by EA Hooper
“If it comes down to it, I’ll deal with Quinn and Jim,” Vincent said. “If Xan destroys the Foundry, then we’ll win. That’s all that matters.”
“That’s why she sacrificed herself for me,” Xan said, balling her hands into fists. “Let’s hurry and set our spawn on Cryasal. I want to get to power-leveling as quickly as possible.”
Xan stomped toward the entrance of the maze, and her teammates followed.
Chapter 25 | Year 93
Player: Vincent the Builder
Location: Lavrin (World) | Bloodrun Maze (Region)
Class: Ranger
Subclass: Mage
Vitality: Lv 186
Spirit*: Lv 196
Resolve: Lv 178
Perception*: Lv 201
Agility: Lv 186
Strength: Lv 185
Juniper directed the trio through crooked passages and places where the tunnels twisted over and under one another. Vincent had to use his Builder’s Tome twice to open shortcuts where the ants had changed the maze with world-shaping magic, but he made sure to keep enough points for the gates he needed to make.
They encountered several groups of hell ants, both the knight and drone variety. Vincent wanted them to play it safe, so they attacked from a distance after Xan made World Fountains to fight under. That strategy took longer than going all out, and it ended up taking them several hours to find a good spot for the Jump Gate.
“I think this’ll work,” Juniper said, glancing at the nearby mountain and then the swirling red clouds overhead.
Vincent placed the miniature Jump Gate at their feet, then stood on it with crystals in hand. He saw the glowing speck through the clouds and initiated the jump. The ground fell away from his feet, and soon a stormy wind beat against him as he entered the clouds.
Once he reached space, he sailed smoothly through the air toward a beautiful world covered in grasslands and lakes. Under different conditions, he would’ve felt excited and proud to have made it to his first high-tier world, but Vincent felt disappointed knowing he’d left two of his friends behind.
His velocity slowed as he entered the atmosphere, and his feet soon touched the landing pad. Vincent stepped away, and then the two women landed. He discovered a message from Fynn that explained he was dropping from the team to form a party with Gwen and a few others in the city. Vincent could no longer see the local guild chat for Styxis, but the wider guild page had exploded with posts by lieutenants trying to figure out how to save Jim.
If I tell them about the Jump Gate on Styxis, and one of the Crickets there gets possessed, the Demon Lord will destroy it.
Vincent sighed, realizing he couldn’t leave people there without any hope of escape. Worst-case scenario, they could always follow the trunk and branches back to Styxis, although it’d be a difficult journey. He posted a guild alert that gave directions to the Jump Gate.
“I can’t believe I made it to Cryasal,” Juniper said, staring at golden fields and the curvy trees that held exotic fruits.
Vincent took his Builder’s Tome and placed a miniature Jump Gate near the landing pad. His eyes turned to the city in the distance with the shimmering walls and towering buildings.
Crownkeep is almost like something from a fairytale.
The trio jogged to the city, eyeing the sights along the way. Vincent saw little farms nearby where he glimpsed people working. With Scan’s Farsight upgrade, he discovered them to be NPCs.
“Are those…” Xan said, trailing off as she turned to Vincent.
“NPCs?” he finished. “Yeah, they are.”
“Been a long time since I’ve seen NPCs,” Juniper said. “I guess you two wouldn’t have much experience with them since you started after the game’s release.”
“Only ones that were dungeon traps—oh, and Archie,” Vincent said.
“Archie?” Juniper questioned.
“You must’ve heard of Archie,” Vincent replied. “The guy that travels to different worlds, trading unique tokens for items. Mostly Soulbound stuff, but he has crystals too.”
“Huh,” Juniper said, thinking. “I know NPCs trade items, but I’ve never heard of one traveling around. They always stick to one place unless ARKUS relocates them.”
“Archie is a little weird,” Vincent said. “He’s the first game construct I’ve come across here that really felt alive. I mean, some monsters have quirks or almost seem aware, but Archie talks like he’s really a person. Are the other NPCs that way?”
“Kind of,” Juniper said with a shrug. “They’re smarter than monsters, but they almost seem like actors in a play. Though I’ve always been able to tell the difference between an NPC and a player without even needing to check for a profile. You’ll see what I mean.”
