Bending down, I cracked the lid of the crate open, revealing eighteen gleaming prisms. Gently removing one from the crate, I lifted the near translucent crystal into the light, turning it over in my hand. Completely smooth to the touch, each of the crystals were as long as my forearm and half the length across. We managed to identify them as all being [Translucent Selenite Crystals]. However, we weren’t quite sure what their purpose was for.
After some debate between Donovan, Halcyon, Caius and myself, we believed that the crystals may be mana batteries of a kind. Though none of us had any real idea how to fill them. Deciding that pouring raw Æther onto a crystal was probably not the best idea, and sounded like a good way to lose two rare items at the same time.
Placing the crystal gently back in its place and sealing the crate, I was eager to be done inventorying our loot before logging off for the next day. I walked towards a familiar colored length of scrap metal that leaned against the side of the forge and picked it up, turning it over in my hands excitedly. Finally, the last item and what will eventually become a massive long term project in itself!
On our return from the underground chamber, we had crossed paths with the massive metallic pole again, a sudden revelation stopping us in our tracks. The entire pole was made completely out of metal and had long lain abandoned since the Tower’s fall. It no longer served any purpose that we could discern and would continue to molder until the Tower one day collapsed around it. Saddened by the waste of such a precious material, a burning question entered our mind.
What if we could somehow scavenge the pole and smelt the metal down for our own use?
With Aldford on the verge of an incredible growth spurt, its burgeoning industry would soon begin to thirst for vast quantities of all metals imaginable. Recycling the already refined metal of the pole itself would serve to jump start local development and give us much needed time to find and begin exploiting other ore filled veins in the surrounding land.
Given the size and density of the pole, however, I knew it would be a long-term challenge to figure out a way to somehow cut and transport large chunks of metal back to Aldford. A challenge I was more than willing to pay the other Adventurers in the village to solve for me. Nothing motivates people better than a fistful of coins, or a few sets of magical armor, crafted by yours truly.
“Not a bad haul!” I declared, talking to myself as I looked over all the items for the last time, putting the piece of scrap metal down.
That quest paid off in experience just as well as the Tower did in loot! I remembered my jaw nearly hitting the ground when I saw the Experience and Renown reward for completing the ‘The Slave-King Reborn!’ quest.
Quest Complete!
The Slave-King Reborn! (Evolving Quest) (Multi-Group)
After a fierce battle and many losses you and your companions have managed to kill Slave-King Abdiel! The region is now safe from his reign of tyranny! Congratulations!
Slave-King Abdiel Slain: 1/1
Difficulty: Very Hard
Reward: (Granted to all members of participating groups)
Experience Points: 14,000
Renown: 1000
In one fell swoop, all of us had earned little more than half a level’s worth of Experience and a sizable chunk of Renown. We were also happy to find out that Ascend Online’s quest system took into account that Freya and her group were still stuck on their final novice level, and was delaying the quest’s experience reward until they reached level 10. But our biggest surprise was that even those in the party who were unfortunate enough to die in the Tower had also managed to receive the quest and still get credit for completing it.
I had a feeling that the quest system had been designed to account for attrition and death within dungeons and special events given how punishing it could be to respawn hours, if not days, away from where your group members were.
Without such a system, I could see groups fighting far too conservatively, each member focusing on their own personal survival. Rather than actually working together to successfully finish the quest, likely leading to everyone failing the quest altogether.
We still have no idea what Renown is for, though. I brought up my character sheet, seeing that I had already managed to accumulate a grand total of 1105 points of Renown. Best guess is that it has something to do with how involved you are in the world’s story. Maybe it’ll become more important down the road at some point.
As I scrolled through my character sheet, my attention wavered to the dull outline of an alert I had read several times but refused to dismiss completely. With a sigh, I compulsively brought it up once more and read through the description of my new condition.
Warning!
The Trait – Ætherwarped, has been modified!
You have gained a new Ability linked to the Ætherwarped Trait!
Due to prolonged exposure to raw Æther while under the effects of an [Annulment Sphere] your Sub-Trait Mana Starved has been enhanced to Mana Void!
Mana Void – Your body’s hunger for Arcane Energy has become ravenous, turning your appearance gaunt as it desperately craves more and more mana in order to fuel your metabolism. For as long as you have mana, you do not require to eat or drink. However, if your mana reaches 0, your body will immediately begin to consume itself at a rate of one hit point for each second in mana deprivation state, per second, until mana is restored. All mana regeneration is permanently reduced by 100%.
You have received the new ability: Mana Leech
Mana Leech – As a result from prolonged contact with an [Annulment Sphere] your body’s hunger for mana is so powerful you are now able to leech mana from any object or creature that you come in physical contact with, regardless of intervening armor or clothing that is not specifically designed to block the flow of mana. When this ability is activated mana will be leeched at a rate of 30 mana per second, any mana leeched will be added to your current mana pool and any excess mana will be lost. This ability scales with Class Level and Intelligence.
