《Beast Slayer》 It鈥檚 a whole New World Chapter 1: It¡¯s a whole New World Imagine a small, dark room in an old apartment block. The curtains are drawn shut to block the unpolarised rays of the sun and the hanging lamp is switched off to save on the electricity bill. The only source of light is a pale blue glow from the computer screen illuminating a young man¡¯s face. Aside from the computer and desk the only thing in the room was a short bed in the corner. The covers were neatly laid out, not because the occupant was particularly neat but because he hadn¡¯t slept in it for days. This was the home of our hero. Though there were more rooms in the apartment, a kitchen and a bedroom for his sister, the only other one he¡¯d frequent was the bathroom. The young man staring at the screen was named Nevil Thompson, a name he was not particularly fond of. Going by the alias of Devil he was a prolific online figure in the world¡¯s biggest MMO, Neverwhere. He had been selling the latest equipment he¡¯d gotten on an online auction site. As one of the top players the items he sold could make quite a bit of money. The latest Epic item he¡¯d gotten dungeon crawling had gone for over a hundred pounds so he was smiling happily while typing to a net friend, Darkspear. Business was not perfect however. For years Neverwhere had captivated players with continuous updates and expansions, but less and less users were bidding on the online item auctions. He was making steady progress on paying off his uncles old debts, but if his source of income dried up he would no longer be able to support his sister at school. Trying to forget this niggling worry was no good so he tried to confide in Darkspear. Devil: Man bills just keep coming in don¡¯t they. With the drop in peeps on the auction sites I¡¯m worried I might not have enough Darkspear: Haha, no way! ur worried? no one can hold a candle toy u ingame! u always get all the best items! Devil: Yeah but if there¡¯s no one buyin them it won¡¯t matter right? Darkspear: ur worrying waaaaaay too much dude, there¡¯s always gunna be some lazy whales Nevil smiled to himself, it was great to have friends to reassure you wasn¡¯t it? Not that he¡¯d ever met darkspear in real life, he hadn¡¯t left the apartment in months¡­ Even on the net there were few people he connected with. But still, darkspear always had some words of encouragement. And it was true. If there was one thing Nevil could be proud of, and he knew there was only one, it was that he was one of the best when it came to Neverwhere. Despite this reassurance he still felt compelled to check if there were any updates incoming to bring players back to the fold. Scrolling through the latest topics of the Neverwhere¡¯s forums he came upon an interesting post. It was a new thread about an up-and-coming MMO simply entitled New World.
Flobadog: Anyone else heard about this new game called New World? I heard they got some real high grade virtual reality gear for it, this might be amazing!!
LionManex101x: Virtual reality? rly? the virtual reality games out at the moment barely even work and they want to release a mmo? this is going to be such a dramatic flop lmao
TherealFrogMan: nah dude I heard this 2, it¡¯s supposed to be years ahead of everybody else, their even implementing touch, taste and smell! It¡¯ll be crazy!!
LionManex101x: it¡¯s *they¡¯re douche, and no ******* way. Why would you even want that? Won¡¯t that mean pain and bad smells?
SmegGreg: It does sound pretty far-fetched. Other VR games barely have the controls working¡­
Flobadog: Well imma defo check this out, you guys can leave it if you want.
VR eh? There were only a couple of dozen so called VR games on the market but most were just visors instead of your computer screen, barely different from other games at all. Maybe this one would be different? Nevil read through the rest of the posts, but no concrete information was provided. However if this was real then New Worlds popularity would immediately explode! Actual virtual reality would attract players from across the market just for the novelty. Lots of users meant lots of item sales; if he got in early he could even get a monopoly of high class items on the online trade markets. But it would be a big risk. He was making enough to get by from Neverwhere at the moment but if New World did go bust he would lose a lot of time and ground to his rivals. He needed to research more info from the web. Finally reaching New Worlds homepage he immediately started scanning for info, only to roll back into his chair in frustration barely minutes later. Aside from the huge promises of absolute immersion, a dynamic world and complete freedom there was only one piece of information Nevil could find. The launch date, 23/04/2024. Just one week from now. After spending another hour researching online Nevil had made his decision. While there were not many details released to the public, interest was very high. Many gaming bloggers and the like had already declared they¡¯d play it from launch. Although he hated taking gambles he needed more than enough to just scrape by, and if it did take of it may very well leave Neverwhere in the dust, especially considering its current decline. His account was quite famous so putting it up for sale would give them enough to live for a couple of months at least. Hopefully by then there¡¯d be enough people interested to make some money off. Heaving one last pensive sigh he pressed enter and ordered the VR drive to be shipped ASAP. Neverwhere¡¯s Devil was heading for the New World. *** Soon after Nevil had tilted his chair back to go sleep the internet started to buzz with activity. Neverwhere, the game that had dominated the market for well over a decade now, no one with even a remote interest in games could have not heard about it. Millions were subscribed to it and played daily, and as such the top users garnered a fair bit of fame themselves. Castle lords and guild leaders had even appeared on television shows and the news. Near the top of those users was a gamer known simply as Devil, just going by popularity he might eclipse them all. While he wasn¡¯t part of any large guild and didn¡¯t participate in the huge pvp battles he was known to be the conqueror of countless dungeons. Over a dozen of the highest level bosses were known to have been defeated by Devil first, and a couple of those had yet to be beaten by anyone else! As a solo player who had conquered impossible odds he captured the imagination of thousands. And now this nigh legendary player had put his account up for sale. First this sparked of a huge bidding war, fans and former rivals all bidding furiously to take up the mantle of Devil. This would mainly be for self-satisfaction, as everyone would know he was leaving, though many were still quite keen. First users who hoped to be able to emulate his exploits crowded to it, but they were eventually knocked out by richer players. Though they¡¯d generally not have as much time to play they were still fans. But secondly, and more interestingly, it started hundreds of conversations across the web; where was the Devil headed now? Thoughts that he¡¯d just quit the online game world were immediately quashed, there was no doubt he was headed to a new hunting ground. But where? Even at 13 years old Neverwhere was still the world leader of all MMOs, it had many rivals but no equal. Soon a post caught everyone¡¯s attention, ¡®what about New World¡¯? Most of the hard-core MMO fans had heard of New World, but almost everyone was doubtful. Will it really work? Even if it did, would it being realistic really be fun? There were so many variables that most were taking a wait and see approach, but if Devil really was headed there then maybe it was worth a shot. Like Nevil himself had thought earlier, they did not want to fall behind when it came to exploring the new game. Soon the online orders for VR drives had more than doubled. At launch 40,000 people would be playing New World, with more eagerly waiting to see how it went. *** A week had passed and Nevil was waiting anxiously in his room for the VR drive to arrive. It was late, in just 5 minutes New World would open for the public and thousands of players would sweep in to start their journeys. Nevil didn¡¯t want to leave potential rivals with even a minute head start. He had been in a good mood all week; his account had sold for a record breaking ¡ê150,000, easily enough to pay off the debts he¡¯d barely been keeping on top of. Most of the rest went into savings and plans for the future, without his parents he¡¯d learnt to be very careful with money. But even so he¡¯d had enough to splurge on food a little and even ate in the kitchen a few times with his sister. Not that they really talked¡­ But now he was biting his nails and constantly turning to face his bedroom¡¯s door. He was trying to distract himself by looking for more leaked hints about New World on the web but it was barely working. Internally screaming to himself he brought up the start tab and shut down his computer. It whirled thankfully to a stop, leaving the room in silence. He dared not look at the clock, choosing instead to bore holes into the wall with his eyes, or trying his hardest to do so at the very least. Sweet merciful release, in the form of the doorbell ringing, shook him from his reverie and caused him to almost leap to his feet and almost run to the door. Pressing the speaker button he calmly enquired about the identity of his visitor. ¡°I¡¯ve got a package for Nevil Thompson.¡± The delivery man replied ¡°I¡¯ll buzz y-you right through.¡± Nevil said in a weak voice and low tone, despite his excitement. Being on the first floor the delivery man arrived quickly while Nevil cracked open the door just wide enough for the package to fit through. Muttering some words of gratitude Nevil quickly closed the door and headed back to his room. As he reached for the handle his sister¡¯s door swung open. The siblings stared at each other awkwardly for a heartbeat until Nevil¡¯s little sister, Clair, turned her head and said ¡°A new game bro?¡± He could hear the scorn in her voice. It was always like this, she always acted so haughty when it came to his method of making money. He almost wanted to drop the box and yell ¡®what do you think¡¯s paying for this home?¡¯ But he couldn¡¯t. Nevil could never raise his voice to his sister. It was ok if she carried on despising him; it was his own fault anyway. A pathetic older brother, only good for sitting around all day playing computer games was exactly what he was. As long as the video games provided for them it didn¡¯t matter what she said, that was the thought that had driven him thus far, and he wasn¡¯t going to let it go now. Grasping onto that idea Nevil gave a barely perceptible nod and disappeared into his room. Laying down the package carefully on the floor he quickly tore into it with renewed enthusiasm. It didn¡¯t matter how much of a head start others had, he came into Neverwhere much later as well and compared to that 10 minutes was nothing. He would reach the top in New World too. Upon opening the package Nevil found the actual console was surprisingly small. The VR driver was a simple helmet with a black visor; it was quite amazing how so much hardware could be fit into it. The only other content in the box was a thin instruction manual. Leafing through it he read that all he had to do was lay or sit down somewhere with the helmet on and when the device had switched on say out loud ¡®system start¡¯. There was, mercifully, nothing that needed to be inserted into the skin, or anywhere else in the body, but it was quite mysterious on how it would work. How would a simple helmet be able to replicate taste, touch or smell? Deciding not to think on it too deeply Nevil lay on his bed and pulled the helmet over his head. With the visor brought down he was left now in complete darkness. A sudden worry struck him. It had been ages since he¡¯d last been outside, what if this virtual reality overwhelmed him? Words in a foreign language flittered across the screen before fading out. He resisted the urge to rush back to the comfort of his computer, it would be fine. A game like this may put you into a virtual world, but no matter how good the graphics were it¡¯d still be a game. Having decided there was nothing to worry about he took a deep breath and lightly closed his eyes. Then to his empty room he said aloud ¡°system start.¡± And, for the first time in ages, Nevil¡¯s world was filled with space, colour and light. *** The sudden burst of light caused Nevil to snap his eyes open immediately. Above him was the vast night sky, filled with more stars than he¡¯d ever seen in his life. Confusion quickly set in and he brought his body upright to scan around. But there was nothing near him. In the distance the sun shone blindingly, too bright to even look at through his fingers. It occurred to Nevil that that was ridiculous, there wouldn¡¯t be stars out at the same time there was the sun. Finally running out of places to look Nevil turned his gaze down to where he was sat. Only he wasn¡¯t sat on anything. Far, far below him a planet stretched out in all directions. Were he in a calmer state of mind he might have noticed the continents and landscape were very different from earths. However he was not quite so composed. He began screaming. His arms and legs flailed wildly in desperation, seeking something to latch onto, while his mouth hung agape, panicked shouting escaping his lips. The only thought that had managed to make its way into his head was that the only way to go was down. It was not until he¡¯d run out of breath and had to take a break from his screams that he noticed he was not in fact falling. He simply hung there, motionless. ¡°Welcome to New World!¡± A voice called from behind him. Still far from relaxed Nevil managed to twist his body to face the speaker. Before him was a figure that appeared to be a man, yet he could not make out any shape or features, as if the entire person was made of static. What appeared to be its elbow rested on what appeared to be its knee, while what he could only assume was its hand supported what must have been its head. Just as Nevil was about to question it the unidentifiable figure continued its address. ¡°This is an automated greeting from the creators of your new game. Thank you for purchasing and allow us to fill you in on the basics!¡± It cheerfully chimed. ¡°While New World has many similarities with other games, be aware that treating it like you have others will get your character killed! You have the same needs as in real life, keep yourself fed and rested.¡± Having heard that it was an automated message Nevil gave up on questioning it. He was actually rather relieved that no one had seen him behave so embarrassingly back then. Now he needed to listen as intently as possible to glean as much information as he could from the message. ¡°As in all good RPGs you have basic stats and levels to grind, as well as some hidden stats to find! While you can level up to improve your stats certain in world actions will boost them too. And those with skill can perform better than those with much higher levels!¡± It exclaimed, spreading its arms in mock excitement, ¡°Speaking of skills, there are thousands of skills to learn in new world! These range from basic weapon masteries and crafts to spells that can level mountain tops! You can learn skills from NPCs, skill books or more rarely from great personal effort. Though there are many Class restricted skills too with the vast array of classes to choose from you¡¯ll never feel restricted! Now, finally, to begin your journeys choose your race and starting position. You can be Human, Dwarf or High Elf, but more races will be unlocked as the world is explored!¡± Nevil briefly considered his options, but still unsure of what the New World held he finally opted for Human. Humans were always the most versatile race. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Very well, the current available starting locations are city of Richmond in the Great Kingdom of Albion or the city of St Adelise in the Lothargian Empire.¡± ¡°Richmond.¡± Nevil decided aloud. ¡°Your character will share the same appearance as yourself, however investing in stats will change how you look, for example gaining lots of strength points makes your character more muscly, while charming characters become more attractive. For the last choice what name do you choose to go by?¡± ¡°Devil,¡± he replied instantaneously. He was slightly disappointed that he couldn¡¯t customize his looks, he was well aware that he appeared rather pasty and gangly, but he comforted himself with the knowledge that most the other users would be in the same boat. ¡°Sorry, that name is taken, please choose another.¡± What?! But that was Nevil¡¯s name! Had someone tried to ride on the coat-tails of his fame? Wait, it was only one person per name? Thinking about it, there¡¯d been no other account creation, just the avatar. They¡¯d need some way of keeping track of who¡¯s who. It still smarted that someone could just steal his identity. Nevil clenched his fist, then exhaled slowly. No matter, it was a new game after all. He would create a new legend in New World! He sunk into silence as he carefully considered. Diablo? No much too close, he needed something different. What was the opposite of Devil? Nevil smiled to himself, Latin class¡¯s in the distant past weren¡¯t such a waste. ¡°Divus.¡± He declared. ¡°One last message, time flows 5 times faster in New World than in reality. Every 5 hours you experience here would be a mere hour in your world. Now good luck adventurer, become strong, gain territory, learn forgotten mystic arts, build a great nation or a mighty merchant empire and change this world around you with your actions! I must say though you seem like you¡¯ll be very amusing, none of the other adventurers screamed quite as loudly as you did¡­¡± Nevil was still reeling from the fact that time flowed faster in New World so he barely registered the last thing the figure said. 5 times faster?! The other players had a huge lead! He¡¯d have to work hard now to catch up¡­ Wait none of them screamed like me? Wasn¡¯t this a recorded message? ¡°Hey wai-¡° Nevil tried to shout, but he¡¯d already started being pulled downwards. He began hurtling faster and faster towards the ground. Pulled off on a tangent it was only a matter of seconds before a large city seemed to rise up to meet him. Letting out a small yelp instead of screaming he was enveloped in light and suddenly brought to a stop. The light dissipated, leaving the newly born Divus stranded in the middle of a bustling city square. Nevil, or Divus in the New World, suddenly realised that he had been dead wrong about easily being able to tell the game apart from real life. The brightly coloured street stalls all around and the various merchants who ran them looked perfectly life like; through his thinly soled shoes he could feel the cobblestones beneath his feet; the aroma of herbs and spices wafted towards his nose from a nearby cart; the low ebb a massive crowd could be heard from all around. It was indistinguishable from reality. Desperately resisting the urge to flee towards a dark alley Divus searched around for somewhere where he could get information about where he was. He stumbled about dumbly for a while, trying to get his bearing. Around the square there were dozens of stalls, but instead of providing the newbie guidance he so desperately needed they were selling various pieces of regular, albeit medievally, merchandise. There seemed to be no obvious quest giver with a question mark floating over his head, or anyone that looked near friendly enough to start chatting with. Reluctantly approaching a stall he decided to question the nearest trader. While the mysterious figure he¡¯d assumed was a character creation NPC had seemingly turned out to be a GM he was quite positive the towns merchants were computers. ¡°Um, excuse me?¡± He said quietly when he was near. ¡°Hello fine customer, what can I get for you!¡± Was the polite response. ¡°Where should I go to get started? I mean, where¡¯s the tutorials?¡± Divus enquired. No game on the planet didn¡¯t have some form of starting stage. But the merchants humble demeanour was suddenly replaced by an extremely annoyed face. ¡°Another one of those are we? Does this look like an information both to you buddy? Damn influx of foreigners¡­ Go ask someone else. Go on, shoo!¡± Divus was speechless for a moment. Indignation winning out over the sudden nervous panic he finally managed to force a response. ¡°B-but you¡¯re an NPC? You shouldn¡¯t be answering like that!¡± ¡°An NP-what? Look buddy if you ain¡¯t interested in buying then get away from my stall!¡± Chased away Divus went back to standing in shock near the middle of the square. He was lost, he¡¯d no idea how to find out how to get started and he was far too terrified to try asking someone else. Luckily a lifeline was thrown towards him. ¡°Hey guys a newbie! Over here new guy!¡± Someone called from nearby. He turned to see a group of three picking their way through the crowd towards him, two guys and a girl, all looking in their early 20s. They were all dressed in the same tacky looking leather armour and had knives buckled to their belts, as were hundreds of other people in the crowds of the massive square. ¡°Haha, you look absolutely dumbstruck! Can¡¯t say I blame you, this place is absolutely fantastic!¡± Said the young man in front. He had blond, spiked hair and a wide smile on his lips. ¡°I¡¯m Dash, nice to meet you!¡± He exclaimed, holding out a hand. Divus stared at the hand for a moment longer than necessary, and then shakily extended his own to meet it. ¡°I-I¡¯m Dev-, er Divus. Likewise.¡± He managed. ¡°We saw you get chewed out by that merchant and figured you¡¯d only just arrived. Oh yeah, this is Trevor and Beauty. We¡¯ve been here for over an hour but have yet to level up at all! This game is a lot harder than we thought it would be, so we partied up for now.¡± Trevor was a short, skinny guy with an emotionless face while Beauty was living a lie. While by no means ugly no one could argue that her looks were in danger of captivating anyone. She was just very average. But Divus was relieved. If they hadn¡¯t levelled up at all then there was plenty of hope for him to catch up. ¡°W-why not, how many monsters does it take to level up then? If it¡¯s been over an hour it m-must be dozens¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s worse than that¡­ Listen, wanna party with us? We can show you the basics here and an extra pair of hands would be real useful.¡± It was an unexpectedly good proposal, he knew next to nothing and being in a party in the early stages would give him a boost. Though he never partied with anyone in Neverwhere it did sound like the fastest way for Divus to get on his feet. ¡°Su-sure, I¡¯d be glad for the help.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± Dash chirped, ¡°I¡¯ll just send the request.¡± A slightly translucent screen popped into existence before Divus, causing him to jump back slightly. Beauty let out a cute giggle, a sound far more fitting of her name than her actual features. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, those screens pop up whenever you need to do something in game, like accessing your inventory or character profile.¡±
You have been invited to Dash¡¯s party. Accept? Yes / No
¡°W-what do I do?¡± ¡°Just say yes and you¡¯ll join the party.¡± Dash explained. ¡°Y-yes.¡± The blue disappeared and in the corner of his eye life bars with his new parties names on them popped up. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head into the field!¡± Said Dash as he turned back towards the crowd he¡¯d appeared from. Beauty quickly followed behind while Trevor fell in step with Divus. Hesitating just a brief second he started to push into the crowd behind them. While it seemed Dash was living up to his name and rushing things along he had no complaints, needing to get ahead quickly as well. Trevor started explaining the basics as they walked. Unlike Dash he was a bit more reserved but warmed up as they talked. ¡°If you want to look at any particular screen, like quest logs or your character screen just say ¡®Open stat screen¡¯ and the window will pop up. The only real variation with other games is the inventory. Basically you¡¯re stuck with what you can carry. We all start with a pouch on our belt, pull your knife out from there. ¡± Divus swiftly complied. There was indeed a small pouch on his belt, which he¡¯d been too busy being bewildered earlier to notice. He opened it up and peered inside. Five small loaves of bread and a sheathed knife were all that it contained. Not having an inventory would be a huge pain¡­ Divus wondered how you were meant to collect loot for a moment before quickly pulling out the knife and presented it to Trevor. ¡°Put it on your belt, you equip items in this world just by wearing them.¡± As he did so Divus had a look around the street they were walking down. Thatched houses rose on either side of them while all manner of NPCs walked around. If it were not for the occasional fantastic creature, like an elf or dwarf, he could have easily believed he¡¯d been sent back to medieval Europe. The street felt so alive as well, all the NPCs seemed to move with purpose and reason. At one point a window opened on the upper floor of a house and a woman emptied a bucket of night soil into the street. ¡°Hard to believe it¡¯s a game, isn¡¯t it?¡± Dash spoke over his shoulder up ahead. ¡°And this is just a mundane city; imagine what the more fantastical places will be like!¡± They continued walking, Beauty chatting to Dash and Trevor occasionally saying a word or two to Divus, until they finally came to the city gates. A wall that rose above the nearby houses stretched out either side to surround the entire city, or so Divus would presume. The guards barely spared them a glance as they advanced under the thick portcullis and through the towering oaken doors out into the country. Fields of crops sprawled out both sides of them and the road continued off into the horizon. Other parties of players, all decked in the same equipment as Divus and his comrades, were leaving the city too. Dash stopped up ahead slightly and turned to his team. ¡°We¡¯ll head back up to that forest over there,¡± he ordered, gesturing to a wood in the distance, ¡°This time we¡¯ll definitely kill enough rabbits to level up!¡± ¡®Rabbits?¡¯ Divus thought to himself as they headed off. ¡®I thought it¡¯d be something slightly tougher to have stumped them so thoroughly.¡¯ *** About an hour prior to this, in the city of St Adelise, players also started appearing in the town¡¯s centre. Among them was a man who looked to be in his late twenties. While the majority of the other starting players had thin or overly full figures and pasty skin, and most of the rest were just of normal stature, this man had an incredibly well toned body with tanned skin and sharp eyes. These eyes briefly scanned his fellow newbies before turning away in disinterest. While the other players tried to gather their bearings as more beams of light carrying more new arrivals appeared the man simply walked straight down the street, pausing briefly to ask an NPC how to leave the city. His nonplussed actions drew a small crowd; maybe he knew something extra about the game. With so little else to go on many people just ended up following him. He exited the city and swiftly headed into the wilderness, obviously looking to fight some monsters or wild beasts to level up. His followers equipped their own knives, ready to pounce on any rabbits they came upon. But the man ignored all the small animals, continuing to look around for something else. Suddenly a howl echoed through the small woods the players were in, and they tried to shy away back to the city. But the man became like a statue, even his breathing seemed to have ceased. Had he panicked, the onlookers wondered, was he frozen in fear? A wolf burst out of the trees towards them, although shabby and starved in appearance the players realised that the beast was far beyond their own level and scrambled to escape. However the man turned, slowly and deliberately, to face the wolf, a smile spreading across his lips. Hesitating for just a moment the wolf quickly bounded toward him. As it leapt at him, claws reaching for his face, he hopped backwards in time with it, his leg spinning around to connect with its snout. The beast whimpered and fell back but the man immediately pressed his advantage, lashing out with his knife with swift, controlled strokes. Unprepared for this onslaught of blows this wolf could do naught to defend itself and eventually fell from the dozens of cuts along its body. After the battle the man stared unhappily at his fallen foe and then at his knife, before continuing deeper into the forest. The onlookers were enamoured with his performance and sought to follow him or replicate it themselves. But those who fought the wolves died easily while those who pursued lost him in the forest. Eventually the ragged band returned despondently to the city. The man, whose character¡¯s name was Beowulf, never did return after them. *** Around the same time, in the High Elf city of Highriver, a single player was also causing a commotion. In the same way as with everywhere else the new arrivals were trying to get their bearings and establish how to proceed, but it was harder adapting than at the human cities. It was not the racial differences. While they had pointy ears now their faces were the same as ever, though there was still a certain novelty there. The main shock however was the city of Highriver itself. Built into the side of a cliff it had a few houses carved into the rock face that certainly captured the eye, however the most striking feature was the waterfall flowing through the middle of the main square. Huge volumes of clear water cascaded into the rest of the city below. Not only that, but a thick jungle encircled the upper city. Filled with exotic wildlife there were many sights that most players had never dreamed of seeing up close. As the players struggled to get to grips with the extraordinary place they found themselves in, one man stood before them. He had climbed atop a platform for public events and began a speech to the crowds below ¡°Everyone, listen to me!¡± He called in a clear tone. With a face like a movie stars and a dashing figure he immediately drew the attention of all around him. ¡°I do not doubt that all of us here are experienced gamers as only the best would be so eager to push into this new frontier. But hear me; I say there is no need for us to be rivals. You brave and daring warriors would make far mightier allies!