Sanctum

by Matthew Powell

  While he was mulling over what that last message meant, the eye finally spotted something. Standing in a cubicle, just a few rows down from where Joshua was hiding, stood a very familiar-looking monster. It looked like a human had their skin peeled off, and then had been stretched out. Its limbs were abnormally long, and its legs were so skinny they shouldn’t have been able to keep it standing. Worst of all, its mouth was stretched into a disgustingly large, pitch-black oval that emitted the moaning sound.

  Defaced Moaner

  Tier: 2

  Level: 5

  HP: 100/100

  A Defaced that suffered from horrible mutations upon its creation. It is incapable of the scavenging and ambushes that regular Defaced use to survive, but it arguably even more dangerous. Its moan can cover an entire area in an omnipresent sound, carrying a weak damage-over-time effect that ramps up in power as it goes unstopped. Once everything in the area has either died or fled, the Defaced Moaner will leave its hiding spot to feast.

  It was so close, if Joshua had just kept searching himself instead of settling in to learn a new power, he would have found it. It still took another minute to reach the Defaced’s hiding spot, moving slower than before due to the damage that the moaning had done. By the time he reached the monster’s cubicle, his HP had dropped to less than 100.

  Before anything else, he walked up to the Defaced and stabbed the chair leg into its knee. The creature immediately collapsed, the absurdly load moaning changing to a quieter scream of pain. Joshua didn’t hesitate to smash the chair leg against the monster’s head over and over until the noise stopped. He knew that it would have probably died faster if he stabbed it, but after all that moaning he had some pent-up anger to work through.

  Level 5 Defaced Moaner has died!

  Zandrius gains 40 EXP

  For defeating a special monster spawn, the EXP reward has been doubled and a choice of one system-generated item is given.

  Final Rewards: 80 EXP, one Level 5 Item Voucher, one Extreme Low-Quality Health Potion.

  80 EXP. That was an absurdly large amount compared to the other monsters, but with the added danger and higher evolution, it made sense. Before spending that to level up, Joshua checked the other rewards.

  Level 5 Item Voucher

  Allows the user to choose one of three random items. Possible item drops are tailored towards the user’s class, level, and current situation.

  Extreme Low-Quality Health Potion

  One of the worst possible health potions to exist. Restores 100 HP upon drinking.

  So, the absolute worst health potion in the game still restored a third of his health. Joshua wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or relieved, but he drank it all the same. The screaming had sent his HP down all the way to 50, and he was extremely relieved to heal it back up before leveling. The item voucher could wait until he had spent his EXP.

  Name: Zandrius

  Race: Zombie

  Class: Plague Zombie

  Tier: 1

  Level: 4 EXP: 104/40

  HP: 150/250

  Pestilence: 3/5 Regen: 1/min

  Joshua immediately spent his EXP to reach level 5.

  Level: 5 EXP: 64/50 Evolution Available

  It looked like the evolution would eat up most of his remaining EXP. That was unfortunate, but it was a small price to pay for the presumably large boost in power it would give him. Before that, Joshua wanted to use the item voucher and see what it would give him. He held it in his hand and willed it to activate.

  Would you like to use your Level 5 Item Voucher?

  Joshua selected yes.

  Item probabilities rolling…

  Choice 1: Weakened Rusty Magic-Iron Dagger

  Choice 2: Moderate Low-Quality Health Potion

  Choice 3: Small Permanent Pestilence Boost

  It wasn’t even a contest. Joshua saw the Pestilence boost and didn’t hesitate to select it. The health potion and dagger might help him survive, but they were both worthless in the long run. Even if he died soon, he had months before he needed to worry about money. No, he was in this for the long haul, and the permanent boost was the best choice for that.

  A small corked vial appeared in a flash of light, floating midair. Joshua reached out and grabbed it, bringing it closer to his face to observe the contents. Inside the vial were what appeared to be dark green sparks, jumping and floating around. Joshua didn’t know exactly what he was supposed to do, so he started by pulling the cork out.

  Immediately the sparks rushed out of the vial into the air and flew towards him. Before Joshua could react, they started sinking into his skin. When the process was over, Joshua didn’t feel stronger healthier. He felt…More. Like there was more of him inside the zombie body. Given that he was living Pestilence, that was probably true.

  Pestilence: 7/8

  Joshua had received a three-point boost. It wasn’t much, but he didn’t have a lot to begin with. He still couldn’t even form two eyes without killing himself in the process, but it was still an improvement. With all other business finished, Joshua finally sat down to look at his possible evolutions.

