by E A Hooper
You’ve died. Respawning at your Checkpoint Crystal…
Vincent respawned and set another Checkpoint Crystal, but he couldn’t stop smiling. Something about seeing his friends, and knowing all four of the original World Knights were together on the same world, had filled him with joy. He continued to smile even as he read over the two spells that he’d Scanned.
Puppet Strings (Requires Phantom Reanimation | Requires World Stun | Upgraded) – Mana Usage: Varies | The user must be connected to a source of world magic to use this spell. | Cast on a dying, weakened, or willing target to create a connection that gives the user influence over the target. This spell drains mana over time, and each additional puppet requires extra mana to control. | Upgrades – Energy Efficient: Reduces mana cost for controlling multiple puppets at once if the user remains still. | Conduit: You may channel your own spells through a puppet at a 20% cost increase.
All Wings (Requires All Field | Requires Light Wings) – Mana Usage: High+ | The user creates wings of stabilized world magic that allow flight. These wings create an invisible connection between the user and a nearby world, allowing them to maintain a world magic link if they already have one established.
Wow, both are impressive spells. That Conduit upgrade to Ezra’s spell lets him make more puppets without ever interacting with his targets directly. As for the wings, it looks like Xan came up with those to imitate the way the angels fly around while still drawing world magic. Now she doesn’t need to glue herself to the ground to use her best spells.
>Devon: Vince? Vince, are you there?
>Vincent: Yeah, I got Jim, then had to self-destruct.
>Devon: Okay, I was just checking. He sent me a message saying he’s heading for the forest. The three of us should be able to overpower Xan, Quinn, and Ezra, right?
>Vincent: I think so. We should be okay now that I know about Xan’s newest abilities. You probably should’ve warned me about that Seventh Heaven spell. It’s incredibly effective against my Density Shield.
>Devon: Oh, sorry. If you didn’t see, she has wings now that let her use world magic in the sky.
>Vincent: I noticed that. What about Quinn? What’s she got up her sleeves, besides projectile Gravity Fists?
>Devon: She also has an Alcubierre Shield. There’ve been quite a few new spells she’s developed, but I think the only one you need to look out for is Negative Wave. A direct hit would probably kill you, and the shockwave it sends out might still hurt despite your Density Shield. If you see a ton of black sparks, just back off. If I see them, I’m probably dead no matter what I do. I wouldn’t even need a Lotus Capsule.
>Vincent: Alright, I’m on my way. I’ll give you the go-ahead signal when I get there.
Vincent hurried back toward the forest, but he noticed Nihilai flying in the same direction.
I almost forgot about that thing. Might as well try to intercept her.
Vincent placed a Lotus Capsule in his teeth once again and took off into the air with Zero Field. However, before he reached the dragon kite, Jim’s Deletion Cannon tore across the sky and struck the boss out of the air. Vincent rushed to the scene, knowing Nihilai could resew itself in seconds, and he hurled a Greater Voidfire onto the hilltop where the boss had crashed.
When Vincent reached the top of the petal’s curvature, he saw flames burning across the valley. Few pieces remained of Nihilai, but each one reached out with strings to try and put themselves back together.
Vincent and Jim met in the valley, both drinking potions. Between another Voidfire and Crow Storm, they quickly destroyed the remaining pieces of the dragon kite.
“Woah,” Jim said. “Instead of splitting the stat boosts between us, it looks like I got all of it this time. I kind of forgot Ezra took me off your team.”
“Lucky you,” Vincent said, reaching out to send a team invite.
Jim rejoined the group, but he stared at his HUD for a few seconds. “Hey, that boss had some good items to choose from. Like a flag I can use as a respawn point.”
“Don’t worry about that, we need to free Xan and Quinn,” Vincent said, hurrying toward the orange peak south of the valley. “We’ve almost got our team back together. You know how long it’s been?”
“Like forever!” Jim said, following. “Since I was possessed during Isaac’s War, I didn’t get to fight alongside you guys. The last time the four of us actually worked together was Lucas, right? That was lifetimes ago!”
