by EA Hooper
>Quinn: Jeez, that’s a lot of gild.
>Xan: Quinn and I will ask around about bounties. I think I saw a board with some for Grayvere.
>Vincent: I’ll let you know when I reach the Outer Sanctum, then we can meet up at Juniper’s.
>Xan: Okay.
“You’re kind of quiet,” Devon said as they rode the elevator back to the first floor. “Talking things over with your friends, I presume?”
“Yeah, two of them are finding bounties for us,” Vincent replied. “Sounds like we might be heading to Grayvere.”
Devon scratched his chin. “Grayvere, huh? You know, I have an old bounty I used to post in the Outer Sanctum. No one’s taken up the offer in a while, though. You can give it a shot if you’re interested.” He took out a rune leaflet, held it against the wall, and scribbled on it with mana before handing it to Vincent.
I Forgot What I Called This Quest (Bounty Quest) – Devon in Shining Armor is offering 6,000 gild per Bright Shard. | Devon’s Note: Bright Shards only drop from the Exotic Bosses that roam Grayvere. You’ll know when you see them. Devin has received 0/10 Bright Shards.
“I’ll know when I see them?” Vincent asked.
“Yeah, man,” Devon replied. “They glow really bright. Most players avoid them because they’re crazy strong, but I know your team is also crazy strong.”
“You can’t take them down yourself?” Vincent asked.
“I could when I had a proper team,” Devon replied. “But man it was a serious challenge.”
Vincent smiled, accepting the quest. “Fantastic, I love a good challenge.”
Chapter 16 | Year 47
Player: Noah the Relentless
Location: Elfry (World) | Sinners’ City (City) | Nightmare Castle (Region)
Class: Ranger
Subclass: Warden
Vitality*: Lv 286
Spirit: Lv 266
Resolve: Lv 260
Perception*: Lv 287
Agility: Lv 261
Strength: Lv 260
It hadn’t taken long for five of the strongest players in the game to make their way to the Nightmare Court. Dozens of devils, all B-Plus rated, gazed down at the party from their towering chairs in a courtroom that almost looked like a coliseum. The Nightmare Court laughed in unison as the players stepped into the center of the room.
The short, potbellied devil at the center of the court raised his hand, silencing his brothers and sisters all at once. His black, beady eyes fell on the humans as his fingers rapped the counter faster and faster.
“We’ve come to make a deal!” Isaac shouted at the court. “The biggest offer you’ll ever get.”
The potbellied devil stopped his tapping and raised one hand as if to say stop. He curled all but one finger and put it near his lips to silence everyone in the chamber. Seconds later, a gibberish whisper sounded across the courtroom.
The Nightmare Court refuses to make any deals unless you pass their test. Choose a challenger to face their champion.
“Oh, me!” Ned shouted.
Noah grabbed Ned and pulled him back before stepping forward himself. A basteel axe appeared in his right hand. “Send your champion!” he shouted. “I’ll make this fast.”
The Nightmare Court laughed in unison once more, then a portal appeared in front of Noah. The tallest, bulkiest devil Noah had ever seen stepped from the portal. Heavy basteel armor covered the monster’s body, and he wielded a short sword that had a slight sheen.
Noah Scanned the devil and his sword.
Court Champion (Exotic Boss) – Monster Class: A | Ageless | Sex: Male | Respawn Time: None (only spawns under certain conditions) | Personality: Cruel
Devil’s Due – Material Rating: 750 | A hardened-basteel blade with an inelegant and brutish design.
Noah equipped his own basteel set. At his level, it still slowed him by a third of his normal speed, but the incredible defense was worth the loss of agility.
Next, he equipped the Demon Lord’s Helm. The shimmering mithril helm had a 700-Rating, making it only slightly weaker than the opponent’s sword. He briefly debated with himself about whether to keep his Negation Shield or switch to his old, triple-layered Mana Shield, but then the Court Champion launched a massive green fireball.
