The Cheater's Return

by Brian McGoldrick

  "This is unexpected. You are not in my current temporal existence. How did you manage to insert your consciousness into my tome from the future?" With an air of expectancy, the old man pauses and stares at me.

  "Hmm. Not talking? Or is it that you cannot talk? Perhaps, you are just an observer. Whatever your circumstances, your awareness carries an aura of one that has already died. You must have somehow inherited the Power of the Bloody Head of the Mound, and you appearing here, like this, means that you will also attain possession of my tome." Seemingly lost in thought, the old man continues to stare for some time.

  "For many thousands of years, those with the Talents of Foresight and Prophecy have been warning of a dark time to come. We all thought their warnings were toward the Fomhoraigh, but now that the Fomhoraigh are now gone, their warnings continue. In your Soul, I sense chains that unnaturally bind you. This may be related to the warnings of the Seers.

  "You are neither a Smith nor any other sort of Maker, but you seem to have the Earth Power of the ancient God. If you have his lore, you have the potential to, one day, master my Divine Smithing. I will include some extra lore for you, but you will have to master what comes before to unlock it."

  The old man pulls dozens of thin sheets of metal out of thin air and furiously scribble on them, with a metal stylus, but I cannot see what he is writing. After a time, he flips me over, and all I can see is a stone surface beneath me.

  Despite having nothing resembling a sense of touch, I am aware of the old man inserting the metal sheets into my physical form, and that awareness makes my skin crawl.

  Do I have skin? If I do not have skin, how can I have such an unpleasant feeling related to my skin?

  When the old man flips me over again, he has a pensive look on his face. "I know not when you come from, but I can tell that is rather far into my future, a future where I will be gone. Very soon, I will enter the final sleep of death.

  "Even though you have inherited the mantle of the Bloody Chief of the Mound, I have long since ceased to judge others, but since you have my legacy, I would ask that you act to preserve Tathlum. Since coming to this world, it has become the home of my heart. I would see its existence preserved."

  * * * * *

  The blackness fades, and I drop the Divine Smithing tome. It has become thicker than it was before I used Item Ancestry on it.

  As I stare at the tome on the ground, a shiver runs through my body. A feeling of unprecedented danger drives frigid needles into my entire body.

  I activate my QCP Vision and examine the tome.

  Black-tinged gold chains appear from the empty air and strike at the Divine Smithing tome like venomous snakes. The tome rises into the air, and a nearly transparent bubble forms around it, blocking the chains from the Shackles of the Domination. At first, there a just a few, but the number quickly multiplies into the hundreds and thousands.

  From the corner of my eye, I see Raven Goddess staring at the tome, with her mouth hanging open in astonishment. She involuntarily shrinks back from the Shackles of the Domination.

  With their surprise evident in their faces, Cavallo and Serena stare at the tome, and Cavallo points at it. "Why is that thing floating?"

  "What the hell are those chains?" Next to the tunnel exiting the burial chamber, where she is sitting, Chin-Sun shrinks back against the wall. She has a look of near-panic on her face.

  Chin-Sun can see the Shackles of the Domination? When did that happen? Why did it happen?

  Raven Goddess and I glance at one another, with our mouths hanging open in surprise, but it is only for a moment. Our attention quickly shifts back to the Divine Smithing tome.

  The number of chains surrounding the tome keeps growing, and their writhing mass blocks my sight of the tome. As the space filled with the Shackles of the Domination keep growing, I step back from the tome.

  Intense energy radiates from the ball of chains, but it does not feel like Mana. It fills the burial chamber with an oppressive air, like it wants to crush and dominate everything. Other than Power, I am not sure what to call this energy radiating from the Shackles of the Domination.

  The NPC residents of this world normally refer to Mana as Power. They call all forms of magical energy Power, and only sometimes, will they differentiate and use a specific name in place of Power.

  Serena's face turns pale. "What is this feeling of oppression?"

  With a grim expression that just resembles a smile, I look at Serena. "You can't see it, but the Shackles of the Domination are trying to bind the tome. Shackles of the Domination is the name that NPCs use for the chains of Power that the Quantum Control Program uses to bind and manipulate this world."

