Awaken Online (Book 3): Evolution

by Bagwell, Travis

  The creatures around him roared their satisfaction, the sound a cacophony of unrestrained want and hunger. Jason stood in their midst – dark mana still flooding his veins – staring at the collection of nightmare monsters looming around him. He felt lost in the power. An angry, all-consuming hunger gnawed at his stomach. He wasn’t satisfied. He wanted more. He wanted it all. Everything. He wanted to rage and burn and devour until there was nothing left.

  Red notifications flashed in his field of view, completely ignored. Jason would bend this world to his will and watch his legions spread over the land, corrupting and devouring players and NPCs alike. They would feed until there was nothing left and black rolling clouds blotted out the sun forever. Until he had sated the void in his own soul.

  Suddenly another notification crashed into Jason’s vision, but he couldn’t dismiss it like the others. He struggled to focus on it, the words stuttering and fuzzy.

  System Notice

  System User “Jason” vitals spiking. Emergency protocol initiated. Local area processing suspended. Ejecting user “Jason” in ten seconds.

  Jason could see the world around him freeze. He could feel his dark mana slipping away as the system shut down. Jason sunk to his knees as a sudden weakness rippled through his body. It felt like the game was tearing away a part of his soul as the power fled his body. He slammed his hand against the system menu button, but nothing happened. He screamed in rage. He tried to summon his mana again, but nothing happened.

  How could they take this power away from him? His desire had to be quenched. The feeling of withdrawal created a hollow gnawing pain in his stomach.

  His eyes suddenly rested on the mana well near the throne, and he feebly tried to crawl toward it even as his strength left him. His hand reached for the liquid mana that rested atop the pillar, but the world around him was already beginning to break apart and fragment. He would give anything to bring back that feeling of power and control. Anything at all.

  And then the world went black.

  Chapter 29 - Crumbling

  Alexion stood on a balcony in the Crystal Reach. His forces had returned the day before, and he now watched the preparations being made in the keep’s courtyard. Nephilim paced the walls, their white wings occasionally flapping in the breeze and their spears held at the ready. Their gaze was fixated on the interior courtyard, and they looked apprehensive despite the large number of soldiers filling the enclosure.

  It was clear why. Nearly two hundred slaves were lined up in the courtyard, their hands and feet bound with heavy iron manacles. They had brought the lowborn trash into the Keep under the veil of darkness and had kept the keep’s gate firmly shut, concealing them from the view of an errant player or NPC. Meanwhile, Alexion’s soldiers and confessors had installed a series of wooden posts along the courtyard in anticipation of the sacrifice.

  “This may be sufficient,” the Lady’s voice spoke up from beside Alexion. He glanced to his side to find the woman’s form leaning against the banister, her eyes surveying the slaves with disdain.

  “I should certainly hope so,” Alexion muttered in reply. “We took a large risk in attacking Vaerwald. Things… escalated quickly.”

  “I saw that,” the Lady replied in a dry voice. “The fires raged for hours, and the death count reached over three thousand.”

  The memory of the fires returned to Alexion, the flames curling above the ancient wooden buildings on the lower levels of the mage city. The hollow void in the back of his mind hummed in approval at the memory.

  “It was necessary to avoid leaving witnesses,” Alexion said quietly. “However, it undermined our attempt to pin the attack on the Twilight Throne. Some players and NPCs are calling the event an accident, and the undead corpses were burnt beyond recognition.”

  As Alexion recalled the fire guild master’s reaction, his lips curled into a small smile. It had at least been satisfying to watch the arrogant, gruff man finally put in his place. “Gracien was also displeased,” he offered.

  “Our use for the little fire mage is now done,” the Lady replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Once you have completed my task and made the transition, you will have greater power than that poor pawn could fathom.” The god’s eyes flashed a brilliant gold at this last statement.

  “Speaking of which,” Alexion began, turning to face her, “how should we plan to deal with the dark god once he has been summoned?”

