by Daniel Annan
He was tall, taller than even Keith and very thick, but somehow… compact? It was like he was designed to be an inverse of what he himself embodied.
“Yes, drink me in. Pretty menacing no? I thought so too when I carved this mask from the bones of my first PK,” He laughed while taking another cautious step closer.
Why is he being cautious? He must not know the full extent of my skills… meaning that he wary of a surprise I might have hidden.
Unfortunately, I had nothing of the sort. Whatever was in his concoction had negated my gracious boon and was rapidly damaging me from the inside. Though from his earlier explanation, I could guess that the only reason I was still alive was the relatively low quantity of poison he could mix into the brew in order to bypass my immunity. It also hampered my mental abilities, meaning I could not call Fei or activate any abilities.
All I could do was sit here and die slowly while he continued talking on and on. Unless he decided to end it quickly. That would be a blessing at this point, as I’d rather had my fill of his B-list villain antics.
“I wonder, have you ever had the chance to die yet? I doubt you have, or you would dread it more than you do now. In your mind, it’s probably going to be a quick thing, you respawn after a few minutes. That’s the norm, right? Unfortunately, it’s not so simple anymore. This clusterfuck game has a legion of games mashed into it not all of the same genre and some not even being RPG, like the game I originated from. So how do you think such a world will handle the mechanics for death?”
He pulled up a wooden box from the side of the alley and sat on it, facing me directly. Drunkenly, I raised my head to stare him in the eyes, doing my best to project spite and anger. He just laughed and continued as if I were a child having a tantrum.
“The answer is yes and no. The devs of this thing are real bastards, you know. They chose not to select one mechanic as the primary directive, not to mix a few of them or not even to limit the specific mechanic to the game the player in question came from no. They simply opted to let a player experience each and every one of them, individually. Can you imagine that? The sheer evil of it? When I entered this realm from my game, I died almost instantly, as I had no walls or citizens to protect me. It only took me one time, just once, to break during my respawn. When I came back, I was like this. Fucking crazy and rocking it!” He exclaimed, leaning closer to stare me in the eye. “So why don’t you sleep for a bit. Enjoy your journey through the River Styx. I know I did.”
He got up and patted himself down, preparing to leave. Before he took a step though, he stopped as if remembering something and turned to face me with wide open arms. “Ah, almost forgot. My name. If you’re wondering, it’s Raven. No, that’s not my real name. I can’t risk you finding me in the real world. What if you’re a fucking mafia boss? I’m just a dude working minimum wage who likes Hero shooters too much for my own good and got roped into this madness by some girl called Vena. Hmm? Ah yes, my name. Raven. Remember it,” He finished with a florescent bow that would have put all Victorian era bourgeoisie to shame.
He walked away, towards the very shadows he came from, disappearing in them seemlessly. The lack of a red outline told me that my senseless assailant, Raven, was well and truly gone. To where, I did not know, but it did not matter. I knew only three things at this point. One, I couldn’t call for help. Two, I was going to die. Three, I was going to be eliminated from the battle royale.
Vena said that this contest was a PVP elimination. Bleeding out from the knife of a player character largely fell into that category, meaning once I closed my eyes, they won’t be opening again. At least not here.
Soon, my vision became blurry as I tried to focus and activate my abilities to no avail. There was no miracle coming for me in this spotless alleyway. Still, my mind was clear enough to form questions.
How did Raven find me? How did he know Fei wasn’t on my person at the time of attack? How many players had he eliminated? What will happen to my town when I died? Would they all… cease to exist?
If I died… would I also go mad?
Ah well. At least, I won’t have to bear the shame of Keith’s laughter. That would be a fate worse than anything Raven could throw at me.
My addled mind was slow to comprehend what I was seeing, but before me was a bright light, its luminosity growing slowly to cover the full scope of my vision.
If this is what death is like, it sure is corny.
* * *
“Hhhh!!” I gasped as I came to, my body shooting up into a sitting position as I touched myself all over. There was no sign of the attack on my person and my body looked like nothing had happened. But I had a hard time believing everything miraculously sorted itself out. Case in point, the voice that drifted down from above.
“Well, well, if it isn’t my puppet. For someone as skilled as you, I didn’t expect you to drop in so soon.”
I felt dread boil in my stomach as I raised my head to take in the one person I hoped never to see again. The room I was in was a mirror to the Training room I met Mirea in, only this one had an astral feel. Where there was a white outline in the training room, here there existed countless stars in the background, with planets and spatial gases thrown in here and there. All in all, it gave me the feeling that I was… I was standing in outer space.
Vena sat in what looked to be throne made up of video game cartridges, consoles and handhelds all welded together by a master artisan, giving it a uniform look, despite the many different components. At her feet and around the dais were balls from different sports, football, baseball a basketball as well as various jerseys and sporting accessories.
“Where the hell am I…? What happened back there…?” I asked warily, feeling the dread in my stomach rise even further.
Vena leaned forward and graced me with a winning smile, her perfect set of teeth looking inhuman. “Why, you died of course! When your soul was passing on to the void, I snatched it and brought it here! Feel free to thank me all you want, Mortal!” She exclaimed happily, clapping her hands in glee.
