by EA Hooper
“They can heal you too,” Xan said. “It would take a bunch to fix a bad wound, however. If I’m closer, it’s more effective to use Healing Light.”
They stepped into the cavern, and Xan sent her butterflies in different directions. The massive cavern stretched longer and deeper than they’d imagined, and the teammates gaped at the sight. Ancient buildings appeared in their view, built into the walls of the cavern.
“The NPCs did this?” Vincent questioned. He approached the nearest structure and touched the ancient wall. “These buildings look thousands of years old. I thought ARKUS developed this game in only a few months?”
“You’re right,” Quinn replied. “Nothing in this game should be this old yet. Unless ARKUS was messing with the time dilation before anyone entered the game. Plus, the beta lasted a year because of protests and government intervention pushing the release back until they thought this technology was safe.”
“The beta only had a one-hour to two-week time dilation,” Xan said. “ARKUS didn’t stretch the dilation to a month until just before the release.”
“Yeah, it must’ve been testing how the time dilation would affect human players,” Vincent said. “Or maybe the first few weeks after release was the real test. This update might’ve been its true intention.”
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those ‘ARKUS did it on purpose’ conspiracy theorists,” Quinn said. “It’s clearly an accident. Everyone says the devs will have this mess sorted out in a few more decades.”
“What can they even do from inside the game? I’ve heard this update happened when all the devs were in-game—shortly after the game broke its highest numbers ever. That seems deliberate.”
Quinn sighed. “ARKUS is only a computer system, old man. It’s not malicious. It just made a mistake.”
“I wasn’t calling it malicious. I’m sure ARKUS thinks it’s doing the right thing. It was programmed to make humans live extended lives—that’s exactly what it’s doing. There were over five hundred million people logged on when I started playing. Many of those people are old-timers like me. How many of them are close to death? How many people in this game are sick and playing from a hospital bed? One hour to one month isn’t long enough for them. ARKUS can read our vital signatures and brainwaves. It was programmed to make people live longer, and it’s watching many of its players wither away. It can’t stop that—it can only force them to stay here longer.”
The three people fell silent for several seconds, and Quinn raised a hand to her ear. “I don’t hear the thunder anymore. Might as well go back. There’s nothing here.” She paused for a moment. “You really think ARKUS trapped us here on purpose?”
Vincent stared at the ancient ruins. “Look at these buildings. You can’t tell me ARKUS doesn’t know what it’s doing.”
Chapter 15
Player: Lucas the Just
Location: Valahym (World) | Dead Flatlands (Region)
Class: Sheriff (Moderator)
Vitality*: Lv 88
Spirit*: Lv 98
Resolve*: Lv 95
Perception*: Lv 91
Agility*: Lv 90
Strength*: Lv 90
Lucas stared across the dry, misshapen landscape. Crevices and raised chunks of ground dotted the world, almost like a thousand battles of epic proportions had taken place on the small City-World. He couldn’t help but stop and wonder why the early NPCs would’ve placed a city there.
Especially a city of such importance, Lucas thought. Valahym is the lowest-hanging City-World of the middle-tier. But this world is too hostile and lacks resources to encourage a large population to remain here. It’s like ARKUS wants the players that reach this place to either turn back or keep climbing.
His eyes fell on the towering walls of Midrun. After the update started, he’d heard they’d continued to raise their walls higher and higher. The small city almost looked like a massive plateau. He could only see the peaks of a few buildings over the top of the walls.
Lucas turned back to his entourage: Harper, Erik, and eight others that the Council of Snowcrag wanted to plant in the city. “Let’s go say hello, shall we?”
The moderator walked toward the city, but well before he reached its walls, a massive barrier appeared and stopped him in his tracks.
Rune cannons on the city wall aimed at them, and then a holographic projection of a cloaked figure appeared before them. “Halt,” the figure commanded. “Before entering our city, we must identify you and your party.”