  Shivering, Serena shrinks back against Cavallo, and he puts his arms around her.

  Near the tunnel, Chin-Sun's face is pasty white, and while hugging her knees, she looks like she is trying to force her back into the dirt wall behind her.

  "The three of you can see these Shackles of the Domination?" Cavallo's voice comes out in a hushed tone. Even though he cannot see them, the pressure from the Shackles is crushing down on him, just like the rest of us.

  "Yeah."

  I completely lose my sense of time. I am not sure how long the battle between the Shackles of the Domination and the tome drags on for, but finally, the gold chains disappear. One instant, they are there, and the next, they are gone. The nearly overwhelming pressure disappears with them.

  Still surrounded by its near transparent bubble, the Divine Smithing tome floats over to me, and as I tentatively reach out to take it, the bubble disappears. For a fraction of a second, my hand trembles when I grab the tome.

  "Even though the Quantum Control Program seems to have become aware of the tome's existence, it resisted the Shackles of the Domination. Nothing has ever resisted the Shackles, before." With a look of nonplussed amazement on her face, Raven Goddess' voice is barely above a whisper.

  How did it resist the Shackles of the Domination, when the Aspect Class crystals from Crom Cruach were chained by them? Crom Cruach was a monstrous existence. Goibniu was a Tuatha De Danan, and they were not even close to Crom Cruach's league. So, why?

  For a few moments, I stare into space, with my jaw hanging slightly open. Were Crom Cruach's Aspect Crystals really bound by the Shackles of the Domination? That mental imprint of Crom Cruach is safely sitting inside a pocket dimension that the Shackles of the Domination cannot enter. Could the Aspect Class crystals have pretended to be chained?

  Taking out the Dark Slayer Aspect Class crystal, I stare at it, still using my QCP Vision, but I cannot tell one way or another.

  "That feels similar to my Dark Marauder crystal." Approaching me, Cavallo stares intently at the Aspect Class crystal.

  "It's the Aspect Class crystal for Dark Slayer, one of Crom Cruach's Aspects."

  Cavallo almost smiles. "It feels like it's…connected…maybe, that's a good way to say it…connected to my Dark Marauder class."

  "Daray was one of the twelve followers of Crom Cruach. He learned from Crom Cruach. He should have created the Dark Marauder from a combination of Dark Slayer and Blood Warrior."

  I put the Dark Slayer crystal back in my inventory.

  Looking at Raven Goddess, I cannot make head or tails out of her expression. She is keeping any thoughts or emotions she might be having locked away.

  "AAAAAOOOOUUUUUUUUU!"

  The oppressive Power in that howl is worse than oppression from the Shackles of the Domination, and as I hear it, I cannot keep from shivering.

  "Oh, no! It must have sensed the Shackles of the Domination." Raven Goddess looks around frantically.

  "We have to run! We have to get out of here! Now! We cannot face that!" With naked fear visible in her eyes, Raven Goddess sprints for the tunnel.

  Holy Crusaders

  Sunset Lands, Toraigh

  First Month 28, 10 RC

  "AAAAAOOOOUUUUUUUUU!"

  As we run out of Goibniu's barrow, a soul-chilling howl
fills the air, again. It seems to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I am not easily scared or intimidated, but that sound is like a cold knife slicing into my soul. The pressure that comes with the howl almost makes my knees quiver.

  For a few moments, all of us look around trying to determine the direction of the howl's origin. Failing to find its source, we do nothing but stand in place and look at one another. If we run in the wrong direction, we could run straight into whatever is making that noise. That would be no different than committing suicide.

  "AAAAAOOOOUUUUUUUUU!"

  After maybe, twenty seconds, another howl lands on us like a physical blow, but this time there is a vague sense that the pressure is coming from the southwest.

  "Come! This way!" Raven Goddess turns toward the east and takes off at a sprint.

