The Omnithaneum

by Matthew Powell

  Other soldiers grouped behind them, pushing the recruits towards the dungeon’s entrance. Joshua found the situation ideal since he was planning to leave Sanctum and join the Demons anyway, but the other people weren’t so happy. None of them could outrun the soldiers if they tried to escape, and the scout’s words made it clear the soldiers wouldn’t kill them and give them an easy way out. They were in this for the long run, whether they wanted it or it.

  As they approached the dungeon’s entrance, another ship warped in. Unlike the others, this one warped in on fire, just feet from the ground, and way too close to Joshua for him to feel comfortable. Thankfully the ship was small, the same kind of dropship that they had been riding in, so the damage wasn’t too severe as it crashed. Despite the small size, several soldiers were crushed before one of the rectors stopped it with magic.

  Before any of them had time to react, a figure blew a hole in the ship’s side and darted out. Joshua only saw a purple blur as it sped among the soldiers, keeping too close and moving too fast for the rectors to catch it. It was, Joshua noticed with growing dread, heading straight for him.

  The figure emerged from the group of soldiers just a few feet away from Joshua, and time seemed to freeze. Joshua quickly noticed that it didn’t seem to freeze, but everything around him was actually frozen. None of the soldiers were moving, none of the recruits had reacted, and even the birds were stuck in the sky. The only thing moving normally was a purple-cloaked figure standing right in front of him.

  “Sorry about this,” the figure said, his voice distorted, and his face shadowed. “I’m afraid I can’t let you enter the Omnithaneum just yet. You’ll understand why soon enough, but for now, I need you to die.”

  The figure’s hand blurred towards his neck like a knife. Joshua had just enough time to read the figure’s character screen before he died, in a situation that was getting all too familiar.

  Foundation the Chaos Sorcerer

  Tier: 7

  Level: ??

  HP: ?,???,???/?,???,???

  Critical Hit! Decapitated!

  You Died!

  Chapter 4

  For Macrocosm, we made a deal with the Omnithaneum’s librarians. They would create a sequestered section of the library that would be used specifically for Macrocosm’s worlds, and in exchange, we would devote more resources towards researching new topics to increase the library’s size. Our biggest fear is that a powerful enough being could, theoretically, escape the separated section and go to other worlds through the main Omnithaneum. Filth has been trying to do that for millennium…maybe letting him into the game was a bad idea after all. – on The Omnithaneum, from The Chronicles of The Founder

  “What the fuck just happened?” Joshua cried out as he floated in the death-void. He was so close to getting off-world, to finally start progressing again, and then the number one player of all things shows up to murder him. Why was Foundation even on Sanctum? Was he drawn by the paradigm shift, or something else? These were all questions Joshua had and no way to answer them.

  The respawn screen popped up while he was brooding, and Joshua noticed a few differences. In addition to a new message, there were also new options available. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all…

  We are sorry for your death at the hands of one of our administrators. You have been granted a single-use special respawn option as an apology.

  Please choose respawn point

  A Paradigm Shift is underway, stronger enemies can be found across Sanctum.

  Grace: not recommended, tier 9 hostile present.

  Item shop outside Zombie Mall dungeon: recommended, tier 8 allies present.

  Random: not recommended, tier 5+ enemies scattered across the planet.

  Random Planet (Special): respawn on a random world of an appropriate level. Randomness is heavily weighted towards worlds suitable for the user’s race and class.

  Apparently, Foundation wasn’t only the number one player, but also an administrator, and he was determined to get Joshua off Sanctum. Every respawn option except for the special one was greyed out, giving him no choice but to pray that the random world didn’t screw him over. He pushed the random planet option, keeping a note in the back of his mind to get revenge on Foundation whenever he got the chance.

  Calculating…

  Random Planet Found!

  User will be spawned on Grazurus, a mid-level fantasy world.

  The blackness of the respawn void faded away as Joshua found himself in a forest. The trees were dense enough that he couldn’t see very far, so he started wandering. Joshua kicked his senses up to eleven, keeping aware of his surroundings at all times. This world was supposed to be higher level than Sanctum, and that meant even the chaff could prove a challenge.

  Before he could even begin walking, nearby bushes began to rustle. It was then that he remembered something critical: unlike the last two times he respawned, the screen mentioned nothing about the random planet option dropping him off in a safe zone.

  As Joshua had this realization, a monster burst out of the bushes. It was a wolf with sleek black fur, but bigger than any that existed outside of genetic engineering experiments. The beast stood as tall and long as a horse, almost taller than Joshua even in his armor.

  Dire Wolf

  Tier: 4

  Level: 17

  HP: 54,000/54,000

  A powerful evolution of a basic wolf. Tends to roam in packs, though loners are not uncommon. Much larger and stronger than a normal wolf but possesses no abnormal or magical qualities like its cousin-evolutions, aside from resistance to magic.