They found a road leading toward a gate that protected the city and passed two wagons along the way. Vincent and Xan waved at the passing NPCs, and the artificial people replied with nods and happy smiles. As they neared the city, they gazed at the shimmer reflecting off the pearly white walls and beautiful, red-topped buildings that rested beyond. Six basteel-armored guards stopped them at the city gate, and the tallest jammed the butt of his spear into the ground.
“Halt, in the name of King Rosebriar, the Twelfth of his Name!” the lead guard commanded.
Vincent Scanned the tallest guard.
[NPC] Captain Lamont Gallius – Age: 45 | Sex: Male | Personality: Strict
“You three strangers cannot pass without the Mark of Heroes,” Lamont said, tightening the grip on his spear. “I suggest you return whence you came—at least until you’ve earned the right to step foot in Crownkeep.”
The Mark of Heroes (NPC Quest) – Defeat Narak the Swarmqueen (World Boss) on Lavrin to unlock the Mark of Heroes. This quest is automatically added to your quest list and cannot be removed until finished.
“Are you kidding me?” Juniper huffed. “I didn’t know there was a frigging quest requirement to get into the city. Can you just let us pass? We’ll kill Narak once we have a respawn point.”
“You adventurers may not enter until you’ve proven yourself,” Lamont replied.
“Is there another way to prove ourselves?” Xan asked. “Preferably a way that doesn’t involve returning to Lavrin?”
Lamont paused, smiling. “There is one other way. You may choose a member of your party to challenge me to a Life Pact Duel, but with no magic. If you are defeated, all of you will forfeit your lives.”
The Mark of Heroes ~Alternate Challenge~ (NPC Quest) – Choose a member of your party to engage in a Life Pact Duel with Captain Lamont Gallius. A world magic field will prevent any interference in the battle. This particular field will disable spell casting within it. If your chosen member is victorious, your party will earn the Mark of Heroes. If that person fails, all members of your party will perish. All available party members must agree to this challenge. Do you accept? (Yes/No)
“Beating one guy sounds a lot easier than going back to Lavrin and fighting the World Boss,” Vincent said, accepting the challenge.
“Who are we choosing?” Juniper asked.
“I’ll do it,” Xan said.
Lamont stepped forward, and a wall of world magic circled around the two combatants. A line went through the center of the circle, separating them for the moment.
All available party members have agreed to Lamont’s Life Pact Duel. Challenger, the fight will begin when you cross the line.
Xan activated her Paladin Armor and equipped Direglass. One foot slid forward, and she angled the sword back with an aggressive stance.
She’s going to try to end this quickly, Vincent realized, knowing Xan’s different fighting styles well after decades of sparring.
“Just so you know,” Lamont said, his body in an upright pose, “the only reason the king allows this challenge is because no one’s ever succeeded before.”
Xan took off at superhuman speed, crossing the dividing line and reaching him a split-second later. Lamont blocked her first heavy blow
with the basteel shaft of his spear. Almost as soon as the weapons connected, Xan arched her blade upward for a quick strike at his head, but he raised his staff and pushed her sword away.
Lamont snapped his head forward, smashing his helm against Xan’s and knocking her back. The young woman caught her steps and narrowly side-stepped a jab from Lamont’s spear. Despite basteel’s heaviness, the man struck in lightning-fast successions without throwing off his balance.
Xan’s quick footwork kept her outside the spear’s range, but Lamont quickly drove her back to the edge of the circle where the wall of world magic stopped her movements. Xan jumped to the right as the captain stabbed again, and then she rolled before regaining her footing.
As Xan stood upright, Lamont charged. The skinny woman paused, angling her blade, then swung upward with perfect timing to knock his spear away. Xan followed with a slash across the captain’s side as his momentum took him past her.
Lamont spun on his heel, but he stumbled a bit before glancing at his damaged armor. The skyglass blade had drawn the first drop of blood, but the injury wasn’t enough to give Xan an edge. Both took defensive positions, now aware of each other’s skills.
