by Wolfe Locke
With a soft pop, Luca’s attention was called elsewhere, watching as other humans materialized on the platform in the same way he did, though none left scorch marks. Each person that joined him on the platform was a sobbing and wretched ruin of humanity. What happened to these people? A vague memory clung to him about a cave and a road, but the memory was hazy as if it belonged to someone else.
More and more hands reached out to grab him and beg for help. Grime-filled fingers and unwashed bodies pressing against him, crying out for his aid. A realization hit him. When he had previously been looking around at the people moving about on their business, enjoying the city, none had been human. The only humans he saw were those crowding around him, marred by unhealing wounds.
Though Luca could surmise the cause of their apparent misery, he found himself unable to extend any sense of sympathy towards them. Unable to identify with any of them, Luca chose to ignore them entirely as a whole. Luca’s response was typical. Within the inner realm of the World Dungeon, this was business as usual. Just another group of traumatized humans stuck between life and death.
The sensation between his shoulder blades increased with an unforgiving intensity as pain wracked Luca’s upper body. With a harsh cough, he doubled over, bracing himself with his hands on his knees, gaining as he did an increased uncomfortable awareness of a weight pressing against his back. The spot itched as if something lurked, crawling beneath his skin. The internal pressure mounted as Luca struggled with the unfamiliar bodily sensations. Something has changed.
A wave of nausea hit him, and Luca had to suppress the urge to vomit, further bracing himself as he fought back the bile that was rising from within his stomach. He failed in the endeavor, wiping the pale yellow froth from his mouth as a delicate hand touched him on the back, asking with a feminine voice,
"Hey, are you ok? You don’t belong here with them." Luca recognized the hand didn’t belong to one of the many filthy lingering people that seemed so intent on getting close to him but still felt hostility towards the voice. He didn’t want to be pitied.
Luca responded poorly, angrily, batting the hand away, lashing out in pain at the voice who had reached out in kindness. He didn’t respond to the question as the cause of the irritation revealed itself. The newly emergent growth of wings he had failed to notice protruding from his back accelerated their growth, spreading out in a wingspan wider than his outreached arms.
The development didn’t surprise him, not after everything he had seen and experienced over the last few days. The people all around him on the platform backed away in reverence, and Luca shied his eyes away from them in self-revulsion, not wanting to see the way they looked at him longingly. Do they think I’m some kind of angel? Is that why they thought I could help them? I can’t save anyone.
In the same way that Luca was embarrassed by the reverent looks of those around him, he was equally embarrassed by his reaction to the woman’s touch. He turned his head, trying to get a good look at the woman who had attempted to show him a bit of kindness.
Slipping through the gathered crowd, Luca got a good look at her. She had long blonde hair that curled at the tips and fair olive skin. Her piercing, hazel eyes that caught him looking were impossible not to notice. Lastly, Luca noticed that her ears were tipped. So she's an elf. Is that even a thing here? Why wouldn’t it? I saw plenty of them walking around.
She flashed him a look of anger and turned to walk away. Luca could only watch as she started moving through the crowded reception platform heading down the road towards a group of shops heading away from the plaza into the city. Luca tried to follow her with his eyes but quickly lost sight of her on the street.
Disgusted with himself, Luca steadied himself and stood up. He struggled to maintain his balance, not from inability but from unfamiliarity. Luca’s legs buckled from strain and partial loss of mobility from the newfound burden of the wings, preventing him from running after her until he could gain control over his body.
The newfound weight on his back made it more difficult. Hunched over with his legs shaking, Luca smiled, realizing he was walking again, and for the briefest of moments, he laughed until the good mood was ruined with the reminder left by soft feathers brushing against his face.
I need to work through this. What am I working with? Luca turned his head slightly, not wanting to fall over as he examined the newfound weight on his back. Wings had sprouted, sporting black feathers, and as Luca looked, an intense urge within his shoulder blades caused him to flex a muscle he didn't know existed. The effort forced the black wings on his back to flap as his body rippled with muscles he had never had before. Even without the wings, Luca knew he looked radically different than the withered and crippled kid he had been.
Judging the extent of the changes was difficult for Luca in the absence of his reflection. The only thing he noticed aside from the wings he now bore and the sharp increase in muscle tone was the smoothness of his skin. Fair and unblemished, not a sign of marring on the surface. His skin was no longer a pale white but more of a golden tan.
For the second time that day, a look of wonder lit up his face. Standing tall, he flexed the phantom sensation that moved his wings, working to familiarize himself with the changes in his body. Absolutely amazing. Moving one wing and then the other as he worked to familiarize himself with the modifications to his body and build up muscle memory.
Above the platform, a lamplight turned on, the halogen burning green, and a loud series of pings were broadcasted from it as another blue screen appeared before his eyes.
Notification: Quest Discovered "The Genesis Game"
Details: The Genesis Game is the last opportunity for a world to prove themselves worthy of survival. All denizens of the world may become players and attempt to complete all 7 floors of the dungeon and ascend to the Locum Malificar to seize the Altar of the End.