  Joshua raised his shield as he and the wolf stared at each other. The monster was smart, recognizing the danger that the metal-clad human posed. Joshua, meanwhile, was nervous. This would be his first fight with a monster that wasn’t some zombie variant, and he had no idea how it would play out. As much as he hated to admit it, he had grown complacent versus the zombies. Even the strange and more powerful variants were predictable, and now he was faced with something entirely new.

  Joshua broke the staring contest first, holding the shield out and rushing the wolf. His plan was simple: use the shields Envelope ability to trap the wolf, and then stab it to death. The wolf stared at the wall of metal and started its own charge, confident in its ability to overpower Joshua in a contest of strength. The beast wasn’t stupid, however, and jumped away the moment it saw a tentacle reach out from the shield to grab it.

  Joshua pulled back when the wolf did, and the two returned to eyeing each other warily. It was clear the wolf wouldn’t fall for his shields trick, and that left him out of options. He considered trying an exploding eye or his Virulence Aura, but the wolf was either smart enough or fast enough to avoid both. This made Joshua realize his biggest weakness, almost slapping himself for not buying another skill book earlier. He had no reliable method of mid-to-long range combat.

  He had always relied on his gun previously, but that sat un-upgraded and too weak to even pierce the Dire Wolf’s undoubtedly thick hide. While thinking for a solution, the Dire Wolf started pacing, and Joshua followed. The walked in a circle around each other, both determined to fight but unwilling to make the next move. This gave Joshua more time to think of a way to win.

  He was in a fantasy world now, so why not try something a bit more fantastical? Joshua had an idea floating around in his head for a while now, and this seemed like a perfectly good place to test it out. His Scourge Blackguard set was able to be summoned at dispelled at will, something he had tested earlier while resting on the Demons Who Corrupt’s ship.

  When the set dispelled, it didn’t simply disappear, but rather was turned into Pestilence and absorbed into him. If he was able to absorb and recreate the set at will, could he also change it? It was clear that Macrocosm’s system had a set path of upgrades that would change his weapon as he upgraded it, but that wasn’t what he wanted now. What if, instead, the change was temporary? As he visualized the idea in his mind, a notification a
ppeared to greet him.

  Skill Learned: Pestilence Manipulation

  -Allows the user to manipulate Pestilence in solid forms, creating temporary shapes and objects out of the energy. Cost is determined by multiple factors such as size and hardness. Objects can be manipulated at a distance, so long as a string of Pestilence connects the object to its user.

  To be frank, this skill is being given to you out of pity. For most sentient Pestilence-entities and Pestilence-users, this is one of the first skills they learn, and all others are built from it. You skipped this step, going straight into Item Synthesis and Plague Eye, leaving yourself without the fundamentals that those skills are formed from. Most more advanced Pestilence skills and spells would be locked to you without this.

  Huh…that definitely wasn’t what he expected. Was the system getting snarky with him, giving a skill out of pity? At least it was something useful. Joshua and the wolf continued to pace, while Joshua prepared to use this new skill to his advantage. He flowed Pestilence around his longsword, causing it to be covered in a black liquid-like substance, and swung it down at the direction of the wolf. The sword extended mid-swing, absorbing the liquid and jutting out nearly 30 feet. The blade caught the wolf in the arch of its back, cutting deep and spreading infection.

  Dire Wolf has taken 13,000 damage

  Remaining HP: 41,000/54,000

  It wasn’t a critical hit, but it was enough for the wolf to know this couldn’t go on. It didn’t have a way to strike back at that kind of range, so it charged Joshua instead. Joshua, practically giddy at his new ability, decided to keep testing it out. Pestilence flowed out of his feet and over the ground, coating the area around him in black and brown sludge. From that sludge shot spikes, cutting at the Dire Wolf’s feet and stopping its charge.

  The spikes were weak and brittle, too weak to cut deep without the Dire Wolf’s own momentum, which it was smart enough not to give. Just when it seemed the wolf was about to turn and run, abandoning the fight, Joshua pulled out his last trump card. Behind the dire wolf, connected to Joshua by thin strings of Pestilence, were two floating copies of his Plague-Ridden Obsidian Longsword. When the wolf turned, one sword cut its legs, and the other its eyes. Joshua himself rushed forward, stabbing the real longsword into the wound on the wolf’s back.

  Dire Wolf has taken 6000 damage

  Dire Wolf has taken 5000 damage

  Critical Hit! Dire Wolf has taken 18,000 damage!

  Remaining HP: 13,000/54,000

  Joshua, seeing the beast was strong enough to keep fighting, used the sword that was over a foot deep in the monster’s side to keep it in place while flaring his Virulence Aura. The aura reached out to cover the wolf along with most of the surrounding area, causing its open wounds to fester more than they already were. The grass dried up and died beneath their feet as a nearby tree lost all its leaves and shriveled up. Within seconds, the Dire Wolf’s last bit of hp drained away.

  Level 17 Dire Wolf has died!

  Zandrius gains 8,000 (40,000) EXP

  Joshua stared at the EXP, shocked by how much he had earned from a single kill. It took him a moment to remember that the Blessing of Growth gave him a 5x multiplier. The wolf had only been worth 8000 EXP, a much more reasonable number. Nevertheless, the single kill had netted him back everything that he had lost back in Grace when Jakobus had killed him.