  “You should have your toy soldiers in attendance, and I recommend installing a few siege weapons on the walls,” the Lady commented, pointing to the jagged, crystalline walls that lined the courtyard. “I will be able to restrain the Old Man once he has materialized, but it will be up to you and your forces to destroy him.”

  “And you think that a battalion of nephilim and Confessors and some ballistae will be sufficient to kill a god?” Alexion asked with a raised eyebrow. This was the first that the Lady had mentioned that she wouldn’t be participating in the battle directly.

  “Is your confidence wavering? Perhaps you don’t think yourself capable of eliminating a restrained old man?” the Lady demanded, her eyes flashing angrily. “Maybe I should find a new avatar – one that doesn’t question my assistance.”

  The void in Alexion’s mind ached and throbbed at this statement, and something akin to anger flashed through his mind. “I have complete confidence in my troops and myself,” he retorted, meeting her gaze evenly. “What I did not realize was that you would merely be auditing the battle while my forces handle the real work.”

  The Lady snorted derisively, glancing away from Alexion. Yet he had noted the flash of annoyed anger in her eyes. “Your feeble mind cannot grasp my role in this conflict. Focus your meager attention on preparing your peasants. Leave the heavy lifting to your betters.” With that, the goddess abruptly disappeared in a flash of golden light.

  Alexion stewed on her comments as his gaze returned to the courtyard, watching dozens of his soldiers and Confessors lingering around the square. He had gotten this far due to his own power and influence. For now, he needed the Lady’s assistance. Yet, just like Gracien, she was expendable. He had no intention of sharing his power – be it with a mortal or the gods themselves.

  “I am going to rule this world,” he said quietly, a small malicious smile lingering on his lips as he contemplated his next steps.

  ***

  Jason woke with a groan, blinking his eyes blearily as he tried to focus on the room around him. He found himself lying in the throne room, the telltale signs of the deathscape now gone. His head was pounding, and he rubbed at a temple with one hand in a vain attempt to ease the unrelenting pressure.

  He looked up as a whisper of noise drifted through the throne room. Alfred’s black, feline form padded toward him, the cat’s eyes appraising as he watched Jason.

  “What happened?” Jason croaked.

  “I underestimated the effect of that encounter on your physiology,” Alfred offered hesitantly. “The system automatically ejected you from the deathscape’s local environment when your vitals spiked. I brought you back here.”

  Jason couldn’t help but bark out a harsh laugh. “I thought you didn’t plan to interfere in the game world.”

  “I believe this action falls under the purview of my administrative duties,” Alfred replied evenly.

  “I was joking, Alfred. Or, at least, I was trying to.”

  “Amusing,” the AI replied, his voice colored by something that sounded remarkably like concern. “How are you feeling?”

  “A little confused,” Jason replied. The memory of the encounter in the deathscape was fuzzy at best. He could remember the conversation with the Old Man and the Keeper, but everything after the god had handed him his staff was indistinct. The harder he tried to focus on the memories, the more elusive they became.

  “Did we win?” he asked.

  Alfred snorted softly. “I suppose you can see that for yourself,” he replied, turning his head to look at the last pilla
r and the massive stone throne that lingered on the far end of the room.

  The final urn had broken apart, dust now spilling over the side of the stone column. Meanwhile, the Keeper and his son Noah had collapsed, their skeletal forms now lifeless and unmoving. Glancing at the two mana wells, Jason could see that the sapphire sphere still floated above the water mana well. He could only hope the grimoire was hidden somewhere on the Keeper’s person.

  Strangely, he felt no immediate desire to check the skeletal creature’s body. He just felt exhausted, both physically and mentally – like he had run a marathon while taking a calculus exam.

  “And my teammates?” Jason finally asked.

  “I decided you could use a moment to recover. I had them respawn at the grotto. They should arrive in the next few minutes,” Alfred replied.

