Agility7
Wisdom10Intelligence15
Stamina200Vitality12
Dexterity5
"Muahahahahaha", he chuckled with an evil grin upon his face. With this he was already ahead of the others, who chose to make changes like making themselves taller or more handsome. Looks aren''t everything you fools!, he thought to himself. He was only above average in the looks department, he wasn''t quite on the level of being handsome. He didn''t mind it though, and now everyone who minded their own looks were paying the price! Thinking these things, he strolled gleefully into the training hall. He noticed that there were a quite few npc soldiers and EA''s already there. Cursing, he began beating on the free scarecrow he had located in the back of the room. He began by throwing several punch combinations at it, then he switched to kicks. He begal alternating between high, mid, and low kick, then switched to open-handed strikes. Around this time stat messages began to show up.
+1 str
+1 str
+1 str
+1 str
+1 str
New Stat:Endurance
Endurance +12
New Skill: Palm Strike. does triple the damage for the amount of mana you apply to the attack. 30% chance to stun for 3 seconds
After around 7 hours he gained around 10 STR, a new stat, END with about 15 stat points, and a new skill. All in all, he felt he had done a good job. as he sat down to eat the disgusting bread and drink his water, Creon noticed that the people in the hall were all shooting him looks of disdain. Used to such situations, he simply continued to eat while being aware of his surroundings. After 7 hours, there were around 50 people in the hall, and 15 of them were glaring at him, mostly npcs, and surprisingly the training instructor. After eating and fully recovering, Creon stood up slowly stood upand asked in a calm but strong voice, "Is there a problem?" while looking into the eyes of each one staring at him. A few looked away.
New Stat:Fighting Spirit +15
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. One of the few players stepped forward. "This is a place for swordsmen. Leave now. Can you not see the honourable instructor is displeased" Ahh so that''s it, huh? Creon looked at the player who demanded that he leave. Hmmm definitely an EA, higher level than me, but judging from his gear... still low leveled? Must not be a serious gamer. Probably weak. While analyzing this new threat, he had began to resume his training, infuriating the men confronting him. " Usually people introduce themselves before they make requests", said Creon, buying time while planning for an inevitable fight. " I am Musashi of the Suigami-ryu style!" Shouted the Angry EA. ohhh that explains his level. he must be too busy in the dojo or whatever to play often. that or this guy is really serious about his roleplay, probably not even Japanese ahahahahah Creon had accidentally let a chuckle slip during Musashi''s introduction, infuriating him further. "I challenge you to a duel!" he roared.Wow, somebody must''ve enjoyed their Yugioh as a kid haha. He probably has never been in a fight outside a friendly sparring match. But whatever let me knock him back on his pompous ass really quick so I can hurry up and continue my training. He''ll make a good example and the others will back off too. Sighing deeply, Creon turned to face Musashi and said "I accept". Musashi promptly drew his blade and took a stance. Creon took a sloppy one, to trick his adversary into thinking he was inexperienced and weak. Musashi, not seeing through the feint, snickered and lunged in for an attack. once he closed a considerable distance, was surprised that instead of backing up suddenly launched himself forward, striking him hard in the face before his sword was ready. Creon tried to follow up with several combinations, but after a few hits, Musashi was able to successfully back up out of his range. Musashi had regained his stance and began using foot work augmented by the skill: [shadow steps] to approach Creon from the side rather than the front. Due to his superior agility he was able to move around Creon''s guard, and with the superior reach of his sword, he began striking him and moving back fluidly. This was the true skill of the Suigami-ryu swordsmanhip. At this rate i really will die!, thought Creon. He was at 18% health, and it wasn''t looking good from his position. He remembered a trick from middle school he used when fighting a bigger, stronger highschooler. Well I''m the bigger one now, but lets hope it works. He began retreating from Musashi, who took it as a sign that his victory was nigh, and rushed in to perform the finishing blow, looking Creon directly in his eyes. But what he found there wasn''t fear. Before he could wonder what exactly was going on, he had some how ended up falling face first towards the floor. Creon had kicked his leading leg, causing him trip. He never met the floor however as Creon''s hands immediately closed around the back of his head, and a knee rose to meet his face, again and again, stunning him and causing him immense pain, each more intense than the last. Creon pushed Musashi back on to the floor, and quickly planted a knee on each wrist then began beating him mercilessly, spamming his [palm strike] skill until he ran out of mana. He continued punching until Musashi''s health reached zero and he vanished into grey smoke, leaving a gold behind. This being a duel, Creon didn''t gain a PK mark, and Musashi didn''t lose a level (though he still couldn''t log back in for a day). More importantly, everyone was wary of him now, even those who had not been involved. everyone in the training hall had came to watch the fight, and many had called their new friends over to watch the fight. But everyone was surprised at the newbie''s victory, and even more so at his brutality towards the end. In the same calm voice as before he asked "Anyone Else?" Everyone quickly dispersed, other than the training instructor. " Never come here again" he said with an expressionless face. "Why, this is training hall. not WEAPONS training hall, I want to get stronger like everyone else" replied Creon. " That boy you killed was one of the best pupils I ever had, he trained steadily, and was honourable! But you killed him as if he were a common knave without even giving your name OR DRAWING A SWORD!" "He started it you know, and actually he''s just fine, you see when our people die-" " THAT''S NOT THE POINT! GET OUT AND NEXT TIME YOU COME I''LL KILL YOU MYSELF!!!!" Knowing he couldn''t win against a level 200 training instructor, Creon left promptly. Must be some Boys Love going on in there, he thought, considering the relationship of the two. Then a more pressing thought entered his mind. How did I almost lose to a brat who doesn''t even stray out of the dojo? Was I wrong about them being weak? hmmm he may see me out for vengeance, and he wont take me lightly next time, I dont know if I could win. I need to think. He soon reached an Oak tree in the middle of the city and began meditating under it. Little did he know he had been followed... Step Two As Creon sat down, legs crossed, in front of the oak tree he noticed he had several notifications.
New Skill(Passive): Unarmed Combat Mastery
New Skill: Trip- may be less effective on creatures much bigger or smaller than yourself.
New Skill(Passive): Inner Calm. +2% resistance to fear, rage, charm, and blind. All senses heightened. Effect increases as you level up
He also had five notifications saying he had leveled up but those didn''t interest him as at the moment he wasn''t sure how he would proceed in-game. I could learn magic, that has always interested me, plus it''ll give me an edge over weapons-users. But then I would have to find some one to teach me, probably take several annoying quests, and only then would I learn the most simple of spells until i could afford more powerful ones. More importantly I would basically have to give up on close combat. I need to get a class, and quickly, I already know which one I really want, but I wonder if it can truly assist me. Whatever, I need to clear my head and visualize that last fight. That guy didn''t use many skills, but I have no doubt that he had some. Also, the way the word honour kept being thrown around, and given his straight-forward nature... he was probably a knight. I have to plan for that. What if he has friends? That too. Creon closed his eyes and went through the scenario step by step, replaying his fight in his mind. He saw where he had made mistakes, as well as the opponent.
New Skill: Meditation. restores mana at 3x normal speed
I''m certainly on a roll, he thought, activating the skill but not opening his eyes. He continued his meditation, envisioning alll manner of scenarios, including full-blown war between himself and Musashi, though he doubted it would ever be that serious(Author''s note: lol, flag raised). He thought He could hear people approaching him, and a single presence constantly watching him, but he paid it no mind This went on for hours, until Creon fell asleep, in the same position, with the skill still active. Little did he know that a passing monk npc had seen that fight and followed him, hoping to recruit him. The young monk had been afraid to approach Creon, and when he had finally built up enough courage, Creon had already began his meditation. The monk knew he had to wait, so he simply found a bench in the area and waited. But hours passed and the 2 meter tall giant of a man hadn''t moved an inch! He began to approach him, but he soon detected something that made him shudder- The man was still in Meditation! what manner of mental fortitude did this man have?Even the master of his monastery only meditated for four hours at once. He waited for another hour, then ran to get the head monk. When the head monk heard the young acolyte''s description of Creon''s feats he was more than skeptical. A man who was both physically powerful enough to beat someone 10 or more levels higher, yet possessed the mental fortitude for deep meditation? Impossible! not from these impatient foreigners... and yet maybe... The head monk followed the younger monk, half expecting to find he had made a mistake, but lo and behold, there sat Creon, steadily in meditation. "Amazing... this boy is amazing!" the head monk whispered excitedly. "Hurry and fetch your brothers and sisters!" he commanded the young monk. Little did anyone know, Creon had fallen asleep with the [Meditation] skill still active. When Creon awoke hours later, he immediately sensed several presences surrounding him without opening his eyes, no doubt thanks to [Inner Calm] heightening his senses. He opened his eyes, cancelling the [Meditation] skill, and noticed several notifications. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
New skill: Deep Meditation. increases mana regen speed 100% and skill damage by 50% dor 4 hours. requires at least 30 minutes of meditation
Wis +15
You have meditated 24 hours! You are the first to have done so! +200 fame
new title: Enlightened One. +100 fame. +50 WIS and INT
New Skill(passive): Harmony. Animals your level and below wont be aggressive. chance for aggression rises 10% for every level of the creature above you
After acknowledging the shocking notifications, he stood up warily to face whoever surrounded him. To his surprise he saw a group of monks who were all wearing white robes. The head monk then approached him with his head bowed "My name is Oz, I am the master of the new local monastery". Creon, immediately realizing that something important must be going on, quickly donned the persona he used whilst dealing with npcs " I am Creon, but what does the Head of the great monastery want with the young me? I have only been present in this world a singe day" Creon had surmised that they wanted him to become a monk after hearing about his victory, and in truth, he himself wanted the class as it would allow him to fight bare-handed. " We are but a small order, with no focus. We lack even a name and simply strengthen our bodies. In my old age I have attained much wisdom but this body has grown weak. I lack the power and drive to strengthen our order. However you, you are young, and yet you possess mental fortitude that surpasses my own. to think that one could meditate day and night!" At this, Creon had realized his fight had nothing to do with the situation. All this cause i left a skill active? Gotta do that more often! thought Creon, not knowing that if that young monk hadn''t seen everything, none of this would have happened. "Please lead us!" shouted every monk present. Creon paused for effect, then said " I shall lead you, brothers and sisters!" Passing players were amazed. "Whoa that noob triggered an event!" "He''s gonna be so OP!!! I better get back to training". All kinds of comments were being whispered as Creon strolled through the street, his new acolytes in two files behind him, the former head monk to his right. Yasssssss be amazed you fools! he thought while hearing the exclamations. As they reached the monastery, The priest then lead him to the head monks office. The monk pulled an old book out from amongst some relatively new ones. "Read this master Creon, and may it grant you guidance as it once did for me." Creon opened the book and quickly read through it. It detailed the story of a monk known only as the sage, that meditated for 10 days in order to reach true enlightenment. Ahhhh this is why meditation is so important to them, thought Creon, continuing the story. The Sage fought to protect nature, and was loved by all animals and many people. in the end, he was killed by a hero that sought to expand the territory of humans. When he finished the story, the book began to glow-
New Class: Venerable Monk
The former head addressed him before he could see what his new class entailed. "The sage was the strongest monk to ever live, and my original master''s master. He walked the path of nature, while my master walked the path of light. He eventually shed his monkhood for priesthood, leaving me with this small abbey and a few acolytes. I ask you now: what path shall we take?" Step Three Several notifications popped up in front of Creon, the most recent one being a class quest
New Quest! Establish a powerful order! Quest difficulty:A Rewards: Unknown Requirements:Venerable Monk class Failure: All your followers die/leave; You don''t gain a single follower in a month Quest cannot be denied
" To rush onto a path only leads to destruction, I will lead you all well, but please, give me time to decide our way" said Creon, who really had no idea what he was going to do. "As expected of Master Creon, a wise decision, we shall await your guidance." said Oz reverently. After Oz left, Creon checked the other notifications.
