“You know, you say cryptic crap like that, and forget that I’ve been in this game less than a day.”
“Oh, right. When Ku coalesces, it means the realm that is disturbing it is about to witness a major event. It is hard to say how that will manifest, but in one realm it was an apocalypse. It was a high tech computer hacking world, and by the time it was over, the realm had a [Divergent Parallel]. That means the world divided and [Authors] had a choice, stay in the high tech world, or join the post-apoc cyberpunk one. Here, there has only been one incident, and that was when Ro created the [Magic Dome] that surrounds the territory where she was born. No one can come or go, not even the goddess. She built the dome to hide away, and the Russian [Authors] publish grand stories from within the dome. We are not sure if this was a side effect of the Father’s quest, or if his quest was created because of it. Only he knows, and he has remained tight-lipped about it.”
“How does he rationalize his actions?”
“It’s simple arrogance, and the implications of all this go much deeper. This is the crux of why you are here, so pay attention. Realms have one portal out, and to get access to that portal the [Author] has to be involved in killing the [World Boss]. A massive beast that takes thousands of people to kill.”
“So I’m stuck here until I kill the beast?”
“Yes, but you still have a body, so you aren’t trapped yet. I could transfer you right now, and you could walk away. I’ve confirmed that the Father will try to summon Trademark and use the Archgod to claim Ro, compromising her. We tried to explain the implications, but he has refused to listen to reason. He refuses to drop the quest because he won’t give up his power without a fight.”
“Why not just slide a patch in and break the quest chain?”
“We can’t. There are legally binding service level agreements in place. Legally we cannot interfere. We’ve put measures in place to prevent anyone else pulling this same shit, but we have to let the quest play out.”
“And if he succeeds?”
“Ro becomes one of the Fallen. This is a single god realm; if she becomes a [Fallen God], then her only source of power would be from her followers. It won’t be enough for her to sustain this realm and Zon will claim it once more. He would take everyone and everything that cannot leave the realm.”
“Shit tits.”
“Yeah. All those people trapped here, and not just the [Ghost Writers], would get deleted. My daughter would get erased.”
Damn. No wonder he has it out for the Father.
“The company you work for, they won’t help?”
“No, because people like you are considered property. You are dead as far as the world knows and removing the [Ghost Writers] is as good as deleting evidence. In fact, I’d bet management was involved in giving the Father that quest.”
“Double damn. I will help you, for your daughter. But the threats end now, if I do this, we are partners. Just tell me how to help.”
“Why? Why risk it?”
I knew why, but I hesitated to tell him. It was one of the best and worse moments of my life, and there was a debt owed. Not that I blamed myself. My parents were assholes; I understood that, but I still felt the need to atone—to balance the scales.
“You already know, my dad tried to kill me more times than I want to admit or think about. Electricity, fire, cold, dirty needles, poisoned food, and the list goes on. One year, our crop spoiled leaving us with little food for the winter. They gave me toilet water to drink and occasionally a moldy crust of bread. Lying in my bed, shivering, I thought they had ended my life until my little sister appeared. She would sneak me food when she could, and I felt myself recovering.” I paused, trying to get my shaking voice under control. “She would sit with me, play games and we’d talk—something the rest of my family never did. For once in my life, I experienced a moment of joy and hope. Until they discovered what she was doing—she turned twelve when spring came, and they married her off to some man three times her age. They traded her for some sheep and seed, and I never saw her again. Guilt eats at me, and I know it was not my fault, but there it is. Maybe helping save your daughter will ease some of my guilt.”
“I’m sorry you went through that.” Dr. Soulstoner said gruffly, and he nonchalantly rubbed his eyes. “My child means everything to me, and I’d do anything to save her. Uploading her was not my first choice, but my final stand. I shouldn’t have threatened you before, but I mainly get death row inmates. If I saw you as a kid—well I ignored what you are, and that was wrong. I—thank you, Deuce.
