World-Tree Online

by EA Hooper

  “Zhang said there was good in me,” Lucas said. “He’s slowly coming to my side, and you will too.”

  “I won’t,” she cried. “I’ll never be on your side. I’ll never forgive you. I’ll never stop hating you. I just want to be free of you. Please, let me die, Lucas. Let me escape this game the only way I know how. Your Justiciars can wait for me every two weeks. They can kill me if I don’t kill myself. If you really loved me, if you had any heart at all, you’d let me do that.”

  “But then how will you ever change your mind about me?” Lucas asked, sadly.

  “I won’t. I’ll never change my mind. You can’t force me to change my mind, and you’ve only made me hate you more by trying to control me. Zhang isn’t coming to your side. He’s probably realized how mentally ill you are. He knows there’s something wrong with you, Lucas. You’re sick in the head, and that’s why I need to escape you.”

  Harper slammed her head on the floor, but the runes lit up and healed the wound. She punched herself in the temple and tried to snap her own neck, but the runes triggered and put her in a momentary stasis. When the stasis ended, Harper collapsed on the floor and cried. “Let me die!” she shouted. “Free me of your sickness.”

  Lucas gaped at the woman as she screamed and cried on the floor. He opened a panel, and her entire body tensed.

  “No!” Harper screamed, but then the Mod Gun struck her.

  Lucas stared at her immobilized body for several seconds. He blinked multiple times, trying to figure out what to say. “You’ll forgive me one day, Harper.”

  Chapter 30

  Player: Vincent the Eldritch

  Location: World-Tree | Middle-Tier Branch

  Class: Ranger

  Subclass: Mage

  Vitality: Lv 165

  Spirit*: Lv 174

  Resolve: Lv 153

  Perception*: Lv 180

  Agility: Lv 163

  Strength: Lv 162

  The thirty-five-meter-long branch wyrm twisted its body upward, and mouths formed along its sides. As the mouths contorted and ripped open, they sprayed green fireballs, and a hundred explosions rocked the valleys and hills of the branch. The wyrm’s body dripped with acidic green blood that left puddles in the grooves of the World-Tree.

  Vincent dodged the falling fireballs and the explosions left after their impact as he rushed back under the fountain Xan had placed a minute ago. In the last few weeks, their team had killed four other wyrms, and they’d grown familiar with their strategy of hit-and-run tactics.

  He watched Jim assault the wyrm from the vantage point of a Gravity Web. When the wyrm tried to snake toward his direction and arc its body upward, Quinn hit it with Gravity Fist and knocked it backward. Xan’s Light-Drain Butterflies continued to sap its strength, and its next barrage only had half as many fireballs.

  Vincent waited for enough of his mana to return, and then hurried along the grooves of the branch. He’d gotten used to his newfound speed and jumping capability away from Eramar’s heavy gravity, and he rushed with superhuman quickness toward the wyrm. Vincent eyed the puddles of acid, making note of where he should land in the split-second before he leapt. He flew across the air and gave himself a little boost with Zero Field.

  Vincent cast Black Cinder as he passed by the wyrm. The thousands of void embers shredded through the wyrm’s flesh, and it cried out in pain. With so many other rips and holes in its twisting, inconsistent shape, the additional damage caused its side to rupture. A flood of acidic blood poured out as Vincent landed on higher ground.

  The wyrm’s body coiled in on itself, and the entire party rushed away, already knowing what it planned to do. Vincent ran at full speed along a valley and had covered a considerable distance before the wyrm exploded. The blinding flash of green magic could no doubt be seen on the world hanging on the nearby stem. Vincent even worried at times that wyrm explosions could be seen on other worlds by players eyeing the branches.

  A shockwave from the explosion raced along the valley and tossed Vincent fifty meters away. He chugged part of an ether and cast Zero Field to stop the rain of acidic blood that always followed the explosion.

  Once the raining acid passed, Vincent hurried toward the stem where he’d tossed the daiglass shard when the wyrm had appeared. He didn’t see a point in searching the remains, because the wyrms dropped no item crystals. The only reason they bothered to fight them was for the challenge alone.

