by EA Hooper
“There’re two problems with that,” Jeanie said. “First of all, someone might notice you respawning two weeks after the Demon Lord dies. Secondly, I doubt you’ll be able to amass a big enough force to attack Risegard. Not on a consistent basis, anyways.”
“Those are both easy problems to solve,” Isaac replied. “After the first attack, I’ll set up gates around the Daiglass Tower so I can keep players away from the tower as he respawns.”
“And his forces?” Jeanie asked.
“You’ve dealt with the devils on Elfry, haven’t you?” Isaac asked. “The Nightmare Court will make all sorts of deals in exchange for resources. I even got them to warp some specimens to my lab for study.”
“Woah!” Ned said. “You’re telling me the Nightmare Court can transport devils not just across worlds, but into a city?”
“They can’t leave the mid-tier, but with a player’s permission, they can open portals to that person’s property,” Isaac explained. “The game treats any location where you’ve built something as part of your property, unless you leave it for a long time and someone else takes over. All I’d need to do is build underground platforms around Styxis. Once an agreement is in place, the devils will be able to warp to those locations to mount an assault on the city.”
“What’s stopping all these losers from leaving after they get their butts kicked?” Jeanie asked.
“That’s pretty simple,” Isaac said, turning to Noah. “Our Demon Lord here just has to play his role well enough. Put up a good fight, make them struggle, then fake a loss. He can shake his fist, swear vengeance against the heroes, and then return when we have more devils. The problem with the angels is that no one can defeat them. If Noah gives the people of Risegard a nemesis that’s beatable, I’m sure they’ll rise to the challenge.”
“And if they don’t?” Ned asked.
“They won’t have a choice,” Noah said, his helm still modifying his voice. “Most of them will be afraid to retreat to the lower worlds because of Lucas. I’ll throw everything I have at them, forcing them to fight their hardest. Then, whenever the people of Risegard seem to be losing hope, I’ll give them some wins.”
Noah curled his hand into a fist. He thought about how many times he’d crushed hell ants with Flatten, but he’d never used his negative energy spells against other players.
This idea would disgust Amelia, but she doesn’t have what it takes to beat this game. If I want to win, I can’t let anything stop me.
Chapter 15 | Year 93
Player: Vincent the Wanderer
Location: Styxis (World) | Risegard (City) | Foundry Sector (Region)
Class: Ranger
Subclass: Mage
Vitality: Lv 186
Spirit*: Lv 195
Resolve: Lv 178
Perception*: Lv 201
Agility: Lv 186
Strength: Lv 185
Vincent noticed machinery moving up and down the sides of the Foundry’s main tower. “So, this thing sucks up all of Styxis’s world magic?”
“That’s right,” Devon replied. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“How do you keep it stable?” Vincent asked. “Once exposed to air, world magic is very reactive, and it’s capable of destruction just as easily as creation.”
“Those pipes are lined with a micro-layer of gild,” Devon explained. “Gild is the only material that seems to contain world magic for an extended amount of time. Even then, you have to keep it flowing or it’ll fizzle and disappear.”
Vincent’s eyes widened as he tried to imagine the enormous amount of gild required to line the hundreds of pipelines he’d already come across. “What’s stopping it from burning through? Is it something to do with gild’s alchemic properties?”
“Something like that,” Devon said. “Isaac could explain it better. He spent a lot of time after the update studying world magic. Apparently, when it’s reacting destructively, every single drop has its own unique magic rating that jumps between one and nine hundred ninety-nine. That’s why the angels are so dangerous. Their attacks burn through anything—although stronger materials last a little longer.”
So, their attacks are almost as dangerous as my Void Gun, Vincent realized. Only, from what I’ve heard, they’re capable of much larger acts of destruction. How do you even fight something like that?
