*This is the fully edited version.*

*updated 8/3/2017*

The very beginning. David and his two friends leap into the world of Ilos, only to be ripped apart the first day. Suddenly David is alone back at the start, and he's in a totally different body. What's going on? What rules does Ilos run on? What happened to his friends? There's no logging out? What does the booming voice in the sky mean when he says the fate of two worlds rests in their hands?

What is Ilos?

 

I have the bad (good?) habit of editing whenever I read through my own material.
Here's all of Book 1, you can ignore any other posts for this book.

Also I'm not dead :)

-Tas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ilos

By: Tas

 

 

Prologue: The Mage and the Demon

Ilos, Day -100

 

A figure stood on the edge of the island, looking out over the expanse of the land as the light of the sun flickered into existence. High in the air, above the clouds, a myriad of dissimilar islands floated, and at the top there stood a man. He was hunched and gray, supporting himself with a long crystal staff that had once stood at a height with him, but now overtopped him by a head. Creases covered his face from long years of effort as he kept his vigil over the land and over the people who looked to him for guidance.

Again and again he had thrown his considerable magical talents into battle with his enemy, and again and again he lost. Even now he could feel the magic draining from him, sustaining enchantments of his own design that held Arlanus and his myriad of creatures at bay, as it had for long long centuries. It had seemed such a simple solution once, to just seal the danger away.

A fool. That’s what I am. Xynus cursed himself. So confident in my power I thought I could hold him, hold all of them. He laughed softly, despairingly. Look now at the bare few I still contain while the rest wreak havoc across the land.

The sun’s first light drew light hues of pink and orange across the clouds below the man, and he looked down upon Ilos like he had done every day for some long forgotten length of years, studying the land that he had vowed to protect… and failed. The changes had been slow as the magic began to slip from his grasp, a villager vanishing here, some livestock there, but as time passed, it was no longer a few people vanishing, but entire towns. Creatures became more savage, and monsters began to take shape on the islands, crushing the people in upon themselves. Now what were once the strongest bastions of humanity were reduced to mere pittances of their former glory or else ruins overgrown and forgotten, simple myths to the people that still clung to their ancestors’ land. Monsters freely roamed the wilderness where one could once travel the length and width of the land without fear, and there was so little of humanity left.

He had closed the Earth and Air Gates, slowing the spread of the danger, but it only delayed what he could not stop. Now Arlanus was finally on the edge of victory, the magic sustaining his prison so thin that Xynus sometimes thought he felt the man’s hatred, chilling his bones more than age could alone.

Xynus gave a heavy sigh, part relief and part despair, and slowly turned towards the center of the island, shuffling towards the single defining feature atop this, the very highest point of the world. A perfectly square platform made of a brilliant white stone shone before him, the culmination of his preparations. He had tried so many things, but this was to be his final move, his last gambit. The single step up from grassy earth to clean stone was almost more than his shaking legs could manage, but he refused to let his fear filled body fail him now.

Reaching the center of the platform, the highest point of all of Ilos, he drew upon the staff, filling himself with long stored power and began to intone the spell he had spent the last two hundred years perfecting.

Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.
Fisfriar ansilnel dunisgis antivue.
Fisfriar ansilnel ekresdun.
Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.

De Ci cende gisvas resdun.
De Tu cende cinvas ra’an.
De Etposdun cende issus faskasi.
De Ue’et antiv vassin fasratu.

 

The magic flowed through him, strengthening his body. He straightened, his blue eyes shining with power as motes of raw mana began to drift around him, drawn to the spell. The crystal staff glowed brightly, pulsing with the rhythm of his words.

Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.
Fisfriar ansilnel kermosres.
Fisfriar ansilnel ekkinan.
Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.

Cusue’et cui gal.
Cusue’et cui setres cusekmos.
Cusue’et cui kintiv antivsus.
Cusue’et cui anlesek.

 

It was time to stop taking half measures and delaying tactics and truly make a move that wretch Arlanus wouldn’t see coming. He stood tall now as he once had, a grand magus in all his glory. His hair and robe stirred as multicolored motes swirled around him, growing faster as we wove the magic into a circle on the floor beneath him. Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Nature, Spirit, Light, Shadow, Death, all nine elements in harmony. The staff pulsed more strongly, the light coming off of it in every hue imaginable as he raised both hands towards the heavens.

Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.
Fisfriar ansilnel iska.
Fisfriar ansilnel ekreslos.
Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.

De lospos cende’ue resdunsus.
De lospos cende’ue kinlessus.
De lospos cende’ue anlessus.
De lospos cende’ue argalsus.

 

The air rippled at the base of the plinth, forming into the fitfully flicking shape of a man. Ten feet of muscle and clad in black armor, Xynus didn’t need to see the blood red hair and eyes of the bearded man to know who he was. Arlanus looked at the grand mage, then down to the circle on the platform, the man’s expression contorting to one of understanding and horror before turning to pure rage.

Xynus felt his face twist into a savage victorious smile. It’s time you remember whom you war against Arlanus! I shall not go quietly when I can still recover what I have lost to you!

The mana motes were thick now, swirling in a tornado around him, the crystal staff outshining the sun with its radiance as he gripped it overhead with both hands. However unneeded, he raised his voice in defiance, as strong as it had ever been, shouting the final verse of the spell.

Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka!
Fisfriar ansilnel dunisgis antivue!
Fisfriar ansilnel ekresdun!
Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka!

 

“By my words and magic let our contract be established! COME CHAMPIONS! COME AND FIGHT FOR ILOS!”

With a final wordless roar, Xynus brought his staff down into the center of the circle he had created, shattering the white stone beneath. Far below, in the center of humanity’s greatest city, with walls tall and never breached, a great light bloomed, washing out the sun.

 

 

 

Chapter 1: The World of Ilos

Earth, Day 0

 

Nervous excitement bubbled in my gut as I strode down the hall of the Engineering Building, my steps quick despite my efforts to keep it measured. One of the nicest things about college, I decided, was being able to just leave after finishing a midterm, allowing me to bypass most of the crowd and have plenty of time to get back to my apartment. I ignored the ‘under construction’ sign as I pushed through a plastic sheet into a dusty hallway that served as my most common shortcut home from this building. The whisper of my shoes on the tile floor kicked up slight puffs of dust as they took me through the abandoned site and towards freedom. It was the last day of school for the week, a Thursday, and I had plans for the four day weekend that loomed ahead of me. Or maybe the rest of the year… I thought as I contemplated skipping school for the remainder of the semester.

Today was the day I had been looking forward to for close on a month, the day I once again would have the opportunity to live in Ilos. The thick segmented white-metal headband that hung around my neck was my Key to that wondrous virtual world, almost indistinguishable from the real one.

All I had to do was place it around my forehead and will myself to enter in order to escape from this annoying reality. Well, once the servers opened anyway. That time was a mere hour away, and I had things to prepare for my upcoming journey. I forced myself to slow down again, it wouldn’t do to get these clothes all dusty and make more laundry if I didn’t have to.

I was one of ten thousand to receive one of the silver headbands, allowing access to the ‘beta’ version of the game, if that is what it could be called. Ilos was whole and complete from the first second of the ‘beta’, and none of the other players I had talked to had found any sort of bug or odd occurrence that a beta was supposed to fix. Even more than that, the game was not advertised in any way. No commercials. No signs. No marketing whatsoever. And it didn’t matter one whit. News of the game spread through the internet and the world practically overnight, and I doubted that there wasn’t a person with internet access that didn’t know about it. Websites were established immediately, forums erupting with news as the beta players began to post what they had experienced. People bought and sold the Keys for insane prices, hundreds of millions of currency crossing the internet as those with the funds bribed people without to let them use the mysterious devices.

Sure, I could have sold mine and spent the rest of my life in comfort, never having to work, never wanting for anything, but that would have deprived me of the thing I wanted even more: escape. I hated reality, the monotonous predictability of life. Well, that wasn’t entirely fair, there was a good deal I loved about life, especially my parents, sister, and the few friends I had close bonds to, but I knew exactly where I would have been going had I not gotten the headband. I would have completed school, then moved on to a graduate degree, then worked an almost meaningless job with idiots that I probably wouldn’t like for forty or so years, then I would retire, likely still unmarried, and indulge myself in whatever ways I could until I died. It was a stupid existence with no purpose, and the headband was my way out. No longer would I have to be a 6’ 1” mildly athletic twenty one year old guy with thick glasses and messy hair, but a warrior, able to beat the strongest foes with my strength, wits, or speed.

Cynical bastard aren’t you David. I thought to myself, turning down opening to the left and ducking under a metal scaffold. Bloody huge extension they’re adding to this place though. Seriously, what are they going to do with all this space?

The ‘beta’ lasted for a solid two months, beginning right after the holiday break started, and I had spent every hour possible in Ilos, training, exploring, doing things that actually helped people, regardless of whether they were computer controlled NPCs or actual players. The real world became just a shadow that I irregularly visited to hurriedly shower and shove food down my throat before jumping back to Ilos. I had skipped school when it had started up again, continuing my schedule and spending even more time as the beta drew to a close.

My body wasted away in my bed, and when I was forced back to the real world I was in terrible condition. I had dropped a good twenty pounds off my already slender frame, and was as weak as a newborn kitten until I began to eat regularly again and move around. I got back into my classes reluctantly, working long hours to catch up to my peers and to assure my parents’ continued support for college. The normal distractions I had had before paled when compared to Ilos, the videogames I had so loved boring and pointless, my books of great adventures dull and lifeless. All I knew was that I had to wait a full month before I could again adventure in Ilos, and that all I had accomplished there would vanish as they reset the servers. The thought that all I had done would be gone was crushing, as if I had lost a part of myself.

After a few days I couldn’t care less. I just wanted back in. Not that I was going to completely ruin my real life of course, I wasn’t that stupid, so I began preparing.

Without the time wasting activities I was accustomed to, I found it easy to concentrate on what I needed to do in order to be ready when the game officially released. All of my energies went into this one goal, and I planned and schemed to get as much time as possible in Ilos when I was finally able to. My grades went from zeroes to high Bs and then As as I aced every quiz and every test in every class. I asked my parents for more money, bolstering my bank account, and I began buying foodstuffs that would last a significant amount of time before I had to get more, probably several months depending on how much I ate. Everything was in readiness now; I just had some final preparations to make at my apartment.

Without any other work I would pass every class and end the semester with a 2.75 GPA, my apartment was paid for in advance until the beginning of the next school year, and I even had a service that would deliver the more perishable foodstuffs to my apartment. I had squared everything with my parents, lying about some unpaid internship I had made up that would require me to stay the whole summer. Not the best thing for my grades, and I really shouldn’t have lied to my parents, but…

My reverie was broken by three rather large men stepping out in front of me. I knew these idiots; these were Bill, Ted, and Joe, all of whom had discovered what my ‘silver necklace’ actually was and what kind of value it had. Each was a muscle bound cretin that could snap me in half without trying if he ever actually got a good hold on me. They had all tried to get it from me, first by threats and then attacks, but they had never succeeded. They were the ones responsible for five separate attempted break-ins to my apartment trying to get the thing, enough that I had to get upgrades to the locks and windows so they couldn’t get in without at least making a hell of a lot of noise. The video cameras the apartment complex finally installed after the fifth attempt and a lot of complaining stopped those thankfully.

I sighed a little before I could stop myself. Why was I the one that had to get stuck Classic School Bully numbers 234, 235, and 236? While not very intelligent, they were clever, clever enough that I wasn’t ever able to get any of them on tape to turn into the police.

The only reason they hadn’t beaten me to a pulp yet is that I could out run them easily and I was quiet when I moved, almost silent, so they had little warning when I was approaching and couldn’t follow when they lost sight of me.

Unfortunately, they had me good this time. They always kept the doors in this part of the building locked, considering no one was supposed to be here in the first place, and they and picked their ambush spot well. The doors behind me clicking shut just as they stepped out from the piles of building materials. The only exit was behind them, a single door that was made of metal and looked like it was going to be a fire exit when the building was complete. Their smiles widened as they saw I couldn't run away, their eyes already lighting up with greed for the circlet around my neck.

“You aint gettin’ away this time Applesauce.” Bill smiled nastily, flexing his massive muscles and gesturing with a long smooth staff he was carrying, “Why don’t you just hand over that little trinket and you won’t have to spend the rest of the year in the hospital?”

Yep, that would be me he was talking to. David Joseph Appleton, the nerdy videogamer junior kid who did free running as a hobby, enjoyed brown eyes that didn’t work without thick glass in front of them, short but unkempt brown hair, and the complete inability to grow any sort of facial scruff whatsoever. Oh, and at a slender 6’1” and 165 pounds, was totally outweighed by each of the brutes in the room.

My eyes widened as Ted pulled out a long knife and Joe removed his jacket to reveal a chest holster with a large revolver in it. Damn they were serious this time! They knew it was their last chance to get me before the release today, and they were willing to risk jail to get something that would set them for life.

Deciding on my plan, I set myself and gestured to Bill to come forwards, bringing my other hand to my ‘necklace’. “Alright, alright, just don’t shoot me okay?”

He stepped forwards, believing the whiny scared tone that had taken just a bit of extra effort to produce. Surprise marred his stupid face as I grabbed the makeshift quarterstaff in his hand, twirling it as I torqued his wrist enough to make him let go. I spun around him, cracking Ted’s hand and sending the knife flying as I slipped into the trance like battle state that I had been so famous for in Ilos. Fear, excitement, distain, all emotion vanished, replaced by… nothing. Void. Calm. Focus. Stillness. Every movement was in perfect balance as I continued the twirl, clipping Bill’s knee as he turned and sending him to the floor. Sharp cracks punctuated my swings as I broke Joe’s hand as he reached for his pistol, shattered Ted’s knee, fractured Bill’s skull as he fell, cracked one of Joe’s ribs, clipped Ted behind the ear as he stumbled to the ground, and then hit Joe’s temple as he keeled over clutching his rib.

I had flipped the quarterstaff to my back where I had a holder for it in Ilos and it hit my backpack before I caught myself and grounded one end on the tile floor instead. Bill, Ted, and Joe were sprawled around me, all unconscious, mere seconds after Bill had stepped forwards. Emotions flowed back as I loosed my hold on the Stillness, the mild eddies I’d known for all my life. I smiled and dropped the quarterstaff as I hopped over them, glad to see I still had the instincts my weapons training in Ilos had brought along with the silent way I moved. Maybe I should have felt sorry for them, but I really really wasn’t. They had had a right beating coming to them, and I was completely unopposed to having given it to them. I wasn’t worried about police either, the three were much suspected bullies and petty criminals. Besides, the idea that some nerd gamer kid half their size and six inches shorter beat the hell out of all three of them was ridiculous.

Putting it from my mind, pushed out the metal door, and, safely away from the dust settled into nice easy ground eating lope back towards my apartment. I considered what I would do at the very start of the adventure I was about to embark upon. Exactly 990,000 regular metallic headbands had been sold across the world for the upcoming release, bringing the total players to exactly one million, a source of mild discontent for me.

Having that many people all appearing in Ilos at close to the same time could clog everything up, and I did not like crowds, or at least groups that large. I figured I could skip the beginning intro quests that had players to run around the capital city and get familiar with the massive place and just get to the next town and do the quests there. It’d be harder, but certainly faster and much more interesting.

I arrived at my apartment with just under a half hour to get everything ready. I made some sandwiches without mayo so they wouldn’t get soggy, made sure the fridge next to the bed was well stocked with water at the front, and even made sure the new shampoo and soap were in their places in the shower for fast scrubbing. Finally, I sat down in front of my computer and opened Skype, then called the two people that were my closest friends and the ones I would be spending most of my time with in-game.

Nick answered first, his reddish hair and bluish eyes shimmering with an excitement that matched the smile splitting his face. He too wore glasses, but they weren’t nearly as thick and were more for when he was about to do some serious gaming, otherwise preferring contacts. Nicholas Finn Charleston was my rather enthusiastic partner in crime, if slightly less of a geek, and was mostly responsible for any social life I had. He chose a different college than I did, much to my unvoiced disappointment, and was an absolute whiz at anything economics or business related. He was already wearing his black metallic headband and was fidgeting excitedly, obviously feeling the same bubbling feeling in him that I was. “Dude! Are you ready?!”

“Am I ready? Am I ready?! I’m set for freaking months dude!No no, the question is are you ready?”

“Hell yeah I'm ready! Do you know how jealous I've been of you?! The only person I know to get a silver key? Forced to listen you talk about how amazing Ilos is for the past month? You’ve got me so jacked to try this game!” Nick waved his hands wildly, trying to get across just how ‘jacked’ he was.

“Hey now! Who was it who begged me for details about Ilos? Oh yes, you! And I know exactly how jealous you are, because you’ve told me practically every time we’ve talked since!” I laughed.

“Well duh, how could I not! I mean, you got to-“

“Yes yes, he got to play in the beta, and had a wonderful time in Ilos, and you’re entirely envious, and he’s so lucky. We know already Nick.”

“Good to see you too Jess.” Nick laughed, “Are you ready?”

“Sure.” She sighed, but was still smiling, her eyes moving ever so slightly as she shifted her focus to my image on her screen. “I’m still not sure how the hell you managed to convince me to try this game, but it better be damn good to be worth the effort I've put in to clear my schedule for the entire week!”

My smile stretched wider, if that was possible, when Jess’ face popped up next to Nick’s. Jessica Abigail Baker, a beautiful girl with light blue-hazel eyes and soft blonde hair, was the second on my list of close friends, bringing the total to two. Her creamy and lightly tanned skin seemed to glow softly in the light of her computer, and I found myself once again staring into her dazzling and utterly unique eyes. The brilliant blue of her irises was broken by a splash of rich brown radiating out from her pupils, a configuration I had never seen anywhere else, and it for some reason mesmerized me whenever I saw them.

“-llo. Hello! Snap out of it Bro.” Jess was practically shouting into her mic.

I blinked, then shook my head, “Right, umm, what was I saying Sis?”

Nick, unable to hold himself anymore, bust out laughing while Jess sported a wry smile, fully aware she was the cause of my antics. All three of us knew I had a crush on Jess and that she didn’t return the sentiment, but for some reason it wasn’t awkward in the slightest. To be honest I was secretly a little hurt that she didn’t have the same feelings for me that I did for her, but at the same time she was just as much my sister as the one related to me by blood, and I was loath to lose that. Both of us had a strong Christian upbringing, and ever since she found out that her middle name was after Abigail in the Bible, David’s sister, she had started calling me Bro, and after a year or so I started to do it too until we almost never used each other’s names. I personally suspected it was so I didn’t get any serious romantic ideas. She was one person I really admired and was everything I was not. Where I had a hard time with strangers and social situations, she was a natural born leader and speaker, and I fully believed she could talk a boulder into following her up a hill.

“You called us to discuss where we were going to meet when the server opens if I remember correctly.” She hesitated for a moment, “Okay Nick, shut up now.”

I chuckled as Nick’s laughter renewed itself, then continued on to the business at hand, speaking over the suppressed mirth. “Right. When you first get into Ilos you’ll be in a pure white room with a full length mirror. You can customize the random appearance they give you, but I'd suggest you stick to close to what they generate for you because it’s based off your real body and it should feel natural. We should all look enough the same that we will be able to recognize each other so long you don’t make any drastic changes. All you need to do is head north to the gate because we will all appear in different places. The capital city is a huge circle, so if you just head generally north you will be able to follow the wall until you get to the gate. I should be there before you, but if I’m not for some reason just wait a few minutes.”

I waited for them to nod before continuing. “After we all get there we’ll head north along the road that leads out of the city past the first village and into the following town of Riskmarl. The quests there are surprisingly easy and we will be free to complete them quickly without having to compete with the other million people for hunting spots or items. We will have to be careful though, it’ll be dangerous if we let ourselves get too injured and get ambushed by a larger group of creatures. It’s a long walk from the plaza in the city that you’re revived at and where we’ll be questing. With the three of us it shouldn’t be hard to do because all of the quests at that level are made for people alone, though we will have to get three times the creature drops to complete them. Nick, if I’m busy doing something or other, try to explain things to Jess, you know how these games work." I ran through my mental checklist of important information. "I think that’s about it.”

They both nodded again, Nick having corralled his laughter by this point and was back to grinning excitedly. His eyes flicked to the corner of his screen, “We still got eight minutes till launch, any last minute advice David?”

I thought for a moment, “Oh, before you meet me at the gate pick up whatever weapons seem interesting to you from the stores by the gate, you should have enough money left over to pick up some health potions as well, so spend all the rest you don’t use on weapons on those. You will want as many as you can and you’ll go through them faster than you think you will. At the beginning it’s the only way to heal yourself outside emergency magical healing, and you will get hit a lot while you learn how to use your weapons. Keep in mind that there are no ‘skills’ like in other games, it’s all you, though you will have some assistance from the game while learning. Other than that we just need to level as fast as we can at the beginning and be ahead of as many people as possible to reduce the chances of getting all the good quests taken by other players.” I checked my computer’s clock, “Four minutes. See you guys at the North Gate.”

“See you there Bro.”

“AHHHHH I CAN’T WAIT!! Let’s DO this!”

I saluted my friends, then hit the ‘end call’ button and shut down my computer. I slipped my Key from around my neck for the first time since the ‘beta’ ended and placed it around my forehead, unable to contain my wide grin as I laid down on the bed. My eyes closed, and I waited for the feeling that would tell me I could again enter Ilos at will. Seconds seemed like hours as I readied myself to be the first person in, to watch as the multitudes began to emerge from areas of shimmering space, to breathe the sweet air and see the countless sparkling stars unclouded by pollution, to see the islands in the sky that stretched out of sight, to once again walk the lush grass and explore the blooming forests of Ilos.

I felt it, and within the second shifted just like countless times before, the familiar light of the transition taking me to the world of my dreams.

 

-----

 

I selected the appearance I had already made for myself during the beta, studying myself in the mirror provided in the empty white space that was character creation. Rather than just a plain, somewhat athletic, messy-haired college student with glasses, a stoic looking young warrior stared back at me. He still had short brown hair and eyes, was the same height, and looked a lot like me, but his posture was more composed, and his muscles were plainly visible through his skin. His eyes seemed more vibrant, a warm chocolate color instead of dark dirt or mud, and his ears had slight points. I grinned, then confirmed the appearance and typed in the name ‘Cariss’ on the keyboard that appeared in front of me. My vision washed out for a moment, and then I appeared in the central plaza of Ilos with a glow of white light and a tinkling sound.

Looking around, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Buildings surrounded the open area, though they were around two tenths of a mile away from where I stood. The plaza was massive; with a diameter of 700 yards, it was made to hold all one million players at one time. Most of the buildings were made of different colors of marble this close to the center of the city and the Palace towered upwards in front of me in all its splendor. The blocks under my feet were made of some kind of white stone that had never been seen on Earth, each containing thousands of shards of crystal that reflected the light into a myriad of colors. Looking down, I saw that I was dressed in the normal beginning armor, if you could even call it armor, in different hues of blue. It was essentially clothes that were thicker than normal, offering little protection, and there was a dull short sword belted at my left hip.

Lights flickered like an insane kaleidoscope across the plaza as more players logged in. I watched for my friends for a moment, but with the number of people appearing there was no way I would be able to spot them. Turning to really take in the surroundings, my ears caught the voices of those nearby.

“Hey, isn’t that that one guy?”

“That’s Cariss right? He looks just like the drawing.”

“Wait till James hears I saw the Calm right as I logged in!”

Wincing slightly, I started off towards the North Gate, weaving through the rapidly growing crowd. Perhaps using the same appearance I had in the beta had been a mistake, there was no better way to be swamped by people than to be easily recognizable as one of the seven most elite players of the beta. Someone had gotten a good look at us the one time we had fought together as a group in public and was apparently artistic enough to do a really good rendition of the image when he logged out that day. He’d found out that we were the ones who had gotten the furthest in the beta and headed the picture as ‘The Ilos Leaders’. Without knowing our names at the time, he made up his own titles for us based on what he saw and didn’t bother to change them when the rest of the community supplied the correct names. Admittedly it was pretty incredible artwork, depicting us in battle against an unseen foe, and was probably still the top image when anyone searched for ‘Ilos’ on the internet. Unfortunately that meant I was recognized as Cariss ‘the Calm’ and would garner much more attention than I wanted.

After I got out of the plaza, staying away from the crowds was easy, I knew all the back streets and alleys that led where I wanted to go. I stopped briefly at a clothing store and a weapons dealer, spending most of my money on a plain hooded cloak and as many throwing knives as I could buy, the rest would be for the few healing potions I could afford with what I had left over.

In the beta I had picked up a quarterstaff, my signature weapon, only to get a much better one for a quest reward almost immediately, so I was just going to survive with the knives until then. I could use a sword, better than most really, but I would probably end up taking a lot of hits without a shield, which I wasn’t going to buy. Storing them, I ran back into the alley and up the wall onto the rooftops.

Everywhere was fair game here, rooftops, alleys, walls, basements, rooms, everywhere. As a free runner, it was amazing, a playground where even if you fell it didn’t hurt. If it also happened to be the fastest way to get from one place to another, well, that was a nice bonus.

Consequently, I beat both of my friends to the North Gate and had some time spend the rest of my money on health potions and watch the first few players leave the gates, hood safely up to hide my face. As with most online games that allowed character creation, everyone who I saw was idealistically beautiful, handsome, tough looking, scarred and experienced, or some combination thereof. There weren’t really any ‘ordinary’ looking players around, because what was the fun of playing an RPG if you just wanted to be normal?

There were a few I noticed that seemed to know what they were doing and walked with confidence and a destination in mind, and many many more that were just the opposite, wandering through the shops and taking in the sights… and buying some of the most worthless items. I mean really, what were you going to do with a broad spectrum antidote potion? Drink it for the taste? There wasn’t any poison to deal with yet, that came much later. Or that guy that bought the Bronze Knee Spikes and nothing else, how could he possibly use that effectively? Though I must admit it was really amusing to watch people make horrible purchases and try to strut like they knew what they were doing.

I probably did some dumb things when I first came here too, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t funny.

After a good ten minutes or so my friends finally arrived, Nick speaking up to get my attention off of the fool who had bought a Woolen Robe, a comfort item, and was wearing it like armor and heading out of the gates. “What are you laughing at David? And what’s with the cloak? I almost missed you.”

“It’s because of that ‘Leaders’ picture, and I don’t like the attention…” I trailed off as I turned to greet my friends. They were both standing there in their basic armor, puzzled looks on their faces, and struggling not to drop at least four different weapons each. I snorted with laughter before I could stop myself, getting a pair of indignant glares for my trouble.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t explain the inventory system did I?”

I got a flat look from Nick and a puzzled one from Jess through the jumble of weaponry they were carrying.

“No, you didn’t really mention that dude.”

“Inventory system? What’s that?”

“Here, set those down and I’ll show you.” I said chuckling as I motioned with both hands like pulling on the corners of a square with my thumbs and index fingers, bringing up a holographic display in front of me.

Jess dropped her weapons with a clatter in surprise, eliciting another smirk from me. Nick set his down on the ground and looked curiously at the mostly transparent swirling area hovering in front of me, a few tiny looking items floating around in it. I would have expected him to already know the basics of this game inside and out given how excited he’d been the last few months, so why was he acting as if this was all new information?

“This is the Inventory display; it allows you to store items and weaponry so you don’t have to carry them around. You can reach into it and pull out any items you have in there, “ I reached into the window and pulled out one of the health potions I had bought, having it materialize in a flicker of light, “and to put something in you just do the reverse.” I pushed the potion back in, it dematerializing into particles as it passed the screen, a tiny red potion appearing in the display. “There is a weight limit that a Storage Gem can store, but not a size limit. Everyone starts with a basic Storage Gem set into the front of their belt, though you can move it to a different piece of armor or jewelry if you visit a specialty shop.” Closing the window with a brush of my hand, I continued. “You have to use both hands to open the inventory, so it’s usually a good idea to keep things you might need to use in battle on your person and save the inventory space for spares and things that would hinder you to carry. You can close any window with a motion like brushing something off your shoulder with the back of your hand or by doing the same thing you used to open that window.” I hesitated, making sure I had gotten everything before shrugging. “That’s all there is to it.”

After getting them to store their purchased weapons, I noticed Jess was looking at me funny, leaning in a little bit. I cocked my head at her. “Yes?”

“Sorry Bro, you just look a little different from how you normally do. I’m not sure why, but you do.”

“Yeah, you do look kinda different dude, but at the same time not really.”

“Well that’s what the system does at character creation. I know my eyes are a slightly different color, I don’t have any sort of acne here, and my ears are a little pointy.”

I took in my friends again, looking for the differences I knew were there. Nick’s hair was still red, but more of a blood red than the brown-tinged color he had had before. His eyes were also a brilliant sky-blue rather than a dull blue and his face was more classically handsome as well. Jess was more beautiful, if that were possible. Her features were perfect, her eyes and irises were slightly bigger and more tilted, though they still had that brown into blue coloration unique to her. I noted that her ears were pointed when she brushed back her shining blonde hair, enough to be noticeable when viewed plainly, but invisible when she had her hair down.

She noticed me staring and posed with a little smirk and a raised eyebrow. “Looking at something Bro?”

I flushed as Nick started snickering. “Let’s – ah – let’s just go.” I stuttered as I headed out the North Gate, my friends laughing as they followed.

We went out to the hilly fields just north of the city, which were filled with one of the stock starting RPG enemies: Boars. I tried to explain a few more things as we walked the short distance. Unlike any other online RPG, there was no grouping system; anyone who helped with an encounter got experience based on their participation and performance.

Nick nodded, but Jess just looked confused. “Wait, what does any of that mean?” She asked, “And what do you mean by ‘experience’? It’s obvious you’re talking about something different than that word normally means.”

I shook my head, “I keep forgetting you don’t play video games at all. By killing enemies, completing tasks for people, or discovering new things, you gain” I made air quotes with my fingers, “‘experience’. The more experience you have, the more powerful you are, the harder you are to hurt, and the more help you will get from the system as you fight. You get more experience for doing more difficult things, most commonly either combat or quests. The more damage you do to the enemy and the smarter you handle combat the more you’re given at the end. For example, you could still get experience for distracting or misleading enemies even if you don’t actually do any damage, though the more allies you fight with the less experience you will get individually.”

Jess blinked at me, absorbing that information, and Nick ‘hmmed’ thoughtfully before asking his own question.

“You said something about help from the system while you fight. What do you mean by that? Can I like, use the skills I learn here in the real world or something? Cause that would be awesome.”

I nodded, “That’s one of the things I love about Ilos. There aren’t actually any ‘skills’ here like there are in other games, but when you try to do something you don’t know how to do, the system will help you out a little and sort of guide you along. You can use the skills you learn here in the real world, but that’s because you’re actually learning about weaponry, not because of some skill the game gave you. You’ll see when we fight some of the boars that are out here in these fields, but when you swing your weapon you’ll feel some small pressure as a guide for your motions and attack. If you follow the guiding you’ll have proper technique and will strike much more accurately than you probably would otherwise. Does that make sense?”

“Sort of…”

“Not really.”

I sighed, “Well I guess you need to experience it first hand, let’s go practice for a little bit.”

I led them just off the road and over to a nice open patch atop one of the small rises before continuing. “Pull out your basic sword and try swinging it around. It’ll feel a bit weird, but you should be able to start feeling the small pressures around your arm and hand where the system is trying to guide you on how to strike with good form.”

They nodded, and I let them fight imaginary monsters for a bit to get used to feeling the guidance of the system. I would occasionally give advice or encouragement, though I don’t know how much I was really helping.

After about ten minutes or so, I took out my own blade and started working through the sword forms I knew, not that that was very many. Unfortunately I wasn’t high enough level for the system to assist me with most of them, so I was just doing what I could with the muscle memory I had developed. A few of the most basic slashes and thrusts felt like I remembered them, but the rest were just a little slower and less powerful, though they did have decent form.

I stopped, twisting my mouth. Probably good enough to deal with monsters, if slowly, but not for a real fight. I hope my quarterstaff reflexes haven’t decayed similarly…

Noticing the silence, I looked up, seeing my friends staring at me open-mouthed. I blinked at them a few times, “What?”

“Dude. Where did you learn to do that? That was awesome!”

“Yeah Bro, that was really cool.”

“Umm.” I responded eloquently. “I just followed the system assist. As you accumulate experience you gain access to more forms and it eventually just becomes muscle memory.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “To be honest, I wouldn’t be able to defeat an actual swordsman with a sword, I’d need my quarterstaff, but I should be okay against monsters. If you’ve both gotten enough practice, let’s head out further and see if we can find some boars to kill.”

“Yeah! Let’s do it!”

Jess sighed, “Okay, but you guys better back me up.”

“Hah.” Nick scoffed, “Like anything is going to happen with this guy here.”

There were already a few players out and in combat with the boars, most by themselves, though I noticed a pair working together in the distance. One of the solo guys got hit with a boar’s charge, taking enough damage to kill him, collapsing and slowly beginning to dissolve into red motes that quickly faded from view. I spoke up in response to the concern on Jess’ face.

“Don’t worry, when you die you just respawn in the plaza in front of the palace, though you do drop whatever weapon you were using and random other things you had. When you respawn you will have a basic version of whatever you dropped, so if you were using a staff you will respawn with a staff to help you recover your items where you dropped them. Most people are nice enough that they won’t steal your stuff when you die, at least not at this level. Besides, I’ll be here to take down anything that you’re having trouble with.”

Jess and Nick pulled out their weapons as we approached the nearest boar, and I stood back to watch. “Remember to follow when you feel the system guide you!” I called out.

Surprisingly, Jess took the initiative to attack first, hitting the boar with a glancing blow with her sword and dealing a little damage. The boar tried to hit her with its tusks, its only close range attack, but it missed her. Nick ran in and swung his sword in a painfully slow arc, allowing the boar to just move out of the way. Jess attacked again, but now that the boar was moving she missed by just a little, dodging out of the way of its counter attack with a little scream. Nick screwed up his face in concentration and slashed at the boar again, almost hitting it this time, but not quite. Jess used her sword to stab at the thing and managed a glancing cut, but left herself open for the boar to ram her with its head, knocking her down.

I stepped in, slapping the boar across its flank with the flat of my blade to draw its attention and then holding it in place with its tusks. Unsurprisingly, both of my friends seemed a little shaken, flushed and breathing hard. “Remember, the monsters and things in this game can’t actually hurt you, though getting hit will make you feel a little uncomfortable. Just relax and focus on following the system assist, don’t be scared.”

Jess stood up, her wide eyes nervous but determined, and Nick reset himself and nodded at me to release the boar.

I let go of the thing and pushed it towards Nick, causing it to run towards him.

Jess managed to slash its flank as it ran past, opening it up to Nick’s attack, which was much better and caught the boar on its neck, dealing enough damage to kill it. The boar collapsed, the blood from the animal and the corpse slowly dissolving into white motes.

Grinning like a lunatic, Nick jumped up and down waving his sword. “Did you see that?? That was AWESOME!”

I looked apprehensively at Jess, but she had a smile on her face too as she sheathed her sword. “That was a lot of fun actually, even if I don’t have the whole system guidance thing down yet.” She looked own at her stomach where she was hit by the boar, seeing the blood that surrounded the minor gash. “This is pretty disconcerting though. I don’t feel anything more than a little numbness, but this looks pretty terrible.”

Thank God she’s not squeamish about this kind of thing.

“That’s alright.” I replied, “You’ll get it soon enough and then you can try out the other weapons you bought and see what works best for you. It’s going to be scary at first while fighting, but just remember that you can’t actually feel pain here and try to relax. Here, let me heal you, you don’t regenerate health without potions or spells when you’re not resting.”

I walked over to Jess and put my hand over her wound, focusing on what I wanted to do.

Kasi.I said in my head.

A dim light flowed out from my hand and into Jess, doing some minor mending and expending all of my mana, causing a slight dizzy sensation. The blood vanished almost immediately from the spot where the gash used to be, fading away from the pink cloth armor she had on, now whole once again. “There ya go.”

“What was that?” Nick asked as he joined us, noting Jess fingering the part of her armor that had been ripped and bloody just a moment go.

“The basic Light elemental healing spell, kasi. It’s not very powerful, but it’s useful when you don’t want to use potions.”

“I thought you had to say it out loud to have magic work.”

“No, though it takes a lot more mental focus to do it in your head, and it’s a lot harder to do that in battle, so most people just say the spell out loud.”

“So how do you make magic work?” Jess asked, looking up from examining her stomach.

“Hmm… Well, that’s kind of a long explanation, but I’ll try to put it so it makes sense. To cast a spell, you have to use a word of power and have enough mana to cast it. If you don’t have enough mana, the spell will sap your life force to provide the remaining energy, and can possibly kill you. You’ll be able to tell if a spell will cost more mana than you have, so it’s more of a desperation move than anything you’d do accidentally. Like everything else in Ilos, the more you use magic the better and more powerful you become with it. Magic works a little differently than most things though. As you cast magic of a certain element, that element becomes more powerful like it normally would, but all magic also advances, if at a slower rate, except when using Light and Shadow. Spells are divided into nine elements: Fire, Water and Ice, Earth, Air, Nature, Spirit, Light, Shadow, and Death, each of which advances separately. Fire, Ice, and Death are offensive elements, Water and Nature are healing elements, and Earth and Air are supportive elements. Light and Shadow are weaker than any of the other elements, but are also the most versatile. For example, the basic Nature spell Ka, is a healing spell half again as powerful as the Light element healing spell I used, Kasi.” I paused, “Did all that make sense?”

“I… think so…” She answered, frowning. “So if I wanted to throw a fireball at someone, how would I do that?”

“Well, you wouldn’t be able to make one bigger than your fist and it would probably fizzle out after a few seconds, but you would just focus on what exactly you want to do, imagining as many details as possible in your head, then say the word Fas.”

She held out her hand, her eyebrows drawing down as if concentrating heavily as she stared at her fist. Nick and I glanced at each other, then returned to watching Jess with an expectant air. She suddenly opened her fist and commanded “Fas!”

A ball of flame appeared above her now open hand, one that was roughly twice the diameter of her fist. It flickered fitfully, changing color, size, and intensity constantly, but she managed to hold it in existence for a full five seconds until all her mana was depleted.

“Wow! That was really good Sis! I’ve never seen anyone get it to work on their first try, much less make one that big or hold it for that long after only defeating a single boar!”

“That was SO COOL! Lemme try, I want to do that!” Nick exclaimed before copying the same stance Jess had just a moment ago. “FAS!”

We waited expectantly, but nothing appeared over his now open hand.

“Oh come on! Fas! Fas. Fas! FAS!”

Jess and I were both laughing at his antics by this point as he tried different intonations of fas and being overly dramatic with his stances. It took a couple minutes to get ourselves back under control, especially because Nick would deliberately try to cast fas again in an exaggerated manner every time he saw one of us winding down. We finally had to beg for mercy though our tears before he would relent and allow us to stop laughing.

“You’ll get it eventually Nick, just get Sis here to teach you.” I grinned at him.

Nick just smiled at me, then seemed to remember something. “When you were naming off elements, you said Water and Ice, does that mean there are actually ten elements?”

“Oh, I guess I should explain that one. Water is a unique element, and the most versatile of the main six. Almost all of its offensive spells are made using ice rather than water, while most supportive spells use water, so people call offensive Water magic Ice magic, and defensive Water magic Water magic. When you use a Water or Ice spell, that part of the element becomes stronger for a short period of time, but overall they advance together regardless of which part you use.” Seeing their confused looks, I continued. “For example, you are attacking an enemy with Ice. The more mana you use to attack the stronger your Ice spells will become. However, if you suddenly needed to cast a Water spell, it would be much weaker and take more mana to cast. Think of Water elemental magic as a big round boulder. Once you get it rolling one direction, it’s easier to make it keep rolling in that direction, but more difficult to push it in the opposite direction.

“Ah.” Nick nodded, “Got it. How about Death magic? You didn’t say anything about that. And what’s so special about Light and Shadow elements?”

“See this is why it’s hard to explain magic, there are so many rules to remember. Death magic I know about only by hearsay, I’ve never actually seen it used, mainly because Death elemental words of power are practically impossible to find. I just know that it’s dangerous and can start draining your health without the regular warnings all other magic gives you.” I shrugged apologetically, “Unfortunately that’s just about all I know about Death magic. For your second question, Light and Shadow elements are kind of special. When you cast a Light or Shadow spell, your power in all of the other elements goes down, though I don’t know if that applies to Death. However, in exchange, casting a Light elemental spell increases Light as normal and also increases Shadow by half the amount. The normal elements are half again as powerful as any spell cast from Light or Shadow, but between the two it’s possible to recreate the effect of any spell from any of the other elements. Of course, the words of power for them are almost as rare as Death words, so you aren’t going to see many people using them.”

Nick nodded slowly, processing that, while Jess seemed to have gone into informational overload. I took as step forwards and tapped her shoulder to snap her out of it.

She started. “Huh? What?”

I chuckled. “Let’s just worry about all that later. What did you guys call yourselves here? It’s good form to refer to other people using their character names rather than their real ones. I’m Cariss when we’re in Ilos.

“I named myself Finn.”

“And I'm Lassea.”

“Finn and Lassea, Finn and Lassea.” I muttered to myself, then shrugged and laughed. “I’ll try to remember, but no guarantees. Let’s see if we can get both of you used to the assist in real combat, it will give you a huge edge over most of the players. It took me around a month to figure out exactly how it worked.”

 

-----

 

It took us most of the afternoon to get both of my friends mostly used to the system assist and then another few hours to let them get a feel for what weapons they liked best, but I felt it was worth it, despite the fact that we ended up with very little in the way of experience and loot. Monsters didn’t just drop coin unless they were humanoid, but the tusks we had gathered should sell pretty well in any town.

The sun was setting and we were walking back to the city to sell the extra stuff we had picked up fighting boars before logging off for the night. Jess had a small smile on her face; a bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver at her waist, and was walking with a distinct spring in her step. She was also balancing a tiny flame, no bigger than a lighter, above her open palm, which might have something to do with her attitude. I honestly hadn’t expected her to enjoy the game so much, but I was happy she was.

Nick was possibly enjoying his time in Ilos a little too much. He was caressing his chosen weapon, a bastard sword, as we walked along and had a grin that seemed to want to split his face open. He’d taken to the system assist really well and was by far better than the normal player here.

As we made our way towards the gates of Ilos, I remembered something I had forgotten to tell my friends, something that still puzzled me. “Oh, one last thing before we get into town. The NPCs in this world are… different… than any other game I've ever played. I've noticed that if you treat them like you would a human; they will often give you extra things when you do a quest for them, and even remember your name. They seem to be happier if you’re polite to them rather than treat them like computer generated objects. Just keep that in mind while we’re in town.”