¡± His bright and charismatic voice had now taken a hold of everyone in the square. ¡°This new world is foreign to us all, surely many dangers wait at unknown corners and devious foes at each bend, so let us work together here in Highriver. We all saw it from on high, this world is vast and varied, there will be much to discover and plenty to share. Let us, the High Elves, conquer it and take it for our own! While the other players fight among themselves for loot and levels let us work together and surpass all of them!¡± With the majority of the current players being shut-in gamers this encouraging and powerful orator was a fresh experience. A cheer rang out from the entire crowd which shook the city of Highriver. They could see it now. The other cities and races would be bickering among themselves while Highriver stood united and crushed them all. All of them could be part of the strongest faction in the continent. ¡°We can easily accomplish this!¡± The young man continued, ¡°As long as you follow me, the legendary Devil of Neverwhere!¡± Chapter 2: Rabbits of Caerbannog Divus and his new allies turned off the road and headed down a far less well maintained track towards a small forest. Numerous parties of other adventurers were entering before them or sat nearby, apparently taking a rest. A few odd shaped stone statues stood upright along the path and around the forest. They really didn¡¯t seem natural. Though roughly humanoid, they lacked any distinct features or body-parts. Even as vague as they were though, there was a sense that each was somehow unique. Finally curiosity won out of his inherent social ineptitude. ¡°W-what are those statues all about the place?¡± Divus asked. ¡°Ah that¡¯s what happens when you log out.¡± Dash called back, ¡°You just turn into stone until you log back in. It¡¯s a bit weird but at least they¡¯re pretty much indestructible.¡± He turned back to quietly pondering to himself. What would happen if they were destroyed? Would a new Divus figurine appear back at a shrine? Maybe they had infinite health¡­ How do the NPCs react to them? Wait, thinking of NPCs¡­ ¡°W-why don¡¯t you just level up through NPC quests?¡± he innocently inquired. An embarrassed silence spread through the group. Eventually it was Trevor who answered. ¡°We don¡¯t know how.¡± ¡°Whenever we ask them about getting a quest they just look at us funny, and talking normally to them just ends with gossip about the weather¡­¡± Dash added, this time without turning around. Sensing the discontent Divus resolved to not ask any more questions. They continued in silence until the trees began to loom above them. Although not a particularly deep or thick wood it was big enough for hundreds of adventurers to run around without constantly getting in each other¡¯s way. ¡°Here we are, ok let¡¯s get organised guys!¡± Dash declared, his cheerful enthusiasm returning to his voice. The rest of the party drew their knives and crept into the woods leaving Divus to quickly follow suit. Even with Dash¡¯s injected optimism the group had taken a dour air. ¡°Ok we¡¯re looking for rabbits; you guys see a wolf we run, you guys see a fox we run. Got it?¡± ¡°We know.¡± Beauty complained. ¡°Newbie doesn¡¯t.¡± Trevor countered, ¡°What about rats?¡± ¡°¡­We can take them¡± Dash decided after a pause. Not sure why they were so tense about rats and foxes Divus decided to just follow their lead and keep low. ¡°Listen up Newbie, combat in New World is nothing like any game you¡¯ve ever played; even the rabbits won¡¯t go down easy. It might be because we¡¯re low levelled but they¡¯re tough to kill and fast little buggers. We need to co-ordinate our attacks, ok?¡± With no other option he just nodded, the dead serious atmosphere stealing his words. They might be low levels, and New World was a completely new style of game, but a single rabbit couldn¡¯t cause that much damage surely? Seeing his confusion, Dash grinned a little. ¡°Yeah, sounds a bit silly right? Tell you what; I think there¡¯s one up ahead. You take the lead and experience it yourself. That¡¯ll be the best lesson.¡± ¡°Hey Da-¡° Trevor tried to cut in, but Dash held up his hand. ¡°There it is, you sneak up on it, we¡¯ll surround it. OK?¡± Without waiting for a response beauty and he crept off. Trevor paused briefly before heading in a different direction. Abruptly left on his own Divus had no choice but to advance on the rabbit. It was just a little bunny, he told himself, there was nothing to fear. A small, white ball of fluff appeared up ahead. It seemed to be munching away at a carrot, though where it had procured the vegetable was anyone¡¯s guess. There was absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Telling himself that one last time he tightened his grip on his knife and made his move. Careful to make as little noise as possible Divus swung his weapon at the bunny. Yet it easily hopped to the side. Attack missed. A message appeared at the top of his vision. The rabbit was now stood staring him, as if to mock his pathetic strike. Annoyed, Divus launched another cut towards the furry fiend. But this time not only did it dodge; it leapt head first into his knee. Attack missed. Rabbit had dealt 12 damage. Pain blossomed where the rabbit had struck. Real pain. Letting out a pathetic yelp Divus fell over onto his backside while wildly striking out in the general direction of the bunny. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Came a shout from the trees. It took a moment for Divus¡¯ panicked mind to realise that it was the rest of his party dashing to his aid. They all appeared from different directions and rushed towards their tiny foe. It would have been the heroic scene of a daring rescue, if they were not facing off against a bunny. Being attacked suddenly from three directions was too much for it and under the flurry of blows it rapidly lost health. Another message appeared as they final slew the creature. Rabbit killed, 1 experience has been shared amongst the party. Having just recovered his composure at his rescue Divus¡¯ face paled once more at the screen before him. ¡°That bunny was just one experience point?!¡± ¡°No it was five, just shared between all of us.¡± Dash explained, ¡°Oh yeah, sorry about not telling you about the pain, I was worried you¡¯d chicken out! It¡¯s much less than in real life but it still stings don¡¯t it?¡± Although slightly annoyed, he decided to let it go. Without these party members he¡¯d of probably died in his first fight. Instead he felt a bit invigorated. The shut in Nevil hadn¡¯t had this much excitement for years. The adrenaline buzz still lingered, pumping him with energy. Now was not the time to be annoyed with team mates, now was time for vengeance! ¡°Let¡¯s find more varmints!¡± Taken slightly aback by this change in attitude Dash and the others could do nothing but follow as he led them onwards. When the found their second rabbit it was agreed they¡¯d use the same formation as before. Divus snuck towards the rabbit to keep its attention while the others spread out to surround it. This time however, he was determined to land at least one hit on it. He was aiming for the strongest in the game. No, he had to become the strongest in the game! No mere bunny would get in the way of that! This time he carefully watched the rabbit as he launched his strike. As it jumped to the right Divus tried to twist his arm to follow it but his reflexes were much too dull and it easily dodged again and launched its own attack. He¡¯d thought himself ready for it this time, but when the rabbit struck his legs he unwillingly recoiled in pain. At this point his allies rushed in to kill it, giving the same result as the last time. The bunny had barely fallen before Divus dragged the party to the next one. When the third time ended in much the same way Dash called for a halt. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s take a break. We¡¯re probably all getting hungry.¡± Hunting rabbits in such a careful way had proved to be more tiring and time consuming then he¡¯d of ever imagined so he stifled his complaints. Trevor patted Divus on the shoulder and took a seat on a nearby rock, while Beauty and Dash sat on a tree trunk opposite. Small loaves of bread were produced from there pouches, reminding Divus that he¡¯d also built up an appetite. Eagerly opening his own small bag he pulled out a piece of bread and began to chew into it. Amazingly enough it really did taste like bread, he had to silently marvel to himself about just how impressive this game was once more. The party relaxed and began to chat about this and that; it quickly became apparent that Beauty and Dash knew each other in real life, though they¡¯d met Trevor when they first logged on. They were all uni students, studying various subjects. None of them were hugely studious, so they had no problems missing a lecture or two to play this hyped up new game. ¡°Where are you studying Trev?¡± Beauty asked, using a lazy nickname of her own design. ¡°Exeter, you guys?¡± ¡°Ooo a red brick! We both go to Bristol, inseparable me and Dash are.¡± ¡°What do you do Divus?¡± Dash asked ¡°I-¡° Play video games, was a bit pathetic wasn¡¯t it? But what else could he say? ¡°I was living off playing Neverwhere.¡± Trevor raised an eyebrow, ¡°Really? I¡¯ve heard that¡¯s really hard to do. You need to find lots of rare items for them to sell.¡± ¡°What was your character called? Anyone we¡¯d know?¡± Excitement filled Beauty¡¯s voice at the slight possibility that they might be talking to someone vaguely famous. ¡°Devil.¡± The others were silent for a second, and then Dash and Beauty started to burst out laughing. ¡°You got me there Divus! I thought you might have been serious!¡± He was about to angrily retort but stopped himself. He was well aware of the enigmatic flair people associated with Devil, a pasty 20 year old claiming to be that near legendary figure would seem like a joke. He didn¡¯t need them to believe him anyway. Swallowing the last of his bread he stood and faced the others¡°Let¡¯s get back to catching rabbits!¡± *** The party killed another two rabbits with their strategy, but Divus had yet to land a blow as the bait. He had briefly considered asking to swap out with someone, but that would be admitting defeat! He stoically continued to tank for the team while failing to strike the enemy. As they approached the sixth rabbit morale was pretty high, while it was slow progress they were confident that it would be easier when they levelled up. Dash, who had been dealing the most blows, had even created the knife mastery skill. While still at level 1 Novice, it boosted his attack by 10%, and as he improved it that bonus would increase. Divus could only look on in jealousy. Though he still suffered stinging blows he could not allow himself to change his role till he landed a hit. This time he would definitely do some damage! As the bunny came into sight he launched himself with as much force as he could muster in an attempt to take it by surprise. Predictably the bunny saw him coming and hopped away. Divus span round to chase after it, only to see it disappear down a hole. He angrily stamped to where it vanished as his team mates appeared. ¡°This is new; did it run away from me?¡± Dash asked Trevor snorted and took a look down the burrow. ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll come back out?¡± ¡°Excuse me,¡± Divus said, pushing past Trevor. He then shoved his entire arm down to try and reach after it. The rest of the team were still a bit put off at the 180 in his personality when it came to hunting so just quietly watched him. After a few seconds of rooting around he yelped and fell over backwards as he hurriedly withdrew his arm. ¡°Are you OK?¡± ¡°The bugger just bit me!!¡± The party turned to stare at the hole. Suddenly the rabbit reappeared, strutting arrogantly to the entrance. Divus was just about to lunge at it when something else came up behind it. Another rabbit exited, sneering alongside the first. Then another joined, and another, and another. Soon over a dozen bunnies were staring angrily at the intruders in their territory. The two sides stared off for what seemed like ages, adorable little black eyes glaring with venomous wrath. It was Dash who acted first. He decisively and heroically took charge of the situation. ¡°RUN!¡± They all fled, running as fast as they could to escape. The small horde of cute little bunny rabbits were in hot pursuit. Rushing through the woods was harder than they expected, the party would have to keep their eyes on the ground so they didn¡¯t trip on roots, while looking ahead to avoid the trees. The rabbits didn¡¯t have to worry so much and were rapidly gaining ground. It was Divus who slipped up in the end, in spectacular fashion no less. His foot got entangled in some weeds and he was launched face first into a nearby tree. Tree has dealt 23 damage. The abrupt end to his flight left him sprawled on the ground. Trevor tried to turn to help, but it was much too late. The bunnies swarmed atop of him, biting and kicking all over. The head-butts he¡¯d suffered earlier had been affectionate greetings compared to the agony he was now subjected to, you try being ripped apart by blunt bunny teeth. He could not help but let out a scream as he futilely tried to throw his tormentors off him. The only small mercy was that it was brief. Rabbit has dealt 17 damage. Rabbit has dealt 23 damage. Rabbit has dealt 27 damage. Rabbit has dealt 26 damage. Rabbit has dealt 30 damage. Rabbit has dealt 22 damage. Rabbit has dealt 34 damage. His vision turned black and the forest disappeared.
You have died. Level has decreased by 1, random skill mastery has decreased by 1. As no re-spawn point is set you will revive at Richmond
The darkness gave way to light, surrounding him on all sides. When the light vanished Divus found himself back in Richmond city centre. A few people in the same leather garments as himself spared him a pitying glance before returning to their own business. Divus slunk towards an alley where he rested against a wall. The excitement and adrenaline of the hunt had dissipated leaving only an annoyed feeling in the pit of his stomach. Killed by rabbits! He had started his new legend of greatness by dying to the most harmless rodent in existence! He drove his fist into the wall beside him and let out a growl. ¡°Wow do you seem angry.¡± Someone spoke from nearby. Divus jumped a good 2 feet into the air as he span around towards the stranger. ¡°S-sorry, I didn¡¯t realise anyone was there.¡± He stuttered. The stranger stood up and turned to face Divus in turn. It was a middle aged man, he had a weathered, handsome face, scraggly beard and an open smile. ¡°I did nae expect the man who¡¯d vent his wroth so aggressively against that wall to answer me so politely!¡± He laughed with a slight northern accent, ¡°What¡¯s eating ya lad, to get someone so well-mannered so riled up?¡± ¡°¡­I was killed by rabbits¡­¡± Divus quietly confessed. ¡°Rabbits?¡± The man looked at him seriously for a moment, then audibly choked back another laugh. ¡°Wait what do you mean killed, you look fine? Ah, you¡¯re one of ¡®em foreigners ain¡¯t ya?¡± Foreigner? It was then that Divus realised he was talking to an NPC. He talked and responded so naturally that he¡¯d only just noticed. ¡°Y-yeah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m Divus, n-nice to meet you.¡± He said, his mind racing back to the terrifying merchant from before ¡°Divus eh? The name¡¯s Peter. So tell me how you got killed by rabbits? I just so happen to be a¡­ seasoned hunter, I can offer some pointers¡± he suggested, bringing a hand to stroke is stubbly chin. This might just be a good opportunity, the others had mentioned they hadn¡¯t been able to get a quest from NPCs earlier, but maybe he could learn a skill¡­ Divus began to describe his short adventure, explaining his difficulties hitting the rabbits and the tragic end when happening upon a burrow full of them. Peter stroked his chin thoughtfully throughout, occasionally nodding as if understanding something new. When Divus had finished his tale he declared jovially, ¡°I see, so you¡¯re a complete novice then!¡± And proceeded to laugh heartily. Divus winced but could not refute him. While he could be considered a pro at video games his recent experiences had proven quite emphatically that New World was a whole new kettle of fish. Peter than gave him a mighty clap on the back, rocking him forwards. ¡°No worries lad! Everyone starts off somewhere! I can sort that out for ya if you want!¡± Having steadied himself against the wall Divus turned around with a new hope in his eyes. ¡°Really? But I¡¯m a stranger, and I¡¯ve no money to pay you¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the small stuff! I¡¯m stuck in this town for another week at least so I needed something to pass the time!¡± So he was an interesting way to for Peter to amuse himself? Wait do NPCs even get bored? Oh well, if he¡¯s helping me for free I won¡¯t complain. ¡°So what will you teach me? A new attack? Or basic mastery of a weapon?¡± ¡°No no no,¡± Peter laughed, ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you how to fight!¡± *** They walked swiftly through the city, Divus soon finding himself lost in the myriad of streets and alleys they passed through. As they went through another market place Peter stopped now and then to greet a trader or traveller he knew. Eventually a pattern appeared within his seemingly random acquaintances. Not once did he stop by a normal stall or shop, the only goods his friends seemed to sell were far more exotic. There was a dealer of rare and dangerous monster parts, available as trophies or use in advanced potions. Another man sold expensive pieces of enchanted equipment, Peter had poked his head into the well furbished store. The only merchant who dealt with normal wares was the head of a huge trade guild at the centre of Albions economy, or so Divus would learn at a later date. What he did remember was the man disappearing into a huge and ornate building after his brief exchange with Peter. Not only did he know various traders, Divus was quite surprised when they were stopped by a small group of soldiers. ¡°Ho there, if it isn¡¯t Peter! I didn¡¯t realise you were still here!¡± Exclaimed the leader of the troop, distinguishable by his plumed helm. ¡°Well met Captain, how goes the watch?¡± Peter replied in a familiar tone. ¡°Very well, though a huge influx of foreigners seems to have occurred they¡¯re no trouble. The great forest is all quiet as well, thanks to yourself.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°No, I was just doing my job. You lads are the ones that have to keep it that way!¡± ¡°You are too humble, your people are invaluable to the land. I shan¡¯t keep you any longer, but thank you once again for your great service.¡± The rest of the patrol nodded from behind. ¡°Shucks fellas, well if you have a free night then you can buy me drink!¡± Peter suggested, then broke into a hearty laugh as they parted. ¡°That was Guard Captain Donavan. Good lad he is, if still a little wet.¡± He confided in Divus after they gained a little distance. As they slowly eventually approached their destination the questions piled up. Even those Peter didn¡¯t greet himself seemed to recognise and respect him. Although he seemed a well-known and popular figure in Richmond, it didn¡¯t seem like he was a local. Even so, officers in the city¡¯s guard were indebted to him. Just who had Divus unwittingly gained as a teacher? The streets began to get less populated and poorly maintained as they walked, proud wooden and stone houses slowly giving way to what was barely better than a collection of shacks. As the quality of the buildings deteriorated Peter finally stopped before an ancient, rotting warehouse. He pushed open the battered door and strode to the centre of the decrepit storeroom. Turning to face Divus he immediately launched into his lecture, leaving no time for him to gather his bearings. ¡°Right! Let¡¯s just get started! The reason you couldn¡¯t hit your target is simple, you just blindly swung at it. Hunting¡¯s no game lad; you can¡¯t expect to stand still trading blows against a monster. Just as you react to him, he¡¯ll react to you. Against a fast moving opponent that¡¯ll never work unless you¡¯re far quicker! And even against slow opponents it¡¯s the most inefficient way of attacking! What all warriors and hunters must learn is how to read your foe!¡± Peter¡¯s booming voice echoed throughout the empty storeroom. Divus was unsure as to why he needed to be so loud¡­ ¡°Now I¡¯ll level with you laddy, others can teach you what you need to know to fight rabbits and their training will be miles easier. Because I¡¯m not just going to teach you how to fight, I¡¯ll be teaching you how to dominate. But be very aware, this nae be easy. I shall be pushing ye to ya limits, and beyond, jus¡¯ so you can kill a bunny.¡± Unknown to Peter, this was exactly what Divus wanted. If he was being offered to learn far beyond just the basics then he¡¯d readily agree. He had to become the strongest; nothing would stop him from reaching that goal. Turning his lips into a fierce grimace he stared resolutely ahead, there was no way he¡¯d be quitting here. With a satisfied nod Peter brought out a large gem and muttered some words into it. A green glow spread out from the stone and a shape began to materialize in the centre of the warehouse. In a matter of seconds a demonic beast was brought into existence; thick threads of saliva hung from wickedly pointed teeth and ferocious yellow eyes latched onto Divus. All of a sudden the option of quitting didn¡¯t seem so unacceptable. Being bitten by those rotted fangs would be incomparable to the nibbling to death he¡¯d received earlier. ¡°The goal is simple, kill this beast. When you¡¯re wounded I¡¯ll heal you. You have as long as it takes.¡± There was no need to go through that, surely? Yes there was. He needed to succeed in the New World no matter what, for the sake of his sister. After so many years as a recluse, getting a normal job was impossible, and it sure wouldn¡¯t be enough to send his sister to university. He needed to become the strongest. There was no other path left for Nevil Thompson to take. ¡°If ya wanna flee, then now¡¯s the time lad!¡± The Hellhound rushed towards him. *** Peter had noticed the change in the boy¡¯s eyes as soon as he¡¯d gripped the knife. What could possibly drive such an innocent looking youth forward into the maw of a beast so inexorably? The truth be told, Peter had expected the boy to turn tail as soon as the Hellhound took shape. That he was forced to wait in this town and was looking to relieve his boredom was true, but he¡¯d had no intention of actually training Divus. It was meant to be a rather cruel joke to kill a few minutes, then he¡¯d take him to some other trainer to learn the basics. Yet now Peter watched an amateur face off against a monster he stood no chance in beating. To make matters worse he was now completely unable to stop them. Though reluctantly, Peter had to recognise the young warrior¡¯s spirit. To stop now would be an insult. And so he found himself doing what he¡¯d deceitfully promised. Divus struck again, completely missing the hound and taking a vicious clawing in return. He let out a short scream, cutting it off by clenching his teeth tight. A ball of light struck him and the wound knitted neatly back together. ¡°You¡¯re striking blindly! You swipe at where you see your foe mindlessly. You¡¯re not playing a game boy! The enemy does not want to be hit! Watch him, follow his every motion, learn to read where he¡¯ll move and strike there!¡± Peter bellowed from the side. And so the lesson began. *** The deaths of Nevil¡¯s parents had broken him. After they had died in a car accident when he was 15 Nevil had fled from the world. He stopped attending school, or even going outside, eventually just holing himself up in his room. Both his he and his sister had been taken in by their uncle, but he was never around due to work so other family members tried to assist the siblings. He couldn¡¯t take Clair¡¯s accusatory stares when he exited his room, and eventually stopped going out altogether. While they¡¯d initially been understanding, the various extended family began to give up and left him alone, which suited Nevil just fine. Confined alone in his room, eventually Nevil started playing online games. Whether he was looking for companionship in the virtual world or whether it was just another way to pass the time, even Nevil couldn¡¯t say. But he never even talked to his team-mates. When he found Neverwhere he quickly became hooked. He¡¯d sometimes go days without sleep and before he¡¯d realised it himself he reached the top of the game. As strangers began to tell tales of his virtual adventures something was rekindled in Nevil. For the first time in years people were praising him. Though they never said it out loud, he knew everyone blamed him for the accident, after all he blamed himself. But online nobody did, nobody even knew who he was and now they even celebrated his achievements. So he set about cementing his role at the top. He actively took on the famous dungeons and bosses. After a while he even began to talk with other players on rare occasions. It was during one of these conversations that he heard about selling items online. When he began to participate in the auctions, sometimes selling for hundreds of pounds, he truly began to feel as if he¡¯d achieved something. He felt that maybe his sister could be a little less ashamed. Maybe he wasn¡¯t so worthless. Around this time the uncle he was staying with began to get into some financial trouble. He took on loans to stay afloat. Unable to handle the repayments and interest eventually he skipped town, saddling Nevil and his sister with the debt. This wasn¡¯t a tragedy however, this was a chance. A family meeting was held to decide what could be done for the siblings, but unexpected by all Nevil appeared and said he¡¯d take care of everything. At 18 he was legally an adult, so he could take in Clair. Without a stable income, though, it was a pipe dream. However when Nevil showed them the money he was making online everyone dropped all their complaints and quickly consented. He realised they just wanted someone to take care of it who was not themselves, but that was just fine with him. Nevil could finally support his sister himself, he could lose himself in the world of Neverwhere, he could be more than a simple screw up. However the only way to achieve these goals was to never lose his position at the top. To always be the best. You could say that this became his reason to carry on. *** ¡°He¡¯s too quick for you too dodge! Absorb the blow, move back as he drives forward!¡± Yelled Peter. It had been a few hours since they began, but Peter had yet to call a break and Divus had yet to ask for one. The wolf struck again and, following his teachers instructions, he rocked his body back in time with the claws. Hellhound has dealt 118 damage While the timing was imperfect and the motions amateurish the scratch was noticeably lighter than before, he was almost at the point where he could survive 2 hits in a row. There was no time to idly marvel at the worlds physics engine, but it was truly wondrous that such details could be factored in. Divus struck back in retaliation, scratching the hide of the Hellhound who¡¯d unbalanced itself with its lunge. Numerous other nicks and cuts had appeared on the beast as the training progressed, a testimony to Divus¡¯ advancing skill. The hound leapt back and began circling the young fighter. It had grown increasingly wary of Divus as it began losing stamina in the prolonged duel. They each stared keenly, waiting for any sudden openings, the Hellhound looking for any weakness in his guard while he kept his gaze locked on the wolf¡¯s eyes. That was one of the first things he¡¯d learnt, the eyes were almost always the precursor to an attack. ¡°If your foe shows no openings to you, then you show an opening to him!¡± Peter shouted, ¡°In your current state you can aim for a counter!¡± As they¡¯d progressed Peter had been calling out many different strategies for Divus to try, they¡¯d then continue until he¡¯d succeeded in carrying it out once and then try a new one. Still, this next move was risky. If he mistimed his strike then the Hellhound might well kill him outright with a critical hit. Holding his knife ready Divus broke the stance he¡¯d forcibly gained through the life or death training. Immediately sensing an opening the Hellhound bounded towards him, this time coming with its jaws agape. Just as it got within range Divus swung his blade at its head, but only managed to graze its side. The hound ripped into his arm and he screamed as he tried to shake it off. Hellhound has dealt 197 damage. Divus¡¯ eyes widened as he finally shook the wolf off. That was only 3 health points away from being insta-killed. A ball of healing energy hit him again as he recovered his stance. ¡°You idiot! Have you not learned anything?!¡± Peter cried, ¡°You struck at where the wolf had been, a counter is about knowing exactly where the enemy will attack! Time it right!¡±
Due to receiving constant life threatening attacks Endurance and Vitality have increased by 1.
The message window that popped into being in front of him caused Divus to drop his stance in surprise, which the wolf immediately tried to capitalise on. The slashing claws snapped him immediately back into the battle and he rolled to the side, barely avoiding the blow. So that was what it meant by in world actions boosting your stats. He brought his mind back to fighting the Hellhound. As they resumed their staring match Divus made another intentional slip. The hound leapt at him once more. Not yet. It reached out with wicked teeth, its lips peeled back in a mad mockery of a smile. Not yet. It jumped into the air, claws and jaws outstretched, determined to finish this troublesome human in one blow. Now. Its entire body in mid-air the beast was fully committed to its head on attack. While it was still feet away from him Divus swung his knife towards its face. The Hellhound saw the blade cutting through the air towards it, but could no more dodge than a mound of dirt. The impact of the collision threw Divus off his feet, his back slamming into the ground behind him as the Hellhound landed heavily atop of him. You have countered the Hellhound for 560 damage. Level up Level up Level up Level up Level up
You have defeated a foe many times stronger than yourself in a prolonged battle; Vitality has increased by 2 Endurance has increased by 5 Extra experience has been gained
Level up Level up
You have learnt a new skill: Counter Attack
Divus climbed sorely to his feet and grinned at the torrent of messages. Not only had he learnt how to fight properly, he¡¯d also gained a good number of stats and levels, these few hours had certainly not been wasteful. ¡°Status screen,¡± He said to himself, opening another blue window.