  Chapter 4

  Pestilence is one of the most dangerous possible resources that can be controlled, both because of its cost who it attracts. For the cost, Pestilence is used almost exclusively by living diseases who, in the absence of other resources, use themselves as a power source. It is similar to a Blood Mage if the mage had to cut off and regenerate limbs every time he wanted to cast a spell. The cost is extremely dangerous, but even more dangerous are the things watching. The Plague God Filth watches and interacts with all Pestilence users, even those stronger than himself, in an attempt to manipulate them to his cause. – On Pestilence, from the Chronicles of The Founder

  ◆◆◆

  You have reached the level cap for your current class. Would you like to spend 50 EXP to evolve?

  Joshua said yes.

  Checking accomplishments…

  You defeated a special spawn before reaching level 5! Possible evolutions will be slightly stronger.

  You learned how to manipulate a resource before evolving! Available evolutions modified to suit Pestilence resource, new evolutions added.

  Please choose your first evolution.

  A list of all possible evolutions opened in front of Joshua. He had expected there would be a few different ones, just to give players variety, but the number surprised him. The list showed 17 possible first evolutions!

  This wasn’t just a lot of options, it was too many. Joshua immediately started to discard some of them in order to make the list shorter. He needed to get his possible choices down to the three best looking evolutions before deciding.

  Some of them Joshua ignored because he felt their skillsets were either too weak or didn’t suit him. Plague Runner and Plague Spitter, while they may have been effective, seemed far too generic. Plague Puppeteer sounded promising, but he was never too good with minion classes. He might dabble in it at some point, but an entire class based on having others fight sounded boring.

  Other classes were discounted just for having stupid-sounding names. Stinking Brute and Bloater may have been powerful, but they just weren’t worth having to live with such embarrassing names. It took a few minutes, but Joshua was eventually able to narrow the list down to two possible choices.

  Body Swapper

  -A Plague Zombie that has chosen to abandon its host body. Body Swappers gain the ability to steal the body of any creature they defeat in combat, including other sentient races. Body Swappers do not gain the level of their new host, rather their own level enhances their new body. Cannot take over the body of another player.

  Pestilence Theurgist

  -A Plague Zombie that has chosen to focus on the manipulation of Pestilence energy. Can absorb more Pestilence energy from defeated foes and learns Pestilence related abilities faster. Future evolutions of the Pestilence Theurgist class can allow the user to manipulate a second type of energy.


  This was a difficult choice. Body Swapper sounded like it would be a great path to growing stronger quickly, letting him constantly jump to stronger and stronger bodies while gaining levels. Getting out of this zombie body would be a nice change.

  Pestilence Theurgist, on the other hand, would let him expand his newly found arsenal of Pestilence abilities. Joshua could see the potential that Pestilence offered, and it was such a unique energy source that few players would likely even know about it. The element of surprise and mystery could be as powerful as the energy itself.

  “Would you like some help?”

  Joshua jumped when he heard a strange voice echo through the room. There shouldn’t be any other players nearby, and certainly not one that would offer help. While he was looking for the voice’s source, a strange pressure settled over the room. It became hard to move, and the entire room seemed to get a little darker.

  “I’m right here.”

  The voice sounded like the buzzing of flies, and it was coming from behind him. Joshua jerked around, coming face to face with the Defaced Moaner. It was standing upright, though something about it was wrong. The chunks where he had bashed its head in were filled in by something writhing.

  Flies. The missing chunks had been filled in by thousands of flies, their buzzing drowning out the surrounding sounds. The buzzing took the form of a voice, the same that Joshua had already heard twice.

  “Don’t be afraid, little one. I am here to offer my assistance.”

  Joshua tried to inspect the monster, but every line on its status box was just a bunch of question marks.

  “Hah! You are a long way from being able to see my power, little player. Stop just standing there and speak up.”

  “Who…what are you, exactly?” It was the only question that came to Joshua’s mind. Whatever this thing in front of him was, it was something powerful. Much more powerful than him, or any other player this early into the game.

  “You already know my name. You were warned that I was watching.”

  “…You’re Filth, the Plague God.” Joshua had a sinking feeling in his chest. He had managed to, somehow, draw the attention of the Plague God in less than an hour after starting the game.

  “Ha-ha! The little mortal learns fast. Good, you will need to if you want to survive in this world.”

  “What do you want from me? Why would something as strong as you care about a random zombie on a random world?”

  “Oh, I don’t really care about you. I send a projection of myself to visit every creature that learns to use plague energy. It is my domain, after all, and you were so kind as to provide a perfect corpse for my projection to inhabit.”

  Somehow that eased Joshua’s fears. If Filth visited every single Pestilence user, then it could work to his advantage. There may even be a way out of this situation that actually benefited him.

  “Plague energy? Do you mean Pestilence?”

  “Pestilence? Is that what they’re calling it this time around? No matter, it is all the same to me. All that should matter to you is the gift I am here to provide.”

  The status box offering Joshua his evolution choices started to distort. When it settled back to normal, a new option was present.

