Samantha has gained Portal Mage - Level 2
Forj waved everyone forward, “Follow me. Much more to see.” A liquid crystal entryway emerged from the ground before them and they walked down a dark path lit in a neon blue. The steps felt like marble. Samantha noticed a handrail. The light from the rail lit their dark descent with a soft swirling light.
Forj could feel them getting a little agitated so he talked in a soothing voice, “Wyrm has been experimenting with showing us many technologies that far exceed what humanity had before the Cosmic Holocaust—” He laughed and went right into answering their questions before they could ask. “Cosmic Holocaust is what the scavengers call it. They also called it an Omega extinction level event. We call it a rebirth, salvation, the resurrection.”
The dim neon marble led down to a huge wall of water. An assortment of tropical fish swam by. Oversize neon tetra, super red turquoise discus fish, electric blue cichlid, and yellow bicolor Boeseman’s Rainbowfish swam in a bright freshwater ocean.
Forj raised his hand and a tunnel of air swirled through the wall of water. A path with a vaulted aquarium ceiling appeared before them. Forj walked through confidently as if the glassless aquarium had never collapsed in on anyone and drowned them.
A Red Honey Gourami flopped around on the ground and Forj scooped it up, “We’re still working on new technologies she introduces us to.” The fish flopped around in his hand and he put it back into the wall of water. It swam off.
Noelle put a finger in the wall and a few fish came to nibble. Gem watched and smiled.
They were led to a great circular room. The floor was carved with an elaborate serpentine mandala beneath the vaulted ceiling. The walls were beset with large candles.
The system announced:
New Quest: Give Birth to the Holy Parasite
You have been blessed with the task of being a surrogate to the prehensile multidimensional reach of Wyrm. Among your party is a savior surrogate who will birth 10,000 Wyrms and a Wyrm Mother extending the reach of her sacred infestation. The entrance of your presence to the City of Wyrm was prophesied for millennia.
Reward: Create a new Host of Wyrm, all participants receive 100% completion of their current level in their primary class and 80% completion to their next level.
Failure: Trapped in Wyrm Host world
Difficulty: Very Hard
Upon seeing the new quest, everyone in the party looked at Priest.
Priest pushed a thumb and forefinger into his eyes, “Proprietor Forj, we need to get back to the portal. Can we get that antidote for Sena?”
“I don’t think that it will be possible,” Forj said adjusting his shades.
Sam and Mela looked at each other. Priest saw Gem slowly moving her hand toward her blade. His heart was pounding. There was a sheen of sweat on his cheeks, forehead, and hands.
Priest said, “What do you mean, Forj? Are you trying to trap us here?”
Forj removed his glasses revealing worms squirming in his eye sockets. The larvae extending from his retina allowed him to see more than the eyes he’d lost, “I assume all of you have seen the system message showing a new quest, give birth to the holy parasite?”
Before he could stop Gem, she was already knee deep in Forj’s ass swinging ice imbued attacks.
“No!” Priest yelled. Priest knew that whatever she was planning was not going to work. A semi-skilled Level 10 mage could take them all out by accident. Forj was a level 20 in a class he had never heard of. He was “proprietor” (whatever that meant in the context of this world) introducing them to a far future city of an alien godling parasite.
When an intergalactic god parasite with incomprehensible power tells you that you cannot leave what do you do?
A. Negotiate to find a mutually beneficial agreement
B. Offer one of your NPCs as a sacrifice to be impregnated by the godlike prehensile worm nightmare
C. Fight that bastard
D. Both A & B
Priest was all about option A… or maybe D.
Negotiation was the best course of action. But it was too late for that shit. Gem had just earned level 2 and thought she was invincible.
There was a high probability they would all end up being violated by interdimensional parasites. It would not be pleasant.