New Class: Venerable Monk +5o INT VIT and STR +100 WIS New Stat: Faith! Allows for one other class Unable to learn elemental magic +50% damage unarmed or with staff -50% with any other weapon unable to apply armor +20 reputation with other races Able to start your own religion! unable to hold public office in currently existing countries
New skill:Mystical palm strike. deals 30 damage. cost ten mana
New Skill: Taming. Able to tame some animals
New Skill(passive): Iron Mind And Body Technique. basic Monk technique with strengthens both mind and body. 20% less damage from spells and weapons when health falls below 50%
Seeing the notification regarding his class nearly drove Creon to tears. How could he ever be emperor if he could not hold public office? All his aspirations gone..... unless. Creon quickly reexamined his class and grinned evilly. It said he couldn''t hold office in CURRENTLY existing countries. in other words he just had to make one. It would be hard, but what fun game wasn''t? He also noticed that his class wasn''t as OP as he had expected, sure he had alot of pluses... but they were negated by the downfalls. He was certainly strong, more than many others his level, but his advantage would''nt be as palpable later in the game.But the stats that the class raised gave him a clue as to which ones he should invest in. STR for physical ability, VIT for health, which would make him harder to kill, INT for a great Mana pool, and WIS for higher spell potency and spell resistance. He Invested most his current points in agility tho, because his class hadnt raised that stat at all, and while the objective for this class seemed to be to act as some sort of magical tank, his low AGI of 7 prevented him from even comprehending fast attacks, let alone keeping up. After this, he wouldn''t invest in it much more, but he at least needed an AGI of 50 to have any sort of chance. He tried putting the leftovers into faith since he would need it, but he found that he couldn''t so he just dropped thee last seven points into his END. He then double-checked His stats
NameCreonClassVenerable Monk
Health620Mana1150
Level6Fame300
Health Regen/Sec1Mana Regen/Sec1
Strength80Agility50
Wisdom175Intelligence115
Stamina500Vitality62
Dexterity5[Fighting Spirit]15
Endurance22Faith0
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. With everything looking correct, he logged off. Jameson quickly got on the computer. like any one who actually intended to conquer the game(He knew he wasnt the only one), he had studied war beforehand. Of course, it was only from when they had announced the game a year ago, when he was in his final year of high school, but Jameson was a quick study, so he got the basics down.. famous leaders such as Genghis Khan Attila the Hun, and Charlemagne were his favorites. However all these men were something he could no longer be: brutal. he had began the game intending to become a powerful warlord, an emperor who had carved his empire through calm, calculated brutality. That''s how he survived having to fight almost everyday in high school, and it had been extremely effective. Crush the main pillar and the others shall crumble. But now he had to fight a different way. Perhaps not completely different, however. He began to read about various religious expansions, from christian templars, to simple shinto monks. From Hindu hermits, to the great Buddhist kings of china. From the Rastafarian movement of the last century, to the great expansions of Islam under the Old Caliphs. From what he could tell, it would be a step by step process and an up hill battle. He grinned, anticipating the challenge. First he would have to find a focus for the monks. Unlike priests, monks don''t actually HAVE to worship anything, simply hone their bodies to its peak, religiously. However some monks had a focus, such as nature like the Sage. Jameson began to think. What do we do? I don''t want to choose a god, the in-game churches have that locked down. Can i make one up? No that won''t work, and I would lose all my followers if I got found out. No, I need something that everyone could appreciate, but it can''t be nature, I don ''t think that''ll work. It didnt for the sage hahaha. Can''t be an element... people fear those sometimes..... Jameson thought for an hour before he remembered one of the peculiarities of his class, he couldn''t use any elements. This meant he had to use pure mana spells, like [Magic Bullet] instead of [Earth Bullet]. That was it, His religion would be based around mana, after all mana was in all things in game, so no one really hated it, even swordsman used mana for skills. After coming to this realization, Jameson watched to recordings of several motivational speakers, doing his best to imitate speech patterns and body language. Then he rechecked the forums, seeking new information. He saw plenty about what he knew. That in New Paths, newbies weren''t constricted to the city, and that in exchange for not having that protection, they were given 10 stat points per level up and ep boosts for a month, they were advised to find a class in that time, to capitalize on the effect, because after that in-game month, iyou only get 5 stat points per level up. this meant you either had to focus on skills, or find another way to gain stats, of which there were plenty if you werent lazy. He looked around for any mentions of himself, and there were few. his city or Frieda was not that important so not much was said about it. but apparently some playyer who was incredibly handsome ingame had seduced and married the princess of the next country over. He was a knight, and rumor had it that all his points had went into STR and Charm. Jameson made a mental note to avoid that country, he had a bad feeling about it. Another thread was talking about how a fallen knight, after losing a fight to a newbie, subjugated a band of bandits in the west and had become a bandit lord. It couldn''t be... thought Jameson. But sure enough, in a short video clip, there stood Musashi, bt all traces of honor and dignity were gone from him now, and only fury remained. What have I done... thought Jameson with regret. "No. He chose his own path when he attacked me." muttered Jameson. This was not his fault and he refused to feel guilty about Musashi''s fall from grace. getting up from the computer, he approached the game chamber. "Time to get back to business" He said, getting in. Step Four- The True Beginning *Authors note: So sorry I haven''t been keeping up with update, but I''ve accidentally lost the chapter I was writing not once, not twice, but three times!(The browser closed) you can imagine what that does to the fighting spirit (or writing spirit?) of a young brotha. then finals started and well.... any way, I''m back, and I shall bring the Veneration! please keep in mind that this FanFic does contain religious elements btw. If you don''t like it, I still refuse to apologize for a penguin king lowers his head to no one* Creon logged back in determined. he already had a list of five things he wanted to do this session. He knew he had to hurry up and stat things into motion before the in-game month was up. In real life that just meant five days. All the players knew that if they couldn''t at least partially catch up to the EAs in that time, that there would be a permanent gap between them. For this reason, everyone who actually had any intention of mattering obtained a class the day before. Classes added a good amount of stats as soon as you chose one, and everyone wanted to have a strong start. Many people who started at the same time as Creon were already level 10, while the EA average level was around 35, with one guy already level 60. Infamous solo player: Jack. Rumors say he was attempting to become an in-game god, he constantly through himself into the lairs of powerful creatures, wielding only a knife. It should be impossible... and ye when people would check the lair after Jack left the result was always the same. The creature was ripped asunder. Creon wiped the useless thoughts from his mind. He needed to focus on what he needed to do. As he looked around his new office where he had just logged in, he remembered all five of his objectives.
  • Learn what assets He had at his disposal
  • Begin educating the monks, and name the order
  • learn staff mastery. he needed a way to defend from swords, and while his limbs were deadly, they weren''t blade-proof
  • Begin expanding. Starting with the slums
  • Begin level grinding. he at least needed to hit level 15 to be competitive
He exited the office and Oz was in the hall waiting for him. "Master, we have eagerly awaited your return" he said, bringing his hands together and bowing his head slightly in respect. "Ah, Oz. I need you to inform me of exactly what assets the monastery has." Oz tilted his head to the side. "... Master... why not just check the faction window? Since you''re the leader, everything would be visible." Creon nodded his head slightly embarrassed. "I see... faction window!" A small window appeared.
Nameless Monks
LeaderCreon
Gold450Members21
Fame20
Its a startthought Creon. The gold had been more than he had hoped for... but less than two dozen monks? He had hoped for at least 50. spreading the word would be hard with just these numbers. But he intended to recruit anyway, so it didn''t matter as much. Speaking of which... " Oz! please have our brothers and sisters ready for a meeting in one hour! its time we begin." Creon said in his authoritarian voice. Oz immediately replied "The Master''s wish shall be granted!" as he smiled fiercely, eager to be of service. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. I think watching all those speeches might have helped after all Creon thought, slightly surprised by Oz''s passion. " In that spare hour, can you teach me the way of the staff?" He asked. "ah, the original reason I was waiting was to pass on the relics of this monkhood, which includes a staff. If you did not know how to use one I planned to teach you regardless." They walked out the monastery, and across the courtyard to a shed across from the main building. Oz opened a chest that was against the wall. He pulled out a staff ad a robe. "Master please equip these robes, they are grey for now, but we can change the color once we figure out our faith." "that wont be necessary as grey will be our color." Creon responded as he analyzed the robe.
Robes of Veneration Defence:25 Durability:90 VIT ,INT+10 Grows with user Requirements: Venerable Monk class
The robes looked like a cross between a plain gray monk robe and a yukata, a traditional Japanese robe. the borders of the robe had intricate black designs sewn in. they resembled vines... and yet at the same time, waves. " And now master, the staff" Oz said reverently as he presented the staff. Creon analyzed it as well.
Zen Damage:15-20 Durability:120 STR+15 AGI+5 Grows with user Can take on special attributes Requirement: Venerable Monk class
The staff was made of an incredibly dark wood, with a metal orb at the end. " The orb is made of mana alloy, if you have a symbol in mind for our organization, have it in mind and channel mana into the orb, and it will take the shape." Creon had of course had a symbol idea already in mind from his research in the real world. Something slightly complex, an rarely used: the flower of life.(Authors note: see cover photo for image of the flower of life) "Master you truly do look as a splendid Head Monk should, " Oz proclaimed proudly, looking up at Creon... then frowned slightly "But that hair..." All the male monks had shaved heads, and all the females, A single thick braid. But Creon wore his thick, coarse, curly hair freely. Creon immediately looked sternly at Oz and said in a cold voice "My hair stays". Creon was not a vain man, but one thing he loved was his hair. "O-o-o-o-o-o-of course not, even the sage had hair similar to that, p-please forget I mentioned it master" Oz said quickly. He regained his composure " But now Mast- no Creon, I have 45 minutes left to grind the staff mastery skill into you." He smiled evilly. Ah shit... thought Creon, every bone in his body telling him to run, but he knew he couldn''t if he tried... Step Five
New Skill: Staff Mastery(passive)
Creon fell to the floor, not quite exhausted, but very much so in pain. The staff mastery skill was normally gained after hours of using the staff, but due to the hellish training of Oz this was shortened to a mere 45 minutes. this was done by making sure every stance, strike, and movement he made using the staff was perfect.. If it wasn''t perfect, Oz would strike at one of Creon''s pressure points with blinding speed, causing him immense pain, but not actually damaging his body. One thing was certain: be it with one hand or two, Creon would never hold the staff incorrectly again. " oh? still on the ground master? don''t you have to address the monks now?" Oz asked innocently. You demon bastard thought Creon. If it wasn''t for the skill, he would definitely be plotting revenge. He picked himself up, cursing. He and Oz then entered the main hall where the monks were already waiting. " Brothers and sisters", began Creon, adopting his newly perfected leader persona "It is time we emerge from our seclusion an proclaim our truth! The purpose of our order shall be to be immersed in the one constant in this world: to be Mana! We as the believers professors of this faith shall be known as Wise-Men and our order shall be called as such: Magi!" The monks, no the wise-men , all rang out a singular cheer reminiscent of a battle cry: "HAH!". But one monk asked "Why mana? I mean wouldn''t something like a minor god or an actual element be better?" "WHO SAID THAT?" bellowed Oz. All the wise-men immediately took four steps away from the now terrified young wise-man. Oz locked on to him instantaneously. "Brat,...you DARE-" Creon interrupted Oz mid-sentence, holding a hand up. "What is your name young one?" he asked in a calm voice "Jay, Master" the boy replied in a small voice. No last name, huh Creon noted to himself. "Jay asking questions is the path to wisdom. But knowing when to ask is also a very valuable skill. Give me a moment and I shall explain to you all." "Yes master!" Jay quickly shouted. "Gather around me, brothers and sisters" said Creon, now sitting cross legged on the floor. The others hastened to do the same. Creon began his explanation. " What is this world made of? where does magic come from what are you and the gods made from? all the answers are the same. Mana. It resides in all things, and all things return to it, The reason I choose mana is because it has always been and always will be, it is the one truth of this world!" "Mana can be used for attacking others, It can become any element and rain destruction upon your enemies. And yet, it can be used to heal and save lives. With mana everything is possible, can you see it my brothers and sisters? Like links in a chain, we were born to be one with mana, and yet unique within our oneness. This is the truth of mana" Creon put large amounts of passion and desperation into his voice, as if he was begging them to accept it, for not only his sake, but their own. His followers would have accepted his words however he said them, he was their leader after all, and what he was saying made sense and was essentially true. But after hearing such conviction in his voice, the could not help but feel his words and experience his vision. They all bowed to Creon "We understand master, and obey" they said with strong emotion and in unison they rose. Creon also stood up. Good, now the monks- ah no i named them wise-men,- now they''re ready to go out and spread the word.