  Interference from God class entity detected

  New Class Evolution Added

  Epidemic Warrior

  A zombie that has received a low-quality blessing from Filth the Plague God. Enhanced learning of all Pestilence related abilities, greatly enhanced learning of physical-enhancement related abilities. Learns abilities faster when in combat or when observing others. Receives blessings from Filth after reaching certain milestones of Pestilence energy.

  This new class seemed incredibly powerful compared to the others on the list. The learning capabilities of the Pestilence Theurgist combined with body enhancement and further bonuses for increasing his Pestilence. Joshua’s biggest fear was having to serve Filth in the future. As Joshua was mulling over the decision, another box appeared.

  Please remember that no choices in Macrocosm are final. Choosing a God-given class may result in temporary servitude depending on the specific god but there will always be chances to leave their service or escape in the future.

  That sealed Joshua’s choice. Epidemic Warrior was simply too good not to choose, and the potential drawbacks were temporary. Without any more hesitation, he selected Epidemic Warrior as his new class.

  Joshua still couldn’t feel pain from his body, but from what he saw this would have hurt a lot. His skin and muscled, rotted as a zombie, were restitching themselves before his very eyes. His muscles, weak and decayed, began to grow larger.

  The transformation took less than a minute, and in that time Joshua’s body was completely reforged. He looked less like a decaying zombie, and more like a grey-skinned human now. It was close enough that a human settlement might even not attack him on sight. His clothes, unfortunately, were still in tatters.

  “Good choice, little player. Now that you have taken my blessing, it is time that we discuss what I want from you.”

  This is the part Joshua had feared. Hopefully, whatever the Plague God wanted, it wouldn’t be too difficult.

  “I can sense your fear. Don’t be afraid, I don’t want you to do much more than you would have anyway. I do not require ritual sacrifices, or unbridled devotion, or the turning of new followers, or any of those things that other gods may demand. All that I ask of you is to spread my gifts where you go, so that I may reap their benefits. Do this for me, and I will ensure you grow stronger.”

  With his last words, the flies flowed out of the Defaced’s body like a river. Joshua couldn’t understand how so many flies could possibly have been inside of its body without bloating or distorting it but trying to figure out how the power of a god worked probably wouldn’t get him anywhere. As the flies dispersed into the air, Joshua heard one last message from Filth.

  “I have high hopes for you, little plague-bringer.”

  With that, the flies were gone, and the cubicle-lined hallways settled into silence. While Joshua was still eager to get moving and test his new class out, he figured that learning more about his abilities first would be a good choice.

  Name: Zandrius

  Race: Zombie

  Class: Epidemic Warrior

  Tier: 2

  Level: 1 EXP: 4/100

  HP: 300/400

  Pestilence: 8/8 Regen: 1/min

  It seemed that, for the moment, all that his new class offered was a higher HP boost per level. Simply evolving had resulted in a 100 HP boost, and it seemed likely that every level until his next evolution would be similar. Next up, he wanted to try and learn some new Pestilence abilities.

  In the class description for Epidemic Warrior, it said that he could learn new abilities faster when he was in combat. With that knowledge, Joshua started planning out his next steps. He had two options at the moment. He could either keep going to a higher floor, or he could go back downstairs and try to fight the high-level defaced waiting for him.

  Before making his decision, Joshua needed to learn more about his new body. While it was a huge leap up from his zombie body, it still wasn’t quite what he was hoping for. A quick run through the cubicles showed him that this body was about as strong as a completely normal adult human. Still, he was able to run and pick things up now, so it was a massive improvement.

  Without any frame of reference for how strong a regular Defaced would be, Joshua decided that his best chance would come from going higher into the building and trying to scrounge up a few more levels. The Defaced Moaner was not a good example, given its crippled physical capability, of how strong the monster waiting for him below would be. It was better to be safe and grind out a little more before heading down.

  Before he took off for the next floor, Joshua realized he had forgotten to try and increase his Pestilence by absorbing the dead Defaced Moaner’s. The information boxes said that every life form had some, and he needed to grow stronger as fast as
possible. He headed back towards the cubicle where he had killed the monster.

  Joshua found the moaner’s corpse and sat beside it once more, this time without the Plague God present. He quickly ran into a problem: he didn’t know how to extract the Pestilence energy. Meditating or something similar could work, but he didn’t have that kind of time. Without any better ideas, he placed his hand on the corpse and injected some of his own Pestilence. Once he did that, a prompt appeared to help him.

  Pestilence Injection Detected

  Would you like to take control of the body or absorb its Pestilence?

  Due to lack of skills, taking control of the body is disabled.

  Without any other options, Joshua chose to absorb the monsters Pestilence. The energy he had injected flowed back into his body, and with it came something extra. A little more energy than he had used, just a little, came with it and increased his total supply.