World-Tree's End

by E A Hooper

  “Vince, that kite thing’s doing something!” Jim muttered, trying to regain his composure as he wiped blood from his mouth.

  Vincent turned as the dragon-shaped kite unwound part of its body, and Nihilai launched hardened-basteel needles at supersonic speed from several different angles. The Ranger tried to use Voidfire out of reflex, but several needles pierced his heart before he could cast it. He watched his attack strike and eat through the kite, only for world magic to sew the boss back together in less than a second.

  “Welp,” Vincent coughed, falling to his knees. Since he’d been struck in the heart, he knew Warro’s Necklace wouldn’t save him. “I tried.”

  You’ve died. Respawning at your Checkpoint Crystal…

  The moment Vincent respawned, he dropped another Checkpoint Crystal, and then sprinted south. He poured mana into the remains of Silpher’s Coat, then refilled his own reserve using potions.

  Vitality Level Up: 553>554

  Resolve Level Up: 560>561

  Agility Level Up: 555>556

  Strength Level Up: 549>550

  They got one! Vincent noted. Even if the other beats them, I should be able to finish it off.

  He glanced at his item selection, which looked like they might’ve come from Eggsy. Out of the three items, only one stood out as useful to Vincent.

  Fast Injector – A potion injector with a daiplastic needle. With this item, the user may inject any standard-sized potion from their inventory directly into their bloodstream.

  >Devon: Hey, quick update. That Draugr tried to do something to you with white strings right before you died, but I stepped between you two. Jim killed Eggsy, but then the kite killed him. I’m hiding for dear life inside a block of Holy Lattice. I’m pretty sure I’m dead the moment it dissolves.

  >Vincent: White strings? Okay, you should equip a Lotus Capsule and kill yourself just to be safe. There’s something very strange happening here.

  >Devon: I can’t move my arms. Oh god, I knew I’d die here, but I didn’t think it’d be this stressful. My cube is dissolving, so I’ll try to get the capsule. Uh, what? Jim’s still—”

  The chat fell silent.

  >Vincent: Jim’s still what?

  >Jim: I’m still alive, Vincent. Come and meet up with us. I forced Nihilai to retreat.

  Vincent stopped in his tracks.

  >Vincent: How’d you do that? Even my Voidfire didn’t kill her.

  >Jim: You know I have my ways. Just hurry and meet with us. I’m worried another boss might attack.

  >Vincent: Why don’t you meet me at the Checkpoint Crystals?

  >Jim: Sure. In the north, right?

  Vincent hesitated to answer, noticing Jim’s tone seemed a little different.

  >Devon: Sorry, he seems shaken up from the battle. We’ll find our way back to you, Vincent. Wait for us near the stem.

  Devon also sounds off. Something’s wrong here. Maybe this puppet thing works like devil possession? I’m sure they didn’t make any deals, though. It sounded like Eggsy tried to get me with white strings while I was dying, so it might only work on someone who can’t fight back. In that case, I need to have a Lotus Capsule ready if I get caught.

  Vincent backtracked to their Checkpoint Crystals, but he kept a Lotus Capsule in his mouth. He launched all three crystals in opposite directions with Zero Field, sending them hurtling over the horizon. Then he unequipped Silpher’s Coat so he wouldn’t lose it if he needed to self-destruct.

  If they’re really possessed, they’ll respawn somewhere safe when I kill them. All I can do is wait and see if they try to attack me. Then I’ll know for certain if they’re possessed.

  Vincent stood in an open area and watched the landscape closely. Before he spotted his allies, he noted the kite dragon circling in the distance. Nihilai continued to follow the same pattern for several minutes, and Vincent grew more and more tense he waited.

  Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but I don’t want to risk getting possessed again. It’s the only thing that can slow me down from reaching the top at this point.

  Vincent heard footsteps approaching, but when he looked around, he didn’t see anyone.

  Someone’s in a Ghost Cloak.

  A black flicker in the distance caught his attention, and then Jim’s Deletion Cannon hit him in the shoulder, taking off his arm and removing part of his chest. Vincent fell back in shock as Devon removed his Ghost Cloak and charged toward him. The young man extended his hands, and whitish strings stretched from his fingers.

