Demon Lords (World-Tree Trilogy Book 2)

by EA Hooper

  “I can’t be trapped here that long,” Noah said. “My wife is pregnant. We’ll finally have the life we’ve always wanted. I’m telling her to try to log off. Sorry, Ezra, but I can’t stay here that long.”

  >Noah: Amelia, I don’t know if you’ve read the update notes, but you need to log out immediately.

  >Amelia: I already tried. It won’t let me.

  Noah could hear the fear in his wife’s voice, and his heart raced in his chest.

  >Noah: I’ll try to log out and pull off your headset.

  Noah tried to exit the game, and his body flickered in and out. Strange noises and scrambled images flew across his vision, and for several seconds, he couldn’t breathe. He collapsed to his knees and stared at his trembling hands. “I can’t log out. This isn’t right. ARKUS can’t just trap us here!”

  Ezra chuckled. “Trap you? Noah, ARKUS is giving us what we wanted. All of us came to the World-Tree to escape our meaningless lives. Humans are meant to struggle, to fight, to climb! Deep down, we all want to claw our way to the top of whatever ladder life puts before us. ARKUS has simply given us a virtual representation of that. We both know you want to beat this game as badly as I do.”

  “My wife is pregnant!” Noah shouted, climbing to his feet. “If she wasn’t, I might feel differently. Being here for multiple lifetimes wouldn’t sound so bad, but you don’t understand how badly she’s wanted to carry a child. It’s been her dream for as long as I’ve known her. This isn’t about what I want. It’s about her.”

  “She’ll get to live her dream after the update ends,” Ezra told him. “Until then, she’s just going to have to deal with being here. Beating the game will make a good distraction.”

  “Hey, guys,” Zhang said, gaping at the sky.

  Two figures floated overhead. With their feathery wings, long white hair, and elegant armor, Noah knew right away he was staring at the angels he’d heard about from high-tier mods. The two figures descended, and he noticed both had their faces covered. One had a white mask with a black dot where an eye might’ve been hiding. The other had a black mask with a white dot on the opposite side.

  The three men watched with wide eyes as the figures descended, and Noah Scanned them.

  Ezekiel the Right Hand (Exotic Boss) – Monster Class: S | Ageless | Sex: Male | Respawn Time: One In-Game Hour | Personality: Blissful

  Atarah the Left Hand (Exotic Boss) – Monster Class: S | Ageless | Sex: Female | Respawn Time: One In-Game Hour | Personality: Gloomy

  >Noah: Amelia, don’t come to the Golden Fields. There are angels—

  The graceful figures raised their hands, and Noah saw an explosion of white light.

  You’ve died. Respawning at Crownkeep…

  Chapter 3 | Year 93

  Player: Vincent the Wanderer

  Location: Grankai (World) | Drakemouth Mountains (Region)

  Class: Ranger

  Subclass: Mage

  Vitality: Lv 185

  Spirit*: Lv 195

  Resolve: Lv 177

  Perception*: Lv 201

  Agility: Lv 186

  Strength: Lv 184

  Vincent followed the stone bridge across the gap between two mountains as an icy wind drowned out the sounds of his footsteps. His eyes caught sight of the city of Mawbrick where he’d placed his most recent respawn point. From the top of the mountain range, the city and the angled crags around it looked almost like the ribcage of a dead titan.

  The bridge led him to a split in the mountain covered in runes. A hazy green glow blocked sight of what laid beyond, but he knew from various rumors that a special Jump Gate awaited him—one that would set Xan and himself on a path that would save them several years of travel.

  Xan’s last message from an hour ago says she was crossing the bridge. Rumor has it there’s a guardian beyond this point. So, either it killed her, or these runes block communication. With Xan’s skill, I’ll assume the second.

  Vincent mentally prepared himself for a battle as he crossed the runes and headed into the green haze. The fog vanished from his sight as he stepped into a valley filled with half-destroyed ruins. It looked as though a village had existed in the valley at one point in time, but some unknown force had left only broken stone structures and a few walls.