“Wait, the people here aren’t real?” Jess asked.

“Of course not. Do you think whoever is hosting this got millions of people to just be shopkeepers and guards while everyone else is off going on adventures?” Nick answered.

“I guess not…”

We walked for a bit longer in easy silence before Nick stopped at the top of the hill we were walking over. “Hey David-

“Cariss.”

-Cariss, we should totally duel! I bet I could take you after fighting all afternoon while you sat back and chilled!”

I gave him a smirk, “You think so do you?”

“Yeah! C’mon, don’t tell me you’re scared!”

“There’s no possible way you’d win.”

“Then there’s no reason for you to say no then is there!”

I sighed dramatically. “Alas, your words of logic have slain my will to resist your request!”

“Alright! Let’s do this!”

I took off my cloak and laid it on the grass, then drew my pathetic excuse for a short sword and leveled it at him, the gesture for beginning a duel. “To accept or challenge someone to a duel, you just point your weapon at them with the idea in mind that you want to spar. You can also bet this way by thinking about that and having both parties agree to the terms, but that’s for later. This way we can’t actually kill each other.”

He copied me with his own sword, causing a loud pinging sound and a wave of light to wash out from between us and form a glowing ring, Jess quickly taking position outside of it. Nick jumped at the noise, then settled into a ready position while I resheathed my sword. A clock appeared between us, counting down from 30 seconds.

“Alright Finn, I’m going to let you try to hit me for ten seconds before I start attacking, so make the most of it.”

He nodded, taking the advantage gladly, one of the things I liked a lot about him, then charged me as soon as the timer ran out and the duel began. I stepped to the side, his blade almost brushing my arm as it swung down. He swung again, and then a third time, each slash barely missing me as I leaned barely out of the way of the assisted blow. He was obviously getting used to the system assist, because his attacks were infinitely better than earlier that day. I felt the slight uncomfortableness on my arm on his fourth strike and knew I’d been hit. Jumping back out of the way of his follow-up, I grinned at him.

“Nice! I didn’t think you’d actually be able to hit me!” My smile widened. “But now it’s my turn.”

His attacks were good, but his stance was still pretty bad. I leapt forwards while drawing my blade, dodging under his attack and cutting across his middle, then twisting to stab him through the back right into where his heart would be. His body went limp and I kicked him off my blade, spinning it in two tight circles before sheathing it.

A light effect played over my head for a few seconds as the glow of the duel circle faded. Jess stared at me, horrified and shocked until Nick began to get up a few seconds later. At that she visibly relaxed and sighed in relief, approaching the pair of us from where she was standing out of the way.

“Damn dude, you gotta teach me how to do that!”

I smiled.

The last edge of the sun dipped below the horizon.

DONG

The sound like a massive gong was struck somewhere in the center of Ilos, loud enough that I could feel the vibrations in my chest and in the ground. The duel forgotten, we all turned to look at the city.

The Call to Arms? Why would they be ringing that now?

DONG

The second toll had an actual shockwave, rustling the grass and our clothes as it passed.

“What is that Bro?”

“David?”

“That’s the Ilosian Call to Arms, the giant bell they ring when the city needs help, but it sounds different…” I replied absently, trailing off.

What is going on?

DONG

This shockwave was even stronger, but it seemed to go through me, as if my body was made of mist, about to be blown away by the slightest breeze. My friends staggered from the force.

“Woah!”

“Hey!”

“What the…?”

Even our voices sounded fainter to my ears, and they both looked at me with fear in their eyes. Fear I knew was reflected in my own expression.

DONG

Jess and Nick were thrown to the ground by the force of the shockwave this time, and reality itself trembled. I felt like I was about to come unraveled, all of my nerves sparking into pain at once. It was as if I was being unmade, ripped apart. Nick was shouting something at me, Jess looked like she was screaming, but the sound was distorted and barely there. I reached out for them, my face twisting in pain and terror as I realized I could see my friends through my arm. I tried to yell, to beg for them to save me, but only the faintest of sounds came out.

DONG

I screamed as my world was torn asunder.

 

 

 

Chapter 2: Aftershocks

Ilos, Day 1

 

Nick stood slowly, trying to ignore the uncomfortable numbness that was the indicator of damage in this game. Shaking his head to clear it, he helped Jess – Lassea, he reminded himself – regain her feet, and then looked around for David.

As he had feared, Cariss was nowhere to be seen. Everything was as it had been, and the players within sight were slowly recovering from where they had been thrown by that massive shockwave. Lassea was shaking as he supported her, her eyes wide with fear and seemed to hold the question he himself was asking. Did I really see what I thought I did?

The memory replayed itself in his mind unbidden, causing a chill to run though him.

DONG

David’s form seemed to shudder, as if being pushed by the shockwave from the sound, and he looked as if he was starting to lose substance. All three of them cried out, shocked and fearful at this sudden violent change.

DONG

He had been tossed as if someone had shoved him with full force, toppling to the ground along with Jess. David hadn’t been moved in the slightest, but his face was the picture of terror and pain, a sight Nick found especially terrifying. David was always calm, he never showed his fear or pain or anger to anyone, and the fact that he was doing so now elicited a cry from Nick’s mouth as he scrambled to his feet. He shouted at his friend, trying to keep him there with the power of his voice, and Jess was screaming. David reached out, his mouth open and yelling, but only the faintest of sounds reached Nick’s ears, as if he was a great distance away. His body was transparent now, as if made from a fine mist.

DONG

With this most powerful shockwave, Nick saw his friend’s body was blown away like the mist it looked like just before he himself was thrown, tumbling end over end, away from Ilos.

Jess clutched his arm, holding on as if he too would vanish if she did not. “Nick,
I want to leave. How do we get out? I need to get out. Please we need to get out of this place. I want to go home. Please!” Her voice shook as she begged him.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves and remember what David had told him about logging out of Ilos.

“If you can’t do the mental shift to log in or out, all you have to do is cross your arms across your chest like a mummy, make the number three with both hands, and say ‘log in’ or ‘log out’.”

“Okay, Jess. Jess, listen.” Nick grabbed her forearms, locking her eyes with his, then moved her arms how David had described. “Cross your arms across your chest like this, make the number three with your fingers, then say ‘log out’”

She nodded, and spoke in a trembling voice. “L-log out.”

Nick sighed in relief as his friend vanished in a twinkling of red and blue lights. Many of the players he could see were following her example, and he expected that it was the same all over Ilos.

Instead of logging out himself, Nick started towards the North Gate. A feeling in his gut told him there was something wrong with this whole situation. There was no reason for the makers of this game, whoever they were, to do something like this. Everything he’d read about Ilos, and he’d researched the subject a lot, told him that there was something happening beyond his understanding. Now that Jess wasn’t there with him, he could use all the knowledge he’d accumulated without making her feel out of sorts. He expertly opened the Inventory and tossed his bastard sword into it as he turned and began running towards the palace at the center of Ilos.

Let’s see if I can make this work. Nick concentrated, then spoke. “Cir!”

The air quickened around him as his running speed noticeably increased; one of the effects possible with the power of the basic Wind elemental spell cir.

During the months David was playing the beta and up until the game had started, Nick had been reading everything he could about Ilos. He had the layout of the city memorized, including all of the alleyways and out of the way shops, and he also knew every word of power posted online and all of their mentioned possible uses. Now that he wasn’t in a panic, he realized what the massive sound that had torn David away had to be: the Bell of Recall. By the description he had read, it was a massive bell formed of some unknown material, and was made and enchanted to be heard throughout all of Ilos, reaching even the highest floating islands. It had only been used once during the beta: to recall all the players to defend the city against a goblin attack.

However, there was no attack here. Everything was as peaceful as could be, though there were still people he passed that looked shaken from the Call to Arms. So what had happened? Why did David vanish like he did? He didn’t know the answers, but he knew of someone who might.

His footsteps echoed as he weaved through the alleyways and then out into the plaza, still moving as fast as he could. The pair of Capital Guards straightened when he approached the entrance to the Palace, but made no move to block him as he thundered past into the long hallway that was the only way into the great stronghold.

The Palace was the heart of the city of Ilos, and the last line of defense against any incursion. Its walls were fortified by the strongest Earth magic, it had its own supply of water and even deep caverns underneath it that grew food, or so one man had claimed. If necessary, the Palace could withstand a siege almost indefinitely, and seemed designed as a place players could log off even if the city itself was taken.

More importantly right now, it housed the most knowledgeable of NPCs, including most of the mages, the elite craftsman and enchanters, and the Regent. According to everything he had gathered, the Regent was the effective ruler of the city, and directed most of the NPCs within it. He was in charge of pretty much everything, including the Bell of Recall.

Nick slowed his breakneck pace as he approached the Council Chamber, or at least what he hoped was the Council Chamber. He didn’t think he'd gotten lost, but the Palace was designed to be confusing in the case any enemy ever got in. As he got closer to the door, the sound of footsteps echoing up the hall reached his ears, and he turned to see who it was.

A woman wearing the armor of the Capital Guard approached him, a sword and shield resting on her back. She wore no helmet, revealing her bark brown hair pulled into a short ponytail and her forest-green eyes. Stopping in front of him, she looked him up and down, almost tall enough to look him in the eyes. “Are you here to speak to the Regent as well champion?”

“Ah- yeah.” Nick replied, surprised. “I need to know why the Bell of Recall was rung.”

“I am here for the same reason. Lorilee Avenia, Commander of the Capital Guard, at your service.” She said, inclining her head towards him in greeting.

“Finn.” He offered, returning the head incline. “I guess if you’re here you don’t know anything about this whole situation either?”

Lorilee shook her head. “We were told by Xynus to prepare for the champions to arrive in the city and given some advice and guidelines on how to interact with you, but there was nothing about the Call to Arms. The Bell is only supposed to be rung when the city itself is under attack, but there is nothing to defend against. The Regent is the only one who can give that command, so he must know what is going on, even if I am supposed to be informed of these things.”

“I figured he would know, but it’s nice to have it confirmed. Let’s go.” Nick said, turning and pushing open the door.

The audience room was fairly large, probably a good fifty yards across, and the Regent himself sat in a miniature throne at a large table. Behind and above it sat the true throne of Ilos, a graceful piece of art carved from a single piece of wood that seemed to have grown out of where it stood. The table was covered in papers and there were NPCs everywhere, conferring with the Regent, with each other, and with runners that darted in and out of the room.

Nick hesitated at the entrance, and Lorilee walked past him, striding with purpose toward the table. He followed the imposing woman, noting that she had signs of rank on her shoulder plates that the other guards did not.

“Regent! What is going on here?”

The man at the head of the table looked up from some papers he was studying. “Lorilee! I’m glad you’re here! I need your help with this.”

“Help? With what?”

“This entire situation!” He said, gesturing broadly with a frustrated look on his face. “Someone rang the Bell of Recall, and we do not know who!”

“You don’t?” Nick blurted out.

“No! As far as I can find out no one gave the order! It’s driving me insane! Lorilee, you didn’t send the order I assume. Can you find out if any of your men heard anything?”

She nodded sharply. “Yes. I will check with them.” Turning, she strode off with hurried steps.

“Champion, as much as I would welcome your help, there is nothing you can do. Leave this to us for now.”

“I-“ Nick stopped, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, alright.” I need to get back to Jess anyway, she’s probably freaking out right now about not being able to contact me.

With that thought, he crossed his arms across his chest, and in the middle of all the activity, logged out.

 

 

Earth, Day 1

 

The swirling light vanished, leaving behind darkness. Nick opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up. His room was pretty simple, if a bit messy, but he was a college guy, so that was kind of expected. The full sized bed he was sitting on was pushed into a corner, a couple of pillows against the two walls, with a tv across from it. His desk was to the right of the tv, covered in random crap with a clear space in the middle for his overly powerful laptop and mouse. The floor was mostly clear, though he did have a few changes of clothes strewn about that he thought he could wear a few more times before he had to wash them.

His phone buzzed loudly on the desk, and he pulled himself out of bed, groaning, to snatch up the phone. “Allo?”

“Nick! Thank God you finally picked up! I’ve been calling and calling and I couldn’t reach you and David hasn’t answered either! What took you so long?”

A warm hand clutched his heart at her worried tone, though he frowned at her use of David’s name. She must be on the verge of panic to use that instead of ‘Bro’ like she always did. “It’s okay Jess, I’m fine, I just went to see if I could find some information about what happened. I’m sure David’s just doing the same thing and he’ll call you back when he logs out. Whatever happened it’s over now, so just relax okay?”

He heard her take a deep breath, letting it out slowly, before speaking again in a more moderated voice, though there was still an edge of fear to it. “I don’t think it’s over Nick. I can’t remove my headband, that Key thing.”

His hands darted to his head of their own accord, pulling at the black band that adorned his head. A chill swept through him. It wouldn’t budge! He felt along the edges of the thing, but it was as if it was a part of his head!

Now is not the time for panic, I have to keep control so Jess doesn’t freak out as well. Damn it David, how do you make this calm thing look so easy?!

Keeping his tone as steady as possible, he brought the phone back to his ear and tried to reassure one of his closest friends. “I’m having the same issue. For now all we can do is wait I think, we don’t have the resources to deal with something like this. I’m sure the government will be going crazy once this goes public. Hell, the whole world will want to know what these are and what they’re doing, so all we have to do is wait a little bit.”

She sighed, but his attempt to calm her seemed to work. “I know, but I’m really worried about Bro. There’s something that tells me something bad has happened to him, and I really want to prove it wrong this one time.”

Shit. Shit shit shit! Nick cursed to himself, snarling and throwing one of his pillows across the room. Jess had a special knack for these kinds of things, and whenever she said the words ‘something tells me’, it was essentially guaranteed to be correct.

He took a deep breath and fought to keep the worry out of his voice. He didn’t think he succeeded. “Jess, I'm going to video chat you on my computer, then I’m going to see if I can get through to David.”

“Okay, let me turn my computer on.”

He booted up his own computer, and as soon as it indicated Jess was online he started the video chat, hanging up his phone when her worried face appeared.

The thing that grabbed his attention first was the black band across her forehead, a match for the one he wore, and one of 990,000 identical black Keys. Her odd brown-into-blue eyes were fearful, though that faded into just concern when she saw him alive and well. Nick clenched his jaw at seeing those eyes puffy and red, her cheeks still glistening in the artificial light where she tried to wipe away tears. Reaching up, he tugged at the band on his head, grimacing. “I can’t get mine off either. Let me see if I can get ahold of David.”

She nodded, her blonde hair swaying with the movement, and Nick picked up his phone, dialing his best friend’s number. The phone rang, and he prayed that David would pick up.

“You’ve reached David Appleton, but I’m not available at the moment. If you leave a message at the tone I should get back to you sometime today. Thanks!”

Beep!

“David, you need to call me or Jess as soon as you get back from Ilos. We are both worried sick about you.” Nick looked at his computer, noting Jess’ increasingly worried expression. “Jess says that something tells her something bad happened to you, so we’re going to call the police in the case that you are injured and can’t pick up the phone. Hopefully we’ll talk to you in a bit. Bye.”

“Call the police? But…”

Nick took another deep breath, trying to keep his fear from showing. “Look Jess, these feelings you get have never been wrong, and as much as I want it to be this time, we need to do what we can to help. Both of us live too far away to just drive over to his place, and we need to get someone to check on him.”

She nodded, then closed her eyes and seemed to refocus herself, clearing the worried expression from her face. “Thanks for keeping calm, but you can relax now, I’m fine. I’ll call the cops, I have Bro’s address right here.”

Nick breathed a sigh of relief, finally letting the strong sense of unease he felt with the whole situation show on his face and in his voice. “Do you really think he’s okay?”

“I hope he’s okay.” She answered, dialing the three digits everyone in America knew. “We’ll find out in a few minutes.”

The cold hand clutching his heart just wouldn’t go away. David’s fine, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure they’ll just find him on his bed with that silver Key of his around his head, and we’ll have to apologize to the police. I don’t know how Jess is going to get them over there on a feeling though.

The operator must have picked up, because Jess started talking. Nick’s head came up sharply at her panicked tone, but her face was clear and she nodded slightly to him to let him know she was just faking it, though he wasn’t sure how much was really an act. “Please, you have to help me! I just got a call from my brother and he sounded like he was having a heart attack or something!”

The operator said something, and Jess read off David’s address. “No, he didn’t say anything besides ‘help’ in this really weak voice, and then I couldn’t get him to say anything else, like he might have passed out or something! You’re sending an ambulance? Oh good, thank you so much!”

She nodded at him, giving him a thumbs up. “Yes, I’ll stay on the line, please, please let me know if you need anything else!”

The minutes seemed like hours as they crawled past, and Jess’ calm façade began to crack and crumble until her expression mirrored his own. Nick couldn’t keep his hands off of the Key that seemed attached to his head, tracing it with his fingertips, trying to find any sort of gap or blemish or button that would get the thing off. There was nothing there, it was smooth segmented black metal all the way around, but he couldn’t seem to convince his hands to stop looking.

“Holy shit! Nick! Turn on the news!” Jess’ voice rattled him from his thoughts. Fear filling his heart, he leaned over and hit the power button to the tv, knowing it was still on the news channel from the previous night when he was watching the weather.

The image resolved to two women sitting in chairs facing each other in the news room the station always used. The brown haired one was talking. “-here with our head investigator into the mysterious game Ilos, Cindy Weir. Cindy, what can you tell us about Ilos? I understand there was something you needed to get on the air that has to do with that thing on your head?”

The camera switched to show the blonde haired one – Cindy – and Nick gasped. A familiar black band of segmented metal adorned her head, a Key. “Yes. This is the equipment that allows entry to Ilos, commonly referred to as a Key.” She was trying to sound calm and professional, but there was a note of fear that hovered in her voice. “990,000 people own one of these, and I want to warn them to not use the Key until more can be found out about them. As you can see, I’m still wearing mine, but it is because I can’t get it off.” She raised a hand and pulled at the offending object to prove her point, and her voice started to lose that professional edge to a panicked tone. “No matter how hard I pull, it won’t come off! Please, I don’t want to report on that place anymore! I just want this off!”

With Cindy moments away from tears, the camera cut to another portion of the news room, though you could still hear a dim commotion in the background that made it through the anchor’s mic, clipped to his shirt. “We are getting reports that these Keys are somehow attached to the heads of the people who have used them, and nothing seems to be able to remove them. We will continue to update you as this story progresses here at CVUE News, but for now let’s talk to Martin Forcus, a self-proclaimed expert on Ilos. Martin, why do you think the Keys are not able to be removed?”

Of course, ‘Martin’ immediately began spouting crap about the stars and the pyramids and all this random stuff. Nick sighed and turned off the tv. Damn it, another loser looking for his fifteen minutes of fame.

“Ma’am? Are you still there Ma’am?” A woman’s voice came from his computer. He turned to look, discovering Jess had put the operator on speakerphone.

Jess turned off her tv and unmuted the phone. “Yes, I’m still here. Have you found anything?”

The operator paused for a second, as if listening or looking at something, and her voice got real soft. “Hun…”

A coldness swept through him, the icy feeling of dread. Nick knew what she was going to say, and it looked like Jess did too. He saw tears fill her eyes before his own vision grew watery. Unable to bear the sight of his friend crumpling where she sat, he squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head, salty water dripping from his cheeks.

“Say it.” Jess’ anguished voice came from in front of him. “J-just, say it.”

“I’m so sorry hun.” The woman’s gentle voice came from the phone. “Your brother was just pronounced dead on the scene.”

 

 

 

Chapter 3: The Start of a Journey

Ilos, Day 1

 

I was back in the plaza in front of the Palace, the agony I had felt just a moment ago gone without a trace. I didn’t die, that’s not what death feels like here, but I’m back in the plaza. What is going on? Confused and still shaking, I looked around. The Call to Arms was rung, but the city doesn’t look like it’s under attack.

The ground was made of pitch black stone with a large white Centerstone in the middle, located just in front of me, engraved with something I couldn’t read from where I stood. There were players standing around looking confused and some still appearing in glimmers of light, many with different armors than the starting equipment I still wore. Except for that, everything was exactly as it had bee-

I frowned, cutting myself off. The floor hadn’t been black before, it had been white, and there had been no engraving on the Centerstone. I took a step to go look at the inscription, just a few feet in front of me, but stopped abruptly. Something was wrong, everything felt… weird. I looked down, praying I wouldn't be able to see the black stones through myself like a minute ago outside Ilos.

My cloak was gone, probably still lying on the hilltop outside the city where I’d set it down for the duel. I was still dressed in the normal beginning 'armor', though it was a light reddish hue now, there was the dull short sword belted at my left hip, and I could feel the throwing daggers I had bought still in their places. The thing that got my attention was the rather prominent bulges under my shirt. I hesitantly moved my still-trembling hands up to touch them, flinching when I felt the pressure from both sources. My hands were… different. The fingers longer, more delicate; my palms soft and lacking the calluses I had had for all my life.

The hell…?

Now that I had noticed, I could feel the pressure against my chest, the softness and smoothness of my skin against the rough cloth of my tunic and pants, the faint tickling on the back of my neck that I was sure was hair, the lack of anything between my legs. My hands shook more violently, and my breath caught in my throat for a moment.

I shut my eyes and forced myself to take a deep gulp of air. “Okay.” I whispered to myself and let my breath out slowly, pushing out the sudden onset of emotions and dispelling the shaking from my sudden transport here and subsequent shocks.

Let’s worry about this later, I can always just log out and create a new character. First I need to find out what’s going on and find my friends.

I opened my eyes and looked down again, ignoring the, ah, bulges, in my field of vision, and crouched down to read the odd inscription on the Centerstone at my feet. Of course, the hair I had felt dropped down in front of me, obscuring my view with silky midnight black strands. Annoyed more than anything, I tucked it behind my ears so I could read the engraving.

Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.
Fisfriar ansilnel dunisgis antivue.
Fisfriar ansilnel ekresdun.
Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.

De Ci cende gisvas resdun.
De Tu cende cinvas ra’an.
De Etposdun cende issus faskasi.
De Ue’et antiv vassin fasratu.

Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.
Fisfriar ansilnel kermosres.
Fisfriar ansilnel ekkinan.
Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.

Cusue’et cui gal.
Cusue’et cui setres cusekmos.
Cusue’et cui kintiv antivsus.
Cusue’et cui anlesek.

Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.
Fisfriar ansilnel iska.
Fisfriar ansilnel ekreslos.
Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.

De lospos cende’ue resdunsus.
De lospos cende’ue kinlessus.
De lospos cende’ue anlessus.
De lospos cende’ue argalsus.

Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.
Fisfriar ansilnel dunisgis antivue.
Fisfriar ansilnel ekresdun.
Fisfriar ansilnel Ilos ekka.

 

I blinked. Those looked like words of power like one would use to cast a spell, but they were longer than any I had ever seen and I didn’t recognize most of them. Ilos was mentioned a number of times, and both light, ci, and shadow, tu, were there as well, but the rest… Another new thing to puzzle over. What was going on here?

I rose slowly back to a standing position, looking around at the other people, and got yet another shock. I was short. Very short. I was a pretty tall guy, both in the real world and in Ilos, and I was used to only ever seeing a few people taller than I was, and then not by much. Now however, it seemed everyone practically towered over me, those I could see anyway.

A few players seemed to be moving, but most were just looking around in confusion as the number of people appearing dwindled, then ceased. Too few. There were not nearly enough people to number a million. The plaza would have to be packed to hold that many, and there was plenty of space around me. What happened to the rest?

A deep rumble shook the plaza, cutting off any other thought as I struggled to keep my balance with this new body, running into several other people before one caught me just short of falling. I looked up, having to crane my neck because I only came up to his chest, peering into a face around my own age, about twenty or so. He had black hair and dark blue-purple eyes that blinked at me, as if surprised. I clutched a double handful of his jacket as the courtyard shook harder, making both of us dance to keep our feet. When I looked up again most of the players were on the ground, and my companion and I were of the few still standing.

“Welcome to Ilos. I am Xynus, the one who has summoned you here.” A deep voice boomed, filling the plaza, seeming to emanate from everywhere at once. “You are the ten thousand of the Silver Key, offered the priceless gift of extra time. Do not waste this time attempting to return to your previous world, you cannot get back of your own power until the remaining champions join you. The clock is your enemy, and the final trial will begin regardless of your wishes when the time you have here expires. This is no longer the illusionary world that you were previously shown, and as it continues its journey it will need to be protected. Even now the wild inhabitants have begun to emerge from their lairs, and will seek to hold Ilos when the final challenge begins. Be wary, for while this city is a great stronghold, the Great Sleep is failing, and your enemies will grow more powerful and may overwhelm you given time.”

At the end of the beta, there had been an attack by goblins on the Capitol. Weak little things, but there were thousands of them, and more than that, while the city was being attacked respawns had been disabled. They had been repelled of course, pretty easily, but I had a sudden vision of the city being taken permanently, and then dying, never to return. A chill swept through me, and I looked up at the boy whose jacket I was still gripping, his eyes wide as well.

“Shit.” We both cursed at the same time.

“Death is not the end here while my power still lasts. However, beware; should you remain dead for a significant time, there will not be enough left of what is you to be reconstructed. Let this be very clear: you will all remain here until the end, be that your own end or the end of the final trial. In your terms: you cannot log out. I have done all I can for you, so go! Grow strong, for the fate of two worlds rests in your hands.”

The rumbling voice faded out, and silence reigned. Nearly everyone I could see simply stood or lay where they had fallen. Then some began shouting, others pleading with this unknown entity to let them go home, but the reaction was much more subdued than I would have guessed, many unable to get over their shock.

I was paralyzed, holding fast to the boy’s tunic as my mind refused to process this new information. There was no retreat, no logging off, and most importantly, no changing characters. Which meant I was stuck as a chick! I had read plenty of fiction dealing with being trapped in a virtual reality, hell, I even had harbored a small hope for this kind of event to happen, but I couldn’t spend the next who-knows-how-long as a girl! Was this world worth that price? The tunic moved, and I gripped it harder reflexively, my feet following of their own accord. Its owner was moving somewhere and was yelling something at me, but the words just didn’t make sense to my brain. What about Nick and Jess? Where were they? This was only the people who had silver Keys, so what happened to those with the regular black Keys? Were they returned to Earth? Or-

A rough shake snapped me out of it and I let out a small noise in surprise. It was definitely not a squeak!

"Let go of me little girl! I can't run with you hanging off of me!"

My eyebrows dropped and I glared up at the guy, confusion erupting suddenly into anger. "I'm not a little girl!"

"Whatever. I don't care. Let go of my shirt I have places to be."

I loosened my grip, but a moment later grabbed his shirt again as an idea struck me, the sudden anger vanishing like morning mist. This guy was in the beta and was probably pretty smart to have drawn the same conclusion I had about the goblin raid on the city, and was now rushing off to get ahead of the rest of the players. I wasn't a fool; I knew that Player Killing, or PKing, was common outside of the city, and if I didn't get ahead I would probably be robbed or killed at some point, especially with what I suspected I looked like now. However, I was having trouble just moving around, and the time I would have to take to get used to fighting again would set me behind. Therefore, I needed a partner or someone I could follow around until it was safe for me to solo again, preferably someone who wanted to get ahead as much as I did and also knew how to fight.

"How-" I hesitated, startled for a moment at how high pitched my voice was now that I was thinking more clearly. "How far up did you get during the beta?"

He rolled his eyes and started dragging me down the street towards the North Gate. "Will you let go if I tell you?"

"...Probably."

"I had just reached the Dread Castle Hamelin when the call went out to defend Ilos from the goblins. Now let go of my shirt."

Good, Hamelin was just two islands below where I had gotten to; this guy obviously knew what he was doing. Granted, I didn't get very high compared to the number of islands above Ilos, but I had certainly gotten higher than anyone else. There were hundreds of floating islands above mainland Ilos, and the higher you went the harder the monsters and the better the loot became.

"Well then I'm going with you."

He stopped and looked down at me again. "What?"

"I'm going with you. You're going out to Riskmarl to the north right? I need someone to go with, so I'm going with you."

"No you're not; I can't have a little girl slowing me down. Let go of my shirt." He said, trying to pry my hands off of him.

I smiled, maintaining my death grip on the fabric. "If I can beat you to the North Gate, will you let me come with you?"

"Yeah, fine, just let go of me."

"Alright! See ya there!" I shouted over my shoulder as I dropped his shirt dashed off towards the North Gate.

Getting out of sight was easy, getting up to the rooftops like I had planned? Not so much. I knew my body well because of my freerunning, but in this case that was a bad thing. Trying to run up an alley wall to the roof was a disaster; I took two steps up and pushed off of the wall, but instead of clearing the roof I slammed into the house on the other side.

“Owwww. Why'd that...?” I had a moment of clarity. “Oh.”

I picked myself up off the ground, then crouching, jumped straight up. My head cleared the roof, and I felt a smile grow on my face as I landed softly. "Ohhh, this is going to be fun!"

I took a few steps back and restarted. Three steps up, jump and twist, land on the rooftop, keep running. Everything was stiff and awkward for the first minute or two until I managed to force myself relax and just go with the flow.

Running was so much different in this body, things I should have been able to reach easily I now had to lunge for, and gaps that would have been a long step before were now half-jumps because of my significantly reduced stature. On the other hand, gender and body type didn't translate to strength in Ilos, it was based solely on the amount of experience you had. Therefore I was just as strong as the 6'1" 200 lb rather muscled adventurer Cariss I had been before, but now only about half the weight.

The movement of my body itself was also much different. The way my hips moved from side to side much more than I was used to, the way my long black hair tugged at my scalp as it streamed behind me, the way my skin felt the wind more than ever, the way everything seemed so much bigger now that I was smaller.

The way your chest shifts and bounces under your shirt as you run.

I tripped, almost missing the next jump between rooftops. Shut up brain! You're supposed to be running!

I spotted the boy from the plaza below and a little behind me and did a flip over the street, a seemingly impossible jump, giggling as I saw him below me following the fastest ground route to the North Gate, a zig-zagging affair. He probably thought he’d beat me by a lot.

How could I do jumps and flips already even though I was in a completely new body different in practically every way when I was having trouble just walking earlier? The system assist present in Ilos. All you had to do is decide what you wanted to do, and the assist would guide you through the action if you didn't know how yourself. Well, provided you trusted the system and followed the small pressures it used to guide you anyway, like I did almost automatically now. The assist was the greatest tool ever; it’s just that most people didn't think of using it for anything but attacks.

Ten or so minutes later I leapt off the edge of the last rooftop, landing lightly before strolling over to lean against the wall of the nearby gatehouse. A smile tugged at my lips and there was a glow of pleasure flushing my face the way exertion in this world could not.

"Damn! I knew you champions were crazy, but that takes the prize!"

I looked over to the left, seeing a large guard staring at me and shaking his head in disbelief.

"What? It wasn't that hard."

"Xynus! 'Not hard' she says! What is your name little thing? I am Gudrun. He reached out his hand.

"I'm Car-" I frowned, "No, I can't use that name anymore can I? I'm... Aria. Nice to meet you." I replied as I shook his hand, going with the first name that popped into my head. "But if you ever call me 'little' again I'm going to hurt you."

"Oh? And how do you plan on doing that little cutie?"

I scowled at him, planning exactly what I would do here. I flourished my right hand, making a dagger appear in it and lunged. With the reaction speed I expected of a guardsman, his hand swept across and pushed my arm off course, but it distracted him from the blade I was using with my left hand. I twisted with his push against my arm, using his own strength to drive my left hand dagger faster, cutting right through the straps that held his leg armor up. While that side sagged, I reversed the direction of my right hand, cutting the straps on his left side as well. With the support gone, the weight of the armor pulled it to the ground, revealing his underclothes.

Finishing my step, I spun the daggers in my hands before making them vanish again with a flourish. "I never said what I'd hurt, in this case, your pride seems appropriate." I smiled brightly up at him as he tried to pull his pants back up to the laughter of his friends standing in the door of the gatehouse.

To my surprise, he started laughing, a great booming sound. "I deserved that! Well played Aria! Come by again, when you get back!" And then he waddled back into the gatehouse, still trying to get his pants back up.

"That is what flirting with champions gets you Gudrun!"

"Stick to the barmaids big guy!"

"Hey just cause none a' you have the guts-" Gudrun's voice cut off as the door slammed closed.

I blinked a few times. People, not NPCs. Right, gotta remember that.

My face flamed suddenly. Wait, he was flirting with me?

Just then the guy from the plaza ran up, sparing me an annoyed glance as I fell into step with him when he went past me, and saving me from my embarrassment. I matched his speed, though I could probably run faster with my lighter body. As we ran down the road leading north of Ilos, I looked him over fully for the first time, considering he obviously didn’t want a conversation with me.

Athletically built and handsome like practically all of the male players in Ilos, he looked just ‘normal’ enough that you wouldn’t be able to really tell if he was a player or NPC. His footsteps were light and only slightly louder than my almost silent ones, and that probably only due to the difference in weight. His short black hair was just long enough to rustle in the wind, and he had a slightly tanned skin tone, probably a shade or two darker than my own. Comparing him against the other players in the Plaza I’d seen, I guessed he was a few inches above the average height of 6 ft.

Damn, and I only come up to his chest? Am I even five feet tall?

The thing that set him apart from the players I had seen was his grace and ease of movement. Most players were a little stiff when moving with weapons attached to their waist, back, hands, etc., but this guy seemed completely at ease with the pair of swords strapped to his hips. That alone was incredibly impressive, dual wielding was very difficult to do effectively with anything bigger than long knives, I had yet to see anyone do it right, myself included. However, the familiarity with the burdens as he ran at his top speed meant he was at the very least practiced with them. I kept watching him, pleased at my decision to follow this guy from what I saw so far, until we entered the forest just outside of Ilos.

 

-----

 

A bit after we entered the forest, I noted we were heading towards a small wolf cave directly in line with our path. The wolves, unlike most enemies in the area, would attack once you entered their small territory and were significantly stronger as well. They wouldn’t be a big problem unless we allowed ourselves to be surrounded, but it would slow us down a bit if the goal was to reach Riskmarl quickly.

“Um, you know there’s a hostile wolf den that we’re headed straight towards, right? It’d be much faster if we went around it.” I said, looking up at my so far silent companion.

He glanced down at me before turning his purple-blue eyes forwards again, but continued to run straight towards the den. “Hmm, I wonder…” My ears caught.

Before I could voice my doubts again, two grey wolves leapt from the foliage. Without thought, I drew my short sword and slashed, catching the wolf in midair across the throat. However, because of my lack of ‘experience’, my blade only left a shallow cut instead of beheading the thing.

I shook my black hair out of my face.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed my companion engaging the other enemy with both of his swords, but couldn’t really watch considering there was a snarling slobbering wolf trying to bring me down.

Being a starting area, the wolves didn’t have complicated attack patterns, so I concentrated on learning how to fight in this body. Dodge the bites, parry the claw strikes, slash at the throat whenever possible.

Avoid getting hair in face.

I did manage to watch my partner fight a little bit after I settled into a pattern, and felt a small bit of pleasure knowing I had totally been right about him. He not only knew to dodge the bites that could lock up a weapon if parried and leave you open to the claws, but also wielded both of his blades to great effect, doing much more damage and killing his wolf well before mine. Then he looked over at me, turned, and walked off into the trees.

I scowled, the previous pleasure evaporating, and laid into the wolf in front of me. I beat him fair and square to the North Gate! Is he trying to ditch me? I mean I guess I did kind of force him into it, but he could have just told me to go away instead of aggroing wolves as a distraction so he could leave me!

It took me another minute to finally do enough damage to the wolf to kill it, and by that time the boy was long gone. “You jerk.” I muttered as I skirted around the wolf den and picked up the pace. “I bet you think I’ll just be dead weight. As soon as I get my quarterstaff I’ll kill things just as fast as you can.”

 

-----

 

I caught up to the boy just as he was entering Riskmarl and stomped up to him, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him around to face me. “You’re deliberately trying ditch me aren’t you! I beat you to the North Gate; you’re supposed to take me along with you!” I glared up at him, brushing my black hair out of my face again and poking him with a finger for emphasis.

He stared down at me as if he was looking at an annoying little bug. "I have hardly the patience to drag along some inexperienced little girl. If you wish to follow you will have to keep up on your own. Sad that looks and youth aren’t always enough to keep yourself alive, isn't it?"

“I- You- I know exactly what I’m doing you jerk! And- and looks and youth?! I took on that wolf just as well as you did!” I poked him again for emphasis, hard. “And I’m NOT A LITTLE GIRL!”

My shouting had drawn the attention of a couple of villagers that were near the outskirts of Riskmarl, and I felt my face flush red when I saw them staring. I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep calming breath. “Look, I’m Aria. You help me do ‘The Lazy Shepherd’ and get my quarterstaff, and I’ll be able to kill things just as fast as or faster than you can. Then I’ll be able to help you do all of the quests here a lot faster than if you did them on your-“

“I’m not interested in a partner.” He cut in, then turned and walked off.

“Rrggg.” I stomped the ground, glaring at his back hard enough to put holes in it. There was no way I could do ‘The Lazy Shepherd’ on my own just yet without a quarterstaff, and I didn’t have the money to purchase one. “Stupid jerk.”

I stomped the ground again for good measure, then stalked off after him, “Can you at least tell me your name?”

"Names are a valued commodity in this world where everyone has tossed aside their former selves. I would tell you mine as soon as I'd part with all the coin my coffers could ever stash, and if that is unacceptable to you feel free to name me as you wish. My name, my true name, is nothing you shall ever know."

I frowned; surprised that he would refuse to even give his name as well as from his oddly formal speech patterns. "Well I can't just keep calling you 'boy' and it'd be rude to name you 'jerkface'..." I trailed off. “Why am I questing with this guy again?” I muttered under my breath.

We headed to the inn, and I purchased the cheapest food and drink they had using most of the rest of my money: some bread and water. You still got hungry and thirsty in Ilos just like you did in the real world, though you didn’t have to go to the bathroom and you couldn’t ever die from dehydration or hunger. Despite it being unnecessary, trying to fight while you felt like you were starving was immensely difficult, so everyone ate and drank at regular intervals.

We ate in silence, him also just having bread and water, and then I followed him out to do some of the quests around town.

‘Quests’ are usually just things that NPCs need done that they either can’t, won’t, or don’t feel like doing themselves, so they hire out players, or ‘champions’ as they’re known in Ilos, to do these tasks for them. Each village has plenty of NPCs that need things done for them, and in return for completing these tasks, champions are rewarded with some combination of items, equipment, and coin, as well as the most important thing right now: experience.

As expected, all the quests we did were easy for a pair of experienced players, though I felt a bit useless without my quarterstaff. I simply didn’t have the skill needed to use the sword I had effectively, and it grated that it took so much longer for me to kill things. The feeling of uselessness was mitigated slightly by how much faster I could do ‘gathering’ quests with my increased agility, but still...

I still didn’t get why we couldn’t just do ‘The Lazy Shepherd’ first so I could contribute in quests where we weren’t just gathering items, and since there was no answer forthcoming from the silent guy I was following, I ended up just muttering implications under my breath.

Of course I ran out of things to say to myself after about an hour, so I settled into a dignified silence (I was not pouting), broken by occasionally asking my partner for his name. He seemed to be tolerating my presence, but only because he couldn't find a way to be immediately rid of me.

Finally we came to the NPC that gave out 'The Lazy Shepherd', the owner of a clearing in which he kept livestock. The quest involved protecting said livestock from waves of monsters because the shepherd boy who the owner had hired had fallen asleep and didn't put out the special scent bags that kept the predators away.

My companion turned to look at me before we approached. "Did you know that the musical aria is performed by a soloist? Your name suits you as much as those monsters suit the sheep. You'll have your quarterstaff, girl, but Masso is a more fitting name for someone so stubborn."

I scowled. "Hey! I can take care of myself perfectly fine! Just... Not yet..." I felt my face flush, and I lowered my head, unable to meet his eyes. I'm probably slowing him down, but I can't do this on my own in this body! At least not yet. "I can't believe he called me a rock..." I muttered. Hurray for Italian classes so I can understand when someone insults me.

Suddenly I was angry rather than embarrassed. I had gotten higher in the beta than he had! I had more knowledge, more practice, and more experience than he did! I didn't have to take this! I looked back up, glaring into his purple eyes. "I'll take that stubborn crack as a complement. I poked him in the chest with my finger, and not lightly. "And if you're so knowledgeable about names, how about you pick one for yourself so I don't have to start calling you something like... Stulte."

Not even deigning to respond, he simply turned and began walking towards the owner of the clearing to talk to him about taking on the monsters. I growled to myself, but followed, putting on a good face for the NPC and trying to be polite.

The quest wasn't really that hard, it just required the player to protect both the shepherd boy who was trying to place the scent bags to keep the monsters away and also keep the livestock from getting killed, a task not easily done solo. Waves of monsters came to attack, but this early on the Ilos mainland, they only had one, sometimes two kinds of attacks, and were easy to deal with. I still felt like I was slowing my companion down and not contributing my share, but that would change right after we finished this.

After we successfully protected the shepherd boy, we went to talk to the owner of the clearing again, and he gave us each a few coins and a well-used quarterstaff. It was of decent quality but old, polished smooth by hands and long use. It had a faint shine, was the same moderately dark wood of the trees surrounding the village, slightly taller than I was, and thin enough that even my small hands could use it.

A feeling of relief came over me and I hugged the thing to my chest. Having a quarterstaff just made me feel so much safer and more confident with the knowledge that I could easily protect myself with it. Of course, that feeling only lasted a moment until I realized that my companion was walking away and I hurried to follow.

Now that I had my weapon of choice I didn't need to rely on the boy, but questing was faster and more efficient with two and I wanted to repay him for allowing me to tag along. I knew I had been slowing him down, essentially stealing money and experience from him in order to advance myself more quickly.

After thinking about it for a few more quests, I finally took my starter sword out of my inventory and stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Hey, do you… want this?" I asked, my face heating and turning down in embarrassment as he turned to look at me. "I mean, there's no sword upgrades worth it in this area, and this one is better than your second sword..."

"I have no need for your sword Masso. Our relationship is nothing but temporary and I will see it end soon." He replied, shaking his head slightly.

My head snapped up and my eyes widened a bit. "You... Don't want it?" I asked as I lowered the proffered weapon. He doesn't want a free equipment upgrade? "You have to be the weirdest gamer I've ever met."

He turned and started walking away before I recovered. "And my name is Aria, not Masso!"