“However, when world magic touches gild, its rating plummets,” Devon continued. “Almost like it’s reverting back to a neutral state. Now, that doesn’t work against angels—don’t get any ideas there—because their attacks are too big and hit too fast. As long as the pipes keep the magic flowing, it won’t cause damage to that micro-layer of gild. If it stops, it’ll fizzle out and disappear before it causes any harm.”
“I see,” Vincent said. “Then there’s no risk of your pipelines or the Foundry blowing up?”
“Not unless something causes a really big chain reaction,” Devon said. “I’m sure an angel could do it, but they don’t leave the high-tier worlds. The only players that can manipulate world magic on that level are Ezra the Tempest and Isaac Bell himself.”
“You’re a Cleric,” Vincent noted. “A powerful one at that, and you’ve worked with Isaac for a long time. You’re telling me you’re not good with world magic?”
“I was inspired to tinker with it after meeting Ezra during the beta,” Devon replied. “At the time, his World Breaker blew away anything else I’d seen players do. However, I couldn’t figure it out. That’s why, when I heard Isaac was messing with world magic, I went to work for him. Developers like him have an Overseer subclass that has every starting ability. That means he has Scan, Elemental Conversion, and Light Conversion, which is the perfect combination for manipulating world magic. Even then, it took Isaac decades longer than Ezra to develop a world magic spell. For me, it’s just too difficult, like there’s a wall I can’t break.”
“Did you try taking off your shoes?” Vincent asked.
Devon looked at him and blinked. “Why?”
“My friend Xan learned how to draw out world magic,” Vincent told him. “It took her a lot of practice. She couldn’t seem to figure it out, but then we spent a long time living next to a branch of the World-Tree. She’d walk up there to get fresh air away from the hordes of monsters. One day, she happened to lose her last pair of boots to a sinking-floor trap. She went up the stem to meditate, and when she came back down, she noticed a subtle pulsating through the bark of the World-Tree. She had felt world magic running under her feet.”
“Are you serious?” Devon asked, his shoulders slumping. “She figured out how to use one of the greatest powers in this game because she wasn’t wearing shoes? What kind of dumb luck is that?”
“It’s not dumb luck if you keep trying and failing until you finally succeed,” Vincent told the young man. “I’m sure Isaac and Ezra both have that kind of determination. That wall you’re imagining is just a mental block. Since you made it this far, I’m sure you have the willpower to knock down that wall.”
“I don’t know about that. I only made it this far because I was an early beta tester with no social life. I tried to copy Ezra because he was cool—not because I had any kind of drive. That’s probably why I gave up so quickly and started working for Isaac. I guess it’s natural for an aimless guy like me to follow around people with more determination.”
Dozens of drone knights walked up and down the staircases leading to side entrances of the Foundry. Some carried equipment with them, and others followed the instruction of players. Vincent could hear machinery in the background, but once they stepped through the main entrance, the silence of the corridor surprised him.
Old tapestry still hung on the walls from the early days of Iijin Industries. Vincent assumed more humans had worked and lived at the facility back in those days, but he’d heard from Jim that most of the work had been handed over to drone knights split across various above and belowground workshops.
The main hallway and the first few branchin
g corridors almost reminded Vincent of a fancy mansion he’d visited years ago. It belonged to an acquaintance of Jim’s that’d bought out his company. Jim had invited Vincent and Monika to the celebration party, but the only thing he clearly remembered from that night was dancing with his wife in the ballroom.
Vincent and Devon stepped onto a platform that rose like an elevator, taking them up past a dozen floors. Most of the floors had workshops filled with runes, items, and machinery. Half looked to be abandoned or under construction. One floor had about a hundred drone knights standing still.
They’re not perfectly still, Vincent realized thanks to his high level of Perception. Just before the platform took them out of sight of the drones, Vincent noticed the ants had subtle, twitchy movements. They want to move, but they can’t. Not with those rods controlling them. I know they’re just monsters, but that’s still a little disturbing.