  His friends appeared on different sections of high ground between the valleys, and they all regrouped at the daiglass shard. Vincent noticed Xan and Jim had holes in their armor from the acid, but no one had sustained any serious injuries.

  “That was our best fight against a wyrm yet,” Vincent noted. “Climbing to the upper worlds should be easy.”

  “Yeah, but the wyrms are more frequent the higher you go,” Xan noted. “Not to mention, we’ve yet to face a trunk wyrm. That’ll be the real test of our power and teamwork.”

  They walked down the stem toward the desert world, Rytil. Vincent felt a sweltering heat touch his face as he descended the stem and stepped onto the sand. Their party switched to lighter gear to keep cool, and then continued onward.

  “The first world we’ve visited in decades, and it’s a desert,” Jim bemoaned. He took a bottle of world mead from his inventory and gulped it down.

  “You’re drinking right now?” Xan asked. “We’re only an hour jog from the camp.”

  “Guess I’m nervous to see everyone,” Jim replied. “We’ve been on Eramar for so long. I feel like my social skills have dried up. Oh, my god, it’s been so long since I’ve even seen a party. Or a naked woman.”

  “You can worry about partying and getting laid after we defeat Lucas,” Vincent told him. “Once we’ve accomplished that goal, I think we’ve earned ourselves a vacation. Maybe we can take a few years to relax.”

  “Yeah, I want to spend time with my father and sister,” Xan said. “I haven’t seen them in so long. My dad is waiting at the camp, and I’m so excited to see him.” She flashed a happy smile.

  “River says she’ll jump to Rytil when we get there,” Jim told them. “Her mom doesn’t know she added herself to a party that has a representative at the caravan. That granddaughter of mine is eager to help us take back Midrun.”

  “I heard that from my sister,” Xan told him. “Athena was the one that added her to their party. It seems those two have become really close in recent years.”

  “Oh, really?” Jim said. “That’s good to hear. We’re all just one big family, huh? Us four, our relatives, even the ones outside the game you’ve told me so much about. I’d love to meet them in the real world one day.”

  Xan smiled. “That’d be great! We could have a big family get together. Mine. Yours. Quinn’s. And Vincent, of course.”

  “I love that idea,” Quinn said.

  “Me too,” Vincent said. “Let’s try to remind one another from time to time. We still have a long, long way to go to reach the end of the update. If escaping at the top is only a rumor, anyways.”

  “Oh!” Xan shouted, coming to a stop.

  “What is it?” Vincent asked.

  “My dad—he says they’re under attack! Hundreds of Justiciars landed at the Jump Gate and went straight for their campsite. He says their caravan is pinned down and trying to defend their position.”

  “Then let’s hurry!” Quinn shouted, taking off in a superhuman sprint.

  The four players chugged Agility Potions and rushed toward the eastern hemisphere. They kicked up clouds of sand and dust behind them as they ran, and it took over twenty minutes of travel until they saw the crags where the camp lay hidden.

  Vincent eyed the three hundred or so Justiciars at the bottom of the hill. The rocks and crags offered the camp a vantage point, and the defending side had buffered their fortifications with barriers. However, the Justiciars had taken their time, blasting holes in their defenses and chipping away their cover. Hundreds of mana bolts and other spells
flew back and forth between the two groups.

  >Vincent: I’ll bury the daiglass shard between these two cactuses here. Our goal should be to get Xan to the top of the camp where she can use World Fountain. That’ll give our side a massive advantage.

  >Alexandria: The only problem is that the camp is surrounded by all sides. It’ll be tough to get through so many. I’ll tell my dad to let his people know we’re here, so they don’t attack us by mistake.

  >Quinn: The Justiciars haven’t noticed us yet—they’re completely focused on the crag. I say the four of us plow through this side and kill as many as possible while Xan rushes for the rocks.

  >Jim: Yeah, we can clear a path. It’ll be easy. Remember the fight on Eramar? Let’s hit hard and fast.

  Their party swapped to better armor, and then they sprinted toward the campsite. Vincent ran ahead, but several Justiciars turned and saw them approaching. Before the Justiciars could react, however, Vincent cast Black Cinder and spread the void embers in a path toward the campsite. The void embers burned holes through three dozen Justiciars and killed twenty in seconds.

