《The Last Bastion》 Zenith?? It had been 12 years since Nova online had launched, and it was an instant hit only because it used new technology, that technology was full dive Vr, well that and the fact it had billions of different selection from races to classes to overall just everything, and it had Been 11 year since The Last Bastion had been created as a clan. I had hoped that they would get on one last time, but only 12 of the old Guild members had shown up to say farewell, that was less than 10 percent of the guild, not that it mattered I knew most of them had a life outside of games now. I was the last one sitting at the table, the mechanical core in my chest beating as if a heart, I closed my hands, they made the satisfying clicking sound, the sound I had grown familiar with, especially since I was one of the frontline fighters of the group. slowly the clock ticked down, my time left with this chapter in my life was coming to a close, maybe after this I could get a girlfriend. someone stood up next to me, I had completely forgotten that they were there "Im sorry Zen, but I''m getting off, I got work tomorrow" I nodded "Well stay well Iso" they nodded "I will, you stay well as well" they then disappeared it was just me now and the game shut down in 40 minutes, I had work tomorrow but I should say farewell. I grabbed the Jewels of Catram, we used them as the heart of the guild, since there was only 1 set of these in the game no one would ever destroy them, hence why we were technically an undefeated guild and why we were able to hold relevance even without out the high numbers we once had. at one point we were going to use them for an item, specifically a staff but at that point most of out members had left us already, so it never happened but I gathered all the materials since then, but I couldn''t call a meeting anymore since very rarely was there any more then 5 of us on anymore. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. i shrugged and began the crafting process of the Staff of Catram, it said It would take 14 days, I wouldn''t see that finish. i walk to the throne room so I could marvel at what we had created, once in the throne room I gazed upon the massive throne we had built for DeneDena, he was the guild leader and a skeletal magic caster who specialized in necromancy, he had barely won the vote ,but I was the vice leader, so I was allowed to approach the throne "Ehh fuck it, no ones on to see me may as well have some fun" I sat down on the throne and immediately felt one of the Jewels of Cthulhu activating, I belive it was the Jewel of strength. our Npcs we had stationed all kneeled "well this is the last time ill be seeing this place, we had some good memories" I had been so in thought that I hadn''t even noticed. [11:59:00] The final minute before the servers would shut down {Thank You all for playing} with small fireworks that message appeared along with some confetti. i closed my eyes for the last 20 seconds [11:59:59] i opened them expecting to see the login screen but it just popped up [12:00:03] somehow i had been left in game, i swiped my hand up to try to leave since i only had 5 more hours to sleep before work, the system appeared but when i scrowled down the exit button didn''t appear. "What is happening?" i asked to no one, but someone responded "What is it Great General" Amara said, she was an NPC she shouldn''t be able to respond, this could be a prank, but no even if they tried to get voice lines in it would be impossible since that wasn''t a feature of NPC creation "Are you ok Great General?" i nodded "Yes all is fine" my voice was mechanical, that shouldn''t have been the case i stood up, "Get all Major Guardians to the 9th floor" Amara nodded and then exited the throne room. i Equiped the Zenith Master ring, it allowed anyone to teleport around the entire Last Bastion and anywhere we had called base. I appeared in a flash of light and saw something i had forgotten about Successful Meeting? I had completely forgotten that we constantly had at least 2 Guardians on Floor 9. Floor 9 was a massive forest that we hand-created, and at the center of it was the Mansion of Dene. Despite being floor 9 of 15, it was one of the newest we had, while floor 15 was probably one of the oldest ones we created since the Last Bastion was originally a raid spot that we claimed as our Clan Base. The Guardians were Vesper and Velya, the twins of the 9th Floor, Venalara had created them, as her NPCs since she had a twin brother, he had also joined the guild as Dragon Archer, he had created Lilith, she was a Vampire and was also one of the strongest NPCS we had. Vesper and Velya ran up to me and bowed "Is Something the Mater Great General Ultima?" Vesper said I waved my hand to the side "Nothing is the matter but I''m gathering all Major Guardians to Floor 9, sorry for the instruction" They stood up, and they barely reached my hip, but that was unsurprising since I stood at 7 foot exactly without shoes, "Great General it is an honor to Have you here" I Kneeled down to them "Are you the