The platform came to a stop, and the pair stepped into a corridor that reminded Vincent of an office building he’d worked at after graduating college. It’d been one of the few jobs he’d ever really enjoyed in his life, or at least it was until the company closed half their branches with no forewarning. Looking at the empty halls, he guessed Isaac Bell had done the same to his employees.
Devon led him to a room at the end of the hall that looked half like an office and half like a workshop. The outer wall had been replaced with glass that gave them a nice view of the city. A slender man stood over a table, tinkering with a box and some control rods. Vincent could easily guess the individual’s identity, but he Scanned him anyway out of habit.
Player: Isaac Bell
Class: Sheriff
Subclass: Overseer
Real Age: 36
Highest World: Panthos
Vitality*: Lv 208
Spirit*: Lv 262
Resolve*: Lv 260
Perception*: Lv 275
Agility*: Lv 221
Strength*: Lv 210
He’s using his real name as his player title? Vincent noted. That’s kind of boring.
“I feel you Scanning me,” Isaac said, raising his eyes from the table. He pushed up his glasses as he eyed Vincent. “Can you tell I’m Scanning you?”
“No, I can’t pick up on frequencies that subtle unless I’m putting a lot of effort into it,” Vincent said. “The fact that you noticed so easily is really impressive.”
“Not as impressive as how far you’ve come in such a short time,” Isaac replied. “Your friend Jim says you started just before the update, yet you figured out negative energy by the fifteenth year. That was either a miracle or pure obsession on your part.”
“Definitely obsession,” Vincent told him. “I tend to get pretty fixated on my goals.”
“Ah, funny that,” Isaac said. “You remind me of the first person that figured out negative energy.”
“Is that person in Risegard?” Vincent asked. “I’d be interested to see what kind of powers they’ve developed.”
“He left for the higher worlds a long time ago,” Isaac said, “but I’m sure you two will cross paths, eventually. Not to mention, it’s inevitable you’ll see the Demon Lord while on Styxis. That Exotic Boss is the only monster in the game that uses negative energy.”
“Jim told me,” Vincent said. “I’m looking forward to facing him. According to Jim, his Void Crow always lost its strength against the Demon Lord. It would actually hit him, unlike other players’ spells, but it didn’t cut all the way through. I’ve seen the same thing happen when the embers from one of my void spells backfires. My Gravity Shield stops them from burning all the way through me, but they still poke small holes into my skin.”
“Considering how developed your powers are, you should put up an even greater fight against the Demon Lord than Jim,” Isaac noted, staring off in thought. “That’s… wonderful. It’s really too bad you and your friends are planning to climb to the high-tier. I wish you the best of luck in fighting the angels.”
“Well, I can’t leave unless I have Jim with me,” Vincent said.
“Yes, of course,” Isaac replied. “I wouldn’t expect you to leave without your comrade. How about this: if you can convince Jim to give me ownership of the Jiminy World Crickets so I can merge it with Iijin Industries, then I’ll release him.”
“Have you already made that offer to Jim?” Vincent asked.
“I proposed it right away,” Isaac said. “It was the simplest way to deal with his debt. Jim refused, but I thought you might change his mind. You are his oldest friend, after all.”
“I don’t think I can change his mind on this,” Vincent replied. “Jim loves that guild. He told me once it’s his greatest accomplishment in life. Why do you even want to run it? I doubt half his people will stick around with Jim gone.”
“He owns a great number of useful outposts for trade,” Isaac said. “Plus, his guild is well connected across numerous worlds. Even if half of the members quit, the ones that remain will give me far greater reach than I currently possess. I’d like to bring a lot more resources and players to Styxis, and his guild will make that endeavor far easier.”
“You couldn’t work with Jim to accomplish that?” Vincent asked.
“I tried, but we don’t see eye to eye on many things,” Isaac replied. “Besides, much like you, I’m obsessive too. I prefer to oversee everything myself.”
“Basically, he’s a control freak,” Devon said.