  As the floated swords and sludge dissolved, they returned to Joshua, bringing forth another realization. That entire time, neither the swords nor the spiked sludge had cost any Pestilence. Giving the floating swords enough force to swing had cost a few points, but that was it. So long as the things he created weren’t destroyed before returning, he wouldn’t have to spend any Pestilence on them.

  It made sense, in a way – Pestilence wasn’t just an energy source, it was him. As an evolved plague zombie, he wasn’t really a zombie, but a living disease that inhabited a corpse. He could spend parts of himself making permanent things that were separate from him, but the things he made with Pestilence Manipulation were temporary and connected to him. Using it was less like spending energy on an ability, and more like manipulating a limb he didn’t even know he had. It was a strange thing, trying to both make sense while also adhering to Macrocosm’s rules.

  In theory, this sounded powerful, but Joshua quickly found a few weaknesses. For one, almost any fire would burn right through whatever he created. The only solution he had was to throw more Pestilence at it, but that would just give the fire more stuff to burn. Hopefully, fire mages weren’t too popular on this…generic fantasy world that was almost certainly filled with mages. Yeah, this was going to be a problem.

  The second major weakness played off the first: if the things he created were destroyed, he could find himself without enough Pestilence to spend on other abilities. Losing his Virulence Aura and Pestilence Sacrifice would leave him severely weakened for a few minutes, even with Pestilence’s quick recovery.

  Joshua had been walking away from the fight scene while thinking, hoping to make progress through the forest. He was eager to test out his newfound ability on another Dire Wolf but also worried that there might be things stronger roaming the woods. He had had enough of bears with the Drudge Bear, thinking of the damage a Dire Bear could do made him shiver.

  No Dire Bear made its presence known as Joshua continued through the forest, but a few other creatures did. More Dire Wolves, a Dire Boar, and at least one Dire Squirrel. The squirrel was only tier 1, surprisingly. Even higher-level worlds couldn’t think of a way to make squirrels threatening. Sure, its mouth had stretched abnormally large and was filled with sharp teeth when it tried to take his hand off for petting it, but it wasn’t really dangerous at this point. The Dire Boar had still been tier 4, thankfully, and hadn’t been hard to kill. It was a higher level than the wolf, but also dumber.

  What the boar had done, however, was give Joshua a chance to push Pestilence Manipulation to its limit. He was limited only by his total Pestilence, which had gone up after killing the Dire Wolves, putting him at 23,500 in total. Creating a floating sword equivalent to his Obsidian Longsword took about 3000, meaning he could control a total of seven at a time. Doing so realistically was too dangerous, as was leaving himself potentially without defenses, so Joshua decided never to use more than half of his total.

  11,750 Pestilence still gave him a lot to work with. He created giant black claws that could swipe and grab, though the boar was strong enough to break free of their grip. Forming floating versions of his shield was surprisingly draining, taking nearly 5000 each, but the two he could form with his self-imposed limit was still enough to block a direct charge from the boar.

  What finally brought the Dire Boar down was Joshua’s most crafty trick yet. He injected a few thousand Pestilence into the ground through his foot, and when the boar charged, formed a spear that shot up through the ground right in front of it. The boar impaled itself with its own momentum, quickly succumbing to blood loss and the infection that the spear caused. In total, killing the Dire Boar has increased Joshua’s Pestilence cap by another 1500 without costing him a single point.

  The constant fighting had also brought him up to level five, but that wasn’t much to be excited about. The extra HP was nice, but not nearly as impactful as it used to be. He still had a long way to go before squaring up to the real monsters like Jakobus, Centus, and Foundation. A quick glance at the leaderboards showed him that the situation was even worse than he thought: the hours he had spent with the Demons, not killing anything, had dropped him all the way down below the 5000th spot.

  After killing the Dire Boar, Joshua noticed something strange with his status. Based on the Pestilence cap he had reached at tier 3, along with the wolves and one boar he had killed, his total should have been 25,000. Instead, it was at 25,500. While thinking towards what had caused this, Joshua remembered something from his first fight with a Dire Wolf. When he had used Virulence Aura, the grass and a nearby tree had died. A similar thing ha
d happened during all of his other fights, with the plants caught in his aura shrinking and dying.

  He had never noticed back on Sanctum, likely due to fighting in wastelands and retail stores the whole time, but he was able to absorb the Pestilence from any living creature. Any, including plants. With a sense of glee, Joshua expanded his Virulence Aura as far and wide as he could. It spread over 100 feet in every direction, and every plant and critter nearby quickly began to show its effects.

  Spreading the aura so wide without crossing his regeneration threshold meant that it was much weaker than normal, but that was more than enough to slowly kill everything nearby. Joshua saw his Pestilence cap slowly climb up, excited at this new discovery. Before long, the ground was littered with the ashen remains of grass and bushes, while the trees had all turned into husks. Joshua didn’t care one bit, as his Pestilence total had grown by another 500, giving him a nice round 26,000.