by EA Hooper
Black flames appeared around Vincent’s off-hand, and Xan glanced up just before he brought the spell down on her. When the crackling flames died, only a crater remained where she’d been laying.
“What a powerful spell,” Vincent said, looking at his hands. “It might not destroy city blocks like my other attacks, but these flames of yours eat through anything, don’t they? Your body will make me the perfect hero killer.”
The devil equipped Vincent’s Mysterious Mask, and then he changed his player name. With the mask equipped, other players would only see The Demon Lord.
“Your friend with the straw hat did warn you this would happen,” Vincent said, opening a portal at their feet with the snap of his fingers. “Now, let’s go find more people to kill. I’m thinking a world that’s far, far away.”
Chapter 36 | Year 135
Player: Noah the Relentless
Location: Styxis (World) | The Crater (New Region)
Class: Ranger
Subclass: Warden
Vitality*: Lv 354
Spirit: Lv 338
Resolve: Lv 327
Perception*: Lv 349
Agility: Lv 335
Strength: Lv 338
When Noah respawned, he saw game text floating in front of an unfamiliar landscape.
Contract Quest Failed: Demon of the World-Tree
After the text faded, his eyes focused on the surrounding area. The Inner Sanctum had been reduced to a massive crater, leaving no traces of buildings. His gaze turned to the Outer Sanctum, where he saw the remains of structures jutting from the dirt. The Eternal Ring, which had divided the two sections of the city, had been reduced to a melted slag heap covered in dirt at the edge of the crater. Even the Daiglass Tower had warped and fallen over in a twisted pile.
A couple dozen players had already respawned before him. Noah recognized a few as people that’d been possessed. The crowd stood dazed and confused, and most of them couldn’t take their eyes off the crater.
They really did it, Noah realized. They beat Isaac and put an end to this mess.
Noah wanted to message his wife, but the devil that had possessed him had removed almost everyone from his friend list years ago. He did find a message on his HUD saying his devil-summoning power had been stripped away. As much as he’d gotten used to Lemm and the others’ company, he was glad to see them gone.
I’m just me again. No more Demon Lord.
A few minutes passed as more players respawned, including Jeanie and Ryker. Noah glanced at them both, and they hung their heads low. He didn’t want to call them out in person and start a commotion, especially with Jeanie’s guildsmen crowding around her, but he remembered they were still in the same party chat.
>Noah: You two look sorry. I hope it was all worth it.
>Jeanie: I thought it was… until my body started torturing my own friends and allies. I can’t even look them in the eye while they ask me if I’m okay. They really believe I was an innocent victim in all this.
>Ryker: I feel so ashamed. If I’d known Isaac would place people in fighting pits, or that Risegard would be ruined like this, I never would’ve agreed. Defeating the angels isn’t worth the horrible things we’ve done. I need to go—I need to be alone for a while.
Ryker removed himself from the party as he walked into the wasteland that had once been the Outer Sanctum.
It didn’t take much longer for Jim and Ned to respawn. Like Jeanie, Ned found himself surrounded by his loyal followers. They all seemed happy to see him freed, but Noah knew that of everyone that had been possessed, Ned had probably enjoyed it the most.
Jim walked over to Noah in a slouch. “So, it’s done, right?” Crow-Foot asked, glancing at the crater.
Noah replied with a nod. They both fell silent for a few seconds, but Noah felt he should speak. “I’m very sorry for all that happened. I never wanted it to go this far. I didn’t even want Isaac to trap people in the city.”
“Don’t apologize,” Jim said. “I don’t really care. Let’s just move on.”
“How can you say that after everything you’ve been through?” Noah asked. “Isaac tormented and used you. He turned your ex-wife against you.”
Jim shrugged. “Whatever.”
Noah raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? You’ve already forgiven him?”
“I haven’t forgiven him,” Jim replied. “Or any of you, for that matter. I just want to move on with my life. The last few decades were a waste, and I won’t get them back swearing vengeance against people.”