 

-----

 

As the sun began to set the first few other players began to trickle into the village. Most had a confident look about them, as if they were repeating actions they had done before, but none had the presence of the companion I was already traveling with. I could tell that they were much less skilled by the way they walked and handled their weapons and movements.

He still wouldn't tell me his name, which was somewhat annoying, but he had stopped exuding that overly patient air like he was dealing with a complete annoyance and was more or less just ignoring me at this point. Though to be honest, I actually preferred the silence to the reactions I knew I would, and was starting to, get from the other players. I mean, I looked like a kid! And a cute female one to boot! I knew if they saw me they would probably think I was a burden, an object of pity, or worse, attractive to them.

Unfortunately, I had caught more than a few looks at myself in the reflections in the glass around the village, and could easily see the image in my mind’s eye. I now had the appearance of a cutely pretty girl with long black hair and golden eyes with a rather slight build. If I stood higher than 4’10” or weighed more than 105 lb I’d be surprised. Even though I was actually 21, I looked in my older teens, possibly even as young as 16 if you looked at my face from the right angle. My long midnight-black hair reached down to my lower back, and kept getting in my face until I got the trick of tucking it behind my ears just right. The darkness of that hair set off the yellow-gold eyes I had now, making them seem even brighter and more striking.

To avoid the other players, I needed to stay with the guy I was currently following even if we didn’t exactly get along. Despite calling me ‘girl’ all the time, he didn’t actually treat me all that much like the diminutive girl I looked like. He ignored me for the most part, but he also didn’t look at me in that weird way the other male players and even the villagers did. I got the feeling that he probably wouldn’t have treated me much different had I been Cariss instead of Aria.

I reached out and put a hand on his arm, giving it enough pressure to get his attention and then quickly removing it. “We should do the night quests together; these guys aren’t exactly up for it I don’t think.” He didn’t reply though he seemed to be thinking, so I tried to come up with something that would make him agree. “I have some potions I haven’t used and I can do some basic healing magic to deal with the area of effect attacks of some of the monsters around here.”

He finally nodded, "We will do what quests we can tonight but I plan to be in the next village by morning. If the lack of sleep is a problem you are free to stay behind."

I shook my head, my black hair flowing disconcertingly with my movements. "Not a chance, you're stuck with me for a while yet. Just by looking at the others I can tell you're the most skilled player here, and a little tiredness isn't going to stop me from staying with someone so good. Besides, you helped me get my quarterstaff; I at least owe it to you to get an equipment upgrade of your own."

There was a little bit of time before the sun fully set, so we stopped by the inn again to get some more bread and water. Unfortunately there were more than a few players here now, and it seemed like all of them turned to look at me as I walked in the door. Of course, looking at a newcomer was natural and I was used to it, having dealt with it for all my life in school classrooms. What I wasn’t used to was the way their gazes lingered as I went to go purchase my food, and seemed continuously drawn back to me as I ate with my companion at a table. I hated the attention, even if I knew exactly why I was receiving it.

Female players were relatively rare in Ilos because most people kept true to their real world gender and there were simply more guys that played video games than girls. However, among those who had silver Keys, that ratio was much more severely skewed. With the prices the Keys went for on the open market, anyone who didn’t really love this place just up and sold their Key, and while I was sure there were still female players in Ilos, most likely had their heads on straight and went for the money over the game. In most games there would be a significant number of female avatars, regardless of the player’s true gender, but very few could handle the massive changes of a gender switch in Ilos and stuck to their own. All the attention I got was because I looked like a girl, and a young and pretty one to boot.

I wondered briefly if there was anyone else who had got their appearance switched around. It would be nice to know I wasn’t alone in all of this mess, but I really wouldn’t wish this on anyone. Everything was wrong with this. I shouldn’t be being stared at, I shouldn’t be short, and I certainly shouldn’t be looked down on like everyone was doing.

Twice it happened that a player started to approach me, concern written on his face, and I had to glare with those yellow-gold eyes of mine until he backed down. I didn’t want their concern, I didn’t want their help, and I didn’t want their pity.

Suffice it to say it was an… uncomfortable… meal, and I was glad to leave.

As we went to go accept the night quests from the various NPCs, I forced my face to form a pleasant smile and was as polite as possible, just like I had been doing all day when dealing with people that weren’t players. It paid to be polite, and I wasn’t going to take it out on the Ilosians just because I didn’t like my lot.

I finally felt like I was a significant benefit when we started with the quests involving gathering materials as I seemed to have much better night vision than my companion did. It was easy to spot the small stacks of wood the forester had left out that day, and the herbs the village Wisdom needed to cure a fever weren’t difficult to see either. I was also able to pull my weight a lot better now that I had my quarterstaff and lagged only slightly behind when killing monsters, unable to deal the damage my partner’s dual edged blades could despite my skill with the weapon.

We completed the quests we had picked up in good time and headed back to the village to find more. After going to the forest and back three or four times, the village Elder, introducing himself as Catre, approached us and asked for our help with a matter the village as a whole was having trouble with.

It seemed a large bear - the Grizzled Grizzly - had been killing livestock, destroying equipment and property, and generally causing a major drain on the people. I struggled to keep a straight face when he mentioned the miniboss despite the seriousness. I mean, who names these things? He explained that the hunters had been attempting to find and kill the beast, but because it only came out at night they had been unable to as they couldn't venture far from the village for fear of being attacked by the dangerous monsters that inhabited the forest. As we accepted the quest, he also told us that there was another way to kill the Grizzly without having to fight it directly. If we could find and kill a Sickly Boar we could use its blood to poison the bear's den and Catre would count the quest as complete.

From my experience in the beta, I knew the Grizzly itself wasn’t all that difficult to defeat, but when attacked it could roar, drawing in any surrounding enemies to attack the player as well, which is the only reason it was considered miniboss status and usually taken on in groups of four or more.

We turned in the other quests we completed and then headed back into the forest. My companion had not spoken another word since we started the night quests and while he seemed to be fairly knowledgeable about the quests around here, I wanted to make sure he had all the specifics with this one.

"I'm not sure how much you know about this quest, but you get different rewards depending on how you kill the Grizzly. If you use the poison the Elder gives you a Tiny Quick Gem, otherwise we will get a pair of Comfortable Traveling Boots each. The poison would be easier, but having the Boots would significantly reduce our travel time. Besides, while Quick Gems are always useful to have, I could really go for some boots that fit better than these things do.” I kicked the heel of one shoe with the toe of the other.

Being able to access a small item from a gem without going through the inventory screen would be handy, but if we end up doing the amount of traveling I think we are going to, the run speed boost the Comfortable Traveling Boots give us is going to be a huge boon.

He considered for a moment longer, then replied. “We clear the mobs around the Grizzly quick as we can before aggroing the beast. Keeping ahead of the crowd is more important for now.”

We avoided the aggressive monsters in the areas much as we could, searching the forest for the Grizzled Grizzly, but we couldn’t hide from all of them. After a few fights, I reflected that this was probably a good thing. I was significantly out of practice with my quarterstaff, and with the new body I had I needed to adjust some of the forms to make them usable again. Most of those changes involved creating extra room so I wouldn’t brush the protrusions on my chest or my comparatively larger hips. It took a bit, but with each adjustment I relaxed a little bit more, and my strikes began to flow again rather than jerk.

It really was nice to fight with a quarterstaff again. I slipped into the Stillness each encounter now, dancing as much as fighting, the feeling of unease with my new form unfelt just like every other emotion. I would have said I felt happy, but even that emotion was muted to the point where it was unnoticeable while in the Stillness.

The only trouble with this forest at night was that there were slimes that would explode when killed, damaging everything nearby. The pair of us were quick enough that we could get away from most of the effect, but not all of it. I began to use kasi to keep the damage down, periodically healing us, but we had to use a few potions while we searched as well.

After around an hour of looking, we finally found our quarry. It was a huge thing, taller than I was when it was down on four paws, and had numerous scars and places where the fur no longer grew in evenly. Avoiding it for now, we quickly began clearing the area around it of any monsters we could find. Unfortunately, there were a lot of them, and as we started attacking the last, the first ones we killed began respawning. We simply didn’t have enough damage output, due to lack of exp, to kill all of the creatures in the area off quickly enough to only have to fight the bear.

I glanced at my partner, meeting his eyes, and in silent agreement we finished off the enemies we were currently fighting and moved to attack the Grizzly. I slipped into the Stillness, my mind able to process what information I had without the stress of battle playing in. The bear had four different attacks, double that of any other monster in the area. When it was on four paws, it would bite, which needed to be dodged, or slash with one of its paws, which could be either dodged or deflected. After taking some damage it would stand on its hind legs and roar, aggroing all nearby monsters and giving off an imposing presence that most players would react to with fear, but it would also expose the most vulnerable areas of its body: the belly and neck. After roaring, it would slash down with both paws, which due to the power would cause significant damage even if parried and therefore must be dodged.

As expected, the Grizzly slashed at us as soon as we entered its range, its paw only a blur as it drew a path where our midsections should have been. I was already above the attack, and my partner had slid under it, cutting with his blades as I brought down my quarterstaff with the weight of my fall on its head.

Our surprisingly quick counter-strikes together were enough to create a Stun effect, and we began attacking as fast as we could. I was slightly to the right of the monster’s head, and began striking at its eyes and ears, both sensitive points, while my black haired companion attacked its left side.

As the Stun effect expired, the beast lunged at me, attempting to close its jaws on me, but I had already moved and it caught only air. My role was to attract the Grizzly’s attention, keeping its focus on me while my partner dealt the real damage to its flank. By striking at the eyes and ears, the monster identified me as the most damaging target and continued to attack me. Because of my smaller stature and greater agility, I could easily avoid any damage it tried to do to me.

After a short time, the Grizzly reared up on its back paws and drew in a breath to roar. In unison, both of us attacked at its exposed weak points, him at the belly and I at the neck as the windpipe was more vulnerable to blunt damage than the guts were. Despite the attacks to its throat, the bear still let out a loud roar and began to slash down on us, making us roll out of the way.

The ground seemed to shake with the force, and the bear’s paws made deep imprints in the ground where they hit. Rustles sounded all around us as the monsters of the forest responded to the Grizzly’s roar, rushing towards us. There were two, six, nine of them that appeared. I swore under my breath. There must have been more respawns.

We broke from our engagement with the bear and attacked the adds, performing the same roles as before.

“Ci!” I shouted to give my partner some warning, closing my eyes and throwing up a hand with my palm open, creating a bright ball of light. My eyelids turned red to my vision, almost as if I were facing the sun itself. The orb only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to draw the attention of all the monsters in the area as well as severely damaging the night vision of any who looked at it directly.

As the person with the lesser damage output, it was my job to keep the attention of the enemies so my companion could focus on taking them down one by one without worrying about being attacked from behind. However fast and agile I was now, I was still inhabiting a body I hadn’t even had for a full day yet, and the small mistakes in movement I was making started to add up with the number of attacks coming my way.

Despite the Stillness, I could still feel the fear of a heated and dangerous battle. With the large disadvantage in exp I was working with, it was sure that if I took a single solid hit I would be thrown off balance enough that I would be almost instantly killed. So I danced around the clearing like a madman, dodging what I could, parrying the heavy attacks I knew I couldn’t, and taking what damage I had to from the glancing attacks. I used everything I could to keep out of reach; I kicked off of trees, jumped over heavy foliage, slid through leaves to kick them up in the air, and used the monster’s bodies to block their allies. I felt like I was in the air more than I was on the ground.

Even glancing attacks caused a significant amount of damage over enough time, and by the time there were only two monsters other than the Grizzly left, my vision was starting to grow hazy, a sure sign that if I took many more hits I would start to lose consciousness. I was bleeding from numerous cuts and hadn’t had time to grab a potion from my belt, my health deteriorating without having to be directly hit now.

However, all of that was distant in the Stillness, just knowledge, what mattered was that I continue to hold the monsters attention until my partner could take them out. If it were any of the other players I had seen back at the village that were with me I would have been killed already, but the skill and sheer damage output of my partner was keeping us alive.

He killed off the last two adds, and we could finally turn our attention back to the Grizzly. I hid behind a tree to gain enough time to drink one of the health potions I had in my belt, then began attacking again. If I was hit, even slightly, the potion’s healing effects would cancel, but I knew the bear’s attack patterns well enough that I wasn’t worried. A crawling sensation moved across my skin as the cuts I had accumulated began to knit together and disappear. I still struck at the monster’s face as often as possible, continuing to hold its attention.

I had little attention to spare, but what I did have I used to watch my partner. He was a dervish, his two blades blurring with speed as he cut deeper and deeper into the Grizzly’s flank. The bear did one last hind leg stand, drawing in breath to roar again, but between my quarterstaff hitting its neck and my partner’s blades cutting into its belly, the monster only gave out a small groaning sound before falling to the ground with a massive thud.

Strength coursed through my body as the experience we gained from the fight was applied to us. That feeling was the only way to judge what amount of experience was gained, and by the rush hitting me, it was quite a bit.

I twirled my quarterstaff before holstering it on my back, then stretched with my arms over my head. “Good job! That was a tough fight.” I smiled at my partner as he was wiping his blades off on the Grizzly’s corpse.

As I was starting to realize was normal for my mysterious companion, he said nothing, only glancing at me without expression before turning back to looting the Grizzly and the other monsters we killed.

We headed directly back to the village using the compass to guide us. The compass was a holographic-type screen just like the inventory, appearing when a player put their index fingers and thumbs of both hands together to form a rough circle. A normal compass would then appear in the empty space and could be modified by simple mental focus to show the direction of any place you had already been to.

I cast kasi again as soon as I had enough mana, and drank another health potion to heal the rest of my injuries from the battle. Traveling back to the village was uneventful as we were successful in moving quietly by any monsters we encountered along the way. We could have just run through the forest, but unlike most games, enemies didn’t stop following you unless you killed them or they lost sight of you for a significant time. Most monsters were also faster than players were, and would destroy buildings and kill NPCs if led to them, breaking quests and possibly permanently removing an entire village from Ilos.

When we arrived back at the village of Riskmarl, we were greeted by Catre, the village Elder who had given us the quest.

I bowed my head in greeting and smiled at him, still buoyant from the recent victory. “We’ve killed the beast Elder Catre, your village will no longer be bothered by it.”

He smiled, “Thank you champions. Please, take these for your troubles. I know they’re not much, but we have little else to offer.”

In each hand he held out a pair of Comfortable Traveling Boots, which I gratefully accepted, swapping out my rather badly fitting starting shoes immediately and placing them in my inventory to sell later. I sighed happily, wiggling my toes in the soft interior of the boots that reached up almost to my knees, fitting snugly, then bowed to Catre. “Thank you very much Elder, these will help us greatly.”

I glanced up at my companion, who had already swapped his boots as well, meeting his eyes, and in silent agreement we turned to go.

“Aria, a moment more of your time.”

I stopped in my tracks, turning back to Catre. He called me by name?

He walked the few steps separating us, then bowing, he spoke. “Aria, you’ve been so kind to us. Please, take this with you as well; we have no use for it here.”

I looked to see what he was giving me and couldn’t stop a gasp. Proffered in his outstretched hand was a small sky-blue gem, something I recognized immediately, but had never expected to see on the Ilos mainland. The Tiny Spell Gem glinted softly in the torchlight illuminating us, a rare treasure indeed.

Like a Quick Gem but for magic, a Spell Gem could be used to store a certain amount of mana in the form of a spell. In a world where magic was by and large the strongest force to be reckoned with, a Spell Gem was among the most sought after treasures.

I reached out and gently took it from his open palm, clutching it in my hand as I bowed deeply in the most respectful Ilosian way: one leg crossed in front of the other, bent at the waist with both arms held out straight to the sides. “Thank you for this amazing gift Elder Catre, I’m honored you would give me such a thing.”

He shook his head, smiling down at me. “The honor is all mine, thank you for helping us and being so kind, too many champions simply ignore us, or treat us as if we are merely objects. Now it is late, and weariness weighs heavily on these old bones. A good night to you Aria, and your companion as well.”

I watched as he walked off, a smile on my face, then turned to join my partner as we walked out into the forest, the few villagers still awake waving at us as we went. I held off casting kasi on the Spell Gem, wanting to use the maximum mana I could hold for the spell charge, and placed it in my inventory for the time being.

We broke into a run when the lights from the village were no longer visible, and as expected, the boots we had just received significantly boosted our traveling speed. At this rate of speed I could probably win the Olympic games in any running event over a mile long. The wind was exhilarating as it blew through my hair.

I thought about the villagers in Riskmarl for a good while after we left and how they had been so grateful for what we had done for them. That was one of the two main draws for me in Ilos. More than the fighting, more than the feeling of accomplishing something difficult, more than acquiring new equipment; I loved knowing I had made a difference, that I personally had greatly affected the lives of a group of people for the better. That was something that was almost impossible to do on Earth.

Just thinking about the good we had done kept a smile on my face and a bounce in my step for the first hour or two of travel. I wish I could stay in Ilos forever, to live here rather than Earth for the rest of my days.

I caught sight of my hands as they swung with my steps, my small, soft, smooth hands. I brought them up in front of me and looked at them, turning them back and forth. They were so much smaller, the fingers longer when compared to the palm, the nails more rounded, and the skin hairless and smooth. The palms were missing the calluses I’d had for all my life and were almost uniform in color rather than splotchy. Not my hands, yet I had already begun to grow used to them like I had with the rest of me.

My good mood faded as I stared at them and thought over the day. I would never have cursed like I did at nameless guy had I been Cariss, but I just felt so angry. It’s like I’m feeling more than I used to. I’m already changing, adapting to conform to this new body. Am I even me any longer? Would Jess and Nick believe me if I told them who I was looking and acting like this?

If this was the price I had to pay in order to forsake Earth and live in Ilos, would I accept it?

I didn’t know. I certainly didn’t want to be a girl, but the inability to log out and the possibility that I would be a permanent resident of Ilos filled me with hope. I wanted to stay here, I wanted it more than anything I had ever desired, but would this price be worth it?

There was a part of me that screamed no, a part that couldn’t deal with changing genders and appearance and having that strip away all that I had ever held dear, possibly including my friends and family. Yet I felt like I belonged here in Ilos in a way I never had on Earth, like there was this gaping hole in me that was filled by being here.

Why me though? I wondered. Was I turned into a girl because I was so close to Jess when it all happened? Did this Xynus guy just decide he wanted to screw with a couple people in addition to trapping them here? Or is it some other reason or just a fluke?

I sighed, feeling my eyes begin to grow heavy now that I wasn’t in combat or even feeling happy. I’m too tired to think about all this right now. How long have I been awake? Time started over from morning when the silver Key players were singled out, and I spent most of the day with Jess and Nick beforehand, so… 38 hours? 42? Whatever, none of this matters right now, I just need to keep going, keep gaining experience and strength until the rest of the players reappear.

I looked over at the as yet nameless boy I was traveling with. I’m just glad I’m not alone right now, even if he is cold and kind of a jerk, he doesn’t look down on me for looking like I do like everyone else seems to.

 

 

Ilos, Day 2

 

As the beginnings of dawn began to light the sky we entered the outskirts of the village of Neatar, slowing to a stop as we stood at the edge. I stretched my arms above my head and yawned, then blinked blearily and looked up at my companion. “So what now?”

He looked down at me. “We'll rest for a time but I won’t let my lead be wasted. If you are not awake when I depart you have only yourself to blame. We are in separate rooms.”

I nodded tiredly. “I don’t want anyone catching us either. I think I’ll be good after three or four hours, just don’t leave me okay? I really don’t want to be alone.”

He sighed. “I will not wake you as I prefer to play alone, but I will accept that you have yet to slow me down. I will wake in four hours, Masso, and begin with ‘An Errand for the Cobbler’. I will complete some of the more valuable quests in this village before moving on. As persistent as you are, even if you oversleep I have no doubt you will find me before I depart.”

Relief washed over me, much more than I expected, and I smiled slightly. “Thanks.”

Without further comment, he turned and walked off towards the inn, quickly and silently vanishing from sight. I took out the long squarish light blue Spell Gem from a pouch and fingered it absently, wondering if he would actually do what he said and not try to ditch me. Well, he needed to sleep sometime, and I had a few things to do before I could do so as well.

I stopped one of the villagers, a young man, and asked where the shops were, attempting to ignore how much I had to look up and the way his eyes flickered between my golden eyes and my chest. My attempt failed, and my voice snapped much more than I wanted it to when I thanked him, sending him scurrying away with wide eyes when I stalked off.

Thankfully the shopkeeper was a woman, and I was able to be much more polite while haggling with her. At least she only stared at my eyes. After selling all my extra equipment, I came away with a simple silver necklace and an attachment I could mount my Spell Gem to as well as twenty copper marks and six copper pars. I honestly thought I’d never work her up to that much, but from her smile as I walked off, she never expected to pay so little for what she got.

That was the best way to do things, with both sides thinking they’d got the better deal. I took it to the jeweler in the village, or at least the guy who did all the small fine work for everyone. He was much less experienced in bartering, and I managed to get him down to accepting four copper pars to attach my Spell Gem to the necklace. Normally I wouldn’t drive someone so hard when dickering, but he was staring at my chest the entire time. I don’t even think he noticed I had a weird eye color. It was quick work, and about twenty minutes after entering the village of Neatar, I was heading towards the inn with an emptied inventory and an easy way to carry my Spell Gem.

I bought some bread and water for a copper mark and rented one of the four rooms for another two, paying the innkeeper five copper pars to send someone to wake me after three and a half hours. Taking the food up to my room, I set my quarterstaff within reach of the bed then sat down in the single creaky wooden chair to eat my food. With a bed within a few feet of me, I barely managed to finish my meal before I fell onto the thin mattress, still fully clothed, and was out as soon as my head hit what passed for a pillow.

 

-----

 

Thump.

I woke up on the floor next to the bed, scared completely out of my wits and my eyes blurry with tears. There was no feeling of threat, which would have made me reach for my quarterstaff, just a sense of fear, as if I had been trapped somehow and was unable to escape. I gathered myself and stood up, brushing back my hair and wiping my face and eyes to clear them. The panicky feeling slowly faded away as I took a few deep breaths and tried to convince my subconscious that there was nothing to be afraid of. Whatever that dream had been, or nightmare really, it must have been a doozy for me to fall out of bed.

I glanced at the bed, considering going back to sleep, but the sleep I did get must have done some good because there was only a small wisp of the exhaustion I had felt earlier remaining. That and I really did not want to wake up that way again.

My quarterstaff, leaning against the wall by the bed, caught my eye. I should really work through some of the forms if I have the time right now.

I grabbed the weapon, my only possession in the room I wasn’t wearing, and walked towards the door. I caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of my eye as I neared the door, and spun to confront them. How the hell did someone get into my room? The system is supposed to prevent that!

I snapped my quarterstaff up into a ready position and started to demand the identity of the intruder. Then I realized that I was glaring through the mirror over the washstand… at myself.

Letting my quarterstaff drop, I felt my cheeks heat, and I was suddenly glad I was the only one who was there to see me ready to fight a reflection in a mirror. I absently brushed back the fan of hair that liked to drop over my left eye when I moved so suddenly, and smiled slightly. I was so glad Ilos didn’t include hair tangles after the tossing and turning I suspected I did while I was asleep. Thankfully my long midnight black hair fell as straight and soft as ever down to my lower back, the tresses containing a slight wave even when I stood still. At least that’s one thing I don’t have to deal with.

Recalling my introspection the previous night, the smile faded from the girl’s face. I concentrated, dropping into the Stillness so I could consider things without my annoyingly stronger emotions getting in the way. The sense of oddness in this body faded as I relaxed, the unease, the loneliness, the fear and frustration and anger fading until they were unnoticeable, leaving me in a bubble of calm, of Stillness. The question is ‘can I do anything about this being a girl thing?’ Would it help to tell someone, that guy I’m traveling with maybe, what happened to me? Is there anything more practical I could be doing than what I’m doing right now?

I had certainly overreacted to many of the minor things that had happened to me yesterday. Most of the small insults from my traveling companion, the way the Ilosians looked at me, the flirtatious guard at the North Gate, all of those things would have just slid off me when I was Cariss. However, aside from that, I had done very well in gaining an advantage over most of the player populace in Ilos. By reaching one of the four main starting areas around the City and running through the quests there first, I not only got to complete the best quests in terms of efficiency and rewards, but also made sure any other players would be long in following.

Most quests could be completed again and again for a reducing reward by one player or for the same reward by many different players as long as the NPC in question needed something done, but not all quests followed this rule. Running errands, killing non-unique monsters, and many of the gathering quests were this way, the Ilosians seeming to leave things unfinished just so the players could have quests, though maybe they were just really lazy. ‘The Lazy Shepherd’ was an example of a quest that could only be completed once a day, as once the shepherd boy had placed the bags of scent, they would last the rest of the day and there would be no need for the owner of the livestock to hire another champion or group to protect his animals. Quests that involved killing a unique monster, like the Grizzled Grizzly, were very difficult and could only be completed once in a long period of time. The Grizzly would inevitably be succeeded by another bear or wolf or other animal, and then the quest would need to be completed again, but that could be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Finally, some quests that involved unique events or circumstances would only be completed once, the bulk of these involving the bosses that guarded the path upwards into the islands above Ilos.

If there was a big enough group of players working together, it would be possible for them to catch us with their lower level of exp, but that kind of group seemed unlikely. I very much doubted that the other players were still frozen in fear in the city. Some might be, but I suspected that there were many who would consider this the best thing that ever happened to them, and because all of them were in the beta, they knew most of Ilos’ rules and many of the quests in the starting areas. Some might gather together, but they would need to be very good in order to catch us now, especially with the boots we had just received.

So to answer my own question, this is the most practical thing I could be doing right now. I’ve done what I could with what I have and gained as much of a lead as possible.

Abandoning the Stillness and the cute young girl in the mirror, I headed down to the common room, stopping to ask the innkeeper if there was a clear space nearby I could practice with my quarterstaff.

He gestured towards the back of the inn with his head, his hands busy polishing a bowl. “There’s a clear spot out back for hitching wagons, you’re welcome to use it unless there’s someone else there.”

I inclined my head for a moment. “Thank you.”

There was indeed a place behind the inn where a few spots of grass grew, but was mostly open dirt in front of a stable. I checked around, making sure there was indeed no one there, then unlimbered my quarterstaff and spun it between my hands and started working through the basic forms at a moderate speed. No problems, but that was expected after all the fighting I’d done yesterday. I sped up to full speed, the ends of the wood in my hands blurring out of sight and producing a low whirring sound.

It took a few minutes to run through all the basics, and when I stopped I saw a few of the village children peeking around a corner at me, probably come to investigate the noise. I smiled and waved them over. “Come on then. If you want to watch, I don’t mind as long as you stay clear.”

They ran over to a grassy spot and sat down, talking amongst themselves excitedly as they stared at me with wonder on their faces. They gasped and the soft babble increased as they noticed my oddly colored eyes. My smile widened slightly, and I spun up my quarterstaff again, flowing into the forms I hadn’t tried yet.

Unfortunately, most of those needed slight corrections to work with my new body, or rather to avoid hitting my chest or comparatively wider hips. It was slow and annoying progress, but getting things in order was necessary.

After a little while I gave up on fixing my technique and just moved. Each form was designed for transition into others, and you could chain them together with a little practice. I slipped into the flow and closed my eyes, a tension I didn’t know I’d had leaving my body as I spun the wood in my hands and danced to an unheard melody.

The sound of my quarterstaff cutting through the air grew louder until it was a constant rich thrumming, moving through every possible space a weapon or attacker could use. I slipped into the Stillness again, relaxing in the peace that was so absent in the past day. As always when I was in that state, the… presences, for lack of a better word… around me became clearer. I wasn’t sure if it was a product of the rules in Ilos, or something specific to the Stillness, but I could tell the general direction and strength of anything near me, even with my eyes closed and my ears filled with the thrum of my weapon. The children were still there, and a strong presence approached, then after watching for a moment, left.

That must have been my companion. I really need to come up with a name for him, or get him to tell me his. I thought, but for some reason I knew I would wait until he gave me his name to call him anything.

Letting my quarterstaff gradually slow, I let go of the Stillness, sighing as I felt the full force of all the emotions in this foreign body hit me. That was one of the only drawbacks about the peace I could find with my weapon and the Stillness, everything else just seemed so much more when that calm vanished.

Rather than dwell on what would inevitably end with me getting angry or depressed, I walked off towards where ‘An Errand for the Cobbler’ started to join my mysterious traveling partner.

We made good progress, moving through quests quickly, though I did end up taking some of my anger and other emotions out on nameless guy. It was like I couldn’t bring myself to be polite to him, though I did manage to hold any cutting remarks from the villagers that treated me like a little girl. Those always seemed to think that the guy traveling with me had some authority over me, or that he spoke for both of us, and would only talk to him, sometimes even ignoring me completely. It was annoying, and I took it out on him rather than be rude to the NPCs.

Regardless, we still got a good hour to nap after we finished the quests available in the daytime before the night quests unlocked.

 

-----

 

Night quests certainly weren’t easy, but between the pair of us we had little enough trouble with them. The real trouble came about an hour later.

The pair of us were talking to the mayor, one Briar Brisbane, who was a guardsman in his youth. He was born and raised in Neatar, and after seeing us help out his people he decided we might be able take on something that was plaguing the whole village.

As he was about to explain what he needed from us, there was a noise from beyond the door. Torchlight shone from outside, and I moved to look out the window. Seven men stood just outside the village border holding torches and a mixed assortment of ill-maintained swords.

“Damn, they are here already. Please, get rid of these men. I will give you my old sword as a reward, but please just drive them off.” At my questioning look he continued to explain, gesturing towards the window with a long face. “They used to be people who lived in this very village, but when times got hard they decided that robbery was the best way to go about things. We do not have the men to repel them anymore because of all the monster attacks, and we no longer have the money to pay them off. I do not know what they will do. I just wish they would come back to us.”

My companion took my place at the window, examining the men who were beginning to approach the house.

I scowled. Bandits were the one thing in Ilos I hated most. They were cowardly, mean, and a blight on everything and everyone around them. Ilos was my home now, and bandits defaced the beauty that it had and was. “I hate bandits.” I muttered, “Can we kill them?”

Turning from the window, my partner addressed Mayor Briar. “Mayor I can promise only one thing, as I am a loner and have no more charisma than a wolf, if I am to take this task all those men out there will die. I will make it as clean and quiet as can be in return for that sword but if you wish them a different fate I am not the one to ask.”

The mayor bowed his head, sighing heavily as if giving up, but nodded. “Very well. If they do not leave we will all die.”

A small smile began to grow on my face, but vanished as the unnamed man turned and looked down to speak to me. “Masso you will let me handle this and you will let me handle it alone. I will not tolerate an argument otherwise lest you believe yourself a match for my swords. You may watch and kill what ones slip me by but I will be doing this my way and you are not suited for such methods.”

What? Does he still think I can’t fight?! “But I-“ I started to argue, indignant, but caught the look in his purple eyes. He was entirely serious about doing this alone, and I was suddenly sure that if I tried to interfere or help he would turn on me. The anger faded from my face, and I nodded sharply. The bandits would still die, and being able to travel with someone so skilled was worth the price of not killing them with my own hands. “Show no mercy.”

Without further word, he walked out the rear door of house with me following, and both of us vanished into the shadows. I stayed back in the darkness of the house, holding one eye shut against the torchlight, and watched my companion as he moved forwards, silent as mist.

Abruptly, the three torches the bandits had between them went dark. Rather than go out suddenly, this was something different. Three small orbs of darkness had replaced the ends of the torches, an effect I recognized as the Shadow elemental magic spell tu. I opened my closed eye, and the world brightened from the pitch blackness that had suffused it for a moment. My companion was among them, his swords slicing necks and piercing chests. Four of them died before any of them realized something was wrong, the fifth before any of them saw him, and the sixth as he flinched back in fear. The last bandit dropped his crude sword in his panic and stumbled backwards. He opened his mouth to scream, but a sword appeared in his throat before he could make the slightest noise.

“Damn that was quick.” I muttered, walking towards my companion, who was busy snuffing out the torches before dismissing the Shadow spell. Without a word, we searched the bodies for any valuables, finding a small amount of money and a few of their weapons that were worth selling.

Standing, he looked at the corpses and blood, and they began to quickly waste away, dissolving into motes in a couple minutes rather than the hours they would take otherwise.

“A trick such as that won’t work on those who expect it or those who are better trained than mere bandits.”

I nodded, agreeing. “That was tu right? I should start working on my Shadow magic.” I motioned towards what little was left of the bandits with a hand. “Is that a Death magic spell? It’s the first time I’ve ever seen one.”

“Hope that you don’t see many more. Death magic is a dangerous spell type as is anything that so readily strikes against the living, and its users are seldom the kind you want to accompany.”

We waited until the last vestiges of the dead men dissolved away, then headed back inside the mayor’s house.

He greeted my partner, bowing low. "Thank you. I wish they could have come back to us, but this was the next best way. Most of the village is asleep, and this way I can say the bandits left and never came back. You've saved my people a lot of grief tonight sir."

He turned and walked back into the house, coming back with the sword. "Here is the sword as promised, and this is something I was given to pass on to someone whom I deemed fit." Along with the sword, he also handed him a White Carnation. It was beautiful, pure as newfallen snow, and drew my eyes like a moth to flame.

He checked the item description, a window appearing over the object low enough that I could read it. It read: ‘A Flower whose meaning lies in remembrance. It has an unknown effect, but may hold a special meaning to a certain someone.’

The mayor cleared his throat. “Sir, what name may I call you? I must have something I can tell the Elders at the meeting I must call tomorrow morning. You and Aria have helped us greatly this day."

Do I finally get to find out this guy’s name?

"I have no name good sir, and I would ask it as a favor if you would make no mention of me. Tell your Elders it was the doing of this young girl, and if your tongue cannot lie lest it be cut, only mention me as a man in her company. I would appreciate it so."

I sighed slightly. Of course not.

"I see. Well please, my son runs the inn, I'm sure he would let you stay free tonight and give you quite the feast. We all owe you a debt for your actions tonight and it is the least we can do to show our gratitude.”

A free bed would be nice, but… I shook my head. "Thank you for the offer, but I believe that we are traveling to Gladen tonight.

I glanced up at my partner, who gave a tiny nod. “It is so.”

Bidding the mayor a good night, we headed out of the village.

 

-----

 

As the dim light faded to shadow along the path under the canopy of the forest, I looked up at the black haired guy I was traveling with. "That was really impressive with the bandits, but you should let me help next time. As much as I don't advertise it, I'm good with more than just a quarterstaff." I slipped out the throwing daggers hidden in my sleeves and twirled them, then made them vanish back to their places with a flourish. "Maybe you can teach me some of that Shadow magic of yours and I can help out, I only know a few spells of that element."

He held my eyes for a moment longer, expressionless as usual, then turned to look back forwards.

I frowned, then shrugged “I… guess not.”

Putting it out of my mind, I opened my senses and made sure my footsteps were silent as we ran. I occasionally glanced at the nameless man I was matching my pace to, noticing he was also keeping alert despite traveling down a safe path as well as keeping his footsteps as quiet as possible.

A comfortable silence settled as we traveled, neither of us feeling the need to speak. Despite his annoying tendency to get on my nerves, I was glad that I had found someone so skilled and had the same views on socializing that I did, namely that it wasn’t always needed.

After a two or three hours of traveling, I heard movement up ahead of us as well as the sound of leaves rustling against each other. There was no wind and therefore the source of the noise must be some nearby Plantea. As could be assumed from their name, Plantea were essentially semi-sentient vegetation, along the same intelligence of most wild animals. They were territorial, and used ambushes as a means of attacking their enemies when in forested areas.

Up ahead, the path suddenly narrowed with large bushes lining each side, or rather Foliage Plantea, the weakest of all Plantea. Around three feet tall, I knew they attacked with whipping vines and roots that tried to entangle the legs of their prey. Unfortunately, Plantea were pretty resistant to blunt attacks, like those of a quarterstaff, so I drew a pair of throwing daggers as we approached the ambush site.

Rather than try to avoid the monsters, we simply attacked them. My partner’s swords cut them down easily, and while I wasn’t used to fighting with just daggers, I was still able to do much more damage that I would have with a quarterstaff. Parrying the vines with a sharp weapon generally severed them, eliciting a cry of pain from the Plantea, and I was too light on my feet to be entangled with the roots. The nameless man didn’t even bother dodging, but was perceptive enough to simply cut the roots apart just as they started to creep towards his feet.

After the failed ambush, we simply continued on our way.

 

 

Ilos, Day 3-7

 

For the next few days we just continued the pattern that we had started with the previous villages. We’d arrive at dawn, Nameless would tell me how long he would sleep, then we would eat bread and water, rent rooms, and rest. The mild panic that would wake me from my slumber faded after a day or two, allowing me to rest for almost the full time I had available, though I still took at least fifteen minutes to train with my quarterstaff after I awoke.

After a short while my traveling companion would come out of the inn, ending my practice, and we would do quests and kill things until we’d completed all of the valuable activities in the area. Generally by then it was dusk, or close to it, and we would take a break to eat and visit the shops, selling what items we didn’t need and restocking on potions if we had used any.

That comfortable silence reigned whenever we weren’t talking to the NPCs, or the Ilosians as I had begun calling them, or in battle. We gradually started to work together rather than simply fighting solo with someone else there, and the experience we gained began to increase as a result.

As soon as night truly set, we started the night quests, which always culminated in some big event or quest with appropriate rewards, and then continued on to the next village to repeat the cycle.

Between the quest rewards and the extra gifts the Ilosians gave us, we ended up with a good amount of decent equipment.

I still had the same quarterstaff, but I picked up a pair of long knives I kept sheathed at the small of my back to help deal with any Plantea we came across. I also replaced the light red (it was not pink) starting armor with a green and brown colored Hunter’s Garb and now had a small hair clip in the shape of a wolf's head that not only kept my hair out of my face, but also slightly increased my senses.

I still had mixed feelings about that clip, mainly because it was the only overtly feminine thing I owned, but in all practicality I couldn’t dismiss the benefits of not only keeping my hair out of the way, but also that enchantment on the clip. The wolf design probably played into it as well, I’d always liked wolves. The necklace that had my Spell Gem attached to it didn’t count as feminine, as that’s the way I would have worn it anyway.

Nameless guy had managed to replace both of his starting swords with much better versions, and was wearing a matching Hunter’s Garb, albeit in darker colors. He was also wearing a ring in the shape of a boar’s head that slightly increased the strength of his blows.

It was startling how reliant I had grown on his company. Along with when I was training with my quarterstaff or in the Stillness, questing alone with the guy was the only time I could truly relax. Unlike the Ilosians, he treated me just the same as he would anyone else with my skill level, completely disregarding my appearance. The NPCs, on the other hand, seemed to think we were related as brother and sister or even father and daughter, or failing that, lovers. They also seemed to think I was completely helpless and needed to be protected. I suspected that if I hadn’t been traveling with my much older looking partner I wouldn’t even have been able to do some of the quests. With all of this, dealing with the Ilosians in a polite manner was… grating.

Regardless, I persevered, and generally by the time dusk fell the villagers understood I wasn’t anything like they had assumed me to be. The children, unlike their elders, didn’t seem to notice how young or small I looked, and followed us whenever we were in the village borders. To them we weren’t people that could cause trouble, or lovers, or related, or too young, or whatever, we were champions. We went and did awesome things and used real weapons and killed real monsters, and that was just the coolest thing to them.

I loved them for it, and would often entertain them with flourishes and juggling with my throwing daggers, or when I practiced with my quarterstaff.

After we finished the last village's quests, we were faced with a dilemma. This was the village at the northernmost edge of the forest and it would take two days of travel to get to the next town.

I followed my companion to the inn, where he rented a room and told me to be ready at dawn rather than in a few hours like normal. We ate together, bread and water again, and then went to our rooms to sleep.

 

-----

 

The man with no name closed the door to his rented room at the inn, but made no move to make ready for sleep. Sitting down on the bed, he opened his inventory and took stock of all that he had, adjusted his equipment, reviewed the words of power he knew, and thought through his plan to make sure there were no holes.

He needed to rent a room at the inn, being sure to have a separate room from Aria, which had already been accomplished. After a brief wait, just long enough for Aria to have fallen asleep, he would sneak away from the inn and set out for the next village, spending the night traveling. At first light he would leave the road and sleep for several hours in the tall grass that covered most of the land just outside the forest, fending off what weaker daytime monsters came.

At that point he would continue traveling at a leisurely speed to the next village, predicting that Aria would have certainly passed him while he was sleeping, but before reaching the town he would take a loop around the settlement’s borders and continue straight on to the next rather than stop there like he normally would. After observing her for the past week, he was confident that if Aria didn’t find him in the next town she would give up on searching for him.

When the nameless man sensed that about half of an hour had passed, he rose and silently opened the window, slipping out onto the roof and closing the hinged glass behind him. It was child’s play for him to avoid the small number of villagers still awake at this time of night, and before a minute had elapsed he was out of the village and traveling towards the next town.

When dawn broke, he continued traveling for another hour or so before leaving the dirt road. The area around was hilly but had the type of terrain used in plains, and was largely covered in long emerald green grass. After a small stint of searching, he found a small flattened patch of grass that was invisible from the road, and settled down to sleep there.

The girl will surely be fine on her own. Best sever ties with her before I become attached. I am a loner, and she'll be better off not following the path I've set for myself. If we ever meet again I hope it won’t be at the end of my blade.

 

 

 

Chapter 4: Sweet Dreams

Ilos, Day 4

 

Nick- Finn, it’s Finn here- Finn blinked his eyes and looked around, taking in the Council Chamber and the large number of NPCs looking at him. The Regent was sitting in his miniature throne just like he was the last time Finn had been in Ilos, but the table had been cleared away and it seemed he was holding some sort of audience with a lot of well-dressed people.

“Ah- sorry, I’m obviously interrupting something here. When you have a few minutes Regent, I would like to speak with you. I’ll be outside.”

He hurriedly walked towards the doors of the chamber under the eyes of the NPCs, but he still heard the whispers of those who watched him as he passed.

“Did you see that?”

“How did he do that? I have never heard of a teleport spell.”

“Invisibility maybe?”

“No, they have wards up for that.”

“I will bet he is one of those champions.”

“A champion! I have never seen one so close before!”

“He does not look that differ-“

From the first person to utter it, the word ‘champion’ spread through the assembled people like wildfire, igniting murmurs that rapidly grew in intensity until he closed the Council Chamber’s door behind him. “What have I gotten myself into?”