Faith +50
New skill: Teach
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Skill altered by class
New skill: Conversion- allows you to grant classes based on your own understanding. Classes improve once skill reaches Intermediate, expert, master, and grandmaster, respectively
Able to grant Class: Monk +30 STR, AGI +10 all other stats Use of weapons other than the staff forbidden +15% damage with staff and gauntlets
Able to grant class: Mana Adept +75 INT, WIS Unable to learn elemental spells, You are able use all elements in their true raw forms Only able to learn pure mana spells +10% magical damage and resistance
Able to grant class: Monk-Priest +40 INT, WIS, VIT Able to transfer mana and health from yourself to another, as well as convert mana to health Only Able to use light and pure mana magic +20% success rate while attempting to cure status
Creon was utterly surprised. The classes he had to offer were average, but had potential, if they improved like the skill claimed, he would have some OP followers down the road. He was beginning to understand how his class really worked, He was strong, sure. But He would be stronger in a group of his followers, whose class complimented his own. "Master, is something wrong?" asked Oz, snapping him out of his thoughts. "No, everything is fine my brother. More importantly, Jay. I have a task for a young inquisitive one, such as yourself." "I am at your service, master." said Jay, bowing slightly. "Would you be the first to take on a new class? It is called Mana adept, and while its similar to a mage, but different, It will allow you to explore the mysteries of mana differently than the rest of us." "If that is what you so wish master, I a always ready for a new experience!" Jay said, beaming. Creon ceremoniously put his hand on Jay''s forehead, and declared "Activate conversion! Mana Adept!" A light illuminated them for a few moments,, and then Creon released Jay. "How do you feel, brother." he asked tentatively. "Master this is incredible, my thoughts have become so clear now!" Must be the INT and WIS boost... thought Creon. Now to try out the other one, Creon gestured toward a woman in the back. " please step forward and state your name." He said gently. M-m-m-m- my names Lenya, my Lord I-I mean sir I-I-I-I mean master!" she said flustered How cute and refreshing. she should do perfectly. "Well Lenya, would you like to take on a new class as well? I''ve seen you in the courtyard, bandaging up those who get hurt in training. This class would let you help many more people." "R-Really? In that case, i guess I''ll do my best!" Creon repeated the process with Lenya, only this time He chose he Monk-Priest class. Then he gave Lenya and Jay the gold coin he won from beating Musashi. He told them to go get used to their abilities in the western field outside the city and buy new spells if necessary. Once they left, He addressed the rest of his order, "On to our nest destination: the slums!" Step Six As Creon and the wise-men marched across the city of Frieda, He noticed the city had changed. The players had already began creating warbands. a warband was the equivalent of a party, and they were necessary if you wanted to venture deeper into the forest. they also boosted exp. Most importantly tho, they served as protection. PKing did not carry very harsh penalties in this game, and most npc''s didnt care at all unless you killed a player they liked or someone important. This meant of course that people would be afraid early on, and the weak would come together en masse. Generally speaking, it seems like the bigger the warband, the weaker the players Creon thought. the slums had also grown. players who couldnt get a class or had started playing late were often rejected and bullied by warbands and ended up in the slums. The slums were worse than any ghetto Creon had ever seen, there were more broke down houses here than in a warzone. the people looked unhealthy and dejected. the players looked around frightened, hands always on some makeshift weapon, as if they had lost faith in humanity. Many of the wise-men were surprised, even the few who were from the slums originally before becoming monks. "What happened here..." muttered Oz. Just then, they witnessed a middle aged man tackling a teenager. Creon, after seeing all these scenes of poverty and despair, could no longer stand idly by, and intervened. Pulling the older man of the kid, he asked what was going on. The kid tried to run, earning him a reverse roundhouse kick into the nearby wall. Creon was many things, but not naive. "Allow me to rephrase that, what did you do to make him chase you" Creon addressed the kid, who was probably only 2 years younger than himself. From the way he attempted to take advantage of Creon''s kindness and escape, Creon was sure he was the guilty party. "The brat stole from me! He took me drinkin money!" screamed the older man. "You were just going to drink it away or spend it on whores! my mother is sick! she needs medicine!" cried the boy. Creon spoke calmly "That does not give you the right to take from others". "Shut up! It''s you outworlders fault that we''re suffering in the first place! Always so money hungry, taking up all the jobs, and to top it off, you even throw your own people whom you deem unworthy here, overpopulating the area!" Creon began to better understand why the slums looked so horrible. "So, young brother, you want to heal your mother?" He rose his voice. "Are you all tired of living in filth as second class citizens? Then take power for yourselves! For we are all equal! a long as you have mana, what stops you?" "We dont even have classes! What do you know of are suffering? We''re weak and always will be!" many complaints rang out at Creon''s words. Creon expected this however. "If you are weak, then allow me to grant you power! This boy shall be the first!" Before the boy could react, Creon''s hand was on his forehead "Activate Conversion! Monk-priest!" They were both clad in light for a moment before the boy stepped back, stunned. "This is..." he muttered in a daze. "You have the skill [Cure] now do you not? Give the man back his money and go to your mother." The boy did as he was told, and before he ran off to see his mother, whispered "My name is Alveron, Thank you". Creon turned to the older man. "you need discipline, luckily Oz can beat the weakness out of you." And then he bestowed the monk class on the man. By then, A huge crowd had gathered around him and the wise-men. "Come! Join the Magi! Open your eyes! we will give you true knowledge, we will give you the power to stand equal! Who will join us and accept our gifts?" one by one, people began to come forward. both players and npcs alike were slowly lured in by his words. Creon performed conversion after conversion, giving people the class they were most suited for after having the show him their status window. Most received the monk class, but there were also plenty monk-priests and mana-adepts. Some of the players accepted his blessing with tears in their eyes. For saving them from classlessness and giving them strength to stand against their aggressors, Creon had earned their undying loyalty. Creon sent the other wise-men to go and spread the word. Creon ended up spending the rest of the day converting people, most of whom immediately joined the magi. A few of course just took the class and left, but Creon knew that would happen. He wouldnt force any one to join him. Not publicly at least. The next day declared, "My brothers! I go to hunt wolves, not small animals such as rabbits and foxes! Will you join me?" He received a deafening war-cry as an answer. The normal limit of a warband was 100, but because they were all from the same faction, this limit was lifted. this is because factions, such as the kings army, would normally go out in huge groups and needed bigger warbands. Creon led a warband of over 1000 that day comprised of both players and npcs alike. Of course that was nowhere near the full number in the slums. Oz was busy educating most of them on the same truth of mana that Creon had given to he and the other wise-men just this morning. He and his followers marched out through the city, with players forming the vanguard, as they would be perfectly fine if they die. Ignoring the stares from the other players and the small animals like rabbits and foxes in the field, they reached the edge of the forest This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. In response to the huge number of invaders on their lands, a huge united pack of 150 wolves emerged from the woods. Their average level was 15, and the average level of the Magi with Creon was around 8. However Creon and his followers outnumbered the wolves 10 to 1. Creon knew that there would be casualties however. The wolves had much more experience with team work. He quickly relayed orders. " Mana adepts! Quickly attack with fire and wind to keep them at bay! Monks standby near the mana adepts, when the wolves break through the inferno, do your best to keep them separate! Monk-priests, begin healing the monks hp and replenishing the mana adepts mana!" His orders were followed immediately as the wolves began to charge.the streams of fire, augmented by the streams of wind were incredibly powerful, although, they lacked focus. Well, thats due to the class itself.. thought Creon. he would definitely need to improve his [Conversion] skill, but even after hundreds of conversions, it was still short of intermediate, but only slightly so, he could feel it. Meanwhile, several of the wolves were almost upon them, snapping Creon out of his thoughts. The monks were ready though. The monks rushed forward and separated the remaining wolves. But the wolves who had overcome the raging wall of fire were mostly higher leveled and had racial traits such as [Regeneration] or [Foresight] . Whenever a group had trouble, Creon would appear, striking from a distance with [Mystical Palm Strike] or he would rush in directly and beat the wolf down with a staff. One of the wolves broke out of the group of lower level players surrounding it, causing Creon to rush over. This would be a good chance to try ''that'' out He used [Mystical Palm Strike] to knock it over from a distance. He swiftly used his staff to pin the wolf down, then hit it with several normal [Palm Strikes], stunning it. He then attempted to use [Tame] four times, unsuccessfully. On the fifth time, he screamed "submit!" while activating the skill, and it was a success. He didnt actually want the wolf though, after all, most people feared wolves, and it wasnt time to use fear, not yet. "Go back whence you came" he told the wolf. "Become strong, and then return to take your place beside me!" Creon didnt know if h understood or not, but the wolf had ran off almost as soon as he heard the words go back.Oh well, my taming skill isnt that high. I didnt really want it anyway. besides I learned that your own emotional state is important while taming, so that information is compensation enough thought Creon. The battle was over by then. a few players had died, and an npc old man laid dying. He was one of the more respected men in the slums, and one of the first to be converted by Creon. "Someone call a monk-priest over" Creon yelled, rushing to his side. An npc couldnt come back to life. "No!" screamed the old man. " Ive lived long enough, and I dont wish to die some pathetic death like falling from a roof or getting sick, this is the most heroic death I could ask for in my long life of mediocrity. Let me have this. More importantly, listen! you have enthralled the people! given us hope of equality with your words! Dont abandon us! Watch over us! Take responsibility for your actions and the people will give you their undying loyalty. These are the last words I will speak, engrave them into your heart!" The old man looked at Creon, tears brimming in his eyes, with a defiant smile on his face. Creon grasped his hand . "I will do as you have charged me my brother. Be at peace and rejoin the mana" Creon, who knew this was only a game, felt his heart truly soften at this moment. All of it was so real, and he could feel the old man take his last breath as he disappeared into a puff of grey smoke which slowly drifted away. Creon rose to his feet and shouted to the crowd that now surrounded him. "Our brother has become one with mana! May he live forever!" everyone who had watched the emotional scene all shouted in response "May he live forever! May he live forever!" This would soon become the phrase used amongst the npcs of the city when someone died. It had not been planned, but everyone at that moment was so united, that they all shouted at the top of their lungs. The Magi , who had escaped general notice, would be all over the forums the next day, famous for both their fervor and unity. Creon turned his eyes back to the city. "Come my brothers, It is time to return." Step Seven As he and his followers walked back to the city, Creon decided to check his notifications. he had chosen to put his notification on standby, as he had kept gaining faith after some one was converted by him, or joined the faction. after about twenty messages stating he gained +1 faith, it got a bit annoying.
New skill: Leap. Allows you to jump three meters.
New Skill: body reinforcement technique. strengthens both physical defense and attack by 15% cost 15 mana per sec
New Stat: Charisma
New Stat: leadership
Lebel up X4
The rest of the notifications were all stat boost, mostly for faith. Creon waved them away, as he had to assign his unused status points, so he would see them anyway. He opened his status window, and allocated half the points to INT and the other half to VIT. He double-checked to make sure everything looked correct
NameCreonClassVenerable Monk
Health820Mana1350
Level10Fame700
Health Regen/Sec2Mana Regen/Sec2
Strength80Agility50
Wisdom175Intelligence135
Stamina500Vitality82
Dexterity5[Fighting Spirit]65
Endurance22Faith2580
charisma75leadership500
Creon noticed his insane amounts of faith and leadership, but was only slightly surprised. After all, he had converted almost all of the slums, and was branching out to the rest of the city. That meant thousands of followers, even if some only followed for the free class. His leadership stat came from him leading the battle which had just occurred, wherein he led over 1000 people to victory, with only minimal losses. He felt he deserved a little bit more leadership, but whatever, it was still a great start. But right now he needed a way to quickly seal the deal on the city. Most of the city respected him, but no one really loved him. he had given some people power, but their way of living had not immediately improved. sure the spoils of this battle would get money flowing again, buy those houses were still horrible, and many merchants did not even have proper stall, let alone shops. Thats it!, thought Creon. he could take one more class thanks to his current one, and he just figured out which one he would take. By this time Creon and his followers had reached the city and split, and Creon was headed towards the crafting district. He soon reached his destination: the Architecture guild. He went in, and found it mostly empty. There was a grey haired clerk there with his feet up on the desk. he lazily put on his glasses and looked over at Creon. "Oh great, another outworlder. You wanna learn how to build a castle right? Or an elegant mansion? But you dont really want the class do you? Oh nooooooooo, youre already a knight or a ranger or whatever the hell you are. Just get out if youre going to waste my time, I wont teach you the skills without you taking the class." Creon listened to his tirade calmly. It was obvious that no one really wanted to take crafting classes, especially not one like architect which had no combat use. At least with the blacksmith class you could use any weapon, and with alchemy you had poisons. But Creon knew this class had to have some use outside of crafting, after all, It wouldnt have been made for no reason. Even if it didnt, Creon would not mind. All he wanted to do was fix up the slums. Maybe he did want a castle too. just a little bit. "Sir I actually did want the class though" "...really?" The man looked genuinely surprised and at the same time slightly scared, as if this chance to teach would be suddenly snatched away from him. "yes sir, what do I need to do?" Creon asked. The man, still skeptical, handed him a book of designs. "read all those, by the time you''re done you''ll be offered the class and I can teach yo the skills." Creon did as he was told. He didnt rush through it, but read and studied each design with great interest. The designs ranged from simple sheds, to complex mansions. There were also handwritten notes which he could only assume the old man had made. They often contained useful bits of information, like how to reinforce something, or new ideas based on one of the designs, or how to make something cheaper. As the man had said, he was offered the class: Architect which he accepted.