  No one hesitates for even a fraction of second to follow her, and we race through the grass-covered barrow lands. Time and again the howls tear into our minds and souls, spurring us on to greater feats of speed. Without looking back, we flee from whatever is unleashing those howls. Only a fool would want to face the source of those howls with a strength as pathetic as ours.

  After more than an hour, Raven Goddess comes to a halt and looks back toward the direction we fled from. Despite the worry that she does not seem able to hide, her narrowed eyes focus intently into the distance.

  "AAAAAOOOOUUUUUUUUU!"

  For a few moments, Raven Goddess purses her lips, but she does not say anything.

  Out of the five of us, Chin-Sun is the only one that is heavily winded. She falls to her knees and sucks in huge, heavy breaths of air. Her Stamina appears to be far below the rest of us. I do not know what Class she decided to take, but from her condition, she should have chosen a pure caster Class and did not multi-Class.

  "AAAAAOOOOUUUUUUUUU!"

  After another howl, Raven Goddess unconsciously nods her head. "It is moving at a tangent to our path of travel."

  Raven Goddess looks contemptuously at Chin-Sun. "We can rest for a few minutes."

  Sitting on the grass, Raven Goddess stares in what should be the direction of whatever is unleashing the howls. Even though being in the form of a ghoul limits our range of facial expression, her face reveals such a bleak countenance that she looks like her soul has been torn from her body.

  "Raven, what is that thing?"

  For several minutes, as though she did not hear my question, Raven Goddess stares in the distance, but as the sound of the howls seems to become more distant, she turns her head to look at me. "It is the broken soul of a God that was once a King. He fell during the last war with the Fomhoraigh."

  "Who is he?"

  "Nuada, a former High King of the Tuatha De Danan." Raven Goddess voice almost breaks as she states the fallen God's name, and the corners' of her eyes glisten.

  Rising to her feet, with a grim expression, Raven Goddess turns toward the southeast. "Come. We dare not tarry too long."

  With Raven Goddess lost in her own thoughts, I bring up the game UI and check the date and time: First Month 28, 10 RC 02:59. What the fuck? When I used Item Ancestry on the Divine Smithing tome, it was only early afternoon.

  "Hey, Cavallo. How long was I under when I used Item Ancestry on the tome?"

  Cavallo frowns. "It was about ten hours. Serena and I wanted to snap you out of that trance, but Raven Goddess said it would be dangerous to do it. What happened?"

  I cannot keep from frowning. "Things got really weird. Using Item Ancestry is like watching clips from a movie, but the guy that made that tome saw me. He talked to me, but I couldn't respond.

  "This game has gotten really weird. I'm not sure if I'm crazy or not, but I'm questioning things I took for hard facts. I'm not sure what's real and what's not."

  After Cavallo and Serena exchange glances, their expressions turn grim, and Cavallo sighs. "We were talking about that while you were caught up in your visions. There are too many secrets. It's like what I said in the airport. The Church is suppressing knowledge. They're keeping us from getting access to outer space. They hid the fact that all the versions of Primacy Online take place in the same constructed reality. What's the point in keeping us bottled up on Earth? What's the point in hiding something like there just being one Primacy Online world? Why should it matter if people know that there is only one Primacy Online world instead of six?"

  I shake my head. "I don't know. We need to keep our eyes open. Raven knows more than we do. She might have answers to all our questions, but she's playing her own game. We need to find our own answers."

  Cavallo and Serena exchange another glance, and Cavallo nods to me. "We're with you."

  After travelling through the night, we reach the area where we entered this protected barrow land.

  While uploaded into a character sheathe, a player can go for two or three days, before lack of sleep becomes a significant problem, but there is no point in pushing it. We find a barrow top, where the undead tend not to come, and settle in to get some sleep.

  * * * * *

  When Cavallo wakes me up, it is the middle of the afternoon.

  "Everything is quiet as a tomb."

  "Heh." The word comes out of my mouth more like a cough than speech.

  Cavallo almost smiles and lays down.

  Looking around, I do not see anything out of place. At least, I see nothing out of place for a barrow land that is crawling with the spirits of the dead.