“Even your ex-wife?” Noah asked.
“Oh, Farah? I haven’t thought about her in years. Maybe one day she and I will meet up again, have a drink, and laugh about what happened. I’m too old to start holding lifelong grudges.”
Noah stared at Jim in disbelief. “You are… surprisingly wise.”
“You think any underground wine cellars survived the blast?” Jim asked. “I could really go for a drink right about now.”
Noah chuckled. “Probably not, but let me check my storage inventory.” He approached the half-melted Daiglass Tower and scrolled through the thousands of items he had in storage until he found mead. “This is all I got.”
“Works for me,” Jim said, accepting the item crystals.
The two men drank mead and watched more players appeared. They could tell the exact moment when two weeks after the Foundry’s explosion happened, because a couple thousand players spawned at the exact same time.
“Jim!” a voice shouted.
Quinn pushed her way through the crowd, and the two friends hugged one another.
“Did you get a good look at the explosion?” Jim asked.
“I saw a blinding light, and then I respawned,” she replied.
“Hey, Fynn and Gwen are here too,” Jim said, waving at the two as they followed Quinn. “Gwen, I’m really surprised you never let yourself get possessed.”
“At first I just wanted to play the good guy for once,” Gwen said. “Actually, I almost gave in a few times, but then it became a pride thing.”
“Has anyone seen Ryker?” Fynn asked.
“He walked off that way,” Noah said, pointing toward the ruins.
Fynn nodded and stepped away from the group.
Noah considered following to talk to Ryker, but he heard a commotion on the other side of the Daiglass Tower.
“Here he is!” someone shouted.
“We got him!” another voice called.
Noah hurried around the tower, finding that a crowd had formed around Isaac. Dozens of people took swings at him, breaking his nose and knocking out teeth. Someone cut him with a blade, but another person shouted not to kill him, so they could make him pay.
Noah shoved through the crowd, using his enormous strength to move people out of his way. He reached the front, grabbed Isaac by the collar, and then shoved back the mob.
“What are you doing?” a man with a dagger shouted. “Let us have him!”
“It’s okay, Noah,” Isaac said, his face covered in blood. “I chose to play the villain.”
Jim and Jeanie moved to the front of the crowd and tried to calm their guildsmen, who made up more than half the players there. Ned, however, egged on his guildsmen as they demanded revenge against Isaac.
>Noah: Ned, you’re the last person who should be provoking the crowd.
>Ned: I’m just playing along with Isaac’s plan. He asked for this!
The crowd pushed closer, and even more players equipped weapons. Noah raised a Greater Flatten between them and the mob.
“That’s the Demon Lord’s spell!” someone shouted.
“Was he possessed too?” another asked. “Or is he working with that bastard?”
“It looks like he’s trying to save Isaac!” one of the Forlorn Assassins yelled.
“Everyone, calm down!” Quinn shouted, standing in front of the Greater Flatten. “Most of you let yourselves get possessed, so none of you should be talking!”
“She’
s right,” Jeanie said to her guildsmen. “We all got possessed. Let’s not act like we’re still controlled by devils. Isaac will be locked away, I promise you.”
“He ought to be tortured!” another Forlorn Assassin yelled.
>Jeanie: Ned, get your people in check, or I’ll let them know we were in on his plan.
“Uh, let’s all calm down!” Ned shouted at his guildsmen. “Justice will be brought to Isaac. Let’s not act like animals, alright?”
Noah’s Greater Flatten faded away as the crowd had calmed themselves.
“Excuse me!” a voice called. “I think I know what to do with him.”
Everyone looked over at the man in the straw hat that had appeared near Isaac and Noah.
“It’s nice to see everyone in such high spirits,” Archie said. “I only wish you’d relax the murderous intent a little. You want Isaac out of the picture? Don’t worry, I’ll be his prison guard. Better yet, I’ll put him on community service. I have a little project I’ve wanted to start, but it took me a while to find one of these old things.”