  Vincent bit into his Lotus Capsule, and a flash of green light enveloped them both.

  You’ve died. Respawning at your Checkpoint Crystal…

  Vincent respawned in a valley somewhere far from where he’d died. However, it only took him a second to spot the kite dragon in the distance. He jammed a new Checkpoint Crystal between overlapping petals, then stayed low in the valley as he sprinted away.

  That explosion should’ve killed Devon too, Vincent realized.

  >Vincent: Devon, listen closely. Hide a new Checkpoint Crystal and then get far away before they spot you. Stay hidden for as long as possible. Keep a Lotus Capsule in your teeth in case they catch you.

  >Devon: Yeah, I’m already on it! God, I can’t believe I let myself get possessed again. This time was really weird, though. It wasn’t like a total possession. It was like this guy was flipping switches to tell all of us what to do.

  >Vincent: What do you mean all of us?

  >Devon: Me, Jim, the kite—oh, and Quinn and Xan! I could sort of communicate with them. Like a really feeble team chat. But there was a creepy guy in control the entire time.

  >Vincent: A guy? Like a player?

  >Devon: Yes! I didn’t see his face, but his voice sounded distinct. It was kind of familiar, actually. I’m trying to remember where I’ve heard it—holy shit.

  >Vincent: You know him?

  >Devon: Y-yeah. It’s Ezra the Tempered. Zhang’s old team leader. Even though he’s been missing for centuries, I still recognize that voice of his.

  >Vincent: Hang on, Ezra, you’re still listening through Jim, aren’t you?

  Jim chuckled over the team chat.

  >Jim: I’ll give you two some privacy. This little game won’t be nearly as fun if I know every move you’re making.

  Crow-Foot Jim has left the World Knights.

  Chapter 19

  After giving Devon instructions to lay low, Vincent donned his True Huntsman’s Cloak and followed a valley heading south. He suspected Ezra would be at that Challenge World’s equivalent of the Garden, since he likely needed a constant stream of mana to maintain his white lines.

  It’s like when someone makes too many doppelgangers. The mana cost can snowball out of control.

  Vincent paused a few times, spotting Nihilai as the kite hovered over valleys. He often hid below gaps in the overlapping petals. While he waited for the dragon kite to fly in another direction, he messaged his guildsmen to let them know what had transpired. Lloyd started putting together a militia to head there if Vincent and Devon failed, and within a few minutes of their conversation, Zhang sent a chat invite.

  >Zhang: Lloyd told me about your predicament. I tried messaging Jim to talk sense into Ezra, but he hasn’t answered yet.

  >Vincent: Well, keep trying. At the very least, maybe you can distract him while we figure out his hiding spot. Oh, and can you tell me what kind of spells he has?

  >Zhang: I haven’t seen or spoken to him since the update started. Back then, he was the first player to use world magic. Mostly, he just caused a lot of damage. He certainly didn’t have anything like those white strings.

  >Vincent: What was his fighting style like? Up close? Long range? Field control?

  >Zhang: Ezra has always done whatever it takes to win. Close range, long range, hit and run, or even relentlessly pushing forward—it doesn’t matter to him as long as he’s victorious.

  >Vincent: Sounds like someone I’d get along with under better circums
tances. Do you have any idea why he’s doing this?

  >Zhang: His attitude back then was he’d accept help if we could keep up with him. The moment we couldn’t press on any longer, he dropped us from his friend list like our years of teamwork meant nothing to him. Maybe he spent all this time figuring out a way to build his idea of a perfect team.

  >Vincent: Alright, thanks for the info, Zhang. I’ll try to figure out something, but you better have the whole guild ready if he captures me.

  >Zhang: Oh, we will. This guild won’t let you get taken from us again.

  Vincent left the chat, then stepped out from cover to peer across the sky. He didn’t see Nihilai, so he assumed she’d continued in another direction. Vincent kept his cloak held tight around himself as he went south, but he knew its camouflaging power wasn’t as useful as the Ghost Cloak he’d lost weeks earlier.

  So Ezra wants a team that will relentlessly fight alongside him? He’s basically on the same page as me—except I don’t force people to join me. Maybe there’s a way we can end this peacefully? I might be able to reason with him.