  While keeping watch, I pull out some food, but I cannot force myself to eat. I am hungry, but it seems that a ghoul cannot eat regular food. If I want to satiate my hunger, I suppose I would need to find some carrion.

  Even after being in this ghoul form for more than a day, despite not being able to eat my food, I do not notice any adverse effects, but this is still the body of an undead creature. Even though it completely drained my Mana to create this ghoul boss body, the ability of the Torque of Fintan to accurately create such a body is nothing short of amazing. I wonder just what the limits are? Can the amount of Mana available for the transformation be the only limitation?

  I spend the rest of my two hours on watch practicing the Earth Elementalism language. Without perfect pronunciation, I will never break through 100% Skill Expression.

  When I wake everyone up, Raven Goddess' bleak expression is nowhere to be seen, but she has everything concealed behind her Immortal Ice Queen mask. I do not know why she was so heavily affected by the howling of that spiritual remnant of Nuada, and from the cold look in her eyes, I doubt she will tell me the cause.

  Without any conversation beyond a few subdued greetings, we leave the protected barrow land, and I lead the way to an exposed ledge of rock standing a bit above the surrounding grey muck.

  "We should get out of these ghoul bodies."

  Following my suggestion, everyone shapeshifts back into their normal bodies, and all suck down a Mana pot just in case. If we were attacked, everyone being caught OOM would be bad.

  While trying not to be noticed, Chin-Sun stares coldly at me out of the corner of her eye, while I get dressed in Half-Giant size clothes again.

  With everyone back in their real bodies, Raven Goddess silently leads the way back toward the rift to Barrow Island. Despite our gains, no one is in a festive mood, and in silence, we follow Raven Goddess through the night.

  Sunset Lands, Toraigh

  First Month 29, 10 RC

  As we near the spatial rift, ten figures slowly become visible in its vicinity. Being the tallest by a sizable margin, I am the first to catch a glimpse of them.

  "We have company at the rift."

  Raven Goddess starts, and with blatant surprise on her face, she looks around.

  I point in our direction of travel. "There. Near the rift. I see ten of them."

  "{Eye in the Sky} "

  Raven Goddess' chant is done in one of the languages used for general arcane magic.

  I do not recognize the spell, but from the name, it should be some form of clairvoy
ance or similar sensory ability.

  After a few seconds, I see activity among the people ahead. One of them, I think it is a female, points toward the sky, and the rest of the group draws their weapons.

  Beside me, Raven Goddess frowns. "They are part of the Church's Holy Crusaders. There is a female caster among them with an inordinately high sensitivity to the Mana fluctuations from spells, and she detected my divination. She may be running some kind of detection magic."

  The smile on my face is a mix of pleasure and bloodlust. "It's just a few of the Church's fucks. Since they want to get in our way, we can send them for a quick respawn. It's too bad we're not in War Mode, yet."

  Without waiting for anyone to respond, I walk toward the rift and the waiting Holy Crusaders. Behind me, the rest of the group quicksteps to catch up with me.

  As I near the Holy Crusaders, I get a good look at them. There are seven men and three women. Two are in robes, and the rest are in chainmail. Chainmail is about the most popular armor with the forces of the Church of the Sun, and that popularity seems to be universal among both the players and the NPCs. Whether they are in mail or robes, they all have on a red tabard with the Church of the Sun's golden sun disk embroidered in the middle of the chest and back.

  These Crusaders could be either players or NPCs. The Church should have a mix of both among the Holy Crusaders. Since there were no advanced identification spells for sale at Bone Fort, I have no way to differentiate between player and NPC. Without and advance identification or analysis spell or Ability, there is no easy way to differentiate between a player and a non-monster NPC.

  Seeing us coming the Holy Crusaders form up in a skirmish line, with the two caster types in the back. From the low-grade chill that permeates my chest and stomach, they are obviously hostile, but they should not be a significant threat.

  As we get closer, one of the two women in armor, with a shield strapped to her arm and a longsword in her hand, she takes a step out in front of the other Holy Crusaders. With her helm's visor covering her face, I can only tell that she is a woman because of her build and her tits. Even with her chainmail, they are big enough to be more than obvious.