Sanctum

by Matthew Powell

So this was it then. He had finally reached the peak of what Macrocosm would allow without special requirements. There was no way Joshua would pledge himself to Filth, so this blessing would likely be the final one that he received for a long time. To his surprise, one of the zombie corpses started to stand. Several players attacked it, thinking it was just a regular enemy that they had missed, but Joshua knew better.

  “Stop!” Joshua called out, but it was too late. The players that had gotten too close were sent flying, crashing through walls and cracking the floors where they landed. They hadn’t even gotten close before being repelled by an invisible forth. Standing there, possessing the body of a Spiked Aberration, was the Plague God Filth. Upon seeing his status screen, and the countless question marks inside it, the players understandably began to panic.

  Several tried ranged attacks, which were equally repelled by the invisible force. Some ran to try and hide, some sat back to wait and analyze the situation, while others just stared. This was the first time any of them had seen one of Macrocosm’s gods, after all.

  “You again, little one? For someone who refuses to serve me, you seem to be chasing my blessings pretty hard.”

  “I earned these blessings fair and square, Filth. And so long as I have Pestilence, you can’t take them from me.”

  The possessed zombie’s face, its orifices overflowing with flies, took an ugly shape. Joshua hadn’t been certain on that last part, but he had guessed it based on the status box that appeared when he first received a minor blessing. It said that the blessings could only be lost if his Pestilence maximum dropped below the required amount. Joshua was betting that meant Filth wouldn’t be able to take them away, even though he had given them. Based on the god’s reaction, he had been right.

  “…It is true…that I cannot take the blessings back. Do not think that means there aren’t other ways I can hurt you, little Wight.” The god's words were slow and deliberate, each one carefully thought out to meet a set of rules that Joshua wasn’t aware of.

  The flies dispersed, causing the corpse to flop back to the ground. The surrounding players still just watched, afraid that it might reanimate at any moment. Once they were sure the god was gone, they turned towards Joshua.

  “So that’s what you meant back in town, isn’t it?” Mane was the first to speak. “You said that the zombie’s had their own gods. That was one of them, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes. That was the Plague God, and you should consider yourself lucky that his eyes were only on me. I doubt he even noticed the rest of you were here.”

  “He sure packs a punch for something that didn’t even notice me.” Mane had been the first to try and attack and had gotten the closest. This resulted in a Mane-shaped hole in the wall, going right into another room.

  “Well, he is a god after all. To be honest, when I told you guys about that back in town, I had no idea radiation could be used as an energy source. Really glad that all worked out for you.”

  “Alright, well, time to move on up boys. That was exciting and all, but we don’t need to stick around and wait for the zombies to respawn.” Khymer spoke, wanting to end the conversation quickly. Sure, seeing Filth had been exciting, but the zombies here had been shown to respawn quickly.

  Chapter 19

  Paradigm Shifts can come in a variety of forms. Maybe an experimental weapon's test accidentally opens up a hole in reality connecting to another world. Maybe a space-faring civilization stumbles upon a primitive civilization and uplifts them. Maybe a wizard learns to create interdimensional portals and spreads the knowledge around until it becomes common practice. Regardless, Paradigm Shifts never simply give players access to new worlds. They fundamentally change the status of the starting world itself, in such a way that appropriately leveled players can leave the planet.

  ◆◆◆

  After that, the floors seemed to go by quickly. The tenth floor hadn’t been anything special, just some more zombies and a notification that they had fulfilled the first quests requirements. Things got more difficult on the 11th floor and up, but it was nothing that the group of 16 couldn’t handle. The recommendation of 20 players seemed to be the number that would clear the dungeon easily, rather than the number needed to clear it.

  Tier 3 monsters stopped spawning, replaced by ones at tier 4. The apparent difficulty spike was offset by the significantly lower number: each floor only had a handful of tier 4 monsters, and none of them were anywhere near the raw power of the Drudge Bear. Even the weakest ones required at least normal four players to kill, but there simply weren’t enough of the zombies to stop the players. Joshua found himself, along with Mane and Khymer, facing the tier 4 equivalent of a Brute.

  Zombie Ogre

  Tier: 4

  Level: 2

  HP: 30,000/30,000

  A Zombie Brute that has spent an extended amount of time in a high-radiation zone. Significantly higher HP, defense and strength compared to normal tier 4 monsters, but also slower and less intelligent. Only found in difficult dungeons.

  It was basically a Brute, but even stronger and without the speed. The ogre stood nearly ten feet tall and five feet wide, made almost entirely of glowing and pulsating muscle. Its arms were as thick as Joshua’s entire body. One good punch, even with the group’s new higher levels, would crush them into a paste.

  Joshua and Mane’s swords dug through its flesh, but there was just so much of it that they couldn’t deal any critical damage. Its slowness meant that Khymer was able to unload his assault rifle fight into its head, but even that was covered in thick flesh on top of an equally thick skull. While the ogre proved difficult to kill normally, it proved weak to one of Joshua’s new skills.