  Vincent sent several chat invites to Jim, eventually getting a response.

  >Jim: Hello again, Vincent. I saw the chat invite from Zhang. You can tell him I don’t want to speak right now. He’s not part of our current game.

  >Vincent: I wanted to talk to you myself. I have a few questions for you.

  >Jim: If you ask me why I’m doing this, or beg me to stop, then I’m ending this chat. Please, don’t ruin this game for me with cliché drivel.

  >Vincent: I wanted to see if you’d join our team. That’s what this is about, isn’t it? You want to put together the perfect squad.

  >Jim: Oh, dear lord, you went right for the join my team trope? What did I say about cliché drivel?

  >Vincent: Hear me out. You must’ve seen how powerful Quinn and Xan are. Well, I’m even stronger, and we’ve put together the most powerful guild on the World-Tree. If you’re doing this to beat the game, then we can help you do that.

  >Jim: Help me? I’ve never needed help. Teammates were only ever deadweight that I brought along to fill the silence.

  >Vincent: You know you can’t beat this game alone.

  A few seconds passed before Vincent heard a reply.

  >Jim: Have you beaten an Elder God?

  >Vincent: Not yet, but I only arrived at Edgelight recently. An angel trapped me on a distant Challenge World for a few decades.

  Jim’s voice sighed over the chat.

  >Jim: You almost had me considering your offer. If you had beaten an Elder God—something I haven’t even accomplished yet—then you would’ve impressed me.

  >Vincent: Join my team and we can kill one together. I have a spell in the works that’ll defeat anything. Any boss, any angel, any god. It should even break the skybox.

  >Jim: Ooh, you’re a big talker, aren’t you?

  >Vincent: Only when I have results to back it up. Let me show you my experimental spell, and I promise you’ll be impressed.

  >Jim: Having the biggest, most powerful spell in the game doesn’t mean anything. My strongest spell can level a castle, but it can’t kill an Elder God. I’ve learned it’ll take more than just power to beat this game. You have to be smart. You have to be tactical. But most importantly, you have to be relentless!

  >Vincent: I am!

  >Jim: Then show me. That’s all that matters here: actions, not words.

  Crow-Foot Jim has ended your private chat.

  Vincent picked up his pace for the orange peaks in the south. Although he saw no monsters, he did spot a figure on one of the adjacent hills that disappeared into the valley.

  >Vincent: Dev, I’m heading into this world’s version of the Garden. I think they already spotted me, but I’ll be prepared to self-destruct if anything goes wrong.

  >Devon: I’m almost there. You want me to follow you or hang back?

  >Vincent: Wait until you hear from me. If I sound weird, assume the worst.

  >Devon: Got it.

  Vincent swapped his cloak for Silpher’s Coat, then held his Lotus Capsule steady between his teeth as he descended the steep slope. Like he’d expected, the forest below reminded him of the Garden, although didn’t spot any buildings.

  I assume he’ll send two or three people after me at once, Vincent thought, equipping Heliostorm. If so, I might be able to wipe everyone out at the same time with my experimental attack.

  Once Vincent reached the forest and could feel himself regaining mana at a normal rate, he floated off the ground with Zero Field. He kept his speed low, so he didn’t use much mana, but the main reason for using the ability at all was to stay quiet. Aside from the slight rustle of air, and his own breathing, the only noises he heard were unseen animals. The flapping and chirping of birds sounded throughout the forest, although most were far away. He thought he recognized the light steps of a deer out of his sight. With his high Perception, Vincent even heard the slither of a snake somewhere in the grass about ten meters to his right.

  He made it halfway to the center of the region—where he hoped to find a lake or cave like in the Garden—before noticing quick footsteps in the grass. Vincent took cover beside a tree trunk, but the steps continued like they hadn’t heard him.

  Through gaps in the trees, he spotted Jim. His friend moved slowly, and he seemed to have boots with Sound Dampening equipped. His body was partially hidden by his Ghost Cloak, but it’d been halfway burned up in their last battle against the angels.