“I know,” Vincent said, grinning ear to ear. “After all these years we’re almost back together—for real this time. Ezra’s the only thing in our way.”
“Then I almost feel sorry for him,” Jim said, smiling as well.
Vincent and Jim reached the top of the peak.
>Devon: Hey, I see you guys! I’m one petal over, but I’m still in my Ghost Cloak. Are we going in now?
>Vincent: Yeah, let me and Jim stay a few seconds ahead. You follow behind to give us support.
>Devon: Got it.
Vincent and Jim headed into the forest. It took them almost an hour to reach a lake in the middle of the trees, but they didn’t see anyone else. As they slowed to look for caves or hiding spots, Vincent spotted a white carp the size of a truck in the water.
“Hey, Jim—” Vincent said, cutting himself off as the carp leapt from the water. He raised his hand to knock it away with Zero Field, but the carp exploded, unleashing a wave of world magic.
Jim’s Alcubierre Shield hurled him from the blast, and Vincent shrugged it off easily enough. However, two glowing deer came rushing at him before detonating themselves. Once again, Vincent only took light damage.
>Jim: They’re world magic creations. I don’t think Xan has any spell like this, so they must be Ezra’s.
>Vincent: Keep looking for Xan or Quinn. Ezra’s only trying to distract us.
A white hawk with a three-meter wingspan dove from the sky, but Vincent cast Zero Field and launched it the other way before it could explode. He ignored the eye-searing flash of light and searched the tree line for Xan or Quinn.
Jim used Gravity Bounce to escape the blast of another deer, and then he anchored himself in the air with Gravity Web. From his vantage point, he peered across the area before yelling, “Vince!”
Two of Seventh Heaven’s ethereal blades flew toward Jim, but he dove away in time. Before Vincent could find their source, he saw black sparks in the air. When he stared at the trees, he noticed the black static running along the bark, the leaves, and the ground.
Then Quinn came rushing toward him, her whole body covered in black lightning.
Vincent raised his hand to cast Voidfire, and Quinn punched the air in response. All the black lightning surged outward in a wave, and then a gravitational shockwave continued where the main attack ended. The shockwave compressed the ground like a giant’s hammer had struck, and all the nearby rocks shattered into dust. The attack that Vincent presumed to be Negative Wave collided with Voidfire and snuffed it out before continuing toward him. It washed over Vincent, and his body felt crushed under immense pressure before the spell hurled him across the lake.
As Vincent flew over the water, the entire lake exploded from the attack’s enormous pressure. Vincent hit a tree, which splintered like a twig, then continued onward as the shockwave smashed through the forest.
After several seconds, Vincent finally slid to a stop. The spell had only broken a few ribs and bruised his chest, but that still impressed him considering he’d only been hit by the shockwave and not the black lightning.
Quinn sprinted after Vincent with superhuman quickness, but before the man could ready himself one of Ezra’s world magic creations, that time an owl, exploded near him. He hit the dirt, then raised his head to see Quinn charging another Negative Wave.
Vincent cast Greater Voidfire out of desperation. When Quinn tried to punch through it, both attacks exploded, and she disappeared in the flames. Vincent’s own attack showered over him, burning through his clothes and eating awa
y at his flesh. Once the flames passed, he shot several potions into his arm with the Fast Injector.
While he tried to recover, four white deer charged from the woods. Vincent cast Zero Field and flew from the ground, barely escaping the successive explosions. However, one of Xan’s ethereal blades greeted him and stabbed him through his chest. He smashed the blade, but then two more struck him from different angles.
Xan flew past, slicing through Vincent’s jaw with Seventh Heaven. The attack cut the muscles in his jaw, ripping the Lotus Capsule right out of his mouth. As Vincent raised his hand to equip another capsule, she released two more ethereal blades that stabbed into his arms.
“I’ve got you this time!” Xan said, raising her hand to cast Puppet Strings.
When the strings of world magic touched his body, Vincent felt his muscles seizing, but he didn’t lose control just yet.
“Ah, your shield is very powerful,” Xan said. “Definitely harder to crack than the Alcubierre Shield.”