Guardians of this Floor?" they nodded, but they looked quite weak but maybe that was part of their design "But as I said I''m having all other Major Guardians assemble here for a meeting since I felt a disturbance with The Last Bastion" they nodded "Is Velya unable to speak?" Velya shook her head "Please Don''t mind her she doesn''t talk much even to me" Vesper spoke in Velya''s spot. "Could you set up a training dummy?" they both nodded and seconds later a Heavily armored dummy appeared outside in the front courtyard. There was wind and the hoot of owls, things only ever stated to be in Lore, Reminds me of the time that Lele2 created an NPC that only existed to scare us, we don''t know how he coded it to follow someone randomly, and hide when they looked behind them but somehow they did. Vesper was watching me from the sidelines, waiting to see what I could do. I didn''t know if they were real yet so I had to act as if I was, no if I were Zenith Ultima, I needed to act like him or else I could be found out, and I didn''t know how they would react. With mechanical wirs and my palm extended and with the sound of metal shifting my arm transformed into an Energy cannon, this is why my character needed mana most of this wouldn''t work if I didn''t have mana, it started to charge up until light radiated from it like a Beacon and then I fired it. The wave of energy caused the dummy to atomize and many trees behind it. A quiet clapping came from Velya who had joined her sister on the sidelines "Glorious Show of Power Great General" Vesper Exclaimed, I don''t know if they were genuine in saying that but it felt nice. I looked back at the Mannor and most of the Major Generals were standing there. I turned around as my arm transformed back into well an arm "Thank you all for gathering on such short notice" most of them nodded, "Let in the meeting hall". A shuffle of footsteps was heard, in lore most of the time we met in the meeting hall to announce our going to war or discussing a raid we were going to do. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Many of the Guardians seemed warry as if they thought I was going to do something, they stood behind their respective creator''s chair, while i sat down, no one would be behind me "So what is it we must do Great General" Lilith asked, i shook my head "I belive something might have happened outside of this place, i would like for a party to be made so they could search the surrounding area, use Caution, no matter the threat" they nodded "This meeting is Dissmised and Amara i would like to talk to you Later" she nodded in understanding "What time?" strangely i still had the time [13:32:15] "We will talk in an hour from now" she nodded, no one had moved yet, i stood up and used the Ring of Zenith to Teleport to my room. ----------------------- The 15 Guardians after seeing Zenith disappear all started to talk "Did you see his Energy Cannon" Vesper nodded "I dont even think that is his most powerful skill" many guardians nodded then the conversations split into groups until Vesper said "What did He want with you Amara?" Amara Shrugged "i have not the slightest clue" many of the other guardians had stoped talking to listen in on what Amara was saying "Anyway how did he teleport? i dont belive he has that skill do he?" Amara responded to Zara "He created a Ring Called the Zenith Master Ring, but he only made Engough for the Great Beings, what they do is allow the wearer to teleport anywhere in The Last Bastion" Zara nodded "I didn''t know he was also a Craftsman" Nyx chuckled "Of Course he would have to be a great craftsman, that body he uses isn''t his real body, but no one knows where his real body is" Zara looked confused "how would a construct have so much power though?" Nyx shrugged, and then fixed his coat "I will be taking my leave now, i have more Experiments to conduct on floor 10" ____________ I looked in the mirror at one of the many outfits i had, "I dont think green is my color, what do you think" i was talking to one of the maids "Well i belive Red or Gold could look really nice on you and would help compliment your robotic components" i nodded, it had been awhile since i had to let Zenith Ultima charge, and i dont know if any of the Guardians know what my character looks like "Do you think they will recognize me?" the maid looked Puzzled "Of course they will" i grabbed the Red Suit and had the maid help me put it on. [14:11:18] i still had some time to go before i would need to talk to Amara, so i decided to walk through the Halls of floor 11 since i had sent a letter to her to tell her to meet me on the 11th floor, we had paintings of almost every Guild member a Small goblin walked up to me "Is there something i could help you with Lord Zenith" it seems someone forgot to update this ones lore but it doesn''t mater "Nothing is I''m just waiting to meet someone" the goblin nodded "would is be Miss Amara?" i nodded "She is waiting for you at the Central meeting hall" i chuckled "Seemed someone wanted to be there earlier then me" i began to walk towards