The fireball struck Noah’s Negation Shield and evaporated before it could explode. He reacted on instinct, throwing a Flatten at the Court Champion. The wall of negative energy fell downward, smashing the devil against the marstone floor. Cracks spread along the floor from the impact, and Noah raised his spell before slamming it down again.
After Flatten evaporated, the Court Champion rose and tossed green fire blasts, only for Negation Shield to swallow up the attacks. Noah’s mana reserve fell a bit more than he’d expected, but he had just enough to cast Flatten a second time. He noticed blood dripping down the devil’s bent-up armor as the next wall crushed him into the floor once more.
That one should finish him. He had more attack power than the hell ants, but his defenses are nothing against me.
When the second wall dissipated, Noah stared into the crater, expecting to see dust. Instead, a badly injured devil leapt forward, swinging his sword. The blade dug through Noah’s armor and into his side. As it sunk into flesh, the man hardly flinched, instead using the opening to plunge his axe into the devil’s throat.
The Court Champion fell back into the crater and turned to dust, and Noah looked up at the Nightmare Court.
“There, I passed your easy test,” he said, ignoring his injury as he grabbed the dropped items.
“Lords and ladies of the Nightmare Court,” Isaac said, taking a bow. “You all know me, and you know I keep to my word. It’s in my programming, so to speak, just as you all are programmed to hate players, to torture us, to disgrace us however possible. Well, I’m offering you exactly that opportunity. We want to start a long war against Risegard to force the people there to grow strong enough to challenge the angels. My friend with the helm will lead your forces in repeated attacks. We’ll offer you resources and all the opportunities to kill and torture players you could want.”
Most of the devils laughed, but the potbellied one remained silent. After several seconds of snickering, the quiet devil raised his hand to silence his brethren. He lowered his head and whispered something incomprehensible that echoed over the chamber.
The Nightmare Court will agree, but each player must pay a different price.
Demon of the World-Tree (Devil Quest) – The Nightmare Court will allow you to lead their forces against Risegard until one thousand players have two stats above 250. Unlike your co-conspirators, you won’t have to pay any gild to the devils, but you’ll have an added condition. | Quest Condition: If you abandon this quest early or act against your co-conspirators, then your avatar will be possessed by a member of the Nightmare Court until the quest is either completed, abandoned by your co-conspirators, or you’re killed. Do you accept? (Yes/No)
“Ouch,” Ned said. “That’s a harsh payment. You devils are really bleeding me dry on this deal, but I want to see players challenge me again.”
“A hefty price, considering I don’t run a guild like these three,” Ryker said with a sigh. “I hate the idea of working with monsters, but this is the only way we’ll mold the people of Risegard into a suitable army. When we finally beat the angels, it’ll all be worth it.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic,” Jeanie said. “This’ll be the most fun I’ve had in decades—even if I’m only watching and sending my people to fight and get stronger.”
Isaac looked at everyone and smiled. “My contract says I’m paying the heftiest gild price, including yearly installments until the war is over. However, I think we can all agree that this is for the good of Risegard. This war will give strong players a suitable challenge, but more than that, it’ll give them a purpose to keep them going until they’re ready to face the angels.”
“Has everyone accepted?” Jeanie asked.
A whisper called over the air to a
nswer her.
Noah the Relentless has yet to accept the bargain. The war will not begin unless he agrees to his condition.
The other three players turned to Noah, and he sighed, thinking to himself. If I have doubts about this quest, I might get possessed. Should I take that risk? Then again, I’ve already pissed off my wife. Getting possessed for a few years isn’t so bad by comparison.
Noah accepted the deal, and another whisper responded.
All parties have agreed to the Nightmare Court’s deal. The devil nests on Elfry will increase breeding rates to their maximum capacity until the war is done. In one year, the devils will reach their highest population level and begin your war. Noah is free to use his helm to control devils without angering their allies.
You’ve received a temporary spell:
Devil Pact (Devil Quest Only) – Mana Usage: Low+ | Summons a devil to aid the user. The user may choose between Dzar the Crafty, Belva the Charming, Xib the Slippery, or Lemm the Fiery. If slain, each devil takes one in-game month to respawn. These four devils may not venture to the low or high-tier words.