  Jim used Gravity Bounce to launch himself into the air, and then climbed higher with Gravity Web. He cast Void Crow and sent it through the crowds of Justiciars, slicing off limbs and decapitating several men. Many of the Justiciars saw him and angled their shots in his direction, but Jim used Phaseshift to dodge the first barrage.

  Quinn created two Breaker Doppelgangers and charged through the path of destruction that Vincent had caused. She cast Gravity Wave in both directions, knocking dozens of men off their feet. She and her doppelgangers rushed toward the nearest standing men and shattered their armor and bones with lightning-fast Breaker strikes.

  Xan ran toward the campsite, but sent ten Light-Drain butterflies to already injured enemies. By the time she reached the top and cast World Fountain over the camp, her butterflies had tripled in number thanks to their Mitosis upgrade.

  Vincent watched the crowds of Justiciars carefully, knowing the strongest of them would counterattack. One of them launched a massive fire spell at their group, but Vincent shoved it away with Zero Field. The fire spell hit a group of Justiciars that Quinn had knocked over with Gravity Wave and exploded into a dozen smaller flames.

  Many Justiciars equipped swords, hammers, axes, and spears. They charged the Void Knights, and Vincent equipped Song of War. He Scanned dozens of men at once with his Quickeye upgrade, and then hit the strongest four men with quick swipes of his Singing Blade before the crowd reached them.

  Vincent readied his blade and sliced through the first Justiciar that reached him. He guessed the man must’ve lost his Mana Shield already, but Vincent didn’t have time to reflect on it. He, Jim, Quinn, and Quinn’s doppelgangers sliced and punched their way through the crowd. They struck much faster than their enemies, giving the Justiciars little room for counterattacks. However, the doppelgangers took hits and dissipated in the first few seconds.

  Vincent felt his mana draining as swords and mana bolts struck his Gravity Shield. The attacks slowed, and his hardened-verasteel armor stopped him from taking any real damage. However, he knew once his mana ran out, and his Gravity Shield stopped slowing attacks, he wouldn’t survive for very long.

  He roared, slashed, and even elbowed his way through the Justiciars. He cut down ten men, but twenty more took their place. Mana Magnums left dents in his armor, and fire spells burned through his cloak. His mana reserve emptied, and one of the stronger Justiciars stabbed an enhanced-verasteel spear into his side.

  Vincent screamed and snapped the man’s spear with Song of War. He slashed through the Justiciar’s shield, and then decapitated the man with a second swing. Another blade cut through the back of the Ranger’s armor, and then an explosion hit him in the shoulder.

  A Mana Cannon!

  Vincent toppled backward and felt the blood pouring from the hole in his shoulder where the spell had struck him. He expected a killing blow to follow, but then he heard the clamor of a larger battle growing closer. More Justiciars turned toward the campsite where the caravan had launched a counterattack led by Xan and a man Vincent recognized from screenshots to be her father, Lloyd.

  The Light-Drain butterflies had multiplied into a swarm of dozens that gathered onto Vincent. They sacrificed themselves to heal his injuries and refill part of his mana reserve. He stumbled away from the fighting and chugged an ether.

  “You,” a grizzled voice called out. A man in hardened-verasteel armor stepped forward.

  I think he’s the guy that shot me with the Mana Cannon, Vincent thought, Scanning him.

  Player: Killer Sam

  Class: Fighter

  Subclass: Ranger

  Real Age: 36

  Highest World: Sullo

  Vitality: Lv 142

  Spirit: Lv 140

  Resolve: Lv 138

  Perception*: Lv 151

  Agility: Lv 146

  Strength*: Lv 155

  Sam equipped a greatsword and charged at Vincent. Their blade clashed several times, but Sam seemed to be testing Vincent more than trying to harm him. The grizzled man flashed a smirk. “Are you the one that killed Lucas all those years ago?”

  Vincent stared at the man. I’ve spent so many years on Eramar with monsters wanting to kill me. However, I’m not getting that same blood-thirsty vibe from this man. Isn’t Killer Sam supposed to be one of Lucas’s closest companions?