“Ugh!” I let out a grunt of frustration as this time I finally dismissed the alert, instead of simply minimizing it. I looked down at my bony hands for a moment, clenching and unclenching them as I watched the tendons play through my skin. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, willing myself to move past this new development. “Okay, appearances aside it’s not all bad. I can still fight, run and move around. I’m a bit lighter than before, but still just as strong.”
“While not ideal, I can still cast spells if I manage my mana carefully and focus on targets I can drain mana from.” I slowly talked myself through my new abilities, trying to come to terms with them. “I guess I’m kind of a Mana Vampire now, and if I ever run out of mana I’ll die in about…”
I paused for a moment, doing the math in my head. “Thirty-six seconds, assuming I’m at full health.”
Fuck. I sighed, realizing that in the heat of combat, thirty-six seconds could easily range from a lifetime to a single instant. What are the odds that if I’ve run out of mana, that I haven’t also been injured? Hell, if someone mana drains me I could be dead before I even knew what was happening!
“Hopefully that won’t happen,” I whispered to myself, the same instant Constantine walked into the room.
“Hopefully what won’t happen?” Constantine asked me, before looking around the room and seeing that no one else was there. “Talking to yourself, Lyr?”
“Yeah, a little bit,” I confessed as I waved the question away. “Nothing serious though.”
“You sure you’re doing okay?” Constantine replied raising his eyebrow in concern. “It’s been a rough day, hell of a rough week.”
“I agree with you there,” I said wholeheartedly. “I’m alright, though, just tired. You know what they say, ‘What doesn’t kill you-’”
“Gives you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms?” Constantine interrupted me with a slight grin on his face.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, that sounds about ri
ght.”
“Just a little bit more, then we can unplug for a day or two,” Constantine said warmly before beckoning me to the door. “You said you wanted to talk to everyone in Aldford before we logged off right? We managed to get everyone waiting in the Town Hall.”
“Ah, I’d forgotten about that.” I rapped a bony knuckle on my forehead as I moved to follow Constantine. “Alright, let’s go. This shouldn’t take too long.”
There’s just one more thing I need to take care of.
***
The Town Hall fell silent the moment I walked in, dozens of heads turning to see my arrival. I heard gasps of surprise as I stalked towards the far end of the room. Whispers of my new appearance quickly spreading throughout the crowd as everyone watched me with bated breath. Crossing the room, I saw the entire group waiting for me. They all stood in a line as they faced the gathered Adventurers, purposefully showing off their battle damaged armor. A crate had been dragged to the center of their line, serving as a makeshift stage for my coming speech.
Hopping up onto the crate, I looked over the crowd as all the whispering voices began to quiet. I waited until I felt I had everyone’s full attention, then spoke the three words I knew everyone was waiting to hear.
“Graves is dead.”
There was a pregnant pause as everyone absorbed my statement. Then a single cheer broke the silence, followed by another, and another as applause began to thunder through the room. I saw looks of relief spread across nearly every face as days of built up stress vanished in a heartbeat, everyone wildly celebrating the would-be tyrant’s demise. With a smile I basked in the celebration, waiting for everyone to bring their attention back to me.
Sensing that I had more to say, the Adventurers slowly fell silent, watching me with renewed anticipation.
“Today, we have faced a major trial that not only threatened Aldford but the entire region itself.” I paused, giving a chance for my statement to sink in. “All because of one man’s greed.”
“In his blind quest for Power, Graves very nearly unleashed a terrible evil on this land, an evil that would have consumed everything we have worked so hard to build.” I waved my hand to indicate all my friends standing in front of me. “But thanks to these heroes before me, we not only managed to stop Graves, we also managed to permanently put an end to the evil he let loose.”
“We would have not been able to do this without the selfless sacrifice of Myr, who bravely stepped in the path of arrows destined for her friend, Theia.” I saw the lizardwoman flinch at the sudden attention the crowd directed at her. “Or Huxley, who caught Cerril just in time. Preventing his fall into a burning inferno.”
“When we were pressed by a horde of vicious creatures, spawned from Nightmare itself. Cadmus, Halcyon and Thorne did not hesitate to give their lives so that the rest of us could have a chance at living.” I continued speaking, watching the Adventurers attention shift with each name I mentioned. “To protect our rescuees in the heat of battle, Sierra willingly stood a forlorn defense, sacrificing herself to ensure their survival.”
I quickly glanced at the three Mages Guild Expedition members that we had rescued from the Tower, having barely talked to any of them. I recalled Natasha quickly telling me their names as she excitedly introduced her former scoutmaster, Bax, and the two mages, Samuel and Quincy.