Isaac chuckled. “Yes, it’s true. I take one look at Jim’s laid-back operations, and it makes me frustrated. He gives his guildsmen very little oversight. If I put some of my men in positions of power on each world where he’s operating, I could easily double or triple the flow of resources and players to Risegard.”
“Sorry, my friend is already in bad shape with his divorce,” Vincent said. “I’m not making him give up the thing he feels is his greatest accomplishment.”
“I heard from Farah that Jim sold off his father’s company for a lot of money,” Isaac said. “Do you think he’d reconsider my deal if I offered more?”
“That was different,” Vincent replied. “He never felt like he deserved to oversee that company. Even so, he ran it brilliantly, and then finally sold it off at its peak. This guild is something he built from the ground up himself. He won’t sell it, so you and I will just have to work out something different, even if it takes me years to pay it off.”
“Years, huh?” Isaac said, lost in thought again. “I’d hate to keep you around here for so long. You’re one of the few players that might stand a chance in the high-tier, so I don’t want to slow you down.” He paused for a few seconds, leaning over the table. “I’d prefer more oversight, but it sounds like I have little choice. I’ll agree to cut half the debt if Jim uses his guild to bring players and resources to Risegard. He’ll have to give me half of whatever he makes on fees through trade as well.”
“He might be okay with that,” Vincent said. “What about the other half of the debt?”
“That will still need to be paid,” Isaac said. “Right now, that would more than bankrupt the Jiminy World Crickets. However, if you can gather up a quarter million gild, that should put you far enough ahead to keep the Crickets from falling apart.”
“A quarter million?” Vincent questioned.
“You could speed up the process a lot by taking on bounties,” Isaac said. “Many people around Risegard set up Bounty Quests for items of value from the nearby Dead-Worlds. However, few teams are able to mobilize and tackle those bounties because of the constant warring.”
“The only downside is I won’t be around much to fight the Demon Lord,” Vincent noted. “The Crickets here have been waiting for us to help.”
“The citizens of Risegard will be fine without you,” Isaac said. “They will fight, struggle, lose, and rise again. We’ve won and lost many fights against the Demon Lord, and with each battle, the people here grow stronger. A day will come when that monster is no longer a threat, and then these players wi
ll set their sights on the high-tier. There’s no need for you to worry about them.”
“Isaac, just give him a contract and let him get started already,” Devon said. “No need to drag out the next two hundred years rambling.”
Isaac smiled. “My bad, Vincent. I spend most of my time around drones, so I tend to babble whenever I get a visitor.” He scribbled onto a rune leaflet and handed it to Vincent.
Solving Your Friend’s Dilemma (Contract Quest) – Isaac Bell has agreed to release Jim from his debt under three conditions. The first is that the Jiminy World Crickets and Iijin Industries make a deal to transport players and materials to Risegard while splitting the profits. The second is that the Crickets’ coffers will transfer over their remaining gild. The third is that you will pay Isaac 250,000 gild to cover the rest of the debt. | Quest Condition: Either player may request a court review of this contract to ensure both parties are fulfilling it faithfully. The defending party may choose the court, but it must be located within Risegard. Do you accept? (Yes/No)
Vincent paused. “Just one thing before I accept,” he said. “I have a lot of skyglass that I want to make into equipment using Juniper’s forge. However, that material requires world magic to soften it first. Would it be possible to run an underground pipeline to her forge?”
“When you pay off the first fifty grand, I’ll build the pipeline as a sign of good faith,” Isaac replied, adding an extra line to the leaflet. “There, I even added it to the quest.”
“Thank you,” Vincent said, rereading it before accepting.
“Now, if you don’t mind, I have a lot of work to do,” Isaac said, leaning over his table.
Vincent followed Devon back into the hall and to the elevator. As they walked, he explained the situation and requirements of the deal over team chat.
>Jim: If you three get that quarter mil, I’ll take care of the rest.