“Apology accepted, now tell me what you need from me.” My decisiveness surprised me, and I realized I meant every word.
“Time. I’ve set you a series of quests, just follow them to get stronger. I am not sure we can stop the Father, but if can delay him, I have a few ideas to prevent this realm from collapsing. You probably won’t be much help, but I’ll what I can get. For now, you need to go to Sharmon and meet with Sonya.” Dr. Soulstoner rambled on and gave me several points of interest he wanted me to visit. At the end, the next quest appeared.
[Quest: Reptile’s Revenge
Quest Chain: Way of the Mortal Combatant
Task: Enter Reptile’s temple and defeat him.
Bonus: Kill the boss with a finishing move (increases the reward).
Reward: A Feat, gold, and Tokens of Acclimation.]
I accepted it, and the doc left. Once I was alone, I took a deep breath to get my head straight. It had been a while since I had thought about my sister. As I headed downstairs, my one thought was that I hoped she was living a happy life.
Chapter 12
Location: Shreddit
With a destination and a dungeon ahead of me, I needed to find a monk trainer and get actual training. Despite a lot of things working as they did in the real world, I wanted to get more comfortable with my four arms.
The common area of the inn was still busy, and I assumed that was a regular occurrence. It made sense since inns were the city’s quest hub. All rumors and jobs boards were here. It did not mean quests only existed here, but inns made it so I could turn in any quest without tracking down the quest giver. Besides, I was not about to take standard quests. If I wanted to kill a thousand rats, I’d do it on my terms, not because some weird freak wanted rat tails.
I exited the building and stepped to the side of the door to reorient myself on the bustling street. Some residents stopped to gawk at me shamelessly, but a four-armed mutant was a circus novelty.
Mostly, the city overwhelmed me, but in a good way. My parents never let me out around groups of people. It was better if I remained locked in my basement they would explain. I knew they were embarrassed, but I also knew I wasn’t the only birth defect in my town.
It was interesting how people viewed freaks in-game. Most [Authors] thought my mutant nature was awesome. The NPCs were polite, but it was hard to tell if they cared or not. Out in the real world, I did not get the same reception.
The monk trainer was where the guard had said. The location had a wall that was twice my height and covered with ivy. Outwardly, nothing indicated this was the right place, but I knew I belonged here.
There was a single point of entry, and it was large enough to allow a wagon to pass through. Unlike most places, no heavy doors barred the way, just a wrought-iron gate that was fully open. I doubted they shut the gate if the rust and dirt build up was any sign.
Above the entrance, there was no plant life which exposed the stone wall beneath, and an engraved metal sign was anchored there for all to see. A sign that once read sent chills down my spine.
[Beware the Dragon that guards this temple]
“Boy, don’t enter that place. I’ve not seen a dragon, but [Authors] that go in end up at the [Altar]. Residents that go in don’t come out the same. Addled, ya see.” The old man tapped his head and cackled at me. The click of his wooden staff followed him down the street as he walked off.
It would not scare me off, but
he caused me some concern. Peering inside, the garden was quiet, and a well-maintained path lined with stones took a meandering route through the trees. The spacing of the trees limited visibility, and I did not see anything of immediate concern.
Out of respect, I stayed on the track. Occasionally, a gray blur caught the corner of my, and it reminded me of Earle.
How did that bastard escape the dungeon? If that Satan spawned squirrel attacked me, I’d burn down his forest. And then kill every blasted squirrel that escaped. Genocide on a scale not seen since Hitler. They’ll call it the Great Squirrel Purge of — Hmm, does this realm have a calendar?
My speculation was unnecessary. The trail ended and the squirrel, if that’s what it was, never showed itself. Besides, I can’t tell those squirrels apart, so it probably wasn’t Earle, anyway.