“We were victorious because we fought together and trusted one another completely. Knowing that if one of us fell, that the others would continue onwards and honor our sacrifice.” I paused once more, scanning over the faces of the Adventurers. “Graves, on the other hand, died alone, a broken man, his greed having pushed everyone away from him.”
The crowd began to murmur its approval, a second round of applause echoing through the room. Holding up a finger, I motioned for silence, indicating I still had more to say
“I stand here before you all, to tell you that Graves is only the first to raise his hand against us. There will be countless more behind him that will also be driven by greed and lust for power as they try to carve out a piece of this world for themselves, uncaring of who they take it from.” I held my hands up high to indicate the surrounding village. “It will be up to us to defend what is ours, and define what sort of world we want to make for ourselves. We must all stand together as comrades, resolute in the protection of our community and future.”
“To that end, I am announcing the formation of a Guild. One that will defend against those who wish Aldford and this region harm.” I saw looks of surprise and excitement cross the faces of the Adventurers in the crowd. “This Guild will be governed by the very idea of Virtue as we transform this region into a shining example of what cooperation and hard work can accomplish.”
“In honor of that ideal, we have chosen to call the Guild ‘Virtus’, a word that dates back to the days of the Roman Empire and a name that I hope will constantly inspire us to be better than we were the day before.”
“All members within Virtus will strive to embody the ideals of valor, excellence, courage, character, and worth, in every aspect of their lives. Our goals as a guild will be to ensure the safety of Aldford and the surrounding region, providing a safe haven for any who choose to make their homes within this land.”
“We will protect those who ask for protection, we will stand against gross injustices, and if necessary, we will be the hand of vengeance for those who cannot stand up for themselves!”
“Standing before you all, are the founding members of Virtus! All of whom have bled in the defense of our new home today!” I spread my hands out wide, indicating the group for a second time as the crowd began to cheer. “It is because of them that we are all safe tonight! It is because of them that we can all lay our heads down in rest and know that there is no evil lurking in the night!”
“It is because of them that we are all free!”
With my final words, all of the Adventurers leaped to their feet in applause and began to press forward, eager to congratulate every group member in person.
Hopping off the crate, I saw a panic-stricken Constantine backing away from the advancing crowd, quickly looking over at me.
“What the hell, Lyr?! You were supposed to wind them down gently, not rile them all up!” He shouted to me over the roaring cheers. “This is going to take ages to get out of!”
“Sorry!” I yelled back with a smile. “I just wanted a head start!”
“A head start?” Constantine looked at me with confusion. “To what?!”
“The bathroom!” I couldn’t help but bark an evil laugh as I waved goodbye.
And then I logged off.
Epilogue
Eberia
Tower of Atonement
Graves
I sat huddled in the deepest and darkest corner of the room that I could find, gripping the crude bone shiv I had fashioned so tightly I was worried that it would snap in my trembling hand.
And leave me defenseless, again. I relaxed my grip ever so slightly, daring to exhale a short breath in hopes of calming myself.
“Where are you Graves?” A familiar voice called out for me, causing my heart to start thundering in my chest as I gripped the shiv tightly once more. I saw a shadow pass by the doorway before me, the soft patter of feet announcing the stalker’s presence. “You can’t hide from us forever, Graves! We’ll find you eventually! We always do.”
I held my breath until the shadow passed, moving onwards into the dark.
Just ninety-seven more days. I told myself, swallowing hard as I suppressed a momentary spike of anger. Ninety-seven days trapped in a prison full of inmates that want you dead. In a prison where death is but a minor inconvenience.
I’d lost track of how many times I’d been killed since I first arrived here three days ago, having stopped counting past my tenth death. Everything since my first death at that bastard’s hands was a blur. I barely had enough time to realize that I had respawned back in Eberia before I was unceremoniously tackled by a Justicar, stripped of my gear
and put before a magistrate.
All I remembered was that damned gavel banging and the sentence being read aloud.
One hundred days of imprisonment in the Tower of Atonement, the highest security prison Eberia had. A thirty story prison where they just throw the prisoners into, and lock the doors behind them until their sentence is over. A prison full of angry killers with nothing more to lose.
It wouldn’t have been so bad, had none of the other inmates known who I was. I stared out of the doorway, trying to judge if it was safe enough to take a quick nap. When was the last time I slept? Yesterday morning?
I blinked through sleepy, exhausted eyes, the darkness doing little to counter the weariness hanging over me. Unfortunately, nearly everyone from my group had been thrown into the prison before me, giving plenty of time for resentment and hate to fester. I was barely in the prison for ten minutes before Micken found me and beat me to death with a brick.
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