the Central meeting hall. Am I Acting The Part? As i pushed open the doors to the central meeting hall I felt someone gaze on me immediately, I walked into the Meeting hall and my footsteps echoed around the dome, that when I noticed Amara sitting silently, her eyes were sharp "Nice to finally meet you in the flesh Great General Zenith or do you go by a different name while outside of your Machine?" I shook my head "No, I am just Zenith the Ultima part comes from that fact that Machines are better then Living creatures at some tasks" She shrugged and I sat down on the opposite end of the table "So do you know why I wanted to talk to you" she lightly shook her head, "I need someone to be able to manage this place if something happens to me" i sighed "Not that anything should" i said quietly, she nodded "Well what do you need me to do then?" i slowly nodded "Well just follow me around and see what all i do, which honestly isn''t much" we sat in silence for a minute "Also if any of the Major Guardians need a room then they can use their respective creator''s room" she shook her head "That would be disrespectful to the Great Beings" why and how would that be disrespectful they left us and they don''t use them, I sighed and opened my inventory and Pulled out a Zenith Master Ring and slid it across the table "If your following me then you''ll need this" She looked excited "Are you proposing to me" i stood up "How dare you even Say that idea!" my voice was booming "I give you a gift to make it easier for you and you say something like that, don''t ever think that again" she looked frightened "Im sorry Great General Zenith, i didn''t know you felt so strongly about that, it was meant as a joke" i knew she was joking but Zenith would have acted like that since he uses machines as a coping method since his wife died in lore that is. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "that is all" i left the room, and Amara looked genuinely sorry. The walk back to my room was quiet, it seemed every other Guardian was avoiding me, once i got back to my room i immediately got back in the cooling chamber, so i could continue to control Zenith Ultima. ______________________ Amara had walked to floor 12 where there was a hidden bar, and Amara was Drinking Heavily "Ma''me we cant serve you anymore" she slamed the empty bottle down "Im the highestGuardian give mesome more" the bartender bended and put another bottle on the counter, but before she could start drinking a mechanical hand grabbed it "Amara Stop or i will have to report you" she tried to grab the bottle back "You cannnt stop me Astra, just because your his creation doesn''t mean you are allowed to stop me" a chuckled came from Astra "You think this is Astra, then you have it wrong" her eyes went wide "Wait Master Zenith How?" Astra handed the Bottle back to the barkeep "Come on Amara, i overreacted, you need some sleep" Amara stood but wobled around until Astra grabbed under her shoulder. Slowly they moved down the hallway "Im sorry master Zenith" tears streamed down her face, he patted her shoulder "Its fine" she shook her head "No its not" he didn''t say anything to that "See you didn''t say anything therefor its not" the robot went rigide and seconds later a blinding light appeared and Zenith standing in a skin tight suit appeared "thank you Astra" Zenith grabbed Amara "Would be easier if i carried you" he picked her up in a Princess style she blushed and then appeared in one of the Creator Rooms "Youll be sleeping here now" she tried to protest but couldn''t "Im in the room 4 down" she nodded and Zenith set her on the bed and then he walked out. _______ I cant belive i just did that dumbest thing i could do but i cant just let their creations suffer like that. unfourtantly couldn''t fall asleep since i don''t need it as a Arch Vampire. The Reports! (small Chapter) Most of the guardians didn''t need to sleep either, but I just gave them time to do whatever they wanted, but it didn''t give me much to do since the Great Guardians didn''t let me leave yet since they had apparently voted and they don''t want me leaving until they are sure the surrounding area is clear and safe. I knew I could bug one of the guardians but that isn''t what Zenith Would do "Ugh, why did I make such a complex edgy character" I mumbled to myself, I was also meant to be all-knowing but I certainly couldn''t remember everything about this place, but I guess I just figured out what I could do while waiting for the Recon team to get back. 3 Days Later As it turns out the Great Guardians have a lot more Lore that I didn''t even know, another thing I learned is that as long as I''ve read the knowledge once I can remember and cite it nearly perfectly which is a nice perk, beyond that all Amara has been doing is watching me, which I guess I did ask her to do but I belive she is wearing a Gold Rose Perfume or something of the sort, it either her or the maids are using that in my room, speaking of rooms I''ve convinced most of the Great Guardians to use their respective master''s room, but to my surprise Vesper and Veyla didn''t move in and when asked Veyla actually argued about how it was disrespectful, I didn''t know she was whats the word, Pasonite about that. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. the Recon team should arrive back today meaning I should be able to go out soon, hopefully that is. 6 hours Later The recon team just got back and they gave me a long ass report that I don''t feel like reading so I just said to them, I understand but I must see it for myself, On my skim through of it I saw that they found a Village of Humans I want to visit them, but the Guardians all insist on one of them going with me so now Lilith is going with me Savior ! Once i was ready to go i Teleported to the front doors, and to my surprise Lilith was waiting for me already, she was wearing her full Battle set which consisted of a set of Gauntlets that were way too big for her hands, and nearly no armor, she was the definition of a glass cannon. It wasn''t common for me to be close to the surface mansion, many people would overlook the entirety of the Last Bastion since finding the entrance to it was a difficult thing to find, and If I didn''t have my master ring then I might struggle to get around, but not the point Village we were going to see wasn''t too far and we could have likely just used a teleport spell to get there but I needed to see everything around us so I decided to go on foot. and the surroundings were exactly as the scouting party had described there were lush forests surronding the entire place, but to the north there are mountains. Lilith hadn''t spoken a word "So what do you think of Humans" I asked, she simply shrugged "I haven''t interacted with them so I don''t belive I''m qualified to answer that" I nodded "Well are their any other Guardians, Great or not that you are close to?" she nodded but didn''t answer, then she asked a question "Are you Close to any of the Guardians" I shrugged "You Could say me and Astra are close but I guess that is what happens when you create something... Sorry for the short rambling" she shook her head "No need to be sorry". we didn''t talk for a while after that we just walked in a somewhat awkward silence, the silence was a little weird especially since we were in a forest and you know forests aren''t normally quite unless they were being silenced by Something or someone "Focus Lilith, I belive we may be being watched" she nodded and stepped in front of me "As a Guardian I must protect the Last Great one" Lilith said. I Nodded "And as the Last Great one I must protect all of you" she seemed to understand my idea and moved back behind me " we are getting close to where the Human Village is" there was a Small amount of iron in the air as we approached the village it seemed more and more likely that the human village had been destroyed before we reached it "Lilith are you able to cast the 4th tier spell Fly?" she shook her head "No, My Lord I''m unable to cast Fly but Amara is able to cast many Spells" I nodded "Would you like me go back and get her?" I shook my head "No need, that spell would have just made it a little easier" she nodded and we continued to walk to the village since wqe had no found a path of sand. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. the smell of blood got stronger with every step as we got their gates witch were knocked down, I kneeled down and examined the break patterns "Brute force" I mutter to myself, lilith was nodding "We should move with caution we don''t know if these creatures are strong my Lord" she said it again, most guardians called me Great General or General but Lilith was among the few who called me Lord or Master which I found odd since I didn''t create her so she shouldn''t be calling me that, but I guess maybe it was something her creator did. she readied a Massive Battleaxe, I summoned my Plasma Blade "Did you hear Something?" she shook her head "Just a bit causes" I nodded and continued to move through the village, there were goblin bodies "Seems likely that an Ogre destroyed that wall" she nodded. There was an unfamiliar sound to me it was sharp and weird, I a Barely audible whisper I asked Lilith "Do you know what that sound is" she nodded "Goblin War Crys" as we moved closer to the Source of the sound the more human body I found "Seems the Goblins raided this town" she nodded. the goblins had surrounded a single house and were taunting what I guessed to be humans inside "I Would Like to talk to your Cheif" once again another strange sound came from the goblins but I knew this one to be laughing I sighed, "You DARE TAKE LORD ZENITHS WORDS SO LIGHTL, FOR THAT YOU WILL PAY WITH YOUR LIVEs" ane before I could stop Lilith she had killed half of the goblins, and well the rest of them ran away, I smacked Lilith on the head "You must not act without thought, they could have been valuable in some way" she bowed "I Shall take my Life for this mistake" she raised her battleaxe to her neck, I Grabbed the blade and pulled it away "No need, just think about your actions, and ill let this