Noah raised his hand, summoning Xib the Slippery before them. He used the Demon Lord Helm to take control of the devil, then forced it to open a portal to his outpost on Lavrin, the only place considered Noah’s property under the game’s rules.
“How convenient,” Noah noted. “That’ll put us closer to the Jump Gate than backtracking across this world. I’ll stay behind on Lavrin to practice controlling my devils. I suppose I can give them direct orders, too, without using the helm’s power, but this will be faster and easier in combat.”
“You have a year to learn how to control them properly,” Isaac said. “I suggest you do that while we get everything else prepared.”
“I might have a better idea,” Noah told him. “There’s no reason I can’t start the war a little early. I’ll mind control a few hell ants and open a portal to a building one of you own. The attack will shake up Risegard, and we’ll get an idea of how effective this plan might be.”
“I have a building we paused construction of in the Outer Sanctum,” Jeanie said. “I wanted to make it a forge, but that little girl opened her shop across the street. Tough competition there, so do me a favor and smash up her building, would you?”
Noah released his mind control on Xib. “She’s giving you permission to open a portal to her abandoned building, but I don’t know where it is. Can you do that?”
The devil nodded, and with the wave of his hand the portal’s designation changed to a dusty room.
“You four go ahead,” Noah told the other players. “I’ll return to Lavrin, then attack in an hour or so.”
“This’ll be so much fun to watch,” Ned said, walking through the portal.
“Like I said, smash up that shop next door!” Jeanie told Noah before stepping through.
Ryker sighed, looking at the Nightmare Council, and then to Isaac. “I hope we made the right decision here.”
“We have, I promise,” Isaac said, walking beside him.
When they stepped through, the portal closed, leaving Noah alone with the devils. He glanced at the Nightmare Court, noticing they all seemed quiet and focused on him.
“No more inane laughter?” Noah questioned. When they didn’t respond, he shook his head. “Good. I have work to do.”
Noah took control of the nearby devil and forced it to open a portal to his outpost once more. They both stepped across the threshold, and Noah summoned the other three devils. He remembered from his adventures on Elfry the wide range of tricks and abilities devils possessed, and he could tell by their titles that they each followed one of the four common devil classes.
“You’ll focus on keeping my mana reserves full,” he told Belva the Charming. “That way, I won’t have to reveal my face to drink potions.”
She replied by blowing a kiss that sent a glowing heart through the air. When it struck Noah, it caused his mana to refill much faster.
Noah looked at Dzar the Crafty. “You’ll follow behind, keeping watch of what’s going on around us. Don’t be afraid to use rune bombs when we’re in the city.”
Dzar nodded as he lit a cigarette and took a long drag.
“You other two, stay near my side when we reach the city,” he told them. “However, don’t engage in battle directly. Just make sure I don’t get flanked.”
Xib flashed a thumbs-up, but Lemm rolled his eyes and snorted.
“You’ll either listen to me, or I’ll mind control you and send you to fight hell ants alone,” Noah told Lemm.
The devil replied with an intense, fearless stare.
“I don’t just mean once,” Noah said. “If you give me attitude, I’ll throw you at the ants every time you respawn.”
Lemm’s face lost its intensity in an instant, and the devil replied with a nervous chuckle.
“I’ll take that to mean you’re going to listen,” Noah said, turning away. “Now let’s go round up some hell ants.”
Noah led them into the maze, and it didn’t take them but a few minutes to stumble across two hell ants. The devils took fighting stances, but Noah activated his helm’s power to take control of both ants. He forced the monsters to hold still as he approached to inspect them.
They aren’t fidgety like Isaac’s drone knights. This type of control looks more natural, so hopefully no one will guess a player is behind it.