Lucas smiled. “I am Lucas the Just. Surely you’ve heard of me. I come in the name of peace and prosperity among worlds.” The moderator could feel magic wash over his body as runes on the wall examined him and his party to confirm their identities.
The cloaked figure nodded. “We’re sending someone to speak to you.”
Magic lines races across the wall, and a small section fell downward. A figure stepped through the opening, and then the wall reshaped itself. The man approached with a confident stride, and Lucas checked his player profile before the man passed through the barrier.
“Ice Knight Zhang?” Lucas questioned.
This guy is the most famous Chinese player. He started in the beta, and his AI Assistant uploaded thousands of gameplay videos once the game was officially released. Before I was trapped here, I remember some of his videos were trending with hundreds of millions of views.
“I didn’t know you were in Midrun,” Lucas told the man. “Figured a famous player like you would be on the high-tier worlds right now.”
The calm, collected man glanced over Lucas’s entourage. “I couldn’t make it past the first high-tier City-World. After the update started, angels that once guarded the branches and top worlds began to spawn across the high-tier. My team disbanded, so I’ve been searching the mid-tier for new teammates before trying again. That led me to Midrun.”
“Well, we might be able to help with that,” Lucas told him. “My guild is looking to strengthen connections between the City-Worlds. It’s inevitable that we’d spread to the higher worlds.”
Zhang looked at Lucas with cold eyes. “You’ll never reach the high-tier.”
Lucas’s brow crinkled in frustration. “Do you know who I am?”
“Yes,” Zhang replied. “Midrun knows all about you and your guild. We know you’ve looked the other way from the corrupt politics in Snowcrag. We know you seek power and influence over City-Worlds and their people. We don’t think we can trust you.”
Lucas tightened his fists. “Can I speak to someone in charge? Like a council member?”
“No, the council gave me permission to speak on their behalf. I’m the strongest and most experienced player in Midrun by far. They trust my judgment.”
Erik cleared his throat. “Please, Zhang. I know you don’t have reason to trust us, and I know Snowcrag has its flaws, but we’d like to work with the people of Midrun. What if you only allowed me into the city. There’s not much harm one man could do alone. I only want to strengthen the bonds between our cities and the players of this game.”
Zhang gestured at Harper. “Only she is allowed entry. We’ve heard enough about her to know she can be trusted.”
Harper sighed. “Lucas, I could stay here on your behalf. In time, I’m sure I can win over the council and get them to trust you.”
“No,” Lucas said.
“No?” Harper replied.
“That’s not what we came here for.” Lucas turned his frustrated eyes to Zhang. “You’ll take Erik.”
“We won’t,” Zhang replied. “We’ll meet you halfway and allow Harper to stay.”
“Listen here, Ice Knight. You think you’re better than me because you get millions of views in the real world? Because your levels are higher?”
“I don’t think—” Zhang started.
“Silence!” Lucas interrupted. “I’m the one with the power here. You don’t get to tell me what kind of deal we’ll make. You’ll take my offer and be happy with it. This is a goo
d opportunity for Midrun. You should be grateful that the last moderator wants to make an alliance with you. You’re lucky I don’t ban you and tear down your walls.”
“Lucas!” Harper shouted. “That’d be a terrible abuse of your power. You can’t just ban people that bother you. We should respect their rules. It’s their city, after all.”
No, it’s my city. They’re all my cities. I’m the one with the power. Why don’t people understand that?
Lucas felt his body growing tense, but he sighed and relaxed. “Zhang, I shouldn’t have said that. I’d never ban anyone without proper cause—Harper can attest to that. I’m only frustrated because it feels like you and the council don’t want peace between the worlds and the players. I’m trying to do the right thing here.”
“Then let Harper stay on your behalf,” Zhang replied. “If what you say is true, I have no doubt she’ll convince us to work with you in the future. But you need to give us a reason to trust you. So far, you’ve only given me reason to suspect you’re a child with too much power.”
Lucas glared at Zhang. What’s with this guy? I’m trying to do the right thing. The World-Tree needs order—it needs someone like me to stand at the top. He thinks I’m a child? No, he’s the childish one.