Name: DivusLevel: 8Race: HumanAlignment: Neutral
Class: UndecidedTitle: None
Health: 610Mana: 170Fame: 0Defence: 1
Stats
Vitality: 13Strength: 10
Endurance: 16Agility: 10
Dexterity: 10Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10Luck: 10
Unspent stat points: 35
Skills: ? Counter attack (Special): Beginner Level 1 (0%)
Status enhancements:
The boost in health was tremendous! He knew he¡¯d risen 7 levels but his health tripling was a lovely surprise. ¡°Very well done lad, I¡¯ve taught you well!¡± Peter boasted walking towards him. Divus hurriedly closed the tab and turned to face his brief mentor. ¡°Thank you very much sir,¡± He said without a stutter. After that lengthy fight his nervousness had disappeared. ¡°Haha, no not sir, just Pete is fine,¡± he coarsely laughed, ¡°So what are you going to do now lad? Back to hunting rabbits? Those will be small game for you now!¡± ¡°I suppose so, maybe I can find out how to get a class, do you know where you can get a class Peter- Pete?¡± The rugged older warrior stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, as if carefully considering his reply. ¡°It varies on the profession you want, but most people who are experienced in their craft can teach it to others.¡± He paused, his eyes lighting up as if he¡¯d just thought of something great. ¡°I could even teach you my profession if you want; I¡¯ve been meaning to take on an apprentice.¡± ¡°Really? That would be great! What is your class?¡± Divus asked excitedly. Peter was an obviously experienced combatant. Not only that but he seemed to be able to use healing and summoning magic. If he was lucky Divus may have just stumbled onto a rare class. Chuckling to himself once more, Peter gave him a scrutinizing gaze. ¡°Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves here, my class is not something you can walk into. Also, it may not be the path for you, other jobs will offer greater initial benefits, and there are many areas you will not be able to master. The path to becoming strong will be long and incredibly hard, but if it is sheer strength you seek, there is no equal. Do you wish to continue?¡± Swallowing his saliva Divus managed a nod. Peter gave a satisfied nod and then continued. ¡°First of all you need to pass a test, a very difficult and time consuming test. I suggest that you rest a while, take care of any business you may have. Once you start you will not be able to stop until you succeed or you fail. I¡¯ll wait for you here until you return, unless you plan to take over a week I shan¡¯t be going anywhere else.¡± Without waiting for a response Peter turned to sit against a wall. Divus decided to take a brief break from New World, he could log out, eat something and get some sleep. Though a few hours in reality was almost a day here it would not do to rush. ¡°Then I¡¯ll return later.¡± He said to his watching benefactor. Just as he was about to log out Peter spoke again. ¡°Remember lad, you¡¯ll only get one chance at this.¡± With those ominous parting words Divus returned to reality. *** Peter watched as Divus turned into the weird stone doll form all foreigners seemed to take when they communed with their homeland and gave a rare bitter smile. The others had been telling him he needed a prot¨¦g¨¦ for years now; their ranks had been thinned by far too much in recent years. Still, he felt guilty. The boy was in for many hardships if he were to join their ranks, he had not exaggerated the harshness of the path he¡¯d offered. If anything it would be even worse. However even with the constant strife his fellows waded through Peter couldn¡¯t help but think that maybe Divus could handle it better than any of his predecessors. Although he¡¯d been constantly healed and advised by Peter, there should have been no way for Divus to come out on top of the Hellhound. The result had only been achieved by ridiculous amounts of stubborn effort, innate talent and sheer luck. His instincts were telling him this boy could handle anything thrown at him. That is, if he passes the test. Many incredibly promising individuals had failed at the last hurdle. Having faced the test himself Peter was aware that even the seemingly indomitable young Divus could be crushed. [/align] Chapter 3: Pre-Exam Jitters Chapter 3: Pre-exam jitters Darkness. After spending so much time in a world full of colour and light, the darkness that filled his vision immediately after logging out was a bit disconcerting. Pulling off the helmet Nevil rose from his bed and shuffled towards the door. He entered the kitchen to root around for something to eat before his nap. A quick glance at the clock told him it had only been around an hour since he¡¯d gone into the game, even though it felt like a huge portion of the day. He¡¯d pulled out a packet of crackers and was about to start munching on them when his sister walked in. ¡°That was a brief session.¡± She sarcastically said. Nevil looked up at her then turned away, nodding in reply. He wanted to excitedly tell all about the wonders he¡¯d seen in New World, how realistic and extraordinary it was. But just seeing his sister had already put a damper on his enthusiasm. He wasn¡¯t playing this game to enjoy it; this needed to be his job. Besides, she wouldn¡¯t have cared anyway. ¡°Having lunch?¡± Clair asked, ¡°Should I-¡° Then she broke off, the small room sinking into silence once more. After a while Nevil spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ll make s-something for us, j-just take a seat.¡± He had planned just to dine on the plain crackers, however he needed to make something more nutritious for his sister and quickly pulled out some dwindling ingredients out of the fridge. Amazingly enough Nevil was a good cook; he¡¯d always been in the kitchen before the accident. Though in the past few years he¡¯d just eaten basic rations for himself, and only recently had he started cooking for his sister. He started cutting up some vegetables while putting some noodles on to cook, planning a simple stir fry. With nothing else to do Clair took a seat at the small table behind him and took out her phone. The conversation between them died once more and neither made an attempt to restart it as Nevil cooked. After a couple of minutes he began to serve up, careful to secretly make sure Clair got the lion¡¯s share of the broccoli, which she loved. He placed the larger bowl in front of his sister and sat down with his own portion and began to eat. Having seen the situation of the fridge earlier Nevil grimly realised that soon they¡¯d need to go shopping. He didn¡¯t want to leave the house himself but he hated giving orders to his little sister. He could make an online delivery, but he¡¯d still need to meet and talk to a stranger. While pondering his dilemma quietly to himself Clair spoke up from across the table. ¡°You don¡¯t have much broccoli Nevil,¡± She remarked, ¡°I thought that was your favourite.¡± Nevil looked at his bowl and faked a surprised expression, ¡°Oh you¡¯re right! Well that¡¯s a shame¡­ Oh well, I¡¯m almost done anyway!¡± As he quickly finished off what was left in his bowl he felt his sister¡¯s stare upon him. Glancing up he saw her with a slightly conflicted expression, her mouth open as if she wanted to say something. Noticing him look at her Clair quickly shut her mouth and turned back to her own meal. Nevil picked up his empty bowl and left it in the sink, walking back to his room without another word. He flopped onto his bed and stared up towards the ceiling, hundreds of tiny worries trying to surface in his mind. Enough money was left for at least another three months of rent, bills and food, but Nevil needed to make some headway as soon as he could. Pulling an archaic old mobile from his pocket he set an alarm for 2 hours, then closed his eyes to try to sleep. *** Dash grinned broadly as he skewered another rabbit with his new sword. Level up At last! Level 4! He turned to find his comrades to tell them he¡¯d levelled up again. Trevor sliced up another bunny, while Beauty was still battling with hers a little further away. They were both still equipped with their crappy beginner knives, so fighting the small, agile rabbits was still quite difficult. His investment in the ¡®Rusty Iron sword¡¯ had been an excellent decision, even if it had taken all the money he¡¯d saved from selling rabbit carcases. However even with their Level ups and new equipment, they¡¯d still be stuck in their earlier formation if it weren¡¯t for that kindly hunter they¡¯d met earlier. ¡°Hey guys, hurry up!¡± Dash yelled excitedly as he entered his stat screen and put his points into strength and agility. He¡¯d already decided to go into a warrior profession so those were the handiest skills to boost. Trevor walked over to him, slinging the rabbit he¡¯d killed into his rucksack, while Beauty finally finished off her target. ¡°This is getting so much easier!¡± They¡¯d all bought similar bags in the city, fairly cheap and tacky ones just to so they could fit in all the rabbits. The original worry about the lack of space for loot had vanished when they heard magical backpacks with extended space were available for not too much money. ¡°Yeah, I just levelled up as well! Soon we¡¯ll be able to go after the foxes as well!¡± As the two boys talked excitedly about their kill counts Beauty approached with a little less vigour. ¡°I¡¯m definitely going for a support class¡­¡± She muttered, chucking her dead rabbit to Dash. ¡°Hey, why are you chucking that at me?¡± He complained. ¡°You¡¯ve put all your points into strength, it¡¯ll be easier for you to carry!¡± Trevor chuckled to himself at the side, earning an angry glare from the others. ¡°Well let¡¯s head back to town for now, to sell these!¡± He suggested, and so they turned back to Richmond. Their old traveling formation, Dash and Beauty at the front chatting away, while Trevor followed just behind, had disappeared with all of them now walking in a line. They all talked animatedly together, the slightly more taciturn Trevor fully accepted as a member of the group. ¡°It was really lucky that hunter was passing by and taught us what to do.¡± Buzzed Dash. ¡°We¡¯d been playing this much too like any other game,¡± Trevor agreed, ¡°New World is far more like reality than it is a game.¡± The hunter had taught them some of the same things Peter had taught Divus, just not to anywhere near the same extent or with the degree of harshness. They¡¯d just been taught that their enemies acted like any other living creature would, that they needed to stop being so straight forward with their attacks. Thanks to that the group were able to hunt rabbits individually, quickly levelling up. The only problem was that as time went on most groups found similar mentors so everyone was back on the same level playing field. ¡°So you guys say, I don¡¯t think it made anything much easier¡­¡± moaned Beauty, who had almost zero combat sense. ¡°It¡¯s a shame Divus wasn¡¯t there to learn too.¡± Sighed Trevor. The group fell into a guilty silence. After they¡¯d escaped the rampaging rabbit horde they¡¯d immediately headed back to the city square to recover their fallen comrade. But when they arrived there was no sign of him. After searching the city for half an hour they¡¯d given up and headed back to the woods, hopeful they might catch a glimpse of him at some point later. There was a friend system, and they could send messages to friends even from a distance, but none of them had thought to befriend Divus earlier. ¡°He must have given up and logged out.¡± Dash guessed. ¡°No way, you saw how crazy he got when it came to fights! I doubt someone like that would just quit!¡± Trevor retorted. ¡°But he was quite literally torn apart by bunnies.¡± Beauty quietly said. ¡°That would put a damper on anyone¡¯s enthusiasm¡­¡± They changed the topic away from that slightly depressing subject and chatted on other things. The sky was darkening as they finally made it back to the city gates. It was hardly suprising, they¡¯d been in the game world for around 15 hours now and at the start it¡¯d been early morning. All the stalls were beginning to shut so they quickly ran to where they¡¯d sold their rabbits earlier. ¡°Excuse me! Wait up a sec! We¡¯d like to sell these please!¡± Dash cried as he brought the rabbits out to show the packing merchant. The trader had turned as Dash had shouted and briefly scrutinized the goods, before giving a snort and he continued to pack his store. ¡°More little bunnies? Enough, I don¡¯t want to buy them!¡± He shouted angrily. ¡°Wah-? But why? I thought you traded in meat?¡± Dash questioned in confusion. ¡°Aye I do lad, but you bliddy foreigners have absolutely saturated the market with the furry little buggers! Enough¡¯s enough, I don¡¯t want no more!¡± Dash was taken aback. Everyone had heard how realistic this game was meant to be, but this was ridiculous! Player actions had actually changed the market demand for an item! The merchant had already stowed away all his goods and disappeared, leaving the small shocked party behind. ¡°Well that was¡­. Unexpected.¡± Trevor said dumbly. ¡°Yeah¡­ C¡¯mon, we¡¯ve been on this game for ages, it must have been a few hours in real life as well. We better log out.¡± Dash tiredly decided. It was the truth, they¡¯d been running around fighting for over half a day! Thought they weren¡¯t sleepy they were all pretty exhausted. Not only that, but they also needed to take care of their bodies as well. They had no sense whatsoever of what state they were in in real life. It wouldn¡¯t be funny if he crapped himself. ¡°Sure, but before we do I want to see what sleeping at a tavern does, you guys want to see too?¡± Trevor asked. ¡°Might as well I suppose.¡± Dash agreed. ¡°I want a separate room!¡± Beauty demanded, though Dash didn¡¯t think she was in much danger from Trevor. They walked through the medieval streets towards where they¡¯d seen an Inn earlier. Dash marvelled at the game once more as they walked, all the NPCs were headed off home as well, entering their house or going to a tavern to drink after work. It really felt like an actual town. There were far less players on the streets as well, though hundreds of the creepy stone statues they left had littered the square and streets. ¡°Wait a sec. Isn¡¯t that¡­¡± Trevor tailed off as he pointed to a young man walking along in the distance. They all immediately recognised it as Divus, who was walking alongside a scruffy looking older man. However even as scruffy as it was it was obviously not the beginner garb that they were all stuck with. He¡¯d gotten an NPC mentor? Well that might explain his disappearance but Dash¡¯s relief soon gave way to a slight envy. While they were slaving away trying to kill rabbits he¡¯d managed to hitch a ride on the coat-tails of some higher level NPC character, he might even have gotten a class already! ¡°Let¡¯s go say hi!¡± Beauty suggested, while Trevor already headed off towards him. Divus and his friend turned down an alley, vanishing from sight. Unwilling to lose him again Trevor and Beauty broke into a run to catch up, Dash following slightly more reluctantly. They sped down the alley he¡¯d gone down and out into the road on the other side, but there was no sign of them. Beauty and Trevor sighed in disappointment, both annoyed that they missed a chance to reunite with their former comrade. Though they¡¯d only known him briefly his general shy awkwardness and stubborn determination in danger had endeared him to them. Dash however was surprised to find he felt a little relieved. ¡°Come on guys, let¡¯s find an Inn then log out.¡± *** After logging in Divus was immediately confronted by the rough features of Peter examining him from mere inches away. He yelped and pushed himself quickly away while Peter stood and began laughing to himself. ¡°Sorry about that! I was just taking a look at that weird stone form you foreigners take when you leave.¡± He explained, walking over to help Divus to his feet. ¡°Anyway lad, are you ready.¡± While rubbing his behind Divus looked directly into his eyes and gave a completely stutter-less ¡°Yes sir!¡± Smiling at the fearless response Peter began walking towards the door. ¡°Well lad I got some things to prepare before we can begin, tag along.¡± It wasn¡¯t so much an order as a suggestion, but the words still compelled Divus to quickly clamber to his feet and follow after the retreating form of his teacher. They exited the old warehouse into the pale red light of the early evening. Disappearing behind the buildings down at the end of the street, the setting sun cast elongated shadows covering the packing stalls of street vendors. The crowds that thronged the streets earlier in the day were slowly dispersing home. With the vanishing light the city began to change, peaceful shortcuts instantly becoming dangerous death traps. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Peter led them down one such dark alley, which was luckily deserted , and began hammering on a door halfway down. When no reply seemed to be forthcoming he tried the lock, which seemed to be locked. Finally losing his patience he began yelling at the barred entry. ¡°Holstein, it¡¯s me, Peter! I have¡¯ne any qualms with knocking this door down if you don¡¯t let me in!¡± Almost instantly after he began yelling the door was unlatched and pulled open, a nervous, rat like face peering out. ¡°Ah Peter! Why didn¡¯t you say it was you? You can never be too careful at this hour, all kinds of people are after a way to get to me!¡± Confided a shrill voice. Before Divus could comment on the remarkable lack of clandestine pursuers Holstein quickly ushered them and slammed the door behind them. He then waited for a few moments with his ear pressed against the wood. Just as Divus was about to comment on how silly it all was they heard the sound of multiple feet rushing down the alley. Holstein waited until the footsteps died away before finally turning to face his guests. ¡°You see! I told you they were after me. Oh the woes of being Richmond¡¯s greatest alchemist!¡± He lamented. Divus was quite taken aback by this surprising turn of events while Peter, who had just been trying to stifle a bored yawn, realised Holstein¡¯s crazy episode was at an end and they could do business. ¡°So doc, I just swung by to see if you¡¯d any mana crystals for sale?¡± ¡°Why do you never come during normal opening hours? No matter, of course I do, hundreds! Big ones, small ones, weird cursed ones!¡± He said with a giggle, ¡°Got a nice experiment to do? No you meatheads are too busy killing things; need it for a job I guess. What do you fancy, 500? 1000? Or is it a big enough beasty for a 10,000?¡± ¡°100,000.¡± Dr Holstein span around, his mouth slightly agape in shock while he fell squarely onto his ass. ¡°W-w-w-what do you need that for?!¡± He spluttered. Divus, who was watching the scene from the side, could no longer contain his curiosity. ¡°What do those numbers me?¡± ¡°Mana crystals are crystallisations of pure magic concentrates; s¡¯like we all have a measurable supply a¡¯ mana in our bodies the crystals have a similar unit.¡± Peter explained. ¡°We can use the crystals as an extra mana supply alongside our own, however they aren¡¯t rechargeable.¡± That makes sense, Divus thought, like an external memory drive added onto your computer. Well not really, but close enough. But still how much was 100,000? If he remembered right he had about 130 points of mana¡­. Oh. It was a lot. ¡°What could you possibly need that much for!?¡± Holstein cried, finally recovering enough to re-join the conversation. ¡°That¡¯s my business, isn¡¯t it?¡± Peter coldly replied ¡°Who says I¡¯ve even got one?! Who¡¯d keep something that large?¡± ¡°I know you have one. Don worry, you¡¯ll get generous compensation. You know we¡¯re good for it.¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t! It¡¯s not for sa-¡° Holstein began to spout, but he suddenly shut his mouth. After squirming around for while he continued. ¡°Very well, since it¡¯s you. But I want 10,000 gold for it! Not a penny less!¡± ¡°Done!¡± Declared Peter, the usual jovial smile quickly returning to his face. ¡°Hurry and get it, then we¡¯ll be out o¡¯ ya hair.¡± Holstein disappeared down the corridor, the pair hearing him distantly climb down some stairs. After a couple of minutes he¡¯d returned carrying a large wooden box. Passing it to Peter he tiredly sat down with a disappointed expression. A blue light washed over Peter¡¯s face as he opened the box and he gave a satisfied smile. Swiftly closing it again he said his goodbyes and led Divus back out onto the street. They headed straight back to the old warehouse, the streets now nearly empty. As they walked Divus thought back on how readily old Holstein had given up on the crystal. He could not help but wonder once again; who was his enigmatic new master? *** The sun had finished setting and darkness had smothered the streets by the time they¡¯d returned to the warehouse. With Peter stopping at the entrance and sweeping his gaze up and down the street before ushering Divus inside, it felt as if they were about to do something very illicit. Closing the door behind him, Peter walked briskly to the corner of the old storeroom where their intense training had finished just hours before and pulled open a hatch into a basement. The old trapdoor had gone completely unnoticed by Divus earlier, thick layers of dust made it indiscernible from the rest of the floor. At this point a torch was produced, the pale moonlight peeking through the gaps in the wall failed to penetrate the murky depths of the cellar stairs they now had to descend. He paused briefly to position the box that held the mana crystal at the edge of the opening. As they climbed carefully downwards, Divus gingerly testing his footing with each step, a ridiculously large and cavernous room was revealed. The light of the torch could not even reach the walls, making it impossible to estimate a distance. There was only endless black space that stretched out in all directions. Peter broke the eerily silent atmosphere. ¡°I¡¯ll mention it once again. This test you¡¯ve will push your mind as far as it can possibly go, and then further. Ya seem to have your own reasons, and I won¡¯t pry, but be aware that this is not the only path you can take lad. And it is most certainly the longest.¡± Shocked speechless at the immense basement he¡¯d been led to Divus responded with only silence. However even without words his determination could easily be felt. Peter led him off the staircase and a few paces into the vast room. Catching his prospective apprentices eye as he turned he could do nought but sigh. While fear and curiosity easily made themselves known not a trace of doubt marred Divus¡¯ face. ¡°Take this, and these,¡± Peter said, handing him a scabbarded sword and a large backpack. ¡°The test can last for days, in some cases even longer. Unfortunately I cannae do anything more to prepare you. Quit anytime you want, but that will mean failure. I don¡¯t think I need to say it, but death also means failure. When you pass¡­ well, you¡¯ll know. Do you accept this test?¡± [td] Accept? Yes / No [/tds]
Quest: Fear Slaying Test
You have been offered the chance to take an extremely difficult examination by the wandering warrior Peter, if you succeed in this test he will take you on as his apprentice. ? Difficulty: Unknown ? Completion conditions: Unknown ? Rewards: Hidden class tree
¡°Of course!¡± Unperturbed by the ominous name. Peter¡¯s Mysterious Test accepted. They squarely stared at each other for another half minute before Peter nodded and turned away. Divus released a pent up breath, it had been the longest he¡¯d maintained eye contact for years. ¡°The test¡¯ll begin a few moments after I leave, th-¡° ¡°Wait you¡¯re leaving?¡± He flusteredly interrupted. The grim expression Peter had sported momentarily broke. ¡°Aye lad I can¡¯t sit in on this one with you.¡± He laughed, ¡°You wanna quit though an I¡¯ll be right down. Now as I was saying, don¡¯ worry about the light, you won¡¯t need it. And lad¡­¡± He paused, his serious attitude returned and he began to walk back towards the stairs, carrying the torch with him. As he started to ascend he looked back over his shoulder and left some final parting words. ¡°What we see here, we don¡¯t tell any of the others. Them¡¯s the rules we¡¯ve been following so far. Good luck lad.¡± Divus watched his shrinking back as the light began to retreat from the huge basement. Soon he was left alone in silent darkness, even Peter¡¯s footsteps being swallowed by the void. Without the light everything seemed much colder and a chill crept across his shoulder. He briefly pondered on the rationality of his actions, was there really any need to go so far for a game. But he would not turn back now. This was no longer a game at all for Divus, this was his life. While waiting in silence he realised that he hadn¡¯t used any of his stat points from levelling up. Bringing up his character screen he began to choose what to improve. Useful as they were he decided not to put to many points into vitality and endurance, he only had to risk his life to improve those so he focused on agility, dexterity and strength. He also unsheathed his sword to have a better look. He brought it close to his head, wondering how to display its stats. ¡°Identify,¡± he said aloud with vague hope. A familiar blue screen popped into existence before him; though this time he managed to keep his footing.
Plain Steel Sword
An ordinary, but decent, blade. Sharp and easy to use. Level: 25 Durability: 100/100 Damage: 35 (p) Class: Common Effects: None Restrictions: None
Divus sheathed the sword with a pleased expression. Although he was not quite sure what it meant, a level 25 weapon was probably excellent for his current state. The blue window, somehow clearly visible despite not seeming to give off its own light, disappeared and he returned to his silent vigil. Suddenly the world of darkness was shattered, a light almost as bright as the noon sun washing away the thick mass of shadows. Covering his eyes with his hand to block the intense brightness that suddenly enveloped him Divus swung his arms in fright. His blind panic landed him on his arse, where his free hand made a shocking discovery. He was sat on grass. In a basement. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the light he was finally able to explore his surroundings. Above him the sun blazed magnificently in the sky, while a vast meadow spread all around. Had he been teleported he wondered as he stared dumbly at this impossible sight. Was that possible? He had no idea how magic worked in New World, but it was possible. But why, and where too? His questions were cut short as he noticed his fellow inhabitants of these idyllic grasslands. He was surrounded, by the worst possible foe. A horde of bunnies raised the adorable heads to stare at him, and then more started appearing from all directions. Within seconds the green grass had been blotted out by a terrifying sea of white, fluffy cuteness. But the nightmare did not stop there. The rabbits started to climb atop each other, clumping together at a single point to culminate into a massive structure. Bunny upon bunny built upwards and began to merge together until Divus no longer faced an army of tiny critters but one towering Super Rabbit. This gargantuan beast, that would dwarf two story buildings, turned its head towards him and let out an ear-splitting roar. But as soon as he¡¯d seen it¡¯s sinister, beady black eyes Divus had not been considering how to escape it¡¯s fluffy clutches, he¡¯d been planning how to kill it. He could not have asked for a better target for his vengeance. ¡°Nevil? What the hell is this?¡± Asked a shocked and familiar voice from behind him. Cautiously turning, Divus found his legs abruptly turn to putty. Stood opposite him and the rabbit stood a figure that couldn¡¯t possibly be in this world. Wearing a simultaneously fearful and disgruntled expression was Nevil Thompson¡¯s little sister, Clair.