>Vincent: Devon, he has me! I don’t know if Jim respawned or got caught, but you should fall back. Quinn might respawn somewhere nearby.
>Devon: Okay, I’m sorry. I tried to reach you guys, but those white deer kept exploding by me.
>Vincent: Don’t worry about that. Just get to safety.
Xan stabbed him with Seventh Heaven’s ethereal blades one by one, draining more of Vincent’s strength. He felt his body grow numb and then cold. The ringing of frequencies filled his head as the Puppet Strings surged with power.
Everything around Vincent became blurry, and then finally he saw only a white void. He could feel his body moving, but he didn’t know where it was going. In the whiteness, he thought he saw other figures. He thought he could hear a woman’s voice, but she sounded so far away.
>Vincent: Xan? Xan, is that you?
His own voice sounded like a whisper, but it wasn’t coming from his mouth.
>Alexandria: Vince, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again. I’m just sorry it’s under these circumstances.
>Vincent: It’s okay. I’m just happy we’re all together again. I managed to kill Quinn. I’m sure she and Jim will figure out something. We always get out of these messes.
>Alexandria: Well, not always. We didn’t save you last time. You don’t know how much I regretted leaving you behind.
>Vincent: Don’t worry about that. That’s all in the past. Same with whatever arguments you and Quinn had with Jim or the rest of the guild, for that matter. We need to keep looking forward.
>Alexandria: I wish it were that simple, Vince. That’s exactly what Quinn and I tried to do, but no one wanted to follow us. Most of the guild wanted to wait for you, or experiment with pointless weaponry, or they simply gave up. I thought if Quinn and I kept climbing, it’d inspire the others, but it only created more distance between them and us.
>Ezra: That’s just how people are.
That new, raspy voice pierced Vincent’s head and was even louder than Xan’s.
>Ezra: The strong have to leave the weak behind eventually. Your bonds can only take you so far.
>Vincent: That’s not true. Our bonds brought us all the way to the top of the World-Tree. We’re only a few challenges away from beating the game.
>Ezra: Oh, don’t give me that cheesy nonsense. Your willpower brought you this far. You grinded, you fought, you struggled. That’s all that matters—an iron will. Maybe if your will were a little stronger, you’d have beaten me.
>Vincent: What the hell is wrong with you? You can’t keep us as puppets forever. This idea will never work.
>Ezra: I can make it work. You two are all I need. We three are the strongest players in the entire World-Tree. If I relocate us to one of my old training chambers, we can grind for another hundred years, then take on the Elder Gods.
>Vincent: If you join us, we can put together a team with more people. We could go after the Gods right now.
>Ezra: Most of your friends are dead weight. How many of them can even survive a minute against the Elder Gods?
>Alexandria: Vince, there’s no point in arguing with him. Quinn and I have tried for weeks. He’s the most stubborn person I’ve ever met.
>Vincent: Even more stubborn than me?
>Alexandria: Well, it’s a close race.
Vincent smiled. It took him a few seconds to catch himself grinning, or even notice he could see through his own eyes again, but then the moment passed. His mouth went numb, and his vision started going white.
This isn’t like devil possession, Vincent reminded himself. He had to overpower my Density Shield to get his Puppet Strings to work. Not to mention, he has to spend mana over time to keep control over us. I remember how futile it was when Izrid took over me, but maybe this time I can do something about it.
Vincent tried to focus on his body, but he still couldn’t feel it. So instead, he started trying to sense for any frequencies. It didn’t take him long to feel the gaps in frequency and the fluctuations in gravity from his Density Shield. Little by little, he saw the black silhouette of his own body appear in the surrounding white void. He focused harder, trying to move his pinky, and he saw the slightest twitch.
>Ezra: Feel free to try. I’d be truly impressed if you managed to break out of my spell. Your friends certainly put up a good struggle.
>Alexandria: Vince, you might have a better chance than us. You’ve always been the expert on frequencies, after all. Quinn thought she could use negative energy to break his spell, but she didn’t make much progress in the time we had.