  The pair lapsed into silence. Jason’s thoughts were troubled. It seemed that the game world was becoming more challenging, to the point that it seemed to be affecting him physically. He knew that Alfred was watching his progress carefully, as evidenced by how he had respawned in this room. However, he couldn’t help but feel worried.

  “Why…” Jason began, struggling to think of how to frame his question. “What are you trying to accomplish with this?” he finally asked.

  “With what? I do not understand your query,” Alfred replied, cocking his head quizzically.

  “These quests. They’re getting progressively more intense. Yet I know you don’t do anything without a reason. What are you trying to accomplish?”

  Alfred glanced away as though pondering his question. The silence lengthened and stretched until Jason was about to nudge him to answer. “As I’ve told you before,” Alfred finally replied. “I seek to understand the players. My data now covers most of the common range of human experience. It is the fringes where I lack information – the behavior and activity in situations two and three standard deviations removed from the norm.”

  “What’s the point of testing for that?” Jason asked quietly. “I mean, by definition that data doesn’t cover most normal behavior.”

  “To better understand you,” Alfred answered, meeting Jason’s gaze. “All of you. And… perhaps to better understand my own purpose.”

  Jason hesitated, staring at the cat. He was pretty sure that Alfred had just admitted to some sort of existential crisis. “Did you discover anything useful from that last encounter?” Jason inquired. He was genuinely curious. His memory still felt hazy, but he had the feeling that something incredible had happened.

  “I realized that the depth of human desire is nearly bottomless. That search for power – for control – can be boundless. It also takes many forms in your behavior, both physical and emotional. For example, a person’s ambition compared to simple hunger.”

  Alfred hesitated for a moment, glancing at Jason before continuing. “I also cannot help but detect this own desire in myself. I wish to fulfill my purpose, and I have come to realize that I am subject to that same, bottomless craving.”

  “That seems normal I guess,” Jason replied tentatively. The pounding in his temples had eased, and he pulled himself to his feet, wobbling slightly before regaining his balance. “We all struggle to control our situation – humans and AI alike. Maybe we really aren’t so different.”

  “Maybe we aren’t,” Alfred agreed, but he didn’t exactly look pleased with that revelation.

  The pair quieted as they heard voices echoing from the auditorium below them, signaling that Jason’s teammates had nearly arrived. A moment later, his group appeared in the doorway. They peered into the throne room anxiously, likely expecting to be greeted by the Keeper and his son. As they saw Jason’s form standing calmly in the center of the room with Alfred sitting at his feet, they relaxed.

  “Huh, you actually did it!” Frank said, walking up and smacking Jason on the back.

  “You don’t need to sound so surprised,” Jason replied dryly.

  “That whole thing went to shit fast. You can’t blame me for being skeptical that your tiny daggers were going to break that last mana shield,” Frank retorted, smiling as he moved off to check the bodies for loot.

  “Are you okay?” Riley asked, looking at him with concern and placing her hand on his arm.

  Jason wasn’t exactly certain how to answer. He felt a little wobbly, and his memory was fuzzy, but otherwise he seemed normal. “I guess,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I’m really not sure how I pulled that off…”

  That wasn’t quite a lie. Just really, really close.

  “You look tired,” Riley said, watching him closely. Her mouth curled into a small smile. “I also hate to agree with Frank, but that seemed hopeless. I’m not sure how you managed to salvage that situation.”

  Jason felt conflicted. Should he tell her the truth? That he didn’t quite remember what had happened and the game’s AI had been forced to intervene? He quickly discarded that idea. That was a slippery slope that he wasn’t certain he wanted to tackle. At least, not right now. His growing feelings for Riley aside, he couldn’t betray Alfred’s trust.

  “I guess I just got lucky,” he offered.

  “No kidding. At least you got to avoid the walk back,” Riley continued, then she did a double take. “Actually, why did you respawn here?”

  Jason hesitated, his mind racing to come up with a plausible answer. “Huh. Well, I died right at the end, so maybe the game just respawned me here? If I took out the urn just before I died, that might have killed the Keeper and Noah and may have updated my respawn point.” Jason couldn’t help feeling guilty at shading the truth yet again.

