by Noam Oswin
I’m going to need to test this further.
The fact that I had to resort to exploits, loopholes and cheats just to be able to even the odds against my future enemies was already telling. I doubted my enemies did the same. They overwhelmed me with just pure unbridled power.
I need to be even stronger.
“Power… and a lust for more power… what a feeling it is.”
The papyrus in my cloak lit with a thick purple flame. I tore it out and slammed it against the earth, cautiously giving myself some distance from it.
“Greetings you beautiful, terrifying beast! It is I! The Nightshaman of myth, Mavros Cuvar! A humble disciple in the studies of the mind-shatteringly arcane, and the one who shall unleash upon Alamir, the ULTIMATE LIFEFORM!”
I stared at the burning parchment, wondering if I was hearing correctly.
“Now, now, I know you must be on your knees, asking and begging for guidance from the great one, but alas, this is but a recorded message. A travesty! I know, such a travesty to be so close to greatness, yet so far!”
Are my ears still working? They have to be…
“Nevertheless! You fantastic beast, as a reward for finding and activating this parchment, I, the Nightshaman Mavros Cuvar, shall grant upon you a unique feature in your Nightscripts! It is my pièce de résistance! ”
[Recognizing Command Prompt…]
[Analyzing…]
[Checking Authorization Level…]
[Authorization Found.]
[Tier 9: Nightshaman: Mavros Cuvar]
[Modification Authorized.]
[Installing Modification…]
[Modification Installed.]
“What in the…?”
You have now unlocked the [Monster Link] feature of your Nightscripts.
“The Monster Link!” Mavros said with glee. “As it is my goal to create and support the ultimate nightmare, I know that this will do the trick! For you to access the Monster Link, you have to use the Nightscripts. Oh, and if for some reason you have never opened your Nightscripts, just know that you can access the full Nightscripts menu by saying ‘All-Menu.’”
The purple flames on the parchment began to weaken and fade. “Now, I must be gone! But fear not, for I have scattered tens of thousands of my scribblings across Alamir, each one enchanted to activate in the presence of a nightmare with unrelenting greed for power! Each one will bring you closer to I, the great Mavros Cuvar, and together, we shall become ULTIMATE!”
The laughter trailed onwards for several seconds, until the purple flames completely engulfed the papyrus, leaving behind ash that blew into the wind.
I hesitated, with good reason. My luck cannot be this good. This was most likely some sort of trap… as far as I knew, I had terrible luck. Alamir operated with Murphy’s Law set on the maximum setting. Such a fortuitous thing happening to me was absurd. Still, curiosity and greed spurned me on. What were nightscripts? And those words he said I should utter…
“All Menu.”
Nightscripts Menu Directory
+Crafting
+Domains
+Equipment
+Influence
+Inventory
+Parameters
+Quests
+Skills
+Status
+Minions
+Monster Link (New)
+World Map
I stared at the last item on the list. I stared, not believing what I was seeing, understanding the comprehension and meaning of those two words, yet not being able to articulate my feeling at the realization, that all this while, all the days I spent aimlessly wandering around Alamir, and all the while –
There. Was. A. Fucking. World. Map.
“FU–”
Chapter 4: Connection
The crackling warmth of a campfire and the presence of a large, humanoid, faceless and nameless golem were the two things that I focused on as I ended my tirade of swears. The sun had long since set over the horizon, leaving me once more within the forest at night, wary to any wild animals attracted to the fire that desired to make me their dinner.
Again, I roasted rabbits over an open flame, the scent and sizzling of meat was something I had grown accustomed to on my nightly rests. With my golem out, I did not need to worry too much about attackers, as I had primed it to automatically protect me from enemies. This left me time to focus on other things, such as fully exploring the “Nightscripts” which were apparently the official term for my ability to see floating words, gain levels and experience.
For the longest time I had assumed that my view of Alamir with its videogame mechanics was something completely and wholly unique to me, but if Mavros was able to so effortlessly edit it and add features to it – that was not the case.
“World Map.”
Note:
Fog-of-War is permanently enabled on the World Map. You cannot see beyond areas you have already visited or navigated, and you cannot see the happenings of people or things on the map that are beyond your current sensory range and capabilities.
The range of the World Map can be increased by acquiring Scrying skills and/or increasing your Sense parameter.
The map that appeared on my vision was not two-dimensional as I’d expected. Rather, it was holographic three dimensional, denoting my exact position in a forest with a skeletal pointed arrow, which also indicated the direction I was facing. The area around me was visible, showing details of the trees, rocks, small hills and landscape. There was a pale circle around me, which I recognized as my sensory range, but the area ahead of me beyond the circle was obscured with a thick fog, indicating that I’d yet to explore it.
Within the pale circle was an even smaller red circle, which I instinctually knew was the range of [Kataramenos’ Gift]. Beyond the red circle, within my sensory range, there were numerous plain white rabbit foot icons, an icon that resembled a pair of crossed antlers, some feather icons, and I recognized them as rabbit, deer and birds respectively.