  Not a skill, really, but a weapon ability. Joshua let Mane grab the monster’s attention for a moment and stabbed his Plague-Ridden Obsidian Longsword as deep into the ogre’s side as he could, activating its special ability Injection at the same time. Several thousand Pestilence flowed out of Joshua, through the sword and into the giant zombie’s body. Almost immediately it began to rot from the inside out.

  The Injection wasn’t enough to kill the ogre outright. In reality, it didn’t even do ten percent of the monster’s HP in damage. What the ability did do, however, was create a massive weak point in the ogre’s tough flesh. Mane’s sword entered the wound shortly after Joshua’s left, ripping it open. Mane grabbed onto his Buster-Sword, now lodged firmly in the weak spot that Joshua made in the ogre’s side and pushed.

  He nearly tore the Zombie Ogre in half. The monster’s upper half was only connected by a few inches of flesh that was only there because Mane’s sword had dislodged before reaching it. Even though they were fighting the strongest monster on the floor, the group of three had managed to be the first to kill their target.

  Like the Zombie Ogre, most of the monsters in the second level were just stronger versions of previously fought monsters. While it could take several minutes for one to fall due to their high health pool, none of the zombies were a threat to the raid group. The low number of zombies was unfortunate for Joshua, as there was less Pestilence to gather. Just because there weren’t any more blessings to earn doesn’t mean he should stop gathering it, after all.

  Once they adjusted to the small number of stronger monsters, the raid group tore through the second level without issue. Two of the members that had joined them earlier were healers, but their services were barely needed as players quickly adapted to the new zombies. The entire second level went by in less than two hours.

  Joshua managed to climb up to level 15 in that time, and his Pestilence had reached the 20,000 mark. To his dismay, one of his earliest fears about Pestilence was finally coming true.

  You have reached the maximum amount of Pestilence that your body can currently hold! Please advance to tier 4 to continue gathering Pestilence.

  He had reached the limit. The very knowledge that a hard limit on Pestilence existed came down like a hammer. Of course there would be a limit, Joshua thought, Pestil
ence would be absolutely broken otherwise. Players could get advantages over others in the form of special classes, levels, and equipment, but nothing could scale infinitely. A small group of players would eventually become unstoppable otherwise. Even the 20,000 he had now gave him HP regeneration higher than likely any other tier 3 could reach, and he had barely tapped into Pestilence’s potential.

  Joshua quickly snapped out of his thoughts. There was nothing he could do now other than push towards tier 4, something that wouldn’t take long to reach. He had been climbing in levels steadily since joining the raid group, and there were still the dungeon quest rewards after it was all over. Speaking of dungeon quests, the raid group received a notification for the completion of the second level after clearing the 20th floor. What came next was…strange.

  There weren’t any staircases to the 21st floor. Just a bunch of cubicles, offices and empty rooms, as there had been on every floor prior. It took a few minutes of searching before a raid member found something.

  “Hey guys, are the elevators supposed to be working?”

  True to the random member's words, the elevator on this floor had power flowing to it. They had checked every now and then, but nothing except the ceiling lights had been working on every other floor. Even that was likely just a feature of the dungeon.

  “No…no, there’s no way its that simple.” Khymer’s eyes widened as he came to a realization. “The 3rd level…it's not another ten floors, it's just the boss! Everyone get into the elevators!”

  The rest of the raid group had come to a similar conclusion and was already packing into the small boxes. There were three elevators in total, enough that the entire group was able to make it in one trip. Joshua found himself next to Mane, the man’s sheer size packing the rest of them like sardines.

  True to their thoughts, the elevators made the trip up through the floors without complication. Joshua had been certain that there would be a trap or ambush, but nothing happened. The elevators stopped on the 30th floor, opening with a little dinging sound. The raid group piled out got into a formation, the ranged damage and healers in the back with the tanks in the front, so they could analyze the situation.

  The 30th floor was empty compared to the other floors. There were no walls or desks, just a massive open space, surrounded by windows on all sides, with the elevators taking up a spot near one of the sides. A single figure stood on the tiled floor in the middle of the room. The Dungeon Boss.

  Harbinger

  Tier: 4

  Level: 23

  HP: 165,000/165,000

  A special zombie that has earned its place at the top of its local food chain. Harbingers bring death and destruction wherever they go, and as such often wind up alone. Only a single zombie in an area can hold the title of Harbinger, as they earned that title by killing all other competitors.

  Danger! Dungeon Boss Detected!

  Dungeon Bosses are special monsters only found in the last room of a dungeon. They are significantly stronger than normal monsters of the same level and tier, often having significantly higher stats and increased intelligence. They can spawn as types of monsters that would not normally be located in that area. They are often equal to monsters of a higher tier and should not be engaged without a group.

  The Harbinger was different compared to the other types of zombies they had fought so far. Not only did it have an absurd amount of HP, but it also …flickered. It resembled a normal zombie, but its body parts seemed to jerk instantly into strange positions, leaving afterimages behind. Just looking at the Harbinger for more than a few seconds started making Joshua feel lightheaded.

  You have been inflicted with status effect: Dizzy

  Human minds are not meant to comprehend certain aspects of reality. You have attempted to stare at an eldritch being, and its very existence has confused you.