Conditions: Seize the Altar of the End on the final floor.
Reward: *Conditional – One Wish
*Continued Existence
Note: For information, simply state "Notification Request" followed by the topic. Each player may use this information method (3) times during their adventure.
Note: Notifications disappear after the block of text has been read or if mentally dismissed by the reader.
As soon as Luca was finished reading the entirety of the text block, it disappeared. Only to be replaced by another.
Notification: Racial Change - Race Change from "Human" to "Nephilim"
Details: The Nephilim are heroes of old, men of renown. Known for feats of great heroism, but also for efforts of great cruelty. Power is often corrupting, and for the sons of angels, the draw of the power of demi-gods is often filled with corruption:
Effects: Physique +2, All Stats +10
Racial Ability Gained: Summon Nightmare
Notification: Racial Ability Gained - Summon Nightmare
Details: As creatures of both light and of humanity, Nephilim hold to fears and beliefs alien to their celestial kin, and unlike humans, hold power to birth from their mind the very things that they fear. The Nightmare is one such thing, deeply personal; the Nightmare is the personification of the worst fears of the Nephilim.
Effects: Summon 1 Nightmare (Personal)
Note: The Nightmare can only be summoned for 10 minutes, once daily, and its stats are equal to .75 of the summoner’s stats.
Notification: Class Change - Class Change from "Nothing" to "Angel of Death"
Details: The Angel of Death is responsible for the essence of the soul after death, holding all manner of knowledge, divine, arcane, and forbidden in the facilitation of their duties.
Effects: Gain .01 Stat Points per player kill
Innate Class Knowledge Gained: Consume Soul, Rend Soul, Soul Persistence
Name: Luca Fernandez
Race: Nephilim
Aliases: None
Class: Angel of Death
Passives Abilities
Soul Persistence
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Additional Stats on Player Kill
Abilities
Summon Nightmare 1-1000
Level:1 of 999
Unassigned Stat Points: 0
Current Experience: 3-10
STR: 10 INT: 10 AGI: 10
WIS: 10 LCK:10 PHY: 2*
END: 10 PER:10
SOL: $00000*
Chapter 8: Gate Keeper
Luca’s head started to throb from the immense strain caused by the bombardment of incoming information. The pressure forced him to stand still and process the notification screens. Luca closed his eyes and steadied himself with deep breathing, waiting only a few moments for the pain to pass before moving on.
The first thing Luca wanted to do was quell his rumbling hunger and get some food into his stomach. Ambition and desire to grow stronger would have to wait until after he ate. Luca looked around to see if there was any place that might have food. Ultimately, he decided to head towards the shops he had seen earlier when the elven woman had turned away from him after he had acted so unnecessarily hostile towards her.
Pushing through the crowd of humans that thronged around him, Luca walked down the sloped path that led away from the platform towards the shops. As he walked, Luca struggled with his gait.
His steps were awkward and sluggish; walking had become unfamiliar for him since the accident had taken from him the use of his legs, and the newly acquired wings only complicated the problem, though he was no longer struggling with balance like before.
As Luca walked down the path, he was surprised to see that all the humans, elves, and demi-humans he walked past quickly moved out of his way with differing amounts of reverence and fear. His dark wings and wide wingspan, now fully grown, drew attention to him. Moving smoothly through the crowds, children of all races watched the arrival platform as they made a show of playing at tag.
It was not overtly obvious, but Luca could see that the children only ran around in mock play. Their presence served another purpose. Using the autonomy of age, they secretly passed reports between each other with quick whispers as runners were sent on to interested parties about promising newcomers.
Once he reached the bottom of the slope, Luca walked along the stone path leading away from the platform and headed straight towards the storied buildings of red brick and mortar near where he had last seen the elven woman. Trails of poisonous-looking ivy with faded orange petals hung off of the building, adorning the trim.
Hunger distracted Luca as he walked, guiding him towards the smell of food coming from the sidewalk vendors and wafting from inside the shops. As he moved, he was forced to avoid the press of desperate bodies, unwilling to accept the radical changes their lives had just undergone, that reached out to him in hopelessness. Is this what humans become in this place? Refugees and beggars?
Before Luca was even able to approach the food cart at the base of the ivy-covered building, a tall, lanky-looking male elf with black short-cropped military-styled hair stepped forward. The elf had an aura of extreme arrogance about him as he lazily approached. Just like the elven woman Luca was chasing after, this elf also had piercing hazel eyes that looked directly at him. I need to watch myself with this guy. Something is off about him, and he’s clearly got an issue with me. Maybe a brother?
The elf held up a slender hand that had been hidden in the ripped bomber jacket he was wearing, ordering with a voice of harsh authority for Luca to stop. "Hold up, human. Regardless of whatever way you’ve managed to disguise yourself, I can always tell one of you by the smell. A cross between piss and shit, trespassing where it doesn’t belong, newly escaped from whatever cesspool it belongs in."