  Vincent jettisoned from his cover, charging Greater Voidfire with Heliostorm to reduce the cost while increasing the size. Jim must’ve heard the wind from his movement, and the man jumped away with Gravity Bounce, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

  However, with his higher levels and the boost from Zero Field, Vincent was far quicker than his friend. He closed in the gap, even as Jim cast Crow Storm. Before the crows reached Vincent, he unleashed his spell, which turned his hammer into half-melted slag.

  The rolling storm of black flames consumed all the crows in an instant, then continued toward Jim. He tried to launch himself into the air with his Gravity Bounce, but the attack exploded and caused the flames to spread. Even with his Alcubierre Shield, Jim couldn’t escape the attack, and he lost the bottom half of his body in the blast. Since he couldn’t land on his Gravity Web without legs, the top half of his body plummeted back into the black flames and disappeared.

  Good, I got Jim. If Ezra is smart, he’ll try to jump me while my mana is low. He can’t let me pick off his puppets one by one like this.

  Vincent levitated above the canopy, but he kept his eyes on the ground as he drank. Before he even finished the first bottle, a gravitational ripple ran through the air, and he narrowly avoided and Scanned it.

  Gravity Gatling (Requires Gravity Fist | Requires Gatling Breaker) – Mana Usage: High | Sends a projectile Gravity Fist through the air at the speed of the user’s punch. This attack includes all upgrades the user has added to their Gravity Fist.

  Vincent aimed Heliostorm toward the attack’s source, spotting Quinn as she charged through the forest. As he drew mana from his coat, he hoped the metal slag that remained of the hammer could channel one more spell, then he Power Launched Voidfire at the woman.

  An upgraded World Wall appeared first, stopping the attack before it reached Quinn. Vincent sighed as he unequipped the half-melted handle, the only thing that had survived of Heliostorm. Before he could spot Xan, the ground below thundered, and then four spouts of world magic rose high enough into the air to almost reach him. He took a moment to Scan them.

  Pillar of Creation (Upgraded) – Mana Usage: Medium+ | Sends a shockwave into the ground that sprays raw world magic into the air for five seconds. | Upgrades – Cycle of Life: When the pillar collapses, it leaves behind a powerful mist that the user can absorb to recover two-thirds of the mana spent for the ability.

  Vincent only skimmed the text because he knew Xan would use All
Field to detonate the spouts. He flew higher and farther away with Zero Field, then readied himself as the Pillars of Creation exploded with brilliant flashes. The towering lights left in their wake would’ve no doubt been seen from miles away, and they engulfed Vincent’s field of view for several seconds before fading.

  With quick thinking, he had managed to unequip Silpher’s Coat to save it, and his improved Density Shield protected him from sustaining too much damage. He shrugged off the blast, then prepared for a counterattack. Before he saw anyone, six ghostly blades pierced through him from different directions, pinning him in place in the air.

  “What the hell?” Vincent gasped, struggling to get out the words as the blades drained his power.

  These aren’t like Xan’s old blades. Even six of those wouldn’t stop me in my tracks.

  Vincent looked over the ghostly swords, noticing how elegant they appeared compared to the generic blades of Xan’s old spell. Although the weapons had been ethereal while flying, the moment they had stabbed into him they’d taken a somewhat crystalline state. Vincent Scanned one of the blades as he struggled to break free.

  Seventh Heaven (Requires Light-Drain Longsword | Requires All Blade) – Mana Usage: Very High | Creates a sword of stabilized world magic. The user may create six ethereal copies of Seventh Heaven that they can freely control. These blades can absorb large amounts of light to send back to the original Seventh Heaven.

  Vincent didn’t feel threatened, since he was so high in the air—until he saw Xan flying up to meet him with white wings growing from her back. Despite the immediate danger, Vincent couldn’t help but smile when he saw her.

  “Xan!” he said, laughing through the pain. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’m happy to see you and Quinn again. I’ll have you two free in no time.”

  Xan reached out her hand, and white lines extended from her fingertips. Vincent tightened his teeth on the Lotus Capsule, but took a split-second to Scan the strings—as well as Xan’s wings—before biting down. Xan, or rather Ezra who was controlling her, clearly realized what he was doing, and put up a shield of world magic before Vincent exploded.