  “I am,” Vincent replied.

  Sam leapt forward again, and their blades met. They pushed against one another, but Vincent’s higher strength gave him a slight edge.

  “Did you also free a banned man on that day?” Sam whispered as he leaned toward the blades.

  Vincent held back his strength just enough for the two men to be on an even level. “I did.”

  The enemy relaxed his muscles and pulled away from Vincent. “Add me to your party.”

  “What’s that?” Vincent replied, blinking with confusion.

  “Add me to your party,” Sam repeated. “I’ll use an advanced mapping rune to show you where Lucas keeps a moderator named Valery prisoner. Lucas is keeping her banned until your team is captured, but if you free her, she can ban Lucas.”

  “Why would you do that?” Vincent asked. “Aren’t you one of Lucas’s companions? How can I trust you? Besides, if they check your player profile, they’ll realize you betrayed them.”

  “Who even checks profiles anymore?” Sam replied. “We’ve been here over seventy years, and everyone knows about me. I’m an opportunist that only joined Lucas because it was an easy opportunity. I’ll betray him now because I know the tides are turning against him—I’d rather be on the winning side. Besides that, I quite enjoy talking to Valery. I want to see her freed. Now hurry, my side is losing this battle. Add me to your team, then kill me. I’ll even disable my shield.”

  Vincent hesitated and stared at the battle. He could see their side had overwhelmed the remaining Justiciars. Vincent reached out his hand, and Sam accepted the party invitation.

  “Kill me now,” Sam said, raising his greatsword. “Make it look good in case people are watching.”

  Vincent swung his sword and used Singing Blade to create a shockwave that knocked Sam’s weapon out of his hands. He jumped forward and ran Song of War through his new teammate’s heart.

  Sam nodded with approval before he crumbled into dust.

  >Jim: So, uh, mind explaining why that guy you just killed is on our Party List, Vince?

  Vincent turned to the remaining battle. The last of the Justiciars had scattered in all directions, and a few even gasped at Vincent after they saw him kill Sam. Vincent eyed Xan and Quinn chasing after Justiciars, but Jim floated on a Gravity Web and stared down at him.

  >Vincent: He said he’ll turn on Lucas. He told me Lucas is keeping another moderator banned and imprisoned. But Sam claims he’ll use an advanced mapping rune to show us where she is.

  >Jim: And you trusted him just like that? The dude
could use our chat logs to spy.

  >Vincent: I didn’t get that kind of vibe from him. He claimed he’s an opportunist, and he seemed rather straightforward and honest.

  >Jim: Man, I don’t know. He could be trying to distract us from targeting Lucas directly by convincing us there’s another moderator. I think I would’ve heard of such a thing by now.

  >Lloyd: Excuse me, but I can confirm that man’s claim.

  >Jim: Oh, Xan added her father too? Hey there, Lloyd!

  >Lloyd: Hello, Jim. I didn’t mean to intrude before we meet in person, but there’s a man named Jake that joined our cause. He used to be a moderator, but he told me there was a second moderator that hadn’t lost her powers. However, she disappeared from the game after she went to meet Lucas. Jake believes Lucas banned her and has been holding her captive since the update started.

  >Jim: For that long? That’s sick.

  >Lloyd: Yes, but if Killer Sam is being honest, then that presents us with a tremendous opportunity. The hardest part in this entire ordeal is trying to capture Lucas and throw him into an anti-spell chamber. He’s made it easier for us by building a dungeon under his own feet, but if we can free the other moderator, Valery, then she can ban Lucas and restore order to the World-Tree.

  >Vincent: Then I’ll give Sam a chance to keep to his word. It takes advanced mapping runes to create maps for players far away, but if he’s being honest, he must already have something like that in daiglass storage. So, I’ll keep track of his two-week spawn time. When he respawns, I’ll give him a few hours to map her location. Until then, let’s not use party chat. That way, we won’t give him any useful information. Several hours won’t be enough time to sort through decades of backlogs that are mostly our team joking and bickering, if he turns out to by lying to us.