Chapter 45:
Queen’s Checkmate
Lady Blades laid down. She’d received an in-game system message for a meeting with the Game Master Corp Directorate. Before she logged out, she looked at her level of Authority for First Town. It was now at 25%. She was using all of her mana to make more elves system-realized or Mana-Born as they called it. So far, she had given powers to 55 elves including the governor and some of his staff. They were quickly shifting the power of the Elves within the Elven Reich Compound and this shift was trickling into the surrounding low-born community. The governor would soon be able to lead a rebellion and take more power from the surrounding High-Born nobles. In exchange, Lady Blades was given free rein to look for Priest and the portal mage. Making so many NPC’s system-realized also gave her the chance to find per own portal mage. She had not found one yet.
She closed her eyes and woke up on the other side, OpsBay 15. Three MedTechs were already examining her body and disconnecting her from the pod.
Developer 161 approached her. The tall thin woman’s gray hair was pushed back with her thick goggles that were high on her head. She got nose to nose with Kiera, “Were you able to get a portal mage and portal device to upload the lost portal database?” she said quietly shining light in Kiera’s deep brown eyes. If any MedTech’s overheard, they did not acknowledge it.
Kiera shook her head and was assisted out of the pod. MedTech’s quickly removed the last of the electrode and body sustaining intravenous suctions, tubes and devices required for long-term deep dives into the simulated multiverse.
Developer 161 handed Kiera some clothes, “You’ve got a meeting with Game Master Corps Directors. They’re waiting in Giordano’s office.”
Kiera put her pants over the translucent tights. She moved over to the head Ops MedTech, “Get the pod prepped. I’m going back in right after this meeting.”
The MedTech nodded making arrangements on her tablet.
It was the usual all hands Lost Portal Anomaly Report where all GMC field operatives and system developers investigating the lost portal phenomenon across the multiverse reported their findings directly to the Game Master Corps Directorate.
So far, a total of 8 system users and 3 NPCs had been stuck inside of the lost portals. The system users remained in a coma with their bodies in stable condition.
There were no significant changes or results until the floor was given to Director Giordano of the GMC Medical Facility.
“Well, I have a significant change to report,” Giordano took off her glasses and looked at all the other directors and operatives around the table. “Game Master 363, Priest McKenna, reported that he got his powers back.”
Anyone nodding off or distracted by private augmented reality streams during the mind-numbing 2-hour briefing that usually reported no new data or status perked up. There had not been any changes reported since the appearance of the Universal Set .0001 portal appearance that had resulted in the disappearance of Phaze6, Fox Priest, who was now in a coma.
“When was this?” Another director asked.
“How?” Someone else asked.
“Can I get data on class and abilities recovered?” Developer 161 asked.
“Hold on, hold on,” Giordano said trying to calm everyone down. “I should be getting a detailed report soon. MedTech Fallon and Developer 6174 are putting together a comprehensive sample of data along with a report. As soon as I have it, I will pass it along.”
Director Giordano smiled and looked over at Kiera, “I have nothing further to report until the results come back. As for the ongoing lost portal quest, I’ll defer to Game Master 665. Ms. Kali, the floor is yours. Any new status on lost portal?”<
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Kiera considered what the Director said, Priest had his powers back. Which meant he was empowering a group and was likely to make a move soon. She had to work faster to get that portal mage.
Kiera stood up to address the group, “Yes. I have something to report. Game Master 363, Priest, is interfering with my mission. The fact that he has his class and possibly his role back explains a lot.”
Director Giordano cocked her head, “Well, this is concerning. I specifically asked him not to interfere with your quest,” she said. “How exactly has he interfered?”
“He attempted to break into our safehouse, for one thing,” Kiera said. “I am requesting that you remove Priest from the system until I’ve completed my quest. At the very least, remove him from the Universal Set I am in.”
Some of the directors considered what she was saying. Giordano nodded, “We’ll take it into consideration. If there are no questions, comments or complaints, let’s adjourn this meeting.”
As Kiera was getting hooked back into her pod in the OpsBay, she signaled to Developer 161 who approached as the MedTechs double checked all connections, “I’m getting close,” Kiera said. “I’ll keep you updated.”