  The notification was clear, even if the rest of the room was swimming before Joshua’s eyes. The rest of the raid group fared no better. Some of the members, including Khymer, began to panic and open fire on the Harbinger. This quickly proved to be a mistake.

  Several of their ranged attacks, despite the dizziness, did hit and damage the Dungeon Boss. It had a massive HP pool, but it didn’t have any special defenses or barriers guarding it. Unfortunately, this did more to anger the Harbinger than anything else. The Harbinger began to emit a sickly green aura from its body, one that Joshua clearly recognized.

  It was using Virulent Aura. The Harbinger was using Pestilence, just like he did, though more advanced. Joshua had never learned how to extend the aura beyond his own weaponry, while the Harbinger was quickly covering the entire room with it. Thankfully, one of the other members stepped up.

  “Rad Barrier”

  A yellow barrier sprung out of the group’s one monk-class, covering the raid and repelling the Virulent Aura. The aura attempted to enter the barrier but was scorched away by the radiation. The raid was safe inside, where they could wait the aura out, except for one small caveat.

  Joshua started to take damage from the barrier. His armor was smoking, layers of it peeling away as his flesh started to writhe underneath. It was even stopping his natural regeneration as the intense radiation burnt away his inner Pestilence. The barrier was meant to protect other radiation-users but was harmful to anything else. That was why the monk had never used it against the previous zombies: it would have just as likely healed them as damage them. Joshua had no choice but to walk out into the Virulent Aura.

  A few raid members tried to stop him as they saw him leaving the barrier, but they quickly backed off when they realized what was happening. All of them knew by now that Joshua didn’t use radiation, but none of them had predicted this. The monk gave him a sad glance as he watched, but Joshua just waved him off. Once his regeneration kicked back in, he was confident in surviving outside the barrier.

  Joshua was happy to be proven right once outside. The Virulent Aura still damaged him, but his regeneration was able to just barely outpace it. A greedy idea formed in his mind. He had originally planned to use his regeneration to wait the aura out and attack with the raid group, but what if he just attacked it on his own instead? It was probably a bad plan, but if it worked out he would be able to claim any loot it dropped before the others noticed, just like he had with the Nest Lord.

  Joshua couldn’t see anything with the dark green cloud filling the room, but the Harbinger wasn’t exactly hiding. It was standing in the middle of the room, exactly where it had been before. It didn’t even seem to notice him as he approached, as if believing that nothing would dare approach it while its aura was active.

  Joshua made it rethink that. His longsword stabbed into its chest, activating Injection at the same time. While the Dungeon Boss was a fraction the size of the Zombie Ogre, its flesh proved much tougher. The sword tip sank barely an inch. The Injection that had previously rotted away a massive chunk of the ogre was barely even noticeable, just a few black lines streaked across its skin near the stab wound.

  Harbinger has taken 4500 damage

  Remaining HP: 160,500/165,000

  Injection has dealt 6000 damage

  Remaining HP: 154,500/165,000

  While the attack failed to critically wound the Harbinger, it certainly served to gain its attention. The zombie snapped its head towards Joshua, still flickering as if jumping in and out of existence. It hissed and lashed out, its claw moving so fast that Joshua didn’t even see it coming. He was sent flying across the room, missing his right arm.

  Critical Hit! Arm Severed! You have taken 2300 damage

  Remaining HP: 6200/8500

  Losing a limb to strong opponents was starting to become an annoying hobby, but at least now he had enough regeneration to make up for it. The arm would be fully restored within five minutes, practically no time at all compared to when he had first gained Pestilence Sacrifice. Joshua didn’t wait for that, dipping into his Pestilence reserves to fully recover his arm instantly.

  The attack had
cost him, but it had been worthwhile. The Virulence Aura was already starting to fade away as the Harbinger lost its concentration. It didn’t chase Joshua across the room to finish him, which gave Joshua a chance to do what he had been meaning to for a while. None of the other players would be able to fight the Harbinger head on, and that meant he had to make the sacrifice. 10,000 Pestilence, more than half of what he had left after making a new arm, was instantly dumped into the Plague Plate set.

  Plague Plate set had been upgraded!

  Synergy detected between Plague Plate set, Plague-Ridden Obsidian Longsword and Plague-Ridden Obsidian Shield.

  Forming Class Set…

  Class Set created!

  Scourge Blackguard Class Set created!

  Scourge Blackguard

  Soul-Bound Class Set

  Mitigation Potential: 1500

  Pestilence Towards Next Upgrade: 50,000

  Set Bonus: Pestilence Vision, Instant Equip, Empowered Weapons

  The Scourge Blackguard set is made from the very essence of its wielder. As such, the wielder can sense the environment through it.

  The Scourge Blackguard set is made from the very essence of its wielder. As such, it can be instantly conjured and dispelled, and automatically summons itself if its wielder is ambushed.

  The Scourge Blackguard set is not only composed of armor but sword and shield as well. The sword and shield are automatically upgraded to the same level as the armor for free.