Archie held up a tome much like the one Noah had seen Vincent use. “I spent twenty years searching through old ruins before I found one,” the NPC said. “I would’ve thought ARKUS had removed them entirely if I hadn’t seen Vince’s.”
“You’re going to build a prison for Isaac?” Noah asked.
“No, I want him to help me with something,” Archie replied. “ARKUS kept the Jump Gates limited to make travel difficult, but I want to open more connections in the lower worlds to make it easier for other players to catch up. I’m not much of a fighter, though, so I need someone like Isaac to help me out.”
“We can’t let Isaac free after everything he’s done,” Noah replied.
“He won’t be free,” Archie replied. “I pieced together a quest from several others that will bind him to me. You know how annoying escort missions are, right? Well, this’ll be the most annoying one ever! He’ll automatically teleport to me if he wanders fifty meters away—oh, and the teleport will be painful because it’ll break apart his body and rebuild him next to me. I also spliced it together using code from Class Quests, making this permanent until completed. He won’t be able to abandon it, but I didn’t give it an actual end. He’ll be bound to me until this game is over.”
Archie held out his hand. “What do you say, friend? Want to help me create a Jump Gate superhighway?”
Noah recalled Jim’s words about moving on, and he released the dev from his grip.
“I really don’t deserve mercy,” Isaac said, hanging his head low.
“I’m not giving you mercy—I’m giving you a job,” Archie said. “You’ll have to do all the farming for alchemic materials. Players with grudges will probably beat you up from time to time too. However, you’ll be doing something useful instead of rotting in prison and waiting out the clock.”
Isaac wiped away tears, and then he shook Archie’s hand. Bands of light appeared around Isaac’s wrists, and Noah could even see the minor shimmer of a near-invisible tether between the two men.
“Hey, Jim! Quinn!” Archie said. “There’s something I need to talk to you two about before I go.” They approached closer, and Archie dropped his voice to a whisper that Noah could still hear. “Your friend Vincent made a deal with Izrid for his devil army. He’s taken possession of Vincent for sixty-six years or until someone kills him, but I don’t know what world he’s run off to.”
“Thanks for telling me,” Jim said. “Quinn, can you let the guild know? If he pops up on a planet with our guildsmen, we’ll try to go after him.”
Their friend made a deal with devils just to win the war? Noah thought, feeling guilty. I guess this isn’t really over, then.
Archie led Isaac a few steps away from the group. “I’m warning you one more time that this kind of teleportation hurts.” As he finished the sentence, his body shattered into light particles that floated away.
Isaac watched the NPC disappear, but then his body started breaking as well. His face tensed, and he shouted in pain just before his head exploded into particles of light.
Noah watched the two men leave, but then he turned back to Jim and Quinn. “Your friend seemed awfully powerful,” he said. “Do you have anyone that can face him head on?”
“I didn’t stand a chance against him,” Jim said.
“If I had a shield like Jim’s and a ton more levels, I might be able to take him,” Quinn answered. “As I am now, I don’t stand a chance, either.”
“Xan might have the best odds,” Jim said. “However, one hit from that black fire of his would end a fight.”
Noah held his head low, thinking to himself. He remained near the Daiglass Tower for another hour and listened to people talk about what they’d do with the city destroyed. Eventually, members from the Jiminy World Crickets rushed toward the tower. Noah wondered how they had gotten back so quickly, but he learned they had a portable spawn point on Lavrin, and Vincent had placed new Jump Gates on Styxis.
“Noah?” Amelia’s voice called across the crowd. “Noah, are you here?”
Before he even saw his wife, Noah started choking back tears. He pushed his way through the crowd until he found her, and the two embraced in a hug that neither wanted to end.
“You’re free!” Amelia cried.
“I’m so sorry,” Noah said, crying too. “I never meant for you to get dragged into this.”
“That doesn’t matter now,” Amelia replied. “Do you know how much I’ve missed you?”