After about fifteen minutes, Noah found six hell ants to control. He struggled to issue commands to all six at once, and he could feel his mana trickling away faster the more of them he controlled. Every few minutes, Belva had to hit him with another glowing heart, and then drink a potion. Noah didn’t know how many she had, so he had the devils go ahead and open a portal to the dusty building in Risegard.
Noah sent the hell ants through first, then he went in himself. His four devils followed afterward. I’ll keep my commands simple for this first try, he thought before focusing his mind on the hell ants. Attack as many players as you can, but you should give them a chance to fight back.
The hell ants took off, surprising Noah at how fast they could move without Lavrin’s high gravity slowing them. They smashed through the walls of the building, immediately charging at three players at the shop across the street.
Noah cast Flatten and sent the wall of negative energy through the shop. He demolished half the building, and even smashed a small but well-designed forge built into the back of the store.
On any other City-World, Noah would’ve expected to hear screaming by that point. But Risegard is a different sort, he reminded himself as nearly a dozen players on the street equipped weapons and armor. They’re the best of the best—or rather, they will be when I’m done with them.
Noah equipped Devil’s Due, the sword he’d picked up from the Court Champion. Even with his heavy armor and blade, he moved faster than most other players. He ran ahead of his hell ants and slashed through two players’ armor, being careful to injure but not kill them.
One player replied with a point-blank Mana Cannon, but his Negation Field swallowed up the attack with ease. Noah took off that player’s arm with one swipe, then looked back at the shop he’d destroyed to see a young-looking woman with a glowing hammer trying to fend off the hell ants. She held her ground for several seconds before the six ants overwhelmed her and ripped her apart.
Noah sighed. They were supposed to give her a fighting chance. These players need to push themselves to their limits to get stronger.
Lemm tossed a green fireball over Noah’s head, and it exploded in a small crowd of players that had formed around the people he’d injured. The devil flashed his new master a smile and a thumbs-up, and Noah nodded before turning toward the players.
“Your time has come, heroes!” Noah screamed, his helm distorting his voice. “I shall take everything from you!”
Noah forced his ants to charge the group of players. He watched the battle play out over several minutes as even the highest-level
warriors struggled to deliver a killing blow against the ants.
Go for their brains already, Noah thought, watching the pitiful fight. I’m guessing none of them ever bothered to go to Lavrin. They must have reached Styxis and called it quits.
“This is it, you monster!” someone screamed as they leapt off a building and toward Noah. The man wore orosteel armor, likely enchanted, and wielded a basteel sword. Breaker magic rushed across the blade, but the sparks looked larger and flashier than the normal spell.
Noah blocked with Devil’s Due, but the blue sparks raced through his body. The attack passed through him, continued across the street, and demolished the building behind him. Noah felt like it had broken a couple of ribs, but he didn’t bother to think about it.
The Demon Lord overpowered his attacker, shoving forward with a heavy-handed swing that launched the wannabe hero through a wall. Lemm tossed a green fireball after him, and a fiery explosion toppled the building.
Noah took control of Lemm to stop him from throwing another fireball while the hero was buried under rubble. Killing them too quickly won’t do us any good.
His eyes returned to the battle at the end of the street. The crowd had tripled in size and killed three of the hell ants. A man in thinly plated basteel with a thicker wolf helm had taken charge, crippling the limbs of one hell ant before breaking open its skull. He finished off another ant with a Mana Cannon to the brain.
Noah smiled, impressed that someone from the crowd actually knew how to fight hell ants. He raised his hand, taking control of the four devils to make them launch various attacks at the crowd. However, he felt a sharp ringing in his head and noticed only three had attacked. Noah looked back to find more players advancing from the other end of the street after killing Dzar.
With the wave of his hand, Noah sent a Flatten flying down the road. He tried not to crush people against any walls, but he ended up snapping more limbs than he’d intended. Belva blew a kiss to restore his mana, and he sent another wall at the larger crowd that had surrounded the last ant.
“What did I say, monster?” the wannabe hero shouted, rising from the rubble. He charged forward, cutting through Lemm with another super-charged Breaker. The devil didn’t die, though it did fall back, writhing in pain.