Ok, no idea why the ''yes/no'' is below the quest description. From what i can tell it should have come out right... Anyways enjoy! Chapters 4-6 are actually completed but I won''t be able to update them here until Monday now, they are already on Japtem and my blog mogdogologsblog.blogspot.co.uk if anyone''s interested but I will upload these here on monday (and hopefully chapter 7!), hope you like it. Chapter 4: There is nothing to fear but fear itself. And giant bunny rabbits. Dawn approached the city of Richmond, and the gutter of a side street a despondent young woman sighed to herself. She¡¯d been up since the previous morning searching for what she wanted, but had been rejected and shunned at every turn. In New World she went by the name Athena and had joined the new online world with a single purpose: to become a sorceress! Slinging spells of fiery doom across a chaotic battlefield and scorching the ground before her was an old childhood dream, and with computer games stepping into the realms of virtual reality she had thought that it would soon be achieved. But alas learning magic was not so easy as one might expect in New World. It was not that the spells themselves were hard to learn, oh no. It did not require a keen intellect or high levels to be taught. No the one thing that was needed to learn magic, the one thing that no newbie player had yet acquired, was money. Spell tomes cost dozens of gold a piece while wizards charged extortionate prices for any would be apprentice, and Athena didn¡¯t even have a single silver to her name. So she had spent the entire day running around begging various merchants or mages to give her a discount or charity. She knew she was rather attractive, silky blonde hair that tumbled down her back and cute, delicate facial features had meant there was no end to the compliments and jealous looks she received. But here in new world she was penniless and without an ounce of fame or charm to win any of the NPCs over, nor did she have any idea how to use her femininity. Her na?ve attempts at seduction had even left one man laughing. Eventually she¡¯d given up and sat in desolate despair on the edge of a road in some residential area or another. Every now and then groups of people would pass by, NPCs and players alike whispering about the forlorn girl sat in the dirt. Several minutes passed like that, until one man broke from his route and walked nervously towards her. A grey beard covered most of his face and his thick, ornate robes marked him as a member of some clergy or another. ¡°What is the matter my child?¡± He asked in a kindly old voice. Athena was silent for a moment. Suddenly, with a long, drawn out sniff, she cried, ¡°No one will teach me magic!¡± The priest, known as Michael, opened his mouth to respond, but he just could not find the words. A poor little girl abandoned alone on the street and she was whining about learning magic? ¡°How old are you child, where are your parents?¡± ¡°18,¡± She sobbed, tears trailing down her cheeks. What? From her short and slender frame he¡¯d guessed she¡¯d be 14 at the very oldest! Michael was a man of the world, and had worked in his church for nearly 40 years now. A crying child was no problem for him to deal with, but this tearful young adult was something outside of even his vast experience. But as a man of the Goddess Sirona there was no way he could leave her alone. Making his resolution Michael once again spoke to comfort the girl. ¡°My child, if it¡¯s alright with you I¡¯d be happy to share what knowledge I have in the mystic arts.¡± Athena immediately looked up, eyes glistening and cheeks moist. ¡°Really¡­?¡± She asked, her voice tinged with hope. ¡°Of course! We priests are men of our word. While my skills may have dulled a bit with age I can certainly show you a thing or two about healing magic!¡± He declared, puffing his chest out for effect. Athena leapt to her feet, face beaming, and pulled Michael into an energetic embrace. ¡°Thank you thank you thank you!¡± She yelled, any trace of her earlier sorrow vanishing like morning mist. Healing magic had not been her target, but anything was a start. Her mind once again began spinning images of epic fire fights with armies of lesser foes incinerated by her dark sorceries. Of course the old priest saw nothing of the chaos and destruction dancing just behind her eyes, seeing only a truly grateful innocent girl ecstatic that she would be able to use healing powers. ¡°What¡¯s your name child?¡± Michael asked, surprisingly glad to have made such an eager and cheerful unexpected young apprentice. ¡°Eliz- I men Athena! What about you mister?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m Bishop Michael of the church of Sirona. Come; let¡¯s get out of the spotlight.¡± He said, glancing around at the crowd they¡¯d drawn with their mini drama. They pushed passed the onlookers and headed briskly down the street. ¡°Where I we going?¡± Athena excitedly asked. ¡°You can take your lessons at my church. Worry not, it¡¯s little further.¡± ¡®His¡¯ church? She had noticed he¡¯d referred to himself as Bishop, though she had no idea about their hierarchy in her world a Bishop was higher than just a priest, so his own church in a major city was probably not a stretch. Maybe she¡¯d just been attached to an amazing person? A collection of spires poked out above the rooftops in the direction they were headed. A religious district, maybe with all kinds of gods on display, Athena guessed. As they turned the final corner she realised how incredibly wrong she was. She¡¯d seen cathedrals before of course, there¡¯d generally be at least one in every major city in Europe, but the towering monstrosity before her would put to shame even the greatest works of her home¡¯s medieval architects. Taking up the same amount of space as Richmonds huge Main Square, the simple ¡®church¡¯ that Michael was leading her towards dominated the entire surrounding area. The huge main hall could have fit a football pitch inside, with room to spare, while the tallest of its spires rivalled even modern skyscrapers in height. Intricate murals spanned entire sections of walls which depicted ancient myths or scenes of celebration and flanking the massive entrance were a pair of fearsome stone guardians, each reaching five times the height of a man. Athena could not help but stop to marvel at the scene. Michael, however, moved completely undaunted to the giant doorway. He stopped a little way a head when he realised she was not following so she quickly rushed to keep pace. ¡°First time seeing Richmond¡¯s Great Cathedral? It¡¯s usually the first thing travellers¡¯ visit, well this or the palace¡­¡± The palace? There was another building on the same scale as this one? Athena could hardly believe it; she¡¯d spent the entirety of her time chasing after leads on magic so she didn¡¯t even think to go sight-seeing. But she had been missing out on two magnificent wonders. As they approached the entryway the crowds grew thicker with visitors coming and going. Michael led her into the main hall. Rows upon rows of benches were laid out neatly before them, illuminated by the coloured light from massive stain-glass windows. He turned down a side passage and eventually the murmurs of the masses faded away behind them. Occasionally they¡¯d pass another priest or monk, who¡¯d bow respectfully to Michael before returning to their business. Athena was soon lost by the twisting maze of tight stone corridors and by the time they¡¯d reached their destination she was quite sure she¡¯d never be able to find her own way out. The door they¡¯d stopped before looked the same as dozens on the route, so much so that it was surprising Michael had found the right one. ¡°Home sweet home, come on in.¡± Athena carefully stepped into the cramped room. It wasn¡¯t small, it was just packed with miscellaneous items that seemed to cover just about every available surface, including the bed and chairs. ¡°Well now my child, I have a mass to give in about 2 hours, but seeing as you¡¯re so eager I believe we can make an immediate start. Just dump those papers on the floor and make yourself comfortable.¡± He said, gesturing to a seat piled high with yellowed files. But before Athena had even reached it he¡¯d begun his lecture, somehow digging out an old textbook from an overburdened desk. ¡°Now where to start? Ah yes, the basic of magic is of course¡­¡± *** Even with the unexpected teleportation, even with the appearance of his nefarious adversary, even with the shocking inclusion of his younger sister, it had taken Divus just a fraction of a second to react. He span around and whisked Clair into his arms, then started fleeing from the giant bunny. It didn¡¯t matter if killing the rabbit was his main objective, even if it meant failing protecting his sister was always his top priority. The rabbit let loose another massive roar, an ironically comical sight that Divus was in no mood to laugh at right then, and gave chase. Quickly catching up to the siblings it swiped with one massive paw to swat them to the ground. Clair screamed in his ear as he started to dodge. Pure luck and instinct saved them as Divus ducked out the way, turning on his foot under the bunny¡¯s blow. He one-handedly wielded his sword and cut across the back of a huge fluffy leg before sprinting once more in the opposite direction. His clumsy attempt at hamstringing his foe had slowed it a little, but also served to further enrage it as it bounded towards them once more. There was no cover of any sort; no woods to hide in or walls to hide behind. Endless grassland stretched out to the horizon. The only way they could even break line of sight with the chasing beast was to lie behind a gently sloping hill, but it was too close for that possibility. Nor could Divus effectively fight it with his sister in is arms. At some point he¡¯d slung her over his shoulder, where she was yelling something at him. It was impossible to hear thanks to the wind streaming past as he ran, which might have been a blessing all things considered¡­ After another minute of running, and the rabbit no further behind them, Divus was beginning to run out of steam. Endurance seemed to cover stamina as well as defence, so he¡¯d begun regretting not assigning it more points early into the run. His sister was still spouting nonsensical gibberish so he was on his own in formulating a plan. Fighting it while holding her would get them both killed, and the only way he¡¯d let her out of his arms in this insane and unpredictable test was when someone snapped them off. He was tempted to throw in the towel and call for Peter, no hidden class was worth hurting his sister. But that would be the last resort after he¡¯d tried everything else he could. He scanned the ground for something he could use, but that came up empty. He wanted to check the rucksack Peter had given him, but doing so while running and carrying his sister might prove too much. There was one last piece of equipment he¡¯d not counted, his knife. With the new sword it had become obsolete, but there could always be another use for it. Running out of options and fast nearing his limit, Divus sheathed his sword and pulled out the smaller blade. He only had one chance at this; if it failed he¡¯d immediately give in and call for Peter. A quick glance backwards showed the rabbit was only a few dozen feet away. Nevil¡¯s father had been an ex dart champion, and had taught him how to throw for years before his death. But he¡¯d not played for ages and the knife¡¯s shape was nowhere near a dart¡¯s. Still, it was worth a shot. Taking a deep breath he adjusted his grip and turned. The bunny was rapidly closing the distance while Divus carefully lined up the shot. He brought his hand back and then smoothly arced the knife forwards. It fell through the air and planted itself neatly into the bunny¡¯s forehead, just inches from its intended target. The beast bellowed furiously, rearing up unto its hind legs to scratch away the tiny blade as it momentarily stopped it¡¯s charge. But that moment was all that was needed. He¡¯d been trying to blind it, but a brief opening sufficed for Divus and he leapt forward to take advantage. His sword appeared in his right hand while his left stayed wrapped around his sister, creating an awkward figure that sprinted quickly towards his distracted foe. Dashing between two fluffy legs he savagely hacked at the back of the uninjured one then twisted round to continue his flight. The bunny roared once more and tried to sit backwards to squash him. But he¡¯d already sped away, out of reach of the oversized paws. As they reached what he felt was a safe distance he saw the massive rabbit hobbling furiously at them. It would take it much longer now to catch up, but Divus was eager to lose it. Hoisting his complaining sister back onto his shoulder he continued his cross country trek. *** Days had gone past, or so it felt. With a never setting sun hovering in the same constant spot it could just as easily have been weeks or hours. Whatever the case they¡¯d been on the run for what may as well of been an eternity. Every time they rested for Divus to sleep or eat the monster bunny soon found them, forcing them to run once more. Only two facts had presented themselves over the course of their cat and mouse game in the unending grasslands. The first was that the thing Divus was lugging around with him was not his sister. It had the same voice and face, but that was where the similarities ended. It wasn¡¯t even at the level of NPCs. It just spouted the same lines of fear and confusion, even after he¡¯d sat it down and tried explaining calmly. The second was that the bunny was not after him. Every chance it got and their furry pursuer would lunge at the imitation of his sister. At first Divus had thought it meant protecting the mimic was the objective of the test, but discounted it after he remembered the only ways to fail were giving up or dying. Even knowing that there was no way he could just abandon what was a splitting image of Clair. The death of a fake would still eat away at his conscience. Using those facts, and the name of the quest itself, he¡¯d eventually realised what he had to do. He had to kill the bunny. But the only way that he could think of killing such a big beast was the last technique Peter had taught him, the new skill ¡®Counter attack¡¯. The problem with that is he had to wait to use it when he knew exactly where his foe would strike. And that would be the fake imitation Clair. He brought up the skill window to check the stats.
Skill: Counter attack (Special)
A well timed attack that deals not only critical damage but also a percentage based on the enemies momentum. This percentage increases with skill mastery. ? Begginer Level 1 (0%) ? Requires user to perform a successful counter to activate.
With the force behind one of the rabbit¡¯s colossal lunges the counter damage might kill it outright, but he¡¯d be taking a massive gamble. That was the real meaning of the test. To succeed you¡¯d need to risk what you feared losing the most, or an illusion of it at least. But even that would be hard to detach yourself from. Which was the reason Divus had drawn the chase out for so long. However he could not keep it up any longer. The constant running, only having minutes at a time to sleep or rest and caring for an imposter had all left him on the edge. He needed to end this, and now he knew Clair¡¯s life wasn¡¯t on the line he was determined to see it through. So it was that when they next lost the hunting rabbit Divus quickly made his preparations. The bag from Peter had only contained food provisions, so all he had to work with was his sword, the fake and his own two hands. There was no elaborate trap he was capable of producing, his only chance was one perfectly timed counter. After positioning the fake he sat down and closed his eyes. Image training. He¡¯d read enough manga over his years shut in his room to know it¡¯s supposed efficiency, though he¡¯d never been taught to use it, or even attempted it before. However he¡¯d been facing off against the rabbit for days on end. He could predict its every reaction and so focused on how best to counter its lunge. Step forward and attempt to bury his sword into its heart. An image of himself piercing the rabbits chest played out in his mind, but he¡¯d missed the mark and the rabbit crushed the fake and himself. No, too wide a margin of error. Stab its eye from above. An image of himself leaping towards it and plunging into its head appeared. But again a slight deviation from his target caused him to be slammed into the ground. No, no, NO! The target¡¯s still too small. I need something more certain. Then it hit him, a pattern in the monster¡¯s behaviour that only someone who¡¯d been fighting it constantly might pick up on. One that would require Divus to literally leap into the jaws of death. And in the aftermath he¡¯d need to move even faster. Making his decision he climbed to his feet and walked over to the fake. Now all he had to do was wait for the rabbit to inevitably appear and strike it down. Silence crept over the bright grassy plains as Divus strained every sense he possessed to locate traces of his foe. The tense atmosphere was shattered as the mimic Clair started making the exact same complaints he¡¯d heard a hundred times in the exact same words and tone. He was about to try and quieten it when the ground began to shake at the thunderous approach of monstrous fluffy feet. Unsheathing his sword and stepping into a ready position in one smooth movement Divus turned to face their unrelenting pursuer as it crested a small hill. Triumph gleamed in its eyes as it saw its prey sat stationary for it. Unbeknownst to the beast, however, the hunter had just become the hunted. The rabbit quickened its pace as it saw they had no intention of moving and prepared for a final lunge to end this protracted chase. As it closed the last few feet and leapt into its attack it released a final pent up snarl of aggression. Just what Divus had been waiting for. Time seemed to slow for him as he thrust forwards with his blade. The gargantuan rabbit hung above him in mid-air, its lips twisted back in a menacing growl. The fake Clair had once again gratingly screeched in terror, the high pitched cry dropping to a comically low tone. And his sword swept slowly through the air. Slowly, slowly, slowly reaching towards the gaping maw of his prey. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. It won¡¯t work, we¡¯ll be crushed before we can escape. I jumped in too late, I¡¯ll miss the opening. It¡¯s too big, the damage won¡¯t be enough. Dozens of panicked thoughts managed to swirl through his mind in the tiny moments it took for his sword to inch inside the rabbits mouth. Shut up! Shutupshutupshutup! I. WILL. KILL. THIS. BUNNY RABBIT! An incomprehensible scream broke Divus¡¯ lips as he drove his blade forwards and up into the roof of the beast¡¯s mouth. The rabbits own unstoppable momentum drove the sword straight into its brain, killing it instantly. But now was time for the hard part. He had to abandon his sword and pull his fake sister away from the direction the massive corpse was collapsing. Just as he was about to let go of the hilt the scenery changed. The rabbit disappeared and he found himself stood in a modern-day high-street. Taking a few moments to recover from his disorientation he at last managed to look around. Panic was already rising within his chest at the mere sight of real world outdoor surroundings, but to make matters far worse it seemed to be somewhere he recognised. Where? There were shops and cafes the likes of which you could find anywhere in any city, but those brands, this layout, he knew it. Where? He span around, the streets were abandoned except for the lone figure of his sister standing behind him. No, his fake sister. This was still the test, right? As he took a step towards her, Clairs features changed. They took on the form of another girl. A girl he¡¯d only seen once, a girl whose face he couldn¡¯t even recognise, a girl who haunted him to this day. He knew where this was. The roar of a car engine popped into existence, as something span round the corner at the edge of the street. However Divus was already running. He sped towards the girl with the vague face; he needed to push out the way, to warn her. His steps grew heavier, as if he was wading through a bog, and he was slowed to almost a halt as the car cruised towards her. His voice was strangled in his throat as he tried to scream to move. But he knew what would happen. When the car was mere inches from hitting the faceless girl it veered off to the side. It screeched right past Divus, who could only watch in mute horror as it slammed into the side of a building. The entire right side had been flattened in the collision. Everything melted away. The streets, the buildings, even the girl with the unrecognisable face. Black void filled his entire vision, the only things that remained was the wreckage and a path leading towards it. Divus began walking. I don¡¯t want to see. He kept walking. I didn¡¯t mean too. He kept walking. His feet no longer responded to the pathetic pleas of his mind. Soon he was stood directly in front of the crushed shattered shell of what used to be a car. ¡°Your fault.¡± Came a voice. Crawling from the wreckage was the twisted and broken body of his father as it bitterly spewed hatred. ¡°You fault.¡± Agreed another accusatory voice. Out of the back seats the equally crushed and deformed figure of his mother pulled itself towards him. ¡°Your fault, your fault, your fault.¡± They yelled in unison, their bitter complaints twisting into screams as they piled upon each other. Divus said nothing, just stared at the shattered bodies of his parents. He silent gaze didn¡¯t leave them for a second as he hunched down to their level. He could not refute them, they were right. This was his sin, his cross to bear. Something he could never let go yet was far too afraid to face. After the pained cries continued for a few minutes he rose again and responded. ¡°I know.¡± Of course he knew. That¡¯s why he¡¯d shut himself away from the accusing glares of the rest of the world. But now, stood in front of the wreckage he had wrought, he could make his peace. It was his fault. So he would do everything in his power to do in their stead what he had stolen. As such he would not look away from this. Wailing as if in agony the horrific apparitions of his parents slowly began to fade away, disappearing like illusions. Which was what they had probably been. Even if it had just been another part of the test, a weight seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders. He had made his peace, and his resolution stood firmer than ever. He would give his sister the chances they couldn¡¯t, he¡¯d finish this damned test. Then another form exited the car¡¯s wreckage. Suddenly the backdrop was changed again and he found himself back in the warehouse basement he¡¯d started in, only now it seemed to be fully illuminated through some mystic means and there were no stairs. The other figure had been transported with him and now they stood facing each other. So this was how the test ends then. Divus was staring into the arrogant, stupid face of Nevil Thompson. *** Athena looked up as her teacher entered the study. She¡¯d been given free access throughout the cathedral and had spent most of the time not being taught by Michael in the library they had tucked away. Though the main topics of most books were various theological texts and histories, some existed that spoke of world history and geography, as well as a few other things. Few texts about magic were present, but those she found she devoured greedily. As Michael walked over to the desk she¡¯d claimed Athena stealthily earmarked her page and closed the book to face him. Their lessons had progressed quickly, which Michael had attributed to her intensive reading, and she¡¯d already learned 4 spells related to healing and support magic. Originally she¡¯d thought it was just a matter of watching a demonstration and then being automatically cast the spell like in most games. However New World had an advanced learning system to manipulate mana, players having to learn how to channel their power into the spells they cast. Far from putting Athena off, she was thrilled that many of the skills she learnt from the old Bishop would come in use when learning offensive spells! ¡°How is your studying going child?¡± Michael pleasantly asked. ¡°Very well thank you Michael!¡± She cheerfully replied, ¡°What are you going to teach me today? Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± As Athena leapt to her feet and began tugging on his arm Michael sighed at his apprentices lack of manners. ¡°Today¡¯s lesson is a little different child,¡± He said, pulling his hand free from her grip, ¡°Follow me, we¡¯ll be going somewhere new.¡± Sensing a more serious mood from her teacher she quietly followed as he swept briskly through the maze of corridors. Although still prone to getting lost, Athena was more familiar with the cold stone walkways they passed through now and was soon able to tell they¡¯d entered part of the cathedral she¡¯d not previously visited. This was not all that surprising, considering the scale of the building, but as they passed the almost alien site of an armed guard her nervousness began to grow. At the end of the corridor they passed through an archway into a large, high ceilinged room. A faint green film seemed to hang in the doorway, but didn¡¯t seem to hinder their entry. Chests, crates and piles of all sorts of equipment filled every nook and cranny, those towards the back being neatly arranged while the items nearer the front seemed haphazardly strewn about the place. ¡°This is the Cathedrals vault,¡± Michael proclaimed proudly, ¡°It¡¯s really the last place in the Cathedral you hadn¡¯t seen, I thought I¡¯d show you before you left.¡± ¡°Left? What do you mean?¡± The old bishop sighed and looked at his young student with a mixture of affection and sadness written upon his face. ¡°There¡¯s nothing left to teach. You were a much more able student than I ever was and I joined the clergy before I advanced far into my studies. It¡¯s a bit depressing, seeing you learn in weeks what I picked up over a few years of adventuring. But I¡¯m glad to pass it on to such an excellent student. I can teach you about holy power if you wish to remain, but you¡¯d have to become part of our church.¡± He was silent for a moment, thinking through what had just occurred to him. ¡°In fact I¡¯d be more than happy to take you on as a full apprentice if you wish? While it has little combat potential divine power is far better than white magic!¡± Athena immediately turned him down, not even sparing a glance for the game window that popped up with the suggestion. ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯m really set on magic, y¡¯know.¡± The only thing that even may have slightly swayed her was the fondness of Michael she¡¯d grown over their lessons. But even then, he was just a character, it didn¡¯t really matter right? Still, it was a little sad the lessons were coming to an end. She smiled brightly at her brief teacher and, in a loud voice entirely inappropriate for the ancient chamber they were in, exclaimed, ¡°Thank you Michael! It was really fun learning from you!¡± He shared her smile and placed a gentle hand on her head. ¡°Return anytime you like child, we¡¯ll warmly welcome you.¡± Another window opened in front of her eyes.