Tracing the map backwards, utilizing the two different routes I travelled, I discovered that I had not been travelling north as I’d previously assumed, but rather, South. Right now, I was significantly southeast of the Final Sanctuary Woodlands, which appeared on my map as a scorched forest. If I wanted to make my way to Alhamis, to where I had fled from Hoplite, I would need to turn and head in the entirely opposite direction.
[Would you like to place a marker on the selected location?]
[Yes]
[No]
The marker I put on my eventual destination appeared in the form of a pair of crossbones creating an ‘x’ on the map. Reaching for the map and turning it around to check my surroundings, there were small sparkling dots – fruits and other usable items – but there was one thing on the map that brought me some pause. Slightly on the edge of my sensory range there were two large red circles, surrounded by several smaller circles.
Enemies?
The small red circles appeared to be fading at an increased rate, and the large circle appeared to be growing – growing constantly. It grew until it completely vanished from my map, and there were no red circles left.
I’ve been this close to enemies and didn’t know it?
None of my danger senses were telling me of any threat, but it could merely be that the danger was not close enough to trigger them. Did this have something to do with my Sense parameter?
[Parameters]
Attack: 24.5
Defense: 30.1
Intelligence: 12.2
Magic Power: 29.8
Sense: 9.3
When I was a worm, I was constantly awarded intelligence for the most basic rudimentary thinking or for making minor deductions about my environment. Once I evolved, I stopped getting the awards and in the lieu of the events that followed, it slipped my mind altogether. Still, I did not know if these numbers were supposed to be high or low. I did not have anything to compare them with. Assuming these numbers were indeed low, then my Sense was the lowest of them all, no
t even reaching the double-digits. I was not quite sure how I would increase that, except perhaps leveling most of my sensory skills.
“Domains.”
Domains
You have no domains available.
There was no surprise there. Since the loss of Refuge Creek Rock, there were no other chances to get another Domain.
“Influence.”
Influence
Influence is the amount of political authority or clout you have amassed as a result of your actions, deeds or titles, which may be used as bargaining chips in dealing with other Monsters who either fear you and will submit to becoming your Minion, revere you and are willing to swear their lives to you, or loathe you and will attempt to kill you on sight. A high Influence Rank and proper use of Influence Points can help make the latter become one of the former.
Current Influence Rank: [Noteworthy Neophyte]
[Noteworthy Neophyte]
Details: You are a relatively new and upcoming nightmare with a record of notable feats in slaying or surviving beings and monsters you have no right to slay or survive. Monsters weaker than you will be more willing to become your Minion and will be wary about making you an enemy. Monsters stronger than you are more willing to spare your life or conscript you into their forces as they recognize your budding potential.
Influence Points Available: (3)
The following title(s) are contributing towards your influence:
Demiurge
Agkistrodon Slayer
Sage Slayer
The following buffs/actions/deeds are contributing toward your influence:
Unique Name – Janus
Triggered the Dryadi Tribe Genocide
Released the Legendary Nightwitch: Zlosta Janje
Named by the Legendary Nightwitch: Zlosta Janje
Survived an encounter with the Anathema of the End: Omega
Survived an encounter with a Champion of Humanity: Hoplite
Survived an encounter with the Night Emperor of Gluttony: Apophis
The Night Emperor of Gluttony. A shiver ran down my spine. The being that killed me, that killed Oblivion – it was a Night Emperor. An existence so far above mine that I could not even see it. Night Emperors. I needed to find more information about them.
“Minions.”
Minions
You have no minions available.
Minions may be conscripted forcefully, enslaved, coerced, created or hired.
I need minions to start an army, don’t I? The sooner I began to gather forces, the better it would be for me in the long run.
“Status.”
Status
Name: Janus
Race: [Undead]
Specie(s): [Stalker Skeleton]
Monster Rank: Tier 3
Level: 21
HP: 5100/5100
MP: 9600/9600
HP Regen: 355/Hour
MP Regen: 600/Hour
Negative Effects: [N/A]
Positive Effects: [N/A]
Epithet Skill(s): Duality
Genocide Points Available: 15525
Title(s): [Reincarnated] [User] [Gorger] [Larvae Slayer] [Jonah] [Parasite] [David] [Agkistrodon Slayer] [Genocidal] [Retaliator] [Phoenix] [Merciless] [Demiurge] [Sage Slayer]
There was nothing new about my status or my titles. That was all there was on the menu directory, except for one item, the item that was new and that Mavros had added. The name seemed innocuous enough to ignore, but I was not going to take any chances.
[You are now in the True Path]
Committing to this timeline as the true one meant I could no longer summon my Reward Chest today. It did not matter, as I would simply have to wait for tomorrow before I continued using it.
[You have split Paths]
[You are now in Path A]
Ensuring that I had a backup reality in case anything went wrong, I activated Mavros’ gift. “Monster Link.”
[Are you sure you want to activate the Monster Link feature?]
[Yes]
[No]
There was no explanation describing what it was supposed to do, or what it did. However, Mavros would not have given it to me if it were harmful, or so I believed. Nightwitches and Nightshamans were in support of nightmares, and outright harming one would go against their interests. With that in mind, I pushed the button.
[You have activated the Monster Link!]