It had only taken a day before Jess went back to Ilos with him standing guard over her body, but this was the first time she had felt safe enough to let him come too.

Intent on contacting Jess, he uttered the basic word of power for the Spirit element, one of its uses being telepathy with someone you had already met. “Su.”

*Je- Ahh, Lassea, can you hear me?* He thought, focused on sending the words to his friend. *Imagine yourself ‘thinking’ the words to me.*

*Like this?*

*You got it. I’m outside the Council Chamber inside the Palace. Do you know where that is?*

*I know where the Palace is, but I haven’t been inside yet.*

*Okay, I’ll meet you at the Palace gates, and we can book it back here. The Regent is the one to ask about the Bell of Recall, and he’s holding some kind of audience in the Chamber. Something I interrupted when I logged in.*

*Ha, I’ll bet they all stared at you like you were some sort of alien until you left and made comments on how you managed to randomly appear.*

*How did you-?*

*How did I know? Because that’s what I would have done in their place.*

Finn shook his head, marveling at his friend’s ability to understand the NPCs, and started running for the Palace entrance. And why not? He didn’t feel any fatigue, and there was no muscle soreness to worry about. He even sort of understood why David loved that freerunning of his so much, it was kind of freeing to move that fast under your own power.

He met Jes- Lassea at the gates and led her back into the palace. She had a small flame, no bigger than that of a candle, burning softly near her head. She said she liked seeing it, sort of like a reminder, and though she didn’t elaborate on what it reminded her of, he had a pretty good guess.

After the eighth or ninth turn she shook her head. “How do you keep this straight? I got lost two or three turns ago.”

“Do you remember how obsessed I was with this game? I memorized the layout of every place the beta testers mapped out, including the Palace. You should have let me come earlier; I know everything there is to know about this city.”

“I know, I know, but I just felt so much safer knowing that you were there with me.”

When they reached the Council Chamber, they were met by a tall guardswoman with dark brown hair in a ponytail, forest-green eyes, and a sword and crescent shaped shield on her back. It took Nic- Finn a second to remember her, that Commander of the Capital Guard he had met the last time he was here.

“Greetings champions.” She said, inclining her head. “Finn, were you going to ask the Regent about the Bell of Recall?”

“Who is this?” Jess – argh – Lassea asked, peering at the woman’s decorated armor.

“This is… ah…” Finn trailed off realizing he didn’t remember her name.

The woman in question grinned. “I am Lorilee Avenia, a Commander of the Capital Guard. And you are…?”

“Lassea.” She bowed. “Avendavida. An honor to meet a member of the Capital Guard, much less a Commander. You must be an incredible woman to have achieved so much.”

Lorilee smiled, bowing back. “Avendavida. It is a pleasure to meet a champion who observes the basic social graces of the city, though your friend here was not so bad as most.”

Lassea smirked. “I like to think I raised him right.”

The other woman laughed, and Finn rolled his eyes. “To answer your earlier question, yes, I was going to wait till his audience or meeting or whatever was done and then ask him about it.”

“Well, you’d be in for the long haul then, they’ve been doing meetings in there for two days with no signs of stopping, and the only people they let in are the servants bearing food and drink. All the nobles that have holdings in and around the city are gathered in that room, and are trying to decide what to do with all you champions wandering about everywhere. Has them in quite the tizzy, they have no idea how to deal with you.”

“So that’s why they were all so fancily dressed…”

“You went in there?!”

“No, that’s just where I was when I logged back in.”

She blinked. “Where you what?”

Lassea stepped in. “I’d be happy to explain it to you later Commander-“

The guardswoman held up a hand. “Just Lorilee please, I get called Commander enough around here without you champions doing it too.”

Lassea smiled. “I’d be happy to answer any questions you have Lorilee, but we were looking for information on the Bell of Recall, and it is somewhat urgent.”

“Ah. Well we did not actually find anything. From all reports the Call to Arms was rung on its own. One of my men was guarding the area, and he swears on his family that there was no one operating the Bell when it started moving.”

“Oh.”

“I am sorry I could not be the bearer of better news.”

“It’s alright Lorilee; at least it’s a subject we know to not spend more time investigating. Thank you for your help.”

“You are most welcome Lassea.” She turned to look at Finn. “Now what was that phrase you used? ‘Logged in’? I have a lot of questions if you can spare the time.”

Finn glanced at his friend, who shrugged, a little dejected. They didn’t know what else to look into to find more information on David’s disappearance – Please God don’t let him be actually dead – so chatting with the guardswoman could be as good a choice as any to learn more. “Well, why not? We don’t have anything else to go on for now and maybe you can answer some of our questions as well. Do you have someplace we can go? This isn’t exactly the best place to have a chat.”

“We can go to the Wheel and Locket, the innkeeper is a close friend of mine and she has a private room she often lets me use. Is that agreeable?”

The two friends glanced at each other, and Lassea nodded. “Lead on.”

They followed Lorilee out of the Palace using a slightly different combination of hallways than before, and at a much slower pace. It seemed that while players did not suffer from fatigue, the natives still did. Or else she’s just being polite. Finn speculated.

Lorilee looked over her shoulder at them. “So do the two of you know each other well? It certainly seems so.”

“Yes, we’ve been together a long time.” Lassea answered.

“You are lovers then?”

Finn tripped over his own heel, stumbling forwards a few steps before he caught his balance again, and Lassea stopped dead before laughing. “No no, we certainly aren’t lovers.” She said, starting forwards again.

Lorilee flushed, turning her head to look forwards again. “I apologize. With the way you seemed to communicate by glances and how you replied, I simply assumed…”

“No, it’s alright; I should have chosen my words better. We’re just really close friends, practically family.”

Finn glanced at Lassea, harboring a slight regret that their relationship wasn’t anything more. He had had a mild crush on his friend for years, though he was much better at hiding it than David was. Honestly he thought it would be odd for a guy not to have a crush on her. She was kind, honest, friendly, considerate, and beautiful, the kind of girlfriend any guy should want. However, she never gave any indication of interest towards him, and so he never made any sort of move on the subject.

They arrived at the Wheel and Locket, a three story inn close to the Palace, but out of view of the plaza. The sign hanging over the entrance showed a wagon wheel with the necklace of a locket strewn through the spokes. Lorilee lead them through the door without hesitation, raising a hand in greeting. “Hey Vivika!”

A young redheaded woman behind the bar turned to look, and a smile blossomed on her face as she moved around the wood and towards them. Nick estimated her to be about 5’8” and in her late teens, much too young to be running her own inn. However, the patrons in the common room only glanced at the newcomers before returning to their business, so it seemed she had some place here.

“Lorilee! I have not seen you in a few days, how have you been?” The girl stopped, seeming to notice the two champions for the first time. “Oh sorry, where are my manners? I am Vivika Ponri, the owner of the Wheel and Locket.”

“I’m Lassea, and this is Finn. Avendavida.” Lassea said, bowing.

Nick hurriedly followed her example, making a mental note to ask his friend about how she knew all of this stuff when they logged off. “Avendavida.”

“Avendavida.” Vivika replied, returning the bow. “Please, come in and have a seat. What would you like?”

“Actually Viv, if we could use the Key Room I have some things to discuss with them in private.” At her friend’s surprised expression, Lorilee continued. “They are champions, and have agreed to answer some questions.”

“Champions?! But they are so polite! Surely you must be mistaken?”

“Wow, we really have a bad rep around here don’t we?” Finn commented.

“A ‘rep’? I… am not familiar with that word.” Lorilee said, Vivika’s expression showing that she was in the same boat.

Lassea smiled, “Vivika, if we could impose on you, having a private room would be a much better venue for this conversation than the doorway of your inn.”

Vivika turned, and noticing they were the subject of attention of all of her patrons with the exception of what looked like some merchants bickering in a corner, flushed a pretty rose color. “Ah. Yes. Umm. Right this way.”

She led them up the stairs at the back of the common room and down a hallway before stopping at a room on the right. “I expect to be told everything before you leave Lorilee.” She said smiling, “You know I get worried when you do not come see me for a few days. Now I must get back to my inn.” She handed over a rather large key to Lorilee, and then turned and left.

The guardswoman shook her head, but had a big smile. “Oh Viv.” She turned and opened the door with the key, gesturing towards the room. “Shall we?”

The Key Room was pretty small, holding a rectangular table, six chairs, an unlit fireplace, and little else. They each took a chair, Lorilee at one side of the table with Finn and Lassea sitting next to each other across from her.

Before anyone could say anything, there was a knock on the door, and a serving girl came in with cups and a flagon of wine, which she placed on the table before making a curtsey and leaving. Lorilee poured for everyone, and once they had all had a sip or two she started.

“There are a lot of things I do not understand about champions. Xynus sent down a message telling of your coming and that you were going to be the saviors of Ilos, but he did not mention much about you besides instructions on how to help you. He told us to send you on errands, ask you to kill things, and generally hire you to do as many things as we could. We expected you would be like us, simply more powerful, but instead you use strange words and phrases, do not observe even the simplest of manners, and are sometimes completely dismissive of us. Lassea, as the only champion I’ve heard of that is actually polite, and Finn, as her close friend, may I ask you some questions?”

Lassea opened her mouth, her agreement written on her face, but Finn beat her to the punch. “Yes, we would be willing to answer your questions, but in return we ask you answer some of ours. As much as you know of us, we know as little or less about you.”

Lorilee nodded. “Agreed. Shall we simply trade questions?”

Finn started to agree, but it was Lassea that spoke over him this time. “Please Lorilee, let’s not be so formal. Simply ask your questions and we will answer, and if we think of one to ask you then we will.”

The guardswoman smiled, relaxing a little bit. “Very well. Let me start simply, what was that word you used earlier? ‘Rep’ I think it was?”

“’Rep’ is simply a shortened version of ‘reputation’. I was observing that you have a low opinion of champions as a whole.” Finn replied.

“Ah, alright then. How about that other phrase you used earlier? ‘Logged in’ I think it was?”

“That… is a little more complicated. Well, I suppose we had better just explain where we come from and how we got to Ilos in the first place. That’s bound to answer a large portion of your questions. It started for us when our friend David got this metal headband…”

Between the two of them, Finn and Lassea explained as much as they could about the circumstances regarding their arrival in Ilos and the subsequent events, occasionally slowing when Lorilee didn’t understand a phrase or word they used. The guardswoman listened attentively, though it was obvious she was struggling with disbelief at the story. It took longer than any of them expected, and they ended up going through the entire pitcher of wine.

“… and that’s when you bumped into us, I mean, met us outside the doors to the Council Room, and of course you know the rest.” Lassea finished.

Lorilee sat back in her chair and breathed out heavily, staring at the pair of friends with wide eyes. “This is much more than I ever expected or even imagined. You are truly from another world?” They nodded. “Incredible. I would never have guessed, not in a hundred years. Let me see if I have everything right. You come from a different world, a place called Earth, and these metal headbands of yours, referred to as Keys, allow you to come here, to Ilos, a place you think is a game?”

“Essentially yes, though there is something more going on here than any of us know. I can’t think of you as an NPC anymore, and I strongly suspect that the rest of the inhabitants of Ilos are the same as you.” Finn answered. “Therefore, despite the similarities, this cannot be a game. The question is where is this? How do the Keys get us here? Why were we led to believe this place was not real in the first place?”

“I do not have the answers to any of those questions, though your story has answered many of mine. The group of champions you mentioned vanishing when the Bell of Recall was rung did not die as you may believe, they appeared in the plaza the next morning. I do not know what happened there, but a good portion of them banded together and headed towards the West Gate. By the last report from the guardsmen at that gate, they are currently training for something, killing the creatures in and near the forest as fast as they can reappear. I've met their leaders, Corvid and Tasalin, but they have never mentioned logging out as you do.”

Lassea stood at her words, leaning over the table excitedly. “Do you know if they have someone named Cariss with them?”

Lorilee shook her head. “I do not, though I can find out. Is that the name of the friend you said had vanished from your world?”

Taking her seat again, Lassea nodded. “Yes, that’s the name he uses here.”

“Do not worry; I will do what I can to find him. You have helped me greatly today, though I now have much to think about, and I will do what I can to return the favor. Besides,” The guardswoman smiled, “I like you.”

“Say Lorilee, why is that that you don’t use contractions?” Finn asked. “I’ve noticed that none of you do actually.”

Lorilee tilted her head, frowning. “I… I am not sure. I certainly understand them well enough, but I have never used them like you do. It is just custom I suppose.” She shrugged, dismissing the issue. “We have spent longer than I expected here, and I unfortunately must get back to my men and draft up a report for the Regent. I apologize for the abrupt exit, but I may meet with you again tomorrow if that is acceptable. I will very likely be able to discover if your friend has joined with Corvid by then and will be able to answer some of your other questions then as well. Thank you again for your help.” Lorilee stood, then bowed.

“Oh, that’s not a problem Lorilee. I would love to meet with you again.” Lassea smiled, standing as well. “You should invite Vivika as well, it’d be good to talk with her too.”

“I will.”

“Not that you’ll have much choice after you tell her about today.” Finn snickered, making a guess about the young innkeeper.

Lorilee’s blush said he had hit the mark. “Ah. Yes. Well, I had better be off now. I will see you here tomorrow at noontime?”

The friends glanced at each other, then nodded at her together. “We’ll be there.” Lassea answered for both of them.

“Say, before I go, would you let me see you ‘log off’?”

“Umm, sure.”

They glanced at each other again, then crossed their arms over their chests and logged off.

 

 

Earth, Day 4

 

Nick sat up on the mattress he had on the floor, attempting to stop the spinning in his head. That had happened last time he had logged off too, probably something to do with going from a standing position to a prone one instantly.

“Ugh, I'm never going to get used to that.” Jess moaned from her bed, clutching her head.

“Hey, at least we learned something this time.”

“Yeah! We might actually find Bro!” She said, a huge smile painting her face. “I like Lorilee too, she seems really nice.”

Nick scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe I ever thought of them as NPCs. How could I miss all those obvious signs? I never even thought to ask the kind of questions an NPC wouldn’t be able to respond to.”

Bang! Bang! Bang! An insistent knocking sounded.

Jess sighed. “Leave it to the media to ruin a perfectly good day. Well, I did tell them to come back today, so I’d better get changed, and as good a friend you are…”

Nick grinned at her, then left the room, taking the couch and ignoring the continued knocking. The media could wait after what they did. With nothing else to do, he thought back to a few days ago and the big reason they went back to Ilos.

The night they learned David was dead, Jess cried herself to sleep with the video chat still on, and after wiping the tears from his own eyes, he had purchased a plane ticket for that night, packed his bag, and headed out. He had investments in several different companies, all of which, as he had predicted, were doing well, so he had the money to blow when things like this came up.

Within six hours he was at his friend’s door, and was met with a huge hug and more tears. He had been staying at her place ever since. They both had other friends, many of them close, but their trio was family, and they had lost a brother. So they mourned. They had cleared their schedules for the week under David’s recommendation on this game, there was nothing for them to go do, and honestly they hadn’t wanted to do anything. Having each other as company was a comfort, one they sorely needed.

The police showed up the second day with questions. A lot of questions. Apparently David’s body was one of the few they had gotten to, and it had started to dissolve into colored lights within hours, vanishing entirely by that morning despite all attempts to stop it. Jess came clean about how she lied to the operator in order to get them to check the house, and while they were initially pissed about it, they - eventually - had to admit to themselves that the department near David’s apartment wouldn’t have gone with a reason like ‘he vanished in a video game and I want you to check on him’.

His friend had been reduced to tears within minutes, and it took him half an hour to get the officers to talk to him about the game rather than grill Jess about things she didn’t know and make her feel guilty for lying. Normally he had the utmost respect for law enforcement, but it didn’t take long for him to see they were grasping at straws, wanting to believe she was lying to them. He finally yelled at them, which in hindsight was a terrible idea – he could have gotten arrested or something – but it got them to lay off Jess, so it worked out.

When the police left, the media showed up. Somehow they had gotten Jess’ address, probably through contacts in the police force if he didn’t miss his guess. The pair of them politely rebuffed them at the door three different times, refusing to answer any of their questions, so they camped on the front lawn and yelled for hours – hours – before Jess finally opened the door a fourth time and stood there in silence until they had everything trained on her. Hair a mess, with tears streaming down her face, in front of about a hundred men and women, all with cameras and microphones, and most reporting live now that it looked like they were going to get something, she screamed at them with a tone Nick never wanted to hear again. It was filled with this soul crushing grief and a fury he had never suspected she kept hidden. An anger that exposed a secret.

“My brother is DEAD.”

The crowd of media collectively started back in shock at the emotion in her voice, and for the first time in several hours, shut the hell up.

“You would come here, to MY HOME, and sit on my FRONT LAWN? It hasn’t even been a DAY! I’ve opened my door THREE TIMES to you people, and told you to come back in two days to ask your questions. But you still stand here, shouting at my house! Are you even HUMAN?! Because if you are, I can’t see it! All I see are a bunch of pathetic RATS willing to do anything it takes to get a little piece of MY BROTHER’S CORPSE. NOW YOU INSIPID, SANCTIMONIOUS, BLIGHTED, PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR HUMAN BEINGS BETTER GET THE FUCK OFF MY LAWN BEFORE I BURN YOU ALL TO HELL!!”

With that she turned, walked back into the house, and slammed the door with a resounding BANG. She stalked past where Nick was standing in rather more than mild shock, muttering darkly to herself about burning all of them alive. “I just… just… FAS!”

And before her, burning brightly in the dimness of the dusk, appeared a ball of flame the size of a human head.

“Holy shit!”

 

 

Ilos, Day 4

 

Lorilee groaned, resting her head in her hands, a quill dangling from two fingers. “I did not join the Capital Guard to do this.”

Her work table was covered in stacks and stacks of paperwork which seemed to be multiplying on their own whenever she left the room. She slowly lifted her head, staring at the empty ink pot in front of her, then tried to make her eyes focus on the tiny words the accountants had written, but the waning sunlight from the window drew her gaze.

Sunset already? But it was only a short time ago I left the Wheel and Locket… Oh! Corvid and Tasalin should be getting back from their training soon, I still need to go meet them and ask after Lassea’s friend.

She glanced at the empty ink pot again, then stood, stretching. The report to the Regent about all she had learned of the champions from Finn and Lassea in her neatest script covered more than ten pages and lay complete on one corner of her table.

Not that he will even read it. Lazy bastard, lounging around with all those arrogant, fancily dressed, ‘nobles’ and leaving me with all this to do. Well he can do his own damn work this time, I am done for tonight.

Lorilee gathered the unfinished paperwork as well as the report and carried it all down the hall to the Regent’s room, dropping it on the bench in front of his bed with a satisfying thump. As she left, she noticed Farv and Luthen, led by that new recruit Gudrun of course, dart into the chamber she had just left. She didn’t know what they were up to, and it couldn’t be good, but she really didn’t mind after what the Regent had thrown at her these past few days.

That Gudrun. How did he ever end up as a guard for the North Gate? He is much too talented to be wasted on such a position. She thought over what she had just seen. Actually, I know exactly how he ended up there… Still, from what little I have heard of his pranks, he never does anything that could be construed as damaging, and he is certainly a natural leader to get my men in on his schemes so quickly. Well, we will see if he makes the cut.

Her armored boots echoed in the hallway as she walked, her long strides carrying her quickly by the servants who bowed and curtseyed to her. She still wasn’t used to that, it was simply too odd to have people bowing and scraping to a woman who was once just a lowly village girl. There were champions about of course, the only ones who didn’t bow to her as she passed them, though they did stare. It said something about the number of champions in the city that she didn’t even take a second glance at someone that could one day be a hero of legend.

People from another world… Incredible. That was one thing she still marveled at. She hadn’t believed it at first, it was just too fanciful, but there had been no misdirection in Lassea’s face as she spoke of their home, and though Lorilee had searched for it, there was no evidence of lies in her tone or her movements. Yet how, if they leave their true bodies in their own world, can some seem to always be here? I will have to ask Corvid and Tasalin.

She reached the palace stables and saddled Velox, her horse, waving away the stable hands that tried to approach. She had been saddling horses since she was six; she didn’t need and didn’t want their help with her own horse. As soon as the saddle was set, she led him outside and swung up onto his back. Velox stamped a hoof, obviously annoyed at being kept in his stall for so long. Lorilee smiled, steering him towards the West Gate and letting him set the pace at a quick canter.

Street vendors called their wares as she passed through the market ring, champions and Ilosians alike making way for her. She reached the gate quickly, dismounting and patting Velox on the neck as she tied the reins to a pole by the guard house and gave him a sweet stick. “I’ll be back soon Velox, this shouldn’t take too long.”

It was a short walk to the small camp outside the West Gate, a simple staging area for the training groups to meet, and from the reports of the guards at the gate, it was also where the two guild leaders had come the last few days after training. A quick look at the open air tent in the middle of the camp dashed the hope that they were already there. A few champions were milling about, though most would be inside the city at this point eating supper at the inns with the money they earned from killing creatures. Their eyes followed her as she made her way around the camp, placing herself in between it and the forest and setting herself to watch for the appearance of the two men she sought.

She didn’t have to wait long, a few minutes maybe, before she spotted Tasalin and Corvid moving towards her. Corvid was technically the leader of ‘Sweet Dreams’, but the two were so often together she assumed that they really ran it jointly.

Tasalin Viridis was an imposing man, standing at 6’3” with iron grey hair and a short beard that covered his whole face; he had a commanding presence and an air of confidence about him that only a skilled veteran achieved. Clearly a man who led from the front in battle. His forest-green eyes remained focused on her, but she would swear he saw and heard everything nearby. Despite the color of his hair, she guessed he was only in his mid-twenties. He wore heavy iron armor and carried a sword and shield on his back.

Corvid, the official guildmaster, complemented his companion well. He was 6’0” with well-defined facial features that fell just short of the overly attractive look many champions had. He held himself easily and somehow managed to look knowledgeable and inviting with a slight smile on his face despite being of an age with Tasalin. Two pairs of daggers hung from a belt at his waist, long enough to fight with and small enough to throw accurately.

It was easy to see why Sweet Dreams had several thousand followers, despite the odd name. Corvid’s way with words and men was backed by Tasalin’s combat prowess and battle leadership. She would have recruited them on the spot if they hadn’t been champions.

She bowed as they approached. “Guildmaster Corvid, Tasalin.”

They both bowed back, Tasalin speaking as they straightened. “Lorilee. What brings you here?”

“A favor actually. A couple of champions I met with earlier today did me a service, and in return asked if I would meet with you and ask if you had a man named Cariss in your group.”

Corvid’s expression tightened slightly, as if searching his memory, but Tasalin was already shaking his head. “No, Cariss is not in Sweet Dreams.”

Lorilee blinked in surprise. He didn’t even have to think about that.

Seeing her confusion, he continued. “I would know if The Calm was with us. He was well-known by those who made it up to the Islands as the player who got the furthest. There is no way I wouldn’t have found out if he were here.” He paused, seeming to consider something. “Actually, I haven’t seen or heard anything about Rager or The Marksman either, the same goes for the four others that were in the highest group. Anyway, no, he’s not here.”

“I see. It seems he was one of those who was transported by the Bell of Recall, separating him from his two friends, and they are trying to find him.” She paused. Should I ask them about why they always seem to be here? She looked again at the pair, noting how dirty and tired they looked. Now is not the time, perhaps I will be able to speak with them about it later. “Well, thank you for your time. I will let you go eat and wash.” She said, bowing again.

They both bowed back. “Anytime Lorilee. Let us know if the Capital Guard needs Sweet Dreams for anything, we’ll do our best to assist.” Corvid replied.

She nodded. “An offer I will keep in mind. A good evening to you both.”

Lorilee watched as they headed into the camp, then worked her way around again and back to the gate. I should go to the Wheel and Locket to eat myself, Vivika will have my hide if I don’t fill her in on the events of today anyway. She laughed quietly to herself as she untied and mounted Velox. I love that girl, it is incredible how much she has lost and yet she still has the kind of personality that can bring a smile to my face just thinking of her.

She lightly flicked the reins, telling Velox it was time to move. I hope Finn and Lassea find their friend, I guess I will have to tell them the bad news tomorrow.

 

 

Ilos, Day 1

 

Tasalin flinched, startled by the sudden lack of pain in addition to finding himself back in the main plaza of Ilos. His mind blazed with questions, his limbs quivered with remembered pain, and his eyes darted, taking in their surroundings from atop his height of 6’3”. Just moments before, he’d been getting used to combat again, using his sword and shield to kill the wolves that populated the Western Forest, when shockwaves abruptly began to rip through him. The pain was intense. It numbed his body and stole away his breath, and then it was gone, leaving him as he was now, in a place far from where he once stood.

He recognized this place as the main plaza of Ilos, but the tiles on the ground were black rather than white now, and there was some sort of inscription on the plaza’s Centerstone. He couldn’t see it clearly enough to read it due to a small girl with long midnight black hair crouching over it, but it wasn’t a pressing issue so he dismissed it. Surrounding him were a large number of players, most dazed like he was, but there were not nearly enough of them to number the million that supposedly bought the game. At most there was only one percent of that.

The ground shook, sending him into a stumble but not knocking him off his feet. Most of the other players were not so lucky, ending up on their rumps or even sprawled out on the ground in the few moments the tremor lasted. Whatever they had been thinking before, there was only one thing on the minds of the people now.

What the hell is going on?

“Welcome to Ilos. I am Xynus, the one who has summoned you here.” A deep voice boomed, filling the plaza, seeming to emanate from everywhere at once. “You are the ten thousand of the Silver Key, offered the priceless gift of extra time.

So these are the beta players… but what is this all about?

Do not waste this time attempting to return to your previous world, you cannot get back of your own power until the remaining champions join you. The clock is your enemy, and the final trial will begin regardless of your wishes when the time you have here expires. This is no longer the illusionary world that you were previously shown, and as it continues its journey it will need to be protected. Even now the wild inhabitants have begun to emerge from their lairs, and will seek to hold Ilos when the final challenge begins. Be wary, for while this city is a great stronghold, the Great Sleep is failing, and your enemies will grow more powerful and may overwhelm you given time.”

Tasalin remembered dumping buckets of scalding oil off of the walls of Ilos to burn the goblins that were sieging it, leading an attacking force against the main group to destroy their crude battering ram, watching his companions die and not return. Damn this is serious, if we can’t return to Earth, what happens if we die and the city is taken?

“Death is not the end here while my power still lasts. However, beware; should you remain dead for a significant time, there will not be enough left of what is you to be reconstructed. Let this be very clear: you will all remain here until the end, be that your own end or the end of the final trial. In your terms: You cannot log out. I have done all I can for you, so go! Grow strong, for the fate of two worlds rests in your hands.”

The rumbling voice faded out, and silence reigned. Nearly everyone simply stood or lay where they had fallen. Then some began shouting, others pleading with this unknown entity to let them go home, and a few even sent up cheers, but the reaction was generally pretty subdued, most people unable to get over their shock.

Tasalin’s eyes were wide, and he felt himself shaking, frozen in place. We’re… stuck here? No. There has to be a way out. He tried to log out; going through the same mental shift he had dozens of times. Nothing. He crossed his arms over his chest, holding his first three fingers up, and commanded, “Log out!” Nothing. I need to get out! How do I get out??

I’m panicking, unable to think straight, I need to calm down. He tensed, forcing all the stress on his mind into his body, every muscle flexing, then with a deep exhalation, relaxed everything at once. The fog of fear that was clouding his brain dissipated immediately, and he caught himself before he could fall to the ground, activating his muscles again. Okay, there has to be someone who isn’t paralyzed with fear right now, and I need to find them. If we truly can’t log out, then I need a friend, or at least an ally, to talk things out with. Dismissing those around him who were still frozen where they sat or stood, he gathered his wits and walked out of the plaza, hoping to find someone that had at least some control over their mental faculties.

Within seconds, he spotted a man talking to a girl, that same girl that was crouching over the Centerstone earlier. He took a few steps in that direction, but stopped when they both ran off towards the North Gate, the girl vanishing into an alleyway while the man took the normal street.

Players wandered by, dazed at this sudden turn of events, but there was no one who seemed lucid enough to talk to. Tasalin sighed, but within a few minutes spotted someone. He was standing by a wall, searching the wandering players for something or someone, but more importantly he seemed calm and aware. The man was right about the average height, probably right at six foot, and held himself easily. He seemed knowledgeable, but inviting, sporting well-defined features, though not to the extent that most champions had. There were a pair of daggers strapped to his waist, and several more about his person hidden under his light armor.

Stopping in front of the man, Tasalin took in his relaxed posture and the small questioning smile on his face, then nodded. Calm, and well-equipped, just what I’m looking for. “Well you look like the only one who has his wits about him around here.”

The man extended his hand. “Wits, and little else. Name’s Corvid, and you are?”

Tasalin grasped the offered hand, giving it a firm shake and smiling at the man’s honesty.“I’m Tasalin Viridis, nice to meet you Corvid.” He glanced at a player who wandered close, then grimaced. Is this guy the only one who isn’t shell-shocked? Moving from directly in front of Corvid, he leaned back against the wall. “Are you waiting for someone?”

“To be honest, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the situation.” He paused, “although… I’ve been thinking…” he trailed off, lost in thought, then seeming to remember he was in the middle of a conversation, quickly recovered, “A friend would be nice since we are stuck here, do you have any plans for this ‘Final Trial’?”

“Well you’re in luck; I'm looking for a friend as well. As for whatever the ‘Final Trial’ is, well, I expect that to be a long ways off. From the way – Xynus? – was talking, I’m going to guess that we’ll have a lot of time before we have to face that.” Tasalin frowned, furrowing his brow. “What I’m more concerned about is that very last part: ‘The fate of two worlds rests in your hands’.”

“I guess with all the commotion I missed that part.” Corvid replied quizzically, and after a short pause continued, “Tasalin was it? I am a pretty rational man myself and see this type of game; a VRMMO as they call it, as a great way to learn more, and delve deeper into the human psyche. I myself conducted a study of sorts involving the effect of immersing oneself in a virtual world. I believe we are stuck here, as I have tried, and failed to log out, but this talk of saving the world,” he raised one eyebrow, “seems more like a carefully constructed plot hook. So I ask you, how much time did you spend in the beta?”

“The human psyche huh? Well, you’ll get that, and probably not the good side either. I spent quite a bit of time in the beta, got up to the sixth Island by working with those that came along until the Call to Arms was rung.” Tasalin sighed, “But there had better be a point to trapping us here. As much as I like Ilos, it’s not somewhere I was looking to stay. How about you? What were you doing in the beta?”

“I ran a guild. We took lower level players and gave them the skills to enjoy the game to its full extent. I personally tried to help people who were having trouble adjusting to the differences between real life and virtual reality.” He smiled warmly, “You got a lot further than me in the beta, perhaps you would care to join me in helping some of the players find their place in this game?”

Tasalin laughed deeply. “Being invited to join a guild within the first half hour of the game?” He shook his head, then shrugged. “Ah hell, let’s do it. I’m no good solo anyways, and maybe I’ll be able to do some good like this. You have a plan then?”

Corvid nodded quickly, then responded “Most of the people in the plaza are still confused, and distressed about the fact that we’re stuck here. We simply need to lend them a helping hand, you seem to understand most of the gameplay in relation to questing and combat, and I have good people and organizational skills. We simply invite people to work together and build on that theme, as people decide what they want, we can split them into groups. i.e, combat groups, crafting groups, merchant groups, leaders, etc. For now, we need members, and there’s a plaza full just a short walk away.” He finished with a devilish grin, “Are you ready to create a guild?”

Tasalin smiled slightly and nodded. “It shouldn’t be hard to do; these are all people who have been here before, they should know a lot of things already. I’ll just follow your lead… Guildmaster.”

“Try to gather people around the center of the plaza, while I gather some… supplies.” Corvid requested.

“Hmmm, alright.” Tasalin nodded again, “How long are you planning on being?”

“This should only take a few minutes.” He paused then smiled again, “In fact I may finish before you do.” With a final handshake and pat on the back, Corvid left, striding off to go ‘gather some supplies’.

Tasalin scratched his head, not really liking being left in the dark, then shrugged and headed back to the plaza. The people there were milling about, talking amongst each other, and really just seemed lost, like they didn’t know what to do with this turn of events.

“Hmm… gather people…” His eyes were drawn to the Centerstone in the middle of the plaza, and he grinned. “Here we go.”

Maneuvering his way through the crowd, he made his way to the Centerstone then muttered. “Res.” Reacting to his will and the word of power, the earth under the Centerstone pushed upwards, raising him several feet in the air at the cost of about half of his annoyingly small mana pool.

The players around began gathering almost immediately, drawn to the disturbance… and probably for the distraction. The murmur and crowd grew around him as he stood there, waiting for Corvid. Well, that was easy. What preparations did he have to make?

A man pushing through the crowd drew his attention, resolving into the form of Corvid carrying a bar stool. Tasalin raised a hand, waving, and chuckled at the stool. “You should have told me you just needed a platform!”

Corvid laughed, stopping by the pillar and setting down the stool. “I guess we should have talked over the plan a bit before I went lone wolf on you.”

Tasalin jumped down, his armor clanking as he hit the ground, and Corvid climbed up. “Thank you friend, I have been interested in finding an Earth mage, didn’t expect to be this lucky.” He smiled down at Tasalin, then looked up towards the crowd. “Now it’s my turn.” He waved a hand slightly, uttering a word of power. “Su’is.”

Corvid suddenly seemed much more important, a figure that demanded attention and the crowd quieted almost immediately. Tasalin blinked, his eyebrows furrowing for a moment before the realization hit him. This is Spirit elemental magic! Spirit affects the mind, and he’s using it to draw attention to himself.

The man standing on the platform smiled his easy disarming smile as he saw he had the attention of the crowd. “I know you are all scared, or confused. You are having trouble understanding what is going on. What Xynus said is true, we are trapped here, but that doesn’t mean this will be our grave. Just like the first settlers in America, this is a new world, our world. It is our right, and duty to shape it into a better place, a place of peace and wellbeing.” Some of the crowd nodded, others seeming to calm down, their shock fading.

“We all enjoyed this place while it was a game, when there were no stakes, and now that these trials have been thrust upon us, we must use the knowledge we gained from before to overcome them. I ask for your aid now, join me, join together, we will leave this place and gain experience, just as we did in the game, but we will work together, we will protect each other, and we will protect Ilos!!!”

Despite himself, Tasalin couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Others in the crowd nodded as well or even pumped their fists and shouted their agreement. Some shook their heads and began to leave, and some seemed undecided, but everyone who heard the man seemed to have gotten over their initial shock. Those who didn’t leave crowded closer, wanting to get a better look, or perhaps make sure they heard everything.

Corvid paused as those who wanted to leave did so, and allowed the other people to crowd closer. “I can’t offer you much that you don’t already know in the ways of gaining experience, but I can offer you leadership and organization so that we may work together. Instead of simply fighting as individuals, we will become an organized force, greater than any mere party; we will become the bastion upon which Ilos stands. Follow me, as we fight to regain the expertise we had in beta.” With those last words, Corvid jumped down into the crowd, the people parting before him, and started marching towards the Western Gate.

“Res.” The column holding the Centerstone up in the air sunk back into the ground, and Tasalin jogged after his new friend, gently shouldering aside those in his way. He glanced back, noting that what looked like other guild leaders from the beta were making their own platforms, gathering those they worked with before to join them once again. Finally breaking though the throng of people, he fell in beside Corvid, looking back to see how many had actually listened and followed.

“Well. That was… impressive.” Tasalin commented. “I didn’t expect nearly this many to come, a few hundred perhaps. It looks like we have several thousand behind us.” He paused, his eyebrows lowering as he thought, drawing on his dad’s military teachings and his own knowledge of the workings of Ilos. “We’ll have to divide them up into much smaller groups somehow, preferably into groups of four to gain the most xp. Hopefully they can do that themselves, but implementing a command structure for so many is going to be difficult.”

Corvid seemed to ponder those words as they took the hour walk to the Western Gate. Players began splitting off after the initial inspiration of Corvid’s speech faded, most rejoining the group after a short time.

As they reached the West Gate, Corvid turned to face the rather large crowd following him, raising his voice to be heard. “We need to split into parties of four, and I cannot watch over each and every one of you during this time. Use what you learned in beta and make good decisions. To make finding a party easy, tanks will be party leaders, find a tank and follow your roles. These enemies are relatively easy, so now it is crucial that you learn party balance and teamwork. I will wait here until everyone has a party, and once we all get some good experience, meet back here in a few hours and we can take a break to get to know each other.”

A quiet murmur started when Corvid stopped speaking, then grew quickly in volume as the gathered players began trying to find their friends or someone to group with. As parties of four formed, they slowly filtered out of the West Gate to go kill the boars and other weak enemies that existed just outside the city.

Tasalin looked around, watching the organized chaos, and his ears caught a nearby conversation.

“Why groups of four?” A man wielding a curved sword and a buckler said, asking someone next to him.

The man asked shook his head, causing the arrow shafts in the quiver strapped to his back to rattle. “Didn’t you read the forums when we were in beta? There was a group of people that focused on figuring out how Ilos worked, and after testing different group sizes, they found that parties of four gained the most experience for the time taken to kill things and do quests.”

“But how? There isn’t an experience number anyone can see.”

“They trained until five of them could just break a certain kind of rock with an Iron Hammer in a single blow, then grouped in different size parties and trained until they could break a slightly harder kind of rock with the same hammer. The guy in the party of four did it the fastest, then the party of three, then two, then five, and the guy who trained solo was last.”

“Wow, that must have taken a lot of work.”

“Yeah, there’s a reason the Ilos Testing Crew had the most visited page on the forum.”

“Hey, want to group up? I can play tank.”

“Sure, I have a couple people who might join us if we can find them.”

As the men wandered off, Tasalin started meandering through the crowd, grabbing the people that were too shy to ask anyone if they wanted to group up and sticking them in parties. He turned down anyone who invited him, having already decided that he would be in a party with Corvid, who probably didn’t have all that much combat experience having spent all his time running a guild in the beta.

It took a good half an hour to get everyone out of the gate, leaving Tasalin and Corvid as the only two left. “Well it looks like it’s just the two of us.” Tasalin stated, watching the last party leave the gate.

Before they could head out themselves, a guard approached the pair of them from the gatehouse, seemingly concerned, and bowed his head in greeting. “Avendavida, champions, is everything alright? We’ve been watching a large number of you head into the wilds, and we are worried with so many of you all in the same place. Do you have word that something is going to attack the city?”

Corvid turned to the guard, a puzzled look on his face, “Yes. And No.” He paused to figure out a way to explain, “Well, the goblins will be coming in a matter of months, and even that may have changed. There is no current threat that I am aware of, but if we are to protect this city, we need the strength to do so, and that can only be found outside its walls.”

The guard’s uptight posture relaxed and he nodded. “Alright, you had us all worried for a bit there. I will let you be about your business then champions.” With that he turned and headed back towards the guard house, signaling for the men there to relax.

Tasalin and Corvid headed out the gate and into the Western Fields, populated mostly by boar. Many of the men (and a few women) that they had lead there were using these fields to fight and gain exp. Having all had varying amounts of experience in battle in the beta; they were making quick work of the weak animals. Being in a party allowed them to relax a little, and most were setting to it with a will, as if they could fight off the knowledge that they were stuck here. It seemed that there would be no good hunting spots here, so the party of two continued towards the forest that was just beyond the fields.

“He didn’t really seem like an NPC did he? The guard I mean.” Tasalin mused as they walked. “I’ve never seen a computer act that way in response to player actions unless it was a scripted event.”

“Perhaps it was. We don’t know what they’ve changed since beta.” Corvid replied, “Either way, it’s one more thing we need to consider when planning for the future.”

“Aye.” Tasalin nodded.

They continued into the forest, passing more of the people they led to the area. It took a little bit, but they finally got far enough away from the city to find good hunting grounds that weren’t already in use.

The creatures were probably too much for most of the groups in the newly forming guild, not to mention the guild leader, but Tasalin still strode confidently ahead, secure in his battle prowess. A thought struck him, and he stopped, glancing at his new friend. “You’re a dagger user right? That’s the only kind of weapon I’ve noticed you have. I’m assuming you can throw them as well, considering you have eight of them on you”

“Yep, I like to stay out of close combat, and use my magic to stun enemies and keep them away.” Corvid drew his dagger, and began walking towards a small group of wolves, “Any particular strategies that you prefer using?”

Tasalin shrugged, “I’m a tank. I bash things with my shield and hit them with my sword. There’s a lot more to it than that of course, but that’s the general idea. Let me pull if you wouldn’t mind, makes keeping aggro easier.”

“Sounds good, I’ll use my daggers and stuns to try to keep them off your flank.” Corvid stopped to let his heavily armored companion lead the way, “Any Earth magic tricks I should know about?”

Tasalin strode forwards, drawing his sword and shield and banging them together loudly, attracting the attention of a trio of nearby wolves. “Well I generally use Earth magic to strengthen myself and my armor-” The wolves attacked, and Tasalin blocked their claws and teeth with his shield, getting used to battle again. “-but I think I’ll save the small amount of mana I have in case either of us gets hurt.” Seeing an opening, he slashed at one with his sword, hitting it and returning to his defensive posture before giving any opportunity for a counterattack. “I use Nature elemental spells as well as Earth, so I can do healing as well as buffs. My spells are rarely offensive.”

Corvid flanked to the side and began throwing his daggers, focusing on the nearest wolf.

The pair of daggers struck accurately, but the wolf hardly seemed hurt, the blades not even sinking in enough to stick. Tasalin sighed to himself, attacking with his sword at another opening and blocking the subsequent counterattack. The experience difference was simply too high to do much damage. That would change pretty quickly if they kept killing these wolves, but it was hardly the most efficient way to get experience.

A few more daggers hit the wolf, doing enough to make it notice Corvid, but before it could make any sort of move to attack the guild leader, Tasalin bashed it with his shield, pulling its attention back to him. He moved slowly backwards in a circle, keeping the wolves in front of him and allowing Corvid to collect his daggers to throw again without getting close to the creatures.

A good few minutes sufficed to bring down each wolf, getting slightly faster each time as the pair got used to live combat again.

A few hours passed as they trained by killing the wolves and other forest creatures, gaining a good amount of experience, enough to take down most of the enemies in less than a minute each. Tasalin still focused on keeping their attention on him until there was only one remaining each time, not trusting Corvid’s battle experience against multiple enemies. They had just finished off a group of creatures when Tasalin noticed a glint in the foliage and spun to face it.