one go since it was in defense of my Name" she nodded and I looked down, I was just a robot "To not frighten the Humans I''m going to wear different cloths and a mask" she shook her head "Why, even the lowly humans should gaze upon your perfection Lord Zenith" I sighed "once again its for the safety of the bastion" 25 Minutes latter I wore a basic mask along with a robe that covered my entire body ''Knock, Knock'' "its safe to come out now" I heard mumurs from the people inside about the king maybe sending guards or something but the report reported that the nearest kingdoms was quite far from this small village, slowly the door opend Looking around They had many questions, but thankfully they spoke in a language I could understand. To my surprise, Lilith was silent. Normally, she would be talking a lot, but I guessed she might be shy. Whatever the case, I would have to do the speaking. It took hours for me to convince them that we were trustworthy since we didn''t have a crest from any kingdom or guild. This was definitely something I would need to invest in later if we chose that path. Throughout this time, to my surprise, Lilith hadn''t spoken; she just observed everything I did and said, which, looking back, wasn¡¯t much. I asked for a map, and they showed me one, but I couldn''t take it since apparently, they were expensive. They used a similar money system, so our coins could likely still be used if needed. As the sun was setting, casting light straight into my eyes, I said, "We should be going now" while opening the door. I still had plenty of time, but they warned me of a monster in the forest¡ªlikely the creature that orchestrated the attack on their village. Since this was the closest village to the Bastion, I intended to investigate it. "No, you should wait till tomorrow. We will have a feast for our saviors... Where are my manners? I haven''t even asked for your names," the village leader said. I sighed, knowing I was going to leave tonight regardless. The High Guardians were threatening to destroy everything near this town. "I am Kieran, and my silent companion is Selene, if you couldn''t tell she doesn''t speak much." She nodded. The village leader continued, "We will make sure the feast is fit for both of you." I waved my hand in dismissal. "I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m going to have to decline for religious reasons." The leader nodded, "Nonetheless, we will hold a feast." I gave up. He showed us to a small hut that was noticeably nicer than the rest. "Please stay here for the night; no one will bother you." He winked at me. If I could frown, I would have. "Not to be rude, Savior, but why do you wear a mask?" I touched my mask. "A horrible curse." The leader frowned. "Unfortunate. I believe the royal capital has the best clerics, so they might be able to reverse it." I nodded and thanked him for that information before entering the hut. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. It was made of brick and had only a single bed. "Lord Zenith," I looked over at Lilith. "Are we staying here for the night?" I shook my head. "I need to continue exploring this world. They spoke of a stronger beast in the forest." She nodded at my words. "We will be using teleport spells to leave this hut." She nodded again. We stood on some grass that swayed gently in the breeze. "Quite peaceful, wouldn''t you agree, Lilith?" She looked around. "It is. May I touch the grass?" I shrugged. "You may." I sat down; after touching the long blades of grass, she sat down next to me. "This would make a great spot for a nap, if only I needed to," she chuckled. "Something neither of us can truly enjoy, is it?" I smiled. If anyone were observing my body while in the cooling chamber back in the Bastion, they would see me smile¡ªnot that anyone would be in my room, but still. I laid in the grass. "I might just sit here. you can relax if you want," I told Lilith before disconnecting from Zenith Ultima. I pulled myself out of the jelly-like substance of the cooling chamber; my hair was soaked in slime, a surprisingly great heat dissipater. I grabbed the towel I kept near the chamber. It was going to take a minute to clean the slime out of my hair, so I took a quick shower and dried my hair. I left it as it was instead of parting it. I wore a simple outfit of blue jeans and a white T-shirt with some leather boots¡ªof course, all made from exotic materials, but still the most basic outfit I have. I grabbed a teleport scroll from the vault before using it. Lilith sat there, startled to see me in the flesh. "Hello, Lilith. Nice to finally meet you," I said as I walked toward her. She knelt down. "No need for that. The reason I''m here in the flesh is that this area is way too weak to hurt us." She stood up. "It is nice to meet you too, Great General Zenith," she saluted me. I frowned. "Do all of you get tense when seeing me in the flesh? I''m simply here to enjoy the sun and the nice grass." Her posture was more rigid than a freshly cut board. I laid down in the grass next to Ultima (robotic body). I