New Class: Architect +50 STR +100 DEX Allows you to construct buildings Able to use Hammers as weapons
"You.... you really took it..." the man was still surprised "Why?" he asked. "I Wish to rebuild the slums, make them beautiful'' said Creon, honestly. The man was on the verge of tears. " Its been so long since someone has honestly wanted to learn, and you not only want to learn, but put the skills to good use. Wait you must be that outworlder from that new order, the Magi! I heard you all were benevolent but i never truly believed it. after all, look at the churches, all they do is offer healing at exorbitant prices and look down on their own believers from there decorated pulpits! But I would be honored to join you, who make a difference, will you have me?" "Of course brother" Creon said with a gentle smile. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "My name is Emery. Ah I forget, you need the skills! I will even throw in a secret one that usually isnt available until level 200! it requires a bit of mana, which we architects normally have very little of until then seeing as strength is our main stat, but youre not normal. I think you''ll be able to use it."
New Skill: Assembly. Allows you to quickly put things together.
New Skill: Disassembly. Allows you to quickly break things down
New Stat: Art
New Skill: Repair. Allows you to repair Items
New Skill: Manakinesis. Allows you to charge objects full of mana, and control them. mana cost 25 per sec
Creon was overjoyed. The skill known as manakinesis could have so many uses outside of constructing buildings, If you could handle the mana cost. "Come now, let''s go!" Said Emery. "Huh?" Asked Creon. "We have to go fix up the slums right? I''ll help, so let''s go!" said emery with youthful exuberance, despite his advanced age. "Do you know what design you''ll use?" "I''m thinking a stone cottage style for the west end, log cabins for the slums near the outskirts, and for the east, I''m thinking alternation between two story wooden houses and stone cottages with basements?" Creon wanted to do more for the eastern slums because those were the worst ones, and they were close to the monastery "Hmmm the east sounds difficult, so I''ll handle that part. You start in the west, and work towards me, remember to disassemble the house thats there already so you can use the parts in the construction of the new home. I''ll have the supplies ready, so if you can send some of our brothers, I''ll make sure they have the supplies waiting by the time you get there.in the mean time, I suggest you buy alot of mana potions and food. You''ll need It" Said Emery. "Alright, I''ll be on my way then, mana be with you my brother." And Creon left. "On the way to the alchemist shop, Creon saw a few wise-men and asked them to help Emery out. He realized on the way, he didnt know how much money he could afford to spend, so he checked the faction window. As he was the leader, his money belonged to the faction, and vice versa.
The Magi
LeaderCreon
Gold4056.78.21Members5642
Fame700
He had expected that many members, but the 4000+ gold was surprising. It took him a minute to figure out people must have donated, probably the nobles of the city and some shopkeepers, attempting to earn favor with their rapidly growing group. He had hear that one noble family had actually joined when one of the wise-men approached them. Creon would have to affirm this later. He arrived at the alchemist shop and bought 500 mana potions at 10 silver each, then bought ten meals from a nearby restaurant at 10 coppers each. This had barely made a dent in his new budget. he went over to the western slums, finding three carriages full to the brim with supplies. This is going to take a while thought Creon. He informed the residents of what he was doing, and they quickly emptied there houses of all furniture and valuables, of which there were few. Then Creon touched every house on a single block, as well as the contents of the carriages, charging them with his mana. it costed him around half his entire mana reserve. He then used his [Disassembly] skill to break down all the houses into their basic parts of wooden planks, stones,straw, etc. Luckily he had the book of designs with him. It allowed him to build houses when he should be starting with sheds. He equipped it, then used [Assembly: Stone Cottage] to make the broken down houses into the stone cottages. This drained the rest of his mana. He spent the next two game days reconstructing both sections of the slums until he was finished. Towards the end he got several notifications.
New Stat: concentration
Disassembly has reached intermediate! you can now disassemble incoming spells! requires precise timing. costs 50 mana, plus 1/5 enemy spell costs
Assembly has reached intermediate! you can now make mana constructs
Manakinesis has reached intermediate! cost less to charge objects. cost per sec is now 15 mana
Level up X5
His objectives complete, Creon tiredly, but happily logged out. Questions and explanations I wanted to make a quick thread to explain certain things about the story as well as answer any questions you all might have. Aren''t i agood future Pen-King?[th_aji.gif][th_102_.gif] Firstly, regarding skills. there is no skill window, and while the skill level system is still in place, players only know for sure when a skill reaches the next tier. this is New Path''s attempt to make the game harder and more real. not having a skill list means you have to remember each of your skills for them to remain useful. Secondly. It may feel like Creon''s growth is fast, or slow. It is both. His skills are growing fast, because he''s using them hundreds, of times a day, as described in the story. but his level is growing slow. While now that he has a crafting class he can up his level that way, but he rarely ever fights now. this will change when he leaves the city. No spoilers though, so im not going to tell you when he leaves the city, or why......unless you ask nicely. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Thirdly. the city and his faction. The city Frieda has about 25,000 npc''s and 5000 players. this is not big. The capital has around 130,000. This is why Creon was able to go unnoticed until now. Also, his faction The magi havent branched outside of the city yet. However, in the city, they are quickly becoming the most influential group. Please feel free to ask any questions on this thread and I will do my best to answer Step eight Jameson crawled out of the VR chamber. After five in-game days, he needed a break. He set his alarm for four and a half hours later and went into a deep sleep. When the alarm went off, he was extremely tempted to destroy it. As he struggled out of bed, he grabbed his phone to see who called. His friends had texted him about New paths and sent him their names, stating that they we`re all starting a guild in Covina. that''s on the other side of the continent you idiots.! thought Jameson. Well, he wouldnt have joined anyway. Knowing his friends, half were merchants, and the other half were berserkers. Half his friends were the nerds he used to hang out with. in their sophmore year, they had pooled their money and bought into a company at 27% after a year of profits, they pulled out, split the money, and continued on their own. They had been investing ever since, and would probably try to conquer the game via economic control. The other half were former delinquents who got tired of fighting Jameson and decided to befriend him instead. initially they had been planning to use him, but after they got to know him, they decided to hang with him for real. Through him, they made friends with the nerds, and in exchange for helping them with homework, they made sure no one bullied them. Jameson knew this basic relationship probably wouldnt change. More importantly he saw his mother had called... five times. He had been a total mama''s boy growing up, but now he was paying the price. Ever since he had moved out, she had been worried sick, calling all the time. Even though he had a constant flow of money coming in, and he had stayed close to home where no one would dare attack him, she always found something to worry about. Bracing himself, He called her back "Li''l Jamie I''ve been worried sick!" God, i hate that nickname thought Jameson. Li''l Jamie. Everyone in his family called him that, even though at 6''6 (2m), he was the tallest one. Why? No one knew. "Mom I''m fine, I''m sorry for not getting your calls". For the next ten minutes, his mother ranted on about how he was going to give her a heart attack one day, then she offered to come over and take care of him, before ultimately begging him to come back home. He finally got her to calm down by offering to visit sometime and bring her something nice. After his mother hung up, He went to check the game forums. After checking for helpful tricks and hints, he checked for news. It seemed that in his absence, most of the city had been converted, including players. That means he now had almost 2500 people supporting the Magi. Jameson suspected that any people had converted just to fit in, but it didnt matter, that would change eventually. But alas, he hadnt even left the city, so no one outside of the region really even knew of their existence, and the country of Reed was fairly small, like the other countries in the south. He stopped reading about the Magi, and read another thread that caught his eye. Apparently, there was a player going by the name Maou. The Demon King huh, thought Jameson. apparently he was far north, sending raids of monsters into the countries of Zed and Trea. Almost as if connected, there was now a hero in the powerful countries to the west. The four churches had given him their parts of the hero''s armor, and like wildfire, the former paladin blazed across the forums, there were videos of him flying around slaying monsters everywhere. Musashi was also fairly popular. In the past in-game week, many people had come to fear him as one of the strongest, most ruthless players in the game. He and his bandit clan, Blood Brothers were heading towards the savage central continent, pillaging as they saw fit. Jameson was somewhat relieved. If Musashi had returned with his bandit Army, All Creon and his followers had worked for would have been destroyed. Before he was about to turn his computer off, one last thread caught his eye. It was regarding the Ezzi Kingdom, the medium sized country just to the east of Reed. Apparently, the former king had died, making the prince, who was a player, the new king. He had declared the beginning of the Ezzian Empire and had attacked two countries simultaneously, Aquila and... Reed! Jameson hurried to the chamber. He only had a little time if he was going to save his city. Creon hurried out of his office in the monastery, His spawn point in the city. He quickly called out for Oz. Oz ran hurriedly up to him " what do you need master?" "Give me information on the war! where is the enemy army?" "War?" Oz looked confused. Creon facepalmed. He forgot the game was more medieval and there were very few ways to send messages fast for npcs,. Magic mirrors were one way, but few people other than government personnel had access to those. teleportation was another, but that required alot of mana. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Listen just warn our brothers! get the wise-men on high alert and have them ready to protect the res of the Magi!" The wise-men were basically the combatants of the Magi, their core members being the original twenty Creon had started off with. Creon himself had hurried down to the main square and darted into the tavern where most players liked to congregate. He immediately shouted "does anyone have contacts in the Capitol?" Everyone quieted down. "Uhh yeah, sure, but why?" one player asked. " because were being invaded." The room was deathly quiet now. "Well?" asked Creon "Are you going to contact people or not?" After two minutes, they had news. The capitol and royal family had fallen. Reed was no more. The payers began to panic. "What do we do now?" " Should we flee north?" "No fool! West!" "Wait if we leave, what happens here?" "Does it even matter?" " Cowards! I''m staying!" Everyone had a different opinion. Creon knew he had to speak now, or he would lose control of the situation. " All of you have to stay. We need to protect this city! this is where we started, this is our home! when things go wrong in the real world, this is where we come, this is where we can really be us! Do you really want to run and throw all that away? The player were quite for a moment looking around and thinking. They needed on last push. "I, Creon, Master of the Magi will stay and fight, Will you abandon me and these people, or will you be true heroes, and fight?" there was a resounding warcry in the tavern. "Now Go!" Creon shouted. "Gather your warbands! alert the other layers, and meet me at the City hall! The lord of Frieda should have a plan!" Everyone rushed out of the tavern including Creon. As he ran towards the center of the city, he began to think. why didnt the lord rally the people and muster the army? Even if he were trying to contain the situation, he would have at least- Then realization dawned on Creon. Noooo, they wouldn''t, they didnt!! He increased his speed, as he ran. he looked in every noble manor he passed.. each was empty. He cursed. When he reached the city hall, his worst fears were confirmed. it was empty. the lord had received notification of the situation, but instead of sending reinforcements to the capitol, instead of barricading the cit... he had fled. As everyone reached the city hall, they saw Creon sitting in front of it, and immediately realized something was wrong. " Whats going on?" asked Commander Bor. He was in charge of the 500 soldiers stationed in the city. "Cant you tell already?" said Grimlock, the player who led the most powerful warband in the city. "we have been abandoned'' Creon confirmed. "So?" said the same player. "We didnt stay because of them" "yeah, we dont need no snotty fuckin nobles anyway!" said an npc from the slums. " Creon, many of my men have converted to your strange faith, and believe in the good things you have done here, In the absence of the cowardly filth I pledged my allegiance to, Please lead us!" And just like that, the chant was taken up. "LEAD US! LEAD US!" The chant echoed throughout the city. a notification popped up in front of Creon.
You have been offered leadership of the Free City of Frieda. Do you accept?
Creon rose his hand, imitating the pope to the best of his ability. " Although I wish it could have been under better circumstances, and although there may be better candidate than I, I shall lead and protect all of you with my very life on the line!" Creon shouted.
Leadership accepted
The people cheered wildly, while Creon thought to himself This shall forever be known as the first day of the Friedan Theocracy . His eyes blazed with Fire. Step Nine Creon was busy giving orders " Everyone who doesn''t have a class come here! Oz! give the alchemists 1000 gold coins and tell them to start making as many mana and health potions as possible! People with stealth abilities! split up into groups and head northeast towards the capital and fan out! I want to know how far this army is from us. when youve found it, contact me and then coordinate with the other groups! do your best to assassinate important people, focus on 1000-man commanders! they are the link between the generals and the lower ranks!" Everyone was running around trying to get ready, no one knew how long they had. It had been 1 hour since Creon became the lord of Frieda. The people had been informed of the situation and were doing there best to cope. About 2000 people fled the city, including some players. Creon didnt try to dissuade them, and instead had the monk priest bless them, which helped boost there speed. " Please warn the other cities, and ask them for reinforcements." The people said that they would, and left. Creon didnt need those who were too afraid to fight. they might betray him if the battle began going sour. Creon then asked the remaining players to ask any of their friends to come back to Frieda. He knew that he could use any help he could get. He needed to stop the army here, cut off their winning streak. Then, with the support of the remaining lords, they could push back. It would be hard. Creon had a basic knowledge of the geography of the former country Reed. There were only about five cities with the size of Frieda West of him, and he could only assume that everything east was under siege and lost. " Commander Bor! Begin training the outworlders with low levels, as well as the army! were going to need an average level of about 30 if we expect to weather this storm! And take as many monk-priests as possible! I dont want any deaths!" It would be almost impossible , but it needed to be done. the average level of the players was 20, and the average level for the solders was around 30. they needed to be equal if they expected to defend Frieda. "It will be done my lord!" Bor left quickly to follow orders. Creon recalled that he had unassigned stat points, half of which he put into STR, the other half into WIS. He was going to need to hit as hard as possible. For the next two days, He focused on the defense of the city. While he was converting the few people who still lacked classes, his [Conversion] skill went up to intermediate.