A giant stag stepped carefully through the trees, stopping when it was fully in view of the two men. Its head stood at a height with Tasalin, and it had glistening silver antlers that seemed to shine in the dappled sunlight.

Tasalin heard Corvid slowly sheathe his daggers, seemingly as stunned as he himself was. Following his friend’s example, Tasalin crouched down and placed his sword and shield on the ground, they would do little good against an enemy this strong anyway. He hesitated for a moment, then began taking slow steps towards the magnificent animal who stood motionless, watching.

Tasalin used Nature magic, and thus had the ability to tame creatures, turning them into allies. Of course it didn’t always work, and the more powerful the creature the less chance there was of success, but even if it was only a fraction of one percent, he had to try.

Removing his glove, Tasalin held out his hand, slowly moving it so the creature could smell it. Gently, carefully, he moved the hand to rest on the stag’s head, right between its antlers, and whispered, “Kerka.” A warm peaceful feeling encompassed him, like the one you’d get when relaxing by the fireplace at home, wrapped in a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate, a side effect of the spell. He stared into the creature’s eyes, silently asking for its cooperation, and after a moment, the stag bowed its head.

Tasalin let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and smiled, a shot of excitement flashing through his system. He knew a few things immediately, the stag’s name was Oakheart, he was intelligent, and he had accepted the magic willingly. Stroking the animal’s head, Tasalin looked back at Corvid who seemed to be rooted in place. “I didn’t think I’d be able to pull that off.”

“What… is that?” Corvid whispered in an awed tone.

“This is Oakheart, he’s a…” Tasalin frowned, then asked the silver stag, “What are you?”

*I am a Lord of the Forest, champions.* A deep majestic voice filled their heads. *I would not accept the harness of magic normally, but otherwise I cannot communicate with your kind. A darkness lies over the land, and you are the ones chosen to force it back. Just as I will allow you to call upon me and my subjects to aid you, so must we be allowed to call upon your help as well.*

“I’m gathering there’s something you need help with right now, else you wouldn’t have shown yourself.”

*Your assumption is correct. A corruption has taken hold in the Western Forest that is my domain, yet any sent against it inevitably fall to its influence, twisting them into abominations!* Oakheart’s ‘voice’ boomed in anger, sending sharp pains through Tasalin’s head and making him flinch and put a hand to his temple. Oakheart bowed his head, seemingly in remorse. *My apologies champions, I am not normally so volatile, but the circumstances continue to vex me. For the first time I am powerless against something that threatens my lands. It is my belief that champions such as yourselves would be immune to the corruption and can safely combat it. I would request your assistance in this matter with as many allies as you can gather, for a great many of my subjects have fallen to the curse.*

“As much as I would like to help, I’m not the leader here. Corvid, what do you want to do?”

Corvid looked at Oakheart, then back to Tasalin, “I don’t… know. We haven’t been here a day and this seems like a difficult quest. I am worried that it may be related to the trials mentioned earlier, but also for the wellbeing of the members we recruited. For now, we should train, and warn the more cowardly members of possibly dangerous and horrific monsters in Western Forest.”

Tasalin frowned. This did seem like a quest that would require a significant force and would be highly difficult for champions that had had to restart from nothing, but they were close enough to Ilos that it couldn’t be too hard. “Oakheart, compared to the wolves and other animals we’ve been fighting here, how much stronger are the monsters troubling your lands?”

*Only a small amount. The taint grants them strength but also corrodes their bodies, leaving them only slightly more powerful than the warriors I can use to defend against them.*

Damn, there’s no way we can do this, everyone is still getting used to combat again and they’re too weak to last against the wolves this far away, much less something stronger. Tasalin shook his head slightly, looking at the stag. “That would be too much for most of the men to handle right now. Corvid is right Oakheart; we cannot help you until we have trained more. How long can you last against the corruption?”

Oakheart hesitated for a moment before replying. *Ten days, twelve with great losses. After that there will be too little of this forest remaining, and I will perish.*

That would work, and the rewards must be amazing for a raid as big as this sounds like it will be. Tasalin looked at Corvid, doing some quick calculations and hoping to convince him. “If we train slightly more than we did today, we can be ready to face creatures stronger than the ones we were killing earlier in five days. If we add an extra two or three for the rest of the members and a day for preparation and travel, we can make that time limit.”

“That is a great plan; I also think we should scout out the area and see how these corrupted creatures act. Keep in mind that this world can also be very immersive, and some of the players may have panic attacks, or other psychological episodes if they are forced to fight monsters that are too scary.” Corvid turned to Oakheart, “Tas is right about the training, is there any way you could help us to become stronger in battle, perhaps lure out weaker corrupted enemies, or summon weak minions for us to fight?”

*Nature will take its course and the weak will feed the strong, but I will not summon the animals of the forest to a slaughter, even the mindless ones. I can instruct my subjects to draw the corrupted closer to your city, but I cannot control which of them come this far. Some of the corrupted are fearful, but many look almost as they did before the taint took hold. I have watched you for some time, and surely you would have no trouble striking down the corrupted just as you did the animals here.*

“We aren’t exactly representative of the champions as a whole Oakheart. Very few can match me in battle, and even less my mental fortitude like Corvid here can. If one of these corrupted creatures came after them and it was much different than a normal animal, they would flee in fear.” He turned to look at Corvid. “We’re going to have to warn everyone anyway then. What if someone comes across one of these and carries stories back to everyone else? It’ll be a lot harder to get people outside the walls if they think there are creatures from a horror movie lurking around.” Tasalin sighed, “I don’t know dude, I’m no people person. I know how I’d react, and that would be to go find out how strong they are, regardless of appearance, while preferably remaining as close to the city as possible.”

*The weaker corrupted will likely be drawn first, they are generally the front line of the enemy, trying to expose us to their taint with their deaths, but stronger ones will surely follow.*

Corvid nodded sharply as if confirming the decision. “Stay here and keep the corrupted contained Oakheart, me and Tas will gather companions to defeat this threat”

The stag bowed his head, *I am grateful for your assistance champions. I will instruct my followers to begin drawing the corrupted towards the city and to flee rather than fight any champions they come across. Farewell.*

The two men watched the majestic creature turn and walk further into the forest, vanishing from sight almost immediately from some machination of the trees. Tasalin let out a breath, “Well, that happened. Shall we head back? We’ve likely gotten a good amount more experience than most will be able to today.”

Corvid nodded. “I don’t think I’d be able to focus on combat now anyway.”

Tasalin returned the nod, then placed his index fingers and thumbs together, forming a rough circle and concentrating on Ilos. The compass faded into view in the empty space between his hands, a glowing arrow pointing the way back towards the city. The two traveled in silence, wrapped in their own thoughts. Tasalin could feel Oakheart behind them in the distance somehow, but there was no communication from that end. He wasn’t sure of the exact nature of the connection between himself and the stag, but questioning magic only served to drive yourself crazy, you just had to accept that it was something you couldn’t understand.

When the pair reached the city, they found a large gathering of players, certainly more than a hundred, but only a fraction of those sent out. It had only been a few hours, and while looking them over Tasalin concluded that these must be the best fighters of the newly forming guild, probably with a few slackers mixed in. They simply had that confident air about them, that knowledge that they could handle themselves in a battle, and it showed in their bodies and their gait. Some were sitting in their groups of four, others walking around, or eating, or just generally mingling. There were a few duels going on with their colorful light displays and people watching, some groups playing cards they had picked up in the city somewhere, and even a few players napping in the afternoon sun. They could be from any country, any walk of life, any race, but there was a complete lack of animosity between anyone. These people had two major things in common, they were gamers and they were all trapped here, and that was a lot of ground for potential friendships. A party on the outskirts of the crowd saw the two approaching and rose to greet them, a few others in the area following their example.

Word spread quickly, and the low rumble of conversation softened, going almost entirely quiet when Corvid raised a hand and began speaking so all could hear. “It is good to see so many of you have already completed today’s training. We should celebrate the formation of the guild with a real party. Head to the Sunset Wall tavern and begin the festivities, me and Tas will direct the other members as they arrive.”

Tasalin wiggled a finger in his ear. Damn but the man can project.

Seeing that that was all the guild leader had to say, conversation bubbled up again almost instantly.

“A party?”

“I know where that is, it’s a pretty big place.”

“Can you get drunk here? I’ve never tried.”

“Yeah, you can. The tavern maids are pretty hot too.”

“Hell, why not? If we’re gonna be stuck here we may as well enjoy it.”

“I’ll let the guards know so they don’t flip out.”

“I’m pretty sure there are a bunch of other taverns and inns in that area as well, there might be enough room for everyone.”

“C’mon, what are you waiting for? Let’s go! Parties are crazy here!”

“And we can get rooms before everyone else shows up.”

Tasalin waited with his new friend as the hundred or so players began to drift towards the city gates. “A party huh? Not a bad way to get everyone familiar with each other, but the guards aren’t going to be happy with a few thousand drunken people in such a small area.” He commented as the initial group traveled out of earshot.

“It will be good for morale, and I need them busy while I begin work on getting a guild hall and some more information about Oakheart and the corruption.” Corvid paused as a group of adventurers appeared, and after a warm greeting, he directed them to the party. Returning to his conversation with Tasalin, he continued, “Besides, I’m curious about what exactly has changed since this was a game. I don’t remember hearing anything about Oakheart and the corruption.”

Tasalin frowned. “Neither do I, and I feel like that would have been mentioned at some point had it happened in the beta. The biggest change is that we can’t log out of course, but other than this corruption thing and the black floor stones in the plaza, I haven’t noticed anything different. My sword and shield still feel the same, though the system assist isn’t helping me as much with the attacks because I don’t have enough xp, the inventory system is still working as well as the compass, and we still don’t feel pain or anything. That Xynus guy said that we would respawn if we died, but I don’t particularly want to test that myself.”

“For now we need to make sure everyone knows where the party is at, and then we can stop in for a chat before beginning with some guild work.”

Tasalin nodded, then spotting another group approaching, waved to get their attention. There would be a lot to do, even with Corvid taking care of the guild and social aspects. He would have to find and meet with the best warriors, probably splitting them up to train some of the players who didn’t have the skill to deal with a quest like this. There would probably be a large guild meeting the next day where he would have to explain about the corruption with telepathic help from Oakheart, and then he’d have to see about forming parties of scouts to gather information about the area, organize those who were great in combat but didn’t incline towards teaching into groups, set up some sort of communication network with Spirit magic telepathy, separate out those that didn’t want to fight and set them to support work, and probably a hundred other things he couldn’t think of at the moment.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He’d never felt so alive! Any place that could give him this feeling was worth protecting, and if there was something he was good at, it was defending his friends and allies. For the first time he looked up at the city, the towering walls, the glistening buildings inside, the Palace rising from the center, sparking with color and light as the sun reflected off of it. They were stuck here, and while Ilos wasn’t ‘home’ yet, it was already on its way.

 

 

Ilos, Day 5

 

Finn sat back in his chair and took a sip of his wine. He had no idea how it was made, but it had this pleasant sweet taste that he had taken to immediately. Vivika had recommended it, it was made of some fruit called ‘sugrid’ or something of the sort, and he was glad he’d taken her advice. Lassea smiled at him from across the table, holding a mug of mulled cider rather than wine. They were waiting at the Wheel and Locket for Lorilee after making a day of training against some of the creatures in the area surrounding the city. He smiled back at his friend, noticing the tiny flame hovering by her head was joined by a small drop of water today.

Speaking of training… Finn focused for a moment, “Cir.”

A tiny whirlwind materialized in front of him, and he moved it over to Lassea’s mug, sending the steam coming from the hot liquid swirling. She giggled, the smile growing wider, and Finn grinned at her as she added her little flame to the wind, watching it swirl and spin.

He was right… Finn thought, his smile fading as he watched his friend laugh. This place is a different world, and I can see why he wanted to live here permanently. Even just being here a few days I feel like I belong, and I can see Jess does too. She hasn’t laughed like this in years, hell, we haven’t talked like this in years, and here we are, chatting over our drinks at an inn after battling together with our lives on the line. I haven’t ever felt this close to her.

It’s like… like I can just be myself. There are no social cues telling us we have to act a certain way. He glanced around the room. The merchants from the previous day were there again at the same table, there was another group of five players sitting and enjoying their hot drinks on this somewhat cold day, and a couple holding hands by the window. No one was paying any attention to Finn and his friend. They don’t care if we’re a couple or not, nor do they care what we’re talking about or how we look. The chances of any player here meeting on Earth is practically non-existent, so they just kind of take you as you are. You can be anyone you want here, and it’s just so… freeing.

“More wine Finn?”

Finn blinked, then looked up. Vivika stood there, a smile on her face and a pitcher in her hand, doubtless filled with the wine he still had in his… He peered into the mug, noting there were only a few drops of the dark liquid remaining. “Ahh, sure. Any idea when Lorilee is going to be here?”

“She is usually here by now, so she likely got caught up in some Capital Guard business, which does happen occasionally.” Vivika answered, carefully refilling the mug. “It should be pretty soon.”

“Speak of the devil…” Lassea commented, looking at the entrance.

“What devil?”

“It’s just a turn of phrase Vivika.” Finn said.

“You champions are confusing, how can you rotate a phrase? It is not even a physical thing.”

“What is not a physical thing?” Lorilee asked, draping an arm over the shorter redheaded woman.

Finn gave a wry smile. “A ‘turn of phrase’ is an expression for an expression… and poor choice of wording on my part.”

“Did you find Bro- ah, Cariss?” Lassea spoke, unable to contain herself.

The guardswoman shook her head. “Unfortunately not. Tasalin and Corvid had not heard anything about him or several of the other people from the highest tier group.”

“Oh…” Lassea’s expression dropped.

Finn spoke before either of the other two could react to his friend’s mood. “I have an idea about that actually. Vivika, can we use your private room again? I’d also like you to join us if you have the time.”

“Sure! Come on up!” The redhead answered, turning to head up the stairs and dragging Lorilee along with her.

Finn stood and walked around the table, putting a hand on Lassea’s shoulder. Her head was down, hair obscuring her expression, and her shoulders were slumped. He bent down to speak in her ear. “Jess, he’s not dead. I have a theory about what happened and I’m pretty sure I know where he went. Come on upstairs, I have a plan.”

She looked up at him, her eyes filling with hope, then nodded. He straightened, offering his hand, which she took and stood. They walked up the stairs, moving down the hallway to the Key room, its door already open. Lorilee and Vivika were already seated, and there were four mugs of fresh mulled wine on the table. Finn shut the door behind him and sat down, taking a sip of the wine before speaking.

“First off Vivika, everything Lorilee told you is true. All the champions are from an entirely different world, called Earth, where they are simply normal people. That’s part of the reason why they are so confusing to you and probably most other Ilosians. We use different wordings and expressions that you couldn’t possibly have heard before, and we do things much differently as well. A large part of the rudeness you’ve seen is because most of the people think Ilos is an imaginary world, a game, where they can go to have fun. They believe you are just an…” He searched for a word to describe NPCs. “…illusion or automation would be the best word to describe it.”

“What?! The champions do not even think Ilos is real?!”

“That’s correct. I was the same way until I came here with Lorilee to be honest. However, I can’t think of Ilos as a fictional place any longer despite how different champions are here, and that leads me to what I think happened with the Bell of Recall. Unless I miss my guess completely, the players that disappeared when the Call to Arms was rung didn’t die; they were transported to Ilos permanently somehow.”

Lorilee nodded slowly. “I have noticed that there is a small group of champions, including Tasalin, Corvid, and the rest of their guild, that never seem to ‘log out’ like most do, and your explanation would explain a number of things. That group seems to take things much more seriously than the rest as well, and they are the only ones who are regularly training.”

“But if he’s here, why don’t we just contact him using that telepathy thing you used with me yesterday?” Lassea asked.

“Su? I’ve already tried, but it didn’t work. It should have, the conditions are that you’ve been within five feet of them, made eye contact, and you know their name, all of which we’ve done, but it didn’t work. Oh, that reminds me, Lorilee, can you use magic?”

She opened her mouth, but hesitated, looking uneasy. Vivika glanced at her friend and spoke in her place. “Only the court mages are supposed to be able to use magic.”

“But you can. You both can, but you’d be punished somehow if anyone found out?” Lassea said, reading their reactions, then smiled disarmingly. “Don’t worry; no one is going to find out from us”

Finn nodded, agreeing. He focused on all three of them, imagining clearly what he wanted to do. “Su.” *Can you all hear me?*

Lassea and Lorilee each nodded calmly, but Vivika jerked in her chair. “What- How did you do that? It was like your voice was speaking in my head!”

“That was the word of power Su, or ‘spirit’, the basic Spirit elemental spell. It allows telepathic contact; though the further away you are the more mana it drains.”

“You mean ‘vis’? That is what the mages always refer to their magic energy as.” Lorilee said.

“It’s probably the same thing. I’ll have to ask sometime. Vivika, do you know how words of power work?”

“They are the catalysts that make mental focus into reality, using vis as fuel.” Vivika replied as if quoting something.

“Good, then you can contact us and we you. Telepathy takes a little bit to get used to, but it’s very nice to have.”

“You said you had a plan Finn?” Lassea asked calmly, but her globs of fire and ice had begun circling her mug rapidly, betraying her mood.

“Do you remember the plan David – sorry, that’s the name he uses back on Earth – Cariss explained to us before we first came to Ilos?”

“Hmm, he said we were supposed to shop for weapons, then meet him at the North Gate.” She answered.

“And then?”

She frowned, concentrating. “… and then we were going to go to the second village…!”

Finn smiled as her expression brightened. “And what would he have done if he was suddenly pulled into Ilos with no way back?”

“He’d follow the plan!” His friend practically shouted, rising halfway up out of her chair. “So we'd know where he went and could follow him!”

“Exactly! However, I don’t think we’ll catch him, he’s just too good, but we know Ilos is going to be attacked just like it was at the end of the beta, and he’ll be here then. What we do is follow what he did, because he knows the best way to get the most experience the fastest, and then when it looks like the city will be attacked, Lorilee can contact us and we can get back here as fast as we can. I have no doubt that he’ll make a big appearance then.”

Vivika sat back into her chair, letting out a breath. “If Lorilee had not already told me about the city being attacked – and being defended successfully – I would be scared out of my wits right now.”

“Remember, you cannot tell anyone about the attack, we do not need a mass panic while the Regent is meeting with his collection of windbags.” Lorilee reminded the girl.

“I know, I know. Believe me, I do not want that any more than you do.”

Finn put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I know you want to get started right now Lassea, but I think we should wait till the morning to head to the village. The creatures at night are much more powerful than those in the day, and the sun will be setting soon.”

She nodded, settling back down into her chair and taking a sip of her mulled wine. After a moment she spoke up. “Lorilee, Vivika, since we know a secret of yours, it’s only fair you know a secret of ours. This is something you cannot tell any other champion. Word will get out eventually, but we need to keep it quiet for as long as possible okay?”

The pair nodded. “We will not give you away.” “No one will be told.”

“We can use magic back on Earth. I’m not sure if it’s because we’ve been to Ilos or it’s something that has always existed, but right now we are the only ones I know of that have discovered it.”

Finn frowned. “That worries me. I think this would have been known if it was possible in the beta, so it must be something that is new. It feels like Ilos is bleeding over into Earth, and I’m not sure how far it will go. What if this is only the beginning?”

 

 

 

Chapter 5: Darkness of the Mind

Ilos, Day 8

 

I awoke just before dawn, the light of the sun showing only the faintest glimmer on the horizon, having had a good night’s rest without the interruption of nightmares. Sleeping fully clothed was more or less normal at this point, though I knew it was just an excuse to not have another reminder of how much different I was now. I grabbed my quarterstaff, heading down the stairs to the common room to get the bread and water I ate at every meal.

Thankfully there were no other patrons at this hour of the morning, and seeing no one at the bar to ask about food, I followed the smells coming from the kitchen. The cook was up already as well as one of her assistants, and they looked up from kneading dough as I came through the door. Angie and… Kalinda I think.

“Why hello dear, what brings you in here so early in the morning?”

I smiled at her, “Just some bread and water Angie, I’ll be heading out soon.”

“You’re a busy young thing then. Come and sit down, the bread will be ready soon.” She replied, pulling up a stool from where it sat by the back doorway.

“Thank you.” I took the stool from her, setting it against the wall by the door and propping my quarterstaff up next to it. The stool was just tall enough that I had to jump to get myself seated on it, and I sighed a little as I settled myself, my feet swinging in midair. It wasn’t an abnormally large stool, I was just that short. Thankfully my hair wasn’t long enough to get caught under me when I sat down somewhere, but if it grew any longer I would likely have that problem.

Angie went about her business as I sat there, reviewing the words of power I knew. It was important to repeat them often so I didn’t forget any from disuse. To help with this, I’d attached a brief description to each to help me remember what they did as well as the word itself. Thankfully there weren’t that many, as magic in Ilos was mostly dependent on the caster’s imagination for the effect.

“Fas. Fire. Faspos. Boil. Fassir. Lightning. Pos. Water. Possir. Gather water. Res. Earth. Resde. Strengthen. Reslos. Fortify. Cir. Air. Ka. Life. Su. Spirit. Etsu. Sleep. Ci. Light. Kasi. Healing light. Cires. Light barrier. Fassi. Burning light. Suressi. Spirit Barrier. Tu. Dark. Restu. Shadow wall. Postu. Freezing shadow. Surestu. Invisible Mind.”

I’d repeated this mantra pretty much every night when I was back on Earth, but it simply hadn’t crossed my mind to do it here until now.

I focused for a moment. Speaking of magic… Ci. Tu.

Two orbs appeared before me, each about the size of a baseball, one made of the purest white light, the other of the deepest black shadow. I slowly shrank the orbs until I no longer felt the drain on my mana, signaling that I was using slightly less then I was regenerating. This was one of the easiest ways to gain experience in magic, because even if you didn’t do anything with it, just using mana to sustain a spell of an element increased your experience in that element. That it happened to be an amusing distraction when you had nothing else to do? Well that was a bonus.

The orbs spun in a lazy orbit around an arbitrary point in front of me, gradually increasing in speed until my eyes could no longer separate them. I stopped them with a thought, admiring the sharp edges the magic in Ilos operated on. There was no slowing, one second they were spinning faster than the eye could follow, the next they were unmoving, simply one thing, then the other. I split the orbs into many smaller spheres, then molded them into rings of varying size so they fit one inside the other. Arraying them so they matched up on a flat plane, I slowly started them spinning, enjoying the mental challenge of keeping track of thirteen alternating rings all rotating in different directions, seven made of light, six from shadow. One by one, starting from the smallest ring, I sped them up until they danced in a mesmerizing pattern, then began adding color. Red for the one in the center, orange for the next smallest band of light, then yellow, green, indigo, blue, and violet, a kaleidoscope of color spinning in front of me.

I looked up to see Angie and Kalinda completely mesmerized by my display. The cook carried a large wooden tray with several loaves of steaming bread fresh out of the oven, having apparently forgotten she was holding them. The chorus of spinning light and shadow vanished, replaced by simple bands of Light and Shadow on my wrists.

I flushed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be a distraction.”

“N-No, no, it was… Ah!” Angie seemed to realize she was still holding the freshly baked loaves and moved to set them down on the large table in the middle of the room.

“That was incredible Miss Aria! How did you do that!?” Kalinda spoke for the first time, her excitement overcoming her shyness.

I winced. “Please Kalinda, just Aria.”

“She remembered my name!” The girl gasped softly to herself.

“It was magic, basic magic at that.” I shrugged. “Just takes a little bit of practice.”

“Can you teach me? Please?” She bubbled, pressing her hands together and staring at me with pleading in her eyes.

“Kalinda! Don’t be rude.” Angie cut in, glaring at her assistant. “Don’t mind her dear, she’s just too starstruck to remember what she’s supposed to be doing.”

“I don’t mind, really. I’d even teach you if you can set down your duties for a few minutes, it really isn’t that complicated.” I replied.

“You- You would?” The older woman asked. “But, I couldn’t find any way to repay you! I couldn’t impose like that, especially not on a champion!”

I smiled at her softly. “I’ll tell you what, you give me two of those loaves, one for each of you, and I’ll consider that fair payment.”

“But- But-“

“I get to decide what teaching is worth to me, and this time it’s two loaves of your wonderful fresh bread. Besides, I’m not even completely sure all Ilosians can make it work, so you’ll end up doing me a favor too. Now come over here.”

I waited while the two women looked at each other before shuffling over to stand in front of my stool. Looking up to meet people’s eyes was still a bit startling, but I was slowly getting used to it. “Magic works like this. Everyone has mana, an energy that you use to cast spells, that replenishes over time, much like a well. As you use more magic that well gets deeper, holding more water and filling faster. Words of power are used like buckets, retrieving the energy and giving it a shape. Finally, you use the water to accomplish a purpose by imagining what you want to do.”

Both women nodded, signaling their understanding of my hasty metaphor. Seeing that, I held out one of my tiny hands, palm up. “By imagining a small flame down to the smallest detail, I can use a word of power to make it real. Fas.”

They pulled back, startled at the tiny flame that appeared floating over my open palm, no bigger than what a candle could sustain. “Now you try. You should be able to duplicate this if you try a couple of times. Just look at the flame and try to imagine it floating over your own hand, then say fas. Don’t worry if you don’t get it on the first-“

“Fas.”

I cut myself off, smiling at the small flame hovering above Kalinda’s hand before she gasped, the break in concentration causing the fire to vanish. So it appears even a cook’s assistant in a tiny village on the edge of a forest can use magic if she knows what to do. Is it just chance that I stumbled upon someone who has the talent for it? I watched the two women silently as they exclaimed over the simple spell, and after a few minutes Angie was also able to cause a small flame to appear, though she couldn’t hold it more than a second or two in her excitement. I let my own fire go out, lowering my hand. I should test this in other villages as well. If any Ilosian can be taught magic this quickly, why haven’t they been? It would significantly bolster the defenses of any village if there were even one or two mages about, and even more so if everyone could cast a few simple spells. I know there are mages in the capitol, so why has this knowledge not spread to the populace?

“-ia? Miss Aria?”

I blinked, looking up to see the two women looking at me with concern. “Hm? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about something. Say, do you have pen and pape- ah parchment? I can write down some more words of power and how to use them so you can teach the rest of the village. I’m sure you will be a lot safer from the animals and monsters around here if you can just set them on fire from a distance.”

“But we’ve no way to repay you! That would be a gift beyond value!” Angie exclaimed.

I thought for a few seconds. “Well, how about this. This involves the whole village, so I’m taking the two of you with me to go see the mayor, and if he feels the same way then he can find some way to repay me, though I'm not going to ask for anything. I'm doing this because I want to.”

“The mayor!?” Kalinda squeaked.

“I’d like to, but the bread…”

“Ah, that’s right, I’ll just take Kalinda then, if you can do without her for a little while?”

“But-“

“I think I can handle it, go ahead and take her.” Angie smiled at the stuttering girl and made shooing motions with her hands. “I’ll have your bread ready for you when you get back Aria.”

“Angie! I can’t- the mayor- I-“

“Come along then, I’ll be leaving soon and we should do this quickly.” I said, hopping down from the stool and easily dragging the bewildered girl out the back door.

“Have fun Linda!” Angie called after us.

The horizon to the east showed the slightest glow of light, the dawn and my departure time fast approaching. I hurried Kalinda to the mayor’s house, knocking on the door with my little hand. After a short wait, the door opened to reveal an older rather rotund man by the name of Courtan, the village of Warik’s mayor.

He blinked, obviously not quite awake, but unless he slept in his clothes like I did he’d already been up when I knocked. “Ah, Aria, what can I do for you? And why is Kalinda attempting to hide behind you?”

“Well, I was doing an experiment with Angie and Kalinda, and they seemed to think a couple loaves of bread was not sufficient payment for me teaching them how to use magic. Oh, and if you have pen and parchment I would like to use them.”

“You taught Angie and Linda how to use magic?” He gasped.

“Yes. It’s fairly simple, so I figured all of Warik could benefit and came over here. If you have a few minutes I could probably teach you as well. I’d just have Kalinda show you, but this is all pretty sudden and somehow I doubt she’d be able to summon the concentration to do anything.” I answered, glancing at the nervous girl.

“Kalinda, both you and Angie have used magic?”

“Y-yes Mayor.”

He nodded. “Alright, thank you for coming over here. You can go back to the kitchen if you’d like.” Kalinda scurried off and the mayor stood back, holding the door for me. “Come in Aria, if you would, and we can continue this conversation over some tea.”

“While I appreciate the offer Mayor, I must leave soon, so if we could simply skip the niceties…?” I said, stepping through the door.

“Ah, I see, well then at least come and take a seat while we talk.”

I took the offered chair, a comfortable thing, though a little large for me, as Courtan moved another seat to face mine.

“I have never known Linda to lie, so what she has said about magic must be true. However, I find it hard to believe that the inn’s cook and her helper can now do such miraculous things as I have heard champions can do.”

“Oh they’re hardly going to be healing grievous wounds or summoning rain quite yet. They can make a small flame like this one, but that’s about it.” I replied, saying the word of power inside my head and creating the same small flame I’d used earlier in the air between us.

He started back, surprised, but then leaned forward, examining the fire. “Amazing. And you say this is simple to learn?”

“Yes. That is why I asked for pen and parchment, so I could copy down both the words of power and how to use them to cast spells like this one.”

“For the whole village to be able to use magic… such a thing would be incredible! What are you asking of us for such a gift?”

I shrugged. “I wasn’t expecting anything for it.”

He was silent for a moment, then stood. “I see. I will fetch your pen and parchment.”

I could have asked for something, and in all practicality I should have. I could have used some of the potions and gear they have here, but… this is a chance for a new start. No one knows me or what I’m like, and people will remember if I lie to them or go back on my word. I already told Angie I wasn’t asking for anything from the mayor, and I’ll stay true to that.

Courtan walked back in with a few pieces of rough parchment, an ink pot, and a quill, placed them on the table in front of me, and sat back down in his chair. I uncorked the inkpot and dipped the quill in it, and started writing, copying down my earlier instructions as well as all of the words of power I knew with the exception of Light and Shadow.

It was the work of minutes, even having to use an ink pot and quill, and soon enough I turned the pages so the mayor could see. He read them silently, then looked up at me. “This is it? This is the secret to using magic? It’s so… simple! A child could learn this!”

I nodded. “That’s all there is to it, though it takes a little bit to get used to the idea.”

“Give me a moment before you leave Aria, I have something I must retrieve.” Courtan said as he stood.

I glanced out the window. I should have a few minutes before Nameless leaves, and I can catch him easily enough if he decides to go on ahead. “Alright.”

Leaning back in the chair, I grimaced at the bands of light and shadow still residing on my wrists. I can’t believe I wasted so many days not doing this. I have to be better than that. No one is going to take me seriously looking like this, so I need to be able to overpower anyone I come across, and that means being as efficient as possible.

The mayor came back in, interrupting my thoughts. He was holding a small wooden box, which he set on the table and pushed towards me. “I’ve been told this is incredibly valuable, but no one will buy such a thing, so I’ve been keeping it here. Perhaps you will be able to figure out what to do with it.”

I reached out and lifted the lid, revealing what looked to be a small but wide metal bangle with nine ovular lumps encircling it at even intervals. Lifting it out, I hefted it, surprised at the weight, before tapping it with a finger bringing out its information window.

<A tarnished silver bangle. It’s much heavier than expected for an item of such size. It has no special attributes that you can ascertain.>

Standing, I slipped the bangle on my left arm, sliding it up under my sleeve until it fit snugly near my shoulder, then bowed. “I’m not sure what it is either, but there’s no telling what it may do. Thank you for the gift Mayor, but if you will excuse my rudeness, I must depart.”

“I am sorry to see you go. Thank you for all you’ve done here Aria, you and your companion have been a great boon to us.” He said, returning the bow.

I felt a smile bloom on my face. “Thank you Mayor Courtan, it was my pleasure.”

When I got back to the inn, I saw no sign of Nameless, and with the sun now peeking above the horizon, I was fairly sure he had already left.

Angie came out to meet me, holding a bag with the promised loaves of bread. “Here you are Aria, thank you again for everything, and if you are ever in the area please come back and say hello.”

I smiled. “Of course Angie, I couldn’t miss your cooking! Oh, have you seen my companion come down?”

“I haven’t, no.” She answered, shaking her head. “I’d better get back to the kitchen, no doubt Linda is ignoring the food and messing with that little flame of hers.”

“Alright, thanks Angie.”

Just to be safe, I burned time munching on one of the loaves of bread in the coolness of the morning’s light, admiring the vibrant hues of the sunrise. When the color faded and there was still no sight of my traveling companion, I opened my inventory, stored the extra food, then walked out of the village. Time to run him down.

The terrain outside the village was grassland more than anything else, though hilly enough to hide the surrounding landscape, and the smooth dirt road allowed me to accelerate to unbelievable speeds. Granted, it wasn’t that fast, but it was much faster than I had ever been able to go, even at a dead sprint, in my old body.

It was odd how different I ran now, how weirdly I moved in every action, but I was starting to get used to it. I’d been walking, fighting, and running in this new body for eight days now, and the system assist was slowly training me how to move correctly. I still had to rely on it a lot, too much really, but I’d no other choice. If I resisted this tiny female body of mine, if I struggled to walk and act like the man I was, I would likely die to some monster.

I didn’t want to. I hated, no, I loathed the way people looked at me, how they treated me, and it burned to know there was nothing I could do about it. That’s why I felt so attached to Nameless, why I needed him. He was an anchor, a connection to the real me, and I needed that right now, or this place was going to drive me insane. I was changing, even occasionally thinking of myself as Aria and not David, but I felt safe with him nearby to keep me me. As long as he was around, this was just another role in some RPG, if a bit more immersive, and I could relax.

But… can I trust him? I think so, as long as I help rather than hinder, but I’m still essentially an unwanted tag-along to him. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him attempt to ditch me.

At that thought, a coldness took hold of my heart, a coldness that slowly grew as I traveled down that lonely road.

An hour passed, then two, then five, and I drove myself onwards, the knowledge that I would find him on the road dwindling, reduced to a hope, then to a dream, and even that faded as the sun began to set. A single thought pushed me forward, repeating over and over in my head. No. Not yet. Don’t leave me yet.

The light faded and Ilos’ moon replaced its sun, a full glowing circle much bigger than Earth’s. The stars shone down on me, glittering in unfamiliar constellations, and a swath of color slowly moved across the heavens, the Tear I’d heard it called. I saw none of it. I sprinted ahead as fast as I could, as if I could run away from my fears, slowing only to kill anything that dared attack me. The landscape rushed by, each hill looking just like the next with only the twists in the road to tell them apart.

Then, cresting a high hill, I saw it in the distance. Nestled in an enormous valley, surrounded by flat land, it boasted walls of stone and torchlight from patrolling guards, its iron-reinforced gates closed to protect itself against the creatures that roamed the night, my destination, the city of Travant.

I stopped, scanning the now exposed road for any trace of my companion in the bright moonlight, but found nothing. The last trace of hope I’d held on to vanished like smoke, leaving an unsettling emptiness. He’s gone. Just like Nick. Just like Jess. Just like my mom, and dad, and sister. Just like my home and my world and my friends. Just like my gender and my body.

Just like everything and everyone I’ve ever known.

Something dripped on my hands. My vision was watery, my sight shimmering. I stared at my hands, my tiny soft hands, clutched together in my lap. I was on my knees for some reason, sitting on my heels, and I was shaking.

I’m… crying?

And as the unfamiliar heavens shone down on me in all their glory, I sat there in the middle of the road, with my head tilted back, and just let the tears stream down my face.

Alone.

 

 

Ilos, Day 9

 

“Well what have we here Durthan? A pretty little bit all alone on the road?”

“It does indeed seem that way Bort.”

Voices penetrated whatever foggy haze my mind rested in.

“Say, what city is that over there Durthan?”

“It looks like Travant to me Bort.”

Light pressed against my eyelids, and I could feel the ground under my legs where I was still kneeling.

I guess I fell asleep.

“I think the kind thing to do would be to escort the young lady to the safety of the city, don’t you think so Durthan? We wouldn’t want her getting hurt now would we?”

“That certainly sounds like the gentlemanly thing to do Bort.”

There were sniggers all around me from what sounded like… nine men, not including the two speakers.

Surrounded huh? I sighed, scrubbing my eyes with my hands before looking up.

There were two men in front of me, and both of them showed the same reaction upon seeing my face. Their eyes widened, and then this disgusting greedy smile spread across their features. I flagged them as suspicious immediately, along with the men surrounding me.

Absently I noted that I didn’t feel anything; no fear, no anger at their leers, no curiosity at why they wanted to escort me to the city, nothing. I wasn’t in the serenity of the Stillness, it was more of just a numb, lethargic feeling, as if I just couldn’t be bothered to care.

I stood, brushing off my leggings, and faced the two men that seemed to be leading, Bort and Durthan most likely, though I didn’t know which was which. “You were saying something about going to the city Bort?” I asked the two of them, tilting my head to the side.

The taller one on the left widened his smile in what he seemed to think was a disarming way. “Yes my lady. My men and I couldn’t possibly leave a young pretty girl like yourself out here all alone. There are all sorts of dangerous creatures about. Your name my lady?”

I really don’t feel like fighting right now… “Aria.” I replied, hoping they wouldn’t try anything. Regardless, I still canvassed their weapons and equipment.

Two men with bows and rough leather armor, eight with swords and iron chain link armor, two of those with shields, and one with a spear and leather. Nothing in their stances or items to say I couldn’t kill them pretty quickly if I wanted to. Take the archers first with daggers, one to the throat each should do, then the spearman and both of the shields before they can recover and get their weapons out. A bunch of swordsmen wouldn’t be any issue unless they got me surrounded and severely injured, and that’s not going to happen.

I shrugged and nodded, “Ah sure. I’ll go with you I guess.”

“Good then, come along.” Bort answered shortly before turning his back to me and moving away.

The men made a rough ring around me as we traveled the last bit of the journey towards Travant. They walked quickly, enough to make me jog with my shorter legs to keep in the center or else have one of the ones in the back try to feel me up. I felt positive that they were total scum, but I just couldn’t summon the will to give them a good beating for the touching they attempted to do. At least they seemed mostly focused on surroundings rather than me unless I drifted into range. I guess Bort, who was leading, really wanted to get to the city as soon as he could and was pressing the speed. He’d started sweating, though it wasn’t nearly hot enough for that, and kept glancing back at me nervously for some reason, a total one-eighty from the cocky self-assured attitude he’d displayed earlier.

“Why are we going so fast Bort?” The spearman, Durthan, asked, low enough that I shouldn’t have been able to hear from where I was. The focus I continued to exert on hearing and focusing my sight on details in the distance was starting to pay off, my senses were growing sharper little by little.

“She’s strong.” He whispered back. “I’m having a lot of trouble holding her, and I don’t think she even knows what’s going on. We need to get to the city before she makes any sort of effort to resist.”

“What? That little thing? You’re kidding.” Durthan took another look at his partner, sweating and white as he was, and seemed to reconsider. “We could still take her if she tried to bolt, and-“

“Shut up Durthan! She can hear us, I can tell!” Bort hissed and picked up the pace as we drew up to the city’s gate.

I met Durthan’s eyes when he looked back at me, tilting my head slightly now that I was kind of curious. He paled and dropped his gaze, running to catch up to his friend. We were close to the gate now, and Bort had raised a hand to the guards on the wall, who waved back.

I wonder what that was all about. Holding me how? I could easily escape from this ring and nothing they could do would stop me, even if the guards up on the wall got involved and helped them. We passed through the open gate and into this warm, relaxing atmosphere. The streets were a light brown hard packed dirt, and the buildings were mostly made of wood. Well whatever, I’ll find out eventually.

Bort was breathing heavily, but he seemed relieved more than anxious now. When he turned to face me his cocky attitude was back full force. “Tell me girl, are you a champion?”

“Yeah.”

His greedy grin sprung back wider than ever before, nearly splitting his ugly face in two. “You hear that boys? We got a champion! We’re going to be filthy rich with this one!”

His men sent up a cheer after they got over their surprise, though it didn’t drown out the other voices.

“A champion?”

“Woah, she’s gorgeous!”

“Is that Bort?”

“How’d he get such a catch?”

I blinked at the crowd that suddenly surrounded us. How did I not notice all these people?

“I’ll give you a gold par for her right now!”

“I’ll give you two!”

“Five!”

Frowning, I turned to Bort. “So they’re what? Bidding to see who I help first?”

“Ahh, yes! Yes, of course, that’s what they’re doing. There are so many in this city that have needs you see, and they’re willing to pay for someone to take care of them.” His eyes darted, as if trying to come up with the words to say. “Since I found you first, I would have first privilege to, ah, ask for your, ah, help.”

“I see, but I don’t-“

“One gold fault!”

That shut me, and everyone else, up right quick. A gold fault was not something that one came across every day, hell, I’d never even seen one. All of my earnings and equipment in the beta and the time I’d spent up till now would probably only amount to five or six gold marks, and a gold fault was a hundred of those. This man had just offered nearly twenty times the money all my time in Ilos amounted to.

I could barely see the speaker above the bodies surrounding me, and that was because he was on a horse, or else whatever platform he was standing on was making tired horse noises. “The Duke offers one gold fault and an invitation to the men who found the champion to attend a feast with him. Do any wish to contest?” After waiting for a few seconds for a reply, he climbed down from his horse, vanishing from my sight until the men around opened a path for him. He was dressed in livery, but certainly wasn’t your normal messenger boy. Middle-aged, he had some grey in his hair and carried an air of authority that I normally associated with nobles, not servants. Without further discussion, he dug out a coin about as big around as my fist with the city of Ilos stamped on it in excruciating detail and handed it over to Bort, who looked completely dumbstruck.

“You and your men will come to the mansion in one hour’s time, washed and in your best clothes. The Duke will provide your entertainment as well as all the food you can eat.” The messenger spoke briskly, then without waiting for any sort of acknowledgement grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards his horse.

I wanted to break his grip and snarl that I could walk, but that just seemed like too much effort. I ended up straddling his horse and hanging on as we galloped to the mansion/palace that occupied the center of the city. The place was rich, almost unbelievably so, and had a tower behind it that seemed to be covered in gold and overlooked the entire city.

This Duke must really have something he needs me to do, and the rewards will likely be phenomenal! I don’t remember him being this rich, or the tower, but I’ve never been inside the palace, so maybe he was just hiding it inside in the beta. Or maybe it was always there? Surely I would have remembered something like this right? I shook my head slightly, hoping the motion would clear away some of the fog that seemed to fill my head. Why can’t I remember?