Vincent focused on his Density Shield, feeling the aura of nothingness around his body. Once he had that feeling in his mind’s eye, he tried to imagine himself pushing away the strings of world magic that seemed to have intertwined themselves through him. However, the wires held steady, only trembling slightly—as if someone had pulled a guitar string.
Vincent watched the strings appear in the white void while they trembled, revealing another silhouette he hadn’t seen before. He could see a man, sitting with his legs crossed. There was something stuck in his neck—a mechanism that ticked every second like a clock.
Then the silhouette disappeared from Vincent’s view.
That must be Ezra, Vincent realized. That thing is his neck reminded me of my Fast Injector, only hooked up to some kind of mechanism. Maybe if I focus on that, and the sound of it, I can keep him in my view.
Vincent felt for his Density Shield again, then sent another ripple through the strings to find Ezra. He focused on the mechanism as it ticked away every second with another click sound. When the vibrations ended, making them disappear from his view, Ezra’s silhouette remained visible.
>Ezra: I feel you watching me, Vincent. I’m afraid you won’t see anything interesting. My body will stay hidden while you and Alexandria will do all of the fighting for me.
Vincent felt a surge of pressure that almost drowned out his vision, but he focused on Ezra’s frequencies and managed to keep sight of him after the wave passed. He could feel the aura of world magic around Ezra, almost like the power of an angel.
But this doesn’t compare to Rosaria.
Vincent focused on his own negative energy, building it up in his mind like a wall, and then he pushed it at Ezra. The man’s silhouette twitched, and then he waved his hand as if batting away a fly.
>Alexandria: Did you do that, Vince? I saw shadows in all this blurriness.
>Vincent: I think I’m on to something. Ezra is having trouble containing my power. My overall levels and frequency control must be higher than his. Am I right, Ezra?
Ezra’s voice echoed with laughter across the emptiness.
>Ezra: I won’t lie, you’re starting to impress me. Yes, you’re stronger than me. I have no idea how you managed that, but it doesn’t matter. My will is still greater. My drive is unbeatable.
Vincent imagined himself raising his fist, and negative energy rippled across the lines, causing Ezra’s fist to jerk up in response. Vince
nt could feel his body mimicking the action as he regained partial control. He punched himself in the face, and Ezra’s body mimicked the action—to the man’s surprise.
>Ezra: What the hell?
>Vincent: Unbeatable will, huh?
>Ezra: You can’t—
Vincent punched himself in the face again, and Ezra’s silhouette repeated. The two men punched themselves a few more times, while Xan’s silhouette watched and laughed, but then Ezra used his free hand to grab the arm that Vincent had been controlling.
>Ezra: Stop this childishness! How are you even doing this?
>Vincent: These strings of yours stun enemies and then overpower their nervous systems. However, it opens yourself up to them in the process. Since I’m more powerful, it’s just a matter of using negative energy to turn the connection against you.
As Vincent’s control over Ezra grew, he realized he could see through the man’s eyes. Ezra appeared to be sitting in an underground tunnel, likely below the forest. However, what caught Vincent’s attention next were the light footsteps moving through the darkness. Ezra noticed them too, moments after Vincent, and turned his head.
“Who goes there?” Ezra shouted, rising to his feet.
Before Ezra could cast any spells, Vincent made him punch himself in the face while he was distracted. By the time Ezra pulled his fist away, Devon had revealed himself from his Ghost Cloak. The young man dove forward, tackled him to the ground, then bit into a Lotus Capsule.
Vincent saw a flash, and the white void around him disappeared. He found himself back in his game avatar, standing in the forest near Xan.
“What happened?” Xan questioned.
Vincent stared in surprise at her. “Devon got him!” He sent her a friend invite and added her back to the World Knights.
>Vincent: Dev, you respawn yet?
>Devon: Holy crap, what a rush! I can’t believe I killed him!
>Alexandria: That’s amazing, Dev! How’d you even find him?
>Devon: Vince told me about a different Challenge World where he was trapped. He said there were underground tunnels extending below a well. After he got captured, I took a shot in the dark and went searching the forest for one. My Ghost Cloak kept me from getting spotted and, sure enough, I found a well. Ezra wasn’t even very far into the tunnel.