Exiting the trees, I entered a glade with a small temple at one side and a pond on the other. A gradual grassy slope extended between the two locations. It was an idyllic setting, and I could feel all my stress seeping away. Near the pond, a monk sat on a stump staring into the water.
Not choosing to interrupt him and I sat on a flat boulder nearby. I too stared over the pond while resting all four of my hands on my legs, with their palms face up. I doubt I went unnoticed by the monk, but I would not be the one to break the silence.
The warmth of the sun seeped into my bones while I waited, and I smiled at the simple of joy of living. Locked in a cellar, I did not get to feel the sun on my face much, and I understood it wasn’t real, but it was amazing all the same.
There was also something soothing about large bodies of water, and while gazing over it, I spotted a rippling on the smooth glass surface. A creature—I hesitated to call a fish—jumped out of the water and inflated itself. Seconds after it caught fire, and hovered, drifting slightly in the lazy breeze.
“Grab it, boy.” The monk said, his voice sounding as ancient as his temple. He never looked towards me, but I recognized a command when I heard one.
Pain meant nothing to me, not after the life I lived. I grabbed the flaming creature without hesitation, and—huh, I did not expect it to be soft as a pillow. The fire danced across all four fists and then my arms and kept going until my entire body was on fire. I felt none of this, not because I’m some heroic god of the inferno, but because it was not burning me.
“[Dragon Fist], absorb the flames into your body. The core of who you are is in the essence of fire and its nature. Fire is many things; it is destruction and rebirth, wisdom and purification, passion and rage. Own it, and it’s yours, only then can we begin your training.”
I did not understand what he was talking about, but I suffer from a good imagination. I realized this was my [Ku] and I needed it. Unbidden, I thought of a circus clown swallowing fire and did just that. I inhaled and sucked that fire so hard.
This time I felt pain. Once started, I could not stop the flames from entering my body. The bones in my jaw creaked as my mouth tried to open wider. An immeasurable amount of heat burned down my throat and roasted me from the inside out.
Flames burst from my eyes, and I knew my irises had changed to an amber color. Just as I knew tattoos of fire spread up my arms, creating sleeves of flames from my wrist up to my shoulder. I could even sense the thickening of my skin.
“Unusual, but interesting,” The trainer said. “You may release the [Dragon Fish] now.”
The soft creature in my hand had deflated, and now it looked more like an eel with whisker-like protrusions on its sides. I leaned over and released it back into the water. A flip of its tail and it once more disappeared into the depths of the pool. I was not sure how deep the water went, but I sensed that I would run out of air well before I touched the bottom.
“And that should awaken the fire in you, which is now the source of all your mana. Your [Ku] will never gain affinity with any other element.”
“Not even if I switch classes?”
“Nope, but you are lucky. Confucius, my master, used to say ‘I want you to be everything that’s you, deep at the center of your being.’ The fire inside of you won’t change, but you are lucky because you already know what your [Ku] is. It is rare to find an [Author] who has discovered theirs this soon.”
“If [Ku] is creation—nevermind, I create fire.”
The monk chuckled but did not look at me. “It is good you understand. Fire has the power to destroy or renew; it is the person that wields it who is unpredictable. Don’t let that anger bottled inside you get control. Meditate on what you’ve learned, and then I will upgrade your [Iron Skin] skill and help you learn two [Dragon Fist] abilities.”
Interesting, how did he know? I sat on my rock once more and closed my eyes. Unbidden, my system messages appeared.
[You discovered your Ku!
Your form of creation is fire. Fire comes in a lot of variations, all of which influence your Ku and Core. As a Dragon Fist, you will need to convert all Monk related skills by using your Inner Dragon, which is the fire type this class uses.
Summarized: Fire is your type of Ku, Ku is your Core which resides inside you, and your Core is a receptacle of mana or energy needed to use certain spells or skills.
Inner Dragon is not a skill. It is your source of power. The fire inside of you will replenish by 1 point per 10 seconds, or you can absorb heat from around you to replenish yourself. Draining your Inner Dragon will extinguish the fire in your Core. Your energy will not regenerate if your Core is extinguished.