This girl is totally insane! I realized. Snatched my soul? I don’t even exist in here! I guess it’s finally time to log out and be rid of this world.
Opening my menu, I scrolled to the options page and located the log out button, pressing it immediately. Instead of the animation I expected, I heard Vena’s throaty laughter.
“Where do you think you’re going? I’m not done with you. This world is not done with you. You are entertaining to watch and it’s been hard to find good entertainment in the last few millennia. I only just got permission from my father to do this, so I’m going to make sure it lasts as long as possible, if not for eternity.”
I shook my head and rose to my feet, the emotions that were roiling through me magnifying exponentially. Suddenly, I felt sick and damaged, my mind unable to keep up with the sensations it was experiencing in such a short time.
“W-What’s happening to me…?” I queried blearily, my hand coming up to my head and my eyes losing focus.
Vena snapped her fingers as if remembering something and clapped her hand. “Oh yes! You see for those who accepted my proposal immediately and got my boons, I placed a block in each of your minds, filtering troublesome emotions and thoughts that would have you question your actions and presence in The Realm. In here though, that block has been removed. So what you’re experiencing right now is what you’ve had restrained all this while,” She finished, rising to her feet.
For my part, I could no longer remain on my feet as painful emotions and thoughts flitted through my head faster than I could grasp, some loud and some almost deafening as they boomed through my head.
Those Goblins… I killed them in cold blood… there were so real… am I a murderer?? No, they’re monsters!! Or am I the monster here?? The Shaman… What he said… Alt soul? Shouldn’t it be two souled? What is going on here? Why did I come here so soon? I planned to use the virtua-pod with Rama watching over me! How did I come here? Where a
re my friends? What is happening in the real world?
“Aghh…Ahh…. Make it stop…” I whimpered in pain, the volume of my subdued thoughts reaching a crescendo. If something didn’t stop them, I could either go insane or my head would explode.
“I have to admit, the block I used on you almost slipped at various points. You have a very strong and analytical mind, so I had to subdue that too. Sorry for making you take reckless actions, but it was that or have you balk at entertaining me. At that, you did a great job,” She stated while climbing down her dais slowly, approaching me as if she had all the time in the world.
“I want to understand some things before I free you of your burden. The first, is that I am not a ‘dev’ I am a Goddess. Not just a Goddess, but the Goddess of Metis, which is our universe. I am what you go to church on Sunday to pray to. Secondly, The Realm isn’t a game world, it is based on a game world featuring multiple games. Almost every known game that is at the top of its respective genre. You are not wearing a VR suit in your mansion. You are physically and spiritually here. Everything that consists your being is right before me.”
“Thirdly, this battle royale is not something you can leave. I told you before, the only way to leave is to be eliminated by a player or to win. Until then, you will fight and struggle in the most amusing ways, until someone better bests you,” Her explanation paused as she came to a stop over me. “Well… bests you on equal terms. Do you understand?”
“Yes! Yes I do! Now please!! Please help me!” I cried out in agony, my body starting writhe on the floor as I reached levels of pain I had never know existed. To have your mind implode on itself… it was pure hell.
“Sigh, just like a typical mortal. Never reads the terms of the agreement before signing,” She lamented gregariously, placing her hands over my temples and rubbing them. Her strange massage instantly reduced the pain, morphing it into pleasure. I released a purr I never thought I could have produced as she continued that act for a few more seconds before letting go.
“And that is for being the only mortal to prefer my natural form. You have no idea the disgusting preferences some of your kind have. To make the invitation more appealing, I opted to appear in the form that each individual fancied most. Apart from you, the rest all had… florid… wants, some even going as far as to morph me into…into animals!!” She spat that last word out with fervent anger that made me reel for a bit.
“You said The Realm is real. So I’m physically here then. Is this like, a pocket dimension you created?” I asked, while patting myself down, thought I doubted there was any dirt in this spatial room.
“Exactly! This is why I regretted putting the block on you. You’re so quick to the point. Still, I find it hard to believe that you accept my story so easily. The many who have passed before you all doubted me even to the end,” She queried with curiosity, placing a finger on her lips.
I nodded and moved closer to her, making a show of taking in the aesthetics of her space. “You’ve proven that beyond a doubt. I’m not exactly religious, but I’m not foolish either. I’ll take your word for it.”
“Sooo smart… I like you, Jax. I hope you know I haven’t put a block on your mind this time. I just allowed the pent up emotions to bleed out. The next time you enter The Realm, remember this,” She warned with a misplaced smile.
Next time?
“I thought I was dead?”
“Oh yes, you are. But your town has a healer right? So naturally, she must possess the necessary restoration magic to ‘rezz’ you as you gamers call it,” She laughed as she twirled her hair round and round. Her hazel eyes fixed upon me with sudden intensity, making me break out in a cold sweat. “You think I brought you here because I find you handsome? I brought you here because I’m bending the rules for you. With your soul here and not in the void, your healer can resurrect you as soon as they find your body.”