She closed her eyes and was back in the game as Lady Blades.
Chapter 46:
Consumed by Wyrm Herself
Gem’s scimitars sunk into his arms leaving a burst of frost where they connected. Her intent was to wound him but the strike had an unexpected reaction. Forj’s body jerked and dry heaved convulsively. Footlong maggots erupted from his mouth. Everyone took a full step back, not quite sure what was happening. Gem was trying to pull her blades from his arms but they were stuck. It was as if she’d chopped into an oak stump. Long worms gushed out of his eye sockets to find the connecting blades.
“By the Tree of Life!” Gem panicked as a few long worms traveled from his vacant eye sockets and on to her blade toward her hand. She finally managed to pull the blades free from the wood like cuts in the arms. She whipped the worms off the blades toward the slumping husk that was the Proprietor’s body.
The system told them:
The Family Cult has been afflicted with the Trans-dimensional horror!
Gina set Sena down. The elven wizard was on her feet, but she looked so sickly and mentally out of it. Her face was ashen and she could barely keep her eyes open. Gina put her behind her and backed up a few steps from the maggot spewing husk of Forj.
Mela looked over at Priest, “What is this? What’s happening?”
Priest shook his head, “We just attacked a level 20 Host of Wyrm. I have no idea...”
They all watched the desiccated corpse continue to erupt its squirming contents. Noelle wept quietly backing away from the scene, gripping Mela who was shivering.
Forj was suddenly behind Samantha watching the squirming heap with them. He sighed, “Guys, you didn’t let me finish what I was—”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh,” Samantha screamed completely freaked out by Forj and his wormy eye sockets standing too close behind her. She elbowed him hard and grabbed his head to perform an epic head throw. But the Proprietor’s head slid loose from his neck and unsheathed a long slick worm writhing from his bleeding neck hole. The worm slithered from the exposed esophagus and wrapped itself around Samantha’s lithe neck and into her welcoming mouth muffling her screams.
Priest grabbed its slimy body to keep it from traveling down her neck. Translucent ooze dripped from her quivering lips. She bit down hard to stop the worm from going further down her gagging throat.
Gina took a shot at Forj’s new headless corpse from which the worms now attacked Samantha. She shot a tight burst into the belly of the corpse in an attempt to kill the source of the worm. The belly burned open to reveal a tangled mess of worms that looked like living intestines. They erupted from the belly and formed into another version of Forj. The slithering version of Forj spoke, “Ok, listen—”
Its words were interrupted by another blast of flames from Gina as she screamed.
Forj’s first corpse was still spilling forth large worms until half the floor was covered with them. Gem fought them back. Noelle cried gripping Mela like a child.
Sena was in a daze, calm. She watched the entire scene. Gina was screaming as fire streamed out of her palms and on to a group of worms trying to form into another version of Forj. Worms twisted and wrapped around Sam’s body and Priest gripped the creature casting wounding hands. Samantha collapsed on the ground gagging for air fighting to pull the creature from her throat. Noelle was now covered in worms crying. She dropped her sword.
Sena laughed. She laughed until tears washed her sandy cheeks. She laughed at the chaos, terror, and madness that had consumed the group.
Mela looked at her trembling hands. She was fighting to control them. Proprietor Forj’s voice was in her mind. He soothed her and convinced her to let him speak. Mela glowed green. The glow was so bright everyone noticed.
Mela has been possessed by Proprietor Forj for 1 minute or until Forj releases the spell.
Mela looked out at the team and yelled, “STOP! That’s enough!”
The worms covering the floor disappeared. The slithering clone of Forj disappeared as Gina ran out of mana to fuel her flame. Samantha gasped for air coughing and grabbing her throat. The worm entering her throat had disappeared. Priest looked at his hands that had just been coated in a slippery film. Now they were dry.
In the silence, Sena stifled her laugh, covering her mouth with her hand.
Out of the shadows walked Forj, putting on his shades and touching Mela’s shoulders to release her from her temporary possession.