After a momentary pause to catch her breath, Xan kicked off the ground at high speed toward her opponent. Her boots dug into the ground as she came to a stop with a quick swipe, trying to break Lamont’s guard. The man leapt high off the ground, flying backward into the air. He spun his body around, planted his feet on the world magic wall, then launched himself back at Xan with his spear aimed forward.
Xan tried to throw herself out of the way, but Lamont’s spear caught her at an angle. Bits of the Paladin’s Armor flew across the battlefield, and Xan’s momentum tossed her aside as Lamont hit the ground and stumbled to a stop. His attack had torn through Xan’s armor and cut through muscles and sinew in her upper arm. That arm lost grip of her sword and flopped uselessly to her side.
Vincent felt a numbness in his left arm, and it also fell to his side. He glanced over and saw the same thing had happened to Juniper. If Xan loses this, we’re all going right back to Styxis. I really didn’t think this guy would be so strong. Without magic, he would’ve beaten me for sure.
Xan tightened her one-handed grip on Direglass’s handle and took a defensive position as Lamont glanced at her injury.
“Hm,” Lamont said. “You look to be in a sorry state. I’ll give you one opportunity to quit, but your party won’t be offered this challenge again.”
“I’m not quitting,” Xan said through gritted teeth. “Come at me, you bastard.”
“Xan, maybe we should accept his offer,” Vincent said, sounding worried.
Lamont smiled and readied his spear. “The next strike is going through your heart.” He rocketed toward Xan, crossing the small battlefield in a fraction of a second.
Xan threw herself to the dirt, dislocating the shoulder above her already injured arm. She swung with all her strength at Lamont’s leg as he hurtled by with superhuman quickness. Her skyglass blade cut through the thin plate over his leg, slicing down to the bone. The moment Lamont’s weight shifted back to that leg, he toppled into the ground, but his momentum sent him rolling all the way into the wall of world magic.
Lamont climbed to his feet, using his spear to stand upright. He tried to take a fighting stance, but Xan reached him first, knocked away his spear, and then pinned him against the wall with Direglass.
“This is the part where you give up,” Xan said.
Lamont nodded, too afraid to speak.
NPC Quest Completed: The Mark of Heroes ~Alternate Challenge~
You’ve received the Mark of Heroes. NPCs will now recognize you as a hero.
As the world magic vanished, Vincent found he could move his arm again. Two guards with Divine Healer’s Pendants approached the combatants. One used a Full Restore on Lamont, and the other used his on Xan. The captain dusted himself off, then returned to his original position.
“You’ve proven yourselves as heroes,” Lamont said. “On behalf of King Rosebriar, the Twelfth of his Name, I welcome you to Crownkeep.”
The gate behind Lamont opened, welcoming the players onto a brick road lined with gardens and artificial creeks stemming from water fountains. Although captivated by Crownkeep’s beauty, Vincent couldn’t help but pause to ask Lamont a question.
“Would you have respawned if Xan killed you?” Vincent asked the NPC.
“I don’t know what you speak of,” Lamont answered. “However, you’ve proven yourselves as heroes. On behalf of King—”
“Yeah, yeah, you said that already,” Vincent replied, disappointed. He stepped inside, and the gates closed behind him. “I guess that’s why Archie calls other NPCs half-bakes.”
“Or perhaps we understand our purpose and our place,” Lamont muttered.
Vincent shot the captain a glance. “What was that?”
“Enjoy your visit to Crownkeep, heroes,” Lamont replied, not even looking his way.
Vincent let the comment slide as he followed the two women past gardens and artificial waterfalls. They saw cheerful NPCs tending to the flowers. Some of them greeted the trio with, “Good day, heroes!”
By the time they reached the first neighborhood of tightly packed cottages, a crying woman stopped them. “Oh my! Heroes! You’re just the sort of people I’ve been looking for. My poor cat Reddy ran through the gates. Last I saw, he’d climbed on the back of a Mountain Troll near the Broken Rivers and won’t come down. Can you slay that terrible beast and retrieve my poor, scared Reddy?”