  The fog behind him flashed, and a barrier formed over it. At the end of the valley, Vincent watched a similar forcefield appear. A ghostly, emerald flame appeared in the center of the ruins. The fire spread in a circle on the ground, and a figure rose from the dirt. Ethereal, green armor covered the apparition from head to toe, and it wielded a longsword covered in fire.

  The figure bowed to Vincent as the Ranger Scanned his enemy and the glowing longsword.

  Fayros the Guardian (Exotic Boss) – Monster Class: B+ | Ageless | Sex: Male | Respawn Time: None | Personality: Honorable

  Guardian’s Blade – Material Rating: 400 | An exquisitely crafted orosteel longsword. You can feel old magic in the handle. | Ghostfire Edge – The wielder of this blade may convert mana into ghostfire with the same rating as the blade.

  Before Vincent could ready himself, Fayros gestured with his hand, and a prompt appeared.

  An Honorable Duel (Special Challenge) – Fayros is challenging you to a one-on-one duel, but projectile magic and recovery items will not be permitted. Magical buffs and enchanted weaponry will be allowed. If you do not agree, you will be teleported out of this area. Do you accept? (Yes/No)

  Vincent grinned. “Absolutely. I always love these kinds of bosses.”

  You’ve agreed to Fayros’s challenge. The battle will begin after you take a fighting stance.

  Vincent equipped armor and a hardened-verasteel sword before casting a spell over the blade.

  Density Field (Requires Zero Field) – Mana Usage: Medium | Adds a 100 Density Rating to target object for 30 in-game minutes (or until the item is put into the user’s inventory). | Note: Density Ratings cannot raise an item’s overall rating above 900.

  The longsword felt heavier in Vincent’s hands, but with his superhuman strength, the difference was only slight. The extra rating is worth it, he thought. This puts the sword at a four-hundred rating—the same as his blade.

  As soon as Vincent readied his blade, Fayros charged forward with incredible speed. The Ranger blocked the first swipe and noticed he felt no heat from the ghostfire. That doesn’t mean it can’t hurt me, he noted as their blades clashed.

  Fayros shoved him back, and then swung through the air, sending out a wave of ghostfire that Vincent rolled under. The man jumped to his feet in time to block the blade of his ghostly opponent. He’s fast—and his reflexes are as quick as mine. Without my void attacks, this will be tough.

  Vincent used quick footwork and careful angling of his blade to block and sidestep numerous attacks as he studied the fighting style of the aggressive specter.

  I almost feel like I’m fighting Xan. This guy’s movements are so precise and well-timed. He isn’t giving me any openings.

  Fayros floated a couple inches off the ground whenever he moved and could accelerate to his top speed in an instant. He slashed at Vincent, zoomed away, and then rushed in from a different direction. If it wasn’t for Vincent’s high levels in Perception, the Ranger doubted he would’ve been able to defend against such speed and strength.

  Their swords clashed several times, and then Vincent knocked the specter back with a headbutt. The old man pressed forward, only to find his blade parried. After several more seconds of equally skilled swordplay, Vincent snarled and shoved Fayros toward a stone wall.

  Strength Level Up: 184>185

  The pop-up on his HUD surprised Vincent, since he hadn’t leveled up in several months. Within that moment of pause, the boss shoved him away and sent out a wave of ghostfire. The green flames warped and cracked parts of his hardened-verasteel armor, but he held steady and then leapt forward with his sword angled for a killing blow.

  Fayros turned his blade away at the last moment, and their two
swords struck the wall, cracking the stone. Vincent released one hand from his sword and punched the specter in the faceplate. The strike sent the boss tumbling through the broken wall, but Fayros swiped mid-fall to send out more ghostfire in response.

  Vincent batted away the ghostfire with his blade, but a stinging pain ran along his arm as the flames melted his gauntlet. He dropped his longsword and reflexively ripped away the hot metal.

  There wasn’t any heat coming from it until I touched it directly, but man that stuff is dangerous.

  As Vincent reached for his weapon, Fayros flew from the rubble and slashed off his sword hand. The Ranger clenched his teeth and dove away from another swing. He equipped a cloak to wrap over the missing limb as he retreated. Luckily, he’d gotten good at tying a tourniquet with one hand after losing limbs countless times on Eramar.