“I’ve missed you too,” Noah cried. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too. Don’t you ever do something so stupid again!”
The husband and wife held each other close as they sobbed.
“There is one more thing I need to do,” Noah said, finally pulling back to see his wife’s crying face. “That Vincent guy made a deal with devils to stop us. Archie says he ran away, and there’s no telling where. His friends aren’t sure if they can defeat him—assuming they even find him. I might be the only one that stands a chance, and I feel like I owe them that. It’d be the right thing to do. If you want to go back to killing yourself, I’ll join you as soon as I’m done.”
Amelia took her husband’s hands and held them tight. “We’ll do it together, and then we’ll go home.”
Noah smiled through his tears and hugged his wife again.
Chapter 37 | Year 180
Player: Noah the Repentant
Location: Lavrin (World) | Crickets’ Outpost (Region)
Class: Ranger
Subclass: Warden
Vitality*: Lv 400
Spirit: Lv 373
Resolve: Lv 366
Perception*: Lv 395
Agility: Lv 372
Strength: Lv 374
After Isaac’s War forty-five years before, Noah had promised Vincent’s friends he would free him from Izrid’s grasp. He’d told them not to worry about it and assured them that Vincent would catch up to them on the World-Tree one day. However, Noah hadn’t anticipated how difficult it would be to find Izrid. Their only leads came from the moderator Valery. Every so often, she’d get a report of a player called the Demon Lord terrorizing cities in the low and mid-tier with brigades of devils.
Valery repeatedly tried to World Teleport Noah and Amelia to whatever world Vincent had last been spotted, but they always arrived to find him long gone. Sometimes they found devils still attacking players in the ruins of cities that Vincent had destroyed. Everywhere the Demon Lord traveled, devastation remained in his wake. He attacked worlds seemingly at random, leaving little opportunity for anyone to plan a trap.
Despite their low odds of catching him, Noah didn’t give up. He planned to continue all the way until they reached the sixty-six mark. However, he didn’t keep trying out of his old obsession for victory or even to redeem himself. He kept going because he felt it was the right thing to do.
The husband and wife visited many strange new worlds during that
time. Sometimes they went back to Lavrin to train so Noah wouldn’t fall behind Vincent in levels, but for the most part, they enjoyed themselves and saw new sights. Those decades of chasing after Vincent felt like the best years of the update to Noah, especially with Amelia at his side. They made new acquaintances along the way, and often chatted to old friends like Zhang. Noah even heard he and Vincent’s friends had slipped past the army of angels blocking the last city, Edgelight.
The Jiminy World Crickets weren’t strong enough yet to defeat the angel army head-to-head, but the fact they’d reached that far made Noah proud. He hoped to see footage of their amazing battles when he logged out, but he didn’t plan to join them on their quest, since he no longer cared about beating the game.
After hearing nothing of the Demon Lord for several months, Valery approached the married couple in the Kill Chamber. “Vincent was spotted heading toward a city on Myroth! He was trying to sneak inside, but some guy named Arlen recognized him and sent a report. We might still have time.”
Valery World Teleported all three to Myroth. They landed on a hilltop a few miles from a small city built over a shallow but very wide lake. Smoke billowed from the city, disturbing the sight of an otherwise idyllic world.
The married couple took off ahead of Valery. They rushed down the hill with superhuman agility and sped toward the city. A few explosions flashed at the heart of the town, crumbling buildings as the husband and wife crossed bridges and platforms built over the lake. Most of the buildings looked like they were held up over the water by thick logs.
Half the buildings Noah passed had already collapsed into the lake, and the married couple ducked and dodged attacks from stray devils along the way.
We can’t waste time on these small fries, Noah told himself. All that matters is that we defeat Vincent and free him.
“There!” Amelia shouted, pointing at the middle balcony of a massive tower that stuck out of the lake. A figure on the balcony launched spells down, smashing more buildings and killing players that tried to flee. Charming devils blew glowing hearts at the masked man to refill his mana.