Reddy the Mischievous Cat Part 1 (NPC Quest) – Ms. Tana Singleton needs a hero to retrieve her cat Reddy, last seen on the back of a Mountain Troll near the Broken Rivers. She’s offering no reward, but you’ll raise your Respect Rating in Crownkeep if you complete this quest. Slaying the troll will earn you an additional increase to Respect Rating. Do You Accept? (Yes/No)
Part one? Vincent wondered. Why does a rescue mission for a cat need more than one part? Is it going to branch off into some complex adventure? You know, I kind of want to see where this goes.
“We don’t have time for that,” Juniper said.
“Hang on, is there a time limit on NPC quests?” Vincent asked. “I really want to see what happens with this cat questline.”
“There shouldn’t be a time limit unless too many players move into the city,” Juniper replied. “Then ARKUS will make the NPCs start growing old and dying off. Back in the beta, I used to pick up quests left and right, but I only finished the ones I happened to stumble across while adventuring. Once, I rescued a child NPC from a quest I’d accepted ten years prior.”
“I’ll just go ahead and accept,” Vincent said, agreeing to the quest. “Maybe I’ll get around to it one day.”
“Oh, thank you, hero!” the woman cried. “Please, bring my poor Reddy back safely.”
“Don’t worry, ma’am,” Vincent replied. “I’ll get right on that.” He gave the NPC a thumbs-up before continuing down the street. It didn’t take them long to come across another NPC.
“Heroes!” a hunched-over old man shouted. One of his eyes looked like it was made of glass, but it moved and had a subtle glow to it. “You’re just the sort I’ve been trying to find. There’s an underground lair hidden in the north that belongs to an old, wicked necromancer. He captures lost travelers, absorbs their lifeforce, and then they’re never seen again. The more powerful the person he drains, the more powerful he becomes! Someone needs to stop this fiend.”
The Necromancer’s Folly (NPC Quest) – Strange Albert has told you of a necromancer in the north who’s draining the lifeforce from travelers. King Rosebriar, the Twelfth of his Name, offers rewards to those who defeat practitioners of dark arts. You’ll receive 3,000 gild if you complete this quest, and your Respect Rating in Crownkeep will rise. Do You Accept? (Yes/No)
Vincent accepted, but then paused a moment to think. Hang on, how would this dude know about the hidden lair or the lost traveler
s that are never heard from again? Either that’s a plot hole, or this guy’s leading me into a trap.
“Albert, is this one of those questlines where it turns out you’re the necromancer?” Vincent questioned.
“Don’t be silly, young hero,” the old man replied. “Good luck on your quest. I must be off now as I have business to attend to in the north—east. Yes, the northeast.” The old man walked away with a slow pace, but he paused to glance back at them with his glass eye before continuing.
“Will I get in trouble with the city if I gun him down in the streets?” Vincent asked Juniper.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t do that,” she said. “I once killed a suspicious NPC outside of a city. There were no NPCs around, but I still lost Respect Rating, and all the villagers treated me like crap when I returned. Your Respect Rating starts at one hundred for every city, but if you drop to a negative value, the NPCs won’t let you inside for a certain amount of time.”
“What if that city is your spawn point?” Vincent asked.
“The game will send you back to your previous spawn,” she replied. “So, you’d go back to Styxis, right into Isaac’s hands.”
“Ah, then I’ll let him go for now,” Vincent said, continuing on the road.
Several other NPCs stopped them before they reached the market, and Vincent accepted every quest offered, except for an escort mission that required he leave right away. Other NPCs waved at them as they passed or gasped at the sight of heroes.
“It’s like they’ve been waiting years for more humans to reach this place,” Xan said. “Aren’t there a few devs here still?”
“Maybe a couple,” Juniper replied. “Quite a few were at Edgelight, and it’s impossible for them to get back because of the angels. Most of the ones that were here eventually took the shortcut gate back to Styxis and joined Iijin Industries.”
“You think they’re all working with Isaac?” Xan asked.
“No, I have two on my friend list who are freaking out,” Juniper said. “Isaac pushed most of them away from the Foundry years ago, so they had no idea what he was doing. They can’t even get out of the city. It sounds like more ants have poured into the trench, and a devil army is guarding the unfinished section. A few people made it past, only to get hunted down. Some were going to make a run for the stem, but I’m willing to bet the devils are guarding that too.”