I was visibly stunned by this revelation. “Why would you do that?”
Vena leaned forward, once again displaying that inhuman set of perfect teeth in what I was starting to recognize as her trademark smile. “The reason I set this whole thing up. For entertainment.”
She devised all of this… just for amusement?
“Ah, it looks like your time is up. Your body has been found and they’re in the process of bringing you back. It was nice talking to you. Toodles!” She said, suddenly appearing right in front of me and giving me a soft push.
“Wait, I…”
My words are swallowed by the annoying familiar bright white light that enveloped my body, transporting me from the Astro Room with only Vena’s waving form as the image burned into my eyes.
Chapter 10
The Summoning
“He’s waking! Hurry and fetch Master Clarent and Mistress Mira!” A motherly voice commanded as I felt my mind claw its way back into consciousness. I could hear the rush of footsteps as whoever it was dashed out to summon my companion and my advisor. The ensuing silence was somewhat relaxing until I opened my eyes, fully coming back into the world of the living.
“Hello my Lord. I’m happy to see you’re back with us,” The woman I could only assume to be the head nurse of the hospital greeted with a bit of cheer. She was painfully young, with a look that said she was either just above the real world legal age or one year below me. She wore a green shift dress with a white apron along with – surprisingly – the symbol for medicine embossed on her apparel. With auburn hair tied into a neat bun and strangely mature dark brown eyes, she was average in all. But what made her special was the aura she exuded. It was calming and reassuring, almost a palpable thing.
__________________
You are in the Aura of Wellbeing!
+ 2 to perception
+ 3 to Defense
+ 50 to morale
__________________
Needless to say, having her on the battlefield may easily turn the tide. But would I want to risk my city’s best healer? No, I didn’t think so. Still, the effects may not necessarily need to be present on the field, but in the medic camps, it would go a long way to speed up recovery. I used examine on her to get her name.
“Thank you, Tani. You’ve saved me from a very untimely demise. I will not easily forget what you’ve done for me this day,” I stated, looking her right in the eye to convey my seriousness.
“That you shouldn’t my Lord. Frankly, I’m surprised someone as smart as you would make such a silly mistake. You should’ve known that your appointment here would get you enemies among the other nobility who were looking to increase their lands. At all times, you are a target,” She admonished with a frown that had me wince a little. Despite being young, she spoke and sounded like my mother.
Chastised, I mumbled an apology of some sort which eased her scowl somewhat, causing her to regard me evenly. It wouldn’t end well for me if I explained that the logical part of me was… subdued… by a Goddess. I doubted I myself would’ve believed that had she not told about it. I could already feel the difference from before and now, with regards to how I handled things. In hindsight, I would not have attacked that forward camp without more backup on my side, but it seemed that things worked out in the end. Still, it was reckless, although I was lucky enough to retain the sense to sneak attack as many as I could first. Had Vena strengthened the block further, I would’ve probably listened to Clarent and jumped into the fray with no preamble whatsoever.
It was at this moment that my door burst open, admitting a flushed Dragon Knight and a no less harried Advisor. I braced myself for what was about to happen next. Mira chose to give me a very dark glare that I knew meant she wasn’t very happy about my life choices. Clarent however, chose a more direct, tried and true approach.
Hoisting me up by my coat, he stared into my eyes with subdued anger… which didn’t stop him from head-butting me. With all his strength. Almost 60 points of it.
“Hey, what are you…” Tani started, but instantly went quiet when the Dragon Knight trained a baleful glare
towards her. Even Mira looked unsure of this outcome, torn between her righteous anger at my foolishness and her duty to protect her Lord.
“No... aggh… It’s okay…” I sputtered weakly, waving the concerned women down. This needed to play out fully if there was going to be any real resolution.
“Why Jax? Why would you leave a party you hosted, walk around in the dark alleyways of your town where there was no one for miles, without any guard, your companion or even your bloody familiar!?!” Clarent shouted, shaking me even harder. “For what reason would you grant an assassin his wet dream within the very first day of your rule?”
“Actually, the first week,” Mira corrected quietly. Clarent ignored her as he continued to stare into my eyes waiting for an answer. So I gave him one. I explained – in detail – everything that had led to this, from my forced arrival here, to my Seamless ability, the block that was placed on me and the very goal of our existence here.
“Y-You met the Goddess herself…? Mistress Vena…?” Mira asked with disbelief, her eyes clouding with an emotion I could not place. Clarent had long let go of me, his eyes widening the more I spoke, a disposition mirrored by Tani.
“Yes, you could say that. Though it’s not as pleasant an experience as you seem to think. Still, I apologize for my lack of care, but at least one good thing came out of it.”
The all looked between each other with confusion at my assertion. “Which would be?”
“My killer thinks I’m dead.”
* * *
After talking a bit more with my advisor and my companion, we decided it would be a good time to summon his soul familiar. Clarent told me he’d be waiting in the courtyard for me, as they delivered a bit of news that had me worried. Departing them, I headed to my altar, angling through the hallways to my destination. Luckily for me, Mira had shown me how to update my map without having to tread all the new ground.