You have mastered the required number of spells to unlock the class of Novice Mage, would you like to change to this class? Yes / No
¡°Yes!¡± She cried, then jumped at Michael to give a quick hug before rushing back out the door into the maze of corridors. Left in the dust, Michael could do naught but sigh as his pupil sped out of sight. Athena ran through the corridor, almost tripping multiple times, ready to leave the cathedral for the first time since almost when she started the game. She burst into the rooms of a handful of acquaintances she¡¯d made during her stay then continued straight to the massive entry way. Her attempts to deftly dodge through the crowds were met with only partial success, with several disgruntled shouts left in her wake, but she didn¡¯t slow down. Although she was still just peeking into the entrance, the path to becoming the mighty sorceress of her dreams was now open! Her dash out into the streets was ended when she collided bodily with a group of fellow players. As she climbed unsteadily to her feet she got a good look at them. The first was a short young man. Dual knives at his belt, he¡¯d managed to evade Athena hurtling towards them. The second was a young woman, a year or two older than herself. She was still sprawled on the floor. The last was just climbing to his feet. He was the same age as the others, with spiked blond hair and anger etched on his face he started yelling, ¡°Hey! What the hel-¡° ¡°Are you guys going out adventuring?? Let me join you, please please please!¡± Athena excitedly yelled. At a glance they were slightly better equipped than most the players, and with no offensive capabilities she needed some meatsh- companions. The blond man was perplexed by the sudden torrent from this strange little girl who¡¯d bowled them over, so it was the shorter one who answered. ¡°Um, who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Athena! Mighty Sorceress!¡± *** Two identical blades clashed with mirror strikes as the two fighters unleashed a flurry of exactly the same blows. As they parted Divus quickly began to calculate how to win this battle. But it was futile, they kept moving at the same time with the same moves. If he stepped forward with a slash, his clone made the exact same movements. If he dropped his guard to set up a counter a similar flaw appeared in his foes defence. Eventually he¡¯d stopped with strategies, reasoning that if he turned off his brain his opponent wouldn¡¯t be able to perform the same movements. While it might end badly, at least it would end the deadlock. But somehow the clone came to the exact same conclusion. Not only that but it¡¯s ¡®random¡¯ attacks mirrored Divus¡¯ own perfectly. They continued slashing and hacking at each other without any progress for several minutes, before simultaneously leaping backwards to think again. Now Divus had to think of something else to try, and racked his mind in frustration. The answer he arrived to this time was simple. While he¡¯d scanned through his training the recent memory of his illusory parents surfaced in his mind. The resolution was still fresh, much stronger than when he¡¯d entered New World. His goal was to provide for his sister, so he needed to always be the most powerful. It was so easy, he needed to become stronger than himself. If the fake was as fast as he was, he just needed to become faster. Divus laughed to himself, an action which for the first time the clone did not mimic. Leaping forwards he viciously slashed at the fake, which countered slightly slower than it had before. As the rapid hacking and parrying resumed it was immediately clear that this time there was a difference. His sideways slash was slash was deflected by a desperate swing. Faster. The clone avoided a thrust to its chest by ducking sideways, unable to miss grazing its ribs. Faster! Unleashing a massive overhead attack Divus forced his opponent to its knees as it blocked. He stepped back and, before it could find its feet, stabbed his sword into the clone¡¯s chest. It was a strange experience, staring into his own eyes as he died. The weapon slipped from its limp grasp and dispersed into smoke before it hit the ground. The same happened to the fake, leaving Divus alone in the empty basement, which was quickly growing darker. His body suddenly remembered that he¡¯d not slept for what could have been weeks, and he dropped to the ground. As he was left in almost complete darkness a series of messages flooded his vision. [tds] You have learnt a new skill: Sword Mastery
Fighting non-stop illusory battles has helped you create a new stat: Willpower
Quest: Fear Slaying Test has successfully been completed
You have gained a new hidden special class
You are now affiliated with the Slayers
Divus didn¡¯t have the energy to do more than look at the messages, remaining motionless even as the sound of approaching footsteps neared him and he was bathed in warm orange light. ¡°Ye done well lad.¡± Peter praised, though he couldn¡¯t muster the energy to face him. ¡°Welcome to the Slayers! I¡¯ll tell ya this now, but when you wake up I shan¡¯t be here, I may ha¡¯ just become your master but I¡¯m a busy man! So I¡¯ll tell you this now, become stronger Divus. Seek out the most fearsome foes that you can. Also, train yourself in your own world, it¡¯ll help. Probably. Good luck lad, you¡¯ve been away long enough. Even if you want to sleep, you better wake up¡­¡± *** Peter watched as his new official apprentice took on the odd stone form and then went to pick it up. It was heavy, monstrously so, but he was able to quite easily tuck it under his arm and head to the stairs. He had no concept of stat values, but his strength would have been several thousand. The basement began to warp and shift as he left, the mana crystal finally running out of juice and the transformation became undone. Peter had picked up another, smaller crystal in case however Divus had finished just in time. What was surprising were the contents of his test. The first two parts were fairly normal, though he¡¯d completed the second fairly decisively and the odd images of what must have been his world intrigued Peter, but it was the third part that was most unique. Generally the third part was the simplest, it pitted them against what they feared most they¡¯d become. It was designed to weed out anyone who was afraid of gaining power, if they were scared they¡¯d become an uncontrollable monster then they weren¡¯t suited to be slayers. Not only did slayers always needed to gain strength, if they feared that happening then there was probably a reason¡­ People usually feared being weak the most; unable to protect themselves or those they cared for. Which meant that candidates would always face either incredibly frail or completely overwhelming versions of themselves. However Divus feared neither, well not nearly as much as feared his current level. Peter had never even heard of a candidate like that before. It might seem a silly worry, but what Divus feared above all else was stagnation. Peter chuckled to himself as he placed the statue in the warehouse and headed outside. He¡¯d spent far too much time here and dozens of jobs needed his immediate attention, but he was oddly contented. As he summoned a spectral horse and rode out into the country he could not help but smile. Someone who was driven to never stay in the same place for long, to constantly move forwards, was sure to shake a thing or two up. Chapter 5: Next stop Chapter 5: Next stop Nevil opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. He was lying on a bed in a strange white room, curtains drawn around him to keep away prying eyes. Trying to sit up he felt something pulling at his arm, as if it were attached to something. A brief investigation revealed that it was indeed, an IV drip trailed from his arm to a stand on his right. Slowly the lights started flickering on inside his head. Somehow Nevil had ended up in a hospital. Worse, he had no recollection of how he ended up here. He¡¯d been in perfect health, well as far as a shut in can be, before he¡¯d last logged in. But when was that again? It hadn¡¯t occurred to him while he was in game, but time was still passing in the real world, even at a vastly slower rate. Hours had melted together inside the illusion, so he had even less of an inkling of how much time had passed here. How long had he been asleep? His dazed movements caused a figure hunched over at the end of his bed to stir. His little sister raised her head to blearily look at him, seemingly just waking up herself. He was slightly surprised to see her, but she¡¯d probably been worried about their finances or something. Damn, what an awful older brother he was. How could he have worried her! Not only had he been unable to work for god knows how long, he¡¯d also created the hospital fees! Clair didn¡¯t need this, her pathetic gaming brother takin- This internal monologue was interrupted as Nevil was flung backwards onto his bed. His little sister had jumped atop of him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Struck dumb by this extraordinary turn of events he could only manage a stupid one word question. ¡°Clair?¡± ¡°YOU IDIOT!¡± She cried, ¡°Do you have any idea what that was like!? What if you didn¡¯t wake up?! Idiot, stupid moron!¡± Well he couldn¡¯t deny that. Her arms wrapped tighter around the stupefied Nevil, who eventually managed to choke out another confused response. ¡°Bu-but why are you waiting here?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Clair yelled, tears forming in the edges of her eyes, ¡°Where else am I supposed to wait for you?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!¡± ¡°But¡­. B-but you hated me?¡± ¡°Idiot, of course not! How could I?!¡± ¡°B-but it was my fault¡­ Don¡¯t you blame me?¡± ¡°Idiot! You¡¯re all I have left!¡± At this point Clair began sobbing into his shoulder. His strong, brave Clair. She had cried at their parents¡¯ funeral, but after that Nevil had never seen her shed a tear. Not when he¡¯d shut himself off, or when their relatives started leaving them. Not even when their uncle had abandoned them. While Nevil had been crushed by the tragically unfair world around them she¡¯d stayed strong and unmoved. Such a brave girl could go on to do anything, he¡¯d realised. With a determination like that nothing was out of reach. And her pathetic older brother would at least make sure she got the chance. That was what he¡¯d always believed. That was his duty. But now that unbreakable sister was bawling in his arms and he didn¡¯t know what to do. She didn¡¯t hate him? She was this worried? How long had she had to wait at the foot of his bed for him to regain consciousness? Dozens of questions skirted the edges of his mind but one was more pressing than any of the others; was it ok not to be hated? No, none of those questions truly mattered. Not at the moment. Hesitantly, slowly, Nevil reached his arm around his sisters back and returned her embrace. Clair was right; they were all each other had. He was a terrible brother, so for now there was nothing else he could do. *** Apparently Clair had found him with the headgear on after he hadn¡¯t appeared for over a day. When she¡¯d tried taking the headset off nothing had happened so she¡¯d panicked and called an ambulance. That was almost 5 days ago; he¡¯d been in a coma since. Clair automatically blamed the New World headset, but no similar case had been documented. It was impossible for him to have stayed logged in. Whenever someone had their headgear removed they were automatically logged off and doctors couldn¡¯t find anything else to link it. It was a great mystery that had shaken up the entire hospital. After his sisters yelling had notified the entire hospital the doctors had rushed in and immediately started performing tests and asking questions. Had anything unusual happened before logging in, any other symptoms? Just any indication whatsoever about what had happened. But Nevil repeatedly stated he was fine and without anything else they could do there was no choice but to let him go. He had to compromise to leave the following morning, but he was eager to get out of there as soon as he could to avoid racking up more of a bill. So he was waiting in the lobby for his sister, who¡¯d demanded to walk him home, no two ways about it. Even if he could refuse his sister at the best of times, there was no way for him to say no after he put her through that. Regrettable as it might be for her to miss the first few hours of the private school he paid for. Almost no one else was in the lobby at this hour; an elderly women seeming to be waiting for an appointment and a middle aged business man who kept glancing at his watch were Nevil¡¯s only companions. The newspapers were a few weeks out of date and there were only fashion or gossip magazines spread out upon the table. He desperately wanted to stretch his legs or find something else to do, but the fear of what might happen were he not here at Clair¡¯s arrival was sufficiently petrifying to keep him glued to his seat. Long repressed memories of when they¡¯d been relatively normal siblings began to haunt his dreams once more. Shuddering at that one time he¡¯d been late when they¡¯d gone into town one time he noticed the man had stood up and walked briskly to the reception desk. ¡°This is ridiculous! How much longer must I wait for visitation?¡± He loudly demanded, causing the old lady to almost drop her knitting and Nevil to jump slightly in the air. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir but the hospital¡¯s not open until-¡° The receptionist tried to placating say. ¡°Nonsense, how could you possibly keep a father from his daughter this long?! Locking her away under the guise of medical care and keeping her from my loving embrace! You monsters!¡± He roared, and then suddenly collapsed to one knee, his voice growing quieter and sorrowful. ¡°My darling Rose-bud, locked in this dire penitentiary. Withering away without her father¡¯s love to nurture her¡­ How can you live with yourselves? I demand you let me pass immediately!¡± Nevil nervously stepped forward as the man¡¯s rage turned back to the receptionist. He had to be stronger in the real world as well, Peter had told him. He couldn¡¯t just let this very obvious harassment go. ¡°U-um excuse me sir, t-the receptionist d-doesn¡¯t make the policies here. If you c-could just¡­.¡± He¡¯d trailed off as the man scornfully turned to face him. ¡°What would you know of our suffering, boy? My precious carnation locked away every waking moment, cold and alone without my fatherly warmth. Torn from my precious flower, you want me to spend another single moment without her?! Listen you; I just bought this New World thingy! I need to get it to her as soon as I can so we can spend even longer together online!! No longer must I suffer through the night knowing she desperately lacks my presence!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough dad!¡± Said a voice from the side. The face that had held Nevil with such mockery and contempt abruptly twisted into an expression of blissful harmony. He span round and leapt with remarkable agility towards who must have been his daughter, screaming ¡°Daddy¡¯s here!!!!¡± A white cane caught him in the side of the face, causing his charge to be diverted into a nearby wall. The assailant walked into the lobby, trailed by the receptionist who must have escaped during Nevil¡¯s brief distraction. Her most striking feature was her milky white eyes, yet she walked confidently with the aid of her stick towards her father. But what had caught Nevil¡¯s attention above all else was her long, black hair. He recognised the hair. Though it couldn¡¯t be. Thousands of people had a similar hair, and he remembered nothing else about the girl. There was absolutely no way. This still didn¡¯t stop him turning away from the girl, who was sternly chastising her father about bothering the staff, and fleeing the lobby. When she turned to apologize Nevil had already left the building. He almost ran straight into his sister as he fled out into the street. Barely keeping them both upright, Clair immediately tried to calm her panicked brother. ¡°Bro?! What¡¯s going on, are you ok?¡± It took a couple of seconds for Nevil to compose himself before he weakly smiled to his sister. ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing, really. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± ¡°Wait, are you sure? You look really pale¡­ Maybe we should head back and do another check-up. If-¡° ¡°NO!¡± Nevil yelled, then realising he¡¯d just raised his voice quickly turned away. ¡°No, let¡¯s just leave.¡± Clair was clearly not content, but started walking home without further complaint. She sent a few sideways glances towards him while the moved, but he kept his mouth firmly sealed. Though some of the distance between them seemed to have vanished she still needed to let him have some space. Not being completely oblivious Nevil stopped and bought some ice-cream on the way, which ironically thawed out the atmosphere. He¡¯d only gone through a brief patch of playing poorly translated Japanese gal-games, but it seems affection point increasing effect of the cold sugary treat was not as exaggerated as he¡¯d thought. His sister being particularly uplifted, as they traditional avoided the expensive snack. They began talking after that, not about anything important and it was mainly Clair doing the talking, but Nevil almost felt nostalgic. He realised that even though he was her guardian it was the first time he¡¯d spoken to his sister about school for years. Luckily she was as talented as he¡¯d always believed and was the top of her class in a reasonably prestigious school. It was her final year, but they¡¯d only really just started. The tuition was already paid for and there was plenty of time for him to earn enough for University. The sudden hospital bill worried him about the immediate future, but he was determined. They¡¯d do fine. After a week the population of New World would probably of at least doubled and be somewhere around 100,000. Plenty of potential customers! Not only that, but he now had a hidden class! Overall, things were looking up. They passed some flyers about Judo lessons while Clair complained about some history teacher or something. To be honest it had almost been an endless torrent as if she were making up for lost time, so at that point Nevil was only half listening. Peter had told him to get stronger in this world too; maybe a martial art might be the way to go¡­ ¡°Hey! Bro are you even listening?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, yeah sure. That guy sounds terrible! Should I go in and complain?¡± He answered, snapping back to their conversation. ¡°W-what?! No way, don¡¯t you dare!¡± She yelled in surprise. ¡°That would be way too embarrassing¡­¡± Nevil smiled, no need for that right now. He needed to wait till they had a more stable income before something like that. Besides, his current stamina was abysmal. Running around the block every morning would be a better start. As the sun rose to its peak at noon the two siblings arrived home together for the first time in years. *** After he¡¯d finished looking up some hunting tips online Nevil sat on his bed and pulled the helmet¡¯s visor down over his eyes, blocking the sunlight from his newly opened windows. The natural light had not touched his room for ages but Clair had insisted it would be good for him when they¡¯d got back. He¡¯d also had to wait for her to leave for the remainder of her school day before he could sneak back into the virtual world. Although there was no real evidence to suggest New World had induced his brief coma she was still dead-set against him returning to it. But did it really have nothing to do with it? Nevil knew it was just a game, but Peter¡¯s parting words echoed in his mind. It was almost as if he¡¯d known¡­ No, there was no way. As advanced as the AI was he was just a character, and New World was just a game. No one else whatsoever had reported a case the same as his own. Shutting out those unnecessary thoughts he logged in and his senses were once again flooded with new information. A musty smell hung in the air, and as he gathered his bearings Divus realised he¡¯d spawned back in the old warehouse. However this time he was alone. ¡°Peter? Are you there? Hello?¡± He questioned the empty room, as groggy memories of Peter telling him he was leaving resurfaced. He¡¯d just become his student and he was already abandoned! No, someone as apparently influential as Peter probably had all kinds of work to do. Divus decided to have a quick look around to see if he could piece together his new master¡¯s destination, but the warehouse was completely barren. The mana crystal that had been placed above the trapdoor was gone, and going down the creaking wooden steps revealed an utterly normal basement. The completely normal dimensions cemented the fact the entire test had been an illusion. No sign that Peter had been there at all remained. Giving up Divus realised he¡¯d not checked his new stats and class. ¡°Status!¡± He excitedly yelled to the empty room. {tds] [/tds]
Name: DivusLevel: 8Race: HumanAlignment: Neutral
Class: Beast SlayerTitle: None
Health: 610Mana: 170Fame: 0Defence: 1
Stats
Vitality: 13Strength: 25
Endurance: 16Agility: 20
Dexterity: 20Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10Luck: 10
Willpower:10
Unspent stat points: 0
Skills: ? Counter attack (Special): Beginner Level 2 (50%) ? Sword mastery (Passive): Beginner Level 1 (0%)
Status enhancements: ? Damage with Swords +10%
While most of his stats remained the same he was intrigued at his new class and stat, though Sword masteries effect was plain enough to see. ¡°Stat willpower.¡± He said hopefully.
Stat: Willpower (10)
Increasing willpower will increase your ability to perform under pressure, giving a boost to combat stats while below 10% health or facing enemies at much higher levels. Cannot increase with level up stat points.
Even from the vague description Divus could tell it would be a handy stat to have in a pinch, but he didn¡¯t really know how he was meant to level it up. Now for the more interesting bit; his hard won new class. With a name like that, there was no way it wouldn¡¯t be good. He had to wipe away a little drool at the thought of the op new abilities he¡¯d get. ¡°Class Beast Slayer!¡±
Class: Beast Slayer
The lowest rank among Slayers, an ancient organisation of mighty warriors who selflessly fight monsters across the world. ? Increased Exp gain from enemies of higher levels than you, scaling up the bigger the gap ? Able to gain the ability of powerful foes you slay (Limited to beasts as a Beast Slayer) ? No skill learning restrictions ? Unable to refuse quests ? Unable to receive monetary awards from quests ? Half Exp gain from quest completion ? Unable to gain experience from enemies at lower levels than yourself, unless suitably outnumbered ? Unable to change class outside of Slayer roles
The features of Divus¡¯ face underwent an extraordinary change from the perspective of an observer as he read. At the first few lines he lit up with a smile, then a curious grin. Then at the fourth condition his lips created a worried line, which slowly turned into a more and more annoyed grimace. At the final point his face had been completely overcome with despair! He¡¯d been tricked! All of these conditions would only serve to severely gimp him! And why was he forced to take quests if there was nothing in it for him?! And one of the only positive sounding points, gaining abilities from powerful foes, what did that even mean?! How was he even supposed to do that? He hung his head and cursed that devious poser Peter, how could he even of believed a story that was clearly too good to be true in the first place? Minutes passed as Divus wallowed in an odd mixture of pity and anger. Dark thoughts of his potential failure swirled in his mind, but that was impossible. Slapping himself on the cheeks he pushed himself to his feet and headed to the door. Peter had said it was a long path. If he couldn¡¯t change it he¡¯d just have to become the best anyway, handicapped or not. First thing was first, near the city there wouldn¡¯t be many monsters at a higher level than him. Divus needed to change his base of operations ASAP! Picking himself up onto his feet he quickly stepped towards the door. He spotted a tiny pouch leaning at the bottom and quickly bent to pick it up. Opening it up revealed a handful of shiny silver coins, a parting gift from his new master. Divus smiled to himself as he swung open the creaking door out into the glaring daylight, maybe old Pete wasn¡¯t that bad. He navigated his way through the back alleys and soon found his way back onto the main road. Or he tried to. But when he actually reached the larger streets he was completely unable to advance further. Massive crowds of people formed a huge and impenetrable barrier, barring him from reaching the main gates. What was going on? There weren¡¯t anywhere near this number last time he¡¯d been here. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. On slightly closer inspection almost the entire wall of people was made up of players, with the standard knife and identical clothes that marked them as complete noobs. Divus had expected an influx of people after they¡¯d heard the VR really worked, but this was ridiculous! He turned back down the side streets, even if he¡¯d become slightly more reformed there was no way he could push into a crowd like that¡­ He could use the coins Peter had left him to buy some basic armour or something and try his luck again later. It wasn¡¯t difficult to find his way into some of the more obscure and unique market places Peter had taken him before. The first stop was a small armour stall. He¡¯d not had a chance to have a good look, but he¡¯d remembered that they looked pretty high quality. There were nice pieces, like enchanted steel breastplates or spiked obsidian vambraces, but all of them cost several gold, far beyond his price range. ¡°Look kid, if you ain¡¯t gunna buy anything stop poking my stuff. Look but no touch!¡± The merchant scolded. Divus hastily dropped the helmet he was studying longingly and sheepishly apologized. The shop keep was disinterestedly waving him away, barely glancing up from the armour he was polishing, when an inkling of recognition flashed in his eyes. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re that kid that was wandering around with Peter, right?¡± He asked, ¡°What were you doing following a Slayer?¡± Without thinking he replied with, ¡°Oh Peter was teaching me his class.¡± The armour nosily clattered to the ground as the merchant fully turned to face him, mouth agape. ¡°You mean you¡¯re a Slayer?!¡± ¡°U-um yeah? Uh, j-just a low ranking one though, i-is that a problem?¡± ¡°Why the hell didn¡¯t you say so earlier?! What are you looking for today sir?¡± Divus was too stunned in the dramatic change in attitude to reply for a few moments, standing nervously as he tried to pull himself together. He might be able to use this! The merchant seemed to like Slayers, but he knew next to nothing about them¡­ What could he say that might get him a bargain? This called for some improvised acting skills! ¡°U-um yes I am. *Ahem* Good sir, my new master has given me the task of going out and becoming stronger, and I require some basic armour for my travels. Alas, the budget he gave me is insufficient for any of the fine pieces you have displayed, are there any less expensive items you happen to have lying around?¡± He¡¯d used the haughtiest voice he could manage and turned his head up slightly trying to hide his apprehension. It was amazing he¡¯d made it through without a single stutter. Stealing glances at the merchant in case he¡¯d angered him Divus nervously waited for a response. ¡°Of course! An assignment ey? Oh what kind of monstrous beast will you be facing? Hold up, I¡¯ve got something that might do the job. It¡¯s not got any enchantments, but it¡¯s solidly made and nice and lightweight. I can sell the set for 47 silver!¡± It was almost the entire sum of money Peter had left but it sounded like a bargain. The merchant handed over a bundle of leather clothes, a shirt with mail sown into the chest area and sturdy leather trousers, while Divus tipped out most his money bag. ¡°Here, take these as well!¡± The merchant smiled while passing some thick boots, ¡°They¡¯re not high quality, but they¡¯re fairly sturdy! Please visit my store again after your adventures master Slayer, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to provide much more fitting equipment then!¡± Was he viewing this as an investment? Well Divus certainly intended to be wealthier if he were to return so it probably wasn¡¯t a bad choice. He said his thanks then strode down an alley, collapsing against the wall as soon as he was out of sight. He released a massive sigh of relief and vowed to not try that act again. It seemed to have worked, but the stress was killing him. Furtively glancing left and right, he decided to quickly change his clothes there, he didn¡¯t really have anywhere else he could go. The armour fitted surprisingly well and he walked back into the market place slightly more confident in his new gear. So pleased with his equipment he was that Divus completely failed to notice the trail of gossip and whispers directed towards him that had spread from the armourer. Now he needed to get some things for travelling. He was looking through some food stalls for supplies for his trip when someone shouted out his name. ¡°Divus, hey Divus!¡± He span round to see Trevor, one of the players he¡¯d partied with earlier, picking his way towards him. ¡°O-oh, Trevor. U-um, how are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing fine, levelled up a lot and got a new class! But what about you? We haven¡¯t met since you died in the forest. What have you been doing? We looked all over for you when you¡¯d died, we were worried you¡¯d upped and quit.¡± Divus was surprised at how talkative Trevor was compared to when they¡¯d last met, ¡°N-not too much, I got a class and then couldn¡¯t log in for the past couple of days.¡± Tactfully leaving out that it was due to a brief coma. ¡°W-what about you, where are Dash and Beauty?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not far away; I was just about to meet up with them. Why don¡¯t you come with, it¡¯s been ages!¡± Divus briefly paused, then nodded and followed Trevor through the street. Though he was not too partial to company these guy¡¯s had been a great help and quite fun to be around. It would be good to catch up a little before he left. ¡°So what¡¯s your new class?¡± Trevor asked as they walked. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s j-just a type of fighting class. W-what about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a thief now! Well it says thief, it¡¯s really just the starting stealth class. Dash became a warrior and Beauty¡¯s a bard.¡± Trevor seemed quite proud so Divus searched for the appropriate thing to say. ¡°O-oh, cool. What about a mage?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard? It¡¯s really hard to get into a mage class! Well, mainly it costs loads of money, so there are barely any player mages.¡± ¡°Oh, th-that¡¯s a shame¡­¡± Trevor laughed, ¡°Yeah, but we managed to snag one! A new girl joined us and she¡¯s gotta be one of the only mages online!¡± Divus looked up, slightly surprised. ¡°W-wow. Um, what¡¯s she like?¡± He asked, trying to mask a little nervousness. The smile on Trevor¡¯s lips dipped a little. ¡°Noisy.¡± They continued in silence for a second before he hurriedly added. ¡°She¡¯s not bad! She¡¯s a nice girl! Just a little loud is all.¡± For someone as quiet as Trevor usually was it probably wasn¡¯t a great combo, but Divus was slightly relieved that she didn¡¯t seem unpleasant. Then something else occurred to him. ¡°H-how are we going to find them?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I sent them a message.¡± Looking at Divus¡¯ puzzled expression Trevor realised he had to explain a little more. ¡°Um, well you can send whispers to your in-game friends, kind of like a text message.¡± They rounded a corner and entered a small plaza. While it was far removed from the main city roads it was still packed with people. Droves of players slightly better equipped than the newbies were filling most the available space so that, while you didn¡¯t quite have to push your way through, it was difficult to get to where you wanted. Divus stuck close to Trevor as they weaved their way past and entered a large tavern. It was the first time he¡¯d been in one, and the atmosphere was just a boisterous as he¡¯d imagined. Groups of players and NPCs alike were drinking, talking and singing. Drunken adventurers swayed around the floor and clumsily danced to tunes to songs from bards and off to the side a heated dispute over spilled liquor was kicking off. They headed to the table with a familiar head of blonde, spikey hair acting as a beacon. ¡°Hey Divus! How are you man!¡± Dash yelled over the ambient noise. ¡°I-I¡¯m good thanks, you?¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good thanks, you?!¡± ¡°Ah not bad, not bad.¡± ¡°Hey Divus, it¡¯s been ages!¡± Beauty hollered. He¡¯d nearly not recognised her, her face had undergone a dramatic transformation and was now much closer to living up to the name she¡¯d chosen. ¡°Hey Beauty, you look well!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because she¡¯s sticking all her stat bonuses into charm!¡± Dash snickered. ¡°What was that?!¡± The final occupant of the table, a beautiful, doll like girl who looked several years the others junior, leapt up from her seat and grasped Divus¡¯ hand. It was all he could do to stop himself from falling over backwards from this sudden move. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Athena! Sorceress Extraordinaire! Nice to meet you!¡± She cheerfully shouted. ¡°U-um Divus, likewise.¡± He doubtfully replied. New World was age restricted, probably due to the realism features like pain, and Athena looked more like she was still in her mid-teens. There was no way she was an NPC was there? They all took a seat around the table, with Trevor leaning in to whisper ¡°She¡¯s actually 18,¡± as Divus looked at him questioningly. ¡°So what have you been doing? We saw you with an NPC, but that was ages ago. You got a class yet?¡± Divus told them about Peter, though not many details as he was a bit ashamed of his new ¡®hidden class¡¯. And so they all shared their own adventures through a shouted, half-heard conversation one would expect from crowded pubs. From what he gathered, apart from Athena, everyone had much easier and rather standard routes to getting their class. Dash had to kill a wolf by himself, Trevor had a stealth based test he had to pass and Beauty only needed to memorise and perform a song. She didn¡¯t even need to do it well. Most their benefits sounded better as well! Like Dash had an added effectiveness and learning speed of all weapon proficiencies and a special warrior attack. The only negatives were a few restrictions on the skills they could learn, like Dash couldn¡¯t learn anything stealth based and Trevor couldn¡¯t learn some support skills. ¡°Why is it s-so busy?