We stopped at the stables the Duke kept at the place and some stable boy ran up to take the horse, leaving the messenger free to grab my hand again, rushing me off to someplace else. The hallways were lined with incredibly ordinate tapestries and small niches where vases and candles crafted with exquisite care rested. A few servants scurried past me and my messenger guide, who was still pulling me along, carrying objects to and fro at almost a jog.

Why is everyone in so much of a hurry around here? The air feels so… comfortable. I just want to walk slowly and look at these tapestries. Why am I here anyway?

The man led me to a heavily gilded door and stopped. “Please go inside, remove all of your current clothing, and wash yourself. Clothes have been laid on the bed for you, please put them on after you bathe. The Duke will send for you in a little while.”

“Hmm? Okay.” I answered tiredly, quickly scanning the room for enemies. Tired? But I just slept… didn’t I?

The room was small, containing little more than a large mirror, a bed with some sort of clothing laid on top, and an incredibly ordinate rug. There was a closed door on the opposite side that I assumed led to the bathroom. I absently wondered what exactly they were having me change into as the messenger shut the door behind me. Regardless, I followed his instructions, stripping off my Hunter’s Garb and Comfortable Traveling Boots, as well as my socks. It took a minute or two to remove all the knife sheaths I had secreted about my body under my normal clothing, ending up with quite an impressive pile of weaponry strewn about the floor. I hesitated a moment before removing my rough, hand sewn underwear for the first time since I’d gotten to Ilos. He did say all of it, and he seems nice enough. I should just do what he said.

Storing everything but my concealed throwing knives, their straps, my boots, and my belt with its inset Storage Gem in my inventory for the moment, I took a second to wiggle my toes a few times on the incredibly soft rug. This was probably the first time I had taken my boots off that hadn’t involved switching them out or sleeping, and it felt wonderful. I turned to examine the clothes on the bed, but the mirror caught my eye. There was a naked girl there.

She was short, probably an inch or two under five feet, with hair so black and luxurious it reflected an almost blue color that flowed down her back, coming to a stop just above her butt and kept back out of her eyes with a hairpin in the shape of a wolf head. A silver necklace with a blue crystal pendant dangled just above her perfect bosom, which wasn’t large, but suited her frame perfectly. Her skin was a slightly tanned but rosy color that was as soft as satin and lacked even the trace of hair below her eyebrows. There were a pair of what looked like bracelets on her wrists, one made from pure white light, the other from the deepest black shadow. She had the curves of a full grown woman, yet looked young, having a vulnerability that was offset slightly by the tarnished studded silver bangle that rested on her upper left arm. Her irises looked like they were made of yellow-gold, but seemed dull compared to the clarity I’d seen there before.

In the mirror I saw… me. And it didn’t bother me at all. When I looked at that reflection I saw me, not some girl whose body I was in, not some stranger, just me, Aria Nitidus. Did I think this was a big deal?

Abandoning the mirror, I walked to the bathroom entrance and opened it, a soft flowery scent drifting past me as I stepped through and closed the door. Inside was another small room, probably half the size of the bedroom, and was dominated by a massive copper bathtub inlaid with ordinate silver designs in the middle of the room. The floor was decorated with small tiles in varying colors, smooth enough to please the eyes but rough enough to give a good grip, and the walls seemed to be made of the same thing, if glossier. I touched the water with my fingertips, the warm scented liquid calling to me like a siren, and climbed in, not even bothering to remove my jewelry. Leaning my head back against the side, I felt my eyelids slide almost closed as I relaxed, letting out a slow breath.

Some indeterminable amount of time passed as I soaked there, reveling in the feel of the steaming water against my skin. It was only after the heat began to fade that my eyes drifted open again, tracking to a small wash rag draped over the side of the tub, along with a large fluffy towel. Blinking, I glanced around the room for another entrance. Were those there before? I didn’t hear the door open, so they must have been. I don’t really need to actually wash though; any dirt that gets on me vanishes after a short time.

Shrugging to myself, I ignored the rag and climbed out of the tub, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around myself, basking in its softness. It was big enough, or I was small enough, that hanging from my shoulders it almost brushed the floor. I dried off slowly, reluctant to leave the warm room, but I had no idea how long I’d spent in the bath and the Duke could send someone any time. Dropping the towel on the floor, I walked back into the bedroom and went to go examine the clothes on the bed.

There were five pieces of fabric and an open metal belt that seemed like it would click together in the front, all in the same dull grey, and all formless. I could tell that they were supposed to be panties, a bra, socks, and a short sleeved dress, but it looked like someone had just taken a glance and cut out some grey felt in the same general shape. I slipped them on, and they were as ill-fitting as they looked. The underwear and socks hung on me, barely staying on, and the dress trailed several feet on the floor. I sighed, disappointed for some reason, but slipped the belt around my waist and clicked it together, leaving almost a foot of gap. I had just dropped the belt, planning on using my own clothes, when everything changed.

No longer did everything droop like it was made for someone two feet taller and twice as wide as I was. The bottoms fit snugly, the socks came up to my knees, and the bra held everything in place even when I jumped, surprised. The dress trailed down to just above the knee before flaring out a little bit, and the top part was snug, the belt serving as the divider between. Everything was incredibly soft, the dress caressing my skin as I moved, and it was all the exact same shade as my hair.

Even though it fit perfectly and covered me completely, I still felt practically naked, which confused me for a moment until I spotted the daggers strewn across the floor. I’d felt that same sort of vulnerability when the beta ended and I was no longer allowed to carry around things to protect myself with. It seemed that old paranoia had come rushing back.

My hands roamed over the now black metallic belt, examining the front for a moment before I found the catch that opened it. It came off easily enough, but nothing changed, the clothes and belt retaining their form and color. I took the dress off as well, placing it on the bed, but even that had no effect. Whatever magic changed the clothing, and it had to be magic of some sort, it didn’t look like it would be turning them back. Putting the issue on my rather long and constantly growing list of questions about Ilos, I took a few minutes to strap my daggers on in a way that they would be invisible under the black clothing. Slipping the dress back on and clicking the metal belt closed, I buckled on the other belt with my Storage Gem inset in the front and sat down to put on my boots before standing to check myself in the mirror and make sure none of my weapons showed.

With the black clothing, the girl in the mirror looked absolutely stunning. There was something about the items that really accentuated the curves she had and emphasized that air of vulnerability. I had the kind of beauty that people would leap to protect, even if they didn’t know me at all, and it really showed with the dress on. Oddly enough, the leather belt with its sheaths I had buckled on at an angle over the metallic one, the tarnished bangle on my upper arm, and my Comfortable Traveling Boots all combined to give me a slightly dangerous air as well. I wasn’t sure how that worked exactly, vulnerable and dangerous seemed like they wouldn’t mix, but it was the most apt description I could come up with.

A knock at the door broke me from my thoughts, and after confirming that none of my blades showed I moved to open the door.

That same noble-messenger-servant guy was standing there, tapping his foot impatiently. “Come on, come on, the Duke and his guests are waiting for you.” He admonished, seizing my wrist again and pulling me along, not even noticing when his hand went through my Shadow bracelet.

I had to jog to keep up with him, and though it may have seemed hard to run in a dress, it really wasn’t. The shorter skirt allowed full freedom of movement, making jogging along with the man much easier. We traveled through a couple of rich and mostly identical looking hallways until we reached a massive gilded door. The thing must have cost an enormous sum to get into the Duke’s palace, not to mention creating the thing, but the messenger only grasped the door and pushed. It swung slowly open to reveal a grand hall full of men eating and drinking at long tables with another table on a dais with a throne behind it.

I scanned the room more out of reflex than anything else, noting the exit into what looked like a kitchen to the side, the door supposedly hidden in the shadows behind the throne, and the guards standing next to what I assumed to be the Duke on the extravagantly made chair. There were forty three men in the room along with some number of barely clothed, or sometimes completely unclothed, waitresses that rushed in and out of the side door, keeping everyone supplied with drink. I spotted Bort and his men sitting at the end of the table to my left, closest to the Duke.

It took mere seconds for me to be the center of attention, standing framed in the giant doorway, the servant-noble having vanished down the hall.

“Ah! Here our honored guest arrives!” The Duke exclaimed, standing. “Behold the beauty of the champion Aria!” He let me stand there for a moment, unsure of what to do, while the men in the room drunkenly cheered, raising their wine glasses, before he beckoned to me. “Come here girl, and let me see you.”

I walked forward as the guards moved the table in front of the throne to the side allowing a clear path to the Duke. As I approached, I began to see why he was rich and why everyone followed him. He was an imposing man, large and easily 6’4”, but had little fat on his body. The silken shirt he wore was so clean it was practically new, but was tight enough to show off his sculpted chest and abs. I hesitated for some reason at that thought, an odd sensation of wrongness flickering uneasily in my chest, but he just waved me forward again smiling the most wonderful smile I’d ever seen and speaking in this deep voice that seemed to fill me.

“Come here Aria.”

He was simply too wonderful to resist. I moved forward, thoughts about the man filling my head. I wanted to do whatever he wanted me to do. I wanted his touch. I wanted to be near him. A small voice in the back of my head screamed that this was wrong. The noise and voices all faded out as I approached, his hands reaching out to touch me. I pushed myself into them, allowing his caress to sweep down my sides, missing my knives, then back up the same route to my chest. It felt so good; I wanted more, pressing closer to him, smelling his scent. I wanted to worship him. I wanted to gut him like a fish. He slid one side of the dress off, pulling it down enough to expose the dark black bra. Pleasure jolted through me, a heat spreading throughout my body at his touch. My hands came up, shaking violently, reaching for my hidden knives.

“Stop moving.”

The simple command jolted through me, and my hands stopped, though they didn’t cease their shaking. There were voices in the background, all making lewd suggestions, but I ignored them. The only thing that mattered was in front of me.

He took out a whip from behind the throne and swished it through the air. A cat o’ nine tails, it had sharp metal pieces attached to the ends of the nine lengths of leather that extended from the handle. The man laughed, and struck me with it again and again, the metal leaving small scratches across my skin, but not damaging the dress whatsoever. Even his strongest swings could barely penetrate my skin. My body quivered with fury. It didn’t matter; if he smiled I was happy.

Some of the men in the background yelled. “Take her already so we can have our turn!”

“Kneel.”

My knees refused to bend.

The whip came across again. “I said kneel!”

I wanted to. I should. Everyone should obey this incredible man, so noble, so strong. But that small voice screaming in outrage had grown stronger, warring against the desire to do what this Lord commanded of me. I stood, frozen, as he whipped me again and again, unable to kneel.

“Barsath!” The Duke yelled angrily, turning his head to look backwards towards the throne. “What are you hiding for!? Do something about her!”

I heard a small sigh behind the throne, and a man in fancy robes stepped into view. “Of course your graciousness, I simply didn’t want to interrupt with my presence.”

A jolt of fear ran through me, calling upon engraved reflexes. Mage! Spirit Barrier, Suressi!

There was a resistance, and then I felt something sever. The Stillness washed over me.

And everything changed.

Gone was the captivating and imposing god holding the whip, replaced by an older man that had not aged well, his hair unkempt and grey, and his gut sagging so over his belt so I could barely see the fine leather. The clothes he wore were stained heavily with wine and food. The throne behind him was a simple wooden chair, and he smelled of rotten things and a body much too long unwashed.

The mage Barsath’s eyes widened as I leapt backwards, the force of my legs carrying me a good twenty yards backwards, halfway to the entrance, and I scanned everything as I passed through the air. The men at the tables were eating bread and drinking water, and everything had reverted to bare stone. Gone were the glorious tapestries and the golden candlesticks, replaced by a pitted stone floor and walls with beautiful women chained along the sides. All of them were naked, cut, and bruised, yet still staring at the Duke with rapturous eyes. Everything was of poor quality, about to fall apart, yet none of the men seemed to notice.

I landed silently, fixing my dress and then opening my inventory to retrieve my quarterstaff and long knives. There was still a strong pressure against my Spirit Barrier, a spell that blocked spirit magic from affecting the mind, and it was draining my mana at a slow but steady rate. My Spell Gem filled with ci swayed and the bands of Light and Shadow on my wrists vanished as I closed my inventory, my quarterstaff in its holder on my back and my long knives in my hands.

The Duke was just turning back from the mage’s shocked expression, his eyes tracking from where I had been to where I was now. The mage by his side was still reeling from my sudden movement, the men at the tables still staring, but quiet now, not expecting this turn of events.

Things were suddenly clear.

Bort’s words. ‘I’m having a lot of trouble holding her, and I don’t think she even knows what’s going on.’

The warm, relaxing atmosphere once I stepped through the gate.

The reason I’d not seen a single woman in the city until now.

The bidding for the right to own me.

The gold crown, likely an illusion like everything else.

The rush to the palace where the Spirit spell was stronger.

The hot bath to relax me and make me more susceptible and have me smell nice for the Duke.

My sudden blind acceptance of my body and situation.

The clothes to make me as pleasant to look at as possible for the men.

The throne room where the mage could enter from behind the chair and work his spell over me and likely the other women in the room.

The men calling for the Duke to take me so they could have their turn.

My jaw clenched. The feelings that had swept through me mere moments ago were still fresh in my mind. A blazing fire of rage burned through me, filtering through the Stillness until it was cold as the grave.

My gaze met with Barsath’s. The man who tried to control me, to bend me to his will. And I saw it in his eyes that he knew.

Every man in this room was dead.

Every man that tried to stop me was dead.

Every man thatowned a woman in this city was dead.

But above burning this city to the ground, above destroying whatever could make this Spirit spell so powerful, above all else, I would make sure Barsath would end this day drowning in a pool of his own blood.

 

-----

 

““Barsath! What are you hiding for!? Do something about her!”

Barsath sighed to himself. Mardus Travant, or the Duke as he demanded everyone call him, was an idiot. The man was completely unfit to rule in any form or fashion, caring only about his food, his drink, and his women, frittering away the treasury until they’d had to sell most of the things in the palace to keep up with the expenditures. Unfortunately, positions of power did not change so easily that he could simply take over, nor could he take the Duke’s appearance and rule that way. It was too well-known that the man was lazy and would avoid any and all work not forced upon him by his equally well-known main aid and advisor Barsath to suddenly have either position change too quickly. Barsath ruled the city of Travant in all but name anyway, taking care of all of the business, all of the coin, and more importantly, all of the Spirit magic covering the city.

His own perceptions were the only ones unaffected by the spells produced by the earthen tower that loomed behind the palace, a gift from a mysterious man with dark red skin who appeared suddenly and raised the thing out of the ground. Most of the spells were innocuous, unnoticed by the populace of the city, yet very useful. Not a single real coin had come out of the palace since the tower had been built, only bits of metal that anyone in the city saw as the real thing, another spell making sure they spent or accidentally ‘forgot’ the bits in the city. The most noticeable spell was known and liked by most of the men in the city, the one that made women almost completely suggestable.

Barsath was a mage, more specifically a Spirit mage. Spirit elemental magic was almost entirely devoted to the mind, modifying and reading perceptions, emotions, desires, and even thoughts, something that Barsath found utterly fascinating. Being able to own a person so completely excited him in ways nothing else could, and now that power was controlling the Duke’s newest acquisition, one of the fabled champions.

Somehow word had spread of the champions long before anyone in the city had ever seen one, stories of beings with supreme prowess and potential that held immortality. It was said that among champions women were rare, but those that did appear held unearthly beauty that could put any Ilosian woman to shame. Barsath craved one of these women, but had decided to let the Duke be the front in case champions were not so easily controlled by his spells.

The girl that the Duke was speaking of, Aria by name, certainly fit the description of champion women, and was thankfully not as resistant as he feared. Barsath had wanted to get to the girl first so he could test some spells from a distance, but learned that the Duke had already sent a messenger to purchase her before he could do anything. He hadn’t believed the part about the beauty of champions, so he took a look for himself when she’d arrived.

She was small, much smaller than he imagined as well as younger, yet her beauty eclipsed anything he’d ever seen. There was not a single blemish on her skin, and her body was constructed just right to be pleasing to the eye. There was an innocence about her that he ached to shatter, and that drew him even more. He even placed one of the sets of clothing the red-skinned man had left him in her room, eager to see the results.

The clothing was some construction of magic, and after testing a few sets on some of the Dukes personal whores, he’d learned a few things. The cloth was formless until the entire set was put on, then it changed magically to complement the owner and fit their own personality to some extent. It was impossible to rip or tear by any means he could acquire, but unfortunately would not change so drastically once set the first time, so he made sure to use them sparingly.

He’d gotten a look at her as she exited the changing room to go see the Duke, and had decided right then and there that he simply had to have her for himself, regardless of if the Duke had had her first. Being forced to watch the Duke use his prize was not something that appealed to him however, so he’d been sitting behind the wooden chair the Duke thought was a grand throne. Maintaining the spells on the champion girl as well as on the numerous other women that were chained to the walls in the hall wasn’t all that difficult with the help of the tower, but he did have to be there to use the stronger version, otherwise he’d be relaxing in his rooms right then, or perhaps plotting how to steal Aria away from the stupid ‘ruler’.

Apparently his mind had wandered while he was thinking though, because the idiot was mad about something. The girl probably wasn’t obeying fast enough for the fool. He’d have to see her to reinforce the spell. Standing, he moved to the side to respond to the man, forcing his voice to be as ingratiating as he could, not that that was very much. “Of course your graciousness, I simply didn’t want to interrupt with my presence.”

The Duke was turned slightly to look at him, a nasty whip in one hand and a snarl on his pudgy face. Barsath barely noticed though, his eyes drawn to the figure standing before the throne, his first time to see the girl up close. That beautiful black dress was off one shoulder and pulled down to expose the black undergarment beneath, showing more than hints of those tantalizing curves. Aria’s eyes seemed to be made of gold, the darkness of her hair and clothing setting off the interesting color. Her perfect face was formed into a worshiping expression that all the women had when he increased the power of the spells on them, and her eyes were dull as they stared in the Duke’s direction. Concentrating, he felt in her mind for the devotion that should be the only thing she could feel. Instead he found a fiery inferno of rage eating away at the acceptance and willingness his spell placed upon its targets. He pulled more mana from the tower to strengthen the magic.

Her eyes tracked past the throne, widening as they met his gaze. A sudden fear shone deep within her mind, and the dullness in her eyes was replaced by a piercing clarity. Barsath felt his own eyes widen as his connection to her mind was severed and a kick from her legs sent her flying backwards off the dais and high into the air. She broke the spell?! HOW?

He could barely follow her path as she sailed down the room, landing silently in a crouch about halfway to the main entrance. Her hands fixed her dress, then made a motion and drew out a quarterstaff and a pair of long knives from a glowing square that appeared in front of her and vanished as she made another motion. The wooden staff was secured somehow on her back, one end slanting over her shoulder, and she grasped the long knives tightly, the knuckles on her hands going white from the pressure. The men at the tables as well as the Duke were just turning to find her suddenly in the middle of the room, unable to follow her flight in their ‘wine’ induced haze.

Aria’s eyes met his as she looked up, and the temperature in the room seemed to plummet. He flinched from that gaze filled with icy blazing rage, but couldn’t look away. She was tiny, her head would barely reach his chest, and she was even wearing a dress, yet he felt as if he was staring into the darkness of the Abyss itself. There was destruction in those eyes, a cold light that would consume everything in the city starting with that very room, but above all it was a destruction meant for him.

And then light did consume everything. An image crafted in white light burned into his eyes, the outline of the girl before him if that girl had wings growing from her back, spread out as far as they would go. Before he could even finish flinching from the sudden blast of light, everything went dark.

The panic was immediate, thinking she’d blinded him somehow, but then he caught the tiny crack of light from the door at the end of the hall. There were no windows in the room, it was completely reliant on candles and torches for light, and she had extinguished all of them. His eyes, still reeling from the flash of light, reported nothing but darkness from the room in front of him, and fear leapt into his throat.

Aria was coming for him. He’d twisted her mind, forcing her to want the Duke with all of her being, but she’d broken the spell, and now she was coming.

It was then that the screaming started. Men yelled and screamed and pleaded in terror as the sounds of blood hitting the floor and men gurgling their death rattles filled the room. One of the two guards near the Duke drew his sword, the rasp of metal on metal as his sword cleared the sheath followed closely by a liquid splurting sound and the sword clanging as it hit the ground, the man's metallic armor sparking off the stone floor as he too fell.

Barsath’s legs moved on their own, carrying him backwards to the small door behind the Duke where he scrambled to find the iron handle. Metal boots clanked up next to him, the other guard, there to protect him, but the tiny sense of relief was burned away by horror as he felt a warm liquid splash over him and heard the man hit the ground with a wet thud.

His hands found the ring on the door and pulled, casting light once again over everything. The dark silhouette of the winged girl crouched before him there, and he flinched back with a shout until he realized it was just the afterimage of the blinding light still burned into his eyes. The Duke’s high tinny scream suddenly cut off into a bloody gurgle, and Barsath fled, desperately yelling at the top of his lungs. “Guards! Guards! The palace is under attack!”

His voice echoed down the hallways, and was rewarded with the sound of shouting voices raising the alarm and armored footsteps pounding towards him. He ran towards the sound. She’s coming! Oh Xynus she’s coming!

The seven guards slowed to a halt as they rounded the corner and met him, their faces hardening as they saw the blood that covered his robes on one side. The one in front addressed him. “Barsath! What’s happening? Where’s the Duke?”

His breath coming in gasps, Barsath tried to answer. “A champion- the feast room- killing everyone- the Duke- is dead!”

“What does he look like?” The guard gripped Barsath’s shoulders, straightening him from where he was leaning over when he didn’t answer immediately. “Get ahold of yourself! What does he look like? What weapons is he using?”

Barsath gulped, forcing his body to stop breathing in quick panicked gasps. “She’s small and young, about this high, with long black hair and wearing a black dress and boots.” He gestured with his hand at the middle part of his torso. “I saw her with a quarterstaff and two long knives. Please you have to stop her! She’s going to kill me!”

The man frowned at him, but then his eyes widened as he looked back down the hallway. Barsath twisted in the guard’s grip to see and tried to scream, the noise coming out in a squeak as his throat clenched.

At the end of the long hallway stood Aria, likely having just exited the feast room, the long knives in either hand dripping blood onto the tile. Her arms were covered in the dark liquid, and spots of it were scattered across the rest of her body. She was too far away to tell, but he could feel those golden eyes burning into him, ripping apart his nerves as if they were mere threads.

The long knives spun in her hands too quickly to follow, spraying blood across the floor and walls in two long lines of drops crossing behind her. The weapons slid silently into their sheaths at the small of her back as the guard thrust Barsath behind him and drew his sword, knocking the weak-kneed mage to the floor. The other guards followed his example, unlimbering their weapons as Aria darted towards them.

The hallway that took Barsath a good half-minute to run down she covered in seconds. Her hands flashed and a pair of gleaming knives drew paths to the eye sockets of two of the guards just before she reached the group. The length of wood that was suddenly in her hands blurred as she ducked under the lead guard’s swing and drove one end into the man’s throat. The sickening ‘crunch’ sound of a windpipe being crushed put energy back into Barsath’s legs as he scrambled to his feet and fled, pursued by yelling and the screams of dying men. Another group of guards, nine this time, thundered past him towards the noise, but he knew that they wouldn’t last against that creature.

There were no promises to kill him that came from the girl’s mouth as he ran away, no threats, no sound at all. There was no need. The memory of her eyes, those golden glaring eyes, was enough. Aria would come for him, and when she caught him, he would die.

A deep bell began to toll above him, the alarm that would summon the guards from throughout the city to the palace to defend it. Perhaps there was hope for him if enough guards came to hold her until he could escape the city, but he knew it to his bones that they couldn’t stop her. The tower. If I can reach the tower I can get the things I stashed there and get to my horse at the stables. No one ever went near what looked like a massive golden tower behind the castle, and it made the perfect place to keep valuable things. A large portion of the coin he’d taken from the Duke was there, along with several Gems of different types. With those he’d be able to escape and get to another city, someplace he could use the valuables to buy himself safety.

He lifted his robes to keep them out of the way and ran as fast as he could. His breath burned in his lungs, coming in gasps, but he refused to slow. Minutes passed as he sprinted down one hallway then another, taking the fastest route towards the back exit. The sounds of battle had faded behind him, gone or blotted out by the continued tolling of the bell above. Allowing himself a little hope, he rounded a corner and skidded to a halt, almost tripping over his own feet.

The quarterstaff sailed into the air above the trio of guards, a small figure clothed in black racing towards it. Blood spurted as she leapt, using her long knives to cut open the throats of two of the men before sheathing them and catching her staff as it fell just in time to deflect the third’s swing, disarm him, and end his life with a strike to the head.

Before the last man had even hit the ground she was charging towards Barsath, her quarterstaff once again holstered behind her, flicking an arm forward. A hand seized the back of his robes, yanking him backwards as the glint of a throwing knife streaked through where his head had been, clanging off the opposite wall. He stumbled backwards, barely catching his balance.

“Run Barsath, this is no place for you. I’ll take care of the little wench.”

The Commander of the Travant Palace Guard, Fargus Merid, stared out of his plate helmet, his second-in-command watching from next to him with a smug little smile. Both were wearing full plate armor, the Duke’s symbol, a crow, inlayed in the center of the chest piece with gold. There were another ten or so guards there as well, all with crossbows as well as swords, their faces full of confidence with their strongest warrior and leader there.

The Commander and his subordinate turned to face the corner just before Aria came around it, her quick steps still completely silent as she darted towards the squad.

“Fire!”

The noise of crossbow bolts punching towards the girl filled the air with their whistling cries. Without any hint of surprise or hesitation marring her features, her dash turned into a dive, skirting under the cluster of crossbow bolts before turning her movement into a handspring and booting Fargus in the chest. A heavy dent appeared in his armor as he stumbled backwards, Aria using the rebound to twist in midair, another pair of knives finding two of the crossbowmen before she landed softly, long blades now in hand, and charged past the Commander.

Barsath had retreated a good distance behind the line of guards, and while he couldn’t make his legs work past backing away slowly, his mind was no longer so encumbered. Champions were said to be very powerful, but this was something else. Aria was strong and incredibly fast, but the way she fought was so far beyond the skill of the guardsmen that they didn’t stand a chance. Watching her again though, he noticed some things. She was attacking with a specific strategy this time, dancing around the guards to avoid engaging the Commander or his second. It seemed as though she was avoiding her more heavily armored opponents while she dealt with the weaker ones. More importantly, she wasn’t using magic at all, even when it would give her an even greater advantage, which didn’t seem like it was something she would hesitate to do. From his observations of her fighting, she used every advantage at her disposal, striking at weak points and hitting the guards where it would disable them, keeping them as off balance as possible and attacking constantly, not allowing the men to regroup. Surely flashes of light in the eyes of her opponents would serve to take them out of the fight long enough to make her work easier, yet she still had not used magic.

Barsath finally managed to get his legs to work, turning and running toward the tower once again while Commander Fargus kept Aria busy. The man would die in the end, but he’d served his purpose of restarting Barsath’s mind, so it was no great loss. She must be using sures to defend herself, and maintaining that shielding against the power of the Spirit magic trying to bring her down must be placing a huge strain on her vis. If I can defend the tower or distract the girl for long enough, I should be able to bring her back under my control.

A few minutes later, Barsath stumbled out of the doorway behind the palace clutching his chest, his lungs and legs burning from his fear driven flight, and he slowed to catch his breath. There were not even seconds to spare and he needed to prepare things, but he also needed to be able to speak clearly. The earthen tower stood tall in front of him, the very top sparking with the massive Gem that was the source of its power, and therefore his own power. The bell behind him was still tolling, and the reinforcements from the guards that manned the walls would be set to arrive soon, but he would need to direct them behind the palace. He spotted a pair of servants, gardeners perhaps, cowering behind some bushes and seized them, dragging the men to their feet and bringing them under his control.

“Su’is.”

The men’s eyes glazed over and that delicious worshipful expression occupied their faces, their perceptions altered with the tower’s power so that they would do whatever Barsath needed them to.

He looked at the man on the right. “Go get me two horses, saddle them, and bring them here as fast as you possibly can. If anyone stops you tell them Barsath sent you himself.”

The servant nodded vigorously until Barsath released him, then took off at a dead sprint towards the stables. He’d run at that speed regardless of the pain or damage his body took until he’d fulfilled his task.

“You. Go to the front of the palace and find the guards that came from the wall. Tell them Barsath sent you as a messenger and that they should come to the tower.”

“Yes my Lord.”

Releasing the man and putting him out of mind, Barsath walked quickly over to the earthen tower that dominated the area, crouching down to stuff the various valuables lying there on the ground into a pack he had kept nearby. There was little to push in, and the pack was not too heavy when he finished, but the value of the items inside far exceeded the coin that remained in the rest of the city combined.

Barsath, being a Spirit mage, didn’t know many of the other words of power, and had only trained to use Fire when he was first learning magic. He could use that and possibly hurt her, but the tower only provided additional power to Spirit spells. He’d have to rely on his specialty. Even someone as strong as that girl must be low on magical energy by this point, and if she runs out she’s mine. All I have to do is delay her, but how?

Standing by the tower made of compressed earth with backpack of valuables in hand, Barsath pondered this dilemma until the noise of horses drew him from his thoughts. Just as he had commanded, the servant had brought two horses, both saddled and ready to ride, and was running beside them, his tunic drenched in sweat. Good, now to dispose of the trash and I’ll be ready to flee.

He addressed the man kneeling before him. “Well done, now go tie those to that post and then kill yours- ah!” That’s it! Aria doesn’t hesitate to kill soldiers, but what about innocent servants? Champions are supposed to protect Ilos right? In that case she would have trouble attacking an unarmed man who has nothing to do with her. Maybe they can delay her long enough for her magical energy to run out!

“Go find as many servants as you can within one minute and return here.”

The man dashed off once again, returning exactly one minute later with another five in tow, all wearing the same gardener’s outfit. “Su’is.” Barsath hit them all with his magic, their expressions of confusion and fear vanishing.

“You four, when you see a short girl with long black hair and wearing a black dress, go tackle her. You other two, when the same girl comes, keep your bodies in between her and me and do not let her pass you.”

“Of course my Lord, whatever you desire!” The lead servant exclaimed from his kneeling position, having been under the spell for the longest.

The look on the man’s face was so pathetically worshiping that Barsath couldn’t help but pat him on the head. After all, he was no more than a dog, so it was only right.

He didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes later a guard in full armor stumbled out of the doorway, clutching at where blood spurted from his ruined throat. Aria followed him, leaping his falling body and sprinting towards Barsath without the slightest pause. However, while her gait was somehow even quicker than before, her movements not nearly as sharp as they had been. She was running out of vis to keep her shieldingspell up, and it looked like she had weakened it to try to last longer. The four gardeners ran towards her, arms spread to catch her and bear her to the ground. Her eyebrows flicked down for just a moment in a concerned expression, and Barsath smiled. I’ve got you now you little bitch! You’d have to go right through them to get to me in time, and any sort of non-lethal measure won’t do it. They are so devoted to me right now that they’ll continue attacking you until their bodies give out entirely! You’re mi-

“I’m sorry.” The whispered words drifted on the wind, heard in the silence between tolls of the bell.

Blood coated the greenery as all four of the servants fell, throwing daggers buried in their throats, Aria dashing between two of the men and snatching her blades from their punctured windpipes, whipping them forward again.

Barsath stumbled backwards, fear once again clutching his chest. In front of him, the other two gardeners collapsed as well with lengths of metal buried in one of their eyes, the six men having failed to slow the champion a single step. Desperate, Barsath pushed everything he had into the spells trying to break through her shield, trying to erase himself from her sight as he tripped, hitting the ground on his back.

A throwing knife streaked through where his head had been just a moment ago, followed a split second later by Aria herself, her long knives held out as far out to the sides as possible as she flew through the air above him. She landed in a roll, coming to her feet in one smooth movement and twisting, those golden eyes scanning over him, but not stopping.

She can’t see me! Her shield is gone!

However, she didn’t stop moving, sheathing her blades and unlimbering her quarterstaff before approaching the tower. Barsath slowly climbed to his feet, smiling to himself. What was she going to do, attack the tower? Her stick would snap before-

Aria twisted, spinning a full turn and bringing around the staff with all of her might against the side of the tower. Dirt scattered everywhere, settling to reveal a good tenth of the tower base destroyed and the staff in perfect condition.

Barsath gasped. “Wha-!” What?! How?!

Aria’s head snapped to the side, her hand flicking out. Barsath flinched, and a throwing knife shot through where his throat had been, leaving a cut on the side of his neck. Had he not jerked just then…

How did she…? Sound! She heard me! Dirt showered everywhere again, and Barsath hurriedly concentrated, twisting her perceptions and emotions to take control of her like he had done before. “Now girl, I want you to-“

Her head twisted again.

CRACK.

 

-----

 

There was an earthy smell, his face pressed against something cool and soft. He was on the ground, in the… garden behind the palace. He opened his eyes, seeing the champion girl a good distance in front of him winding up to take another hit at the tower. What had…?

A sudden image came to him, Aria’s glaring golden eyes as she swept her quarterstaff through chest level where he’d been standing. The cracking sound and sense of impact on his arm, then darkness. How is she immune to my spells?! She cannot see me, but she could still attack even when I was manipulating her? That’s impossible, she should have been incapacitated in devotion! Dirt showered everywhere again. Never mind! I can’t let her destroy the tower! If she does then the spells it is holding, including the one that causes her to be unable to see me, will vanish!

If I can’t control you the usual way, then I’ll just have to make you unable to do anything! He concentrated again, using the last of his vis and whispering so she wouldn’t hear. “Su’is.”

Aria staggered, her eyes going wide as the spell he’d cast took effect, cutting off all of her external senses and making her feel like she was burning alive. This was something Barsath loved to do to some of the captives, just to see how long they’d last until begging for mercy. The longest so far was only a few minutes, but he expected the girl to easily surpass that. Regardless, the tower was safe now that she couldn’t determine where it was, and the pain would bring her to her knees soon enough.

He started to get up, and screamed as a searing pain blasted through his right arm, flopping back down to the ground. Tears streamed from his eyes as he gasped like a landed fish for a few seconds, recovering.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he sat up, making sure not to jostle his right arm that lay across his lap, groaning from the bruises that no doubt covered his body from the tumble he’d taken. Having made it safely if painfully to a position where he was leaning back on his left arm, he looked down to determine why his right was in so much pain, and screamed again.

His right arm was mangled beyond belief. The entire thing was covered with blood that leaked from the numerous places where bone stuck through the skin at odd angles. The flesh on his forearm where he’d taken the blow from the quarterstaff was split so badly that his wrist and hand were still connected by only a few strands of meat. There was only a little pain yet, but he knew that would come soon.

The sound of dirt hitting the bushes made him freeze. It wasn’t possible. There was no imaginable way she could still be moving.

Crack… Crack… Crack…

Barsath looked up.

Unable to see, hear, smell, taste, or even feel anything with her skin, Aria was somehow next to the tower again, twisting to deliver another massive blow against the hard packed dirt. The mage gaped. How in the Abyss is she still attacking?!

Eyes closed, the girl stepped to the side, bringing her quarterstaff around in front of her through the gap she’d made in the dirt until it hit another part of the base. Crack. Step, swing. Crack. Step, swing. Crack. Resetting herself, she spun, bringing her weapon around to blow away another portion of earth. She’s using the feedback she feels in her body to measure where she is against the tower?! I can’t stop that sensation! Another one or two of those attacks will bring down the whole structure! Is there anything I can do to stop her? I need something! Anything!

Crack.

Boots pounded on the paved garden pathway, and Barsath turned his head to see the most beautiful sight he’d ever encountered. Nagaden, the Commander of the South Wall appeared from around the corner with his two strongest men on their horses, pulling up in front of him and hurriedly dismounting.

Crack.

“Barsath! Wha- Xynus, your arm! What happened?!” The Commander exclaimed, taking a strip of cloth from his belt and hurriedly binding Barsath’s upper arm to slow the bleeding before shoving a potion in his mouth.

Crack.

Rather than try to spit it out, Barsath hurriedly gulped the contents to free his mouth. “The girl you idiot! Stop her! Hurry!”

Nagaden hesitated, obviously unsure about attacking a little girl.

Aria twisted, and dirt flew everywhere again. The tower shuddered, Barsath holding his breath as the top swayed, then releasing it in a sigh of relief as it stabilized. One more strike and it’s going to fall, along with all of my Spirit spells.

“She’s the one who killed the Duke, Nagaden! She’s blinded, so go cut her down!”

The Commander sighed. “Not worth my time. Saefan, go kill the girl. Her eyes can stay shut forever.”

Crack.

“With pleasure, Commander.” One of the men standing with Nagaden saluted, then walked towards the tiny champion, unsheathing his sword.

Crack.

The girl stepped to the side, drawing her quarterstaff back to hit the tower again, but Saefan grabbed it, pulling his sword back to stab her. “Time to die girlie.”

“No you fool, don’t touch-!” Barsath shouted, too late to do anything but watch.

Aria twisted, what should have been a thrust through her chest turning into glancing blow unable to cut the skin under her dress, leaving her without a scratch. Continuing her spinning motion, she yanked her staff from the guard’s grip and performed the same full powered strike she’d been using against the tower.

The man exploded, his armor crushed so far one side almost touched the other, and his insides, having nowhere else to go, fountained out of every gap in the metal plate as he flew through the air to impact the side of the palace, leaving a bloody mark as the mangled body bounced off the stone.

Barsath turned his head, the contents of his stomach narrowly avoiding his body, and he could hear similar choking sounds from the two men with him.

Rather than go after the tower again, Aria began to spin her quarterstaff with increasing speed in complex patterns around her, moving as though she was in a dance, her closed eyes and peaceful expression contrasting with the blood that liberally coated her skin and weapon.

“Dida't!” Nagaden swore. “With me Grun! Attack with everything you have!”

The two men rushed forward, swords drawn, and separated, attacking the champion girl from both sides. Grun struck first, sweeping his sword in an arc that was obviously meant to stop or at least slow the thrumming quarterstaff so Nagaden would have an opening to deliver the killing blow.

The hasty plan worked, slowing the quarterstaff as the wood and metal collided, but rather than being cut down from the Commander’s overhead slash, she flowed to the side, snapping her staff against Grun’s wrists, disarming him, his gut, denting the armor and forcefully bending him over, and his head, crushing his helm and part of his skull. The man staggered backwards, clutching at his ruined face and the deep red streams that poured out of it, managing four steps before he fell, drowning in his own blood.

Nagaden roared, moving with a speed and skill that befitted his title of strongest in Travant and putting Aria on the defensive for the first time. His longsword flashed in the light from the overhead sun as he struck again and again, always being turned away just before cutting flesh while Aria retreated in a slow outwards spiral.

Barsath could only stare wide eyed at the duel before him, unable to clearly follow all of the strikes the Commander made. He’d seen Nagaden fight before of course, training the other guards that watched the walls and the palace, but never had he seen the man attack with his full strength. The pair moved as though dancing together, an enchanting mix of power and grace born from long combat experience, and Barsath felt hope well up in his chest. Surely if anyone could defeat this champion it was Nagaden.

The mage gritted his teeth as the odd squirming sensation that was the sign of a potion working enveloped his right arm. The bone fragments began to pull themselves back into place, the flesh knitting itself together. The vial must have been from Nagaden’s personal stash, because Barsath had never seen a liquid powerful enough to heal this much damage so quickly. He unwound the tight cloth around his arm, letting the blood flow down into his healing limb.

Minutes passed, and slowly the duel before him began to shift. Aria’s backward steps came less and less often, then stopped altogether, her whirring quarterstaff intercepting the Commander’s strikes earlier and earlier. The man still struck with all of his considerable skill and might, but the champion girl was slowly recovering. The deadlock continued for almost a half-minute, and then Nagaden took a step back.

What is this creature?! How can she take on Nagaden without being able to sense him at all?! I need to escape while she’s still busy! Barsath slowly climbed to his feet, careful to not jostle his still-healing arm, and hesitantly made his way over to where his bag of valuables had been thrown. Nagaden was slowly being driven back now, his teeth gritted as sweat poured off his body. Gathering up the bag, Barsath walked over to where the horses were, still tied there from when the gardener had returned from the stables with them, and began untying the knots with his shaking left hand.

A shock ran through him as his spell was pushed away, just for the slightest fraction of a second, and his head whipped to the side almost of its own accord to watch the duel. Aria’s eyes were open now, those blazing golden irises glaring, but unfocused. She’d likely only been able to see a single image in the short time she’d negated the spell, but any advantage on her part couldn’t be good for the Commander. Indeed, Nagaden’s next slash whistled through the air as Aria moved around him, though he was still able to divert her strike at his head, if barely.

The pounding of armored boots came from around the side of the palace as Nagaden’s troops finally arrived, their march from the wall much slower than the Commander’s horse-assisted travel. The knots under Barsath’s hand came undone, and he mounted as the armored guards began filing into view, flinching as his spell was shoved away for a second time for that same fraction of a second.

The tiny portion of time was enough. Aria feinted at her opponent’s legs, pulling her quarterstaff in and avoiding Nagaden’s parry as she spun to the side, bringing her weapon around for a full powered blow. The Commander barely intercepted the attack with his own weapon, but his stance was so broken it sent him flying backwards… directly into the severely damaged base of the tower.

In a flash of clarity, Barsath understood. The first spell break was to see where she was in relation to the tower so she could position Nagaden in between herself and the structure, and the second was to give herself the edge needed to pull off the heavy attack with accuracy. The mage slammed his heels into the horse, his only thought to flee as the symbol of his power finally began to crumble. As soon as the fragile Gem at the top of the tower fell, all of the Spirit spells he’d set up across the city would vanish, and everything he had built would fall apart.

Excepting the women chained to the walls inside the palace, none of the slaves were ever bound simply because they were so obedient. As soon as the spells failed, all of those women would flee, and with the hundreds of men that once made up the guard almost completely wiped out, there was no one to stop them. He’d accepted that and could probably rebuild, he just had to get away from Aria. No one could stand up to her, she was simply too powerful for anyone in the city to handle, but if he could make it to Varan, less than a day’s ride to the north, he could buy safety with the coin in his pack.

Barsath rode roughshod through the arriving guardsmen, knocking them out of the way and possibly even trampling one, but that didn’t matter in the slightest. They existed to serve him anyway, so what did it matter if they lived?

He was almost around the corner when the sound of shattering glass reached him, the Gem atop the tower was gone. Immediately he felt heat against his back, a creeping sensation that had to be Aria’s baleful gaze. The horses seemed to feel it too and leapt forward, pushing through the sea of armored men and breaking out the other side. He let the animals carry him at a gallop around the palace and towards the streets, the sound of screaming drawing his attention as he reached the front.