Conversion skill has reached Intermediate! New Classes available
Able to grant class: Sword Saint! +100 STR +50 AGI Able to equip any sword +50% damage with swords
Able to grant class: Inquisitor! +100 DEX +50 AGI The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.+100% effects and damage with Dark magic +50% damage with daggers
Able to grant class: Ranger +75 DEX, STR +50% damage with bows and dual swords +50% damage while in the wild.
there were only about two thousand people left within the city that had no classes, so he have two thirds of them the ranger class, 300 of them got the inquisitor class, and the rest became sword saints. He needed ranged fighters, because he assumed he was heavily outnumbered, and knew he would lose in a straight up fight. During those two days,he also worked with the earth mages, mana adepts, his master and everyone else with the architecture class to improve the walls. they had only been ten meters tall, but by the time they finished it was 50 meters, with broad ramparts for archers and mages to fire from. This was only possible because the alchemists had a constant flow of mana potions ready for consumption. At the end of the second day, the stealth-type players, notified the city that the enemy would probably be there the day after next. It numbered around 15000. Everyone had cringed hearing that news. A rule of thumb was that in order to take a fortified city, you needed an army twice the size of the one defending it. Everyone in Frieda was going to fight, excluding around 2500 or so that''s going to be providing support. that meant that with players, he had a army of around 5000. not nearly enough. thankfully, he received news that reinforcements would also arrive in 2-3 days. one day huh. I just need to hold out one day before we can be secure Creon quickly called all the players and told them to log out and get some sleep so they can be back in 6 real hours, 30 game hours. He went and got some skill books from the mage guild. they were offering the low to mid rank ones for free in support of the war effort. However, seeing him, they provided him with some high ranked ones
Chainshot(passive): allows you to fire spells at a fast rate in exchange for a slightly increased mana cost.
Magic bullet: does 10 damage. cost one mana
Magic missile: does 250 damage. 100 aoe damage. cost 50 mana
Mana Cannon: does 5000 damage, cost 1000 mana
After Creon gave some last minute instructions, then logged out himself. he wanted to be on his A-game for what was coming. Step Ten- The Friedan Theocracy vs The Ezzian Empire When Creon logged back in, it was early in the morning. The air was crisp and cool, and the birds were chirping. I was almost as if thousands of people weren''t going to die that day.He checked with Oz, Commander Bor, Grimlock( who had just logged in himself), and the head of the mages guild. "Is everything in order?" "Master, the things you charged us with have been completed. I must say I would never have been so meticulous. As expected of the master." "I dont like it." Interjected Bor. "I know they are tactics but it feels like trickery!" "As expected of a muscle-head, you see genius of a level which almost approaches my own, and you cant even recognize it" sneered Angelus, head of the mages guild. "WHAT?!" With the two''s arguing giving him a headache, Creon intervened. "Enough brothers. We are all on the same side are we not?" The two reluctantly calmed down. "when is the army expected to get here?" asked Creon. "about 4 hours from now. Reinforcements should arrive tomorrow morning." Creon scowled. He had known that the reinforcements would be late, but he had hoped for a miracles or something. " How many?" "around 5000 with another 3000 support" That at least was good. that should be enough to hold the city at least until the enemy decided it would be less profitable to stay.But that was only considering that they could hold out a day against over 15000. over the next 3 hours, they went over possible battle strategies, checked on supplies and weaponry, and other miscellaneous work. During those 3 hours, all the players logged in. they spent the next hour briefing them on the plan, then getting them in to position. They all were joined into one huge warband, With Creon as the leader. After a while, a mage using [foresight] cried out: "10 minutes! they''re coming!" Everyone prepared themselves, equipping their best gear, meditating, the devout amongst the Magi praying unto the great flow of mana for good luck. Creon himself had just risen out of the meditation he was required to do to activate [Deep Meditation] skill, which improved his skill damage by 50% in a few minutes, the ground began to shake, war horns began sounding and the shouts of men were heard. The eastern fields were overrun by men clad in leather and metal. The Ezzian Empire''s army had arrived. Creon addressed his followers. "MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!!! THESE FOUL INVADERS SEEK TO TAKE EVERYTHING FROM US! OUR HOMES, OUR FRIENDS, OUR FAMILIES, AND OUR LIVES! BUT WE WILL NOT SIMPLY ALLOW THESE MISTAKEN YOUNG BROTHERS TO HAVE THERE WAY! BEFORE THIS DAY IS DONE, THEY WILL KNOW THEIR MISTAKE!" Creon turned towards the invaders."REJOICE! MEN OF EZZI! FOR TODAY YOU SHALL BE DELIVERED BACK UNTO THE FLOW OF MANA! MAY YOU LIVE FOREVER!" The Friedan solders took on the chant"MAY YOU LIVE FOREVER! MAY YOU LIVE FOREVER!" The enemy of course did not know the significance of these words. They laughed, thinking that they were being blessed by people who had lost their minds in the face of death. Little did they know, these words only signified certain death. As the enemies laughed, Creon lifted his hand and gave the signal. "Light them up". Immediately a dozen mages shot fire into the fields. Creon had ordered the fields to be covered in scentless oil created by the alchemists. The result was instantaneous. thousands died immediately, others died trying to retreat, spreading fire to their brethren. Creon''s true target had been the siege weapons which of course had been brought to the forefront to assault the walls. Now the complex machines were just glorified firewood. Enemy mages were trying to put the fires out that had spread amongst the enemy soldiers. there was a general sense of disorder among the enemy soldiers, as if the commanders didnt know what they were doing. Creon smirked. The stealth types had did their job well. At the cost of their lives, they assassinated many of the low to mid ranked officers in the enemy army, forcing them to promote new ones. The new ones didnt have much leadership experience, and their new subordinates, who had been equals less than a week ago, did not trust in them. The mage battalion tried to attack using a simultaneous fire ball spell. its sheer mass was impressive, but its heat, which was felt more than one hundred meters away was truly fearsome. "Counter spell! Now!" Half of his mages sent water and ice spells at the hurtling mass of flames, reducing it to mere steam. However this was what the enemy was after. As the resulting mist hid their movements, they quickly advanced up to the walls. However, Creon had another trick tactic waiting for them. in front of the walls were huge earthen tubs filled with water. Creon shouted the order for the earth mages to break them, and as the soldiers were soaked, Creon had the Mana adepts shoot lightning at them, electrocuting them. Having been repelled twice, the enemy army began getting worried. At that time, the worse thing possible for the Friedans happened. The king himself came forward and took command, along with his generals. Damn it! why is he even here?! Creon thought. The morale he had worked so hard to destroy had came back with vigor. This time, enemy soldiers pulled out huge ramps and ladders, and began latching them to the wall. "Burn them down!" Creon commanded. The mana adepts tried but- "Theyre enchanted! they wont burn!" It seemed this enchantment protected whoever was on it, as the enemy rarely died after getting on them, although they were constantly fired upon. "aim for the bases of the ladders! shoot them before the can get on! Meelee types!get to the front and prepare for battle! mage types! focus on enemy mages! counter them whenever possible! Archers! half of you focus on the base of the ladders, and the other half, focus on sniping mages. the quicker they die the better!" Creon drank two high-grade mana potions. one multiplied his mana pool by five for an hour, the other sped up his mana regeneration by 1000% percent! Its time I started fighting as well. Creon pointed his hand towards an area thick with enemy soldiers. "Magic Missile!"he shouted,and using the [chainshot] skill, 50 missiles shot out of his hand, bombarding the area, and taking up almost all his mana. Many of the soldiers in that area were wiped out, due to them taking more aoe damage from being so close together. Seeing his success, Creon quickly left the area. he didnt need to be targeted anymore than he already was, and besides, he couldnt do anymore long-range moves due to his lack of mana. He ran over to where a ladder was attached to the wall, and brandishing his staff, entered the fray. He struck one soldier with a quick swing to the back of the head, then swung his staff around and struck the soldier so hard his armor crumpled. Enemy soldiers saw this and began eyeing him nervously,even the few enemy players. The Friedans on the other hand, let out an earth shaking war cry and began pushing the enemy back. Creon darted from ladder to ladder repeating the process until nightfall. at the end of the day, both forces ceased combat. Creon fell against a nearby building, tired. his army had suffered around 2000 casualties, half were players. The enemy had lost around 2500, 2000 of which died due to the two tricks tactics Creon had utilized early on. but once they got up the walls, the enemy had his army outclassed, and now they knew it. Percentage-wise, they had lost around 25% of their men... but Creon had lost 32%. Both sides knew how this would end if nothing changed. The city would fall. But Creon of course had another plan, this night would not end swiftly for them. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Creon had leveled up 10 times during this battle. he put half of the points into INT and the other half into VIT. Many times he had been saved by a monk-priest that day, and he knew he needed more health. He walked over to where the inquisitors were waiting. Now then, to give them a night from hell "I assume you were all remember my previous instructions. Any questions brothers?" He was met by silence. "Deliver them unto the mana then" The inquisitors vanished. More accurately, they activated Dark magic which made them undetectable at night. The plan was simple. They would go over the wall, plant monser bait within enemy camps as well as drop demon summoning tags made by Angelus himself. These tags were unique in that they didnt have contracts on them. This meant a demon without a contract would be summoned into a group of unsuspecting humans in the middle of the night. it didnt take a genius to figure out what would happen. The demons and monsters would wreck havoc in the enemy camp, and even after the threat was gone, they wouldnt sleep, by the time morning came, they wouldnt be able to keep their eyes open. The inquisitors carried out their job perfectly. the Friedan soldiers slept perfectly through the screams of their enemies, it was a fine night indeed. Creon woke at the crack of dawn to the sound of marching. Reinforcements had arrived. The enemy soldiers saw this, and nearly wept. After a sleepless night, they would have to fight even more soldiers. The general of the reinforcements acknowledged Creon, and after a brief discussion on the current situation, began distributing soldiers and resources. Creon was quite impressed at his capability. I''m not sure which city he''s from, but I need to steal him he thought, laughing lightly to himself. As he prepared to engage the enemy once more, the oddest thing happened, a messenger appeared, he claimed that the emperor wished to speak to the leader of this alliance, one on one. That was quicker than i thought. Creon shouted back "If the esteemed emperor would like to meet, he is welcome to come to the city hall, however i refuse to leave these walls, for fear of treachery amongst you.." Creon said this, half because it was true, and half because he wanted them to attack. if he could destroy that army here, and he believed he could, he could then reclaim all that they lost. To his surprise, The emperor rode out. Creon gave the orders to open the gate, but beware trickery and quickly made his way back to the city hall. The emperor strode gallantly into his office. He had long dirty blond hair, blue-green eyes, and just slightly tanned skin. he had the kind of face that made women in the real world become stalkers. "Greetings, I am known in this world as Gabriel Skylark. I am the head of the band of the Silvercrest Knights and emperor of the Ezzian Empire." He wishes to use our in-game personas eh? well I''m a fairly good sport so i''ll play along "Good morning young brother, I am Creon, master of the Magi, and lord of the free city of Frieda" Creon brought his hands together, smiled gently,and inclined his head ever so slightly. "Lord Creon, I shall cut straight to the point! can we have terms? As it is, our armies will destroy each other, and no one would truly win after all the carnage and death. You are truly a master of tactics! but your soldiers are far inferior to my own, and even if you were to win, my secondary army would simply come and destroy whats left of you after they are done in Aquila." Creon kept his smile and responded "Certainly, what you say is true... but your highness, what about reparations? do you plan on leaving the tattered country of Reed with nothing but the small area left?" Time to salvage the situation. Damn it, I had forgot about the army raiding Aquila. I have to get as much out of this as possible. Gabriel looked surprised for a moment, the pulled out a map of Reed. "Mark your price." Creon understood immediately and made a mark far east of the capitol . Gabriel was enraged. "Impossible!" He made a new mark near their current location. He took the bait After a couple hours, debating everything, Creon made a new mark in the middle of the two marks, right across the capitol. "Let''s compromise then shall we, you get more than half you know." Gabriel shook his head. "I need the capitol, its the symbol of this conquest. " "Then-" Creon made a curved line, which gave him more territory, but allowed the capitol to be in Gabriel''s territory. Gabriel straightened the line, giving him more territory. "Agreed?" "hmmm establish Magi as the official religion of the Ezzian empire. and were agreed." Gabriel, tired of negotiations, quickly agreed and te trap has officially been sprung "We look forward to being allies with you your highness" "Likewise Lord Creon" Gabriel said, with a tired look in his eyes. Creon and Gabriel walked out shoulder to shoulder, proclaiming that there would be peace. After the Ezzians left, the reinforcements began helping fix up the city, while many players logged out, tired. Grimlock of course stayed. Creon called his council to order. Looking into the faces of Oz, Bor, Angelus, and Grimlock, he told them blatantly what was going to happen. "We are now an independent nation. The Friedan Theocracy." The emotions ranged from shock to indifference to pride. "Master, you do not know how proud it makes me to see you take this next step." "My Lord! I know of what you have done for the people, but shouldnt we at least try to rebuild the country of Reed?" Angelus interjected "What country of Reed you dolt? Its gone, destroyed, no more. Well I dont really care as long as I can do as i please" As the two started arguing, Grimlock approached Creon. "Hey man... do you think you really have a shot?" "At what? " Creon asked back. "At conquering this world, I know thats what you''re aiming for". Creon looked at him, eyes completely serious. "Absolutely". *Authors note* So guys this is the end of volume one, ''The First Steps" Ive been thinking about making a new series by the way, called Retribution, about Musashi, and what''s going on with him. I wouldnt update this FF everyday anymore tho, so tell me what you guys want. Road One
Level Up
New Class Skill: Ki Breaker. Breaks through auras, barriers, and protective techniques.