¡± Divus eventually asked, ¡°It wasn¡¯t anywhere near this bad l-last time I was here.¡± ¡°Dude, I know you haven¡¯t been online for a while, but have you been living in a cave?!?¡± Dash responded, slightly bemused. ¡°New Worlds popularity has skyrocketed!¡± Well he might not have been in a cave, but he hadn¡¯t been conscious¡­ ¡°Um, h-how many people are playing it now then?¡± ¡°Last I heard it was over a million. And it¡¯s constantly going up!¡± 1 million?! That was ten times his best estimate. ¡°Yeah, the noobs are really getting rampant, especially with only 4 starting cities. We need to move on really. You want to join us? You¡¯re probably a few levels lower than us but it should be ok!¡± Trevor asked. That was exactly what he¡¯d been planning to do anyway! ¡°Yeah that woul-¡° Halfway into his response the taverns door crashed open and a troop of armoured soldiers burst into the room. The music quickly halted and all conversations stopped as everyone turned to see what they wanted. Much to his horror they made their way directly to Divus. ¡°Excuse me, are you Peter¡¯s disciple?¡± Asked their leader. After a brief pause Divus managed to shakily answer. ¡°U-um, y-yes. C-can I help?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been urgently summoned by Captain Donovan, please follow me to the Watch House immediately.¡± ¡°W-wait a minute! W-wha-¡° ¡°Of course your friends are welcome to accompany you, but I was told to bring you with upmost urgency!¡± Still completely confused by the turn of events Divus was half dragged out of his seat and marched into the street. A couple of soldiers left behind looked at the four left behind questioningly. They shared a quick glance then got to their feet and followed on outside. The worry of what they might be getting involved in completely eclipsed by this completely unheard of turn of events. *** Dash sat with his companions before a desk in a rather large office. The window to their left overlooked a stone courtyard where members of the city guard were practicing various drills. The room itself was rather austere, the only furnishings being the desk and chair behind it, and their own seats. It left the entire room feeling even larger than it was in its near emptiness. At their backs stood the leader of the troop who¡¯d dragged Divus away earlier while behind the desk was who he could only assume Captain Donovan and his aid, both looking incredibly serious. How had he gotten into this situation? He¡¯d just been in the tavern having a drink like his party often liked to do. Somehow the medieval style felt much more comfortable than all the modern day student pubs. Then Trevor had brought along that slack Divus, who despite not playing at all for the last few days somehow had managed to scrounge equipment just as good as his own! Dash had worked hard to make his party probably the best in Richmond, he¡¯d gone and faced a ferocious wolf, that most players hadn¡¯t even teamed up to beat yet, all on his own. And he¡¯d only been level 10 when doing so! The battle had cost a few healing potions, but after he¡¯d finally attained the much sought after warrior class, quite early compared to others. His companions were pretty balanced, with a thief and a bard, he¡¯d even managed to recruit a mage! She might well be the only player mage in the game so far! Poor girl had probably fallen for him; he was more interested in older women. Then Divus comes along having only played for like two days and he has a better sword! Still, Dash was cool with it. He was even willing to let him join their party, even if he was only going to mooch experience off them. But then an entire squad of soldiers storm into the tavern, march straight up to Divus and take him to their commander!! It was pretty cool walking through the streets with what felt like an honour guard, all the other players stopped and looked over at them, wondering where they were going. It was the first time any NPCs had reached out to players like this so it felt pretty cool to be a part. But it felt like he was riding on Divus¡¯ coat-tails! ¡°My apologies for bringing you here on such short notice, but the matter¡¯s quite urgent.¡± The guard captain said, bringing Dash¡¯s attention back to the present. ¡°Which one of you is Peter¡¯s apprentice?¡± ¡°I-I am.¡± Divus replied. ¡°Ah yes, I do remember seeing you with him¡­ Well I¡¯ll try to be brief. You know we have an alliance with the Beastmen Kingdom correct?¡± They all shook their heads, ¡°U-um, no we didn¡¯t.¡± Donovan sharply looked up, then sighed while muttering something about foreigners. ¡°Almost since they founded their kingdom we¡¯ve been in an alliance against the Lothargian Empire, a defensive pact against a sudden invasion. This has long kept the peace between us and the Empire, a peace that is vital we maintain.¡± He paused for his captive audience to nod in understanding. ¡°Recently, however, we¡¯ve stopped receiving contact from the Beastmen. They send a monthly envoy, and he¡¯s several weeks late already. We¡¯ve sent messengers of our own of course, but none have yet to return. We know your order does not traditionally interfere with nations but we believe some kind of monster has settled somewhere in the pass to the Beastmen Kingdom, so we request you send our message to them. If Lothargian learns of this it may spell all-out war! It¡¯s a large request, but we¡¯ll make sure you and your companions are suitably rewarded.¡±
Quest: Message to the Beastmen Kingdom
The Kingdom of Albion has been unable to communicate with their allies the Beastmen since a month ago. Without their alliance a war with the Lothargian Empire seems likely. The Captain of Richmond Guard has asked for your aid. ? Difficulty: C ? Completion conditions: Make contact with the Beastmen and discover why contact was stopped ? Failure conditions: Time limit of 45 in game days ? Rewards: Increased intimacy with the Kingdom of Albion, money and/or rare equipment
As the screen popped up in front of Dash and his party their eyes collectively widened. A C difficulty quest?! The hardest quest anyone had yet to complete so far was only E, even a D level quest would probably be too much for their current level. But they had to think carefully about this. Being the first to complete something on this level might be- ¡°I accept.¡± ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± Dash spluttered at Divus. ¡°You guys don¡¯t need to join me, but I have to do this quest.¡± He answered with a slightly pained expression. ¡°Wha-¡° ¡°I accept too!¡± Athena yelled. Her comrades looked at her in mild surprise, but she¡¯d always been doing whatever she felt like. ¡°But still you guys we-¡° ¡°Looks like the decisions already been made Dash,¡± Trevor interrupted, ¡°At the very least it sounds pretty interesting!¡± Dash looked around at his team; Beauty was visibly excited at the prospective challenge, Trevor was trying not to look too keen and Athena was kicking her legs while humming to herself. He sighed at the lot of them. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re in.¡± ¡°Thank you all for your help, we¡¯re sending other messengers to try to divert around the mountains, but if you could find out what¡¯s happening in the pass it would be an invaluable service.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s fine captain, but I was wondering if you could spare us a few things to help in our journey?¡± ¡°Certainly, we¡¯ll provide horses for you to use until you return. As well as provisions and maps and-¡° ¡°Actually there was something slightly more specific I wanted,¡± Divus said, then explained his idea. Chapter 6: Sweet, sweet revenge Chapter 6: Sweet, sweet revenge ¡°S-so you¡¯re still in school Athena?¡± Divus asked as the cart rocked over another bump. They were both shaken from side to side and bumped into each other¡¯s shoulders. Houses and shops rolled by as their carriage made its way down the main street. One of the key advantages of their new vehicle was that all the pedestrian players were forced to make way as they passed. Divus and Athena were sat on the front bench, the former having received a quick tutorial on how to drive it while the latter eager to give it a go even without any clue of what to do. The others were sat in the back resting. Well he called it a carriage, but such a name would bring forth a much more prestigious image. In reality it was more a glorified cart with a roof. It was big and sturdy, and had to be pulled along by two large horses, but the design was not very¡­ graceful¡­ ¡°Yeah that¡¯s right, in my final year now! Well just started it really. What do you do mister Divus?¡± ¡°Ah, w-well this kinda is my job. I used t-to make money from Neverwhere so now I¡¯m trying to do the same here.¡± ¡°What¡¯s Neverwhere?¡± She innocently enquired. Divus was a little amazed. Sure lots of people wouldn¡¯t have played it, and quite a few might not have even heard of it, but for a pioneer of New World not to even know the name of the current ruler of the gaming market was a bit shocking. ¡°U-um, it¡¯s an older MMO. Like this one, b-but not virtual reality.¡± ¡°Oh. So not really like this one at all then?¡± He frowned to himself, ¡°No, I g-guess not.¡± They continued without speaking for a moment, well Divus didn¡¯t speak; Athena started yelling into the back a bit. ¡°H-hey Athena, i-isn¡¯t it school hours at the moment?¡± She turned back and pouted a little at him, ¡°Yeah, but my best friend wasn¡¯t there today, and it¡¯s pretty horrid when she¡¯s not about. I skived off sick.¡± She playfully stuck her tongue out, ¡°Hey when can I have a go driving?¡± ¡°Like I said, when we g-get out of the city,¡± He sighed patiently, Athena was only a few months older than his sister so he instinctively indulged her slightly erratic behaviour. Another bump on the road rocked them into each other again. ¡°M-man they need to repave th-their road.¡± He complained as he edged slightly away from her. ¡°Oh look it¡¯s Mikey!¡± Suddenly Athena leapt of the driver¡¯s bench and into the street. Divus had to haul the reigns back to bring the carriage to a sudden halt. He ignored the surprised yells from the back and called after her. ¡°H-hey! Where are you going?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I just need to say bye to someone I know!¡± She shouted, before lightly running off into the crowd. He watched her swiftly duck her way towards an old man, who she then preceded to pounce upon, to the annoyance of his entourage. ¡°Hey what was that about, why¡¯d we stop?¡± Dash called from behind him. ¡°Athena j-just jumped off and is a-attacking an old priest!¡± Divus replied in a worried tone. Dash and Beauty started laughing, while Trevor wearily sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s her magic teacher. She always runs up to him when we see him in town.¡± Swiftly done with her farewells, Athena weaved back towards the carriage and pulled herself up onto the bench beside him. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± They continued their journey of slowly wading through the crowd for a few more minutes until they reached the main gate. The guards waved them through with barely an upwards glance and they were finally out of the city and really starting their journey. When they¡¯d gotten a few meters away from the walls Divus handed the reigns over to Athena, who immediately whipped the horses into a gallop. The cart had almost been completely overturned by the time Divus managed to snatch back control and calm the poor animals. Despite the rather serious complaints of their comrades, Athena firmly insisted on being given another chance and Divus quickly caved in. Now under much sterner supervision, the carriage only almost capsized seven times before he could finally trust her to steer without his constant care. At that point he pulled them over to the side of the road and climbed off the driver¡¯s bench. ¡°Hey, where are you off to?¡± Athena asked ¡°I¡¯ve j-just remembered some things I need to do. U-um, Trevor could you sit with Athena for a while?¡± He asked as he unhitched one of the horses. ¡°Sure, but what are you doing?¡± Trevor asked as he jumped out the back. ¡°I-I got some business to take care of. D-don¡¯t worry the carriage will be fine with one horse, j-just a little slower.¡± ¡°Awwww.¡± Athena whined while the others relaxed a little in relief. ¡°Yeah but what about you?¡± ¡°I-if you carry on straight then I sh-should be able to catch you up fine.¡± He replied, placing a saddle on his mounts back and climbing up onto it. ¡°Yeah but what are you doing?¡± He trotted the horse towards a branch in the road and turned to face his comrades. There was murder in his eyes, and the entire party forgot all about trying to stop him. Without a single stutter he announced, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this won¡¯t take long.¡± *** The horse, who he¡¯d unceremoniously dubbed Binky, carried him down the rougher dirt path that had branched from the road. Groups of other players jealously glared at him as he passed, most of them were quite new and barely any players at all had their own mount. A familiar forest began to rise in the distance, with parties of newer players going in and out and a collection of stone statues resting near the side of the path. Although there were a lot more people than when Divus had originally been here lots of other hunting grounds had been discovered so it wasn¡¯t quite as bad as the city. He dismounted near the tree line and managed to find a sturdy low lying branch to tether Binky. Shoving an apple in its mouth in a vague attempt to keep it happy Divus determinedly entered the forest. The other players had noticed he was better equipped, and probably higher levelled, than themselves, so a few tried to approach him. Even if he¡¯d hog most of the experience most were still trying to adjust to New World and were desperate for the protection. But as soon as Divus entered the forest he started running, sword drawn and eyes aflame. Even if they could of kept up no one doubted that he was on serious business. He sped through the trees at a similar pace to when he¡¯d fled the rabbits a week prior, but the difference was immediately noticeable. Thanks to his increased dexterity and agility it was much easier to keep his balance and dodge root and branches while maintaining speed. A bunny raised its fluffy head not far ahead of him, so he immediately angled his path directly towards it. The tiny creature noticed his approach and tried to quickly dodge out the way, but it was far too slow. He burst through the foliage and with a flick of his wrist neatly skewered his prey, the small body was lifted up and then slid of the end of the blade as Divus continued to run without missing a single beat. He¡¯d already advanced several meters further by the time it hit the floor again. A satisfied smile spread across his lips as he made his way through the forest. He continued to neatly slaughter all the critters he happened upon as he ran, although he wouldn¡¯t get any experience thanks to his class he was still raising his sword mastery a little. A howl resounded through the forest, and the few players in his periphery scattered and ran in the opposite direction. Divus didn¡¯t particularly want to fight a wolf but from the sounds of it the beast was in the direction he needed to travel. He slowed down to a gentle jog while darting his eyes all around for the lupine threat. A fierce growl came from the bushes on the left and he quickly pushed himself backwards, struggling to keep balance at the sudden change in directions. A big bundle of tattered grey fur streaked past him through the space he¡¯d occupied just moments before. He span round to his right, recovering his balance in time to face the wolf. It gnashed its teeth and then howled to the sky menacingly, but compared to the Hellhound Divus had killed under Peter¡¯s tutelage it was barely a puppy. In fact, instead of sitting still and watching it while it was howling skywards he¡¯d leapt forward and delivered a slash across its legs. You have attacked Starved Wolf for 57 damage. With a pained yelp it hopped backwards then glared at Divus with reproachful eyes. He just calmly returned the stare, sword ready for any movements. The stare-off lasted barely a second before the wolf charged angrily forwards, sharp teeth reaching for his neck. Divus almost yawned at such an easy attack, stepping slightly to the side and driving his blade into the beast¡¯s chest. You have countered Starved Wolf for 253 damage. Gained 500 experience. As Divus pulled his sword free the unlucky creature collapsed to the ground unmoving. A quick check showed he needed 3000 experience to get to Level 9, but he was already almost halfway there. A brief temptation to hunt a couple more of the beasts snagged at his mind, but he needed to meet up with his party as soon as he finished his business here. His destination was only a little further so he quickly pushed on after wiping his sword off in the wolf¡¯s fur. After only a few seconds more of running he entered the clearing he¡¯d been searching for. As he pushed through the bushes a curious bunny face twitched up to stare at him. The human approaching its burrow was slightly familiar; it briefly pondered where it had seen him before as he neared. Then it remembered, it was that human who¡¯d attacked a few weeks ago! Not that rabbits had a concept of weeks; it just recognised many day cycles had passed. The tiny creature glared at the intruder mockingly, its family had nibbled him to death and now he seemed back for more. But animal instinct quickly overpowered its memories of superiority, this was not the same human they¡¯d killed before! The rabbit darted back into its burrow as Divus approached, but he wasn¡¯t worried. It was actually just as he¡¯d expected. He set about gathering twigs, dry leaves and small branches and piled it up just inside the burrow. Then he took the flint he¡¯d bought in Richmond earlier. Before logging in today he¡¯d looked up on the internet about how to hunt rabbits. If they fled to their burrow then there were a few methods to root them out. The simplest was to send a ferret down there, but Divus didn¡¯t even know if there were any in New World. The method he¡¯d settled on was smoking them out. Setting up a fire inside the entrance would eventually fill the whole warren with smoke and drive the rabbits above ground. That did mean he¡¯d have to wait quit a while though¡­ He tenderly nursed the flames of the fire until it was burning well enough to leave alone, then chucked a bunch of leaves he¡¯d heard produced a lot more smoke than normal and blocked the entrance up, leaving a few holes for air for the flames. Moving to the only other entrance visible he drew his sword and stood ready, watching for any movements. For several minutes nothing happened, the smoke slowly spreading deeper underground. After almost half an hour the smoke began wafting through the hole he was stood before. Even with the specially picked leaves it had taken ages to spread. Another few minutes of silence passed and then a trickle of bunnies began to emerge, one at a time. He easily dispatched those with swift cuts. After a dozen or so fell to his blade no more came out at all. He waited patiently as more time piled up. Just as he was about to give up the rest of the warren appeared, but this time all at once. Dozens of frenzied bunnies burst from the smoky confines of their burrow and launched themselves at Divus. He managed to slice them out of the air as they flung their fluffy bodies towards him, but the sheer ridiculous and unexpected numbers drove him backwards. As he retreated a few steps from the entrance the small critters spilled out into either side of him, trying to surround him completely. Divus quickly realised that if they succeeded he¡¯d be unable to fend off attacks from the rear and they¡¯d slowly chip away at his life. He was forced to retreat further while blocking and countering incessant attacks. The number of enemies was ludicrous; he must have killed almost a hundred already! Luckily they weren¡¯t working together and their attempts to surround him ceased as they pushed forward. Before he could turn back to his slaughter in relief a new hole burst open to his side and a new force of bunnies swept towards him like a tide of fur and blunt teeth. He hadn¡¯t realised there were this many in the entire forest, let alone just one warren. The reinforcements joined the main body of attackers, rabbits climbing up onto each others back to better bite at their foe. Soon a huge wall of enemies was formed before Divus, towering around him as he tried not to become surrounded. This meant he was now unable to counter them individually, instead each sweep of his sword cut through dozens at a time. Unfortunately it also meant that it had become impossible to ward off all their attacks and his vengeful extermination had become a desperate battle of attrition. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Despite the drastic turn of events a small grin crept across Divus¡¯ lips as he fought. He slashed through the fluffy horde, the holes created immediately filled, while trying to dodge the multitude of tiny head butts and bites. The leather armour was holding up well against their attacks, he barely felt them except when they bit his hands. The sight of him slowly walking backwards whilst swinging his sword and dodging side to side against a tide of fluff would have been utterly stupefying, but unfortunately the wolf earlier had scared away any players who had been near. No one bore witness to Divus¡¯ desperate struggle as his life bar began to slowly inch downwards. Not that he even had time to check it as he focused on forcing himself to continue his fight. Suddenly, just as he feared his weary limbs would fail him and he¡¯d die at the paws of this furry menace a second time, his entire body felt infused with a small amount of power. His strikes gained more weight and speed and it became easier to dodge his foes attacks. The damage he was taking was reduced and his enemies began to fall at an even faster rate. As a minute passed that had felt more like several hours, the pressure began to ease. Divus began attacking with increased vigour, wide strikes from his blade biting deep into the rabbit¡¯s ranks as they tried to bite into him. The gaps slowly began to stop being filled and the enemy horde thinned to the last few beasts. They returned to desperate kamikaze leaps, but he easily plucked them out of the air with a well-timed counter. The remaining few quickly fled, but Divus didn¡¯t have the energy to give chase. He laughed as a glance at his health bar showed it had fallen below 5%, unable to do anything else after such an encounter. So that sudden burst of strength must have come from his new willpower stat, it was only thanks to that that he¡¯d avoided becoming rabbit food once more. He was now even gladder to have gone through Peter¡¯s ridiculous training.
You have cleared out the entire rabbit warren of East Richmond Forest! The rabbit burrows under Richmond forest have long been completely interconnected and you have successfully cleared out the entire system. The local rabbit population has been dealt a severe blow that will take generations to recuperate from.
You have gained the title: Bunny Butcher
Through enduring a massive horde of enemies certain stats have improved. Willpower increases by 1 Endurance increases by 2
Level up Divus stared at the message in disbelief. That explained why there was such a ridiculous number of them, but to think he¡¯d been fighting the entire forest¡¯s worth! On one hand his revenge had been completed to a hugely gratifying degree, on the other he may have just eliminated the main way beginners¡¯ could learn the game and level up. With that slightly worrying thought planted into his head he decided to quickly get out of the forest and return to his party. He ran full pelt away from the scene of the crime, leaving his fallen foes quickly in the past. Bursting out of the treeline and running directly towards his horse, Divus caused many of the players resting to jump out of their skins. He quickly mounted and near galloped all the way back to the main road, right up until poor Binky could almost no longer continue. With the forest disappearing into the distance Divus swore silently to himself never to have anything to do with rabbits ever again. *** Not long after Divus had fled the young adventurer Harry and his party re-entered the area of the forest that he¡¯d just escaped. When they¡¯d heard the howls of a wolf earlier Harry¡¯s friends had dragged him away, despite his claims that he could easily take it. The small group had killed hundreds of rabbits and other small creatures in this forest and were all around level 5 but, apart from Harry, they were well aware a wolf was still too much for them even combined. So they decided to try hunting in another area. But oddly enough, after just the first few of minutes of hunting all the rabbits seemed to have disappeared. They hunted around for ages, occasionally running into rats or squirrels, but there was no sign of the forest¡¯s largest constituent population. With no other choice they eventually decided to return to where they were earlier, but still no rabbits in sight. When they¡¯d happened upon a dead wolf they managed to muster the confidence to advance a little further. ¡°God, what¡¯s that smell?¡± Harry complained as they walked. ¡°It kinda smells like blood, but I¡¯ve never smelt it anywhere near this strong before.¡± His friend Dan replied. ¡°Why do you know what blood smells like- You know what, never mind.¡± They continued to push forward, the pungent smell growing stronger with every step. At last they came to a clearing, and as they stepped into it what they saw would haunt them for years to come. A mountain of dead rabbits towered ahead of them. Hundreds upon hundreds of tiny fluffy critters were piled to almost eye level, with dozens more were scattered around the surroundings. Questions like how this situation ever arose and what creature could have done this seemed unanswerable in the face of such abhorrent slaughter. The party quickly fled from the scene, lest the monster responsible return, and ran all the way out of the forest. They told everyone gathered about the place of the carnage within, but they were laughed off almost immediately. Everyone was skeptical. No one had seen any monster that would be capable of such wholesale slaughter anywhere near, the surroundings of Richmond were very safe, and there weren¡¯t any players who could do that yet. Slowly, as a trickle of similar reports came out from the forest, some of the more experienced players decided to check it out. Yet even they were completely unprepared for the scale of the massacre. The newbies who¡¯d tenuously followed them at a distance were shocked as their leaders returned from the clearing with pale and haunted faces. One of them had already gained quite a popular following online from his posts on New World, and after witnessing the scene of destruction logged out as soon as he could to spread the information across the net. Topics on all of the forums relating to new world were flooded by this tale of mystery and horror! Within hours of the discovery in the real world, East Richmond forest became a danger zone despite no sightings of any large or dangerous monsters in the vicinity. Most players started avoiding it like the plague while a few braver individuals tried to solve the riddle behind the bunnies¡¯ deaths. Many became convinced that if they found the culprit it would lead to some kind of special, unique quest or reward and dozens of Richmond¡¯s top players started exploring the small and near empty forest. Of course by this point Divus was already miles away, and in the end no ever would solve the riddle. *** Finding his party again was pretty easy, the only other people who were travelling the Eastern road from Richmond were a few goods peddlers and farmers, but they¡¯d all turn off to other towns or villages long before Divus would reach his destination. The carriage came into view only about 45 minutes after he followed after them, which considering he¡¯d left them over 4 hours ago now showed a distinct lack of progress. As he reached them Athena was sat on the bench up front alone, singing to herself. Trevor stuck his head out the back and greeted him. ¡°Hey Divus, you took a while there.¡± ¡°Oh hey Divus! Thank goodness you¡¯re back! Trevor barely talks at all, it¡¯s soooo dull!¡± ¡°U-um, hey guys. Where¡¯s Dash and Beauty?¡± ¡°They said something about an afternoon lecture and logged out about an hour ago, or 12 minutes in the real world I guess.¡± Trevor pulled the ill-fitting rear door open a little wider to show him the two stone figures, ¡°It was a pretty good idea to bring a carriage though, we can carry on even with team members logged out!¡± ¡°Hey Divus let¡¯s go hunting! There¡¯s probably been no one who¡¯s come this far out of Richmond yet, let¡¯s explore!¡± Athena enthusiastically pleaded. His recent experience of rabbit genocide was still fresh in his mind, but there probably wasn¡¯t much chance of something similar happening out in the grassy plains. He was a bit apprehensive about it, but he did share some of Athena¡¯s expectations of traveling further afield and being the first to stumble upon something cool. ¡°Sure, b-but we need to get back to the carriage b-by nightfall.¡± The sun was dipping low in the sky, the onset of dusk was not far away and wandering about in the dark probably wouldn¡¯t be healthy, ¡°A-are you coming Trevor?¡± ¡°If both of you are headed out then I suppose I might as well.¡± Athena cheered and leapt down from the driver¡¯s bench while Trevor climbed out the back. After making sure that the horses and carriage were secured a little way from the road Divus followed them up a hill. The added bonus of the carriage was they were able to set it as a respawn point, so they could explore with a relatively easy mind. Not long after they started hiking the grasslands gave way to a more barren, rocky area. Spindly trees poked out of the ground atop of steep, gravely slopes. ¡°Ooo look over there! It¡¯s a deer!¡± Athena cried while breaking into a run towards a large horned beast upon a crest ahead. Trevor stepped forwards and grabbed the back of her collar, easily lifting her small frame and planting her back behind himself and Divus. Ignoring her complaints he stepped forward himself and stealthily approached the animal stood atop the next hill. Clearly influenced by Trevor¡¯s caution Athena whispered to Divus beside her. ¡°That¡¯s a big deer, do you think it¡¯s hostile?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know,¡± Divus quietly answered, ¡°But what¡¯s Trevor doing?¡± ¡°He¡¯s got a skill that lets him identify enemies. Apparently he only see¡¯s their level and name at the moment because it¡¯s new though¡­¡± Divus stared at her. Why did you try to go up to it without knowing what it was when you knew he could find out?! Was what he wanted to ask, but thought better of it. Trevor turned back towards them, walking now without any attempt at stealth. ¡°It¡¯s ok, that one¡¯s passive. It¡¯s a level 15 elk, so it would be slightly tougher than a wolf.¡± ¡°W-what level¡¯s a wolf then?¡± ¡°Most of them are 12 or 13, but we can easily take them!¡± Athena boasted, the volume returning to her voice, ¡°But we could take an elk pretty easy too!¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not without Dash,¡± Trevor sighed, ¡°Neither of us have enough life or defence to tank it you know.¡± ¡°What about Divus! You¡¯re a combat class right?¡± ¡°U-um, yeah. I¡¯d be fine.¡± If it wasn¡¯t much tougher than a wolf then Divus would probably be able to solo it. But his allies were more experienced, so it would be good to learn some team play on this trip. Trevor still looked doubtful, remembering that Divus was only level 8. ¡°Maybe tomorrow, if Dash and Beauty aren¡¯t back. But it¡¯s getting dark; we should head back to the carriage.¡± The sky was indeed darkening, so even Athena turned back the way they¡¯d come uncomplaining. It had barely been half an hour¡¯s walk, but they were satisfied with the prospect of hunting in the morning. As they climbed back up the hill opposite the proud elk Athena spotted something and quickly ran towards it. ¡°Hey where are you going?¡± Trevor asked in annoyance as he and Divus quickly followed. ¡°Look at this!¡± She shouted back, ¡°It looks like a treasure chest!¡± As Divus approached he saw that there was actually a small chest placed abandoned on the hillside. The trio curiously walked towards it, wondering what on earth it was doing in the middle of nowhere. Just as they entered arms reach of it a loud click could be heard underneath them. ¡°Um guys, what was that¡­?¡± Trevor nervously asked. Before anyone got the chance to answer the ground beneath them gave way and they fell flailing into a deep round hole in the earth. Seconds after they¡¯d disappeared the trap door swung back shut, the chest fixed to one side appearing completely undisturbed and ready to lure in travellers once more. Chapter 7: Dungeon Crawling? What is this, an RPG? Chapter 7: Dungeon Crawling? What is this, an RPG? They hurtled through the darkness, grazing against jutting rocks and scraping along sand as they slid deeper below the surface. Fortunately the hole led straight to a kind of slide deeper down, but when Divus finally reached the end he and both his companions were covered cuts and bruises. Thinking faster than either of the other two would have accredited her Athena immediately cast a basic light spell to illuminate the darkness they¡¯d dropped into. She herself hadn¡¯t expected to need the cheapest spell on the market so urgently, and was thankful she¡¯d remembered it. Stone cave walls flickered a faint blue thanks to the ball of magic that floated to a rest above their heads. ¡°Where the hell did we get dropped now?¡± Trevor asked aloud, more voicing his frustration than trying to find an answer. He wanted to yell at Athena for dragging them into what was in hindsight a rather obvious trap, but that could wait until they got out. The guilty party in question threw herself up the slope they¡¯d just ridden down, barely managing to leave the ground before she slid back down on her belly. Climbing to her feet and re-adjusting her shirt she turned back to the other two and unabashedly reported, ¡°Looks like we won¡¯t be able to get back up this way.¡± Pretending not to have seen anything Trevor immediately continued on. ¡°Well we¡¯ll just have to try and find another exit. If there¡¯s a trap and a tunnel, then there has to be another way out somewhere. Come on, there might be traps so I¡¯ll lead the way.¡± He wasn¡¯t fond of taking charge, but Divus was still inexperienced at New World and letting Athena lead would be the death of them all. Almost immediately after they stepped away from the slope an unexpected message popped up.