had left a note under Amara''s door, letting her know that I was fine. Lilith sat down next to me. She didn¡¯t lay down but sat beside me. "So, do you have any hobbies?" she asked. I chuckled, "Yes, quite a few. The main one is building, but I also enjoy art and cooking. What about you?" She looked around as if she were about to share the most embarrassing secret, which, for her hobbies, probably was since her face was almost entirely a shade of light pink. "Please don¡¯t tell anyone this, sir, but I do have a few. I like stargazing, observing nature, learning history, and art." I smiled. "Good, it''s important to have hobbies," I told her. She laid down. "Yeah, I guess." I sighed before closing my eyes. "No need to be so tense while with me. I may be the acting leader, but I''m still just Zenith" Weakness We didnt sit there for much longer since the sun was setting behind us, "We should get going" she nodded in agreement. "I will file a report for the Strong monster in the Forrest," she said while getting up, I cleared my throat "no need, we will clear it ourselves" there was a light breeze that would have caused a normal person to be cold. "But General we can---" I interrupted her "No need for formals with me, and I belive this Strong creature they speak of is actually quite weak compared to us" she sighed in defeat. I Put Ultima into my storage Ring "Lets get going" I only had a sword and my rings, all of witch had buff spells inscribed into them "Will you be using It?" I shook my head to her question "Ultima will be side-lined for now, this is how much I believe these Creatures are weak" as we traveled through the forest nothing got near us, I could detect and feel others presence but none approached us until we got near a cave where a slightly stronger Aura was, nothing that the Servants of the Bastion would fear at all, this creature was weak compared to me even physically and I was likely one of the weakest out of all in the bastion in terms of pure strength at least without my Rings and Artifacts. "Who Dares Approach the Great King of the North" I picked up a rock and threw it into the cave "A fellow King" this creature would allow me to test many new things. "Proceed further and you will die Fellow King" A screech came from it, this would have probably made the villagers in the Village Deff, but this attack was nothing to us. "You attack a Fellow King?" I motioned for Lilith to stop as I continued my approach "You know attacking another King can be considered a declaration of war..." I waited for its response but it seemed to be thinking "How about me and my people Raze this Forrest to the ground, then see if you have the Guts to attack us again" I released some of my Magic power. this creature was now pinned to the floor "W h a t.. Is.. Thi s" I knew the pressure would continue to get worse for it as I continued my approach "See to be called a King you must have 1 fundamental thing, take a guess at what that is" This creature should know what it is "Subordinates" and of course it was somehow wrong "No Strength, the strength to crush your enemies" Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Without even a thought I continued my approach and as I did this creature died, just from my pressure "It was so weak it died" Lilith looked disgusted "As it should be" I let out a sigh since she was a fundamental part in my plan to gain information "I will keep this mistake undernote, the creatures of this world lack durability" Lilith looked disappointed "Why restrain yourself at all, these... these lowly creature deserve and need to see what true strength is" she may have some point there but this wasn''t the way. we left the cave and headed back to the Bastion, where I wrote a report of what happened so the Guardians could know of how weak this world was, but I still urged them to take caution. I stood up from my desk which was normally a mess with parts, I looked over at the maid "Please deliver these to all the Great Guardians" I handed her a stack of 15 Reports, and despite Lilith being there I still sent her the report. on my desk sat a Golden Staff, and the Jewels of Catram "I should finish this" I mumble to myself, and so I started on the long process to finish this beautiful symbol of our guild. 11 days that is how long this would take, so I was now going to have to do it in small increments. 2 days Later 2 new reports sat on my desk, one from Nyx and the other from Kars and Victor both of them outlined how weak this world was, the key difference in the Reports was that Nyx was actively trying to find the Strongest people while Kars and Victor were simply just Exploring and learning about this new world. Maybe I should do a follow up with Lilith about us being Human adventurers, it would allow us to Gain knowledge and Set up who we were, somewhat since we would be using fake names and gear but nonetheless it would give us a great opotunity. it took me 15 minutes to set up a meeting with Lilith, she stayed in the bastion on my orders, we would be meeting in 25 minutes at the meeting hall.