Creon fell down, tired. He had just soloed a mid sized level 45 goblin dungeon, and reached level 50. After the exp boost ran out for the players, leveling had become really hard. luckily most of the players in the Theocracy had gained around 20 levels during that battle five in-game months ago. the average level for all players was 50 now, with new players having caught up to the EA''s. of course you always had one monster-player who lvl. 75 or something but those were rare. Creon began making his way out of the dungeon, thinking about various things that had happened. After that battle, Creon got the mages guild to get the old teleportation cirlce under city hall working. Creon then had to go to each of the remaining cities, and convince them to unite under him. after a week of headache and useless negotiation, they agreed under the condition that they stayed rulers of there respective cities. Creon of course agreed under the condition that they converted. They had experience ruling so there wasn''t any reason to depose them yet. Creon spent the next month fortifying his new country. He didnt have walls set up. that would make it hard to move his own troops when it was time to expand. No, he mad roads, lots of them. they connected every major city and village there was, and then he personally constructed huge towers and forts at strategic locations. he put military outposts along all the roads to discourage bandits as well. Of course there was always some bandit clan or another that tried to make a territory in his country, but when they were found, they were taken alive, and forced to serve in the army for five years to account for their crimes. Due to this policy, Creon had a standing army of around 40000, which wasnt bad for a country so small. Most of the army was deployed to the forts and towers, the rest patrolled the land. the cities were patrolled by the police force, headed by Captain-Commander Grimlock and his guild [PeaceKeepers] All-in all, The Friedan Theocracy may have been one of the smallest countries, but it was definitely the safest. They had been attacked several times from the west and north, and each time, the enemy had been repelled, with their best leaders dead and half the army gone. after a while the attacks just ceased. nobody wanted to throw their men away anymore Creon had also became fairly good friends with Gabriel Skylark of the Ezzian empire. This was quite ironic as Creo was originally going to destroy him from the inside. the two talked often about several different things, including how difficult it was to be a ruler. At times like these, Gabriel would sometimes break his ironclad persona and say "Man, sometimes bro i just wanna say fuck it and hop back on call of duty." They would both laugh and then they would go on about their day. The Ezzian Empire had completely absorbed Aquila, and were now on a campaign in the north. They were now one of the bigger countries out there, and many players were trying to emulate Gabriel''s rise to power, albeit few of them ever rose as high as lord of a city. The Magi had also grown fairly strong, with almost everyone in the country a believer. Creon had set missionaries into other countries as well, sowing seeds in the hearts of the people. in Ezzi, around half the people converted, and monasteries had grown almost over night. in his rapid growth however, Creon had not realized he made a powerful enemy, the four churches. after he had obtained around 200000 followers, they began watching him, and trying to counter his growth. Creon was tempted to just send some inquisitors for their heads and be done with it, but he decided to try a more peaceful approach. He would ignore them. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. In the last two weeks, his friends had finally made it there from Covina. Creon had asked them to come so that he would have the final things he required before he started expanding. A stable economy and a good culture. His friends were merchants in this world, but venture capitalist in the other. if anyone can maintain an economy, it was them. first they regulated prices. an apple costing 2 copper in one village but a silver in another made no sense. Then they utilized the roads and introduced logistics to the farmers and shop owners, they made more transport and security jobs available, then added a tax. The tax was based off sales, but since the prices were low with the new system, the tax wasnt even complained about. Big cities started having festivals every month, with different themes each time. towns and villages copied this, but could only afford it once every three months. This added to the culture of the country. people were happy, and more people were coming everyday. Creon reached the exit and realized he forgot to distribute the status points. after adding them all to VIT, he took a moment to look at his Status window. Damn Ive come a long way
NameCreonClassVenerable Monk; Architect
Health2950Mana2050
Level50Fame5600
Health Regen/Sec5Mana Regen/Sec5
Strength202Agility64
Wisdom250Intelligence205
Stamina640Vitality295
Dexterity150[Fighting Spirit]525
Endurance108Faith242109
charisma275leadership17900
Art147Concentration1200
After his newbie benefits ran out, the stat points werent rolling in like they used to, so he had to do alot of training to stay in the game. But as always, his faith stat and leadership remained op. I wonder if Gabriel''s Honour and Leadership are like this as well? I''ll ask him later Creon thought as he exited the cave. As he shielded his eyes from the strong sunlight,something darted out of the shadows. Creon twisted his body and was about to kick whatever that was out of existence,but then it screamed "wait!" Creon''s foot stopped three inches from its face. " I''m sorry if I scared you but please listen to me!" Creon looked again at what stood in font of him. It was a skinny, dark-haired halfling. Road Two "A halfling?" Creon said out loud. He had never seen one before. The churches labelled them as evil creatures because they were apparently thieves and liars. Creon of course was on his guard. Like hell he was going to get robbed by some 4ft bandits. "How rude! I''m not HALF of anything!, I''m FULLY hobbit, and preferred to be called as such!" The hobbit exclaimed. "Ah forgive me little brother, I had no idea." Creon said with a smile. he began walking. he had plans to attend to and had no time to play around with the hobbit. "Wait! we really need your help! My people have been hunted down as evil creatures for decades and now there are only a few thousand left. most went into the wilds of the central continent, but about 2000 of us are near here! please! I heard that this country had a faith that claimed everyone was equal!" Creon stopped. He was currently in the north, but he was headed towards the south of is country, which was bordered by mountains. In those mountains were wyverns, dragonlike creatures of around level 40. Where most people looked at them and saw ''Hard monster'' Creon saw ''Air Force''. He wanted to hurry up and start training some before people realized their possible use, and it wouldnt be long. But Creon didnt want to just turn his back on them. They were an endangered, bullied species. Creon cursed his soft heart. " Guide me to your people," he said, still on guard. The dark haired hobbit quickly led him through the forest to a clearing in the forest, in front of a cave. There were numerous tents and makeshift defenses all around the entrance to the cave. At the sight of Creon, the hobbits went on high alert. "Human! Human! " Their archers quickly got in position and prepared to fire. The dark-haired hobbit quickly got in front of Creon. "DONT SHOOT!" "Oh gods! the human has Cello!" "No you idiots I brought him here!" "Cello... you... youve betrayed us?!" "NOOOOO!" Creon watch the little comedy go on a while longer, then raised his voice. "I came her to say you can stay in my country. bye" "What?" The hobbits were all confused. "WAIT!" an elderly hobbit ran out, using his cane for assistance. "I am the Chief of these hobbits, the Earth clan. Please, I dont know how it works in these lands, but don''t we need to meet with the king or something? please take us to the ruler of this country!"
NEW QUEST Quest Level: C Assure that the hobbits gain sanctuary in the Friedan Theocracy Failure: All the hobbits die Rewards: hobbit reputation +1000, Hobbits now playable. Unknown.
You have got to be kidding me. This has got to be the easiest quest ever. I''m not even going to count this amongst my accomplishments. Creon pulled out his magic mirror and contacted all the city lords and informed them that hobbits were now citizens off the theocracy. "But my lord patriarch, are they not lesser vile creatures? " Creon looked sternly into the mirror. "Brother are we not all equal in mana? Dont let the condemnations of another faith sway your heart. If these little brothers and sister join the Magi, then there is no problem, no?" The lords had no argument towards this, and of course agreed. Creon put the mirror back into his inventory, and turned towards the hobbits. "And there you have it." He said. "YOU WERE THE KING?!?!?!?" They all shouted in unison. "I''m not a king, but I am the ruler of this country. Really now, you should know the ruler of the country youre trying to stay in"
Quest completed Reputation with hobbits +1000 Hobbits now playable New Companion! Cello! Events are stirring, expect changes!