“I really don’t mind staying here,” Harper told Lucas.
No, they’re not taking Harper from me. She’s mine. I’m not letting her run off with some high-level douchebag and stay in a city that’ll turn her against me. They clearly don’t like me for some reason. They must not like how much power and influence I have. My power threatens the snobby council that runs this city. No wonder they sent a high-level player to meet me. They’re trying to plot against me.
He glanced at the rune cannons along the wall and then switched to team chat.
>Lucas: I think this is a trap.
>Erik: Yeah, I’m not getting a good vibe from this guy. Who sends their strongest player to greet visitors? This was a power play. They’re trying to threaten us.
>Harper: Are you guys sure? They’re a little paranoid, but I think they have a right to protect their city.
>Lucas: Protect their city from a moderator? What sense does that make, Harper? That’s like pointing a gun at a police officer that just wants to speak to you. These people are sketchy. They’re probably doing horrible things in that city. That’s the only reason they wouldn’t want to let me inside.
Zhang tilted his head. “Are you team chatting? If you need time to decide, I can come back in an hour.”
“No, wait,” Lucas said. “Give us just a minute.”
>Lucas: If he goes back inside, I think they’ll bombard us with those cannons.
>Erik: Yeah, they can’t do anything to us if this guy is here. Maybe you should ban him to use as a bargaining chip.
>Harper: That’s not happening. Lucas can’t just ban people for no reason.
>Lucas: This council is threatening our entire plan. We can’t create order on the World-Tree if these people are interfering. They have too much power and influence. They send representatives to every City-World to spy for them.
>Erik: They don’t respect Lucas or Snowcrag. I say we give them a reason to.
>Lucas: Agreed.
Lucas pointed his finger at Zhang and fired Mod Gun.
The Ice Knight looked at the moderator and smiled. “You’ve made a very poor decision.” Zhang’s body and clothes lost all their color, taking the appearance of ice. His body cracked and crumbled into broken ice and snow dust.
“See, it was a trap!” Lucas shouted. “Take cover!”
A dozen rune cannons fired on their group all at once. Magical energy ripped apart the ground and their party. Lucas tackled Harper away from a blue explosion. Erik’s Mana Shield flickered away with the explosion, and then the next shot disintegrated the top half of his body.
Lucas used World Teleport, taking Harper with him. They reappeared at the teleport location in Snowcrag, and both held one another with exhilarated breaths.
“That was close,” Lucas said. “I can’t believe we fell into that trap.”
“Trap?” Harper replied, pulling away from Lucas. “You tried to ban him.”
“It was an ice doppelganger. They were clearly planning to attack us—after they captured you, of course.”
Confusion flashed in Harper’s eyes. “What do you mean capture me?”
“They know I care about you. They must’ve been planning to use you to have influence over me. I can’t believe we were so naïve. If they were good people, they wouldn’t have had anything to hide from me. There’d be no reason to keep out a moderator.”
Harper stared off in contemplation. “You think so? It does seem strange they readied those cannons on us as we approached. They didn’t even have those the last time I went to Midrun. Although, that was before the update. Maybe something’s changed. Maybe they’ve grown paranoid. Or their leaders don’t want outside influence affecting their power. Whatever the reason, thanks for saving me back there.”
Lucas smiled. “You know I won’t let anything bad happen to you, Harper. Hopefully, the others had quick deaths. Either way, I won’t let this act of violence go unpunished.”
“What do you mean? We can’t go back there.”
“Not anytime soon. But once my guild is strong enough, we’ll need to. We have to bring order to the World-Tree, and Midrun is standing in the way of that. Once I have a strong enough army, I’ll march on Midrun and put Zhang and the council in anti-spell cells.”
“Lucas, we can’t start a war.”
“They started it when they tried to take you from me. They wouldn’t have shown you any mercy, Harper. I bet they’d have thrown you in a cell for the next three hundred years. They would’ve tortured you if I didn’t listen to their demands.”