Your party are the first to discover abandoned Freewell Mines! +25 Fame
The sudden pop up had caught him completely off-guard and Trevor didn¡¯t even notice the figure that had stepped around the corner. It wasn¡¯t until Divus yelled ¡°Company!¡± that his gaze his snapped up and he caught sight of the creature at the end of the corridor. It was a short, gangly green humanoid; protruding, tusk like fangs, beady black eyes and a compressed snout all added together to give it a wretched appearance. Even without his identify skill he could tell it was a goblin, one of the most standard of MMO villains. Instead of charging straight at them the ugly monster span round on its heels and pulled out a horn. Trevor almost instantly realised its intent. It was going back for its allies, that horn would alert everything in the entire tunnel. He had to silence it before it got a chance. But he was too far away; it would be back round the corner long before he reached it. They were about to be swarmed by monsters that were probably higher levelled than themselves! In the time it had taken Trevor to identify the enemy, realise its plan and then shudder at the consequences Divus had already reached the goblin, slashing a large gouge into its back. It span round with a club to catch him in return, but Divus had already leapt back out of range as if he¡¯d predicted its move. He then stepped in again, slicing across the top of its head but failing to penetrate. It howled, swinging wildly at its agile foe. Yet once again Divus was back out of range. Now thoroughly enraged and casting aside the long forgotten the horn, the goblin leapt at him with a massive overhead swipe. However he simply stepped aside and let his foe impale itself on his outstretched sword. Goblin killed, 100 exp gained Despite not having a chance to help, Trevor still gained a considerable sum of experience. The amount earned while in a party was usually divided by how much you¡¯d contributed to the fight, so if he¡¯d gotten that much without really doing much Divus must have gotten a huge boost. With this much experience dropped though he realised that the Goblin must have been at least level 20, higher than even his own at the moment. Yet his level 9 companion had dealt with it completely by himself, not only that but with only 3 strikes. He could do naught but stand in amazed silence as Divus tugged his blade free from the goblin¡¯s corpse. Athena, however, had no such reticence. ¡°That. Was. AWESOME!¡± She cried, launching herself at his back. ¡°Hey, hey, how¡¯d you dodge it so well? And how¡¯d you kill it so quick? What skills did you use?¡± Bombarded with questions, Divus was forced to step back while peeling Athena off his chest. ¡°W-well you see¡­ Um you should quieten down a little, there might be more nearby¡­¡± Those worrisome words brought Trevor quickly back down to earth. ¡°Athena be quiet! We have no idea how many of them there are around here, I don¡¯t really fancy fighting off an entire horde!¡± The dead goblin only yielded a small pouch of coppers, the club seemed useless and no one was eager to inspect the equipment it wore. Death had done nothing to improve the rancid odour it emanated. ¡°We¡¯ll divide the loot when we get out. Trevor, we should head on. You take the lead to scout ahead.¡± Divus firmly ordered, taking charge as he felt the prospect of another fight in the near future. ¡°Athena stick behind me, and dim your magic light a little.¡± Trevor had noticed it when they¡¯d hunted bunnies together a week ago and inwardly laughed at how he¡¯d forgotten; when it came to combat all of Divus¡¯ awkwardness and apprehension instantly vanished, replaced by a fierce determination. The worry about the team¡¯s combat effectiveness was completely unfounded; while he might have a lower level than the others his real life skill seemed absurdly high. Now that Trevor thought about it, he was probably like a martial arts master in the reality! Although he¡¯d looked weak when they first met, it was a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing sort of thing. While coming to completely false conclusions in his own head Trevor led them deeper into the so called ¡®mine¡¯, though no ore veins or jewels made themselves apparent as they went. Maybe that was why it had been abandoned, until the new goblin residents had moved in at least. A warm orange glow lit the way up ahead so, waving his companions to a stop, Trevor snuck towards it for a better look. A half-open wooden doorway divided the tunnel, battered and ancient looking. The light crept round the edge of the door, so he flattened himself against the wall and slowly crept closer. He leant out to peak through. A large room lay beyond the door, with three figures gathered around a fire in one corner. From their diminutive stature he assumed they were more goblins, but it was difficult to make anything other than their silhouettes against the flames. He silently activated his identify skill.
Goblin Scout
Level: 22Stats: ???Skills: ???
The other two were normal goblins, both level 20 but still 3 levels higher than himself. Trevor was now forced to accept the fact that Divus had soloed a monster over twice his level. Well at least he was on their side. However he wouldn¡¯t be able to pull the same stunt off against 3 at the same time. Even if Dash were there to tank and Beauty with her buff songs it would still be a hard battle. Slowly leaning back from the door, Trevor stealthily padded back to the rest of his party with his information. They were crouched were he¡¯d left them, Athena whispering away while Divus carefully divided his attention between her and the tunnel they¡¯d come from. ¡°There are three of them in a room up ahead.¡± He reported when they were in earshot, ¡°One¡¯s a scout, so he probably has a ranged attack. The others are like the one you killed earlier. I don¡¯t think we can take them.¡± ¡°We¡¯d have them by surprise¡­¡± ¡°No, too risky. There was another tunnel a little way back, we could try that one instead.¡± Divus shook his head, ¡°If they¡¯ve set up a guard post then it¡¯s got to be the right direction. You have a stealth skill right, if you sneak up behind the scout and take him out then I can rush in and take care of the others. If Athena¡¯s healing me then two shouldn¡¯t be too difficult.¡± Trevor grimaced; even with a critical hit stealth attack he wasn¡¯t sure he could kill it with one strike. But it was better than anything he could think of. Even if they did end up dead they¡¯d just respawn back at the carriage, the level drop could be regained and there was only a small chance of dropping equipped items. He nodded his assent and the small team crept slowly towards their foes. Divus and Athena stopped at the doorway while Trevor silently pushed the door open enough for him to slip through. Dropping a small prayer of thanks that it hadn¡¯t creaked, he tip-toed into the room. The group of goblins had their backs to him while they warmed their hands at the fire and talked amongst themselves. They had thick, guttural accents, but surprisingly Trevor could make out their conversation. ¡°Gnish-Nak¡¯s party got a gud haul today.¡± The largest one, who¡¯d been identified as the scout, told its fellows. ¡°Oh yeah, wa¡¯ did e¡¯ get?¡± ¡°Apparently dere wos a whole carriage sat abandoned by the roadside! Stupid hummies, leaving deir stuff their like dat¡­¡± ¡°Oh I ¡®eard dat too, but dere wos nuttin in it, just some food and weird statues!¡± ¡°Well dere wos ¡®orsies, we can eat dem!¡± Trevor cursed under his breath. If they had the carriage then it was no longer designated as a safe zone! Apparently if your designated respawn point becomes no longer safe then there was no telling where you¡¯d end up if you died! They might not even end up in the same place. As he entered just meters away from his target Trevor drew his two knives from his belt and leapt at the Goblin scout¡¯s back, viciously stabbing into it what he hoped were either its lungs or heart before jumping back away from the other two. He had let loose a shout as he¡¯d plunged through the air, the signal that the attack had begun, and the sound of Divus bursting through the door could be heard behind him. However his target, far from collapsing dead onto the floor as he¡¯d planned, picked a huge cleaver up from the floor while roaring with pain and anger. Its companions scrambled for their own weapons as the scout walked vengefully towards Trevor. Although it was about the same height as himself, the bestial roar and monstrous features had caused him to freeze in terror at its approach. It pulled back its jagged blade to cleave off his head, yet he still could not bring himself to move. The blade flew towards him as he could do naught but clench his eyes tightly shut. The ring of metal upon metal and the tersely yelled order from Divus snapped them back open. ¡°I¡¯ll take these two, keep the other busy!¡± Divus shouted as he pushed between them and deflected the goblins attack. With a couple of flicks of his sword he drove it back and away from Trevor, who managed to shake himself into action and face the remaining club wielding goblin. His new foe flung itself towards him, and he frantically jumped back out of the way of its wild swings. Although its attacks were clearly telegraphed and easily predicted, it was all Trevor could do to avoid the blurred arc the monster recklessly created. For several seconds the only information of the other¡¯s fight were sparse grunts, growls and clattering as he assumed Divus was avoiding his own enemies just as desperately. After the initial attack it quickly became easier to avoid the goblins attacks, it swung its massive club in pretty much the same pattern every time, and he could spare a glance at the rest of the fight. Divus was fending off the other two goblins with a spectacular display of rapid parries and last minute dodges. But even with his brilliant reflexes two enemies at once was a bit too much, several attacks made their way through his guard and he was quickly being worn down. ¡°Athena! A little help?¡± He shouted to the girl behind him. She stepped forward, smiling widely. ¡°Behold, the true birth of the mightiest sorceress! This is the combat magic I painstakingly saved up enough for. Now I finally have a suitable stage to introduce it! Fireball!¡± ¡°Now¡¯s not the tim-¡° Trevor tried to shout, but had to but of short as he desperately ducked under the club of his opponent. A fist sized ball of fire erupted from Athena¡¯s hands, shooting across the room and striking the chest of one of the goblins that were attacking Divus. Flames erupted from its clothes and jumped back out of combat to pat them out. Within seconds the goblin had extinguished Athena¡¯s attack and was back in the fight. ¡°I meant HEAL ME!¡± Divus roared as he locked swords with the scout briefly, before deflecting it to the side. ¡°Fine.¡± Athena dejectedly sighed, sending a green ball of energy sailing towards his back. Just as his health was restored the scout finally struck home, driving it cleaver deep into Divus¡¯ shoulder at a momentary lapse in his guard. Even though he only half saw it out of the corner of his eye Trevor had to wince. It was over. He was barely holding out against his own enemy, there was no chance for him to rush over to buy time for healing. But yet, at the edge of his vision he could swear he could see Divus smiling. Anyone else would have at the very least recoiled in pain and shock, yet as if he¡¯d been expecting the attack Divus countered. With its blade still buried deep in his shoulder, there was nothing the scout could do as he stabbed up through the base of its mouth and into its skull. It instantly went limp and Divus swung it into the path of the other charging goblin, who was unable to avoid its deceased comrade and ended up heaped on the floor. A quick stab through the back of the neck and the fight was over. Trevor¡¯s own foe witnessed the demise of its allies and tried to turn and flee towards a closed door the other side of the room. But he¡¯d put most his points into agility and dexterity and easily caught up, stabbing into its unprotected back. *CRITICAL HIT* You have attacked for 124 damage *CRITICAL HIT* You have attacked for 127 damage *CRITICAL HIT* You have attacked for 131 damage *CRITICAL HIT* You have attacked for 126 damage *CRITICAL HIT* You have attacked for 124 damage Goblin party killed, gained 1500 exp Level up As the last goblin slumped to the ground Trevor triumphantly turned to back to his team mates. The gaping wound in Divus¡¯ shoulder was slowly closing as Athena poured healing magic into him with her hands on his back. Healing hands was more effective than the healing bullet, but needed direct contact so was rarely used in combat. While they were busy Trevor quickly gathered up the loot from the dead foes. They all only had a few coppers each, while the rest of the equipment was pretty useless. The goblin cleaver, however, had a really high attack with slower speed, so Trevor decided to take it with them. The large strength requirement also meant none of them could really use it but they might be able to sell it to a merchant. When they¡¯d finished healing they gathered in the centre of the room. ¡°We need to get a move on, I overheard them talking earlier and it seems like they¡¯ve stolen our carriage. We need to get there as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yikes, Dash and Beauty will be in for a shocker if they log in in the middle of their hide-out!¡± Athena laughed. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go. We should try to avoid any more fights like that though¡­¡± Divus said, then abruptly his commandeering attitude melted away. ¡°U-um guys, how long h-have we been down here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, lost track of time really. It might well have been an hour already. Why?¡± ¡°Uh, w-well I just realised something I r-really needed to do i-in real life. C-can you wait here a moment? I-I¡¯ll be really quick!¡± ¡°Wait what are you doi-?¡± Trevor tried to ask, but their comrade began to turn into the logged out statue before he got the chance. The remaining pair stared at it for a moment in silence. ¡°I¡¯m going to scout out the route ahead. You stay here and keep a look out. Better send Dash a whisper in case they log in as well.¡± Trevor eventually said. ¡°Sit tight, I won¡¯t be long.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. He disappeared through the far doorway, leaving Athena alone in the barren room with Divus¡¯ statue. She sighed, ¡°Maybe I can practice my fireball¡­¡± *** At the beginning new players flocked to the city of Highriver due to the rumours that the Devil of Neverwhere had established his base there, however that population boom was short lived. The player Devil had managed to establish a guild within the first few days of starting, and all his subordinates prospered and levelled up at a much faster rate. The newly created Hell¡¯s Guild immediately became a dominant force, even garnering the attention of NPCs. However for freshly starting newbies the guild certainly lived up to its demonic name. All the nearby, easy hunting grounds were snatched up, Devil even going so far as to station guards to stop other players. Equipment drops were stockpiled so that nobody could afford cheap new gear. There were even rumours that the guild dabbled in PKing outside the city walls. The only way to avoid this was to join Hell¡¯s Guild; however that was not as simple as it sounded. Apart from the original members everyone had to pay to sign up, unfortunately they couldn¡¯t get the gold to pay thanks to the guild¡¯s monopoly on hunting. To that vicious circle only one route of escape was presented. Over the week New World had first been released people had begun to find out that you could connect your headgear to your computers, allowing you to upload videos and perform online transactions. The former had a large role in drawing new players in; clips of people wondering around the virtual world were massive hits and enticed everyone. The latter meant that items your character has on him could be traded to other players. Even without knowing them in-game transactions could be made with anyone just using your New World account. And so new players in Highriver were forced to buy guild membership with their own real-life money, which obviously turned most newbies away. Despite this information being readily available a young women spawned into the quiet town square. Though it was difficult to tell her gender from any distance, her shortly cut ginger hair and lack of any discernible bust meant only her face would give her away as a woman. After the initial shock of the teleportation wore off and she¡¯d gotten her bearings the young lady immediately set off to the market stalls, searching through the various merchants until she found a clothing shop. A hooded cloak immediately caught her eye. ¡°Hey mate, how much for the cloak?¡± She asked in a voice easily mistakable for a man¡¯s. The merchant glanced at the object in question, before giving a terse evaluation. ¡°1 silver miss.¡± ¡°No way, you¡¯re having a laugh! Look at how worn it is, I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s worth more than 20 coppers.¡± The merchant dropped his disinterested pose and made an offended gesture, ¡°Indeed miss, however it¡¯s made of good quality wool, no finer cloak could you possibly find for the price of 80 coppers!¡± ¡°Certainly, if it still had its proper clasp. You can clearly see here where it broke off and you added a cheap replacement! How could you ask for more than 40?¡± The merchant sighed in frustration as if he¡¯d been defeated, then offered one final compromise, ¡°50 coppers, it would be robbery to go lower!¡± ¡°Deal!¡± The young women said, exchanging the entire contents of her beginner¡¯s purse for it. ¡°Cheers mate!¡± A blue window almost made her drop her newly acquired bounty with its sudden appearance before her. Unexpectedly she found she¡¯d just learnt the skill ¡®Barter¡¯ from her acquisition! Although the degree she could haggle with the NPCs had been shocking, getting a skill that quick seemed way too easy. Well it didn¡¯t really matter, she had one main goal at the moment. Throwing the cloak over her shoulders and quickly pulling up the hood she headed towards some people who looked more like players. The young woman had one main goal in New World to start with, and that was to find Devil. Not long after she began her search she found herself in front of the doors of Hell¡¯s Guild¡¯s stronghold. Though stronghold might be too flattering a term. Even with the money flowing in from new members and their own lucrative operations, the guild still had not managed to purchase a particularly impressive building. It was a squat, ill-maintained house in the lower city; while it wasn¡¯t quite small it seemed a little lacklustre for the games first and most notorious guild. Pushing on inside the young woman found herself in a small reception-like room. A bored looking lady was inspecting her finger-nails behind a desk. ¡°If you¡¯re looking to join just bring your money upstairs over there. Last door on the right.¡± Without a word she continued in the direction indicated. As she walked quietly through the hallway she began to overhear voices from one of the doors. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough¡­. You really¡­. Are you sure Devil¡­¡± The conversation was too quiet to hear more than snatches, but as it seemed Devil was in there the young woman stealthily approached the keyhole. ¡°The guards¡¯ number about 5000 altogether, though there¡¯s only ever 2000 patrolling at any one time. Not only that, but their levels dwarf ours as well.¡± Came the earlier voice, the worry clearly audible with each word. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we far outnumber 2000. Taking this city will be easy.¡± Declared another voice, calm and confident. Was that Devil? Whoa, whoa, whoa! You sure you should be saying that in such a low security building? Someone¡¯s stood right outside your door! She thought to herself. ¡°Even if we have numbers I doubt the citizens will stay quiet! You¡¯ve seen how advanced NPC¡¯s are in New World, we need more people. You can¡¯t keep the admission fee, it¡¯s turning all our potential recruits away!¡± ¡°Like I¡¯ve told you, we need the money for war funds! We just can¡¯t get enough from hunting alone!¡± ¡°What about the real money? We should at least reduce admission prices so people don¡¯t have to resort to using real cash!¡± ¡°The real money goes into our group¡¯s joint account. Very soon people are going to start putting rare items they¡¯ve found up for sale and unless any of you are secretly rich we¡¯ll need it to boost our arsenal!¡± There was silence for a moment, before they seemed to switch to a different topic. ¡°Well how is recruitment going then?¡± The man she assumed was Devil asked. ¡°There¡¯s only been 500 people join in the entire day... Apparently a new starting city has been opened up in Lothargian. If another High Elf city opens up as a starting city then we can say goodbye to anyone joining. Not even you pretending to be Devil will be enough to attract players.¡± After hearing the last line the young woman stepped back through the door. It was as she¡¯d feared when she first heard Devil was a Guildmaster. She really should have sent him a message or something, but it would have been so fun to surprise him. Not only that, but he hadn¡¯t been online all week so she hadn¡¯t had a chance. But she didn¡¯t like wasting time like this. The 7 highest ranked members of Hell¡¯s Guild looked up in shock as their meeting room¡¯s door was thrown open. A cloaked figure stepped into the room, scanning the faces. ¡°Hey, if you want to join you¡¯re in the wrong room. We¡¯re in the middle of something, would you kindly leave?¡± Devil managed to politely ask, reacting faster than his comrades. The cloak the walked right up to him, ignoring the disgruntled complaints of everyone else and squared off just a foot away. Before he had a chance to speak again the cloaks hand flashed forward and Devil felt his breath rush out of him. Though the level difference assured that only a single point of damage was dealt, the well placed punch had struck the exact right area. By the time he¡¯d managed to draw air back into his lungs the cloak had already left, rushing straight back out the front door. Hell¡¯s Guild had just been too shocked to properly react. The young woman had escaped back into the streets and disappeared into the crowd. After she logs out she can send a message to the real Devil, but for now leaving this city might be a good idea. Maybe she could find a merchant convoy to join or something. While that would have been impossible in older titles like Neverwhere, Darkspear always thought very fast on her feet, so she already understood that all the rules she¡¯d learnt in other games had no meaning here. *** Nevil opened his eyes to the blank black visor of his headgear. He stayed still for a moment, listening out for any noises throughout the flat. When he was rewarded with merciful silence he sat up and reached to take his head gear off in relief. Just as he¡¯d grasped it the distant sound of the front door unlocking spurred him into a sudden panic. He ripped of the helmet and desperately glanced around for a hiding place. Settling on shoving it beneath his covers he then leapt into his chair and booted up his PC, impatiently tapping on his desk as the loading screens slowly whirled by. He typed in his password at record speed and got onto the desktop just in time for the door to his room to swing open. Trying to appear as calm as possible he slowly turned in his chair to face his sister. He couldn¡¯t let her know he¡¯d been in New World, else she¡¯d probably freak. ¡°Hey bro how have you¡­ been¡­?¡± Clair trailed off as she entered. She quickly took in the scene, Nevil was obviously flustered, sat at his desk with a blank desktop open on his computer. ¡°I see. You were busy. Sorry for intruding!¡± Clair quickly stepped out them room and slammed the door back shut. It took a moment for Nevil to process the situation before he quickly chased after her. ¡°Wait wait wait! I wasn¡¯t- I mean I didn¡¯t- Hold up where are you going?¡± He asked as Clair collected her handbag and walked to the door. ¡°I was going out with friends for the evening; I thought I¡¯d stop by and see how you were first. Glad to see you¡¯re so healthy. Goodbye Nevil.¡± She replied with a pleasant yet somehow cold smile. Before he could get another word in Clair had stepped out the door and shut it behind her. He was left in silence while he silently contemplated how he was going to explain that all to her when she came home later. Well at least she hadn¡¯t realised that he had been in New World all day, right? *** By the time Trevor returned from his reconnaissance Divus had already logged back in, though he was sat dejectedly in a corner while Athena shot tiny flaming bullets out of her palms at the wall. ¡°Hey hey, Trevor look at this. I can charge it up to deal more damage!¡± She exclaimed, building up a larger bolt of fire and hurling it at a cracked wooden stool. Upon impact it burst into flame and was reduced to cinder in barely a minute. Athena beamed expectantly, like a puppy searching for praise. ¡°Nicely done, wonder if you can get the title ¡®Destroyer of Furniture¡¯ in this game? What¡¯s Divus doing?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been like that since he got back, didn¡¯t even look at my fireball¡­¡± Athena sulkily replied. ¡°Well then, I better tell you what I found. Divus, come over here.¡± As his friend slowly complied Trevor slowly recanted his scouting trip. Beyond the door lay a single corridor that twisted upwards to what he¡¯d hoped was the exit. It was barren; nothing that really distinguished it as a former mine could be found, nor were there any goblins patrolling the area. After he¡¯d walked a bit further the roughly hewn tunnel became smoother and a series of doorways were built into the sides of the wall. They only led into small rooms, the broken bunk beds suggesting they¡¯d once been living quarters for the miner¡¯s years ago. At this point Trevor had met some Goblins, though they seemed to be more milling about rather than patrolling the corridor. Using the shadows to make up for his low stealth skill he¡¯d easily slipped past them and wandered out into an open cavern. About a dozen goblins were lounging around this area so he¡¯d quickly ducked behind some cover. A cold sweat had crept down his spine as he surveyed the situation. A group of the ugly monsters had set up a fire right outside the carriages back door, talking amongst themselves as they ate and showing no intention of moving. However, even if they somehow managed to rush those few and succeed in securing their vehicle they¡¯d still be unable to leave. The horses had been penned in at the other side of the cavern, the three of them couldn¡¯t rescue both at the same time so they¡¯d be mobbed by monsters before they could ever reach the exit. Luckily there was one final thing Trevor had noticed before he¡¯d made his retreat. At the very end of the cave the ground turned sharply up, the grey light of dawn peaking down the slope. Their escape route was close at hand. The problem was reaching it. After Trevor had finished his report and lapsed into a relieved silence, the small party exchanged worried looks. Divus had shed his earlier downcast expression and was now thinking carefully of a plan. ¡°S-so there¡¯s no way of separating them?¡± He hopelessly asked. Trevor sadly shook his head, ¡°If we try to lure one or two away the rest will probably notice as well. There¡¯s just no way for us to take that many.¡± The silence returned for a moment, before Divus abruptly stood up and began to head for the door. ¡°Well we need to do what we can for now. There was only two in the corridors right? We need to take care of them before we do anything else.¡± He said over his shoulder. Athena leapt to her feet and jogged after him, and so Trevor wearily followed suit. The only saving grace was that Dash and Beauty hadn¡¯t logged back in and caused a ruckus. Just as he thought that a whisper notice flashed in the corner of his vision. ¡°Wait up a sec,¡± He called, before nervously opening the message.
Whispers
Trevor: Watch out, we¡¯re all stuck in a goblin hideout! Dash: HELP!!!!!!