Monster Link
Welcome to the Monster Link you cheeky little nightmare! Find powerful nightmares near you! Meet with them! Kill them for their domains, trade your minions or form powerful alliances! Monster Link – connecting the Nightmares of Alamir, one ping at a time!
[Janus the Skeleton has joined]
[Janus the Skeleton sent a Ping!]
Triangulating…
[Janus the Skeleton is at South Hlahan Forest]
[Erzili the Slithercreep is at Fort Zvyar]
[Arol the Poltergeist is at South Hlahan Forest]
[Wunder the Barbeast is at South Hlahan Forest]
[Slim the Sleekerman is at Fort Zyvar]
[Onna the Yuki is at Fort Zvar]
[Canterbury the Archdemon is at Du Sang Castle]
[Grimm the Archdemon is at Du Sang Castle]
[Giggles the Nuckelavee is at Krvavi Lagoon]
[Mnemosyne the High Fallen is at Masakh Mountain]
[Ghash the Kobold King is at Fort Sobaka]
[Ghaki the Kobold Sorcerer is at Fort Sobaka]
[Ghen the Kobold Knight is at Fort Sobaka]
[Eshu the White Devil is at The Two Pillars]
Monster Link – connecting the Nightmares of Alamir!
I had no words.
Of all the possibilities that ran through my mind when I contemplated what the Monster Link feature did, I did not anticipate something of this nature. An app for finding monsters? This was actually… useful.
I need allies to recruit… but… how do I go about doing that?
I could not make people fight for a cause they did not believe in. I could not make them fight for stakes they possessed no interest in. Not unless I wanted to force them – but that would be a logistic nightmare. The point of recruiting a strong group of companions was to make my task easier and not the inverse.
I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.
I ran through the list of names and locations in the Monster Link. The names at the bottom were the ones that sounded most promising, while simultaneously sounding like the ones to avoid. Canterbury, Giggles, Grimm and Eshu – two of which were Archdemons, a species that sounded oddly terrifying, one of which was, if I was recalling my mythology correctly, some sort of half-man, half-horse abomination, and the final one was literally a devil. Some other names, Arol and Erzili seemed to be a bit more accommodating, and although I knew what a poltergeist was, I had no idea as to what was a Slithercreep, or what was a Barbeast.
Then there were the Kobolds on the list. The least likely candidates because I doubted Kobolds had anything to offer in a fight against god-killers.
[Sixth Sense]
The whistling sound of something approaching me from the forest came. I moved on instinct. My hand swept into the air, snatching an offending object aimed for my skull. The object was black, sharp and pointed in the manner of a needle… or quill.
“Map.”
Two new icons. Both icons were red. One was that of a ghost in sheets. The other resembled an inflated porcupine. Both were rushing at me from the North, before splitting up in two different directions, one clearly going left and the other approaching from the right.
Enemies.
The foliage of trees was thick enough to obscure sight, any sort of combat in this dense forest, the Hlahan Forest as it was called, would be favorable to those who could make the most of the terrain. The trees were high enough to climb and rain down projectiles from up above, but the spaces between trees were suitable enough to use as cover. This meant my ability to fire off [Diamond Bullets] was limited with the
dense vegetation obstructing my line of sight, although doubling the power of the shots should compensate.
The narrow and confined spaces between trees were ill-suited for people wielding heavier weapons or riding on any sort of mount. With the darkness of the night, it also meant visibility was considerably reduced, and the advantage was in my favor, as my cloak granted me a great deal of stealth in forest environments.
[Sixth Sense – DANGER DETECTED!]
A figure burst through the foliage like a tiger in hunt of a grazing gazelle. Short, red-haired, rabbit-eared, and cloaked in withered red robes and a matching hood, there was zero hesitation between the moment of their appearance and the moment they poised to strike. Their body seemed to flicker and glitch, like a virus on a computer screen or a hologram with heavy graphical lag.
“[Diamond Bullet].”
The familiar crack of supersonic air cut into the night’s silence, the projectile marking home. The usually accompanying sound of diamond tearing into flesh did not occur. The bullet phased through my attacker, tearing haplessly into the line of trees behind it and off unto the horizon.
Incorporeal.
My attacker screeched out a battle cry, the short red-headed poltergeist summoning a weapon that almost dwarfed their form. A bloody piece of wood with dozens upon dozens of sharp black blades attached on both sides. My mind blanked for a second as I recognized the weapon. Is that… a macuahuitl?
“Golem!”
My golem swung wide. My attacker phased through unbothered. The ancient Aztec weapon with deadly obsidian blades reached me in an instant. I rose my Elvani Dagger in reflex, my Iron Gauntlets raising in caution.
The shockwave from the impact made me grit my teeth. My feet skid against the earth from the unexpected weight behind the blow, sliding me backwards and forcing my back against a tree. My gaze snapped to my Elvani Dagger, the weapon looking significantly worse for wear from withstanding the hit. The durability had gone down to the single digits from a single hit. From withstanding a single hit from my diminutive sized enemy.
“My,” I said as I locked weapons with the small red-hooded attacker. “What pretty eyes you have.” My gaze was able to peak under the hood slightly. Then above the hood, a name hung.