Reigniting your Inner Dragon requires a source of fire that matches your current power. (Pro Tip: Dragon Fire of any kind or power will ignite your Inner Dragon instantly, like the fire given to you by the Dragon Fish)
Upgrading your Inner Dragon requires you to find a unique source of fire. While leveling increases mana flow by opening new pathways for mana, and the amount of mana you can absorb, it doesn’t increase its power. Not only do different sources of fire upgrade your power, but it can also transform your Inner Dragon and your Ku (Hint: Ku transformations affect all of your classes, not just the current one.)]
“Master, may I ask your name,” I said opening my eyes, and he held out a hand palm up. I slapped it assuming he wanted a high five.
“Kin.”
“Just Kin?”
“Idiot, my name is not Justin, its Kin. And you need to pay me 50 [Tokens of Acclimation].” The monk still sat there staring at the water and did not look towards me.
“What am I purchasing?” I questioned because I wasn’t sure if the monk was messing with me or not. Not waiting for the answer, I handed over the tokens because I didn’t want to piss him off.
[You purchased the skill: Dragon’s Density (Cost: 15 Tokens of Acclimation | Requirements: Dragon based classes)
You purchased the skill manual: Fire Breath (Cost: 25 Tokens of Acclimation | Requirements: Fire based Ku)
You purchased the skill manual: Dragon Strike (Cost: 10 Tokens of Acclimation | Requirements: Dragon based classes)]
“Oh, new skills, but why the differences in price?”
“The [Dragon’s Density] is a low level and an [Uncommon] skill. [Fire Breath] is a [Rare] skill and usable by many classes. [Dragon Strike] I gave you a discount because most people that follow the path of a dragon end up hunted to extinction.”
“How did you know I was a [Dragon Fist]?”
“The dragon told me,” Kin said which startled me. “You thought as the others did, that the warning was hollow. The dragon sensed a kinship in you and allowed you to pass. Do not worry; I too follow the path of fire, so your secret is safe with me. I do have one request before I train you; invite me to the [Order of the Dragon].”
[Kin has asked to join the Order of the Dragon, do you wish to invite him?]
The monk still did not turn to look at me, and while it did not make me uneasy, it made me wonder about his motive. “I cannot take you on as an acolyte yet, and I am not looking for people to worship me. I do not want to become the Father.”
Kin laughed. “Boy, I will not worship you, and you still have much to learn. The Order of the Dragon is about more than the [Dragon Fists], but I admit that they were the power behind the Order. Like the Dragons, the order stood upon principles of honor, and they all abide by a code of conduct. It was the greed of the elders which brought them down.”
That was new. The description of the order had mentioned nothing about it. “Explain that please.”
“Initially, there was one monastery. With the introduction of the [Dragon Fists], they realized that one monastery could not hold on to the ideals of each order. Nine monasteries formed, the last of which followed the Path of Fire.”
“When did the in-fighting occur?”
“Liaki wasn’t known for being reasonable, so it was not long before a council of elders formed to maintain balance and order. Liaki agreed to this, but had consolidated so much power that the other orders feared him. That fear does not excuse their actions. They sacrificed their honor for power, and that is an unforgivable sin.”
“So they attacked the Order of the Dragon?”
“Worse, they created the [Water Shadows], a legendary order of assassins which violated every principle of the monasteries. Killers for hire? Bah! This slight has been left untended for too long, and their sins weaken us all. I want to join you because I hope to live long enough to watch them fall, especially the Father.”
“The Father is an elder?”
“No, he is the man that corrupted them with greed and deception. The elders of old would have stopped when they destroyed the order. Now? They aren’t killing those of us attuned to fire, but selling us—”
“Gnoks,” I said, not realizing the word had slipped out of my mouth.
The Land of Trademark Online Page 8