*** Dash opened his eyes and stretched out his back as he finally logged back into new world. Their lecture had overrun and he¡¯d only just gotten back. He had gone to a uni within commuting distance of his home, so instead of being in student accommodation he still had his old room at his parents¡¯ house. It was a fairly cosy home so he had no real complaints, though his folks were barely around anyways so it wouldn¡¯t have made much difference either way. Walking straight through the empty house Dash had quickly rushed back to his room. He had told Beauty they¡¯d head straight back into the game and so he was sat in the dark interior of the carriage barely minutes after he¡¯d gotten home. No one else was around; he was completely alone with the statue of his friend. It didn¡¯t seem they were moving either, the others hadn¡¯t gone off exploring without them had they? Well he¡¯d have gotten bored of being sat on the carriage for ages as well, but still it was a bit unfair. He sighed and shuffled to the back door, pulling it open to take a look outside. As he leaned out he suddenly came nose to nose with a horrifyingly ugly apparition. He could even smell its foul breath as he stood frozen in close proximity to what his mind slowly identified as a goblin. He slowly stepped back and carefully shut the door, then turned and sat back down on the carriages bench. For a few seconds he focused solely on breathing. It was fine, that was just¡­ Just a trick of the light? Then he noticed the message he¡¯d received from Trevor. A loud roar reverberated from just outside his refuge, which was slowly echoed by a dozen other bestial voices that combined to rock the carriage and shake Dash into action. He needed to block the door! There were few objects to work with, and nothing heavy enough to stop a determined force of enemies. Or wait¡­ He rushed over to Beauties statue and began to pull at it, but it wouldn¡¯t budge an inch. He jumped behind it and pushed with all his weight yet still it refused to move. It was no use, what else did he have¡­? He frantically grabbed a hold of a spear he¡¯d brought along as well as other odds and ends, quickly using them to brace the door. While sending a desperate message back to Trevor he added his own weight into the mix, then silently started praying. Suggestions/improvements Hello all, thank you everyone who''s been reading so far, it''s been great receiving your comments and feedback. I''d just like to create a thread for people to give suggestions, or just comment on how the story''s progressing. This is the first time I''ve ever really written at anywhere near this rate so I know there''s much I might be doing wrong. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Just comment with anything you want to add, or even any questions you might have. Again, thanks to everybody that''s been reading, I hope you continue to do so while I strive to make this story the best I can. Also, chap 8 will be out by friday, but hopefully sooner! Chapter 8: Wicked Firestarter Chapter 8: Wicked Firestarter Divus¡¯ small party sprinted through the narrow corridors of the derelict mine, desperate to save their stranded comrades. With his higher agility Trevor was a few meters ahead of the rest as they finally reached the cavern in which the carriage was held. Skidding to a halt he waved the others to the ground and quickly crept forwards. He¡¯d thought it odd they hadn¡¯t encountered the Goblins lounging in the corridor he¡¯d passed earlier, but the reason was quickly apparent. Surrounding the carriage were easily two dozen goblins of different shapes and sizes. Almost twice the number that had previously gathered were now laughing noisily in a group. Trevor quickly ducked behind some crates of the goblins¡¯ previous bounty while his comrades followed with notably less stealth. Luckily it didn¡¯t matter, as all their attention was focused on the carriage and its newly discovered occupants. ¡°What¡¯s going on, why aren¡¯t they trying to pry open the door?¡± Divus breathlessly asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but they don¡¯t seem to be in a hurry. We need to come up with a plan.¡± Divus surveyed the cavern from behind the crates. All around the edges loot from previous fights had been piled up, Binky and the other horse were tied far away from the carriage and the immediate area around the party of goblins was devoid of cover. They couldn¡¯t sneak right up to them or even try to rush them. The numbers were simply too many. Despite taking challenges far beyond what he¡¯d thought himself capable since arriving in New World Divus realised that this was truly a hopeless situation. There was just no way for 3 people to make up for the sheer difference in numbers. Yet still he didn¡¯t give up. There had to be a way to at least salvage something! But it did not seem likely they could even escape themselves with their lives intact. Was there a way to distract them, or lead them away? Wait what was that, it looked familiar¡­ ¡°What¡¯s in these crates?¡± Trevor and Athena glanced at him, tearing themselves away from the overwhelming force of enemies. Then they immediately started digging into the box. Woodchips filled the interior to prevent the goods from smashing into each other, but they were easily brushed away. Careful not to make any noise they soon unearthed some unusual merchandise. Lanterns. Dozens of them. On their own they were useless, but through general trivia Divus was well aware of what would have to accompany them. There was a chance they¡¯d been shipped separately but he needed to check. Nervously glancing up at their enemies he silently slipped his sword under the lid of the next crate, cracking it open with exaggerated care. Bingo. Inside were rows of tiny vials of oil, the highly flammable kind. However Trevor remained unimpressed. ¡°How are these supposed to help? It¡¯s not like the oil has been conveniently spread around beneath our enemies feet now has it?¡± That was indeed the problem. They might have stumbled upon a huge stock of oil, but it was useless to them bottled up inside a crate. But the first inklings of a plan began to form in his Divus¡¯ head. It was risky, no it was more just unlikely to work as he envisioned, but if they succeeded then the goblins would suddenly be plenty distracted. Well, it was better than nothing. ¡°Athena, pass that large jug over, yeah that one.¡± While she scampered off Divus turned to explain to his sceptical ally. ¡°OK Trevor, here¡¯s what I need you to do. If everything goes according to plan then all those goblins out there will get a good dousing of oil. Then Athena can pop out and light them all up with flame magic. In the ensuing chaos we¡¯ll escape, so I need you to be ready with the horses. Can you sneak over to them?¡± Trevor hesitated for a brief second, then quickly nodded in assent. ¡°It will take me a minute, but they won¡¯t see me. This seems a little crazy, but it¡¯s better than anything I got. Let¡¯s give it a go.¡± ¡°OK, then go now. We have no idea how long they¡¯ll remain passive.¡± As Trevor crept off, becoming hazy as he activated stealth, Athena padded back with the large jug. ¡°OK, got it boss man sir! Now what?¡± ¡°We need to decant as much oil as we can into this. Come on, hurry.¡± After his preparations were complete Divus sat back and idly drew his knife as he waited for Trevor to get in position. The stacks of potentially valuable goods taunted him from all sides, but he was all too aware they couldn¡¯t afford to take any with them. Zoning them out, he focused on calming his nerves for the coming fight. Just as he briefly relaxed a roar came from the goblin force just meters away. He snapped back into alertness and peered over the tops of the crates. They¡¯d finally grown bored of teasing the carriage¡¯s occupants and the larger goblins were converging on the back doors. A few of them grabbed a hold of the handles and tried to push it open, but it seemed tightly reinforced and they quickly gave up. Then the crowd gave way, allowing a massive goblin easily the size of a man to pass. It carried a huge and viciously hooked axe and wielded it with clear intent. Divus watched transfixed with horror as the goblin brought the weapon high above its head, then savagely hacked down into the door. It wouldn¡¯t last five seconds. At that realisation he received Trevor¡¯s whisper. It was now or never, they¡¯d only get this one chance to save their trapped friends! With a roar of his own, which sounded more like a mewling infant in comparison to the chorus of monsters he faced, Divus rose and threw the jug nearly directly upwards. Nearby goblins span around in surprise as it steeply arced through the air. In his very next breath he readied the knife in his hand; eyes locked onto the flying jug as it reached its peak and slowly began to spiral down. Measuring its speed, measuring its distance, measuring its direction Divus threw his knife. The loud, familiar crash of broken crockery rang out clearly above their enemies as black fluid rained upon all of the goblins heads. ¡°Athena! Now! BURN IT!¡± Cackling with insane mirth, the spirited wizard leapt atop the crates and began to summon fireballs from her outstretched palms. ¡°Fear the wrath of the world¡¯s mightiest sorceress!¡± She cried as fiery doom was rained down gleefully upon her enemies. This was what she¡¯d been waiting for! Crushing wicked monsters in a sea of flame! Well it was mostly thanks to the oil, but that wasn¡¯t the point!! ¡°Please try not to hit the carriage!¡± Divus yelled as he drew his sword and leapt forward to shield her from the goblins with enough presence of mind to attack. The plan seemed to be working, all the enemies had forgotten about the carriage and were either trying to charge down Athena or rolling around on the floor to put the fire out. But Trevor still needed to release the horses and hook them up, while Divus needed to create a path to the carriage. ¡°Dash, Beauty!? We could use some help out here!¡± As he desperately fended off the handful of goblins that had reached him the backdoor burst open and Dash jumped out sword in hand. If he attacked the rear of Divus¡¯ attackers then they might be able to push through. Yet in spite of that Dash fearfully looked around the chaotic scene and began hacking into the goblins writhing on the ground in a panic. ¡°I¡¯ll keep these ones down, you guys hurry up!¡± He yelled. Another foe joined the group Divus desperately defended against, meaning now there were half a dozen clubs, swords and hatchets he needed to parry and avoid. Not only were they swinging in their usual fast and brutal arcs but most of them were also still on fire, making it difficult to get close. After only 3 half dodged glancing hits made it past his guard he saw his health slowly tick down, already at the halfway mark as he frantically moved his body. As he began to lose hope of ever making it through alive Beauty hopped out of the carriage. She began singing in a stunning melody that truly matched up to her name. Even the goblins turned their heads at the sound. ¡°Bewitching tune!¡± She yelled at the end of her performance, and instantly half the enemies stood frozen. Although he didn¡¯t know it at the time, it was a testimony of Beauty dumping almost all her stat boost points into charm ever since she¡¯d gained it. For bard songs, especially those targeting enemies, charm was the main governing stat. And for her level, Beauty¡¯s was through the roof. With barely a second of pause she immediately launched into the next song. Divus still had another three enemies to contend with however, and was still slowly being pushed back. His back had almost been pushed up against the stack of crates when the sound of hooves echoed towards him. Trevor was sat riding one horse while leading the other straight towards them, ploughing through the disorientated goblins in the way. ¡°Get on!¡± He yelled as he brought Binky forwards, the goblins kept at bay as his own horse reared and kicked out at them. Divus scrambled onto Binky¡¯s back as Athena leapt down behind him and grabbed onto his waist. They turned towards the carriage and sped past the furious goblins all around. As soon as they¡¯d reached the goal Divus vaulted to the floor and yelled back up at them. ¡°Get the horses hitched. Then Athena, get us out of here!¡± He then faced the goblins once again, who were slowly reorganising and charging towards the carriage. Dash also saw their target and, cursing under his breath, finally went to stand beside him. His desperate battle of obstructing the goblins while staying alive resumed once more. Divus ducked beneath a massive cleaver while deflecting a hatchet to the side. Jumping back to cushion the blow of a large club he sliced forward catch a goblin across the chest. It staggered back, gaining him precious milliseconds as more attacks rained down upon him. Dash was fairing worse, relying on his much larger health pool and endurance to tank most blows. But even with his higher level his health was rapidly disappearing. ¡°WE ARE LEAVING!¡± Came a roar from the front of the carriage. In that moment Divus felt the familiar rush of his willpower kick-in. With a sudden spurt of speed he managed to push all the goblins back at once. Then, grabbing Dash as he turned, he sprinted back towards the carriage. Half pulling, half carrying his team-mate he launched himself through the back door and screamed ¡°GO¡± to the duo out front. The carriage immediately lurched into motion, clattering along through the cavern and up towards freedom. Through the unclosed backdoor they could see a group of angry goblins furiously chasing them, but it was too late. They had escaped. Releasing the pent up air in his lungs Divus exhaustedly lent back against the back bench, finally able to relax. *** Only after they¡¯d managed to leave the goblin cave far behind in the distance did conversation spark back up. ¡°What the hell was all that!?¡± Dash demanded as the carriage slowed to a gentle trot, ¡°How did you manage to let us get captured!?¡± With Trevor and Athena out front there was only Divus left to try and provide answers. ¡°W-well uh, we just w-went out hunting for a bit. Th-then there was a chest, we fell and, and-¡° ¡°Chest, what do you mean chest?¡± ¡°Dash¡­¡± Beauty started. She¡¯d logged in moments before the goblins had started trying to break into the carriage, so if anything was even more disorientated, however she¡¯d managed to jump into the action as soon as the counter-attack began. As far as she could tell the others had saved them. ¡°Don¡¯t you Dash me, we could have been made mincemeat because of these guys!¡± ¡°Calm down Dash,¡± Trevor said as he clambered into the back, ¡°We fell into a trap and almost got wiped out, but we managed to get out of it in the end.¡± Sullenly holding his tongue, Dash turned away from his party and watched the countryside roll by. ¡°This isn¡¯t like you. It¡¯s only a game in the end. Is something wrong?¡± Beauty asked, concern etched all over her face. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Sorry guys, you must have had it hard too. I mean, only the thief, healer and a complete noob stuck in a dungeon.¡± Trevor relaxed as he saw his friend calming down. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry about that! We were almost done for quite a few times, but thanks to Divus we made it out in one piece! You should have seen him fight, he killed a goblin twice his level single handed!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Beauty asked, failing to notice the return of Dash¡¯s scowl and turning to the comrade in question. ¡°How¡¯d you manage that?¡± Divus, who¡¯d previously backed himself into a corner of the carriage, scratched the back of his head and shakily replied. ¡°Um, well th-they were just a lot simpler to what I¡¯ve been u-used to.¡± Which was true, even the rabbits had been less easy to predict. Before there was a chance to question him further Dash broke in. ¡°I¡¯m logging out now, see ya tomorrow.¡± Without another word his body morphed into stone and the group fell into silence. ¡°I¡¯m logging out too, I need to check if anything¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°Yeah me too, I might as well get some work done.¡± Divus was quickly left alone as the collection of statues in the back of the wagon grew. After the silence settled in for a moment he clutched at his head in despair. But it wasn¡¯t loneliness that assailed him. His thoughts immediately turned to the mountain of loot contained in the goblin cave. Who knows what kind of items he could have found within, he might even have found something he could sell online to start earning the rent. No, it was too early to give up yet. He called Athena to halt the carriage and clambered out the back. ¡°What¡¯cha up to Divus?¡± She asked, jumping from the front seat. ¡°Hey Athena, I need to a-ask a favour.¡± She looked at him with quizzical eyes, ¡°Sure, shoot.¡± ¡°Well, c-could you come back with me to the g-goblin cave?¡± A thoughtful expression briefly passed through her face, before she excitedly responded. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!! What are we gunna do? Round 2? This¡¯ll be awesome. Ah!¡± She briefly paused, turning seriously towards him, ¡°We can¡¯t tell the others!¡± No worries about that, Divus thought to himself. They immediately set about investigating their surroundings, making sure there were no monster patrols wondering about who might nick the carriage a second time. When finally satisfied it was safe they hid the carriage best they could and set off with Binky back the way they had come. It was quite some distance to the old abandoned mine, they¡¯d put a few solid miles between them after their panicked escape. When the entrance was finally back in sight it had been a few hours since the fight. A lone sentry sat outside, but he was fast asleep. It seemed they were still recovering, or perhaps security had always been that lax. Regardless, without Trevor to scout ahead it was a godsend for Divus. After much insisting he gave in to allow Athena to make the first move, but only after he¡¯d gotten close enough to finish it off. She gleefully started charging her fireball as Divus slowly crept closer. When he was within a few meters of the monster, and too worried to get nearer without a stealth skill, he motioned for Athena to attack and waited. And waited. Aaaaaaand waited. Just as he was about to turn angrily back to his belated comrade a massive wave of heat swept past. A gargantuan ball of plasma, as large as the target itself, engulfed the unsuspecting goblin, reducing it to ashes before it even had the chance to scream. Divus stared at the immolated corpse in amazement as Athena triumphantly approached. ¡°Bwahaha! Well? This is the power of the world¡¯s greatest sorceress!!¡± He knew she¡¯d been diligently practising, but this was just ridiculous! ¡°How? How¡¯d you manage to do so much damage!?¡± Athena smiled proudly and tossed her head back, peering at him down her nose. ¡°Simple! I just put all my mana into it!¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. She just put all her mana into it. Just all her mana. All her mana. ¡°Wait wait wait! So you used all your magic power?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got none left?¡± ¡°Not a bit!¡± ¡°H-how long does it take to recharge?¡± ¡°Fully? Hmmmmmm¡­¡± She looked back to the ground, crossing her legs thoughtfully. ¡°Back to full, about 20-30 minutes?¡± Divus stood in silence, unsure of where to start. Athena took this for awe, and struck an even more ostentatious pose. ¡°Athena, what would you have done if there were two of them?¡± ¡°Um, lined them up?¡± Well reasoning with her would probably prove fruitless. Heaving a great sigh he led the way into the cave¡¯s entrance. After a few seconds his companion realised he¡¯d left and quickly chased after. They moved in silence for a while, Divus wary of further guards while Athena sulking at the lack of praise for almighty magic. It wasn¡¯t long before they managed to get back to the massive cavern filled with loot and, last time they saw it, goblins. However as they cautiously approached, backs pressed to the walls, it became apparent that most the monsters had left. When Divus glanced through the opening he could only see a half dozen of them sat around their fire. That said, 6 goblins were more than enough at his current level. He¡¯d gained some experience from the earlier fights, but they were still close to twice his level. He wouldn¡¯t survive against all of them, not with blows raining from all sides. No wait¡­ The memories of his training under Peter slowly resurfaced, continuously battling the hellish hound over the course of hours, he¡¯d not only gotten several level raises but also permanent stat boosts. Well even so, he wasn¡¯t keen on repeating that. Constantly being clawed and bitten hadn¡¯t been the most pleasant experience¡­ No, his resolution amounted to more than that. ¡°Hey Divus, there¡¯s quite a few. What do we do?¡± He turned to face his companion, knowing that her cooperation was essential. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m going to charge them and try and take them out, I need you to stay near the exit and focus on healing me. If I die, run away. I¡¯ll just respawn at the carriage, no big deal.¡± Athena did not look convinced. ¡°There¡¯s no way you¡¯ll beat them! You lose a level every time you die right? And more? It doesn¡¯t seem worth it¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯ll be worth it. But you have to focus on healing me, ok? No fireworks.¡± He half expected her to pout and complain, but to Divus¡¯ surprise it seemed his seriousness was infectious. With a stern expression he¡¯d never seen on her before Athena nodded, ¡°You can count on me.¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll wait a bit for your mana to recharge.¡± Thanks to the couple of goblins Dash had finished off in the previous battle Divus had finally reached level 11, so he decided to allocate his points. Although strength, endurance and vitality were a warrior¡¯s usual mainstays for this particular fight he needed all the agility he could get. It was only a couple of minutes until Athena gave the ready signal, and then he started to move forwards. Breaking into a sprint Divus quickly covered the caverns floor, launching himself at the unsuspecting group of monsters before they really grasped a hold of what was happening. His sword bit into the nearest¡¯s neck as it tried to rise, instantly shaving off almost half its life. He quickly began slashing at it as the goblin tried to pull itself unsteadily to its feet. Dodging the desperate retaliatory swing Divus finished it off with a quick stab through the chest, yanking his sword free and leaping backwards as the rest finally joined the fray. 5 Two clubs and a large cleaver simultaneously swung towards him. A dextrous flick parried the blade while he twisted out of the way of the clubs, one barely grazing his ribs. Goblin has dealt 146 damage Almost a quarter of his entire life with just a glancing hit?! The level difference was still just as deadly as it had been before¡­ However this time it was different. How many times had these goblins swiped wildly at him? How many times had he managed to frantically avoid them until now? He had grown so used to their predictable, over-reaching attacks that, one-on-one, he could avoid them with his eyes closed. The only problem was there were more the double the number he¡¯d managed to defeat before. If they surrounded him and coordinated there attacks then he wouldn¡¯t last seconds¡­ But goblins, while they enjoyed grouping together, possessed too low of a collective intelligence to form anything even slightly reminiscent of team-work and as long as he kept his eye out they didn¡¯t even try to surround him. Yet even if he had grown accustomed to their movements, taking on 5 at once while avoiding damage was impossible, especially as he needed to counter with his own attacks to have any hope of winning, although he could only get weak pot shots in. He¡¯d barely dealt five hits when his life dropped below halfway. Though just as it fell beneath that threshold a missile of healing energy collided with his back, restoring him to almost full. He distantly remembered that Athena was a much higher level, so keeping his health should be easy. Bolstered by the reassurance that his companion had his back Divus threw himself back into the fight. From an objective standpoint this battle had become a lot more like a traditional MMO encounter. He was hacking at the monsters while they were hacking at him; the first one whose life bar finally dropped to zero was the loser. With his White mage in support he just had to avoid dying in-between healing and he¡¯d win! Of course that was a rather over-simplistic way of looking at it. A single solid hit and Divus would immediately be in a critical condition. Even if he was constantly restoring his physical strength, the toll taken on his psyche was definitely no joke. After only 5 minutes into the fight the goblins were only marginally worn down and the mental fatigue was really building up. There were three normal goblins and two scouts. Avoiding the clumsy assault of the clubs was simple, but the slicing cleavers of the scouts were a lot more dangerous so Divus prioritised taking them out. At long last one fell into a critical state and the opportunity came to finish it off! He immediately stepped forward with a savage lunge, eager to finally reduce the numbers. It was a mistake. 4 The scout nosily perished as Divus hastily tried to extract his blade, but he¡¯d well over-extended himself. As he successfully pulled it free a club collided heavily with his left arm. SNAP. The unexpected sound quickly drew his attention. He stared at the bizarrely positioned hanging limb in shock for a full second before the pain hit him. ¡°GRAAAAAAH!¡± It took all the self-control he could muster to avoid dropping his weapon as he screamed at the sudden agony. Even with the massive reduction of pain compared to real life it hurt like nothing he¡¯d felt before. Not even the clawing of the hellhound justly compared. It hurts it HURTS, was there really a need for this game to include pain?!
Players Left Arm has been broken. Health has been capped at 450 until an additional 750 health has been recovered.
The unexpected message snapped his attention back to the battle and he rolled backwards, out of the way of a fresh barrage of goblin attacks. Jarring his arm as he rose to his feet sent another spasm of pain through his body. ¡°Athena!¡± He half screamed, immediately feeling another wave of healing hit his body. But the health bar did not rise past 500 and his arm remained broken and useless. Seemingly sensing his weakness the goblins charged in once more and he continued his desperate dance of avoidance. With only a single hand he could use parrying became almost useless so he focused on avoiding them, ducking under blades and jumping away from clubs while he waited for Athena to charge up her next magic wave. It would be done almost instantly if he could get close enough for her to use healing hands but doing so would just end up getting them both killed. As he side stepped another murderous swing the second healing bullet struck him and his arm mended in spectacular speed. Barely having time to flex his appendage the four goblins pushed him into the offense once more. However this time Divus was quite content to take his time, not in any rush to repeat his mistake. After another minute the last scout fell back, almost dead. Instead of rushing in recklessly like his previous time he continued his battle with the others without a second glance. To his surprise the scout eventually got back up, having regained a little health. It seemed that if you left wounded enemies alone they¡¯d eventually recover a bit, but not past 10% of their initial health. Tucking that piece of handy information away into the back of his head Divus continued to wear his enemies down. It took him quite a while, but eventually they were all on their last legs. To be safe he needed to finish it in one sweep. ¡°Athena! Can you stop healing me?¡± He shouted over his shoulder. ¡°What?! Why?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just do it! You can start throwing fireballs!¡± A quick glance revealed his small companions face torn in indecision. She was worried about Divus¡¯ reckless fight, yet the idea of letting lose an inferno, as miniscule as it would be, never ceased to appeal to her. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine!¡± At the further prompting she made her decision. ¡°Fireball!!¡± She cried, gleefully releasing fist sized bolts of flame at the goblins. Divus started taking a few glancing hits on purpose. In actuality his plan was no less dangerous than how he¡¯d taken them out earlier, but he¡¯d unconsciously decided this was more exciting. Not that he¡¯d ever consciously admit it. Goblin has dealt 130 damage Just one more. Goblin has dealt 134 damage With that message his health fell slightly below 10%. Just one more hit would of finished him off, but the ecstatic goblins hit nothing but air. Fuelled by the rush of willpower Divus easily avoided all four of their weapons and struck with boosted strength. With just one hit each the goblins were instantaneously wiped out by his lightning assault. 3, 2, 1 and 0! Level up Level up
Despite being outnumbered and even suffering a broken arm, you have successfully defeated several enemies much stronger than yourself! Endurance has increased by 4 Vitality has increased by 3 Strength has increased by 2 Willpower has increased by 1
Hah, this was exactly what he¡¯d been aiming for! While the boost wasn¡¯t too massive, permanent stat increases would still be a huge advantage in the long run. ¡°Bwahaha! Take that goblin scum! No one messes with this mighty sorceress and gets away!¡± Unable to muster a response Divus collapsed where he was, laughing aloud. Whether from Athena¡¯s haughty proclamation or just sheer exhaustion he did not know. He turned at the tapping of his companion running towards him and gave a weary smile. ¡°That was awesome Divus! We sure showed them! What did you do at the end though? You were all like whoosh. Well, it was mainly thanks to me!¡± ¡°Yes, it was very nicely done. Thanks.¡± He managed when he found a lull in the torrent. Athena looked at him, her excitement washing away as she plopped to the ground before him. ¡°Hey Divus?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Why did you do that?¡± He¡¯d already been caught off guard by her change in atmosphere but he could do nothing but stare at the sudden question. ¡°What do you mean?¡± He eventually managed. ¡°Why did you come back here? Why did you take on all those goblins? And why, after having your arm broken and screaming in pain, did you not give in?¡± When Athena had readily agreed to accompany him Divus had not thought she¡¯d been interested in what he was doing, just in the adventure she could have. Certainly his actions were a bit unreasonable, but he never thought she of all people would point them out. ¡°Haha, what do you mean? It was just an adventure right? We were only out for some fun!¡± With a loud sigh Athena crossed her arms. ¡°No one in their right mind would subject themselves to¡­ that¡­ just for fun.¡± Whoa whoa, this was still the same girl that jumped around exuberantly when they¡¯d spotted a moose right? It did not seem like she was going to let this go. With a sigh of his own, Divus spilled the beans. He hesitated for a second to collect his thoughts, then began. ¡°Well I¡¯ve got a sister, about the same age as you, and we¡¯re pretty much all alone. I¡¯ve got to provide a living for us, bring in the dough as it were. But I can¡¯t get a job anywhere else; I have no qualifications and have barely left the flat for the past few years. This is pretty much the only place I can earn enough to keep us afloat.¡± He was silent for a moment, and then suddenly remembered who he was talking to. ¡°Ah yeah, you can earn money by selling items in MMOs.¡± Athena was still unconvinced. ¡°Even so, why do you try so hard?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because-¡° It¡¯s my fault. No, he couldn¡¯t just say that. What was he even doing, telling her all that? ¡°I¡¯m the older brother, and this is the only way I can look out for her.¡± They sat facing each other in silence for a moment longer, and then Athena abruptly jumped to her feet. ¡°Well let¡¯s go check out the loot!¡± She decided, scampering off to the piles of chests. She stopped briefly, turning back to him. ¡°You know, you¡¯re a lot cooler when you don¡¯t stutter.¡± He watched her dash off again, at last completely lost for all words. Despite having sat down for a while now, he felt no better rested after that conversation. Divus chuckled to himself as he stood, there was just no use trying to match her pace. *** Clair collapsed on her bed, thoroughly exhausted. After she¡¯d returned home her brother had quickly rushed up to her trying to make up excuses. If she wasn¡¯t so furious she probably would have laughed when it turned out he thought she assumed he was watching porn. He had assured her he was on a game website and was a bit embarrassed about what she¡¯d thought of it. But Clair knew the truth. Even if the clumsily hidden headgear was only a suspiciously shaped lump under Nevil¡¯s covers the open box which she knew he stored it in had been lying on the floor in plain view. It would have been hard to make it less obvious what he¡¯d been up to. Although the doctors, and her brother himself, had assured her that the game had nothing to do with the brief coma, Clair was quite convinced over wise. Sure Nevil was rather unhealthy and didn¡¯t go out much and didn¡¯t eat properly and- no that wasn¡¯t the point. The point was that had never happened before, no matter how many days he shut himself up playing computer games. There was no way it was unrelated. But it wasn¡¯t just him she was angry at. She thought back to the hospital. Clair knew why her brother would push his unhealthy body to extremes to make money online. She knew why he¡¯d gotten into that state in the first place. Why couldn¡¯t she say it? Just 4 simple words. Why couldn¡¯t she tell him, it¡¯s not his fault?