A conflicted look crossed Harper’s face. “We don’t know that for sure.”
“Stop being so naïve, Harper. This isn’t a game anymore. We’re all trapped here for centuries. Of course, groups like the Council of Midrun will do anything to attain more power. Human beings are animals, after all. This is why I need to establish order. This is why the World-Tree needs the Justiciars. The cities out there need to decide if they’re with me or against me, but you also need to decide if you have my back. You continuously doubt me every step of the way, despite how right I’ve been. I really think ARKUS let me keep my powers for a reason. It must’ve seen I’d be the one to bring order to the World-Tree. However, to do that, I need you to trust my judgment, Harper.”
Harper lowered her head. “You know I’ll always have your back, Lucas. Even if I don’t always agree with your actions.”
“That’s all I ask. There’ll be times I’ll do things you won’t like, but I promise, the end results will be for the good of the World-Tree. Sometimes, you must take tough actions for the sake of order.”
Harper looked at him with cold eyes. “Even war?”
Lucas faked a solemn expression. “Yes, if it comes to that.”
And it will. One day, I’ll make Zhang and the Council of Midrun pay for this disrespect. I’ll take their city, and it’ll become the cornerstone of an empire. An empire that will stand for centuries.
Chapter 16
Player: Noble Vincent
Location: Navrun (World) | Rainy Plains (Region)
Class: Ranger
Subclass: Mage
Vitality: Lv 33
Spirit*: Lv 39
Resolve: Lv 35
Perception*: Lv 45
Agility: Lv 37
Strength: Lv 32
Vincent and Quinn spent six weeks training for the tournament. Most of their practice involved Quinn knocking Vincent around an open field, but Xan always remained nearby to heal his wounds. He leveled up both his Vitality and Spirit in that time, but he felt like both had been close to leveling from their travels.
They continued to spar until a few hours before the tournament, and then they rested in the grass as a light rain started
.
“Ah, refreshing,” Quinn said as the sprinkle started.
“You think we’re ready for the tournament?” Vincent asked.
Quinn smiled. “Oh, not at all. We’ll lose for sure.”
“What?” Xan said, hiding from the rain under the Lich’s Cloak that Vincent had let her keep. “You don’t think you two can win? Even with your skills and Vince’s Void Gun?”
“Layrock’s tournaments are on another level from the arena in Knightrest,” Quinn told her. “There are higher-level players here that are just as skilled as I am. Even Vincent is bound to lose once they learn not to underestimate him, but he might get a lucky win or two.”
“We don’t have to win,” Vincent said. “We only need to look good to attract people to Jim’s guild. We didn’t get many applicants the last few weeks. They need to see this guild is the real deal.”
“I’m shooting for top four,” Quinn said. “Vince, if you can make top eight, that’d be awesome.”
“I’ll try,” he replied.
Xan smirked. “Or you can try to, you know, win.”
“Xan, you’re getting a bit snarky,” Quinn replied. “I actually kind of like it. Guess traveling with us has brought you out of your shell a little.”
“Yeah, I was so relieved when I made it to Layrock that I wasn’t even nervous about being in a new place by myself,” Xan said. “I used to get overwhelmed just walking to districts in Knightrest that weren’t familiar.”
“See, this little adventure’s going alright,” Quinn said. “So, after this tournament is done, will we try to progress again?”
Vincent nodded. “I’d like to give it a shot. There’s no guarantee we’ll make it to another City-World in one attempt, though. Might as well go for it to learn about the nearby worlds and grind out some levels. If we wipe, we’ll just try again with better experience.”
Quinn flashed a thumbs-up. “You’ve got a great spirit, Vince. And I don’t just mean the stat.”
The rain beat down harder, and the two resting players donned cloaks. They hurried toward the gate into Layrock and returned to the inn where they’d been staying. Quinn bought all three a drink, and they relaxed for two more hours to let their mana finish restoring.