A stream of women sporting broken chains were running from the palace in various states of undress, the ones kept in the feast room. Aria must have broken their bonds before she came after the rest of the palace, and now that the spells over them were broken they had left the dead Duke and were fleeing. A few noticed him and began running at him, leaping at his horses and trying to bring him down, fury etched into their faces. One managed to get onto his spare horse, and Barsath quickly cut the lead line, but not before the woman could grab his bag, yanking it from his grasp. With a force of will he resisted the urge to go back for it, leaving her behind him as he galloped through the streets.

Just as he had predicted, the city was in utter chaos. The bits of metal that people had seen as coins were now completely useless, and fights broke out everywhere even as the slaves fled from their former masters. It didn’t matter to Barsath, he simply rode down anyone that was between him and the gates leading out of the city to the north. No one stood in the path of a galloping horse, or if they did they were trampled underfoot.

The skeleton crew that still manned the gates were completely overwhelmed, and the massive sections of reinforced wood stood open as the mage rode through to the open grassland surrounding the city.

As the minutes passed and the sounds of the city faded, the fear that drove Barsath onwards began to dissipate. He allowed his blowing horse to slow, climbing up the side of the valley the city rested in, then dismounted and turned around to look back at Travant.

The city was burning, fires sweeping the buildings as the people rioted, their normal lives completely disrupted as the illusions that he’d set up vanished. He gritted his teeth, it was all because of that stupid champion, that demon in the form of a girl. Somehow she had singlehandedly destroyed his perfect system, ruining all of his work and almost killing him. “Well it takes more than just a little girl to kill Barsath Desray! Despite all your efforts I’m still alive you little bitch!” He shouted at the city, shaking his fully healed right arm. “You can’t kill me! I’m too good for you! Learn your place you wretch! You can go burn in the Abyss with your anger, because you can’t kill me!”

He felt an impact in his lower back. “Oh, I can’t?”

A sudden pain twisted Barsath’s guts, and he hesitantly looked down to see a blood covered length of steel sticking out of his stomach. The long knife withdrew slowly, taking the strength in his legs with it and letting him collapse, landing on his back in a spasm of pain as he tried to turn to face his worst fear.

Aria stood over him, one of her long knives dripping blood. The black dress she had on sported not a single cut, and even the blood was gone from her skin and the fabric. Her golden eyes burned into him, seeming almost to glow with her fury. This was not the cold flame he’d seen, but one that consumed everything before it, untempered by reason.

“N-no. P-please spare m-me!” Barsath whimpered, the smell of his own excrement suddenly filling his nose as he dragged himself backwards.

She stepped forwards slowly as he desperately tried to pull himself away, snarling down at him with unbridled hate. “You took that which was most important to me and twisted it. The only thing I had, the only part of myself that was still safe, and you decided to fuck with it. I’d lost everything, and you wanted to take all that I was, all that I had left, and you succeeded. Because of you I’ve lost to this place and this body. You stole all I had, and in return I took everything from you. Your city is crushing itself, your slaves are freed, your power is gone, and now you will die.”

Barsath shook his head, trying to deny this reality even as she raised her knife overhead. The tip of the blade slammed downwards, producing a lance of pain that drove through his eye and into his skull, lasting for only a moment before the mage ceased to exist.

 

 

 

Chapter 6: Fight for Survival

Ilos, Day 11

 

Tasalin leaned forward in his tall wooden chair, his attention taken with the large hand-drawn map he was overlooking that took up most of the floor. There were assorted objects acting as paperweights holding down the corners where the pieces of the stupid thing kept trying to roll back up into tubes, and over a thousand small figures and disks littered the collage of rough parchment. One of the women standing next to the map used cirres as solid air to remove one of the figurines, burning a tiny X there with fas, signifying a small group of monsters, now dead, and moved a pair of small disks. Each disk represented a party of four of Sweet Dreams’ guild members and was colored, one side green for good status, one side red for injured or in need of help, with both sides numbered or named.

He scrubbed his hand through his hair, eyes flickering over the movements of the battle as people moved the little pieces around with magic, responding to telepathic communication. “Have groups 325 and 413 move to support the southern flank and join up with Natalia. Breaker needs to stop advancing; he’s beginning to make gaps in our line. Groups 516 and 34 fall back and recover, they’re out too far. Get Farscope to support the groups just to the north of him.”

Without the tactical overhead map he was used to in all of the Real Time Strategy games he’d played, the battle was proving much more annoying than he’d anticipated. Of course, the sheer scale of the conflict was beyond anything he’d dealt with before, but then he wasn’t directly commanding most of the guild’s power either. Every party out there had been working autonomously for over a week, and while some were more powerful than others, they could all generally take care of themselves. Stack that on top of the fact that everyone out in the field had significant experience in all sorts of videogames, especially MMORPGs, and Tasalin actually had little to do with most conflicts. However, he was the eye that watched over the entire battlefield, responsible for keeping everyone out there alive and more or less working together.

Out of the 4234 champions who ended up joining Sweet Dreams, only a little more than half were currently participating in the battle to defeat the corruption that threatened to take over the Western Forest. The guild was now split into a number of divisions that had established themselves over the past week or so, each with its own head that reported directly to himself and Corvid, who was sitting next to him in another really tall chair and observing while primarily maintaining the Spirit magic telepathic net that connected all the party leaders and command staff together. There was a lengthy list of divisions, including what were basically sub-guilds for merchants, craftsmen, researchers, warriors, scouts, mages, and a whole bunch more. The one thing that Corvid had drilled into them as the divisions were first forming was that they all belonged to Sweet Dreams, and therefore had better work together, and made sure that most people belonged to more than one division and each division had ample friends and connections with all of the others. Even the Nightmares, the elite of the battle oriented guild members, were no exception, and despite the growing gap in power between them and the rest of the champions, there was very little hostility towards them, instead being looked up to as respected combat leaders.

Everything had so far gone better than Tasalin had planned it. The time training against the monsters lured out by Oakheart’s followers had gone by rapidly, the already combat seasoned champions making short work of anything thrown at them, pushing deeper and deeper into the forest in search of stronger enemies. As the days went on, they’d had to move their base camp further west several times, using some of the guild members that weren’t fighting to deliver food and drink as well as get some items prepared for battle, including the materials for the maps, the disks, and the figurines.

There were of course some that stopped after a few days when the divisions began to form, more inclined to do other things to help the guild than just fight, but a good portion still kept at it. Of course, as people were drawn to different things, the initial parties they’d started in broke apart, and while no one enforced having four members to a party, it was still strongly recommended by both Tasalin and Corvid, so most ended up reforming new groups with the same number.

The second day word came in about the first death and the man’s subsequent revival at the plaza in the center of Ilos. The entirety of the champion population breathed a collective sigh of relief to have the doubt of a revival system still existing erased, and the members of Sweet Dreams began taking more risks while leveling.

After a week they'd been drawing close to the ruin that Oakheart had indicated was the source of the corruption, and rather than break camp to travel there directly, Tasalin had just decided to keep with the current course of training and slowly force their way toward their goal. The scouting division had begun their excursions into the heart of the infested area at that point, bringing back large pieces of parchment that detailed everything in a 1000ft by 1000ft square. By the time the main force had managed to get to the ruin itself, most of the castle and surrounding land was mapped out in great detail and information on the enemies’ movements and numbers were fairly accurate.

Though Tasalin had seen only parts of the land himself, the maps he had that detailed the ruin gave him the impression that it was once a near impenetrable fort. What was left of the walls was almost twenty feet thick at the base and surrounded a significant area. Inside were the ruins of a number of buildings and a castle that rivaled the size of the Illosian Palace. Nature had taken its toll on the stonework, especially on the places that showed signs of a battle fought long ago, yet the castle itself still stood strong.

Oakheart’s constituents had long since stopped actively fighting the creatures mutated by the corruption, instead leaving it to the members of Sweet Dreams, who were immune to whatever affected the mutated monsters. The animals of the forest would occasionally help by drawing the corrupted out, but not at the risk of their own lives.

It was on the tenth day that the main force of the guild arrived at the ruin, and a battle meeting was called that night. Tasalin had gotten up in front of everyone and relayed the strategy he, with the help of many of the members who had leadership or extensive Real Time Strategy game experience, had come up with. To keep everyone on the same track, working together, and alive, he and a number of other handpicked people would stay at the base camp and coordinate the 591 parties of champions participating in the battle in order to keep everything coherent in the face of the thousands of enemies they would be facing. With the training they had gone through over the past ten days, the battle was heavily weighted in the Dreamers’ favor even though the mutated animals outnumbered them about seven to one. They would have no trouble winning this battle. The catch was they couldn’t let even one of the creatures escape the area to possibly begin the corruption anew, thus the battle plan and coordination of their forces.

The forces of Sweet Dreams would sweep forward in a line, the edges advancing forwards and wrapping around the ruin as the middle began encountering resistance, eventually creating a noose that would slowly tighten and crush the corruption inside, allowing nothing to escape. The purpose of having a command center would be to maintain this strategy even in the thick of the forest where groups could easily get separated or lost. With the use of a telepathy network, it was possible to keep track of everyone’s movements in relation to each other and various landmarks, aided significantly by the efforts of the scouting division, who could spot out different locations and keep the large map they pieced together fairly accurate while also being able to quickly assist any groups that may be in need of immediate assistance.

As dictated, there would be twenty four operators in the command area, each in charge of keeping track of the positions and status of up to fifty parties, as well as relaying directions to them as Tasalin gave them. It was left up to the groups to figure out which coordinator they wanted out of the men and women selected, and up to the command staff how many parties they wanted to take on, to a limit of fifty.

They had some information on the layout of the castle that was the center of the clearing, but the upper floors on the inside were only rough estimates based on the previous floors and the outer structure of the castle. The task of moving into the unmapped rooms would be the responsibility of the Nightmares as the strongest fighters and therefore the ones most able to react to a situation. Tasalin and Corvid themselves would lead the thirty eight men and women that belonged to that group, and the rest of the guild would follow a little bit behind to make sure none of the creatures escaped.

There was a little bit of dissent at that, some of the groups speaking up in their desire to be with the Nightmares when they investigated the source of the corruption and inevitably fought the ‘boss’. Corvid actively encouraged that in the guild, everyone was free to speak their minds as if they were playing some online game rather than trapped in Ilos and their words would be listened to and given thought. Rather than field these mild complaints himself, he let Corvid take over from that point, who easily settled any who wanted in on the action.

The handsome easygoing man might have been only a middling tactician and fighter, but he was truly an exceptional leader. The force of his charisma was powerful even when he wasn’t using Spirit magic to boost it, and his words swayed even those almost completely opposed. After settling the minor disputes, Corvid gave a rousing speech explaining how not only was Sweet Dreams gaining significant rewards for such a massive undertaking, they were also protecting their new home and gaining new allies. He made it sound as though the extermination of some enemies was a glorious undertaking to help the noble leader of an ancient people. With the guild master’s words, Tasalin and Corvid’s encounter with Oakheart the first day became something that people only read about in fiction, the scene almost visible as Corvid described it.

By the time he’d finished there wasn’t a single person that wasn’t fired up and ready to get to battle the following day, the camp filled with a cheery atmosphere that lasted until people began dosing off, only to come back full force the next morning as Sweet Dreams set out for their first massive raid.

The plan had gone off with only a few small glitches, but the corrupted creatures that managed to get through the initial loose circle were swept up by the scouting division, who were no pushovers in combat themselves. The rough ring of circular green pieces slowly narrowed as Tasalin continued to issue orders, tediously rotating out any disks that flipped to red to heal and recover before allowing them to rejoin the fight. There were a few parties that tried to keep fighting even when injured without telling anyone, but with the noose tightening they were quickly found and pulled out by concerned guild members.

Despite the touch training and advance into the forest, there had yet to be a single casualty among any of the Dreamers in the ten days since they were pulled into Ilos, and Tasalin was determined to keep that number through day eleven. The ring of champions crossed the dilapidated wall that surrounded the castle, and with the foliage thinning, most groups could now see each other clearly and were able to collapse inwards to meet any new enemies in sets of three parties or more.

As the last circle flipped from red to green and moved to rejoin the lines, Tasalin tapped Corvid on the shoulder and hopped down from his chair, striding over to a nearby tent with a number of players relaxing under it on large blankets. “Taktik, you’re up. Keep us informed if anything happens.”

Taktik, the man with the most extensive RTS and tactical combat experience as well as appointed strategist stood with a sigh. Standing a few inches shorter than Tasalin, he was a good bit wider and none of it fat. With a short red beard on his face and grey eyes, he looked like he belonged in flannel and jeans with a wood axe, but he had a winning streak a mile long and a mile wide in every strategy game anyone challenged him in. His only losses were to Tasalin, and he even then still won most of the time the two played. The man gestured with his large mug, filled with a sweet red juice produced from the sugrid fruit that grew to the south of Ilos, a beverage that many a champion favored, somehow managing to make the motion convey both his minor annoyance and that he was actually joking. “Damn it Tas. I leave the map for five minutes for a drink of sugrid and a seat and here you come. You couldn’t have just waited till I came back?”

“I just like to torture you Tak.” Tasalin replied, grinning as he filled his own mug, “Now get over there.”

“Alright alright ya slave driver.” Taktik laughed, bumping his mug with Tasalin’s and taking a swig before strolling over to the map tent, greeting Corvid and exchanging a few words on his way over.

“Is it our turn Tas?” A silky voice spoke from Tasalin’s flank.

Resisting the impulse to flinch from the sudden sound, Tasalin turned to face the most dangerous player currently a member of Sweet Dreams. At just under six feet, the undisputed leader of the Nightmares sported black hair that just touched her shoulders and black eyes that seemed to drink in the light. Wearing light leather armor that was also dyed black, Tasalin mused to himself that Solani was really starting to overdo the whole black motif, Shadow magic user or not. As beautiful as her namesake of 'nightshade' and just as deadly, she was easily the strongest fighter in the guild and likely the most skilled.

Unfortunately, she was also one of the few who didn’t seem to fit in to any party, and almost always soloed. Most of the guild feared her a bit or at least found her somewhat unnerving, likely due to her tendency to go unnoticed until she spoke, usually behind you. She was highly respected, but not exactly welcomed with open arms, and that seemed to drive the shy woman away from others. Thankfully the Nightmares didn’t share that stigma and just sort of accepted her as is, the respect they had for her small scale tactical command and combat prowess positioning her as their unofficial leader.

Tasalin smiled as he regarded the black clad beauty. “It’s time to end this quest. Are you prepared Solani?”

“On your call Tas. The Nightmares stand ready.”

His smile deepened, and he opened his inventory and pulled out the item he’d recently commissioned the crafting division for. A massive kite shield in the shape of an elongated diamond, it was almost as tall as Tasalin himself was, and sunk several inches into the ground from its sheer weight as he strapped it to his arm. “Then let’s go crush us a boss.”

 

------

 

As Tasalin made his way towards the central building with Corvid and Solani, the rest of the Nightmares began to appear and fall in, and by the time they reached the entrance to the ruin the entire group had joined them. As leader of the Nightmares, Solani had charge of the tactics for the raid, utilizing a smaller telepathic network that Corvid set up to include only the present guild members. She didn’t have the touch for larger group strategy, but with only a small number of people to coordinate she was pretty good, and she had an instinct for when not to give orders.

The massive building would be better described as a castle than a ruin. Made of unrelieved grey stone, the structure was overgrown and wearing down, yet still held against the encroaching vines and other foliage. It was frankly amazing it was still standing, much less structurally sound, given the condition of the walls and the area that surrounded it.

The trip up through the castle was standard fare, Tasalin stood up front with the tanks to take the first blows and draw aggro while the damage dealers killed off the enemies. The only difference between this trip and most training battles was the lack of magic. Mana, as the hardest resource to replenish in combat conditions, was to be preserved for the boss fight that was sure to come, so those that regularly used magic in combat were holding it in reserve. Regardless, the corrupted creatures that appeared were no match for the strongest coordinated group of champions Ilos could currently field.

The hallways were fairly grand, broken occasionally by indents that contained the remnants of candle holders and other metallic decorations, arrow slits on the lower levels or empty windows on the upper ones, and of course the multitude of doors, each of which had to be checked. There were pieces of cloth on the floor that Tasalin assumed were once tapestries hanging from the walls, but it was clear they had degenerated with time and finally just fallen apart. The floor was smooth but covered in dust, only the tracks of the corrupted creatures that roamed it breaking the thick layer to reveal colored patterns in the stonework. The lower levels were made to defend against any encroaching enemy, arrow slits facing into hallways, holes in the ceiling from which boiling oil or burning sand could be dumped, and even what was left of the chandeliers showed that the bottoms had nasty spikes so they could be dropped on an unsuspecting foe. There were several levels below the surface, leading down to what appeared to be the remnants of several large forges, an underground spring, and cool rooms that had obviously once been used for food storage. The walls were smooth despite their age and had simple patterns at chest height that grew ever more intricate as the Nightmares continued upwards from the lowest level.

Hours passed as the raid cleared each floor thoroughly, leaving no door or hall unchecked, making sure there were no enemies left to attack them from behind or take any of the other guild members by surprise as they moved upwards. Any wounds were treated by application of healing salves immediately, making sure everyone was in top shape was a priority when you didn’t know what lay around the next corner. Many other players may have kept going with small injuries until they were hurt enough to get the most efficient use out of their potions, but these people were the best, and they knew any injury, no matter how small, could cost them everything if they were hit by something they had trouble with.

And on the second highest floor, that trouble did indeed appear.

That particular floor seemed to contain a massive room in the center, the only hallway leading in a single direction from the stairs around the outside of the castle, the windows on the right showing glimpses of the surrounding land. The raid was walking down the long hallway after the first corner when another group of corrupted appeared at the end. Tasalin and the rest of the heavily-armored frontline made their way forward to intercept the creatures, meeting their charge head on. As the twisted animals collided with the wall of metal that was the Nightmares’ defensive line, the stone to their left exploded into the hallway.

Tasalin’s ears rang as he climbed back to his feet. The corrupted that had attacked them were little more than smears against the stone floor, crushed by the rubble that had blown out from the now mostly collapsed wall. Fleshy appendages whipped out of the dust, grabbing Tasalin and throwing him again, this time past the origin of the explosion and back towards where the raid had come from. He glanced off the wall over the rest of the raid and tumbled down the hallway, his armor and shield taking most of the damage, though he lost his sword in the wild tumble.

*Tanks, do what you can to draw aggro. DPS, focus on avoidance and any adds that appear.* Solani’s ‘voice’ came through over the telepathic network, calm despite the sudden ambush. *Anyone heavily injured pull back and let the healers get to you.*

Tasalin began to pick himself up off the ground, but his right arm gave out from under him, depositing him back onto the stone. Damn! No wonder I lost my sword, I can’t feel my right arm at all! He rolled to the side, using his shield to lever himself to his knees and then to his feet, stumbling for a moment as he tried to move forward, his eyes taking in the situation in front of him as blood dripped into his vision.

The boss had driven directly into the middle of the raid, cutting off the tanks from those they were supposed to protect. Having been thrown by the monster, he was the only defensively oriented champion on this side of the thing, but he was injured and bleeding heavily, not to mention his sword arm was completely useless. Normally the other members of the Nightmares would be able to handle themselves by avoiding any attacks that came for them, but there wasn’t enough room in the hallway for everyone to get out of the way. There wasn’t anything else he could do but try to take the hits in place of those who couldn’t. That was his job as a tank.

*The boss is Plague Messenger.* Corvid, following his role as the observer, began relaying information, noting the name that appeared when one concentrated on knowing what a creature was. *It has eight arms that are capable of moving independently, are strong enough to pick up and throw several hundred pounds, and seem to be able to stretch to reach this end of the hallway at least. The main body a thick blob of flesh and is supported by three legs that allow for what appears to be only limited movement. There are two eyes, one on each side of its head and watching both sides of the hallway. The monster is too large to get past and is blocking the hole it made when it attacked as well as the entire hallway*

With arms that strong I can’t take a hit unless I use Fortify. I just have to hope the healers will back me up if I’m going to be using all my mana to keep them safe. Tasalin reached the front just as a pair of arms swept towards his side and slammed his massive shield into the ground, casting his spell and pouring mana into it. “Reslos!”

BA-BAM!

The arms crashed into his shield just as the weight of his Fortify spell pulled down on him, anchoring him in place. Leaving only a thread of mana open for his spell, Tasalin shouted, banging his massive shield against the stone wall to his left, sending echoes reverberating down the hallway and, hopefully, drawing the monster’s attention.

*Ranged attackers, target the eyes, make it defend itself or lose them! Melee, go after its legs, take out what mobility it has!* Solani commanded. *Tanks, block together when possible, this is a boss level monster! Corvid, give me access to the guild network!*

*Confirmed.*

*Aye aye, Nightshade.*

*You got it!*

Acknowledgements poured in as the Nightmares gathered themselves, recovering from the sudden ambush and reorganizing. Arrows and bolts of different elements whistled past Tasalin, each driving directly at the creature’s eye as he advanced. The close combat damage dealers kept line with him, jumping forwards to attack the legs but staying close enough get behind him when the arms lashed out. Some of those who could off-tank switched equipment, taking a small amount of the force that would otherwise be borne on his shield alone.

*Any guild members outside the castle, target the second to highest floor on the north side, you should be able to see a large creature in a few of the windows. Take it down! Anyone inside the castle with healing or heavy tanking abilities, join the Nightmares.*

Magical attacks lanced towards the windows from the outside, but splashed against an invisible barrier, unable to enter the castle.

*The door to your floor is shut and none of our attacks are having any effect in breaking it down. We can’t get to you!*

*Both groups keep trying! Let us know if you have any success.*

Tasalin grimaced. Looks like we’re on our own.

Within seconds of taking the first strike, feeling began to return to Tasalin’s arm as those that had healing magic began to restore his health, but that wasn’t the limiting resource here. As the creature continued to attack he began using less and less mana to withstand each hit until he began sliding backwards and taking a good bit of damage due to the force, but he was still having to use too much. Even extending his mana by only using it just as he was struck, he knew, somehow, in forty three - his shield shook and his feet slid a few inches backwards - forty two more hits, he would run completely out of mana and be thrown down the hallway when he tried to block. Without a tank the rest of the raid on his side would be easy targets for the Plague Messenger. Those off-tanks that were helping him couldn't take more than one or two hits with him gone; even now they were being thrown back each time.

*Unless I get some more help here my mana isn’t going to last until the boss falls.*

*Tanks, some of you break off and follow the hallway behind the boss, see if you can find a way around, or failing that, make one. Off-tanks fall back, you're taking too much damage for the healers to keep up with, let Tas handle it. Everyone else do as much damage as possible. We need to try and take this thing down before Tas falls!*

Alright, I just have to last until the other tanks get here. Tasalin thought as he heard boots hurriedly fading into the distance.

BAM!

Vibrations ripped through Tasalin’s shield and arms as he gritted his teeth against the blow. Warriors rushed past him on both sides, moving in to deal as much damage as they could before the creature could swing again as magical and ranged attacks rained from overhead.

Again and again the Plague Messenger struck against Tasalin’s sole defense, and the magic that streaked overhead slackened and then vanished altogether as the raid ran out of mana. The DPS at the front shifted so that those with the most damage output could attack while the rest did what they could with ranged weaponry.

*There’s no way around and no way into that room, and neither physical nor magical attacks work against this stone! We can’t even get up the stairs! It seems like there’s some sort of force field surrounding this floor and keeping everything in place and everything away, including the other guild members. Sorry Tas, there’s no backup coming.*

The Plague Messenger was badly injured, but not badly enough. It was bleeding from countless arrow and throwing weapon wounds, scorched from fire and lightning, pierced with ice, bashed with stone, and it had even lost all of its legs and three of its arms, releasing a smell like rotting corpses. Despite its injuries, it continued to flail at the champions on both sides.

BAM!

One more.

Solani met his eyes as she darted past, and he saw the certainty there. She knew too, yet just like the rest of the Nightmares, she would fight till her death. The raid would likely all die here, and if they succeeded it would be with significant casualties.

BAM!

Tasalin’s view of the world swirled and his feet slid backwards three or four yards, the force almost toppling him before he caught his balance. Bereft of mana and already heavily injured, the world seemed hazy and off kilter, the Plague Messenger a grotesque blob of grey that writhed in the dust before him. He knew the next attack would throw him down the hallway, it might even kill him, but he moved forward anyway. If I’m going to be going down, it’s going to be while keeping my allies alive. Even knowing it was hopeless, braced his shield with both arms against the next strike.

BAM!

The force of the blow sent Tasalin skidding on his back across the floor, his armor trailing sparks as he flew past the ranged guild members. If I hit head first… He slammed his shield into the ground, rotating just in time to hit the wall with his right side. A loud cracking noise came from his right shoulder and he lost feeling along most of the right side of his body. Stars danced and blackness ringed his sight, a sure sign he was close to unconsciousness or death. He moved his shield hand past one of his quick gems, gripping the health potion stored there and draining it.

“Shit.” His voice came out faint, more evidence of his low but slowly recovering health. If he thought that the world had been hazy after running out of mana, it was a mess of dark color and motion now. His ears rang, the sounds of the nearby battle seeming ever so distant. He focused his eyes anyway, trying to make out what was happening as his senses began to clear with the recovery of his health.

As expected, without him at the fore to take the hits and trapped in a narrow hallway, the damage oriented champions of the raid were getting hammered, even with the off-tanks doing what they could. The Nightmares were good enough to only take glancing blows, but when their opponent was a boss level monster, even partial hits took a huge toll. The minutes crawled by, and by the time Tasalin could clearly see the battle, most of the raid was severely injured and trying to recover using potions. Even Corvid, the least combat ready member of the raid, was out of mana and had taken a hit.

Solani and one of the other soloers were the only ones uninjured and still fighting, but even as he watched, Solani’s companion got clipped by the flailing arms and was sent spinning down the hallway, leaving Nightshade herself as the lone attacker on this side. He could only guess what was happening with the tanks on the other side of the disgusting pile of flesh, but if the damage dealers fell, it would likely only be a matter of time for them. Again and again Solani proved her title as the most skilled in the Nightmares, dodging a whirlwind of attacks and still carving heavy gashes into the flesh of the disgusting creature with her pair of short blades.

Feeling began to return to Tasalin’s right leg and hip, leaving only his arm useless, and he labored to his feet, ready to render any aid he could. Solani was doing a lot of damage, and if he could take even a single hit in her place it might give the others a chance to heal enough to rejoin the battle. As he lurched forward into a stumbling sprint, the black clad attacker’s luck ran out, and she was clipped in the leg by the arm that had been guarding the boss’ eye, tossing her to the ground.

Tasalin slid to a halt in front of his ally as the Plague Messenger raised an arm to deliver the killing blow. On one knee with his massive shield upraised, dripping blood from the lacerations that ran across his body, sword arm hanging broken and useless, he shouted his defiance in the face of his death.

Time seemed to slow as the fleshy appendage came downwards. There was time to move out of the way, but the thought didn’t more than cross his mind. He would protect the woman lying behind him, there was no other option, no other choice. The strike neared, and he could see the weight of it, the glistening wetness of decay that seemed to be eating the creature constantly, but he locked away his terror and refused to move.

A voice, deep and ancient, reverberated through him. *A champion of life, at the front of the strife, so long as there is breath, be a bulwark against death.*

Flesh connected with metal and a hollow boom echoed out, the arm trying to crush Tasalin and Solani beneath him. The shockwave seemed to strip Tasalin of his tiredness and injury, and he could feel an intense power rushing through him. He stood under the weight of the arm, feeling as solid as if he had used all of his mana to Fortify himself. A savage grin spread across his face, the impossibility of the situation swept away in elation as he realized he not only had full health, but full mana as well. He pivoted, allowing the arm to slide off his shield and then slammed the massive piece of metal down, the point at the bottom cutting through the monster’s flesh and coating his left side in blood.

Solani dashed past him, her blades coated in magical freezing shadow and mentally shouting through the newly restored telepathic network. *Everyone attack! Let’s take this thing down!!*

A wordless battle cry emanated from Tasalin’s mouth, joined by the rest of the Nightmares as spells filled the air above him and champions sprinted by with their weapons imbued with magic. Another arm tried to strike at him, but he brushed it aside as if it were nothing, striding forward with massive shield held high. The renewed magically enhanced onslaught took its toll on the monster in minutes, and with a last shriek of agony, the creature slumped, life leaving its tortured and mostly demolished body.

A rush of power from the experience gain filled Tasalin as he joined in the cheering that came with the end of the intense battle. There was a lot of back slapping and congratulations as people flexed and jumped around, reveling in their newly gained power. Similar sounds could be heard from the other side of the dead boss as well, signifying the tanks were still alive and well.

Of course, everyone wanted to know what exactly Tasalin had done to restore not only the entire raid’s health, but also their mana, to which he shook his head and replied he would tell them when he figured that out.

After a few minutes, Solani cut into the revelry. *Alright, let’s save the rest of the celebration for after we clear the last floor and can join up with the rest of the guild. We’ll debrief and distribute any loot afterwards as well.*

The corpse of the Plague Messenger decayed away even as they watched, leaving behind a pair of gems, one of which glimmered a lush green and one that was so black it seemed to eat away at the light around it.

“Elemental Gems!”

Awed murmurs flitted throughout the raid as Solani grabbed them and placed them in her inventory, and for good reason. Elemental Gems were the rarest of all Gems, even harder to come across than Spell Gems. Each Elemental Gem increased the power or resistance to its element when worn on any piece of equipment, and as a general rule only dropped off of bosses when they were defeated the first time. Unless someone was one of the seven Leaders in disguise, no one present had ever seen one.

The raid formed up and continued forwards, this time with the tanks sticking with their own parties and wary of another ambush. Their vigilance was unneeded this time though, and when they crested the stairs to the final floor, they found only treasure. Piles of silver coins, weaponry lining the walls in old racks, armor on stands, the entire place was filled with loot, most notably five Repositories that were glowing an odd grey color. Tasalin had seen a few dead Repositories and had read some about how they worked on the forums set up by other players after the beta had concluded.

A Repository was a cylindrical stone holder of a new word of power for whoever used it, but each glowing obelisk could only be used once. When a champion touched one with the intent to learn its secrets, he or she would be subjected to visions on not only what the word was, but also how to use it, a necessary component to magic in this world. Each element had its own color light that the floating cylinder would shine with, but this grey color had never been documented.

The Nightmares knew the piles of weaponry would be given to those who could use them best and the coin would be equally shared, but even so, some began sorting through the troves. The rest took a seat or leaned against a wall with sighs of accomplishment as Corvid went to each Repository, touching it for a moment before the glow faded and the stone cylinder floated to the ground, inert.

As the last Repository met the ground with a soft thump, Corvid addressed the guild as a whole over his telepathic network. *The castle is cleared and the corruption is gone! Well done everyone!*

Heads around the room glanced up as cheers filtered through the stone walls, and smiles widened on everyone’s faces. Tasalin met Solani’s eyes, her grin matching his own as they listened to their allies celebrating outside.

Oakheart’s deep majestic voice filled Tasalin’s head, and from the reactions of those around, the stag was addressing them all. *Thank you champions. You have done me and my subjects a great service. Know that nothing in the forest will attack any of those who call you ally, and should you ever be in similar peril, we will spare nothing in our efforts to assist you. It will take some time to recover from this disaster however, and my subjects and I will not regain a fighting strength for several months, but they will endeavor to help you in any way they can. I must sleep for a time to regain my strength. Again, thank you, all of you, for your efforts.*

Another rush of experience jolted through his body, just as big if not bigger than when the Plague Messenger was defeated, and one that he suspected was shared among all of Sweet Dreams.

When the Oakheart fell silent, Corvid waited a moment to make sure there was nothing else forthcoming from the lord of the forest, then contrinued. *We’ve not only completed the quest given to us by Oakheart, but also gained five spells of a new element, though they seem to function more as system commands rather than actual spells. As most of you know, Repositories give the user mental images and basic knowledge on how to use a spell, but because only one person can ever use them, I'll explain what I’ve learned in words as best I can. First, and of foremost importance to the guild, we can now own land outside of Ilos with the spell claim. With enough of us all using the spell in the same area at the same time, we can create a zone that not only gives us high regeneration and movement bonuses while inside, but also eliminates the spawning of any monsters and allows us to construct our own buildings. I would suggest we use that spell on this place, because even if it's run down, it already has in place all of the basic things one could look for in a stronghold.*

Tasalin went over the structure of the castle again in his mind, the image imprinted on his brain through hours of staring at that stupid map. The place was practically crumbling with age, but while whatever may have adorned the fort had long since withered away, the stone itself was in fairly good shape if you didn't include the walls that once surrounded it. The area enclosed by those walls was large and contained several underground springs apart from the one under the castle, each a crystal clear quickly replenishing pool of water. The castle was also huge, rivaling Ilos' Palace in size if not grandeur. It would be a lot of work to restore, but it would work well as a place the guild could call home.

*Second is teleport, which allows you to port to any city, village, or claimed guild area you've personally visited, and is the only spell thus far that takes time to complete. Once activated by thinking of the place you want to travel to and speaking the word of power, the spell will drain mana based on how far you wish to travel and what or who you want to take with you. A ring will appear around each person or thing porting with you and slowly fill in over a period of time relative to distance. If you or anything coming with you moves out of its circle, it won't be transported and you won't get the mana back, but the spell will still complete for the rest of the targets.*

Well at least logistics will be easy with the aid of Storage Gems, and it'll make things a lot simpler to maintain contact with everyone even when exploring.

*Third is union, and is essentially a magic bound marriage or pact system. Two people swear an oath together and gain a number advantages when working together. However, the bond is unbreakable, and if one partner dies, so does the other. This isn't a spell to be used lightly and I ask that you be careful when considering it. I won’t be explaining the details of the spell now either, as I don't expect anyone to be sober tonight.*

Chuckles echoed throughout the room at that. There was certain to be a large amount of alcohol consumed after Corvid finished his speech and celebration started.

*The last two are arguably the most interesting: ID and status. ID displays basic information on the target depending on how much you know about them and how much they trust you with their stats. Status displays the character page, showing numerically your health, mana, both physical and magical experience, resistances, outgoing bonuses, buffs, titles, kills, deaths, associations, and special skills.*

Like most of the members of the Nightmares, Tasalin looked up at Corvid in surprise when he described the last spell, but before anyone could say or do anything, the guild leader continued.

*Before anyone goes off to try out these new commands, I’d like to announce we will be celebrating here tonight before we return to Ilos. We have plenty of sugrid to go around, though I suspect most of it has been or will soon be spiked, and we have food curtesy of the cooking branch of the crafting division. We’ve all trained hard to finish this quest, and we will be called upon again and again to protect this world of ours, but for tonight it’s time to celebrate! Tasalin, myself, and the rest of the Nightmares will be joining you shortly, so I’ll see all of you in just a little while. Well done everyone, Corvid out.*

 

------

 

Tasalin sat on his small lightweight bed, alone in his dark tent. Outside, the sounds of revelry filtered in, the flickering of the firelight shining through the cracks that marked the entrance to his temporary lodging. Solani had led a debriefing of the Nightmares, discussing and reviewing some of the tactics they could have or should have used during the raid so that they could have avoided almost being wiped out, then dividing up the loot amongst the group and the guild. It was a fairly short meeting, mainly deciding that when they next worked together that they needed to have a strategy that was more immediately flexible, keeping some members in reserve or in different places to keep the raid mostly balanced even if unexpectedly split up.

After the Nightmares exited the castle to deafening cheers, he’d made his appearances, endured all the slaps on the back and the rejoicing, then slipped away as soon as he could. Normally he would have enjoyed such a party, but the events of the past eleven days weighed heavily on him. He rolled the small slightly glowing Nature Gem around in his palm, still a bit disbelieving that he was the one chosen to receive the Elemental Gem. He’d never seen one in all his time in the beta, and now less than two weeks in this world he held one in his hand.

The least pressing issue but the one that came to mind first was the absence of the seven leaders, famous in the beta for taking down the bosses guarding the Air Gates that lead upwards to the floating islands above Ilos before anyone else. The Air Gate bosses had respawned in the beta, but weren't aggressive and hadn’t dropped anything when killed. The leaders were the ones everyone aspired to be or meet, and were the only players up until this point who had possessed an Elemental Gem. He knew them all by name and the direction they had traveled from Ilos, as did most of the people in the beta and likely a good number on Earth. Markus Shaffner and Thanh, the ‘Cleric’ and ‘The Assassin’, had gone west, while the brothers Axel and Jerold Hopfer, known as ‘Marksman’ and ‘Knight’ had headed the opposite direction. ‘Rager’ Grabnar Tobos and ‘The Elementalist’ Rovian Girst had traveled south, and finally, the only strictly solo amongst the leaders, Cariss ‘The Calm’, had gone north.

There wasn’t anything he could do about their absence, but it was still worrying. When the goblins had attacked Ilos at the end of the beta, the leaders’ presence had been an enormous boon, each of them defending the gate they had gone through to start their journey and then fighting together as a group to break the last charge. They slaughtered thousands of goblins apiece, cementing their names and images in everyone’s minds. However, he hadn’t heard a single peep about any of them in the time since Ilos became the new reality, so what had happened to them? A guardswoman had asked him about The Calm a little over a week ago, Lorilee he thought her name was. He’d forgotten about the woman until now, but perhaps he could talk to her when he returned to Ilos. It might be interesting to get the opinion of an NPC.

Tasalin spoke softly, “Status.” Just like the past twenty times he’d done it, a stereotypical character screen appeared in front of him, shining softly in the darkness. A 3-D model of himself floated in the window, the items he had ‘equipped’ faithfully displayed around the hologram, each connected by a thin but still visible line to his virtual body. Below were his stats just as Corvid had described, the regeneration of health and mana shown in points per hour, though the numbers lacked any mention of specific things like Strength and Agility.

 

 

 

He trapped the 'Skills' button, causing another small window to appear.

 

<Skills>

Mana Sense (Passive):

Through use, the champion has developed the ability to sense mana. The champion instinctively knows exactly how much mana he or she has in whatever way makes most sense to them. With focus, the champion can get a vague sense of the level of mana in others.

Yggdrasil’s Blessing (Desperation):

In times of great need, the Tree of Life itself comes to Tasalin's aid. Fully restores the health and mana of all nearby allies and grants them the most powerful Fireproof (Resfas), Insulate (Respos), Clear Breath (Ressir), Iron Will (Ressu), Strengthen (Resde), Fortify (Reslos), and Immunity (Kasres) spells Tasalin can currently use.

 

Tasalin sighed and scrubbed a hand through his grey hair, odd looking with such a young face. What had that voice been when he had been fighting the boss? Could it really have been the Tree of Life itself? He didn’t know if that existed on Ilos or not.

"What's bothering you Tas? You look troubled." A soft voice spoke from his left.

Before he could think, Tasalin was already on his feet, the small shield he kept in his largest Quick Gem in his hand as he whirled with magic on his lips to face…

"Solani." His arms dropped and he stored his shield. "Christ, don't do that, you practically gave me a heart attack. How did you even get in without me seeing you?"

She just smiled, the slightest curve of her lips, and patted the bed at her side. "Come on, sit down. Tell me what's troubling you."

Tasalin hesitated, glancing at his still open status and skill windows hovering to the side of him out of the way, unsure about the woman. It would be really nice to talk to someone, but...

Solani's face softened into concern and she stood, taking his hand and pulling him to the bed before sitting down again next to him. "Please, what's wrong?" She gestured to the windows. "If it's those, I can't see them, they're blank to me."

He shook his head. "It's not that. Why are you so worried about me? You should be out enjoying the party."

"So should you." When he didn't respond she sighed and leaned back on her hands, staring at the canvas of the tent. "Look, you saved my life today at what you thought would be the cost of your own. I saw it in your face, you knew protecting me would be your death, despite what actually happened. No one's ever sacrificed for me, not the smallest thing, and when I went down I expected to die. But then you were there in front of me to take the blow in my place. So when you left so early looking so troubled, I wanted to see if I could help, even if that's just to listen."

Tasalin blinked, surprised. So she felt indebted to him? He'd never considered his actions anything but normal, but if that was the case... "It might be good to have someone listen I guess, maybe you’d have some thoughts on the subject that could help."

The way Solani looked over with a smile on her face told him that he'd said the right thing. "Really?"

"Maybe. He twisted on his raised cot to face her better. “See, I'm having trouble determining what exactly Ilos is. The NPCs, the wildlife, the terrain, everything is so real and so detailed that I'd decided that this was another reality or world, just with different rules. Then we got those new spells today. With those thrown in, this place is too much like a game. Reality doesn't have a health bar, it doesn't have skill descriptions or a character screen, but Ilos does." He nodded at the mentioned windows. "You said you can't see anything on these?"

She looked again, then shook her head. "Nothing. They're just transparent glowing boxes to me."

Tasalin concentrated, using his knowledge about how the magic system worked in Ilos and how his other spells were used. "Try again."

"Ah! I can see the text now. How did you do that?"

"I just took a guess and focused on allowing you to see it. Every other spell is based on the caster’s imagination, so I figured these new ones were no exception.”

Solani leaned forward, reading the numbers. “Huh, this is really interesting; I've not seen anyone else's status screen yet.” She opened her own status screen and began comparing numbers. “I have more experience than you, but a good bit less health for some reason.”

 

 

 

<Skills>

Mana Sense (Passive): Through use, the champion has developed the ability to sense mana. The champion instinctively knows exactly how much mana he or she has in whatever way makes most sense to them. With focus, the champion can get a vague sense of the level of mana in others.

 

Solani’s eyes moved down the glowing page. “We both have the same passive ability, I wonder if everyone has that by now. Hmm, Yggdrasil’s Blessing huh? So that’s what you did to restore everyone in that fight.”

“It would seem so. I’m not sure what the Desperation tag means, but I gather I won’t be free to use it whenever.” Tasalin peered at the window floating in from of the darkly dressed woman. “What is this twelve here next to this white skull? I assume the bigger number is kills, and the black skull is deaths, but what's the middle one?”

“That's probably player kills.” At Tasalin's surprised look she explained. “There were some idiots hiding in ambush along the path I used to return to the city, and they were stupid enough to try and attack me. After I'd killed them the first time they came back to try to get revenge. I got some nice money off of them. But I can understand why someone would think this was just a game; it has so many of the same components.”