Greaaaaat. Creon sighed. he had no problem with the hobbits and was actually glad he was finally getting diversity in his country. Gabriel had mermaids and fishmen in his country ever since conquering Aquila, and Creon had been quite jealous. But that last comment about things stirring had him nervous . He had an air force to make. He didnt exactly want more distractions. Creon began walking away after seeing the hobbits bust out in celebration. "Hey grandpa this place sure is nice for a human country" "sure is Cello, you know, we should tell the other races about this place! I''ll send envoys immediately!" After that, Cello immediately ran to catch up with Creon. "Hey I''m coming with you!I''ll be useful, i swear!" Creon continued walking, while saying "certainly little brother, you may accompany me, if you can keep up. I havent had companionship in a long time. By the way, do you have a class?" "No my... lord? Its hard for us to come by class books or instructors willing to teach. We hobbits tend to prefer stealth, or else ranged classes though." If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Creon turned and placed his hand on the hobbit''s head and granted him the Ranger class. "And with this little brother, youre now a ranger." said Creon pulling a bow and all the arrows out of is inventory. He had plenty of loot from the dungeon which he normally would donate to the army or police force. However if he had to have a companion, he wouldn''t have it walking around unarmed and weak. "Can you use the bow?" "Ah yes, the young men of my tribe are required to learn. I''m intermediate and I''m only lvl 40!" Cello said with a proud face. Oh? he might be pretty good after all.Creon and Cello walked for days, getting to know each other, and adjusting to the other''s style of fighting, until they got to a city. Creon immediately wet to the city hall, greeted the city''s lord, then used the teleportation circle underneath the city hall. First, he wanted to teleport to Frieda. Heading upstairs from the teleportation circle to see his Grimlock and Oz. When they saw him, they immediately clasped arms with him. It had been around a month since they had seen Creon, as he had copious amounts of work to do such as connecting villages, suppressing goblins, giving war orders, the such. Creon transferred all the weapon drops to Grimlock, who would distribute it to the police force. Then he addressed Oz. " I''m about to be away for a short while in the south. Is there anything that needs my attention?" Oz'' face became serious. "Actually master..." It seemed that Seki, the country to the west, had attempted to invade again, with general Bor holding them off. This was most likely due to the fact that now every ''lesser'' race, which Seki actively condemned and mistreated, was now pouring into the Theocracy. They believed that it was a sanctuary wherein they wouldnt be hunted. Hobbits, sprites, giants, and sylvan elves. They were all seeking asylum in the theocracy. "They attacked us just for that???" "Yes master." Creon was pissed. he had been constantly showing mercy to that country, never actually attacking back, just defending and defeating their armies. This was because he was focusing on the quality of his own country. But no more, if they wanted a real war, so be it. "Oz have General Layfon attack the country of Seki with 25,000 men while Bor completely crushes the enemy army with our remaining forces. I mean completely this time. no one escapes. Be sure to stress that. start gathering volunteers as well, especially amongst our new residents. Have the Dark Fist mobilize as well. I want every major noble as well as the royal family of Seki delivered back unto the mana within the week." "May they live forever Master." "May they live forever." Creon walked off after this, with Cello close at hand, sporting a worried look. "Dont worry, we can handle it, Seki may be bigger tan us, but they have few outworlders, and their military is a joke in the face of our own. I dont even have to lead the battle myself. It''ll probably be over in a week." Creon said. Funny how the tables have turned. The Ezzian Army had almost taken Reed in a week, and now, the Theocracy was about to do the same to another. "I- I see" said Cello. He didnt want to tell Creon that this was all their fault. He and his grandfather had invited all the other races here. Creon turned to the young hobbit. "I will be disappearing for a few days, dont worry though, I''ll be fine". Then he logged out. As Jameson, he started working out. He noticed about a week ago he had started losing a little muscle, he couldnt have that. After about an hour of working out, he got some sleep. When he woke up,he grabbed some food and browsed the forums. The war was going great it seemed. The country of Seki had no rulers left alive and was in a panic, while their capitol burned. Oh an update! Seki had surrendered and was absorbed into the Friedan Theocracy. As expected thought Jameson. Jameso read other articles, but none were really interesting. the world was entering a state of chaos, with everyone trying to gain power, especially in the East, the players there were almost all PKs and everyone was trying to carve a bloody path up. The person called Maou had conquered Zed in the north and completely subjugating its neighbors. It seemed that the four churches had crowned the hero king of Covina, and they had summoned a new race... Angels! Jameson came extremely close to the screen, he couldnt believe it. He smiled wryly to himself. Of course he wasnt the only one who had introduce new races. but damn, he kinda wished that he could be an angel too. Jameson got up from the computer. Time to see the spoils of war. He re entered the chamber. Road Three "Allowed. allowed, allowed....." Creon was busy accepting envoys from the races that wanted protection in the Theocracy, as well as accepting formal surrenders from the state of Seki. All in all, the size of the theocracy had tripled. It was the biggest small country there was, almost the size of a mid-sized country. All the other small countries in the south quickly sent him offerings of peace. He had taken a whole country within a week, that was absurd. what made it more absurd was that the country was twice as big as the Theocracy. They didnt understand how he could have possibly done it. This victory was due to his devious tricks excellent tactics, his great generals, and most importantly, the Dark Fist. The Dark Fist was a stealth guild, commissioned by Creon himself. It was made up of stealth characters, mostly inquisitors, and dark mage types. Their job was two-fold. Spy and assassinate, as well as prevent spying and assassination from other countries. and they were quite good. They were also self-funded, as every time they assassinated someone, they also took their drops, or if it were a noble, their most valuable belongings. Creon knew however that he wouldnt be able to keep winning using the same tactics. He was looking into creating more branches of military. The blacksmiths of Seki were pretty good. He could have them make heavy armor, the first step towards a heavy infantry division. Yes, I think I shall do that. Creon quickly wrote up a document that would order them to do so, and paid quite well. Now, for my air force. Creon signed a few more papers then headed off. the documents he signed were to begin constructing roads and forts in he new areas of the Theocracy. Damn, conquest is expensive he thought as he retrieved Cello and headed towards the teleportation circle. He teleported towards the southernmost city, Tirnos. Tirnos was a Sekian mining city, so it was only natural that it was close to the mountains. Originally, Creon would have had to travel to the city of Brune, which was a day away from the mountains, but since he conquered Seki, he could teleport to any city there as well. He quickly bought several jewels that he could present as gifts to the wyverns. He didnt know their nature in this game, but if they were like their cousins, most dragons in most rpgs, they would have a fondness for treasures. He began travelling through the mountains that day, encountering many creatures, but no wyverns. They must be deeper... He thought. He traveled until night, then made camp.He looked over at Cello, who was sharpening his arrows. The hobbit had no trouble keeping up with him, and never complained. He had also taken down quite a few gnolls that had attacked them in the mountains, making short work of their archers. Creon had trouble with archers. Mage types, he could simply disassemble their spells then close the distance and give them a taste of close combat. They would be dead in two minutes. Melee types, he can spam [Magic Bullets] and they would go down before they could even reach him. but Ranged characters had better ranged techniques than him, and their skills werent effected by [Disassmbly]. plus, they had more AGI than him so they could retreat before he even got close. He was beginning to be very glad he took Cello along. The next morning, after around five hours of travel, they reached the heart of the mountains. There, they encountered the first wyvern. Creon thanked his class so much for the [Harmony} skill. The wyvern was around 22 ft long , with a horned lizard-like head. it was a cement-like white color with yellow snake like eyes. Its agile tail had many spikes at the end, all very sharp and sure to inflict painful death. but it was only lvl 43, so it didnt attack Creon. Creon went up to it, and prayed that it could understand him. "greetings brother." The wyvern looked at him. "I do not recall having a flightless one as my brother." He said in a deep growling voice. "We are all brothers, are we not, young one? for we are all of mana." Creon replied. Well let''s hope they can be reasoned with. The wyvern asked "what do you want flightless one? your kind never come this deep into the mountains, the cowards. But you are different. normally I would have attacked you on sight, but for some reason, I feel no need to. What are you?" "To answer your first question, I am here to ask for an alliance between my people and yours. I wish to fight side by side with the wyverns of the Spire mountains, let us gain strength together. You must grow tired of having the same hunting grounds, seeing the same scenes, join me, and grow!" Creon activated his [Tame] skill as he talked. The wyvern was enthralled by the time he had finished.
Taming Successful
"As you say flightless one, I grow sick of these same mountains, I grow sick of never gaining strength! I have seen the great battles of the flightless ones, I too yearn for the glory of battle, for new prey! I shall join you, but I know not of my kin. I am not the chief, and the chief does not like your kind. Tell me flightless one, I am Shao Ghul, what is your name?" "I am Creon, ruler of the Friedan Theocracy, Lord Patriarch of the Magi." responded Creon. "Come Shao Ghul, take us to your chief!" Shao Ghul allowed Creon and Cello onto his back and took off. Creon immediately activated [Body Reinforcement] technique and grabbed Shao Ghul''s horns. The impact from lift off had nearly knocked he and Cello off. Luckily he wasnt light, especially when he had Cello clinging to him for dear life. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "So Shao Ghul, how is the chief chosen" Creon yelled, striking up conversation. "Combat. The current chief is strong, he is closest to evolution. He kills any who come close to lvl 45. He is lvl 44, If he reaches level 45, he can evolve into a drake. He must be close, but I am also almost level 44. He will try to kill me when I return, be ready." Creon wasnt worried. Little did Shao Ghul know, he was already stronger than a level 45. A general rule of thumb, companions were stronger than wild creatures, as the charisma of their fellow companions slightly boosts stats. With Creon''s high charisma stat, Shao Ghul was even stronger. Creon opened Shao Ghul''s companion window.
Shao Ghul
Health1500Mana3000
Level43
Health Regen/Sec3Mana Regen/Sec10
Strength150Agility200
Wisdom300Intelligence300
Stamina2000Vitality150
He has more WIS and INT than even I do, unexpected. But that STR is much lower than I thought. " Shao Ghul. your INT and WIS stats are no joke. Are all wyverns like this? " "No. My foolish brethren all invest most of their points into strength and vitality. They think that if they can hit hard and not die, they are invincible, the fools. this is why chief Verliath can control them so." Creon thought for a moment, then spoke again. "Shao, were going to make you the new chief. If you follow my instructions it will be over quickly. Can you use magic, or a breath attack?" "Hahahaha so be it! If I must become chief to become strong, I welcome it! and yes, i have a magic called mana burst, its a defensive type magic that uses mana to enhance my abilities. I also have a breath attack, but It is not as strong as a dragons, and has no element. luckily, due to my brethren''s low INT and WIS, they might as well not have one at all. the chief has more INT, but again, negligible." Creon quickly made a battle plan. After several hours of practice and exp grinding, Shao dropped Creon and Cello just outside the roost. Then without stopping, activated [Mana Burst] and attacked the chief. he immediately clawed at his head several times until Verliath knocked him off with his superior STR. Shao just recovered his balance and shot several breath attacks at the chiefs head, hitting the same spot over and over. The chief tried to rush forward, but Shao avoided him with superior AGI. he got on top of the chief''s back, and for several minutes unleashed hell upon him, blasting parts of him off, tearing his wings asunder, biting his throat until fountains of blood sprang forth, and finally, Shao crushed the ex-chief''s head. "I am the chief now. Any complaints?" The wyverns were silent. Then, as the chiefs body disappeared in a pile of loot, Shao Ghul began his racial evolution, emerging as a pure drake, with no elemental affiliation. He roared so loud it reverberated throughout the mountains. For the next two weeks, Shao Ghul, Creon and Cello flew around the mountains, taking over clans, and eliminating those who refused to join them. In the end, over 10000 wyverns and drakes swore fealty to Shao Ghul. They flew towards the former capitol of Seki. it was huge and abandoned, the perfect place for the new roost. Bor and his army soon arrived. "My lord" said Bor bowing, while he and his army looked around nervously. "General Bor, you and your army are to cooperate with our new allies to form a sort or airborne fighting force, an Air Force, so to speak. There should be enough of you here so that each man receives a partner. I reiterate, these are companions, not pets, and if ANY person treat them as lesser than himself, and not as a fellow soldier, he will answer to me and Shao Ghul. After I beat him thoroughly, Shao Ghul will feast on his tenderized flesh, make sure that is understood. We are all brothers and sisters in mana, and I demand they be treated as such." "As you say my lord" said general Bor. He knew full well that Creon never tolerated any kind of inequality. Creon walked off, hiding his childish grin. All he could think right now was omgomgomg I have an air force bro!! He spent the next in-game month training with the Air Force, quelling insurgents, and slaying monsters alongside Shao Ghul. at the end of the month, he also made a trip to the Ezzian Empire''s Capitol to pay Gabriel Skylark a visit since he could no longer keep his corps a secret due to a new war with the country of Blutheim. After happily seeing Gabriel''s eyes light up green with envy at the sight of him riding Shao Ghul, Creon happily logged out. Road Four "Damn it!" Creon was sweating, but the room was fairly cold. "Why did this have to happen now??? we arent ready! hell, would we have ever been ready for this???? " Two ingame months ago, Creon finished training with the air force. incidentally, the last of the rebels, numbering a few thousand, who opposed him in Seki had fled to Blutheim, a country in the north. Blutheim somehow came under their control. Two weeks later, Blutheim attacked the Theocracy with all of their might. A staggering 100000 troops were sent to atttack the Theocracy. Creon used his usual tactics with an army of 30000, but also used the 10000 Air force troops to give him an edge. the results were catastrophic... for Blutheim of course. Creon didnt even need to be there. The air force rained down hell upon the invaders, and with their heads upturned in fears, it was that much easier to decapitate them on the ground. The vanguard was made up of heavy infantry, so casualties were extremely low, while over half of the enemy was destroyed. the rest were routed, and attempted to flee. while the Air force hunted them down, General Layfon marched into the capitol unmatched and personally beheaded the royal family. All other cities surrendered immediately. The enemy soldiers were pardoned and absorbed, and the country of Blutheim was taken in just three days. The other countries were shaken with fear. This was unheard of. Even the Ezzian Empire took longer than that. And they were riding dragons, DRAGONS!