Before Luca could even reply and tell the elf what he thought of him, the elf sprang forward with an incredible quickness that Luca couldn’t keep up with. The elf’s lanky arms curled into a fist as he brought his arm up in a punch straight to Luca’s gut. The force of the blow sent Luca sprawling through the air backward, causing him to land on his back in the center of the pathway. It literally knocked the wind out of him as his lungs began to spasm.
"Not dead yet, human? Good. You might be able to survive yet if you learn your place," said the elf as he peered down, looking over Luca’s body as the boy struggled to find his breath, gasping for air from the shock of the attack.
"I'm Garen, and you can refer to me as your welcoming committee. This is my city. The only place you have here is the one you carve for yourself. Soon you’ll be able to, I’m sure. I can smell the scent of power on you. You reek of it. I can see why she was interested, but this is Hometown, the city of the Elves, and as the leader of the elves, this is the only warning you’re going to get as a courtesy for surviving. Hometown belongs to us. Watch where you step."
The elf named Garen bent down and extended a hand to Luca to help him up. A move that shocked the boy as Luca looked at Garen incredulously, furious with the elf for striking him. He grabbed the elf’s extended hand and pulled up, swinging as he did a haymaker with his right arm that was born more from anger than anything. Luca’s fist landed squarely against the elf’s jaw, and the bones in Luca’s hand fractured as a result, but as for the elf, no effect was discernable.
"Don’t be rude, human, and I’ll let that one slide," said Garen with a grin, putting his hands back in his pockets. "I’m only gatekeeping. A messenger if you will. We all have our parts to play in this. Welcome to the Game."
Luca looked at his fist in shock, seeing the flesh of his hand wriggle and pulse as the bones shifted, repairing the fractures. He felt fear crawl up his spine. Even though Luca felt a strength flowing through his body that he had never known, the aura Garen was putting off completely eclipsed it. He’s on an entirely different level than me. If he wanted to kill me, there is nothing I could do to stop him.
Being completely outclassed was frightening. The difference between how strong Luca had already become and the power of this elf was enormous. Garen’s lanky appearance might have implied weakness, but a sixth sense and common sense both warned Luca that Garen was anything but weak. I need to make peace with him. This isn’t a fight I can win.
"I’m Luca," he told the elf with some reservation mixed with resentment. What did he mean by welcome to the Game? The Genesis Game? Or something else? Luca tried to remain cordial. "I’m new here and a little disorientated. I’m trying to find someplace to get some food."
"And nothing else?" asked Garen with an upraised eyebrow, his voice tinged with the edge of a threat. Luca thought the implied answer was obvious. Whoever the elven woman was, he would have to put off trying to find her to apologize.
"Just food, Garen," replied Luca. I mean, it's not a lie. I can’t remember the last time I ate. "I’m fairly hungry, and I just couldn’t resist the smells coming off the food stands."
"Well now, Luca, you certainly are in luck!" Garen laughed, leering as his smile spread wider across his face. He doesn’t actually enjoy this, does he? But I can tell he doesn’t care either. A sociopath, maybe? Luca knew the smile on Garen’s face was just a mask; the way the elf’s eyes moved was reminiscent of a stalking predator.
"Yep, definitely in luck. The actual welcoming committee is on its way. The heads of your Human Guilds are making their rounds to pick up survivors and stragglers that come through the Gate of the World Dungeon, I’m sure they’d be more than happy to feed you a meal on your side of town."
"What do you mean, welcoming committee? What is the World Dungeon?" asked Luca, looking around to see if anyone was coming. All I remember is being thrown through that strange gateway. "I didn’t come here with the rest of them."
Garen laughed at him, a scornful unforgivable laugh. "That’s dead obvious, Luca. Those wings are a dead giveaway. No one else living has a pair. Look, you seem nice enough, but I’m not here for exposition. Just do us both a favor, turn around and walk back to where you came from. Or I’ll finish what I started. You understand?”
Cowed and dejected, Luca nodded, turning around, and walked b
ack to rejoin the rest of humanity that lingered on the platform.
"One more thing," called out Garen, his voice taking a serious edge to it. "Wherever you came from, however you got those wings. That’s your secret to keep. Just be careful with it. I’m not your friend, but I’m not your enemy either. Somebody has plans for you. Don’t mess it up doing human things."
Chapter 9: Legends and Chaos
At Garen's prompting and at the behest of his thinly veiled threat, Luca turned around and walked back towards the arrival platform, slouching up the sloped path back to where he had come from. Cowed as he was and humbled, Luca walked without the gait of brazen confidence he had adopted before, granted to him as a result of the newfound strength that coursed through his body. Well, not enough power, I’ll need more to make sure the past doesn’t repeat itself.
Even the demi-humans that had previously shown him deference cast him leering looks instead. The few humans that saw him no longer looked towards him in reverence but instead scrambled out of his way as if afraid they would draw the ire of the elves. Guess they realized I'm not the savior they're looking for.
Looking towards the platform, rather than out towards the city where he had encountered Garen, Luca noticed a few things he had glossed over when he first arrived, distracted as he had been by the magic of Hometown and his initial impression of the ground floor of the inner underworld of the World Dungeon.