“Yet then why the opening speech by Xynus where he tells us 'the fate of two worlds rests in our hands'? I can only assume that means Earth and Ilos, and that they are both real, but he also tells us we can't log out, which is a gaming term. There are so many mixed messages and unanswered questions I don't know what to think." Sighing, he dropped his head into his hands, elbows on his knees. He hadn't meant to say so much, but the words continued to spill out. "What happened to the leaders? Why is it only the beta people that are stuck here, and why haven't we seen anyone that got the black headband? I can't believe that no one out of the almost a million other people would try to log in to contact us. What's happening to our real bodies? Or were we just transported here entirely? I just don't know what to think, what to do!"

"Oh Tas..." He felt an arm around his shoulders. "You always seem so sure, so calm and confident in your path, but you're just as lost as the rest of us, aren't you?"

Miserably he nodded, and for a minute all was silent except for the sounds of laughter and music filtering in from outside the tent.

Solani shifted against him. "Tell me something Tas, what can you do about all that right now, this minute? Can you discover the mysteries of Ilos tonight? Solve everything by pondering in here alone? Regardless of what Ilos actually is, everyone out there right now is real. Is this conversation any less reality if we are in a virtual world?"

He shook his head, and she continued. "It's good to think about these things, but not to let those thoughts hinder you. I've learned from experience that no matter where you are, you need to make what you can of what you've got and not worry too much about what you can't control."

"But how can everyone just ignore all of this?" Tasalin looked up, meeting Solani's black eyes. "I can understand not worrying too much, but it's like they don't have a care in the world."

She smiled. "Isn't it obvious? It's because they trust you and Corvid and the rest of the division heads. In this sudden chaos in all our lives you provide direction, something to work towards."

"But that's simply the blind leading the blind! I have no idea what I'm doing!"

"But you've stepped up anyway, that's what leaders do. Listen, you can do something about all these questions tomorrow when we get back to Ilos. You can investigate, find out if anyone has seen the beta leaders, ask if anyone from Earth has logged in, talk to the NPCs and decide for yourself if they're real or not. I'll even help you! But for tonight, it's going to do a lot more good if you're out there, having fun with the rest of Sweet Dreams, rather than sitting in here and brooding." She stood up, grabbing one of his hands and pulling him to his feet, incredibly strong for someone her size. "Come and dance with me. Take a break from your heavy thoughts and just enjoy a night with the guild you helped make."

"But I can't just-"

Solani's eyes glittered with mischief as she smiled. "You seem to think I'm giving you a choice. Come on!"

Before Tasalin could say anything else, he was being pulled out into the firelight by the black clad beauty, unable to contest her greater strength even if he wanted to. One last question ran through his head as he tried to catch his balance while being dragged along, surrounded by his allies rejoicing in the night.

How had he ever thought this woman was shy?

 

 

Earth, Day 12

 

Nick opened his eyes, immediately groaning and clutching his head, the world spinning.

Next to him in her bed, Jess looked down at him and laughed. "You did it again didn't you?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I have to lie down before I log off." The dizziness slowly faded, and Nick sat up. "I swear, that's taking longer and longer to go away."

The two friends had been traveling north over the past week, hoping to catch word of their friend, but as of yet there had been nothing. There had been a girl that had come through that had made a big impression with the Ilosians, some Aria, but no trace of Cariss. They'd made good progress, passing a large number of other players as they made their way through the villages.

Lorilee 'called' to chat every night, asking about their travels or just talking, and had even allowed Vivika to join in a couple times. It seemed to Nick that she was kind of lonely. She didn't look to be on friendly terms with the other Commanders of the Capitol Guard, and while she was close with her men, they were also her subordinates; so aside from Vivika, she didn't have anyone to really talk to casually. Jess had voiced the idea first, citing how a lot of men had trouble with women that out stripped them, especially in physical activities, and after thinking about it, Nick agreed. Lorilee seemed like an incredibly capable woman, and would probably be somewhat isolated in the almost entirely male Guard. Regardless of the reason she kept checking in, it was good to make a friend and she was fun to talk to.

Nick, as Finn, had taken to his bastard sword with a passion, liking the adaptability the weapon gave him when he added other equipment to his arsenal. He had begun using a small shield, wielding his sword in one hand when he needed extra defense, and had even taken up a bow for when he needed ranged attacks. He still wasn't truly used to the system assist yet, but he was getting there.

Lassea had proven to be a good shot with a bow, and could defend herself with a long dagger if she ever had to deal with melee combat, but her true talent was for spell casting. She could make fire and water and ice do whatever she wanted them to, and only rarely spoke the words of power for the spells she used out loud anymore.

"Maybe you should actually remember to lie down. We go to an inn every night right after we talk to Lorilee, there's even a bed right there!"

“I know I know, but if I lay down I could very well fall asleep, and I don't know if you could wake me up here if I did.”

“I suppose.” Jess sighed, then yawned and headed for the door. “Well let's eat and get to bed, it's really late.”

Nick glanced at the clock while he stood, groaning, noting that it was indeed late, to the point where it was technically early the following day, then followed his friend. “We can't live on pizza forever you know, we’re going to have to go out sometime.”

“Not until we finish these we don't.” She replied, pulling two boxes of pizza out of her fridge where several more rested. “How many slices do you want?”

“Two's fine.”

She opened one, looked inside, then closed it and handed it to him. “Here ya go.”

Feeling the heat coming through the bottom of the box, he just shook his head and sat down at the table. Inside was a whole pizza with exactly two steaming slices while the rest was still cold from the fridge. “Show off.”

A smug smile grew on her face as she sat down across from him with her own box, at least until she tried to grab a slice. “Ow!” She yanked her hand back, shaking it and sticking a couple of fingers in her mouth.

Nick snickered. “Looks like your spell casting is…” He mimed putting on sunglasses. “Too hot to handle.”

Jess snorted with laughter, covering her face with one hand but not hiding her smile. “That was terrible Nick, absolutely horrible.”

Nick took a very satisfied bite of his pizza, which despite his friend's mistake on her own food, was the perfect temperature. It still amazed him how quickly magic had become part of their lives. It’d been less than two weeks since they'd first stepped foot in Ilos, yet they both used spells to do things in their daily lives, like reheating pizza with fire, or drying off after a shower with water or air.

However, neither of them had left the small place Jess called home in that entire time, nor had they had much contact with anyone outside of Ilos. Nick had called his parents and let them know he was okay and was staying at a friend's house for a little while while everything cooled off. They were concerned of course, but he had proven to them time and time again that he was responsible enough to handle things himself and would come to them if he thought that a situation was out of his depth. Of course, this was way out of his depth, but it wasn’t something he wanted them involved in just yet. He'd gotten a few calls from friends as well, but had just texted them a generic 'I'm okay and I'll fill you in later'. The hardest conversation had been with David's parents, but he had relayed his theories that those who had the silver band were permanently stuck in Ilos rather than dead, so there was some hope that they would see David again.

Jess had essentially ignored all attempts at contact. No one had actually stopped by in person yet besides the media, and they had since moved on to a subject less dangerous to their reputation. Once she had her wits about her, his friend had talked circles around even the most seasoned reporters until they left seeking easier prey.

Her parents hadn't called, which while unsurprising, still pissed Nick off. He knew they didn't really keep up with their adopted daughter, but still, she was obviously in grief on national television! How could any parent not be concerned enough to even call? They'd taken Jess in after her parents had died in a hit and run accident when she thirteen, right after she moved to town, but didn't really seem interested in her after that other than making sure she went to church and stayed in line.

He shook his head, drawing himself back to the task at hand now that his friend had gotten control of her mirth and was blowing on her pizza through a small net of ice. “Well even if we don't leave for a while longer, you should still at least call some of your friends back in the morning. I'm sure they’re worried about you.”

Jess sighed, frowning. “I'm sure they are, and I know you're right, but how can I trust any of them with this?” She gestured and a small candle sized flame appeared floating in between them. “You and David are the only two I'd trust enough to tell about it.”

“You don't need to, just don't mention anything about it.”

“But I'm not good at lying, or even purposefully leaving things out. Everyone always seems to notice when I'm hiding something.”

Nick squinted at her, noting the way she tensed a little bit and how her lips thinned. How had he missed that for almost two weeks? He and David had long since figured out those signs, and they would have been there any time she thought about hiding something from him while making eye contact. “Like now for instance?”

The slight widening of her eyes and the way she dropped her head ever so slightly, sending a wave through her blonde hair, gave him the answer. He sighed, but smiled. “Jess, how many times have we told you? David and I aren't going to try to force something out of you that you don't want to share. You’re safe with us, with me.”

She looked up at him and smiled. “Thanks Nick. I'm not ready to tell you this one just yet.”

He waved her off with his pizza. “Not going to bother me.”

They finished off their food and put the rest back in the fridge, then headed back to the bedroom to go sleep, but the sound of Jess' phone ringing on the nightstand stopped them from lying down. Jess walked over and looked at the display, hesitating.

“Who is it? A friend?”

She nodded. “It's Daisy.”

“The martial artist?”

She nodded again. “Yeah.”

Silence reigned for a moment, broken only by musical sound of Jess’ phone. “Look, it’s almost three in the morning; she wouldn’t be calling if she didn’t really need to talk to you. Just pick up.”

“You’re right, you’re right.” She sighed, grabbing the device and answering the call. “Hello?”

Nick sat down on the bed, watching Jess as she talked. He’d never met the girl on the other end of the line, but had heard a little about her from his friend. From what he’d been told, Daisy, despite the gentle name, was an incredibly talented martial artist, though he didn’t remember what discipline she followed, and she was sociology major. From what he could hear of it, her voice sounded fearful, but still controlled.

*She says she has a black Key too, and she just realized she can use magic on Earth.* Lassea’s voice said in his head. *She lives alone and doesn’t have anyone else to talk to. What if there were others like this? I should have been answering calls! I’ll check on things tomorrow morning.*

She sounds like Lassea when using su. I wonder if that’s a side effect of using magic. *Good, I’m glad. If she needs to talk things out, take your time, I’ll stay up till you’re done.* Nick thought back.

He leaned back on the bed, his eyes drifting as his friend continued to try to soothe Daisy. Jess’ room was much better decorated than his own. It was still a college apartment, so it was only painted a base white, but she had a bulletin board on the wall and a couple posters as well. One was a boyband of some kind, the other a copy of the famous Ilos Leaders picture, signed by David. He vaguely remembered her requesting that for her birthday a month ago. He looked over at his friend, grinning at the way she gestured with her free hand even though Daisy on the other side of the phone had no way to see it.

Behind Jess there was a movement in the window. Maybe it was all the time he had to keep alert in Ilos' forests, but he had a sudden sense of foreboding. He focused on the view outside, trying to pierce the darkness. It was probably something innocuous, but still, he couldn’t help sharpening his hearing and slowly rising from the bed, preparing himself to use magic if necessary.

Jess noticed, watching him as he reached over and closed the blinds. *What’s wrong?*

*Can you stop talking for a few seconds?*

In the silence that followed his request, he heard the bolt on the front door softly click and the hinges made a slight sound as they slowly swung open. Even just a week ago, Nick might have panicked at the thought of someone breaking into the house he was staying in, but now he had at least some live combat experience, enough to keep him thinking rationally.

*There’s someone in here with us, and I saw some movement outside the window. Can you contact Daisy with telepathy? We need somewhere to go.* He began stuffing clothes into his duffle bag that was still on the ground. His, Jess’, it didn’t matter, he just grabbed it all.

Jess’ eyes widened, and she held the phone back up to her ear, but didn’t speak. After a few seconds she nodded at him and hung up, softly opening her closet and beginning to shove things into a backpack. *I’ve got her.*

*Good. Grab what you can and let’s run. I can buff our speed with cir, but that’s going to leave any defense to you. Try to make it sneaky, I don’t know if it’s public knowledge that we can use magic yet.*

*I will. They probably know we’re awake, if there’s more than one they must have seen the light on. I wish I had my weapons.*

Nick zipped the duffle, hooking the handles around his shoulders like a giant backpack and then turning off the light. *Same. Ready? We’ll probably just have to run for it.*

She nodded, slipping her arms though the shoulder straps of her now bulging backpack and tightening them. *Can you grab our shoes on the way out? It’s going to be hard to run in bare feet if we have to go off the roads.*

*Got it.* Nick watched as his friend put her hand on the doorknob and looked back at him.

*Three. Two. One.*

“Cir.” Nick whispered, focusing on speeding their movements.

*Go!*

The door shot open and the pair of friends dashed out into a squad of very surprised men dressed in dark military equipment who seemed to be preparing to breach the same entrance. Jess didn’t hesitate, sprinting past them and around the corner with Nick hot on her heels. Gunfire sounded behind them, punching holes in the wall where they would have been if Nick wasn’t boosting their speed, some bouncing off where the stud was in the wall.

Rubber bullets?

“Targets are on the run!” One of the soldiers shouted quietly, likely into a microphone.

The front door was still open, guarded by a pair of men who brought up their weapons, only to have the firing mechanisms freeze over. Nick scooped up their shoes in one motion as they pelted past the guards, then poured mana into his Air spell, pushing their frantic flight even faster as they ran out into the street.

Wind whipped Nick’s face as he kept behind his friend, letting her lead them towards Daisy’s home, and that was the only sound for a few long seconds.

A small pain flared in his shoulder, and he stumbled a bit as he reached around, his fingers encountering a tiny dart where the pain originated, now quickly being replaced by numbness.

He ran harder to catch up, then handed Jess her shoes, thrusting them into her hands. *Jess, keep running, I’ve been hit by a dart and I’ll probably lose consciousness really quick. I’m going to keep the spell on you for as long as possible, so get away and come back for me.*

Her steps slowed and she turned to look at him, her eyes wide with fear. *What?! NO!*

*Yes! If you get captured too it’s over for both of us! GO JESS! RUN!*

Still, she hesitated. *But-!*

*GO!*

Tears began to drip from Jess’ eyes as she whirled, sprinting out into the night.

“Cirres.” Nick whispered as the numbness spread to his legs, depositing him to the ground. In his mind’s eye he pictured a thick shield of air around his friend, swirling to deflect any other darts. He poured all his mana into the speed spell as blackness started to creep in along the edges of his vision.

*Run Jess… Run.*

 

 

Earth, Day ??

 

Nick groaned, a pounding in his head pulling him from the inky black where he'd been resting.

“Ahh, you're awake. Good.” A man's voice spoke to his right.

A bright light was shining down on Nick's face where he was lying on something somewhat soft, blinding him for a moment when he tried to open his eyes and setting his headache off again. He tried to bring his hand up to shield against the brightness, but it only got a few inches before a metallic click stopped it.

“Yes, sorry about those, but I'm afraid they're necessary for our protection.”

What…?

Nick fought through the fogginess that clouded his brain and lifted his head to see why his arm wouldn't move. A piece of metal that could only be described as a manacle encircled his wrist and was attached by a short chain to the metal frame of a bed. He was dressed in one of those thin hospital dress things, and it seemed like his ankles were similarly bound.

Memories rushed back. Pizza, Jess hiding something, being attacked, making sure his friend got away. He had to let her know he was okay.

“Su.” He whispered under his breath, hopefully low enough that the man next to him didn't hear it right.

*Jess? I'm-* fine. His eyes widened. That fraction of a second was enough to drain his mana entirely and end the spell? How was that possible?

“I forgot to mention, you won't be able to do much in the way of magic. As cliché as it seems, cold iron has a significant negative effect on that particular phenomenon, which is why you have those cuffs.”

Nick's head snapped to the side despite how his headache protested to face the voice. The man standing next to the bed was tall and imposing, his short cropped black hair and beard setting off his ice blue eyes and strikingly handsome features. Wearing a long white lab coat, he smiled coldly down at Nick.

“My name is Doctor Arterian Dark, Nicholas Finn Charleston, and you're going to help us discover the secrets of this new magic.” The man smiled in an unsettling way. “Let me be the one to welcome you to the Terran Inquisition.”

 

 

Ilos, Day 26

 

The guard laughed, putting his hand on the top of my head and ruffling my hair. “Don’t you worry about the monsters little missy, you just leave that to us! The watchmen will take care of it for you don’t you fret.” He leaned down to peer into my scowling face, his grin fading as worry creased his brow. “Actually, you don’t look so well, are you alright? Where are your mother and father? Wouldn’t want a precious thing like you getting sick now would we?”

In a single movement I unlimbered my quarterstaff and swept his feet out from under him. “If you won’t listen I’ll go find someone who’s not as much of an idiot and can actually do their job instead of flirting with random passerby!” I snarled down at him before stalking off.

I knew that was cruel, the man was just concerned about me, but my fuse was so incredibly short lately. It’d been seventeen days since I’d destroyed Travant, and things had not been going well. The Ilosians were generally a kind and caring people, and, as predicted, would often refuse to send me on quests that would put me in harm’s way. It would have been kind of nice have all that goodwill directed towards me if it wasn’t so insulting and based almost solely on my appearance. I might be a girl of not exactly large physical standing, but that had little bearing on my combat prowess. Unfortunately, until I convinced them otherwise, the Ilosians didn’t share my view.

Having swapped sides, so to speak, no longer seemed off to me. I wasn't David or Cariss anymore, I was Aria, and try as I might I couldn’t convince myself otherwise after the messing around in my head that bastard mage did. Being referred to by female pronouns didn’t bother me, nor did my body for that matter, but the change in my social status did. Without Nameless traveling with me, I’d been treated like a young and beautiful woman of marriable age, or sometimes even a child, both of which got old unsurprisingly fast. I was constantly underestimated by just about everyone even when they knew I was a champion.

I can’t blame Nameless for leaving, but damn him! If he hadn’t left, Travant would never have happened, and I wouldn’t be this fucking tired and pissed off all the time!

Admittedly, the reactions in the first town I’d come across after Travant were mostly my fault. I was still wearing that black dress at the time because it was easily the best light armor I’d ever seen, not to mention magically fit to match me in as many ways as possible. Unfortunately, it also made me look that much more the damsel. It’d taken a lot of work to get the people of that town to even let me go outside the walls, much less go kill dangerous and hostile creatures for them. After that I’d taken to only wearing the thing when I was alone, either in my inn room or hunting.

Despite the memories attached to it, I really liked that particular piece of clothing, it offered almost complete freedom of movement, was incredibly durable, blended in with the shadows, made no noise when I moved, and, well, it was really soft. I was a sucker for soft things, sue me.

Honestly if that was all I had to deal with I’d have been alright. Once I made my combat prowess known to whatever town or village I was in, few of the people there gave me any trouble when it came to questing, and with the massive experience boost I had gotten from Travant, I didn’t have any issues clearing even the night quests and mini-bosses solo. Another thing on the list was the guilt that I felt over ending so many human lives, slaughtering hundreds of soldiers in my rage and essentially destroying a city single-handedly.

Or rather it was the guilt I didn’t feel.

Even the gardeners the mage sent to stop me, who had probably been completely innocent, only caused the slightest twinge on my conscience, no more than when I would tell my parents I’d brushed my teeth when I really hadn’t, and that bothered me. I knew I should care about taking that many lives, because Ilosians were just as alive as I was, but there was nothing. The mage though, even thinking about killing him filled me with pleasure. I'd even enjoyed killing all those guards who’d been a part of the heinous acts that were going on in that city! It was wrong, I shouldn’t feel joy about taking lives, but the feelings were undeniable. I didn’t know what exactly was happening to me, but it was another thing I really needed to find out.

The biggest issue though was the nightmares. Every single night, without fail, I woke up screaming or covered in cold sweat after only an hour or two. I could never remember what it was I dreamed about, but I could guess. If that mage had succeeded… just thinking about the result horrified me. I knew I was just running from it, busying myself with questing rather than thinking about all that was wrong with me and the world, distracting myself from my vulnerability, falling asleep only when too tired to do otherwise.

I'd thought of quitting, of just going back to Ilos, maybe help out some of the less experienced players, but every time I woke up from another nightmare, I found myself pressing onwards, advancing at a furious pace. I had no one to go back to in Ilos, but more importantly, if I fell behind, or really even lost my lead, what would stop a player from doing the same thing as that mage? I fully believed that people weren’t generally the most kindhearted of creatures, and while a lot of them were pretty dumb and therefore of little threat, there were also those who were not only smart, but saw others only as tools to be used. There were bound to be a few that were that way in Ilos, especially with the relatively large percentage of the high upper class among those of the silver Key, and if one of them gained enough power, there was nothing to stop them from doing whatever they wanted to me if I couldn’t resist on my own.

After over two weeks of dealing with all of it, I was completely exhausted. Even though as a champion I didn’t need much sleep to maintain my mental and physical health, one or two hours a night simply was not enough, and it was really starting to catch up with me now. My temper was barely better than a hair trigger, and it was getting more and more difficult to concentrate.

It was early morning in the town of Cirsir, and I’d just woken up screaming and frightened out of my wits yet again, so I wasn’t exactly in the best of moods, much to the detriment of that guard. I’d been planning to do some questing before the main event of the day to replenish my money a bit, but that had been the third watchman I'd tried to talk to, and I decided the time and effort it would take to convince the entire town of my capability just wasn’t worth it. So rather than confronting the guardhouse, I headed towards the town gate. If everything went well, today would be the last day I spent in this place anyway, as well as on the mainland of Ilos.

Cirsir was about two thirds of the way to the edge of the mainland, and was the closest settlement to the northern Air Gate. In order to access the islands floating above Ilos, a player had to use teleporters known as Air Gates. Each Air Gate was a two way transport to or from a specific island, and was locked until its guardian was killed. Such a boss was meant to be taken on by a group of people, but was possible to do alone, if with a lot more difficulty. The fight would take most of the day, but I knew I could do it provided I stocked up on powerful healing potions at the market, and I had used almost all of my money to do just that in the previous city.

If there was one place my appearance was a benefit, it was the market. Most of the jobs in Ilos seemed to be male dominated, the exceptions being barmaids, innkeepers, cooks, maids, launderers, herbalists, and those in, ah, pleasure houses. That is to say most merchants were men, men that had a hard time focusing on bartering when their eyes were full of me, and I took advantage. I'd learned pretty quickly that leaning over a table to get a better look at something also gave the man on the other side a better look at my own ‘merchandise’, so I started doing it on purpose, leaning in more the further they dropped their prices. I still felt like a fool every time, but I’d gotten stuff for cheaper than I'd ever thought I would, so I could deal with it. Besides, good quality potions were expensive, and I needed the best I could get my hands on for this fight. I might have gone to the market in this town to see what they had if I had any money left, but I'd hardly had enough for an inn room and my normal bread and water this morning.

I could see the Air Gate the moment I walked through the open gates of Cirsir, a white gleaming archway constructed with that same mysterious white material the plaza in the center of Ilos was made of, or used to be made of before it turned black. It sparkled in the morning sun as whatever was in the stone caught the light, throwing colors everywhere. Beside the glittering arch there was a tree that looked completely out of place in the grasslands. Covered in vines with large leaves on long branches, it wouldn't have been out of place in a jungle, but the Plantea was rather obvious on the surrounding plains.

The golden morning sun felt a little warmer today for some reason, pleasantly burning into my skin as I walked. A slight breeze rippled the knee high emerald grass and a couple puffy clouds drifted slowly across the clean blue sky. As the noise of the town faded behind me, I took the chance to just admire the beauty of Ilos.

The sun rested at the top of the snowcapped mountains far to the east, making the clear streams of water that rolled down them sparkle like silver. Beyond those mountains floated the first island reachable on the eastern path, a stream of water falling from it until it dispersed enough that I couldn't see it from that distance. I supposed that it must be a magical sight close up if it was so beautiful from where I was. The grasslands and farms that dominated the land started from those mountains in the east and swept across the land to end at the forest to the west, which blocked my view of the rest of the landscape that direction. The western island floating over in that direction looked fairly flat on top, though I couldn't make out anything else about it.

Above and slightly ahead of me was my destination today: the first floating island of the north. I knew that on top of the rocky base I could see was a green field filled with cows, none of which were aggressive. The boss there was a large bull that would charge you and could knock you off the island if you weren't careful, but all in all an easy boss, one that would be a nice break from what I'd dealt with so far.

Shaking my head to refocus, I checked over everything one more time as I approached the 'tree'. All my knives were in their places, my Spell Gem was filled with the healing spell kasi, the six pouches I had attached to my belt each held a potion, the light armor I'd picked up two towns ago was in good condition as was my quarterstaff, and my hair was pinned back out of my face by my wolf’s head clip. I should have been wearing my dress, but I hadn't been planning on fighting this boss until later in the day, and I certainly wasn’t going to change out here in full view. Check complete, I cleared my mind of everything and floated in the Stillness.

Like any boss, this Plantea was not bound by a specific move set; it could use its body in any way it wanted. Thankfully Plantea couldn't use magic and it was restricted to using only physical attacks, so I didn't have to worry about it healing itself or hitting me with anything I didn't see coming. It had vines that could grab and whip, branches it could hit with, and roots that would usually try to entangle the feet and get its foe on the ground. That last one was by far the most dangerous to me because I was alone. It wouldn't be too big of a deal in a party where someone could protect me for the short time it would take to regain my feet, but alone I would almost certainly be killed in that brief span of vulnerability.

The Plantea began to subtly move as I came into aggro range, the roots creeping towards me under the cover of the grass, some of the longer vines uncurling from the trunk, a few branches moving even though there wasn't enough wind to stir them. I didn't give it the opportunity to strike first.

Drawing my long knives, I sprinted forwards. Searing light! Fassi! The thoughts overlapped as I cast the spell, my knives suddenly blazing with white light. I swung my blades in large arcs as I charged, my slashes carried forward by the spell and burning into the Plantea before I was anywhere close to melee range. The plant let out a low pitched wail, and the ground came alive around it as the roots writhed in the creature's pain.

Vines lashed out at me, but were severed by the waves of light that came from my knives. I burned my way around the trunk, removing as many of the branches and vines as possible before they had a chance to do any damage. Of course, getting that close to an enemy that has so many limbs to hit you with isn't a good idea for very long, so I got out of short range and retreated back towards Cirsir, letting my fassi spell fade now that I was out of the reach of most of the boss' attacks. As expected, the Plantea's vines lashed out, and I cut them down before they could land a blow, shortening them and drawing more cries from the tree.

I was prepared for an extended fight. The Stillness would keep me focused as I slowly trimmed down the plant, preventing it from hitting me by staying out of reach of all but its longest attacks. If the Plantea were truly immobile this fight would be easy, but it could move slowly towards me with its roots, so I had to make sure to stay only in the range of attacks I could handle.

The sun steadily rose, morning transitioning into midday as the hours passed and I methodically ground away at the boss' limbs, occasionally moving away from dangerous looking groups of roots that kept trying to get near me. I was well into shaving away at the actual branches as the sun reached its peak and began to descend, occasionally imbuing my knives with fassi and dealing damage to the trunk at range whenever my mana neared full.

Things were much more dangerous now. Some of the branches were thick enough that they took multiple cuts to get through, so I had to either get those attacks in before it hit me or dodge the swing, and had only a split second to decide which. Broken wood and severed vines marked a path from the Air Gate halfway back to Cirsir as I continued to slowly retreat.

A branch arced out and I split it with two quick slashes, revealing a second branch hidden by the first, following too closely for me to dodge and catching me with both my knives too far out to block. It's learning? I guess when it couldn't hit me with attacks at multiple heights it started trying other things. Well it's fairly injured by this point; I can take a few hits with the potions and healing magic I have prepared and still be safe. With nothing else I could do without expending more mana than it was worth, I mentally prepared myself to take the damage, twisting to make sure I wouldn't be knocked off my feet.

The branch hit partially, cutting into my skin at the shoulder, and there was pain. The Stillness, which might have buffered me a little, shattered in my shock, and without it my sleep deprived brain couldn't process what had happened in time to do anything about the next strike, which caught me full across the chest and sent me flying.

I hit the ground and rolled, letting out a shriek of agony as I tumbled away from the Plantea, coming to a rest twenty yards away. Nothing in all my life had prepared me for this agony. Lines of fire raced across my skin where I'd been cut through my armor, and each gasp brought new spikes of pain throughout my chest as I coughed up blood. Tears flooded my eyes as I sputtered out the one thing I knew would make the pain go away.

“Kasi.”

Light flared around me as my injuries vanished, my Spell Gem going dark as I used the stored spell. I breathed in tentatively, sighing in relief when there was no stab of pain. A whistling sound alerted me, and I rolled to the side just in time to avoid a two foot thick root that crashed into the ground where I’d been lying. I flowed to my feet, taking a few minor cuts from smaller branches before I could dance backwards, sending a few throwing daggers into the trunk of the Plantea to distract it from attacking while I got out of range. My first thought was to run away, but now that I had awoken the creature it could very well go and attack the town of Cirsir, and they stood next to no chance of defeating it. I may have been the destruction of the corrupted city of Travant, but I couldn't let the same happen to the innocents of Cirsir. I had to take this thing down.

The small cuts I’d taken getting away stung as I tried to reassume the Stillness, but again and again questions and fear filled the forming bubble of calmness. Having gone with little to no sleep each night for two and a half weeks, I simply couldn’t concentrate enough to form the Stillness in the midst of battle, and all the things I was frustrated with came bubbling to the surface. Damn those nightmares for keeping me awake, damn that bastard mage for being the one to cause them, and damn that stupid Nameless for leaving and being the root cause of all of this!

I readied my knives, gritting my teeth and glaring at the boss. “I will take you down you stupid plant. Let’s do this.”

Seconds passed, then minutes, then hours, and I fought a losing battle. Without the Stillness I was always a half step late, a fraction of a second too slow, and I’d gone through my potions and mana at an astonishing rate just to keep myself alive, but now I was all out of options. The Plantea was almost dead, most of its limbs missing, its vines severed, its roots cut to bits, and its trunk riddled with daggers, but I was down to only my quarterstaff, even my long knives having been thrown to give me precious seconds to heal. I'd taken cuts everywhere, and pain lanced through me with every step, every breath, but I refused to fall, even exhausted and in agony. I wouldn't lose to this, not after coming so far. I was close to the city now, and though I'd hoped they'd give me aid, they had instead closed their gates and barred them.

The roots under my feet suddenly coiled towards the Plantea, grabbing at my ankles. I tried to jump out of them, but my legs simply wouldn't move quickly enough, too weak to dodge with any speed. The attack took my feet out from under me, a pained gasp involuntarily escaping my lips as the shock sent another jolt of pain through me and my quarterstaff bounced out of my hand. The world blurred in my sight, bits of light sparking in my eyes, and when I could focus again I saw the killing blow, a gnarled root two feet thick coming down at me just like before, but this time I was too weak to move. I snarled in the face of death, denying its power, struggling to do something, anything. Time seemed to slow as that root came for me, carving its way through the air to crush me into the dirt. I felt something deep inside me begin to swell up, a power just beyond the edge of sight, and I struggled toward it, reaching, reaching...

A shadow fell across my eyes, a pair of swords blocking the blow meant for me, staggering slightly but sending the root to the ground beside me. There was a silhouette of a man there above me, blocking out the afternoon sun as he straightened to face the Plantea, and a familiar voice spoke in a slightly amused tone.

"Were you always this weak Masso? Surely when I left you this weed would not have given you so much trouble."

 

-----

 

With the morning sun a couple heights above the horizon, the nameless man shielded his eyes against the light, just able to make out his objective in the distance. Cirsir stood just a large dot in the distance, miles away, and beyond it the first Air Gate. He knew Gate bosses could be soloed, though it was very difficult, and intended to do so in order to gain access to the network of floating islands above Ilos. Knowing it would take most of the day to travel to the city, he took his time, arriving at Cirsir in the late afternoon when the sun was well into its decent but the sky had not darkened significantly. An eyebrow rose slightly as he found the closest gate locked, noticing a large number of NPCs gathered on the wall of the city and looking towards the Air Gate that was just a short mile walk from the gates. The guardhouse was located just inside the gate on that side anyway, so he headed around the wall in that direction to see what the commotion was all about. As the Air Gate in the distance came into view, a small figure fighting the boss just outside the city also entered his vision, and as he came closer the figure resolved into the diminutive form of Aria.

The main gates to the city were closed, and when he tried knocking on them the guard there notified him in no uncertain terms that they couldn’t risk opening the gate while the large creature was just outside the city. From where he stood at the gate, he could see that the battle between the small girl and the boss monster, a large Plantea easily between fifteen and twenty feet tall, had indeed drawn very close to the city. He studied the fight for a moment, considering.

Aria looked ragged, with bloodshot eyes and heavy circles under them, and her movements, while still graceful, didn't have the snap he remembered seeing. The Plantea was riddled with throwing daggers and was heavily wounded, but Aria also had numerous bleeding cuts and nasty bruises. Her Spell Gem was dark and the pouches on her belt that he assumed once held potions swayed emptily with her movements. Even the sheaths at the small of her back that he remembered having long knives were empty.

“She’s been fighting that thing since this morning.” The guard told him through the small window in the gate. “I have no idea how she’s still going.”

The nameless man watched, analyzing the situation. The boss would be valuable to help kill, but having an encounter with Aria would be almost unavoidable unless she died. As he attempted to take the time to consider his options, he noticed that the girl was being pushed back.

The roots at her feet suddenly struck out, and while she started to jump to avoid them, she was simply too wounded or exhausted to move fast enough. The attack swept her legs out from under her and she landed hard on her back, a pained gasp escaping her lips and her quarterstaff bouncing away from her hand. The Plantea wasted no time in starting a finishing blow with a knotted root around two feet thick.

With a heavy sigh he leapt forward to shield the attack. You weren't supposed to get attached. You weren't, but it's too late now. The blow struck hard but off the mark, clearly having not been intended for him. He staggered but stood up straight to face the monster, his back to Aria.

"Were you always this weak Masso? Surely when I left you this weed would not have given you so much trouble."

Without waiting for a reply, he sprinted towards the Plantea, dodging or cutting through any branches that tried to block his path to the main body of the monster. Reaching the boss, he struck powerfully once, twice, three times, carving deeply into its already burned and severely damaged surface. The creature let out an unnaturally loud shriek of pain and began to collapse in upon itself, waving its branches and roots around weakly. Not one to leave something unfinished, the nameless man attacked again and again, cutting through the trunk till he reached the center and severed the Heartwood that was the life source of all Plantea. He ripped it from the hollow it rested in and cut it open to reveal the rewards from defeating the boss, a pair of Nature Gems and four Nature Stones, which he placed in his inventory.

As the monster went limp and began to topple, he walked back to Aria, who was in terrible shape and still lying on the ground. Most of her armor was ripped to shreds, and while she was not indecent, it was a very close thing. What little clothing she retained was completely soaked in blood from the huge number of cuts she had sustained, particularly on her legs, though her boots and socks seemed undamaged. Her quarterstaff was a few feet away and in similar shape to its wielder, very likely unsalvageable.

She was breathing raggedly and staring into the sky, but she had a small feral grin on her face. When he entered her field of vision her golden eyes tracked him, but it took a few seconds for them to focus on his face. She was obviously at the edge of consciousness, her eyelids flickering as she forced them to remain open. “Way to-- take him down-- you fucking-- bastard.” She gasped out, struggling to breathe. Tears dripped from the corners of her eyes as she endeavored to keep them focused on him.

"Ha, save your insults. You chose to follow me after I made it very clear I didn't want to be followed." He pulled a healing potion from one of his pouches and poured a little into his hand, the liquid quickly solidifying into a creamy paste which he spread on some of her more serious injuries, preventing her from bleeding out but nothing more. "Look where you are now girl, the person you chose to follow abandoned you as you should have known that he would, and in order to not be left behind you rushed blindly forward to certain death. I have healed you enough to avert that certainty but I do it so you can hear, not due to some foolish fondness." I will sever ties. I will not be attached. I will kill her if it means she will no longer follow me. “Do not attempt to follow me again Masso. Find friends, find people to rely on, but do not find me for I am as likely to kill you as that weed." He backed away from her and turned toward the Air Gate, beginning a slow stride ridden with the guilt over what had befallen her.

“Damn you-- for a fool! You can’t-- do this-- solo-- and neither-- can I! Not anymore! Things are-- changing!” He heard a slow shifting and a groan of effort.

A sharp impact hit the back of his head, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass and the sudden uncomfortable feeling that was associated with injury. Wetness flowed down his back, and he saw the remnants of a weak health potion splash around him.

"Wasteful." He shook his head and turned to face her.

Aria was somehow on her feet, her face bruised and cut and streaked with tears, her clothes in ribbons, her skin and hair covered in dirt and dry blood, and she had wounds that were still bleeding. Her teeth were gritted and she was still breathing raggedly, but her gaze was clear and glaring at him. The sun was at the right angle that it caught her eyes, making the gold of her irises look as if they were on fire, glowing with the captured light. Her inventory window was open, and she dismissed it with a slight wave of her shaking hand.

She shouldn't be standing; she could kill herself if she pushes too hard. "The world IS changing, I agree, but I will not face it with you nor anyone else. Find others if you don’t wish to face it alone, but don't force your own failings on me! I will be fine on my own." He turned back towards the Air Gate and again began to stride forwards, this time a more frustrated march rather than a trek full of guilt.

The anger faded a bit from her voice, joined by surprise. “That-- didn’t hurt you-- then? You didn’t-- feel any pain?”

The nameless man paused for a moment, rolling her words in his head. Does anyone feel pain here? He turned and gave her a questioning look, the kind one gives to someone who said something foolish but asked it in seriousness. "No?"

Looking her up and down, he noticed that she had been acting strangely. Through all the time spent in beta he had only come so close to death a few times without actually dying. Never once had he acted as she did; shaking, shivering almost, and having a hard time mustering words off her tongue. He may have had a hard time standing, but that was just the world simulating his weak state, and maybe his voice wasn't as loud as it could be, but never did it seem hard to speak. She was... strange.

Her angry expression faded into one of confusion, or even despair, and her legs gave out from under her. Collapsing to her knees, she managed to keep from falling completely to the ground, but it was a close thing. Tears began anew in her eyes, leaving clean streaks in the blood and dirt covering her face. “Is it-- only me then? Again?” She whispered in a vulnerable voice.

As her anger faded, she seemed to lose some of her lucidity and sat slumped and shaking with tears streaming down her face. The nameless man noticed some of the townspeople heading towards him and the girl with concerned looks on their faces.

Aria squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth, then looked up at him again, pain and determination etched in her face. “Go. You obviously don’t like me or want my company, so go.” She motioned with her eyes towards the now active Air Gate behind him. “Don’t worry about me; I can take care of myself.”

He sensed she was holding on to consciousness with pure will at this point, but with the townspeople coming he certainly didn’t need to worry about her safety even if she did pass out.

"I have nothing against you nor anything against anyone Masso. I'm merely a solo player and you a girl who forced herself upon me." He paused for a moment then shook his head and let out a long sigh. "Rest, I'll take you to an inn."

He moved forwards, gently taking her up in his arms. Her golden eyes stared up into his uncertainly for a moment before flickering closed, her small body going limp in his arms. The nameless man strode through the crowds that had come out now that the Plantea was dead, ignoring them completely until he got to an inn. He rented a single room, then carried Aria up to it, laying her down softly on the bed. There he waited until her breaths were even and stable in her slumber and he knew her remaining injuries would heal naturally. She was safe, and he could leave.

 

 

Ilos, Day 27

 

I woke to the warmth of the morning sun on my face and a distinct lack of pain. Turning my head to look out the window, I admired the sunrise as it crested the mountains to the east for just a moment. I’m not dead. I sat up slowly, noting that I was still pretty hurt and my armor was completely unsalvageable, little more than tatters over my completely unharmed underwear. Despite the wounds, there was only slightly numb feeling that indicated injury, not the fiery pain I remembered.

Kasi.

Light suffused the damage that hadn’t healed overnight, mending it in an instant and leaving my soft skin completely intact. I was alone in what looked to be an inn room in Cirsir. My boots were on the floor beside the bed with my socks, and there was a note on the table along with a few small items.

Discarding my broken armor, I pulled out my black dress and slipped it on over my head, then walked over to the table bare footed to see what was there. Two Nature Gems and three Nature Stones glittered at me from where they sat on a folded piece of parchment, the rewards from killing the boss, though one of the Stones was missing. I suppose that was his price for helping me. I mused as I scooped the incredibly valuable items into my inventory, then, curious, opened the letter.

 

Masso,

I feel some guilt over what has happened but as you said this world is changing and I cannot let myself fall behind. Maybe you were right about me not being able to do everything alone, but I am and always have been a solo player, and that is unlikely to change. You are strong and do not need me to carry on, simply take care of yourself and no weed nor any other monster should trouble you. Also don't trouble yourself over feeling pain. Again the world is changing, and nothing is as anyone had once expected. I have often thought this world might as well be the real one, being that we are unable to leave and have the constant worry of death around our next turn. Perhaps everyone will feel pain after a certain point. Perhaps we'll even have to worry about thirst and hunger being life threatening conditions as they are back home, but for now it would be best not to worry. That all said I write this letter for more than just to comfort you. I'll give you a chance. If you truly are as stubborn as I believe you to be, try to catch up with me, and if you do I swear I will never sneak off in the dead of night nor try to lose you in a rough patch of wilderness. I may even call you by your actual name though I'm long attached to calling you Masso. Rest well and don't get yourself killed.

- Solventus Gale

 

“Solventus Gale, huh?” I felt a small smile form on my face as a warm feeling suffused my chest. “You’ll see me again, but I’m not going to kill myself to catch up to you, so you’ll just have to wait.”

I slipped on my socks and boots, placing the note in my inventory before heading out. There were still my knives I had to collect, and I needed a new quarterstaff, but I walked with confidence in my step.

No matter how hard it may seem, I’ve just dealt with what should have been my death and pushed through the most painful agony I’ve ever experienced. I don't know why I felt pain then and not now, but there are a lot of things I don't know or understand. I know I’m not the only one struggling, but I have the strength to carry on and I will not let the fear of what could be torment my soul. There’s someone out there I can call an ally, and I know I am not alone.

The Air Gate stood in front of me now, sparkling with an infinite rainbow of colors that filled the arch, the portal to the beginning of my journey. My long knives and other daggers were once again in their sheaths, and even my quarterstaff, newly mended, rested on my back. I glanced back, taking in the landscape again and feeling at peace for the first time since I was ripped from my friends’ side. I belonged here. If there were people who thought I couldn’t do things because of my appearance, I’d set them straight right quick, or perhaps even take advantage of their mistake. There were so many questions that I needed answered, but everything would become clear in time, and I’d see my friends again. For now, there was adventuring to do.

A smile bloomed on my face as I turned and strode into the rainbow light. “Ilos? I’m home.”