“Jesus WYRM Christ! What are you guys doing!?” Forj yelled. “You are all novice apprentices. Why in the world would you think it is ok to attack the disciple of a godlike being in her own layer? Do you realize the level of violation a cosmic being can do to this group using me as a tool of said violation?”
Forj turned to Priest who was still on the ground breathing hard, “I assume you are the master of this group? You are going to get these guys killed. There is an ancient proverb of pre-cosmic holocaust Earth that used to say, ‘get your shit together!’ Have you heard that axiom?”
Priest nodded still breathing hard.
Forj said, “Then, yeah. Get your shit together!”
Priest opened his mouth to speak.
Forj raised his hand as if to say shut up, “You know what? I blame myself. That was my fault. It’s the worm eyes, right? Just freaks people right the hell out… Every time. Freaks. Them. Out. That’s why I wear shades. No need for an apology. Just, please, listen. All of you. I was trying to tell you that you have a quest to ‘give birth to the Wyrm mother’. It’s necessary to leave. Let me explain why.”
Forj waived his hands in the center of the floor and a 3D hologram globe appeared. It zoomed into a topographical map of their location. Their location was a dot in the crystal city that sat on a giant S-shaped strip of desert.
“We are here,” Forj said. Then he moved the map a little to reveal another gleaming dot. “THIS is your portal. We are now very far from that portal. Perhaps a good… 3 days away on foot. You said your portal had only 1 hour, correct? This is information your portal mage has access too,” Forj looked over at Samantha’s gun.
She looked down at the display on the portal gun and got to her feet, “Y-Yes, here it is. I see a path back to the portal. I didn’t notice before. Shows how far away from the portal we are… It’s more like a week away on foot. There’s a counter too… 10 minutes!? 10 minutes remaining on the portal?! This can’t be right.”
Priest walked closer to the 3D projection, “But… how did we get so far away?”
“Like all other parts of Earth Host’s lithosphere, the Great Desert of Wyrm moves. The Great Desert rests on the back of a Wyrm Mother,” Forj moved the map showing metropolis sized titan worms underneath the crust of the Earth. What he referred to as “Wyrm Mothers”.
He continued, “The
Wyrm Mother has moved. Your portal was opened upon the back of another desert of another Wyrm Mother. They are now moving apart.”
Mela spoke, “Can’t you just fly us back?”
Forj shook his head, “We won’t make it with the Kraken. There is another way. But one of you will need to stay.”
Priest nodded, “… I’ll stay.”
Mela put a hand on his shoulder, “No, master. I would never have you—”
“I can’t lose anyone else. Not because of my mistakes. I’ll stay,” Priest said approaching Forj. He didn’t know what in the simulated multiverse could prepare him for the sick orgy about to be bestowed upon his avatar, but he would ready himself. It was time. “Do you hear me, Forj? Give me your worst. What will become of me? Worms sucking and swallowing every inch of my flesh? Bound domination while being completely subjugated to the worm lord? Violation of every orifice of my—”
“What?!” Forj asked. “Look, first of all, no. And second of all, you’re not a chosen one… but there is one among you who deserves—”
“You’re rejecting me?” Priest asked.
“No. It’s not like that,” Forj said. “It’s not you. It’s Wyrm. She’s not ready for… your kind of… energy.” Priest could not help but realize that he’d just been friend zoned by a cosmic parasite.
Forj walked over to Sena and put a hand on her small shoulder, “You should know that you have a power that not even I possess. You can open portals. Also, we can cure you of the disease. You should be feeling a little better already but it will take time.”
“No, Sena,” Mela said. She walked in front of the young lady with tears already brimming.
“I was called the moment the portal opened, Madame Mela,” she said smiling. “She calls me. I...understand her,” She looked at Forj. “I’ll do it. I’ll stay.”
“No,” Mela turned to Priest, “Forj has cast some sort of spell on her, master. We cannot allow her to—”
Priest looked at her. He knew there was nothing they could do to stop them if she didn’t want to go. This being was too powerful.
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