  Fayros glided into Vincent’s path as the man finished tightening the fabric. A wave of green fire rushed from the apparition’s blade, but the Ranger dove away. His armor grew hot as ghostly embers rained on him.

  Vincent equipped a new sword, though he had no time to cast Density Field as he blocked another slash. He took a step back with the blow to mitigate the force, but his arms still strained under the heavy strike. Another wave of ghostfire trailed after him, but Vincent leapt away and retreated again.

  Ghostfire Edge might be more dangerous than the Singing Blade enchantment, but the attacks fly more slowly. Maybe there’s a way to take advantage of that.

  Vincent rushed toward the ruins and heard the whizzing sound of Fayros gliding after him. He heard ghostfire rushing toward him and dipped away as flames consumed an adjacent stone wall.

  A single large arch remained towering over part of the ruins, and Vincent led the boss toward it. He slowed his movement in front of the pillars, waiting until the specter unleashed more ghostfire before he jumped away. The green flames burned through the base of the arch, and Vincent’s sharp eyes followed the cracks as he tried to estimate where the structure would fall.

  The Ranger stood at what he hoped was the right spot and waited for Fayros to charge him. Their blades met, but Vincent struggled to hold back attacks with his missing arm. Just when he started to find himself overwhelmed, the player heard stone cracking, and he jumped away. Fayros paused to look for the noise as the towering arch buried him into the ground.

  Vincent readied himself, knowing a B+ rated monster wouldn’t go down so easily. A whistling noise called through the air, and then an explosion of ghostfire tore through the fallen arch. Fayros rose from the rubble, his armor cracked. Missing pieces in his plates showed a shadowy figure underneath.

  The boss readied his blade once more, and Vincent did the same. They rushed one another, both ready to die or finish the fight. As steel met steel, the specter’s armor rattled from the superhuman blows, and more pieces fell away. Vincent found the boss’s strength weakening as more cracks and holes appeared.

  They both unleashed powerful overhanded attacks, and one of Fayros’s arms crumbled as their swords struck each other. Fayros’s shadowy face snarled from under his faceplate, and Vincent growled in reply.

  The Ranger jerked his sword around Fayros’s blade and angled it downward at the boss’s remaining arm. With all the power he could muster behind the swipe, Vincent severed the limb, sending the specter stumbling back.

  Vincent lost balance and fell to the dirt. He half-expected the boss to deliver a killing blow, until he saw the shattered gauntlet in the dirt. His eyes turned to the knightly apparition as the enemy caught his balance.

  Special Challenge Completed: An Honorable Duel.

  You’ve received the Mark of the Honorable. You can now access the Forgotten Grankai Jump Gate.

  The specter bowed to Vincent, and then ghostfire consumed Fayros, leaving only ashes and item crystals.

  Vincent exhaled in relief and added the Guardian’s Blade to his inventory, then he picked up the rest of the loot.

  Crystal Heart – A crystalline and still-beating heart taken from a majestic or divine being. You can feel tremendous magical energy with each pulse.

  Specter’s Pendant (Becomes Soulbound if attained honorably) – An orosteel pendant rewarded to players that defeat Fayros the Guardian while abiding by his rules of combat. | Summon Specter Knight (Cooldown: One In-Game Day) – Summons a knightly specter to aid the user at no mana cost. The specter disappears after five minutes.

  Vincent noticed the fog gates at both ends of the valley had vanished, and he saw the Jump Gate waiting beyond. A young, blonde-haired woman sat on the edge of the platform, and she waved as the Ranger approached.

  Xan slid off the Jump Gate, and the two friends hugged one another. “It’s been so long!” the lithe woman told Vincent.

  “I know, right?” he replied. “Oh, I almost forgot to Scan you. Let’s see how strong you got adventuring with Zhang.” He took a step back and noticed the scowl on her face as he mentioned the Ice Knight.

  Player: Pale Alexandria

  Class: Cleric

  Subclass: Warden

  Real Age: 19

  Highest World: Xyton

  Vitality*: Lv 179

  Spirit: Lv 163

  Resolve*: Lv 186

  Perception: Lv 161

  Agility: Lv 166

  Strength: Lv 165

  “Not bad,” Vincent remarked. He added her to his Party List, and they quickly voted on their old team name, The World Knights.