(they were just drakes) Just then, news came in that the Ezzian empire had crushed the two countries they were at war with using great armored lizards- drakons. The southern countries writhed in fear, something had to be done about those two. They began to conspire in secret, making moves in the dark. A month later, present day, they combined into a huge coalition of over 15 countries of varying size, and calling themselves the Southern Alliance, declared war on both the Theocracy and the Empire. This was the source of Creon''s distress, he was in a war room, with a dark fist member presenting him the information. He had no time. He messaged Gabriel immediately and flew off on Shao towards the capitol of Ezzi. He and Gabriel signed a warpact agreement, making them official allies in the eyes of the people. They then came up with war strategies, baring all their secrets about their militaries to each other. they couldnt afford not to anymore. Creon''s army mainly had three major strengths working for it. The air force, the dark fist, and the heavy infantry. His army was versatile, able to quickly and easily switch from offence to defense. Gabriels''s army also had three main powers. The heavy cavalry- drakons, the magic corps, and their siege weapons. They were an offense based, highly destructive army. Creon knew that there were only a few ways they could win this. He decided to put his first plan into action. he deployed 3/4 of the dark fist into the nearest 5 countries which were the smallest, who were mobilizing there armies, and waiting for the armies from their allies to come. they caused massive civil unrest. They made the people think that as many of them were of the Magi faith, they were going to be persecuted. They spread rumors that the bigger countries were just using them as meat shieds, and reinforcements were never going to come. Then they spread even more rumors that the rulers of the country were going to leave the alliance and become neutral. The rulers of course had no intention of doing so and tried to dissuade such rumors, but they were already flying around rampantly. then all major nobles and royal families were assassinated. There was no doubt of who did it in the peoples minds, the Southern Alliance. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Creon appeared right on time, saying that he would take care of them, that he would protect them from the evils of the Alliance. Just like that, in a week, 5 countries fell into his arms with less than 1000 lives being lost. By then the Alliance armies had reached their borders. But their number was only half of what was expected, 500000. Gabriel had not been wasting time. He had hired multiple bandit and merc clans including the infamous BloodBrothers, headed by Musashi, to attack the north eastern part of the Alliance , forcing them to split their army, anticipating a larger force. 300000 of the 500000 that were attacking Creon''s domain split off and headed east towards what was considered the bigger threat, the Ezzian Empire. They were certainly right about Gabriel being the bigger threat... but they should have finished me off first Creon thought with a smile. Indeed, if the full force of a million had attacked, or the 500000 had eliminated him first, they could not have won, but since the enemy split up, leaving him with only 200000 enemies, he now had a chance. after bolstering his army with the armies of the countries which joined him, he had around 150000 men, all ready for battle with plenty of reserves available, all of which he moved to the frontier cities. Of course there would not be a huge clash of hundreds of thousands of men at once, at least there was not supposed to be.. The enemy split its army into eight, seven of which targeted a city each, the eighth was the head quarters, consisting of 60000, which acted as reserves for the other armies. They assumed Creon would take a similar stance, then they would annihilate him with superior numbers. They did not know him. Creon attacked the head quarters with his full force of 150000. It was a massacre. The enemies morale was destroyed when they saw the army whose numbers could darken the horizon. They attempted to fight back, but the armored vanguard slowly pushed through. Creon let their messengers escape. They quickly realized that it was a losing battle and tried to flee, but then Creon unveiled ''that''. He had borrowed half the Ezzian magic corps in exchange for half of the dark fist. The magic corps bombarded the cowards without mercy, less than five thousand escaped. They were much better than they had been when they had attacked Reed all those months ago. Creon then divided his army in two, sending them in the general directions the seven went, crushing each inferior army one by one. A few, after getting the message from hq about getting attacked had left fortified positions around the cities. A fatal mistake. After 2 weeks of mopping up, then invaders were wiped out Creon had lost 30000 men, and two of the cities burned, but they were alive. That was plenty. Gabriel contacted Creon around the same time. He had some how handled things on his end too, losing around the same number, though his army was larger. "We did it man" Gabriel said, sighing in relief. " What do you mean?" asked Creon. "This was just the first wave." Road Five *Authors note: Sorry for the delay this chapter. I took a little time to consider the over all direction of my story and several elements thereof. I would have had this chapter finished the previous day, or else this morning, however, bae wanted to talk last night. She gets scary when she doesnt get what she wants and I have no intentions of dying at the tender age of 18. So there you have it. Also, I''m probably going to start my second series soon. It will be called Devastation, just wait on it.* Creon paced restlessly across the floor of his tent. I need more strength, this wont be enough to turn back the tide against them. Dammit Gabriel you lucky OP bastard, it isnt fair. During the previous wave of enemies from the Southern Alliance, Creon and Gabriel lost the same amount of soldiers despite gabriel having a larger force. Normally this would be considered natural, a force more equal to the opposing force would lose less men, however Gabrel''s army was completely assault-based. their offensive power was top notch... but defensively all they could really rely on was the armored drakons. And this was definitely a defensive battle. Creon had asked Gabriel about it, and he seemed to dodge the question. Creon thought this was suspicious. They had decided to reveal everything regarding their militaries to each other in order to build trust as well as make more efficient strategies. If Gabriel had held something back, that was a violation of their alliance. Creon was sure to stress this to Gabriel. "It''s..... probably better that you see it. It will be much easier to explain afterwards. Check the online forums, It''s probably all over the place." Gabriel said, averting his eyes. "I wasnt trying to hide it or anything bro, but it technically isnt a military secret, but a personal one, I didnt want to use it until the time was right and..." and you dont know if you might possibly have to use whatever it is against me someday, finished Creon mentally. Creon logged out and checked the forums like Gabriel suggested. What he saw there amazed him, shocked him, and at the same time made him feel a little fear. Gabriel, was commanding his army from the top of the highest hill. Th terrain was hilly all around, Creon had suggested this battlefield to Gabriel in order to slow down enemy cavalry. The drakons wouldn''t mind it because the narrow passages and occasional wide open spaces were similar to their natural habitat: a huge system of caves underneath the same mountains where Creon had found Shao Ghul. The battle began As expected, with the enemy having trouble navigating the hills, and the Ezzian army attacking them all throughout the hills. However, the video skipped to two days later, and the enemy had adapted, and began pushing Gabriel back. After losing a couple thousand men, Gabriel personally went down to lead the attack the enemy, whose hq had come very close to his own during their advance. As Gabriel ran down the hill, it happened. He transformed into a drakon. His scales were the same as his hair, golden with brown flecks, which shined as they caught the light. He wasnt much bigger than the other drakons, about 12 meters long, but he was obviously different. He had asort of majestic air about him, and after his appearance, the other drakons changed. they became more aggressive, and rushed to Gabriel''s side. They began to push the enemy back, then the video ended. Jameson had sat there for a moment, then got up and logged back in. "Gabriel how did you get that?" he asked in a calm voice. Being angry at him for hiding it would not help anything, so it would be best to simply move forward with the situation. This was a good thing after all. If he could emulate that power, it would bolster their chances of winning. "Well," Gabriel started, "It all started after you visited me with Shao Ghul. I too wanted a dragon corps after that, I mean who wouldnt? but when i went to the mountains in Aquila, All the drakes and wyverns were gone, they had joined you. I had almost lost hope of having dragon allies until I saw one: a giant lizard crawling out of a cave. It attacked, but I and the small warband i took with me subdued it and questioned it. It wasn''''t very smart, but it answered our questions. it seemed that it had come from a huge colony further underground." Gabriel paused to reflect on what happened next then resumed. " I told the warband I was with to wait at the entrance, as I would go alone into the cave with the lizard. I''m not good at stealth, but even I know that the sounds of ten sets of armor marching through the cave would sound suspicious. when we entered the cave, I was sure to let the lizard know in no uncertain terms, that if it were to turn on me, I would make sure to kill it first, even if I were to die. It understood, and I got on top of it. as we traveled downwards using the least populated routes, we began seeing bigger versions of the lizards we had passed earlier. I was told that these were the racial evolution of the lizards: drakons. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. " But anyway, skipping all the boring parts and minor fights, after a week, we eventually got to the heart of the mountains where the chief was. I had planned to negotiate with him, and form an alliance, as now i assume you did. However, as soon as we approached him, he made a huge ruckus drawing all the denizens of the caves toward us. Then, declaring him a traitor, he killed the lizard I was with. in my rage I immediately attacked the chief drakon. The lizard and I could not be called close friends, but after traveling with someone for a week, you begin to develop a sort of kinship. That and I''m fairly sure it was going to kill me after. but anyway, it was a rough battle that I barely won. After I cut him down, i fell into my enemy, and inadvertently slipped into a pool of its blood, unconscious. when i woke, I wondered how I was still alive, and why the other drakons stood around, not trying to kill me after i just killed their leader. then a bunch of notifications appeared. Apparently I completed some sort of ritual which involved me killing the chief of the dragon clan and bathing in its blood. I received a racial change to Dragon-Kin, and the functional title of Drako-" "Functional title?" Creon interrupted. "Yeah, I never heard of one before I actually got one either. Theyre permanent, and are actually added to your name. If you could see my status window, you would see that my name is Gabriel Drako Skylark. Anyway, after that, I became the new chief, and gained the ability to shift into a drakon. There are other transformations, but drakon and half drakon are the easiest. they seem to boost the morale of my clan too. there were a few other changes, but that''s pretty much it." It had been three in-game weeks since that conversation. Creon had been desperately trying to strengthen his army before the 5 million men from the north came back to attack them. He had less men and resources than the first time. He wasnt going to get any more, as most of the players had already enlisted, and many of the male npcs were also assisting the war effort. He couldnt pull from the reserves either, as they were the armies that protected the cities. Worst news, the enemy had began guarding against assassinations. So he began working on quality. Because of the victories, his army was fairly high leveled, with the average in game level being 60, and theirs being 70. Creon began having them do skill training in their spare time. Stat training was part of their military drills, and included lifting weights, running, and striking the straw dummies. They rarely trained their skills other than [Sword Mastery]. After Creon rectified this,He began reassigning the other species in the army. he had let the generals fill in their troops as they so wished, but looking at the way the troops were assigned, he immediately regretted it. Sprite foot soldiers, gnome archers, elven heavy infantry, the list went on. Creon spent the whole day having people reassigned to areas that made more sense. Then he began working on himself, training as hard as he could, trying to raise his stats. He also looked amongst the various books he had bought for ways to become stronger. If he could attain the sage class, perhaps he could be strong enough to tip the balance, but he didnt think he could meditate for ten days straight. Even if he could, that meant two days in the real world with out food or water, too dangerous. He had Cello ask around the other species as well, but they pretty much all had generic answers, or solutions Creon couldnt take. Then three days later, Cello brought a group of sprites to his tent. The leader among them addressed Creon. "Excuse me sir, but i believe we may have a solution to your problem... although it wont be pleasant." Creon was ready to endure pain or discomfort. he had worked for too long, done far too much to let it all end now. "Speak brother, I''m prepared." he said. The Sprite looked at him with an expression Creon could not recognize, then asked him: "How would you like to become a spirit?" Temporary Hiatus- Discussion post Feel free to use this thread to discuss this fiction with each other and suggest new things to me . I''ll be sure to read each comment, and may reply. May mana keep and bless you. - Your Everlasting Brother in Mana, You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Mahatma I have returned Brothers, sisters, I think I''m going to end my hiatus. I''m going to continue my other works, but I think this, my first fic, deserves attention. Besides, its companion Story, Game of the Mad God, is almost caught up in chapters as well. Please enjoy this sneak peek into the future of this story. THIS IS A TEMPORARY TIMESKIP I CANNOT REITERATE THAT ENOUGH. <><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><><> Creon approached the mountain with anticipation. It had been 6 months since the last meeting, and things had gone rather well since. The fighting was brought under control, and borders had been established. You could now walk around without fear of being robbed and killed, in complete contrast to the first 6 months before the first meeting. Yes, those days were a true hell. Rioting, rape, pillaging, murder. it marked the beginning of their imprisonment. And now it had been a year. A year since the since they were trapped in the game called New Paths by the creature calling itself a god: Vira Zin. The mountain was covered with players. All of the were notable and powerful in some way, but as Creon approached the base of the mountain to begin his ascent, they all parted for him. This wasn''t because they recognized him, no he was wearing a cloak which masked ones identity. It was due to his fighting spirit stat, or more accurately, his derivation of it: Will. At this point in the game, while levels were still a good way of accessing strength, Fighting spirit was the method of choice. levels could be gained in a variety of ways, but fighting spirit could only be gained via combat or difficult training, and where as levels could be hidden, fighting spirit of a high level could be felt. A person with high fighting spirit was undoubtedly strong, and Creon had one of the highest levels in the game. As he continued his ascent, the players got stronger and stronger. Creon began seeing people he knew. Salaazar, the man who discovered the necromancer class and gained the unique class, Necrolord. Lucian Graveheart, the first player to become a werewolf. Bastard, one of the players who had taken Creon''s blessing back in the beginning of the game, and the only one to have advanced the class Sword Saint to its final form: Blademancer. All these names were impressive, but they took 2nd place compared to where Creon was going. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Finally, Creon reached the peak of the mountain. There was a singular round table with ten seats, only one of them not filled. All nine of the people, along with their attendants turned to look as he approached. The man commonly known as Maou spoke. "Took your slow ass long enough." Creon just chuckled. Sometimes he actually preferred the demon king''s rudeness to the stuffiness of the rest of the members of the tale he was taking a seat at. Gabriel to his left stood up and declared: "With this, the second Kings'' Summit will begin." Creon took a moment to look around the table as he took of his cloak. He could never get used to it, no matter how many times he saw it. the biggest names in the world were all at this table, even though half of them wanted to kill the other half for some reason or another. The Golden Emperor, "Dragon King" Gabriel Drako Pyrus Magnus Skylark Holy Crusader, "Hero King" Yuusha Sen Hei Seikishi Son of the Devil, "Demon King" Ra Maou Khazad-Amon Di Master of Magic, "Arcane Queen" Raina La Flora Solare The Golem, "Armored King" Regios Mars DaFoldore Godly Gamer, "God King" Steve Quickblade Septim Shellbuster Jewel of the Forest, "Fairy Queen" Luxia Faire Pixia Versailles Wild Beast, "Monster King" Larz Eriik Skul Volfkrieg The Fallen One, "Titan King" Kaiser Musashi Von Eisen Blut Enlightened One, "Spirit King" Mahatma Creon Vajrayaska Rakshasha Creon shook his head with a small smile. It felt as though it were an eternity ago, but he still remembered the times when it was just a game. Before all the titles, back when they had only one name. When if they killed each other, they wouldn''t actually die. His recollections were short lived however as the sounds of bickering tore him away from his daydream. He sighed. They would have to get their act together and make a choice. They only had another six months left until the dimensional rift was opened. Would they play along with Vira Zin, or would they do the unthinkable: Slay the Mad God?