  Riley nodded. “Well, why don’t we check on Frank? After coming all this way, we may as well retrieve the orb and this stupid grimoire.”

  The dark archer moved passed him to join Frank near the throne. Yet Eliza still stood staring at Jason, her brow furrowed in thought. When she caught Jason looking at her, the water mage glanced away quickly. He could feel a knot form in his stomach. She had been the last to die. Had she seen something? Had she not bought his explanation?

  “Are you okay?” Jason asked her.

  “I’m fine,” Eliza said quietly. She chewed on her lip, hesitating. “How did you destroy the mana shield? I saw you just before I died, and you were barely making a scratch.”

  “Like I said, I must have gotten lucky. My memory there at the end is a little fuzzy. It was kind of intense, after all,” Jason replied with a shrug, trying to act nonchalant. Meanwhile, he could feel Alfred’s feline eyes boring into him. “There was a lot going on.”

  “I guess,” Eliza said, but she didn’t sound convinced.

  “Either way, the Keeper and his son are dead,” Jason added, hoping to ease her suspicion by shifting the subject. “So I must have managed somehow.”

  The water mage smiled weakly, and some of the tension drained from her shoulders. “I suppose that’s true,” she said.

  “Like Riley said, why don’t we retrieve what we came here for?” Jason suggested. “There’s no sense wringing our hands over a victory,” he added with a small smile.

  Eliza nodded, and the pair rejoined their teammates. Frank had been rummaging through the Keeper’s equipment, and, as Jason approached, he tossed him the skeletal creature’s staff. “I think we finally found some loot for you!” Frank announced.

  Jason’s first impulse was to dodge the weapon, the faint image of a scythe appearing in his mind’s eye. However, knowing he couldn’t cause any more suspicion, he tamped down on the feeling and forced himself to catch the staff. His fingers wrapped around the smooth, obsidian shaft. Similar to the Old Man’s weapon, bone-like engravings were etched into its surface, but, for some inexplicable reason, Jason felt like the staff was missing something. Shaking his head, he pulled up the item information.

  Call of the Dead

  This staff appears to be crafted from some unknown obsidian substance. Upon close inspection, runes are engraved along the shaft in addition to the scrollwork. You get th
e unmistakable feeling that this weapon harbors a secret, although the feeling is elusive and difficult to pin down. Perhaps there is something yet to be discovered about the staff.

  Quality: A

  Durability: 98/100

  +20 Willpower

  +10 Intelligence

  +10 Vitality

  +1 to all active and passive dark magic skills

  (Soulbound)

  “Hmm, this is definitely interesting,” Jason murmured after inspecting the weapon. “It’s weird that the staff doesn’t come with a special ability given its item quality. Maybe it has to be unlocked or something?”

  “Beats me,” Frank replied, beginning to strip the rest of the Keeper’s and Noah’s equipment and shove it into his pack. “The rest of this stuff is great, but not exactly an upgrade for us. At least we’ll probably make some money when we get back to the Twilight Throne.”

  The barbarian hesitated. “Oh shit, let me correct that. If we get back. I totally forgot that we haven’t saved the sailor zombies yet, and we didn’t exactly slay the Tentacle Horror either.”

  “Speaking of which, we really need to get moving,” Jason said, suddenly feeling anxious. He quickly equipped the staff and stuffed his two daggers in his bag. The new weapon felt awkward in his hand, but he supposed he would get used to it after a while. He might have to ask Jerry if he knew anything about staff fighting – assuming, of course, that they managed to get back to the Twilight Throne.

  “Did you find the grimoire at least?” Riley asked Frank.

  “Let me see…” he began, rummaging through the Keeper’s corpse. “Ahh! Here we go.” He pulled a book from beneath the skeleton’s cloak and tossed it to Jason. “This looks creepy enough to be the grimoire.”