  “Your player profile says your highest stat is two hundred and one,” Xan noted. “That’s pretty impressive considering how slow level growth has been. I guess that little debuff trick you told me about is working.”

  “That’s right,” he replied. “Debuff Chains effectively cut my levels in half, which makes everything more challenging, so the game lets me level faster.”

  “If it disables your magic, wouldn’t it keep you from leveling up Spirit?”

  “No, it still goes up from time to time since this spell is constantly turning my magic against my body. It took me a few weeks to get used to the pressure. It’s almost like Eramar’s high gravity, but it weighs on your magic too.”

  “That sounds unpleasant, but if it helps you level up faster, then hit me with those chains.”

  Vincent nodded and cast Debuff Chains on Xan. A look of discomfort fell over her face as the spell took effect.

  “Just remember that you can break them anytime you like,” Vincent told her before drinking ethers and casting the spell on himself. “There, now both our levels are cut in half. You might use a minuscule-cost spell with enough effort, but other than that, your magic is gone. You’ll need rune armor to protect yourself, but I have a few spare sets.”

  He handed Xan some item crystals, and she swapped out to the new armor.

  “Just remember to change equipment if you break your chains,” Vincent said. “That armor also disables your shield.”

  Xan nodded. “You know this’ll be a difficult trip with our levels cut in half, right? This Jump Gate starts the Kai Run. Only a few teams have ever completed it from start to finish.”

  Vincent smiled.

  “Oh, who am I kidding?” Xan said, shaking her head. “You’re already in love with the idea of this challenge.”

  The two players stepped onto the Jump Gate and readied their crystals. The shards flashed and flickered before burning up as the weight of gravitational energy formed around the duo. Normally, the crystals disappeared one at a time mid-flight, but Vincent had heard this special Jump Gate worked a little differently.

  Vincent felt his feet leave the ground as they floated into the air. The runes on the Jump Gate glowed brighter than any he’d seen in the game up to that point.

  Sure is taking a while to start the acceleration, he noted.

  Almost as soon as the thought ended, Vincent rocketed into the sky at high speed. The force of leaving the planet shook his body, and he could barely move his arms away from his sides.

  Vincent flew pa
st several worlds, passing a little closer to them than he would’ve liked. He could feel the gravitation pull of the worlds, and his path arced slightly with their orbits before he was slung toward his destination.

  The isolated world hung on a small branch all by itself, and he knew from rumors that only Jump Gates that were part of the Kai Run could reach it. Shortly before the force of reentry hit him, he remembered to Scan the multi-colored planet. With his Debuff Chains, it took a second to muster enough mana to even use the minuscule-cost spell.

  Kaifarm – Classification: Nature-World | Size: Medium | Fact #1: Has the fifth-largest variety of florae of all worlds. | Fact #2: Most common enemy species are owlers. | Warning #1: Do not step off the Traveler’s Path. | Warning #2: If you step off the Traveler’s Path, leave this world immediately.

  As Vincent hurtled toward the planet, he spotted fields of vibrant-colored plants and pristine lakes. There was little time to enjoy the sights, however, as his attention returned to the Jump Gate growing closer at a rapid rate. His body tensed in panic as he flew downward, but then the gravitational field slowed his descent to a stop in mere moments. The impact of the landing still shook his body and broke the first layer of magic protecting his rune armor.

  Once Xan landed, Vincent equipped a rune-covered stone he used to recharge their armor over several seconds.

  “Take this charging stone,” he said, giving it to Xan. “I have one more with me, but we’ll only get a couple uses from them.”

  Xan nodded, and then they turned their attention to the new world.

  To the west, Vincent saw beautiful fields of multi-colored flowers. In the East were rolling hills with glowing lakes between them. He noticed trees with golden leaves and crystalline apples. Alien vegetation grew over everything, and massive red barns, some the size of castles, sat in the distance. The sky above looked bluer than any world Vincent had visited, and a warm breeze made him recall summers spent with Monika.